#1 josh russo defender

[cat-shaped-bong]

hear me out when i say some of yall 911 fans who hate josh are lowkey homophobic. a lot of the things people hate about him are stereotypical gay things. he's sassy, flamboyant, feminine, etc. and these things make him annoying? grow up.

[daniel306gaming]

DCEU Justice League VS MCU Thanos

To: Josh Brolin, Zack Snyder, the Russo Bros., DC Entertainment and Marvel Studios 

                                                       Intro

Welcome to the MULTI-VERSE where we pit characters or series to see who would win. In today’s fan fiction we’re going to put the Justice League from the DCEU against Thanos from the MCU. This is my own take of events following the mythology of the Justice League and Thanos and the timeline of the DCEU and MCU respectively. Who do u think will win? Without wasting anymore time sit back and relax and let’s get right into the fan fiction.

                                                        Prologue

The events of this fan fiction will be set during the events of the Snyder cut and right before Infinity War.  

                                                        Act 1  

Thanos has just obtained the power stone from Xander after decimating the planet. Thanos shifted his goal to the Statesman, the Asgardian spaceship and as he and the Black Order were about to abort Thor’s spaceship his entire spaceship and army were warped into another wormhole. Thanos was surprised at what happened and asked Ebony Maw what was going on. Ebony said that they were seconds away from getting the tesseract but that there were some anomalies that happened. Ebony also said that they are in a new galaxy that seem identical to the OG universe. Thanos then dispatched Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian to investigate this new world. As Thanos’s spaceship was drifting in the new galaxy Ebony and Cull later reported that there is a planet called Earth which lies 3 virtual treasures known as the Mother Boxes. It is said that with the formation of the Mother Boxes whoever owns it has omnipotent power and capability of traveling anywhere. The Mother Boxes also allow them to travel freely to heal extremely damaged wounds anywhere or even with the boom tubes. An extra dimensional transit tunnel this allows the user’s transit to be sent into other worlds at any point in space within an dimension. Thanos felt this was an ideal replacement for the space stone which he now lacks. Another treasure known as the Anti-Life Equation is also carved on Earth. Anyone who possesses this equation will gain control of all living beings in the universe. Thanos then thought of this and it seemed like a greater asset then the Infinity Gauntlet. With this device he can now control all living beings. Thanos thought that if he does not need to snap or slaughter half of the universe he can control how the resources are allocated and there would not be unnecessary wars. The boxes could be a replacement for the gauntlet temporarily while they work their way back to their OG universe. Ebony said that while the Mother Boxes and the Equation are on this universe’s Earth he said that there are also defenders of Earth in this universe. Thanos said that it should not be a problem since he has the power stone and his children with him. Thanos then dispatched his children to search for the location of the Mother Boxes first. Ebony Maw with Cull Obsidian and Próxima Midnight with Corvus Glaive searched for the first 2 Mother Boxes. Thanos himself will seek the Anti-Life Equation and was almost able to summon his army of Outriders and Chituari with him in this universe. After some time Próxima and Corvus returned and informs their leader that the 1st location of the Mother Box has been identified. It was guarded in Themyscira and was well guarded by the Amazons a tribe of powerful and fearless female warriors. Thanos said that this should not be a problem for both of them as he sent out his 1st armies of Outriders and Chituari to raid them. The Amazons were alarmed by his legions and got into defense positions. They fought against the Outriders and the Chituari alongside the hordes although they were not as powerful as Darkseid’s army as in the OG timeline. But their endless and vicious hordes proved to be annoying for the Amazons. Amidst the chaos Próxima attacked the Amazons who were guarding the Mother Box. She easily disposed of them but the Amazons managed to flee away with the Mother Box. As they were charging away Corvus ambushed them and killed the last protectors of the Mother Box. With the 1st mother Box obtained Corvus and Próxima returned to Thanos. He was proud of his children’s achievements and decided to study the mother boxes details. Meanwhile, Cull and Ebony found the location of the 2nd Mother Box but it was buried in the middle of the sea by an underwater kingdom known as Atlantis. They knew that there was a fight against the Atlanteans and it was more than a difficult battle than the average human. Cull and Ebony decided to wait til the Atlanteans guarded the Mother Box and caught them off guard.

                                                     Act 2

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman received a warning from the Amazons that the Mother Boxes have been compromised. She still was unaware that this wasn’t Darkseid who launched an attack on Earth but rather Thanos himself. As nobody was unaware of Thanos and the Black Order they assumed that it was Darkseid who has begun his conquest. Diana then informed Bruce Wayne of the impending doom of Darkseid. They agreed to begin searching for the metahumans to add to their team. Bruce tried to recruit Aquaman into the team but was shunned away. At Atlantis, Ebony decided to create a distraction. He planted a bomb that detonated a small part of the city of Atlantis and then he sent the Outriders to attack. Atlantis was alarmed of the threat and Mera who was defending Atlantis with most of the guards dispatched to fight the Outriders. However, with the distraction successful Ebony went to retrieve the Mother Box. He easily defeated the guards and retrieved the Mother Box and on the brink of death one of the guards managed to blow the horns as a distress signal that the Mother Box has been compromised. She rushed back and saw as Ebony was fleeing. Mera then created a whirlwind from the water and charged it at Ebony Maw which he then deflected with ease. Cull emerged from the blast before knocking her out unconscious. Before Ebony left he said that soon the world would know of Thanos’s grand plan. Several hours later, Mera searched for Aquaman after recovering from the attacks. Mera informed him that a creature called Thanos has arrived and began obtaining the Mother Boxes. Realizing that Batman was right from the start he decided to contact Batman and that he would assist him to track down Thanos. Thanos himself has uncovered the location of the Anti-Life Equation. With 2 more Mother Boxes by his side he sent all of his children to retrieve the final Mother Box which was located deep in the woods. He warned them about the defenders of Earth that have been alarmed of the situation by now. Thanos said that soon his plans of bringing peace to the entire universe under his command will be fulfilled. With the formation of the Justice League except for Superman and Cyborg Mera tells them of the arrival of Thanos. This created a confusion with Wonder Woman as she knew that it was Darkseid. Batman tried running searches in all databases and archives for Thanos but there were no hints. With Thanos not possibly being from this universe they weren’t sure how to deal with him. Just then Cyborg came to them. He sensed a anomaly near where the last Mother Box is located. Cyborg tells them about how the Mother Boxes were used by his father to help reconstruct his body which was damaged in an accident. He has shunned himself from the world and hated his dad for giving him an cybernetic body but he felt that this could be a chance to save the world. Cyborg said that the anomaly pattern he detected matches the same anomaly pattern as in Atlantis and Thymiscira. Batman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg along with Aquaman and Flash quickly rushed to it. Mera said that she needed to inform Atlantis about the grave situation and left. As the Justice League arrived at the location of the Mother Box they saw that the location of the Mother Box had been hijacked. A spear then flew towards Batman in which the Flash managed to push Batman out of the way avoiding the spear. The Justice League were caught off guard as Cull Obsidian charged towards them. Cull’s charge was tanked by Wonder Woman and Próxima Midnight retrieved the spear from Batman while Corvus Glaive fought against Aquaman. Flash was trying his best to wrestle with the Mother Boxes from possession but Ebony kept manipulating matter around him to his advantage. Ebony then brought 4th the Outriders and Chituari who started attacking the cities. It was a terrible sight if they do not stop the armies. Batman and the Justice League decided to retreat temporarily to stop the attacks of the other Outriders and Chituari. Ebony then said that the Justice League were distracted. They can return with the Mother Boxes to Thanos. Batman then alarted the GCPD that an alien threat is approaching. Commissioner Gordon alerted the police force to be on high alert and evacuated the civilians to safety. Cyborg then told Batman that if the Mother Boxes are able to bring him back to life there’s a chance that Superman can also be resurrected. He said that when they were fighting the Black Order he placed an tracker on Ebony so they would be able to know where the Black Order are heading. Batman then told Cyborg to retrieve Superman’s body first while they handled the onslaught of the Outriders and Chituari. Cyborg placed Superman’s body into the fluid of Genesis the chamber of Krypton of the kryptonite ship. After that he resumed the fight on the front lines with the Justice League.

                                                    Act 3

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman sent a signal to the Amazons that all the Mother Boxes have been compromised by this Thanos. As the JLA and GCPD were being overwhelmed Mera and the rest of the Atlanteans had arrived and killed off the remaining Outriders and Chituari. They achieved victory but they needed to track down the Mother Boxes soon. Aboard Thanos’s spaceship he found a suitable location where he can activate all the Mother Boxes. With this he will be able to learn the location of the Anti-Life Equation. He will also gain control over all sentient beings in all of the universes even in the universe where the Avengers exist. Thanos directed his spaceship and armies to a suitable location in the abandoned Russian city where they began activating the Mother Boxes. Cyborg was alerted and he told the Justice League quickly and departed for the Russian city. There they saw an army of Outriders and the Chituari guarding the base with the Black Order at the front gate. The Atlanteans under Mera’s command attacked Thanos’s armies and they were joined by the Amazons.

                                                Final act

Meanwhile, Cyborg and Batman decided to bring Superman’s body near the location where the Mother Boxes were being assembled. Wonder Woman, Aquaman and the Flash decided to fight against the Black Order. As the Black Order were being distracted by the trio Batman and Cyborg seeked their way towards the core of the Mother Box. Flash originally wanted to steal the Mother Boxes but Cyborg said that a wrong action could ultimately result in his death instead. As they placed Superman’s body nearby they heard a voice saying that soon there would no longer be war or imbalance and the resources of the universe would all be balanced. They saw a big purple being appearing from the shadows. It was none other than the mad titan himself. Batman asked what Thanos’s intentions would be in this world. He said that they never heard of him before this and there was no records of him. Thanos then began telling them on how he and his Black Order came from another universe where he originally wanted to end all the universe’s life and due to the insufficient resources wars were always a normal overpopulation being a problem that will end once his ultimate goals have been achieved. While transporting to this universe was an accident Thanos said that the Anti-Life Equation will help him make his goals real and even faster compared to needing to acquire all of the Infinity Stones. When the Mother Boxes are united he will obtain the location of the Ant-Life Equation. Thanos said that he will not only control the fate of his OG universe but also the fate of this universe’s beings. Batman tried to buy more time so that Cyborg could activate the other Mother Boxes to reroute it’s energy flowing to Superman instead. Batman disagreed with Thanos’s plan and said that every being had their own right to think and act. While stopping overpopulation and war seemed like a noble deed controlling them and stripping them of their freedoms was not. Thanos said that this was a sacrifice that was necessary indeed. Just then the main entrance of the city was breached and the Justice League stood by the gate. Thanos saw that the Black Order had all been killed. He said that he did not expect the defenders of Earth to be that powerful. Batman then threw several batarangs and detonated them at Thanos before shouting at Cyborg to charge the Mother Boxes at Superman instead. Thanos who was caught off guard gave a powerful punch that knocked Batman unconscious. While the Mother Boxes were directed to Superman the rest of the Justice League decided to hold Thanos back at first so that Cyborg could redirect the same energy to Superman. Wonder Woman held Thanos with her lasso of truth while Aquaman channeled several water attacks on him. Flash started running around punching Thanos many times with the speed force and the mad Titan tried to use the power stone on the gauntlet but nothing changed. He realized that the gauntlet was useless in this universe. Using his brute strength Thanos overpowered both Wonder Woman and Aquaman hurling away from him. He called the Flash a bug and tried to find him but the Flash was too quick for him. Thanos decided to use his sword to smash the ground creating a hole in the ground. Flash who was distracted fell to the ground and his knee pierced a building structure. Having taken care of the Flash Thanos fought against both Wonder Woman and Aquaman. They tried to restrain him but Thanos proved to be a very formidable foe. Aquaman eventually managed to graze Thanos with his trident but the mad Titan mocked him for achieving such a small feat. Thanos then took his battle sword and stabbed Aquaman in the gut. Wonder Woman screamed and crossed her arms. Her bracelets of the submission created a powerful force that eventually Thanos flung backwards. Wonder Woman then leaped forward to him but Thanos managed to catch her by the neck. He choked her and she started grasping for breath. A loud explosion happened that incapacitated everyone else temporarily including the Justice League. Wonder Woman and Thanos fell to the ground. The mad titan looked upwards and saw another being with a symbol of s on his chest was floating in this sky. Superman started punching Thanos and shot laser beams at him. Thanos was caught off guard and groaned in pain before he was buttheaded by Superman. He was surprised to see the man of steel had no effects. Superman carried Thanos into space before shooting his laser beams into Thanos sending him miles into the ground. Superman said that he was glad to finally obtain a chance to be at his full strength. The mad titan refused to go down and leaped forward towards Superman. The 2 fought in a colossal battle. Eventually Superman got the advantage over Thanos and defeated him. As Superman was floating around Thanos Cyborg said that something weird was happening with the Mother Boxes. One of the boom tubes was activated and Cyborg believed that Superman’s resurrection caused this. Superman approached the boom tube and a bright light charged towards him. Superman tried to counter the bright red light but failed. The light beam struck the man of steel and he fell to the ground. From the boom tube came Darkseid, Steppenwolf and the rest of Darkseid’s armies. Darkseid congratulated Thanos for speeding up the process of obtaining the Mother Boxes for him. With the Mother Boxes now complete Darkseid can now turn Earth into his own Apokolips. Thanos who still wanted his grand plan flew towards Darkseid. Darkseid shot his omega beams and struck Thanos. The mad titan who was still weaken from the fight with Superman collapsed on the ground. Darkseid said that he has been observing Thanos and his grand plans for all these months. “It is assuming indeed”. Darkseid thought to himself. Darkseid said that he will soon enslave this entire universe and the universe where Thanos came from and turn them all into Apokolips. Darkseid lifted Thanos and fired another omega beam killing him for good. The rest of the Justice League watched in horror as Darkseid started plunging the entire universe into Apokolips. Aquaman and Wonder Woman were injured badly and Flash couldn’t run. Batman was already knocked out unconscious and Superman was still injured from the omega beams. With Cyborg the only option left he quickly connected himself to the Mother Boxes where he transferred his consciousness into it. There he located the universe where Thanos originally came from. Cyborg saw that there was a tech genius known as Tony Stark there. He saw several other defenders of Earth there. Cyborg then sent a message to them saying that their nemesis Thanos has been slain by Darkseid another evil force who would soon travel to their universe. Steppenwolf realized that Cyborg has interfered with it and struck and fought him briefly. Steppenwolf eventually defeated Cyborg and Darkseid said that Cyborg will serve as an important asset for them to enslave the other universes. The Mother Box began turning the Justice League’s world into Apokolips. While Darkseid and the rest left Earth before being taken away Cyborg had been uploaded to the coordinates of the wormhole where Thanos and his warships came from. Green Lantern and the Lantern Corps along with Martian Manhunter arrived to evacuate Mera and the Atlanteans along with the civilians, Amazons and the GCPD. They left Thanos who was already killed earlier not before they took the Infinity Gauntlet from him which had the Power Stone already intact as it could be a useful weapon in their coming battle with Darkseid. They joined Superman and the Justice League as they all enter the wormhole and into the world of the Avengers as they had to warn them of what was going to unfold next.

                                                    Epilogue

Meanwhile, in the MCU The Avengers who in this timeline had put aside their differences after the events of Civil War along with Ant-Man and the rest of their allies were at their compound discussing about Spider-Man joining the Avengers when they saw the Statesman arrive and out came Thor, Hulk, Loki, Valkyrie, Korg and the rest of the Asgardians. As they were greeting them they saw the remainder of the DCEU arrive and Superman told them that they were all facing an impending doom. They all refused to believe him playing a clip of what happened to Thanos. The skies started to turn black and a portal appeared in the sky. From another boom tube emerged the ruler of Apokolips Darkseid who was pleased that there will be another world to enslave for him. Once this world has been conquered the Anti-Life Equation will be the perfect weapon to enslave them. Steppenwolf then reported to Darkseid that their was a very similar weapon like the Equation on this Earth and Darkseid saw that the weapon he spoke of was in their hands. It was none other than the Infinity Gauntlet itself which already had the Power Stone intact. He also told him that there were 3 of these stones on Earth which were the Space, Time and Mind Stones respectively. Darkseid told Steppenwolf to find the location of the remaining 2 stones so he can use them to his advantage. The heroes knew that if they added the stones into the Gauntlet then it would be powerful enough to face Darkseid. Loki crushed the tesseract placing the Space Stone and Strange placed the Time Stone from the Eye of Agamotto but they couldn’t add the Mind Stone because if they do they would be killing Vision in the process. However, Vision told him that it was fine saying that he will sacrifice himself for the Mind Stone. Vision then ripped the Mind Stone off himself killing him for good. Stark placed the Mind Stone in the Gauntlet. They were all wondering who would wear it and Superman said he will do it saying that if anyone else uses it the cost will be their lives. Superman put it on and was able to handle all the power of the Gauntlet. They knew that they had to stop Darkseid before he got his hands on the stones. The Guardians of the Galaxy alongside the Ravagers and the armies of Wakanda and Asgard and the Masters of the Mystic Arts arrived as Darkseid rallied the paradooms and a humongous battle exploded between them to see who will become the true defenders of this universe…

                                                         THE END!

And that’s going to be it for this crossover on what if the Justice League of the DCEU faced off against Thanos from the MCU. We saw how the Justice League almost lost til Superman eventually got the better of Thanos defeating him. However in the end they let Darkseid come and destroy the DCEU and then transport to the MCU leading to the final stand between the heroes and Darkseid and I wanted to end it right there to let u guys chose how the battle will play out. ¿Do you’ll think that the Avengers and the Justice League will win or lose against Darkseid? Do make sure to be on the lookout for more what ifs coming soon. Take care guys and have a fantastic day. Peace out!

[merlin-wolfgang-trades-hale]

East Side Story

Fandoms: Hawaii 5-0 & 9-1-1

Premise:  A glimpse into Eric "E-Train" Russo's past. A dilemma of the present. And an appreciation for his character. 

1) Postcard: It's been years since he's heard a peep from his father.

2) Bar Talk: Eric's unsure of whether or not he wants to meet with his father. He needs to talk with someone about it, but it's hard to decide who. As tempted as he is to reach out to his family for their advice...he doesn't want to rock the boat, so to speak. His father isn't really well liked among the Williams' for obvious reasons, and if his father's only here to cause trouble...he doesn't want his mom to be hurt, or even his Uncle D to get upset.

3) Morning Commute Chat: After his talk with Adam, he's made a decision.With that decision, a lot of old memories rose to the surface. On their commute to work, Eric shares some of those memories with Noelani.

4) The Request: Eric finally meets up with his father and listens to what he's got to say.

5) The Drop In: Eric agrees to his father's request but can't do it alone. He doesn't want to drag the Williams side of the family into this mess so he goes to ask another uncle for some help...on the Russo side.

~~

Working as a 9-1-1 dispatcher, Josh thought that very little could surprise him anymore. Then his nephew Eric drops by and well...consider him surprised.

6) Operation Day: It's the day of the operation. Eric not only has his Uncle Josh for support, but he had Maddie and the 118. He's not sure how but he's very thankful to have them.

~~

Josh is very protective of Eric and isn't scared or ashamed to stand up to his brother as needed to defend Eric's wishes.

7) Meanwhile in Hawaii...: Noelani notices Eric's been missing and is worried. When she sees Five-Oh at a scene she asks Steve about him, which leads to Adam telling Steve about his talk with Eric.

8) The Call: Danny gets the lead he needs when Josh finally calls.

9) Jersey Pride: Danny arrives in LA. He's relieved to see Eric's with his own eyes.They have a talk about how far Eric's come. He's no longer a boy, but a man. One that Danny is proud of.

10) Postcards: Eric's home and is getting postcards from lots more people

[scarffile0-blog]

Marvel's The Punisher Season 2 Review

Marvel's The Punisher is going to be canceled. That's the harsh truth. Netflix and Marvel are almost certainly severing all ties after four years and a fruitful partnership that, by the time it is over, will have produced three seasons of both Daredevil and Jessica Jones (the third is expected to debut later this year), two seasons each of Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Punisher, and a single season of the team-up series The Defenders.

The choice to end the partnership has little to do with the success or popularity of the comic book series and everything to do with the fact the shows are produced by Marvel Television and ABC Studios, both of which are part of Disney, and Disney is launching its own streaming service later this year. Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Daredevil have already received the ax; The Punisher and Jessica Jones will certainly be cut down after Netflix releases their respective seasons that were ordered prior to the decision to dissolve the partnership. To that end, does it matter if The Punisher's second season, which drops Friday, Jan. 18, is any good if it's essentially dead on arrival?

Discover Your New Favorite Show: Watch This Now!

To be frank about it: Not really. Whether or not the new season is good or bad has no effect on the show's future. It is what it is. But none of this will stop people from watching it, and it shouldn't. Despite being too long, the first season of The Punisher was a fascinating character study of Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) the husband and father rather than just an action series about the highly skilled killing machine known as the Punisher, a nickname bestowed upon Frank by others that he himself has never used. That alone garnered enough goodwill to warrant giving the second season a chance.

Regrettably but predictably, the 13-episode second season, which picks up a year after Frank smushed Billy Russo's (Ben Barnes) pretty face into a mirror and cut it to pieces after learning his former friend and brother in arms was responsible for the deaths of his wife and two children, suffers from the exact same problems that have plagued nearly all of Netflix's original programming: It's too long and doesn't have enough story to adequately fill 13 hours of television. The many pieces of the puzzle also don't start coming together until far too late in the game as a result, and by that point, it's rather hard to care.

Still, Frank remains a captivating character in Bernthal's strong and capable hands. At the start of the season, Frank, who has disappeared into the identity of Pete Castiglione, is on the road, moving from town to town and trying to run from the man he is. His attempts to ignore or reject that man is the underlying theme of the season, as is his inability to do so. As one character says, "The only way to win is to not play," and Frank can't or won't resist the challenge. He's looking for any excuse to let the Punisher out. Even after connecting with a small-town bartender (Alexa Davalos) and feeling comfortable enough to reveal his real name to her, he's still itching for a fight, still aching to pull the trigger on anyone he believes is deserving.

Everything We Know About Disney's Streaming Service So Far

So Frank hasn't changed at all after exacting his revenge last season -- not that anyone expected him to. And that is good news for Amy (Giorgia Whigham), a teen girl who is the target of highly trained mercenaries who want to kill her for the items she has in her possession. Compelled by what he describes as an "old-fashioned" need to protect Amy, Frank finds himself embroiled in a new mission that allows him to put to use his own special set of skills even if there is no reason for him to be involved except that it allows him to protect Amy where he failed to protect his own children. Unfortunately, we don't find out what Amy is mixed up in until nearly midway through the season, and although it's topical -- let's just say there is a wealthy, right-leaning couple who wants to control the White House -- it's not quite interesting enough to warrant the initial mystery surrounding it. (For what it's worth, it does result in a tense third hour that feels reminiscent of, but definitely not equal to, Banshee's incredible Season 3 episode "Tribal." Also, if you like violent action dramas, go watch Banshee if you haven't already.)

Even though there's a new villain this season, the violent alt-right Christian fundamentalist John Pilgrim (Josh Stewart), who may or may not be based in part on the comic book character the Mennonite but who is connected to the aforementioned wealthy couple, he's hardly worth mentioning; for all the similarities between the angry men, The Punisher is still defined by the central relationship between Frank and Billy Russo, and that is probably the way it should be.

Although their arc has its ups and downs, everything else pales in comparison to the story of Frank and Billy, the latter of whom's face is now scarred but in a sexy way. He has been in the hospital for the last year and is under the care of a psychotherapist (Supergirl's Floriana Lima) obsessed with fixing broken veterans. He has also taken to sporting a mask, much like his comic book counterpart, to conceal his face. But if you were hoping for a more accurate depiction of Jigsaw, who was horribly disfigured, I'm sorry to tell you that you're stuck with the still beautiful face of Ben Barnes. There are certainly worse things.

Marvel's The Punisher Season 2 Sees Billy Russo Amassing an Army

This is important because Billy's identity is tied to his handsome good looks, as evidenced by all the references to how pretty he was in the first season. Billy's journey in Season 2 still revolves around what he looks like, but now it's about why he looks that way. After spending an extended period of time in a coma, he doesn't remember what happened to him. He has no idea Frank is the person who attacked him, and he also has no idea why he was attacked. He also doesn't know he was responsible for what happened to Frank's family. Hell, he doesn't even realize he and Frank aren't friends. It seems that Frank and Billy have swapped places in Season 2, with Billy looking for answers while processing the hurt that comes with knowing someone he once considered a brother betrayed him. This means that a great deal of Billy's arc this season involves him being confused and scared, which results in him lashing out and finding comfort in what he knows: being a soldier. And Billy was an excellent and merciless soldier.

The Punisher's second season takes its time setting up the inevitable Frank and Billy showdown, occasionally filling in the gaps by flirting with the idea of making some sort of statement about people like Lima's Dr. Krista Dumont, who tries to fix broken, violent men, but it never really succeeds. Where the show does make some headway is in its exploration of two different themes.

The series asks us to examine the intricacies of redemption and whether or not it's possible for someone who has done terrible things to be redeemed or considered good. Whether that person is Frank or Billy doesn't really matter. They're the same from an outsider's perspective. They've both done horrible things. They've both murdered people. They're both not good people. Isn't that the message Billy was trying to deliver to Frank at the end of Season 1? Does it matter that Frank "has a code," as Madani (Amber Rose Revah) notes at one point this season, or that he cares about and feels for people, as Curtis (Jason R. Moore) also points out? Does one life matter less than another? Does murder exist on a sliding scale? Additionally, does it change things if Billy can't remember the horrific things he has done? Can we punish someone or hold them accountable for their actions if they have no recollection of what they've done? Memory loss won't erase Billy's crimes or eliminate Frank's pain, but it's something the show wants us to consider before addressing its second major theme.

Throughout its second season, The Punisher asks if people can fundamentally change who they are. If given a choice or a chance, can they resist their natural impulses? Can they outrun their true selves? Frank Castle is who he is. Billy Russo is too. His traumatic brain injury doesn't change that. And The Punisher reminds us of that many times over the course of the season, just as it reminds us that Frank Castle is the Punisher.

So maybe people can't change. That doesn't mean they can't evolve into better versions of the people they already are. Of course, in order for that to happen, they have to want it to happen. The other option is that they can simply accept who they are, and if there's one thing that is clear from The Punisher, it's that most of the people who populate this bloody, dangerous world have no real interest in evolving. They can dress it up any way they like and call it whatever they want, but they all come to embrace who they are in their hearts in the end. This journey doesn't always make for good television -- there were multiple episodes this season that were an absolute slog to get through -- but it does encourage interesting debate. It also, at least in this case, leads to some pretty damn cool action sequences. And when a show is (unfortunately) as dead on arrival as The Punisher almost certainly is, maybe that's enough.

Season 2 of The Punisher premieres Friday, Jan. 18 on Netflix.

Source: http://www.tv.com/news/marvels-the-punisher-season-2-review-15472260130007412/

[othersportsnews-blog]

Yoan Moncada is the vanguard of a Chicago White Sox revival - SweetSpot

New Post has been published on https://othersportsnews.com/yoan-moncada-is-the-vanguard-of-a-chicago-white-sox-revival-sweetspot/

Yoan Moncada is the vanguard of a Chicago White Sox revival - SweetSpot

CHICAGO — For months now, Chicago White Sox admirers have been hearing about their club’s ideas to make a brighter upcoming with a good deal of youthful adult males they primarily know from examining prospect rankings.

That improved on Wednesday when Yoan Moncada morphed from principle to follow, building his Chicago debut on, of all issues, “Match of Thrones” night at Assured Charge Industry. And the opponent was no joke: The high-traveling Los Angeles Dodgers.

Moncada was picked up early in the day from the airport by initially baseman Jose Abreu, whom he’s known considering the fact that he was fifteen several years previous. As it turns out, Abreu and Moncada the two a hail from Cienfeugos, Cuba. In simple fact, the 22-12 months-previous Moncada is youthful ample to have a bit of hero worship for Abreu, who is only 30 several years previous.

“I was glad to see him [at the airport],” Moncada explained, via staff interpreter Billy Russo. “We received a possibility to speak a minor bit about almost everything. He was the celebrity of our town and at that second in Cuba, he was the best participant in our state.”

Manager Rick Renteria has acquired his strategic locker assigning effectively, offering Moncada the stall smack in between two veterans: Abreu and Melky Cabrera. You can find a approach to that, of course, with the aim staying to uncover the appropriate mentor for the youthful participant. Similarly, youthful Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson was set following to Todd Frazier through his early time in the majors, until Frazier was dealt to the Yankees on Tuesday.

“The only thing I can tell him is just hold playing his match,” Abreu explained via the interpreter. “It’s the exact same as it was when he was playing the minors. He has to initially be a lot more focused in the match. I’m heading to attempt to aid him as significantly as I can.”

Yoan Moncada’s arrival is a shiny spot in an otherwise dismal White Sox period. Erich Schlegel/Usa Right now Sports activities

You can find no doubt there was excess excitement to the early proceedings of Wednesday’s match. The media horde was swollen about three-fold from its regular G-Charge dimension — I’m sure you will find a “Match of Thrones” analogy to be produced in this article, but we’ll skip it for now — and the White Sox declared 5,000 tickets ended up bought soon after term received out that Moncada would be summoned from Triple-A Charlotte.

“The fan foundation is naturally extremely energized about what the group is undertaking in common,” Renteria explained. “I consider for them to be in a position to see 1 of the youthful adult males we ended up in a position to get in a trade, obtaining him in this article with us, they are extremely energized to get a minor flavor of what the upcoming is heading to seem like.”

That produced for a festive early several innings. When Moncada strode to the plate for the initially time in the second, he received a standing ovation from his new admirers. He fell behind -2 to the Dodgers’ Kenta Maeda, but worked his way back again to a comprehensive count. The group rose to its collective feet as if the match ended up on the line, and when Moncada walked, it was the loudest cheer of the night.

Moncada went -for-2 with that stroll in advance of a monsoon halted the match in the eighth and the match was referred to as for a 9-1 Dodgers’ earn. The nine pitches Moncada saw in his initially plate appearance ended up two a lot more than he saw in any of his 20 journeys to the dish through his audition final period for Boston. Equally of Moncada’s outs ended up effectively struck, a floor out to initially and a tricky liner to heart that, if it had identified an opening, would have scored Abreu from second.

“I truly feel superior,” Moncada explained, who additional it felt like a second main-league debut for him. “I failed to get any foundation hits, but I hit the ball tricky. I executed my program. I truly feel aid soon after that match, the initially 1. It’s heading to be superior.”

But these success ended up secondary. For the two the White Sox and Moncada, this match was about the upcoming … and all of these touted prospects introduced into the group more than the final few several years who are predicted to follow in Moncada’s wake. Wednesday was only a flavor a minor sample, like the ones they set out in the cheese division of Total Foods.

The match also served as a form of warning for all the energized White Sox admirers. The Dodgers hardly broke a sweat in their routing of the Sox which, once more, is one thing screaming for a “Match of Thrones” reference. The Dodgers are extremely significantly the place the White Sox hope to be at some indeterminate issue in the upcoming. But the route from in this article to there is prolonged and rocky and fraught with pitfalls — form of like the Kingsroad in Westeros. (Ultimately!)

Sometime, the White Sox hope we’ll seem back again on Wednesday as the day their increase started. Make no miscalculation although, 1 seem at the scoreboard tells you the duration of the journey still ahead.

“I can truly feel the enjoyment,” Moncada explained. “And that’s one thing that can make me truly feel content. I just want to choose gain of it.”

Nolan is rollin. Nolan Arenado liked one thing of a job day in the Colorado Rockies‘ 18-4 shellacking of the San Diego Padres. I increase the qualifier only for the reason that he’s had other job times and is sure to have a lot more in the upcoming. Arenado, simply just set, is 1 of the extremely best players in baseball. He is a wizard at third foundation, the place he ranks third amongst all defenders irrespective of position with 17 defensive runs saved.

He is rather superior with the bat, much too. Arenado went 5-for-six with three homers and 7 RBI in opposition to San Diego. His 14 full bases tied a staff record co-held by Larry Walker and Jeff Cirillo. Given that the starting of the 2015 period, only the Seattle Mariners‘ Nelson Cruz (107) has hit a lot more homers than Arenado’s 104.

Nolan heading after! Nolan heading two times! Nolan heading three moments! pic.twitter.com/ipXh6MApks

— Cut4 (@Cut4) July 19, 2017

Arenado is a guy of his context, of course. His five-hit, three-homer match was the third of the period — the Washington Nationals‘ Anthony Rendon and the Cincinnati Reds‘ Scooter Gennett also did it. According to ESPN Stats & Information and facts, there have hardly ever been a lot more than two these kinds of video games in any period considering the fact that 1920.

You can find also this: It was the twentieth three-homer match in the 22 several years considering the fact that Coors Industry opened. That is the exact same quantity Tiger Stadium in Detroit saw in 87 several years of existence.

Coy Keon. It’s been a terse, limited sequence this week in between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers, and that was surely the scenario on Wednesday. Milwaukee led 2-1 in the ninth inning when John Jaso produced a bid for a match-tying homer. Brewers centerfielder Keon Broxton produced a fantastic leaping capture, then resolved it would be a superior thought to be coy on the matter of the ball staying in his glove. Jaso failed to consider it was a superior thought.

We are going to give you the superior news initially. @KeonDDBroxton produced this spotlight reel capture for the initially out of the 9th. 🕸💎 pic.twitter.com/Df4rLU6r4S

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 20, 2017

The Pirates arrived back again to earn in 10 innings in any case when Max Moroff, who started the day hitting .152, singled house Josh Harrison. Pittsburgh has received the initially three of the 4-match sequence by a mixed score of eleven-7.

The Pirates have shut inside of a match of .500, passed the St. Louis Cardinals for third spot in the Nationwide League Central and are now just 4 video games behind Milwaukee atop the division. It’s hand-wringing time for the Brewers, who in fewer than a week considering the fact that the All-Star crack ended,

have seen their guide more than the Chicago Cubs shrink from 5.5 video games to 1.5, and are now tied with them in the decline column.

Ho-hum a different Dodger rout, yawn. With their blowout earn more than the White Sox, the Dodgers have received 31-of-35. The following-fewest losses by any other staff in that span is 13, by the Kansas Metropolis Royals.

Meanwhile, Justin Turner went 2-for-4 with a stroll a day soon after he quietly passed the threshold needed to qualify for the batting title. According to Elias, his MLB-best .372 batting ordinary is the best a Dodger hitter has had via Turner’s quantity of plate appearances (296) considering the fact that Duke Snider in 1954.

Turner’s job trek is amazing. Through his age-28 period, he had a .684 job OPS. Now, at age 32, he potential customers all position players on the majors’ best staff in WAR. Not Corey Seager, not Cody Bellinger. Justin Turner.

They might be Giants. With his ninth homer in eleven video games, the Miami Marlins‘ Giancarlo Stanton established the franchise record for house runs in July, per ESPN Stats & Information and facts. When you element in the crack, he in essence did so in 50 percent a month.

.@Giancarlo818‘s philosophy: are living each and every day like it is really the House Run Derby. 💣#StantonSmash | #LetsGoFish pic.twitter.com/MUPMrVmDxM

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) July 19, 2017

Stanton now has 30 homers and is on tempo to hit fifty two this period. The New York Yankees‘ Aaron Choose also continues to be on tempo to hit more than fifty, although he hasn’t homered considering the fact that July 7. There have not been two fifty-house-operate sluggers in the exact same period considering the fact that 2007, when Prince Fielder and Alex Rodriguez did it.

In simple fact, there have only been two fifty-homer hitters in full considering the fact that 2007: Jose Bautista (2010) and Chris Davis (2013). Choose had been baseball’s outright house operate leader for fifty two times.

Regretably, reaching 30 homers so early in the marketing campaign did minor to brighten Stanton’s temper.

Tidbits. The New York Mets‘ Jacob deGrom has received 7 straight commences, a feat also completed this period by Kansas City’s Jason Vargas and minor-known Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw is doing work on a streak of eight-straight profitable commences.

Miguel Sano hit his 23rd homer in the Minnesota Twins‘ six-1 earn more than the Yankees on Wednesday. It was his 66th homer in 285 job video games. According to ESPN Stats & Information and facts, that’s tied with Albert Pujols for the most homers in 285 job video games amongst Dominican-born players.

Fantastic showcase outing for Sonny Gray in the Oakland Athletics‘ 7-2 earn more than the Tampa Bay Rays. Gray gave up two runs in six 1/three innings and struck out six. He is 4-1 more than his final five commences with a 1.sixty two Period. Gray received a good ovation from a house group which acknowledged that it might be viewing his final outing for the A’s.

This is a circumstance: The Mariners land an AL wild-card slot, start Felix Hernandez in the wild card match and earn. That puts James Paxton on the mound in Match 1 of a likely American League Division Sequence matchup with the Houston Astros. Paxton beat Houston on Wednesday and now has authorized 1 earned operate in 20 innings this period in opposition to the AL’s best staff. Am I overthinking this?

And, finally, the San Francisco Giants signed Pablo Sandoval to a small-league agreement on Wednesday. Frankly, I only point out that so I could share this. You are welcome.

Bruce of Home Bochy, the First of His Identify, King of the @SFGiants, Lord of the Bay Place and Protector of the Realm. https://t.co/HprgBVac6F pic.twitter.com/V4p6CcEMMA

— Cut4 (@Cut4) July 20, 2017

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