#Ash is mostly being ironic when she says she's a superhero

[arandompostarchive]

SALEM - Ch. 16

SAVED WORK

Summary: In all the centuries of your existence, you had never been dragged out of hiding by another god, put in a superhero team and forced to save the universe. But it seems your luck has run out.

_____________

Salem was nothing like he remembered it.

The town was quiet. No soft shouting in the background, or small children running around, bumping into him. You hadn’t sensed his arrival and run out to meet him with your usual wide smile.

There was nothing.

In fact, he smelled fire, ash, and some sort of cooked meat.

His nose wrinkled at the scent. He had never liked the smells fire left behind for whatever reason. He walked into the town and immediately sensed the use of magic. The grass was wet with red, but there were no bodies in sight. He was sure he sensed recent magic, maybe someone had decided to clean the place up.

But from what he could tell, there weren’t any humans around to do that. He looked around more, trying to figure out exactly where you were. Looking closer, he saw there were a few bodies, though they had been burnt to char. His eyes widened. He became a bit more nauseous now that he was able to identify one of the smells.

The bodies, whoever they were, seemed to have been haphazardly thrown by someone else. The saw the town’s square, a stacked of burnt wood in front of its usual decorations. There was another body tied to it, also burnt. It seemed less charred than the others but was still most certainly dead.

He rushed over to it. There was a nauseating squish sound beneath his shoes, a small amount of blood splashed onto his pant leg, staining the fabric. He recognized the woman there, he was sure of it. He couldn’t place it though.

The skin was charcoal black.

He ran his hand over the face. The red-black of the skin flaked under his head and he struggled to identify what he felt.

It was most certainly your magic.

It floated around the burnt wood, hovering in the air. It was stronger than he had ever felt it before. Strangely strong. It almost reminded him of his mother’s power. A strange, intense type of magic.

This had to be you. There’s no way you, even if you were a demi-god, could release this much power unless it was revenge for your own death. They had killed you.

He felt an extreme type of rage. A boiling kind of rage. The kind that bubbles in the pits of your stomach and makes you see red. He could feel water run does his face. He hadn’t even realized he’d started crying until he felt the tears drip from his chin.

He untied the body. He managed to teleport over to a nearby bench, something he had never perfect it. He’d never use it for long distances, but small ones were do-able.

He laid you down next to the lake he had met you at and slowly started at the sun. It was a sunrise instead of a sunset, and somehow that made this all worse. The universe had given you a sunset at the beginning and a sunrise at the end. Everything seemed to be backward. He would’ve laughed at the circumstances, but all that came to his ears was silence. His silence.

Your hands were frozen in place, creating a terrifying statue. An actual person etched in time. He used magic to drift your body out before allowing it to sink.

Loki woke up sweating, his shirt sticking to his back. He was breathing heavily as he whipped his head around, looking at his surroundings. His room. Rather the one Stark had assigned him. It didn’t quite feel like ‘his’ yet, but it was where he was supposed to sleep. Thor had somehow convinced the man of iron to let him stay on the same floor as you and share a small common area with you. Leave it to Stark to make over the top living areas. Usually, he wouldn’t mind silence. Especially since he spent his childhood with Thor, who wasn’t exactly known for being quiet. But with the knowledge that you were supposed to be there too, it felt unsettling. Odd.

He ran his hands over his face, feeling the sweat on his forehead. He had been dreaming about you. He didn’t want to get Stark’s hopes up. He may not like the man, but Loki wasn’t cruel. That and he’d seen rock fall from above him as he left. He was too far sense where you were, not that he was even sure where he should be looking. He wasn’t certain how to get to Kalan from Earth, Kalan to Earth, he’d much rather find a ship and fly. If you were dead, there was no point in going now. If you weren’t, you were probably already on your way. Either way, waiting seemed to be his only option.

He hadn’t spent any time outside of his room, aside from the day or two he was in the Avenger’s medical wing. Some of the team had come up to his door, asking questions.

Peter was the first one. He tried asking what happened, but Loki simply ignored until the boy eventually left, telling Loki that whatever happened wasn’t his fault.

It didn’t help.

Tony came several times.

At first, it was yelling. Mostly questioning why he was there and you weren’t.

And of course, there was Thor. Thor was concerned about Loki’s health, encouraging him to eat or get out of his room. It never worked.

Then, late that night he heard the soft, recognizable footsteps of the spider boy.

“Hi, Mr. Loki.” Peter started. There was a chair next to Loki’s door. Peter wasn’t certain who had put it there, but he pulled it closer to him and sat down.

“She left that note behind when you first left.” Peter held the letter in his hand. “Seemed like she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea in the first place.”

Peter’s hand was shaking. He could hear shuffling behind the door. He took a deep breath.

“I’m just going to read the note.”

Hello, all.

Well, this letter certainly won’t be the nicest thing you’ve ever read.

Sorry.

If this actually opens, I’d say chances are high that I’m dead. Don’t give up hope on me completely though. But, still.

Moros is still dangerous. If I’m not back, we probably didn’t manage to kill the asshole. I’m sorry. I’m sure I tried, but fighting isn’t an exact science, you know? I hope you’ll eventually forgive me for leaving without you.

Cap, you never really liked me. I was hoping that maybe by breaking the rules successfully, you might have more respect for me. I guess I failed that one. I’m sorry I never really proved myself a worthy teammate.

Tony, you are the best brother I never wanted. Thanks for showing me more about technology and humanity. It’s been a while since I’ve spent this much time with mortals. I know you’re upset, and I’m sorry. All my life I’ve wanted to be the hero. The person people think of when they need help, someone they feel they can rely on. You showed me I could do that. And for a moment, I really was a hero. I doubt you understand how much that meant to me.

Peter, I hope that project went well. Sorry I couldn’t help. I’ll miss you, kid. You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for. For once, just let yourself be in the spotlight, huh? You may not be an official Avenger now, but you will be. I promise.

Loki. Hopefully, I’ll find a way to save you even if I can’t save myself. I loved you years ago. And well I wouldn’t use the word “love”, I definitely feel strongly for you now. Maybe we could’ve been something again. I hope to see you in Elysium.

Everyone else. I didn’t know you well. I hoped that we would be close. That I would be a real part of this team, but it never seemed to happen. Still, thank you.

Your name was signed messily on the bottom. You had clearly been rushing. Peter was sure he heard something on the other side of the door. Your letter may speak about you like you were dead, but you asked him not to give up hope.

So he wasn’t going to.

Tony didn’t speak too much. I spent most of his time in his lab, which wasn’t too different from his norm. But he didn’t seem to make the same jokes. He hadn’t called anyone a nickname in a good few days. But even Nat missed Tony’s sarcastic comments.

Peter tried his best to get through to Tony, and Tony was clearly trying his best to make Peter feel better, but it didn’t seem to be helping either of them.

Loki stayed away from everyone. Everyone took turns bringing him up food. Most of the time he ate it, though sometimes he just didn’t want to get up. Losing you once was hard, losing you twice was taking a toll.

He went over every detail of the past two weeks in his head. Moros and Ker, Kalan, then hell itself. The small, chaste kiss you had planted on his lips before sending him back to Kalan. He wished he held it just a second longer. Maybe argued against you more. Tried to stay in Tartarus as long as he could. But no. He didn’t do any of that.

Centuries ago, you were the greatest person he had ever met. Nothing had changed.

***

On your travel, you dozed off more than once. Piloting a ship alone was boring. Insanely boring. And it’s like finally being alone let your body catch up with the events of the past two weeks.

Two weeks.

It seemed like longer.

Much longer.

You weren’t certain how long it took you to get home. Space was pitch black, and it was harder to navigate than you’d like to admit.

Over your life, you’d spent time in space. Gods were used to that sort of thing. But that doesn’t mean it was somewhere you liked spending your time.

You were sure it was at least a few days before you began to recognize the star patterns. By then, the ship was running low on whatever fueled it. You were thankful you didn’t have to teleport yourself again, you weren’t sure if you could handle that again. Physically or mentally.

The small patch over your eye made it difficult to see, much less find your way to Earth. You had never really gotten to see the stars around Earth up close, and although they were beautiful, you had much more important things to do.

You paced around the back of your ship, waiting to get the alert that you were entering Earth’s atmosphere. You let out a small groan. Not like there was anyone around to hear you.

It was silent. Eerily silent. Not a single sound around and it was beginning to drive you insane. You had started humming songs you’d learn over the past few hundred years. Some melodies you had overheard a century ago, other modern songs you had heard Stark playing in his lab.

You paced and hummed, trying to create some sort of sound besides the drowning quiet of space. Eventually, you heard a small siren sound, and the front windshield of the ship flashed red. A symbol came up in a language you hadn’t seen before. Thank the gods for Allspeak.

It seemed to be the Kalan equivalent of an exclamation mark, which was never good when accompanied by sirens and flashing lights.

You rushed to the front looking over some of the systems. The ones you understood at least. It seemed you were approaching Earth’s atmosphere far too fast.

You sat down in the pilot’s seat and steered the ship. Hopefully, it would stay intact enough to land.

***

Loki had spent the two weeks sitting in his room or in Tony’s garage. It had the body of the ship you had stolen. Tony didn’t want to rebuild it, so it made for a nice quiet place that nobody would look for him in.

He had brought a few books down, mostly Midgardian ones you had shown him centuries ago. Everyone was preparing to fight Moros, and he had sat in on more than a few strategy meetings. They mostly consisted of him repeating the same information over and over.

But the garage was quiet.

He paced around, picking his palm. It was a bad habit he had picked up from his mother over the years, but it helped calm his nerves. As he walked back and forth, the metal beneath him creaked. It was less than stable, which wasn’t reassuring, but at the moment he wasn’t particularly worried.

As he walked toward the back of the ship, he heard a soft crunch beneath his feet.

He lifted his boot and some broken petals fell from his shoe. It was the flower he had discarded into the ship after it had scratched you. He picked it up. The petals were only beginning to dry, and some were still the same soft purple they had been before. It really was a pretty color.

One thorn of the rose-like flower still had a small bit of blood on it. He frowned at the now dried liquid. He carefully set the flower aside and sat down on the floor, his head in his hands.

He took a deep breath before the ship shook. There was some sort of loud sound in the background and a few seconds went by before he heard a voice address him.

“Loki, Captain Rogers has asked you to meet the team outside immediately. He has also said you may need your armor.”

Loki sighed and stood. It felt more like clawing his way out of a whole than simply walking out of the garage. His armor appeared on him as he walked outside. He heard some yelling and other voices in the distance. And maybe someone crying?

When he stepped outside he saw a ship that had landed. Well, it was closer to ‘crashed’ but it was certainly better than his landing.

The man of iron and the Captain were yelling at each other, and he saw a body lying on the ground. He walked a bit quicker toward the group. The closer he got, the better he could hear the argument.

A doctor rushed past him toward the body, sitting next to the spider boy. She seemed to be checking vitals, and she gestured to someone behind him before a few other doctors walked past Loki with a stretcher. They picked the body up (which he could now tell was a woman with a large scar and a patch on her face).

“Tony you need to calm down. For all we know, Moros is coming here now. We need to wake her up as soon as possible.”

“I don’t care Steve. I thought she was dead. Everyone thought she was dead. She wrote a note saying she was dead! Let her relax for five seconds, will you?”

Peter was trying his best to get you up. At the very least, he wanted to make sure you were alright.What the hell had happened? The was a slight, still raw-looking scar on about half your face, though it was partially covered by a white and red patch. He assumed the red was blood, but did his best to ignore that.

Steve and Tony were yelling in the background, everyone else was talking amongst themselves and interjecting every so often. Thor and Clint had gone in to get Cho not too long ago and help her with any supplies she’d need and soon they had all returned and you were taken away. Loki had arrived, and Peter saw his face shift into one of horror as you passed.

“What is going on?” Loki said, rapidly looking between Tony and Steve.

Steve sighed before answering. “It seemed Y/n is alright. Broadly speaking that is. We need to wake her up immediately and get her back with the team. It’s not ideal, but we need information and we need it now.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “She needs rest. Whatever happened to her obviously took a toll. She’s missing a fucking eye! At least let her heal a little bit, god man.”

“She’s a god, you’ve heard her. She heals fast. She’ll be alright. She needs to push a little longer, I know it’s not—”

“You’ve never liked her. I get it, really I do. A random girl shows up and her ex is the guy who tried to take over the world. But she needs longer than a few minutes of rest. If we woke her up, she’d say she’s fine and just push through it. I know better than anyone that she’ll just crash and burn. Now, I’m going to go stay in her room with Cho. If you get a few more brain cells, come visit.” Tony walked off.

“Tony, that’s not it at all.” Tony didn’t turn back, he simply continued the walk toward the tower.

“With all respect that is due, Captain.” Loki started, facing Steve. “She’ll need recovery before she is capable of helping in any way. Stark is correct, she’ll only pretend to be alright until she eventually tires herself out. Then she’ll be of no help at all. It may be best to ignore Tony’s offer of visiting. I’d rather not have to hear another one of those fights in the near future.” He too turned away, and Peter followed after them quickly.

Loki was still slightly numb from the shock of actually seeing you.

Were you okay?

Where have you been?

Why didn’t you go with him?

What happened to your face?

***

You sat up quickly, your hair sticking to your forehead. For a second, you panicked that you couldn’t see out of one eye until you remembered the past… however long it had been. You could feel your shirt sticking to your back. You tried your best to take deep breaths and figure out where the hell you were.

There were a few people sitting around the room.

“Hey, you’re alright, it’s us.” You heard from right next to you. It startled you for a second before you saw Tony’s face next to you. You let out a sigh of relief and slowly lay back down.

Peter and Loki were both asleep in chairs on the other side of the room. Peter had a blanket draped over him and a piece of paper crumpled in his hand.

“Hey, kid.” You laughed a bit.

“Tony I’ve been alive longer than you were a thought in the back of your parent’s head.”

“Okay, okay kid.” You smiled at him. You missed him.

“How long have you been waiting?”

He sighed and sat back in his chair. “I think you’ve been out for around 24 hours? Cap isn’t happy about waiting this long to talk to you about what happened.” You nodded, sensing there was more he wanted to say. “Listen, I understand wanting to be the hero, I really do, by why on Earth would you try to make us think you were dead?”

You sighed. “Because I’ve fought with my siblings before. Fights usually last a little while before my mother steps in and breaks it up. I thought that would happen. If it took more than two weeks… I was fully expecting not to be here. I’m sorry.”

He nodded a bit but stayed silent.

Loki’s eyes slowly opened in his chair before he stood up and walked over to you.

“Are you alright? Do you feel okay?” He was showing more emotion in front of Tony than he usually would, and you suspected he was just too tired to keep on his usual straight face.

“Loki, I’m fine.” You smiled at him. Tony stood up and let Loki pull his seat closer to your bedside. Tony went to wake up Peter before he dragged him out of the room. Peter seemed more than a little upset, but eventually nodded at Tony and followed him out of the room, offering you a cheerful smile as he walked away.

Loki wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close to his chest. He had about a million and thoughts rushing through his head at once, and he wanted to ask you all of them.

Wherewereyou?Whydidyouleavehim?Whathappenedtoyourface?Howareyoualive?Howdidyougetback?Wheredidyougetthatship?Whatsortofuniformwereyouwearing?Haveyoueatenrecently?Didyouevenhavewater?Howlongwereyouinspace?Wereyoutravelingthewholetimehewasgone?

But that didn’t matter right now. Whatever happened, you were at least alive. He’d take what he could get.

[fussingoverfassbender]

Michael Fassbender & James McAvoy Interview

Source: Moviestar 02/19 (174) June 2019 (Germany) Interview by Claudia-Janet Kaller Translated by fussingoverfassbender I apologise for any mistakes.

Finally it’s here, we had to wait a long time for it: Dark Phoenix, the story about the final transformation of the young mutants into the X-team as we know it. The dark phoenix let us wait, but comes back with a impact which lets us forget that. After the presentation of the first completely finished scenes, Claudia-Janet Kaller had the possibility, thanks to 20th Century Fox, to talk to James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender for Moviestar in London.

Moviestar: How much of the movie have you seen so far? James: Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I only know the trailer that was released one week ago. Michael: I only know the trailer too. But it’s still very soon, which means they are still working on most scenes. It’s always like that at this kind of film. MS: Okay, but in the trailer you look good! James: (laughs loudly) Fantastic! I actually always look good in trailers, but I love hearing it again! That’s the goal of every film - looking good in the trailer! Michael: (nearly rolling in the aisles) Right! Super trailer performance, James! MS: Does that also count for the trailers in which you gotta wait before the next scene is filmed? Michael: (keeps laughing) Hey, good joke! Trailer and trailer! James: You mean the trailers we hang out in? Michael: (won’t stop laughing) Have you got another trailer; James? James: (chunters) All right! Michael: No, seriously, I don’t like watching trailers! I also dislike reading reviews or summaries. In the end everybody has their own opinion. I may like things that others don’t. I like watching films completely unprepared. I wanna be surprised, wanna discover the film for myself or find it bad. That 100% film experience is very important to me, because I don’t have much time going to the theatre.

MS: How do you pick the movies you’re watching? Michael: I mostly read about who made the film, what kind of film it is, where it’s set, and what else is on. It’s often also the theatre I select. Is it a small arthouse cinema, it’s certain from the beginning that I won’t watch a blockbuster there. MS: Why are you doing it like that? Michael: The reason I do it like that is an easy one. Years ago I’ve read a review about The Big Lebowski. The critics had given it barely three out of five stars. Then the film was released on DVD and I finally saw it. To me, The Big Lebowski would have deserved more than five stars, until today it is still one of my favourite films. James: I agree on that! Many reviews annoy me. Because often the critics haven’t seen the film, but write reviews as if they knew it. Some magazines only rewrite preexisting texts, also not very thorough. There might be many reasons for that, but it rather damages the film instead of helping it. Michael: What I also dislike with trailers is that you already see too many things that happen in the film. People always speculate wildly then. Each shadow or glimmer of light is getting analysed... MS: Let’s talk about this fourth joint movie; is this the movie where Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier go separate ways in the end? James: Wasn’t that already the last one? Michael: No, there I helped rebuilding the completely destroyed house. James: Oh right! Thanks for that, by the way, or else the X-Men wouldn’t have had a house this time. Michael: See, I’m important for the X-Men! James: (laughs again) Yes, so the characters are still talking with each other. We’re in the 90s now, so I probably send Erik e-mails. Michael: (laughs too) No, I don’t think so. WiFi didn’t exist yet. More like letters in bottles from Professor Xavier. MS: It looks like Magneto is repairing cars on a junkyard, doesn’t it? Michael: (laughs) Sure, I love repairing cars! There so much metal in them, it’s one of my easiest exercises. Each twisted car, Magneto bends it back. No, seriously, Erik has established Genosha in the meantime. We - Magneto and other mutants - live in that independent nation for people who feel unwanted or are refugees. As long as those people blend in the group and work harmonically there for the community of Genosha, it is their home. MS: Does that only count for people with special powers, or also for those without? Michael: A justified question, I’ve been thinking about that too. That is surely the shadow-side of Genosha. It’s a pure mutant haven. While Professor X stands more for the mutants integration with the humans, Erik is the one who rather stays among mutants. He has experienced so many bad things with humans, he doesn’t trust them anymore. At this point of time, he has nothing against cooperating with humans, but that’s it. In the end he wants to keep both groups separated. That’s what’s so fascinating about this comic area, we can talk openly about topics such as building walls, separation, etc. In my eyes it’s very important, especially now that everything somewhat starts to separate, dissociate, building walls, etc. It may sound strange, but if there is something those fantasy-films serve as well, it’s surely to talk about such recurring phenomenons and to point the finger at them. One can only hope that many young people will watch that film and understand what such dissociations can cause. We have to watch out what happens to us and how we are being manipulated! To capture that zeitgeist has always been the strength of all X-Men films. I think it’s good we did it again. MS: You’ve known each other for more than ten yours through that work? Michael: Longer! James: If I calculate correctly, it’s been twenty years. But that really does sound like a long time... MS: What was your chemistry on set this time? Michael: Terrible! There barely was any! James: Yes, really terrible! We barely worked together, were almost always separated. I had my school, my mutants, and my problems. Erik had Genosha, his mutants, and his problems. Michael: (laughs again) Yes, we only met during lunch oder between the studios. Short Hello and how are you, nothing more. During X-Men: Apocalypse it was better, we were stuck on a mountain for two weeks. James: (laughs too) Right! You looked like a glamrockstar! While I looked like I had come straight out of Miami Vice, with the light suit and dark shirts. Bald Sonny Crocket! MS: Okay, let’s ask like this: what was the mood like among the entire cast? Any accidents? James: None, actually. Except that I got Josh (one of the doctors in the movie) so badly that his skin broke open. He was bleeding and had to be treated. I got in trouble with his then-fiancée, who is now his wife. I didn’t want to harm him. Unfortunately it happened. She was seriously mad at me. Michael: So you weren’t invited to the wedding? James: Right, I wasn’t invited. MS: X-Men will be part of the MCU now, what to do you think of that? Michael: What is the MCU? I only know MC Hammer and “Can’t touch this”...do we go on tour with MC Hammer now? MS: No, MCU is the abbreviation for Marvel Cinematic Universe; Iron Man VS Magneto or something... Michael: Who might win there? The answer is very easy: Magneto! I will totally twist the guy. That iron guy against Magneto? No fair fight! Two seconds, a very short film! Iron Man will look like a squashed can. James: I wanna see that! MS: What’s the message of Dark Phoenix? Something evil is in everyone of us? Michael: I actually don’t like the word ‘evil’ because I don’t always know what exactly that is. People who achieve the unbelievable can at the same time be horrible psychopaths privately. As an actor I rather orientate myself by positive thoughts or negative views. I can handle that better. I understand that better. I don’t understand ‘evil’ as the umbrella term. It’s a drawer where you put the things in that you can’t or don’t want to explain. If you ask, though, if there are two personalitites in every one of us, then my answer is Yes. To me, there is light and darkness in everybody. In some more than in the others, that’s what makes us who we are. MS: James, you have experience with many different personalities in one person... James: Right! There’s a film of me running in which I give a good sample of when there is a lot of darkness, only a bit light, and that in a lot of variations. But that’s a different film! MS: How did it feel to revisit the 90s? Michael: I prefer the 80s! James: Right, but I found it cool. This X-Men film is down-to-earth. Simon wanted it that way, and I like that. Michael: For example, I don’t wear that superhero outfit anymore. Only the helmet is left. James: Which was great for you! MS: Professor Xavier looks more like a rockstar in the trailer? James: A bit. Charles is definitely more possessed by things, got problems, without telling too much. You can say he is less the leader of a social group, than he is of a politically motivated one. That shows specifically when he sends his family, the other X-Men, into a fight. A fight they actually can’t survive. He is ready to sacrifice his family members for his views and his matter. That’s new and inevitably leads to huge tensions with the other X-Men. MS: Which automatically makes Magneto the man who wouldn’t do that, right? Michael: Right! The man you can suddenly identify yourself with more. I’m not allowed to say more, though!!! MS: So this time Magneto is the one who’s right? James: No, Charles is always right! Michael: Not true! You see, rockstar-attitude! He thinks he’s always right! MS: Alright, I’m getting the sign for the last question. Can you say that the term Phoenix has to be understood mythologically? Michael: Hm. As if the film begins good and then turns into dust? MS: No, more like Jean Grey as a person turns into ash due to the accident in space, disappears. Through which the Dark Phoenix rises, the dark side of her personality gains the upper hand. But during the course of the movie Jean learns throught he other X-Men to deal with her powers, so that in the end the real phoenix will rise from the ashes? Michael: I’m not saying it’s wrong! Mythology is always good! James: I’m not saying it’s wrong, either! I like your explanation!

[wicked-witchxx]

Being Tony Stark’s daughter would include... (part 2)

PART 1

Requested?: Yes/No/Kind off

By: @i-heart-movies

Sumary: Three differents versions of what happened with you after the snap.

Characters: Tony Stark, Y/N Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Pepper Potts, Natasha Romanoff, Thor Odinson, James Rhodes, Peter Parker.

Words: 1.785

Relationships: Fem!Reader x dad!tony stark, Peter Parker x fem!reader.

Warnings: Curses, IW spoilers, fluff, angst, so much angst.

A/N: So an user asked for this in the comments and I said, why not? So here I am. Not my gifs! Remember English is not my first language, so I’m sorry if there’s some mistakes! Btw how are doing your countries in the World Cup? I’m about to die bc mine just lost today :).

• Okay, so let’s start with the happy part

• Where you, Peter and EVERYONE survived the snap and everything was happy

• Imagine the emotive hug you would give to everyone, specially Steve, Nat and Rhodey

• So after the battle all of you went back to NY bc that’s where u live duhhh

• And Team Cap wants to return u in person so... why not?

• Then there were Tony and Peter who were coming back too

• So obiously you got there first

• And the wait was so stressfull

• Even with Pepper on your side 

• But then they came

• So, if your hug after the battle was emotive your hug with your dad was 100% even more

• You two crying in eachothers shoulders

• Telling how much you love eachother

• And Steve looking from afar like... daaammnnnn

• And then you saw Peter

• But ofc you didn’t hug until your reunion with your dad was over

• Yours and Peter’s reunion was emotive as well

• And the two of you went to that date finally 

• Like to get some coffee or some pizza idk some shit like that

• The Avengers fixing everything that happened in the past

• Your relationship with Peter growing little by little

• Mostly bc of Tony and Steve 

• #Overprotectivedads

• But Tony was taking your relationship really well

• Bc he loved Peter so

• Steve... well Steve was another story

• Like he didn’t hate Peter or anything like that

• But he would step on your moments

• Like when Peter and you were just sat in the couch watching some movies cuddling and he would sit between you two

• Or whenever you are about to kiss he’ll just come and separate the two of you

• Basicly your relationship was watched close by Steve mama bear Rogers 

• And ofc there was Nat

• Who wasn’t behind in the overprotective thing

• Like she threatened Peter of death if he ever hurt you

• The only time you weren’t being interrupted was when you were in Peter’s house or with his friends

• Steve being jealous with your relationship bc soon all your time was with Peter

• (Not ALL the time but a lot of it)

• And Steve-Y/N’s movie nights started to be Peter-Y/N’s movie nights

• Tony laughing of the super soldier and telling him “That’s how it felt six years ago bich”

• But then one night Steve was tired of you saying that you couldn’t hang out with him or see a movie bc you were going to see Peter, so he told you how he felt about you leaving him behind

• So you canceled with Peter and stayed the night with the super soldier like old times

• And then you started to notice those times when you reject your family for a guy and you quit doing it

• Peter understood ofc bc he’s just so good and comprensive boyfriend

• And like all the couples you fight

• Some times is his fault, other times yours and other times is the danger in the city’s fault

• But whenever you fought you two felt terrible

• And you didn’t let show too much bc you feared that Natasha hurt Peter

• So you just talked about it with Wanda

• Who made you realize how stupid you two wereWhile May and Ned made him realize of that

• So you two apologize at the same time

• And everyone were happy again

• Just a big weird superhero family

• So now... now is when things gets a little bit sadder

• So in this part is where you survived the snap, but everyone who didn’t in IW didn’t and Thanos won

• So you were with Shuri when everything happened and suddenly everyone around you started to desintegrate

• And you started to have a panick attack 

• WHAT WHAS HAPPENING?!?!?!?!?

• Steve, Rhodey and Nat running to the castle to see if you were okay

• But you weren’t

• Like, you were in a corner in the floor with your knees in your chest and crying

• Nat and Steve running to confort you

• Whispering that you were okay

• That everything was going to be okay

• But it wouldn’t

• And you know it

• Steve and Nat weren’t going to came with Rhodey, Bruce Thor and you back to New York bc u know... 

• They were just going to drove you there and then come back to Wakanda

• But you refused to go without them in your side

• So they stayed and Tony came back

• And when you saw your dad you were just...

• So relieved and happy and sad and every emotion taht could cross your mind

• You two hugged and refused to let go for hours 

• He was so so happy that you were alive

• You and him crying

• And everyone watching you were crying too

• Even Nat teared up

• But then the realization came to you

• And you started to search for Peter

• Where the hell was him?

• “Dad where’s Peter?”

• Tony looking at you not daring to say it out loud

• And then you start crying again

• And he hugged you with so much love and force while you fell on your knees to the floor

• Steve, Nat, Thor and Bruce were all like “Who the fuck is that”

• Rhodey was like “The boy who had a date with her”

• And then they were like “Oh.... OHHHHHH”

• Which end up in everyone hugging you

• You making Steve and Tony make peace

• Bc you know... Thanos is still out there with a lot of power in his hands

• Lots of PTSD

• And maybe some depression for all the losts

• Tony telling F.R.I.D.A.Y. to let him know whenever you have a panic/anciety attack or a nightmare

• And ofc when Steve knew about it he told F.R.I.D.A.Y. to let him know too

• Tony and Steve running to your room every time you scream

• The two of them hugging you until you calm down

• Nat being your confident whenever you have trouble with your attacks or you are really sad about Peter

• Bc even when your dad understand you really don’t want to worry him

• And then Steve looks at you with that pity stare that you can’t stand

• And Thor doesn’t really understand even when he tries, 

• And Bruce tells you to go to therapy, which you really want to avoid

• But all the avengers just look for your good and try to help in their own way

• Like Thor’s pancakes

• Steve’s cuddles

• Your dad’s jokes

• Natasha’s advices

• And Bruce’s science chats that relaxes you

• Just a disfuntional but full of love family

• And now... now is when everything get’s really sad

• Bc in this version, neither you or the other characters survived

• So you ran with vision to outside the castle bc you wanted to help

• And you did very well

• (I mean Nat and Wanda had to save your ass a few times but who counts it right?)

• And Steve ofc started to yell at you to get out of there when all happened

• When Thanos disappeared and snapped

• And then everyone started to vanish

• And you really started to panick

• And then when you looked... your foot was dissapearing

• Steve ran to you and hold you so tight

• You hugged him back while you started to cry

• You imploring all of them to make peaces with Tony

• And telling them how much you loved all of them

• You asking to tell your father how much you loved him too

• “It was nice to see you all again”

• And then, with that, you vanished too

• Steve falling to his knees and crying while having your ashes in his hands

• Everyone were crying to be honest

• Bc the little girl who they knew was gone...

• The little girl who they saw grow up was really gone

• And Rhodey

• Omg RHODEY

• THE MAN WHO SAW YOU GROW UP SINCE YOUR MOTHER LEFT YOU IN TONY’S HOUSE WHEN YOU WEREN’T MORE THAN ONE YEAR OLD

• I MEAN CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW HE’S FEELING?

• Suddenly everyone were kneeled at Steve’s side forming a circle with your ashes in the middle crying

• And then after replacing energies everyone comes back to New York

• Even Steve and Nat bc they were going to comply your wishes

• Can you imagine how silent the trip would be?

• Everyone were lost in their thoughts

• Some of them about the battle

• Others about Thanos

• But all the people who died was in all of their minds

• You included

• When they got to New York the waited for Tony to come back

• And the first thing he did when he came back was to ask for you

• And everyone stayed silent

• “Tony...”

• Steve took a step foward, but Tony’s mind was spinning over and over

• “No....”

• “Tony”

• “No she can’t.... she can’t... Why didn’t you protected her?! Why didn’t you...”

• “She just vanished... we couldn’t do anything”

• Tony almost felt to the floor, but Rhodey catched him

• He started to cry

• And then everyone started to cry again

• Steve telling Tony your lasts words

• Making everyone cry even more

• The avengers making peaces in your honour

• And bc Thanos was still out there and they needed to defeat him

• Tony realizing that you were the thing that make his world keep spin

• You were the centre of his life

• He fought to get out of Afganistan for YOU

• He started the Iron Man project to protect YOU

• He did everything in his hand to garantee that you were happy and okay

• And suddenly you were gone

• Like really gone

• No more sassy remarks

• No more teenage bullshit

• No more helping him in the lab... nothing

• And suddenly that realitation came to everyone else too

• Thor wouldn’t tell you any more stories about Asgard and his people

• You wouldn’t have any more fisics’ and chemistry’s chats with Bruce 

• Or help him in the lab

• No more training days or girl sneak’s out whenever you two were tired of all the testosterone with Nat

• No more army chats with Rhodey

• No more movie nights or 1940′s chats with Steve

• And then Tony couldn’t stand to see a photo of you or hear your name

• So he just throw all your photos and forvide to even name you

• Steve saving all your photos from the garbage and locking them in his room

• Bc he wouldn’t let you be forgotten

• Everyone were dealing with your death in a different way

• Bruce found consolation in working in the lab almost all the hours of the day

• Steve and Natasha found it training and punching things

• Rhodey didn’t get out of his room until it was meal time

• Thor disappeared almost all day to have long walks in the street

• And Tony found his distraction in the alcohol and parties

• Just a big broken family

[kroshka-antoshka]

Fight While I Still Can

Read on AO3

Morgan Potts-Stark was born in the middle of the night on a Tuesday to a thunderstorm right outside her window, and a world at war.

Tony was there when she was born, looking at Pepper anxiously as she struggled to deliver this child into a world torn apart at the seams. She struggled for 26 hours, and when the little girl was finally born Pepper Potts did not smile, nor laugh in relief. She cried, she cried long and hard and didn’t want to hold her baby, but she did when the bundle was handed to her, and only cried harder as she saw that the girl had her eyes.

Tony took the baby from his wife’s arms and swore to himself, to every deity he didn’t believe in, that he would do right by this child, by his daughter. He would do anything for her, to keep her safe. To this tiny being who had his hair and Pepper’s eyes. 

She would grow up happy and safe and loved in a world where those emotions were few and far between, because Tony would do anything to make sure she was happy. 

Postpartum blues, they told Tony. It’s very common, almost 60% of all new mothers go through it, and it should go away in two weeks at max. Nothing to worry about. Just be there for the new mother, support her when necessary, and encourage bonding with the child.

One week turned to two, turned to three, then a month, then two. Pepper spent the whole time in bed. She cried whenever she saw Morgan, she was cranky and irritable all the time and didn’t want to spend any time with the baby. She was anxious all the time, terrified something was wrong with Morgan, yet refuse to spend any time with her. Several times, Tony has woken up in the middle of the night to find Pepper sitting in the rocking chair, crying as she rocked Morgan for hours.

Eventually, the postpartum blues turned into postpartum depression.

Tony and Pepper argued a lot. They always had, ever since they met and it had been made only worse and more frequent when they started dating. They disagreed on too many things. Tony was impulsive and reckless and had a horrible hero complex, and Pepper was too put together and neat and planned for things far in advance.  It had been a source of strain for their relationship since the very beginning, including Pepper’s very...passionate thoughts on him being Iron Man, and Tony’s unwillingness to give up that part of him no matter how hard he tried.

It seemed that Morgan’s birth had made things between them much worse.

Morgan was one and a half years old and her father was trying to save the world. She was growing up as smart as her daddy, speaking in full sentences already and knowing her time's tables. Tony doted on her whenever he was around, which went from always, to sometimes, to rarely. Morgan grew up with a mom who was terrified but trying to do her best and a father that shouldered so many responsibilities he was cracking under the pressure.

They both loved her to death and made sure she knew it. They did their best.

Morgan was two and her daddy was an important man, and she knew it. When her daddy was here he spent all the time he could with her. He would play with her and teach her things and let her sit with him in his workshop and watch him work. Mommy would sometimes find them there and start yelling at daddy for putting her at risk, and Morgan would know to run up to her room as quickly as she could and try not to listen to her parents yelling at each other. Afterward, she knew, her daddy would have to go away for a while for his very important job that would cause him to put on his giant metal suit and tickle her goodbye. He was a superhero, she knew, and he needed to go save the world a lot. That was okay.

Her mommy was a very important woman, too. She owned a company and had a lot to take care of. She tried to make time for Morgan whenever she could, but sometimes she couldn’t, and that was okay too.

Morgan grew up a little bit lonely, but her parents were trying to save the world, so it was okay.

It was.

Morgan was three and Tony was losing his mind. Morgan was his heart. Morgan was everything to him. He would do anything for her, give her anything he could. That’s what he was trying to do. He was trying to give her the whole world, trying to put it back as it should be so she wouldn’t have to grow up in a world that was half of what it should be.

And somehow, in a twisted turn of events, Tony had still managed to fail her.

His relationship with Pepper hadn’t been the best after Morgan was born. It was mostly his fault, he knew. He wasn’t trying hard enough to support her, his mind always stuck on a red planet with dust on his hands and a burning in his side and guilt burning a hole through him. They argued a lot about everything. About him leaving, about him working with the old Avengers again, about what he did with Morgan and how he let her in his lab. He knew that her mind was stuck on that last phone call before he disappeared, once again gone into space, where he may have been lost forever. He knew it wasn’t fair, knew that he had once again abandoned her as the world around her turned to dust and the baby in her stomach kicked and that he kept leaving her, over and over still.

Tony knew Pepper was losing her mind too. She had been through too much too quickly. And Pepper’s relationship with Morgan had a rough start, to say the least. For a while, after Morgan was born, Tony genuinely feared that Pepper was going to try to kill her. She had seemed miserable with this baby, couldn’t even stand the sight of her. She had cried constantly for the first two weeks, and then she would just stare. Stare at the child in her crib with such an empty expression that Tony didn’t ever want to leave them alone.

Now that Morgan was older, it was better. Pepper was doing a much better job at being a responsible parent than Tony ever could, and Morgan loved her mommy to death.

But now Tony was rarely ever there, and Pepper gave him hell over it.

Couldn’t she see, that this was important? That this was the fate of the universe at stake, not just their family? He had to do this. It’s what he was meant to do.

Morgan knew it, at least. She understood. Tony knew she did. And yet he saw the pain in her eyes even as she smiled and laughed, saw the loneliness and the void inside her and something within him ached, it hurt because that was the expression he saw on himself so often and it was not what he wanted for his daughter.

Every time he was running late for a meeting of some sort or another, every time he would get an emergency summons on a lead for their latest case, he would be forced to brush her aside. She would try to show him something she made, and he would be forced to say “Not right now sweetheart, daddy’s running late.”

They both were very familiar with this song and dance now. She knew what his reaction would be, nine times out of ten, and yet she kept coming back in the hope that this would be that one time Tony wasn’t busy, and everything inside of him screamed at that look in her eyes, rebelled at the resignation on her face, and yet there was nothing he could do.

Every time he left a part of him shriveled up and died inside, watching her standing there on the sidelines as he left time and time again, with a quivering lip yet steel in her eyes, in her shoulders. She was brave. She was strong. So much more so than he ever could’ve been.

She was a warrior, she was a queen, and he told her that every time he could. But not a soldier. Not on his watch.

“Daddy, where’s mommy? Have you seen her? I can’t find her daddy, where is she?”

“I don’t know baby, I’m sorry, I’m busy. I have to go."

“Daddy? Why is mommy crying?”

“She has a lot on her plate, baby. Maybe if you make her something it’ll make her feel better, huh? Do you wanna work on something together?”

Tony keeps having nightmares. Well, more accurately, it’s the same nightmare, over and over again. Every time it starts the same way.

Morgan is standing in front of him crying, saying “Daddy, please, daddy don’t leave, daddy, I need you, stop it, please.” And he would promise her that this was the last time he has to leave, and her face would contort in rage and she would scream “You said that last time, too!” And she would turn into dust and ash right before his eyes, and he would scream, unable to do anything to prevent it as Thanos appears to taunt him. Thanos holds Peter Parker’s throat in his hand and Tony has to watch Peter disappear right before his eyes, again and again, before Tony makes Thanos dissolve to ash too. And then he sees Pepper, bleeding out from a wound in her heart, and then the heat would start, the searing, agonizing heat as he burned up alive from the infection, and he wouldn’t make it to Earth this time, and he’s burning alive, and he always wakes up, sweaty and crying.

He thinks it may be prophetic.

Morgan is four and she learns how to be silent and how to disappear. Her daddy is almost never there, and she misses him so much. Sometimes, mommy gets so angry when daddy is there that Morgan learns how to hide, and she hums Italian songs her daddy taught her to drown out the sound of glass breaking.

Tony dreams about being on fire every night, and he records a video. One for everyone he loves. Just in case.

Morgan is five when her daddy finally saves the world.She was hiding in the safe room with her mommy and watching the news as the Avengers fought. She could see her daddy fighting hard, side by side with Mr. Captain America, which made her mommy’s face turn sour when she saw it. And then she saw as her daddy put on the big gauntlet with all the stones in it, snap his fingers, and explode.

The world started reforming around her, unaware that she had just lost hers.

Her ears were ringing. Something was wrong. She could hear her mommy sobbing, screaming, but she couldn’t understand why. What happened to her daddy? She felt so disconnected from reality. She could see the rest of the Avengers standing in shock and then bursting into a flurry of actions, doing something she couldn’t understand. All she could see was the piece of a leg that was right in front of the screen, right before the TV shut off. And then she turned around to look at her mommy who had a very frightening expression on her face, and all she could do was stare, and stare, and stare.

The funeral was held at a private church, with only a few people. Morgan was wearing a black dress her mom picked out for her and a black veil. Her mommy tried to smile at her, but the expression looked all weird, and all Morgan could do was stare.

On the ride there, her mommy tried to get her to talk, but her tongue felt like it was stuck to the roof of her mouth. The words were stuck in her throat and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t force them out. She hadn’t felt much of anything anyways, these days, so she just shook her head and went to stare out the window.

Mr. Captain America was there, along with his best friend, a man who had long dark hair and a metal arm. Another boy was there, a boy who took one look at her and started crying harder than he already had been, and she gave him a hug because she recognized him from the stories her daddy used to tell her about a brave boy who helped them fight and whom he had cared for a lot. Her mommy met up with her Uncle Rhodey and they both hugged each other while crying. There were so many others there, people she did not know or recognize, and she just stood in the middle of them all, watching them cry, and she didn’t understand why her daddy couldn’t be there anymore. She just wanted her daddy. He always made everything so much better.

Morgan sat next to the boy from her father’s stories, Peter, while the priest went on and on about bravery and sacrifice, but Morgan didn’t hear any of it because she could only stare at the coffin that she knew held the pieces of her daddy. She wished she could put him back together, make him whole and alive and happy again, so he could teach her more Italian and tinker with her in the workshop and play with her. He was going to take her to his favorite restaurant when he got back. He had promised he would.

Then, people got up to speak. Her mommy went first. Then her Uncle Rhodey. Then the boy, Peter. Then Mr. Captain America. And before she knew it, Morgan was getting up and walking over to the podium, not looking anywhere but on the ground because she wouldn’t be able to stand all these people looking at her. She glanced at the coffin, and her eyes burned, but she cleared her throat and began.

“My daddy was...the best daddy I could’ve ever asked for. He was strong and brave, and he loved me so much. He died saving the world. I know that.” She took a deep breath, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat.

“I just...it may be terrible of me, but I wish he hadn’t done that. I wish he was home right now so I wouldn’t have to be here, so I could hug him and tell him I love him one more time.” Her voice dropped into a whisper. “I miss him. God, I miss him so much.”

She wiped her eyes, staring at the coffin that she had been unable to look away from since she first saw it. “I hate that he’s gone. I hate that he won’t ever make me burnt pancakes again or tell me he loves me or show me how to play video games. I miss him so very much. I will never stop. He’s the best daddy in the whole wide world and nothing will ever take that away. I’m so lucky that I got the chance for him to be my daddy. I just miss him. I miss him so much it hurts.”

Two years later, Morgan found a collection of tapes in her dad’s workshop. She saw the one with her name on it, stuck it in the player, and sat back to watch.

“Hey, baby. If you’re watching this, that either means I’m dead, or I’m alive and you somehow found these tapes by digging around in my stuff in which case, you’re in big trouble missy. But if I...am, dead, then, well, I guess I just want to start off by saying that I love you. I love you so much.

“I know I may not always be the best at showing it, but you are my whole world. I know you miss your mommy, and I know you miss me, and I’m so sorry. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be there for you as much as I wanted to be. I’m gone so often, but I’m trying to give you the life that I never had. A life of love, and of family. A life of peace. I’m sorry that I couldn’t quite manage to do that either.

“Please don’t cry for me, baby. I don’t want you to mourn. Just know that wherever I go, I’ll always be with you. Always. And do not ever doubt that I would support you and love you no matter what you decide to do. But above all, I want you to be happy, baby. I just want you to be happy.”

BONUS

Tony woke up to the sun shining through his curtains. The birds were singing a pleasing melody, and he could hear children’s laughter coming from the backyard. The smell of pancakes and coffee wafted through the house and he smiled, getting out of bed.

He walked downstairs, opening the door to the backyard and pausing in the doorway at the sight that greeted him. Pepper was laughing, her hair done up in a ponytail, as she pushed the kids on the swings. Morgan was laughing with her little sister and Peter made goofy faces at them as he ran in front of the swings precariously, ducking and weaving wildly. Pepper turned around from her position and smiled at him, her golden hair shining in the sunlight. He walked up to her and kissed her, and just held her in his arms as they smiled at their children together.

All was well.

[maria-naranjoochoa]

What Gets Us Through the Hardest of Times: A Moral Analysis of Doctor Strange

SPOILER WARNING (If you still haven’t seen movie)

Like most superhero movies, Doctor Strange shows us a character who loses it all and rises up from the ashes to become a hero. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has showed us the journey of different heroes such as Iron Man, Captain America, Ant-Man, and newest one being Black Panther. In the MCU movies, we are shown how someone becomes a hero after through difficult challenges to become and stay a hero. What makes this movie unique from the others is how the protagonist, Stephen Strange, becomes a hero. The movie Doctor Strange shows us his journey, and what got him through it all.

This MCU films takes us through the life and struggles that Stephen Strange had to go through to become a hero, at at many points throughout the movie it showed how it all could have ended in an instant. The big takeaway from Doctor Strange is to have hope, no matter the situation. One of the biggest examples of hope that is shown is how Stephen never gives up on finding a cure for his damaged hands. Another part showing hope is the how the Ancient One trains Stephen to become a sorcerer. And before it all ends, it shows us the the hope Stephen has that he will defeat the villain threatening Earth.

Doctor Strange revolves around the character Doctor Stephen Strange, who was a world-renowned, egocentric neurosurgeon who suffers from the aftermath of a near fatal car crash. The movie starts by showing us a doctor who obviously possesses a brilliant mind, but seems to be very arrogant and self-centered. Stephen makes it clear himself that he alone can do anything and is someone who has all he could ever need. A change of events happens when he is on his way to gala where he would have been honored. Stephen results the victim of s self caused car accident that severely damages his hands, which ends suddenly his career in the medical field. After searching endlessly for a cure, Stephen goes to his last option, which is in a place called the Kamar-Taj that is home to the mystical arts on Earth. Though Stephen doesn’t discover a cure for his hands, he does discover a whole new world where he trains to become a sorcerer. After training for a short time and mastering much of the mystic arts, Stephen becomes quickly involved with protecting the Earth against any dark forces, specifically Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension. With the timing of events, Stephen is forced to step up and fight for Earth.

Stephen is introduced as a brilliant man who can have whatever he wants and has his future all set up for him, but after the car crash his world seemingly falls apart. This is when the theme of hope is first shown to us. After the crash, Stephen was able to mostly recover. The only thing left permanently damaged was his hands, which is what he relied on the most. He not only relied on them for his work, but for everyday tasks. We see in the movie that he struggle to do basic things such as shave and he continually has pain with most physical contact. Trying to get back what he lost, Stephen searches for someone to help him fix his unstable hands. Stephen doesn’t seem to give up hope that he will find a cure, putting all his money and time into it. Once Stephen has almost nothing left, having sold his belongings and began taking out loans, he puts his hope that a man who he once turned away when they needed medical help. Even after the most renowned doctors told him there was nothing left to do, Stephen takes a leap of faith and goes where he is told. Even though he didn’t find a cure, he discovered a world of the mystic arts where he has a chance of a future. Because his hope never thinned, he found something better than what he was looking for.

Another character that carries importance in the theme of this movie is the Ancient One. After the Ancient One sees the great will to learn the mystic arts from Stephen, she personally starts training him. Hope is shown through this character by showing the desires of the Ancient One. When Stephen is first trying a spell, he seems to be lacking self confidence and uses his disabled hands as an excuse for his inability to learn. The Ancient One hopes that he will put his limitations aside and become a sorcerer because he worked for it. The Ancient One puts her hope into him learning by showing him another master of the mystic arts with a disability. After that, her hope in Stephen changes from hoping Stephen learns the basics of the mystic arts to hoping Stephen will become a great master of the mystic arts. Before her death, the Ancient still had hope that Stephen would become a great master even though she wouldn’t be there to see it, and leaves Stephen knowing that he could become someone greater if he chose to stay on the path he started. Not only did her hope in Stephen lead her to good decisions about him, but it passed on to help Stephen believe he could become someone great.

After the death of the Ancient One, Stephen decides to stay on the path of becoming something greater, whether it is just stopping Dormammu or becoming a master in the mystic arts. After the Ancient One says her last words to Stephen, which are encouragements of what he could become, Stephen immediately goes to fight Dormammu and stop him from taking Earth. Stephen goes into battle, carrying that hope the Ancient One gave him, and fights with what little he has learned. Stephen is still learning much of the mystic arts, and it implied that most of the spells he knew haven’t ever been practiced. His spells literally give them a second chance when Stephen reverses time. His hope that his plan will work lead him to a leap of faith. In the end, like most Marvel movies, Stephen continues the path of being a hero and becoming someone greater.

Doctor Strange is a movie that showed us the journey of an egocentric neurosurgeon who became a master of the mystic arts and protector of the New York Sanctum. Throughout the movie, it showed the hero in many different situations and challenges, but in the end it was hope that kept the hero going, as well as the people around him. This movie shows that no matter what situation we are put in, whether by choice or not, hope is one of the biggest things that will give us the strength and motivation to keep going.

References:

Derrickson, Scott, director. Doctor Strange, Marvel Studios, 20 Oct. 2016

[totesmccoats]

Doomsday Clock #1

We open in Watchmen’s New York, on November 22nd, 1992; which is 25 years to the day before this comic’s release, and also the week that Superman #75 – the Death of Superman – was released. A mob gathers outside the business headquarters of Adrian Veidt, the world’s smartest, and now most wanted man, for his orchestration of the “alien” attack on New York City that resulted in over three million dead and thousands more physically injured.

The hoax revealed, the fragile peace it ushered in rapidly collapses as Russia begins an invasion of an ununited Europe; North Korea expands their nuclear capabilities to match the rearmament of other nuclear states; and the President of the United States, Robert Redford, is too busy golfing to properly respond. Dozens of media voices in the US are replaced by one Schutzstaffel logoed National News Network that prepares people for a righteous nuclear war.

Amid this chaos, Rorschach breaks out two criminals, Marionette and her partner, Mime, from prison to bring them to his new partner – Ozymandias, who again tries to cure the world, this time by bringing back its Superman.

And, in a distant land, a Superman wakes up from a nightmare.

Whether or not you think this story is a good idea, you have to admit that this issue makes a strong argument for itself. The issue echos Watchmen in the same ways Watchmen echos, well, itself; presented it’s separate threads as thematic and visual reflections of each-other. Rorschach unlocks a prisoner’s cage, releasing them; just as soldiers key into a nuclear console, unleashing armageddon.

Geoff Johns may be the only person capable of picking up Watchmen, given that his personal superpower as a writer has been his reverence of old comic stories, and ability to weave their threads into new patterns and expand them into larger universes. He’s basically doing to Watchmen’s character what he’d previously done with Barry Allen and Hal Jordan. And while Johns is an incredible talent in his own right, he’s aided by his ability to match Alan Moore’s style of dialogue; particularly in his writing of Rorschach, who switches between gorey purple-prose in his narration, and article-less laconism in his speech.

Gary Frank is a perfect artist for matching Dave Gibbons’ detail heavy illustrations, giving the book a texture and shadow-heavy tone that conveys the anxiety and dread of its world. Where the resemblance breaks is with Brad Anderson’s colors, which are more realistic and understated than John Higgins’ brightly saturated pop-art aesthetic.

Doomsday Clock’s biggest achievement so far is that, against all expectations, it fits. Johns wrote a story that, so far, makes sense as a sequel to Watchmen, and manages to infuse it with the same political resonance and thematic weight to today as the original had in the 80s.

  Batgirl #17

Then: Batgirl and Robin close in on the Mad Hatter, and rescue Ainsley from his control; and Dick keeps Barbara from crossing a line.

Now: Batgirl and Nightwing close in on the Red Queen, who has a few more tricks up her sleeve, including giant nanobots, and bringing Nightwing under her control.

I really enjoyed this entire Dick/Babs story, and this issue gives both timelines a really strong ending. The “then” timeline gives the two a solid shared experience for their relationship to start from; a time where they both needed to rely on the other to get through something incredibly taxing, physically, and mentally, but mostly emotionally. And in the present, the two work on a case recalls all those same emotions and have to rely on each-other in many of the same ways. As George Lucas might say, “it rhymes.” And Wildgoose’s art perfectly captures both the couple’s intimacy, and their emotional distance, in the two’s body language. If you’re a fan of Dick/Babs, this is a story that should be in your collection.

  Wonder Woman #35

Wonder Woman’s brother – Jason! Who he is, and how he came to be!

Glaucus begins the tale of raising Jason, Diana’s secret brother; from the day that he discovered his powers until the day Jason wouldn’t need him anymore. And from that point, Jason takes over, telling of how, even though he kept his powers a secret from the world and the mythic figures who would look for him, they found him anyway.

The most interesting part of this otherwise typical origin story is how it riffs on the familiar stories of Superman discovering and training his powers – particularly the version told in Man of Steel. Like Clark in that movie, Jason is told by his adoptive father to keep his powers hidden so that he wouldn’t be hunted for them. But, hewing a bit closer to Wonder Woman’s own origin, Glaucus does ask Hercules to train Jason, realizing that if his powers are only going to grow, he should learn how to use them, even if he shouldn’t.

Once Jason takes over narration, he tells of how hiding his powers created a hole in his life that he couldn’t quite identify until he saw how his sister – Wonder Woman – was using her powers to help people.

Unfortunately, Jason’s story ends on a cliffhanger, which means that we’re dedicating at least two issues of Wonder Woman completely to the history of this completely new, and relatively unimportant dude. Superhero comics really doesn’t need any more riffs on this origin story. We’ve seen it all, in almost every possible permutation – and we especially don’t need it taking up room in a Wonder Woman book. Also, who are Glaucus and Jason even talking to? They’re supposedly in completely different places, so…how is this even supposed to work? And if they aren’t “talking” to anyone, then why is Glaucus’ narration written phonetically?

  The Flash #35

Meena steals the Negative-Speedforce from Flash, and explains that she’s loyal to Black Hole because they’re the ones who saved her when Godspeed pulled her into the Speedforce when Barry had already written her off as dead. Then she escapes back to Black Hole’s labs, where she meets with Black Hole’s true leader – Raijin, God of Lightning.

Meanwhile, Barry and Wally finish off the rest of the Black Hole troops at the demolition derby, agreeing to work better in tandem to explore the real potential of the Speedforce to better combat Meena and Black Hole.

Kristen continues her investigation into Central City’s new crimelord at Iron Heights when she’s interrupted…

After Flash drops Wally off at home, where Wally comforts Iris; he gets a call from Warden Wolfe – there’s been a murder at Iron Heights.

This issue is an improvement over the last one, which mainly rehashed a bunch of information we already knew; but is still very exposition heavy, and does more work in introducing new plot questions than it does in making progress along already set-up plot threads. The issue’s biggest development is a return to status-quo, Barry’s got his usual powers back. Everything else is pretty much the same: Iris still needs her space from Barry; Barry and Wally are still repairing their relationship; Black Hole and the new Central City crimelord are still at large.

  Nightwing: The New Order #4

Kate Kane and the Crusade discover that Jake isn’t just immune to the power-neutralizer, his biology actively fights against it, making him that much more of a threat to the current world order.

Dick wakes up in the Titan’s secret headquarters, surrounded by Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, (Kid) Flash, and Lois Lane(?), who is a Blue Lantern now. It’s not the sweetest of reunions, with there still being a lot of bad blood between Dick and the Titans, who are outlaws under the new system Dick ushered in. But, even if nothing else, they can agree on rescuing Jake – especially after their man on the inside reveals that Jake can possibly reverse everything.

And here’s where this story goes full X-Men. We got the ad-hoc family with interpersonal conflicts, the one mutant who can cure everything, the government oppressors; the whole shebang, really. Honestly, I never got into the X-Men, nor the Titans, but a good template’s a good template; and this story’s pulling it off, even if it’s really dropped the ball on some of the more resonant themes of systemic persecution in favor of more of a rescue the POW vibe.

  Black Panther #167

Shuri retrieves Dr. Franklin from a maximum security prison, legally, and brings him to Wakanda to continue their investigation into Klaw’s return. While he’s busy with that, Shuri leads T’Challa into the Djalia to learn more about Wakanda’s mythic history and the Originators. What he learns disturbs him. The Wakandans were not the native people of their land, and they did not take it peacefully.

Oofa-Doofa. This may be the heaviest reveal of Coates run so far, but one that plays directly to his strengths. Wakanda was built on genocide, their gods made as literal weapons against the native Originators. And now T’Challa, who has already recently made so many decisions to make his country – the most powerful in the world – more democratic; has to decide what to do after confronting his country’s original sin.

Basically, if you haven’t read Coates’ Case for Reparations, I suggest you do before the next issue.

  Snotgirl #8

It’s the boy’s issue!

Sunny wakes up from a weird dream where Charlene gives birth to a green puppy, and goes to meet Ashley at the sports club before he marries Meg. While the two attempt to bond over Squash, Ash tells Sunny that he’d like to bang Lottie before he marries Meg, which really gets under Sunny’s skin.

After Squash, Virgil, who’s up to something accidently walks in on the two in the locker room and gets all hot and bothered.

Ash and Sunny continue to the showers, and Ash will not shut up about sex and girls and how much he wants to bang Lottie. It’s really gross, and even Sunny wonders if he can keep up this hang-out much longer.

Meanwhile, Lottie is bored and alone, and makes it worse by texting her friends randomly; and when she runs out of those, she texts Detective John Cho – who instantly responds because he’s also thirsty for Lottie.

Later, John happens to join Sunny and Ash in the sauna, where he reveals that he’s been friends with Sunny since they were kids. Ash asks everyone about their kinks, because he’s gross as heck, and John reveals he also has a thing for girls with green hair. At this, Sunny finally loses his cool and gets into a short fight with Ash, at least until their towels fall off and it gets too weird.

Getting home, Sunny finally checks his texts.

This issue is just as meandering as usual, but the change in perspective is nice. We’re finally in the head of someone sane as opposed to Lottie’s addled narcissism. The issue is also a great look into the phenomena of “locker room talk,” in that it frames that sort of behavior as just as bad and gross even in a locker room. And to his credit, Sunny eventually does stand up for his girls instead of letting boys be boys.

AND OH BOY IS THIS ISSUE HOMO AF. Just…all the sweaty muscle boys talking about their “zords”!

Comic Reviews 11/22/17 Doomsday Clock #1 We open in Watchmen’s New York, on November 22nd, 1992; which is 25 years to the day before this comic’s release, and also the week that Superman #75 - the Death of Superman - was released.