#Hope van Dyke/ Wasp

[aspec-argentum]

Was someone going to tell me that her name wasn't Hope Van Dyke or was I just supposed to figure that out by watching Ant Man and The Wasp for like the 5th time with subtitles at midnight myself?

[blueclyde]

Ooof it’s getting hot in here

The Holy Trinity

[moviewarfare]

A Review of “WandaVision (2021)”

WandaVision is the first in Marvel's line of TV streaming shows. Wanda and Vision haven't been in the spotlight since Age Of Ultron, so a series fully dedicated to these two were very interesting. "Set three weeks after the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Wanda Maximoff and Vision are living an idyllic suburban life in the town of Westview, New Jersey, trying to conceal their true natures. As they begin to enter new decades and encounter television tropes, the couple suspects that things are not as they seem". I'm a big MCU fan and after Endgame Vision was still pretty much dead so this series bringing him back alive piqued my interest. So is this a great start for MCU TV shows or a big slip up for Marvel?

Firstly, the concept of a Superhero Sitcom with a bit of mystery is such a unique concept for the Superhero genre. Marvel is one of the biggest names nowadays and they make very entertaining movies, but it can feel a bit formulaic. However, WandaVision takes a risk by doing something drastically different and it executes it marvellously. I'll admit I'm not the biggest fan of Sitcoms but some great moments gave me quite the chuckle. WandaVision goes through multiple eras of sitcoms from "The Dick Van Dyke Show" to "Full House" to "Malcolm in the Middle" to "The Office" and they replicate it very well. The showrunner knew their Sitcoms and WandaVision conveys this.

Additionally, I love how they use different cameras, different colours and different resolutions for what Sitcom era they are on or changes to a cinematic look for characters outside the Sitcom stuff. There is also clearly a lot of work put into the set design and costumes to replicate these eras as well. Near the last couple of episodes when it goes full Marvel movie there are some great VFX for the action set-pieces as well.

The characters in this series are also all great. Wanda (Elisabeth Olsen) returns and is a lot more on edge compared to the movies. Likewise, Vision (Paul Bettany) was always the cool but slightly awkward Robot guy in the movies but here feels a lot more personality than we have ever seen before. Both Elisabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany did a great job with these characters in the movies but here they genuinely give some of the best performance I've seen in any Marvel project. Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) returns from the Thor movies and is now more than just a side lady who quips a lot but feels more knowledgeable and helpful albeit still very funny. Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) returns from Ant-Man and the Wasp and gets to be more on the heroic side and does some cool stuff.  Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) returns from Captain Marvel and is now all grown up and played by a different actor who does a phenomenal job in giving a cool, badass character. Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) is a new supporting character who is very funny as the nosy neighbour with a high libido.

The story is also very engaging with the subtle weirdness that occurs in each episode. I won't go into spoiler territory but there is some great twist in this series. Some emotional moments were very effective in hitting me in the core, especially the last couple of episodes. I also really love that there are adverts that were created specifically for the series that adds another layer to the titular character and the story.

Nonetheless, I have some minor gripes with the series and that it is a very slow burn of a series. It takes quite a while for it to kick into gear in my opinion. The first 3 episodes don't have much happening and it is understandable because the series meant to start more on the sitcom side of things but it does get to points where you're hoping whether something will happen or not. There are also some things in the story near the end that were kind of underwhelming. Without spoiling it is a revelation of a certain character and another character who just appears and then mysteriously disappears for some reason. It just raised a lot of eyebrows in my opinion. Additionally, there is one supporting character I just feel is very weak in terms of character and motives. Tyler Hayward (Josh Stamberg) is the acting director of S.W.O.R.D who just has vague reasons for what he does and I wish they gave more backstory and depth to him because in the end he just feels like an obstacle. After all, the plot needed it to be.

Overall, this is a great start for MCU TV streaming shows. WandaVision does something new with the genre and delivers on it. It also successfully makes us love Wanda and Vision even more. Like most Marvel movies, the ending leads to a lot of interesting possibilities. I thought that Endgame might be it for me for the MCU but WandaVision manages to convince me to continue to keep track of the MCU. If this is the quality of Marvel TV shows then I am looking forward to the next one.

[agentnico]

WandaVision (2021) Review

I’m sorry but someone needs to address the elephant in the room - if Wanda and Vision are in a relationship, does that mean Vision - a robot - has a penis? Look, I cannot be the only one thinking this, right? Right??

Plot: Living idealized suburban lives, super-powered beings Wanda and Vision begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.

So Marvel’s first Disney+ series has reached its finale, and I’m certain many fans will be left disappointed due to all the outlandish rumours and theories that the fanbase are known to come up with not coming to fruition, but I personally admire this show for sticking true to its guns by being something that is very different compared to anything that Marvel has done before. Well, mostly. When its different, its hugely different, however when it gets to the usual MCU antics its pretty generic Marvel.

At the beginning the show left a lot of audiences scratching their heads as to what was going, as in the first few episodes especially there isn’t much of a plot per se, and instead we are taken through the various stages of American TV sitcoms, starting with the black and white old-school The Dick Van Dyke Show styled format, with the first episode going as far as being filmed in front of a live audience just like they would’ve back in those olden days.....at least that’s what history tells us happened back in those days, honestly take that with a grain of salt as I wasn’t even alive back in the 60s so for all I know history is a massive conspiracy and all of this is a massive pile of tosh! But setting deceitful plot schemes, supposedly everyone back in the 60′s were black and white and there was no colour in the world... okay, I’m kidding, I’m not that stupid, but I digress. As I was saying before I rudely interrupted myself, we are taken through various phases of American tele-sitcoms and eventually entering into the usual MCU territory. What works at the beginning of the series is the way it pays homage to those sitcoms back in the day, and I’m certain there was a lot fun has on set by the production designers recreating visual look of those old shows and also with the actors biting into every opportunity of playing up to acting style that was used back then, with the winks to the camera and the purposeful pauses as they wait for the laugh track to die down, or there’s an episode akin to Modern Family and The Office where our stars act as if they’re in a mockumentary and even answer questions to the camera to great comedic effect. 

In between this sitcom format we constantly get little clues and teases towards what may actually be going, and there is this sense of constant mystery that really motivates you to get excited for the next episode (as Disney+ releases their shows one episode per week) and as such WandaVision turned out the be very exciting simply from trying to come up with the most out-there theories of what’s to come. And it seems like the showrunners were fully aware of this by playing up to the fanbase by ending episodes on massive cliff-hangers (people who have seen this series can now easily agree with me that “Please Stand By” is an even bigger Marvel villain than Thanos!) as well as featuring certain surprises and appearances that suggest much bigger plans for the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, so to be fair this show really felt good simply from the anticipation factor and the discussion that it built among audiences. Naturally with huge anticipation it’s difficult to then fulfil that promise, and as such to the second half of the series where the show goes full Marvel on us, we do kind of get stuck in more mediocre territory, with the final episode especially serving some disappointment by ending with the typical generic Marvel superhero battle we’ve all come to expect at this point. In other words, WandaVision comes off a tad anti-climactic at the end, but its the journey that makes it worthwhile.

Typically to most Marvel projects, you can expect the cast to be great, and here in WandaVision that’s the same case. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany are both stellar as Wanda and Vision, and first and foremost this show is about their romance and their love, and gosh aren’t them two just the biggest lovebirds! So adorable with only me and my girlfriend offering competition as the more gushier and sickly cheesy couple! Hey, we’re cheesy and proud, that’s all I’m saying!!! Anyway, the show is mainly about Olsen and her character’s grief and evolution, and Olsen proves her chops as a leading lady and I’m really looking forward to seeing what she’ll get up to in the Doctor Strange sequel. Bettany is both innocent yet smooth as her robotic boyfriend, and basically proves that if you want to get with one of the Olsen sisters, you have to accept every single chip that Bill Gates sends you to have a shot. We also see the return of a couple other MCU side characters, with Kat Dennings and Randall Park returning as Darcy and Jimmy Woo and to be honest WandaVision gives these characters proper justice. Kat Dennings in the Thor films always came off more annoying rather than funny, yet here on the show her character is both useful and her humour is sarcastic yet funny. And Jimmy Woo in the Ant-Man & the Wasp was stuck in the stereotype of the goofy FBI agent who is stupid and oblivious to everything, however here you can tell his character has become more wiser and better at his job, yet still with the wit and charm that Randall Park usually provides (and he’s the learnt the card trick from Ant-Man!!). We also have Teyonah Parris appearing as grown up Monica Rambeau who we saw as a young girl in Captain Marvel, and Parris is quite pleasant and does well with what she has, but I’m hoping she gets to have more interesting material to work with in the future Marvel projects she appears in. Then there is Kathryn Hahn as the mysterious nosy neighbour character, and though I don’t want to spoil anything about her role, I’ll say that Hahn gets to overact her face off and also gets a fun musical at one point that is annoyingly catchy!

WandaVision is a great sign showing Marvel attempting to branch out and go to new and different places, however with its ending it still proves that they need to learn how to break away from the repetitive formula they have gotten themselves stuck in. All we need is Deadpool proclaiming “Big CGI fight coming up!”

Overall score: 7/10

[nerdinreview]

“WandaVision In Review”

The first of many Marvel Disney+ shows has just recently concluded.  With fan theories running rampant, and twists and turns during almost every episode, it isn’t surprising that WandaVision was so successful.  However, the show is not without its own issues as nothing can ever be quite perfect.  Below is our spoiler-filled review of WandaVision.

My first impression when watching the early (first two) episodes of WandaVision was confusion.  I had a hard time trying to determine why Disney and Marvel would take us on a nostalgia tour through classic television series featuring two underserved and underutilized Avengers.  I have to admit, I wasn’t overly invested in the project in the beginning.  I enjoyed the references to The Dick Van Dyke Show and Bewitched, but I honestly didn’t care much for it past that point.  Despite this, I kept watching for curiosity’s sake, and it certainly paid off.

When it becomes clear that Wanda is more in control of this reality than was initially assumed, I was hooked.  I’m a big fan of Wanda Maximoff as a character.  In the comics she has been a force to be reckoned with and the Marvel Cinematic Universe hadn’t seized the opportunity to really utilize her until this point.  It was exciting to see Wanda use her powers in a way we hadn’t gotten to see on screen before, and the ending definitely implies that this is just the tip of the iceberg for her.

As someone who has been critical of Vision in both comics and film, I have to say that this did wonders for his character as well.  We finally get to see a more “human” side of the synthezoid.  That said, it’s hard to determine how real this side of him was, as he’s technically a manifestation of Wanda’s grief.  At the very least, we get to see Vision as Wanda saw him, which is almost beautiful in its own right.

As mentioned above, some of the best content to come out of WandaVision is the character development.  While the two titular characters had the most development, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the other characters who stuck out.  The first of which is Monica Rambeau.  The last time we saw this character she was a child in Captain Marvel, and while she may have been dreaming for the stars, she had a lot of growing up to do before she became the version of her we see in the show.

Monica was another bright spot in the show, she was fearless, and certainly didn’t back away from a challenge.  She, similarly to Wanda, is dealing with grief.  Losing her mother in addition to the last five years of her life, would be maddening to anyone, yet Monica jumps right back in to work at SWORD, and is often the voice of reason throughout the series. It was also incredibly exciting to see Monica get her powers after being exposed to the boundaries of Wanda’s “hex” three separate times.  We even got to see her powers in action, first being able to withstand Wanda’s attack to get her to leave the neighborhood again, and then being literally bulletproof in the finale.  I don’t think I need to go too deeply into the significance of the MCU literally giving us a bulletproof black female superhero! It was amazing, seeing her protect Billy and Tommy, while also being impervious to Hayward’s attack.  It was a powerful scene that only highlighted Monica’s character even more.

 However, what impressed me most about this character was her empathy to Wanda.  No one would have been overly critical of Monica if she had taken Hayward’s side.  After all, she too was held hostage by Wanda and forced to play a role in Wanda’s show. The experience was even described as “excruciating,” in Hayward’s retelling of Monica’s experience, and yet Monica is unyielding in her opinion that Wanda is not doing this maliciously.  In fact, she willingly exposes herself back into the “hex” despite knowing that it is quite literally altering her DNA, with unknown side effects.  This was something that Jimmy Woo wasn’t even willing to expose himself to once.  During his first scene in the show, he says he doesn’t enter the town because he can “feel” that they’re not supposed to go inside.  He stays true to that throughout the series, only entering Westview when Wanda breaks down the “hex” during the final episode.

As mentioned previously, Jimmy Woo was another character we got to see develop a bit since his Ant-Man and the Wasp appearance.  He and Thor’s Darcy Lewis, were oftentimes the comic relief in the show when things got heavier.  However, we got to see a side of Jimmy Woo’s character that we hadn’t seen before.  While he was appreciated in Ant-Man and the Wasp, he was often at odds with Scott Lang as he was assigned to make sure that Scott was following his house arrest.  It was refreshing to see Jimmy defy Hayward and fight back, being a key role in thwarting his escape.

It was nice to see Darcy Lewis get in on the action as well.  In the Thor franchise she was often comic relief but rarely in the spotlight during action scenes.  While she still didn’t do much fighting in WandaVision it was refreshing to see her stop Hayward with her stolen truck, and have her be the leading expert during SWORD’s investigation of Wanda.  It was particularly exciting to see that she has earned her doctorate, so she is no longer Jane’s intern, and isn’t playing second fiddle to Jane Foster or Erik Selvig.

Finally, Kathryn Han’s Agatha Harkness is also deserving of praise.  With the exception of a few of the films, Marvel has had a bit of an issue with giving fans villains that were worthy adversaries to their favorite heroes.  This was not the case with Agatha Harkness.  Seeing her toy with Wanda throughout the series was a highlight of the show and seeing her be a full fledged witch was equally as exciting.  While Wanda defeated her in the finale, they certainly left the door open for Agatha to return, and I certainly hope they find a way to incorporate her in the future.

While I have mostly praised WandaVision, I have to mention some of the negatives as well.  Overall, I greatly enjoyed the show, there are still a few points that I took issue with.  The first of which is Maria Rambeau.  Maria Rambeau was last seen in the Captain Marvel film and had become a bit of a fan favorite.  She was a pilot, similar to Carol Danvers before gaining powers from the Space Stone, single mother, and according to WandaVision the eventual director of SWORD, yet she is killed off-screen from cancer.  

While this is frustrating for a number of reasons, I was particularly miffed because Marvel still has a long way to go in terms of diversity in their films, and to kill off one of your few female black characters off screen left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.  That’s without getting too deep into the fact that many fans were hopeful that Maria and Carol might have a romantic relationship in the sequel, and this all but confirms that won’t be the case. This adds another layer to the fact that Marvel has yet to have an LGBTQ+ hero in the films.

Additionally, the Marvel films have always handled Wanda and Pietro’s Romani roots poorly.  Not only are the actors not of Romani descent, the culture of their characters is often used as a prop or a joke.  Specifically, Wanda’s costume in the Halloween episode being referred to as a “fortune teller.” 

Additionally, having the twins willing join Hydra--a Nazi organization while having Romani and Jewish roots, through their father Erik Lehnsherr, in the comics has always rubbed me the wrong way.  WandaVision had an opportunity to remedy that when Wanda is reliving her past.  They could have easily given us a one off line about Wanda and Pietro not knowing that it was Hydra when they signed up to be experimented on and didn’t find out until later.  Unfortunately, all we get is a line about the twins wanting to “change the world.”

One of the other issues that I took was the presence of Evan Peters’s Quicksilver.  Initially, I was very excited to see him show up on the show and hoped that this meant we’d be seeing more of Fox’s X-Men in future Marvel films. Not only was he not the real Quicksilver, but he was instead just a long running “boner” joke, as he was Ralph Bohner, Wanda and Vision’s next door neighbor that Agatha was controlling.  While I wasn’t expecting him to be a huge character,  I was hoping for something a bit more significant than Ralph Bohner.

Finally, something that has been sticking out in my head for a while is Jimmy Woo’s missing person.  Jimmy Woo mentions in his first scene that Quantico had sent him to investigate a missing person in witness protection, who lived in Westview.  Initially, this was who I believed Evan Peters’s character to truly be, yet when Jimmy sees him on screen in the All New Halloween Spectacular episode, he just makes a note that Pietro has “the wrong face,” and doesn’t indicate that he recognizes him.  In fact, Jimmy’s missing person is never mentioned again later in the season and it seems as though that was just a plot device used to include him in the show.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed WandaVision.  It was refreshing to have Marvel be able to spend six hours to devote to character development and plot rather than it just being action-centric.  I think the show was an excellent first step in setting up a post-Iron Man Cinematic Universe.  After Avengers: Endgame, so many characters were lost, and it felt like a finale of sorts.  I think this was a great way to continue the story with a whisper rather than a bang, and I look forward to their upcoming Disney+ content.

WandaVision is currently streaming on Disney+.

[thena0315]

Endgame: MCU Female Heroes Scene

Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch Pepper Potts / Rescue Hope van Dyke / Wasp Shuri Okoye Valkyrie Gamora (2014) Nebula Mantis

Would have been even more badass and awesome if Black Widow was a part of that scene as well!!

RIP Natasha Romanoff

[fire-mage-719]

The Problem with Time Travel in Movies

So, this is a post on Avengers Endgame. It won’t contain spoliers, but rather state some vague stuff that won’t spoil anything and talk about the very obvious thing that could be predicted even from the end of Antman and the Wasp: the fact that they were going to somehow travel back in time to bring back everyone in Endgame. It is stated clearly by Van Dyke in Antman and the Wasp that there were time vortexes or time loops, and in one of the early Endgame trailers you could see some Antman-esque suits that everyone wore which totally would mean time travel. So it was assured even before the movie that there would be time travel, so it is almost a given. So spoiler but not? There’s time travel my friends. Time to get to the meat of the subject, the fact that time travel SUCKS. That’s actually a lie, time travel is sick as all hell. But in movies and shows time travel sucks, and I have not seen ONE SHOW do it right. Besides Doctor Who but when the whole show revolves around time travel you’d really hope it gets it down pretty well. But basically time travel screws up the space time continuum and the arcs previously made and established in earlier movies. Not naming names but 2 characters through the great time fuck up get their arcs basically entirely erased, and another one shouldn’t technically be alive. You had all these movies building up this character, and now you revert back to the old character who isn’t the same. You disappoint the viewers by erasing everything you already have in place. Even more EVERY SINGLE ACTION YOU MAKE CHANGES THE FUTURE. They talk about time travel and “oh if we do blah blah blah fix everything it was the second before it left” but that’s wrong! So wrong! You still screw up everything! You destroy the continuity you made and now you don’t live in quite the same universe anymore. Basically this: Endgame was a great movie. A great conclusion to the current story arc we have had with the marvel movies up to this point (I say this because the only movies we know are coming out from Marvel is Spiderman: Far from Home and the 2nd animated Spiderman film which I’m not sure is really Marvel). I really liked it and I ain’t gunna lie, I cried man, it was some good stuff. But seeing as time travel was a huge part of this movies they didn’t really execute time travel in the best way. They destroyed character arcs (and basically then the characters themselves) and also chose the stupidest places to travel to in time. Just gunna say, you could have like, gone to right before he snapped and taken the gauntlet, or like right after. But then we would have like less than an hour of content rather than three so hey that’s just how it be. It was a good movie, and the ending was sad but satisfying for a few specific characters that really made you feel glad, but wonder where the heck the MCU is going to go with like, only one movie trailer out for an upcoming Marvel film and only one trailer for that one film. But anyways that was my rant on Time Travel in movies, with a focus on Endgame. If you would like to know exactly how the MCU (and most movies) like to fuck with time by messing up which way time and timelines work, ask and I’ll write up another rant on it! The odds of someone actually asking for it are slim but hey it’s interesting. Thanks for reading and go watch Endgame! It was really good!

[villlaneve]

Hope Van Dyne is a lesbian! In this essay I will....

no ok but I just got home from seeing Ant-Man and the Wasp and I have thoughts

Hope always hiding in a warderobe....closet (!!!).... every single time playing hide and seek as a kid. I love gay metaphors!!

reach but this is valid: Im German so I know the word Wasp as “Wespe” in German. Whats the word for lesbian in German you ask? “Lesbe” only one letter off hhhmmm

speaking of being one letter off. Van Dyne? more like Van Dyke

Always done with men and ready to get shit done

Falling for Scott Lang. The softest man ever who loves and respect little girls and women to no end. He has never even heard of toxic masculinity (also he has the prettiest eyes) I dont blame Hope for confusing the admiration for him as one of the few good man for romantic feelings

Great potential for a storyline with Ava (Ghost) down the line about Ava’s redemption and Hope learning more about understanding her. Forgiving Ava for almost potentially losing her mother. I love angsty slow burn gfs.

Science gay

Just look at her: 

[soutasnotebook]

Marvel heroes and villains (not everybody) as TG Characters?

Iron Man/Tony Stark - Tsukiyama Shuu 

Pepper Potts - Matsumae

War Machine/Rhodey - Karren von Rosewald 

Hulk/Bruce Banner - Kaneki Ken, Kuroneki stage. 

Thor - Koma Enji 

Loki - Furuta Nimura, is there any doubt?

Captain America/Steve Rogers - Amon Koutarou 

Peggy Carter - Mado Akira 

Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier - Takizawa Seidou 

Falcon/Sam Wilson - Mizurou Tamaki 

Hawkeye/Clint Barton - Kuriowa Takeomi 

Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff - Suzuya Juuzou 

Dr. Strange - Yoshimura Kuzen

Spiderman/Peter Parker - Arima Yusa

Black Panther/T’Challa - Arima Kishou minus the death wish 

Shuri - Nishino Kimi

M’Baku - Nishiki Nishio 

Okoye - Irimi Kaya 

Nakia - Kirisihima Touka

Vision - Yoshimura Kuzen

Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff - Mutsuki Tooru 

Quicksilver/Peter Maximoff - Shirazu Ginshi. Guess why. :D

Mantis - Abara Hanbee

Drax the Destroyer - Aura Shinsanpei, drama queen 

Star-Lord/Peter Quill - Yonebayashi Saiko 

Gamora - Hsaio Ching-Li

Nebula - Yasuhisa Kurona

Groot - Naki 

Rocket - Kusakari Miza 

Ant Man/Scott Lang - Kirishima Ayato 

The Wasp/Hope Van Dyke - Marude Itsuki 

Jessica Jones - Urie Kuki. YOU KNOW IT IS TRUE. 

Hellcat/Trish Walker - Feuguchi Hinami. We’re ignoring season 2. 

Daredevil/Matt Murdock - Kaneki Ken, all stages. For Sure. 100%. Geez. Dude.

Elektra - Kamishiro Rize. 

Luke Cage - Tatara

Iron Fist/Danny Rand - Nagachika Hideyoshi 

[schreichters]

just saw ant man and ant man and the wasp in one twenty four hour period so here’s my sexy sexy take on the matter @maryse-lightwood

paul rudd Good

scott and hope are literally that thing where there’s a woman who’s completely qualified to do something but for some fucking reason a man ends up being the hero simply because the story can’t be written about a woman and the second one makes this ESPECIALLY clear because the entire story is about hope and hope’s family and hope’s emotions but scott is There the whole time for some reason. but i like paul rudd so much, fuck you marvel! you got me this time!

ant man has the best cast of supporting characters in all of marvel movies and that’s that. i thought it was thor’s group from thor 3! but i was wrong, it’s ant man. the pym/van dyne fam + the criminal trio + cassie and her mom and step-dad are all Stellar

don’t understand ur scott/ex-wife/ex-wife’s new husband ot3 shipping i’m sorry...............open to being convinced though........

i DO like scott and hope the movie doesn’t overplay them and they have cute chemistry sometimes! and i sorta feel this vibe of like. hope is part of his Ant Man self and this superhero stuff and his relationship w/ her doesn’t really overlap with cassie in his life which could be Interesting as a dynamic, not that i’m getting too serious with ANT MAN

on the other hand, hope van dyke=big lesbian 

hank pym loves and supports his mean lesbian daughter and i think that’s great. 

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 2 July 2018

Quick Bits:

Ant-Man & The Wasp #3 is another fun issue in this mini as Scott and his tiny alien friends try to come up with a way to rescue Nadia. I’m still highly impressed by Javier Garrón’s art on this series, as it continues to push inventive designs, combined with Israel Silva’s bright, bouncy colours.

| Published by Marvel

Astonishing X-Men #13 begins Matthew Rosenberg and Greg Land’s run on the title and it’s very well done. It kicks off what looks to be Havok’s redemption arc, but the road is very rocky and unlike say, Magneto or Sabretooth, he’s not being given too much slack from his former compatriots. This first issue has a good deal of Rosenberg’s trademark humour and some pretty decent art from Land, Jay Leisten, and Frank D’Armata.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers #4 made it dawn on me what this run reminds me of, Grant Morrison and Howard Porter’s run on JLA. It’s intelligently crafted, widescreen action with Jason Aaron, Paco Medina, Ed McGuinness, Juan Velasco, Mark Morales, and David Curiel pulling it off very, very well.

| Published by Marvel

Captain America #1 is great. Ta-Nehisi Coates’ debut on the series finally addresses the fallout of Secret Empire on a personal and emotional level and it leads to an incredibly compelling story of war and pieces, as a new threat begins to surface and we’re left in a world where people don’t know who to trust. The story is enriched immensely by Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, and Sunny Gho’s artwork which is just incredible. Yu is a consummate storyteller and this book is just flawless with its visuals. I’m very interested to see where this creative team is going to take this story.

| Published by Marvel

Cosmic Ghost Rider #1 continues the fun that was to be had during Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, and Antonio Fabela’s excellent run on Thanos, with Cates’ Interceptor/Reactor collaborator, Dylan Burnett taking on the art chores. You don’t need to have read the earlier Thanos series to come in here, but I still highly recommend reading that run. “Thanos Wins” was a damn good story and so is this. The irreverent humour is here in spades, the art is glorious, and Frank Castle’s new mission should be interesting.

| Published by Marvel

Dark Ark #8 takes a very interesting turn as Shrae confronts the monster of the deep plaguing Noah’s ark. Juan Doe’s designs for even more of the monsters, and the deep one, are amazing.

| Published by AfterShock

Deadpool #2 has more glorious art from Nic Klein. This is among the best art in a Deadpool series and the character has seem some pretty incredible artists work on him. I can again easily recommend the title on the art alone, but I do have to say that the story is growing on me. I like the somewhat serious yet patently ridiculous interplay between Klein’s art and Skottie Young’s dialogue, with some very nice humorous moments here.

| Published by Marvel

Death of the Inhumans #1 is going to break your heart. Even if you hate the Inhumans, this is pretty harrowing. Donny Cates, Ariel Olivetti, and Jordie Bellaire are crafting a tale of loss here and this issue really makes that loss feel real, the threat possibly inescapable, as the Kree threaten genocide. This is pretty epic and I’m anxious to see what happens next.

| Published by Marvel

Death or Glory #3 is a harrowing issue, cutting deep twice, once as we go on a trip through Glory’s past and once again in the present, with a few other punches for good measure. Rick Remender and Bengal are delivering an incredibly nuanced, well-thought out, well-illustrated crime tale here and I recommend it highly for everyone. Loving this series.

| Published by Image / Giant Generator

Delta 13 #3 reaches the point in the horror story where there are weird shenanigans going on, but the creature(s) haven’t yet revealed themselves to the crew. Steve Niles and Nat Jones are really milking the atmosphere they’ve established, it should be very interesting when the story explodes.

| Published by IDW

Doctor Strange #3 is labelled as an Infinity Wars tie-in and given that it advances the plot and whereabouts of the Time Stone, it is absolutely essential to the overall story (even if “Infinity Countdown tie-in” might be a better label at this current point). Mark Waid and Jesús Saiz deliver a mostly standalone story here, fleshing out some of the character development between Strange and Kanna, but this issue should have interesting ramifications on the wider Infinity Stones arc.

| Published by Marvel

Giant Days #40 sees the welcome return of Max Sarin to the art chores, coinciding with Ed moving back in from the hospital. I’m impressed with what John Allison does with the confrontation between Ed and Esther. It’s not at all what I would have expected, but it feels right.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / BOOM! Box

The Gravediggers Union #8 is the quiet before the storm, with Cole having a talk with his daughter before the end, trying to convince her to walk away from destroying the world. I still love how Wes Craig, Toby Cypress, and Niko Guardia have turned this huge, weird epic into a deeply personal story of a girl who feels betrayed by her parents. Very much looking forward to seeing how this concludes next issue.

| Published by Image

The Highest House #5 is another brilliant issue in this series that everyone should be reading. Everyone. The layers of characters, the intricacies of the plot, the absolutely amazing artwork, Mike Carey, Peter Gross, and Fabien Alquier are crafting a masterpiece here.

| Published by IDW

Hunt for Wolverine: Weapon Lost #3 takes a turn as the detective group searching for Wolverine find a Wolverine. As with the other Hunt for Wolverine minis, most of this looks to be shaping up to be a wild goose chase, but for the most part these are still interesting stories in their own right. Charles Soule gives us another cliffhanger at the end here, I wonder if it will end up like last issue’s?

| Published by Marvel

Immortal Hulk #2 I’d probably argue is even better than the first issue. While that feel of the lonesome wanderer that’s reminiscent of the television series and the Marvel Knights run from Bruce Jones is still present here, of a Bruce Banner terrified of the Hulk, the story here twinges a different flavour, Len Wein and Bernie Wrighton’s Swamp Thing. This issue taps into that feel of the reticent monster, hunting down things that are even worse. This is a great standalone tale from Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy José, and Paul Mounts.

| Published by Marvel

Incognegro: Renaissance #5 concludes this wonderful series, working out the final details leading up to Xavier’s murder. Like the original Incognegro graphic novel, Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece have crafted a wonderful mystery that weaves into it some very important, very interesting history and sociological themes. I’m hoping that there will be more.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

Infinity Countdown: Champions #2 makes some big changes, huge developments really, that make this issue absolutely necessary if you’re a regular Champions reader. Jim Zub, Emilio Laiso, and Andy Troy conclude this tale on a bittersweet note, including an epic confrontation between the team and Warbringer.

| Published by Marvel

Joe Hill’s The Cape: Fallen #1 reunites the team who adapted Joe Hill’s short story the first time around, Jason Ciaramella, Zach Howard, and Nelson Daniel, for a new mini set between the panels of the original story. While reading the original certainly informs this, I feel like you can still enjoy this new mini so far on its own merits.

| Published by IDW

The Last Siege #2 brings us round to gathering the pieces for the conflict between this last bastion against an upstart king, as well as the ramifications of capture and exile of Sir Feist. Like the first issue, the art from Justin Greenwood and Eric Jones is perfect.

| Published by Image

Medieval Spawn & Witchblade #3 incrementally advances us forward, giving us a fight between Spawn and one of the Queen’s minions and delivering a bit of exposition on the Witchblade’s legacy. I’m not sure if it’s in Brian Haberlin’s originals, since it kind of looks like he’s using digital models, or ultimately completely Geirrod van Dyke’s work, but the rendering on Spawn and Scourge’s armours looks incredible.

| Published by Image

Paradiso #5 returns with some incredible world-building as we learn more about the religion of the world as it is now and of some of the history and landmarks throughout the city. Everything about this series is amazing, with Ram V, Devmalya Pramanik, Alba Cardona Gil, and Aditya Bidikar, creating something very unique here.

| Published by Image

The Quantum Age #1 begins a new ongoing series in the Black Hammer empire, with Jeff Lemire riffing on the Legion of Super-Heroes, and Wilfredo Torres and Dave Stewart providing some beautiful artwork. I’ve loved what Lemire and his artistic collaborators in Dean Ormston, David Rubín, Max Fiumara, and Stewart have done previously, deftly working through the various different eras of comicdom (mainly with analogues to DC stuff), while still telling engaging surface level stories. This looks to be no different, although featuring a future gone wrong rather than the optimism of the usual LoSH stories.

| Published by Dark Horse

Submerged #1 is an enthralling first issue, with Vita Ayala, Lisa Sterle, and Stelladia capturing an almost perfect balance of magical realism, juggling between the fantasy and horror of the descent into the underworld and the mundane of Elysia’s family life.

| Published by Vault

Thief of Thieves #38 comes a little more than a year and a half after the last issue, with a transition from Andy Diggle to Brett Lewis on writing duties for this final arc. There’s a decided stylistic shift, from all out action to Lewis’ epistolary narration, but with Shawn Martinbrough’s art it still feels like a continuation of the overall story. It does a decent job recapping what happened previously in story through a flashback of Conrad’s last moments, but even as someone who’s read the rest of the series, I feel like I need to go back and re-read them again for full impact.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Transformers: Lost Light #19 adds a step away from zombie robots to the mix as the series races towards the end. There are a lot of moving parts coming together in James Roberts’ script, plot threads and characters converging from years of storytelling, and the payoff is pretty epic. It’s also really nice to see a return of IDW’s original Transformers artist, EJ Su. It seems fitting as everything starts coming to an end to return to the beginning.

| Published by IDW

Unnatural #1 begins republishing in English Mirka Andolfo’s Contro Natura, which was originally published by Panini in Italian. It’s definitely different for North American markets, but I welcome more translations and more funny animal books. Especially ones as good as Andolfo delivers here. The art is phenomenal and the story, putting forth a society that is oppressive in its reproductive rights, making taboo any number of unions that don’t follow conception, is a much needed one.

| Published by Image

Weapon X #20 continues this transition into a new incarnation of the team. It’s not as hard a break into the new as the solicitations and some of the ads would have you believe, continuing on the story of Omega Red and the Russian mutant death camps, but it’s working towards setting up a new status quo under Sabretooth’s lead. The humour and action from Greg Pak and Fred van Lente is still present, but they’re joined here by Ricardo López Ortiz, just recently having finished an arc on Hit-Girl, who brings a decidedly different verve to the story.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Ask for Mercy #2, Assassinistas #6, Cloak & Dagger #2, Dungeons & Dragons: Evil at Baldur’s Gate #2, Elephantmen: The Death of Shorty #2, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark #1, Ghostbusters: Crossing Over #4, Go Go Power Rangers #11, Hillbilly #11, Jazz Maynard #12, Jeepers Creepers #3, Jim Henson’s Beneath the Dark Crystal #1, Jimmy’s Bastards #9, Judge Dredd: Under Siege #2, Lowlifes #1, The October Faction: Supernatural Dreams #5, Paper Girls #22, Prism Stalker #5, Pumpkinhead #5, Red Sonja/Tarzan #3, Ruin of Thieves #3, Spawn #287, Spider-Man vs. Deadpool #35, Spidey: School’s Out #3, Star Trek: Discovery - Succession #3, Star Wars #50, Star Wars: The Last Jedi #4, Throwaways #14, Transformers: Bumblebee #1, Vagrant Queen #2, Xerxes #4

Recommended Collections: Animosity - Volume 3: The Swarm, Betty & Veronica: Vixens - Volume 1, Doctor Strange: Damnation, Fear Agent - Volume 2, James Bond - Volume 2: Eidolon, Quantum & Woody! - Volume 1: Kiss Kiss Klang Klang, Rogue & Gambit: Ring of Fire, Scales & Scoundrels - Volume 2: Treasurehearts, Skin & Earth, Sleepless - Volume 1, Spider-Man - Volume 4, Transformers: Wreckers Saga, Witchblade - Volume 1

d. emerson eddy often feels like a stranger in a strange land

[notyoursterotypicalnerd]

Ant Man and Wasp

Where was Ant-man during Infinity War? What happened, did Thanos affect the bug!? This movie answer all these questions.

Following two years on after Captain America Civil War but months before Avengers Infinity War, we are introduced to Scott Lang on house arrest. With only three days left on his sentence, Scott gets in contact with Hank Pym due to a strange dream that Scott has.

Which leads to Hope, Hank and Scott figuring out how to get the Quantum Realm to rescues Hank Pym’s wife Janet Van Dyke who has been trapped in it for thirty years. Along the way we learn slightly more about Hank Pym and his lack of wanting to play nice with others.

Which gives us two somewhat baddies in this film; Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins) who wants to abuse Hank’s technology and “Ghost” Ava (Hannah John-Kamen) who wants to use Janet as a source to keep Ava alive after an experiment that had gone horribly wrong when Ava was a child, we are also introduced to one hanks ex-colleagues; Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne) whose doing all he can to help Ava.

Ant-Man and Wasp isn’t the usual good vs ad movie that we are used to when it comes to superhero movies. Sonny Burch may seem like a bad guy, but he isn’t; Ava isn’t the bad guy either, she just wants the pain to stop.

But what it lacks in for villains, it makes up for with laughs and special effects. The special effects team deserves a round of applause for what they did. The stunt team also deserves a round of applause especially since not only does almost every scene included countless special effects, but also countless stunts added in the mix.

At times The Wasp does still the show, but Hope deserves it while Scott at times does fill he needs to take the backseat and watch what happens next.

Before I wrap this up, I need to say there is two end credit scenes; The first reveals how Infinity War affects everyone in Ant-Man and Wasp, leaving the question Ant-Man and Wasp will return? The second one happens just before cinema lights turn back on; this one provides some comic relief to the dusty situation.

All in all, Ant-man and Wasp is a marvel film that we needed after Thanos snapped his fingers causing fans to lose their minds from Infinity War.

Now the only question left is how will Captain Marvel fit in the crumbled puzzle?

[bewitching-elizabeth-olsen]

Press: Marvel’s Latest Frontier? In ‘WandaVision,’ It’s the Suburbs

Marvel’s first series for Disney+ is part drama, part homage to vintage sitcoms, following the misfit heroes played by Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany to some weird places.

    NY TIMES: In the time they have spent playing Marvel heroes together, Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany have gotten extremely comfortable with each other. Not even a little misdirected mucus during the making of their new Disney+ series, “WandaVision” — an incident they affectionately describe as “Snotgate” — flustered them for long.

It occurred when their characters — a woman enhanced with psychic powers named Wanda Maximoff (Olsen) and a synthetic android called Vision (Bettany) — shared a kiss in, especially cold weather. And some disagreements remain about the specifics of how it transpired.

“Paul was not in a good mood for me to make a joke about his snot,” Olsen said in a video interview with Bettany last month. “It was my first time ever seeing him get truly defensive about anything.”

Here, Bettany leaned into his camera and replied, sotto voce: “It was her snot. Anyway.”

They agreed that their differences were quickly settled, and now they can laugh about it. “It was over as quickly as it happened,” Bettany said.

Such are the perils of playing a troubled woman and a sophisticated robot who have fallen in love with each other — characters who first met in the 2015 Marvel blockbuster “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” returned for several sequels and now get the chance to carry their own television series when “WandaVision” makes its debut on Jan. 15.

Like its main characters, “WandaVision” is, well, weird. It’s not strictly an action-packed spectacle in the manner of hit movies like “Avengers: Endgame” — it’s a hybrid of drama and comedy that pays faithful homage to vintage sitcoms like “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Bewitched” and “Family Ties.”

Now, through circumstances beyond anyone’s control, “WandaVision” has to carry even more weight. When the pandemic prompted Marvel to reshuffle its release calendar, “WandaVision” became the studio’s first attempt to bring the superhero soap opera of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to an original Disney+ series, in hopes that it will do for its comic-book characters what “The Mandalorian” has done for “Star Wars,” another Disney-owned fantasy franchise.

These are unexpectedly high stakes but, like the love-struck misfits they play, the stars of “WandaVision” see them as reasons to be more understanding of each other, snot and all.

As Olsen explained: “It’s daunting to take these movie-theater characters and put them on a small screen. There’s a lot of firsts that are a little scary as an actor.”

Bettany agreed. “We need to feel safe with each other,” he added, “to do the thing we’re doing.”

Both actors entered the Marvel family in unusual ways. Bettany, a star of films like “A Beautiful Mind” and “Margin Call,” was cast in the first M.C.U. movie, “Iron Man,” to play the voice of Tony Stark’s artificial intelligence system, J.A.R.V.I.S.

“I would turn up for one day’s work and solve everyone’s problems,” Bettany said. “I could go, ‘The bad guys are coming, sir!’ And then they would give me a bag of money, and I would go home. It was lovely.”

Bettany was upgraded to an onscreen role for “Age of Ultron,” which also introduced Olsen (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”) as Wanda. At that time, Olsen said: “I was getting typecast as emotionally struggling young women in small genre films. They were like, let’s put her in a bigger genre film and make her the mentally unhealthy struggling hero.”

Though the spotlight shone brighter on co-stars like Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., Bettany and Olsen bonded over the strangeness of their enterprise, like a behind-the-scenes debate they observed over whether Vision should have android genitalia. (Mercifully, the answer was no.)

As they went onto films like “Captain America: Civil War,” they found that they shared an appreciation for diligence and preparedness, even on a hectic Marvel set.

At one point on that film, Olsen said, “I asked Paul if he wanted to run lines with me for the next week. And he had his lines memorized for next week. I was like, this is going to be a great working relationship.”

But Vision was seemingly killed in “Avengers: Infinity War,” and the following year, “Endgame” concluded the narrative arcs of major heroes like Iron Man and Captain America.

Marvel was exploring storylines for its next wave of movies when Disney introduced its Disney+ streaming service, with the expectation that Marvel would also provide original content for it.

Kevin Feige, the Marvel Studios president, said that a Disney+ series offered the opportunity to flesh out the relationship between Wanda and Vision that had been only hinted at in the movies.

“The entirety of the love story between Wanda and Vision was basically one shot in ‘Age of Ultron’ where he swoops in to rescue her, they make eye contact and fly away,” Feige said. “Then a bit more in ‘Civil War,’ a bit more in ‘Infinity War,’ but it all goes bad very quickly in that movie.”

In several decades of comics, Vision and Wanda shared a romance that was much more intricate: They dated, married, had two sons, broke up and reconciled. (Also — and here is where it gets messy — Wanda discovered that her sons were actually the missing pieces of a demonic villain, who reabsorbed them; then she lost and regained the memory of her vanished children; and then she vengefully unleashed her powers to rewrite reality itself.)

With “WandaVision,” Feige said that he had wanted to honor the complexity of the title characters and Wanda’s reality-warping abilities but also to leaven the story with tributes to sitcom history.

“I feel like I’ve justified all the time I spent playing with action figures in my backyard,” he said. “All the time I spent watching Nick at Nite and old TV shows, I haven’t justified yet. This show is helping me do that.”

The series finds Wanda and Vision — now somehow alive — residing in suburban bliss, not entirely sure of why they are cycling through various eras of television history and encountering veteran Marvel performers like Kat Dennings (as her “Thor” character, Darcy Lewis) and Randall Park (reprising his “Ant-Man and the Wasp” role of Jimmy Woo) as well as new additions to the roster, like Teyonah Parris (as Monica Rambeau) and Kathryn Hahn (playing a perplexingly nosy neighbor named Agnes).

As with many of the Marvel movies, there is also a central mystery running through “WandaVision,” asking viewers to ponder the ever-changing reality that envelops its romantic leads.

Jac Schaeffer, the head writer of the series, said that the show’s comic exterior was intended to lure its audience into its further layers of intrigue.

“You enter a sitcom episode with the understanding it’s going to make you feel good and it’s all going to be OK at the end,” said Schaeffer, who also worked on “Captain Marvel” and “Black Widow.”

What “WandaVision” adds to this formula, she said, is an element of “creepiness — the idea of shattering that safety in a calculated way.”

Matt Shakman, who directed all nine episodes of “WandaVision,” said that the series ultimately tells a story of “grief and trauma and how we hold onto our hope.”

“Wanda is probably the person who has suffered the most of anyone in the M.C.U.,” he added. “And so the show is always grounded in that. Even though what you see are faithfully recreated television shows, there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye.”

Shakman has previously directed shows like “Game of Thrones,” “Succession” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and was himself a former child actor on TV sitcoms like “Diff’rent Strokes” and “Just the Ten of Us.” Directing “WandaVision,” he said, was “a gloriously schizophrenic job” that some days required orchestrating action sequences on green-screen sets, and some days involved shooting on the same sitcom stages where he once worked.

For these TV tribute sequences, Shakman and his team worked carefully to reproduce the wardrobe and production design of shows like “I Dream of Jeannie” and “The Partridge Family,” using vintage lighting and camera lenses and filming in front of live studio audiences.

Although the “WandaVision” actors were given two weeks of sitcom boot camp before filming started, they did not require much training to get into the spirit of things.

Olsen is, of course, the younger sister of the former “Full House” stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen; she appeared in some of their later projects and grew up a fan of shows like “Laverne & Shirley” and movies like “A Very Brady Sequel.”

Bettany said that classic American shows were a regular part of his TV diet when he was growing up in England. He speculated that some of the religious exploration his family undertook in his childhood may have happened “because my mom was watching ‘Little House on the Prairie’ — we were in for a penny, in for a pound.”

Had events unfolded according to Marvel’s earlier plans, the debut of “WandaVision” would have followed the theatrical releases of movies like “Black Widow,” “Eternals” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” as well as the premiere of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” an action-oriented Disney+ series in a more familiar, “Avengers”-like mode.

The pandemic required Marvel to reorganize this rollout, but Feige said that the studio’s carefully planned master narrative, stretched across its films and TV shows, had not been significantly affected.

“If the run we had in 2018 and 2019 had gotten disrupted this way, in the buildup to ‘Endgame,’ it would have been a bigger headache,” he said. “With these projects, it worked well,” he went on, adding that the debut dates for the TV shows were shifted only “by a matter of weeks.”

The creation of “WandaVision” was also affected by the pandemic; its actors left an environment where they could freely mingle with co-workers and returned to one, several months later, where “you finish your scene and you get whisked away into these hermetically sealed bubbles,” Bettany said.

“I had a hard time with that,” Olsen said, her voice hardening in exaggerated anger. “I was like: ‘But I’m talking to the crew! This is for moral support!’”

In that sense, the actors said, perhaps it was fitting that “WandaVision” should reach audiences at this moment, when both its narrative message and its making-of process reflect a human desire to keep going, no matter how unrecognizable the world becomes.

“We’re all experiencing this extreme version of life right now,” Olsen said. But for a time, while she and her colleagues finished their work on the series, “We created this microcosm of humanity where we could communicate and problem-solve together,” she added. “There was something great about getting to come to work and experience that.”

What Marvel has done consistently, for its characters, its cast members and its audience, is “create a home for people who wouldn’t necessarily find each other,” Bettany said.

In the particular case of “WandaVision,” he added, “It’s about a group of people finding each other — people who are really getting their freak on — in a situation where it’s all right to be really different.”

Press: Marvel’s Latest Frontier? In ‘WandaVision,’ It’s the Suburbs was originally published on Elizabeth Olsen Source • Your source for everything Elizabeth Olsen

[ao3feed-buckybarnes]

Bury Me Alive

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/32Onfog

by AllannaStone

Following the Battle of New York, Captain Steve Rogers discovers that his soulmate- the one fate had decided him to love and cherish- has been injured amongst the chaotic fight and is now being watched over by SHIELD.

Words: 240, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: MCU, Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Steve Rogers/ Captain America, Bucky Barnes/ Winter Soldier, Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow, Tony Stark/ Iron Man, Peter Parker/ Spider Man, Clint Barton/ Hawkeye, Thor, Loki, Wanda Maximoff/ Scarlet Witch, Scott Lang/ Ant Man, Hope van Dyke/ Wasp, Stephen Strange, Bruce Banner/ Hulk, T’ Challa/ Black Panther, Sam Wilson/ Falcon, Morgan Stark, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan

Additional Tags: Marvel - Freeform, AU, Soulmate AU, Tattooed soulmarks, SHIELD, Avengers - Freeform, Hydra, Alternate Universe, Fluff, Angst, Violence

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/32Onfog

[ao3feed-steverogers]

Bury Me Alive

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/32Onfog

by AllannaStone

Following the Battle of New York, Captain Steve Rogers discovers that his soulmate- the one fate had decided him to love and cherish- has been injured amongst the chaotic fight and is now being watched over by SHIELD.

Words: 240, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: MCU, Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Steve Rogers/ Captain America, Bucky Barnes/ Winter Soldier, Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow, Tony Stark/ Iron Man, Peter Parker/ Spider Man, Clint Barton/ Hawkeye, Thor, Loki, Wanda Maximoff/ Scarlet Witch, Scott Lang/ Ant Man, Hope van Dyke/ Wasp, Stephen Strange, Bruce Banner/ Hulk, T’ Challa/ Black Panther, Sam Wilson/ Falcon, Morgan Stark, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan

Additional Tags: Marvel - Freeform, AU, Soulmate AU, Tattooed soulmarks, SHIELD, Avengers - Freeform, Hydra, Alternate Universe, Fluff, Angst, Violence

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/32Onfog

[sharingleadership]

Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Ant-Man And The Wasp

A Reel Leadership Article

Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly return in the 20th Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Ant-Man And The Wasp. In this outing, The Wasp (played by Evangeline Lilly) and her father Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) are in search of Janet Van Dyne (the original Wasp portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer), their mother/wife.

Their search began anew when Scott Lang (Ant-Man) returned from the Quantum Realm, a feat thought impossible. Janet had been trapped in the Quantum Realm for 30 years. They now had the hope she could be alive.

During their search, they run across new threats including a black market arms dealer named Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins) and Ghost/Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen). These threats hamper their rescue efforts and create fun action scenes you’ll love to watch.

But there’s more to Ant-Man And The Wasp than these scenes. There are leadership lessons in Ant-Man And The Wasp you’ll not want to miss. So, let’s check out the leadership lessons you can find in Ant-Man And The Wasp in the latest Reel Leadership article.

Caution: Ant-Man And The Wasp spoilers below

Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Ant-Man And The Wasp

1. Hank Pym:

I started to wonder if your mother is still alive.

In the original Ant-Man movie, we learn Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyke were the original Ant-Man and the Wasp. They were a formidable superhero team. Yet they ran into trouble and Janet shrunk to an infinitesimal size and was lost in the Quantum Realm.

All hope was lost. Or so Hank thought until the new Ant-Man, Scott Lang, returned from the Quantum Realm. This renewed his hope of being reunited with his wife and put a new passion in his heart.

Wonder leads to innovation – Leadership lessons from Ant-Man And The Wasp Click To Tweet

Leadership starts with a passion. There has to be a spark to create the desire to lead.

Do you remember that spark? That creative wonder that made you think you could lead?

You need to recapture this wonder. Capture the beginning hope of a better organization or a better way of doing things. When you have a reason for leading, you’re going to lead better.

2. Great leaders are admired for their skill:

Scott Lang had been on house arrest because he had broken the law. The Sokovia Accords didn’t allow superheroes to use their powers. He had when he fought the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War. This meant Scott had a lot of free time on his hands.

During his house arrest, Scott began to study magic tricks. He eventually was able to pull off some pretty fun and amazing close-up magic tricks. They were so good people begin to ask him how he was able to do them.

These people included FBI agent James “Jimmy” Woo (Randall Park) and other cast members. Their questions about how he was able to pull off these magic tricks were humorous moments but they showed something else. People are inspired and awed by talent and skill.

Great leaders are skilled in what they do. Their talents and abilities impress those around them. Not because they want to be admired but because their skill is awe-worthy.

Hone your craft. Make sure you’re doing the best work you can. And then do the work only you can do.

3. What you’ve experienced is a part of you:

Scott wanted to take a bath. However, he had an ankle bracelet tracking his every move due to his house arrest. To take a bath, Scott had to wrap his ankle bracelet in a baggie and then enter into the bathtub.

Once Scott was in the bathtub, he began to relax. Then something happened. He began to hallucinate or flashback to his time in the Quantum Realm. There, he saw Janet Van Dyne.

His experience in the Quantum Realm stayed with him. It was a part of who he was and who he was becoming.

Your experiences are a part of you – Leadership lessons from Ant-Man And The Wasp Click To Tweet

Your past is your past. Still, your past is also a part of you. You cannot escape your past.

My suggestion to you is to embrace your past. It’ll provide you with the experience you’ve already gained and open new doors for you.

4. The repercussions of your actions impact more than you:

Because of his actions in Captain America: Civil War, Scott was on house arrest. He was being punished for what he had done. Still, his punishment was only the beginning.

Dr. Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne had provided Scott the technology for Ant-Man. Their technology was used in an illegal manner and they were now in hiding because of Scott’s actions. His actions had repercussions on people who were not directly involved in what he had done.

You have to be aware of your actions and the impact they may have on others. Yes, you’re going to have to face the consequences of your actions. And others may as well.

When you make your choices, think of who else may be impacted by your actions. Are you willing to have them pay the price for your choices?

5. There’s more to leading than money:

Hope Van Dyne met with the arms dealer Sonny Burch in an attempt to get a piece of technology that would help her and her father go to the Quantum Realm. When Hope arrived, Sonny changed the deal. He told Hope he had a buyer for their technology.

The buyer had offered $1 billion. This is a lot of money to anyone, let alone two people running from the law. Yet Hope turned down the buyer’s offer.

Money isn’t everything – Leadership lessons from Ant-Man And The Wasp Click To Tweet

She had a good reason too. She was out to save her mother. And saving her mother was more important than money.

Leaders can get mixed up at times while leading. They’ll see dollar signs flash and begin chasing the money.

You’re better than that though. You know leadership isn’t about the money you will earn. Leadership is about the lives you can change and the lives you can touch.

This is what leadership is about. Guiding, showing, changing lives.

6. Hank Pym:

It’s still a work in progress.

Ghost made her appearance after Hope turned down Sonny’s offer for the technology. In the fight that ensued, Scott was ready to jump into action. One problem: Scott didn’t have the Ant-Man suit.

Hank did have something for Scott. Hank had a prototype suit that Scott could use. Only it wasn’t a fully-tested suit. The suit was still a prototype.

This didn’t stop Scott from donning the new Ant-Man suit and going in to help. He knew what needed to be done.

Our work is constantly a work in progress. From changing deadlines to tweaks in the plan, you may never see the completely finished product and have to run with the prototype.

You’ll be okay. You can still get by with an unfinished work.

7. There’s more than the budget:

Luis (Michael Pena) was Scott’s business partner in their new business X-Con Security Consultants. Two other employees were at the business when Luis noticed something. There were fancy pastries being eaten. These pastries cost more than the oatmeal he’d okayed on the budget.

This caused Luis to go into a fit. He ranted and raged about the budget and how they needed to stay focused on the money side of the business.

The employees had another opinion. They needed to be fed and fed well. And the pastries didn’t cost much more than the oatmeal. The pastries made them feel better and they were willing to work harder.

A budget isn’t everything – Leadership lessons from Ant-Man And The Wasp Click To Tweet

Focusing on the budget is important for the business. You have to make a profit and you have to make sure bills are paid. Yet you can’t ignore the fact you need to take care of your people and purchase the proper tools to get the job done.

When you’re so focused on the budget, you begin to become pennywise and pound foolish. You will cut corners where there’s no room to cut or get inferior products which will cost more in time and labor than if you would have purchased high-quality tools.

Know when to be budget-wise. Know when to spend more. It’ll pay back more in the long run.

8. Luis:

You seem to have a lot of falling outs with people.

Throughout the movie, you begin to hear of the people Hank Pym has upset or fallen out of favor with. There were Elihas Starr (Michael Cerveris) and Dr. Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne). Colleagues, friends, family… All people Hank pushed away or upset.

Luis called Hank on this. He noticed all the problems he had and how there was one person involved in all of them: Hank.

When you begin to notice a trend, pay attention. Especially when the trend involves people and broken relationships.

You play a big role in the way your relationships will go. Look at the situation. Are there more broken personal and business relationships left in your wake than whole, productive relationships?

The problem might be you. The good news is once you recognize the problem, you can begin working on yourself and restoring those relationships.

9. Ava Starr/Ghost:

He continued to take risks… Too many…

Viewers of Ant-Man And The Wasp learn the sad tale of Ava who becomes Ghost. Her father, Elihas Starr, was discredited by Hank Pym. So he began working feverishly to find a way to the Quantum Realm. His work led him to take more and more risks.

Eventually, something bad happened. Elihas and his wife died in an explosion. Ava was transformed into Ghost.

Risks are okay. Too many risks are bad – Leadership lessons from Ant-Man And The Wasp Click To Tweet

The risks Elihas took were too great… Too many… And people paid the price.

What risks are you taking? Are the risks calculated? Are they measured?

When taking risks, you have to be careful. You have to weigh whether or not the outcome outweighs the consequences.

10. Not all emergencies are emergencies:

Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson) was Scott’s daughter. While Scott was held captive by Foster and Ava, Cassie sent a 911 text. Do you remember those? They were sent to signal an emergency.

Scott made his case to allow a response. Foster eventually relented. When Scott talked to Cassie, he discovered her emergency wasn’t an emergency after all. She’d left her soccer shoes at the house and needed them.

You will have team members coming to you with emergencies. These are tasks or problems they believe are a pressing concern. Yet when you dig into the issue, you soon discover they’re not a true emergency.

Be careful of letting other people’s emergencies become yours. While they may be important to the person, it doesn’t mean their emergency should become your problem.

11. There are lines leaders shouldn’t cross:

Scott, Hank, and Hope were able to escape from Foster and Ava. This is when Ava comes up with a diabolical plan. She wants to kidnap Scott’s daughter.

Her line of thinking was Scott would do anything for his daughter. He probably would. He might have even gone all Liam Neeson on her.

There are lines leaders SHOULD NOT cross – Leadership lessons from Ant-Man And The Wasp Click To Tweet

Foster knew this wasn’t a good idea. Messing with another person’s child never ends well. So he persuaded Ava to leave Cassie alone.

You may be tempted to do unethical things while in a position of leadership. You might be offered illegal kickbacks to give a job priority. Or you might be tempted to skim money from the petty cash account.

These are lines you should never cross. You can’t be an ethical leader while doing unethical things.

Know your lines. Don’t cross them.

12. Sometimes all you need is a little nudge:

Hank and Hope were so close to entering the Quantum Realm but they were still having trouble. They went back to the computer to work when Scott pushed them aside and began typing away.

Hope and Hank tried to push Scott away. Only to realize it was Scott’s body but Scott wasn’t in control. Janet had taken control of Scott and was finishing Hank and Hope’s work.

She had a connection with Scott because of his time in the Quantum Realm. And she could see the work that needed to be completed.

While Hank and Hope had done great work, there was a little more that needed to be done. Their work needed a nudge.

You do great work. You know this. So does your team. But you’re not an island. Neither is your work.

When you’re working on a big project, get the input from others on your team. Ask them what they see or don’t see. Seek advice on what improvements could be added or what could be subtracted.

A little nudge from an outside perspective could move your project from good to wow.

13. Cassie:

Trying to help people isn’t dumb.

Ahhh, what wise words of wisdom from a child. Cassie knew something most adults have forgotten. Helping people is never dumb.

Have you forgotten this truth? Have you failed to help the ones you can?

Trying to help people isn’t dumb – Leadership lessons from Ant-Man And The Wasp Click To Tweet

Look for ways to help others. Whether these people are strangers or the ones you lead, you can help others. And it’s never dumb.

14. Technology and work can blind us from what’s awe-inspiring:

The new Ant-Man suit had a few glitches. It was a prototype after all. One of the glitches was it would randomly shrink or enlarge Scott.

Thankfully, the suit made Scott grow when he was trying to stop a runaway truck. He was able to get in front of the vehicle and dig his feet into the ground.

The vehicle still pushed him forward. But he was making progress in slowing down the vehicle.

All the while, this was happening in front of a coffee shop. There were people inside glued to their laptop screens or sipping their cups of coffee. These people were oblivious to the event happening in front of them.

Your work is important. I’m not taking anything away from it. However, you have to be willing to look up and see what’s happening around you.

Your little daughter is becoming a young woman. The church you’re attending is helping the poor and the widows. A friend is grieving the loss of their spouse.

Life is going on in front of you. Are you paying attention?

Don’t let technology or work blind you from the awe-inspiring or the important. You need to come up for air and breathe in life.

15. Being big can be a disadvantage:

Scott’s suit wouldn’t let him decrease to his normal size. He was still giant. This became a problem as he began to chase down Sonny.

Sonny went through a metal gate. Scott attempted to follow. He couldn’t because he couldn’t fit through the gate.

His size became a problem. He was too big.

Size can be a disadvantage – Leadership lessons from Ant-Man And The Wasp Click To Tweet

You want to grow your organization to the next level. You want to see the company grow and thrive. But could growing cause a problem?

These are things you have to think about as you grow and build your organizations. What limitations does size bring? Could you serve people better by staying small?

Think on these things. Then make a choice.

16. Dr. Bill Foster:

I’m not leaving you.

Ava had told Foster to leave her. He needed to get out of there and take care of himself.

Foster chose to stay. He wouldn’t leave his surrogate daughter. She needed him and he would be there for her.

Leaders stick by their people. They choose to stay when others would run.

Be a leader who stays.

Question: Have you seen Ant-Man And The Wasp? If so, what leadership lessons from Ant-Man And The Wasp did you discover? If you haven’t, what leadership lessons from Ant-Man And The Wasp that I shared resonated with you? Let me know in the comment section below.

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