#When does Marvel’s Inhumans premiere?

[damnredthing]

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

I think  now that the movie has been out for almost a week, it’s safe to post this. Nevertheless, this post contains SPOILERS. If you haven’t seen the movie yet and don’t want to read spoilers, please do not read any further.

Considering what my blog is about, it is pretty obvious that this post will be focused on Anson Mount reprising his role as Black Bolt.

However, I’d like to say how much I enjoyed the movie regardless of Black Bolt’s cameo. I would have watched it anyways, just as I watched a bunch of other Marvel movies before.

I do not claim in the slightest to be a Marvel expert. I do not know most about the continuity and canon of the Marvel universe(s). What I know is that the “main” Earth/Universe is 616, which is where the movie starts off.

Before the movie release there was already a lot of speculation going on whether a) Black Bolt would make his return and b) who would play him. For a long time I thought both rumors were just well placed publicity stunts (because unlike Paramount, Disney and Marvel DO know how to create fan interest). I just couldn’t imagine Anson playing Black Bolt again after the Inhumans show bombed so badly and the critics were devastating. I also remember a Tweet from Anson in which he pretty much hinted that he’s done with this role.

But on the other side, fans and critics for the most part didn’t blame the actors for the failure, especially Anson was often praised as having been the only highlight of the show. So, when the rumors about him showing up in DS2 again startet, most fans were not dismissive.

However, I still couldn’t believe it. Until I saw it.

My jaw literally dropped. He really did it. I am not sure why, but he really did it! And he showed up in a full comic accurate suit. I have read many of BB’s comics by now and I have to say I love the level of detail of the suit in the movie. It even had the wings and the tuning fork (which Strange makes fun of, as well as of BB’s full name). And can I say just how super fit Anson looks in the suit? It was like a second skin and oh man, so so fine! The only very minor thing I was not sure about was the chin piece which BB usually doesn’t have in the comics. But it also didn’t bother me much.

If my eyes didn’t betray me, I think BB even had 2 different versions of the suit in the movie, one with the bolts highlighted and one without highlights.

BB’s death was brutal. I am not the only one who is upset that Reed Richards literally threw BB under the bus by telling Wanda what his superpower was. I mean, isn’t Reed supposed to be the smartest person in the universe?

But okay, I get it that the cameo was most and foremost fan service. And as it looks like, it worked out nicely. Since Anson showed up in DS2, it’s become a lot more challenging to filter Twitter posts, news and Youtube videos to find the Star Trek content. There is so much Marvel stuff showing up now. People are discussing what the return of BB means for the MCU. All this buzz and the parallel premiere of SNW boosted Anson up in the IMDB Starmeter to no. 15 in the week after both releases.

But what does it mean for the MCU?

The most precise answer would be I guess everything and nothing. Marvel Studios are known for not revealing key appearances until the release (but spreading rumors just before the release to increase publicity). And right now, with all the SNW promotion going on, Anson is very tight lipped (no pun intended!) on Marvel. Until he will finally open up about his appearance, we won’t learn about his motivation to be in DS2 and his and BB’s future in the MCU (which - if there is a future for him in the MCU - Anson would not talk about anyways due to the NDA).

Nevertheless, the fans already started to speculate.

Theory 1 – Feige showed his distaste for Inhumans by having BB killed so easily

Some critics and fans claim to know that Feige absolutely hates the Inhumans and especially the ABC adaption in their failed show. With bringing Black Bolt to DS2 and killing him off so easily and brutally, Feige cemented the end of this character and the Inhumans once and for all.

My take on this: I don’t think this is the case. Before ABC snatched the rights to the Inhumans, Marvel Studios actually had an Inhumans movie planned for phase 3 of the MCU. The plans then got delayed several times when (from what I heard) Spiderman could be redeemed for the MCU and later Disney removed the release date for the Inhumans movie altogether to make place for other, more known Disney productions. However, to my knowledge Feige never stated that he lost interest in the project. He still hoped for a delayed release.

The property on Inhumans was then transferred to Marvel Television and out of Feige’s reach. What then followed was the infamous TV show that bombed so badly.

Feige could have just leave it at that and never mention Black Bolt again. But he did not. He decided to redeem BB in DS2. Why though?

If Feige really wanted to end this character once and for all, he would have killed him off in universe 616 and not in the universe 838. Actually, we don’t even know if the Inhumans show is considered canon. And if it is, in which universe?

And also, would Anson do this to himself? Would he do a cameo in which his character gets killed off due to the producer hating him? I have my issues believing this (unless Anson was kept in the dark about Feige's real intentions).

Theory 2 – Feige wanted to show ABC and the fans how Black Bolt SHOULD have been done

There are many critics about the TV show, but two that stand out are that BB’s appearance was just cheesy, having him wear human clothes and just hinting at his suit with the leather jacket (which actually was also done in comics btw!). The other is that BB was nerfed way too much and under normal circumstances the cops could never have arrested a superhero like BB. (On a side note: After reading a bunch of comics in which BB repeatedly gets captured and having his powers either subdued or abused, I do challenge this argument. Also, BB has been captured before not by being overpowered, but because he made the choice to prevent others from being harmed, just as when he surrendered to Lash to protect Blinky.)

In this theory fans claim that Feige wanted to demonstrate how Black Bolt should have been done, meaning as a full accurate comic version and with his powers displayed correctly (which we DO get to see in a flashback sequence in DS2).

This theory also claims that Feige wanted to give a nod to Anson for his dedication to the role (Anson developed his own sign language and admitted multiple times how much he loved the character) and as such, wanted to give him the opportunity to reprise his role, but this time within MCU and comic accurate.

My take on this: Quite possible! But then again, what a waste if we never gonna see the character again? Why of all the possible characters, they chose to bring the Illuminati. Why of all the characters, they chose to bring one of the lesser known? While this theory is likely, I still cannot shake off the feeling there is more behind this. Especially because BB was not killed off in the main universe 616. There has to be a reason behind this. Especially as BB was added way late in the production in reshoots (if rumors are true).

Does this mean we’ll get to see Black Bolt again for sure? Nope. But it means the character is now in the MCU repertoire.

Theory 3 – The cameo is a billboard for later projects to come

Black Bolt got his cameo in a blockbuster movie because he will appear in later projects for Phase 4. Or Marvel Studios placed the cameo in the movie to test out fan reactions to decide later whether they will give BB a future in the MCU.

My take on this: I hope this is true!

Will Anson play Black Bolt? I hope so! But I have my doubts. Anson is very busy with Star Trek and could only work on other projects during his off season, which would probably be from September to January. Would be enough time to work for Marvel, but I suppose the man wants some off time and spend some time with his family, too! Not to mention the potential conflicts this might cause with having to major competing companies involved, which are Paramount and Disney.

But it is possible. It is also possible that some other actor will play Black Bolt. We all know Vin Diesel pitched for the role but really… just because BB wears a hood doesn’t mean he doesn’t have hair! Read the comics. He does have hair! In later comics he is even shown without his suit but in a more casual attire.

And in many comics he looks so much like Anson that it feels like the role was made for him. All this, plus Black Bolt is very fit, which Anson is as well… unlike um… okay lets stop here.

Either way, what projects could involve BB? There is Ms. Marvel for once, who in the comics was the Inhuman Kamala Khan to be later named Ms. Marvel. It’s not clear whether Ms. Marvel has the same powers in the MCU as in the comics, there are rumors she might be different in the MCU. But if she may still keep her Inhumans background, a BB cameo would be possible. The miniseries is about to start on Disney+ already in June or July this year (I’d have to look it up). If BB was part of that (which I don’t think he is), filming was already done long ago.

The other project that SHOULD have Black Bolt, if it is close to the comics (which MCU admittedly doesn’t feel bound to to), is Secret Invasion, which will also premiere on Disney+ later this year. So, filming for that also must have been completed long ago. Black Bolt has a significant part in the Secret Invasion comic series with the Skrull showing… let’s just say… great interest in his powers. If he’s not in the TV show it would disappoint me. How are the chances Anson would play BB? Admittedly slim, because the show was mainly filmed in England and I haven’t heard of Anson spending time there. However, filming was later moved to Canada, so who knows?

My overall guess

DS2 was the only time we have seen Anson as Black Bolt in the MCU simply because he is too busy with Star Trek. But it is not the last time we’ve seen Black Bolt in the MCU. I think bringing BB in Universe 838 was a thank you by Feige for Anson’s dedication. But for the main universe 616 they will likely bring another actor which is possible with the whole multiverse set-up, as we have seen with Reed Richards and Spiderman.

I would not mind if I am wrong with my guess though. I wouldn’t mind at all!

But that would be super crazy for Anson to be in two huge franchises at the same time.

I guess time will tell.

[aion-rsa]

MCU Phase 4 and 5: What the Multiverse Means for the Future of Marvel Movies and TV

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This article contains Loki spoilers and potential spoilers for the wider MCU.

The ending of the Loki season finale made one pretty substantial change to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The introduction of a full multiverse, caused by Sylvie killing He Who Remains, is an enormous shift in the cosmogony of the MCU. And it opens up some fascinating story possibilities for Marvel’s film heroes. So what does the introduction of a full, unlimited multiverse mean for the future of the MCU?

Hopefully, everything. Literally.

There are obvious near-term implications to Loki’s finale. It answered questions that Spider-Man: No Way Home (with its purported multiversal Sinister Six) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness asked back when Loki first premiered. Specifically: “What do you mean there’s only one universe?” 

The beauty of time travel is that now, there is and has always been a full multiverse in the context of the MCU. Because whatever Kang War happened far in Loki’s subjective past (because the timelines were left to run wild when Sophie killed He Who Remains), the entire history of the MCU is now potentially subject to retcons as necessary. So the strong implication from Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse that that movie and all its various spider-people existed on Earths parallel to Tom Holland’s MCU can now be considered accurate, even though the movie came out years before Loki was even a twinkle in Kevin Feige’s master MCU spreadsheet. 

Time travel is a trip, man. It’s also beautiful. Literally anything is possible now. 

What Does the MCU Multiverse Mean for Marvel TV?

This sort of thing happens all the time in comics. The slang is “retcon,” comics-speak for retroactive continuity, where creators reach into their characters’ pasts to change something that impacts their present. 

Loki’s infinite multiverse sets up the entirety of Marvel history for any number of retcons that the folks in charge might deem necessary. It allows current MCU casts and crews to cherry pick what they liked from old MCU projects and fold them into this new normal. All those times Agents of SHIELD didn’t quite line up with what the movies were doing? The show was on an alternate Earth! Want Ghost Rider back without the TV baggage? Blame it on a Kang!

And grabbing the stuff that worked from old projects means porting in the good actors, too. That means people like J.K. Simmons, the Platonic ideal of J. Jonah Jameson, can continue playing the role across from three different Spider-Men, or Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio can show up as Daredevil and Kingpin in Spider-Man: No Way Home while Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings nukes Netflix’s Iron Fist continuity from orbit.   Wondering how Ms. Marvel could potentially deal with concepts from the Inhumans without ever mentioning that disastrous TV show? Now we know. 

Could the MCU Multiverse Retcon Marvel Movies?

This same ability to pick and choose the continuity most appropriate for the story applies to decisions the movies made, too. A full multiverse lets future filmmakers bring back Chris Evans as Captain America or Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow (OK…maybe not ScarJo) without burdening the MCU with yet another time paradox. As far as we’re concerned, pre-Marvel Studios curiosities like all those crazy old live action Marvel TV shows or Howard the Duck or Dolph Lundgren’s take on The Punisher are now officially canon somewhere within the multiverse.  

Phil Coulson could show up in Phase 6 leading a Squadron Supreme (just like in the comics), out for vengeance against the Avengers because they let his Earth 20085 brother die. Hell, if they really wanted to get dirty, Nick Fury could hire Deadpool to kill Coulson in retaliation, like in the comics. Wait, that was Secret Empire,wasn’t it? Never mind, don’t do that. 

Anyway, you get the idea.

The possibilities are as infinite as the imaginations of the writers, limited only by Kevin Feige’s patience/sense of humor. Don’t expect anything too crazy: the time travel solution in Avengers: Endgame was wild, but before Loki, that was far and away the most ridiculous comic book science the MCU had trafficked in. Typical MCU adaptations include much more modest nods to comics’ wackier elements – Eternals pending – like secret societies that had taken over SHIELD or Kurt Russell being Chris Pratt’s dad. So that ultra-maxi series that starts out a movie, moves into a TV show, has a comic tie in that directly crosses over with the show, and wraps up in Avengers 6 that we’re all hoping will come to pass is probably not on the horizon.

The Crisis on Infinite Earths Problem

An infinite multiverse doesn’t just mean possibility. It has a trap built in, too. The biggest multiverse story of all time, probably the one that set the template for future interactions with the concept, was DC Comics’ Crisis on Infinite Earths. That book set the standard for multiversal destruction, collapsing DC’s infinite comics timelines down to one single Earth and one single timeline. Gone were the separate Earths for the modern Justice League and the World War II Justice Society, replaced by one, unified timeline. And while the comic itself was a masterpiece, miraculously balanced by Marv Wolfman and beautifully drawn by George Perez; what it wrought on the DCU was 30 years of explainers why the Green Lantern of World War II still looked 35, or why Batman has only been operating for five years but went through six Robins in that time.  

The cautionary tale here is one of inward looking stories versus expansionary choices. Post-Crisis DC retcons were about fixing problems the writers and editors perceived with the new timeline, and not about telling the best story they could with the characters and continuity they had. This is an easy trap for a new, expanded (but not all the way expanded) MCU to fall into. There are key pieces of the comics that haven’t been ported to the films yet. 

The Fantastic Four

The temptation is likely huge to use this new, beautiful, infinite multiverse to introduce the Fantastic Four and the X-Men to the MCU. That’s probably half of a good idea.

The cosmogony of the multiverse is ingrained in who the Fantastic Four are. Their story begins as explorers of the unknown – Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm are bombarded with cosmic radiation after an unauthorized space launch. That origin is very of the time when they were created, and would probably hit different now when the only unauthorized space launches are led by giant assholes. So why not take a page from the end of Secret Wars and have them get their powers exploring the new multiverse? It makes so much sense to do it that way that one is almost suspicious of this entire retcon. But that doesn’t make it any less cool.

The X-Men in the MCU

While introducing the Fantastic Four to the MCU by saying they’ve been off exploring the multiverse would make a certain elegant sense, if Marvel tried to introduce the X-Men that way, it would be hugely problematic. 

The core concept of the X-Men is the mutant metaphor, the idea that mutants are hated and feared because of who they are. On a completely superficial level, this is nonsense: what’s the difference between Cyclops’ eye blasts and Captain Marvel zapping Kree ships with fist beams? Why are mutants singled out for scorn and bigotry when someone like Doctor Strange has MUCH more terrifying abilities?

The difference is the idea that mutants are humanity’s destiny. There’s no concern that the majority baseline human population is going to someday be replaced by handsome super-soldiers or radioactive Catholic lawyers. But that genetic distinction – the idea that Magneto and Apocalypse and Pixie and Skids all share a distinct identity, while Captain America and Daredevil and Dr. Druid and Tigra do not – creates tension that allows real world out groups to superimpose their struggles onto X-Men comics and makes them infinitely relatable.

As superficially attractive as the idea of plopping the mutants on their own parallel Earth might be (and trust me, this definitely seems like the simplest justification for keeping Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool in the MCU while jettisoning anything else that is less appealing for audiences or studio execs), putting the mutants on their own separate Earth strips that struggle from the story and makes them just another cape crew.

Worse, using the multiverse as justification that suddenly mutants are here because they came from a parallel timeline disrespects the marginalized people who identify with the X-Men who, like left-handed people, have been here the whole time. Whether society noticed or not.

The Sony Spider-Man Problem

What keeps me up at night about the new Marvel multiverse is the Spider-Man family. The Marvel/Sony relationship has always been…complicated. 

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While the new multiverse provides creators with endless storytelling opportunities that could expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it also sets up an easy out for the studios to separate the Spider-Man movies from the rest of the MCU. Cleaving off the Spider-family movies wouldn’t be great – I don’t need to be reminded of complicated business deals while I’m at the movies. Dedicating all of a future Spidey movie to explaining why Pete isn’t in the master MCU and can’t talk about Iron Man anymore would almost certainly be a nightmare.

But these inward-looking continuity fixes are the types of stories that Marvel, on page and on screen, has generally avoided (before you jump in the comments to shout “CLONE SAGA” please take into account how much work “generally” is doing in this sentence) with its big multiverse stories. Hopefully they’ll keep making those wise decisions going forward.

The post MCU Phase 4 and 5: What the Multiverse Means for the Future of Marvel Movies and TV appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[invncibleiron]

MAIN VERSE: AVENGERS TOWER

Unless otherwise stated, verses take place in a NYC where superheroes are common, live in Avengers Tower, and respond to various supernatural threats. (If in MCU: this takes place after The Avengers 1).

AFTER THE ENDGAME (MCU VERSE)

This verse moves directly from The Avengers 1 to Infinity Wars, without acknowledging Age of Ultron or Civil War because honestly I just don’t vibe with either movie. Tony did not get married or have a child. It can be assumed that the time in between was spent, as a team, fighting together, until Thanos’ threat became too much. After the attack at Avengers Compound, Tony does not die but loses his arm and sustained burns on his neck and side due to the gauntlet.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Tony joins the Guardians of the Galaxy and helps fight space-based threats.

WESTWORLD

Tony is a synthezoid who believes he’s human and makes other synthezoids for a theme park where guests can act out vividly realistic fantasies. Based roughly on the character of Arnold Weber/Bernard Lowe from the West World TV show and the 2018-2019 comics Tony Stark: Iron Man Vo. 2: Stark Realities and Iron Man: The Ultron Agenda. More Info Here

A-Day (Marvel's Avengers)

Based on Marvel’s Avenger’s 2020 video game, after a new mineral, Terrigen, is found in the San Francisco Bay, the Avengers introduce it to the world as the newest clean energy source. On what will later be called A-Day, they premier their new West Coast headquarters and demonstrate the crystal’s use to power their own helicarrier, but when a terrorist attack interrupts the festivities, the Terrigan crystals explode, damaging much of the city, killing Captain America, and releasing a myst that turns apparent humans into Inhumans–beings with other worldly powers. More info Here

[truthbeetoldmedia]

The 100 7x01 "From the Ashes"

Welcome back to The 100 (for the last time). We have finally reached the beginning of the end and what a journey it promises to be. Last season ended with several big shockers, Abby Griffin was taken as a host for Simone Prime, the Flame was removed from Madi and effectively destroyed and Octavia Blake was stabbed and disappeared into a fine mist-ala Marvel characters after a Thanos snap. That means that the last season premiere The 100 will ever get already has a lot of questions to answer, in addition to (hopefully) managing to successfully wrap up a series that has spanned several years. 

As in previous years I’ll be dividing my review into sections, previously these sections were a riff on the concept of “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”. This season, I will be separating them based on plot line-as even in this first episode there are two different ones-until those plots begin to coalesce into one. 

We’ll begin with what I am currently terming:

 “The Main Plot That is Somehow Made Up of Only Side Characters (Two of Whom We Just Met)”

We pick up right where we left off, with Bellamy reeling from Octavia’s strange disappearance and rushing off into the woods around Gabriel’s compound to search for her. In his grief he’s less than observant and he is knocked unconscious and abducted by an apparently invisible force. These few seconds-less than 30-represent all of the screen time Bellamy Blake receives in the first episode of the final season of The 100. Fans who have been watching the promotion for the final season have become increasingly anxious over the absence of the male lead and it seems those anxieties were justified. It is astonishing and offensive that one of the core members of the show is removed completely from the story in the final season, his absence literally stripped from him as he is once again thrust back into a plot line he has only just managed to escape: his life (and thus his worth) being directly proportional to Octavia’s. As Hope escapes and Gabriel and Echo take off after Bellamy we finally actually enter “The Main Plot That is Somehow Made Up of Only Side Characters”. 

Eventually, Gabriel and Echo run into Hope, who has discovered-albeit too late-a piece of paper lodged in her arm that states “Trust Bellamy”.That message doesn’t stop her from getting into a quick tussle with Echo and it’s obvious that she’s had some training-with a mother like Diyoza and some kind of relationship with Octavia, that’s not at all surprising. The three of them-after coming to a sort of peace with one another, journey for quite some time. It is full dark before they catch up with the invisible force that has taken Bellamy and when they do so, they find themselves caught up in the hallucinations that the anomaly causes. 

Here we see Echo confronted by two ghosts from her past, King Roan and the actual Echo-the one she murdered in order to survive. Both ghosts make valid points-that Echo is a creature driven by servitude, which some I suppose would mistakenly call loyal. They even go so far as to question Echo’s purpose in life now that her current master (Bellamy) is missing. I don’t think it’s an unfair assessment. Echo latched on to Bellamy in Season 4, seeing him as an authoritarian figure and she never really let go. While I do believe that they both love each other, it seems very obvious that said love (at least on Echo’s part) is fueled by a need to have someone who she can serve. Who is Echo once she no longer has someone to answer to, who does she become when her one stabilizing figure is gone. I suppose that’s a question we’ll get answers to this season. Hope also sees a vision-albeit shorter-of Octavia telling her to stay quiet, no matter what she hears. As this is a line we’ve heard in the trailer, it seems obvious that the anomaly can also show someone memories and not just their innermost fears (what we see with Echo). Gabriel sees nothing-or at least nothing we see, but this is unsurprising given he’s studied the anomaly so long. 

Finally managing to break free of the hallucinations that they’re being shown the trio manage to get the jump on a few of the invisible assailants and when they do the audience is shown the inside of their helmets. Hope they are told to kill on sight, indicating that she is somehow a known threat to them, but Echo and Gabriel are supposed to be reditioned to Bardo. I’d like to take the time to point out now that to rendition doesn’t simply mean to take. It means that you are treating these people as political prisoners who know potentially damaging information-and want to use any means including inhumane ones to retrieve that information. And Bellamy has already been taken. Despite the order to rendition Gabriel and Echo though, they don’t actually seem to want to capture them, instead continuing to rebuff them, together Gabriel, Echo and Hope manage to stop the assault and their story ends with them walking into the anomaly holding hands-so that they won’t be separated. It’s possible their next stop lands them directly in Bellamy’s path, but given it’s taken them so long to catch up with the Invisible Force I find that unlikely, especially given that the Force can apparently conjure up the anomaly whenever they choose to. 

I do find it very interesting that the Invisible Force was also meant to capture Echo and Gabriel and yet-when they chase after Bellamy-the Force fights them off. I'm assuming that they choose to take Bellamy and leave the others so someone is left behind to tell Clarke that Bellamy has been taken.This makes sense as, Clarke being the main character, she’s likely the person they’re trying to ultimately take. It’s just one more piece of bait (that will produce no actual results) for Bellarke fans however. While the instinct is to be excited that whoever has taken Bellamy likely knows that Clarke will do whatever she can to save Bellamy, at this point we all know that nothing good is on the horizon for him. 

This leads me into my next section:

“Almost All of the Mains are Here, but it Feels Like This Plotline is Unnecessary”

Sprinkled through this episode like bits of parsley (aka food grass) are the rest of the Arkadians (and yes I still call them that). So much of this particular plot feels like something that could have been taken care of during the Season 6 finale. Almost everything that happens in Sanctum could have been carefully tied up during the final bit of Season 6 and we could have begun this Season with the scene of Octavia being stabbed and disappearing. It feels very disjointed to watch Clarke (and the others) deal with the repercussions of what happened in space, like what to do with Russell Prime (especially as it appears that all of these things happen literally the day after the Season 6 finale). We’re expected to believe that Clarke has apparently gone through all of the stages of grief, somehow managed to find a perfect yellow farmhouse, set up Russell in what is essentially serving as a prison and begun to discuss plans for building a compound for the Arkadians all in, what is essentially a few hours after her mother’s death?

To top all of that off, we never see any cracks in the picture perfect “I’m fine” exterior until Clarke snaps when Russell hands over Abby's ring and clothes and begins to beat him rather brutally. It’s such a stark contrast to her behavior over the course of the episode that it just doesn’t align with anything that she’s done. To have Clarke go from “I want to do better because I don’t want Madi to grow up in a cruel society.” to “We’ve all made mistakes, tomorrow Russell Prime dies for his.” almost gave me whiplash. It would have been so much more believable if we’d seen small cracks in her facade over the course of the episode, but there were none. Am I meant to believe that-like Madi retains some of the memories of the Commanders before her even though the Flame is destroyed-that Josephine (and her sociopathy) linger in Clarke’s consciousness and that’s what made her brutally assault Russell? Or am I meant to believe that this is truly Clarke? I don’t know, but I do know that whatever message they were trying to sink there, it didn’t land. 

I did really love Madi’s plot this episode. I enjoy that, now that the Flame is dead she doesn’t have to be a receptacle for a long dead love interest of Clarke’s. I enjoyed that she was going to school and has a house and a dog. I really liked that she was finally able to remind Clarke (and the audience) that she had a mother before Clarke and she didn’t just forget her because Clarke showed up. I did not like the fact that-even in the absence of the Flame-we are expected to believe that Madi still maintains memories from the commander and of course the one they choose to focus on is one of Clarke as Wanheda-meaning that it’s a memory of Lexa’s. It is infuriating to me that the Flame can be destroyed and yet Madi as a character somehow still exists as a mouthpiece for a character who has been dead for over 125 years at this point. It would be nice if this show could spend time actually developing the new characters they forcefully insert into the narrative every year, but I expect in the final season, that might be asking for a bit too much. 

To further the refusal to leave the Grounders in the past, Jason somehow manages to have the Dark Commander transfer his consciousness into Russell Prime’s where he lurks in the background until Russell is knocked unconscious by Clarke (are we to assume Russell has not slept during this time as well?). My best guess is that he does this by using some type of Bluetooth/Wi-Ffi situation,  When they are destroying the flame and uploading him into the Eligius ship. Because both are Eligius tech, the Flame and the mind drives created by Becca are similar. I assume the Dark Commander’s code searched for (and found in Russell-who was on the ship) something similar to his own tech and simply uploaded himself onto it in the background, waiting for an opportunity to show up. Now all that’s left is to see what type of fresh hell he unleashes on an entirely new planet-especially given some of the residents of said planet believe him to be a god.

I do find Murphy potentially interesting this year. For years he has managed to “cockroach” his way through situations. Staying alive through nearly impossible situations. But there seems to be a fair amount of turmoil surrounding his decisions as they relate to Clarke and Abby (and their deaths) as well as his decision to become a Prime. Given that connection with two of the three Griffin women, and my concern that Madi will find herself in danger once it’s discovered that she is no longer the Commander and once the Dark Commander manages to get her alone (which we all know will happen sooner or later), I would not be surprised if Murphy (who has never been one to make the sacrifice play) does so in this final Season. 

Smaller things I enjoyed include Raven and Clarke’s relationship being on the mend. The two haven’t really been friends since Season 2 and Finn’s death, so it’s nice to see that-although it took Shaw and Abby’s deaths respectively-they seem to be leaning on each other at this time. With Clarke having lost all of her natural born family, it would not surprise me if she is willing to go to devastating lengths this Season to keep them all safe. I’m also very interested in the increased presence of both Gaia and Indra. As a fan of both Tati Gabrielle and Adina Porter (and their massive talent) in show’s outside of The 100, I’ve yearned for a deeper exploration into their relationship for Seasons. It looks like we might finally get to dive deeper into who they are now that Gaia is no longer a Flamekeeper and Indra no longer has a Commander. 

Overall, I believe this is the weakest Season Premiere of The 100 to date, which is terribly disappointing given the fact that it’s the last one they’ve ever received. Even though we have yet to see the backdoor pilot (Rothenberg says it will be 708), it already feels like this final Season will serve more as a way to set up a show that will likely not take off the ground (because Rothenberg has successfully managed to upset every person in the show’s fanbase) than the sendoff to the existing characters and stories he’s spent 7 years building. It will be a terrible thing if that is indeed the case. Hopefully, based off of the title of this episode, The 100 will manage to make some sort of phoenix-esque ressurection. But for now, I don’t know if they have enough time to truly tell the story that Rothenberg wants to.

The 100 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW

Aprille’s episode rating: 🐝🐝

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Observation I have about the Arrowverse and MCU TV shows:

Both networks have done the “hero gone bad” trope but it seems like the MCU is more comfortable with exploring the trope than the Arrowverse. Hear me out on this.

In the Arrowverse, there’s plenty of examples of the heroes going bad but there always seems to be a catch with every turn. For example, Earth-2 featured evil versions of the heroes but they weren’t technically the “real” characters, just their doppelgangers. Then there was Savitar, which was an evil Barry Allen, but when you think about it, he went evil for a very specific reason. He went bad because he was rejected for being a time remnant, not because of Barry as a person. Evil Barry, yes, but it’s a bit of a cop out when you think about it.

Rip Hunter went bad for a while but that was because of mind control. Caitlyn went bad as Killer Frost but she was never truly “evil” and ended up redeeming herself. 

The only main hero that truly fits the trope is Oliver Queen, but his arc is the trope in reverse. Instead of a hero who is worried that he might fall to the dark side, Oliver is a hero who starts off dark (constantly killing people in the early seasons) but learns to be more of a true hero, though he still has dark tendencies.

I’m not saying the Arrowverse is completely afraid of having their heroes go bad but there’s clearly a reluctance. In fact, they’re more comfortable with showing the opposite; they like to do redemption stories more than downfall stories. Examples of this include Malcolm Merlyn, Damien Darhk, Caitlyn Snow, Laurel Lance of Earth 2, Marlize DeVoe, and Harrison Wells (technically, since S1 Harrison was Eobard. You could make the argument that Season 2 was definitely about redeeming the character through a different version of him).

EDIT: Almost forgot, Captain Cold. 

Now on the MCU’s side, they LOVE downfall stories. Prime example; Grant Ward. Grant Ward was the handsome hero guy on Agents of SHIELD for most of season one until his HYDRA reveal. Now, just saying...AOS could’ve easily redeemed Ward. It’s hard to say that now, knowing how his character ends, but when season two first premiered, the man wasn’t completely irredeemable. They could’ve easily used mind control (the Faustus technique they used on Agent 33), blackmail, triple agent, Nick Fury mole, or anti-hero as an excuse.

Instead...they went with the more difficult direction. Ward was completely aware of his own actions and was portrayed as a full-on HYDRA agent. Yeah, he was loyal to Garrett, but that’s only a technicality. He served HYDRA and did it without any of the typical comic book excuses. 

And that’s not the only time AOS went with the darker direction. They could’ve easily explained that Leo Fitz’s “Doctor” persona was a result of AIDA’s interference and was not part of him at all. However, they went with the darker option, in that the Doctor persona was part of Fitz this whole time and that AIDA only brought it out of him. In my opinion, although that was an unpopular choice, I don’t necessarily think it was a bad one. I mean, Fitz did torture Ward back in season two and killed Giyera without hesitation in season three so I can see this character having a hidden dark side.

Then there’s all of season 5, which showcased each member of the team doing something morally grey and controversial.   

And don’t even get me started on the Netflix Marvel shows, which is in love with the idea that their heroes aren’t completely noble. Matt Murdock’s harsh actions constantly alienate the people around him, Jessica, Luke, and Danny have done their fair share of morally ambiguous decisions, and don’t forget, Frank Castle was introduced as a VILLAIN before he transitioned to anti-hero status.

Even then, Castle still shows villainous qualities on his own show, even when he’s the hero. 

Also, just want to add, a lot of Netflix Marvel’s villains (and AOS) also fit the downfall idea. Fisk was a gangster but his goal was to create a better community. Jiaying was just trying to protect Inhumans from outside forces based on her negative experiences with HYDRA. Cottonmouth was a gangster too but he was forced into the life by his family. And then there’s Graviton, who only wanted to save the world from Thanos, but ended up destroying Earth in the process.  

So what does this say about the attitudes towards superheroes for both companies? Well, for me, the Arrowverse is definitely leaning more on optimism while the MCU TV side is more pessimistic. I’m not saying one approach is better than the other, it’s definitely more of a preference that varies from person to person. 

[comicreadingadventure]

Miles Morales Spider-Man #2 - Marvel Comics

By Saladin Ahmed & Javi Garron

It’s entertaining to see the classic struggles of a high-school student struggle to be a superhero, or is it the other way around? Either way, partnering with the villain Rhino to rescue children from another super-villain has to be a challenge for anyone. Rhino also allows for the writers to address prejudice (both of them being judged by their appearance) and the struggles that Miles could face if he wasn’t a hero - or couldn’t hide behind a mask. Rhino is a bit of a sad character, too. He’s a widower, a failed mall Santa, and is getting older, with the possibility that nothing will change. Hopefully Rhino can impart some knowledge to our young hero and help him grow into a better person to help the Bronx and the world. 

If anything, Rhino will teach him how to be in a team - in preparation for a team-up with the hulk!? It does seem that the major curse of heroes is that they stubbornly resolve issues alone, rather than calling in for back-up. Fortunately a classic villain like Tombstone means Miles will get his own classic support: Captain America. Now, Capt was supposed to help Miles when he first premiered, but really didn’t stand out as a mentor during that arc. It’s good to see a different Capt in this story, and not one who is burdened with grief or with the coming war between Inhumans and everybody else. So, will this Captain America be able to support Miles to be the best hero he could be?

[inhumansforever]

Marvel Rising: Initiation Review

spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers

Disney XD premiered the first installment of the Marvel Rising Secret Warriors animated series with past Monday with the very enjoyable Initiation; directed by Alfred Gimeno with a screenplay by Mairghread Scott and the vatic talents of Dove Cameron, Chloe Bennet, Tyler Posey, Kathreen Khavari, Milana Vayntrub, Cierra Ramirez and Kamil McFadden.  Quick recap and review following the jump.

The Mysterious Ghost Spider is on the run with the authorities believing her responsible for the death of a young man named Kevin.  After handily defeating a battalion of the city’s best police officers, Captain Stacy chooses to request assistance from Shield.  Agent Daisy Johnson and Patriot are assigned to the case and pledge not to rest until this hero-turned-villain can be brought to justice.  Patriot is a newer hero who has been trained by Captain America himself and is quite eager to prove himself.  Daisy, meanwhile, is more seasoned and right from the start she suspects there might be more to this case than simply a former hero gone bad.  

It’s rather clear from the onset that Ghost Spider is not a villain, rather it is an unfortunate set of circumstances that has made it appear as though she was responsible for Kevin’s death.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Ghost Spider is actually high schooler, Gwen Stacy, and Kevin had been her best friend.  

Following an oddly shoe-horned in scene where Gwen practices with her and her friends’ garage band, Ghost Spider returns to the streets in search of the real culprit behind Kevin’s death.  She encounters Patriot, and following a brief skirmish, Ghost Spider is able to escape.  

Elsewhere, Doreen Green arrives on her scooter with a box of cupcakes meant to commemorate the triumphant first team-up between her, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and her new best pal, Kamala ‘Ms. Marvel’ Khan.  Doreen’s squirrel buddy, Tippy Toe, is also on-hand and doesn’t want to wait for Kamala to arrive before getting into one of those delicious cupcakes.  

Kamala arrives and the focus of their first mission together presents itself when they see Ghost Spider and set out to bring her to justice.  An elaborate and rather silly battle unfolds as Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl and Tippy Toe match up against Ghost Spider.  

Ghost Spider is eventually captured and pleads to be let go, demanding that she is innocent.  Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl agree to hear her out.  Ghost Spider explains that she would never hurt Kevin, he had been her best friend.  He was also an Inhuman who was transformed by way of the Terrigen Cloud.  Terrigenesis endowed Kevin with ice powers and Ghost Spider helped him hone these newfound abilities so that they might be crimefighters together.  

Yet on the night of their first outing, Ghost Spider arrived to find that Kevin had been murdered.  The apparent culprit was a super powered woman with yellow skin and green hair who wielded energy knives.  Even the slightest cut from these knives had the effect of effectively draining one’s life energy.  

Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl believe Ghost Spider’s story and chose to let her go, agreeing to also seek out this mysterious villain who is actually behind Kevin’s death.  Shortly thereafter, Ghost Spider is once more engaged by The Patriot.  This time, however, Patriot utilizes teamwork and lures Ghost Spider into a position where Agent Johnson can sneak up behind her and neutralize her with her quake powers.

Ghost Spider is apprehended by the two agents and taken by car to police headquarters where she is to be handed over to Captain Stacy.  Again Ghost Spider proclaims her innocence, telling the story of the mysterious villainess with the life-draining energy knives.  Daisy is intrigued by the tale… she has heard about evil Inhumans with similar powers and Kevin’s death may have something to do with an ongoing case she has been investigating.  Furthermore, upon reading Ghost Spider’s reaction to seeing Captain Stacy, Daisy correctly surmises that Ghost Spider is actually Captain Stacy’s daughter, Gwen.  

Daisy furtively arranges for Ghost Spider to escape just as she is delivered to police headquarters.  Captain Stacy is incensed and demands that Shield stop at nothing to bring her in.  

Some time thereafter, Ghost Spider seeks out Daisy and asks her why she allowed her to escape.  Daisy explains her suspicions that Kevin’s death may be part of a bigger threat posed by an evil Inhuman, and that she may actually need Ghost Spider’s aide in taking down this threat.  Daisy tells Ghost Spider to continue her investigation and to keep her apprised of things, especially if it entails an Inhuman with teleportation-based powers.  Ghost Spider agrees and they part company.  And it is hear that the episode comes to an end with it looking quite likely that the mystery will once again bring these various heroes together in future installments.  

This was a quick, fun and very enjoyable affair.  It moves quite fast but its speed doesn’t come at the cost of the plot.  It sort of drops the viewer right into the heart of the action and has faith that said viewers will be able to piece things together on their own as further details of the plot are divvied out.  I quite like this approach, especially in lieu of other animated shows aimed toward younger audiences that sort of treat the viewer as simpletons who need the plot clearly laid out.

This first episode is very much a Ghost Spider story and Gwen makes for a highly likable protagonist.  Voice actress, Dove Cameron, does a terrific job bringing Gwen to life, with snarky commentary, good comic timing, as well as a distinctive undertone of sadness (sadness based on the death of her best friend, Kevin).  Fans of the Spider-Gwen comic series are likely to very much enjoy this animated version of the character; it’s quite faithful to her personality in the comics.  

The story takes a few more liberties with the Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel.  Squirrel Girl acts as the comic relief, bubbling with enthusiasm and goofy energy.  She’s a good deal less thoughtful than her comic book counterpart.  The comic book version of Squirrel Girl always seeks out a nonviolent solution to problems before resorting to fisticuffs, yet this animated version is quite eager to battle Ghost Spider.  

Milana Vayntrub clearly has a lot of fun voicing Squirrel Girl and isn’t at all shy about hamming it up.  There is a particularly funny bit where Squirrel Girl decides that their battle-moves would be more effective were they to call them out the way they do in popular anime, like Dragonball or Naruto.  

I also like that Squirrel Girl is illustrated as more full-figured… although it sort of bugs me that the bigger girl ends up being the goofier, comic relief (it’s a tired trope).

Squirrel Girl’s jokes and shenanigans sort of overshadow Ms. Marvel and she doesn’t get much of a focus in the episode.  Kathreen Khavari voices Kamala, reprising the role from Ms. M’s appearances in Avengers Assemble.  I’m definitely looking forwards to seeing Ms. Marvel get more screen time as the series progresses.  

Kamil McFadden voices Patriot and, next to Ghost Spider, is the character who gets the most spotlight.  Patriot takes himself quite seriously.  He’s ready to prove himself and is quite proud of the fact that he had been trained by Captain America.  At the same time, however, there is also an edge of insecurity to Patriot, possibly a worry that he might not live up to his potential.   It’s an edge that makes him a more compelling character as opposed to someone whose cockiness might cause one to root against him.  There is also a touch of flirtation in his and Ghost Spider’s banter… I wonder if this is a hint toward a possible romance between the two later down the line.

Chloe Bennet is very much at ease in the role of Daisy.  She plays her as shrewd and cunning.  She’s a much more experienced agent compared to her partner, Patriot, and ready to take calculated risks to get to the bottom of things.  It’s a neat take on Daisy and a bit of a departure from the more leap-first-look-later version of her we last saw in the pages of Matt Rosenberg’s Secret Warriors run.  Like Ms. Marvel, I’m looking forward to seeing what the next installments have in store for Daisy.  

The villain who killed Kevin looks a good deal like the Inhuman baddie called Sheath, although it is possible that she is actually a brand new character.  And it seems likely that the big bad of the arc will end up being the dark force wielding cad known as The Exile.

The animation is fair.  It’s a step above more recent Marvel animated projects, like Avengers Assembled and Hulk Agents of Smash, but not as stellar as similar outings from DC (such as Young Justice or Batman: The Animated Series).  It’s good, but not great.  The backgrounds are rather static and nothing to write home about, but the action is fluid and dynamic.  Squirrel Girl’s accentuated facial expressions showcase the best part of the animation.  

All in all, Marvel Rising Initiation is absolutely worth checking out.  It’s a fun detour into the world of the lessor well known Marvel heroes, with a refreshingly diverse cast of characters and an intriguing plot.  Definitely recommended. Four out of five Lockjaws

[shibuyashotos]

Comic Adaptations, The Incredible and The Marvelous

Introduction

Recently, I've been thinking about how live action adaptations of comic books can go all over the place. How well they're received, how they may be adapted, any possible changes that can occur when adapting the source material. Now, I love marvel comics, I'm a huge fan of the likes of Spider-Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and so on and so forth. I greatly enjoy the Marvel vs Capcom series, loved Spider-Man (PS4), and I get a kick out of Marvel Ultimate Alliance and The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. All of those games do very well in adapting the Heroes and Villains of the Marvel Universe. As far as Marvel Movies are concerned, I like a lot of 'em as well, love the Sam Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy, Nicolas Cage's Ghost Rider, X-Men and X2: X-Men United, all of these are fantastic in my opinion. I also greatly enjoy stuff from the MCU... In fact, it's the MCU alone that has me inspired to write this post.

Adaptations...

See, it's not a foreign concept that when a given work is adapted, there can be some changes made, for better or for worse. Sometimes there are limits that exist and thus force the creators to work around those limitations to successfully adapt a given work in question. Take Logan (2017) for example. Logan is a brilliant adaptation of the Old Man Logan story by Mark Millar. A Story about an Aging Wolverine, who goes on one last job that takes him across the country in a rather dystopian future setting. The Comic is... give or take a rather (mostly) great wolverine story, with some crazy concepts like the idea that the supervillains all got together and took out all the heroes, or how there's inexplicably a T-Rex wearing the Venom Symbiote, etc. etc. The Movie, meanwhile is a lot more grounded, but still follows the established premise... Minus the references to/appearances of other Superheroes and Supervillains, the T-Rex, and so on due to the matter of Film Rights. It's a smart adaptation that takes what it can get and builds upon it in a more succinct manner. Now, I get that neither Logan nor the X-Men Film Franchise are part of the MCU, but I wanted to lead in with Logan before getting into the (upcoming) MCU series that inspired me to get into writing this post: Ms. Marvel (2022).

What about Ms. Marvel?

Set to premier on Disney+, on June 8th 2022, Ms. Marvel is a series that follows the adventures of one Kamala Khan, a Muslim Pakistani-American teenager who idolizes Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel. Kamala feels like an outsider in her school life and at times in her home life, and then she ends up getting super powers. Sounds like a pretty basic premise, kind of a straight forward adaptation for the most part, really. Except... there's a problem with this. See, it's not so much adapting the character herself, rather it's in regards to her powerset.

In the comics, Kamala is also an Inhuman, her powers come from this thing known as the Terrigen Mist and subsequently a process that all Inhumans go through known as Terrigenesis, which puts them in a crystalized cocoon and allows them to reawaken with super powers. In Kamala's case, she gains the ability to stretch and morph her body all around into whatever she sees fit, whether it's turning her fists into giant hammers or stretching herself out to become an impromptu slide for civilians to slide on to safety, or even becoming a parachute. Part of the matter for Kamala is also that she now has a completely different world that she needs to navigate as well in addition to her dual life at home and at school: The world of the Inhumans. Her powers are also explicitly stated to be kind of rather ugly, not at all pretty.

So how does the MCU translate this? As far as I'm personally aware of with regards to trailers and previews, they don't really make any mention or reference to the Inhumans, and they also changed her powers from the morphing ability she has to... Energy Constructs. Very pretty looking energy constructs. The overall reception I've seen to this series has been quite negative, but I can only assume the series proper will probably turn out better than anticipated... But overall, this is what got me thinking about another adaptation, where changes were made to the title character: The Incredible Hulk.

A Physician, Scientist, searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths of the Human Body

The Incredible Hulk (1977-1982) is considered to be one of the most beloved Superhero TV Shows of its time, with a grand total of two pilot movies, five seasons, and three movies made after the series ended. It adapts the comic book of the same name and its premise: following the adventures of Dr. Banner as he travels through the United States, on the run as a fugitive and pursued by external forces, following an incident involving Gamma Radiation that causes him to turn into a monster whenever he becomes angry, all as he searches for a cure to rid himself of the raging spirit that dwells within him.

In the comics, the external force that pursues him is the United States Military, the incident that transformed him was that of a Gamma Bomb exploding on him. He is also known as Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, a physicist who is considered the topmost authority on Gamma Radiation. In the TV Series, the external force that pursues him is an investigative reporter named Jack McGee. The incident that transformed our protagonist was an accidental overdose of Gamma Radiation, and the reason why McGee is pursuing him is because The Hulk is wanted for murder. In the show, Banner is also known as Dr. David Bruce Banner, a physician and scientist.

Now, elements of the character have been changed significantly. There isn't even much of a supporting cast either in the show (No Betty, No Rick Jones, etc.). Supervillains aren't exactly prominent either, so there wouldn't be anyone like The Abomination or The Leader or the U-Foes. Instead, Banner and the Hulk come face to face with more average criminals (though there was an instance where he had to deal with a psychopathic Hunter who wanted to hunt Banner down on a private island.)

By all means, this likely would cause a lot of uproar if it happened today, since we tend to expect our superhero shows to actually feature the Hero's rogues gallery and fighting them or having long spanning story arcs where one of those villains is the central threat. We tend to expect our superhero shows to try and be accurate to the source material where it can be, and generally not to be so radically different... Which kind of seems to be the problem for Ms. Marvel

So What Gives?

Here's the thing, what gives, what made The Incredible Hulk so beloved despite all of these radical changes: It's for a similar reasoning that Logan (2017) is a fantastic adaptation of Old Man Logan, despite having a very different take on the source material; The Incredible Hulk is well written. It keeps you compelled to continue following David Banner's journey, to see what trouble he gets into, what cover identity he comes up with (It's always "David B_"), and what lessons you can take from The Lonely Man. There are episodes in the series that do cover some pretty serious topics (Addiction (Season 2 Episode 7), Gang Violence (various episodes, but most notably Season 2 Episode 12), Domestic Abuse (Season 2 Episode 5)), and while ultimately The Hulk will no doubt save the day, they're generally written in a manner that feels respectable to the audience.

That's also a thing I think that might be cause for some concern and another reason why the reception to Ms. Marvel is at best apathetic and at worst vitriolic: Viewing Audiences are worried about the writing quality and how the show might try to tackle certain matters. MCU content has a sort of habit in which it tries to inject humor into otherwise serious scenarios, in order to resolve a bit of the tension. It's a habit that often gets mocked as well, because viewers are just expecting something serious to happen and then rather than let it play out as it should, it's met with a sarcastic quip that ultimately downplays the moment... which in effect also feels patronizing to the audience.

Of course, now, not all MCU movies and shows are like this, but it still happens on the occasion.

Ending Thoughts

Right so this is kind of a considerably longer post than I'd try to go for, and it's also not really something I'd bother talking about (I prefer to talk about like OCs or my favorite things or what have you). But like I said, this was something that was basically on my mind, so I figured I might as well go on about it.

I honestly have no real opinion, positive or negative, about Ms. Marvel, whether it's about the upcoming show or her comics. Kamala seems like a pretty fun character, I'd even give her a shot if she showed up in a Marvel Fighting Game, she probably would lend herself super well to the Versus Series... But other than that, I simply don't care all that much. The Show doesn't interest me, so I'm likely going to skip out on watching it and listen to what my friends might have to say. I also don't really read a lot of comics either, so I likely won't pick up her stories either. Hell, I barely even keep up with Spider-Man or Captain America comics as well.

As for The Incredible Hulk, I'd honestly recommend it to anyone who's interested in the Jolly Green Giant's legacy on the big and small screens. You will get to see David Banner/Hulk get into some pretty outlandish situations too, like the aforementioned situation with the Hunter (Season 3 Episode 9).

If you happen to read through all the way to the end here, tell me what you think. Are you excited for Ms. Marvel? Are you worried about it? I'm curious to see. I'd also love to see what other live action adaptations come to mind that you think were handled really well. For an added challenge, if you do: try to avoid bringing up anything regarding Batman. (Whether it's Tim Burton's Batman, '60s Batman, The Dark Knight Trilogy, etc.) I know those are all done really well. (Except Snyderverse Batman, I genuinely don't care about him whatsoever.)

Thank you for reading through and have a wonderful day.

[ellestra]

I love you - I know

This episode had secret bases with alien tech, said alien, Inhuman Seer and time travel. And yet the part that was hardest to believe is that they just let a layer in. A lawyer that somehow knew they had a prisoner no one was supposed to know about in a base no one heard of and they didn’t simply arrest him for trespassing, kicked him out or at least listened to his talk with Fitz.

You know the one where they mostly insulted each other’s football teams. I feel like this is what they missed about each other. Someone to fight with. About football. And since Fitz is Manchester United fan and Hunter’s team is Liverpool that’s some solid hate there. Also isn’t it funny that Hunter’s most meaningful relationships are all bickering.

Fitz still can’t forgive himself for Framework and who he was there. For Aida and what she did. But most of all for the death of Jeffrey Mace. He wants to be punished for it and his escape is to find the team and Jemma not because he doesn’t deserve jail. I love that he talks to Hunter and catches him up on all that happened since they last saw each other - from the Hive to Framework.

He tells him about his guilt and how he thinks universe is punishing him for it. And Lance is the one whose there to tell him  he can’t blame himself for all of this. and that everyone has a dark side and that it’s how you use it and deal with it that matters. This is why that scene when they reenact Empire Strike Back Han and Leia scene it’s both funny because Fitz is getting frozen but also moving because it’s true. (BTW all these Star Wars references in the week after The Last Jedi premiered - movie connections - not just for Marvel any more.)

I loved that Fitz got the guys who arrested him and put him in a black site to not only let him work on the project of finding the team but also give him access to football. And even sent fan rage letters to the Ballbuster Hooligan fanzine. Of course it was code to let friends know where he is but no codebreakers could figure it out. And Lance was in Bangladesh where they didn’t carry any copies. Good thing he checked once he realised Fitz was missing.

Lance and Bobbie were at the moment on the distance is their saviour part of the relationship so he came to get hugs from his BFF. He and Bobbie might be 100% compatible 50% of the time but they make it work. And I’m not just taking about almost got married again if it wasn’t for the ninjas. I mean they end up taking care of Robin and her mom together.

So the prophecy existed before the Team were sent into the future. It’s not just that Fitz and Hunter discovered when they went and told others to wait for them. It was an actual prophecy that got them sent there. And the Seer who got them sent there is the daughter of the Inhuman with the visions of death.

Robin’s gift, while acquired way too early, is not as traumatic as her father’s. He’s not only showed only deaths of random, if somehow connected people but also got activated by any touch so he couldn’t touch or even be close to any person as they’d both be seeing deaths. And they were unavoidable.  Robin sees all of the past, present and future but she also seems to be able to see the ways out of extension level event so good for humanity and our little planet. I wonder if she is still alive 74 years later.

Fitz gets depressed about his and Jemma’s faith again but this time he gets his answer from Robin. He wasn’t kept away from Jemma by some curse or his unworthiness. He wasn’t sent with others because he needs to save them.

I loved Fitz uses the they got abducted by an alien as stalling technique but they really were abducted by an alien. Sentient Chronicom anthropologist from Cygnus (just call him Enoch). He’s only involved because prophesy of extinction level event but now that Fitz has been prophesied to go to the future too he can help. And then Fitz and Hunter have to break into the same secret base they escaped to steal that alien’s cryogenic pod. Aliens and black sites hiding alien tech. And SHIELD equipment. And Fitz took all of Coulson’s cool hands with him.

The access to Enoch’s ship and tech explains why Fitz could just walk into that auction and be treated as equal to the others. And for 30 000 year old Enoch waiting 74 years for this to come true was no biggie. We also see that his time freezing device has different time settings (for taking the team it was little over 2 minutes but escaping the soldiers in the park - half an hour. Does this mean he was somewhere near the Lighthouse when Coulson arrived to frozen decompression?

The Lighthouse base in the future is in the present a secret base under a lighthouse at Lake Ontario (build by unknown who knows when or why - another precog work?) - the one from the postcard. And Fitz left that postcard with Robin. And Hunter and Bobbi were keeping her safe. Was Deke’s mother their kid? Or Robin’s? They used to be the only humans knowing the Lighthouse base exist so it’d make sense if they were among survivors.

Also we now know they are not in alternate universe future as Fitz travelled there the slow way. So Daisy didn’t do it as she left when Earth was still intact.

Of course if they go back and change the events then this will become alternative future but still.

And of course if Daisy doesn’t die in the future and comes back she can still destroy the Earth to make this happen. In that case making her fight Sinara to the death is playing with causality.

Talbot is still out of commission and the lady who is running the secret base is not nearly as nice as him. She just shot her two nice, if too trusting, agents.

The alien language Robin uses is not Kree. It’s from another Galaxy and unknown to anyone on Earth - another Star Wars reference or something that will come back later? Maybe someone that commander is preparing to fight?

[man-creates-dinosaurs]

THE HISTORY OF MARVEL COMIC’S DEVIL DINOSAUR Pt. 4

In February of 2015 Marvel Comics launched a new line of 65 comic books under the branding of All-New All-Different Marvel. The aim of this new line was to attract more readers by addressing the growing critique that the Marvel Universe lacked diversity in that the majority of principal and most popular characters are primarily a bunch of straight, white males – a criticism I think is completely fair because it’s true. However Marvel’s approach to addressing this issue left something to be desired. Rather than creating brand new characters to help flesh out the Marvel Universe, Marvel decided to reimagine a number of their most popular characters as non-heterosexual, non-white non-males. To this end Thor and Wolverine became women, The Hulk Korean-American, Ms. Marvel Pakistani-American and Muslim, Captain America African-American, Ironman (rebranded as Ironheart) an African-American woman while Miss America, who was already Latin-American, was revealed to be gay. Among the many characters to get this style of makeover were Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy who subsequently became Devil Dinosaur and Moon Girl. The titular Moon Girl here is not a female Australopithecus but rather a precocious 9-year-old African-American girl living in New York City named Lunella Lafayette. In the premier issue of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1 (Nov. 2015), written by Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder with art by Natacha Bustos, a band of Killer-Folk steal a mysterious glowing object they call a Nightstone. Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy attempt to retrieve the object when a rip in space-time hurls both the Killer-Folk and Devil into the future, leaving Moon Boy behind. Devil quickly finds herself in modern-day New York where, being a dinosaur, she proceeds to rampage. Eventually Devil comes across Lunella, who for some reason reminds the red Rex of her friend Moon Boy. Lunella eventually takes pity on Devil and smuggles the dinosaur back to her secret lab located beneath the local public elementary school. As the story progressed over the course of the next five issues, the Killer-Folk – who have also arrived in New York – assemble themselves into a formidable street gang and begin terrorizing the neighborhood. Devil is determined to get the Nightstone back from the band of nefarious Neanderthals and ends up dragging Lunella along and in the process they get into a fight with The Hulk (the Korean-American one). Once they’ve secured the Nightstone from the Killer-Folk, Lunella realizes that it is actually a Kree Omni-Wave Projector; a piece of alien-tech which Lunella hopes she can use to suppress the latent Inhuman DNA inside her which is supposed to transform her into a mutant at some unspecified point in time. Unfortunately Lunella is too late to do anything about this as Issue #6 ends with Lunella being enveloped in a strange green cocoon as her Inhuman genetic code activates. At the start of Issue #7 Lunella emerges from her cocoon having apparently suffered no noticeable change. However in the following issue she inexplicably swaps bodies with Devil leading to chaotic results but only for 24-hours. This is not explained and simply leaves Lunella and the reader wondering what the hell just happened. The next dozen or so issues of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur are, in my opinion, the low point of the series being essentially a bunch of cameos by different Marvel superheroes mostly from the All-New All-Different line. Also with the Killer-Folk out of the picture, the principal antagonist becomes Kid Kree; a pint-sized alien invader who wants to prove himself by beating a superhero on Earth with Lunella being his target of choice – all of which reads like second-rate Invader Zim.

Things get somewhat more interesting in Issue #21 when Lunella, attempting to unlock the space-time warping secrets of the Kree Omni-Wave Projector, accidentally transports herself and Devil to a parallel universe where they encounter evil doppelgangers of themselves in the form of Devil Girl and Moon Dinosaur – the latter of whom is a purple T. Rex with orange feathers. This naturally leads to the series’ first dinosaur-on-dinosaur fight… which is unfortunately far shorter and less exciting then it should be. Two issues later, #23, Lunella finally fixes the Kree Omni-Wave Projector and manages to send Devil back to the Valley of the Flames where she is reunited with Moon Boy. Since then the series has continued but now simply as Moon Girl…

Reception of Marvel’s All-New All-Different line has proven a contentious issue. Overall, sales for the new books have been uniformly terrible with news of more titles in the line being cancelled every few weeks. In April of 2017 David Gabriel, Marvel’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, in an interview with ICv2.com said that he believed the reason for this was that readers weren’t responding well to the increased diversity in the Marvel Universe. Some commentators, like C.P. Hoffman over at Comic Book Resources, have challenged this allegation, arguing that the problem isn’t the content but the quantity; that Marvel simply produced too many new books too fast and that the current comic market simply isn’t large enough to sustain them. However even Hoffman acknowledges that many of the books which were the first to get sacked were those with non-white non-male characters with a few notable exceptions – readers seem to have responded very positively to the new female Thor for example. When it comes to Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Hoffman writes that we find ourselves dealing with another odd outlier.  In terms of single-issue sales Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is among the worse of Marvel’s All-New All-Different titles, coming in among the bottom 10 poorest sellers. However the series has yet to be cancelled. Why? Because while single issue sales may be bad the title does very well in trade paperback, especially among elementary school age readers many of whom are picking up the series at their school’s annual Scholastic Book Fairs. To me this makes perfect sense. If you know an elementary school-age girl – a daughter, a niece, a sibling, etc… – who loves science and superheroes then Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is a perfect comic for them. If you’re a 30-year-old dinosaur obsessed white male – like myself – not so much. Which is fine. I’m not about to insist that everything dinosaur related be catered to my particular demographic. And if a comic like this helps to get more girls and people of color interested in dinosaurs all the better. Except of course… Devil Dinosaur is no longer in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. It’s too early to speculate if the change of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur to just Moon Girl is going to stick. Or why it was even considered in the first place? Obviously the story demanded that Devil be reunited with Moon Boy at some point but much of what made the series so much fun for those who enjoy it was the presence of Devil. Can Lunella carry the series on her own? Will kids keep reading even if there’s no more Devil Dinosaur? Only time will tell…                                          

[emmajustin20]

Here is How the Makers Completed the Story Arc’s of Major Characters in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. recently concluded with season 7. The last episode titled What We’re Fighting For concluded the story for Marvel’s longest-running television series and its characters. The show premiered in the year 2013 and ended in 2020 with the agents saving the world from the Chronicoms by traveling back to the past and different timelines. With every member winning the “biggest” battle of their lives, it will be interesting to know how their lives panned out after the mission.

The final moments of the series included a time jump of one year to complete every character’s story. Here is what we know so far about the characters’ status after the show’s conclusion.

Agent Daisy Johnson/Quake

Season 7’s episode 9 titled As I Have Always Been was a tense moment for Daisy, aka Quake. In this episode, Enoch, a rogue Chronicom and ally of S.H.I.E.L.D. made a prophecy right before sacrificing his life to save the team. He tells Quake and the L.M.D. version of Coulson that their friends will survive through the mission, but the team might not make it. He said “I have seen the future. Carry this mission and cherish every part of it because it will be your last mission together.” He meant that everyone would go on their own way once everything is over.

So, a year after the mission ended, Quake is still part of S.H.I.E.L.D. but is a special unit leader based out of Zephyr Three. She becomes a representative of Earth while traveling in deep space. The Inhuman is accompanied by her sister Kora and lover Agent Daniel Jordan Sousa.

Alphonso “Mack” Mackenzie

It came as a surprise when Mack stepped into the shoes of the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. This is because his character was very different from Nick Fury and Coulson. His way of working and getting things done often conflicted with his sense of morality. As the show progressed, many viewers thought that Mack would step down from the director’s role and give it to someone else. However, final glimpses of the series show Mack standing on a Helicarriers in a black overcoat. This coat is quite similar to what Nick Fury wore during his days as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agent Melinda May

When the show started, May was shown as a serious character. But as the show progressed, she softened, and eventually, her character went on to have a romantic angle with Coulson. She also trained Daisy and taught her to control her powers. After the team’s final mission ended, her character was shown running the new S.H.I.E.L.D. academy. Her role was to train recruits at the academy.

In the season 6 finale, May entered a different dimension to fight cosmic threats. However, at the end of the episode, she was severely injured but was eventually saved after Jemma Simmons put her in a healing pod. The event had a massive impact on May and left her cold and emotionless. This gave her super-powers of being empathetic towards people. She could understand other people’s emotions just by touching them.

Leopold Fitz and Jemma Simmons

The couple has officially left S.H.I.E.L.D. Both of them endured a lot during the series. For example, Fitz had to time travel to save Jemma. In one of the other episodes, Jemma lost Fitz after his character was killed off. She realizes that a different version of him existed in deep space and goes on a mission to find him. Eventually, the couple found their happy ending as they left the organization to live a simple life and raise their daughter Ayla.

Phil Coulson

After the popular character was killed at the end of Season 5, the team resurrected the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Season 6 finale. They brought him back in the form of a Life Model Decoy using an alien Chronicom technology. He traveled back in time with the team to fight the Chronicoms. Scenes in the finale of season 7 showcases that the L.M.D. version of Coulson does not want to be powered down and is moving across the world as a free agent. Mack also gifts him an enhanced version of Coulson’s favorite car Lola. There is also a possibility that he might go ahead and teach at the S.H.I.E.L.D. academy as May said that he could come back to the academy.

I’m Emma Justin . I’m a web developer living in USA. I am a fan of technology, entrepreneurship, and web development. I’m also interested in education and writing. You can visit my company website with a click on the button above. Also read our Blog, Adailyo

Source: Here is How the Makers Completed the Story Arc’s of Major Characters in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

[blacknerdproblems]

Off the rip, Gifted was a thousand times better than Inhumans. Yes, I know this is a really weak assessment test, but if you watched the entire 2-hour premiere, you would know they have officially cemented themselves at the shitty end of the Marvel spectrum. 8% On Rotten Tomatoes?! 2 years from now when you go see Captain Marvel on Thursday at midnight, your homie will roll up on you Friday and be like, “Yoooo how dope was it on a scale of Inhumans to Avengers?!”

Luckily, The Gifted falls somewhere in the middle of that scale. I don’t think it’ll be as good as Legion, and it’s tough to say where it’ll land, but the first episode was a great starting point for an X-Men show. I’ll hit you with the TL;DR synopsis. The Underground Mutant Resistance is holding it down out in them streets saving wanted mutants on the run. They’re recruiting the fugitives to join their team/resistance in the absence of the X-Men/Brotherhood. Vampire Bill Compton Reed Strucker works for an organization that locks up criminal mutants and underground affiliates. Safe to say you don’t trust this mutant hatin’ fuck boy…at least that’s how you feel at first.

Andy, the son of vamp Mr. Strucker has been bullied something stupid and reaches his breaking point at a school dance. His “fan club” yokes him up in the locker room then scolds him with hot water from the showers. The kid loses it and his dormant (telekinetic?) mutant powers flare and awaken as he uncontrollably rips the locker room apart, tosses the assholes jocks into walls and nearly brings the entire school down.

Big sis Lauren Strucker was just tryna get her school dance swerve on when she has to brave the crumbling building and run into the locker room to calm lil’ bro down. We also find out that she’s a mutant on a rescue mission, as she unleashes her air particle controlling powers to save her classmates from catching the fade from falling pipes and debris. That night, Lauren finally keeps it a buck with mom dukes and comes out as a mutant. Sentinel Services (Mutant 5-0 Feds) show up at the Strucker’s door moments later and they put moms on her ass as they barge in to take the kids away. Mad CPS. Coby Bell soft doe… so the fam escapes and eventually meet up with pops (who’s obviously conflicted about his allegiance to work vs. family) and are on the run.

The Struckers eventually team up with the underground mutant resistance, but Sentinel Services finds them and unleash their sentinel K9 critters on ayebody! These little metallic death spider drones are deadly but Alex unleashes some of his incredible power and Blink creates a portal as everyone makes it out… except for dad who takes a slug to the back and is captured by authorities. This is where our story begins.

Read on here. [x]

[hellyeahheroes]

Secret Empire: Top Ten DUMBEST Moments

As far as events go, Secret Empire is probably one of the worst. And considering both Civil Wars, Ultimatum, Amazons’ Attack and Countdown are events, that bar has been set pretty low. So as it finally comes to an end, seven months too late, let us showcase some of the worst decisions made during the creation of this story. They made it into such colossal trainwreck.

Honorable Mention: Dress Like a Nazi To Work Day

Out of all moronic decisions in this event, this was the one that irks me the most because it slipped into real life. Marvel tried to get their retailers to not only dress in Hydra shirts the day the book premieres but also dress their entire store in Hydra symbols. At least one store owner told them they hire LGBTQ and Jewish people and will be dropping Marvel. Hard to blame that person. Who in their right mind tells people selling his product to dress like a Nazi?! And don’t tell me the old “Hydra isn't Nazis” crap. First of all, even if they’re not, they’re still a fascist death cult that had absolutely no moral qualms about working with the Nazis during World War II, copying from their style and being effectively taken over by remnants of Nazi Germany multiple times. At this point, it’s splitting hair. And two, Marvel, you had Steve Rogers say Hail Hydrand a whole year before. Since then you were constantly trying to tell people Hydra isn’t a Nazi organization and NOBODY BOUGHT IT! At this point, you should have looked at the “Hydra Takeover” idea and realize it might backfire. That this wasn’t recalled but went through only proves that Marvel’s head is so deep up its very ass they no longer see the reality.

Number Ten: Captain America Walking Out Of Himself and Standing Nearby

It is undeniable that Marvel did horrible damage to Captain America in this story, basically twisting the guy into everything he wasn’t. I was honestly afraid how, if ever, they manage to fix the character. But I was not expecting them to pull out the good, old-fashioned chickening out by having an identical copy of the character before he was ruined appear to take over. While seeing real Captain America beat the shit out of Captain Nazi is really cathartic, one cannot forget it came to be through rather...ridiculous means.

Number Nine: Tony Stark

Okay, this one is simple. Tony Stark is in this story. Despite being in a coma. Tony Stark holographic A.I. from Brian Bendis’ Invincible Iron Man is filling in for him. Only here he parades around in Tony’s old armor all the time without anyone commenting on it, recalibrated his personality to be constantly drunk and at one point Steve Rogers tries to decapitate him, a hologram, talking some technobabble about how Hydra made it possible for Tony to die this way.

He’s just Tony Stark. He is Tony Stark because Spencer had scenes requiring Tony Stark to be there and instead of killing his darlings like a good writer, he just wrote clearly human Tony Stark and threw some half-assed explanations and lampshades. It’s silly and makes every scene with him impossible to take seriously.

Number Eight: All the Fucking Quislings!

This one is bad. And I mean, just simply bad. Okay, it’s multiple problems, not a singular one. But it makes my very insides turn at the thought. Nick Spencer asked how can he threw some moral ambiguity IN AN EVENT ABOUT HEROES FIGHTING LITERALLY NAZIS and the best idea he had was to have some random heroes join Hydra. I’m not talking here about those who were brainwashed, like Wanda and Vision, although that is a conversation to also be had by their fans about how often this treatment occurs. Although I wonder - if they are too powerful to let them roam freely, why even HAVE them in this event? It’s not like every superhero was there, currently, heroic Victor Von Doom could probably break Hydra at day one and he was nowhere to be seen.

No, the real problem is with the fact they made some heroes join Hydra willingly. Sometimes they tried to throw flimsy reasons in. Punisher joined to get his family back...even though in previous stories he refused the same offer from less evil people. I feel it’s kinda funny they did this with Frank, considering the man who more or less defined him, Chuck Dixon, has thrown in with real-life Nazis like Milo Yiannopolus. Meanwhile, Deadpool and Thor just go along with letting Nazis rule the States because....Steve Rogers said so and Steve Rogers is always right. That’s just a plain stupidity and total lack of compassion on their side. I’m sure don’t feel like buying any book starring them ever now.

But the worst one is, by far, the Hulk. Who also comes back to life for this event, only to smash for Hydra and immediately die.But that is not the worst part. The worst part is how they build up to it. By having Hydra Steve give Bruce Banner long speech over how Avengers and everyone mistreated him over the years and with Hydra he will finally be accepted for who he is. And Banner calls him a Nazi and tells to go fuck himself. And it is a very powerful moment, Bruce Banner symbolizes everyone disfranchised by the society being offered hand by Nazis and heroically rejecting it... Nah, turns out Rogers was talking to Hulk who felt like changing his catchphrase to Sig Heil. I don’t think Spencer even realized what message he sent by this one moment. He basically said that everyone who has been screwed over by the system secretly agrees with the Nazis, but are “too PC” or “too weak” to say it out loud. It’s stupid AND extremely insulting, two for the price of one.

Number Seven: BARF!

How to properly seed a classic Chekov’s Gunman and yet STILL make him feel like a Deus Ex Machina? Make him ridiculously fucking stupid, that’s how!

Enter Barf, a random Inhuman with the power to vomit up things he needs. He shows up in the first issue, is absent through the entire story only to reappear in Captain America #25 and vomit out a fragment of Cosmic Cube. Because why let people work for their victory and earn their happy ending when you can just have all their efforts blow in their faces and just have means of victory handled to them on a silver platter in the most blatant way possible! If Nick Spencer knew he’s going to write himself into a corner, couldn’t he simply change the plot to avoid it instead of setting up something so stupid?

Number Six: Thou Shalt Not Kill, Miles

After Civil War II we were left with a vision of the future where Miles Morales kills Captain America. Once Secret Empire rolled around and we saw Rogers go full Alt-Right on the country, many were hoping this will actually happen. And Miles, with a handful of friends, does join Black Widow in her efforts to off Captain Nazi. And she spends most of the series training them to be more like her....then talking how she doesn’t actually want them to be more like her and how her generation screwed things up....then taking them on the assassination day anyway only to lock Miles up to kill Rogers herself and when that fails, give up her life trying to stop their fight. Which, in the classic refrigerator fashion, pushes Miles hard enough to actually do this. Only to be given one of the most hollow, lazy-written speeches about how killing is wrong. It hits all the old, tired notes. “Heroes should be better than villains”. “If you kill him, you will be just like him!” (a reminder that “you” in this situation is a Black-Latino and “him” is A FUCKING NAZI FOR CHRIST”S SAKE...). “Natasha wouldn’t want this for you.” (she showed it in the strangest way).... It’s especially bad when you have a character who has a backstory of being trained to kill but rejecting those ways, like Nadia Van Dyne, delivering this speech. Despite her background and personality none of this sounds like her words. It reads like she was going through a checklist of tired cliches.

This is why I came to hate this Aesop that superheroes shouldn’t kill. Because nine times out of ten this isn’t done to actually be a piece of a character driven narrative. It’s done to give a bunch of excuses to let villain live when he deserves to die.

Also, that entire plot point dragged since the previous event, in the end, amounted to BUG FUCKING NOTHING!

Number Five: Who Cares About the Civilians, Right?

So okay, the day is saved, villains are defeated, Captain Nazi got his ass kicked by Steve Rogers and Kobik, a sentient cosmic cube, undoes all this damage. EXCEPT FOR FUCKING VEGAS, WHICH HYDRA LEVELED AND LEFT NOT SURVIVORS! Seriously, I don’t care about the explanations given. Someone should have asked her to do it. And no, some “leave it as a reminder” excuse doesn’t work, Kobik is mentally three years old, she isn’t some wise all-powerful being like Odin or the Stranger from whom we could buy this shit. This is pretty much done only so that Nick Spencer can claim he kept his promise to not undo everything by the cosmic cube. He didn’t undo EVERYTHING, that counts, right? It makes all the heroes look like morons and assholes. Even Z Fighters in Dragon Ball have enough decency to ask the dragon to resurrect all dead civilians when they undo everything after every arc. Marvel heroes, for all the “lessons” this even taught them, couldn’t be assed to do even that.

Number Four: Ultron the Centrist

I’ll be honest with you, Pymltron wearing “Kiss the Overlord” apron, forcing Avengers and Hydra to sit and roasting all of them was one of the best parts of the event. But then it also comes off as paying lip service to the “both sides are as bad” mentality that we saw being used by people of today to desperately try to equate alt-right and those opposing them in real life. It’s pretty much justifying this approach in this story and it doesn’t matter one saying that is a fusion of mentally unstable man and a genocidal robot - he never gets challenged on this position because, for all his talk otherwise on twitter, Nick Spencer apparently cannot think of a compelling argument against it. I guess he secretly agrees with him...

And it doesn’t help that while Ultron ends up aiding the good guys, he does say it’s because Hydra became too strong and might pose a threat to him. Sending a message that any outside powers that show support to those opposing Nazis, in reality, wants America’s destruction...

Number Three: Nazi Pandering

Do I really need to explain this one? The entire event does nothing but bends over to kiss Hydra, and by the extension, Nazi ass at every possible opportunity. They beat up all superheroes because the plot says so, while the narrator goes on and on about how NAZI STRONK! We��re told they were supposed to win the World War II and that Allies “cheated” by rewriting reality...but for some reason let the Holocaust in?! Their rule is shown as being the strongest, which is water to the mill of real-life Nazis as their philosophy is based on “might makes right” and they beat up pretty much everyone, even Wakanda. Every victory heroes have against them must be immediately undermined by giving Nazis another win for consolidation. And while the heroes win at the end, this comes after several issues portraying them as absolutely pathetic losers who didn’t really earn their happy ending but it was handed to them by a random inhuman and Deus Ex Machina device. Which brings us to the next point...

Number Two: Cosmic Cubes

All the dumb shit going in this event can be tracked back to Cosmic Cube, be it as Kobik or the shards. She causes Crazy Steve to emerge, launching this story. And she fixes this mess at the end. Shards of Cosmic Cube serve as a distraction to put both good and bad guys on a wild goose chase because Spencer couldn’t think of any actually interesting plotline for this event. All dumb shit evil Steve pulls out can be explained by them. When it’s time for heroes to win, Barf vomits out a shard. And It undermines everything. A story that entirely revolves around this crap doesn’t have any time to actually show things it’s talking about. Maybe instead of running after Dragon Balls, more time should be developed to show how lack of trust and resentments between the good guys gets in the way? You know, something the narration keeps talking on and on and on but never is reflected in the book? Or show more of them acting like an actual resistance would? Worse, thanks to them heroes no longer win because they’re heroic but because they’ve been handed the I Win Button. Any easy win of the villains can be explained by them holding the Fuck You That’s Why Button. Making you wonder why even care if everybody wins only by writer’s fiat?

Number One: Bown Down To the Gary Stu

Most of the problems in this entire story can really boil down to just this. Steve Rogers is a gary stu. He wins because Nick Spencer wants to show how cool and badass he is. His plans always go without a hitch and he never has to adapt or improvise, under him, Hydra wrecks everyone's shit, even if he loses he still wins and in the end, the only man allowed to beat him is...another Steve Rogers. All other problems in the story can be traced back to Spencer’s desperate need to make him look strong. And believe me, he tried soo damn hard. Up to have him go full Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Four Madara Uchicha with Cosmic Cube Dojustsu on everyone’s ass at the finale. I don’t think we’d see a guy being shoved down our throats so hard if Roman Reigns joined Ultramarines! This is where the book truly falls. Nick Spencer could not let go of his fanboyism over the character and it twisted everything he supposedly wanted to say into a parody of itself, often sending the exact opposite message to accommodate the need to make evil Steve Rogers look good.

So, these are ten dumbest moments in the series. As far as events go, this was one of the worst. It looks like it might have ruined Nick Spencer’s career at Marvel and maybe in general, and will probably make it very hard to look at certain characters for years to come. The only good thing you could say is that it finally ended.

Fuck this book.

- Admin

[eveningspirit]

I made up my mind about the Inhumans and I’m afraid I’m gonna drop this show like a hot potato. I liked the premiere (contrary to popular opinion), even though it raised some red flags for me -- like the question why the hell should I even root for Black Bolt and Medusa? We weren’t shown -- or even told, ha! -- why they were those great wonderful rulers. Were they fair, wise and loved by their subjects? Were they the protectors of the realm that people needed even if they didn’t know everything? WHAT? WHY???

There were of course things I liked -- Maximus standing in defence of the oppressed among all -- and it was all ambivalent enough that I thought it could go either way and I would give the show a chance.

Now, after episode 4, I think I know where it is going. Inhumans is another example of the style apparently prefered by Marvel TV producers -- of which a stellar example was Agents of Shield -- a Protagonist Ceneterd Morality.

We should root for Black Bolt and Medusa (and Gorgon, Karnak and Crystal), because they are the protagonists of the show. Period. Well, alright, the show also gives us a glimpse at how they love each other and how loyal they are toward their family. Bravo! Also, the show graciously tells us how evil and selfish Maximus really is. Lookie, he was evil and envious even as a child! Bad Maximus, who is the show’s obvious villain and we shouldn’t root for him. Easy, right?

Except the answer to characters “goodness” or “evilness” shouldn’t be in their label, but in their deeds, you know... Now, I don’t mind my protagonists doing questionable or even outright wrong things. Quite on the contrary, I enjoy that much more than clean cut Perfections. But the wrongness of the character’s deeds much be acknowledged by the narrative, even if the character themself is yet unaware.

And what do we have in the universe of the Inhumans? We have Queen Medusa talking down to Louise, treating her like crap and using her to further her own goals with no regard for another person’s wishes whatsoever. I know, it is to be expected of the Queen who feels entitled to all the honors. But it doesn’t make any of what she’s doing right, does it? So, how does Louise respond to Medusa treating her this way? Well, she practically begs Medusa for attention, brings up that she did so much for her highness and when Medusa grants her her royal smile and says Louise is alright, Lousie almost jumps out of her skin of joy and fist-pumps a victory. WTF? Medusa is not be-all end-all master of Louise’s world.

Now, I don’t know. Maybe it will all turn around and will be addressed and spun on its head. Perhaps. But then, that was my hope for most of first season of AoS (since about episode 14? The Lorelei one, and the fucked up deal with rape-on-a-male-character) and up to about half way through season two. I’m not going to fall into the same trap twice, thank you but no thank you.

Let me know if Inhumans becomes more human, because for now... I’m gonna stick with Star Trek Disco.

Also, just for the record, I’m disappointed by their approach to Black Bolt’s way of communicating with other people. They all speak American English for ef’s sake! Why can’t he communicate using ASL then? It’s just stupid.

[themtanalyst-blog]

10 Things to Looks For This At San Diego Comic Con 2017

With San Diego’s famous international Comic Con kicking off in less than 48 hours (July 20th - July 23rd, Preview Night Thursday July 19th) here’s 10 things fans of any kind will want to look out for this upcoming year on film and television whether or not you get close to the famous stars or not.

1. Teaser Trailer for Infinity War Part 1. and 2.

After D23′s expo which occurred this past weekend which hosted some of disney’s most beloved stars and fans. It gave Marvel fans the hype on something many have been waiting months for. The first official trailer for the Infinity Wars, as it steals the top spot for number 1. The reason for this besides the typical hype that follows any marvel film it was recently discovered that the production of the movie had recently finished filming and is now in phase of post-production. Coming along way from their beginning back in mid-january when they announced the beginning. For sure this trailer is one that will set the bar high this comic con season.

2. Fox’s Gotham Bruce Wayne Finally Batman?!

For all Gotham fans, I might say this coming season is surely one to look out for. Gotham, leaving fans in a tizzy with their season finale is  coming back for series 4. Even though it is still unclear on what will happen this new season fans hope comic con will be able to set things in perspective. One things for sure is that billionaire orphan Bruce Wayne will become the crime fighting vigilante that we all know and love. Although he may not be known let alone called batman yet (perhaps later in this upcoming season) we can ensure that he is officially one step closer to unraveling his destiny as Batman. As well as Selena Kyle, Bruce’s love interest as Catwoman. 

3. Operation Smile’s Live Stream Panels 

As one of many who has not been able to attend San Diego’s Comic Con. A special thanks is needed to Zachary Levi’s Nerd HQ/Operation Smile’s run charity panels to give at home fans a way to enjoy the Con without actually being at the event. So for those like me staying at home bumping news off others actually at the Con, these panels are a real life saver on discovering some of the news first hand on the fly. If interest download the app to catch all the live panels streams.

4. Star Wars “The Last Jedi”

“It’s time for the Jedi....to end” these were the words Luke Skywalker spoke in the Star Wars teaser trailer that dropped early January and continues to stir rumors and speculations around the films future. Including what Luke means in his mysterious message about the force as well as Rey’s training with Luke and if/when Finn will return back to us in the franchise after being injured during his battle with Kylo Ren at the end of The Force Awakens. There has been several news about the Star Wars franchise that the sudden passing of Carrie Fisher has not changed the plot of The Last Jedi film but pre-production writers and analysts had to rewrite the script of the following films to write out Carrie’s character Princess General Leia. Still no word on how the changes and how it will affect the plot of the films going forward. But the excitement surrounding the films will no doubt continue through this weekend.

5. DC’s “The Justice League”

With the set release date of November 17, 2017. It’s no doubt a countdown from now on for many DC fans. After the release of Wonder Woman its no kidding that DC has officially set the bar on their franchise raising from their past failures like Suicide Squad and Batman vs. Superman. Let’s hope this is as good as Wonder Woman’s solo film which so far has exceeded such expectations from and box office or film critic. So far the rumors have kept quiet so far except for director Zach Snyder taking sometime off during shooting due to a personal family matter. There was no word on if film was suspended or taken over by a different director but let hope this sudden hiccup in the filming process doesn't effect the final cut of the movie.

6. The CW Networks Supernatural Returns for Season 13

Season 13 here we come! The Supernatural Fandom has really come along way since Sam and Dean’s adventure in finding their dad, John (Jeffery Dean Morgan), from the yellow eyed demon back in season 1. From the season 12 finale, fans were ended with Lucifer’s child being born, Mary Winchester stuck in a parallel universe with the devil, and everyones favorite angel Castiel having died. A few spoilers that we know of so far is that Castiel does, unsurprisingly, resurrect from the dead, thanks to Jared Padelicki spilling the beans at a recent Supernatural Convention but how he comes back to the land of the living is still unknown to us including what episode it might occur at. The rumors of a Scooby-Doo themed episode is also running around including what will happen during the events of this upcoming season and if it might be their last. So for those of you going to Comic Con please ask if this is true.

7. BBC’s Doctor Who Newest Doctor- A WOMAN!

The Doctor had Regenerated! I repeat he has Regenerated! The series that has gone on for more than 50 years has now accomplished and taken the show to the next level by making their lead, The Doctor, a female. Actress Jodie Whittaker who will reprise the role as the 13th doctor after Peter Capaldi says she's “beyond excited to being  this epic journey” -entertainmentweekly. Good Luck Jodie you deserve it! more information about the series journey this season will be answered during their panel at comic con.

8. Blade Runner 2049

More than 30 years after the making of the original Blade Runner Film played by Harrison Ford and made famous by Director Ridley Scott. Blade Runner is back better and ready to take on the science fiction world once more. Set 30 years after the original Officer K, played by Ryan Gosling who seeks the help of Harrison’s character Rick Dechard about information of the Blade Runners and their jobs in society.  Nothing much has been said about the film except for the recent release of the films trailers. But it could be possible that another trailer is expected to be released during comic con but so far anything is possible.

9. Netflix’s Stranger Things Season 2!

Eleven is back for season 2! Even though the last season of Stranger Things ended with Eleven in the parallel universe and everything, so far, in our world to be  safe and sound. Including Will coming back and The Demogorgon gone everything’s back to normal except for the big impact eleven made on everyone’s lives in the show and its fans. Comic con will shed some light on the newly released poster and trailer as well as teasing on the monster that made its way back to the normal world and how this one is different and/or more harmful than the monster the first season. Can’t wait until October.

10.  Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom

With production of the newest Jurassic having recently come to a close a very short time away from San Diego’s Comic Con. It makes sense why a lot of them would attend to spread the word on how this new generation of dinosaurs with cause self destruction on people and its park. right? Anyway, rumors have spread about the ideas of the film based on the title as well as the new characters expected to play in the film in its designated release in June of 2018. Some new comers and veterans include BD Wong’s character Dr. Henry Wu whom we saw in the release of the last film and the return of Jeff Goldblum’s famous Dr. Ian Malcolm. There is still no concrete idea of the films progression into this fallen kingdom that the movie hints about but fortunately for us as fans comic con is here to shed some light on where it will takes us if the possibility of another Jurassic sequel is either in the works as I write this or any ideas of another.

New series premieres to look out for!

-Fox’s The Gifted

-Marvel’s Inhumans/ Defenders

-The CW’s Dynasty

-Netflix’s The Punisher

Returning Shows to look out for!

-CW’s The Flash

-CW’s Supergirl

-CBS’s Blindspot

- Netflix Thirteen Reason Why

-AMC’s The Walking Dead

-ABC’s Quantico

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West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 5/5/17

In TV news, we got the first trailer for Marvel’s The Defenders series on Netflix. I dunno, y’all. I’ll be the first person to tell you that I’m behind on these shows. At this point, I’ve only seen Daredevil season 1 and Jessica Jones. No DD S2, no Luke Cage, and no Iron Fist. Sorry, kids, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Daredevil was a worthy bingeing experience, as each episode ended on a cliffhanger that MADE you have to check out the next episode immediately. Jessica Jones, not so much. It took me about 3 months to get through that show. Now, I enjoyed it, but it didn’t demand that I consume it immediately. I’m eager to catch Luke Cage, but I wanna go in order, so that means I’ve got to meet the Punisher and Elektra first in Daredevil season 2. So, even though The Defenders comes out in August, I’ll be lucky if I get to it in 2017. Anyway, I told you all that to make you see that my level of enthusiasm for this probably isn’t as high as yours because I’m so far behind. That said, I thought this trailer looked hokey as Hell. The scene where Murdock comes into Jessica’s interrogation felt like a bad fan film. Shit, the whole thing felt like a bad fan film. Remember when Playstation Network aired that Bendis Powers show? Yeah, it looks like that. Something about the cinematography of it all. And then they had to do another goddamn hallway fight. WE GET IT ALREADY! I just don’t know about this one right now..

In other TV news, there are talks of a Roseanne revival, with ABC and Netflix interested bidding on the project. Laurie Metcalf, Aunt Jackie herself, reported that contracts have been worked out, so now they’re just trying to sell the series. Right now, Roseanne (does she currently have a last name?), John Goodman, and Sara Gilbert would star, while Metcalfe says she’s on board in some capacity. It’ll be interesting to see how they pull this off, ya know with Dan being dead and all. Still, it ended with one of the most maligned series finales in television history, and they’ve got a chance to basically erase it. How many shows can say that? Anyway, I was never a huge Roseanne fan. They were just so poor and depressing. Are they gonna lose the bike shop? Are they gonna lose the loose meat restaurant? Is Fisher gonna stop beating up Jackie? I know their struggles resonated with certain folks, but not me. I actually liked the Lottery Season because I could say “Thank God their lives aren’t such shit anymore!” Anyway, I’d bet money on this happening, so it’s now just a matter of where it’s gonna air. The big question is in which “universe” it will be set. After all, the finale basically laid out that everything since about season 4 of the show had been a lie, since Darlene actually ended up with Mark, Becky was the one with David, Jackie was a lesbian, etc. So, would we get the “true” Roseanne, or just more of what we’re used to? And with Mark dead, and David on The Big Bang Theory, I don’t really expect much from those characters anyway. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

I was on my own last weekend, so I took the time to watch TV and catch up comics. Well, I didn’t really watch TV, but it was on in the background. It provided the soundtrack to my comic time. What did I watch? CMT – Country Music Television. Yeah, yeah, you hate country. I don’t care. I grew up on it, so it has a special place in my heart. Anyway, when I saw Brad Paisley’s new video for “Last Time For Everything”, I KNEW I had to share it with y’all. This thing is a love letter to children of the 80s, complete with tracking/tape distortion lines. I don’t wanna spoil anything, so just check it out. Don’t worry – the song’s not about drankin’, or a dead dog, or his wife left him; it’s just a song about appreciating things when you have them because they won’t always be there.

The backdoor pilot for the Black-ish spinoff aired this week. Oh, you don’t know what a “backdoor pilot” is? It’s when an established show gives up one of its episodes to try to launch a new show. Since it already has a built-in audience, it kinda tricks viewers into watching a new show that they otherwise wouldn’t have checked out. Married…with Children had, like, 4 of them. Anyway, in Black-ish, Zoey went off to check out college, made a new best friend, and pissed off the Black Student Union. The whole episode was kinda hokey, but it worked. Chris Parnell was the spineless dean, which is basically every Chris Parnell character these days. And I love how they worked Deon Cole’s Charlie into the plot. If the spinoff gets picked up (I mean, why wouldn’t it?), I hope he gets a bigger role there than he has on Black-ish. If Black-ish is a modern-day Cosby Show, then this is its A Different World. And there ain’t nothing wrong with that, really.

If you like useless gimmick items as much as I do, then make sure you pick up your Frork from McDonalds today. To celebrate the release of their three new Signature Crafted Recipes (Pico Guacamole, Sweet BBQ Bacon, and Maple Bacon Dijon), they’re releasing a utensil that they know nobody needs, but hey, why not? The Frork is basically a fry holder, where the fries act as the tines of the fork. In the infomercial, complete with Anthony Sullivan appearance, they claim the Frork will help you scoop up the toppings that fall off your overflowing sandwich. I swear Anthony Sullivan killed Billy Mays ‘so he’d get ALL that sweet infomercial work. But I digress…If you would like a Frork, check this link to see if one of your local McDonalds locations is giving them out today.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

HBO has hired writers for FOUR potential Game of Thrones spinoffs. So, get ready for Match of Chairs, Bout of Seats, Mother of Dragons and, my personal favorite, Tits & Swords.

Warner Bros has pushed back its theatrical animated Scooby-Doo film two years to 2020.

Girl Meets World is officially dead, as creator Michael Jacobs was unable to find a new home for the series.

While this news is about a month old, FXX has decided against a fourth season of Man Seeking Woman, which wrapped up its 3rd season in March. The season finale was a fitting series finale, so I ain’t mad.

Hot on the heels of its premiere, Hulu has renewed The Handmaid’s Tale for a second season.

Surprising no one, Fox canceled the freshman drama Pitch, about the first female major league baseball player. Following on their heels, NBC canceled the Wizard of Oz update Emerald City.

It was reported that Gabriel Luna’s Ghost Rider will be returning to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for the season finale

Speaking of Marvel TV, we got our first cast picture from Inhumans. KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!

We also got our first look at the cast of Marvel’s Runaways on Hulu. They look like the comic, but I still hate that they aged Molly. I like her more as a precocious child to balance them out.

A strike by the Writers Guild of America, which would’ve affected all corners of entertainment, was narrowly averted at the 11th hour

Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski revealed that they’re engaged. Man, they shit in the company ink! That’s the saying, right?

The biggest TV news of the week was that Ryan Seacrest was announced as Kelly Ripa’s permanent cohost on what will now be called Live with Kelly & Ryan. This bothered me so much! First of all, I was really kinda hoping an underdog, like Fred Savage, would get it. And if they had to go with a media person, they had Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen on the list. But Seacrest?! The dude’s empire is based in LA and, yes, he has an empire. He’s a modern-day Merv Griffin, producing Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Shades of Blue, and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. He also has a daily syndicated radio show, On Air With Ryan Seacrest, as well as hosts the weekly American Top 40 countdown. With all that going on, you’d think he’d stay in LA instead of taking a job from a New Yorker. Instead, iHeartMedia has built a radio station in the ABC Studios building so that he can do his radio show immediately after taping Live. The plan is for him to stay in New York Monday-Thursday to film Live, he’ll pretape Friday’s show on Thursday, and then he’ll spend Friday-Sunday in LA.

But that’s not ALL the Seacrest news this week. You see, talks of an American Idol revival have heated up again. I wrote about it a few weeks ago, when NBC and Fox were both interested in the show – NBC especially because they could, then, reduce The Voice to one cycle a year. Those talks fell through, but now it appears that ABC has gotten into the game, with one stipulation: there’s no Idol without Seacrest, so the show would have to move to New York so he could continue to host. The show’s production company, Fremantle, insists that it stays in LA. ABC wants to announce it during the May upfronts, which occur in two weeks, for a Fall 2018 premiere (yeah, it ain’t gonna be ready by this Fall). So here’s the plan on how that would work: Fremantle wants to air Idol on Sunday nights from LA, where Seacrest would then fly to NYC after the show in order to make it in time to film Live Monday morning. After filming Monday’s Live, he would then fly back to LA for the Idol results show. Once that’s over, he would fly back to NYC in time for Tuesday’s Live. My God! The live portion of Idol is only 10 weeks, but that is a grueling schedule that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. So far, however, it seems that ABC’s plan would be to air Idol on Mondays, to go head to head with The Voice, so this plan wouldn’t work.

Say what you will about Seacrest, but I’ve always admired the dude’s work ethic. He doesn’t seem to know the word “no”, and he’s constantly building his brand. With the exception of the short-lived On Air With Ryan Seacrest TV show (which is conveniently missing from his Wikipedia entry), he doesn’t really fail at anything. I guess hard work and determination really can take you places. I’ll tell ya, back when he was hosting Click and Gladiators 2000, I had NO CLUE he would become as big as he is. He makes me wanna go out and get 3 more jobs. Then again, I wouldn’t have his net worth of $330 million, but it’d be a start. Anyway, for taking all the jobs, while growing in power, Ryan Seacrest had the West Week Ever.