#also it makes sense for the final(?) big villain to be randall

[raziiyah]

i've seen polarizing opinions on this, so i'm curious of the statistics of what people think

1. you believe randall will and/or should be redeemed, there's still potential/good in him

2. you think randall is too far gone, he's too evil to be redeemed and maw will continue to keep him as a villain

3. you hope randall is redeemed, but don't realistically see the show giving him that arc so he'll probably remain as a villain

4. you don't want randall to be redeemed, he's too far gone & it doesn't make sense, but maw will probably make him good in the end

5. if you have an opinion different or more complicated than above feel free to share!

[aburningpotathoe]

EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE MCU PHASE 5 (SDCC)

Soo theres a lot to discuss, lets get going shall we

Idk if the Guardians christmas special is still happening/is canon/is a part of phase 5, finishing phase 4 on black panther makes a lot of sense but at the same time, starting the next phase with a special doesn't

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

This movie will see the main group of heroes travel into the quantum realm and battle Kang

We dont know if Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) are returning (please give us some news about ghost homegirl has been waiting for them to return from the quantum realm for 5 years)

Kang (Jonathan Majors) is set to appear and to have some very cold lines about fighting the avengers in other universes

"Have i killed you before?" that's an amazing line right there yup

Modok will appear, however his appearance will be more metallic rather than the human face he has in the comic probably to avoid an uncanny valley moment (*cough * strange's 3rd eye)

Cassie Lang (Cathryn Newton) will appear as stinger. Her relationship with Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) will be explored as they struggle to connect given that Scott didn't see her grow up. (Paul Rudd seems to have debunked the rumor that Scott will be rich and famous and that will make him loose touch with his daughter, however, the rumor that he published a book has been confirmed)

There are rumors that Scott will die in this movie (pls stop)

The director also teased some unexpected cameos, and said the movie will change the MCU as a whole

Secret Invasion

Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) is confirmed to return (slay) as well as Rhodey (big slay)

QUAKE (CHLOE FRICKING BENNET) is rumored to return (chloe liked some twitter posts about her being in secret invasion and she is rumored to have signed a contract with marvel)

The series is rumored to be a political espionnage thriller with the same vibes as The Winter Soldier

We dont know how much of the Kree-Skrull war we will get to see as the series will likely be mostly set on earth

Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.3

This film is 'the end of the guardians era' for James Gunn, its likely the last Guardians movie HOWEVER that doesnt mean they will all die and cant appear in future projects

Drax (Dave Bautista) is rumored to die however (hot take: i don't really care about him and i never found him that funny)

The movie will have the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) as one of its villains, and we will probably see how he experimented on Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper)

Baby Rocket is also there!!!!!

Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) will return and is rumored to have Goldenish skin

No trailer yet because the VFX isnt finished (that feels like a jab at the cgi quality hate the mcu is getting)

Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is rumored to join the ravagers and be as angsty as ever with Star-Lord (Chris Pratt)

Echo

This will be the first MCU-street level series (if you dont count Hawkeye because meh). It will likely be a setup of the mcu street level world so that they dont have to explain it in the Daredevil Series, i just hope the pacing will be ok and not just 6 hours of exposition about this reality

Echo (Alaqua Cox) will obviously return, but so will Daredevil, in his black suit (!!). It is very likely that Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) will also return, given that he was shot by echo in the Hawkeye finale.

Daredevil is rumored to be looking for an old ally, that is rumored to be my baby Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter, marvel if you recast her i sWEAR-)

Loki season 2

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia di Martino) will return and will be working at McDondald's (???) according to set photos (???)

Part of the show will be set in the seventies as a Bollywood poster featuring Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) from that town is shown in set photos

Kang will probably appear given that he seems to have took over the TVA at the end of season 1

Mobius (Owen Wilson) will most likely be back

The Marvels

We will see light of my life Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) again

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) will most likely appear, following his appearance in secret invasion

Part of the movie is rumored to be a musical (why) as the characters end up in a planet where everyone sings. Carol (Brie Larson) is rumored to be married to this planets' leader (queen?) in a very killing eve-esque way

A scene is rumored to be a ship containing Humans, Skrulls and Flurkens (space cats!!!) being attacked (likely by Krees) and the cats gettinf people to safety

We will likely see the Kree empire again

Blade

Oooh another fun project i dont really know what to expect but it will likely be a street-level movie.

Mahershala Ali is rumored to play Blade (big yes), this is his second Marvel role after playing Cottonmouth in Netflix's Luke Cage

Anthony Starr (Homelander from the Boys) is rumored to star as Dracula

Dane Whittman (Kit Harrington) will likely star as the Black Knight after the Eternals post-credit scene featured him with the black sword adn Blade's voice

We might get a Werewolf by night (Gael Garcia Bernal) cameo (if the Halloween special is still a thing) or even a Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac) one (please marvel let me see my emotional support Dilf again)

Ironheart

Nothing much is known about the project, other than it will be centered around Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), that will appear beforehand in Wakanda Forever

There is a rumor that Obadiah Stane's son will appear

The show might revolve around the stole stark tech mentioned in No Way Home

Agatha: Coven of Chaos

The series was renamed (previously titled house of Harkness), we will likely see other witches given the title

They might be teasing Wanda's return (please!!!!!!) as she is the only Chaos Magic wielder in the mcu

The curse Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) put on Agatha (Kathryn Hanh) will most likely be broken after Wanda's DeAtH in MoM

Maybe we get some more information on Ralf Bohner (Evan Peters) or smt because his character in WandaVision was pointless

MePhIsTo.. no but maybe Chton??? since they changed the title to include the world Chaos

Daredevil: Born Again

The series will be 18 episodes long and most likely TV-MA (pls marvel)

Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk will return, and so will Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) most likely

The Punisher is set to return

If the Echo rumors about Jessica Jones are true, she might appear here too

If were lucky we get all of the defenders or even Claire (Rosario Dawson)

It is unclear wether this series will be the fourth season of the original, however it will probably be a soft reboot (the og series still happened so they dont have to explain character motivations and stuff but it wont be referenced

Captain America: New World Order

SAM WILSON (ANTHONY MACKIE) IS CAP, STEVE IS EITHER DECOMPOSING OR ON DEATHBED STOP SAYING HE WILL RETURN AS CAP IT FEELS RACIALLY MOTIVATED

oh and also no bucky (Sebastian Stan) will not be the next cap

he will be in this film tho, most likely and people are speculating wether he will die (i would die with him)

the title is the same as the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) and his nephew (Elijah Richardson) might return (pls), as well as John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Zemo (Daniel Bruhl)

Idk why but i feel like this movie will setup the Thunderbolts, like maybe the government realize that a superhearo is more of a PR stunt that someone they cand send on possibly comprosmizing missions, which leads to the cration of this villain team

THUNDERBOLTS

Most likely we will get a tribute to William Hurt (Thaddeus Ross) given he passed away recently

Given that fact, Zemo will most likely be the leader of the team

This basically Marvel's suicide squad so i hope they manage to make the movie different enough

Valentina Allegra (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) will most likely be the one to put the team together and recruit agents.

Yelena (Florence Pugh), Bucky, Abomination (Tim Roth) and Ghost are all likely on the team

Especially ghost because i feel like they put her in Marvel Zombies out of nowhere to remind us of her existence since she wont have a major role in Quantumania

Some characters that are yet to be introduced will be in this movie

[agentnico]

WandaVision (2021) Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall score: 7/10

[calliecat93]

Honestly, Monsters Inc is a prine example on how to do a surprise villain reveal. Normally in these kinds of films, the villain is the rival to the hero. Randall is prideful, envious, and a slimy jerk and a huge contrast against the easy-going Sulley, who he is constantly rude to. So of course we assume that he’s gotta be the Big Bad and the Scream Extractor only further cements it.

But the. We get to the ‘I know, I know... it’s yours” scene, and everything is flipped on it’s head.

Throughout the film, Waternoose came off as overall affable. Frustrated but with the company going under, it’s understandable. But otherwise, he’s perfectly pleasant to Sulley and clealry carss about the company. They also keep his screentime as limited as possible, but also make every scene count. With how well he treats Sulley, we are given zero reason to believe that the guy could be the Big Bad until the above mentioned scene. The final scene where he declares he’ll kidnap a thousand children is still one of the most chilling in a Pixar film.

It’s such a brilliantly done reveal. I still rememeber going wide-eyed as a little girl when I saw it for the first time. Randal was the lackey the whole time? That’s not how that works! It’s appropriately shocking, but when you go back and listen to Waternoose’s dialogue and the clear desperation to do anything to keep the company from dying, it makes absolute perfect sense. God, I love this movie~

[inkribbon796]

The Midnight Hour is Close at Hand Ch. 1

Chapter 1: The Thriller

Summary: Sometimes heroics is more dangerous than it’s worth, especially when you have minors dressing up like superheroes and trying to go up against dangerous villains.

A/N: Warning! The death of a minor is detailed in this. This is for Robbie’s birthday, which is actually tomorrow but I didn’t want to push the release of another story back a day for that. Also no black magic was actually used in the making of this story because I refuse to be responsible for getting anyone in trouble. Titles of this story are a reference to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Because that song and NateWantsToBattle’s Terror Time cover are pretty much all I listen to while writing this.

Chapters: 1, 2

~::~ Five Years Ago ~::~

The idea of the heroes getting apprentices or sidekicks had been around, jokingly, since they first started the Coalition. Roman, coincidentally brought it up first. The colorful hero liked working with and around kids since he practically had Disney Prince slapped over his forehead anytime he went out in public in full costume. Logan was forced to reign him in constantly.

Over the years many kids and teenagers had tried to be heroes but they lacked one thing or the other: the fact they were minors, parents understandably didn’t want their kids put against villains, and a real lack of an ability to protect themselves against the villains like Anti or Wil who were known to think weapon-first and consequences never.

Eventually, a couple teens made the cut. The first happened during patrol when Mark was surprised and almost punched a fourteen-year-old’s head off. He was in a costume that reminded Mark of his first couple of costumes. It was clearly a blue sweater, a pair of jeans, and a blue face mask which barely covered his identity. He was in items pulled from the boy’s closet.

Then, eager to prove his agility, the young would-be superhero did a backflip.

Despite his invisibility gift, and a sweet backflip that he would be embarrassed about for years to come, Blank didn’t immediately get a license to become a superhero. He would get that through proving that regardless of having the right equipment or permission, he was going to be a superhero, come hell or high water.

So there was a quiet agreement that Silver and the rest of the heroes would keep their eye on him and make sure he didn’t get into too much trouble.

The Coalition’s second side-kick was a bit different.

Robert Gravesly was much like any other teenager in Athlone, he liked to get into trouble after school. He tended to frequent areas that several gangs were in and got arrested by accident more than once. Robbie was a smart kid and over time had just ingratiated himself with the Septics, so much so that Henrik took the young boy under his wing a bit.

Chase bonded with his as well, the young man helping to sooth the gaping hole in his heart that his divorce had left him in.

The young fifteen-year-old had dreams of nursing school and at first he was more likely to be seen with Henrik and Iplier than the rest of the Coalition.

Then Ethan met Robbie and there began to be a serious discussion: Robbie despite a couple schoolyard scrapes didn’t know enough self defense to really protect himself. Logan even admitted that a plucky attitude and intelligence only get you so far, even he had tech to augment himself.

Eric and Randall were picked up shortly after, Randall more eager to be a hero but wanted to stay with his painfully shy friend. Iplier, by necessity, was more of a parent to them than a guardian.

It was all going well, Ethan was coming up on his seventeenth birthday, Robbie was about to turn sixteen, and Eric and Ray were fifteen.

But then Blank and Grave got a bit too confident in themselves.

“You sure we got the right message?” Ethan asked Marvin.

“Oh yeah, simple in an’ out,” Marvin smiled as he walked next to Silver. “Yeh two keep watch an’ we go in an’ talk ta the informant.”

To Blank’s frustration he was sent with Robbie to a neighboring building to the one Silver and Marvin would slip into. Ethan, half invisible as he looked out the window of an office building that matched the one across the street.

“Man I wish we could do something interesting,” Ethan grumbled. “I’m almost twenty, I know what I’m doing.”

“In a couple years we’ll be laughin’ ‘bout it,” Robbie shrugged.

Then they started to hear talking, the two sidekicks moved towards the open door to listen. Then they moved into the cluttered storage room right next door.

The voices were unfamiliar, a teen about their age and an older man.

“Why does the Old Man want me here again?” The younger voice asked.

“I don’t ask the big guy questions,” the older voice dismissed. “It’s how I’ve stayed alive this long.”

“Right,” the younger voice huffed out.

“Shit!” Ethan hissed out, “is it one of those guys? Why are they in this one?”

“We should go tell the others,” Robbie whispered.

“I can’t take both of us,” Ethan reminded, his powers still weaker and shorter ranged than they would be when he became a full-fledged hero.

“Yeh go, I’ll keep an eye on ‘em,” Robbie promised.

“You sure?” Ethan asked.

The younger sidekick nodded, “Go ‘fore I kick yeh out the window.”

With that Ethan made one of the only decisions he would truly regret, leaving Robbie alone in the building.

Carefully Robbie began to creep towards the voices, moving through the hallway until he had to duck behind a filing cabinet when the door opened.

“What’s taking so long,” a young man with a metal bat groaned in frustration. His golden eyes almost glowing in the darkness. The end of the bat hitting the concrete floor loudly. “I have books to write.”

“We’ve barely been here for a minute,” the older man followed the younger boy in, Robbie recognized him, it was one of Dark’s lieutenants, Lynel Bargs.

He also noticed that he seemed a little tense.

“Whatever,” the young author reached up for a bronze star something on his button-up short lapel and blew on it.

“No!” Bargs yelled out but clamped his mouth shut when a rip in reality opened up and after a couple seconds Dark walked through. He was straightening up his jacket and fixing his tie.

“Arthur? What happened?” Dark asked, and Robbie started mentally cursing as he clamped his hands over his mouth and hunkered down into the shadow of the filing cabinet, putting Dark out his line of sight.

“Ugh!” Arthur groaned. “I don’t know you called me here and never showed up.”

“Seems everything’s fine here Darky,” Wilford said, a giddy smile in his voice. “Maybe we should go back and—”

He trailed off, Robbie fighting his curiosity to look.

“Bargs, what are you doing here with him?” Dark asked, his tone almost dripping with accusation and threat.

“You told me to bring him here,” Bargs responded defensively.

The entire room seemed to chill as silence descended upon everyone in it.

Finally Dark said, “Go home, Arthur, I didn’t call you here.”

“Okay,” the normally caustic and belligerent teen sounded subdued and walked through the portal, it stayed open ominously.

Dark walked closer to Bargs, someone that minutes ago he’d considered loyal. “What are you doing here?”

“I told you,” Bargs said. “You called me here.”

“I thought you knew better than to lie to me, Bargs, especially about them,” Dark snarled angrily, his aura thrashing around, numbing into some of the objects in the room, including a filing cabinet.

The filing cabinet toppled over and Robbie tried to get out of the way, but space was limited and he was afraid of revealing himself.

With an audible crack, the cabinet’s weight landed on Robbie’s leg and snapped his fibula in half.

“AHHHHHHHHHH!” Robbie screamed out in agony.

Dark turned at the scream, he’d heard and caused thousands in the time he’d been sentient and been flinching towards them. But for the past fifteen years he’d been fighting with very parental instincts. And the scream of a young teenager almost struck him like a bullet.

“Well what do we have here?” Wilford commented, the scream hitting his brain wrong. He pulled out his gun. “Let me dig the poor lad out.”

“Wil!” Dark reaches out with his aura to stop him but the madman was faster and when Dark’s aura pulled him back, Wil shot the teenager in the chest instead of the leg.

With another tortured grunt the young man curled on himself a bit.

“Get out,” Dark ordered and threw Wil through the portal Arthur had gone through. It flickered closed before reopening and Dark haphazardly threw his traitorous lieutenant into it.

He could be dealt with later.

Dark rushed over to the young hero and was struck by the fact that he hadn’t seen this sidekick before. His informants in the police had told him the heroes had four, he’d personally been given three photos of children dressing up like vigilantes, but he’d never seen this one.

An angry pit burned in his gut, the faces of the children he had helped raise with Wil flashing through his mind, as he watched the kid let out pained gasps. This was a child, the heroes had convinced a child to meet up with an informant! At least Dark had the good sense to keep his Lost Ones supervised, even around Wil.

Trying to reign back his anger, Dark pushed the objects away and watched the boy flinch in fear when he saw him kneel down.

Dark knew he should leave, he’d get blamed for the boy’s death anyways, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave.

Robbie whimpered out when someone propped him up a bit and he looked up to realize Dark had gently set his head up on the Entity’s leg . . . his mask was gone.

“No,” Robbie choked out in a panic, he hadn’t even noticed it getting pulled off.

“Hush,” Dark said as he pressed all the buttons on Robbie’s watch, knowing one of them signaled the other heroes but not knowing which it was. “Save your strength, and hopefully they’ll get here in time.”

Dark scanned his eyes over the boy’s wounds, already knowing it was probably too late. If he was in a hospital, he might survive, but he wasn’t.

“The heroes made a mistake,” Dark told him, memorizing the boy’s face and brushed his messy brown hair out of the way. “They shouldn’t have let you into their world. Your death is a tragedy.”

Robbie couldn’t talk, a mix of pain and fear robbing him of speech.

“I have some boys about your age,” Dark admitted. “Maybe in another life you could have fought them as adults. But life’s not fair, least of all to children.”

The boy’s breathing was getting quieter, more labored, and he had a sad, panicked air about him as his life was slipping away. His strength robbed from him by his wounds so that he couldn’t even call out, couldn’t even scream if he wanted to.

And he wanted to.

“Sleep, and hopefully the heroes will learn,” Dark told him gently as he felt the tension in the teenager’s body finally slip away. Dark waited a minute before he checked for a pulse.

Nothing.

Dark slipped the mask back on and got up, the young teenager lying on the ground.

Before Dark could take a single step to go and find Silver or another hero, Silver found him first. He burst through the door and looked from Robbie to Dark and then went into a rage.

“No!” Silver screamed and flew at Dark so quickly that the Entity barely had time to throw up his aura, burying him a bit into the wall. Dark had his aura shielding him as Silver clearly trying to cave his face in.

“Silver!” Marvin called out, already starting to try and cast magic to revive what Dark knew was someone who was already dead. “He’s not breathin’, I can’t get him ta wake up.”

“What did you do?!” Silver demanded.

“What did I do?” Dark spat in outrage, his anger almost throwing Silver off. “I’m not the one that sent a child against a crazed gunman and hoped that he’d find mercy!”

“You killed him,” Silver accused.

“His death is on your hands, hero,” Dark shoved him away. “I am not responsible for the children you dress up and fill their heads with fantasies.”

“Yeh fucker!” Marvin shouted at Dark, “yeh asshole! He was a kid.”

“Yes,” Dark agreed, his tone terse and angry. “And how old was he gentlemen? Sixteen? Fifteen? Barely old enough to drive or try and get and job, and yet here he is, dead on the floor of some shitty insurance building. Clearly someone should not have entrusted their child to you.”

“He wasn’t supposed ta die!” Marvin shouted. “No one was even supposed ta be in here!”

“The rest of your sidekicks,” Dark turned his attention back to Silver as he opened up a portal into the Void. “Fire them and send them home. If he’s lucky, death has him. You should collect your dead and move on.”

Then he left, Silver finally turning to look at Robbie, “Jackie already took Blank back to the base.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Marvin’s eyes watering as he nodded desperately. “J.J’s still at the base, he’ll fix this. He’ll fix this.”

Silver sighed, Mark had to have some type of hope but in the back of his mind he knew that they could never remember the times J.J turned back the clock.

But Mark carefully picked Robbie up and cradled him against his chest. Death was already starting to permeate the room as he rushed to bring him to the base, calling ahead to make sure that Eric, Ray, and Ethan were safe at the base. Along with announcing the grizzly news: Robbie was dead.

[prakhayth]

6DURABILITY6ENERGY4FIGHTING SKILLS6INTELLIGENCE5SPEED6STRENGTHBIOGRAPHYCOOL EXEC, HEART OF STEEL

Tony Stark is the wealthy son of industrialist and weapons manufacturer Howard Stark and his wife, Maria. Tony grew up a genius with a brilliant mind for technology and inventions and, naturally, followed in his father’s footsteps, inheriting Stark Industries upon his parents’ untimely death. Tony designed many weapons of war for Stark Industries, far beyond what any other company was creating, while living the lifestyle of a bon vivant.

Fate would take a dark turn for Tony Stark once he decided to consult on a weapons contract overseas in enemy terrain. An improvised explosive device exploded underneath Tony’s transport, and he was brought to the brink of death.

Awakening as a prisoner of the warlord Wong-Chu, Tony made a gruesome discovery: the explosion had sent a piece of shrapnel mere inches from his heart. It was only the timely intervention of fellow captive and engineer Yinsen that kept the shrapnel at bay.While held captive, and forced to work on weapons, Tony turned his near-death experience into inspiration. What if he could power an iron suit that would not only keep the shrapnel from killing Tony, but also help him to escape?

Combining their genius, Tony and Yinsen built a mighty suit of iron armor that would be dubbed Iron Man. This first suit left a lot of room for improvement, but it still did what Tony couldn’t do alone. Yinsen sacrificed his life so the final preparations could be made, and Tony, wearing the Iron Man suit for the first time, escaped and returned to the United States a changed man.With full access to his equipment, Tony built a new, more streamlined suit of armor—the first of many updated versions he would create—and dedicated his life to fighting threats to the world.

IRON MAN

Since that first suit built in a cave, Tony has created dozens of new suits and upgrades over the years. However, throughout the 50-plus Iron Man models, there are common offensive and defense capabilities found in most iterations.

The primary weapon contained within every suit, the repulsor rays use energy pulses to repel and disrupt enemies and are generated through the suit’s gauntlets. The suit’s booster jets enable Stark to fly fast enough to break the sound barrier, and maneuver more quickly than any fighter jet.

Iron Man’s helmet provides Tony with a heads-up display that gives him 360-degree vision, access to information about his surroundings and enemies, and the ability to transmit and block transmissions along any frequency. The helmet also gives Tony a degree of resistance to EMP and psychic-based attacks.

A weapon centered in Iron Man’s chest, the unibeam is capable of projecting dazzling light, and can also be used as a powerful force beam that is even more powerful than the repulsor ray.

Each of Tony’s suits provides a full range of telecommunications, including the ability to jam and transmit on any frequency, and sophisticated artificial intelligence capable of piloting Tony to safety should he be rendered unconscious.

Beyond his all-purpose suits, Tony has created specialized armor for specific scenarios. Some notable examples include the Hulkbuster armor (so-named as its size and strength allow Tony to stand toe-to-toe with the Hulk, when needed), along with deep-space, underwater and stealth suits.

One thing common to most of Iron Man’s recent suits is the integration of Extremis, an attempt to re-create the super-soldier serum with many modifications. When using Extremis, Tony can interface with his brain’s repair center, which allows him to rebuild his body from scratch. Essentially, Tony is able to merge his mind, body, and armor in unprecedented ways. He can “armor up” in mere seconds—with armor stored within himself—gains split-second reaction times, and can even generate new internal organs to replace the old. Unfortunately, Extremis is also vulnerable to being hacked, and the Skrulls and other organizations have done just that.

REPULSING THE REPULSIVE

Numerous villains have made up Iron Man’s gallery of enemies, with many of them similarly armor-based in order to counter Iron Man’s abilities. The Russians have created both the Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man to try and stop the threat posed by Iron Man, and have fought Stark through numerous iterations.

The Mandarin is one of Iron Man’s fiercest archvillains. A tactical, mystical and technological genius, the Mandarin sought ultimate power, and often Iron Man is the only one smart and strong enough to stand in his way. In fact, the Mandarin, working with warlord Wong-Chu, captured Tony Stark and indirectly brought about the creation of Iron Man. The Mandarin has returned again and again to pit his magic and intellect against Stark technology.

A competing industrialist, Obadiah Stane, never lost his taste for weapons and was a great fan of psychological warfare. He took hostile control of Tony Stark’s company for a time, and though he perished in battle, his descendants are perhaps even more ruthless than he was.

Another rival industrialist on par with Stane, Justin Hammer is interested in the accumulation of wealth and power and sees Tony’s altruism as a big stumbling block toward that goal.Other foes of note for Tony through the years have included the Ghost, Radioactive Man, and nefarious organizations like Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM).

FIGHTING AND SMITING

Iron Man can’t always fight alone and has many notable allies and teammates. Stark is one of the founding members of the Avengers and is considered one of the “Big Three” core members, along with Thor and Captain America. While he has left the team at various points for personal reasons, he has always returned to fight alongside them again and again. He is one Avenger that can always be counted on.

Originally, Tony’s secretary Pepper Potts and limousine driver Happy Hogan grew to be Tony’s two best friends in the world. A romance between Pepper and Tony fizzled out, but she and Happy found happiness together for a time, until his tragic death. More recently, Pepper has taken up occasional super heroics herself, with an armored suit Tony has created for her called Rescue.

Former military man James “Rhodey” Rhodes became Tony’s bodyguard and trusted confidant. When Tony’s alcoholism got the better of him, Rhodey became the new Iron Man. Later, Rhodey donned a weapons-laden variation on the Iron Man suit and dubbed himself War Machine, fighting alongside Tony many times.

During a mind-clearing vacation from Earth, Tony joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, making fast friends with Rocket Raccoon especially. While Tony would eventually return to Earth, Rocket’s technology has made its way into many successive iterations of the Iron Man armor.

HEIGHT

6'1'', In Armor: 6'6''

WEIGHT

225 lbs., In Armor: 425 lbs.

GENDER

Male

EYES

Blue

HAIR

Black

UNIVERSE

Marvel Universe

OTHER ALIASES

Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark, Shellhead, Golden Avenger, Tetsujin, Formerly Crimson Dynamo, Formerly Iron Knight, Formerly Hogan Potts, Formerly Randall Pierce, Formerly Spare Parts Man, Impersonated Cobalt Man (Ralph Roberts)

EDUCATION

Ph.Ds in physics and electrical engineering

PLACE OF ORIGIN

Long Island, New York

IDENTITY

Publicly known

KNOWN RELATIVES

Maria Collins Carbonell Stark (mother, deceased), Howard Anthony Walter Stark (father, deceased), Morgan Stark (cousin), Edward Stark (uncle, deceased)

POWERS

Heightened Senses

Superhuman Strength

Regeneration

Genius Intelligence

GROUP AFFILIATION

Avengers

Avengers West Coast

Illuminati

S.H.I.E.L.D.

AMAZING ARMOR, BLAZING POWER

Since creating that first suit, Iron Man has gone through numerous events significant to his life.Originally, to cover for Tony Stark’s escapades as Iron Man, he convinced the world that Iron Man was his bodyguard. This helped explain the perceived close ties between Stark and Iron Man to both the outside world and even those who fought alongside Iron Man.

It was a brawl with the trickster god Loki that convinced Iron Man, the Wasp, Ant-Man, Thor and the Hulk to band together as a team. The Mighty Avengers stood tall, battling foes that no single one of them could face alone. Though the temperamental Hulk would leave straight away, Iron Man would become one of the Avengers’ core members, along with Thor and a newly revived Captain America.

Tony, working alongside Nick Fury, was also a key player in the buildup of S.H.I.E.L.D. from a tiny, secretive government branch to the well-equipped, global peacekeeping force it became. Though Tony and his chauffeur and best friend Happy Hogan both fell in love with secretary Pepper Potts, Tony, out of respect for his friend, agreed to step aside. Pepper and Happy were soon married, though their relationship would be a roller coaster.

Having faced near death more than once thanks to his injury, Tony underwent a heart transplant, and finally no longer relied on the Iron Man suit to live.

Tony’s dependence on alcohol was brought to a head when Iron Man failed in battle while under the influence. It was only the timely intervention of friends Bethany Cabe and Edwin Jarvis that Tony was able to keep his alcoholism at bay for a time. Alcoholism being what it is, though, is something Tony will have to manage for life. In fact, it wasn’t long after this that Tony relapsed, this time passing along his armor to Rhodey to become the new Iron Man until he was able to recover. This relapse also cost him his company, which he lost to his fiercest rival, the manipulative businessman Obadiah Stane.

On the road to recovery, but looking for a change in scenery, Tony moved to California. Back in the armor, he joined the newly formed West Coast Avengers. This newfound resolve led him to create a new company in Silicon Valley, called Stark Enterprises.

Sick of finding Stark technology among his enemies, Iron Man went about neutralizing all his technology among his armored foes. Unfortunately, many of these designs were used by S.H.I.E.L.D., who weren’t at all happy about their Mandroids and Guardsmen being shut down. Ultimately, Iron Man squared off against government operatives and temporarily faked his own death, something he would do more than once in his career.

Eventually, Tony discovered that the Iron Man suit was causing his nervous system to deteriorate. After briefly experimenting with a telepresence suit, Tony created the War Machine suit to protect himself. He again faked his death and put himself into suspended animation, passing the War Machine suit along to Rhodey, who continued in his stead.

After Tony recovered, he seemingly went rogue, murdering several people and forcing the Avengers to recruit a teenage Tony Stark from the past to combat him. These events were later revealed to be manipulation by the time traveler known as Immortus, but in the interim, the adult Tony was killed.

During a battle with Onslaught, the younger Iron Man was one of the many heroes, including his fellow Avengers, who were shunted into an alternate universe and believed dead. Eventually returning to his own reality, this younger Tony merged with a resurrected adult Tony thanks to Franklin Richards, who was in turn exonerated for previous charges. Stark then set up a new company called Stark Solutions and rejoined the Avengers.

The Iron Man armor technology became so sophisticated that it gained sentience and malevolence. While attempting to shut down this sentient armor, Tony Stark had a heart attack. The armor replaced Tony’s heart with an artificial one to save his life, and Tony began steering himself away from such high technology out of fears of this incident happening again.

After Tony revealed his identity as Iron Man to the world at a press conference, the U.S. military determined it now had the ability to use Stark technology wherever it wanted. Tony managed to become Secretary of Defense, hoping to keep an eye on said technology.

Tony was forced to resign as Secretary of Defense due to manipulation by an insane Scarlet Witch, who brought about the destruction of Avengers Mansion and the temporary break-up of the Avengers. Soon after, Stark would join a gathering of heroes to stop a Super Villain prison breakout, leading to the formation of a new Avengers team who would use Stark Tower as their headquarters.

During this period, Tony began using the Extremis serum to merge his mind, body and armor together in unprecedented ways.

The Avengers—and the Super Hero community at large—would face tremendous conflict when Tony faced off with longtime ally Captain America regarding the Superhuman Registration Act, siding with the government’s decision to regulate superheroes. The two ended up leading their own large factions of heroes, fighting for what they believed in, though Tony’s side eventually won the hard-fought conflict. In the wake of this Civil War, Stark would help convince Bucky Barnes to become the new Captain America after Steve Rogers was assassinated, while Tony himself became director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Tony was unable to stop the Earth from being taken over by Skrulls, as the aliens bypassed Stark defense technology used around the world. He was forced to resign as S.H.I.E.L.D. director and the Avengers again temporarily disbanded, replaced for a time by a government-sanctioned team run by Norman Osborn.

As the Extremis serum began to fail in Tony’s body, causing his mind to deteriorate, he decided to erase all the information about Earth’s heroes gathered by the Superhuman Registration Act from the world’s computers, to stop it from falling into Norman Osborn’s hands. To restore Tony to his previous intelligence, his friends “rebooted” his mind, though doing so wiped out his memories of the Super Hero Civil War and the events that followed.

Tony created yet another new company, Stark Resilient, to provide free energy to the world. This enraged traditional industrialists like Justin Hammer. After Tony overcame mind control by a resurgent Mandarin, he decided to leave Earth for a time and join the Guardians of the Galaxy.Thanks to machinations by the Red Skull, many of Earth’s heroes and villains had their morality inverted. The now idealistically evil Tony Stark decided to sell the Extremis technology to the world, creating a utopia but leaving everyone dependent on him both physically and monetarily. It was only through a reboot of the universe during a second “Secret Wars” event that this malevolent Tony Stark was undone.

Once again, the world’s heroes came into great conflict with each other, this time over an Inhuman named Ulysses that could see crimes and other events before they happened. When the Avengers used this precognition to ambush Thanos, Rhodey was killed in the process, and Tony decided to make sure nobody used Ulysses’ abilities ever again.

This culminated in a battle between Iron Man and Captain Marvel. Tony lost and went into a coma. In his absence, an A.I. version of Tony assisted young genius Riri Williams in creating a new suit of armor, allowing her to fight as Ironheart in Tony’s absence.

[whitewolfofwinterfell]

I just finished season three myself and I absolutely fell in love with it. My fave show right now 😍 could you write up some meta on it?

Right, okay, I’m finally getting around to answering this, phew. Sorry it’s taken me so long but when you sent this I’d only seen the first two episodes of the show and so didn’t particularly feel I could write anything more than I already had in response to your first ask. However, I finished season 1 tonight and I have a lot of thoughts and feelings so I felt now was the right time to share them.

Wow, where do I even start with Outlander? It is nothing like I expected it to be, but then again I’m not really sure what I expected. It’s one of the only shows that I’ve gone into completely blind. I’d never seen gifs or videos of it here on Tumblr or any other social media platform. I can only recall seeing something about it once when one of my favourite YouTuber’s (Stephanie Lange) shared on her Instagram story that she was reading the books after watching the show and that they were some of the best books she’d ever read.

The first episode immediately hooked me in for all the reasons stated in my previous ask but after that there were moments where I was like, eh, I don’t know if this is for me. I wasn’t fully warming to the characters (except Jamie, of course) and it felt like the episodes started to follow the same formula of Claire being suspected and accused of being a spy and/or people generally treating her with distrust and then her getting kidnapped/attacked/sexually assaulted and Jamie coming to the rescue. The episode that changed that and the point in which I completely fell in love with the show was 1x07, ‘The Wedding’. Up until that point there were interactions between Jamie and Claire, but there were some episodes where there was only one or two and it didn’t feel like a central component of the show, but the second they got married and that relationship blossomed, I was completely invested. In the last episode of the season Claire tells Jamie that the only way she could make sense of everything that had happened to her in those 8 months since she’d arrived in 1743 is because it was all so they could be together. Essentially, she was saying that everything she’d suffered through, that they’d suffered through, was worth it to her because it was for them and their love. That’s exactly what it’s like for me. Although I enjoyed the show from the beginning, their love is the heart and soul of the show and the reason I’ve become so invested.

Jamie and Claire’s love story is honestly so beautiful. Bearing in mind, I’m still only on season 1 and there’s much more to come, but already it’s so profound and complex. The passion they have is so intense and so raw, and it’s played so well by Caitriona and Sam. In 1x11 when Claire has the choice to touch the stones at Craigh na Dun and return to her own time and her husband, logically she shouldn’t even hesitate to do it. In 1945 she’s safe, she’s familiar with the time period, she has family and friends, her husband and it’s technically where she belongs. There’s only one problem… Jamie is in 1743. When you see the love they have and the person Jamie is it’s easy to see why Claire chooses to remain in 1743 despite the fact that it’s an extremely dangerous place/time for her where she’s been in constant danger since she arrived. It’s that emotion of, “As long as I’m with him and we’re together, it doesn’t matter where I am” and I get it. What Outlander does so well (and I assume it’s the author of the books, Diana Gabaldon who is responsible for it) is make the viewers/readers fall in love with Jamie every bit as much as Claire. You’re not just an outsider looking in, you actually feel like you’re in that relationship with Claire and feeling everything she’s feeling. When Jamie is captured by the Red Coats at the end of the season and she finds out that he’s been sentenced to hang, she just collapses because she can’t bear the mere thought of it and you get it, because you’re right there with her. You feel the pain, the fear, the unthinkable grief of losing Jamie. And when they rescue him and she finds out that he’s suicidal, again, she faints because it’s too much for her to take and she tells him she will die with him right there in the room if he really wants to die. It seems so dramatic, but it’s completely believable and I commend everyone involved in bringing Jamie and Claire’s love to life, because it’s done so well.

Putting Jamie and Claire to one side, because I could honestly talk about them all day, Outlander is fantastic at bringing the periods to life that they’re set in. I’ve watched quite a lot of period dramas, shows and movies over the years, but none have ever immersed me into their world quite so much as Outlander. When I watch it, it feels like I’m really in 1743. Everything from the buildings, the smoke from the fires, the clothing, the way the people act and behave, the violence. It’s so far removed from the modern world I know, it’s actually alien and it makes it so easy to sympathise with how completely out of place Claire feels (although she handles it extremely well and fits in better than I ever could). There’s also something about the way the show is framed and paced that makes it feel incredibly intimate. Like I said, when I’m watching I don’t feel like I am watching, I feel like I’m in it, which is an incredibly rare thing for me to feel. With Claire and Jamie, in particular, I love that there’s no shying away from the depths and complexities of their relationship. With most other shows there’s always a rush to cut to the next scene with other characters, but Outlander allows the focus to remain in one place, in one scene with just two characters for a long time. Using 1x07 as an example, nearly the entirety of that episode consisted of just Jamie and Claire. We got to see everything that went on behind closed doors between them. You can tell there was no fear of boring people, they just allowed the audience to remain in that room with them and I love that. Firstly, I think it’s more realistic because life isn’t chopped up and edited to skip over the boring bits, so it’s good to see the quiet moments between Jamie and Claire and them having sex and everything that’s in between. There’s no rush with anything, the characters are allowed to be together and talk. It makes the characters feel much more realistic and it’s easier to connect to them too. I also love that we learn about the history’s of the characters (particularly Jamie and Claire) and see flashbacks of those pivotal moments in their lives, because we get to know them more. Another thing I love is the sex. When I was reading reviews on IMDb I noticed there were a lot of complaints about the amount of sex scenes and explicit nature of them, but I think that’s amazing. Again, sex is a part of life, it’s part of human relationships and love and I understand for age restricted shows it’s necessary to cut them out, but that’s always really annoyed me, because it’s such a big part of a couple’s relationship. The fact that we get to see every part of Jamie and Claire’s sex life and their passion for each other, is incredibly important to understand their love for one another, because a large part of the way they connect, particularly in the beginning, is through sex and physical intimacy. If you take away those scenes or show them in bed but cut out the actual act, it strips a lot away from their relationship and makes viewers feel less connected to their relationship.  

Another aspect of Outlander I love is the Scottish culture and history. It’s not a subject I’m particularly knowledgeable about since I’m not Scottish and the only Scottish history I’ve studied was in my English Civil Wars module I studied last semester, but again, it feels so realistic. The accents, the dialect, the customs, the clothing - it’s all vastly different to English culture and again, as an English woman myself, it makes it easy to put myself in Claire’s shoes and experience it through her eyes. It brings history to life in a very real and authentic way. Again, I know the animosity between the Scots and the Brits, I’ve studied it and I know of the hatred between England, Ireland and Scotland, but the way Outlander brings it to life, it feels like I’m being taken back to it. What’s also interesting is the way in which Claire, through her experiences, comes to care for and sympathise with the Scots over the British, who are her own people. Again, as a viewer I feel exactly the same. It’s not just Jack Randall that makes me perceive the British to be the enemy, it’s the way they invade Scottish lands that they have no right to and stomp around in their big boots wreaking havoc and violence wherever they go. The book/show is very much from the Scottish perspective and I love that, because in popular culture you don’t see much about Scottish history. You have to specifically look for it to find it, yet how many well-known and popular books, movies, shows etc. are there about WWI and WWII from the British perspective? Even when I studied the English Civil Wars, which were as much about Scotland and Ireland as England, the focus was primarily on England. So I love that Outlander is so focused on Scottish history, I’m loving it and it’s making me want to read and learn more about it.

Now it’s time to talk about that most heinous, sadistic, soulless, cretin, Jack Randall. Wow, I loathe this man with everything I have. Of all the shows I’ve ever watched, he is by far the worst villain I have ever encountered and is exactly the way a villain should be written. Again, I have to give praise to all of the people responsible creating the character and Tobias Menzies for playing him, because it’s done so well. I’ve discussed this in a previous post, but I rarely think that any villain in any book, show or movie is done well. The only show that I think write villains well is Game of Thrones, but that’s a different subject. What makes Jack Randall such a brilliant villain is that he is truly irredeemably evil. He is obsessed with power and dominance and using his position of authority to exert that power and dominance over others. It’s almost an addiction for him to have that power and his vendetta against Jamie is purely a result of Jamie challenging his power and not surrendering to him. It’s the first time Randall has come up against someone stronger than him, that is too courageous and brave to give in to him so he does everything he can to break Jamie. The final episode of Outlander is probably one of the most difficult episodes of television I’ve ever watched. To witness the lengths Randall went to just to break Jamie… it was truly harrowing and heart-wrenching. For Randall’s mind to even work in such a way as to do/say the things to Jamie that he did in that prison cell is proof that Randall has a black soul and psychotic mind. What’s even more interesting is that when Jamie told him to do what he must do, Randall said something along the lines of, “Do you think I can’t control the darkness inside me?” and that really shocked me, and made me realise how sick he is. He knows he has a darkness inside of him, but he revels in it, takes pleasure in it. That’s particularly clear when you see the sexual pleasure he takes from the pain he inflicts on others. The evil things he does are very much connected to that sexual pleasure he derives from it. There are just no words to describe how evil Randall is. Again, the fact that Randall is written this way means that I experience everything the characters do. I’m truly scared of Randall, because I know that there is nothing he’s not capable of. If he actively takes pleasure in hurting others and having them at his mercy what is his cut off point? There just isn’t one. I, for one, cannot wait to see Jack Randall die a torturous and bloody death. It better not be too fast either, because he deserves to suffer after everything he’s done.

That’s everything that I wanted to discuss. It’s been a wild ride so far and I’m so excited to get started on season 2. It’s going to be an entirely different experience to see Claire and Jamie in Paris, so I’m looking forward to it. I’m also intrigued to know if they really can change history. I’ve watched enough time travel movies/shows over the years to know that even when you have the best intentions, changing history and the future is incredibly dangerous. If Jamie and Claire do succeed in their goals, they simply don’t know how the world will change.

[aion-rsa]

Marvel’s WandaVision Episode 9: MCU Easter Eggs and Reference Guide

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This article contains WandaVision spoilers.

The final episode of WandaVision is here, and it’s 45 minutes of big screen Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster chaos magic action…but on the small screen. And while pound for pound it’s a little lighter on Marvel Comics and MCU Easter eggs than what we’ve seen in previous weeks (let alone sitcom references, now that we’ve left that world long behind), there’s still PLENTY to dig in to and fun things you might have missed.

In particular, this episode sets up at least two upcoming big screen adventures with both Captain Marvel 2 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But there’s elements from WandaVision that will also resonate in future MCU TV series on Disney+ as well.

Let’s get to work…and if you spot anything we missed, let us know in the comments!

Scarlet Witch

Wanda gets her first official, full blown Scarlet Witch costume in this episode, and it looks really great.

Wanda goes back to her creepy, “sneak up on you and whisper in your ear and do witchy hand gestures” thing that we first saw her do in Avengers: Age of Ultron. We’re all about making Wanda a little scary again.

It seems that whoever holds the title of “Scarlet Witch” is more powerful than the Sorcerer Supreme, so Stephen Strange had better take notice.

At the end of the episode, in the second of the two post-credits scenes, we see Wanda in a tiny cabin at the foot of a beautiful mountain. This is almost certainly Mount Wundagore, the place where Marvel Comics canon indicates that Wanda and Pietro were born, and a place that continues to loom large in Scarlet Witch history.

Vision

Did they MAYBE miss a trick by not having White Vision’s voice come out as James Spader’s Ultron voice? Maybe. But this scene works so well in practice that it’s really hard to ask for MORE Marvel references than we’re already getting.

Right before Vision discorporates as the Hex ends, he sheds a single tear. This is a reference to one of the most famous Vision (or Marvel Comics in general) moments of all time. In Avengers #58, various members of the Avengers give Vision a rousing endorsement, particularly citing his heroism and humanity, before inducting him into the team. Vision excuses himself and sheds a single tear in private as further proof of that humanity.

In the un-Hexed version of Westview, one of the movies showing at the theater is Tannhauser Gate, a reference to the famous “tears in the rain” monologue at the end of Blade Runner. Fitting, considering the monologue came from a synthetic man accepting his own death in his final moments.

Billy and Tommy

Wanda makes an odd comment to the boys: “thanks for choosing me to be your mom.” Does this mean that they aren’t purely just creations of her own magic? Did she pull them from elsewhere in the MCU? Or somewhere else in the multiverse entirely?

During the second post-credits scene, Wanda hears the twins call out to her for help from …somewhere. Maybe they are still alive, but this smells an awful lot like bait to us. There are several villains we can think of that would try to lure a powerful being like Wanda into another more dangerous part of the multiverse, but let’s not start throwing “Mephisto” around again just yet.

It’s been reported that the young actors who played Billy and Tommy, Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne, filmed scenes for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in London last year. Watch this space!

Agatha Harkness

The whole banality of the setting for the big fight between Agatha and Wanda is particularly comic book-y in its own way. In most superhero movies or TV shows, the big fights are happening in big cities or battlefields or cosmic spacescapes. Having these two godlike beings throwing down on an ordinary suburban street kind of drives home the “anything can happen anywhere at any time” ethos of superhero comics.

When Wanda smashes a car into Agatha and crashes it into a nearby house, she initially only finds Agatha’s boots underneath the wreckage. This is yet another Wizard of Oz reference, namely how the Wicked Witch of the East appeared after being crushed by Dorothy’s house. There’s something else Oz-centric that comes up a little later.

Pietro and “Ralph Bohner”

Fietro having his own mancave lends itself to Fox Quicksilver’s basement dwelling in X-Men: Days of Future Past when he’s first introduced.

Agatha is revealed to have been living in Ralph Bohner’s home all along. Going back to the third episode, Agnes was giving Vision some info about Geraldine in order to make her seem suspicious (new in town, no home). In the end, she was secretly describing herself. Does this make her Agnes Bohner permanently?

The Ship of Theseus

The Ship of Theseus is indeed a real thought experiment that has haunted philosophers for thousands of years. While the WandaVision explanation of it is perfectly succinct and accurate, it doesn’t make sense to get into the deeper MCU implications of it here, which is why we wrote a whole ‘nother article about it.

The Darkhold

The Darkhold has shown up in Agents of SHIELD and Runaways prior to this, but it had a very different look to it. While this could just be a retcon of its appearance, it also might be a statement that we shouldn’t consider those shows part of the MCU proper anymore now that we’re getting rolling with the Disney+ shows.

Monica Rambeau and the Skrulls

Monica discovers her Hex-rewritten form can now absorb the kinetic energy of the bullets Director Hayward fires at Tommy and Billy. It’s one of many powers she will have as she develops her superhero abilities, and we will no doubt see more of them in Captain Marvel 2 whether she adopts the superhero code name of Spectrum or Photon.

The first Disney+ MCU show ends with a hero being recruited by Nick Fury (albeit remotely this time), much like Iron Man, the first movie in the MCU. Basically, Fury is summoning Monica to join him in space, where we last saw him at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. It’s also worth pointing out that WandaVision takes place about six months or so before that movie.

Doctor Strange 2

Sam Raimi, director of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (which Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda will play a significant role in) once directed a film called Oz, The Great and Powerful, which is playing at the Coronet Theater in Westview.

The post-credits features a zooming into a cabin filled with all sorts of dark magic going on (looks like there are subtle runes everywhere, too). Interestingly enough, this is to hype up Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, directed by Sam Raimi. Sam Raimi got his start directing Evil Dead and later its sequels. The first two of those movies centered around a demonic cabin and were filled with plenty of over-the-top zoom shots. We write about how this Evil Dead connection specifically sets up Wanda’s connection to Doctor Strange 2 here.

When we see Wanda in astral form reading a big book of magic, that’s something we’ve seen Doctor Strange do in his own film.

Squeaky Shine

At one point, Agatha is perched in front of a billboard for a cleaning product named Squeaky Shine, which boasts its “all natural formula using the power of Mother Earth.”

This is a bit of a reach, but the author of the Darkhold is said to be the demon Chthon. The name Chthon derives from the word “chthonic” which usually implies some sinister, “underworld” connotations (it’s a creepy looking word, isn’t it?), but it can also sometimes just mean that things are of the natural world. The Greek goddess Persephone ruled the underworld at the side of Hades… and Persephone is one of the mythological earth mother symbols or…Mother Earth.

Miscellaneous Marvel Weirdness

The visuals on the superpowers in these fights were more interesting than they usually are. Vision’s beams had a cool spiral thing going on, very reminiscent of Piccolo’s Special Beam Cannon from Dragon Ball, while Wanda’s underhand hex bolt slinging had a very Johnny Cage’s arcing fireball from Mortal Kombat thing going on.

Wanda tells Agatha, “I’ll be seeing you,” which is one final TV deep cut. On the classic show The Prisoner, in which a former secret agent was forced to live a “perfect” life in a creepily pre-fabricated and controlled town, everyone’s way of saying goodbye was an ominous “be seeing you.”

Jimmy Woo puts in a call to someone at the FBI named “Cliff” but that’s all we get. There’s a one-off character from Marvel Comics named Cliff Randall, a SHIELD agent who appeared in exactly one story (which nonetheless had some alien overtones). In this case, it’s probably all a coincidence. Also, Randall Park as Jimmy Woo is delightful and needs to be in everything going forward and basically be the new Agent Coulson.

The episode features a slightly different version of the utterly tedious “hero’s choice” that we see in every superhero movie and TV show on the planet and which needs to be retired immediately: “save innocents or catch me, bwaahahahaha!” But in this case, it’s more nuanced, where Wanda can have a life with her family, thus damning the citizens of Westview, or she can do the right thing and save them.

This isn’t an Easter egg, but Darcy’s “have fun in prison!” was priceless.

And that’s it for our series on WandaVision Marvel Easter eggs! Thanks for joining us these last couple of months, and we’ll see you soon for similar deep dives into The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Spot anything we missed? Let us know in the comments!

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[promin-blog]

Tolkien's Ungoliant and Stephen King's It – some interesting parallels

Scene from It (1990) - the Losers confront Its ‘true’ from.

While watching the recent adaptation of Stephen King's It (2017) and reacquainting myself with King’s work in general throughout the past year (including watching some older adaptations of his books, among which was also the 1990 miniseries It), my mind was constantly going back to Ungoliant, Morgoth and the Silmarillion.

Why? Well, some of it undoubtedly has to do with my ongoing interest in Tolkien, but I also managed to find some parallels between Ungoliant and It, and Morgoth and the arch villain of the Kingverse, the Crimson King.

Long story short, enjoy me shamelessly hopping on the It bandwagon!

Warning for the arachnophobic.

So, what do Ungoliant and It have in common?

They both:

1) assume a form of a (female) spider

2) have hunger as one of their defining traits

3) use Deadlights/Darkness, a fear inducing form of 'unlight' which traps their victims (connected to the spider form), also used by the Crimson King/Morgoth

4) are ancient and have a somewhat unclear origin

5) have a loose allegiance with the Big Bad's of their universes (Morgoth/the Crimson King)

  What do Morgoth and the Crimson King have in common?

They:

1) use Darkness (Unlight)/Deadlights to achieve their ‘goals’ - Melkor uses it to steal the Silmarils and kill the Trees, and the Crimson King uses it as a weapon (according to The Dark Tower Wiki)

2) have a loose allegiance with a hungry spider-like being who also uses Darkness (Unlight) /Deadlights)

3) both are Big Bads of their respective fictional universes

4) both are trying to rewrite reality in their own image

NOTE: Others have already found some references to the Crimson King being similar to Sauron (The Dark Tower Wiki page on the Crimson King, under ‘Inspiration’). I haven’t yet come across any articles comparing him to Morgoth which I believe to be a better position (to me Randall Flagg seems like a more credible reference to Sauron, even though, of course, overlaps are possible, both because Sauron imitated Morgoth in-universe and because King could have fused them on purpose).

So, let’s first break down the similarities between It and Ungoliant.

While Ungoliant takes the form of a giant spider and is referred to as female, It's ‘final’ form is also a giant spider.

In the novel It the Losers call It the Spider (i.e. "The Spider stopped laughing", It p 4153). It also seems to be considered by the Losers as femal(ish) as they refer to It as a 'bitch'  several times ("You k-k-killed my brother, you fuh-fuh-fucking BITCH" (…) p 4099, including the somewhat paradoxical "We killed It" (…) "We killed the bitch.", It, p 4289) after discovering It's eggs (It, p 4212).

It’s spider-form was also shown overtly in the finale of the 1990 miniseries It, as a kind of a 'boss-form' for the Losers to fight:

In the new It adaptation the spider imagery is covert, but still pervasive in the way Pennywise (definitely less ambiguously masculine, in my opinion, than in the 1990 adaptation) behaves and operates. This makes ‘the spider’ more than just another of It’s many forms designed to induce fear.

For example, It lives in the sewers, which are a kind of a web. The new film puts great emphasis on this, giving us both Bill’s model of the sewers and a map of them, both of which serve as visualizations of a ‘spider-web’. The ‘sewer web’ is also in a sense ‘invisible’ (like a real spider web) because it is underground. Thus it is both a hiding place for It and a trap for It’s prey.

Furthermore, as we can see in the Losers first individual encounters with It, the prey Pennywise finds by using the sewers are paralyzed by their own fears - the fears not produced directly by It, but by the ‘mundane’ (as opposed to the ‘supernatural’) part of the plot - mostly bullies and abusive parents. Arguably, It first finds the Losers because they are afraid. Pennywise uses fear (in the new movie It smells fear) to locate its victims and moves through the sewers accordingly, like a spider traverses its own web when its prey becomes entangled in it and it feels the vibrations the prey produces. Fear, in a sense, produces ‘vibrations’ in Pennywise’s spiderweb.

Pennywise's likeness to a spider in the new adaptation is also shown in the scene where the kidnapped children are suspended in air, as if trapped in some invisible spider web, stashed in a spider’s pantry.

As we can see when Pennywise suspends Beverly Marsh in the same way, all the children there are paralyzed by fear, the aftereffect of looking directly into It's deadlights. Fear is the spider venom which keeps It’s victims paralyzed and helpless. Deadlights are like a high-concentrate fear-venom that leaves you senseless.

No matter what form It assumes, It always acts like a spider.

Stephen King Wiki says the following on this issue:

"Throughout the book It is generally referred to as male; however, late in the book, the protagonists come to believe that It may be female (due to Its manifestation as a monstrous female spider). This is, however, not Its true form, it is simply the closest the human mind can come to approximating it (…) Its natural form exists in a realm beyond the physical, which It calls the ‘deadlights‘. (…) Coming face to face with the deadlights drives any living being instantly insane."

This can be compared with the description of the darkening of Valinor and the Elves and Valar’s experience of ‘the Darkness' that Ungoliant has 'woven':

"So the great darkness fell upon Valinor. Of the deeds of that day much is told in the Aldudénië, that Elemmírë of the Vanyar made and is known to all the Eldar. Yet no song or tale could contain all the grief and terror that then befell.The Light failed; but the Darkness that followed was more than loss of light. In that hour was made a Darkness that seemed not lack but a thing with a being of its own: for it was indeed made by malice out of Light, and it had power to pierce the eye, and to enter heart and mind, and strangle the very will." (Silmarillion)

The Darkness that Morgoth unleashed on Valinor with Ungoliant’s help paralyzed the Elves and the Valar to such a degree than they couldn’t immediately pursue them.

It also interesting that, similarly to the paradoxically sounding name 'Deadlights', Ungoliant’s darkness also gets a paradoxical negative prefix - ‘un’, ('Unlight of Ungoliant' (Silmarillion p34)). Both present fear, in a sense, but in Tolkien’s case I would argue that the Darkness/Unlight presents above all fixation on the experienced loss, and not moving on creatively, still aptly shown by the spider imagery.

What also comes to mind here is Frodo’s and Sam’s confrontation with Shelob in Shelob’s Lair in The Two Towers.

The new movie’s whole 'Neibolt house hunt' sequence reminds me very much of that, mainly because Beverly gives It a really good stab in the head after which It retreats like a wounded Shelob when stabbed by Sam. Also, the tunnels of Shelob’s lair are like a 3D spider web, much like King’s town of Derry sewer system is It’s spider web, with the emphasized spacial quality - you are not on the web, you are in the web.

And, yeah, Frodo almost gets stashed in the spider’s pantry, like Beverly.

Furthermore, Tolkien describes Sam’s fear like something akin to an invisible spider web of Shelob:

"But nothing of this evil which they had stirred up against them did poor Sam know, except that a fear was growing on him, a menace which he could not see; and such a weight did it become that it was a burden to him to run, and his feet seemed leaden." (TTT, Shelob's Lair)

Sam literally has difficulty moving because of his fear. Then a little bit later he has a moment of ultimate ‘fixation’, a moment of paralyzing fear - he believes Frodo to be dead:

"‘He’s dead!’ he said. ‘Not asleep, dead!’ And as he said it, as if the words had set the venom to its work again, it seemed to him that the hue of the face grew livid green. And then black despair came down on him, and Sam bowed to the ground, and drew his grey hood over his head, and night came into his heart, and he knew no more. When at last the blackness passed, Sam looked up and shadows were about him; but for how many minutes or hours the world had gone dragging on he could not tell. He was still in the same place, and still his master lay beside him dead." (TTT, The Choices of Master Samwise)

It's like Sam took a glance at the Deadlights. Notice also how this despair is first described as 'black', which is a fairly common construction ('black despair'), but then 'blackness' is described as an entity on it's own, like it is described in The Darkening of Valinor - "a thing with a being of its own".

However, Sam manages to disentangle himself from this web – there is a moment of fixation on the experienced loss, but then he goes to the ‘underground’ (externalized by him literally being underground, in Shelob’s lair) of his own thoughts and feelings (this chapter is not named for nothing 'The Choices of Master Samwise') and manages to move on with the objective of the Fellowship's mission on his mind:

"‘But what can I do? (...) Or go on? Go on?’ he repeated, and for a moment doubt and fear shook him. ‘Go on? Is that what I’ve got to do? And leave him?’ (…)"‘What? Me, alone, go to the Crack of Doom and all?’ He quailed still, but the resolve grew. ‘What? Me take the Ring from him? The Council gave it to him.’ But the answer came at once: ‘And the Council gave him companions, so that the errand should not fail. And you are the last of all the Company. The errand must not fail.’" (TTT)

At this moment Sam passes Tolkien’s ethical test - he is able to ‘go on’, even after a crippling loss.

So, that would be points 1) and 3).

2) hunger as a defining trait

Hunger is also a big parallel here. Pennywise practically only sleeps (hibernates) and eats, and Ungoliant (just like her offspring Shelob) is always hungry. She ate the Trees’s sap. She tried to eat Morgoth and the Silmarils:

'Blackheart!' she said. 'I have done thy bidding. But I hunger still.' (Silm)

She even ate her sex partners:

“(...) other foul creatures of spider form had dwelt there since the days of the delving of Angband, and she mated with them, and devoured them”

And, in the end, probably herself:

“Of the fate of Ungoliant no tale tells. Yet some have said that she ended long ago, when in her uttermost famine she devoured herself at last.”

In the novel, Pennywise describes itself in terms of it’s hunger:

“(…) I am the eater of worlds, and of children. And you are next!”

I didn’t address everything I listed in this post, in particular, those last two parallels between Ungoliant and It:

4) they are ancient and have a somewhat unclear origin

5) they have a loose allegiance with the Big Bad's of their universes (Morgoth/the Crimson King).

These are tightly connected with the second list that explains the parallels between Morgoth and the Crimson King so I will elaborate on them together in my next post.

Thank you for reading this.

[mrdavisdnerd]

Marvel’s Moon Knight on Netflix: a fan pitch

A couple months ago, on Facebook, I started a discussion about the possibility of Moon Knight finally being adapted on Netflix alongside the likes of Daredevil, Luke Cage, etc, asking others what they’d like to see.  I came up with my own pitch just like Max Landis likes to do sometimes.  Some of you may have seen my pitches before as I did one for Arrow involving The Twelve Brothers in Silk and the White Canary. The original comic version that is.  Currently working on two more Arrow story pitches and Ultimate Green Arrow.  I even have other ideas I like to share.  But for now, going to show you my Moon Knight pitch.  Hope you like it.

Ok picture this:

3 seasons at least.  

Season 1  

Big Bads are The Profile and Bushman.  Two other prominent villains appearing will be Stained Glass Scarlet and Morpheus.  The setting is in a mental institution, where the majority of the season would take place. Marc Spector will be receiving treatment there and has been for some time. Problem is he's having trouble with his memory.  Also he believes he is being haunted by a mysterious figure that would pop up when he's alone and often at night.  We can never make the figure out as he is often in the distance or seen in shadow, but you can see his eyes and they glow.  Marc often flees in terror or cowers from this being.  Also he is there under the name Jake Lockley. If that wasn't all, Marc's been having nightmares about a monstrous looking man preying on him. It's Morpheus and in the nightmares, he looks like his comic counterpart but in the real world, he is just Robert Markam, but is also a patient at the institution.  Stained Glass Scarlet is also there, with a violent past and a former nun.  She often plays a game of seduction with Marc.  The Profile will be posing as a doctor. In fact, he is Marc's therapist.  By now you figured out that this is a big conspiracy to keep Marc there.  Question is, how did he get there?  Also Marlene would be trying to visit him, unsuccessfully so.   A lot of the story will also be told through flashback.  That's the key.  His origin will remain the same as the comic, but one twist to his background is that he always suffered from having multiple personalities.  They were pretty bad when he was a kid but as he got older, he learned to deal with them... that is until Khonshu came along. In flashbacks, you see Moon Knight, fighting crime and brutally beating down criminals.  You get to see what his life with Marlene is like and how much of a struggle it has been with his mental illness.  In fact imagine if.. first half there will be an episode dedicated to each personality, showing us their purpose and why they exist.   At a certain point, there will be a tense chase as the mysterious being haunting Marc chases him, to the point he makes it to the rooftop and spots the moon... and then everything comes back to him.  He remembers that he is Marc Spector and Jake Lockley is a new personality made for this. Khonshu actually created Jake to protect Marc. Speaking of, Khonshu was the mystery being haunting him, he was trying to help him remember.  The reason for this was because Khonshu sensed Marc was in danger by forces after him. Who was after him?  The Committee.  They are bankrolling the institution and planted The Profile there as they seek to get their hands on Moon Knight for their own nefarious purposes.  They think through him, they could also gain access to Khonshu and his power.  With Khonshu helping him, he develops the Mr. Knight personality as he uses him to figure out the place, find a way out, and stop The Committee.  Then when all is said and done, he has a score to settle with Bushman, who he's been chasing in the flashbacks and played a key role in his capture to begin with.  He was hired by The Committee and is still under their employ.   So of course as things come to a head.  Khonshu scares the bejeebus out of Morhpeus during another of his nightmare attacks.  Marc overcomes Scarlet and when confronting Profile as Moon Knight, poor guy doesn't know what to do. Profile can read people like a book just by looking at them, but Moon Knight was unreadable.  He gets dealt with, with ease.  And yes the escape from the institution is violent and bloody.  He confronts Bushman, who capture Marlene and the two have a final, one on one standoff in which Bushman meets his end.  Marc has escapes, is reunited with Marlene and Profile actually managed to survive.. but The Committee is not happy. End of season 1.

Season 2  

Big Bads are Black Spectre and Jack Russell.  Yup, Werewolf by Night.  Profile makes a return and Crossfire is also a recurring villain.  Also Randall Spector makes his appearance as well.  Jack is not really a villain, but will be an antagonist of sorts as he will cross Marc's path and the two will have an epic throwdown.  If anything, both will think the other is a criminal as someone has been pretending to be Moon Knight and murdering innocent people, meanwhile Marc has been hearing of rumored werewolf attacks, but it's also been treated as an urban legend.  Marc thinks the two things might be linked and chases that lead, which leads to his confrontation with Jack.  Both Marc and Jack are being hunted by Black Spectre and his team of Crossfire and Randal!!  Black Spectre is assigned to Profile, who is being given a second chance at trying to apprehend Moon Knight.  Black Spectre has history with Moon Knight, as he is revealed as Carson Knowles, who was the first criminal Marc ever took down as Moon Knight and he's wanted payback ever since.  He spent his time studying up, obsessing, learning and now is his chance.  

Randall's and Marc's relationship is a pretty tense one.  Randall was part of the same group of mercenaries with Marc and Bushman, so you got that connection, but deep down, Randall hid a hatred for his brother and it was coming out.  Crossfire is more of a hired gun, having a bullet with Jack's name on it.  All the same, Randall, Profile, and Carson is a team more than capable of bringing some psychological warfare to Marc. The Mr. Knight personality returns (also because I love the Mr. Knight persona) to help him solve the mystery of his framing, but also there will be an epic fight of the season.  An entire episode based on Moon Knight issue 5 in 2014.  Seriously that issue is so badass.  This episode will basically be like The Raid as that issue was so from start to finish, Mr. Knight will be kicking tons of ass as Black Spectre tried to lead him into a trap. Crossfire eventually gets dealt with by Jack.  Marc and Randall have an epic, emotionally charged showdown that appears to lead to Randall's death.  This comes after an attack by Randall that results in Marlene having a miscarriage, which the stress of Marc's life as Moon Knight and his personalities were already putting a strain on their relationship. And of course, the final fight, an epic, knockdown, drag out battle between Moon Knight and Black Spectre. Moon Knight triumphs in the end.  Marc returns home to be with Marlene in their darkest hour.  They may survive this. They may not.  She's been his rock through all the craziness but she may reach her breaking point.  The Committee is pissed off and so done with Profile after this failure, so that means that they want his head so he goes into hiding, but not before grabbing the body of Randall Spector.  Where are they headed? And of course, Marc finds a new friend in Jack Russell, whose off on his own adventures now and like Marc, also seeks to takedown The Committee, in which among their members is Madame Gao and also a head of the Roxxon Energy Corporation.

Season 3  

Big Bad is Shadow Knight and the Cult of Khonshu as well as the Committee themselves!  Profile is back and bringing war to The Committee. Marc and Khonshu are having problems and seem to be on the outs. Marlene has left Marc, needing time for herself, but still willing to help him if he needs it. Profile has been obsessed with figuring out Moon Knight since season 1 as he's been unable to read him as he does others and this bothers him so much.  Through his research and efforts, he has actually discovered the Cult of Khonshu actually around S2 and that is where he took Randall Spector, who is chosen as a potential new avatar of Khonshu, who has grown to be disappointed in Marc and thinks that through Randall, he can finally be rid of The Committee.

Also Marc is working more with his personas, using the strengths of each to help him. You got Steven Grant, the little redheaded girl (ultimate reference), Jake Lockley, Mr. Knight, and of course Moon Knight himself. This is a big test for Marc as this becomes a three way war.  You finally get to see who the members of the Committee are in full. An episode or two will feature Moon Knight dealing with The Hand and investigating Roxxon as Mr. Knight.  Epic battles between him and the Khonshu Cult, also Marc finally facing off with members of the Committee.  You discover more about the Committee as they are a criminal organization seeking power and possessing knowledge of the occult and supernatural world. Things get incredibly violent and innocent lives will suffer in this war.  Profile is finally dealt with for good.  The Committee seems to be taken out, but are regrouping... so that leaves the ultimate battle. Shadow Knight vs Moon Knight.  Marc Spector vs Randall Spector. Khonshu watches the fight, judging.   Moon Knight has truly met his match and perhaps his better in Shadow Knight as the fight is brutal, it's bloody, smash mouth non hand holding action. In the end, Marc proves superior but barely survives.  Khonshu chooses him, but not before Marc gives him a piece of his mind, being over his bullshit.  Of course, gotta have the happy ending as there seems to be a promising new beginning for Marc and Marlene, not to mention him having a better handle on his personalities. The End. For now. Onto the next phase.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, basically the deal is that while it focuses on his heroic adventures, it also draws attention to his mental illness. From his childhood to adulthood and even how it plays into his becoming a hero, regardless of Khonshu, who is sometimes a dick.  Of course, there's action but also elements of horror, even some psychological horror (more so an element in my ideal S1).  Ultimately, I want him to be represented in a way to show that.. someone like him can be good. Can be a hero. An opposite of when you have a character with a mental illness being a villain. I like to think of this like... United States of Tara if it was a superhero show.  Also I really liked United States of Tara too. So I didn't bring it up in the other stuff, but ideally the other personalities will get their moments, sometimes they may clash, and others work together. Similar to Ultimate Spider-Man, you may get moments where all personalities get together and have a meeting.  As the series goes on, yes it'll be dark, he'll struggle but by the end, want him to find that peace, that balance and overall show that... it's gonna be all ok. I really want MK to be the kind of hero that those like him can admire and look up to. Have that representation and not in a negative way.

Well I know this was long but what else is new when it comes to me?  lol  Still I hope you all enjoyed it.  Feel free to share your own ideas and hey, if you like my ideas, tell me.  If you have a request for a pitch, let me know.  

[thelivingautomaton]

after having watched the dark tower trailer five (5) times and also read about twelve different articles about it, i am finally composed enough to discuss my Opinions:

okay so first off. i actually really liked it a lot. SHOCKING I KNOW. but i think tbh i’m willing to be pretty easy on this adaptation because, duh, it’s an adaptation. and also they have a perfectly good reason for it to not be a straight adaptation that i won’t go into deeply because it involves Book Spoilers (tl;dr: roland has the horn) so like. i’m learning to live with what it is i guess? because i’m just so thrilled to have this thing i love on screen!!!

i mean, do i think it is a little cheesy and places too much emphasis on action as opposed to the quiet/weird moments that make the dark tower what it is? yeah i sort of do think that. but also that’s how you sell a movie to people who haven’t read an 8-book series that is roughly 4000 pages long. people aren’t coming into this like “oh yes, please give me a surreal western/fantasy/post-apocalyptic post-modern adventure so we can all muse about the nature of love and stories and obsession and healing the brokenness of the world”

well i mean...most people don’t come into movies in that mindset. i do but that’s beside the point

overall the ‘look’ of mid-world isn’t quite what i pictured (no deserts, and it’s quite a bit more forest-y in some parts) but that’s fine. i dig the ruined buildings that are scattered all over the place

also yo is that pennywise shout-out to it supposed to be in mid-world or what??? because like.......what

no joke i actually didn’t catch on to either that or the inexplicable framed photo of the hotel from the shining when i first watched the trailer but TBH i’m into it. i’m into all the ridiculous easter eggs to other stephen king works. i’m glad the people behind this movie seem to be like “yes, we are going to OWN THIS ASPECT”

WHAT are the weird cgi monster beasts??? i’m gonna take a wild guess and say they’re todash monsters that roland has to fight at some point to illustrate the “dangers” of traveling between worlds. (sudden wild guess: this is partly to set up jake traveling to mid world and not returning at the end of the movie)

OKAY CAN WE JUST TALK FOR 0.2 SECONDS ABOUT THE FACT THAT THEY PUT THE WATCH CHIMES FROM FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE OVER THE TRAILER??? G O D. i watched the trailer like “WHAT is that music it sounds so familiar” and then it hit me and i literally screamed

i think i read somewhere that they’re setting jake up to be a breaker and have the shining/the touch/whatever and honestly i think that’s a great story decision. actually i think it’s great they’re bringing these elements from the later books already because it ties everything together! also jake having the shining just makes sense anyways (i think he actually did have it in the books, or at least it was strongly hinted at?)

matthew mcconaughey is chewing the hell out of the scenery for all it’s worth and frankly i am so delighted. HE IS GOING TO BE SUCH A GOOD VILLAIN. (disappointing that they can’t actually call him randall flagg tho bc apparently a different movie studio owns the rights to that character...even though it’s the same character.......oh well)

dear god if they even hint vaguely at anything related to the stand and/or captain trips i will Die right in the middle of the theater

the house on dutch hill looks waaaaay less monstrous and haunted and scary (at least on the outside) but that is also Okay. also i think that big wooden spiky thing you see in the trailer for a split second is supposed to be the doorway demon, which if so, O M G

the portal effects look cool imo. actually most of the effects look pretty cool WHICH IS GOOD considering they apparently didn’t have much of a budget for it? i looooooved that shot of roland loading his guns

oh god what can i even say about idris elba as roland. HE’S GREAT. I AM SO DELIGHTED AND EXCITED. OH MY GOD

god i absolutely flipped a wig when he’s saying the gunslinger’s creed and YOU SEE STEVEN DESCHAIN RIGHT THERE LIKE???? WHAT. ARE THEY GOING TO SHOW FLASHBACKS TO GILEAD’S FALL OR WHAT

maybe it’s going to tie into the wizard and glass tv series they’re (allegedly) making??? OMG

god roland and jake’s dynamic is Everything. roland holding a gun up to jake. “are there guns and bullets in your world?” “you’re gonna like earth. a lot” THAT SHOT OF ROLAND TEACHING JAKE TO SHOOT GOD I AM SHOOK TO ABSOLUTE PIECES

i am so ready for fish-out-of-water roland in nyc god PLEASE. I SAW THOSE PICTURES OF ROLAND DRINKING THE COKE AND I NEED IT RIGHT NOW

frankly i am least pleased by how the tower looks cos i always imagined it to be a lot more...impressive? and castle-like? (also yo where’s the BALCONY haha jk they are never gonna include angry santa claus crimson king in any movie ever.) it just looks like a big black pencil. but i dug the look of the beams (although i hope there’s also appearances of the most subtle manifestations of the beams e.g. the clouds)

it seems like in the movie roland is a lot more disillusioned (like...even more so than in the books) especially when it comes to being a gunslinger (cf. him saying there are no gunslingers anymore) and chasing after/protecting the tower (since it looks like jake is motivating him to do so?) which i am...not sure how i feel about? it’s very different from roland’s book arc obviously. but i have the Very Strong Feeling that the movie’s endpoint (and the hypothetical end point of the franchise) is going to be extremely different from the books’ endpoint, which could require changing the arc up so the ending is...not like the books to say the least

i am really trying not to be super spoilery in my rambling here but like. book readers. hit me up if you want to talk more about this

does jake’s mom actually care about him in this (cf. that shot of the blonde woman hugging him)?? uh.......sure...........okay. unless that’s his nanny?

god i literally can’t stop watching the last 30 seconds of the trailer with the gunslinger’s creed i just BURST INTO TEARS NO LIE

tl;dr is the movie going to be somewhat silly? yes. the books are silly we can’t even argue about this. is the movie also going to fall flat in some respects? i think it’s pretty likely since nothing’s ever going to match up with the “movie” we all imagine in our heads. but tbh i think this route of trying to tell the same story in a new and innovative way is...good?

like, i’m actually NOT going to go in knowing what to expect. or i mean, i will, but i won’t know every single tiny detail. and that’s good! and exciting!

i mean i’m still concerned if they’re going to hit that dark tower “feeling” or “mood” that’s so expressed in the books. and maybe they won’t for much of it (again, i foresee very little musing on love and stories &etc) but like. that part with roland teaching jake the creed? i’m optimistic my dudes

and finally like i said a few days ago: if nothing else this is going to bring SO MANY MORE PEOPLE to these wonderful, ridiculous, occasionally-trashy books that are so near and dear to me. and that’s a good thing regardless of whether the movie succeeds or not.

[chaoticbraincell]

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP

Hi everyne! So yesterday I went to the cinema to watch Ant-Man and the Wasp and today I’m going to talk a bit about it. First of all, here is the general information you may want to know:

Director: Peyton Reed

Genre: Sci-fy, Comedy, action, adventure

Runtime: 118 minutes

Date of release: July the 4th, 2018 (Spain)

Cast: Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/ Ant-Man), Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne/ The Wasp), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym/ First Ant-Man), Michelle Pfeifer ( Janet Van Dyne/ The first Wasp), Michael Peña (Luis), Hanna John-Kamen (Ghost), Laurence Fishburne (Bill Foster), Walton Goggins (Sonny Burch), Randall Park (Agent Jimmy Woo),  David Dastmalchian (Kurt), T.I. (Dave), Judie Greer (Maggie), Abby Ryder Forston (Cassie Lang), Bobby Cannavale (Jim Paxton), Joshua Mikel (Derek) 

Music by: Christphe Beck

Producer: Marvel Studios

Synopsis: “From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink: "Ant-Man and The Wasp." In the aftermath of "Captain America: Civil War," Scott Lang (Rudd) grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he's confronted by Hope van Dyne (Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas) with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.”

Source: Rotten tomatoes

REVIEW (no spoilers, at least, not big ones)

Alright, so, if you don’t remember what happened in the first Ant-Man movie, I recommend that you watch it again because there are a lot of things that are already explained. If you have good memory and remember more or less that airport battle in Civil War, then you’re ready. Of course, there are Infinity War spoilers, so if you haven’t watched it yet maybe it’s better that you wait.

Anyway, the tone of the film is much lighter and relaxed. Just like in the first Ant-Man movie, the jokes and sense of humor are simple but they’re still fun. As for the romance, I have to say it’s very superficial, and while most people would consider this a flaw, I really like the idea that the love between the protagonists is not a main plot.

The rythm of the action is very fast, which makes the 2 hours of feature film enjoyable. I must say that this film explores the possibilities of the tiny heroes, and although our characters are not trying to save the universe, they are more powerful than we think. The action scenes are stunning and the choreografies are very well done.

Scott is very involved with his family, and that’s a point because, besides maybe Clint Barton, the rest of the Avengers and superheroes don’t have a family, or they’ve lost it. So he protects his daughter, but also his “partner”, because that means a lot to him.  

The characters don’t have time to evolve, though, because the plot covers just a few days. The villain could have been more appealing, but I also think that she aims credible and relatable objectives, and her way to think is not crazy or hard to believe. She is of the Killmonger type of villain. Even if Marvel always focuses their films on heroes and villains don’t really have more intentions than to stop them, Ghost is reasonable and we know enough of her past to understand her.

Although it’s not like Infinity War, this film is of the emotional style, not because it makes you cry, but because the characters’ feelings are very important, and not only in their purpose, but in the decitions they make during the film too.

Then, there’s the fact that there is another villain, Sonny Burch, and, of course, the FBI (although te agents are not real villains, they are more like antagonists).

The music does its job, although there’s nothing remarkable about it.

Finally, it’s suitable for children +13 (there are violent scenes) although it has some expanations about the Quantum Realm that are maybe too fast for them. Not a blockbuster, but very entertaining and vital for the next Avengers movie.

Final mark: 7/10

OPINION WITH SPOILERS 

Now, let’s talk about the real stuff. I watched what I expected, an action film with simple fun moments and an addition to the possible information I will need for Avengers 4. 

Although I really enjoyed the action scenes, like really, I really did, I got a bit disappointed because most of the most spectacular scenes were already shown in the trailer. The surprises, just like the salt shaker size change or others, were not surprises for me, but were for the children.

The humor is based in absurd conversations, that I enjoy, for example the argument about the truth serum. I really liked that, but maybe some people would disagree.

Despite what I said before, I think that Ghost should’ve been more able to listen to what Bill Foster or Hank Pym told her about saving her. Maybe if she had listened, Scotty and Co. wouldn’t have had the dificulties she generated.

The most memorable moments for me are when Scott really thinks like a imaginatve -maybe because he’s a thief- person (distracting Ghost while Pym was in the Quantum Realm, or when he lets the gigantic suit next to the facade of a bulding), those really got me, I wasn’t expecting them.

I like to think that when Luis tells the story about how Scott and he met was a strategy because he didn’t want to say where his friend was. I also find it very important that they always put family first because that’s what other heroes lack.

I must say that I got nervous for a moment because I thought that either Pym or Janet would die, but when they reunited my faith was restored. I also like the fact that Janet helped Ava and that she showed how happy she was after all the pain she had been feeling through her life. When she talks to Scott when they first find the lab, she says that she won’t harm them if not necessary, what makes us realize that deep inside she’s just a scared child, a victim.

Talking about morals, I liked that Bill Foster really loved Ava like a daughter, but he had his limits, for example, using Cassie in order to make Scott surrender.

I laughed way too hard than I was meant to because of the cap and sunglasses joke. “We look like ourselves in a baseball match”. Marvel finally got it. And then I like the detail when Scott takes Hope and Hank out of the FBI offices that he got Hank, well, a cap and sunglasses.

And some people would think that those “ordinary jokes” with the ants’ names are not fun, but I’m sure Marie ANTtoniette and ANTonio Banderas would disagree.

Paul Rudd playing Janet was one of the best things, to be honest. He did it really well, and although we couldn’t appreciate that much, this remembered me when Chris Evans played Loki playing Cap in The Dark World. It’s not the same level, but i completely forgot the fact that it was Scott’s body, I had to remember myself that

The thing I like the most is that HOPE ALWAYS SAVES THE DAY. My my, she’s so poweful. She saves Scott when he faints because he’s too big. YOU GO GIRL!

Anyway, I was happy at the end until the post-credits scene. I CAN’T BELIEVE SCOTT IS TRAPPPED IN THE QUANTUM REALM AND THE PYM-VAN DYNE FAMILY IS DEAD. 

Marvel did a wonderful job, very funNY, very enjoyable and then... Puff!!

Finally, LUIS DESERVES HIS SUIT AND I HOPE HE SURVIVED THE SNAP.

Thanks for reading this fangirl’s long and nonsense opinion. I will post more when I remember it better or even watch it again.

“The film is just what you could expect from a superhero movie. This Luis guy is fun and the special effects are cool. Why do you ask?”

                                                                                           -My mom

[demi-mccullar101-blog]

What Do I Watch?

All right, the pressure is off!  Let’s get into it.  My previous experience with Tumblr has been strictly for reading opinions about various shows I and others watch.  Now it’s my turn.

Let’s go by days of the week, shall we?

Sunday:

Like the rest of the world, I love Game of Thrones.  I truly have no idea how this show will end but I do see Dany as being on a Villain’s Journey.  I think Jon is on a Hero’s Journey as well.  I can’t wait for them to meet, and I expect a battle, but I have no idea which one will stand tall when the snow clears. 

I also watch Veep.  It mirrors real life more than it ever intended but remains brilliantly funny.  At no point during the episodes do I groan when a character comes on screen.  There aren’t any bad characters on this show.  Each is perfectly crafted and played. 

Finally, I end this night with Last Week Tonight.  Ollie was excellent on The Daily Show and is even better here.  He is funny and informative and has introduced the world to Janice From Accounting.

Monday:

This is a busy night for me.  First is Gotham.  I finally figured out why I love this goofy show that doesn’t make any sense.  Gotham is for me what the Adam West Batman is for those who watched it live.  It’s a ridiculous interpretation of the Batverse that couldn’t make me happier. 

Then comes Lucifer.  I haven’t read the Vertigo comics but, if they are anything even close to the show, then I’m sure I would love them.  This show brings the funny and is so upbeat that the serious moments actually have some gravitas.  I’m currently convinced that, if we are to meet Dad in season 2, then it will turn out to be Ella.  No particular reason, it just came to me earlier in the season.

Supergirl is next.  Season 2 has faltered a bit, with losing Cat and elevating Mon-el at the expense of Kara’s relationships with Alex and J’onn but I still feel positive feelings in general.  My hope is that season 3 fixes the mistakes of season 2 (and I wouldn’t object to Cat returning!).

The night ends, as it always does Mon-Thurs, with The Daily Show.  I think Trevor Noah is doing a great job and is a worthy successor to Jonny. 

Tuesday:

The Flash is one of those shows where I don’t really know why I still watch.  I don’t read Flash comics, as I’m a Batverse lady, so I have no connection with the character outside of the show.  Barry is actually my least favorite part of the show, to the point that I’m TeamBarryIsBigBad, and that does make it a chore to watch.  I do like the actors, so they might be why I’m still here.  I do think that Candice is given next to nothing to do and yet still manages to have presence.  This current season I LOVE Julian.  Not because of Tom Felton, though that doesn’t hurt, but because Julian is the only character who doesn’t worship at Barry’s feet and, as a result, actually calls him on his shit.  I loved watching Cisco do the same in the fallout from Flashpoint but he’s back in the Cult of Barry.  Thinking some more, yes, I think because I like all the actors involved (even Grant, as it’s not his fault the producers don’t realize Barry is the villain of the series). 

Legends of Tomorrow is my favorite of the Tuesday shows.  I’m a rare one who loved Kendra in season 1 and I still miss her but I am happy Hawkman is gone.  If they’d cast someone who could act, then I may feel differently but it’s hard to support a character when the actor is abysmal.  I think Amaya is a great addition to the team, though I can do without Nate.  A better actor, yes, but we have plenty of straight white guys and Ray fills the dork role already.  Plus, I get a serious Taking Screentime Away From Established Characters Ala Mon-el vibe whenever he was on screen which I do not want.  I am looking forward to how the team gets out of their current predicament.  My theory is that Rip is connected to the Waverider and can’t just go off to experience life.  He must always intend to return otherwise we have Dinosaurs in Los Angeles.  I expect we’ll get a story of him figuring out his place in the ship and on the team without usurping Sara’s Captaincy. 

My favorite moment of season 2, speaking of Sara, was when she saved the day by simply depowering the Spear.  Sara has seen too much, has done too much, and has experienced major consequences for her choices over the years.  There’s no one else who would make that choice.  Everyone would try to do good deeds and all that would happen is that other negative things would happen.  Look at Barry and Flashpoint.  All he wanted to do was fix the past so that his parents didn’t die.  When all was said and done, his parents were still dead, Cisco’s brother needlessly died, little Sara Diggle was turned into JJ Diggle, and Savitar exists.  Sara herself knows this firsthand.  Her sister brought her back from the dead but didn’t know what she was doing and so Sara was a soulless killing machine until a magic solution was found.  And her sister ended up dead as a result.  Sara knew the safest choice was to set things the way they already are and to give no one else the chance to play god.  I love this character.

Count me among the many who fell for This Is Us.  I don’t think Jack is the Saint Husband that is so commonly felt among viewers but I do like the character.  I find Kevin a bit boring but I love watching him opposite his siblings.  Kate is great, and I relate to her insecurities, but I am not a Toby fan and I hope he doesn’t last much longer.  Randall is wonderful and I adore Beth and their girls.  Sterling K Brown is a gem and I want to see him in everything.  I found myself, when the season finished, relating to Rebecca the most.  She put her life on hold to raise the kids and probably would have been able to keep her resentments in check if she’d gotten the chance to truly pursue music without having to deal with Jack’s jealousy or drinking.  That ex in the band was a dick but she shut him down twice and probably would have just found a new group to sing with had Jack not been such an ass.  I do think that all happened in the run up to his death and I look forward to more details.

Agents of Shield is another Tuesday favorite.  I am very behind currently, as my DVR didn’t record the first few episodes when the show came back from the winter hiatus so I’m waiting for it to arrive on Netflix before binge watching.  My favorite characters were actually Bobbi and Hunter but I enjoy everyone else a lot which kept me around when they were written off.

Wednesday:

The week starts to get lighter beginning here.  I don’t have anything on until 9, when Chicago PD and Designated Survivor both air.  I quit Arrow back in season 3.  Sara’s fridging was the last straw for me. 

I do like Chicago PD but I’m mainly here for Sophia Bush.  If she ever leaves, then so will I.  I’m just tired of cop shows that glory in police brutality with no fallout unless the story permits.  When the show slows down and shows them doing actual detective work it works for me.

Designated Survivor is another where I’m mainly here for Maggie Q.  I like the other characters but the show doesn’t seem to know if it wants to be a conspiracy thriller or a political show.  It tries to do both and it doesn’t work very well.  I hope that a second season fixes these problems.

Thursday:

The Good Place is amazing.  Kristen Bell is one I will follow forever.  She’s just that good.  Ted Dansen is born for comedy and he is so great as Michael.  Chidi is someone I want in my own life and I can relate to his indecisiveness as I get that way with big decisions.  Tahani reminds me, in the best way, of a lot of people I went to college with.  Jason makes me laugh so hard and I love his relationship with Janet.  And, yes, I adore Janet. 

Superstore is so accurate that I cry laughing.  Sandra is probably my favorite and her look to Carol in the season 2 finale was everything. 

Chicago Med, like PD, is one that I watch because I enjoy Colin Donnell but it is not a good show.  There is a lot of judgment of the patients on the part of the doctors and nurses, rather than just treating them and moving on, so I tend to roll my eyes when I watch.

And that’s what I like to watch.

[aion-rsa]

Upcoming Marvel Movies Release Dates: MCU Phase 4 Schedule, Cast, and Story Details

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

We’ve got everything you need to know about the upcoming Marvel movie (and TV!) schedule all in one place! The Marvel Cinematic Universe plan now stretches all the way to 2023 (and beyond). The amazing thing is, it’s even more ambitious than we anticipated, with new movies getting announced all the time. It looks like even something on the massive scale of Avengers: Endgame was only the beginning. How can anything ever be bigger than that crazy Avengers: Endgame finale?

Well, we’re going to find out! It’s a bold new era for the MCU right now, and the seeds of what comes next have already begun not in theaters, but on TV with Disney+ with the wildly successful WandaVision!

We’ve compiled as much information as we can find on every Marvel movie and TV series coming out in the next few years in a handy release calendar for you. This is where you can check out all the details on Marvel Phase 4 and beyond. However, be advised, almost every single MCU Phase 4 movie release date remains in flux because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which is wreaking havoc with every industry in the world, so bookmark this page and check back frequently for updates.

WandaVision

Release Date: Jan. 15, 2021

Ever wonder what happened to Wanda after she went full Scarlet Witch on Thanos in Avengers: Endgame? Well, WandaVision depicts a grief-riddled Wanda dealing with the death of Vision in less than healthy ways. The official synopsis for the series describes WandaVision as “a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany)—two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.” We won’t spoil anything else in case you haven’t seen it yet, but if you haven’t…what are you waiting for?

This show is going to have serious ties to the MCU, with elements that will be important for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Captain Marvel 2 having prominent roles. And the cast is a who’s who of MCU luminaries, including Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Paul Bettany as Vision, Kathryn Hahn as Agnes (we have our own theories about who this character actually is), Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, Kat Dennings as Darcy (her first appearance since Thor: The Dark World), and Randall Park (Ant-Man and The Wasp) as former SHIELD agent Jimmy Woo.

WandaVision will air nine weekly episodes on Disney+.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Release Date: March 19, 2021

“The legacy of that shield is complicated.”

Yes, it is. And we’re going to find out just how complicated when Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes reckon with the legacy of Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+. Here’s the official synopsis for the series…

“Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities—and their patience—in Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”

Like WandaVision, this isn’t a theatrical release, but also like that show, this is far too important to the future of the MCU to ignore. We’re expecting big things from this one, especially with Daniel Bruhl returning as Captain America: Civil War villain, Zemo. Emily VanCamp will return as Sharon Carter, and Wyatt Russell is going to make his MCU debut as John Walker, who Marvel fans know as the USAgent.

Black Widow 

Release Date: May 7, 2021

The Black Widow movie was heading for a May 1, 2020 release before the coronavirus outbreak, but Disney and Marvel have decided to delay it until the industry’s infrastructure is back to some semblance of normal. First they bumped it to November, but now we have to wait almost a full year from that originally scheduled date before we see Natasha and friends. Disney and Marvel Studios seem absolutely committed to keeping Natasha on a theatrical release rather than sending her to Disney+, though.

Here’s the official synopsis:

“Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.”

Cate Shortland directed the film, and Scarlett Johansson stars, with Florence Pugh and David Harbour alongside her. One of the movie’s villains is Taskmaster, and we wrote a little bit more about him right here.

Natasha Romanoff will get a prequel movie of sorts here, as we catch up with Widow right around the events of Captain America: Civil War. Will the plot affect her character’s ultimate fate in Endgame? Do not count on it.

Hopefully this one finally comes out on schedule.

We have more information on the Black Widow movie right here.

Loki

Release Date: June 11, 2021

Tom Hiddleston will reprise his most famous role, as Loki finds himself on a heist through time and space “as he steps out of his brother’s shadow” after the events of Avengers: Endgame! Oh, and based on this trailer, there’s all kinds of weirdness awaiting, including the return of Heimdall, some other Asgardian hijinks, DB Cooper (yes!), Owen Wilson playing an obscure character based on a beloved Marvel Comics writer, and…Loki running for President!

Look, he couldn’t possibly do a worse job than the guy was in there for the last four years so…Vote Loki!

Tom Hiddleston stars, of course, and the cast also includes Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, and Richard E. Grant. Michael Waldron is head writer.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Release Date: June 25, 2021

Andy Serkis (Mowgli) steps behind the camera for Venom 2, which now boasts the catchy title of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The first film, buoyed by a terrific showing at the Chinese box office, made an absolute ton of money, despite being released to mostly scathing reviews.

Venom 2 will follow up Sony’s 2018 Spider-Man-less spinoff film, but will likely be more connected to the MCU this time around, thanks to a renewed deal between the company and its Marvel Studios partners. Tom Hardy will return as Eddie Brock, of course, and as you can probably guess from that title, he’ll be facing off against Woody Harrelson’s villain, Cletus Kasady aka Carnage!

Don’t be surprised if this ends up moving off this release date if people remain skeptical about returning to movie theaters.

Read everything else you need to know about Venom 2.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Release Date: July 9, 2021

Simu Liu has been cast as the titular Shang-Chi and Tony Leung as The Mandarin (hey, that name sounds familiar! But this time, we’re getting the real Mandarin on screen). Destin Daniel Cretton is directing from a script by Dave Callaham. Given its “Ten Rings” title, Shang-Chi should be steeped in Marvel lore!

This has been delayed twice. Let’s hope that’s the end of it and we get to see it in July!

We have more info on the Shang-Chi movie right here.

What If…?

Release Date: Summer 2021

The beloved comic book series that tells tales of how things might have turned out differently in the Marvel Universe is becoming an animated series on Disney+!

Here’s the official synopsis:

“What If…? flips the script on the MCU, reimagining famous events from the films in unexpected ways…Marvel Studios’ first animated series focuses on different heroes from the MCU, featuring a voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their roles.”

We know that at least a couple of these roles include Chadwick Boseman’s final performance as T’Challa as well as the return of Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter!

The Eternals 

Release Date: Nov. 5, 2021

The Eternals has completed principal photography and is on post-production. Chloe Zhao is directing from a script by Matthew and Ryan Firpo. Marvel described the film as an “epic story, spanning thousands of years, features a group of immortal heroes forced out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s oldest enemy, The Deviants.”

The cast features Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Gemma Chan as Sersi, and Kit Harrington as Dane Whitman, the Black Knight.

This one was another victim of the release date shuffle, having moved from February of 2021 to November of that year. We’ll get to see Jack Kirby‘s wildest creations eventually!

You can read more about The Eternals movie right here.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2021

The next Spider-Man movie finally has a title! Spider-Man: No Way Home will once again take place in the MCU since Marvel and Sony solved their differences, good sense prevailed, and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will remain a vital part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This one, well…this might be a live action Spider-Verse movie from the sound of it. Jamie Foxx will reprise his role as Electro from the maligned Amazing Spider-Man films and Alfred Molina will return from the Raimi era as Doctor Octopus. Wait. Are they trying to make this a multiversal Sinister Six movie? Because…we could be down for that.

Hawkeye

Release Date: Late 2021

Jeremy Renner returns as Clint Barton to train his replacement as Hawkeye, Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop! Apparently based on the brilliant run of comics by Matt Fraction and David Aja, Hawkeye will also prominently feature Lucky the Pizza Dog, one of the great canines in Marvel Comics history.

The cast also includes Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop, Fra Fee as Kazimerz Kazimierczak, Tony Dalton as Jack “Swordsman” Duquesne, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Alaqua Cox as Maya “Echo” Lopez, and Zahn McClarnon as Willie Lincoln. We wrote more about all these new characters here.

Ms. Marvel

Release Date: Late 2021

Ms. Marvel is finally coming to live action! Here’s the official synopsis for the series…

“Ms. Marvel introduces Kamala Khan—a 16-year-old Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City. “A great student, an avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she has a special affinity for superheroes, particularly Captain Marvel. But Kamala struggles to fit in at home and at school—that is, until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life is easier with super powers, right?”

The cast includes Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Laith Naki, Azher Usman, Travina Springer, and Nimra Bucha. Episodes are directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, Meera Menon, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

Morbius

Release Date: January 21, 2022

Spider-Man spinoff Morbius is Sony’s next big Marvel release, and it’ll officially be the first spinoff to properly connect to the MCU. Here’s the official synopsis for the film…

“Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed and transforms this healer into a hunter.”

Safe House‘s Daniel Espinosa directs from a script by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway. Jared Leto stars as the vampiric title character, and the cast also includes Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson.

Read more about the character of Michael Morbius here, and find everything you need to know about his upcoming movie, right here.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Release Date: March 25, 2022

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness looks like it will open up the storytelling possibilities in the MCU like never before. And that’s just based on the name alone. Scott Derrickson was scheduled to direct, but has bowed out because of “creative differences” with Marvel. But the good news is that Marvel found a suitable replacement in none other than Sam Raimi, who of course has plenty of superhero experience thanks to his Spider-Man trilogy in the early 2000s!

This one has loads of connections to the wider MCU. Elizabeth Olsen will be here as Wanda Maximoff post WandaVision, and the film will also connect to Spider-Man: No Way Home and its own multiversal ambitions. There are also a few rumors doing the rounds that Jericho Drumm aka Brother Voodoo could be introduced in this sequel. We’ll keep an eye on that and update this if there’s any substance to them.

We have more information on Doctor Strange 2 right here.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Release Date: May 6, 2022

Taika Waititi, who gave us the delightful Thor: Ragnarok, will return to write and direct. Chris Hemsworth will be back, but will it be as Thor? Natalie Portman is your new Thor (yes, you read that right, Jane Foster will wield the hammer…just as she did in the comics!). Christian Bale has also joined the cast as the terrifying Gorr the God Butcher.

Oh, and did we mention that the Guardians of the Galaxy will be along for the ride, too?

We have more info on Thor: Love and Thunder right here.

Black Panther 2 

Release Date: July 8, 2022

Black Panther 2 is still on Disney’s release schedule, despite the tragic, untimely death of star Chadwick Boseman. Marvel has made it official that they have no intention of recasting the role of T’Challa, which is absolutely the right move.

Ryan Coogler will return as director, but there are no other details currently available. We have more information on Black Panther 2 right here. Interestingly, Coogler is also bringing a Wakanda TV series to Disney+ at some point in the future, too.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Sequel

Release Date: October 7, 2022

Is it technically an MCU movie? Nope. But with all the legal weirdness going on between Marvel and Sony, and this franchise’s very multiversal concept, who’s really to say that it ISN’T an MCU movie either, right? In any case, the sequel to the best Spider-Man movie of all time is coming in 2022 with Avatar: The Last Airbender mastermind Joaquim Dos Santos directing and David Callaham writing.

There’s also an “untitled Marvel movie” still technically scheduled for this date but…that is almost certainly not gonna happen now. Expect whatever that project was to move to one of these below dates or to some other currently unspecified date on the calendar.

Captain Marvel 2

Release Date: November 11, 2022

WandaVision writer Megan McDonnell has been tapped to write the screenplay for Captain Marvel 2. You know what else is really cool? Candyman‘s Nia DaCosta will direct!

We have no idea where we’ll find Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) in the sequel to her hugely successful first standalone MCU entry. Will she be fighting to loosen her former Kree pals’ iron grip on a pre-Avengers galaxy? Or will the follow up film see her fighting for justice in the present?

In any case, we know that she’ll be facing off with Zawe Ashton as a currently unnamed antagonist.

Read more about Captain Marvel 2 here.

And then there are still some dates that Marvel has announced that they have yet to match projects to. Those dates are…

Feb. 17, 2023

May 5, 2023

July 28, 2023

Nov. 3, 2023

Some of those dates could very well be good fits for the following films…

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Peyton Reed will return to direct the third installment of the Ant-Man saga, perhaps the most unlikely trilogy in Marvel’s entire arsenal. Paul Rudd will return as Scott Lang, and you can almost certainly expect Evangeline Lilly to return as The Wasp and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.

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The villain of the film? That will be Kang the Conqueror, who will be played by Lovecraft Country‘s Jonathan Majors. The inclusion of Kang opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities for the MCU, and may even tease the arrival of the Fantastic Four down the line! We wrote more about those possibilities right here.

We’re also going to need fast confirmation on Michael Pena’s return as Luis, though. Luis is key…

This will probably slide in to one of those 2023 release dates above.

Blade

Well this one was a surprise. In 2019, Marvel announced that they will be rebooting the Blade franchise with Mahershala Ali playing the titular daywalker. Ali’s True Detective co-star – and former Blade villain – Stephen Dorff is excited to see what he can do with the character, and so are we.

We have more info on Blade here.

Deadpool 3

Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin will be the writing team tasked with bringing the Merc with a Mouth to the MCU. What a Deadpool 3 could look like in the interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe is, of course, anybody’s guess, but if anyone can crack wise about the follies of this kind of corporate synergy, it’s Ryan Reynolds.

Fantastic Four

The MCU Fantastic Four movie is finally happening! Marvel’s first family will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a film directed by Jon Watts, who did such a wonderful job with the first two MCU Spider-Man movies. That’s all the information that’s out there at the moment, but as soon as we have more, we’ll update this. It also appears that WandaVision is setting up the Fantastic Four, so stay tuned.

We have our own theories on why Marvel went with the Fantastic Four before the X-Men, but that’s another story.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 

Avengers: Endgame left the team in an interesting place. We broke down some of the story possibilities right here.

After a tumultuous period which saw James Gunn fired and then rehired as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director, he will become the first Marvel director to ever complete a trilogy for the studio. However, Gunn can’t even begin filming Guardians 3 until he finishes production on The Suicide Squad for DC, as well as an HBO Max Peacemaker prequel. Once those projects are finished, he’s free to return to the MCU.

We have everything else you need to know about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 right here.

And as for those others? Well, we’re still waiting on word on movies to bring the X-Men (other than Deadpool, of course) into the MCU. Could any of those 2023 dates do the trick? It’s very possible! And this doesn’t even account for all of the other MCU Disney+ TV shows that don’t have release dates yet…

She-Hulk

Tatiana Maslany will play Jennifer Walters, a lawyer who ends up with her cousin Bruce’s gamma-irradiated blood. Hilarity certainly ensues. Kevin Feige has promised that since this will be a courtroom show, you never know who else from the MCU could show up.

Moon Knight

Oscar Isaac will play Marc Spector, a disturbed fortune hunter who also happens to be the avenging avatar of an Egyptian moon god.

Ironheart

The first of two series that will explore the legacy of Iron Man and Tony Stark in the MCU, Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, a teenager at M.I.T. who creates her own suit of armor to right the wrongs of the world.

Armor Wars

Don Cheadle will reprise his role as Rhodey and will have the solo spotlight in the War Machine armor in a series that deals with a nightmare scenario for the MCU: what if Tony Stark’s Iron Man technology fell into the wrong hands and was getting duplicated by villains? Based on a classic comics run, Armor Wars promises big action and lots of obscure bad guys. We can’t wait.

Secret Invasion

Samuel L. Jackson will return as Nick Fury alongside Ben Mendelsohn as Talos for a series about the shape-shifting Skrull infiltration of Earth. Secret Invasion could be the biggest thing to happen to the MCU since Endgame.

Wakanda

Very few details are available on this one at the moment, but Ryan Coogler will develop at least one Wakanda-set TV series for Disney+. We wrote more about some of the implications of this here.

Hopefully all these shows arrive by 2022. We’ll keep updating this with new information as it becomes available.

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