#and the other of billy tommy and america trying to figure out what happened during wanda's part of the story

[warrior-of-storms]

Current To-Do List (tangled threads edition)

Finish second draft of Investigation chapter 3 (then send it off to the beta(s))

Finish chapters 2 & 3 of if it would only get it through to you

Finish/edit Nobody's Son, Nobody's Daughter

Finish flip the record and start over

Plot/draft X-Men story

Plot/draft the WandaVision/Billy, Tommy, & America story

Visual timeline?

Patrol playlists

[scarletxvision]

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness: Spoiler Review

Right, let's get into it. I have actually seen this movie twice at this stage, and I still don't know if I have truly wrapped my head around what played out to be honest. I wouldn't go as far as to say I hated it, but I definitely didn't enjoy it either.

We'll start off with some positives. The cinematography was beautifully executed, the horror aspects were fresh and exciting and the use of magic got a much needed upgrade as well. Overall, it was a stunning film visually, and every single person gave the performance of their lives, particularly Elizabeth Olsen.

Moving on to the elephant in the room... Wanda's character and storyline. Oh boy, there is a lot to unpack here. Now I now there had been rumours circulating since the end of WandaVision that she was going to be the villain, but I had figured it was going to be clear cut that she was acting on instinct to protect her children, or even during my first watch, that she was merely being manipulated by the Darkhold.

However, what we got instead was a slightly OOC Wanda who has no problem in killing another child to be with her own. It doesn't sit right with me that after all of her speeches about being a mother, after her own experience as a young girl discovering powers she didn't fully understand and couldn't control, she unapologetically wanted to kill America, a girl in the same position that she had been in.

What bugged me the most was the lack of continuity following the ending of WandaVision. The whole heart of that show was Wanda getting through her grief, and by the end, she had pretty much come to terms with everything that happened and even felt remorseful for holding everyone in Westview. Of course she had never truly finished grieving, no one ever does, but her moving out to her little cabin for some peace and quiet showed promising signs of her overcoming the first few stages of grief.

The main thing I immediately noticed had been forgotten about or discarded was the whole "MOM! HELP!" end scene. It would have been more realistic for Wanda's character if she had reason to suspect Billy and Tommy were in some kind of danger and therefore would be safer with her as their mother. Having her blatantly try to take them away from her variant self simply because she wanted her happy ending with them seemed so off and untrue to Wanda's character, regardless of the influences of the Darkhold.

In fact, they completely missed the mark by not having her look for Vision at all. I mean, she hardly even mentions him! Look, in one way I understand she has had more time to get over his death - WandaVision told that story beautifully - and now she has a new wound to heal with the loss of her children, but come on, we got like three references to him in the whole movie! You can tell that she still loves him dearly with how hurt she sounded in her conversation with Strange about sacrifice, so why not use that and the ability to travel the multiverse to reunite with her husband?

I was actually expecting a mention of White Vision, but surprisingly there was nothing. I do understand that it is primarily a Doctor Strange film, but with the amount they dived into what happened in Westview, I was hoping for some hint of where he has gone and what his deal is.

On the other hand, I loved seeing the full might of Wanda's powers, and there was something strangely satisfying about watching her single handedly take down the Illuminati. I want to point out that Wanda was never defeated, in fact, no one was even close so *cough* strongest Avenger confirmed *cough*. She had some powerful lines and as I said before, Elizabeth really put her heart and soul into her performance.

Overall, villain Wanda is not the direction I wanted her character to go in, and the poor execution makes it even harder to swallow. It was the most detached I have ever felt from her, and Wanda has been my favourite since I watched Age of Ultron in the cinema - she practically got me into Marvel movies. It felt like I was watching a completely different character, like I was watching 'The Scarlet Witch' and not 'Wanda Maximoff', as if they are separate beings. Watching her sacrifice didn't mean much because we know the rule that if there's no body, she didn't die, but it's still nice knowing that as far gone as she was, she still turned around and did the right thing in the end.

Getting away from my feelings on Wanda, I wasn't sure about Doctor Strange's character arc and development. If anything, he just proved Wanda's point of "You break the rules, you become a hero. I do it, I become the enemy." The plot reeked of hypocrisy, and I couldn't pinpoint how Strange grew from the start of the movie to the end.

I don't even want to get into Christine's character, whose only use seems to be as Strange's tragic love. In fact, their whole story resembles Steve and Peggy (I won't get into how much I dislike them here, that deserves it's own essay) and it's disappointing that Christine never got to evolve past male lead's love interest.

I enjoyed the Illuminati cameos, especially John Krasinski as Reed Richards - I literally gasped so loud when the camera cut to him. I thought they would do more with the characters, but watching Wanda pick them off like it was child's play was quite entertaining, I won't lie.

I want to say that, for the record, I think the whole Doctor Strange's third eye thing is so freaky and I am not here for it, but the first end credit scene introducing Clea is exciting and I'm looking forward to learning more about her.

I'm going to wrap it up there for now, but I could go on and on about this movie for days. All in all, it wasn't completely horrible, but I definitely didn't like it and won't be rushing to watch it again. I have no idea where they are going to go from here with Wanda's character, so I guess I'll have to simply stand by and hope for the best.

I'm curious to know what everyone else thought of the movie - do you agree with me or did you like the direction it took? I'd love to know! ❤💚

[bewitching-elizabeth-olsen]

Press: A Thorough Breakdown of All the Marvel Easter Eggs on WandaVision

POPSUGAR: WandaVision has finally arrived, and it’s chock-full of hidden goodies for Marvel fans to devour! While the series is built upon a mystery that we’ll be spending a reported nine episodes trying to figure out, the smallest details in each episode provide clues on where the show is heading. From supermarket banners to foreboding commercials, viewers have an abundance of references and callbacks to classic comic lore and pivotal MCU moments. Are they setting the stage for a big reveal at the end, or are they just fun details included for fans to enjoy? While we try to figure it all out, scroll through to see what we’ve gathered! And check back every week for an episode-by-episode breakdown as WandaVision progresses.

  WandaVision Episode 5 Easter Eggs

Wanda and Vision’s brand new house, suitable for a family of four, is reminiscent of homes in ’80s sitcoms such as Full House and Growing Pains.

When Agnes comes in to offer her babysitting help, she refers to herself as “Auntie Agnes,” which is eerily close to her comic counterpart’s nickname, Auntie Agatha.

An uncomfortable break in conversation leads Agnes to ask Wanda if she wants her to “take it from the top.” Though Wanda appears confused for a moment, she readily smoothes the conversation and carries on. Vision is visibly perturbed, though Wanda attempts to redirect his attention. It seems like the facade is fading all around.

To the surprise of their parents, Tommy and Billy age up five years while the two argue over Agnes’s break in character.

This episode’s opening sequence shows Wanda and Vision growing up, which we know didn’t happen in real life for the synthezoid. The theme song sounds very similar to those from Family Ties and Growing Pains, and consists of lyrics noting that “we’re just making it up as we go along.” Sounds pretty close to how things are going with Wanda and Vision!

When Wanda’s scans come back, they’re inconclusive and show up blank. Considering Monica gains her powers due to bombardment by extradimensional energies in the comics, it’s entirely possible that the blast from Wanda back in episode three, coupled with passing through the forcefield around Westview twice, have given her those abilities. We could be seeing the rise of Photon!

While Jimmy Woo is explaining Wanda’s backstory to the agents of S.W.O.R.D., Director Hayward asks if she’s ever used a “funny nickname” like the other Avengers. She hasn’t, in fact, she’s never been referred to as Scarlet Witch in the MCU ever. Since her powers are different from her comic book counterpart, there’s never been a reason for anyone to call her a witch.

That never-before-seen post credits scene from Infinity War has officially made its debut. Director Hayward reveals footage of Wanda entering S.W.O.R.D. headquarters to steal Vision’s disassembled body. The video harks back to a moment in the comics where Vision was kidnapped and taken apart — but still very much alive. Much like that Vision, the one in Westview has his memory wiped and doesn’t remember anything before he woke up in his new world. So, the question is whether Vision is actually alive or not. Wanda’s hallucination from episode four might suggest he’s a walking corpse, but there’s more to the story.

Jimmy mentions that Wanda’s stealing of Vision’s body violates the Sokovia Accords, which haven’t been mentioned since Captain America: Civil War. Unfunnily enough, the Accords were a direct response to the mission gone wrong in Lagos where Wanda lost control of her powers and caused the death of many civilians.

Darcy mentions that Vision is playing “Father Knows Best in Surburbia,” referencing the ’50s sitcom.

Tommy and Billy find a dog that, with the help of Auntie Agnes, they name Sparky. The Vision family has a dog with that exact name in the King and Walta comics, but he’s green. Sadly, he meets a similar fate as his live-action counterpart.

Wanda blatantly uses her powers in front of Agnes, who has seemingly handled the magic around her with ease. It’s almost as if she’s used to magic.

Darcy calls the Westview anomaly the “hex” because of its hexagonal shape. Although the magic has been taken out of the phrase, Wanda’s powers are known as hexes in the comics.

Jimmy, Monica, and Darcy try to understand how Wanda can revive Vision and control the Hex, which takes much more power than she’s ever displayed before. Monica notes that Wanda has always been powerful, being the only Avenger who was close to taking down Thanos singlehandedly, which Jimmy interjects to note that Captain Marvel could as well. Both are empowered by Infinity Stones, with Carol’s Kree biology giving her a power boost.

When Jimmy brings up Captain Marvel, Monica is visibly uncomfortable and changes the subject back to Wanda. What happened there?

Vision’s office mates learn about the sweet glory that is dial-up internet! But when he and Norm open their first bit of electronic mail, it’s a transmission picked up from S.W.O.R.D. talking about the Maximoff anomaly.

Vision breaks through Norm’s conditioning, revealing that he’s under the control of a woman (alluding to it being Wanda). He directly references his family, a conversation that Jimmy mentioned in his notes in the last episode.

The twins have aged themselves up to 10 by this point and are seemingly completely aware that Wanda has control over certain aspects of life, like time. They point out that it was Saturday when they woke up, but Wanda says it’s now Monday. She apparently changed the day to send Vision to work. Is their awareness because they also have magic or because she doesn’t control them?

Monica sends an ’80s drone into Westview after working out that Wanda’s Hex is rewriting reality to suit each era occurring in the bubble, and the drone would need no era-appropriate change. Though she attempts to speak with Wanda through the drone, Director Hayward commands agents to fire a missile at Wanda instead — directly ignoring that Monica said she doesn’t see Wanda as a danger. The action results in Wanda leaving the Hex and confronting the S.W.O.R.D. agents outside. She’s wearing the suit we last saw her wearing in Infinity War and Endgame and has her accent back, although it’s much thicker than it’s been since Ultron.

Episode five’s commercial is more pointed than any of them have been. Lagos brand paper towels directly reference the city in which Wanda accidentally killed several people in Civil War by blowing up a building. Thus, the Sokovia Accords were born.

While Wanda and the twins are searching for a missing Sparky — with no one calling out the fact that Wanda disappeared for some time — the mailman tells the boys that their mom “won’t let him get far.” It seems almost like a dig at how no one can leave Westview, like the doctor mentioned during episode three.

When Agnes reveals that Sparky died after eating too many azalea bush leaves, the boys ask their mother to reverse his death. Agnes seems particularly surprised by the idea of Wanda having that ability despite having seen other displays of her power and watching the twins age up rapidly twice. Wanda tells the twins that they can’t reverse death as there are still rules to things, which almost seems hypocritical considering her circumstances. Is she trying to say that she hasn’t revived Vision? Or is she simply trying to keep her boys from expecting too much from her?

Later that night, Vision reveals that he unearthed Norm’s repressed memories and demands to know what’s going on. He tells Wanda that she can’t control him, which she cooly responds asking him, “Can’t I?” Although the credits start rolling, their argument continues as Vision unleashes his frustration with not knowing his past and his confusion over their circumstances. Wanda tells him that she doesn’t control everything, saying, “I don’t even know how all of this started.” Vision believes it began subconsciously, but chastises Wanda for letting it get that far. Wanda reiterates that she isn’t controlling everything, which gives weight to the theory that there’s someone else behind the scenes. But who could it be if Wanda isn’t the “she” that Norm was referring to?

Mid-argument, the Vision family doorbell rings, which Wanda states she didn’t do. I’m inclined to believe her because when she opens the door, she is genuinely shocked speechless. At the door is her “brother” Pietro, now sporting the face of Evan Peters. Darcy asks the question we were all thinking as the episode closes, “She recast Pietro!?”

  WandaVision Episode 4 Easter Eggs

This episode opens with the heartbreaking reveal that Monica Rambeau was one of the people lost to the Snapture from Infinity War. She returns from Endgame’s Reverse-Snap in a hospital where she had been awaiting news after her mother Maria’s surgery.

As Monica is waking up, we hear familiar voices echoing in her head. It’s Captain Marvel calling her by her childhood nickname, Lieutenant Trouble.

As Monica weaves through the chaos of people reappearing in the hospital post-Reverse-Snap, she finally locates someone who recognizes her. Although Maria survived the surgery five years ago, she died from cancer three years ago in real time, having not been blipped with her daughter.

We finally have some information on S.W.O.R.D.! The acronym stands for Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division, rather than the meaning in Marvel comics, which is Sentient World. It sounds a little more ominous, right?

Maria’s badass legacy continues well past her friendship with Captain Marvel; according to S.WO.R.D.’s acting director, Tyler Hayward, Maria helped build the agency during its inception. She was the acting director until her death.

Tim gives Monica a mission to help out the FBI in the town of WestView, NJ, where something super freaky is going on with a missing person’s case. This confirms that WestView is, indeed, a very real place.

Welcome back, Jimmy Woo! Monica’s FBI contact is none other than Scott Lang’s parole officer and semifriend, Agent Jimmy Woo.

Jimmy reveals that a person in witness protection has somehow dropped off the map in a town that no longer seems to exist where no one recalls anyone who lived there. In an attempt to figure out what’s going on, Monica sends in a S.W.O.R.D. drone that vanishes inside the forcefield. It’s revealed to have transformed into the retro-style helicopter that Wanda picks up in episode two! We can only assume that since it’s an item from the outside world, it gained color when it entered Wanda’s reality to show that it doesn’t belong.

Darcy Lewis is back! Now a doctor in astrophysics, Darcy is called to help figure out what’s gone wrong with WestView. She’s the one who figured out a signal for the broadcast and is the owner of the hand we saw watching Wanda and Vision in episode one.

The mysterious beekeeper from episode two is revealed to be S.W.O.R.D.’s Agent Franklin, who journeyed through Westview’s sewers to investigate. His hazmat suit became a beekeeper’s uniform, and the cable around his waist becomes a jump rope as he travels through the tunnels.

Darcy explains that the sitcom that’s become Wanda and Vision’s life is literally being broadcast through the signals that S.W.O.R.D.’s viewing, with an audience and everything. There’s no explanation for how this is happening, but Darcy and company watched those first three episodes just like we did, credits and all.

Darcy also points out that Vision is supposed to be dead-dead, which leaves his presence in WestView still unexplained.

While Darcy and Jimmy can identity a majority of the neighbors we’ve met in WestView to their real-life counterparts, Dottie and Agnes are the only ones who are missing real information.

It’s revealed that Agent Woo was the voice behind the radio disruption, just as we suspected! But while we can see Wanda and Dottie’s reaction to the call, Darcy’s broadcast didn’t show the same thing. She explains that someone is “censoring” the visuals they’re receiving, which means someone knows they’re watching.

Back in the sitcom WestView, we see that Monica’s slip-up resulted in Wanda blasting her through the house and the energy field. It’s the first time we physically see Wanda using her powers again, so she still has them. But the lapse in her facade has consequences — when Vision returns from his talk with Agnes and Herb outside, Wanda hallucinates him as she last saw him in Infinity War, a corpse with his head crushed in.

It’s important to note that Vision seems to become more aware of the strangeness of their world with each episode. It makes sense because no matter how human he may seem, he’s still a synthezoid who has always been able to see beyond the superficial. It harks back to his “birth” in Age of Ultron. He’s omnipotent and always learning.

When Monica lands back in the real world, all she says is, “It’s all Wanda.” That seemingly serves as an answer to what’s going on in WestView, but it’s not a whole answer. Wanda seems just as confused and unaware as everyone else, but she is willing to stay in her “perfect” world. The question is, who put Wanda in the position to have her perfect world?

  WandaVision Episode 3 Easter Eggs

Much like the comics, Wanda magically becomes pregnant! But this time around, things are progressing much more quickly, and her doctor isn’t Dr. Strange.

The first of the episode’s weird glitches happens with Wanda and Vision’s neighbor Herb, who is attempting to saw through the brick fence separating the two houses instead of trimming his hedges. When Vision points out that his aim has gone a bit askew, Herb’s detached reaction is a bit creepy. He thanks Vision but keeps sawing through the wall! And unlike the previous weird behavior, there’s nothing that triggers the moment, especially not from Vision or Wanda.

Wanda and Vision contemplate what to name their baby boy, with Vision suggesting Billy and Wanda throwing out Tommy. (The argument becomes moot when they have twins!) These are the names of the pair’s sons in the comic, who later become members of the Young Avengers. In the show, Wanda chooses her name because it’s “all-American,” which is also a fair indicator of why her perfect reality is framed around sitcoms. Vision cites William Shakespeare as his inspiration and uses a quote from As You Like It that seems pretty on the nose. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” seems like a pointed reference to the fact that WandaVision is, in fact, all a show.

Wanda decorates the nursery using Simser brand paint, which is most likely a nod to Jeremy Simser, a storyboard artist for Marvel Studios and WandaVision.

The second glitch appears when Wanda says the residents of WestView always seem “on the verge of discovering our secret.” Vision has a moment of sobering clarity where he notes that something is wrong in WestView, citing the incidents with Mr. and Mrs. Hart and their neighbor Herb. A second after his says this, reality glitches and the scene starts over with Vision seemingly worry-free. The last time this happened with the beekeeper, it was clear Wanda was the culprit in turning back time, but in this case, she doesn’t seem to do anything to force the change. This suggests someone else is pulling the strings.

Wanda mentions that their child could be human or “synthezoid,” a term that originates in the comics. Although fans like to joke that Vision is an android, he’s technically a synthetic human. He’s not made of metal or machinery — in the comics, his body is composed of the bioengineering tech of Dr. Helen Cho, while in the MCU, he’s made of organic tissue mixed with vibranium and “powered” by the Mind Stone.

Vision jokes that Billy will be just like his mom, which is funny because, in the comics, Billy has magical abilities similar to Wanda’s powers. Tommy ends up having superspeed abilities like his uncle, Pietro.

It’s time for the third commercial! Much like the previous episode’s watch promotion, this break references Hydra — though a tad more directly. It’s all about Hydra Soak, and the message is decidedly more pointed than we’ve had before. “Escape to a world all your own, where your problems float away,” the announcer says. “When you want to get away, but you don’t want to go anywhere: Hydra Soak.” Marvel: Agents of Shield fans will recall that Hydra Soak HAS been mentioned on the show. During the series’s Framework arc, Phil Coulson claims that Hydra is brainwashing people using soap, so he makes his own. Is the commercial another sign that Hydra is behind the mystery of WestView? Is it a warning that no one in the town will be able to get away? And what’s that about finding the goddess within?

The actors in this ad are the same ones as the previous ones, Victoria Blade and Ithamar Enriquez. Their recurring presence might mean they have some significance in Wanda’s life. Maybe they’re her parents?

In what feels like an ominous follow-up to the Hydra Soak commercial, the doctor reveals that he and his wife won’t be taking their trip away after all. “Small towns, you know, so hard to escape,” he mutters, pointedly. I think we’re starting to get the hint, folks! Wanda mentions she is a twin and that her brother was named Pietro. It’s been a hot minute since anyone has talked about MCU’s Quicksilver — he made his debut back in Age of Ultron, the same film in which he was shot and killed.

When Geraldine lets it slip that she knows about Pietro’s death at the hands of Ultron, Wanda interrogates her and discovers her necklace bears a familiar symbol — it’s that damn S.W.O.R.D. logo, and Wanda is apparently not a fan.

In another sign that something is UP, Agnes and Herb seem to warn Vision about Geraldine. They note that she’s “brand new” to town with no family and start to say that “she came here because we’re all —” before they’re cut off. It’s worth noting that the two figures that may be MCU versions of formidable Marvel characters are the ones who seem to understand that strange things are going on in WestView. If Agnes and Herb are the MCU’s Agatha Harkness and High Evolutionary, they would definitely be the ones in the know. But why would they try to warn Vision about Geraldine if WestView is a trap?

Agnes is wearing her infamous brooch as a necklace that could be referencing an MCU supervillain mentioned before. The necklace has three figures close together, with the center figure holding what looks like a giant scythe. Is it another clue that the Grim Reaper is on his way?

Wanda literally throws Geraldine out of town — though she tells Vision that she had to run home — and Geraldine passes through what seems like a magical forcefield. While fans have been assuming WestView is a fake town, this shows us that physically, it’s a very real place. But it’s currently bubbled off with a barrier that Wanda can apparently allow people in and out of. And the song that plays as Geraldine finds herself outside the barrier? “Daydream Believer” by The Monkees. It seems pretty appropriate for a situation that feels like a surreal dream.

When Geraldine lands on the outskirts of real WestView, she’s instantly swarmed by cars and agents all bearing the S.W.O.R.D. logo. Since we know Teyonah Parris is playing the adult Monica Rambeau, it’s safe to assume Geraldine was an alias she used to go undercover in WestView. Combined with the mystery agent watching the show within the show from episode one, we can conclude that Wanda and Vision are being closely observed by S.W.O.R.D. for some reason. But they clearly aren’t the ones in control, since Monica is so easily forced out. What will they do next?

While the opening credits of this episode are a reference to The Brady Bunch, it’s the end credits that give us another clue about the big bad coming our way. Just like the previous episodes, Wanda and Vision are framed in a hexagon as the end credits roll. The symbol is so important because it’s the preferred shape of the creators at Advanced Idea Mechanics, or AIM, who are last seen in Iron Man 3. Remember the beekeeper suits that resemble AIM agents’ clothing? It seems like the evil organization might be making a comeback.

  WandaVision Episode 2 Easter Eggs

The opening credits for this episode aren’t just an adorable homage to Bewitched but a whole bevy of Marvel Easter eggs! The illustration of the moon happens to be surrounded by six stars, and we can’t help but be reminded of the Infinity Gauntlet.

When Vision phases through the floor, there’s a dark shape that looks exactly like the helmet worn by Marvel supervillain Grim Reaper hidden in the space. In the comics, he’s the brother of Wonder Man, whose brainwaves were used in Vision’s creation.

When Wanda goes to the supermarket in the opening, three references hang above the aisle! Bova Milk refers to Bova, the humanoid cow who raised Wanda and Pietro on Mount Wundagore. Auntie A’s kitty litter is a witchy reference to Auntie Agatha or Agatha Harkness, whom we’ve discussed before, and her cat-like familiar named Ebony. And Wonder Mints is most definitely a cheeky reference to Wonder Man, aka Simon Williams, the superhero who Vision’s brainwaves are based on in the comics!

When animated Wanda and Vision settle on their couch, the small figure on their side table is a statue of the Whizzer. Featured in 1982’s Vision and the Scarlet Witch, the Whizzer thought he was Wanda’s father but later discovers he was wrong. Whizzer and his wife were offered the chance to adopt Wanda and Pietro when they were kids on the mythical Mount Wundagore, but they declined.

When Wanda hears a crash outside the house, she heads out to the front, where she finds a colorful toy helicopter in an otherwise black-and-white world. Not only does the red-and-yellow helicopter have the number 57 stamped on it, but it also bears the S.W.O.R.D symbol! The number is likely in reference to Vision’s first appearance in Avengers #57, while the symbol hints to the presence of S.W.O.R.D outside Wanda’s perfect world.

The creepy, cult-like refrain spoken by the fundraiser organizers of it all being “for the children” seems to be a reference to Wanda’s involvement in the comic event The Children’s Crusade. The story follows her son, Billy, who’s trying to gain control over his reality-warping abilities by looking for a missing Wanda.

Well, here’s another blast from the angsty past! The Strücker timepiece is a very obvious callback to Hydra and Baron von Strücker. The watch bears the unmistakable octopus skull symbol of Hydra, and Strücker is the Hydra leader who recruited Pietro and Wanda for the experimentation that gave them powers. He was later killed by Ultron in his prison cell. Does anyone else hear that ticking noise? Remember good ol’ Herb? In the comics, a character named Herbert is also the High Evolutionary who runs Mount Wundagore, the very same safe haven where Bova delivered the Maximoff twins. Time will tell if the super-scientist is the same character, but it can’t be a coincidence.

Wanda and Vision’s magic show has two gems that we’ve noticed! First thing, the literal Mind Stone happens to be the design on the doors of the Cabinet of Mystery that plays a huge part in their act. Second, Wanda and Vision use the names Illusion and Glamour for their actor, which are also the names of the magicians that Vision goes to see in an issue of The Vision and the Scarlet Witch.

Though we all enjoy a good jam, The Beach Boys’ “Help Me, Rhonda” gets interrupted by someone asking, “Who’s doing this to you, Wanda?” And doesn’t that voice sound an awful lot like Randall Park’s Jimmy Woo?

While it may seem weird that Wanda shows her pregnancy in an instant, it’s in line with what goes on in the comics. Wanda uses magic to help her have children, which checks out since her husband is a synthezoid.

Oooh, that mysterious beekeeper! Not only does their presence lead to the reveal that Wanda has some control over the reality they’re in, but it also sets off some alarm bells. Even though the beekeeper’s suit bears the S.W.O.R.D logo on the back, the costume is reminiscent of the yellow costumes worn by A.I.M., a military science organization founded by Baron von Strücker. Could this be a sign that Wanda is being watched by more than one organization? And is this a hint that Hydra is back!? (Obviously, it is.)

  WandaVision Episode 1 Easter Eggs

When Wanda accidentally smashes a plate into Vision’s head, he jokes about his wife and her “flying saucers,” and she comments back about his “indestructible head.” Considering that Vision died after having the Mind Stone ripped from his head, it’s a dark joke to kick off the series.

Vision’s work tie has a visual reference to his comic-book alter ego! In Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s Vision, whenever the character dresses as a human, he wears a tie clip that emulates the diamond pattern on his chest.

Vision’s boss, Mr. Hart, is likely named after comic creator Steve Englehart, who created 1985’s The Vision and the Scarlet Witch with Richard Howell, a miniseries that heavily influenced WandaVision. It’s been heavily implied that Kathryn Hahn’s Agnes is the MCU’s Agatha Harkness, a witch who helped train Wanda’s magic back in the ’70s and ’80s.

When Wanda magically saves dinner, the bottle of wine she pours from is Maison du Mépris, which translates to house of contempt or scorn. As fans have pointed out since the trailer drop, this seems like a reference to the House of M comics storyline in which Wanda bends reality into a new world ruled by her family.

The Stark commercial break refers to two things: Avengers icon Tony Stark and his part in Wanda’s dark past. As Wanda and her twin brother, Pietro, explain in Avengers: Age of Ultron, their parents were killed by an explosive Stark Industries device, leaving the twins trapped under rubble. The Maximoffs were trapped by a Stark Industries shell for two days, expecting it to detonate before they get rescued. Even though Wanda eventually fights beside Tony in the future, there’s still some trauma from that experience and her brother’s death. If it weren’t for the Starks, Wanda could have been a completely different person.

The episode closes with a mysterious observer watching the “show” and taking notes on a pad with the logo of S.W.O.R.D. on the cover. For those who don’t know, S.W.O.R.D stands for Sentient World Observation and Response Department and is a subdivision of S.H.I.E.L.D. It’s a counterterrorism and intelligence agency that deals with extraterrestrial threats to world security. Expect to see them around more.

Press: A Thorough Breakdown of All the Marvel Easter Eggs on WandaVision was originally published on Elizabeth Olsen Source • Your source for everything Elizabeth Olsen

[wheelersdealer]

RABBIT HOLE

Summary: You hate Steve, Steve hates you, you may have fooled around once or twice but whatever -- he’s found himself oddly protective when he sees some prick picking on you and you’re not sure how you feel about sympathetic! King Steve.

Pairing: King!Steve x Queen!Reader Warnings: Profanity, Small Sexual Themes, Harassment A/n: This is a continuation of my “Her Majesty” story you can find on my blog! Also, new fic format so I can give gif creators direct credit! Just click the picture and you’ll be sent there! Also, all gifs I use are reblogged prior to posting an imagine.

Steve Harrington has fallen down a rabbit hole. Of both physical and figurative means but this fic is PG-13, so —

The subtle touches you share and the gentle, but seductive glares you shoot his way in class and in the hall…it’s all built up to be something greater. No, it isn’t love, it's certainly not love because how can a King love the Queen attempting to raid his castle, and he doesn’t want to date you but…it’s hard to explain.

Here! Just now —

His eyes are drawn away from practice. He works with Tommy and some other boys in shooting hoops, mostly numb from their bickering and his spot-on shooting despite the crick in his wrist (totally not related to you).

Hey, at least he lands.

But then his eyes land on you, standing in the alley between Hawkins High’s two buildings. It’s the perfect view, the sun hitting your face just right. Just well enough to capture your furrowed brows and a glare so strong he can realize now that the ones you give him are nowhere near malicious.

And then he sees a guy.

And then Steve gets hit the head.

He hisses and groans as the ball collides with his skull, but still, he’s focused on you and this guy. He’s not just a regular teenage boy no he’s-he’s a guy. Like, a man, a dude.

“Harrington!” Tommy scoffs, picking up the ball and holding it between his ribs and arm.

Steve rolls his eyes at them, but still feels inclined to stay and play or at least try to explain. He decides not to, instead, his focus still on you as he rubs his temples to ease the thumping in his brain and tries to steady his legs as they’ve become a bit numb from standing motionless for so long.

“Where the hell are you going?” Tommy scoffs. The guys around them aren’t exactly in their group and Tommy has felt a need to prove himself to them the entire game through ‘trash talk,’ ‘smack talk,’ (yes, different things according to Tommy), and showing them just how confident he is to bully none other than ‘King Steve Harrington’ on the court.

“Can it Tommy, will you?” Steve spits back at him.

He limps off toward you and in the corner of your eye, he’s nothing but a grey speck that invades your sight.

You’re stiff with your arms crossed over your stomach. Clearly, it’s meant more to hug yourself than to be all calm and casual, with Steve able to see from this far away just how tight you’re holding your own arms.

Your shoulders are up, your chin is closer to your chest, and you have your feet pointing away from this situation…

So you can…run, perhaps?

“HEY!” Steve shouts the moment he worries why you would worry about having too. He claps his hands and that’s what draws you to him. His voice is a bit too hoarse and husky from basketball to recognize immediately.

You roll your eyes allow him a chance to speak. You take a few steps back from this guy, and Steve clearly sees that you consider him as an opening.

His heart flutters at the honor. Just a little bit.

Steve plants himself in front of this guy and spits, “Can I help you?” He picked up that tone of voice from his ‘Take me to your manager!’ mama.

You peak over Steve’s shoulder and watch the guy babble. You’ve allowed yourself to be more open about your vulnerability, hugging yourself directly and keeping your head down but you still manage to scold the guy with sharp eyes behind your brows.

Steve can see that he definitely looks familiar…But then again there’s a lot of quaffed and blonde-haired douchebags that have roamed not only the halls of Hawkins High but the halls of every high school in America, really.

He looks like he’s in college but he still wears his Hawkins varsity jacket.

Steve gets caught in his eyes, squinting and trying to decipher this dude’s face.

“Get lost,” the guy spits, trying to step past Steve to get to you.

“Um, yeah,” Steve hisses, “I don’t think so.”

“This is none of your business.”

Steve pants and crosses his arms. “Well doesn’t seem like it’d be much of some deadbeat college kid’s business either, so…?” The guy clenches his jaw. “Beat it.”

You cautiously walk up to Steve and you two watch the guy leave. He keeps looking back just about ready to kill both of you but his fury is so satisfying you can’t help but smile mischievously and give him a little wave goodbye.

You chuckle and Steve jumps and looks at you.

“You okay?” He breathes, voice laced with worry.

But it sounds too caring and too enthusiastic. He reels it back a couple notches and puts on a face of apathy. He repeats, “You okay?” Like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

And suddenly now that it’s over and done with and you have a chance to think over all the drama, you deflate.

“Thanks, Harrington,” you mutter and pat his arm before walking off.

Now Steve feels like a douchebag.

He curses himself and grabs your wrist only to realize when you violently yank it away that that sort of interaction might not be the most welcomed right now.

“Sorry — Y/n, are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” You insist and try to walk away.

Steve jogs after you. He has an eagle eye on all of your surroundings and when he finally spots the guy, he almost walks into a light pole. But he’s Steve Harrington so he’s able to play it off in all of his kingly glory.

He mumbles to himself. “Who was that guy anyway?”

You both stop walking and watch him get into his car. Steve looks down to your arms, still so tightly crossed over your chest.

You grimace.

“Chad.”

Everything comes back to Steve in a flash before his eyes.

‘Chad’ was, and is the biggest douchebag to have roamed the halls of Hawkins high in all of human history. So much so Steve has never been sure if Chad was ever his real name because it fits too close for comfort.

(He may not be in the realm of Billy Hargrove who is soon to come, who you’ll one day learn carries all sorts of douche-baggage, and he certainly isn’t in the realm of Tommy H. who is completely riding on his high school career to save him from minimum wage, but never in his years of being ‘King Steve’ has Steve ever seen such an undeserving candidate pulled straight from a Slasher Fic about pretty popular people destined to get slashed.)

Chad never got that title because, despite his popularity, he was an all-around douchebag nobody cared to hand the crown to.

Hell, in contrast to you, Steve would say you’re a princess (the connotation being he’s come to see you as quite sweet), but he knows you’re really a Queen (the connotation being that you are still willing to rip his eyes out of his skull at a moment’s notice during this very, very complicated but consensual relationship).

Never-mind what he’s just seen. He can’t help but think, “Why Chad?”

“I mean seriously Y/n — Chad Kokovsky? That guy is like,” he rolls his eyes, “the biggest douchenozzle to roam the Earth. Okay? Even I can’t stand him.”

Douchenozzle. That’s creative —

You scoff, never having been so offended.

“Not like I asked him to come here, dumbass!” You gently push on his chest then start heading back inside. Steve hisses at your strength and follows with a hand to his chest. “I ran into him at Dairy Queen and he decided to be all creepy.”

“Woah Woah Woah—“ Steve jogs to get in front of you. He holds your arms and looks you in the eyes.

Yours flicker from his own to his hands on your shoulders and he promptly takes his hands away and puts them on his hips.

“He followed you?

You whimper and stomp your foot, wanting this conversation to be over.

“Y/n, he followed you?”

“I guess! But it’s no big deal since he told me he’s like, starting school back up again soon. He’s like on break now. Besides like, isn’t that just something you all do?”

Steve Harrington…has never been so offended…in his life.

“No!” He curses under his breath. “Jesus Y/n, has this happened enough times for you to think it’s normal, cause it’s not normal!”

You bite into your lip and look down at the ground.

Steve can see Tommy embarrassing the absolute shit out of himself just some distance away.

He runs his hand through his hair and comes up with a solution: “Any time you have a problem with a guy, you come to me, alright?”

You step away from him. “Why?”

“B-because—“

“HARRINGTON! HURRY UP!”

Steve grabs your arm gently this time and pushes you closer to the school and under the shade.

“Because,” he lowers his voice even more, “I’m King Steve, Y/n. The hell they gonna do when I tell them off?”

“And I’m ‘Queen Y/n’ so clearly, what about it?”

Steve leans in closer. There’s a smirk tugging at his lips. “Gotta stick together, right? Whole castle goes down without its Queen, right?” You squint. “That’s chess…right?”

You chuckle and shake your head at the ground. “That is chess, Harrington, you are right!”

“See?!”

You look around, suddenly paranoid yourself. “I’m not getting you involved in all of my shit, Harrington. I appreciate the offer, but you can forget it. I’m not jeopardizing my crown since it’s the one thing I get for dealing with this shit.”

“Psh! How much ‘shit’ can you possibly have?”

You raise one brow. Steve suddenly feels butterflies in his stomach just imagining what’s about to come out of your mouth.

You explain but won’t look into his eyes for any of it.

Deep breath—

“So clearly Chad’s kind of obsessed with me for the time being. Richard Mackey and his goons, you know, the ones who sit—“

“On the west end of the cafeteria with the funny glasses, yeah yeah—“

“Yeah. Deborah Sheppard told them a bunch of weird-ass shit so he could woo me,” Steve’s face scrunches up in disgust, “And I don’t want to be the mean bitch who tells off the ‘nerdy’ group so I have to tiptoe around that. Sandy, Sue, Sammy, and Kelly decided to go be dumbasses and got involved with a bunch of college guys and they had a fling over the summer but now none of them want anything to do with it so I’ve been trying to get them off their backs for a while now. Kathy and Deborah H—“ You gasp an overdramatic, cartoon gasp, and clutch Steve’s arm. ���Oh, I forgot! And—!”

“Jesus Y/n—“

You smile smugly. “Getting tired yet?”

Steve licks his lips and runs his hand down the side of his face. He sighs and shrugs. “Sure, why not. Me, and you,” he pokes himself in the chest then keeps his finger against yours, “Can solve all of these problems, superficial and not, alright? I mean,” he chuckles, “King and Queen gotta look out for their kingdom, don’t they?”

You chuckle. “You really ready for that Harrington? No offense but I thought your expertise only ranges in picking up chicks and being complicit around Tommy.”

There’s a moment of silence as Steve realizes that is his range of expertise. (And his hair.)

“C’mon,” He mumbles through closed lips.

You look and he has his hand out. You shake it, looking into his eyes till the moment you separate.

You turn and (Jesus, again—) Steve grabs your arm and with a quick tug, you’re twirled back right in front of him.

So close…

Your chest is against his, your knee between his thighs. His look of triumph and excitement about this new partnership has vanished. His eyes are malicious, but his lips frown.

And his voice is low. “Come get me if any of those guys start bothering you…yeah?”

You suck your lips in and nod weakly.

Steve lets go and gives you a gentle push.

Suddenly your walk isn’t as confident as before. It’s modest.

You look over your shoulder just before you reach the door and Steve’s still staring at you, that pitiful, worried look taking over his features.

He snaps out of his gaze, tries to quickly look somewhere that isn’t you.

Damn.

He fell hard.

(Message me if you would like to be tagged whenever I post a Steve imagine!)

@stevieharrrr  @songforhema  @broadwayandnetflix  @billyhargrovescigarette  @bckysloki @christinawxxx  @timeladygallifrey  @gwenebear  @chloe742  @wtf-multifandom  @theyoutubedork  @marvelismylifffe @novaddictx @steveharrigntons  @chubbybunny111  @wigofokoye @kingsteve011 @harringtons-bxtch

[comic-movieheroesranked]

Thoughts on Endgame

I haven’t used this account in ages but I’m still not over Endgame and just wanna rant about it. Obviously SPOILERS under the cut below!

Ok, so overall I did REALLY enjoy the movie. It definitely had some flaws (their rules of time travel was a little confusing) but overall I think it did it’s job of wrapping up 10 years of movies. I will admit that besides Iron Man and then later Cpatain America and Thor, the original six never really interested me so I did slightly get over all the original six tributes while pushing most of the other characters on the shelf until the final battle. I think I’m just gonna ramble about what I liked, didn’t like, and wanted more of with each character because I have so many thoughts haha

Tony Stark/Iron Man:

-I think I’m one of the few people who’s ok with how he died?? Like I had a feeling he wasn’t going to survive but how he died still shocked me and made me sad to see him go. I don’t think it was out of character though, I totally think it’s something he would’ve done so I’m a little confused why people disagree on that.

-Besides that, I really loved watching him be a father with Morgan those were definitely some of the more tender scenes in the movie for sure!

-Also Morgan in general was just too cute!

-Also loved his reunion with Peter, and his talk with his father.

Steve Rodgers/Captain America:

-AMERICA’S ASS

-Him getting annoyed with his past self was great and I loved that there were two situations (”Bucky’s alive” and “Hail Hydra”) where he knew what to say to get out of the situation.

-Basically Captain America going back to New York 2012 was my favorite part of his story for this movie

-Now I DO agree with most people with how it didn’t make sense for him to go back in time. Like yeah it’s sweet, I guess, that he went back for Peggy but I kinda thought he got over all of that by the end of his trilogy? I honestly lowkey thought the girl he was dancing with wasn’t going to be Peggy. Like how wild would it be if it was just some random girl he met in the past and decided to be with her?

-Also does this mean Sharon Carter is his niece or???

Bruce Banner/Hulk:

-I HATE STAIRS

-Honestly it took me a minute to get used to the whole Professor Hulk thing but I did and it’s fine

-When the gauntlet messed him up after he used the snap to bring everyone back I knew that someone was gonna die using it (but I didn’t think of Tony when I was watching the movie)

Thor:

-They kinda kept mocking Thor throughout this movie and I don’t know how to feel about it after the Russo brothers basically erased all of his progress in Ragnarok.

-Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mind him growing his hair and getting belly. In fact I loved that he was still going toe to toe with Thanos regardless.

-His scene with his mom was sweet but I found myself asking if it was necessary? But this might also be because I didn’t care for Thor: Dark World.

-Well I guess it makes sense in the end when he joins the Guardians of the Galaxy. Definitely one of the funnier scenes in the movie and I think he’d fit in well with them.

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow:

-Like I said before I didn’t really care for the original six but I FELT Black Widow’s death. It’s was beautifully tragic and I’m lowkey a sucker for that kinda shit.

-I knew SOMEONE was going to have to die when they went for the Soul Stone but before the movie I always thought it was gonna be either Cap or Tony and then during I thought (or, if I’m being honest, hoped) it would be Clint.

-I feel for the people saying she was robbed. She def should have had a proper funeral and it’s such a shame she couldn’t be apart of the EPIC A-Force team.

-Also I think I was the most bored (although it wasn’t too bad to be fair) during the scenes after her death and before the final battle because after they killed her our team became just a bunch of white guys, War Machine, and an evil Nebula. And that’s just a big YIKES that could’ve been avoided if they just included Okoye or Valkyrie in the mission.

-Also shouldn’t be alive? Since Cap returned the stone?

Clint Barton/Hawkeye:

-His family getting dusted in the beginning was ROUGH

-But honestly I’ve never cared for Hawkeye and didn’t in the film. I’m surprised he survived honestly.

Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel:

-I love that as soon as Carol came back she found Tony and Nebula and then proceeded to kick Thanos’s ass and help take him down

-I love that haircut, MY GOD

-I love that she showed up at the end and destroyed that entire ship.

-Her smile at Peter was so sweet.

-I really like that they had her go toe to toe with Thanos and basically beat him WHILE he had on the infinity glove. This just means the Avengers should have contacted Fury during IW so that he would’ve just called her during the last stand of Wakanda.

-Also with her fight versus Thanos, I like how they had him beat her. Let’s be fair, because she’s so powerful she’s a bit arrogant, which is why Thanos was able to pull a fast one and remove a stone to sneak attack her. It shows that yes she’s hella powerful, but she still has a few weaknesses that can be exploited.

-Love her in that black outfit.

Nebula and Gamora:

-I LOVED how much story arc Nebula got in this movie, it was one of the things I was hoping for.

-Her bonding with Tony was really sweet

-BUT NOT AS SWEET AS HER AND ROCKET HOLDING HANDS WHEN SHE RETURNED TO EARTH

-So her and Nebula 2012 are on the same wifi so that’s how their plan got ruined, right??

-Also how in the hell was Nebula 2012 able to get not only Thanos, but his WHOLE ASS ARMY to the future??

-Nebula killed her past self real quick though.

-I like that Gamora 2012 didn’t take forever and a year to help out the good guys

-Also what happened to her after Tony snapped?

-I love the bond between her and Nebula but I really thought they should have went up against Thanos at some point. Like towards the end right before he fought Carol and instead of Thor and Cap again (but again this movie catered to the original six so can’t want that

Valkyrie and Okoye:

-These two were the main reasons I was excited to see Endgame so I feel ROBBED

-How are y’all gonna go and recruit Thor and then just leave Valkyrie behind? She fights as good, if not better, than him? And I think she was more stable?

-Once they found out about Jane from Thor, they should of just switched him out with Valkyrie since Rocket had no problem finding her once they were there.

-Also it was kinda funny during the promotions of the movie to see SO many people confused about Valkyrie surviving. Like y’all not pay attention? Thanos only murders half the population of every planet he invades. Like that’s a theme that’s been very much established lol

-And not hearing about Okoye (besides that meaningless hologram scene) or Wakanda after the snapped was wack. Her home was attacked trying to protect a doomed robot and she lost T’challa and Shuri because of it. HOW ARE WE NOT SEEING HOW SHE DEALS WITH IT??

-Honestly they should’ve just dusted Okoye and Valkyrie if they were just gonna only use them at the end when all the other characters return.

-But they’re fight scenes were SO good.

-Valkyrie on that pegasus ripping that giant monster apart was a MOOD

-It’s cool she ends up Queen of Asgard but does that mean she won’t come back for a Thor sequel?

Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch:

-Wanda showing up and beating the living shit out of Thanos was my favorite scene in the movie.

-I literally whispered ‘Hell yeah’ when she landed in between Thanos and T’challa

-Also I really hope Vision comes back so we can somehow get Billy and Tommy and get a Young Avengers movie

T’Challa/Black Panter and Shuri:

-When these two walked through the portal with Okoye I turned to the stranger next to me and said “Oh finally, we’re getting shit done’ and they laughed nodded haha

-T’challa should’ve fought Thanos by himself but it’s fine he didn’t I guess

-Also I’m almost positive the Russo brothers dusted Shuri only after IW was done and that’s why we didn’t see it. Because they realized it probably wouldn’t have taken her five years to figure out a way to bring back the others.

-It would’ve been neat at the end when Scott and Hope realize the time machine was broken if Shuri just showed up and fixed it in seconds.

Rocket and Groot:

-Rocket was funny throughout the movie but didn’t really do much.

-We needed more Groot in the end. Like action wise and moments with the other characters wise, but I’m just greedy because I love him haha

-Rocket should’ve stole Bucky’s arm.

Sam Wilson/Falcon:

-MY CAPTAIN AMERICA IS BLACK NOW BITCHES, THAT’S IT

Everyone else was cool and didn’t really leave a lasting impression on me except for maybe Ant-Man but he was just really funny the whole time to me. Again I really liked the movie and I admit that I knew I wasn’t going to be fully satisfied since this movie was about the original six. But I just hope the next time we get a movie with this much characters involved, we really use more of them story wise and not just for big fight scenes at the end. Infinity War was close but I need more (I’m annoying I know haha)

Also the movie did not feel like it was three hours at all, so good for the Russo brothers when it came to that!

Feel free to message me to chat, I’d love to hear all of your thoughts about the movie too!

[phoenixyfriend]

Voltron Paladins on: Who’s the hottest Young Avenger?

I’m posting this as a one-shot to tumblr because it can feasibly stand alone as a fic, but it’s actually an omake of sorts for the Voltron fic Just a Little Death. The only things you need to know are:

1. The paladins figured out a way to get into contact with home, and have gotten some things. Lance’s family sent him a kindle loaded with a bunch of things he likes, including comics. 2. Some of the characterization may seem a bit unusual, because this scene takes place after after eighteen chapters in JaLD.

Other than that... well, warnings and such under the cut. This is almost three thousand words of nonsense.

If you happen to be a fan of Cheung's V1 artwork or aren't comfortable with the idea of someone poking fun at Tommy Shepherd, maaaybe skip this. I’m not as careful as usual about keeping my biases under wraps here.

Anyways! There's a bit of a ramble in there about Noh-Varr, so I need to lay out some warnings.

WARNINGS: Mentions of mind control, torture, medical experimentation, and mass murder (all to or by a minor, because Noh's life is a shitshow for a while).

o.o.o.o.o

“Bullshit,” Lance said, slamming a hand down on the table. “That is just… such bullshit.”

“My tastes and your tastes are not the same,” Hunk said. “You asked who I thought the hottest character was, and my answer is Teddy.”

“How?” Lance whined. “How can you pick anyone other than Noh-Varr? Like, I can maybe see Kate or America, but anyone else? Sorry, buddy. The space roach wins.”

“You know,” Pidge said from the doorway. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I kind of want to know just based on the fact that I heard something that was almost my name.”

“There’s a comic that Lance likes from like… the turn of the century,” Hunk said.

“2012 was not the turn of the century,” Lance argued.

“Called Young Avengers,” Hunk continued, like Lance hadn’t just interrupted.

“Written by Kieron Gillen, illustrated by Jamie McKelvie,” Lance said. “A dynamic duo of comics if there ever was one.”

Hunk shot him a look.

“…fine, for that era. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are the true heroes, as always, may their souls rest in peace despite the misogyny of many of their works,” Lance allowed. “Anyway, I got Hunk to read the comics a while back, and I was expecting him to make the obvious choice when asked who the hottest Young Avenger was.”

“I still say it’s Teddy.”

“And I still say you’re wrong. Noh-Varr is straight up pin-up boy material.”

“This is exactly the kind of bullshit that I’m glad I missed out on back at the Garrison,” Pidge said.

Keith poked his head into the room. “I heard yelling. Is there a fight happening?”

“Why don’t we get Pidge and Keith to weigh in?” Hunk suggested.

“Fine,” Lance sniffed. “I’m sure they’ll make the right choice. Let me just get the right pictures up.”

He fiddled with the tablet his siblings had sent along.

“Your brother and sister sent you digital comics from half a century ago?” Keith asked.

“I think Tío Ricardo just added everything he thought I might miss, and since this is my favorite series…” Lance shrugged. “Okay, so I’ve got a group shot and a couple of solos.”

“Which group shot?”

“Kate’s getting a call from Freud.”

“…right, the harpoon! Okay, so the solos: anyone from V1?”

“Nah. Cassie’s too young for it to be comfortable during her time with the team, especially with how unnecessarily sexual some of the art of her gets in V1. Like, she’s fourteen? Stop ripping her clothes off and highlighting her boobs? Same goes for Nate and Jonas on the age thing, and Eli is an age thing too, but also just… I love him, but Cheung’s art style. It doesn’t do anyone favors, but it’s especially harsh on Eli.”

“Why do you hate Cheung’s art style so much?”

“Have you looked at V1 or Children’s Crusade?”

“The writing wasn’t bad!”

“The writing was mostly fine and absolutely what made me love Eli. But you have to admit that Cheung’s art style is really same-face syndrome and that it’s just plain messy and… why. Why. McKelvie’s got a bunch of same-face too, but at least it’s clean and I can tell who’s who in the close-ups and he isn’t sexualizing fourteen-year-olds.” Lance buried his face in his hands. Hunk patted him on the back.

“Moving on… Kid Loki shape or Agent Loki shape?”

“He’s kid shape in the group shot, but just after the age-up in the solo.”

“David?”

“Tried to find something out of uniform, but no dice except the party, and his big scene wasn’t even in McKelvie’s style, so… yeah, uniform.”

“Tommy?”

“Do I have to?”

“Lance…”

“He’s such a fuckboy, though!”

“Still part of the team.”

“Barely.”

“They traveled dozens, if not hundreds, of universes to save him.”

“…I mean, I did add his picture to the set. I just, you know, don’t want him to win.”

Hunk snorted. “Okay, thene. I’m guessing you probably added those shirtless Noh shots from the first issue.”

“Noh-Varr’s hot, okay?” Lance brought the back of his hand up to his forehead. “Like, absolutely smoking hot. Like Uptown Funk ‘Hot damn’ hot. Like, ‘the things I would do to that man…’ hot.”

“Lance, are you okay?”

“No.”

Hunk bit his lip, suppressing a grin, and then seemed to realize something. “Wait, are we including villains?”

“I mean… I guess? Why? You’re not going for Oubliette, right?”

“What? No, of course, not. But dude… Leah.”

“This is true.” Lance nodded. “I mean, she’s terrifying, but at least that version of her isn’t entirely real even in-universe?”

“Or Loki would be dead.”

“So dead,” Lance said emphatically. “Also, if we’re talking hot YA villains, then…”

“Don’t.”

“Sylvie Lushton.”

“How is your taste in comic book villains so bad?”

“I’m not saying she’s a good person! But, you know, she’s hot!” Lance protested.

“Also kind of evil and not exactly the brightest bulb in the box.”

“Still hot, Hunk.”

“Hi, I have a question,” Pidge interrupted. “Which of these guys is the smartest?”

Lance put a hand over Hunk’s face before he could answer. “We’re talking aesthetics only. No choosing based on intelligence. You can revamp your choice later if we change criteria, but right now we’re only going on aesthetic hotness.”

“Boo you, whore,” Pidge said, then stuck out her tongue at him. She looked down at the page again, and then pointed. “Okay, in that case… her.”

“America Chavez?” Lance eyed Pidge for a moment, and then nodded. “Acceptable.”

“You’re ridiculous,” she told him. “But yeah. She looks ready to kick ass and I guess the expression on her face is appealing? She looks like she’s not taking anyone’s shit, and also I like her hair.”

“This is a pretty good summary of her basic surface personality,” Lance acknowledged. “She’s deeper than that, but it takes some reading between the lines, or rereading after the reveal at the end, to realize, especially if you don’t read the point one issue.”

“I’m torn,” Keith announced. “Can I get names for these guys, at least?”

“Real or code?”

“…real?”

Lance pointed to each character in turn. “Noh-Varr, Kate Bishop, Loki, Billy Kaplan, Tommy Shepherd, Teddy Altman, David Alleyne, America Chavez.”

“Tommy and Billy are identical twins, but Tommy’s hair and eyes changed color when his mutant powers manifested,” Hunk added.

“The Tommy guy is in a different style from the others,” Keith noted.

“They had guest artists for the issues he featured in most,” Lance explained. “Couldn’t really find a clear picture of him in McKelvie’s style.”

Keith nodded, looking down at the pictures. After a moment, he pointed at David and Tommy.

“No,” Lance gasped dramatically. “You traitor.”

“Oh boy,” Hunk muttered.

“Listen,” Keith said, obviously holding back a laugh. “I have my reasons.”

“How could you choose Tommy over Noh-Varr?”

“Well, the Noh-Varr guy looks like he’s about to try to convince me to try his weed brownies or free range quinoa,” Keith said.

“That’s not a thing,” Hunk said. “That’s… that’s not even logically possible. Quinoa’s not an animal product. It can’t be free-range.”

“Exactly,” Keith said, as though that explained everything, which it kind of did. “Meanwhile, this Tommy guy looks like he’s about to ask me to help him hotwire a car for the hell of it.”

Lance’s mouth opened and closed a few times, and then he whirled around and draped himself over Hunk. He wailed, “Betrayed! By the one closest to me!”

“What does that make me, then?” Hunk asked. “If Keith is the closest?”

“You’re not just close to me, Hunk, you’re part of me,” Lance said, as though it should have been obvious.

“Ah, right, of course.” Hunk nodded and patted Lance’s back.

“Anyway,” Lance said, and then went back to wailing. “Oh, the horror! The humanity! Keith has betrayed me!”

“I really hope this is just Lance being dramatic about something relatively inconsequential again instead of something serious,” Shiro said from the door. “Please tell me this isn’t something I need to actually worry about.”

“Keith thinks that Lance’s favorite character isn’t as hot as Lance’s least favorite,” Pidge said.

“Tommy Shepherd is a fuckboy, okay?” Lance whined.

“You mean like you?” Shiro asked, keeping his voice mild.

Dead silence reigned for a moment.

“…Should I not have said that?” Shiro asked, sounding a little more nervous. “I may have overstepped a line. Ah. I’m sor—”

“Ooooooooooooooooh!” Pidge yelled, Hunk joining in after a moment.

Lance let his eyes roll up and pretended to faint, right into Hunk’s loving arms.

“Lance Álvarez has been found dead in Miami,” Pidge announced, deadpan.

“Oh god, is he okay?” Hunk asked, not even looking down at Lance in his arms.

“Yeah, but he’s dead.”

“You guys suck,” Lance moaned, getting back up. He turned back to Keith. “Wait, what about David?”

“He looks like he could stare down a bomb without even twitching. Like he’s just that dead inside because he’s seen so much shit.” Keith tapped the picture. “Basically, he seems like the guy that’s sitting off to the side mostly quiet but offering sarcastic comments whenever someone does something stupid.”

“You’re not that far off,” Shiro said. “David’s experiences in everything are fairly expansive, due to the mental osmosis that his original powerset consisted of.”

“Wait, Shiro, you’ve read YA?” Lance demanded.

“…yes? I preferred Runaways, but—”

“Which Young Avenger is the hottest?” Lance demanded, scrambling away from Hunk and towards Shiro. He stopped just a foot or two away, visibly restraining himself from grabbing Shiro’s hands and pulling them up to his chin.

Shiro looked at him for a long moment, wide-eyed and surprised. “Um… I haven’t thought about it in a while?”

“Stick to V2 since all the V1-only characters are too young,” Lance suggested. “Aesthetic hotness only.”

Shiro looked down at the tablet that was still on the table and bit his lip. “I’m… going to have to with Marvel Boy and Hawkeye?”

“Yes!” Lance yelled, pumping his fist in the air. “Fuck yeah! Noh-Varr’s the hottest!”

“Ah,” Shiro said. “Who did the rest of you choose?”

“Teddy,” Hunk said. “Pidge chose America. Keith decided that he was torn between Tommy and David.”

“Nobody chose Billy, then?” Shiro asked. “Or Loki?”

“Billy’s more sweet than hot, I think,” Lance said. “Even aesthetically. Same thing goes for Teddy, I’d say, but Hunk’s got his own weird tastes.”

“And Loki just doesn’t suit anyone’s tastes?”

“He spends two-thirds of the comic as a twelve-year-old, and the last third looking like he’s about to try to sell you snake oil as a hair tonic,” Lance mused. “So. That might be it. Loki’s more appealing in AoA, honestly. I feel like Lee Garbett’s style is better suited to that Loki than Jamie McKelvie’s.”

“Hm. I’d have expected Pidge to like David the most, but I guess if she doesn’t know anything about him, and just had to go by image, America makes sense.” Shiro swiped through the tablet. “That is… definitely a lot of shirtless Noh-Varr shots.”

“I’m not sure what you expected from me,” Lance said.

“What’s so special about David?” Pidge asked. “Why does Shiro think I should like David the most?”

Lance exchanged a look with Hunk and Shiro, then turned back to Pidge. “Do you want to download some of my comics so you and Keith can read some? My uncle downloaded pretty much my entire online comics library onto here.”

“I don’t know… I’m more of a DC kind of girl.”

“I’ve got some DC and Image on here, too.”

“The Image comics are more Gillen and McKelvie, unsurprisingly,” Hunk said.

“Phonogram and WicDiv are fucking works of art, Hunk!”

“I never finished WicDiv…” Shiro mused. “I got spoilers, but…”

Lance pressed his tablet into Shiro’s chest, wide-eyed. “My poor man: I have them. Read.”

Allura and Coran walked in on five paladins near-silently reading comics half an hour later.

“Allura!” Lance yelled, scrambling to his feet and switching windows on his tablet to the earlier set of pictures. “Quick question: which of these characters would you say is the most physically attractive?”

Allura blinked at him, and then down at the tablet. “Why are there so many pictures of this one shirtless?”

“Because he’s my favorite,” Lance said, utterly unashamed.

“…I can see why, but that one hanging bang of white hair reminds me too much of Lotor,” Allura admitted. “Both of the girls are very attractive, though, and I like the hairstyle and the fabric that this one is wearing.”

She tapped the screen, right over Billy.

Lance squinted down at the photo, and then back up at Allura. “At least you didn’t betray me like Keith.”

“Are you serious?” Keith asked. “Are you going to bring that up forever?”

“You picked Tommy,” Lance repeated. “You picked Tommy in an argument of attractiveness when Noh-Varr was an option.”

“You do realize that half the reason he did that was to fuck with you, right?” Pidge said.

“Well, yeah, but pretending to be pissed off about something inconsequential is fun,” Lance said. “I don’t even dislike Tommy, but like… it’s fun to talk trash about one of the most popular characters. I shit talk with love, I promise.”

“Also, if we were going by personality as well…” Shiro trailed off. “Actually, assuming that a decent pattern of communication was in place and Noh-Varr wasn’t self-sabotaging with his own PTSD, he probably wouldn’t be that bad of a romantic partner. At least you’d always have music.”

“And a meat shield, apparently,” Pidge piped up. A glance told Lance that she was partway through the Marvel Boy miniseries, which meant she’d probably run into something about his indestructability by this point.

“Wouldn’t have to worry about being widowed, since he’s nearly impossible to kill,” Hunk added.

“And he can eat all the leftovers, including the parts that aren’t actually food,” Keith said.

“Life wouldn’t be boring either, given the extensive number of people that would gladly try to kill him for the Phoenix debacle or what he did to Manhattan,” Shiro added.

“He served his time for both of those incidents, did his reparation work, and got tortured a lot as punishment! I really don’t think you can hold all of that against him, given his circumstances!” Lance protested.

“I mean… the Phoenix was a result of misinformation, true, but Manhattan?” Shiro wiggled a hand in the air. “I’m only giving it a pass because I’d say all the torture, mind control, and so on, both before and after, is punishment enough for just about anything.”

“I’m not,” Hunk said. “But he actually tried to do charity work in his own weird superhero way afterwards, so… that’s not bad?”

“This isn’t a real person, correct?” Allura asked. “Just a fictional character?”

“Yes,” the paladins answered in unison.

“Trust me, I wouldn’t be trying to explain away the Fuck You Fires if he were a real person,” Lance said. “However, he is in fact fictional, and his circumstances were weird as shit—”

“Being part of a hive mind and feeling your entire family die and then watching them get dissected while you’re tortured by your captors will do some interesting things to a fifteen-year-old’s mind,” Shiro acknowledged.

“And then the Cube,” Lance added. “We do not forget the fuckery that happened at the Cube.”

“Comics are convoluted,” Keith said, staring down at the tablet in his own lap. “Very convoluted. Why are they so convoluted?”

“Because you have about twenty different writers at any given time writing the same characters in new situations, frequently causing crossovers between individual groups of characters, switching out at least three or four writers per year for someone new, passing on the characters to new writers who must then find something original to do with them, resulting in increasingly ridiculous plots as the writers struggle to find something new and interesting to do so that the audience doesn’t lose interest,” Lance rattled off.

“Often commenting on contemporary events,” Shiro added, “and matters of social justice.”

“Never forget that Captain America was the creation of two Jewish men in response to widespread support of Hitler in the early days of World War II,” Lance added.

The Alteans stared at him and Shiro in blank confusion.

“Hey, Allura, want to see something funny?” Hunk asked.

“I’m getting a bad feeling about this,” Keith said. “But also I kind of want to see what you’re planning.”

“Same,” Pidge said.

Allura looked at Hunk for a long moment. “I have no idea what’s going on, but alright.”

Hunk grinned and turned to Lance. “Hey Lance, is Magneto the Maximoff twins’ dad or not?”

(It took fifteen minutes for the team to get Lance to stop ranting.)

o.o.o.o.o

“Okay, Shiro was right. David’s my favorite now. Programming a miniature Cerebro in five minutes?” Pidge pretended to fan herself. “If I wasn’t ace… I mean, I still want to marry his brain anyway. Platonically. Just… damn. I have a favorite Marvel character now. I’m supposed to be a DC girl, but this has me hooked. Damn you, Lance. Damn you.”

“…just read the comic, short shit.”

o.o.o.o.o

A/N:There were a couple of characters I couldn't find decent V2 reference pics for; Tommy in particular doesn't show up in McKelvie's style much, since his two biggest appearances in V2 are both in issues that have guest artists.

I feel like Lance would have really strong opinions about bigoted retcons and the importance of remembering the minority influence on comics as a medium.

[starcityhq]

EVENT 001 — ANNUAL UNITY FESTIVAL — PLOT DROP

The mayor, a fat, arrogant man, takes the stage, a number of the VIPS who were at his dinner on stage with him. The elegant stone fire pit in the center of the stage has a table next to it stacked high with old capes, cowls, figurines of superheroes and other memorabilia from the time before the ban, ready to burn. 

He moves to the microphone, a grin on his features, and the crowd falls silent as he’s about to speak—

And with a thump, the power goes out. All the street lights, all the traffic lights, the stage lights, everything, goes out. Everyone, too shocked to say anything, falls even more silent. Nothing is happening. No one is moving. No one is breathing.

It’s when the lights come back on that all hell breaks loose as bullets are sprayed into the crowd, the mayor falling to the stage, dead before he hits the ground.

As the festival descends into chaos, no one even notices that the memorabilia is gone.

Under the cut, you’ll find OOC information for every character who was at the masquerade! If your character isn’t listed below, please, send a message to the main so we can fix it! The character groupings don’t mean that you have to have a chatzy or that you have to interact only with people in your group, but instead, it’s a guideline for where your characters are in the aftermath of this plot drop! Feel free to continue threads from before the drop, but remember that any threads taking place during this plot drop should be at least started by MIDNIGHT, EST tomorrow, APRIL 12TH. After that, you can feel free to continue threads, but refrain from starting any new threads. 

SELINA KYLE, DANIELLE MORENO, JOKER, HARLEEN QUINZEL, LEONARD SNART, STEVE ROGERS

As soon as the blackout happens, SELINA knows that this is her chance. DANI picks up on this as well, and both of them manage to get away with all of the memorabilia, with some help from LEONARD. On their way out of the festival, however, they run into JOKER and HARLEY, who are waiting for DANI to give them what they asked for. Selina begrudgingly hands over some of the memorabilia she had stolen, if only to get JOKER out of her hair. SELINA and LEONARD take half of the memorabilia to her safe house, while JOKER and HARLEY take the other half after paying DANI.On his way back onto the stage JOKER runs into STEVE. 

HARRY OSBORN, TONY STARK, JAMES RHODES, JUBILATION LEE, MALLORY BRICKMAN, PEPPER POTTS, ADRIAN VEIDT, GARFIELD LOGAN

For the VIPS on the stage, as soon as the shooting starts, they’re immediately ushered off the stage. HARRY and JUBILATION are taken directly towards OSCORP, the tower only a couple of blocks away from the festival. TONY and PEPPER are pushed towards a squad car, but pull away, going into the crowd to search for their friends, immediately running into JAMES.  GARFIELD is separated from his adoptive parents, and ADRIAN offers to help find them.

BRUCE WAYNE, DAMIAN WAYNE, DICK GRAYSON, JAMES GORDON, HARVEY DENT, JASON TODD, TIM DRAKE, BARBARA GORDON

When HARVEY sees that the mayor is on the ground, he drops to his knees, pressing both hands over the bullet wound in his chest to try and stop the bleeding. JIM gets on his radio and immediately starts directing officers to evacuate the festival and get medical personnel on stage to help. BRUCE offers his handkerchief to help stop the bleeding while his kids and partners gravitate towards him. He directs DAMIAN and DICK to go look for the missing memorabilia while asking BARBARA and JASON to try and patch into the streetlight system and figure out how the lights suddenly shut off. TIM and BRUCE immediately start looking for clues, trying to piece the situation together.

CLINT BARTON, KATE BISHOP, CONNOR HAWKE, OLIVER QUEEN, ROY HARPER, DINAH LANCE, THEA QUEEN

JASON immediately tackles ROY when the shooting starts before running up to the stage. Before ROY has time to react, CONNOR is dragging him towards a nearby building. OLIVER and DINAH are already climbing up the side of the building, where CLINT and KATE are already on the roof. After butting heads with CLINT for a moment, OLIVER takes the lead, directing CLINT and KATE to the building across the festival while sending CONNOR, THEA and DINAH down towards the crowd to help evacuate people from the street, leaving OLIVER and ROY on top of the building just in time for OLIVER to get hit—and hand ROY his bow.

(TIME-DISPLACED) HANK MCCOY, BART ALLEN, CONNER KENT, KYLE RAYNER, ARTEMIS CROCK, CASSANDRA SANDSMARK, KORIAND’R, ROSE WILSON, RACHEL ROTH

Before anything starts, ROSE sees it happening in a precognitive flash. She immediately reaches her hands out to both BART and HANK, ordering them to get down, pushing them both to the ground. People in front of them both fall, dead from gunshot wounds. CONNER immediately comes over to help BART up, while KYLE, RACHEL, AND KORIAND’R start ushering the people around them away. ARTEMIS and CASSANDRA start looking around for the people who are shooting, but ROSE drags them away from the scene, seeing nothing but trouble ahead.

FLASH THOMPSON, WADE WILSON, GWEN STACY, KAREN PAGE, MJ WATSON, BILLY BATSON, PETER PARKER

When the shooting starts, GWEN immediately goes to MJ. FLASH and MJ were together, and  the three of them manage to move about the crowd. WADE notices PETER off to the side, and grabs him by the arm to go with the others. KAREN, realizing that BILLY is alone, does what she thinks she has to do—not knowing that he’s perfectly capable of caring for himself—and pulls him towards the small group of people shifting out of the way, guiding FLASH over as well. The eight of them duck into an alleyway and wait for everything to quiet down.

ALEXANDER POWER, JACK POWER, SAM WILSON, KATIE POWER, ANDREW PULASKI, JAMES GORDON JR., LUCUS TRENT, CAITLIN SNOW, FELICITY SMOAK

SAM and ANDREW immediately go into work mode when the shooting starts. SAM starts guiding his drone to scan for any suspicious figures above them while ANDREW starts guiding people to safety. ALEX looks for DICK for a moment before giving up, instead finding KATIE and JACK and following ANDREW to safety. LUCUS stands by to help ANDREW, rounding up JAMES, CAITLIN, and FELICITY, all of them ducking into a nearby store and waiting for things to die down.

BUCKY BARNES, BOBBI MORSE, NATASHA ROMANOVA, ORORO MONROE, PEGGY CARTER, BARRY ALLEN, CHARLIE ROSE DUBOIS

BUCKY and NATASHA are together during the blackout, and immediately know that they’ll need to act fast once the lights are back up. They, along with BOBBI, ORORO, PEGGY, BARRY, and CHARLIE start guiding civilians away from the festival.

(TIME DISPLACED) BOBBY DRAKE, FOGGY NELSON, LOGAN HOWLETT, MATT MURDOCK, (CURRENT TIME) JEAN GREY, LAURA KINNEY, CLARK KENT, JON KENT, KARA DANVERS, SHIERA HALL, ROSEMARY ATKINSON

BOBBY acts without thinking when the shooting starts, immediately putting up a wall of ice and watching a number of bullets slam into it. MATT tackles FOGGY to the ground when the bullets slam into the ice, not realizing that the bullets that he heard coming towards them were stopped for a moment. JEAN immediately starts dragging BOBBY away from the ice wall, not wanting him to be associated with the use of his powers, while LOGAN and LAURA follow closely behind. MATT starts running towards the building where he heard shots coming from, immediately slamming his shoulder into the door to push through and run up the stairs to where he can hear someone disassembling a gun. CLARK, SHIERA, KARA and JON start to fly towards the opposite side and fan out, looking for shooters in the top floors of that building. ROSEMARY catches up with JEAN, BOBBY, LOGAN and LAURA, and the five of them realize that people are watching them—having noticed BOBBY put up the ice wall—and must decide what to do next.

FRANK CASTLE, JAMIE MADROX, JULIAN KELLER, LEOPOLD ZOLA, LESTER BENJAMIN POINDEXTER, EMMA FROST, FELICIA HARDY, YELENA BELOVA, CHATO SANTANA, EDWARD NYGMA, GRANT WILSON, MICK RORY, OSWALD COBBLEPOT, ENIGMA, ISABELLA FLYNN, KOMAND’R, LISA SNART, SARA LANCE, MICKEY IVANOV, ALEKSANDRA NOVIKOV, VALENTINA VEDRAN, Pamela isley

VALENTINA’S vision starts again, this time from the point of view of the same spot she’s currently standing in. She manages to duck out in time, grabbing YELENA’S arm on the way The two follow behind FELICIA, KOMAND’R, and CHATO— all of them making it to an allyway that was being used as a hideout by PAMELA, OSWALD, EDWARD, ENIGMA and ISABELLA. FRANK remained unfazed, his eyes searched the crowds for any sign as to who could have caused this. GRANT, utterly bored by what’s going on, runs into LESTER, EMMA, and LEOPOLD, all of whom are watching from that same alleyway with the same disinterest. MICK runs into LISA and SARA and the three of them leave to look for LEONARD. MICKEY, JAMIE, JULIAN and ALEKSANDRA all take cover in one of the vendors’ stalls, waiting for everything to end.

(TIME DISPLACED) SCOTT SUMMERS, TOMMY SHEPHERD, (CURRENT TIME) WARREN WORTHINGTON, (TIME-DISPLACED) WARREN WORTHINGTON, ANNA MARIE, REMY LEBEAU, LORNA DANE, (TIME-DISPLACED) JEAN GREY, WANDA MAXIMOFF, HOWARD REYES, LEORA MORETTI, MARNIE BOND

(TIME DISPLACED) SCOTT and (TIME-DISPLACED) WARREN hear the gunshots go off and immediately look for (TIME-DISPLACED) JEAN and HANK. Unable to find HANK, they meet up with (CURRENT TIME) WARREN, ANNA MARIE, WANDA, and REMY , who quickly decide they need to make a hasty exit before one of the time-displaced gets hurt in the wrong timeline. HOWARD looks for NORA running into TOMMY. Both of them see LEORA and LORNA held at gunpoint by an unidentified assailant and decide to help.

AMERICA CHAVEZ, MEGAN GWYNN, JAY GARRICK, JOHN CONSTANTINE, ARTEMIS OF BANA-MIGHDALL, IRIS WEST, JESSICA CRUZ, LOIS LANE, NORA FRIES, ZATANNA ZATARA,

AMERICA, MEGAN and ARTEMIS OF BANA-MIGHDALL were all participating in small talk by the bar when their smiles fell. ZATANNA quickly realized this had been the blackout Valentina had mentioned and managed to move LOIS, NORA, JESSICA and IRIS away from the side stage before the shooting began. When the first shot was heard JOHN’S cigarette fell and he ran, bumping into JAY along the way.

[junker-town]

The Dodgers haven’t made a World Series since 1988, and a lot has changed

That’s 29 years ago, if you don’t like doing math.

The Dodgers haven’t made the World Series since 1988. If you’ve been watching baseball this postseason (or, actually, this season at all) you know that already. Even if you somehow weren’t aware of Los Angeles’ near-three decade drought before this.

At this point, you’ve been reminded and reminded and just in case you missed it the last time someone said it HEY YOU, YEAH YOU, THE DODGERS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE REAGAN WAS PRESIDENT.

A lot has changed since then though, and while people who clearly remember 1988 might not be as in need of a refresher as the younger people reading this, it’s still helpful to take a look back and see just how much things differ now and recall a few of the highlights of that year. For one, this commercial was on the air.

Watch some original episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 to get in the right headspace for this post, since that premiered in November of that year. Yes, so many years have passed since the Dodgers were in the World Series that a signature show that year has been brought back for nostalgia purposes.

Movies

The top movie in 1988 was Rain Man, which grossed $354,825,435 worldwide. Other popular films released that year include Heathers, Beetlejuice, Die Hard, Young Guns, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Big, and Coming to America.

Also, some low-key classics like Cocktail, Beaches, Bloodsport, and The Land Before Time.

Hm, turns out 1988 was a really good year for movies. Once baseball is over, movies released in ‘88 could double as a great movie night list to choose from. Just grab some popcorn and remember what it was like when Tom Cruise starred opposite love interests that were actually his age.

As far as current celebrities go: Emma Stone, Haley Joel Osment, Rumer Willis, Allison Williams, Michael Cera, and Rupert Grint were all born that year.

Music

Number one songs during 1988 include “Faith,” “One More Try,” and “Father Figure” by George Michael, “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Dirty Diana,” and “Man In the Mirror” by Michael Jackson, “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” by Billy Ocean, “Sweet Child O Mine” by Guns N Roses, “Kokomo” by The Beach Boys, “Bad Medicine” and “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison.

Oh, and “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley also topped the charts that year.

Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway, which means that yes, there was a time once where those songs were not every 16-year old hopeful actress’ favorite audition music.

Rihanna, Adele, Skrillex, Hayley Williamst, Vanessa Hudgens, James Blake, and Kevin Jonas were all born. 1988 also gave the world Celine Dion, as that is the year when she won Eurovision for Switzerland (despite her being Canadian, because: loopholes).

Prices

A stamp in 1988 was only a quarter (as opposed to 49 cents now, people that don’t go to post offices), a gallon of gas only a buck and eight cents (the national average is now $2.45), and a movie ticket only $4.11. Which seems downright quaint by this point.

You could buy a brand new house for the average price of $91,600, off of an average salary of $24,450.

Major Events

The Iran-Iraq war ended after eight years of conflict, the Lockerbie plane bombing killed 270 people over Scotland, Australia turned 200 years old, crack begins to appear in the United States, the original Globe Theatre is found in London and unearthed. George H. W. Bush is elected president.

Stephen Hawking published A Brief History of Time that year, the first computer virus occurred, and Prozac went to market. Those three events hold varying degrees of excitement depending on your general interests and lifestyle.

A NASA scientist testified to the US Senate that man-made global warming had begun. And that’s the last we ever heard of global warming. Enzo Ferrari died, presumably after finding out that his cars were contributing to man-made global warming. Roy Orbison also died at the far too young age of 52.

Sports

The Summer Olympics were in Seoul, and the Winter Olympics were in Calgary. It was the second-to-last time both of the Olympics were held in the same year instead of alternating every two yes. Michigan State beat USC in the Rose Bowl.

Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Ashton Eaton, Russell Westbrook, Juan Martin Del Potro, Carly Patterson, Conor McGregor, Claude Giroux, Derrick Rose, Mesut Özil, Angelique Kerber, and Antonio Brown were all born.

Wayne Gretzky infamously got traded from the Oilers to the Kings that August, and the Showtime Lakers won their fourth championship in since 1982.

What’s happened in baseball?

In 1988, the Yankees and the Dodgers had the highest payrolls in the league, but they are numbers that pale in comparison to what those top payrolls would be today. They paid their entire rosters $21,524,152 and $16,412,515, respectively. In fact, the Dodgers’ average salary that year was $573,441, less than $40,000 more the 2017 season’s rookie minimum.

The Tokyo Dome opened, and remains the current home of the Yomiuri Giants. It is the second-largest baseball stadium in the world, tied with the Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana Cuba, and only second to...Dodger Stadium.

Many top current baseball players were born, including current Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. Others include Dellin Betances, Pedro Baez, Jacob deGrom, Dee Gordon, Dallas Keuchel, Mike Moustakas, Tommy Pham, Stephen Strasburg, and Masahiro Tanaka. Ten Dodgers players weren’t even born yet.

On September 16th, Reds’ pitcher Tom Browning threw a perfect game ... against the Dodgers. Randy Johnson began his storied 21-year career that would end eight years before the Dodgers made it back to the Series. Tony La Russa and Tommy Lasorda won the Manager of the Year Award in their respective leagues, Orel Hershiser won his only Cy Young Award, and Jose Canseco and Kirk Gisbon won MVP.

And of course, the Dodgers won the World Series. Can they do it again?