#as opposed to civilian x superhero

[cynicalmusings]

stumbled across this really cool spider-verse picrew earlier and got a little obsessed… (myself & spidersona + modern!au yiju & aphros under the cut)

i’ll tag a couple people who i think would enjoy this, but there’s no pressure to do anything about it: @kopivie, @sunnyshiloh, @pranabefall

[covertblizzard]

Teen Titans Chronology

Era 1: Superhero Names & Funky Nicknames

The Brave and the Bold (1955) #54 The Brave and the Bold (1955) #60 Showcase #59 Teen Titans (1966) #1-20 The Brave and the Bold (1955) #83 Teen Titans (1966) #21-22

This is the peak silly era. Goofy nicknames, (mostly) goofy one-off villains, occasional team-up, etc. As far as I'm aware, none of their real names are ever mentioned within their own title and it's just their superhero names.

It starts with Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad (in the first Brave and Bold), with Wonder Girl being the first addition when they are officially first called the Teen Titans (in the second Brave and Bold), so I'm counting the Fab Foursome (Cool Quartet? Fantabulous Foursome?) of them as the starting point. They're a team up to #18 with occasional guests from Speedy (#4 - with notes that there were an "avalanche of mail" asking for his inclusion, #11), Beast Boy (#6 - rejected by the Teen Titans and apparently previously the Doom Patrol for not having a guardian's permission slip, interesting note that he already had movie offers here), and Starfire (#18 - definitely not who you're thinking of and instead a Russian boy).

Issue #19 is when they become "Fab-Four-Sometime Five" where Roy joins and Garth takes a break, so the main four changed. There are then two more team ups with Jericho (#20 - also not who you're thinking of but some boy name Joshua) and with Hawk and Dove (#21).

I think only Mad Mod became a long-term villain (?) but the list includes: Mr Twister, the Astounding Separated Man, Beast-God of Xochatan, Akkuru, Ding Dong Daddy Dowd (Demon Dragster), Diablo, The Ant (less villain and more blackmailed by Mr Krask), Mr Baltzer, Mad Mod, Honey Bun (and a spy Karl Larner), Captain Tiger, The Scorcher, The Gargoyle (who makes a reappearance in #35), Captain Rumble, The Dimensional Caper (from Dimension X), Le Blanc, Punch (Sylvester Sepastopol), Fat Cat.

Era 2: Real Names, New Teammates, Mr Jupiter, and Solo Storylines

Teen Titans (1966) #22-31 The Brave and the Bold (1955) #94 Teen Titans (1966) #32-34 World's Finest Comics #205 Teen Titans (1966) #35-39 The Brave and the Bold (1955) #102 Teen Titans (1966) #40-43

This part of the story starts to have a bit more personality and it is a lot more character-driven as opposed to (short) plot-driven stories. Their real names are finally used and they're shown to hangout as civilians and not just superheroes.

This starts at the end of #22 when Donna Troy is given a name, a backstory (one of many), a new apartment, a roommate Sharon, and a makeover. Dick and Wally was previously named in #83 of The Brave and the Bold, but Roy gets named in #24. In a way, this makes Donna feel very much like the living center of the Titans for me, her development begins with the Titans and she's intrinsically tied to it very personally (and this also feels reflected in how Garth views Donna as the "TITANS FOREVER" among all of them). After all, at this point, there's no separate comics she is in unlike the other 4 main titans. She is also the only single character that appears in every single comic with no exception (other than the very first, but they weren't known as Teen Titans then either).

There aren't so much guests as much as two new permanent members - Lilith who joins right before Mr Jupiter comes into the picture in #25 and Mal who joins right after in #26. During this time, 6 of them are mostly all there and are led and trained by Mr Jupiter. The longest disappearance is when Dick goes to college (from #25-32 except for a single appearance in #28) and occasional disappearance when they stay behind to take care of Mr Jupiter's lab (sometimes it is unexplained but I chalk most disappearance up to this). From #26 onwards, all but 6 issues are not related to Mr Jupiter (#28-29 led by Garth, #31 led by Wally, #34 and #42 led by Donna, and #43). This era also seems to establish Wally (and Donna) as de-facto leader when Dick is not around.

All other guests are really more part-time members such as Hank and Don who do their summer stint from #25-#30, Gnarrk who first appears in #32-33 and comes back in #39, and Garth who appears in #28-29 and #40.

For the first time (as far as I'm aware), a known villain gets brought into the story - Ocean Master (Orm) and an alien leader Mofo in #28-29 with Garth going after him. This part also established the easy-to-get-into-fights, easy-to-get-out-of-fights (among themselves) dynamics that I associate with the Titans. They start to place more importance on their insecurities and friendship.

There are also 2 main "friends get brainwashed" (for extended period) type storyline during this period of time (which later seems to become quite commonplace among the Titans): once with Donna (#34 which Wally doesn't see) and once with Garth (#40).

This is also the only era which has quite a lot of additional separate solo storylines. It start with Donna if you count "The Origin of Wonder Girl" in #22 (although it's kind of more like an additional story where everyone appears), and then Wally and Garth (with Tula) in #30. Garth (#30, #35, #36, #38) and Lilith (#36, #38, #41, #43) have the most with 4 each, Roy (#35, #38) and Hank&Don (#31, #39) have two each, and Mal (#35) and Dick (#36) have one each (like Donna and Wally). Superboy (young Clark) actually also has two - one with Dick (#36) and one with young Ollie (#37) that doesn't even have any of the Titans in it.

Crucially, contrary to how modern comics love to portray Batman and Robin's view on the Teen Titans, Batman actually fully supports the Teen Titans in the original and has never been shown to do otherwise almost at all. In fact, he is the one with the most team-ups with the Teen Titans and the team-ups almost always happen because he needs helps "relating to the teens" and he specifically calls on them, with full respect for them (even purposely allowing Wally and Donna to punch him real hard that one time to solidify their cover). The only mentor who does show disapproval is actually Aquaman (in Era 3), who does so because Garth gets mysteriously sick which he blames on the Teen Titans (sort of half-correctly).

Interestingly, up to this point there are actually more team appearances of what I'm calling Alternative 5 or Alt5 (Wally, Donna, Roy, Lilith Mal) than of Fab5 (Dick, Wally, Donna, Garth, Roy). In fact, up to this point there were 12 appearances of Alt5 over 5 appearances of Fab5. This is mostly because Roy and Garth actually have very little team-ups because Roy became a permanent basically the same time that Garth stopped being a permanent member.

Titans Villains (other than Ocean Master hat one time) in this era: Hell's Hawks, Harry Tout, Dr Pauling, Councilman Buckminster (Santa Claus), Demoness possessing Magda Drachwyck (Miss Wickersham), Calibano Della Loggia (x2), Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Black Earl of Moray, Captain Barstow's Phantom, Lord Beetle

Era 3: When Fab5 was Defined, More Teammates, Teen Titans West, and Splitting Up

Teen Titans (1966) #44-53 The Brave and the Bold (1955) #149

There was a more than 3 years gap from the last issue #43 in February 1973 to issue #44 in November 1976 which translated to a 2 year in-comic hiatus of the Teen Titans. There's also a change of regular writer from (mostly) Bob Haney to Bob Rozakis. All this culminated in a change in tone of the characters being a bit more aggressive and antagonistic towards each other, especially with Roy (note: Snowbirds Don't Fly happened in 1971 so it's not because that occurred in between the break since it actually happened before the break). They fight a lot more this era and the storylines are longer and bleed more into one another.

Another obvious change is that Wally is shown to be way more into Donna than before (in his thoughts especially) instead of their more casual flirting. Wally does eventually confess to Donna who rejects him in this era. The other "official" relationships are Mal/Karen and Lilith/Gnarrk (funnily because Mal/Lilith was a thing for a bit).

In story, Mr Jupiter decides to close shop (unknown reason) and so they broke up, with Mal taking care of the labs and the rest pursuing their individual careers instead as they agreed upon (but Mal is unhappy about). This... doesn't really make sense because I'm not sure what "individual career" Donna has, but never mind.

Lilith is no longer in the main team (later explained that she settled in the West Coast with Gnarrk which is very contradictory to her last statement in #43 that the Teen Titans is her family). Garth comes back from #45 when he is mysteriously summoned by Mal's horn and it's like he never left. He wants to resign in #51 because his insecurities making him physically sick, but he agrees to finish the mission and they all ended up disbanding anyway. Karen appears first in #45 as Mal's girlfriend and joins as Bumblebee in #49, but Duela joins the team first in #46. Because of these lineup changes, Fab5 appearances started to catch up to Alt5 until eventually Alt5 (15 appearances) just barely edges out Fab5 (13 appearances). Interestingly, Dick-Wally-Donna-Roy-Mal actually end up appearing most (17 appearances).

They (it's honestly mostly Dick, Wally, and Donna) discuss the idea of a new headquarters first suggested by Donna in #45 (like I said, she's very much the living centre of the Titans). Dick makes the decision (because he is Leader-Man and Bruce is funding it) to have their headquarters as a restaurant front, Gabriel's Horn (named after Mal's horn given by the angel Gabriel in #45), run by Mal and Roy (the jobless duo apparently) in #46 and they set it up in #49. Mal and Roy also started forming the rock band The Great Frog (a job!) in #45 which plays in their restaurant.

Teen Titans West first meet up and is established in #50 with some familiar faces (Gar, Hank, Don, Lilith, Gnarrk) and some complete newbies (Bette, Ch'al) to the roster. Issues #51 and #52 have the East and West team up, resulting in basically every Titans ever joining with the exception of Tula (but then again, at this point she only appeared in Garth solo story and never in the main storyline). At the end of which, they have a big feast (sponsored by Dick) and decided to part ways to improve and work towards eventually becoming the future Justice League (as they were always meant to).

The final story #53 establishes their origin and formation story which includes Roy, but had Roy basically saying he wanted to be involved only whenever he wanted and not permanently (ahem commitment issues), establishing Fab5 as the clear founders of the Teen Titans in the last issue.

There is a third "friends get brainwashed/used" (for extended period) type storyline with Lilith (#50-52), except she's not evil, but her powers are manipulated for evil. With Duela, there is also the first instance of villain's children in the Titans (in future there is Joey and Rose most prominently), setting up the stage for Titans raising villain's children. They actually brought Two-Face in to visit Duela at least once (right after a crime too???) which is... interesting?

This era has many more appearances of known villains including Dr Light, The Fiddler, Two-Face, and Mr Esper (Captain Calamity). The final issue is where Antithesis first appear (he is a recurring villain or at least comes back in future issues), and the remaining unimportant ones are: The Wreckers, Flamesplasher (x2), Sizematic (x2), Darklight (x2), and Rocket Rollers led by Brian the Brain.

Finally, there are some unexplained mysteries. Where the hell did Mal's horn go since it went missing in #49? Who is the blonde "Little Queen" that Garth meets from #36 (because I don't think it's Nirka McDuff from #40)? Who are Lilith's parents? What's up with Mr Jupiter? Is he Donna's dad (#35)? Do they ever make use of the possibly haunted mansion and fortune they inherited in #43? Why did Mr Jupiter not bother to make Roy, Wally, and Lilith face their fears (#38)? Does he think redheads have no fears? Are we going to address the fact that Lilith is apparently Juliet reborn (#35-36) and decided to give up Romeo (who she was very enamored by for a while) for Gnarrk?

To be continued~

Some Statistics (For Fun)

Most to least appearances, we have:

Donna (60) - only missing from the very first story before they were coined the Teen Titans

Wally (58) - missing from 3 stories all during Mr Jupiter era (twice unknown reasons and once because he is watching the lab)

Dick (54) - missing from 6 issues for his college

Roy (41)

Garth (37)

Mal (28)

Lilith (22)

Mr Jupiter (12) - not a Titan but I was curious so I counted him

Hank and Don (11)

Karen and Duela (8)

Gnarrk (5)

Gar (4)

Bette and Ch'al (3)

Tula (1)

Most to least trio appearances (within Fab5):

Dick-Wally-Donna (50)

Wally-Donna-Roy (38) - the love triangle lmao

Dick-Donna-Roy (33)

Dick/Donna-Wally-Garth (32)

Dick-Donna-Garth / Dick-Wally-Roy trio (31) - DWDG and DWDR limiting factor

Wally/Donna-Garth-Roy (14) - Roy/Wally-Donna-Mal/Lilith have more than this (25, 23, 19, 18)

Dick-Garth-Roy (13) - Fab5 limiting factor

For quartets, Dick-Wally-Donna-Garth (DWDG) quartet (31) ends up exactly equal to Dick-Wally-Donna-Roy (DWDR) quartet (31).

Special note that because of Lilith separation in Era 3, even though Garth is brought back, the Rebirth "OG" line up (Fab 5 + Lilith) actually only has 3 appearances together. On the other hand, Alt 5 + Dick have 9 appearances (but no Garth). World's Finest line up (Fab5 + Karen) have 7 appearances but only 4 of which Karen is actually Bumblebee and fighting with them, while the Silver Age Final line up (Fab5 + Mal) has the most with 10 appearances.

Ultimately, Lilith does still make more sense to me than Karen to balance the team with more girls, because she definitely was there earlier, had more appearance than Karen, and also doesn't have the additional association of joining because of Mal since she predates Mal. That said, the girl with the most Fab5 teamup might actually be Duela who also has 7 appearances with Fab5, all of which she is on their side (although half their issue was trust which wouldn't make so much sense if she was with them from the beginning). The person with most Fab5 teamup is unquestionably Mal though (10). It's curious to see what is more "valid" but my personal opinion is that there is no point in making a Fab6 just let leave it be and acknowledge it as product of its time.

If you want to have a look at the data out of curiosity, it's here.

[marchingbandtshirt]

So anyways now that Marvel's releasing news on their new tv series here's a script for my own mock trailer

[soft music plays]

[Scott Land and Ava Starr overlook a newly-unsnapped San Francisco]

Scott: So, now that everything is... kinda, back to normal, what are you gonna do?

Ava: There have been rumors.

[shot of Ava stepping into a run-down bar and looking around- not her usual scene, but it'll have to do]

Ava: In the past five years, there's been a power vacuum. SHIELD is trying to take control of it.

[Another shot, this time of Ava sneaking around a crowd in civilian clothes. She has her sights set on someone and picks up the pace. The music follows]

[Cut to Ava working on a computer, racing against someone- or something. With a red flash, the screen changes to the Hydra logo]

Ava, VO: They call themselves "Hydra."

[Ava and Bill stand by her old chamber, Ava running a hand against the glass as the music slows again]

Ava: All they ever see is opportunity... not the people that they hurt.

[shots of Ava in different fights: kicking over tables in the bar, protecting civilians in a city, and chasing a car down on a motorcycle]

Bill: What are you suggesting?

[Ava simply looks at him with a faint smile]

[music picks up again, turning sinister]

[A woman walks in front of the camera and faces opposing screens. They show different footages of Ava, some clearer than others]

Woman: All those years, all that training, and you're still the same scared little girl we found in Argentina.

[Shots of Ava training as a teenager before cutting back to the chase scene]

Ava, VO: I am going to burn what's left of you to the ground-

[shots of Ava phasing uncontrollably, losing in a fight in the city, and being knocked down to her knees. In the background, Bill can be heard shouting "Ava!"]

Ava: -and then I'll scatter your ashes to the wind.

[Cut to black, all you can hear is Ava's heavy breathing. Weak, but still determined, she looks up at an unknown adversary, phasing slightly]

Ava: You. Cannot. Control me.

[Long track of Ava in the suit, first stalking, then running towards the camera before going invisible]

[Logo for "The Ghost" appears, phasing in and out similar to Ava's powers, before everything cuts to black]

[shot of Ava sitting across from Luis in the X-Cons building]

Luis: Whoa, so this is like, your superhero origin story?

Ava, pondering for a minute: ...I guess you could call it that.

[coming soon]

[scarletwitching]

You said Jonathan Hickmans Avengers made you real mad? Could you (or have you) elaborate on that?

When I first sat down to answer this, I decided I should re-read the run, so that I could better articulate what bothered me about it. Then I tried to re-read it, and I quickly went, “No. That’s not happening.” I didn’t get very far, which is why this won’t be the most well-argued post.

The thing that made me so mad that I quit reading most regular Avengers comics was the last issue where Steve and Tony punch each other while the world ends.

Avengers Vol. 5 #44

It’s a terrible scene, and it puts me in mind of this article about The Force Awakens.1

When you’ve actually invented a tragedy that’s hundreds of thousands of times bigger than the Holocaust (in a film that prominently references Nazis) only in order to threaten that they’re about to do it again, in a matter of seconds, YOU CANNOT ASK YOUR AUDIENCE TO CARE THAT SOME GUY AND HIS SON ARE WASTING THOSE ESSENTIAL SECONDS HAVING A MOMENT ON A BRIDGE.

No. You cannot. That is a fatal flaw. That is an inversion of stakes so monstrous that it makes the film actually despicable.

The world stops when two white men need to hash out their feelings.

I found the way Steve and Tony’s relationship was handled towards the end of that book to be uncomfortable and bad. “You lied to me!!!!11” Okay? Aren’t you guys supposed to be heroes? Shouldn’t you be focused on saving all the life in the universe? Who approved this characterization?2 Who thought this was a good idea? Why am I supposed to care about this when the world is ending? It seems like Hickman was just using their relationship (and the precedent set by Mark Millar) as an excuse to write them, particularly Steve, in the most unlikable way possible. ‘Oh, you know Steve and Tony. They’re just evil when they’re together.’

Over the past couple of decades, Marvel has decided that everyone is deeply invested in that dynamic, and I just… don’t care about it. That’s not to say that no one cares about it. We all have different tastes, and that’s fine. But that relationship is not for me, and it’s so overexposed that I don’t want to read comics about it anymore. Hickman’s Avengers was my breaking point. After that, I decided no more Steve and Tony, if they’re going to act like that around each other. Even if they aren’t, I still need a break. A years-long break.

…and then there was the part where the Avengers went to a sovereign nation, broke into the home of some civilian refugees fleeing a genocide, and beat them up. This is getting a little long, so I’ll put the rest under a cut.

Infinity #1

It’s exactly what I said. They went to Italy (Hawkeye now speaks perfect Italian for some reason). They broke into an apartment inhabited by refugees who had fled a genocide. They had been (illegally??) spying on the refugees, but hadn’t tried to piece together any information about them as individuals or their situation. There’s no evidence that the refugees hurt or even bothered anyone. But the Avengers broke down their door, and without putting any actual effort into a peaceful solution, beat them up and arrested them.

This was written in 2013. Not that there’s ever a good time to write this, but wow, this was written in 2013.

Oh, and Infinity’s final issue has this aside:

Infinity #6

There’s a counterargument here that the Skrulls are just aliens, and it’s not that serious. My counterargument to that counterargument is Secret Invasion. Secret Invasion is the most famous modern Skrull story, and it is the context a Skrull story from 2013 would be understood in. It’s also an Islamophobic metaphor where the Skrulls are religious extremists who want to take over Earth and who keep saying “jihad” for some reason, despite being aliens. I don’t think the Skrull scene from Infinity is as bad as Secret Invasion, but it’s also not good.

This scene speaks to deeper problems I have with Hickman’s Avengers run. He takes an authoritarian angle with the team. The Avengers aren’t just superheroes in his vision. They’re imperialist ICE agents. When I think about Hickman’s work, I always come back to that first issue of Ultimates he wrote, where no female characters speak and the most important on-page role a woman has is to give an Important Man™ his coffee.3 That issue ends like this:

Ultimate Comics: Ultimates #1

Once upon a time, the Avengers answered to bureaucrats. Now, everything is SHIELD, and presidents defer to superheroes. For some, this is a subtle change, a difference in details they don’t care about. To me, it fundamentally alters the nature of the team and the world they reside in. I can root for an Avengers team that has to steal a bus because their security clearance was taken away.4 I have a much harder time rooting for Hickman’s authoritarian god-men who hold the fate of all life in their hands, but choose to be petty and insular.

For Hickman, it’s an Avengers’ World, but an Avengers’ World is not one I’m interested in. It flattens the overall texture of the Marvel Universe, and it does a disservice to the Avengers themselves. They are much less relatable, likable, and human when it’s an Avengers’ World.

This is the point where I have to say, “Maybe we’re supposed to know that the Avengers are bad in this, and that’s the point.” I’m not sure how much I believe that though. Do I think Hickman thinks everything they’re doing is good and right? No, but he doesn’t do a good enough job of analyzing and critiquing their actions within the narrative to justify things like the Skrull scene. Depiction =/= endorsement, but you should be saying something greater than “these characters do bad stuff sometimes.” I’m not convinced Hickman’s Avengers has much self-awareness or commentary.

I don’t agree with the fandom line of thinking that Big Two characters are sacred and we should never do anything that might be negative with them. There are, for example, criticisms of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s Ultimates that begin and end with, “They made Captain America a xenophobe, and that’s bad because Captain America is supposed to be a good guy.” I don’t see it that way. There are problems with Ultimates, but it’s an alternate universe that ought to be allowed an alternate take. Writers should be allowed to say something, via a character called Captain America, besides “Steve is nice.” It matters how it’s handled though, and I’m not sure it’s even worth it to try. There is so much emotional investment in these characters that it’s difficult to make sharp political statements with them.

Going back to depiction vs. endorsement, we’re supposed to know Millar and Hitch’s Ultimates are bad people, but that doesn’t make the sexism (or the outdated Freddie Prinze Jr. references) any less real. That book is trying to say something, and it aims to be a satire. But it lacks the necessary tact and finesse to make that work.

To steal from someone else’s Hickman critique: “That’s the point.” “That doesn’t make it better.”

Worst of all, Hickman’s Avengers made me feel bad for Rick Remender. His run on Uncanny happened concurrently with Hickmanvengers, and Remender made a big deal of pushing back against the narrative that had come out of Avengers vs. X-Men about the Avengers being jack-booted thugs. To the point where he had Captain America say, “We’re not jack-booted thugs” in the first issue.

Uncanny Avengers Vol. 1 #1

And then along came Hickman screaming, “Never mind!! Yes, they are!!!” Imagine trying to make a point about the Avengers not being authoritarian assholes while someone else is writing this in a different title:

Avengers Vol. 5 #35

You can tell Remender wasn’t pleased because he got salty about being negatively compared to Hickman in the Uncanny Avengers annual. In true Remender fashion, it was inappropriately salty, but I understood where he was coming from.

Uncanny Avengers Annual 1

Let me be clear: No one is lesser because they like Hickman’s Avengers. It’s not a reason to insult someone. Remender is being facetious (and kind of a jerk) here. But there is some truth in poking fun at the “indecipherable mysteries.” I’ve already talked some about what’s wrong with Remender’s criticism, so I won’t dwell on this too much.

Overall, Hickman’s tastes and mine seem diametrically opposed. I prefer smaller casts and stakes. I like personal, character-driven stories about women. I want nuanced characterization and subtle, organic character development. And I don’t get any of that from Hickman’s work. Some people find his character arcs compelling, but I don’t. The Steve/Tony dynamic in his run is so over the top and inauthentic that it would be comical if it weren’t so annoying. I read a Hickman comic, and I just see nonsense words and no real emotions. It’s all Important Men™ and the women who bring them coffee.

Anyway, the best thing about Hickman’s Avengers is that Wanda isn’t in it. We dodged a bullet there. A true W for the home team.

1. I don’t care about Star Wars. Please do not yell at me about Star Wars.

2. It was Tom Brevoort. It’s always Tom Brevoort.

3. Someone’s gonna tell me to read East of West. No, I haven’t read East of West. I’ve heard he handles the female characters in that better, but I couldn’t say whether or not that’s true.

4. The bus scene still has them kicking everyone else off, but it gives those people a voice, however briefly. The Avengers are still people in that scene. They’re not an absolute authority with power over everyone else.

[halcyyonnwrites]

I just see it as Chat Noir is what Adrien would be like on the internet

‘Chat Noir is Adrien’s true personality.‘

[collusioncomics]

Nicholas Warner’s Agents of  S.E.A.L.

Nick Warner, [Maxwell Lord/Nick Fury] was an adept businessman specializing in the marketing of superhero identities in mainstream media, and in many cases even engaging as a kind of talent scout and manager for various well established heroes and their teams.  In many ways he serves as the primary adversary keeping the subversive tactics of [G.Gordon Godfrey/Master Pandemonium] in check.  But he is also a megalomaniac, and as his career grows he quickly finds the level of control and amount of credit he’s given unsatisfying.  To quench this thirst for recognition he establishes his own super hero team, under his direct and explicit command, The Great S.E.A.L., which he markets heavily as an “All American” hero team.  His need to control all facets of his team results in manufacturing backstories, personas, drama, and even adversaries and crises for his team.  He scripts their lives and careers like a reality TV show.  Invariably this turns him into as much a benefactor of super villains as heroes, and as such his competing hero team, in their various incarnations, tend to walk the line on being rival heroes and themselves villains.

As pillars of his original team he recruits...

[Manchester Black/USAgent], The Brand: Wielding the team’s titular Great Seal of the United States of America, the original figurehead team leader; [Lord/Fury]’s loyal lackey.  He uses telekinetic powers to control his flying shield as a weapon.  He doesn’t often do much of his own thinking or decision making, but when prompted to offer up his thoughts, he is quick to reveal himself as a fanatical extremist of nearly every description.

After a series of media debacles and a subsequent shuffling of team roster, he is recast as the stoic and silent big brother of the team briefly before being replaced entirely by a second Brand.  The mantle would be passed down through a long line of very short lived successors, all trying to redefine the character in some way that could prove marketable, yet the legacy would be continually marred by scandal.

[Hawk/Cloak] & [Dove/Dagger], The Talons Dexter & Sinister: The Brand’s  wingmen (hurr hurr...) and eagle themed lieutenants.  They were selected for their marketable qualities as a duo, and as thematic accessories to the Great Seal gimmick.  They possess opposed powers of temperament influence, allowing them to either inspire aggression or passivity in the people in their immediate area with focused intent.  Ironically this makes Dexter, with his pacifying powers, the most effective vanguard in battle and Sinister a better support, buffing his teammates with rushes of adrenaline, bursts of confidence, and even temporary invulnerability.

They would eventually be discharged after sustaining debilitating injuries in a tragic defeat that [Fury/Lord] orchestrated to introduce an element of drama and edge to garner public sympathies and retain interest.  The battle however would escalate out of control and go largely off script resulting in the unintended lasting injuries:  Sinister would be blinded and lose the ability to aim his powers at specific individuals (and gain the involuntary ability to use them on himself), and Dexter would develop PTSD and selective mutism.  But surprisingly they prove themselves quite effective as actual heroes after seeking therapy following their departure from S.E.A.L.

[Stargirl/Firestar], Firecracker: A somewhat distressingly young girl unwittingly roped into the superhero persona to fulfill [Lord/Fury]’s perceived need for a token female with sex appeal in order to sell the team’s image.  She is scouted from [Court of Owls/Massachusetts Academy] by the headmistress Li’l Birdie [Penguin/Emma Frost], and outfitted with some rudimentary equipment to amplify her underdeveloped and largely untrained [meta/mutant] powers, but is relegated largely to posing for photo ops.

Not long into the gig she becomes a target of sexual advances by her older male teammates, which she takes up with [Lord/Fury]. He dismisses her concerns and instead advises her to pick a team mate to date publicly, as he thinks it will make for a better team image.  Instead she takes it upon herself to reach out into the hero community outside her team to receive proper training —not willing to accept being both exploited by and then run out of the hero business, she becomes hellbent on making it as a super heroine for real.

She makes her way through several different mentors at Birdie’s recommendation, putting all her effort into tackling her self designed crash course in heroics until she becomes a competent heroine in what all her mentors regard as a shockingly short amount of time.  She returns to the team hardened and with a dramatic make over, and the next time one of her team mates sexually assaults her, she puts him in the hospital.  [Lord/Fury] isn’t especially upset however, and actually tries to leverage the whole incident to make him look like the hero for siding with Firecracker over her assailant.  This hypocrisy proves the final straw, and Firecracker leaves to join [Batman/Prof.X]’s private academy and the [Batman Family/X-Men].

[S.T.R.I.P.E./Blue Streak], Old Glory: A retired Olympian and war veteran recruited for his existing public image and appeal with older demographics.  Well past his prime as an athlete, he’s aided by an exoskeleton and armor facilitating superhuman speeds, but really he mostly keeps to clean up duty, crowd control, and publicity stunts; often just running to create a blur of red and white stripes for effect. (literally just running in circles)  He’s fine with this of course, because he’s mostly in the gig to relieve his glory days in the public limelight, rather than see any real action.  He becomes notoriously lazy and entitled, with a bad attitude even by S.E.A.L.’s notoriously low standards.

His time with the team ends, when he sexually assaults the underage Firecracker after her return from training and she overloads his exoskeleton with her powers, overextending its joints and breaking both his legs.  [Lord/Fury] drops all endorsement of him following the incident.

[Red Tornado/Beta Ray Bill], Red Chief (Later, Red Condor): The product of a private contract with [T.O.Morrow/Baron Mordo], secretly being used to serve his larger machinations.  He was initially presented to [Lord/Fury] as purely robotic and under his full control (a premise which would later prove false when the Native American wind spirit trapped inside him would gain control of his machine prison) and was deployed as an appeal for superficial "diversity points.”

After the eventual dissolution of the first S.E.A.L. team, [Lord/Fury] pushes for a more “authentic” hero team, employing cutting edge research into the study and manipulation of the [Meta/Mutant] gene to create a line of “designer” heroes, catered to his specific marketing needs.

[Major Victory/Citizen V], The Brand II: Initially recruited in a pinch to replace the original Brand, he’s actually the agent of the corrupt Atlantean noble, [Black Manta/Baron Zemo], working to help spur anti-American sentiment in Atlantis through subtle false flag tactics.

[Lady Liberty/Atlas], New Colossus: A female body builder hired after Firecracker left the team.  She was chosen to fill the new found niche appeal factor for a muscular heroine that Firecracker brought to light after her intensive training.

[Silent Majority/Screaming Mimi], Anthem (aka Vox Populi): An unsuccessful opera singer who volunteered for [Lord/Fury]’s designer [meta/mutant] gene project in hopes of attaining fame an fortune.  He has the power to create duplicates of himself (but only up to four, and not capable of autonomous thought) as well as bionic implants to weaponize his voice.

[Mayflower/Amazon], American Beauty: Another of [Lord/Fury]’s designer [meta/mutant] with the ability to control plant-life and a penchant for tormenting men, hero, villain, and civilian alike.  (Honestly I don’t know what to do with her that’s not just Poison Ivy...)

[Skyman/Mach-I], Full-Mast: A kind of informal legacy character to Old Glory.  His flight suit is based on Old Glory’s speedster exoskeleton.  The unfortunate euphemism of a name after the circumstances of his predecessor aside, he earns the nickname Half-Mast, because he frequently makes a point of flying low to make sure his face is seen in public.

[Sparkler/Techno], Hallmark: Tech whiz, boy hero put in charge of the team’s equipment, he’s basically a superhero ball boy.  Marketable as cute and chipper with a kind of old fashioned boy-ish charm.  He’s the first to die when [Lord/Fury] decides his new team needs some drama. (think the iconic death of Bucky, Jason Todd, and Supergirl covers.)

In [Lord/Fury]’s quest for wealth and acclaim he also becomes well acquainted with [Toyman/Norman Osborn] and his son, [Dollmaker/Harry Osborn].  The family of toy manufacturers are at first rivals and later accomplices in [Lord/Fury]’s marketing crusades.  Their compulsive and often manic love of superheroes fuels their stalker-like fanboy tendencies and feel the need to insert themselves into the lives of heroes by any means, even as antagonists.  They become in turn [Lord/Fury]’s crisis engineers when he begins more heavily scripting S.E.A.L.’s adventures.

This was definitely not meant to be as long as it turned out, or involve as many specific character combinations.  This team is such a heinous mess of a concept and got so wildly out of hand before I really noticed.  I can’t help but love coming up with these disastrous characters, though.  I definitely meant for them to be more of a joke than a tragedy at first, but something about the tone of it all had me inadvertently channeling a little bit of Garth Ennis’ The Boys.  I just like the idea of a bunch of delusional wannabes, glory hogs, and narcissists posing as super heroes.

Hey, there newcomer!  If you are in fact new to this blog, I’m sure you’re a little confused.  But if this has been the kind of confused you enjoy, then check out our about page to have maybe less confused and more enjoy?

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Bruce Wayne and Terry McGinnis disagree over Matt McGinnis’ future as Robin – Matt wants to prove himself, but Terry firmly believes he isn’t ready. Meanwhile, Commissioner Barbara Gordon finds herself in the center of a hostage crisis when one of the Jokerz goes from being a run-of-the-mill trouble-maker to someone far deadlier!

Batman Beyond #20 – Target: Batman Part One Writer: Dan Jurgens Penciller: Marco Castiello Inker: Mark Morales Letterer: Travis Lanham Colorist: Wil Quintana Cover: Viktor Kalvachev Variant Cover: Shane Davis & Wil Quintana Group Editor: Marie Javins Editor: Rob Levin

What You Need to Know:  Matt McGinnis, Terry’s little brother, put on a Robin suit to save Terry from a new Payback, who blamed Terry for the death of his son, the first Payback. Dana Tan didn’t approve of Bruce’s using Matt in this way and wants Terry to quit being Batman. Melanie Walker, formerly Ten of the Royal Flush Gang, has returned to Terry’s life and is trying to prove that she’s turned over a new leaf by trying to aid Batman in his battles. Unbeknownst to her, Batman and Terry are the same person.

What You’ll Find Out: Jack Ryder is still giving the news in Neo-Gotham, with a co-host named Adalyn Stern. They start by talking about the arrest of Tommy Falcone, but the story is quickly derailed by some important breaking news. There’s an active shooter in progress at the GCPD headquarters.

Commissioner Barbara Gordon is on the scene, trying to get Scab to drop his weapon, otherwise, she’ll be forced to shoot him. Scab, one of the Jokerz who dresses as though he’s a distaff counterpart to Harley Quinn, has a hostage and is talking about how Batman is everywhere. Barbara wonders what he has to do with this – Batman isn’t even there.

At Stately Wayne Manor, Terry and Bruce discuss the fact that Terry thinks its a mistake to let Matt become Robin. Sure, Terry became Batman at a young age, but he was older than Matt at the time. Bruce points out that Terry took the suit w/out permission and went out on his own when he wasn’t prepared, but that Matt has Terry to help him, which is beneficial to him. Out behind the Manor, Matt is wearing part of a new Robin suit, using the wings to fly. Bruce tells him that Matt will be in the game, with or without Terry’s permission. It wasn’t Bruce’s call to make, but now Terry has to coach him.

Bruce sees a lot of potential in Matt. With their parents dead, Terry is Matt’s legal guardian, and he really wanted this cleared with him, but Bruce explains that Payback forced his hand.

Melanie visits, and she’s still unaware that Terry and Batman are the same person. Melanie wants to start over with their friendship, and she’s been working hard to show him that she’s changed. Yes, she did a little B&E recently when she swiped that photo of Terry, and old habits die hard, but she’s working on it.

Melanie asks why Terry lives there with Bruce when he’s not related to Bruce, and Terry explains that it goes back to his job in high school as Bruce’s assistant. He then tells her that he knows that’s not why she’s there and asks why. She tells him she wants to know why he never came after her after she left the Royal Flush Gang – after all, they’d had a nice thing going there, between them. Terry tells her it’s because of stuff, life, fear. Melanie tells him that she saw that he helped Batman and that she’s been trying to prove that she’s changed, by helping people.

While this is going on, Dana is on her way to the Manor. Terry hasn’t returned any of her calls, and they need to talk. She doesn’t like this whole Batman business, but she loves him, and she’s sure that he loves her, so hopefully, she can convince him to stop being Batman. Except, of course, she walks in on Terry and Melanie kissing in the woods and silently walks away, tears in her eyes.

Matt actually interrupts their time together, though, because Bruce needs Terry right away. He tells Mel they’ll talk later when he’s done with whatever Bruce needs. In the Batcave, he finds out that Scab is back, and that he’s unhinged, which isn’t like his usual self, since he’s a trouble-maker, but not a murderer. He’s taken out cops, civilians, and other Jokerz.

Terry starts to suit up, but Matt arrives with the prototype Robin suit, ready to charge into action with him. Terry tells him that he’s not ready, but both Bruce and Matt oppose him, Bruce warning him that if Terry continues to deny Matt the chance to be Robin, then he’ll strike out on his own, implying that things won’t end well if he does that. Terry has to be the big brother and teach his brother how to be a superhero.

Matt is a bright, exuberant Robin, and Terry tells him to stay behind him and follow orders, a directive that Bruce echoes.

Inside the GCPD precinct, Scab is losing it, believing that his hostage works for the Bat. Barbara tries to convince him that he’s hallucinating, but Scab is having none of it. Batman and Robin arrive on the scene then, with Batman going after Scab while Robin goes to make sure that Commissioner Gordon is okay. She’s surprised at Robin’s appearance there. Robin offers to get Barbara to safety, but Barbara tells him that she can take care of herself.

Seeing Batman there exacerbates Scab’s condition, and he reaches into a bag and pulls out a gun, firing everywhere. Batman is able to deflect the bullets and take Scab down. Angry at Robin for not being able to get everyone to safety, he tells him that he’s done as Robin.

Adalyn Stern returns home, glad that Batman took care of Scab, even though she hasn’t been a Batman fan since she was a kid. Unfortunately for her, waiting for her in her apartment is a fearsome visage of Batman, promising her a one-way trip to hell.

What Just Happened?: With the exception of Dick Grayson first becoming Robin in 1940, no one has ever had an easy time of slipping on that particular cape or mask, and the same holds true for Matt McGinnis, who fans have always surmised would eventually don the mantle of Robin. Matt proves to be just as exuberant as his fore-Robins – bright, eager to help, joyous. Jurgens is clearly setting up a struggle between Matt and Terry, and hopefully, his foreshadowing about Matt striking out on his own doesn’t lead to dire consequences.

The Melanie-Terry-Dana triangle is one that was never quite explored in the animated series, given Melanie’s few appearances, and while her appearance here works to further divide Terry and Dana, one hopes that Melanie will be put to more use than that. She’s a fascinating, conflicted, complex character when written correctly, and she should be given that chance to come into her own and complete her redemption arc. Her reward shouldn’t be Terry or Batman, but she also shouldn’t just be the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who derails a relationship. Though, to be fair, Dana has been cast in a thankless role of late, and so it’s difficult not to root for Terry and Melanie, who are better matched in many ways.

While it’s not clear who the Bat-monster targeting the people of Gotham City might be, there are a couple of options for whom it would make sense. The first villain to come to mind is the Scarecrow or someone who has found the Scarecrow’s fear gas to manipulate people and cause them to hallucinate an evil Batman. There’s also Spellbinder, who of late has been one of Terry’s villains. With hypnosis and mind control abilities, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that he’s behind this mess.

Dan Jurgens has set up some classic plots here – people disapproving of Bruce Wayne bringing children into his crusade, the fear that Terry has about his brother becoming Robin, the triangle between Terry, Melanie, and Dana. They’re not groundbreaking stories by any means – which ones are these days? – but they are solid, and it’ll be interesting to see where this takes the characters as they move forward. One hopes that Matt becomes a solid, capable Robin, and it would be great to see Melanie given some development and forward momentum that allows her to stand side-by-side with Batman as the hero she so clearly wants to be. Terry’s condemnation of Matt as Robin at the end of the issue feels as though it comes a little too suddenly, but at the same time, it’s clear that Terry wants Matt off the field as soon as possible, and this was likely his idea of the best, quickest way to do it – and that’s sure to backfire spectacularly.

Marco Castiello’s art is solid, classic comic book art, easy to follow, and appropriately emotive. His take on Barbara Gordon seems a little younger than other versions of the Batman Beyond incarnation of the character, but it works. His take on Matt as Robin is excellent – Matt’s enthusiasm really leaps off the page. If there’s one complaint, it’s only a minor one in that Melanie Walker’s always had something of a specific hairstyle, and that seems swapped out here for a far more basic style, which detracts from the personality that her hair used to give her, as well as the visual cue that told the reader that the character on panel is Melanie. Granted, she’s also trying to change as a person, and what is a hairstyle change but not expository for a direction that a character wants to go in?

Rating: 7/10 Final Thoughts: This incarnation of the Batman Beyond book is heading into a better place than it was when it started out – there are long-term plot threads being added, and the conflict between the characters are well-written. If you’re looking for a classic superhero adventure story that doesn’t wrap itself up in meta-textual narrative or isn’t some complicated event but is still a fun, fulfilling read, this book is definitely recommended.

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Bruce and Terry disagree over Matt McGinnis' future as Robin. Meanwhile, one of the Jokerz goes from being a run-of-the-mill trouble-maker to someone far deadlier!  Bruce Wayne and Terry McGinnis disagree over Matt McGinnis' future as Robin – Matt wants to prove himself, but Terry firmly believes he isn't ready.

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Top 20 Most Beautiful Actress in the World

Here we will discuss Top 20 Most Beautiful Actress in the World. Ranking 20 most beautiful actress in the world is a laborious task. The list is based on their Fame. Every individual has their favorites based on various factors. These factors are based on performance and also their attitude. Some are attracted by their beauty, attitude and also acting. Also, fans love how they carry themselves. Undoubtedly, These beautiful icons act as the excellent inspiration for the upcoming World. Checkout these Top 20 Most Beautiful Actress in the World - Scarlett Johansson

- Date of Birth: November 22, 1984 - Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York, U.S - Popular Films: The Avengers, Lucy, Don Jon and others. Scarlett Johansson is a living goddess. It's indeed hard to put into words how much her smile and voice can cheer up her fans. She is an American actress, model, and also a singer too. Scarlett Johansson always takes chances with her remarkable persona and also gives herself over to the roles that go well beyond viewer expectations.  - Angelina Jolie

- Date of Birth: June 4, 1975 - Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States. - Popular Films: Maleficent, Wanted, Gia, The Tourist and others.  Angelina Jolie, an American actress. Undoubtedly known for her tranquility and also beauty. She has also delivered remarkable performances in the film industry. She is the accomplisher of so many awards. This includes three Golden Globe awards and an Academy Award. Angelina has also been regarded as 'Highest Paid Actress' several times.  - Deepika Padukone

- Date of Birth: January 5, 1986 - Place of Birth: Copenhagen, Denmark - Popular Films: Bajirao Mastani, Piku, Chennai Express, Padmaavat and others. Everyone wants this diva to represent their brand. She is well known for her beauty. Her style in her home country of India is famous. She has marked herself among the list of the highest-paid actresses in the world. Also, in order to create awareness about mental health in India, she launched a foundation named as Live Laugh Love. Deepika's Red Carpet looks are iconic. She always serves the headlines. She features in listing the nation's most popular personalities. - Natalie Portman

- Date of Birth: June 9, 1981 - Place of Birth: Jerusalem - Popular Films: Black Swan, Thor, V for Vendetta, No Strings Attached and others.  She is an Israeli American theater and film actress, director, and producer. Since she conquered our hearts aged 13, this actress hasn't stopped growing. As an actress coming to the highest heights of her profession including Oscar. The actress is also an active protector of animal and environmental rights. She also launched her artificial material shoe line in 2007.  - Blake Lively

- Date of Birth: August 25, 1987 - Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, U.S - Popular Shows & Films: Gossip Girl, Savagers, The Shallows and others.  Blake Ellender Lively is an American actress. This lady is known for starring as Serena van der Woodsen in the CW's hit teen drama series Gossip Girl. She has undoubtedly become one of the most beautiful young actresses. She is also a passionate voice for the International Child Rescue Coalition. - Emma Watson

- Date of Birth: April 15, 1990 - Place of Birth: Paris, France - Popular Films: Beauty and the Beast, The Circle and Harry Potter film series.  This beautiful actress is indeed one of the most influential personalities around the globe. She is also the youngest actress on the cover of Vogue Magazine. Emma is an UN Goodwill Ambassador. This aims opposing gender inequality. Indeed, for which in 2015 the Observer edition awarded her the title of an activist of the year. -  Gal Gadot

- Date of Birth: 30 April 1985 - Place of Birth: Petah Tikva, Israel - Popular Films: Fast and Furious (2009), Wonder Woman. She has performed in various films. She is also recognised for her most engaging performance as Wonder Woman. Her role as Wonder Woman is indeed the best part about the whole movie. Her excellent sense of humour makes her personality impressive off screen indeed. She is also the first actress to play a lead role in a superhero movie.  - Anne Hathaway

- Date of Birth: November 12, 1982 - Place of Birth: New York City, U.S. - Popular Films: Rachel Getting Married, Alice in Wonderland, Love and other Drugs.  We have seen her in comedy, drama, love, action and also horror movies. She is undoubtedly one of Hollywood's most favourite actresses. Thanks to her charisma and also sympathy. The actress and also a singer originated in Brooklyn. She started on the small screen at 17. The television series named Get Real. Undoubtedly, she has shown her bravery in various genres.  - Jennifer Lawrence

- Date of Birth: August 15, 1990 - Place of Birth: Indian Hills, Kentucky, U.S. - Popular Films: X-Men film series and Hunger Game film series.  She is a talented actress. She can play both dramatic and comedic roles perfectly. Jennifer has also played several roles ranging from biographical dramas to sci-fi movies, spy movies, and indie oddities. She has also won 3 Oscars by the age of 23. Also, she was the highest paid actress till 2018. This actress is very talented. Also, she has an outstanding personality on and off screen.  - Emma Stone 

- Date of Birth: November 6, 1988 - Place of Birth: U.S.  - Popular Films: Crazy, Stupid, Love, Zombieland, Easy A.  This beautiful actress has a very down-to-earth personality. She can also handle complex roles very well. She has gained fame after the superhit film The Amazing Spider-Man. Emma is of a Swedish descent on her father's side. Pennsylvania Dutch, English, Irish and also Scottish on her mother's side. She also sang in La La Land. She is also extremely smart, talented and fashion-loving.  -  Margot Robbie 

- Date of Birth: 2 July 1990 - Place of Birth: Australia - Popular Films: The Legend of Tarzan, Bourbon Tango Foxtrot.  Firstly, The Time magazine ranked her as one of the 100 most persuasive people in the world. She is indeed an icon full of compassion. Riding engine bicycles, Hunting, and also Surfing interests her. She also holds the rank in the list of the world's highest-paid actresses in 2019. She brings a knockout combination of allure and also toughness to her every performance. - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

- Date of Birth: 1 November 1973 - Place of Birth: Karnataka, India - Popular Films: Devdas, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.  In 2009, she was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour given by the government of India. Attracted the attention of Bollywood after her song performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De chuke sanam in 1999, for which she was also awarded the Filmfare Best Actress Award. She is the definition of a real beauty queen. Aishwarya also earned the title of Miss World in 1994. Also, How can we forget her to include in the list of top 20 beautiful actress the world? - Megan Fox

- Date of Birth: May 16, 1986 - Place of Birth: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S. - Popular Films: Jennifer's Body, Hope and Faith, Transformers.  Megan Fox is an American actress and model. She made her acting debut in the family film Holiday in the Sun. She is an excellent person and also a good mum for her children. Her favourite project is Jennifer's Body in which she also showed her beauty gloriously. She is indeed an influential person who loves to help people with disabilities. Undoubtedly, A real beauty inside and out!  - Alexandra Daddario

- Date of Birth: March 16, 1986 - Place of Birth: New York City, U.S.  - Popular Films: San Andreas, The Layover, Lost Girls and Love Hotels.  This lady is listed as one of the most beautiful women in the world on the BWC world list. She has known pain, and she has also let It help her grow. She is known for playing Annabeth Chase in Percy Jackson. This divine beauty has the prettiest eyes. Her ancestry is basically English, Italian and Irish. Undoubtedly, She got her fame after playing as the daughter of Dwayne Johnson in the film San Andreas. - Sandra Bullock

- Date of Birth: July 26, 1964 - Place of Birth: Arlington, Virginia, U.S. - Popular Films: Gravity, The Proposal, Bird Box and others.  Undoubtedly, She is the most prominent American actress and also a producer. This beauty icon received dozens of awards and performances because of her marvellous acting skills. This lady also holds her position among the world's hundred most influential people by Time Magazine in 2010. She is also the top paid actress of Forbes in Hollywood in 2014 and 2010. - Jennifer Lopez

- Date of Birth: July 24, 1969 - Place of Birth: New York, U.S. - Popular Films: Enough, Parker, The Boy Next Door and others.  This is Jennifer Lopez, a girl who grew up in the Bronx who believes anything is possible. She was also the first person to have a movie, and an album reached a top position in the same week. She is the most talented singer, actress, dancer and also a designer. Over twenty preferences have been launched by Jennifer Lopez since 2002. She has also launched a non-profit organisation for the development of women and also children. - Priyanka Chopra

- Date of Birth: 18 July 1982 - Place of Birth: Jamshedpur, Bihar. - Popular Films: Fashion, Dostana, Quantico, Barfi and others.  She is the most popular Indian actress, producer, activist and also a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. A small town, middle-class girl turned into a big crossover star that's Priyanka Chopra for you! She is indeed the perfect example of a rise after failure. She is also known for her beauty, talent, success and early achievements in life. This beauty icon is also passionate about music, singing, dancing and also writing poetry and short stories. Her entry to the film industry was after she was crowned with the Miss World Pageant in 2000.  - Emilia Clarke

- Date of Birth: October 23, 1986 - Place of Birth: London, United Kingdom - Popular Films: Me before You, Last Christmas, Above Suspicion and others.  This beauty icon also loves sports. She can also do horse riding, ice skating. rolling and also running. This lady is undoubtedly the most flawless and talented woman in the world. She is indeed the goddess of simplicity and beauty. She is also a talented musician. Emilia sings beautifully. She also plays the flute, guitar and piano. Emilia Clarke always looks ravishing in her Red Carpet looks. She has also played many roles. This includes Daenerys Targaryen, Sarah Connor, Louis Clark and others. No one can keep up with Emilia Clarke. This also includes her facial expressions. 19. Grace Kelly

- Date of Birth: November 12, 1929 - Place of Birth: Philadelphia, U.S. - Popular Films: High Noon, Mogambo, Fourteen Hours and others.  Grace Kelly is an icon of style of, a symbol of simplicity and also elegance. A sweet girl who indeed conferred the world of Hollywood. Grace didn't like a complex cut. She preferred sleek outfits made of natural fabrics and also rich in embroidery. Kelly also loves Silk scarves. Her perfect style has also inspired many designers. This includes Christian Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent. Undoubtedly, She is absolutely a gorgeous fashion icon. She was also raised in a conservative atmosphere. This drives her to also give the best of herself. Also, How can we forget her to include in the list of top 20 beautiful actress the world? 20. Eva Green

- Date of Birth:  6 July 1980 - Place of Birth: Paris, France - Popular Films: Cracks, Womb, Perfect Sense and others. Eva Green is a French actress. She began her career in theatre. She also made her film debut with Bernardo Bertolucci Dreamers. Undoubtedly, She is indeed the definition of French beauty. Eva has indeed such an unusual beauty. She was already curious and also sweet. Eva also loves ACTING! She is a curious, sweet, loving and also a smart actress. Undoubtedly, she is also in our list of top 20 beautiful actress the world. Related Article- Top 20 Beautiful Actress in the World Benefits of Using java Programming language 2021 100 Articles Daily VS 2 Articles of Association Post Weekly How Often Top Best 10 Sharingan characters in Naruto Shippuden Top 10 Best Coolest Movies Denzel Washington of all time Read the full article

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► Janet Van Dyne

Janet Van Dyne was the daughter of world-renowned scientist Vernon Van Dyne. Early in her life, she was a flighty, self-centered dilettante living luxuriously on her father's fortune. She had an on-and-off romantic relationship with the world-renowned soldier-of-fortune called Paladin. When an alien brought to Earth during one of her father's experiments murdered the elder Van Dyne, Janet contacted his colleague, Dr. Henry Pym.

She told Pym of her resolve to bring her father's killer to justice. Pym revealed his secret identity as Ant-Man, and Janet underwent a biochemical process involving his Pym Particles that allowed her to shrink to insectoid proportions and implanted Bio-Synthetic Wings. Furthermore, Pym outfitted her with wrist devices which allowed her to discharge blasts of compressed air that she called her "wasp's stings".

As The Wasp, Jan and Hank tracked down and defeated the murderous Kosmosian, banishing it to its home dimension. Pym and van Dyne gradually fell in love; Jan reminded Pym of his deceased first wife, Maria. Pym and van Dyne became crime-fighting partners in their costumed identities, fighting menaces like the Egghead, the A-Chiltarians and their robot Cyclops, the trumpet-playing criminal Trago and the Porcupine. They were two of the founding members of the Avengers (along with Thor, Iron Man and The Hulk) after responding when Hank's helmet picked up Rick Jones' fateful call for help. It was, in fact, the Wasp who suggested the name "Avengers" for the group that had gathered. In a further milestone in Avengers history, Jan and the other founders (minus the Hulk) were the discoverers of the great World War II hero, Captain America, still frozen from the last days of the war. Being a fashion designer, the Wasp would become known for her frequent costume changes throughout her career as a superhero.

Jan's attitude towards crime fighting was, at first, very carefree. She saw it as her way of attracting attention from Hank. Still the shallow socialite early in her career, Jan would often comment on the attractiveness of Thor to try and elicit jealousy from her partner. The studious Pym began to experiment with Pym Particles, and found that he could cause himself to grow beyond his normal height to giant sizes. Soon, both crime fighters had been exposed to the Particles long enough to be able to change size at will rather than rely on gas capsules or potions, and Jan could fire her stinger blasts without the aid of wrist devices. Changing his costumed identity to "Giant-Man", Pym eventually experienced bodily strain because of the process' physiological effects. Because of this, Pym decided to take a break from costumed adventuring. With the stress of constant threats from Pym's enemies such as Egghead,the Human Top (later Whirlwind) and the Black Knight, as well as confronting Kang the Conqueror and the Masters of Evil with the Avengers and surviving a brush with death after having been shot by a Maggia agent, Jan was ready for a break herself. Meanwhile, Thor and Iron Man also took leaves of absence from the Avengers, leaving Captain America to preside over a new incarnation of the team. Jan remained in her civilian career as a fashion designer, with Pym continuing his scientific pursuits.

Janet van Dyne married Hank Pym, a scientist who developed a way to shrink a human to the size of an ant and maintain their strength. He also discovered a way to communicate with ants. Together they had a daughter named Hope.

For many years, van Dyne worked as the superhero named Wasp, alongside Pym as Ant-Man. The duo undertook many S.H.I.E.L.D. operations, with her wearing a female version of the Ant-Man Suit, until her apparent death in 1987 when she shrunk down into the quantum realm to disarm a Soviet ICBM in flight. To protect their daughter from the horrifying truth, Hank told her that Janet had died in a plane crash. He finally told her the truth in 2015. Seeing that Scott Lang survived and returned from the Quantum Realm after a showdown with Darren Cross, Pym wondered if his wife was still alive as well.

During the superhero Civil War, Janet (who had always been open about her identity) and Hank both supported the Superhuman Registration Act and thus joined Iron Man's Pro-Registration Superhero Unit, with Hank helping spearhead the movement. She hosted a pro-registration reality TV show, America's Newest Superhero. Despite being on the Pro-Registration side, Jan was distraught when her friend Bill Foster, a leader of the opposing Secret Avengers, was killed in battle by a clone of Thor.

At the end of the Civil War, Iron Man and Ms. Marvel recruited Janet to the Mighty Avengers. She participated in the retaliation against the Mole Man's biological creations, but when Ultron infected Iron Man by downloading itself into his Extremis armor and held its own against the remaining team, she resorted to calling her ex-husband Hank Pym for help. Janet and Hank were not technically on very good terms even as friends and she was unaware that a Skrull impostor had replaced him for the last several months. She continued to serve with the Mighty Avengers against an alien symbiote-infected populace in New York, and even arresting Doctor Doom.

Months later after the war of the Avengers against the X-Men, she was revealed to be alive. Apparently when Thor hit her with a lighting, the process of expansion reverted sending her to the Microverse where she used her Avengers Identi-card in order to alert the Avengers of her presence. Without knowledge of which Avenger sent the signal, they asked for help from Giant-Man and traveled with him to the Microverse, where they finally found Janet who was fighting someone named Lord Gouzar. After defeating Lord Gouzar and liberating the Microverse from his tyranny, Janet and her fellow Avengers returned to their normal universe. She then became a member of the Uncanny Avengers, and had a romance with her teammate Havok. In addition to serving on the roster, she privately funds the team in order to avoid the problems that would come with government sponsorship.

Powers 

Size Reduction: Due to long-term exposure to Pym Particles, The Wasp could reduce herself in size, down to the dimensions of the insect from which she takes her name, roughly 1/2 inch in height. She usually chooses not to retain her standard density while at this reduced mass, but can choose to do so at will. The "lost" mass is shunted to a pocket dimension for later retrieval. Additionally, her strength was boosted while she is at reduced size, to the extent that she can bend a one-inch diameter steel bar almost double. Her size allows her to be easily unnoticed in most cases, allowing her to become stealthy in some cases.

Bio-Synthetic Wings: Due to small implanted insect wings, the Wasp could fly at incredibly fast speeds. These are functional when she reduced herself in height, and can remain so until reaching a height that is a nearly foot shorter than her normal height. Her flight speed can also allow her to gain a form of superhuman reflexes and agility, being able to easily evade targets and attacks.

Wasp's Sting: The Wasp could generate powerful bio-electric blasts from her hand that have been shown to be capable of cutting through high-density structures and is able to cause extreme pain to superhumanly strong and highly durable beings and can pierce their skin.

Insect Communication and Control: Through the use of her retractable antennae, the Wasp could communicate with and control certain higher insects, in a manner similar to Ant-Man's Helmet. She rarely chose to utilize this ability, however.

Size Addition: In addition to being able to shrink, Wasp could grow significantly in size as well. The growth process requires the rapid acquisition of bodily mass, presumably from an extra-dimensional source. This extra-dimensional mass fortifies all of her cellular tissues, including her bones and muscles, enabling her to support her increased weight, and giving her superhuman strength. Perhaps due to the bodily strains that her ex-husband Hank experienced as a side-effect of such powers, Janet uses this power only in emergencies, preferring to shrink to her wasp-sized form.

Talented Fashion Designer: Janet was a very talented fashion designer. During her early days as the Wasp, she would constantly make new costumes for herself and wear different ones for almost every new mission. Over the years her talent earned her great acclaim in the fashion world. Janet's talents also extend to designing costumes for other superheroes; especially her Avengers teammates, including Firestar and Justice. She possessed enough costumes of her own to fill either an entire closet or two.

Multilingual: Janet could speak fluent English, Spanish and Hungarian. She has also taught herself to speak the language of the Microverse

Expert Combatant: Janet had adapted to a special kind of hand-to-hand combat that was created by her ex-husband Hank Pym, which takes advantage of the fighter's insect size against a much larger form and physique enabling them to strike pressure points before the opponent even realizes what happened. She was also trained in multiple martial arts and unarmed combat fields by Captain America, making her into an adept combatant.

Wasp's Suit: At first Janet needed the suit to release the Pym Particles that allowed her to shrink but due to repeat exposure she was able to produce the particles herself. During her early days as the Wasp, she would constantly make new costumes for herself and wear different ones for almost every new mission.

Verses

tba

[anera527]

As a fan of Captain America, I enjoyed Civil War (the film). But I don't particularly care for it as a showing of who Cap is, or who Jack Kirby and Joe Simon intended him to be when they created him in the 1940s. I understand the Accords and I can understand the way differing opinions would divide the Avengers into taking sides on the issue 8n the film. But in the movie it was a very limited character scope. And I understand that too, you can't have a huge ensemble cast the size of what the comics boasted in one film. But the movie(s) focus a bit too much on Steve's relationship with Bucky, and by doing so I think for Civil War the filmmakers shot themselves in the foot a bit. Captain America has always stood for the American people. What the country is supposed to be rather than what people say it should be. You see time and time again in his very long comic book history that he hasn't always done what government officials want him to do. He's a physical representation of what America's best ideals are. He's always kept the "little guy" in mind. And that is portrayed beautifully in First Avenger and Winter Soldier. My problem with the movie Civil War is that it's too small. It features only the Avengers. In the comic books it's the whole Marvel universe. The Avengers, the X-men, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, etc. And they're all taking sides. Sue Storm and Reed Richards separate for a time because they support opposing sides of the issues the comic storyline takes. It's ugly and it's harsh seeing that happen but it's true to life. Families are torn apart by differing viewpoints. Friendships collapse. Tony and Steve case in point. They've been friends since the 60s, when Cap was introduced back into the comics with the Avengers. And in the comic storyline of Civil War, I'm not going to claim that either of them were wholly right or wrong when it came to their taking sides. Tony stood by the government. Steve didn't, believing that the American government would trample upon the rights of its citizens. And they fought. Badly. They both drew blood. Cap's concern has always been civilans. The people of America. And by having Steve focus so much on Bucky in Civil War, you lose a fundamental part of what was so important in the comic. Steve's confrontation with Tony in the movie takes place in a vacant, "safe" place for a fight between superheroes where minimum damage is done and the least amount of lives are lost. On the other hand you have the comic where that final confrontation between them takes place amidst dozens of other superheroes wreaking havoc in the streets of New York. People are hurt. People die. And when Steve has Tony pinned to the ground with the shield raised to deal the killing blow (and he was intending to kill Tony then) it wasn't his sense of honor or morals that stopped him. It was a group of firefighters and cops who tackled him and physically dragged him away from Tony. That shocks him back to his senses. He realizes that in his desire to "win" the debate who which side of the superhero community was right, he had (in)directly caused civilians to be hurt or killed. And he turns himself in and orders his team to stand down. That is what is lacking in the movie. That is what is so disappointing to me about CA:CW. For MCU Steve he doesn't see the repercussions of what his actions have caused because in the movie the fighting is contained. He doesn't have to deal with the idea that his own actions have led to civilian casualties. He never turns himself in because there is no moment where civilians physically intervene to stop him. MCU Steve still has the moral "high ground", when in contrast comic Steve realizes that fighting never brings anything but pain for the innocents caught in the crossfire. Captain America has always stood for the little guy. Please, let the MCU remember that in their next movie.

[racefortheironthrone]

Do you think that there's a problem with Marvel's handling of the X-men as a minority metaphor in that there doesn't seem to be any actual in-universe social progress on mutant rights? They constantly hammer home that even the mainstream hates mutants and that otherwise "moderate" individuals are bigots when it comes to mutants. Doesn't that create the idea that Xavier's dream is futile? After all other heroes seem to just ignore all the anti-mutant terrorist groups.

Great question!

I talk about this in greater detail here, but the more accurate description is that social progress on mutant rights gyrates wildly, depending on the direction that the writing and editorial staff want to take with the X-Men. So for example, you have a story where all of the sudden 70s America reacts to mutant-hunting robots tearing up midtown Manhattan by suddenly engaging in a wave of anti-mutant hysteria, as opposed to a wave of anti-robot hysteria. Later on, you’ll have incidents - the X-Men saving Dallas in full view of the TV cameras in Fall of the Mutants, X-Factor saving New York from Apocalypse - that significantly reduce anti-mutant hysteria. 

What you don’t have is much consistency about how social progress is going, because the X-Men hasn’t historically been a book about social movements. As I’ve discussed in that link, the X-Men engage in a particularly elite form of politics, primarily centered around debates, trials, and press conferences, and we don’t really get to see much in the way of social movement organizing. The 1970s were an era of massive social movements of both the right and the left, you’d think you’d see some mutant rights groups organizing on college campuses, liberal big cities, protesting the Registration Act, pushing for a Genetic Equality bill, arguing in the courts that the 14th Amendment covers mutants, etc. Hell, you don’t even get mutant neighborhoods or mutant culture until Grant Morrison’s run. 

Now, related to this is the problem of Marvel and the future. Especially in the case of the X-Men, Marvel has a hard time imagining a future that isn’t dystopic - either anti-mutant dystopic or mutant-supremacist dystopic or Terminator-by-way-of-Apocalypse dystopic - which I admit makes the Dream seem a bit futile, but only really due to a failure of imagination. I’d be really curious to see someone clever take a run at a future America where the majority of the population are X-positive, where superpowers are so common that the distinction between superhero and civilian breaks down - and before anyone says that won’t work, let me point you in the direction of Alan Moore’s Top 10. 

[writingguide003-blog]

Critics assemble: our writers pick their favorite superhero films

New Post has been published on https://writingguideto.com/must-see/critics-assemble-our-writers-pick-their-favorite-superhero-films/

Critics assemble: our writers pick their favorite superhero films

Batman v Superman v Captain America v all of the X-Men. Which cape-wearing, civilian-saving adventures are worth cheering?

Given the repetitive influx of superhero films in recent years, youd be forgiven for wanting very little to do with anything involving a cape, a mask and a post-credits teaser for a long time. But wait, the R-rated Wolverine sequel Logan hits cinemas this week and critics agree that its worth getting over yourself for.

Many are saying it will join the ranks of the all-time greats but what else should be on this list? Here are seven of the best from Guardian writers.

The Incredibles

Photograph: HO/Reuters

Was 2004 the superheroes annus mirabilis? That was when Marvel Studios initiated its ambitious plan to self-finance its movies, buy back the rights to characters such as Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk, and begin the 21st-century wave of superhero films, hugely popular with the public, but often patronised and dismissed the way westerns used to be.

But something else happened in 2004: the release of Pixars glorious animated superhero homage The Incredibles. Thats a film which doesnt fit easily into the superhero fanbase-constituency, and is part of neither the Marvel nor DC tribe (unless you count the fact that Pixar, like Marvel, is part of Disney). And Im conscious that in calling it a homage I may even now be denying it full superhero-film status. But a brilliant superhero film is what it is riffing on the X-Men and Fantastic Four with superb characters, a great supervillain, a terrific story and a sharp satiric theme on the subject of excellence, and the nature of risk, jeopardy and the state.

Mr Incredible (voiced by Craig T Nelson) is a lantern-jawed, barrel-chested superhero who plies his trade in the 1940s, the superheroes postwar first-generation comic book heyday. He is fighting alongside his fiancee, Elastigirl (Holly Hunter). When a member of the public sues him for preventing his suicide, it triggers a legal nightmare forcing the government to outlaw superheroism and to relocate supers to other cities with new identities and bland normality. Twenty years later, he and Elastigirl have suburban lives and he works in insurance a nightmarish perversion of his former calling. They have two kids whose superpowers they have to conceal at school. But then a new villain emerges with a secret connection to the Incredibles past, forcing them to reclaim their vocation and their destiny.

It is rightly celebrated for the superhero costumire, Edna Mode, voiced by the director and writer, Brad Bird, who thinks that capes are a bad idea and is passionately committed to her contemporary vision: I never look back, darling; it distracts from the now. There is a wonderful passage on the phenomenon of supervillains monologuing huge third-act set-piece speeches in which the villains talk about themselves and their awful vision.

Actually, in 2017, the non-talky streamlined all-action superhero film is pretty much against both capes and monologuing and also against Edna Modes injunction against looking back. Superhero films love origin myths, elaborate retro sequences from the past and all-around ancestor worship.

But as it happens, and incredible as it may sound, The Incredibles has a brilliant action sequence, as exciting as anything in any live-action superhero film or action film. Elastigirl and the two kids are flying in their plane to an island from which the errant Mr Incredible has sent a distress signal. Then she is attacked by rockets. The subsequent chase scene and midair explosion are absolutely nail-biting.

It is witty, smart, visually ravishing, and its generic insights are celebratory, not derisive. What a great superhero film. PB

Batman

Photograph: Allstar/Warner Bros/Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar

I have to be honest: I am not the worlds biggest superhero movie fan. Put another way, when they took off in the late 80s, I thought they were a fad that would blow over in a few years; more fool me. In fact, the elevation to ever-prolonging ubiquity is one of the great mysteries of contemporary cinema: how this genre, that for years was considered only good for doltish teens, and treated with equivalent lack of respect, has steadily evolved into the mainstay of the global film industry. Be that as it may, I prefer the funny, candy-coloured type of superhero movie (Spider-Man, Thor, Deadpool) rather than the furrowed-brow earnestathons (Batman Begins, Captain America, Man of Steel) Ive never seen a superhero movie weighty or nuanced enough to justify the heavy-duty treatment.

But as films as opposed to moving comic-books superhero movies tend to fall down pretty hard. There are great sequences, brilliant set pieces, very nice shots but they rarely hold together, still less allowing actual narrative subtlety to intrude on the scene-shifting. The first and still, by my reckoning, only time that a superhero movie seemed way ahead of everything else was the first Tim Burton Batman, from 1989. A tour de force of design, cinematography, and cinematic texture, it was light years ahead of (the nevertheless highly enjoyable) Superman films that had blazed the superhero trail in the 1970s and 80s. Burtons brilliance was to make everything else look redundant and in many ways, nothing has changed since. AP

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Photograph: Moviestore/Rex

Heres a conspiracy theory: someone at the Academy purposefully shuffled those envelopes to detract from the much bigger scandal earlier in the evening: the snubbing of Garry Shandling in this years Oscars In Memoriam montage. I hope my choice of the Marvel movie in which he cameos as a sinister Hydra disciple will go some way to righting this wrong.

Shandlings 15-second appearance in this sequel to the first film featuring the weed who becomes the most fantastic hunk is one of my chief reasons for picking it; the other is its literally the only superhero movie I can ever really remember enjoying.

This is obviously a personal deficit, but perhaps it is, actually, a better superhero movie than most? There are terrific action sequences, for a start: that initial heist, fuelled with sexual tension between the Cap and the Black Widow, plus the most wonderful punch-up in a lift. Plus, vegetables to accompany all that meat and beef: a properly thought-provoking investigation of the morals of surveillance and the ethics of vigilantism in a democratically accountable society.

But perhaps what really clinched it for me as an Avengers movie I could get along with was the relative dearth of Robert Downey Jr. The more you can minimise this man, the more I shall like any movie. CS

Thor: The Dark World

Photograph: Allstar/Marvel Studios/Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar

Many are hailing Logan for stretching the boundaries of what a superhero movie can be. Its dramatic, fervid, and realistic in its violence. But lets not do away with whats core to comics culture: deep, dank nerdery that ought not be allowed to see daylight.

I love comic books rich in lore and steeped in mythos, swirling in and out of realms with names impossible to spell. Thor: The Dark World stuffs two handfuls of delicious dorkiness into its maw, one rich in fantasy, the other in science fiction. Is the Asgardian bio-bed a quantum field generator or a Soul Forge? The answer, of course, is that it is both.

Thor: The Dark World has portals and Kronan Rock Men and invisible spaceships and a ray that can curl you up into a singularity and zap you into another dimension. A liquid totem called the Aether is almost in Malekith the Dark Elfs nefarious grasp, just in time for the quinquennial cosmic event known as the Convergence. Oh, God, I need to stop typing and grab my asthma inhaler, this sort of talk gets me all worked up.

In the middle of all this, theres the bickering romance between the sharp and sweet doctor played by Natalie Portman and her hunky blonde blue-eyed spaceman, Thor. When they reunite during a battle, the first thing she does is yell at him for never calling. When they visit Thors realm, Dr Foster quickly bonds with Thors mother. They may as well be eating intergalactic coffee cake. And there are still some who say mixed marriages cant work?!?

Thor: The Dark World is a rush of Absolute Comics mainlined direct to my amygdala, with a profound purity that few other modern superhero movies allow themselves. It is Worthy. JH

The Dark Knight

Photograph: Allstar/Warner Bros

While Batman Begins was a refreshingly coherent, mature and dark-hued film about the Caped Crusader (a relief after the eye-punishing gaudy excess of Batman & Robin), it was far from a masterpiece.

There was a major villain problem (a somewhat gimmicky last act switcheroo that didnt quite have the required impact) and a major Katie Holmes problem (needs no explanation) and as a result, it was a promising franchise-restarter but not the home run we might have hoped for. Three years later, Christopher Nolan returned, lessons learned and homework done, with a sequel that rose far above its generic peers and, despite the creation of the hero-packed DC and Marvel universes since, it easily remains unsurpassed.

The Dark Knight moves like a fiendish thriller, one that confidently pushes the boundaries of the superhero genre in a way that comic book fans may be familiar with but which for cinema-goers such as myself was a revelation. Its a breathtakingly brutal film, packed with staggering PG-13 violence and a bleak worldview thats unrelenting, grounding fantastical characters and situations in a world that, for once, is depressingly easy to relate to.

That villain problem? Easily fixed. The casting of Heath Ledger in the role of the Joker might have been initially unpopular with fans, who couldnt envision his leading man looks buried under cartoonish makeup, but his performance was dynamite, an Oscar-winning fireball of anger and anarchy. That Katie Holmes problem? Replaced. Maggie Gyllenhaal added depth and a genuine emotional connection which led to the shocking finale carrying even greater weight. Its one of the rare examples of a superhero film where each devastating act of violence or aggression has a lasting impact. In Nolans Gotham City, life and death both mean something.

It might be to blame for the dreary drudgery thats bogged down many ensuing superhero adventures but it remains a ruthlessly entertaining example of just how daring and necessary the genre can be. BL

Watchmen

Photograph: Clay Enos/Photo by Clay Enos

It may be difficult to credit given Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice recently picked up a gaggle of Razzies, but Zack Snyder was once seen as the coming man of comic book movies. His 2009 adaptation of Alan Moores sprawling graphic novel about an alternative 1980s in which Nixon remains in power and superheroes are real remains a high point of the film-makers career and proof that given a decent script, he is capable of producing eye-popping cinema beyond that of most his contemporaries.

The bravura opening montage, set to the strains of Bob Dylans The Times They Are A Changin, is unequalled in comic book movies. The casting is impeccable: Jackie Earl Haley has never been better than as the hardboiled, morally immovable vigilante Rorschach, a gurning, spitting man out of time whose psychological torment is written on his face whether wearing that famous mask or not. Patrick Wilson is wonderfully understated as the taciturn Nite Owl, a superhero who looks like an accountant with middle-aged spread, while Jeffrey Dean Morgan is perfect as the leering, sneering, cigar-smoking alpha male scumbag the Comedian, a role which surely won him the part of the villain Negan in The Walking Dead.

Naysayers argue that Watchmen is too close to its source material, bar a sensibly altered denouement. But Moores story is so epic in scale and splendid in its unexpectedly detailed rendering of the inner psyches of costumed crimefighters that Snyder was really only required to add visual flare. If there is a Citizen Kane of superhero movies, this is indisputably it. BC

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Photograph: Allstar/20th Century Fox

The best thing about this time traveling entry into the vast annals of X-Men history is the absolute disregard Bryan Singer had for newcomers. If you hadnt been paying attention to his line of mutant entertainment over the last decade or so, youd feel a bit like Kyle Reese being spat out into 1984 with no clothes and no idea what was happening. That slightly manic pace, which feels like its borrowed from a daytime soap opera, plus the period costume and references to Vietnam, Nixon and the height of 70s cold war paranoia made this a strangely daring superhero film.

Instead of something that tried to set out the basic idea of what the X-Men were and what they were all about a concept most grandmothers could probably grasp by now this just got straight into the internal machinations of a group that makes the EU look harmonious. Of course, the old themes of good and evil doing battle, and overcoming personal demons (in this case addiction for Professor X) are there, but it was delivered in a knowingly strange way. You could even argue the hectic feel and funny but slightly smug lines set the stage for the least superhero-y superhero of them all, Deadpool. Singer knew fans were au fait with the concept of time travel, and would love to see Magneto and Professor X as their younger selves, so he threw it all into a blender and Days of Future Past came out like a perfectly mixed bit of superhero bechamel. LB

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us

[viralhottopics]

Critics assemble: our writers pick their favorite superhero films

Batman v Superman v Captain America v all of the X-Men. Which cape-wearing, civilian-saving adventures are worth cheering?

Given the repetitive influx of superhero films in recent years, youd be forgiven for wanting very little to do with anything involving a cape, a mask and a post-credits teaser for a long time. But wait, the R-rated Wolverine sequel Logan hits cinemas this week and critics agree that its worth getting over yourself for.

Many are saying it will join the ranks of the all-time greats but what else should be on this list? Here are seven of the best from Guardian writers.

The Incredibles

Photograph: HO/Reuters

Was 2004 the superheroes annus mirabilis? That was when Marvel Studios initiated its ambitious plan to self-finance its movies, buy back the rights to characters such as Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk, and begin the 21st-century wave of superhero films, hugely popular with the public, but often patronised and dismissed the way westerns used to be.

But something else happened in 2004: the release of Pixars glorious animated superhero homage The Incredibles. Thats a film which doesnt fit easily into the superhero fanbase-constituency, and is part of neither the Marvel nor DC tribe (unless you count the fact that Pixar, like Marvel, is part of Disney). And Im conscious that in calling it a homage I may even now be denying it full superhero-film status. But a brilliant superhero film is what it is riffing on the X-Men and Fantastic Four with superb characters, a great supervillain, a terrific story and a sharp satiric theme on the subject of excellence, and the nature of risk, jeopardy and the state.

Mr Incredible (voiced by Craig T Nelson) is a lantern-jawed, barrel-chested superhero who plies his trade in the 1940s, the superheroes postwar first-generation comic book heyday. He is fighting alongside his fiancee, Elastigirl (Holly Hunter). When a member of the public sues him for preventing his suicide, it triggers a legal nightmare forcing the government to outlaw superheroism and to relocate supers to other cities with new identities and bland normality. Twenty years later, he and Elastigirl have suburban lives and he works in insurance a nightmarish perversion of his former calling. They have two kids whose superpowers they have to conceal at school. But then a new villain emerges with a secret connection to the Incredibles past, forcing them to reclaim their vocation and their destiny.

It is rightly celebrated for the superhero costumire, Edna Mode, voiced by the director and writer, Brad Bird, who thinks that capes are a bad idea and is passionately committed to her contemporary vision: I never look back, darling; it distracts from the now. There is a wonderful passage on the phenomenon of supervillains monologuing huge third-act set-piece speeches in which the villains talk about themselves and their awful vision.

Actually, in 2017, the non-talky streamlined all-action superhero film is pretty much against both capes and monologuing and also against Edna Modes injunction against looking back. Superhero films love origin myths, elaborate retro sequences from the past and all-around ancestor worship.

But as it happens, and incredible as it may sound, The Incredibles has a brilliant action sequence, as exciting as anything in any live-action superhero film or action film. Elastigirl and the two kids are flying in their plane to an island from which the errant Mr Incredible has sent a distress signal. Then she is attacked by rockets. The subsequent chase scene and midair explosion are absolutely nail-biting.

It is witty, smart, visually ravishing, and its generic insights are celebratory, not derisive. What a great superhero film. PB

Batman

Photograph: Allstar/Warner Bros/Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar

I have to be honest: I am not the worlds biggest superhero movie fan. Put another way, when they took off in the late 80s, I thought they were a fad that would blow over in a few years; more fool me. In fact, the elevation to ever-prolonging ubiquity is one of the great mysteries of contemporary cinema: how this genre, that for years was considered only good for doltish teens, and treated with equivalent lack of respect, has steadily evolved into the mainstay of the global film industry. Be that as it may, I prefer the funny, candy-coloured type of superhero movie (Spider-Man, Thor, Deadpool) rather than the furrowed-brow earnestathons (Batman Begins, Captain America, Man of Steel) Ive never seen a superhero movie weighty or nuanced enough to justify the heavy-duty treatment.

But as films as opposed to moving comic-books superhero movies tend to fall down pretty hard. There are great sequences, brilliant set pieces, very nice shots but they rarely hold together, still less allowing actual narrative subtlety to intrude on the scene-shifting. The first and still, by my reckoning, only time that a superhero movie seemed way ahead of everything else was the first Tim Burton Batman, from 1989. A tour de force of design, cinematography, and cinematic texture, it was light years ahead of (the nevertheless highly enjoyable) Superman films that had blazed the superhero trail in the 1970s and 80s. Burtons brilliance was to make everything else look redundant and in many ways, nothing has changed since. AP

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Photograph: Moviestore/Rex

Heres a conspiracy theory: someone at the Academy purposefully shuffled those envelopes to detract from the much bigger scandal earlier in the evening: the snubbing of Garry Shandling in this years Oscars In Memoriam montage. I hope my choice of the Marvel movie in which he cameos as a sinister Hydra disciple will go some way to righting this wrong.

Shandlings 15-second appearance in this sequel to the first film featuring the weed who becomes the most fantastic hunk is one of my chief reasons for picking it; the other is its literally the only superhero movie I can ever really remember enjoying.

This is obviously a personal deficit, but perhaps it is, actually, a better superhero movie than most? There are terrific action sequences, for a start: that initial heist, fuelled with sexual tension between the Cap and the Black Widow, plus the most wonderful punch-up in a lift. Plus, vegetables to accompany all that meat and beef: a properly thought-provoking investigation of the morals of surveillance and the ethics of vigilantism in a democratically accountable society.

But perhaps what really clinched it for me as an Avengers movie I could get along with was the relative dearth of Robert Downey Jr. The more you can minimise this man, the more I shall like any movie. CS

Thor: The Dark World

Photograph: Allstar/Marvel Studios/Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar

Many are hailing Logan for stretching the boundaries of what a superhero movie can be. Its dramatic, fervid, and realistic in its violence. But lets not do away with whats core to comics culture: deep, dank nerdery that ought not be allowed to see daylight.

I love comic books rich in lore and steeped in mythos, swirling in and out of realms with names impossible to spell. Thor: The Dark World stuffs two handfuls of delicious dorkiness into its maw, one rich in fantasy, the other in science fiction. Is the Asgardian bio-bed a quantum field generator or a Soul Forge? The answer, of course, is that it is both.

Thor: The Dark World has portals and Kronan Rock Men and invisible spaceships and a ray that can curl you up into a singularity and zap you into another dimension. A liquid totem called the Aether is almost in Malekith the Dark Elfs nefarious grasp, just in time for the quinquennial cosmic event known as the Convergence. Oh, God, I need to stop typing and grab my asthma inhaler, this sort of talk gets me all worked up.

In the middle of all this, theres the bickering romance between the sharp and sweet doctor played by Natalie Portman and her hunky blonde blue-eyed spaceman, Thor. When they reunite during a battle, the first thing she does is yell at him for never calling. When they visit Thors realm, Dr Foster quickly bonds with Thors mother. They may as well be eating intergalactic coffee cake. And there are still some who say mixed marriages cant work?!?

Thor: The Dark World is a rush of Absolute Comics mainlined direct to my amygdala, with a profound purity that few other modern superhero movies allow themselves. It is Worthy. JH

The Dark Knight

Photograph: Allstar/Warner Bros

While Batman Begins was a refreshingly coherent, mature and dark-hued film about the Caped Crusader (a relief after the eye-punishing gaudy excess of Batman & Robin), it was far from a masterpiece.

There was a major villain problem (a somewhat gimmicky last act switcheroo that didnt quite have the required impact) and a major Katie Holmes problem (needs no explanation) and as a result, it was a promising franchise-restarter but not the home run we might have hoped for. Three years later, Christopher Nolan returned, lessons learned and homework done, with a sequel that rose far above its generic peers and, despite the creation of the hero-packed DC and Marvel universes since, it easily remains unsurpassed.

The Dark Knight moves like a fiendish thriller, one that confidently pushes the boundaries of the superhero genre in a way that comic book fans may be familiar with but which for cinema-goers such as myself was a revelation. Its a breathtakingly brutal film, packed with staggering PG-13 violence and a bleak worldview thats unrelenting, grounding fantastical characters and situations in a world that, for once, is depressingly easy to relate to.

That villain problem? Easily fixed. The casting of Heath Ledger in the role of the Joker might have been initially unpopular with fans, who couldnt envision his leading man looks buried under cartoonish makeup, but his performance was dynamite, an Oscar-winning fireball of anger and anarchy. That Katie Holmes problem? Replaced. Maggie Gyllenhaal added depth and a genuine emotional connection which led to the shocking finale carrying even greater weight. Its one of the rare examples of a superhero film where each devastating act of violence or aggression has a lasting impact. In Nolans Gotham City, life and death both mean something.

It might be to blame for the dreary drudgery thats bogged down many ensuing superhero adventures but it remains a ruthlessly entertaining example of just how daring and necessary the genre can be. BL

Watchmen

Photograph: Clay Enos/Photo by Clay Enos

It may be difficult to credit given Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice recently picked up a gaggle of Razzies, but Zack Snyder was once seen as the coming man of comic book movies. His 2009 adaptation of Alan Moores sprawling graphic novel about an alternative 1980s in which Nixon remains in power and superheroes are real remains a high point of the film-makers career and proof that given a decent script, he is capable of producing eye-popping cinema beyond that of most his contemporaries.

The bravura opening montage, set to the strains of Bob Dylans The Times They Are A Changin, is unequalled in comic book movies. The casting is impeccable: Jackie Earl Haley has never been better than as the hardboiled, morally immovable vigilante Rorschach, a gurning, spitting man out of time whose psychological torment is written on his face whether wearing that famous mask or not. Patrick Wilson is wonderfully understated as the taciturn Nite Owl, a superhero who looks like an accountant with middle-aged spread, while Jeffrey Dean Morgan is perfect as the leering, sneering, cigar-smoking alpha male scumbag the Comedian, a role which surely won him the part of the villain Negan in The Walking Dead.

Naysayers argue that Watchmen is too close to its source material, bar a sensibly altered denouement. But Moores story is so epic in scale and splendid in its unexpectedly detailed rendering of the inner psyches of costumed crimefighters that Snyder was really only required to add visual flare. If there is a Citizen Kane of superhero movies, this is indisputably it. BC

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Photograph: Allstar/20th Century Fox

The best thing about this time traveling entry into the vast annals of X-Men history is the absolute disregard Bryan Singer had for newcomers. If you hadnt been paying attention to his line of mutant entertainment over the last decade or so, youd feel a bit like Kyle Reese being spat out into 1984 with no clothes and no idea what was happening. That slightly manic pace, which feels like its borrowed from a daytime soap opera, plus the period costume and references to Vietnam, Nixon and the height of 70s cold war paranoia made this a strangely daring superhero film.

Instead of something that tried to set out the basic idea of what the X-Men were and what they were all about a concept most grandmothers could probably grasp by now this just got straight into the internal machinations of a group that makes the EU look harmonious. Of course, the old themes of good and evil doing battle, and overcoming personal demons (in this case addiction for Professor X) are there, but it was delivered in a knowingly strange way. You could even argue the hectic feel and funny but slightly smug lines set the stage for the least superhero-y superhero of them all, Deadpool. Singer knew fans were au fait with the concept of time travel, and would love to see Magneto and Professor X as their younger selves, so he threw it all into a blender and Days of Future Past came out like a perfectly mixed bit of superhero bechamel. LB

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from Critics assemble: our writers pick their favorite superhero films

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► Clint Barton

Clinton "Clint" Barton was born to Harold and Edith Barton. He grew up working in his father's Butchers shop in Waverly, Iowa with his older brother, Barney. Their father was abusive, especially when he drank and continually beat the young boys; Barney taught Clint how to fight and helped him to improve his aim. Harold's drinking eventually cost him his life along with his wife when both died in a car accident. Clint and Barney were sent to numerous foster homes; while running away from one of them, they encountered and joined a traveling circus where the pair worked as roustabouts. While a member of the circus, Clint was trained by the original Swordsman and by Trick Shot. Clint later found the Swordsman embezzling money from the carnival. Before he could turn his mentor over to the authorities, Clint was beaten and left for dead, allowing the Swordsman to escape town. Clint's relationship with his brother Barney and Trick Shot soon deteriorated as well.

Clint adapted his archery skills to become a star carnival attraction, a master archer called "Hawkeye", otherwise known as “The World’s Greatest Marksman”. He spent some time as a member of Tiboldt's Circus. Witnessing Iron Man in action, Barton attempted to emulate him by donning a colorful costume and employing his archery skills to fight crime. However, during his first public appearance, Hawkeye was mistaken for a thief by police. The Black Widow enlisted him as her partner and they clashed with Iron Man on several occasions.

Although Hawkeye became romantically involved with the Black Widow, he was unhappy being a criminal. When he approached the Avengers and told them of his desire to reform, Iron Man sponsored his membership on the team. Barton formed, along with Captain America, Scarlet Witch and her brother, Quicksilver, an incarnation of the Avengers known as "Cap's Kooky Quartet." This was the lineup that succeeded the original after the four remaining founders took indefinite leaves of absence. At first regarded as less formidable than the previous roster, the new team soon proved themselves against the likes of Kang the Conqueror and Doctor Doom.

Hawkeye remained an active member of the Avengers for years, his archery skills and inventive trick arrows augmenting the superhuman powers of his associates. His carefree and rebellious personality meant that he sometimes argued with Captain America, believing he could make a better leader. Eventually, however, Hawkeye came to respect Cap more than any other Avenger, and became one of his staunchest supporters.

For a short time, Barton abandoned his Hawkeye identity and while taking Hank Pym's growth serum, operated under the name Goliath. After resuming his Hawkeye role, he also briefly became the Golden Archer.

Around this time, Hawkeye began a series of extended leaves of absence from the Avengers, often trying to establish an independent identity outside of the group. The first instance actually saw Clint resign on the grounds of wanting to prove he did not need a team to be effective only to almost immediately join the Defenders for several adventures (including opposing the Avengers)! He also ended up in the 1870s where he befriended Western hero Two-Gun Kid and with the help of the Avengers, defeated Kang. He brought the Western Hero along to the present and left the Avengers to team up with him.

During the course of another leave, Barton became security chief for Cross Technological Enterprises. While at Cross, he met Jorge Latham, an engineer who would design the Sky-Cycle as Barton's personal conveyance when he was incapacitated with a broken leg. Shortly thereafter, Clint also met and eloped with Bobbi orse, a.k.a. fellow crime fighter Mockingbird, when the two were kidnapped by Crossfire, a villain who wanted to use hypnotic ultrasounds to force superheroes to kill each other. Hawkeye and Mockingbird defeated Crossfire, but Barton suffered permanent hearing damage due to the ultrasounds and for a long time was forced to wear a hearing aid. Eventually, Franklin Richards would cure him of this injury when Clint was among heroes restored from an alternate reality.

Upon his return to the Avengers with his new bride, Barton was appointed to chair a new second team of Avengers based on the West Coast by then-chairman, the Vision. The team Hawkeye chose consisted of Mockingbird, his original inspiration Iron Man, Wonder Man, and Tigra. Hawkeye and Mockingbird acted as the guiding force behind the team. Barton hired his old friend from Cross Technologies, Jorge Latham, to act as the on-staff mechanic and to build a new fleet of sky-cycles. Hank Pym helped the team in a civilian capacity as the resident scientist.

One of the western team's adventures scattered them across time. While Hawkeye and most of the others were stranded in ancient Egypt, Mockingbird was in the Old West, held captive and rendered amnesiac by Phantom Rider (Lincoln Slade), posing as her lover. In a mountaintop battle between the two after her escape, Barbara allowed Slade to fall to his death. The couple separated after Clint learned of all this through the vengeful Rider's spirit.

Hawkeye later returned to the West Coast branch after they reorganized under United Nations jurisdiction, although Bobbi remained with the Great Lakes team. The West Coast team operated both independently and in conjunction with the senior East Coast team. One mission they were involved on was Operation Galactic Storm. Barton was initially relegated to remain on Earth as part of the "rear guard" team due to a "lack of raw power." With some timely aid from Hank Pym, he re-assumed his old Goliath identity, and took USAgent's place on Captain America's team bound for the Kree Empire. After Iron Man, against orders, led a group of Avengers to execute the Kree Supreme Intelligence, Barton was important in helping Captain America regain confidence in his leadership. Briefly maintaining the Goliath identity, Clint and Bobbi seemingly managed to reconcile.

After Mockingbird's apparent death, Hawkeye became a solo agent for a period of time. During which, Barton was commissioned to train a group of rebels known as the Shadows along with Sundance and Striker. He attempted to keep them from killing, but on one raid Striker killed a woman and injured her fiancee, a friend of James Rhodes. As War Machine, Rhodes investigated and was surprised to see Hawkeye among the rebels. A government-backed group led by USAgent also arrived adding further confusion between the "Brothers in Arms". The three were able to stop the conflict and were confronted by the mysterious Advisor.

After years of fighting alongside the Avengers, Hawkeye offered to lead the Thunderbolts. Sympathetic to their plight as criminals trying to redeem themselves for their past actions, he decided to help them become a legitimate superhero team. Hawkeye initially posed as the criminal Dreadknight to meet the team before formally introducing himself and his intentions. He also became romantically involved with Moonstone. As leader, Hawkeye led the Thunderbolts both alongside and sometimes against his former teammates in the Avengers.

Eventually rejoining the Avengers, Clint began a dallying affair with the Wasp, causing tension with her sometime lover, Hank Pym. When the Scarlet Witch had her breakdown that resulted in the breakup of the Avengers, Barton perished on an exploding Kree ship created by her crazed state.

The Scarlet Witch did not act again until sometime later when she altered time and space on a universal level: changing Earth's history to where mutants were the rulers while human beings were a minority. Barton was very much alive in this remade world and affiliated with an underground human resistance opposing the general mutant supremacy. Like all of the other inhabitants on the planet, though, Clint retained no memory of his previous life.

This changed, however, after X-Man Emma Frost restored his memories, hoping to recruit him to a direct opposition of reawakened heroes against Magneto and the Scarlet Witch. While this rebellious network incorporated more of his original Avenger teammates, Barton was at the time reluctant, preoccupied with the disquieting notion of his recent demise among his returned memories.

Eventually confronting and failing to kill Wanda Maximoff with one of his arrows, he brought up their shared history as teammates as well as his former romantic feelings for her, angrily demanding to know why she ended his life. This encounter did not last long as Clint's heightened emotional state renewed Wanda's own mental instability, causing her to once again erase him from existence.

Wanda then restored reality to its original state, only to remove the mutant genome from millions on Earth, remaking them as powerless mainline humans. Clint awoke inside the ruins of Avengers Mansion confused by the events. Leaving his "Hawkeye" wardrobe and equipment there, he set out to locate the Scarlet Witch, seeking Doctor Strange for assistance. Strange was the only person in the world to know of his revival at this time. Clint found her living as a gypsy in a small European mountain village. Spending the night with her, Barton learned she had no memory of her previous life and was evidently depowered. He left at dawn the next morning, heeding the warning of Doctor Strange not to attempt to revive her memories and possibly worsen her mental condition.

After the apparent assassination of Captain America, Iron Man approached Clint about taking up the shield. Barton proved himself to be one of the few who could wield it effectively, and considered taking up the mantle. He and Iron Man encountered the Young Avengers called Patriot and Hawkeye. They convinced him that wearing Steve Rogers' costume and wielding his shield would be wrong, and he allowed the unregistered young heroes to go free. Later, when Clint learned that Stark had given the shield to "Bucky" Barnes (Cap's WWII sidekick and the reformed Winter Soldier), he payed this new Captain America a visit to express his disapproval.

Barton revealed himself as the current user of the Ronin guise, joining the New Avengers. During World War Hulk, he was defeated by two of the Hulk's Warbound while trying to defend Rick Jones.

During the Skrull Invasion, Barton headed to the Savage Land with the New Avengers to investigate a crashed Skrull ship. There, both they and the Mighty Avengers came across many heroes from years past including a "Hawkeye" and a "Mockingbird". This "Hawkeye" was discovered to be a Skrull, but after Clint questioned "Mockingbird" of her miscarriage, he truly believed her to be his late wife. Teammates Luke Cage and Wolverine were more suspicious. This was justified later, when Clint was proven wrong by Mr. Fantastic, whose technology forced the Skrulls to revert to their true forms. Clint did not hesitate in shooting the Skrull Mockingbird impostor dead with one of Black Widow's firearms. Enraged by such deception, Barton became more dedicated to opposing the invading Skrulls without any second thoughts about killing them. During the final battle with the Skrulls alongside dozens of superheroes, he used his old bow and quiver of trick arrows (dropped by the wounded Kate Bishop) to kill several Super-Skrulls and to severely wound Queen Veranke, who orchestrated the entire invasion while posing as Spider-Woman. After the fighting, it was discovered that the people replaced by the Skrulls were alive and well, including Bobbi.

Reuniting with his wife, they were the first to be invited by Barnes to his Brooklyn safe house, offering it as a new base of operations for the fugitive New Avengers. The team’s first order of business became a search and rescue mission for the infant daughter of fellow teammate Luke Cage, abducted during the final Skrull conflict.

Clint was infuriated at Norman Osborn’s rise to power- especially at the allegedly "former" villain’s own Avengers group, secretly composed of super villains publicly masquerading in familiar heroic identities. Wanting to dissuade Osborn and his group from further sullying the Avengers' name and legacy, Clint and his New Avengers attempted to lure them into battle at the Hellfire Club's former headquarters. Instead, they were opposed by the Hood's crime syndicate, sent in place of the new "Dark Avengers."

Deducing Osborn’s corrupt politics, Clint went to the media exposing his identity, denouncing the Dark Avengers and revealing Osborn’s ties to the Hood. His final words were a message encouraging the American public to resist Osborn’s regime. This did not rest well with Clint’s teammates as none of them were comfortable with him starting a public flame war without their consent, growing concerned for their general safety. Despite this negative feedback, Clint remained on good terms with his friends.

Clint also learned that Bobbi did not consider him her husband any longer, having had intentions to divorce him just prior to her abduction years before, although they somewhat successfully revived their relationship. It is also noteworthy, however, that he remained distrustful and cautious of Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) during this time due to Skrull Queen Veranke’s portrayal of her, reservations he apparently shared with teammate Luke Cage.

He was later unanimously voted as leader of the New Avengers, appointing Ms. Marvel as his deputy leader. He coordinated the team in aiding Doctor Strange in locating the next Sorcerer Supreme in New Orleans, opposing Dormammu, the Hood and Madame Masque in the process. Other adventures saw the New Avengers battle a rampaging Ymir alongside the Osborn’s Avengers , aiding the Hank Pym-led Mighty Avengers and Chinese nationalist heroes, People's Defense Force, against the powerful deposed Inhuman monarch, the Unspoken and escaping capture from the combined efforts of the Dark Avengers and the Hood’s Crime Syndicate, then commandeered by Doctor Jonas Harrow.

Steve Rogers put together a new team of Avengers. Clint joined the team and returned to his Hawkeye identity (although he encouraged Kate Bishop to keep the Hawkeye identity as well). He and Mockingbird were also members of the New Avengers, although Hawkeye later left the New Avengers when he received an Avengers priority call from the main team, claiming that he was only there to spend time with his wife.

Hawkeye aided Mockingbird and her anti-terrorist organization, the World Counter-terrorism Agency. Together, they thwarted Crossfire's illegal arms operation, and encountered Lincoln Slade's descendant, Jaime Slade, who later went on to become the new Phantom Rider. Crossfire and the new Phantom Rider teamed up to battle the heroes. This feud had its casualties with Mockingbird's mother being severely wounded and the death of Hamilton Slade, both at the hands of Crossfire. Hawkeye left the W.C.A. after it became clear that his relationship with Mockingbird had become too strained. However, he quickly rejoined after being informed by Steve Rogers that a kill list of international spies included Mockingbird.

Hawkeye and Mockingbird teamed up with the Black Widow to take on the mysterious new Ronin and the Dark Ocean Society. The new Ronin was later revealed to be Alexi Shostakov, the former Red Guardian and ex-husband of the Black Widow. During the final battle with the new Ronin, Hawkeye received a strong blow to the head, which proved to be more serious than first thought.

During the Asgardian Serpent and his Worthy's attack on Earth , Hawkeye developed feelings for fellow Avenger, Spider-Woman, after they battled Nul in Brazil. Since that time, they have displayed a very curious chemistry, much to the consternation of Mockingbird. Some of their "date/missions" have seen the couple in the midst of Spider-Island and a renewed campaign of Norman Osborn rallying the combined forces of H.A.M.M.E.R., Hydra, the Hand and A.I.M. against the heroes.

Captain America left the leadership of the Secret Avengers in the hands of Clint. He, in turn, recruited Giant-Man, Captain Britain, a new heroic Venom, and the original Human Torch to supplement the team's roster. He then led the Secret Avengers against the Father, a mad scientist seeking an android takeover of Earth.

During the controversial struggle against the X-Men over the impending Earthbound arrival of the cataclysmic Phoenix Force, Hawkeye was active in the Avengers' efforts of retrieving Hope Summers, whom they believed was the key to averting the crisis.

Some time following his adventures with Kate, Clint was approached by Bruce Banner, the hero also known as the Hulk. While he had been cured of his condition and hadn't turned into the Hulk in almost a year, he gave Clint a specialized arrow tip for him to use to kill Banner if he gave any indication that he was transforming into the Hulk again.

Months later, when the Inhuman precog Ulysses Cain had a vision that Banner was going to transform into the Hulk and kill everyone, a team of heroes went to Banner's secret lab and tried to calm him down. Beast revealed that Banner had been secretly experimenting on himself with dead gamma cells, but Banner protested the accusation. Seeing his rising level of anger and frustration, Clint, hidden in the bushes nearby loosed the arrow and killed Banner.

For killing Banner, Clint was put on trial for murder and was eventually acquitted. Plagued by guilt, Clint decided to leave the city behind and drive across the country on a journey of redemption, looking out to right the type of wrongs superheroes don't usually get involved in. During an adventure investigating the polluted water of an Indian reservation, Hawkeye encountered Red Wolf who became his partner.

Powers

As Hawkeye or Ronin, Clint possesses no superhuman abilities. Although, because of his abilities, Nick Fury's intel classified him as power level 4.

For some reason, he was affected by the Power Drainer. H.A.M.M.E.R. Agent Harrold recommended that Barton's DNA would be analyzed to explain it.

Master Archer: Barton has trained himself to become a master archer specializing in the use of regular bows, longbows, compound bows, and crossbows with near-perfect accuracy. He is capable of firing multiple arrows at a single target in a few seconds, hitting multiple targets in a few quick strokes, and directly hit small targets in the greatest of distances. Barton has even been known to hit an apple in the center of it. He practices a minimum of two hours per day to keep his skills honed.

Peak Human Condition: Clint's bodily functions at the Olympic-level athlete of a man his height, age, weight and build up exercise.

Master Marksman: He possesses very keen eyesight, and his accuracy is virtually unerring; he was trained in his youth by Trick Shot with throwing blades, balls, bolas, and boomerangs. He now has near-perfect precision with any aimed or thrown weapon. He can hurl objects with extreme speed and accuracy, both in direct aim and complicated rebounds/interactions.

Expert Acrobat: Barton possesses exceptional human strength, endurance, and stamina. He is an athletic person with very good reflexes and agility. For this combined with training as an aerialist and acrobat, it makes him capable of doing numerous complex acrobatic maneuvers.

Master Martial Artist: Barton is an excellent martial artist, having been trained in various forms by Captain America, who was arguably the world's greatest hand-to-hand combatant. On his first mission with Luke Cage's band of renegade New Avengers, Ronin proved to have come a long way from his old days of rarely ever using his martial arts skills. Throughout the battle against Elektra and The Hand, he demonstrated great skill in his overall martial ability, holding his own against nearly endless hordes of ninjas. This earned him a very respecting compliment from his teammate Iron Fist, one of the world's most top martial artists. It was revealed by Cap that Hawkeye has once defeated an elder of the universe with his luck and his wit.

Expert Tactician: As shown in his leadership of the West Coast Avengers and the Thunderbolts, Barton is a highly competent strategist, tactician, and field commander.

Cunning Fighter: Hawkeye is shown many of times as a smart and clever fighter. Cap said Hawkeye had once defeated an elder of the universe with luck and quick thinking. He was even able to outwit Bucky Barnes in training by using a joy buzzer on Bucky's cybernetic arm, though not able to defeat him.

Weapons Proficiency: Although he is not known to use melee weapons, Barton's incredible reflexes and hand-eye coordination allow him to easily master most weapons. He also received training in swordsmanship during his youth from the original Swordsman, who was considered one of the greatest experts in sword-fighting the world has ever known. Barton is skilled with swords, knives, nunchukus, staffs and is one of the few people to be able to properly handle Captain America's shield.

Trilingual: Not only is Hawkeye fluent in English, his mother tongue, but also in Italian and in American sign language.

As Hawkeye or Ronin, Barton possesses the normal human strength of a man of his age, height, and build who engages in intense regular exercise and is officially an athletic. However, for some reason to his strength which came from the Pym Particles that he uses, it gives him the ability to likely gain some level of peak human strength. The determination of his strength is when he was able to push a car off him with one hand, though it take several effort. As Goliath, his strength was varied according to the height he achieved: at 10 feet tall, Barton could lift (press) 1000 pounds, at 25 feet tall he could lift (press) 10 tons, and at 100 feet tall, Barton could lift (press) 50 tons. The higher Barton grew past 25 feet, the more of his strength he had to use simply to support his own enormous mass. While shrinking as Goliath, Barton retained his normal strength.

For a time, he was 80% deaf due to an injury sustained while in Crossfire's captivity, but his hearing was restored during his rebirth on Franklin Richards' Counter-Earth. He was again deafened by the Clown, who jammed Hawkeye's own arrows into both of Hawkeye's ears, causing damage to the middle and inner ears. He remained largely deaf, and used sign language, and lip reading to understand those around him, while using normal speech to communicate to them. He later started using hearing aids created by Tony Stark.

It was also revealed that as a child, abuse from his father left him partially deaf, but it's unknown if it was temporary or if it lasted until adulthood, with him successfully hiding it.

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