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dovebuffy92 · 4 years ago

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https://www.fanbolt.com/113065/wandavision-miniseries-review-grief-and-trauma/

Spoilers Below

WandaVision, developed by Jac Schaffer, uses the MCU’s Wanda Maximoff and Vision along with a meta sitcom storyline to explore grief. After losing Vision in Avengers: Endgame, Wanda numbs her grief by creating a Sitcom World in Westview, New Jersey. She makes a perfect family with Vision. Every day is a new sitcom episode taking place in a different decade where nothing truly horrible can ever happen.

WandaVision is full of suspense and mystery. Acting Director of S.W.O.R.D. Tyler Hayward and witch Agatha Harkness are minor archenemies of our superheroes, but the real villain is trauma. Wanda only becomes Scarlet Witch when she faces her pain head-on and finds new strength within herself.

The Fake Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver) storyline is a big letdown. Evan Peters plays Fake Pietro. Peters played mutant Peter Maximoff (Quicksilver) in the X Men Universe, which includes movies like X Men: Days of Future Past and Deadpool 2. When Fake Pietro first shows up at Wanda’s door at the end of “On a Very Special Episode …” I was hopeful that the character was Peter from the X-Men Universe. Perhaps Mutant Quicksilver is here to convince Wanda to free the people of Westview from her sitcom illusions. I mean, Fake Pietro does have all of Quicksilver’s speed. But I was also worried that Peters playing Fake Pietro was just an Easter Egg for X-Men fans. When “Breaking the Fourth Wall” reveals that Agatha is pulling Fake Pietro’s strings, I then thought it was possible that the witch somehow crossed the multi-verse to kidnap Peters.

Peters is the perfect Fake Pietro since he is the X-Men Alternative version of Wanda’s real twin brother. My hopes were dashed when Fake Pietro turns out to be local actor Ralph Boehner. Schaffer and the rest of the WandaVision writers had an opportunity to be MCU’s first introduction to the Multi-Universe, but instead, they just wrote a weak vulgar pun and a cute Easter Egg.

All of the MCU and sitcom references enhance the joy of watching the Disney Plus miniseries. The episodes are chock full of MCU Easter Eggs, especially from Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. One of the leading secondary characters is Monica Rambeau, the daughter of Maria. Maria is best friends with Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel).

In “Previously On,” Monica has visions of Carol and Maria speaking to her as a little girl. These visions are straight out of Captain Marvel. The majority of the episodes are inspired by sitcoms somewhere between the 1950s to 2010s.

For example, “Don’t Touch That Dial” directly references 1960s Bewitched, especially with the opening credit sequence. The sequence is an animated series of scenes where Vision or Wanda is trying to act “normal” around town. In the episode, Wanda spends the entire magic show performance trying to mask Vision’s overzealous use of his powers.

Some of the first seven episodes also have commercials that appear like the ads from a particular decade. These ads also have references to the MCU and the Marvel comics. For example, in the 1970s, The Brady Bunch inspired “Now in Color” contains an advertisement for “Hydra Soak bath powder.” Marvel’s Hydra is an authoritarian paramilitary-subversive organization with its origins in an ancient religious cult and Nazism. Understanding these Easter Eggs helps viewers navigate the story and deepens their understanding of all the characters.

Wanda transforms into the Scarlet Witch when she faces her grief head-on. Episode Eight, “Previously On,” reveals that Wanda tried to say a proper goodbye to Vision. Even though the Avenger was Vision’s next of kin, Hayward blocked her from taking custody of his body. Wanda did not know how her witch chaos power worked, so she unconsciously created a “conditional” Vision and the Westview Sitcom World.

The Westview Sitcom World has enabled her to live in all the lost possibilities that Vision’s death destroyed. Scarlet Witch unconsciously chose sitcoms as the method because it’s always been a comfort source for her, and it’s a space where nothing truly horrible ever happens. But Wanda’s safe space hurt the citizens of Westview since she projected all of her pain into their psyches.

Wanda stole innocent people’s lives so she could deny Vision’s death. S.W.O.R.D. and Agatha trying to steal her “perfect” sitcom world family pushed her into the anger stage of grief. Wanda embraces the reality of her Scarlet Witch identity, accepts Vision’s death, transforms into a superhero, and defeats Agatha. Scarlet Witch drops the Westview Sitcom World illusion, but not before saying goodbye to her twins and Vision. She accepts that their love story is over for now, but her journey as a superhero has just begun. Wanda and Vision leave the possibility open that they may see each other again. He has already gone through several iterations.

I recommend the WandaVision miniseries to anybody who considers themselves a Marvel fan or a sitcom buff. For those who have not seen at least an episode of I Love Lucy, Bewitched, The Brady Bunch, Family Ties, Malcolm in the Middle, and The Modern Family, you should check them out so you can spot all the references. Watching everything from the MCU helps viewers understand most primary or secondary characters’ origin stories. Hopefully, sometime this year, we will all be in the theatres watching Black Widow on the big screen. Meanwhile, watch WandaVision on Disney Plus.

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ordinaryschmuck · 4 years ago

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What I thought about the MCU (Phase One)

I love Marvel. More specifically, I love Marvel movies. And more specific than that, I love Marvel movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (with the occasional Deadpool from the X-Men universe). Within eleven years, we have gotten twenty-three movies. Most of them successful, with a few cracks in the armor here and there. And I want to show my love for this success by reviewing each movie in their respective phase. But I'm going to be doing things a little differently than others before me. I'm going to rank each film from worst to best in each phase of the MCU. After I get through all three phases, I'll rank them all from worst to best, with only a sentence explaining my ranking. With that said, let's get started, shall we?

6th: The Incredible Hulk (5/10)

I wish that I could be that guy who says The Incredible Hulk is an underrated masterpiece that doesn't deserve any of its hate...but I'm not, and it isn't. Don't get me wrong, I do love the first few minutes, I love how the Hulk is presented as a danger rather than a hero, and there is some decent visual storytelling on display. Seriously, there are scenes with little to no dialogue, and it is easy to tell what's going on in the characters' heads from their movements and expressions. Which is a treat, because the lines aren't great, and the delivery is not any better. It's worse with Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, who has two different speech patterns: Shouting and sounding like a robot pretending to be human. Plus, the CGI is butt ugly in this movie, and it's easily the worst in the MCU. Say what you want about Black Panther and it’s CGI, but at least the hero and villain don't look like ugly green blobs punching each other. If you think it's Incredible, more power to you. For me, it's just...meh.

5th-Iron Man 2 (5/10)

I actually like this movie. Or, at least, I like parts of this movie. I like the performances, the action, and a couple of well-handled scenes. For example, the party scene is actually pretty decent as it shows how irresponsible a hero can be when drunk, even if the latter half of it becomes a rock'em sock'em robots fight. Separately, scenes like this work. It's when they're put together does the movie fall flat. There are too many plot points and story threads to follow that the movie becomes a jumbled mess as a result. Also, Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer is just a dweeb of a villain. Which is a shame because I can see how he can be the perfect foil for Tony Stark. It's just that he lacks a lot of the charisma that RDJ gives his own character. But an even bigger shame is the underutilization of Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, who seems like a unique villain that I would have loved to see more of. But instead, we just get some jerkoff in a suit. That being said, I still don't think Iron Man 2 is as bad as people claim it to be. Yeah, it's bottom five, for sure, but that doesn't mean it isn’t irredeemable.

4th-Thor (6/10)

WHAT IS UP WITH THE EXCESSIVE DUTCH ANGLE SHOTS?! Seriously, was the majority of the movie shot on a hill? Did the crew lost a wheel on one of the cameras and decided to roll with it? Why does it keep happening?!

A dutch angle shot only works if you're showing something cool. NOT whenever you feel like it!

With that said...this movie is ok. There are some good things to like. Chris Hemsworth definitely has the physique of a Norse god, there are some well-handled comedic moments, and the action is pretty cool at times. It's just that the supporting cast is a little bland, and Thor is not Loki's best appearance. Tom Hiddleston certainly nails the trickster character, but the chaotic personality doesn't really let loose until future movies. Still, I think Thor is fine. And definitely better than Thor: The Dark World.

3rd-Iron Man (7/10)

What can I say about this movie that hasn't been said already? Robert Downey Jr. is still the definitive Iron Man, the acting is top-notch, the action is even better, the CGI still holds up to this day, and the story is pretty amazing...for the most part. The stuff with Jeff Bridges as Iron Monger, while not as bad as everyone else says, is still not as engaging as everything else. Personally, I don't hate him, and I think the final fight between this giant robot man with a tiny robot man is still pretty entertaining. I can maybe see why others wouldn't be as entertained, but that doesn't change how this film is a great start for something big.

2nd-Captain America: The First Avenger (7.5/10)

Now, THIS is an underrated movie...for the most part. I can see why some people can be less than thrilled about certain aspects of this movie, but I can still argue why those aspects don't bother me. Yes, it becomes a cliche action movie halfway through, but at least the action is cool. Yes, the scene where Captain America becomes a dancing monkey is embarrassing, but at least that song slaps. Yes, Red Skull is boringly evil for the sake of an evil villain, but he's a nazi. What were you expecting? The intricate reasons for why he's a nazi? And yes, Captain America's reasoning for crashing the plain is stupid, but...it at least give us two more awesome movies?

Alright, that one I'll give to you.

Regardless, I still consider this my favorite Captain America movie. Because it has moments that come to mind when I think of our star-spangled man. He's the guy who jumps on a grenade to save his fellow soldiers without an ounce of hesitation. He's the guy who will continue to do the right thing, no matter how hard it might be. And he's the guy who has a sense of humor, but not overly quippy like other characters. I'll admit that the other two movies are better, but as for which one has what I love about Captain America, it would have to be his very first adventure as the First Avenger.

1st-The Avengers (9.5/10)

At first, this movie has nothing more than cool action and corny jokes, some funnier than others. But by the time the film reaches The Battle of New York, that's when it goes from a good movie to a great one! Every film before The Avengers has been building up to this gigantic fight. With The Avengers hyping itself up as well. And trust me when I say: It's worth it. Add that with some fun characters with phenomenal chemistry fighting Loki at his best, then you've got yourself one hell of a movie.

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And that's all of the movies in phase one. I'll see you soon as I talk about phase two.

#marvel cinematic universe #mcu review #iron man #the incrediable hulk #thor #captain america #the avengers #what i thought about

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Helstrom: The Comic History of Marvel’s Son of Satan

https://ift.tt/33Vbv3V

On Oct. 16, Hulu will be releasing the latest Marvel tie-in series Helstrom. It’s not so much like one of those upcoming Disney+ MCU shows that feature high-profile superheroes telling stories that will be important to the overall fictional universe. It’s more like Daredevil or Runaways where quality be damned, you’re never going to hear anyone in the movies make anything close to a reference to it, but it counts as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe anyway.

The series is about siblings Daimon Helstrom and Ana Helstrom, who have seemingly normal lives, but oppose demons and evil people on the side. Their mother is institutionalized, which is fairly true to the comics, but their father is also referred to as “a powerful serial killer.”

In the comics, things are a bit grander. Their father isn’t just any serial killer, but a variation of Satan. Marvel has a bunch of guys whose identities are “basically Satan, but not really.” Instead of suits and turtlenecks, the two have comic adventures where they dress like they shopped off the sexy Halloween costume rack at Party City.

Daimon Helstrom (played by Tom Austen) gets both L’s in the comics as Daimon Hellstrom, but also has the rad nickname of Son of Satan. Shockingly, he’s a good guy! Mostly. Even when bare-chested with a glowing pentagram over his torso. Even with a magical pitchfork as his weapon of choice.

Son of Satan and his sister Satana are essentially the Marvel versions of Dante and Vergil from Devil May Cry. Both are half-human/half-devil and they lean on opposite sides of their genetics.

So let’s say you want to get into Hellstrom’s comic book exploits. Well, you’re in luck because we have a list of his main character runs since showing up in 1973.

The Early Spotlight (1973-1975)

Hellstrom made his first appearance in Ghost Rider #1. In the first two issues of that series, Hellstrom was hired as an exorcist to help deal with a missing woman who had been possessed. Interestingly enough, they never gave a clear look at Hellstrom in those two issues other than the demonic birthmark on his chest.

Initially, Hellstrom had a Jekyll and Hyde gimmick to the point that he told the woman’s loved ones to lock him up in a dark room and not let him out no matter what he said. Unlike the supporting characters in Young Frankenstein, the bozos didn’t take that to heart and let Hellstrom’s more maniacal personality Son of Satan loose.

Sidenote: His adventures were originally going to be called “the Mark of Satan” with more emphasis on Satan as the antagonist, but doing comics focused on Satan was deemed a little over-the-line, so they changed it.

Second sidenote: I did not hit her, it’s bullshit, I did not hit her, I DID NOT! Oh hi, Mark of Satan!

How Helstrom Became One of Marvel Television’s Last Shows Standing

By Alec Bojalad

Son of Satan’s adventures continued into Marvel Spotlight #12-24. It didn’t take long for Marvel to realize that giving him a double-identity was kind of a lame idea and instead had Satan Sr. magically handwave that away and make Son of Satan just one dude. Definitely for the better as he no longer felt so blatantly like Marvel’s answer to Jason Blood/Etrigan.

Hellstrom continued to fight against ghoulish enemies while opposing his father’s ways and dated some generic woman whose name I couldn’t tell you if you paid me a million dollars. It all culminated in a really strong finale issue where Hellstrom fought against and with his sister Satana, but maybe ignore the part where Hellstrom had a dream about the two of them making out.

Striking Out Solo (1975-1977)

Son of Satan had his own self-titled ongoing series that only lasted eight issues. From the beginning, Hellstrom went to Hell to basically tell off his dad as a way to say that this series wouldn’t be about their rivalry. Instead, it was Son of Satan dealing with a bunch of random villains that nobody would ever really remember.

There was one ridiculous enemy named the Possessor (not to be confused with the Elder of the Universe) who wore a mask to hide the fact that he had demon faces where his ears are supposed to be. Too bad he never showed up outside of this series.

It was a trippy outing, but ended before it could find its footing.

Demon Defender (1981-1983)

The Defenders are, of course, the bundle of heroes who don’t quite fit in with the Avengers, Fantastic Four, or X-Men but need people to hang out with. Guys like Hulk, Dr. Strange, Namor, Valkyrie, etc. Son of Satan became a regular ally in the team’s early days, appearing to help out every now and then. Most notably, he was part of a storyline where the Serpent Society kidnapped the Defenders and Clea put together a second team to rescue them, featuring the likes of Son of Satan, Daredevil, and Luke Cage.

Then again, the only thing anyone truly remembers about those issues is a very bizarre and legendary scene of a random guy getting killed by an Elf with a Gun.

As the series reached its 92nd issue, Hellstrom finally joined the team. On one hand, having Son of Satan on the team meant the Defenders had to take on the occult more than usual. On the other hand, Hellstrom soon fell in love with fellow Defender Hellcat, who was regularly dealing with constantly being possessed and turning into a scantily-clad demoness.

When Defenders hit its 100th issue, they did a really climactic storyline where a handful of the various Marvel Devil guys invaded Earth and Son of Satan had to take on Father of Son of Satan for the fate of Earth. The conclusion is rather surprising.

Prince of Lies (1993-1994)

Okay, so Daimon Hellstrom and Patsy Walker have been married for ten years (our time). It’s a fairytale romance where they’ve made a few guest appearances here and there, but have otherwise retired, happily ever after. What could POSSIBLY taint such true love?

90s comics. That’s your answer.

Welcome to Hellstorm: Prince of Lies, a 21-issue ongoing series where every issue looks like a Nine Inch Nails video and they try to see how much lanky nudity they can get away with showing in a Marvel comic. Like, holy crap, there has to be a world record for shadowed-out junk in this series. They even edit in some obvious, hastily-drawn underwear on characters at times as if the editor has realized they’ve gone too far.

It’s a gritty and grimy series that you’d expect from a 90s comic where much of it is written by Warren Ellis and the main character is Satan’s son. Lots of spikes, sharp teeth, long hair, suffering, insanity, and so on. It’s most definitely a product of its time.

Plus it’s called “Hellstorm” instead of “Hellstrom.” Scout’s honor, I didn’t notice the difference until my editor pointed it out.

Maximum Hellstorm (2006-2007)

Ah, Marvel MAX. The days when Marvel decided to give R-rated comics a shot and just threw everything at the wall. Hellstorm: Son of Satan was one of them, going for five issues. By this point, we’re in the mid-00s, so Hellstrom has a more down-to-earth look and is constantly talking to his father on a cellphone and tries so hard not to remind us what he looked like in the 70s and 80s.

But because it’s Marvel MAX, it means that his adventure is filled with lots of curse words, ultra-violence, gross demon boobs, and explicit Jesus imagery you normally wouldn’t see in a comic like this.

While the whole “Hellstrom messes with Egyptian underworld deities” storyline is a bit high concept, it still feels more like the new Hulu show than anything else.

Zombie Slayer (2009)

Speaking of gritty Marvel trends, there’s Marvel Zombies! While the initial Ultimate Fantastic Four storyline and the first two volumes of Marvel Zombies dealt with the happenings of a doomed universe, the next few volumes went slightly more uplifting. After all, sometimes you need to have people to root for who can back it up.

In Marvel Zombies 4, the Black Talon and the Hood (under the influence of Dormammu) try to use the decapitated head of Zombie Deadpool (otherwise known as Headpool) to bring forth the zombie apocalypse in the regular Marvel universe. Yes, we actually have canon stakes this time.

To prevent this, we have the Midnight Sons, made up of Son of Satan, Morbius, Jennifer Kale, Werewolf by Night, and Man-Thing. It’s an incredibly badass group working through an incredibly badass adventure. Too bad the team doesn’t last.

On a similar note, around this time there was a miniseries called the Last Defenders where Son of Satan was a major character. It’s just that by the time the team came together, they were an immediately-forgotten afterthought, so there’s no use in giving it its own entry.

Ghost Riders in the Sky (2009-2010)

Jason Aaron had a really, really, really great run on Ghost Rider. Most definitely read it. It’s pure grindhouse and I love it.

The whole run finished with Ghost Riders: Heaven’s on Fire. This culmination featured Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch working together against a corrupt angel, the anti-Christ, and a group of villains from earlier in the run teaming up.

At least they have Daimon Hellstrom there to help out. Unfortunately, Hellstrom looks outright goofy with a bald head and Fu-Manchu mustache. The story brings back Jaine, his EXTREME love interest from the 90s series who he ended up with after his relationship with Patsy went very south.

Anyhow, Jason Aaron’s Ghost Rider run. Read it!

Strikeforce (2019-2020)

Much like how X-Men had X-Force as the team that would do the really dirty work, Avengers had a spinoff team called Strikeforce. Made up of Winter Soldier, Angela, Blade, Spider-Woman, Wiccan, and Spectrum, the team soon brought Hellstrom into the fold. Which is just as well, since he was working for Baron Zemo for a little while and really needed to get his head back on straight.

Unfortunately for Hellstrom, 1) he retained his bald look from Heaven’s on Fire and 2) the series didn’t last all that long. Only nine issues, sadly. Eh, it was fun while it lasted.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

At least he’s joining the Savage Avengers next! And they’re giving him his hair back!

The post Helstrom: The Comic History of Marvel’s Son of Satan appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/31dX5KF

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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emeraldspiral · 5 years ago

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Top 15 Characters I want to see in the Loki show:

Nebula - A long shot but I would die for some flashbacks revealing they were an item between Thor 1 and Avengers/set-up for them to get together in Thor 4 or Guardians 3.

Lady Loki - The only thing hotter than Loki is canon gender-fluid Loki.

Verity Willis - Give our boy a real friend, not just someone who only hangs with him because he’s Thor’s brother.

Amora - I like the idea of them having a sort of love-hate relationship where Loki’s drawn to her because of their similarities, but she also reminds him of everything he hates about himself and they bring out the worst in each other. Plus, the relationship could work as a foil to Nebuloki, if they made it happen.

Thori - Who doesn’t love doggos?

The Ancient One - Aside from Amora, she’s one of a handful of characters who could appear at multiple points in time spread throughout the series and would have a motive to seek Loki out. Also, Tilda Swinton is the man and I just want to see more of her.

Doctor Strange - At the very end as a tie-in to Multiverse of Madness.

Thor - I’d like to see flashbacks of Thor and Loki in their childhood, teens, and young adult lives as well as versions of Thor affected by Loki’s changes to the timeline. In particular, I like the idea of the series ending with 2012 Loki fucking up big time and getting his Thor killed and abandoning the dark future he created so we can have a Thor who lost a Loki and a Loki who lost a Thor coming together in the Prime timeline for Love and Thunder.

Magneto - Only if he’s played by Ian McKellan again. He’s damn powerful for a non-magical being and I think there’s a lot of potential for him in Loki’s story. I could see them teaming up for a time before they start fighting and Magneto’s radicalism maybe instigating some self-reflection from Loki. He could also be revealed as Wanda’s grandfather, tying the Loki show to WandaVision and MoM.

Mephisto - Aside from Loki’s own evil future self, who would make a better antagonist for the God of Mischief than the Marvel universe’s Satan?

Nightmare - I’ve only seen one comic of him from the current Loki run, but I like him. Seems like kind of a fusion of Scarecrow and Mysterio. Powerful and malevolent, but not a match for Loki’s intellect.

Doctor Doom - Another character who could instigate some self-reflection from Loki. He’s super smart, powerful, and an egomaniac dictator obsessed with proving he’s better than a certain ‘Hero’. We don’t need a third F4 reboot to set him up anymore than we needed a third Spider-Man origin movie. Go ahead, introduce him in the Loki show. Kill him off and use other characters from the F4′s rogue’s gallery, or let him live to menace all the MCU heroes and not the F4 specifically.

Deadpool - Only if he’s played by Ryan Reynolds. I don’t care if they have to make it PG-13. It’s Deadpool, so they can make all the jokes they want about rating restrictions and the episode he appears in not being the same continuity as the movies. IDK if Loki and Deadpool have met often in comics, but they seem like they’d play off each other well.

Thanos - In flashbacks exploring what happened to Loki between 2011 and 2012. Especially since it would increase the odds of Nebula and Loki at least being on screen together.

Frigga - I’ve talked before about how TDW tries to make me care about Thor’s pain when Frigga dies when Loki was the one who had no one else but her, said something he regretted in their last encounter, and was actually partially responsible for her death while she and Thor had barely any screen time together. So it kinda bugs me that Endgame gave Thor this wonderful perfect closure with her that would’ve been way more satisfying for Loki. Even if the Loki show’s Loki doesn’t have the same experiences and regrets from 2013 onward, I feel like there could still be some catharsis in seeing him in one last scene with his mother.

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the--sad--hatter · 6 years ago

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Name Calling (38)

FANDOM - MARVEL MCU, DEADPOOL & X-MEN

PAIRING - BUCKY X READER (female reader, no physical descriptions)

WARNINGS - ALL OF THEM, SMUT, VIOLENCE ANGST

DESCRIPTION -

Vernichtung - Destruction, Annhialation.

It was what you were named and what you were supposed to be but the only thing you wanted to destroy was Bucky Barnes.

The ongoing and bloody war of words between you and Bucky turns in your favor when a disgruntled one night stand of his lets slip a secret when you run into her in the elevator… Now you have all the ammunition you need to destroy your enemy but you don’t plan on killing him quickly. Oh no, Bucky Barnes was going to suffer and you were going to enjoy every second. You just didn’t count on enjoying it quite so much.

But when your past catches up to you in the form of the mad scientist who made you, Bucky might be one of the only things that can save you from yourself. You can’t run from what you are but with his help, you can fight back.

Current Word Count - 107,534

MASTERLIST or Read on Ao3

Moodboard by @talesofakindredspirit

Chapter Thirty Eight - Wilson Squared

“Tony, you can’t be mad at her. She’s exactly like you, it’s almost scary.” Pepper said in your defence.

You were nowhere to be seen, having disappeared after calling out the UN and Docherty live on camera.

“It’s different when I do it!” Tony insisted.

“Because somebody else has to deal with it when you do it, I have to deal with it. But when she does it, it’s on you.” Pepper said.

“You’re enjoying this far too much!” Tony accused.

“I’m worried about her as well but they can’t arrest her for not signing the accords or practising free speech. Until she actively breaks the law, all they can do is make threats.” Pepper sighed.

“Threats are bad, everyone is making threats against her! And if she’s on the wrong side of the accords, how am I supposed to protect her from Hydra and Docherty?” Tony demanded, two seconds away from tearing his hair out.

“We will find a way. Nobody is touching our girl.” Pepper said vehemently.

Tony smiled sappily at her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Avengers were divided. They’d all watched your escapes on the news and quickly devolved into two sides arguing.

In the middle of an Avengers family argument Sam checked his phone far too casually and started edging towards the door. Bucky narrowed his eyes and moved to stand next to him.

“You know where she is don’t you?” He asked quietly.

“Listen man, she’s overwhelmed. She needs space to think and calm down.” Sam hissed back.

“She doesn’t need space, she needs her best friend. I’ll distract everyone so you can sneak out.” Bucky said.

Sam looked taken aback and Bucky rolled his eyes.

“I know she loves me but she’s loved you for longer. She just tipped her whole world on it’s axis, she needs something familiar.” Bucky pointed out reasonably.

Sam nodded in understanding.

“Alright Barnes. You clear a path and I’ll go and look after our girl.”

Bucky nodded back discreetly and went to the other side of the room and started pacing angrily. After a few moments he cracked his fist down on a table, making a bang that got everybody’s attention.

“Why are we arguing about whether or not she did the right thing? We should be concentrating on what Ross is going to do next!” He raged.

“Bucky’s right, she done it and we have to deal with it!” Steve agreed.

In the ensuing chaos Sam slipped away unseen.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You saw Sam walking across the park towards you and sighed in relief. You didn’t regret your decision but the adrenaline had worn off and now you just felt nervous. You’d ripped the rug out from under yourself and while it was the right choice, you didn’t know where you stood now. Sam was steady, reliable and safe. You needed your best friend more than anything right now.

“Interesting place to hide.” He noted as he approached.

“I figured a public spot was probably my best bet.” You admitted.

“Until you actively defy the accords with more than words, Ross can’t do shit.” Sam huffed.

“Sam... Did you think I did the right thing?” You asked curiously.

Sam sighed and offered you his arm. You accepted and linked your arm with his as he started walking along the park path with you.

“I think you did the right thing for you. I don’t think you would be you if you did anything else.” He said diplomatically.

“But I made everything more difficult for everybody else.” You pushed.

You knew you’d pretty much screwed everyone else over and you were guilty but the UN had backed you into a corner and you had made the only move you could bring yourself to.

“Yeah you did, but I think you had too. Most of us don’t like the accords, we signed to keep the peace. Even those who agree with them don’t like Ross. Maybe you’re leading us towards a change. Would you sign if somebody you trusted was in charge?” Sam asked you.

“Yeah, I would. If I really trusted them. If it was somebody qualified, experienced and honest. Somebody with good intentions.” You said carefully.

Sam looked at you suspiciously.

“Are you thinking of somebody specific?” He asked.

“I am. Somebody The UN would approve of and The Avengers would listen to. Someone who can talk politics and strategy, make moral choices and keep the world safe.”

“I don’t think they’d approve of Cap if that’s where you’re going with this...”

“I’m not. I’m thinking of Rhodey.” You admitted.

Sam gaped for a second.

“That’s actually perfect. Colonel James Rhodes, War Machine. That could work.” He admitted.

“I’d sign for him, he wouldn’t abuse the position. For either side. The trick is getting the UN to fire Ross and replace him with Rhodey while thinking it was all their idea.” You said, swerving towards a food truck.

“So we ask Nat for help.” He said.

“We ask Nat for help.” You agreed.

“I’ve gotta ask, did you plan this before you told Ross to shove it?” He enquired.

“Honestly? No. I just did what my heart was telling me. It was only after I realised I was fucked and I wished someone good were running the show I thought of it.” You admitted.

You ordered food for the two of you and paid while Sam was lost in thought.

“If we can talk everyone into getting on board with this, and I don’t think it will be too difficult then The Accords might actually be what Tony was hoping they would. I’d still rather they didn’t exist at all, Steve as well probably but at least this way it’s a decent compromise.” He decided.

You nodded and motioned for him to stay while you went to a bench and put down some food on it and came back.

“Whatcha doing?” He asked curiously.

“You were followed.” You told him and he tensed.

You just smirked and motioned for him to watch the food. A few seconds passed before a red figure slipped out from behind a tree and crept towards the food.

“Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii Peaches, other Wilson!” Deadpool called as he grabbed the food you’d left for him.

“No way.” Sam groaned, annoyed he’d been stalked by the merc.

“Hi sweetie!” You called back as Wade literally skipped over.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Bucky knocked on the door apprehensively. When Friday had asked him to come to the Lab, he’d had a pretty good idea about what Tony wanted to discuss. He stepped inside and Tony flung his screwdriver aside and looked at the Winter Soldier with a harsh glare.

“Do you love her?” Tony went straight for the kill.

“Yes.” It was a simple word but it held a universe’s worth of weight, he said it with such surety and conviction.

“Then convince her to sign the accords.” Tony implored.

“What?” Bucky blinked. That wasn’t where he thought this was going.

“If she doesn’t then she’s going to end up a criminal, on the run from the government, from Hydra and from Project Vernichtung. How long do you think we can protect her if that happens?”

“I’m not going to ask her to sign away her control and even if I did she wouldn’t do it.”

“She loves with her whole heart, she doesn’t know any other way. If she loves you, then she really loves you. I hate that but I can’t change it so you need to use that love to save her from herself.” Tony said with a bitter tone.

“She loves you more than anything Stark, if she won’t change her mind for you then she won’t do it for anything.” Bucky argued.

“Why is nobody taking this as seriously as I am? If they come for her she’ll have to run and she can’t come back. I’m going to lose her and so are you. Or are you going to disregard everything Rogers did to get you here and go on the run again?” Tony asked furiously.

“Steve did what he had to do because he’s my family. He’ll understand if I do what I have to for her.”

“So you are planning on running with her?”Tony said derisively.

Bucky didn’t answer him but the answer was clear anyway from the stubbornness of his stance to the passion in his eyes.

“Good.” Tony said with a nod.

“Wait what?” Bucky was thrown.

“I hate you. I don’t want to and I know it’s unfair and irrational but I do. Having you near my daughter terrifies me but the thought of her out there alone terrifies me more.” Tony admitted.

“You were hoping I would go with her if she ran.” Bucky accused.

“And now I know you will. I can’t, they would find us faster if I was with her but you know how to hide. I can help from here and lead them away from you as much as possible and you can make sure nobody finds her.” Tony said, turning his back on Bucky.

“Stark, I never planned to fall in love with her. I’m sor...”

“Don’t.” Tony spat angrily.

“She deserves someone better than you loving her but I’d make a deal with the devil himself to keep her safe and your love will protect her.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When Wade said he knew a good place for you to hang out and lay low, Sam had been sceptical but intrigued. You had been excited, Wade always took you to the best places.

“A strip club?” Sam demanded uncomfortably.

“A classy establishment with exotic dancers performing.” Deadpool corrected.

“Man this is wrong on so many levels.” Sam said, his eyes drifting to the stage.

“That’s Candy, want me to introduce you to her?” Wade asked, leaning his head on Sam’s shoulder.

“No I do not!” Sam said, pushing Wade away.

“You can’t be ok with this!” He said, turning to you.

You weren’t standing next to him like he thought.

“Guys, they have a buffet!” You called excitedly from the other side of the room, piling chicken wings onto a plate.

“Well if they have a buffet...” Sam shrugged.

“Oh Candyyyyy, my friend wants a Dance!” Deadpool called the woman working the pole.

“I do not...!” Sam insisted but you didn’t seem phased by Wade’s announcement and the woman was already heading over.

“Well, I’d hate to be rude.” He said and grinned.

“I knew we were spiritually related!” Wade crowed excitedly.

You ignored the entire exchange in favour of balancing as much food as you could on your plate until a woman came to stand next to you.

“Hey, I saw you on TV earlier. Loved the way you stood up to those assholes.” She told you.

You looked up from the chicken wing you were devouring and smiled shyly at her.

“Thanks, I’m glad somebody sees it my way.” You laughed.

She very kindly picked up your second plate for you and carried it to an empty table.

“Wade was impressed as well, he was practically crying with pride.” She said with a fond smile.

“Oh you know Wade?”

“I’m Vanessa, his girlfriend.”

You choked on the chicken wing and looked at her in shock.

“You’re who now?” You croaked.

“It’s nice to finally meet you Peaches. Daddypool’s told me all about you.” She said with an amused grin and a friendly wink.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“She’s not there.”

Tony paused his angry stride towards your room and turned to look at Natasha.

“Of course she isn’t.” He said bitterly.

“Don’t worry, Wilson went to get her. He thinks he’s subtle.” Natasha smirked and handed Tony a folded piece of paper.

“I don’t like to be handed things, especially not mysterious pieces of paper by super spy’s.”

“This is where I went this morning. I knew she wouldn’t sign, people who spent their lives being controlled by someone who wanted to use their abilities don’t willingly sign away that control to someone else. This is her contingency plan I set up. Show her the paper, have her memorise the address and then burn it.” Natasha instructed.

“A little warning would have been nice before I walked into the situation.” Tony grumbled, snatching the paper.

“You really should have known Tony.” Natasha admonished him.

“Yeah, hindsight is 20-20 though. Listen I need you to run a name for me, very quietly.”

Natasha looked intrigued.

“What’s the name?”

“Anne Docherty.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You honestly couldn’t tell if Vanessa was just a natural flirt who was being nice or if she was actually flirting with you. If it was the latter you were really going to regret asking her to teach you how to give a lap dance, but something told you Bucky would forgive you.

“Well hello there.” Wade purred and you peered around Vanessa’s hips to look at him.

“This isn’t what it looks like!” You defended yourself.

“Hey Red, your girl is as adorable as you said she would be.” Vanessa greeted him as he kissed her on the cheek.

“I told you you’d like her. So can we keep her?” He said, pulling off his mask and giving her puppy dog eyes.”

“NOPE!” You yelled, dumping Vanessa onto his lap instead.

“Yes we can.” Vanessa smirked.

“What about Wilson, can we keep him?” Wade pleaded.

“Where is my Sam?” You asked nervously.

You looked around and spotted Sam chatting away animatedly to three women who all looked convincingly invested in what he had to say.

“I think she’s pretty in love with her soldier though.” Vanessa warned him, shooting you a soft grin.

“Aren’t we all?” Wade sighed dreamily.

You grinned at the thought of Bucky. Your soldier. You didn’t care what Tony said, you wouldn’t lose Bucky. You wouldn’t lose anybody, you didn’t care what you had to do to pull it off. All you had to do was keep out of trouble long enough to get Rhodey on the UN council so could sign the accords.

But because fate was a bitch and Wade Wilson pissed of a lot of people that was the moment the bullets started flying.

You immediately grabbed Vanessa from Wade and pushed her behind you.

“Friends of yours?” You asked Wade as you watched Sam dive behind the bar.

“DEADPOOL! Our boss has a message for you!” One of the goons yelled.

“Vanessa, get under the table. Wade, give Sam a gun.” You instructed calmly and stepped into the centre of the club.

“Not to be a cliché but gentlemen, you really don’t want to do this.” You addressed them.

“Holy shit, It’s Deathwave!” One of them yelled as they all aimed their guns at you.

“Always happy to meet a fan.” You smirked.

“We’re here for Deadpool, we don’t have any beef with you.” The de facto leader sneered.

“Hate to break it to you sweetcheeks but she’s with me.” Wade called helpfully.

“What he said.” You agreed.

They opened fire on you and you kicked the table you’d placed yourself behind up into the air to shield yourself. It was a lot harder than Steve made it look and you had to dive to the side to avoid getting shot.

You heard the sounds of screaming and looked up in time to see a guy getting stabbed by Wade. You stood up and grabbed the gun arm of one of the men and snapped the bone in half, kneeing him in the head when he fell to the ground. One of his buddies snarled angrily at you but before he could retaliate Sam shot him.

Wade was cackling maniacally as he slashed and stabbed his way through them. You rolled your eyes and picked a man up by the shirt and threw him clear across the club.

“You idiots really want to take on Deadpool and Deathwave?” You asked them, purposely not identifying Sam for his own protection.

“Let’s get out of here!” They shrieked.

You pulled Wade back by the scruff of the neck as they fled.

“Let them go.” You snarled.

“But..”

“I am not getting arrested in a Strip Club for breaking the accords like this. It’s not nearly epic enough and it’ll be hard to explain.” You said wearily.

“So I guess you want me to forget this happened?” Sam asked you, crossing his arms.

“Ugh, what do you want in return?” You sighed.

“At least one day a week with you, no Barnes and you have to help me get back at him and cap for always picking on me during runs.”

“Done.” You agreed.

“What do I get for keeping your secret?” Wade asked you cheekily.

“I’ll give you Cap’s phone number.” Sam offered before you could negotiate.

“DONE!!!!” Wade shrieked excitedly.

Wade became very hard to contain as he flapped over to Sam and you and Vanessa rolled your eyes simultaneously.

“You wanna bribe me for your silence?” You asked as you checked on her.

“Nope. Just keep coming round here once in a while to say hi and we’ll call it even.” She said and you shook on it.

“Wilson I knew you got me, it’s like we’re one! We are meant to be, we’re spiritual soulmates!” Wade said loudly and Sam rolled his eyes.

“Sam Wilson will you marry me?” Wade sunk down to one knee and looked up at Sam seriously.

“No.” Sam said shortly.

“But we are destined for one another and the best part is we don’t even have to change our last name!”

Sam shot you a pleading look and you sniggered.

“Dibs on being your best man!”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You’d wanted a calm normal day but what you had got was far from it. Still, you had your priorities in order now and since you had calmed down all you wanted was Bucky. You walked quickly though the compound, hoping to avoid running into anyone else before you found your soldier but again, fate was being a bitch.

You heard gentle footsteps skittering down the hall and poked your head around the corner to see a little furry black blur running away. You sighed and shot after it, scooping the black cat off the floor.

“Not so fast buddy, Thor will be in a world of trouble if anyone else sees you.” You muttered to the hissing creature.

You narrowed your eyes at it and hissed back. The evil thing looked taken aback for a seconds before it swiped it’s claws at your cheek and you swore and dropped it.

“How dare you manhandle me mortal!” The cat that wasn’t a cat anymore said.

The cat was now a very very tall dark haired man, clad in green and gold and wearing the most vicious sneer you had ever been on the receiving end of.

“Well the good news is my transgressions are about to be old news!” You said.

“You would betray Thor to draw attention away from yourself?” He hissed in disapproval.

“Don’t take the moral high ground with me LOKITTY, I’m telling my father because Thor snuck a god who once tried to take over the planet into the compound!” You shrieked, offended.

“So you would rather run and tattle to your father than speak to my brother and give him a chance to explain himself? How typically selfish of your kind.”

You frowned at him. He had a point actually.

“Fine. Kitty up and I’ll take you back to Thor.” You huffed.

“I do not take orders from Mortals.” He insisted, affronted.

“Listen to me tall, dark and menacing, you either hide and come with me to Thor or I take you to see Dr Banner... It’s a compromise, not an order.” You told him.

“Very well... little one.” He said, making Thor’s cute term of endearment for you sound like an insult.

You were staring down at a cat again.

“If you try and scratch me again I’ll snap your tiny neck.” You warned and the cat rolled it’s bright green eyes at you.

Ignoring how surreal that was you tentatively picked it up and hurried back to Thor’s room. Without bothering to knock you burst in.

“Little one! You have brought back Lo... my cat!”

“Yeah Thor, I brought your evil brother who you snuck in in cat form back before he could escape.!” You hissed, dropping the cat on a chair.

Thor had the grace to look chastised.

“Little one, he is not evil. He is my brother and I can explain.” Thor said, his eyes pleading.

“You had better. You have two minutes to explain why the villain who brought aliens to New York and killed hundreds of people is currently licking his paw and giving me side eyes.”

“Loki was not himself when he did these things, he was under the influence of a true villain.” Thor insisted.

“That’s his defence? And you believed him? He’s the god of lies!”

“You know nothing of Loki except what your father has told you, I have known him all my life. I believe him.” Thor protested.

“Well if you’re so sure he’s telling the truth, why not be honest with The Avengers?” You demanded.

“I do not believe they will treat him fairly.” He admitted.

“Well that’s insulting. They let Bucky in, they let Natasha in... Tony created Ultron. Forgiveness is a thing around here, for those who deserve it. I’m going to go get my dad and you and I will explain Loki. If he’s telling the truth then I promise you, he will be treated fairly.” You assured Thor.

“And if he is not?”

“You are my friend Thor, I won’t let anything bad happen to your brother, even if he is a little fluffball of evil.” You promised, glaring at the cat in question.

You turned towards the door and reached for the handle.

“Loki no!” Thor roared.

You whirled round and were blinded by a green light.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“You have some explaining to do...” Clint sniggered at Thor.

The God of Thunder was stood in the living room looking sheepish and nervous, holding a black cat by the scruff of the neck in one hand and a toddler screaming and crying into his chest with the other. The little girl looked up at Clint and Natasha with very familiar red rimmed, tear filled eyes and held her arms out to the red-headed assassin.

“Oh no, you have a lot of explaining to do!”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This is for UnitedKindomOrgy who requested the Wilson day out with marriage proposal. The next chapter is for Annabelle who suggested something tropey like de-aging or sex pollen and for the many many people who asked for Loki! I hope you like and are excited for the next chapter?

Also, there's a lot to unpack in this chapter but what are your thoughts on Rhodey??And Loki? And Bucky knowing she needed Sam?? And Tony and Bucky?? Christ this was a long chapter!!

@nerdandproud-86 @harrison-shot-first@thejourneyneverendsx @thelostallycat @inquisitor-selvala@the-corruptor @iovher @kendrawr-kitkat @phoenix-whiskey-tears @the–real-wombat @buckitybarnes@fairislesheets @angieptt@meganjonezzzz@dugan365@fluffeh-kitty@memanda17@krystallynx@theonelittleone@piscesbarnes@free-as-fishes@tarastudiesalot @captainamericasbeard@dropthepizza346@jaynnanadrews@likes-to-smell-books @drdorkus @life-wanderer @metalarmlover @animegirlgeeky @jsmith509

#hattersmarvelverse #bucky x reader #bucky fic

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zak-helling · 5 years ago

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Dear Marvel, Just STOP.

When I wake up, I like to check the articles Google has recommended for me on my phone. I like to see if anything happened overnight, or if maybe some artist just drew some really special fan art. Basically, I like to see what’s up, and it helps wake me up. Today, I saw an article from Gizmodo and now I’m pissed.

This should make me excited, right? The MCU is introducing new LGBT+ characters, or at the very least making the big reveal that a character was LGBT+ all along. I live for representation, so I should be excited, right? Wrong. I am pissed off.

Now, I’m sure some people will get defensive when I say this. Maybe some of you are thinking, “Oh, you’re just another Marvel fanboy upset that PC culture is ruining something you find precious by making it more inclusive!” To those of you who are thinking that, you’re missing my point entirely. Some of you might be thinking, “I agree, it sucks people are pushing their SJW agenda on Marvel!” Again, those of you who think that are missing the point. I think it’s great when an LGBT+ character gets included in a movie, book, TV show, comic book, etc. But the reason I’m upset is because this isn’t what Marvel is doing.

Ever since Thor: Ragnarok, and maybe even before that, Marvel has been announcing that “the next” MCU movie will have their first LGBT+ character. First it was Valkyrie in Ragnarok, but we didn’t have any in-movie moments to confirm this. Didn’t stop Marvel from blowing this news up, though. Then there would be a major moment in Avengers: Endgame. There was a unnamed background character who mentioned having a boyfriend and that was it. Supposedly, this wasn’t supposed to get blown up, and it wasn’t supposed to be a big deal, but it was, and Marvel let it happen. The purpose of it was to show how accepting Captain America is. Once again, a gay “character” is used to make our straight hero look better. Now they’re trying to claim the “first” LGBT+ character will appear in Eternals. Maybe this third time will be the charm, but if history is anything to go off of, it’s just going to be another broken promise from a studio trying to take advantage of a community’s starvation for representation.

And that makes me upset. It makes me upset that I’m a market. Yes, it means I will have products - and that’s what media is, it’s a product - aimed directly at me. But it also means the people who make those products are going to do their best to make me a consumer, even if it means lying to my face.

But is Marvel really lying? Maybe these characters are LGBT+, but we just haven’t seen it yet! If that’s the case, then it’s still as good as giving us nothing. Unlike with racial or religious representation, you can’t just have a character stand there and it count as LGBT+ representation. We can see race, and sometimes religion, but unless a person is with their partner or we see that they’re trans (maybe they’re wearing a binder or stuffing a bra, etc.), we won’t know a character is LGBT+ just by looking at them. And Marvel doesn’t want to do that. Marvel just wants to sit there and say, “This character is LGBT+” without having to do any work, then get all the praise and adoration that comes with “being so brave.” We, the fans, are supposed to do the speculation and build the hype on our own. We’re expected to be satisfied with blink-and-you-miss-it moments that can get cropped out during international release. We’re expected to celebrate Marvel saying, “You exist” as if it’s some big milestone we didn’t already pass.

And some will try to argue, “Marvel is a family friendly company, they have to keep it family friendly,” or “The executives didn’t want us to include it,” or “We don’t want to lose the Chinese market.” You know what else has really strict family friendly guidelines, more controlling executives, and a wide international market? Children’s primetime television shows. You know who has been doing representation better, taking more risks, and getting more done than Marvel? Children’s primetime television shows. Clarence, The Loud House, and, of course, Steven Universe all did more in the way of representation a few years ago than Marvel is willing to do now.

Not to mention, Deadpool 2 already beat the rest of the MCU to the punch? Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio are a couple and aren’t exactly shy about it. It’s acknowledged in the movie. And Deadpool is a Marvel property. But still, with each new installment to the MCU, they claim, “Okay, this will have the first LGBT+ character! We promise this time!”

Ally isn’t a title you can claim, Marvel. It’s a title given to you by the people you’re supposed to be helping. And because you’re doing nothing to help me and my community thrive while still expecting all the praise and brownie points for reminding me that I exist, I have to say that you are not an ally. Actually give me an openly gay character and maybe we’ll talk. Until then, I’m afraid I won’t be watching your new movies anytime soon.

#Marvel #MCU #Marvel Cinematic Universe #queerbaiting #queer baiting #LGBT characters #LGBT representation #bad representation #no representation #stop it Marvel #Eternals #Marvel Eternals #open letter to Marvel

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onimiman · 6 years ago

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Film Review: Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut (2009)

On the tenth anniversary of the film Watchmen’s theatrical release, I decided to rewatch the film, only this time, I would watch the film’s Ultimate Cut. Whereas the theatrical cut ran approximately 2 hours and 42 minutes (including closing credits), the Ultimate Cut ran at 3 hours and 35 minutes (again, including closing credits). Having watched this film as a teenager and loving it to the point that for a few years, I’d called it my favorite film ever, I went into watching the Ultimate Cut with trepidation; I had feared that now that I was in my adulthood, I might not look so favorably toward the film as I had when I was a teen. I also feared that if I were to still enjoy the film, I hoped that it would not stem from a blind sense of nostalgia and that I would look upon this less favorably anyway. A similar feeling came over me a few years ago when I had rewatched Tim Burton’s Batman.

So what did I think of the Ultimate Cut of Watchmen? i absolutely loved it, and what few gripes I do have with it are so minute that I wished I wouldn’t even have to mention them here. And I can say with utmost certainty that not only did this movie stand the (albeit so far small) test of time of a decade, but if anything, it made me wonder if this film would have been more successful, critically and financially, if it had been released sometime this decade, what with R-rated films like Deadpool and Logan being so successful in both areas.

But enough about all this prelude. What was it that I loved about this film? What I love about this film, as I did when I was a teenager, was something that had been simultaneously praised and criticized even at the time of this film’s release, which was its faithful adherence to the source material and making only the most necessary of changes for it to be at all filmable. The film’s strength stems largely because of the graphic novel from which it is based, as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen is not only considered to be one of the greatest comics of all time, it’s considered a landmark piece of English literature in general such that it, as a piece of the superhero genre, can be studied on serious thematic levels in colleges and universities (I’d cite my sources, but admittedly, I am quite lazy in that regard; but don’t take my word for it, look it up).

The film, like the graphic novel, is set in a fairly realistic world, much like our own in 1985, but with the twist of superheroes existing within it. The story showcases these heroes’ now-outlawed influence on this world, as that influence (namely from Dr. Manhattan) has led the U.S. and U.S.S.R. to the point where nuclear Armageddon is more of a possibility than even during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The plot follows the investigation of one such outlawed vigilante, Rorschach (who, btw, is one of my favorite characters in all of fiction), who is looking into the death of the Comedian, a controversial (to say the least) hero who has been mysteriously murdered. Rorschach’s investigation leads him to a “mask killer” theory that, as time goes on and the threat of nuclear annihilation looms ever so closer, gains more credence as more of his fellow heroes, including himself, are attacked by an unknown powerful figure. With the aid of Nite-Owl and Silk Spectre, two of his former colleagues, Rorschach aims to find out who the mask killer is and ultimately uncover the possibility of that killer’s involvement with the impending global doom.

The film’s plot, like the novel, is given a fair amount of focus and does get a resolution that is as satisfying as it was unexpected (something that Rian Johnson seems to have trouble with when it comes to Star Wars: The Last Jedi). However, both the film and comic’s attention on the plot itself is surprisingly minimal compared to its focus on its own character studies, which is the core strength of both the film and comic. So let’s go into our six lead characters.

1. Rorschach: As I mentioned before, Rorschach has been one of my favorite characters in all of fiction, and here, he is probably given the most faithful depiction on the silver screen. Jackie Earle Haley’s performance as Rorschach is, in my opinion, more Oscar-worthy than something like Black Panther, as it is abundantly clear just how well Haley understood this character. He portrays an incredibly damaged sociopath with an uncompromising view of black-and-white morality so well that it makes me sad that Haley never gets the respect for playing this character as well as Ryan Reynolds does for playing Deadpool, Hugh Jackman for Wolverine, Kevin Conroy or Michael Keaton for playing Batman, or Robert Downey, Jr. for playing Iron Man. My hat goes out to you, Mr. Haley. Your performance here rates 10/10 for me still. :)

2. Nite-Owl a.k.a. Dan Dreiberg: As a teenager, I had an underappreciation for both the character of Dan Dreiberg and for Patrick Wilson’s portrayal of him. While I thought then that Wilson had done a good job playing Dreiberg, I didn’t much care for the character in general as a teen, as I thought that he was just a boring everyman. As an adult, however, I found both the character and Wilson’s performance to be as important as, if not more than, Rorschach and Haley’s performance of that character. Wilson’s portrayal of a defeated, pathetic sad-sack of a human being who has an underlying anxiety concerning the threat of nuclear annihilation is an important emotional anchor point for the film (and comic, of course); as entertaining as Rorschach is, I can imagine that not a whole lot of people can relate to him on a deep level. If Rorschach is the Jack Sparrow of what I can loosely call an adventure here, Dreiberg is Will Turner; you might not like him as much as the guy who gets the attention for his craziness, but you realize you need him as the everyman if you want your story to really work.

3. Silk Spectre a.k.a. Laurie Jupiter: Unfortunately, while my opinion on Nite-Owl had changed, my opinion on Laurie Jupiter, as well as Malin Akerman’s performance, has not. I hate to say it, but she’s essentially the female equivalent of Dreiberg, and while she does have some interesting emotional turmoil going on, I don’t find the character to be particularly likable. And I think the biggest reason for that stems from Akerman’s performance; I find her to be too wooden and bland in her delivery. While Akerman does make the character more likable than in the comic, her eye candy appeal doesn’t distract me from the unconvincing performance that she delivers throughout the film.

4. Dr. Manhattan a.k.a. Jon Osterman: A character, and performance courtesy of Billy Crudup, that I gained more appreciation for, like Dreiberg and Wilson’s depiction of that character. The nihilism and disconnection from humanity that serves as the basis for Dr. Manhattan is one that is properly delivered by Crudup’s deliberately robotic performance, and as a character, he stands out as incredibly unique in fiction. As a fan of Rick and Morty, I find Dr. Manhattan to be what Rick Sanchez would be if he had less personalty and gave even less of a shit about the universe in which he inhabits. A nihilistic character can be hard to pull off without coming off as boring, yet the writing and Crudup’s performance manage to almost perfectly convey someone who maybe layered in disinterest, but who, at his core, still retains enough of a sliver of humanity that he wishes to find any reason to still be a part of it.

5. The Comedian a.k.a. Eddie Blake: Now here is a character that you probably wouldn’t see much of in the superhero genre. As unique as Dr. Manhattan is when it comes to his nihilism, Edward Morgan Blake is probably what would happen if Rick Sanchez were actually grounded in reality and his actions had legitimate consequences. Jeffrey Dean Morgan manages to play a despicable human being so incredibly well that even though he says and does some genuinely heinous things, like attempted rape or shooting a pregnant woman dead out of anger for slashing his face with a broken beer bottle because he wouldn’t agree to raise the baby that he impregnated her with, he still manages to come off as understandable and believably human. This is especially highlighted in a scene where he actually breaks down crying to someone who had been his enemy for decades. It’s a shockingly real depiction of a monster who is still all too human and it’s one that I don’t think would be depicted in the mainstream media these days.

6. Ozymandias a.k.a. Adrian Veidt - As a teen, I thought that Matthew Goode’s performance as Veidt was dull, but now, like with Wilson and Crudup’s performance of their respective characters in this film, I now consider his performance to be an incredibly strong one. While giving this character a much more sinister and menacing air than the more tragic atmosphere surrounding Veidt in the comic, I can now assess that Goode is able to deliver a performance that is quite respectable for someone who can be reasonably argued to be the film and comic’s true hero rather than its villain. I don’t find it to be nearly to the same caliber as Josh Brolin’s performance as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, but I’d say it’s at least within the same ballpark.

Now that we’re past the characters, I have to mention the extras that are part of the Ultimate Cut of this film and whether or not I think they add or subtract from the film’s quality overall. I can really only think of two scenes that I thought were unnecessary. The first is one early on that I thought made no sense, in which Rorschach somehow managed to survive being shot by a cop without even so much as flinching; it wasn’t even something that was from the book either, so what the hell? Also, I thought that including Hollis Mason’s death in the film was unnecessary, as it doesn’t really have a resolution, and that’s a criticism that I levy at the comic as well. However, in spite of these somewhat weak bits, I felt that the film’s inclusion of the Tales from the Black Freighter is one that lends some very interesting thematic weight to the film’s main story, just as that did in the comic. The Black Freighter sections were incredibly well animated, Gerard Butler put in a fantastic performance as the Captain, and it was a great representation of the comic-within-a-comic; I have no complaints here, but I do understand why it had to ultimately be cut from the film’s theatrical cut.

In conclusion, the film adaptation of Watchmen, as bolstered through most of the extra material of its Ultimate Cut, is not only an excellent adaptation of its source material, even if Alan Moore didn’t want his name attached to it, but it’s also a great film in its own right that I find to be incredibly underrated. I rate this movie 9.5/10.

#watchmen #watchmen movie #watchmen ultimate cut #film review #369

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yuananas · 6 years ago

Text

Trust me... on the sunscreen

„I, Loki, Prince of Asgard, Odinson, the rightful King of Jötunheim, God of Mischief-“, let me pause that here, you all know how it goes on and yes, I did look at Thor and no, that Oaf didn’t get it, right? Of course I had a plan! Of course it was NOT consisting of stabbing Thanos with a butter knife in my left hand or being choked to death like that. This sounds like a plan of Loki “I-die-a-heroic-but-useless-death-to-save-Asgard-or-the-universe” Odinson. Let me get that right: Odinson is pretty cool and stuff and Laufeyson is probably more true – at least I will need that to get Jötunheim on our side – but how about Friggason? How about me being the God of Mischief, trickster, learning the most refined kinds of magic from the woman with the actual balls in the family and going far beyond that while being on that awful inconvenient self-discovery trip through the darkest parts of the universe after finding out about being a fucking Frost Giant and my whole life had been a lie so far – well you are allowed to be a little bit dramatic when you’ve just learned your adopted as kind of a war price, right?

What about me fooling even mighty, oh so wise Odin? And yes, Thor knew. The moment I didn’t take his Hammer. I never wanted that piece of worthless metal anyway, but Thor was oh so fond of it and no one else being able to hold it and that stuff. Well he used to understand signs when I showed him!

Anyway, it was for the best and he knew it. Putting that old, senile doter to retirement. He did get that, but not “The sun will shine on us again”?! Though he always has been one for sappy phrases…

I am the one who knows all the secret escape ways.

I am the one who tricked my brother’s stupid little Avengers-friends into fighting each other, even after being tortured into half a loon…

I am the one who twisted this Grandmaster-Madder round my little finger in like no time, becoming the heir of Sakaar without even really trying – and most of all: without getting caught by a drunk ex-Valkyrie, being enslaved and getting my hair cut! I won’t tell you how that worked though; a God of Mischief got his secrets.

I am the one who even fooled Thor, turning into a snake and then stabbing him when we were eight! And then over and over again. Dying, not dying, being bad – oh no, I’m actually good, trust me – well maybe not, surprise. And then I thought he learned to play along by now… I really thought he got that, when he put this stupid fizzy disc on me and that really was some kind of a tricky game he played there to make sure we walk in on Hela together – at least he had never succeeded without me, savior of Asgard, coming to his help. (It took him quiet a long time, considering how close we’ve been… how close exactly? Well remember that time he caught me from this shiny-heart Iron Maiden and Miss Moralizer America? The woods… he really did miss me, I guess. But then again, not enough to come searching for me without me threatening his precious little earth…)

I am the worst, brother, I know. But I’m the best at being the worst!

Still, I know when someone’s too big for me. And Thanos is. He knows my weakness, he’s still scaring the shit out of me – yes, I might rather get therapy, but now is not that time. He’s too much for me to take alone – too much for stupid Avengers or dorky Guardians, but that doesn’t mean he’s invincible. He’s no fucking god!

Stupid ass I’m-restoring-the-balance-of-the-universe Thanos being too big for me doesn’t mean I didn’t have a plan! (To Hel with balance! Where’s the fun without a little chaos?)

I just required some kind of assistance.

Like that Valkyrie. One punch to knock me out and get me into chains? You gotta respect that! Even if, of course, that was part of my plan. So first thing I do: taking her from that ship. Also that Rock with his cuddly scissor-hands-toy. He’s pretty useful if you want to start a revolution.

And then take that strange Doctor Witch from earth. This guy really got me falling for thirty minutes without any chance of getting out of there! Not everyone does manage that!

Well it actually took me a while to find him and convince him. It involved the people of Asgard being massacred and the thread of half the universe perishing to dust without this stupid earth people being able to accomplish anything and then me fussing with some Multiverse stuff he did there… still wasn’t easy to get him to listen to me and show him how desperately he needs my help but he’s not stupid.

To be honest, it was kind of fun. Seeing Asgard bleed for letting me bleed all these years. And that stupid Banner Person, not able to turn himself into a green, smashing Pumpkinhead. That’s what trauma and self-finding issues feel like, take it! And then Earth, humankind, not even considering to kneel before me, one and only mighty God of Mischief, back then, now trembling and falling to dust… You remember: plan? Nothing of this will have happened, if we succeed? Yes? Good. But it still was fun seeing it happen.

That little red witch girl would have been fun to try out… but sadly she was too busy being in love with her toaster. Well, maybe next time.

Gamora would have been such a great add to that! I’ve seen her fighting. And her rage. I know her daddy issues – And I know what I’m talking about when I speak of daddy issues – she really had the potential to go against Thanos. Too bad, can’t reach her inside that Soul Stone. But well, there’s still Nebula.

So I got a plan and this army now. Well, a rather small army but still – I call them ‘Loki’s Army’ and –

“Let me interrupt you there, we’re not ‘Loki’s Army’. Nor are we any team that is in need of any stupid name and we also don’t need this drunk lesbian-“

“Bi! I’m fucking bisexual! Just cause you are not my type – unlike that pretty blue Lady over there – “

“Excuse me… has anyone seen Miek??”

…we’re doomed.

....so I’ll just stop worrying and drop that here. Nothing to do with the fic I was talking about lately. There just was this random idea that popped up in my mind a few weeks ago and needed to be written down. My bro was like: “That sounds more like Deadpool than like Loki.” He’s right. But it was fun to write^^

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isolaradiale · 6 years ago

Text

Lost in Space 02

Hello, Isolans! We have conducted an activity check for the month of August!

The blogs that were removed from the Isola Radiale masterlist are under the cut. Note that both blogs with broken links and deactivated accounts will be included both at the top of this list and in their proper categories.

If you were removed in error, please simply send a re-application message. Several different people work on the activity checks, so it’s possible there are mistakes! If this happens to you, you will be able to keep everything you previously had, you just may be placed in a different residence.

Our general activity rules regarding checks are as follows:

Make at least three in-character posts during a calendar month.

Only one drabble and/or meme response of 300+ words counts as activity.

One-liners or minis not tagged #isola mini also do not count.

Please Note: If you are removed during two consecutive activity checks, you will not be allowed to re-apply as that character for two calendar months.

Additionally, anyone removed during the activity check will have a 12-hour window from the time of posting to re-claim their character. Any character not reclaimed during that period will be open to the community at large.

BROKEN URLs:

Escha Malier (Atelier, HOUSE 160)

Ryunosuke Akutagawa (Bungou Stray Dogs, APARTMENT 363)

Nero (Devil May Cry, CONDO 428)

Libra (Fire Emblem, APARTMENT 363)

Obito Uchiha (Naruto, TOWNHOUSE 232)

Daenerys (Original Characters, TOWNHOUSE 243)

Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon (Sailor Moon, CONDO 431)

Red Riding Hood (SINoALICE, CONDO 464)

Marina (Splatoon, CONDO 467)

Tatara (Tokyo Ghoul, APARTMENT 361)

Vash (Trigun, CONDO 418)

.FLOW

Smile (TOWNHOUSE 224)

ADVENTURE TIME

Lemongrab (APARTMENT 350)

ALDNOAH.ZERO

Inaho Kaizuka (CONDO 448)

AR TONELICO

Shurelia (CONDO 431)

ATELIER

Escha Malier (HOUSE 160) *BROKEN URL

AVATAR

Asami Sato (HOUSE 156)

Korra (CONDO 424)

BANG DREAM

Misaki Okusawa (CONDO 451)

Ran Mitake (TOWNHOUSE 245)

BEELZEBUB

Tatsumi Oga & Baby Beel (TOWNHOUSE 252)

BLACK BUTLER

Elizabeth Midford (CONDO 433)

BLAZBLUE

Celica A. Mercury (APARTMENT 329)

BLUE EXORCIST

Godaiin Sei (APARTMENT 366)

BORDERLANDS

Angel (TOWNHOUSE 248)

BUNGOU STRAY DOGS

Ryunosuke Akutagawa (APARTMENT 363) *BROKEN URL

BUNGOU TO ALCHEMIST

Naoya Shiga (APARTMENT 362)

CARDFIGHT!! VANGUARD

Tokoha Anjou (APARTMENT 331)

CATHERINE

Catherine (HOUSE 152)

CODE GEASS

Lelouch vi Britannia (CONDO 432)

CONFINEMENT

Connor (TOWNHOUSE 262)

COWBOY BEBOP

Spike Spiegel (CONDO 429)

DANGANRONPA

Mikan Tsumiki (HOUSE 165)

Shuuichi Saihara (APARTMENT 345)

DANNY PHANTOM

Danny Fenton (HOUSE 133)

DARK SOULS

Gundyr (APARTMENT 320)

DARKEST DUNGEON

Houndmaster (TOWNHOUSE 257)

DEAD BY DAYLIGHT

Ace Visconti (CONDO 455)

DEVIL MAY CRY

Dante (APARTMENT 328)

Nero (CONDO 428) *BROKEN URL

DEVIL SURVIVOR

Naoya Minegishi (HOUSE 138)

DEVILMAN

Akira Fudo (CONDO 416)

DISASTROUS LIFE OF SAIKI K.

Kusuo Saiki (HOUSE 130)

DISHONORED

The Outsider (HOUSE 146)

DISNEY

Elsa (TOWNHOUSE 255)

Wreck-It Ralph (APARTMENT 317)

DON'T STARVE

Wes (APARTMENT 331)

DONTEN NI WARAU

Tenka Kumou (APARTMENT 342)

DRAGON AGE

Inquisitor Adaar (CONDO 453)

DRAGON BALL

Piccolo (APARTMENT 351)

DRAKENGARD

Furiae (HOUSE 159)

DRAMATICAL MURDER

Sei (APARTMENT 342)

DURARARA!!

Aoba Kuronuma (APARTMENT 311)

ELSWORD

Ainchase Ishmael (Bluhen) (TOWNHOUSE 249)

Raven Cronwell (Furious Blade) (TOWNHOUSE 212)

Raven Cronwell (Nova Imperator) (HOUSE 103)

Raven Cronwell (Rage Hearts) (CONDO 406)

ENSEMBLE STARS

Souma Kanzaki (CONDO 428)

Tsumugi Aoba (HOUSE 119)

FAR CRY

Faith Seed (TOWNHOUSE 261)

FATE

Archer (Billy the Kid) (APARTMENT 302)

Archer (Gilgamesh) (APARTMENT 306)

Avenger of Shinjuku (Hessian Lobo) (OUTSIDE)

Archer of Red (Atalanta) (CONDO 463)

Berserker of El Dorado (Penthesilea) (CONDO 463)

Caster (Anastasia Romanov) (HOUSE 121)

Leonardo B. Harwey (TOWNHOUSE 204)

Nobukatsu Oda (CONDO 408)

Ruler (Sherlock Holmes) (APARTMENT 362)

FINAL FANTASY

Ardyn Izunia (TOWNHOUSE 229)

Garnet Til Alexandros (TOWNHOUSE 235)

Gladiolus Amicitia (CONDO 459)

Rikku (HOUSE 130)

Sephiroth (APARTMENT 308)

FIRE EMBLEM

Ephraim (TOWNHOUSE 257)

Henry (TOWNHOUSE 209)

Innes (CONDO 437)

Kliff (APARTMENT 338)

Libra (APARTMENT 363) *BROKEN URL

Nowi (HOUSE 157)

Oboro (CONDO 456)

Tiki (TOWNHOUSE 264)

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S

William Afton (Purple Guy) (CONDO 452)

FUTURE CARD BUDDYFIGHT

Kakeru Futaboshi (APARTMENT 334)

Mel Yumegatari (CONDO 452)

GAME OF THRONES

Daenerys Targaryen (CONDO 446)

GINTAMA

Sougo Okita (CONDO 439)

GIRLS FRONTLINE

Katia Graf (TOWNHOUSE 230)

GOLDEN KAMUY

Asirpa (HOUSE 165)

GRANBLUE FANTASY

Caro (HOUSE 152)

Djeeta (APARTMENT 353)

Seox (HOUSE 161)

Vermeil (HOUSE 101)

GRAVITY FALLS

Fiddleford McGucket (HOUSE 151)

GURREN LAGANN

Kamina (CONDO 438)

HAIKYUU!!

Tsukishima Kei (CONDO 455)

HAKUOKI

Hachiro Iba (APARTMENT 347)

HEART NO KUNI NO ALICE

Tweedle Dee and Dum (APARTMENT 333)

HOMESTUCK

Vriska Serket (APARTMENT 337)

HOUSEKI NO KUNI

Cairngorm (HOUSE 161)

HYPNOSIS MIC

Gentarou Yumeno (APARTMENT 360)

Juto Iruma (CONDO 457)

Ramuda Amemura (TOWNHOUSE 258)

Rioh Mason Busujima (APARTMENT 360)

I AM A PIANO

The Piano (TOWNHOUSE 250)

IB INSTANT BULLET

Sera Himeura (CONDO 440)

IDOLISH7

Sougo Osaka (APARTMENT 350)

JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE

Guido Mista (HOUSE 141)

Leone Abbacchio (APARTMENT 332)

Noriaki Kakyoin (TOWNHOUSE 261)

Vinegar Doppio (APARTMENT 349)

JURASSIC WORLD

Blue (OUTSIDE)

K PROJECT

Mikoto Suoh (CONDO 461)

KAMEN RIDER

Jin Takayama (CONDO 404)

Kaito Daiki (TOWNHOUSE 254)

Shinji Kido (HOUSE 155)

KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN

Dino Cavallone (TOWNHOUSE 254)

Fran (APARTMENT 343)

Hibari Kyoya (TOWNHOUSE 203)

KEKKAI SENSEN

Leonardo Watch (CONDO 465)

KILL LA KILL

Ryuko Matoi (APARTMENT 344)

KINGDOM HEARTS

Demyx (CONDO 460)

Larxene (TOWNHOUSE 237)

Roxas (TOWNHOUSE 222)

Ventus (APARTMENT 314)

Xion (HOUSE 156)

KIRBY

Susie (APARTMENT 333)

KOTOURA-SAN

Kotoura Haruka (APARTMENT 359)

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

Evelynn (CONDO 444)

Karthus (TOWNHOUSE 256)

Lissandra (APARTMENT 330)

Swain (APARTMENT 326)

LEGEND OF ZELDA

Urbosa (CONDO 464)

LOVE LIVE

Honoka Kousaka (TOWNHOUSE 262)

MAGIC THE GATHERING

Liliana Vess (APARTMENT 357)

MARVEL

Bucky Barnes (The Winter Soldier) (APARTMENT 320)

Dr. Stephen Strange (CONDO 415)

Felicia Hardy (Black Cat) (CONDO 445)

Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) (HOUSE 130)

Wade Wilson (Deadpool) (CONDO 434)

MASS EFFECT

Garrus Vakarian (HOUSE 142)

MEGAMAN

Megaman (Protomen Rock Opera) (TOWNHOUSE 257)

THE MEMORANDUM OF KYOKO OKITEGAMI

Kyoko Okitegami (APARTMENT 327)

MONOGATARI

Suruga Kanbaru (APARTMENT 345)

THE MUMMY

Princess Ahmanet (HOUSE 110)

MY HERO ACADEMIA (BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA)

Hawks (CONDO 407)

Mirio Togata (Lemillion) (TOWNHOUSE 201)

MYSTIC MESSENGER

Rika (HOUSE 138)

NEFARIOUS

Crow (APARTMENT 354)

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION

Asuka Langley Soryu (APARTMENT 353)

NARUTO

Deidara (CONDO 437)

Obito Uchiha (TOWNHOUSE 232) *BROKEN URL

ONMYOJI

Hiromasa (HOUSE 136)

Tamamo no Mae (TOWNHOUSE 245)

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

Aleister "Al" Crowley (APARTMENT 351)

Asher Amanodel (CONDO 451)

Atom (APARTMENT 332)

Chroma (CONDO 454)

Daenerys (TOWNHOUSE 243) *BROKEN URL

Glehri Rosario (HOUSE 135)

Gloria Attlas (APARTMENT 346)

Heliar Malanek (APARTMENT 333)

Holly Adeline (APARTMENT 351)

Jotlu (OUTSIDE)

Lou Dubois (HOUSE 108)

Mira Lumren (CONDO 433)

Mizi Unipao (HOUSE 140)

Murmur (TOWNHOUSE 245)

Nessus Melshena (HOUSE 107)

Scottie Cicogne (HOUSE 148)

Shasta Shan (CONDO 454)

Umbriel (OUTSIDE)

Vino (TOWNHOUSE 141)

OVERWATCH

Akande Ogundimu (Doomfist) (TOWNHOUSE 259)

Gabriel Reyes (Reaper) (TOWNHOUSE 216)

Gabriel Reyes (Soldier 24) (CONDO 449)

Jack Morrison (Soldier 76) (HOUSE 129)

THE PATH

Ruby Red (HOUSE 107)

PAYDAY

Hoxton (APARTMENT 349)

PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS

Nico di Angelo (CONDO 460)

PERSONA

Rise Kujikawa (APARTMENT 365)

Ryuji Sakamoto (CONDO 420)

Yosuke Hanamura (APARTMENT 310)

POKEMON

Ash Ketchum (APARTMENT 341)

Colress (APARTMENT 339)

PORTAL

Chell (TOWNHOUSE 242)

Oracle Turret (TOWNHOUSE 233)

Wheatley (CONDO 417)

PROFESSOR LAYTON

Luke Triton (HOUSE 152)

THE PROMISED NEVERLAND

Ray (TOWNHOUSE 244)

PROTOMEN

Protoman (HOUSE 126)

PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA

Sayaka Miki (HOUSE 140)

SAILOR MOON

Minako Aino (Sailor Venus) (CONDO 463)

Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon) (CONDO 431) *BROKEN URL

SAIYUKI

Cho Hakkai (CONDO 418)

SENGOKU BASARA

Sasuke Sarutobi (CONDO 428)

SENNEN MEIKYUU NO NANA OUJI

Titus Ram (CONDO 407)

SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI

Phecda the Septentrione (HOUSE 124)

Shiang Sun (APARTMENT 365)

SHREK

Puss in Boots (HOUSE 150)

Shrek (HOUSE 144)

SINOALICE

Alice (HOUSE 129)

Red Riding Hood (CONDO 464) *BROKEN URL

SNOTGIRL

Lottie Person (APARTMENT 306)

SPLATOON

Marina (CONDO 467) *BROKEN URL

Pearl (CONDO 441)

STAR OCEAN

Albel Nox (APARTMENT 324)

STAR WARS

Grand Admiral Thrawn (CONDO 408)

STEVEN UNIVERSE

Greg Universe (TOWNHOUSE 250)

Lars Barriga (APARTMENT 346)

Rose Quartz (APARTMENT 326)

STREET FIGHTER

Necalli (TOWNHOUSE 236)

Zeku (HOUSE 151)

SUBARASHIKI HIBI

Zakuro Takashima (APARTMENT 221)

TALES OF

Aster Laker (CONDO 423)

Eleanor Hume (CONDO 449)

Mikleo (TOWNHOUSE 235)

Richter Abend (APARTMENT 340)

Seres (HOUSE 153)

Yeager (HOUSE 136)

TO YOU, THE IMMORTAL

Fushi (CONDO 462)

TOKYO GHOUL

Tatara (APARTMENT 361) *BROKEN URL

Tooru Mutsuki (TOWNHOUSE 251)

TOTALLY SPIES

Clover (APARTMENT 326)

TOUHOU

Flandre Scarlet (HOUSE 129)

Kaguya Houraisan (HOUSE 145)

Kasen Ibaraki (CONDO 424)

Koishi Komeiji (HOUSE 156)

Medicine Melancholy (TOWNHOUSE 263)

TOUKEN RANBU

Juzumaru Tsunetsugu (CONDO 458)

Mikazuki Munechika (TOWNHOUSE 252)

TRIGUN

Vash (CONDO 418) *BROKEN URL

UNDERWORLD CAPITAL INCIDENT

Hirahara (APARTMENT 315)

VOCALOID

Miku Hatsune (CONDO 422)

WATCHDOGS

Wrench (APARTMENT 341)

THE WITCHER

Yennefer (CONDO 435)

YU-GI-OH

Yami Yugi (CONDO 425)

ZERO ESCAPE

Aoi Kurashiki (APARTMENT 309)

#modnote #activity check #lost in space 02

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undertheinfluencerd · 3 years ago

Link

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J #

Powder Keg, originally titled Krudttønden, is a biographical drama that explores the events leading up to the 2015 Copenhagen shootings in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shooting in France a month prior. The film revolves around four people who would find their lives rocked by the event, including an aging police officer, a struggling-to-find-work security guard, a filmmaker, and a recently released criminal who finds himself increasingly influenced by more radical Islamist groups.

Related: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Movies & TV Shows: Where You Know The Game Of Thrones Star

Game of Thrones alum Nikolaj Coster-Waldau spoke with Screen Rant to discuss the docudrama, its efforts to remain honest to the tragic events and people involved, and what he took away from the project.

Screen Rant: This was a really powerful movie, it’s a really interesting exploration of the tragic events. How familiar were you with those events prior to signing on for the film?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: I was very familiar with that day. I was home, I live just north of Copenhagen and it’s a small country. It was a national trauma that had happened because we in Denmark felt we were isolated from that kind of event. Just before this thing happened, there [were] these horrific attacks in Paris at the Charlie Hebdo paper that we obviously followed with horror, but then when it happened in Copenhagen, it really was just a wave of shock. So I was very familiar. and it was a big reason why I wanted to be part of this movie.

So your character, is he based on one specific person, or is he sort of a composite of multiple real people involved?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: Rico, the cop that I play who is the anti-terror squad leader, is not a specific cop, because, you know, you just can’t give those names out and they wouldn’t want us to. But we talked with — myself, the writer, director — with all the researchers and had discussions with those people, so he’s not a real person, but he is based on reality.

What were some of the biggest lessons that you took away from the research and from talking with these real people to help sort of inform your performance?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: There’s the basic, as with any part, of how much work they do, how much training, [chuckles] how hard it is, which obviously I could use for Rico. My character feels like he’s at the peak of his career, but his body is telling him, “No, you are at the end of it, my friend.” He wants life to go on as it always has and this is his whole identity, so I could use that directly, that knowledge. But also, I think what I loved about the story, about the script, was how they chose to follow these four characters that day and insist on the humanity that they all share. I think with this story, what was so shocking was that with some terrorist attacks around the world — 9/11 is of course the defining moment of the last 20 years in the Western world — these were people that came from somewhere else, it was like a foreign attack if you will.

Here it was a Danish citizen who chose to do this, who decided that discussion is no longer an option, the only way forward is by killing the people I don’t agree with and I think that is so tragic and so disturbing and so sad that we got to that point. It’s also why I think it’s important that we all have to acknowledge that, as much as we might not want to, we are also part of the problem of division. We see it all over the world, this whole weird time we live in where politics becomes Mortal Kombat sometimes and that it’s no longer okay to disagree, that if you disagree with me, you’re a bad person. We need to change our ways because it leads to destruction and fear and it undermines what we kind of all want to achieve and that is what I love about this movie. In this story is that it insists on the fact that we are all in this together.

Whether it’s Omar who commits the killings — obviously this is his choice, he’s a grown man, he is responsible, but how did this 20-year-old end up doing this? Are there any moments before this where you go, “Well, maybe if we as a society had done something differently? Is there something different [we should do] differently,” but to at least have the discussion, I think, is very important.

Looking at all of those elements coming into the film, what would you say was one of your biggest creative challenges throughout the production?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: I think the biggest challenge was, “Is making this movie too soon?” When something really traumatic happens, how much time does it need before you can actually look at it with a healthy perspective, if you will. I think that, obviously, we came to the conclusion that it was important. Even when I got the script, I was like, “Oh, yeah, when was that?” And I thought it was further back in time. Sometimes when traumatic things happen, we get through them, and then we want to forget about it, especially with this one as it did not fit the self-image we had as a country.

That feeling almost made it more important for me, because I was shocked by that I myself was like, “Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, that happened. And was that 15 years ago? No, it was four years ago. Oh, s***.” Because the problem hasn’t gone away. We see that on a small scale in neighborhoods where people fight like crazy or you see it on a global scale, now you have the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Then you go, “Well, we tried to solve an issue by brute force 20 years ago and it did not really turn out the way we want it. Not because we didn’t have all the best intentions and all the goodwill, it just didn’t work. So how can we deal with these things in a better way?” Sometimes it can be very painful to talk about it, obviously, but it’s I do think it’s important to insist on.

I couldn’t agree more. This film also marks an interesting sort of trend for you lately in which we’re getting to see you return to more Denmark-based productions. What’s that been like for you, getting to speak in your native tongue more often on camera in comparison to, obviously, Game of Thrones and such?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: Yeah, it’s funny because it wasn’t really a plan to do three Danish movies, but I just loved these very different scripts and it just felt like, “Yeah, I’ll do that.” I got to see my family a bit more, which was also a wonderful bonus, but I love the stories and that’s always what I allow to dictate the choices I make. Since then, I just came back from Mexico, where I did this very American movie, so now I’m back to the Anglo world.

You got to have a good balance of both, right? So you mentioned the physicality of your character and how that connects to his story and though there’s not a whole lot of action scenes in the film, there are a few involving your character. How was the physicality for you from the actor’s perspective as much as the character?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: It was interesting, I mean with this movie there was some specifics that were, I wouldn’t say challenging, but challenging production-wise and also in terms of just being very careful of the subject matter, because it’s a real story and we wanted to be as close to what happened on that night. It’s very sensitive because three men were killed and we were shooting in neighborhoods where that happened where there is still a lot of tension, so I think the challenge was more about being truthful, but also be very, very careful not to make it seem as if we’re trying to take advantage of a tragedy. I’m obviously, because I was part of the creative team behind the movie, I’m proud of the movie and I feel we’ve managed that balance, but that was, I think, the biggest challenge.

I think it was a very special movie to make [for everyone involved] because every one of us had a relationship to that story and knew that story and it was such an emotional day [when it happened]. At the end of the movie, you see this huge march of light that happened the following day after the attack in Copenhagen where people came out, just walked very peacefully with torches, insisting on reacting in a peaceful, loving way to something so horrific. I’m answering your question in a very, very, very long answer [laughs], but I think the biggest challenge was the fact that this was a real story that happened recently and it affected everyone, both us making it but also, I would argue, most people in Denmark.

Given how personal it was for you, how does it feel to finally have it coming to the States after initially coming out last year?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: It’s wonderful that it’s coming out. When it came out in Denmark, like so many other movies we came out on Friday after the Tuesday the country was shut down. [Laughs] It was, you know, it was disappointing in that way. A pandemic affects everyone, of course, but I’m very happy that it has a life because I also think that it’s a universal story. I think whether you’re American or Danish, you can relate to the horror of terrorism and – obviously, in the US you have had more attacks – but the way it affects you is the same I think.

More: 10 Best Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Roles Before He Played Jaime Lannister

Powder Keg is now available on digital platforms and VOD.

#marvel #avengers #marvelcomics #spiderman #mcu #ironman #comics #captainamerica #thor #avengersendgame #marvelstudios #xmen #dc #marveluniverse #art #cosplay #tomholland #hulk #disney #comicbooks #dccomics #peterparker #tonystark #blackwidow #marvellegends #endgame #deadpool #marvelcinematicuniverse #loki #bhfyp

#entertainment, screenrant #tumblr #aesthetic #like #love #tumblrgirl #follow #instagram #photography #instagood #likeforlikes #s #likes #art #cute #o #girl #followforfollowback #a #tumblrboy #grunge #fashion #photooftheday #tiktok #l #photo #sad #k #frases #f #bhfyp

#Undertheinfluencerd

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mondofunnybooks · 6 years ago

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'During World War 2, A plucky youngster called Stan Lee created "Captain America". Cap went onto to beat up Hitler And All The Nazis by punching him in the face, and inspired by this, Stan went onto create The Marvel Universe single handed, giving us Spider-Man, The Hulk, The Avengers, The X-Men, Thanos, The Winter Solider and Deadpool.

Overwhelmed by Stan's creativity, Bob Kane single-handedly invented Batman and gave him to DC Comics, who generously bequeathed the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman, The Justice League and Supergirl. They were the bestest heroes ever, who brought about a new utopia when 'Superman: The Movie' was released to an unsuspecting public in 1978.

And it was good. All the other superhero films put out after that were also very good.'

Uh...HUH.

Comics History is fantastic, amazing, uncanny, spectacular and sometimes even web of. It is filled with crime, lunacy, insanity, murder, suicide, scandal, idiocy and greed and as the world of comics becomes increasingly mainstream, there's a silent attempt to clean up that chronology. To a point where even the staff of comic shops can be convinced by the right person (cough) can be convinced that Kyle Baker is Matt Baker's grandson.

Very much inspired by a recent re-read of Orwell's '1984', I've noticed that the true art of censorship is not to scream loudly about various events and publications being the probable leading cause of the downfall of the society, but to quietly omit them from the public eye. To streamline history so only acceptable works and people are seen as contributing to the tapestry.

Since I don't see the benefit of trying to clean up and kowtow to a populace who knows about Jack Whitehall's TV show 'Bad Education' but not Pedro Almodovar's film 'Bad Education'. That considers 'Come Dine With Me' high entertainment, MONDO FunnyBooks will be a haphazard look at some of the more intriguing moments in history, a spotlight on forgotten, overlooked or just plain insane comic books or possibly just a source of 'Jesus McGinty did this actually happen?'

All posts will be taken from previously published paper sources, or to put another way, someone else already approved that the material was perfectly safe to reveal to the general public.

Verifiable contributions welcomed, as are questions about rumours and such. Perhaps between us, we'll get to the bottom of the 'Keith Giffen put a bullet through 50 copies of Trencher at a Canadian Comic Convention.' story one day.

Bat-Slaps, 'You Just Need Some Dick!' and similar panels and 'wacky' 60's panels taken out of context will be mocked and deleted as the passe slop drowning the other comic groups on social media that they are.

Posting links to other sites as though this were one more stop on your publicity trail will lead to public flogging or at the very least your profile picture being used in a amusing fashion via our very best Photoshop Assassins.

(Art taken from 'The Disney Memorial Orgy' by Wally Wood. Published in 'The Realist' 1967.)

#Comics #Wally Wood #Disney #Marvel #Stan Lee

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soul-spread-in-ink · 7 years ago

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Sarah’s Infinity War predictions:

So! It’s almost time for the biggest movie of the last decade, and I have a ticket for Saturday night…. It’s starting Thursday night, though, so I’ll be avoiding social media like the plague for a couple of days to avoid spoilers. But! Before all that, I wanted to post my Infinity War predictions here just to see if I’m right after the movie. And, for the record, I hope I’m not. Fair warning, my predictions do contain spoilers for the Marvel movies leading up to Infinity War. If you want to tell me how wrong you think I am or speculate yourself, please do, I’m dying to talk about it!

******************************************** Okay, we know that Doctor Strange has the Time Stone. And I’m a little afraid they’re going to pull a “Days of Future Past” on us and kill off all the characters. Or, at least the ones that’ll hurt the most. We’ll see almost everyone we love hurt or killed… but Doctor Strange and Captain America will have an opportunity to go back and stop it from happening. Or… just Cap. Something like that. But in the process, our darling Steve Rogers will have to sacrifice himself to save everyone else. Bucky will become the next Captain America through a flood of tears, both his own and those of the audience. And since this movie is a two-parter, this one is definitely going to end appearing as though Rick Harrison-lookalike Thanos is winning.

* The top people I’m concerned about dying permanently are Steve, Loki, Nebula, and Vision. Steve far the reasons listed above and because he does die in the comics, Loki because he’s the one that was originally supposed to steal the Tesseract for Thanos and he failed, Nebula because she’s adamant about getting back at Thanos, and Vision because, well…. THE MIND STONE IS ACTUALLY IN HIS FACE. That’s problematic, but pretty obvious.

* If you’ve seen “Thor Ragnarok”, you know that our favorite god of mischief took the Tesseract back from Odin’s vault and supposedly has it in his possession. I’m predicting a self-sacrificing play for Loki as well, probably for his brother. I think that Thor will be in some serious trouble, and Loki will give up the Tesseract and possibly his own life to save him. This is a big problem for me, as anyone who knows me know how much I adore this character in every adaptation. Loki is among my favorite characters from anything ever, and my #1 for Marvel (Bucky following very close behind). I’m hoping against hope that he’ll make it out of this, but I will be bringing tissues and planning some happy comic reading just in case….

* Tony Stark is going to lose an arm (his left?) below the elbow, or at least a hand. The armor didn’t look right to me in one of the trailers…. I don’t think he’ll die, but I do think he’ll be very injured, at least in this way, and will be out of commission for a little bit before coming back into the battle new and improved with tech designed by himself.

* Nebula is going to die. She just is. She’s going to scream and run at Thanos and hopefully she’ll get some good shots in…. but she’s going to die and Gamora is going to try to avenge her.

* T’Challa, Peter Parker, Doctor Strange, and the Guardians will all definitely make it out (at least I think so).

If I had it my way Deadpool would fall out of the sky and kill Thanos with his sheer sarcasm and then the Marvel Universe would go out for shawarma, but I’m really afraid for my favorite characters…. Agh, I’m not ready for this!

#infinity war #infinity war predictions #spoilers #???

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elizas-writing · 7 years ago

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Spoilers Galore: Avengers Infinity War

So I was going to delay this post for a while to allow enough time for most everyone to see it, but I also got swamped with midterms hence why it took so long to get to this.

Nevertheless, the spoilers are worth talking about given how much happens in this movie, and I really wanted to get this out before Deadpool 2 premiered, so Happy Birthday to me (seriously, I’m now 22) for putting my procrastination to an end.

If you haven’t seen my spoiler-free review, you can check it out here to get my general opinion of the film.

So that’s a hell of a body count, huh? I knew from the get-go of this story line that characters were going to die, but holy freaking shit! A lot of people, myself included, figured that at least one of the older heroes would be the first to go, so it was quite the shock when most of the side characters and newer heroes were offed after coming off the heels of their successful solo films.

And I know despite what the Russos and Marvel executives are saying, it is glaringly obvious that not everyone could be permanently dead since sequels are still in the talks and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 just got a confirmed release date (c’mon Marvel, you’re not that slick). On top of which, the Infinity Gauntlet is more or less a giant deus ex machina which can put everything right in a heartbeat. Regardless, these are still heartbreaking scenes to sit through with everyone being brought to their lowest points and losing their loved ones. Some deaths are little rushed, but the music, cinematography and performances sell on the tragedy, and the emotional weight carries throughout the rest of the film. I never recovered after Gamora’s death; that was just too much after she and Peter finally verbalized their love. Even characters like Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Doctor Strange, who I didn’t care too much for, really sell in their drama to show the high stakes, both to the universe and their psyches as they make the ultimate sacrifices to try to save everyone.

It seemed really weird at first that most of the new characters were killed off, but I figured that most of the older stars like Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr are probably getting one last hurrah in Avengers 4 before their contracts are up and make way for the next phase/generation of heroes for MCU. And I imagine when these guys have to bid the franchise goodbye, it’s going to wrench our hearts out even more.

As I said in my spoiler-free review, the most fun interactions are with the Guardians of the Galaxy. I like seeing Rocket and Groot help Thor to create Stormbreaker while the rest of the gang runs into Tony Stark, Doctor Strange and Peter Parker, and Gamora... well... see two paragraphs before. I think her coming back is going to be more tricky since she didn’t disintegrate like most of the rest of the characters, but part of me is really hoping we’ll get something because she’s a great Guardian and one half of the only stable power couple in the entire MCU. But still, it’s fun to see the Guardians, who were mostly off doing their own thing, finally get involved with a much grander battle. And hey, we finally got Rocket asking Bucky for his arm, and it made me giggle like an idiot.

I know a lot of fans will give me backlash for this, but Loki is one of the few characters who I hope stays dead. Yes, him pulling a knife against Thanos of all people makes no sense, but you can see the panic in his face as he’s pulling every trick he can to distract Thanos as long as he can. It’s a well-deserved redemption after years of not knowing what he wants and the extremes he went to, and after all this time, he still can’t bear to see Thor perish and makes the ultimate sacrifice to ensure his survival. It’s a genuinely heartbreaking moment which leaves Thor visibly shaking. It’d feel like cheating now to cop out his death again after the strong reaction Thor had.

I love seeing Tony Stark being heroic again with impressive updates to the Iron Man suit with continuous 3D printing for repairs. Doctor Strange, although I’m still annoyed they never gave him a complete character arc in the first place, has a lot of fun banter with Tony with some visually wonderful sorcery and fighting. Peter Parker, as usual, is fun and naive and still wanting to prove himself, and he’s best when he gets to be a team player in these ensemble films to form strategy. But what Tom Holland does best as Peter is reminding us of his young age and emotional vulnerability, which is why his death is the most gut-wrenching as he’s clinging to Tony for dear life and pleading to not go.

The rest of the characters are more hit-and-miss in their development, especially as most of them haven’t been seen since Civil War. And they try to bring up the Sokovia Accords again, but that gets cast aside quickly to get the Mind Stone out of Vision. Steve Rogers and T’Challa shine as leaders as the battle comes to Wakanda, and I can watch that scene where all the warriors chant “yibambe” over and over again. It’s relieving to see Rhodey and Bucky back in action after the physical and mental turmoil they went through, and Sam still has plenty of fun one-liners. Black Widow, Okoye and Scarlet Witch make a fun girl power team. And when Thor, Rocket and Groot come in, words just escape me in how intensely fun that battle gets.

I think the weakest part of this section is probably the romance between Scarlet Witch and Vision. It is one of the few parts where not much is explained what happened to them in between movies and how Vision was able to deceive Tony for so long. They were kinda just thrown into the mix in Age of Ultron, and I don’t think they ever figured out what to do with them aside from finding a way to work in an Infinity Stone. But once again, what pulls them through is the performances by Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany to bring the weight of the unavoidable situation these two are in where only Scarlet Witch can kill Vision via destroying the Mind Stone.

Part of what makes the heavy-handed tone work is how inconsequential everything feels. Even for all the gritty and depressing moments, MCU always finds a way to end it on a hopeful or even funny note to keep spirits up. This time, they’re not fucking around. Think about it-- every film from Doctor Strange to Black Panther in the grand scheme leading up to Infinity War doesn’t matter anymore. Stephen learning to be humble, the Guardians learning to trust each other and move past trauma, Peter Parker learning responsibility, Thor becoming a great hero without his hammer, and T’Challa opening up Wakanda to the world? Yup, none of it fucking mattered cause most of them were either killed by Thanos or disintegrated anyway. And the worst part is that they were playing by the book and most of their plans worked out, but Thanos still found a way to one-up them anyway and win.

A lot of people mentioned this already, but what makes Thanos fascinating as a villain is that the film almost frames him as the hero to his own self-deluded ideas. He has a backstory, a goal, an arc, the whole nine yards. He doesn’t hesitate to kill whoever to get the next stone, he’s incredibly manipulative towards his own children (which is best depicted in how he “adopted” Gamora), and he’s so far gone beyond reason to believe genocide is what is right to fix and over-populated universe. Even more wild is the fact he doesn’t want the glory or credit, and he’s perfectly content to retire on some remote planet to watch the sun rise-- as seen at the end of the film. However, I do question why the Soul Stone regarded him killing Gamora as an act of love when it was always, always manipulation, but hopefully we’ll get to see that explained in the next film cause, c’mon folks, that ain’t love.

There’s also some things left unclear like what exactly happened on Xandar, and why Bruce can no longer bring out the Hulk, but we still got a couple more movies to look forward to in the year until Avengers 4. And I guarantee the Russo brothers had a shit ton more scenes they wanted to add in but couldn’t due to time constraints, and if they were to release an extended cut, I would not mind at all.

Like I said before, this film had so much going against it, but paid off tremendously well with a consistent dramatic tone, bringing together characters for the first time and reuniting others, and always keeping the audience guessing on what to expect next. And it succeeded in emotionally screwing us over with an always brilliant cast who know how to wrench our hearts out.

One of the best of the MCU without a doubt.

If you liked this and enjoy what I do, buy me a Ko-fi to say “Job well done!”

#avengers #Avengers infinity war #infinity war #spoilers galore #movie #movie review #review #movie reviews #reviews #mcu #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #my writing

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eddycurrents · 7 years ago

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For the week of 9 April 2018

Quick Bits:

Animosity: Evolution #5 gets to the heart of the criminal enterprise undermining Wintermute’s authority, operating the black market, and what they’ve been trying to accomplish. This arc has definitely been interesting so far, showing that the animal organizations aren’t really all too different from their human counterparts.

| Published by AfterShock

Avengers #688 raises the stakes higher as we speed towards the conclusion of “No Surrender”. While the Challenger flips the table on the game, this issue takes its perspective from Quicksilver, setting up the next stage for his forthcoming Quicksilver: No Surrender limited series.

| Published by Marvel

Barbarella #5 tosses in some more weird science as Barbarella and Vix go prospecting for RUST.

| Published by Dynamite

Bloodshot Salvation #8 begins to marry up the timelines, such that the present is becoming the “soon” timeline that began in the first issue, as Bloodshot travels through the Deadside and we find out how he got tossed into the future. It’s interesting to see how Jeff Lemire’s non-linear threads have been playing out through the story.

| Published by Valiant

Brothers Dracul #1 reunites the team of Cullen Bunn and Mirko Colak, having recently completed the Unholy Grail series, here for an interesting take on the Vlad Tepes story and the Dracula myth. Bunn takes a different approach to the myth, rooting it in much of the recorded history of Vald, his family, and Wallachia under Ottoman rule and it results in a much more grounded story. At least for the first issue. The art from Colak, with colours by Maria Santaolalla, is also great.

| Published by AfterShock

Captain America #700 is Chris Samnee’s last issue on the series, and the last of his work at Marvel for the time being, and he sure does go out with a bang. Samnee and Mark Waid stitch up a conclusion to the Cap in the future arc, although there are some interesting ramifications of the story to unpack, including presenting an idea of the futility of hope. That’s probably bleaker than the creative team necessarily intended it to be read as.

| Published by Marvel

Champions #19 begins the next chapter in the team’s chronicles, with Jim Zub and Sean Izaakse taking over as the new creative team. The art from Izaakse and colourist Marcio Menyz is wonderful throughout, including some great character designs. It’s also interesting to see how Zub has the team approaching new recruits like Ironheart as they try to figure out how the new pieces fit.

| Published by Marvel

Cold War #3 dives into the past of two survivors this time, giving us a look into the history and personalities of LQ and Johnny. Even as the latter fights for relevance and control in the present, seemingly unable to accept the leadership of Vinh or her attempts to protect everyone remaining. Then Christopher Sebela drops another bomb on us as to the state of this future.

| Published by AfterShock

Crude #1 is an interesting beginning, setting up a bit of a mystery involving the death of the son of a former Russian agent, as he gets dragged back into a seedy, harsh existence to hunt down his son’s murderers. Steve Orlando begins this first issue mostly as set-up, flashing back through both Piotr and, his son, Kiril’s lives before getting us to the main plot and arrival at the setting, and source for the title.

| Published by Image / Skybound

The Dead Hand #1 is an impressive debut, capturing perfectly the intrigue and action of a Cold War thriller, matched with the bleakness of more modern interpretations of Russia and a twist that you’ll never see coming. Kyle Higgins’ Image outings tend to be wonderful reads, like COWL and Hadrian’s Wall, and this series seems no different so far. It’s also great to see Stephen Mooney providing the line art here, his style is perfectly suited to spy and thriller stories, especially as coloured here by Jordie Bellaire.

| Published by Image

Deadly Class #33 continues to tear everything down, blow everything up, or beat it into a bloody pulp. Nothing seems to be safe. Rick Remender and Wes Craig seem intent on putting everyone through the wringer, and Craig (with colours from Jordan Boyd) is reminding everyone why he’s one of the best artists working in comics today.

| Published by Image / Giant Generator

Doctor Strange #388 is another integral part of the Damnation event, diving into Strange’s possession and what’s going on with the other fallen heroes current plaguing Vegas at Mephisto’s behest. The story from Donny Cates is good, weird, and has Niko Henrichon at the very top of his game.

| Published by Marvel

Domino #1 is damn great. In some ways, it feels like old home week, as Gail Simone brings back some of the characters and stylistic quirks from her time writing Deadpool and Agent X, complete with the humour, action, and absurdity, but at the same time, this feels fresh. It’s not as over the top as the other two outings and it makes for what feels to me like a better story. It also makes the humour pop a bit more as it feels natural. Also, the art from David Baldeón and Jesus Aburtov is gorgeous. Baldeón surprised me with how great his art has become on Spirits of Vengeance and here he’s bringing it to an even higher level. This first issue is fun and comes very recommended.

| Published by Marvel

Dry County #2 sets up the mystery. After being embroiled in Janet’s life as a kind of sad sack saviour in the first issue, Lou gets his hopes dashed by her kidnapping this issue. If it follows traditional Miami Noir themes, I have my suspicions about it, but here Rich Tommaso plays it straight and uses it to start Lou down the path to find out what happened to her.

| Published by Image

Exiles #1 begins a gathering the team arc, as Blink is drafted back into the multiverse-saving business by the reappearance of the Tallus and the Unseen’s premonitions of the white fire of nothingness caused by the Time Eater. Saladin Ahmed does a great job of playing with Exiles history and Marvel ephemera in constructing this first issue, but the real star is the artwork. Javier Rodríguez is one of Marvel’s underrated talents who really should be heralded as a superstar. Here, he, Álvaro López, and Jordie Bellaire make this issue one of the most visually interesting on the stands, with great page layouts, interesting panel transitions, phenomenal use of page for storytelling effect, and unique character designs. This is a great start and I’m dying to see more.

| Published by Marvel

Gideon Falls #2 continues a slow burn through the story, focusing on both Norton and Father Fred’s experiences with the black barn, and the world beyond them not believing their respective stories. It’s a common horror and mystery thread, but it’s still interesting how Jeff Lemire is framing the narrative and building the characters through the dialogue. Also, the art from Andrea Sorrentino and Dave Stewart continues to be amazing.

| Published by Image

Ninja-K #6 plays with a number of the messes that have yet to be cleaned up across the Valiant universe. It’s interesting to see Christos Gage play with the toys, with visceral art from Juan José Ryp and Jordie Bellaire.

| Published by Valiant

No. 1 With a Bullet #6 is a brilliant end to what has been an excellent series. Jacob Semahn, Jorge Coello, and Jen Hickman have a story here that is relevant in today’s society obsessed with social media, and delves deep into what can happen when that obsession turns deadly and debilitating. There’s one last twist this issue and the art, especially as it simulates the current state of Nash’s eyesight, is amazing. I highly recommend this series.

| Published by Image

Oblivion Song #2 fleshes out a bit more what happened from Earth’s perspective on the day that parts of Philadelphia fell into Oblivion. It’s interesting to see it unfold, especially in relation to the two recent survivors who came back. It’s slow going, and there are oblique character moments, but it’s enthralling.

| Published by Image

The October Faction: Supernatural Dreams #2 sees the summoned demon wandering around, causing havoc, raising hell. Oh, and Geoff and Vivian get their butts handed to them.

| Published by IDW

Prism Stalker #2, like the first issue, is very, very strange. On the one hand, it’s presented and illustrated by Sloane Leong as this surrealist weird comic that almost defies classification. Kind of like some of the silent indie comics out there that are more experienced than “read”. On the other hand, the story Leong presents is fairly mundane, one of coming of age in what appears to be an oppressive alien society. I’m not really sure what to make of it still, but it has my attention.

| Published by Image

ROM & The Micronauts #4 gets the full band back together in our world as the final battle against Baron Karza and the Dire Wraiths looms on the horizon. Christos Gage waxes philosophical on physical and emotional change, and how love will find a way in strange cases, but what’s really pushing us towards the final battle is the promise of raising the Lovecraftian monstrosity at the heart of the Earth.

| Published by IDW

Sleepless #5 works further on the intrigue going on, revealing that some of the plots may not have been put into motion by who we may have be led to believe previously.

| Published by Image

Sword of Ages #3 has the crap hit the fan. Some of the political machinations come to a head and it’s all pretty glorious. Gabriel Rodríguez is telling an incredible story here, adapting Arthurian legend in a very unique way.

| Published by IDW

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #81 is a densely packed narrative, picking up on the threads from the recently concluded Triceratons arc, the running undercurrent of Splinter’s ideas for the Foot Clan, while also spilling out the return of the Rat King after TMNT Universe #19. There’s a lot going on, but I’d argue that Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, and Tom Waltz make it accessible and interesting. Aiding in that effort is phenomenal art from Dave Wachter and Ronda Pattison.

| Published by IDW

Thanos #18 concludes “Thanos Wins” and with it this chapter of the Mad Titan’s adventures (apart from a forthcoming annual in a couple of weeks). This issue is big and epic and has a very interesting ending. Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, and Antonio Fabela have outdone themselves.

| Published by Marvel

Vs. #3 gets a look at the ruling class in this world, trying to figure out why Flynn’s ratings remain high despite him continuing to suffer losses. It’s a little dry, but it does set up some further conflict between Flynn and Devi, and continues to draw some beautiful art from Esad Ribić.

| Published by Image

X-Men Blue #25 gives us a main story with Magneto’s confrontation of Miss Sinister and her allies, while Polaris and the other remaining X-Men lick their wounds in Madripoor. There’s also a back-up that serves as a bridge between the “Poison X” and Venomized stories for the original five and Venom, with some really nice art by Mike Perkins and Andy Troy.

| Published by Marvel

X-Men Red #3 gives some more oblique hints at what’s really going on, as anti-mutant hysteria begins reaching critical mass and attacks, protests, and riots begin to spill over. Tom Taylor is aptly using parallels to current events across America and the world here and it makes it a bit scarier.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Algeria is Beautiful Like America, The Archies #6, Astonisher #6, The Beauty #21, Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider #17, The Despicable Deadpool #298, DuckTales #8, Eternal Empire #8, Falcon #7, Ghost Money #9, James Bond: Casino Royale, Minky Woodcock: The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini #4, Old Man Logan #38, Planets of the Apes: Ursus #4, Resident Alien: An Alien in New York #1, Rick Veitch’s The One #3, Rose #10, Shock, Spider-Man vs. Deadpool #31, Star Wars: Darth Vader #14, Star Wars: Thrawn #3, Tomb Raider: Survivor’s Crusade #4, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #31, Venomized #2

Recommended Collections: Aliens/Predator/Prometheus: Fire & Stone, Cable - Volume 2: Newer Mutants, Clover Honey, Coyotes - Volume 1, Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan, DuckTales: Mysteries and Mallards, Family Trade - Volume 1, Jean Grey - Volume 2: Final Fight, Lazarus X+66, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man - Volume 2: Most Wanted, Rock Candy Mountain - Volume 2, Spider-Man/Deadpool - Volume 5: Arms Race, TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo - Expanded Edition, Transformers: Till All Are One - Volume 3, The Unbelievable Gwenpool - Volume 5: Lost in the Plot, Underwhere

d. emerson eddy tried to make a souffle a few days ago. It fell.

#This Week in Comics

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