#captain stern

[zponds]

[ungoliantschilde]

Reach Out, by Cheap Trick. Live at Rockpalast 1983.

This is the song that was featured in Bernie Wrightson’s Captain Stern segment of the movie “Heavy Metal”.

[samishin]

I think Connor got a bit more than he bargained for.🤭

A very late Reverse AU comic for the DbhKissCam prompt. Thank you @connor-sent-by-cyberlife for making the event!💙

[lirhyapetitpain]

Updated version lol

[laswells-ashtray]

John never thinks too hard about his childhood, he thinks he's past it. Drunken dad who died when he was a teen, mum who died the day he was born. No point wasting time on that and he thinks he's outgrown that point in his life. Maybe Dad was a bit heavy-handed with the belt but that was more acceptable back then, no need to fuss, and when he compares it to the stories Simon let slip when they both went a little too hard with the drink, he has nothing to complain about.

He never shares any family stories, yeah, Soap will share a story about how he was named after his dad and it sparks a conversation, Kyle will explain the origin of his name proudly, Simon will offer a sparse answer and none of them will ask for any further context. John will offer some half-assed explanation about being named after his old man's old man, someone he never met and never thinks about. Kyle asks him about his mother with a gentleness that can only mean he's noticed that John never talks about her, he offers the classic "never knew her" and it isn't a lie. It isn't. Because he didn't know her, she left earth the same day he made his appearance on it, the value of his life has always been at the cost of another, it's why he makes such a good captain. And he's sick of hearing "oh, I'm sorry" whenever he mentions that he's dead. He's a grown man, he can only hear so many apologies before they become just pointless words that hold no value.

So, it doesn't bother him. Two people he knew are dead, they started the list of countless other names that he doesn't bother thinking about.

And then he comes back from a mission one day, it was a shitshow. Nothing went to plan because their intel was fucked and everyone is frustrated. Ghost had to get stitches in a wound on his arm, isn't the end of the world but it was avoidable. Gaz, the poor fucker is concussed and Soap has the fun job of waking him up every two hours to check on him, a job he was assigned by a medic after they pulled the glass out of his hand. John is almost certain his ankle is sprained, his entire body is a bruise, he lost a good fucking cigar and he snapped at Laswell over comms so he owes an apology that he's planning in advance.

He wants Nik, it might be juvenile but he's tired in a way he can feel in his bones and he wants his pilot.

He finds Nik, he doesn't have to say anything as they head back to his room. Nik knows, Nik always knows. There's the briefest of exchanges as he strips out of his kit and he heads to the shower with the slightest relief knowing that his night is going to end in lazy sex and being stuck under the warm blanket of the Russian bear of a man.

He walks out with damp hair in a pair of boxers and socks because the floor is fucking cold with the constant draft and all but collapses face-first onto his bed. He'll offer Nik a murmured apology later for being selfish but he just isn't sure he can form the words right now.

He can hear Nik kicking off his boots behind him with little care as to where they land, it's a familiar sound from nights like this. He's as relaxed as he's going to get until he hears it, the sound of someone fumbling with their belt buckle. For years it's been just a noise but for the briefest of moments he tenses up in preparation, shoulders raised instinctively to try and block the leather from catching the back of his neck. He's not sure if he's breathing and he can smell whisky, the old fucker must've lobbed the bottle at the wall again and the last dredges of Johnnie Walker red label are soaking into the carpet again. If he doesn't remember to clean it before he goes up to bed then he's fucked, the old drunk will wring his fucking neck just like last time when he-

"John?" The hand on his back is warm as it lands between his shoulder blades, it should be comforting and he should relax into it. He doesn't. He's ashamed of the way he flinches, kicking out a leg as he tries to push himself up the bed and away from it hits him. It's Nikolai. The hand belongs to Nik.

He turns to face the other man, lying on his side and propped up with an elbow. He isn't sure if the sheer mortification he feels is obvious, or the tremors in his hands. He hasn't reacted like that since he was a boy.

"Fuck, Nik. Sorry, just lost in my own fucking head- Sorry, give me a sec and we can get to it." It's humiliating, he's the one who asked for sex and a fucking belt sends him over the edge.

"No, no `getting to it`. We shall continue another night." And there he's gone and done it, his fucking inability to keep his composure has just put a dampener on their sex life.

The cautious way Nikolai reaches out for him hurts, he's being treated like some scared animal. The large hand on his shoulder does act as a source of comfort when he knows who's behind it. "John, перестань. Talk to me, captain."

"I don't- I don't know, just give me a moment." How long can he spend pleading for just a little more time before Nikolai gets sick of it.

"The belt."

He looks up at the Russian with wide eyes, mouth open as he tries to form a denial of some kind, waiting for words that won't form.

Nikolai stares down at him with a look so gentle he has to look away, he can hear the faint sigh of resignation and the following mutter of something Russian that he isn't paying enough attention to in order to translate it in his head.

He sits in silence as the other man joins him in the bed, leaving a gap between that and offering John the chance to cross it on his own time. He shifts over and plaster himself against his partner's side, face buried in his neck.

"I assumed the scars down your back were from torture, just not the military kind."

"From years ago, don't matter much now do they? Taken a lot worse than a belt since then." His body was covered in scars of varying sizes, from anywhere to the scar on his hand from slicing a bagel to the silver band wrapped around part of his left thigh from a bastard with a blade that damn near nicked an artery. He'd stuck that poor sod's blade through his own throat and left him to gurgle on his blood.

"I assume your father is dead?" The fact that Nikolai sounds hopeful isn't lost on him.

"Drank himself into oblivion years ago." John had always thought it would've been his liver that did him in, would've bet money on it. Would've lost too. The old man had asphyxiated on his own vomit, silly prick.

"Good."

[casebasket]

banking on your daughter to make a different choice

also the slightly shaky cam in the last scene as he watches havers wave and fade away i didn't even notice until i made the gif but it adds SO MUCH to his emotions at this moment. like taking a shaky breath. him still grieving over it, but learning to suppress that emotion from a life+death time of experience, so it only comes out as a shiver. ben wilbond truly put so much thought into this character; the captain is the Most Character to ever Character

edit: also just another parallel I noticed but his face is lit up similarly??? half light/half dark tenebrism that subtextually calls back to this scene of choice??? kitty in the shadows because she chose selfishly, the cap in the end a mix of both to reflect the nuance and complexity in his decision??? one shadowed by sunlight the other by the moon, present and memory, action and reflection, how one is affected by another, etc etc

[politicalunicorn]

Thoughts on Captain America: Brave New World

It wasn't that bad. Lots of people are saying that it sucked, and yes, I was hoping they would do something more interesting with the adamantium but c'est la vie.

The villain was definitely really scary. I think the direction choice of showing us individual people that The Leader was killing is arguably one of the best choices. I found several moments where I genuinely looked at the screen and gawked.

That being said, the villain felt almost cartoonish. Like? C'mon. that phone call with Ross was just... it felt like a my little pony villain, bsfr

JOAQUINNNN MY BABY!!!! We have been LACKING for Peter Parker-coded characters, and he is definitely one of them. I love the way people are calling him baby falcon, bc yes, but also the mentor-mentee relationship between him and Sam???

On that relationship, Sam and Joaquin have the relationship of siblings with a massive age difference. Like eight years at least. Joaquin idolizes Sam and Sam is fond of him, but teases him as well. It's just so cute.

SamBucky nation is winning. Enough said. The I love you was one thing but the "He's also 102 years old" like, ok??? gatekeeping your man?? ok, I see you Sam <3

I did not empathize with Thaddeus Ross. Maybe, if they made him a shittier father, yes I would get the whole new leaf thing. But making his entire arc of bs in the last fifteen years be about Betty was just...not it. Make him have more to prove.

Also the writing of the phone call? Please. I know Marvel writers can do better than that.

this is just a problem with film-making in general, but marinate in the silence. a lot of life is silence, real-life exists in the margins of conversations. like that conversation between Bucky and sam could've definitely had that silence to really pull that impact.

the fight scenes tho??? that was so good, that was acc such good choreography, OBSESSED.

Bucky as a congressman is something that I really like, but was unexpected. I can totally imagine him trying to make the world a better place, but we're probably going to get that guilt-complex justification that marvel always pulls with Bucky.

The Isiah arc?? that line of "Don't Come Back" was SO good. Also, his face when he was shoved into the ground and his cries about his suit, was HEARTBREAKING. just absolutely gorgeous. arguably the best acting performance.

Sabra??? Kind of unnecessary??? like, the black woman (I don't remember her name, sorry) that was Sam's friend in the White House would've had a better role. It would've also been an interesting way to analyze what it meant to be a black woman in the Red Room.

also, if we WERE going to analyze sabra as a character, what does it mean to be Israeli in the red room? I am not a huge fan of boycotting someone based on their identity, because you can't really change where you come from, but we could analyze the status of the ethno-state in the larger marvel universe if we could.

I really wish they had pushed the political intrigue storyline, so much harder.

we do want bruce banner back tho. specifically the insanely lovable version of him in Avengers 1.

I wish they'd make the dialogue more natural

the avengers plot line could've been tied in better?

TLDR: It was a really good movie, with some writing issues and some brilliant performances and some beautiful relationships.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Continuing on from my previous post about Captain America: Brave New World, I’m more annoyed about the movie being an Incredible Hulk story than it being bad. Because it’s technically not a bad story or even a bad movie, it’s just Sam Wilson is the wrong protagonist. It annoys me since Sam’s first solo outing as Captain America ends up not feeling personal to him at all since he doesn’t have close ties to the Hulk characters. It also annoys me since if Bruce Banner was the lead, I could see this movie being an easy 8/10. In fact, I can easily rewrite it right now:

Bruce Banner aka Professor Hulk is a celebrity superhero, beloved for his actions in saving the world. After taking down the Serpent Society and recovering a package that they had stolen from the Japanese, Bruce is invited to the White House for a special meeting with the president. Months before, Bruce’s old nemesis Thaddeus Ross was elected President. Despite their past, Bruce is trying to give him the benefit of the doubt in order to bring the country some semblance of peace.

On his downtime, Bruce and his son Skaar train with Bruce’s cousin Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk. Jennifer is skeptical of President Ross, but Bruce says he’s willing to give Ross the benefit of the doubt. Bruce says he and Skaar have been invited to the White House and asks Jennifer to join them, which she accepts.

At the White House, President Ross tells Bruce he’s a changed man and that they should bury their past. He then asks Bruce to restart the Avengers, which surprises him. During President Ross’ speech about the discovery of adamantium, Jennifer Walters She-Hulks out and tries to kill Ross. She’s thwarted and is arrested. Jen claims that she has no idea what happened.

Bruce and Skaar begin their investigation. Meanwhile, Ross’ head of security Ruth-Bat Seraph follows them closely while also trying to piece together what’s happening. Eventually, the three of them learn that the mastermind behind all of this is Bruce’s former friend/partner Samuel Sterns aka The Leader. Sterns reveals he’s doing all of this as a way of ruining President Ross’ legacy as revenge for him being locked up ever since the end of the 2008 Hulk movie. Sterns is also pissed at Bruce since even though he helped him with his condition, Bruce had abandoned him to Ross’ wrath. Bruce says that Sterns is going to cause an international incident and Sterns says that’s the goal.

(Side note: Now that it’s Bruce as the lead, Sterns saying “you know what he’s like” resonates harder since Bruce KNOWS what Ross was like)

Fast forward. Bruce, Skaar, and Ruth tell President Ross he’s being manipulated by Sterns. Bruce and Ross have a shouting match about what happened with Sterns and Ross admits he was dying. He didn’t see a way out, so he had Sterns find a way to save him. Bruce says Betty would be ashamed of him, and so on. The naval battle scene occurs and Bruce saves the day, although Skaar ends up getting injured in the process.

At the hospital, Bruce Banner is comforted by Betty Ross (basically the monologue that Bucky gave to Sam). Fast forward again, Sterns turns himself in, but not before confronting Bruce Banner. He says that the world will now see Ross for how he truly is. When Bruce asks Sterns what has he done, Sterns simply says, “I brought him down to our level.” Bruce then realizes the pills that Ross has been taking were laced with gamma radiation.

The Red Hulk scene occurs. Now, it’s Ross who is the rampaging monster and Bruce as the one trying to save the people. It’s a role reversal of the 2008 Hulk movie, especially since the military is supporting Bruce Banner. Bruce, knowing that Red Hulk will be too much for the military, forces Ross to the cherry blossoms where he used to take Betty (side note: of course Bruce knew about the cherry blossoms since Betty likely told him about the things she used to do with her father).

Professor Hulk and Red Hulk fight some more, ending in Bruce winning. However, when Ross gets back up for another round, Bruce attempts to calm Ross down. He talks about Betty Ross, he says that he forgives Ross for hunting him in the past, and he says that he truly believes Ross is trying to change. Ross, spurred by the memory of his daughter, calms down and reverts back to human. He is then imprisoned in the Raft, but not before his treaty with the other nations regarding Celestial Island is signed.

Jennifer Walters is released and Skaar recovers. Bruce visits Ross in the Raft and the two bury the hatchet. Betty Ross visits Thaddeus and the movie ends with father and daughter reunited.

[themarvelproject]

Marvel house ad for the Avengers featuring art by Al Milgrom and Joe Sinnott (1984)

[crappwr0m]

Just couple of pilots socializing, move along now

Oc on the bottom by @jovianwishes !!

[evilhorse]

But vampires do exist

(Captain America #253)

[zponds]

[vertigoartgore]

1980's Captain America Vol.1 #253 cover by artist John Byrne and inker Joe Rubinstein.

[pedro-reed]

The Incredible Hulk (2008) || Captain America: Brave New World (2025)

[lirhyapetitpain]

I'm in a Captain America Brave New World mood so have the reward sticker for members who joined before the end of Jan! I can't help it, these two MCU Sam are a lot of fun to draw

Become a member: Patreon (18+) Ko-Fi

[krystalklear21]

Tumblr, I find the lack of Samuel Sterns / Leader posts disturbing. Where are my monsterfuckers at? Also I wanna talk about how they treated my man, I feel like there is an injustice on the character.

I'm gonna rant with spoilers below so if you haven't seen the film and care about spoilers I suggest waiting until you seen it to read my post.

.

1. The way they’re handling him is so frustrating because the writing feels inconsistent—especially compared to how Sam Wilson treats other morally complex characters.

Ross went great lengths to control Sterns and Banner and yet, he’s given nuance, justification, and respect in the story.

Meanwhile, Sterns was imprisoned for 16 years at a government black site, lied to by Ross who told him he would be free once he became President. But despite having reasonable motivations for doing what he did, he's not afforded grace or nuance.

Where is the same level of depth? Why does Ross, who actively created the conditions for Sterns' suffering, get more understanding than Sterns himself? Ross even got to talk to Betty again, who was estranged for years because of his actions against Bruce.

2. Sam is all about understanding people’s perspectives, right? He advocates for Isaiah Bradley, who also was unjustly imprisoned by the U.S. government. Sam helps Bucky overcome years of brainwashing and guilt from being an assassin. Even with Thunderbolt Ross, he believed Ross can change for the better.

But for some reason, Sam doesn’t even try to acknowledge Sterns’ suffering? How is Sterns any worst than Bucky or Isaiah?

3. Sterns' potential as a morally complex character is absolutely wasted in this movie. There was no healing, so resolving. He's a guy that moved from one prison to another. They could've made him a reluctant villain, who only wanted to make Ross pay for causing his suffering.

I know a lot of people hate that he's not comic accurate in appearance (I didn't mind it, I thought it looked awesome). You'd think after 16 years they would've fleshed out his character a bit more.