#he introduces himself as Iron Man not as a superhero alternate identity but as what he is now

[daydreamerdrew]

Iron Man (1968) #47

[uomo-accattivante]

At this point in its history, Marvel isn’t known for tinkering with its proven superhero formula. And yet “Moon Knight,” the studio’s current Disney+ series, has taken some unexpected chances.

Its debut episode introduced Steven Grant, a maladroit museum gift-shop clerk with a dodgy British accent, played by Oscar Isaac. Isaac also plays Marc Spector, a grizzled American mercenary who shares the same body with Grant — and who is also Moon Knight, the crime-fighting avatar of an ancient Egyptian deity.

As the story of “Moon Knight” has revealed, Spector has had dissociative identity disorder, or D.I.D., since childhood, and Grant is an alternate identity he created to shield himself from trauma and abuse.

“Moon Knight” was a risk for Isaac, too, even though his résumé already includes some of the biggest fantasy franchises Hollywood has produced. While he has made a whole career of projects that are many orders of magnitude smaller — performing “Hamlet” and “Romeo and Juliet” for the Public Theater and starring in intimate dramas like “The Card Counter” and “Scenes From a Marriage” — he has also been featured in film series like “Star Wars” and “X-Men.” Those blockbusters elevated Isaac to greater levels of recognition, but the grueling work they require and lack of input they typically allow made him hesitant when Marvel sought him for “Moon Knight.”

As Isaac, 43, explained in a video interview last week, the pleasure of “Moon Knight” was getting to explore the title character in a way that felt right to him, even if his approach did not always fit the Marvel mold.

Whether Moon Knight moves on to his own movie or a superteam like the Avengers “doesn’t matter so much,” Isaac said from the offices of the production company that he and his wife, the writer-director Elvira Lind, operate in Brooklyn.

“It’s a new character that we’re taking a chance on,” he said. “The nature of the story is this investigation, this slow-reveal mystery.”

“If it goes somewhere else, that’s great,” he added. “I’m glad it’s not just an advertisement for synergy.”

Ahead of the “Moon Knight” finale on Wednesday, Isaac spoke about the making of the series, of which he is also an executive producer. He also spoke about the unexpected oscillations of his career and about working for Disney while the company weathers a political firestorm. These are edited excerpts from that conversation.

Do you get two paychecks for playing two roles on “Moon Knight”?

I should, man. It’s funny because that’s what I was apprehensive about: I didn’t want it to feel like this masturbatory thing. When I started off, I was very adamant that I didn’t want to do the gimmicky, switching back and forth, Jekyll and Hyde part of it. I really segregated Marc and Steven, even asked if we could shoot them on different days. Just do it through reflections and don’t ask me to put on a different hat.

Some actors say they accept immediately when Marvel comes calling, but you didn’t. Why not?

I wasn’t, at that point, super eager to jump into a big production. I wanted to fall in love with acting again. I was a bit tired. I’ve got two young kids, and I was ready to take a step back, do smaller films that weren’t as big of a commitment. When this came, my immediate sense was, ugh, this is bad timing.

As a comics fan, did you feel like you were getting a B- or C-list character foisted on you?

Yeah, they’re pretty much down to the dregs. Although people said that for Iron Man, too — then it changes cinema forever and what an amazing performance that was. Part of the attraction was its obscurity, to be honest.

What were your inspirations for how you play Steven Grant?

It’s an homage to the things I love, like Peter Sellers and the British “Office” and “Stath Lets Flats” and Karl Pilkington. I was also watching “Love on the Spectrum” — these people are going on these dates, who are autistic, who are feeling all the same things that we all would feel, but they haven’t developed these masks to hide it all. It’s all out there in the open. There was something I found so moving about that. I started doing the character at home, and my kids were asking me to do him all the time

You spoke of feeling burned out on big-budget projects. When did you start experiencing that?

Toward the middle to end of the run on “Star Wars.” The commitment of time was such a long one, and the windows of availability were very specific. I started to get hungry for those character studies and working with those great directors.

You had worked professionally as an actor for several years and had some prominent theater roles. But did you find that big-budget films gave you some breakthrough opportunities?

There were a few supporting performances that gave me the opportunity to do really different characters on these big stages, like “Robin Hood” and “Sucker Punch.” What was fun was that nobody had any idea who I was. I played the King of England in “Robin Hood,” and nobody had a problem with that. Now that I’m more known, suddenly it’s like, can he play English? Should he play English? In this age, we know everything about everybody, and of course people have a problem with suspension of disbelief.

So as a Juilliard alumnus and a veteran Shakespeare performer, you didn’t think these types of films were somehow beneath you?

No, I didn’t feel like that. I wanted to make a living as an actor. I didn’t have the luxury of ethics; I didn’t have the luxury of integrity. [Laughs.] I felt like I could bring my point of view to whatever came my way. Early on, I was like, “If I had the one shot, I could prove …” And then I would get a chance, it would come and it would go, and I would realize, Oh! I guess I need another shot now. After a while, it was clear the only thing you can control is your craft and staying curious, and exercising that craft in whatever comes your way that you think is good.

Did starring in “Inside Llewyn Davis” feel like one of those opportunities for you?

That was completely life-altering in every single way. That was my first lead role. It was a Coen brothers movie. I played music. I still can’t believe that happened. I wanted it so badly and just worked my ass off beforehand. It was the serendipity of the moment that I did what I intended to do and the Coens took the risk on someone relatively unknown.

Was it strange that it led to even more fantasy franchise roles? Like, this is what they think of me?

I’ve been doing it long enough to know that there’s no “they” — it’s just people trying to make movies, whether they’re on a huge scale or a small scale. J.J. [Abrams] wanted to meet me [for “The Force Awakens”] while I was still shooting “A Most Violent Year.” I remember because Albert Brooks [his co-star on “A Most Violent Year”] left me a really funny message pretending to be J.J. before I went to go meet J.J. You take a leap of faith. And sure, had I not done that, perhaps I would have been available for some other thing that would have come my way. But no one ever knows.

You got an earlier shot at comic-book adaptations with “X-Men: Apocalypse.” It wasn’t well received, though I think it gets a bad rap. Is that a role you’ve disowned?

No, I don’t disown it. I know exactly what I went in there wanting to do and the reasons why. There were these amazing actors involved that I really wanted to work with, [James] McAvoy and [Michael] Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence. I collected X-Men growing up, and I loved Apocalypse, I just found him such a freaky, weird character. And then you get there and you’re like, Oh my God, I’ve got all these prosthetics on. I’ve got a suit on. I can’t move. I can’t see anybody. All these actors I wanted to work with — I can’t even see who they are. I still think back to that time with fondness. I wish it would have been a better film and that they would have taken care of the character a little better, but those are the risks.

Would you count your time making “Dune” with Denis Villeneuve as one of your typical franchise film experiences?

Denis was the reason to do that. When he came to me, he actually didn’t have a role in mind for me yet. He was like, “I’m doing ‘Dune,’ are you interested? What role is interesting to you?” We decided it was Leto. It was challenging to be a very specific sound in a big symphony.

And you knew, going in, that it’s a character with a limited life span?

Yes, that was part of the attraction.

Was “Star Wars” your closest frame of reference when Marvel sought you for “Moon Knight”? Was that what made you wary?

They are such big, huge films. As fun as they can be, you’re outputting a lot of energy and then you leave and you’re just exhausted. That was part of the fear. I didn’t anticipate how much creative flexibility there was going to be — how much energy it gave me back.

How so?

Once Mohamed [Diab, a director on “Moon Knight”] and I started talking about what it could be if we could put our lens on it, we were like, it’s way more important that we’re true to D.I.D. than to some kind of comic-book back story. When you do the research on what causes D.I.D., it’s not like one thing. It’s not, you watched something horrible happen and suddenly you break out into all these different personalities. It’s from sustained trauma and abuse over time. This is a survival mechanism that clicks into place for someone who’s experiencing that. That they’re able to fracture their mind to survive it is kind of astounding.

For much of the series, Marc and Steven would interact in discreet ways, like talking to each other in a mirror’s reflection. How did you handle the sequences we saw in last week’s episode, where the two were often standing side-by-side?

I had my brother, Michael [the actor Michael Benjamin Hernandez], who is a great actor and shares my DNA, stand in as my alter. Other times, it was a huge challenge technically as sometimes, especially in the wide shots, I’d have to act with no one and remember the blocking I had done as the other character and respond to the lines being fed to me in an earpiece I wore.

Was D.I.D. a subject you knew about before making “Moon Knight”?

I didn’t. I had just done “The Card Counter,” which was all about trauma and living with P.T.S.D. I had been doing some research into that, and there was something that felt organic about seeing what’s on the other end of the spectrum.

Does “Moon Knight” speak to why stories about alternate identities and multiverses are becoming increasingly popular?

We live in a post-reality world. Things used to feel a lot clearer, and now they’re not. Nothing can be true or authentic anymore, and I think that’s being reflected in a lot of our popular culture.

You’re a prominent ambassador of Disney’s brand at a time when the company is experiencing conservative backlash and political retribution for its opposition to Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” law, which its critics call “Don’t Say Gay.” Is this something you feel a personal investment in, and does that backlash affect you individually?

No, I’m not experiencing that. I’m not on social media, so luckily, if that is coming my way, I’m ignorant of it. But everything has a political undercurrent at the moment. Disney was forced to take a stand, and I’m glad that they took the right stand there. Sometimes silence or neutrality is just not going to work. It’s astounding to watch a vindictive politician try to own the libs. I grew up in Florida, and I recognize how dysfunctional the state is. But it’s an interesting time where everything is parsed, and if Disney is going to own so much of the entertainment industry, they’ve got to expect to come up against some tough decisions.

Are these the kinds of considerations you’re going to have to make now whenever you work for a major studio?

I’d rather not. [Laughs.] That’s going to require me to do a whole lot of research beforehand that I’d rather not do. I’d rather spend that time figuring out a good character.

There has to be some conscientiousness about it, but at the same time, you’re also trying to make a living and you’re trying to live in the world. I just want to make good stuff and hopefully try to do it in a responsible way.

###

[webswingers]

welcome to avengers campus, isn’t it nice to be back, PETER PARKER ?  it’s been so long since i’ve seen you being a typical TWENTY-TWO year old INTERN AT OSCORP, the image of TOM HOLLAND against the retroreflective panels of headquarter buildings.  feels like forever since i’ve seen you hanging around PIZZA PLANET. i don’t blame you, though;  it fits your vibes perfectly given everyone associates you with BATTERED CONVERSE, INK SMUDGES, HALF EATEN TAKE-OUT.

death mention tw

...... hey, have you seen the news reports lately …?  i heard you’ve been getting visions from MARVEL beginning to return, waking up from dreams of J. JONAH JAMESON REVEALING HIS SECRET IDENTITY.  must be something in the water …  say, did you always have A LEGO ANAKIN SKYWALKER on hand ?  i’ve never seen you leave home without it.

BASICS:

birth name: peter benjamin parker

alias: friendly neighbourhood spiderman, pete, kid, queens, etc.

species: mutate: superhuman abilities/powers stemming from a bite from a radioactive spider

date of birth: august 10

sexuality: bisexual 

gender and pronouns: cismale, he/him

occupation: intern at oscorp industries 

CANON: 

“canon” timeline wise, peter’s taken from the mcu so everything on this wiki are the specifics if you wanted to know in depth, but long story short:

super secret superhero living with his aunt in queens (until the Reveal), only the four people closest to him know about this; Ned, May, MJ, and Happy

lived a relatively normal ‘teenage’ life when he wasn’t a vigilante: a little bit of a loser, friend-group of one (his guy in the chair) for the majority, had crushes, got good grades, just tried his best to make his aunt and tony stark proud after the death of his mother, father, and uncle.

joined the avengers to help iron man, got a little bit out of his depth but stark helped him become a better supe, he’s a lot better but he’s still learning.

the death of his mentor and third father figure heavily influenced his behaviours and added to his constant need to keep the people he loves safe, but somehow never manages to do so and it keeps him up at night.

trusts men too easily still for some reason??

everything that has occurred in peter’s arc in the mcu timeline to this point is all canon for him, he obviously is just slowly remembering it.

EARTH 200000:

for peter’s alternative timeline, i wanted to incorporate more of who he is in some of his comic arcs, in some of the cartoon tv shows, too, but primarily his personality/some relationships are inspired by the ps4 spiderman game.  i realise this can get a little confusing given all the different characters and plot lines, so if you’re confused at all please feel free to message me and we can talk about it ! i wanted to incorporate his canon relationships with people outside of what they’ve introduced in the mcu for peter, but this will be something that needs to be plotted out, so pls lmk if you wanna do so ! here are the basics:

still a super secret superhero living a few floors above aunt may, so he can still see her whenever but he has some adult privacy.

slightly older than the spidey on screen currently, is an intern at oscorp industries and admires what they do there (this is not his first internship rodeo, but he gets paid a lot better at oscorp)

still has a relatively small friendship group, peter will never be mr popular but he’s absolutely okay with that.

wants to help people constantly; other than his spidey work, he volunteers with his aunt at F.E.A.S.T and works with the people staying there so he can learn how to help the people who don’t get helped.

big believer in justice, probably rants a lot to his friends and co-workers when he’s in That Kinda Mood, but ultimately keeps to himself and stays in his lane (unless he feels he needs to intervene)

he is a lot more confident as spidey than he is as peter, so his personality shifts slightly depending on what he’s wearing

has been known to sell some of his photography when he’s a little low on rent 

just a big nerd who luvs his aunt < 3 

inspirations for earth 200000:

ultimate spider-man (tv), spider-man (2017, tv), spidermen (comic), mcu spidey, the spiderman ps4 game-- these are just inspirations for his personality and interests, but if there are particular plots you’d want to write out from these i’m more than happy to plot that out !

[doctorofmagic]

What do you think about Strange being Peter's new mentor? I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE, WILL THIS PETER NEVER GROW UP?

Greetings and thanks for asking!

So, the answer may be a little complicated...

First, I think it’s really important to mention that MCU!Peter didn’t live  the same experiences than his alternate versions did. By that, I don’t mean he didn’t go through a lot. I just want to point that he had different experiences.

For instance, we don’t know about Uncle Ben. Also Gwen is a heavy burden for Peter to grow up on his own and deal with the meaning of being a hero. These two events alone forced Peter to change his perspective.

MCU!Peter, on the other hand, was introduced in the middle of the Civil War. While in comics, Peter was a grown adult when he decided to trust Tony and reveal his identity, MCU!Peter was just a teenager who caught Iron Man’s attetion and joined his party. He grew up admiring those heroes, especially Tony, so he didn’t give much thought about the Registration Act. He simply trusted Tony blindly.

That admiration became even greater in Homecoming. Peter really wanted to prove Tony and the world he was an independent superhero, mature enough to fight and take his own decisions. That naivety leads him to the ship incident, when he had to make it up to Tony again in order to have his suit back.

When Peter loses Tony, though, he loses his reference. He’s afraid of screwing things up again and he’s too young and confused to move on. This is only natural, given the cosmic scenario which showed him how small he was before the universe. He’s confused and lost. He’s just a teenager, after all. That’s the moment when Mysterio takes advantage on him, another event that would heavily affect his journey as a hero. It’s also fair to point that Peter grew fond of Stephen on Titan because... Well, Stephen was the only one who knew exactly what to do. Said confidence and leadership made Peter see Stephen as someone he could rely on. That’s why he mentions Stephen in FFH.

I don’t think Peter had enough time to grow and become an independent hero yet. Tony’s demise was really shocking for him because he knew Tony would be there for him. His confidence was replaced by many fears and insecurities following every single mistake he made, especially in FFH. That’s a lot for a teenager to go through. That’s why he still needs a mentor figure, someone who could reassure him in dangerous situations.

I know Peter is a great hero as he is. I know he can fix things up by himself. I just think he needs an emotional anchor for now. He’s the only teenager on the group. He can’t afford making mistakes in a world where Captain America, Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Thor and so many other heroes are the standard role model. He’s under a lot of pressure and pain.

That said, I don’t think Stephen will adopt him as an apprentice or something like that. He’ll be there when Peter needs reassurance, pretty much what happens in comics. Peter can take care of himself, but no one is supposed to fight these things alone. Even Stephen has Wong to be his anchor.

I believe that trait is very subtle for Peter’s development. He IS a teenager. He’s not ready to embrace the whole world with his webs as he thought at first. And that’s important because that’s the meaning of growth and development. Not to mention that Stephen is not a hero. He’s a warrior, devoted to protecting Earth from mystic threats. He doesn’t know what being a hero means because he’s not one of them. He was never meant to fit that role. So I don’t think Stephen will teach him hero stuff as Tony used to.

Stephen can teach responsability, he can offer advices and wise words as he does in comics. But he’s not a hero. In that regard, I believe Peter doesn’t need mentoring. As I said, he just needs reassurance.

Wow, but I digress. I hope it wasn’t confusing. I just like their relationship and I don’t mind Peter having someone to be there for him after everything that happened to him. Besides, if the multiverse collapses, he WILL need the Sorcerer Supreme’s aid. This is going to be big...

Anyway, thank you for asking my opinion!

[wazafam]

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Future State: Suicide Squad #1

Considering what readers have gotten from DC Comics’ Future State so far, it isn’t at all surprising that even the Suicide Squad should get a dark reimagining too. The superhero business has never been so twisted as it is in DC’s latest alternate future offering. With so many heroes dead or presumed dead, gone off-world, depowered, or simply locked up, there’s an awful lot of superheroing to do and not enough heroes to get it all done. The setting is perfect for Amanda Waller’s new team of coerced super-powered assets, which she has ironically named the Justice Squad. In the past, the Suicide Squad, officially known as Task Force X, has been a cadre of incarcerated super-criminals dragooned into risking their lives on clandestine missions to hopefully shave some time off their sentences. Now the team has taken on a different tack: impersonating the world’s greatest heroes. 

What’s more interesting, however, are the uncanny parallels between the newest incarnation of the team and one of Marvel Comics’ past forays into sinister heroism: the Dark Avengers. The series began its original print run in 2009 and was created by famed writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mike Deodato. For a bit of context, a power vacuum was created after the events of the Secret Invasion crossover event, which lead to none other than longtime Spider-Man arch-nemesis Norman Osborn taking over the premier team of Earth’s Mightiest heroes. 

Related: Justice League Hints Batman’s Bane Will Join the Court of Owls

In writer Robbie Thompson and artist Javier Fernandez’ Future State: Suicide Squad #1, as fascist regimes and ideologies are creeping into every corner of the comic book world, readers are introduced to a twisted vision of the Justice League. William Cobb, aka Talon, the Court of Owls’ super-assassin, has donned the cap and cowl of the Dark Knight with sadistic delight. Golden Age Wonder Woman foe the Hypnotic Woman makes a surprising return dissembling the likeness of Diana of Themyscira herself. Another obscure villain, this one from Aquaman’s rogues’ gallery, a man known as the Fisherman has been taken over a mind-controlling alien entity and recruited him into the squad. The former Teen Titan speedster known as Bolt now wears the Flash’s lightning bolt, though she isn’t squeamish about amputating limbs. None other than the malleable Clayface has assumed the identity of Martian Manhunter. And finally there’s Superman. Luckily for Waller, she has an almost perfect candidate for the job: Connor Kent, who is not only a clone of the Man of Steel, but of Lex Luthor too. 

On the other side, Osborn’s Avengers assembled an equally unstable bunch of evildoers looking for an opportunity to rejoin the world, either from exile or from inside a super-max prison: the Kree-empowered Moonstone became Ms. Marvel; longtime Daredevil enemy Bullseye put on the purple fighting suit of Hawkeye; Venom morphed into a black-suited Spider-Man; Ares replaced Thor as the team’s resident god; and Daken Akihiro filled in for his father as Wolverine. Osborn himself stepped into the shoes of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers when he became the Iron Patriot. The only missing element that would’ve made the comparison complete is if Lex Luthor—DC’s Norman Osborn—was in charge of the team. Alas, the reigns of the so-called Justice Squad remain in the iron grip of Amanda Waller.

Though the setup and context of both teams are eerily similar, the storylines certainly won’t be. By the end of the first issue, Future State’s Suicide Squad series promises fans a wild ride and an impending battle against a team of villains who aren’t hiding behind false identities. 

Next: Shazam Just Became a Brutal Villain for the Best Reason

The New Suicide Squad is DC's Version of Dark Avengers from https://ift.tt/36dxnYY

[dammit-stark]

oooh not that many people write natmaria! will you write 94 and natmaria

“Reasoning is not gonna work with them” - natmaria, 2k words (I got a little carried away with this one but can you blame me I love natmaria okay) - also available on ao3 here

There was something weird about bringing Maria to the Avengers facility that felt oddly similar to… introducing her to her parents. Which is ridiculous on multiple levels, just absolutely neurotic really. Such as the fact that Nat has never had real parents, as well as the fact that Maria is probably closer to being real family to her than the Avengers actually are. But Nat can’t explain it, she’s nervous.

At the very least, she’s about to introduce her girlfriend to her very capable group of overprotective, emotionally intense roommates. Nat feels secure in this anxiety. But Maria insists that being introduced to the rest of Nat’s team as her girlfriend- not just the chick who does all the research, and moves all the money around, and occasionally kicks some hydra ass- is an eventuality they should face sooner rather than later. Nat argues that no, who’s to say they can’t just never tell any of the Avengers and never have to deal with everybody else? Maria shuts that idea down almost immediately with the proposition of sleeping alone on the couch. Nat begrudgingly agrees to an introduction.

The ride up to the Avengers compound is pleasant enough. Nat drives the old red convertible and Maria controls the radio, their hands happily intertwined over the central console. It’s something they’ve done a million times before.

But then Nat turns left at a fork in the road and that ostentatious fucking A comes into view and Nat pulls her hand away from Maria, both hands tightening anxiously around the wheel.

“You sure you want to do this? There’s still time, Cap won’t have even noticed that I’m here yet, and Tony owes me one. I can turn around right now and it won’t matter.”

“Keep driving, Nat,” Maria tells her, watching her girlfriend out of the corner of her eye, “We’re doing this.”

Here’s the thing with Nat: she’s saved the world multiple times, she’s lost count of how many people she’s killed (though she remembers every name, every last face, she makes sure of it), she’s been a career assassin since before she reached puberty. But she’s never really done the ‘going steady’ thing, and so now that she has a girlfriend who loves her even with the assassin/killing stuff, she has to do some things she’s never done before (a list that in and of itself is incredibly short). Nat’s at a point in her

Nat pulls up to the big glass building and turns the car off, looks over at Maria with a dramatic sigh, “We have to do this?”

Maria laughs and gets out of the car, “Yes, Nat. Absolutely have to. Come on. We’re doing this.”

Maria reaches for Nat’s hand as Nat scans her ID and enters the facility. Friday’s familiar voice comes over the invisible intercoms, “Natasha Romanoff. Code name: black widow. ID number alpha-beta-three. What is the name and reason for your visitor?”

“Maria Hill,” Nat says, looking over at her girlfriend nervously. Maria squeezes her hand just a little tighter, “I have something to talk to the team about. Can you tell them all to meet me in the conference room or, no can we do the kitchen?”

There’s an infinitesimal pause before Friday answers, and if Friday wasn’t an AI, Nat would almost call it smug. Friday responds positively, “Welcome, Ms. Hill. I’ll let the rest of the team know that you would like to speak with them in the kitchen, m’am.”

“Thanks, Friday,” Nat pulls Maria down a long glass hallway to a modern kitchen area lined with extra-large appliances fit for super humans with extra-large metabolisms and a sturdy-looking wooden table with a dozen available seats for an entire team to sit at any given time.

Maria’s been to the Avengers facility before. Hell, Tony offered her her own space when he was building it. But most of what Maria does for the team is less super-heroing and more super-managing; it felt wrong to accept, like she was fooling herself. So she comes and makes camp in one of the conference rooms when she has to and spends the night at a hotel a mile down the road. But this is different. Here like this, it’s Nat’s home now. She spends her nights at this place and makes breakfast in this very kitchen, she pads around in socks and bare feet and does dishes and laundry. To Maria, the compound feels like an entirely different place today.

Tony and Steve, in true ‘team leaders’ fashion enter the kitchen first. Tony nurses a novelty Captain America ceramic coffee mug and Steve smiles down at something Tony had just said, their elbows bumping, and Maria is reminded once again of being thrown into an alternate universe en media res, that this is a home as well as an office, an intimate space.

Steve takes a seat at the opposite end of the table, smiling at Nat and Maria and nodding a silent hello while Tony makes a show of topping off his coffee and pouring a fresh cup for Steve.

“Good morning, ladies,” Tony practically sings as he delivers Steve a coffee cup of his own- this one branded with the lines of Iron Man’s helmet sketched onto it.

“Stark.” Nat snipes back, sounding uncannily to Maria’s ear like a sibling, somehow making a single word sound like a slit throat, “And what have you been up to?”

Steve blushes terribly, hides his face in his steaming mug while Tony just looks like the cat who ate the canary.

“Oh you know,” Tony replies cheekily, “Just working.”

Nat is obviously far from convinced, but then Wanda and Vision enter the room, ecstatic to see Nat, and Tony is cut off. Wanda presses a kiss to Nat’s cheek before sitting down next to Steve, Vision next to her. Then Sam enters, and Rhodey. Clint gets all theatrical about giving Maria an exaggerated hug, looking meaningfully in Nat’s direction before he takes his own seat. And suddenly everybody’s there and Nat’s faced with the terrifying realization that this is happening right now.

Despite the anxieties they both know she garners, Maria watches as Nat molds herself into this confident posture of hers, seemingly at ease with her legs crossed primly, shoulders pushing back into the back support of her chair.

“I gathered you all here today because Cap over there is always going on about team solidarity, or bonding or whatever. And so I thought it was important that you guys, as my team members, knew that Maria and I are engaged.”

Tony stands straight up, his chair pushed violently backward by his knees, immediately demands, “Engaged? Since when have you not been single, Romanoff? What the hell?”

Steve’s hand quickly raises to wrap softly around Tony’s forearm, a gentle, silent reminder to Tony not to be overly dramatic as Steve himself smiles at Nat and Maria, “What Tony means is congratulations. We’re very happy for you guys.”

“When’s the wedding, ladies?” Sam says, folding his hands together and looking equivocally smug.

Maria glances at Nat and answers, “We haven't set a date. We’re not really in that much of a rush.”

Clint leans back in his chair and adopts an expression eerily similar to Sam’s. He very poorly hides a snicker, and Maria gets the distinct impression that both he and Sam were up to something.

Neither Nat not Maria have the chance to prod the resident birdmen about their peculiar reactions because Steve sudden releases his grip on Tony’s forearm, face screwing up meaningfully and says, “Why not?”

At the same time, Tony demands, “Well who’s planning the wedding?”

Nat and Maria both shrug, seemingly at ease against the adjunct wedding-planning-related horror of two infamous heroes.

As highly skilled spies, it shouldn’t be as easy as it is for the two team leaders to con them into wedding planning after that. It’s like they went into shock and blacked out at the phrase who’s planning the wedding and they woke up two weeks later to Tony pressing four nearly identical bouquets of periwinkles at the two brides.

Steve’s on the phone behind Tony, pacing back and forth with a pencil behind his ear, talking in rapid Italian to some celebrity baker that neither of the actual brides involved in this wedding had ever so much as heard of.

Tony pushes the bouquets closer to Nat, “Come on just pick one.”

Maria points at the second one from the left, and Tony looks mildly disgusted, but nods anyway and leaves the brides to go steal Steve’s pencil from behind his ear and record Maria’s choice.

“You could tell the difference between those?”

Maria shakes her head, “Not even a little bit, but I figured it’d get rid of him faster if I just picked one.”

Nat smiles gratefully, “Good thinking.”

Maria sighs, leaning towards Nat with her voice low, “How in the world did we get here?”

“I believe started with somebody insisting that we tell the team about our relationship.”

“How could I have known they were insane?”

“Eight superheroes live in a remote training facility together. Of course we’re all insane.”

“I see you’re lumping yourself in with that group. Anything you want to tell me?”

“Oh sorry, I thought agreeing to marry you counted as insane.”

Maria elbows her in the side, arm moving to wrap around her waist, “It’s okay, I guess. I can be sane enough for the both of us.”

Nat feigns incredulity, “Oh, I never said you were sane,” She leans in to press a kiss to her fiancé’s lips,their breath mingling intimately, “You’re as crazy as the rest of us, Hill.”

The soft moment is broken by Tony cooing at them from the other side of the kitchen counter “Aw, now isn’t that just sweet.”

Steve smiles warmly at the pair of them from over Tony’s shoulder. Maria blushes minutely, but Nat just glares at them.

“I need you ladies to stay right there while I go and run the napkin samples,” Tony demands, and he sweeps dramatically out of the room, “I’ll be right back.”

Steve is distracted by the handwritten guest list when Maria leans back in toward Nat, “How in the world did Stark end up planning our wedding?”

“I honestly have no clue.”

“Do we even want any of this stuff? I don’t care about bouquets or any of this bullcrap.”

Nat shrugs, “There’s no reasoning with them. They’ve decided they’re gonna plan our wedding and now there’s nothing we can do to stop them. It’s how they work.”

“You know what would drive Stark absolutely insane beyond anything else?” Maria grins malevolently, whispers her plan in Nat’s ear.

Nat’s eyes glimmer, and she leans in to press a kiss to Maria’s lips, “I knew I agreed to marry you for a reason.”

Tony comes running back in the room then, going mad over the difference between eggshell and cream. Steve puts his hand over the speaker of his cell to ask if they’d prefer chocolate or vanilla. Nat gives a random answer. It doesn’t matter. What matters to her is that she and Maria love each other. That’s it. Nothing else matters. Maria nods along. They’re on the same page.

When Nat and Maria stride onto the compound Monday morning, Tony’s already in mad wedding planner mode. Steve hurriedly tells them that they have an appointment with the tailor in an hour. Tony’s saying about twenty different things at once.

“And then we have to meet with the florist. After the florist, we’re gonna visit the venue to approve the chairs. Then I’ll take you to this great place Pepper showed me and you can pick-“

“Hey, Tony?” Nat cuts him off. She’s got a shit-eating grin and one arm looped with Maria’s, “Wanna ses something cool?”

“I don’t have time to- what the fuck, Nat!”

Both brides show off their brand spanking new matching wedding rings, “Got married over the weekend, Stark.”

Steve nearly drops his phone, “Hey, uh, I’m gonna have to call you back.”

Maria smiles too, “Had a courthouse wedding. It was great. Clint and Sam were our witnesses. A federal judge signed the papers. We didn’t have to wear white.”

Tony’s face turns an alarming shade of red. It’s so bad that Steve has to grab his arm and ask him if he’s going to be okay. He can’t form coherent sentences, “I hate you both!” He manages as Steve drags him to his office to cool off.

Steve looks sheepishly back at them just before he closes the door, Tony already cursing violently from inside the room, “Hey, Maria?” Steve calls, one hand wrapped around the door, “Welcome to the family.”

[aion-rsa]

Who Is Taskmaster? Potential Black Widow Movie Villain Explained

https://ift.tt/2YTRS7v

The MCU might finally be introducing one of Marvel's coolest villains in Black Widow. Here's what he's about.

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With Marvel's MCU Phase 4 rapidly approaching, it’s almost surprising that it has taken this long for the Taskmaster to show his skull-covered face. Taskmaster has been taking on various Marvel heroes since 1980 and has gone on to star in two miniseries while getting the occasional supporting character role. He’s on that border where it was hard to tell whether he’d show up in the movies or get relegated to TV, showing up as a villain on Agents of SHIELD or something from the Defenders’ neck of the woods on Netflix. But now it appears that he'll be the villain of the Black Widow movie, which is coming in 2020.

Taskmaster first appeared in Avengers #195, created by David Michelinie and George Perez, mainly as a cliffhanger villain to set up his showcase in the next issue. A fifth-rate villain by the name of Pernell Solomon had a rather inconsequential plot involving cloning himself that ended badly, mostly because it exposed the Avengers to the existence of the Taskmaster and his secret villain school. You see, Taskmaster has a special power called “photographic” reflexes. If he sees someone perform an action – as long as it is a human movement – he can do the same on command. He’s essentially a greatest hits mixtape of every great warrior in the Marvel Universe.

But seriously, he can’t do superhuman stuff. He once tried to copy the movements of living cartoon character Slapstick and Bane’d himself.

At first he was going to become a superhero, but he realized that being a villain is where the money’s at. Then he came up with an even better and safer plan: keep the mercenary part of the job minimal and instead make money by teaching goons how to fight. If you’re joining Hydra or AIM and you want to know how to fight, just pay the guy who knows exactly how Captain America throws his shield so well and can perform Daredevil’s exact flips. He’d be able to make all that money using his skills while refraining from taking on superheroes head-on.

In his first appearance, Taskmaster easily took down Scott Lang Ant-Man, Hank Pym, and Wasp. He was even able to take on Captain America and Iron Man at the same time. His downfall was when he got in a one-on-one with Jocasta, who had no human movement to play off of, plus she was straight-up out of his league in terms of power. The other Avengers caught up and Taskmaster barely escaped.

In the years that followed, he remained the renowned villain coach while taking the occasional job if the money was right. Taskmaster was driven by greed as he had no trouble working for Crossbones or the US government if they paid up. During the memorable storyline where Steve Rogers was stripped of his Captain America title, the government had Taskmaster train John Walker, the star-spangled replacement who would later go on to be US Agent.

Marvel was weird about Taskmaster’s identity. For the longest time, they never gave him a real name, but they also didn’t seem to mind showing him unmasked from time to time. Like one time the Punisher nearly killed him and Daredevil later visited him in the hospital. Other than some bandages on his head, Taskmaster looked like a completely average white dude, albeit with a history of plastic surgery. We would eventually get some answers on his backstory, but there would be some contradictions.

Taskmaster appeared in the second issue of Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness’ legendary Deadpool run where Taskmaster kidnapped Deadpool’s sidekick/abused best friend Weasel. The showdown was played for laughs as Taskmaster, boasting about how he can read anyone’s movements and can predict your attacks before you even think about it, was completely helpless against the unpredictable Deadpool. Initially, this was supposed to build towards Taskmaster as a major nemesis for Deadpool during the Kelly run where the plan was that he’d start gaining the ability to inherit strategies the same way he inherits movements. That subplot was cut early on.

Regardless, Taskmaster remained a major part of Deadpool’s corner of the Marvel Universe and would appear in countless runs. While at times Taskmaster would be targeting Deadpool, other times, he would be his long-suffering partner in crime. One of their more memorable meet-ups had Taskmaster one of many hired guns working for a mobster against Deadpool and Spider-Man. Taskmaster whispered to Deadpool that his heart wasn’t really in it and offered to throw the fight for old time’s sake.

It was through that Deadpool connection that we got the brief “UDON Taskmaster” phase in the early '00s. The art studio UDON was drawing the Gail Simone run of Deadpool while also taking care of Ken Siu-Chong’s Taskmaster miniseries. The connecting tissue of this was mainly Sandi Brandenberg, a love interest to Taskmaster and secretary to Deadpool. But also, Taskmaster changed up his appearance, going from “albino Skeletor” to “street-wise Skull Man.” He was more gun-based than sword and shield.

The miniseries went deeper into his abilities, showing that he can remember every moment of his life with 100% clarity. He can also amp up his powers by watching fight footage in fast-forward, which makes him move at super speed at the cost of his body breaking down if he does it for too long. There’s also a neat anecdote about the pitfalls of his powers, as when he was a kid, he watched someone perform a perfect dive, copied it, and then almost drowned because he didn’t know how to swim.

Also, they finally revealed that Taskmaster’s real name is Tony Masters. Of course it is.

The miniseries and the cancellation of Deadpool coned into a new series called Agent X, centered around a scarred-up amnesiac named Alex Hayden who had Deadpool’s powers and personality and appeared months after Deadpool’s supposed death. Taskmaster was a major part of the series, taking time to be annoyed by Hayden’s antics, pining for Sandi, and being an all-around badass.

read more: Agent X: The Strange History of the Other Deadpool

While the UDON Taskmaster look showed up here and there, he was back to his original appearance by the time he was going after Moon Knight. He ended up getting more play thanks in part to Civil War and its aftermath, going from a member of the government’s pro-registration force to training cadets in Avengers: The Initiative. It was there that he became friends with one of his students, Eric O’Grady, the Irredeemable Ant-Man.

Once Norman Osborn took over the superhero wing of the government, Taskmaster briefly joined Osborn’s inner-circle of top villains, otherwise known as the Cabal. Taskmaster ultimately hated being Osborn’s whipping boy and secretly worked against him, eventually escaping and laughing when Osborn’s empire came crumbling down.

In 2011, Fred Van Lente and Jefte Palo joined together to create another Taskmaster miniseries, which was not only fantastic, but it added a few twists and retcons to the character’s backstory. It showed that Taskmaster answers to a higher power called the Org that calls him and gives him orders. Also, Taskmaster has a mental problem where he can only retain so much knowledge, so his brain tends to dump information that isn’t based on physical survival. In other words, he can fight in countless ways, but he can’t remember who he is or really anything about his past. Just a nagging feeling of unforgiveable guilt.

In this story, he protected a diner waitress named Mercedes from all sorts of assassins, only to discover that not only is Mercedes his Org handler, but she’s also his wife. Taskmaster is in fact a SHIELD agent who took a special kind of Super Soldier Serum that gave him his powers, but forces him to constantly forget the woman he loves. Hence the endless guilt.

There's also the thing that he's been unwittingly working for SHIELD all these years.

While that take on Taskmaster was eventually forgotten about (how fitting), it did lead to Avengers Academy member Finesse. Finesse is an Audrey Hepburn lookalike with powers exactly like Taskmaster’s who may or may not be his illegitimate daughter. When she tracked him down and fought him, it was heartbreaking to Taskmaster, as she only fought with copied movesets and he’d never be able to remember her for being her.

Since then, Taskmaster has shown up here and there, usually working alongside Black Ant, who is a robot duplicate of the Eric O’Grady Ant-Man. He tends to pop up whenever Marvel needs a throwaway villain and they’re tired of calling in the Wrecking Crew.

Outside of main continuity, Taskmaster’s shown up in a handful of alternate universe stories. One thing I find amusing is how there’s a What If issue based on the whole “John Walker as Captain America” storyline that has Taskmaster explain his powers by claiming to be a mutant because back then, nobody at Marvel thought too hard about how he got his skills. Then there’s House of M: Avengers, where Taskmaster does the same for the sake of fitting in with the high-status mutant community.

read more: Marvel Movies Release Schedule: Complete MCU Timeline

Taskmaster only showed up in the Ultimate comics towards the end of its run, but there wasn’t much to him. The only thing memorable was that they made him black.

The series Deadpool MAX reimagined Taskmaster as a grizzled and horny woman assassin who turned Wade Wilson into a killing machine and groomed him in the sexual sense. It's probably better that they didn’t go with this version of the character for the movie.

Taskmaster has shown up on several cartoons and in some video games. One of the more memorable is the recent Spider-Man for PlayStation 4 where he acts as a bonus threat, serving a similar purpose as Riddler in the Batman Arkham games. In a look that merged his classic appearance with his UDON appearance, he stalked Spider-Man through the city and came off as more of a knockoff of Deathstroke.

No wonder he and Deadpool keep crossing paths.

He's appeared in the trailer for Marvel's Avengers, which is pretty perfect, considering it will come out right around Black Widow, when the mainstream will presumably care about the skull-faced merc.

Lastly, I can’t help but mention Taskmaster’s appearance in Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Not just because you get to play as him and pull off sweet moves stolen from Hawkeye, Captain America, and Black Knight. Not just for his charming Brooklyn accent. Instead, it's for his rad-as-hell theme song.

Hopefully we'll hear this when he goes into action in Black Widow. I’m pumped for anything after listening to that song.

Read and download the Den of Geek SDCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

Gavin Jasper writes for Den of Geek and feels that if Taskmaster was more realistic, he’d be doing way more breakdancing. Read Gavin’s other articles here and follow him on Twitter @Gavin4L

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Feature

Movies

Gavin Jasper

Jul 18, 2019

Marvel

black widow

from Books https://ift.tt/32zDd3x

[justforbooks]

If Stan Lee revolutionized the comic book world in the 1960s, which he did, he left as big a stamp — maybe bigger — on the even wider pop culture landscape of today.

Think of “Spider-Man,” the blockbuster movie franchise and Broadway spectacle. Think of “Iron Man,” another Hollywood gold-mine series personified by its star, Robert Downey Jr. Think of “Black Panther,” the box-office superhero smash that shattered big screen racial barriers in the process.

And that is to say nothing of the Hulk, the X-Men, Thor and other film and television juggernauts that have stirred the popular imagination and made many people very rich.

If all that entertainment product can be traced to one person, it would be Stan Lee, who died in Los Angeles on Monday at 95. From a cluttered office on Madison Avenue in Manhattan in the 1960s, he helped conjure a lineup of pulp-fiction heroes that has come to define much of popular culture in the early 21st century.

Mr. Lee was a central player in the creation of those characters and more, all properties of Marvel Comics. Indeed, he was for many the embodiment of Marvel, if not comic books in general, overseeing the company’s emergence as an international media behemoth. A writer, editor, publisher, Hollywood executive and tireless promoter (of Marvel and of himself), he played a critical role in what comics fans call the medium’s silver age.

Many believe that Marvel, under his leadership and infused with his colorful voice, crystallized that era, one of exploding sales, increasingly complex characters and stories, and growing cultural legitimacy for the medium. (Marvel’s chief competitor at the time, National Periodical Publications, now known as DC — the home of Superman and Batman, among other characters — augured this period, with its 1956 update of its superhero the Flash, but did not define it.)

Under Mr. Lee, Marvel transformed the comic book world by imbuing its characters with the self-doubts and neuroses of average people, as well an awareness of trends and social causes and, often, a sense of humor.

In humanizing his heroes, giving them character flaws and insecurities that belied their supernatural strengths, Mr. Lee tried “to make them real flesh-and-blood characters with personality,” he told The Washington Post in 1992.

Energetic, gregarious, optimistic and alternately grandiose and self-effacing, Mr. Lee was an effective salesman, employing a Barnumesque syntax in print (“Face front, true believer!” “Make mine Marvel!”) to market Marvel’s products to a rabid following.

He charmed readers with jokey, conspiratorial comments and asterisked asides in narrative panels, often referring them to previous issues. In 2003 he told The Los Angeles Times, “I wanted the reader to feel we were all friends, that we were sharing some private fun that the outside world wasn’t aware of.”

Though Mr. Lee was often criticized for his role in denying rights and royalties to his artistic collaborators , his involvement in the conception of many of Marvel’s best-known characters is indisputable.

He was born Stanley Martin Lieber on Dec. 28, 1922, in Manhattan, the older of two sons born to Jack Lieber, an occasionally employed dress cutter, and Celia (Solomon) Lieber, both immigrants from Romania. The family moved to the Bronx.

Stanley began reading Shakespeare at 10 while also devouring pulp magazines, the novels of Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Mark Twain, and the swashbuckler movies of Errol Flynn.

He graduated at 17 from DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx and aspired to be a writer of serious literature. He was set on the path to becoming a different kind of writer when, after a few false starts at other jobs, he was hired at Timely Publications, a company owned by Martin Goodman, a relative who had made his name in pulp magazines and was entering the comics field.

Mr. Lee was initially paid $8 a week as an office gofer. Eventually he was writing and editing stories, many in the superhero genre.

At Timely he worked with the artist Jack Kirby (1917-94), who, with a writing partner, Joe Simon, had created the hit character Captain America, and who would eventually play a vital role in Mr. Lee’s career. When Mr. Simon and Mr. Kirby, Timely’s hottest stars, were lured away by a rival company, Mr. Lee was appointed chief editor.

As a writer, Mr. Lee could be startlingly prolific. “Almost everything I’ve ever written I could finish at one sitting,” he once said. “I’m a fast writer. Maybe not the best, but the fastest.”

Mr. Lee used several pseudonyms to give the impression that Marvel had a large stable of writers; the name that stuck was simply his first name split in two. (In the 1970s, he legally changed Lieber to Lee.)

During World War II, Mr. Lee wrote training manuals stateside in the Army Signal Corps while moonlighting as a comics writer. In 1947, he married Joan Boocock, a former model who had moved to New York from her native England.

His daughter Joan Celia Lee, who is known as J. C., was born in 1950; another daughter, Jan, died three days after birth in 1953. Mr. Lee’s wife died in 2017.

A lawyer for Ms. Lee, Kirk Schenck, confirmed Mr. Lee’s death, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

In addition to his daughter, he is survived by Ms. Lee and his younger brother, Larry Lieber, who drew the “Amazing Spider-Man” syndicated newspaper strip for years.

In the mid-1940s, the peak of the golden age of comic books, sales boomed. But later, as plots and characters turned increasingly lurid (especially at EC, a Marvel competitor that published titles like Tales From the Crypt and The Vault of Horror), many adults clamored for censorship. In 1954, a Senate subcommittee led by the Tennessee Democrat Estes Kefauver held hearings investigating allegations that comics promoted immorality and juvenile delinquency.

Feeding the senator’s crusade was the psychiatrist Fredric Wertham’s 1954 anti-comics jeremiad, “Seduction of the Innocent.” Among other claims, the book contended that DC’s “Batman stories” — featuring the team of Batman and Robin — were “psychologically homosexual.”

Choosing to police itself rather than accept legislation, the comics industry established the Comics Code Authority to ensure wholesome content. Gore and moral ambiguity were out, but so largely were wit, literary influences and attention to social issues. Innocuous cookie-cutter exercises in genre were in.

Many found the sanitized comics boring, and — with the new medium of television providing competition — readership, which at one point had reached 600 million sales annually, declined by almost three-quarters within a few years.

With the dimming of superhero comics’ golden age, Mr. Lee tired of grinding out generic humor, romance, western and monster stories for what had by then become Atlas Comics. Reaching a career impasse in his 30s, he was encouraged by his wife to write the comics he wanted to, not merely what was considered marketable. And Mr. Goodman, his boss, spurred by the popularity of a rebooted Flash (and later Green Lantern) at DC, wanted him to revisit superheroes.

Mr. Lee took Mr. Goodman up on his suggestion, but he carried its implications much further.

In 1961, Mr. Lee and Mr. Kirby — whom he had brought back years before to the company, now known as Marvel — produced the first issue of The Fantastic Four, about a superpowered team with humanizing dimensions: nonsecret identities, internal squabbles and, in the orange-rock-skinned Thing, self-torment. It was a hit.

Other Marvel titles — like the Lee-Kirby creation The Incredible Hulk, a modern Jekyll-and-Hyde story about a decent man transformed by radiation into a monster — offered a similar template. The quintessential Lee hero, introduced in 1962 and created with the artist Steve Ditko (1927-2018), was Spider-Man.

A timid high school intellectual who gained his powers when bitten by a radioactive spider, Spider-Man was prone to soul-searching, leavened with wisecracks — a key to the character’s lasting popularity across multiple entertainment platforms, including movies and a Broadway musical.

Mr. Lee’s dialogue encompassed Catskills shtick, like Spider-Man’s patter in battle; Elizabethan idioms, like Thor’s; and working-class Lower East Side swagger, like the Thing’s. It could also include dime-store poetry, as in this eco-oratory about humans, uttered by the Silver Surfer, a space alien:

“And yet — in their uncontrollable insanity — in their unforgivable blindness — they seek to destroy this shining jewel — this softly spinning gem — this tiny blessed sphere — which men call Earth!”

Mr. Lee practiced what he called the Marvel method: Instead of handing artists scripts to illustrate, he summarized stories and let the artists draw them and fill in plot details as they chose. He then added sound effects and dialogue. Sometimes he would discover on penciled pages that new characters had been added to the narrative. Such surprises (like the Silver Surfer, a Kirby creation and a Lee favorite) would lead to questions of character ownership.

Mr. Lee was often faulted for not adequately acknowledging the contributions of his illustrators, especially Mr. Kirby. Spider-Man became Marvel’s best-known property, but Mr. Ditko, its co-creator, quit Marvel in bitterness in 1966. Mr. Kirby, who visually designed countless characters, left in 1969. Though he reunited with Mr. Lee for a Silver Surfer graphic novel in 1978, their heyday had ended.

Many comic fans believe that Mr. Kirby was wrongly deprived of royalties and original artwork in his lifetime, and for years the Kirby estate sought to acquire rights to characters that Mr. Kirby and Mr. Lee had created together. Mr. Kirby’s heirs were long rebuffed in court on the grounds that he had done “work for hire” — in other words, that he had essentially sold his art without expecting royalties.

In September 2014, Marvel and the Kirby estate reached a settlement. Mr. Lee and Mr. Kirby now both receive credit on numerous screen productions based on their work.

Mr. Lee moved to Los Angeles in 1980 to develop Marvel properties, but most of his attempts at live-action television and movies were disappointing. (The series “The Incredible Hulk,” seen on CBS from 1978 to 1982, was an exception.)

Avi Arad, an executive at Toy Biz, a company in which Marvel had bought a controlling interest, began to revive the company’s Hollywood fortunes, particularly with an animated “X-Men” series on Fox, which ran from 1992 to 1997. (Its success helped pave the way for the live-action big-screen “X-Men” franchise, which has flourished since its first installment, in 2000.)

In the late 1990s, Mr. Lee was named chairman emeritus at Marvel and began to explore outside projects. While his personal appearances (including charging fans $120 for an autograph) were one source of income, later attempts to create wholly owned superhero properties foundered. Stan Lee Media, a digital content start-up, crashed in 2000 and landed his business partner, Peter F. Paul, in prison for securities fraud. (Mr. Lee was never charged.)

In 2001, Mr. Lee started POW! Entertainment (the initials stand for “purveyors of wonder”), but he received almost no income from Marvel movies and TV series until he won a court fight with Marvel Enterprises in 2005, leading to an undisclosed settlement costing Marvel $10 million. In 2009, the Walt Disney Company, which had agreed to pay $4 billion to acquire Marvel, announced that it had paid $2.5 million to increase its stake in POW!

In Mr. Lee’s final years, after the death of his wife, the circumstances of his business affairs and contentious financial relationship with his surviving daughter attracted attention in the news media. In 2018, Mr. Lee was embroiled in disputes with POW!, and The Daily Beast and The Hollywood Reporter ran accounts of fierce infighting among Mr. Lee’s daughter, household staff and business advisers. The Hollywood Reporter claimed “elder abuse.”

In February 2018, Mr. Lee signed a notarized document declaring that three men — a lawyer, a caretaker of Mr. Lee’s and a dealer in memorabilia — had “insinuated themselves into relationships with J. C. for an ulterior motive and purpose,” to “gain control over my assets, property and money.” He later withdrew his claim, but longtime aides of his — an assistant, an accountant and a housekeeper — were either dismissed or greatly limited in their contact with him.

In a profile in The New York Times in April, a cheerful Mr. Lee said, “I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” adding that “my daughter has been a great help to me” and that “life is pretty good” — although he admitted in that same interview, “I’ve been very careless with money.”

Marvel movies, however, have proved a cash cow for major studios, if not so much for Mr. Lee. With the blockbuster “Spider-Man” in 2002, Marvel superhero films hit their stride. Such movies (including franchises starring Iron Man, Thor and the superhero team the Avengers, to name but three) together had grossed more than $24 billion worldwide as of April.

“Black Panther,” the first Marvel movie directed by an African-American (Ryan Coogler) and starring an almost all-black cast, took in about $201.8 million domestically when it opened over the four-day Presidents’ Day weekend this year, the fifth-biggest opening of all time.

Many other film properties are in development, in addition to sequels in established franchises. Characters Mr. Lee had a hand in creating now enjoy a degree of cultural penetration they have never had before.

Mr. Lee wrote a slim memoir, “Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee,” with George Mair, published in 2002. His 2015 book, “Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir” (written with Peter David and illustrated in comic-book form by Colleen Doran), pays abundant credit to the artists many fans believed he had shortchanged years before.

Recent Marvel films and TV shows have also often credited Mr. Lee’s former collaborators; Mr. Lee himself has almost always received an executive producer credit. His cameo appearances in them became something of a tradition. (Even “Teen Titans Go! to the Movies,” an animated feature in 2018 about a DC superteam, had more than one Lee cameo.) TV shows bearing his name or presence have included the reality series “Stan Lee’s Superhumans” and the competition show “Who Wants to Be a Superhero?”

Mr. Lee’s unwavering energy suggested that he possessed superpowers himself. (In his 90s he had a Twitter account, @TheRealStanlee.) And the National Endowment for the Arts acknowledged as much when it awarded him a National Medal of Arts in 2008. But he was frustrated, like all humans, by mortality.

“I want to do more movies, I want to do more television, more DVDs, more multi-sodes, I want to do more lecturing, I want to do more of everything I’m doing,” he said in “With Great Power …: The Stan Lee Story,” a 2010 television documentary. “The only problem is time. I just wish there were more time.”

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[tadpolepublication]

By Jonathan Kandell and Andy Webster

Nov. 12, 2018

Leer en español

Stan Lee, who as chief writer and editor of Marvel Comics helped create some of the most enduring superheroes of the 20th century and was a major force behind the breakout successes of the comic-book industry in the 1960s and early ’70s, died on Monday in Los Angeles. He was 95.

His death, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, was confirmed by Kirk Schenck, a lawyer for Mr. Lee’s daughter, J. C. Lee.

Mr. Lee was for many the embodiment of Marvel, if not comic books in general, and oversaw his company’s emergence as an international media behemoth. A writer, editor, publisher, Hollywood executive and tireless promoter (of Marvel and of himself), he played a critical role in what comics fans call the medium’s silver age.

Many believe that Marvel, under his leadership and infused with his colorful voice, crystallized that era, one of exploding sales, increasingly complex characters and stories, and growing cultural legitimacy for the medium. (Marvel’s chief competitor at the time, National Periodical Publications, now known as DC — the home of Superman and Batman, among countless other characters — augured this period but did not define it, with its 1956 update of its superhero the Flash.)

Mr. Lee was a central player in the creation of Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor and the many other superheroes who, as properties of Marvel Comics, now occupy vast swaths of the pop culture landscape in movies and on television.

Under Mr. Lee, Marvel revolutionized the comic book world by imbuing its characters with the self-doubts and neuroses of average people, as well an awareness of trends and social causes and, often, a sense of humor.

In humanizing his heroes, giving them character flaws and insecurities that belied their supernatural strengths, Mr. Lee tried “to make them real flesh-and-blood characters with personality,” he told The Washington Post in 1992.

“That’s what any story should have, but comics didn’t have until that point,” he said. “They were all cardboard figures.”

Energetic, gregarious, optimistic and alternately grandiose and self-effacing, Mr. Lee was an effective salesman, employing a Barnumesque syntax in print (“Face front, true believer!” “Make mine Marvel!”) to market Marvel’s products to a rabid following.

He charmed readers with jokey, conspiratorial comments and asterisked asides in narrative panels, often referring them to previous issues. In 2003 he told The Los Angeles Times, “I wanted the reader to feel we were all friends, that we were sharing some private fun that the outside world wasn’t aware of.”

Though Mr. Lee was often criticized for his role in denying rights and royalties to his artistic collaborators , his involvement in the conception of many of Marvel’s best-known characters is indisputable.

Reading Shakespeare at 10

He was born Stanley Martin Lieber on Dec. 28, 1922, in Manhattan, the older of two sons born to Jack Lieber, an occasionally employed dress cutter, and Celia (Solomon) Lieber, both immigrants from Romania. The family moved to the Bronx.

Stanley began reading Shakespeare at 10 while also devouring pulp magazines, the novels of Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Mark Twain, and the swashbuckler movies of Errol Flynn.

He graduated at 17 from DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx and aspired to be a writer of serious literature. He was set on the path to becoming a different kind of writer when, after a few false starts at other jobs, he was hired at Timely Publications, a company owned by Martin Goodman, a relative who had made his name in pulp magazines and was entering the comics field.

Mr. Lee was initially paid $8 a week as an office gofer. Eventually he was writing and editing stories, many in the superhero genre.

Stan Lee

At Timely he worked with the artist Jack Kirby (1917-94), who, with a writing partner, Joe Simon, had created the hit character Captain America, and who would eventually play a vital role in Mr. Lee’s career. When Mr. Simon and Mr. Kirby, Timely’s hottest stars, were lured away by a rival company, Mr. Lee was appointed chief editor.

As a writer, Mr. Lee could be startlingly prolific. “Almost everything I’ve ever written I could finish at one sitting,” he once said. “I’m a fast writer. Maybe not the best, but the fastest.”

Mr. Lee used several pseudonyms to give the impression that Marvel had a large stable of writers; the name that stuck was simply his first name split in two. (In the 1970s, he legally changed Lieber to Lee.)

During World War II, Mr. Lee wrote training manuals stateside in the Army Signal Corps while moonlighting as a comics writer. In 1947, he married Joan Boocock, a former model who had moved to New York from her native England.

His daughter Joan Celia Lee was born in 1950; another daughter, Jan, died three days after birth in 1953. Mr. Lee’s wife died in 2017. He ism, survived by Ms. Lee and his younger brother, Larry Lieber, who drew the “Amazing Spider-Man” syndicated newspaper strip for years.

In the mid-1940s, the peak of the golden age of comic books, sales boomed. But later, as plots and characters turned increasingly lurid (especially at EC, a Marvel competitor that published titles like Tales From the Crypt and The Vault of Horror), many adults clamored for censorship. In 1954, a Senate subcommittee led by the Tennessee Democrat Estes Kefauver held hearings investigating allegations that comics promoted immorality and juvenile delinquency.

Feeding the senator’s crusade was the psychiatrist Fredric Wertham’s 1954 anti-comics jeremiad, “Seduction of the Innocent.” Among other claims, the book contended that DC’s “Batman stories” — featuring the team of Batman and Robin — were “psychologically homosexual.”

Opting to police itself rather than accept legislation, the comics industry established the Comics Code Authority to ensure wholesome content. Graphic gore and moral ambiguity were out, but so largely were wit, literary influences and attention to social issues. Innocuous cookie-cutter exercises in genre were in.

Many found the sanitized comics boring, and — with the new medium of television providing competition — readership, which at one point had reached 600 million sales annually, declined by almost three-quarters within a few years.

With the dimming of superhero comics’ golden age, Mr. Lee grew tired of grinding out generic humor, romance, western and monster stories for what had by then become Atlas Comics. Reaching a career impasse in his 30s, he was encouraged by his wife to write the comics he wanted to, not merely what was considered marketable. And Mr. Goodman, his boss, spurred by the popularity of a rebooted Flash (and later Green Lantern) at DC, wanted him to revisit superheroes.

Mr. Lee took Mr. Goodman up on his suggestion, but he carried its implications much further.

Enter the Fantastic Four

In 1961, Mr. Lee and Mr. Kirby — whom he had brought back years before to the company, now known as Marvel — produced the first issue of The Fantastic Four, about a superpowered team with humanizing dimensions: nonsecret identities, internal squabbles and, in the orange-rock-skinned Thing, self-torment. It was a hit.

Other Marvel titles — like the Lee-Kirby creation The Incredible Hulk, a modern Jekyll-and-Hyde story about a decent man transformed by radiation into a monster — offered a similar template. The quintessential Lee hero, introduced in 1962 and created with the artist Steve Ditko (1927-2018), was Spider-Man.

A timid high school intellectual who gained his powers when bitten by a radioactive spider, Spider-Man was prone to soul-searching, leavened with wisecracks — a key to the character’s lasting popularity across multiple entertainment platforms, including movies and a Broadway musical.

Mr. Lee’s dialogue encompassed Catskills shtick, like Spider-Man’s patter in battle; Elizabethan idioms, like Thor’s; and working-class Lower East Side swagger, like the Thing’s. It could also include dime-store poetry, as in this eco-oratory about humans, uttered by the Silver Surfer, a space alien:

“And yet — in their uncontrollable insanity — in their unforgivable blindness — they seek to destroy this shining jewel — this softly spinning gem — this tiny blessed sphere — which men call Earth!”

Mr. Lee practiced what he called the Marvel method: Instead of handing artists scripts to illustrate, he summarized stories and let the artists draw them and fill in plot details as they chose. He then added sound effects and dialogue. Sometimes he would discover on penciled pages that new characters had been added to the narrative. Such surprises (like the Silver Surfer, a Kirby creation and a Lee favorite) would lead to questions of character ownership.

Mr. Lee was often faulted for not adequately acknowledging the contributions of his illustrators, especially Mr. Kirby. Spider-Man became Marvel’s best-known property, but Mr. Ditko, its co-creator, quit Marvel in bitterness in 1966. Mr. Kirby, who visually designed countless characters, left in 1969. Though he reunited with Mr. Lee for a Silver Surfer graphic novel in 1978, their heyday had ended.

Many comic fans believe that Mr. Kirby was wrongly deprived of royalties and original artwork in his lifetime, and for years the Kirby estate sought to acquire rights to characters that Mr. Kirby and Mr. Lee had created together. Mr. Kirby’s heirs were long rebuffed in court on the grounds that he had done “work for hire” — in other words, that he had essentially sold his art without expecting royalties.

In September 2014, Marvel and the Kirby estate reached a settlement. Mr. Lee and Mr. Kirby now both receive credit on numerous screen productions based on their work.

Turning to Live Action

Mr. Lee moved to Los Angeles in 1980 to develop Marvel properties, but most of his attempts at live-action television and movies were disappointing. (The series “The Incredible Hulk,” seen on CBS from 1978 to 1982, was an exception.)

Avi Arad, an executive at Toy Biz, a company in which Marvel had bought a controlling interest, began to revive the company’s Hollywood fortunes, particularly with an animated “X-Men” series on Fox, which ran from 1992 to 1997. (Its success helped pave the way for the live-action big-screen “X-Men” franchise, which has flourished since its first installment, in 2000.)

In the late 1990s, Mr. Lee was named chairman emeritus at Marvel and began to explore outside projects. While his personal appearances (including charging fans $120 for an autograph) were one source of income, later attempts to create wholly owned superhero properties foundered. Stan Lee Media, a digital content start-up, crashed in 2000 and landed his business partner, Peter F. Paul, in prison for securities fraud. (Mr. Lee was never charged.)

In 2001, Mr. Lee started POW! Entertainment (the initials stand for “purveyors of wonder”), but he received almost no income from Marvel movies and TV series until he won a court fight with Marvel Enterprises in 2005, leading to an undisclosed settlement costing Marvel $10 million. In 2009, the Walt Disney Company, which had agreed to pay $4 billion to acquire Marvel, announced that it had paid $2.5 million to increase its stake in POW!

In Mr. Lee’s final years, after the death of his wife, the circumstances of his business affairs and contentious financial relationship with his surviving daughter attracted attention in the news media. In 2018, Mr. Lee was embroiled in disputes with POW!, and The Daily Beast and The Hollywood Reporter ran accounts of fierce infighting among Mr. Lee’s daughter, household staff and business advisers. The Hollywood Reporter claimed “elder abuse.”

In February 2018, Mr. Lee signed a notarized document declaring that three men — a lawyer, a caretaker of Mr. Lee’s and a dealer in memorabilia — had “insinuated themselves into relationships with J. C. for an ulterior motive and purpose,” to “gain control over my assets, property and money.” He later withdrew his claim, but longtime aides of his — an assistant, an accountant and a housekeeper — were either dismissed or greatly limited in their contact with him.

In a profile in The New York Times in April, a cheerful Mr. Lee said, “I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” adding that “my daughter has been a great help to me” and that ���life is pretty good” — although he admitted in that same interview, “I’ve been very careless with money.”

Marvel movies, however, have proved a cash cow for major studios, if not so much for Mr. Lee. With the blockbuster “Spider-Man” in 2002, Marvel superhero films hit their stride. Such movies (including franchises starring Iron Man, Thor and the superhero team the Avengers, to name but three) together had grossed more than $24 billion worldwide as of April.

“Black Panther,” the first Marvel movie directed by an African-American (Ryan Coogler) and starring an almost all-black cast, took in about $201.8 million domestically when it opened over the four-day Presidents’ Day weekend this year, the fifth-biggest opening of all time.

Many other film properties are in development, in addition to sequels in established franchises. Characters Mr. Lee had a hand in creating now enjoy a degree of cultural penetration they have never had before.

Mr. Lee wrote a slim memoir, “Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee,” with George Mair, published in 2002. His 2015 book, “Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir” (written with Peter David and illustrated in comic-book form by Colleen Doran), pays abundant credit to the artists many fans believed he had shortchanged years before.

Mr. Lee continued writing to the end. His first novel, “A Trick of Light,” written with Kat Rosenfield, is scheduled to be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt next year.

Recent Marvel films and TV shows have also often credited Mr. Lee’s former collaborators; Mr. Lee himself has almost always received an executive producer credit. His cameo appearances in them became something of a tradition. (Even “Teen Titans Go! to the Movies,” an animated feature in 2018 about a DC superteam, had more than one Lee cameo.) TV shows bearing his name or presence have included the reality series “Stan Lee’s Superhumans” and the competition show “Who Wants to Be a Superhero?”

Mr. Lee’s unwavering energy suggested that he possessed superpowers himself. (In his 90s he had a Twitter account, @TheRealStanlee.) And the National Endowment for the Arts acknowledged as much when it awarded him a National Medal of Arts in 2008. But he was frustrated, like all humans, by mortality.

“I want to do more movies, I want to do more television, more DVDs, more multi-sodes, I want to do more lecturing, I want to do more of everything I’m doing,” he said in “With Great Power …: The Stan Lee Story,” a 2010 television documentary. “The only problem is time. I just wish there were more time.”

Correction: November 12, 2018

An earlier version of this obituary misstated the amount of money the Marvel movie “Black Panther” has made worldwide. It is more than $1.3 billion, not $426 million.

Correction: November 12, 2018

An earlier version of this obituary misstated the last year of the animated “X-Men” series that made its debut on Fox in 1992. It lasted until 1997, not 1995.

Daniel E. Slotnik contributed reporting

[framedepth]

A Defense of Iron Man 2

With the world currently preparing to probably be somewhat “whelmed” by the upcoming mega-crossover Avengers: Infinity War, I, like most of the film-viewing planet, have been re-watching the Marvel oeuvre in order to enter the correct headspace to really take in what that movie is going to be. The product of a ten-year long waiting game that most audiences have been more than happy to play, built on the foundation of a 2008 film that set the film industry on a path that we’re still going to be following another ten years from now. I’m still early into this project of sitting on my couch and reliving so many memories of speculating with high school friends about what superhero the next end-credits scene will tease, and it has already given me some shocking realizations: the first Iron Man is still the best Marvel movie, Captain America: The First Avenger isn’t the rollicking, Indiana Jones-esque adventure classic I remembered it being, and, maybe most shocking to even the biggest Marvel fans, Iron Man 2 is still just as good as I thought it was when I was 16.

I so often see it ranked in the bottom five of the Marvel listings, and because it has been a few years since I watched it incessantly following the Blu-Ray release, I figured it was a movie that just hadn’t aged well when compared to the more recent Marvel works. Despite my loving it upon release, I never argued for its merits when people declared it the “worst Marvel film”, or “boring”, or “meandering”. I’ve been a life-long Iron Man fan, first of him as a character in video games before getting into the many, many trade paperback collections of his solo comics. My obsession with Tony Stark made me completely eat up anything Marvel Studios put out featuring him until recent years, when I had the realization during my first screening of Captain America: Civil War that I didn’t care that I was seeing Iron Man in a movie anymore. And I realized I hadn’t cared when I saw the Hulkbuster in Avengers: Age of Ultron either. I enjoy both movies fine, but Robert Downey, Jr.’s Tony Stark doesn’t give me that same jolt of excitement he did just a few years previous. It could be a writing or performance issue, but I think the real reason is that Tony Stark has stopped growing as a person in any kind of believable way. When taking a look back at the first two Iron Man films, and from my memories of the third, Tony used to feel like a real person that had real issues to overcome.

2008′s Iron Man showed us a man being forced to experience all of the damage he has been causing the world first-hand, and being broken by this. When he emerges from that cave in that armor, he is beginning the journey down a path to becoming a better person. Tony spends a lot of that movie being angry, of course at Obadiah Stane and the Ten Rings, but mostly at himself, for creating the monster that took the lives of Yinsen, his family, and nearly Tony himself. He failed to see that he inadvertently had been arming both sides of the war on terror, taking money from both the military industrial complex and the terrorists that kill young American soldiers, and spending that money on alcohol and sex. That rage is what fuels Tony in that film, and allows him to purge Stark Industries of Obadiah Stane, the first steps into making up for the terrible things he has been doing for his whole life.

Thinking this is enough to be a better person, Tony reverts back to some of his old ways, but now equipped with the Iron Man armor and a whole new level of fame he didn’t even know was possible. This is where we begin Iron Man 2, where he is once again bragging about how he has achieved peace through his designs, and reveling in the fact that he has the press and the public groveling at his feet. It is no question then that he and Pepper Potts have gone back to their familiar dynamic as well, as he is not yet ready for that level of commitment to anything. He is also drinking more than he ever has before, a characteristic that his comic book counterpart had been known for best before any sort of film adaptation came around. Alongside all of this toxic behavior is a handy plot-device of the palladium core in his arc reactor poisoning his blood, which gets worse as his attitude and decision-making does. Of course, the higher the percentage gets, the crazier his decisions and personality become, as he tries to comes to grips with his imminent death, creating a sort of feedback loop that causes things to spiral for him. This is where Tony starts to become aware of the other parts of himself he must purge if he is to complete the journey he began when he stomped out of that cave in that hulking grey armor.

If this weren’t already too much for Tony to deal with, the movie also introduces one of the roots for the various character flaws Tony has under his belt, his father Howard Stark. A mixture of Walt Disney and Howard Hughes, Howard Stark is first introduced as a genial, smiling older man standing next to a model of “the city of the future”, putting on his best face for the American public. But he is later referred to as a “lion” by the Justin Hammer, and as a “thief” and a “butcher” by Ivan Vanko. Like Tony, Howard had a duel life, one as a cheery hero to the common man and another as a death dealing weapons manufacturer. He never got around to being a father to Tony Stark, who was following in his exact footsteps right up until the shrapnel entered his chest. But in a video revealed to him by Nick Fury, Tony sees that Howard went through the same struggle of identity, and also had to come to grips with all of the terror and pain that he has unleashed upon the world. Howard’s method for redeeming his incredibly spotty legacy is Tony himself, and leaves him a secret within the Stark Expo floorplans in an attempt to rebuild the world he once helped destroy. Similarly, Tony realizes that his gift to the world is Iron Man, but has been wasting that gift on himself. This is of course all mixed in with Hammer and Vanko making plays against Stark, as well as Black Widow being set-up for her inclusion in the rest of the franchise.

All of that would be well and good, except for the frustrating fact that not a lot of these very disparate and seemingly unrelated plot threads are not fully resolved till later movies or just not picked up at all. Tony’s drinking comes to a head in this film in a scene in which Tony pilots the suit drunk in order to appease a house full of partygoers and nearly decapitates a few with a repulsor beam, but this is seemingly glossed over by a fight he has with Rhodey minutes later. He experiences no real consequences for being an out of control alcoholic, and it still has not been addressed as of Civil War, and I highly doubt it will come to pass in either of the Infinity War movies. It really seemed to be the big emotional climax that the first two films were building to, the final “demon” that Tony would have to conquer on his road to betterment. Instead, he receives a much needed humbling moment when he enters the wormhole at the end of The Avengers, and sees that the universe is much grander than he anticipated. That continues the arc of his personality issues and carries into Iron Man 3, and we see a much more cooperative Tony from thereon out. Iron Man 3 completes his identity crisis by proving to him that he is not overshadowed by his work, either good or bad, like he fears he will be in that cave in the first film, and showing that he still has things to offer the world despite just being “a man in a can”. The less said about what Age of Ultron and Civil War do for Tony’s character, the better. At this point, his character is completely dependent on what the plot needs it to be. I have already forgotten much of what he does in Spider-Man: Homecoming, but I do remember thinking the mentor role serves him well.

So why defend Iron Man 2 if it fails to deliver on the plots it sets up? Mainly because it dares to address these things in the first place. The only other movies in the Marvel canon to come close to the level of introspection Iron Man 2 attempts to do are Iron Man 3 and Black Panther. The moments we see of John Slattery’s Howard Stark are eye-opening in terms of Tony’s character, and show that he does have something to relate to his father over. The many attempts to recreate the Iron Man armor show Tony that what he thinks is the ultimate arbiter of peace by way of obsolescence is just the opening of a can of worms that may lead to the next arms race. It asks if Tony Stark can truly overcome his immoral past, or if he is doomed to be the leader on the world’s ultimate path to the apocalypse, despite what his intentions may be. That’s not a question that gets asked in your more typical Marvel fare, which many people still claim this movie is.

Secondly, while there are of course things to tear apart story, character, and performance wise in some areas, the action and effects are top notch. Black Panther this year showed how bad VFX can be in blockbusters, but that is not something Iron Man 2 suffers from, even eight years out. While it is infuriatingly short, watching Iron Man and War Machine fight the Hammer drones works as pure spectacle, to say nothing of the entire chase sequence that precedes it. There have been of course better action sequences out of Marvel since then, but it has been a very close race with the climax of this film always in the discussion for me.

Lastly, Sam Rockwell’s performance as Justin Hammer makes it a true tragedy that he no longer seems to be a part of the MCU in spite of the fact that he is one of the few Marvel villains to survive the entire run-time of a film. He does make a brief cameo in the short film All Hail the King, but it is not nearly enough for what he deserves. Rockwell was in the running to play Tony in the first film, and it’s not too hard to imagine an alternate universe where we see a pre-shrapnel Tony acting very similarly to Hammer in this film. In different moments he can be smooth, buffoonish, intimidating, and weaselly. He deserves to return in Iron Man 4 (if we are ever blessed enough to receive one) for the dance he does onto the expo stage alone.

I’m not calling for a complete critical re-evaluation of Iron Man 2 in order to establish it as one of the best films of the decade or anything, I just wanted to call attention to the fact that there seems to be more going on in the movie than people give it credit for. It of course doesn’t hold a candle to its predecessor, but it does shine some lights on Tony’s character that would have been extremely fascinating threads to follow had things gone differently with the franchise. My only hope is that Infinity War cares enough to make it seem as though Tony Stark is a real person again.

[v-writings]

An Analysis of Peter and Tony’s interactions in Civil War

or Why Tony Should Have Never Been Peter’s Mentor in Homecoming

Since the release of Homecoming, I saw a lot of people freaking out over the “adorable” relationship between Peter and Tony in it and I honestly thought that once I finally watched it— if I considered it as something that happened in a vacuum and ignored the events of Civil War— I would have been able to see it as a bit sweet (at best). I waited to post this because I really went into the theater with hopes that the movie would offer me at least one short interaction that would make what happened during Civil War at least a little easier to stomach, but that never happened. Watching Homecoming only cemented the thoughts and opinions I already had on this matter.

My goal is to explain why I think that Peter and Tony’s interactions in Civil War and the things Tony did should have been more than enough reason for Peter to never see him again instead of showcasing him as a father figure. I will only cover Peter and Tony’s scenes during Civil War without taking into account any elements from Tony’s past or previous movies. This is about Peter. I only mention elements from Homecoming a couple of times when they are too relevant to ignore, and they have all already come out in trailers or movie clips.

Let’s begin.

The Meeting

Natasha: I have an idea. Tony: Me too. Where’s yours? […] Peter: What are you doing here? Tony: It’s about time we met. You’ve been getting my emails, right? [Tony winks, indicating Peter that he wants him to go with his lie. Within FIVE SECONDS of introducing himself to him, Tony is asking Peter to lie to his aunt for him. Unsurprisingly, Peter goes with it.] Peter: Yeah. Yeah. Tony: Right? Peter: Regarding the… May: You didn’t even tell me about the grant. Peter: About the grant. Tony: The September Foundation. Peter: Right. Tony: Yeah. Remember when you applied? Peter: Yeah. Tony: I approved, so now we’re in business. May: But you didn’t tell me anything. What’s up with that? You keeping secrets from me now? Peter: I just know how much you love surprises so I thought I would let you know… Anyway, what did I apply for? Tony: That’s what I’m here to hash out. Peter: Okay. Hash it out, okay. Tony: It’s so hard for me to believe that she’s someone’s aunt. May: Yeah, well, we come in all shapes and sizes, you know? Tony: This walnut date loaf is exceptional. Peter: Let me just stop you there. Tony: Yeah. Peter: Is this grant got money involved or whatever? No? Tony: Yeah, it’s pretty well funded. Peter: Yeah? Wow. Tony: Look who you’re talking to. Can I have five minutes with him? May: Sure.

There’s quite a lot to unpack here.

First:

Tony being charming and flirty towards May in order to gain her trust. Neither we as the audience or Peter know how long Tony has been talking to her before Peter arrives, but by the way the conversation is going and the fact that Tony has even been offered some meatloaf, I think it’s safe to say that it has been enough for May to be charmed by him. She’s excited about what this means for her nephew, of course: Tony Stark is a world famous genius and superhero and he’s here to tell Peter he’s been accepted for this grant he applied to in secret. She’s clearly proud of this accomplishment, and even though we don’t see it I would assume Tony has been complimenting Peter right and left and her for taking care of him in the process.

Second:

From the moment Tony introduces himself to the moment when he lies and winks at Peter so he’ll go with his lie a total amount of 5 seconds pass. I counted, and anyone can check.  I said before that Peter unsurprisingly went with it because, hey, Iron Man is currently sitting in his living room asking him to go with something and lying to his aunt; he doesn’t know why, but the fact that it’s the Tony Stark who is there and lying is more than enough for Peter to want to know the reason why he’s in his home and lying. But the fact that Tony immediately asks him to lie to his legal guardian, his aunt, for him is actually a very good indicator for how everything will unfold from this moment forward.

Third:

Peter interest in whatever money there is involved with this thing Tony is here for. I’m not saying this to judge him for it (because I’d ask the same), but because this is something that I will talk more about later when it comes to Tony’s presents and the role they play into Peter’s behavior towards him in the future.

Fourth:

The fact that Tony flirts and compliments May on her meatloaf right before asking her if he can be alone on a room with Peter, once again to get her to trust him enough to leave them alone together. What I get from that is that he feels compelled to do that because May shouldn’t trust him enough to leave him alone in a room with Peter (Tony clearly isn’t a pe**phile, but this is set in 2016 and leaving a 15 year old kid alone with a 50 year old man you know nothing about personally is never a good idea), especially with the door closed. But she does trust him enough to do that not only because Tony already buttered her up but also because this is Tony Stark and everyone knows Tony Stark. Except they don’t really know him, they just think they do.

Before we get into the bedroom scene, we should talk a little about how Tony got Peter’s personal information. It’s safe for us to assume from what we’re shown that just by seeing him on YouTube, Tony stalked him to find out at the very least his identity and where he lives—even though it’s very hard to believe that those are the only things he found out/intended to find out about him. We could even theorize that he probably has Peter’s whole background, May’s whole background, he knows about Ben and probably has his background as well, and he must know what happened to Peter’s parents; basically everything there is to know about Peter.

Stalking people is a crime, in case you didn’t remember. Not to mention the way he acquired that information is most likely also very illegal.

Now, let’s move on to the next scene.

First thing: Tony locks the door of Peter’s bedroom. I know some people will refuse to see this as a red flag because “Tony isn’t a bad guy and he wouldn’t do anything to Peter!” which ultimately is at least half-true because he didn’t do what one most commonly associate with a 50 year old man locking himself with a 15 year old in his bedroom, but he did end up kidnapping him, so…

I digress. The point is that there can only be two reasons why Tony locked the door of Peter’s bedroom:

To stop May from coming inside

To stop Peter from getting out

I am pretty sure the first one is the actual reason because Peter can simply unlock the door and get out, but May can’t open the door from the outside if she wants to. If you can’t see the problem with this let me spell it out for you: Tony came into Peter’s house and lied to his legal guardian in order to gain her trust (that’s literally what he did whether you want to call it that or not, it’s what happened) and then proceeded to lock himself up with her 15 year old nephew in his bedroom so she can’t get inside while he tells him whatever he wants to say to him.

You just… don’t do that. Those are things an adult should never do, for obvious reasons.

And now we move on to…

The Bedroom Scene

I already stated why I think Tony locking the door and getting May’s trust so she’ll leave him be alone with Peter in his room is incredibly fucked up, so let’s keep going. There will be a transcript of the entire scene because there are things to say about everything, so I will need all of it.

Tony: Whoa, what have we here? Retro tech, huh? Thrift store? Salvation Army? Peter: Uh, the garbage, actually. Tony: You’re a dumpster diver? Peter: Yeah, I was… Anyway, look, um, I definitely did not apply for your grant…

This can be categorized as very personal interpretation and I will accept anyone who disagrees with me on this because it’s only a few seconds, but the way Tony said “you’re a dumpster diver” seemed very pejorative. His tone and expression made him seem to be saying “Seriously? A dumpster diver?” However, this can also be taken as Tony saying it in the sense of “Seriously? A dumpster diver? You could be so much more than that” but the result is the same. Still pejorative.

Peter doesn’t have a lot of money and that’s the only way he found to access to that kind of technology. A world-famous billionaire just asked him if he’s a dumpster diver, and I really think that made him feel uncomfortable, if not self-conscious. He changes the subject, and it marks the first time Peter tries to figure out what Tony is here for, and also the first time Tony doesn’t answer.Another important thing it marks is Tony’s first (albeit subtle) remark about Peter not having enough resources.

Tony: Ah-ah! Me first. Peter: Okay. Tony: Quick question of the rhetorical variety. That’s you, right? Peter: Um, no. What do you mean? Tony: Yeah. Look at you go. Wow! Nice catch. 3,000 pounds, 40 miles an hour. That’s not easy. You got mad skills. Peter: That’s all on YouTube, though, right? That’s where you found that? Because you know that’s all fake. It’s all done on the computer. Tony: Mmm-hmm. Peter: It’s like that video. What is it? Tony: Yeah. Oh, you mean like those UFOs over Phoenix? Peter: Exactly.

Peter denies that he’s Spider-Man three times (first he says no, second he says the videos are fake and third he uses an example to support his previous statement that those videos are fake) during that exchange. He knows Tony knows, that’s obvious, but he doesn’t want him to know. At all. That’s made clear. He does not accept Tony’s words, he denies them repeatedly. And then— and I want to believe it was a coincidence and Tony just realized that Peter could be hiding his suit there instead of the alternative (that he knew for a fact that he was keeping the suit there, because him knowing that is a lot creepier)— Tony forces Peter to reveal to him that he is, in fact, Spider-Man.

Tony: Oh, what have we here? Peter: Uh… Tony: You’re the Spider-ling. Crime-fighting spider. You’re Spider-Boy? Peter: Spider-Man. Tony: Not in that onesie, you’re not. Peter: It’s not a onesie.

Now, not only Tony forces Peter to reveal himself but also ridicules him in the process. And once again we see that Peter didn’t want Tony to know. The moment he realizes what Tony did he jumps and immediately tries to hide the suit, even though they both know it’s already too late.

This marks the second time Tony makes it clear to Peter that he doesn’t have enough resources and what he has, what he’s done all by himself is plain bad and ridiculous. He calls Peter’s suit that he made for himself “a onesie”, to which Peter irritably responds “It’s not a onesie”. And he’s right, it’s not. Tony has no right to try and make him feel bad and inferior about what Peter has made for himself, because Peter is a 15 year old boy doing incredible things with what he can get. This was incredibly uncalled for. “You can’t expect to be called a man when you’re wearing that ridiculous suit” is basically what he just told him, plain and simple. We can definitely speculate that this is a suit that Peter maybe worked hard in making and was probably very proud of… that is, until Tony Stark appeared in his house and called it a onesie.

Peter: I don’t believe this. I was actually having a really good day today, Mr. Stark. Didn’t miss my train, this perfectly good DVD player was just sitting there… and Algebra test, nailed it.

The meaning behind this line is clear: Peter isn’t happy about what just happened. Saying that “he was actually having a really good day” implies that he isn’t anymore, which means that the thing Tony has said have made him upset or have ruined his good day. Tony completely ignores this.

Tony: Who else knows? Anybody? Peter: Nobody. Tony: Not even your unusually attractive aunt? Peter: No. No. No! If she knew, she would freak out. And when she freaks out, I freak out.

This part is very important. Peter doesn’t realize it and answers immediately, but this answer gives Tony a lot of power over him. Nobody but Tony knows that Peter is Spider-Man, and Aunt May can’t know especially, because she’d freak out.

You can’t say that Tony didn’t ask this question in hopes of gaining this power, because in the future he uses it against Peter to get him to follow his order, but we’ll get into that later.

Also, Tony absorbs this information and says nothing in response— as a matter of fact, he changes the subject.

Tony: You know what I think is really cool? This webbing. That tensile strength is off the charts. Who manufactured that? Peter: I did. Tony: Climbing walls, how you doing that? Adhesive gloves? Peter: It’s a long story. I was…

Honestly I can’t really tell if he secretly knew Peter had manufactured the web or he was actually surprised when Peter told him he had. Either way, asking that question in the way he did implies that he didn’t think Peter had been capable of doing it for himself; whether he actually knew is kind of irrelevant. This can be taken as a compliment, but it actually isn’t. It’s an insult disguised as a compliment. It can be taken as a compliment in the sense that Tony is impressed by it and says it’s amazing, but him underestimating Peter and not asking him “you manufactured this?” or something like it instead and just assuming someone else had done it actually implies that Tony doesn’t think Peter is capable of that. That’s clearly not something positive.

Tony: Lordy! Can you even see in these? Peter: Yes, I can. Tony: I’m blind! Peter: I can see in those, okay? It’s just that when whatever happened, happened… it’s like my senses have been dialed to 11. There’s way too much input, so they just kinda help me focus.

And after the insult disguised as a compliment comes… another case of ridicule. Tony makes fun of Peter’s goggles and acts like they’re ridiculous and don’t work, which is basically the same as what happens when someone with 20/20 vision puts on the glasses of someone with less than perfect eyesight and asks them “you can see with these?”. Of course they can. Just because they don’t work for you doesn’t mean they don’t work for the person who actually wears them. And Peter clearly made these all by himself: he had a problem, which was too much input, and he resolved it the best he could.

This is something to be in awe of, not something to make fun of. He’s a 15 year old kid who’s been doing all of this in secret, all by himself.

Tony: You’re in dire need of an upgrade. Systemic, top to bottom, hundred-point restoration. That’s why I’m here.

Okay, I actually have to separate this particular line from the rest because of how heavy it is. This is what this entire conversation has been building up to. This is why Tony said “you’re a dumpster diver?”, “Not in that onesie you’re not” and “Lordy! Can you even see in these?”. He’s been building up to this exactmoment.

The moment when he lets Peter know that Peter needs him.

Peter can’t truly be Spider-Man with that ridiculous suit, with those ridiculous goggles! And Tony is here to alleviate him from his problems, to give him what he truly needs to achieve his maximum potential. Without Tony, Peter will neverbe good enough. In that onesie, he will never truly be Spider-Man. So, Peter needs him.

Except… he doesn’t. He literally doesn’t. One of the most famous aspects of the Spider-Man character is that Peter builds everything for himself by himself. I can’t say I’m surprised that Marvel chose to shoehorn Tony into Peter’s story and made him the one who actually gave him his suit when it was unnecessary, but that’s not the point of what I’m writing. The point is that Tony intentionally decreased the value of everything Peter has been doing for himself up until that point to make him believe that he needs him. And why? Because Peter “needing” him gives him leverage. Giving him a very expensive and high-tech suit means that Peter owes him something in return.

And what could that possibly be?

Maybe it’s something like Peter fighting on his side without even knowing what he’s fighting for. Who knows?

Not to mention the fact that he downright lied to him, or at least half-lied. He is here to “upgrade his suit” but that’s not the only reason why, and he’s definitelynot doing it out of the goodness of his philanthropist heart.

Tony is not here to improve Peter’s suit only because he saw his potential and decided that he deserved an upgrade Peter would be unable to afford otherwise, he’s here to improve Peter’s suit in order to make him more reliable in the fight against Captain America, which is something Peter has no clue about yet. Tony still hasn’t told him the real reason why he’s here.

Tony: Why you doing this? I gotta know, what’s your MO? What gets you outta that twin bed in the morning? Peter: Because… Because I’ve been me my whole life, and I’ve had these powers for six months. Tony: Mmm-hmm. Peter: I read books, I build computers. Yeah, I would love to play football, but I couldn’t then, so I shouldn’t now. Tony: Sure, because you’re different. Peter: Exactly. But I can’t tell anybody that, so I’m not. When you can do the things that I can, but you don’t… and then the bad things happen… they happen because of you. Tony: So you wanna look out for the little guy, you wanna do your part? Make the world a better place, all that, right? Peter: Yeah, just looking out for the little guy. That’s what it is.

God, this scene. Kudos to Tom for pulling it off so amazingly, honestly. Peter’s raw vulnerability can be felt, and it’s that vulnerability which makes this scene a lot worse to stomach for me. Peter’s openness as to why he’s doing what he’s doing is a display of trust towards Tony on his part, which is… horrible to witness. He doesn’t truly know why Tony is here, he doesn’t know Tony wants to take him away to Germany to fight against super-soldiers and super-powered people, he doesn’t know Tony is selfishly willing to let him get hurt on his behalf without even telling him what he’s fighting for… and Peter is being so completely honest to him. And his honesty, based on the questions Tony asks, is something that Tony uses against him. Tony “understanding” what Peter is trying to say and Peter’s eagerness when he realizes that Tony gets it is incredibly sad to watch because it’s what Tony uses to get Peter to do what he wants.

“Hey, kid, I get what you’re saying. I understand what you’re trying to do. Come with me to Germany and I’ll promise you’ll be doing exactly what you want to do.”

But he won’t be.

Peter is fighting for a cause he knows nothing about, and I will repeat this as many times as necessary so no one forgets. A 50 year old man kidnapped a child, brought him into a fight he told him nothing about to make sure he didn’t switch sides if he actually understood what was going on like everyone else involved, and let him get hurt on his behalf.

Do I even need to say anything else?

And now… the final part of this scene.

Tony: I’m gonna sit here, so you move the leg. You got a passport? Peter: No, I don’t even have a driver’s license. Tony: You ever been to Germany? Peter: No. Tony: Oh, you’ll love it. Peter: I can’t go to Germany. Tony: Why? Peter: I got homework. Tony: I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that. Peter: No, I’m being serious. I can’t just drop out of school. Tony: Might be a little dangerous. Better tell Aunt Hottie I’m taking you on a field trip. Peter: Don’t tell Aunt May. Tony: All right, Spider-Man.

I have to be honest right now. Up until that point I had actually misunderstood this scene. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t remember it or I had processed it differently given Peter’s reaction and the fact that the sound of the web shooter actually kind of drowns the ending of the sentence, but I’m pretty sure I never realized Tony said “I’m taking you on a field trip.”

This actually changes what I originally thought about this scene… but that is not a good thing.

Before rewatching it for this I had only taken into account this part of the exchange:

Tony: Might be a little dangerous. Better tell Aunt Hottie… Peter: Don’t tell Aunt May.

I actually believed that Tony was threatening Peter, that he was acting like he was going to open that door and tell May that Peter was actually Spider-Man unless Peter agreed to go with him to Germany, especially because that seems to be what Peter believes is happening.

But it’s not.

Tony never even gives Peter a choice. Peter tells Tony NO two times, and Tony completely ignores him. And not only ignores him, he once again ridicules him for saying he has homework to do, so he can’t go to Germany.

This, by the way, is a completely valid reason given the fact that he’s a 15 year old. He cares about school like he’s supposed to, and this shows that he’s a very responsible kid. Not that we needed him to say that in order to know he’s responsible regarding school; we already know he’s a very good and smart student.

Just… let me go back and repeat what I said earlier.

Peter tells Tony NO twice.

Peter does not give his consent.

Peter: “No, I’m being serious. I can’t just drop out of school.”

He knows Tony didn’t take him seriously so he repeats himself: he said no to going with him.

Tony doesn’t like this answer so he ignores him, and not only ignores him but keeps talking like it’s already decided that Peter is coming with him:

Tony: “Might be a little dangerous. Better tell Aunt Hottie I’m taking you on a field trip.”

He knows May would never agree to it so he once again tells Peter he needs to lie to her with him, and he does it like it’s no big deal. “Hey, kid! It’s okay to lie to your aunt for me, come on! You’ve been lying to her already so what’s another lie gonna do?”

Peter did not give his consent, but that doesn’t matter. Why? Because Tony Stark is Tony Stark. A genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist who alwaysgets what he wants.

Now, I think I have to assume that the moment Peter heard “Beter tell Aunt Hottie” he immediately thought he was going to tell May his secret, just like I did, and that’s why he reacted like that. It’s implied that he later agreed to Tony’s proposition given the fact that he ultimately travels with him to Germany, but I can’t help but want to know for sure if he did because he thought Tony was going to tell May if he didn’t.

Whether that’s the case or not, the scene ends without Peter giving his consent, and the next time we see him he’s already in Germany. We’re left to wonder if he ever said yes (even if he did it would still be kidnapping) or if Tony just… took him without his explicit consent (once again, even with it it’s still kidnapping). The fact that no one thought it was important to have Peter agree enthusiastically to this is frankly horrifying.

And talking about Peter’s enthusiasm…

The Flight and the Fight

You know… just for the fun of it I went and googled “New York kidnapping laws” and here’s what I found, in case you think I’m using the world lightly:

“The New York Penal Law’s definition of the crime of kidnapping is succinct: a person commits the offense when he “abducts another person.” Additional details about New York kidnapping laws are listed in the table below.

[…]

What it Means to “Confine without Consent”

A person is moved or confined “without consent” when the movement or confinement is accomplished by:

Physical force, intimidation or deception, or

Any means, including with the victim’s consent, if the latter is a child less than sixteen years old or an incompetent person and the parent, guardian or other person legally responsible for him or her did not consent to the movement or confinement.”

Source

Oxford Dictionary definition of “deceive”: Deliberately cause (someone) to believe something that is not true, especially for personal gain.

Or: exactly what Tony did. Deceived Peter and took him away to Germany without May’s consent in order to get him to fight for him for something Peter had no knowledge of.

“But May consented!” You might think, and the truth is that she absolutely didn’t. It’s implied that she consented given the fact that Peter left, but she consented to him leaving for an internship or field trip or whatever, not to fight as Spider-Man against a group of very dangerous and skilled people. So, no.  Tony did not have the consent of Peter’s guardian, and he deceived him (and her too, for that matter) because he didn’t tell her why he was going to Germany. I mean it, he literally didn’t tell him anything:

Peter: No one’s actually told me why I’m in Berlin. Or what I’m doing. Something about Captain America going crazy. [From the Civil War Vlog/a Film by Peter Parker]

And let’s not forget this terrifying exchange:

Steve: Look, kid, there’s a lot going on here that you don’t understand. Peter: Mr. Stark said you’d say that. Wow. He also said to go for your legs. […] Steve: Stark tell you anything else? Peter: That you’re wrong. You think you’re right. That makes you dangerous.

Okay, so, let’s analyze this. Tony didn’t tell Peter shit about why he was going to fight and risk his life for him except that “Captain America went crazy”, and then the only thing that told him was that he was wrong and that Steve was going to tell him that there were a lot of things he didn’t understand, and clearly to not pay attention to Steve. And also apparently his direction to Peter was that he should “keep his distance and web them up” which he didn’t follow, at all. Obviously. He’s a 15 year old kid who’s had powers for six months and this was his first actual Super Hero Fight™, and he fought side by side with Iron Man. He was never going to follow that direction.

Steve hit the nail on the head when he told him that there was a lot going on that he didn’t understand, and the biggest example of this is Peter’s pure and innocent excitement during the fight. He doesn’t truly realize how dangerous it is, he doesn’t realize what’s at stake (how could he? He knows literally nothing about what’s going on) and even when facing the fucking Winter Soldier his reaction was the most child-like he could’ve possibly had. He obviously doesn’t understand what’s happening there, and Tony knew this perfectly.

I am speculating on this, but I can see that conversation going in the sense of Tony telling Peter that Steve will underestimate him, that he just wants him to stop fighting because Peter is a threat to him but it’s not true, Peter understands: Steve is wrong and Tony is right. That’s what Tony said and because he said it’s the truth. Why would he lie? Why would he hide important information from Peter? Tony recruited Peter and even gave him an amazing, super-expensive, high-tech suit! Out of all people, Tony fucking Stark chose Peter. Peter believes anything Tony says, because he knows absolutely nothing about what’s happening and has no reason to believe Tony would lie to him.

And also that line… “That you’re wrong. You think you’re right. That makes you dangerous.” I really want to believe it was intentional because I immediately applied it to Tony. Whether you think he’s wrong or right is up to you but even if you think he’s right, part of that sentence can still be easily applied to him: he thinks he’s right, and that makes him dangerous. Dangerous enough that he recklessly kidnapped a minor and took him to a fight he had no business in, and got him hurt.

By the time Peter stops fighting, he’s hurt. He’s been hurt repeatedly by the people on Steve’s side.

“But Peter wanted to go! He was so excited!” This is debatable, given the fact that Peter said no twice, and Tony completely ignored him. But because we’ve been given the Civil War Vlog where he’s seen as incredibly excited and enjoying himself, let’s say that he did want to go, because that’s what it seems like it.

Let’s assume that he consented off camera, because that’s more or less what’s been implied. Once again: that doesn’t really matter because Peter isn’t in a position where he can give consent due to his young age, and Tony did not have the consent of his legal guardian.

The truth is that I’m not surprised at all that he wanted to go once (I assume) Tony told him everything he was going to get to do. He’s a 15 year old boy and Tony Stark just appeared in his house and invited him to go to Germany to do Real Superhero Stuff™, and he even got to fly on his private jet! He hadn’t even flown on a plane before!  It was practically a vacation!

Of course he wanted to go.

But there’s a reason why the law says “a child less than sixteen” and is because Peter is unable to fully consent at that age. He’s young and is starstruck by Tony, and that makes him easy to manipulate. No matter how many bad guys he’s caught, what he’s seen, he’s still a kid. A kid awestruck by one of the nation’s most famous geniuses who also happens to be an Avenger, so essentially Tony is a fucking rock star to him.  He offered Peter things he’d never had the chance to afford or experience before because he’s a billionaire and a superhero.

Of course he fucking wanted to go.

Like I said before, there’s nothing more telling than Peter’s reaction to the entire fight sequence. He truly doesn’t understand, he thinks this is a game. The fact that he filmed everything and himself even during the fight only reinforces this idea. To me, this was amazing characterization. I have nothing to say about this because everything makes perfect sense. Everything that Peter does and the way he reacts to things are exactly what they’re supposed to be. Peter acts like the 15 year old he is, which only makes him be even more out of place in the fight.

Sure, there was the occasional comic relief during the scene, but we shouldn’t forget that this fight was about something serious. Even the king of Wakanda was there to murder Bucky. It wasn’t a game, but Peter didn’t understand that.

There was a lot going on there that he didn’t understand.

The way he said hi to everyone, telling Steve he was his fan, his video in the hotel room after the fight and how excited he is to tell what happened… everything is proof of how little he understood. How he tells Sam “you have the right to remain silent” which I don’t know if he did as a joke (which further proves that he thinks this is a game) or he said it seriously because it’s something he saw in movies or shows or he simply knows the Miranda Warning and thought it would be appropriate (which further proves how much he doesn’t understand about what’s happening).

Even after the fight he still had no idea what truly was going on there.

He couldn’t have known, because no one told him anything.

Tony knew that Steve was going to say that because it was the truth, so he had to warn Peter to not listen to him, and it worked.

Also, let’s not forget that when Tony is asked about Peter’s age because they realize he’s young because of the way he talks about Star Wars, Tony refuses to answer. He knows how old Peter is, you can’t argue that. He knew where he lived and suddenly he doesn’t know his age? Of course this is bullshit and Tony withholds this information because he knows he’s going to get judged by bringing a 15 year old into this incredibly dangerous fight. So he lies and says he doesn’t know— that he only knows he’s “on the younger side”. By this reply the others will want to believe that Peter is at least 18 years old, and probably won’t ask more questions about it, at least for the remainder of the fight, because who the hell brings a 15 year old into a fight with highly trained soldiers, assassins and super-powered people? One of those being none other than Wanda Maximoff, who Tony himself called “a weapon of mass destruction”:

Tony: She’s not a US citizen. Steve: Oh, come on, Tony. Tony: And they don’t grant visas to weapons of mass destruction.

By the time they take Ant-Man down, he accidentally hits Peter with his hand and sends him flying away, knocking him out cold. And allow me to remind you about what happens next if you don’t remember.

Tony flies to where Peter is and finds him on the ground, unmoving, and you can see it in his face that he thinks Peter could be dead.

Of course we know he was never going to be dead; this was just the introduction of his character and he was going to be fine, but that’s not the point.

In the movie, in Tony’s mind, it was a real possibility that Peter was dead.

Even if Ant-Man was the one who landed the blow, it would’ve been Tony who had killed him. Because Tony is the one who brought him into the fight without actually telling him how dangerous it was, while knowing how dangerous it was. Now, let me repeat that these are fictional characters and they think what the writers want them to think, of course, but given the situation it’s not farfetched to think that Tony was worrying about what the fuck was he going to do if Peter had died on his watch. How was he going to explain it to May?

“But he told Peter to go home because he cares about him and doesn’t want him to get hurt!” While I think he actually cared about his wellbeing (to some degree), that’s not the reason why he did it and it’s also not as much of a beautiful act as so many people would like to believe. He is the one who actually brought him here fully aware that he could get hurt and he didn’t care. I’d believe that if this was a completely different movie where Peter came out here on his own and Tony got worried when he got hurt and told him to go home, but this wasn’t that movie. Tony kidnapped him and the only reason why he’s telling him to go home because “he’s done” is because five seconds earlier he thought Peter was dead. This made him realize that if Peter kept fighting it was very possible that he’d get fatally wounded, or downright killed. And while I think he obviously didn’t want Peter to get more hurt or killed, he mostly did it because of the repercussions his death would have. Up until the moment when Tony thought he could be dead, he didn’t care that Peter was being thrown out of windows or slammed against trucks because he kept getting up immediately… until the moment he didn’t anymore.

And when Peter wants to keep fighting, he uses the power he has over Peter to make him obey. He tells him that he’s going to tell Aunt May if he doesn’t leave.

Peter, given the fact that he’s hurt and tired and definitely can’t think clearly, doesn’t realize how empty that threat is. What is Tony going to do? Call May and tell her “Hey May, I actually lied to you and brought your 15 year old nephew who is Spider-Man into a fight against Captain America and the Winter soldier and a bunch of other people who could kill him and now he’s too hurt to keep fighting but he wants to keep going, so… I’m calling you so you stop him.”

Of course not. But Peter doesn’t realize that and he does as told.

Tony knows what he did isn’t okay, he knew before even doing it but that doesn’t matter because he wanted to do it, he needed Peter for selfish reasons and that’s enough for him. Knowing that it was wrong or that he shouldn’t do it was never going to stop him. Peter said no twice but Tony wanted him to be on his team, so he took him with him anyway and showered him with privileges and gifts that had Peter practically running on the walls from excitement. Gifts that made Peter feel grateful and in debt to Tony.

If you don’t think this is true:

Tony: Nice job, kid. Peter: Thanks. I could have stuck the landing a little better, it’s just… New suit. [Stammers nervously when he realizes what he said] It’s nothing, Mr. Stark. It’s perfect. Thank you.

I’m not reading too much into this, I promise. The fact that Peter immediately regretted saying something even remotely bad about the suit and corrected himself and said it was perfect shows that he doesn’t feel he has a right to complain, because Tony was so good to him and gave him something so amazing that if he says something as insignificant as not being able to land perfectly yet because it’s a new suit makes him feel like he’s being ungrateful.

Which leads me to the end of this post:

Tony’s gifts to Peter/Reciprocity

First, let me give you the Wikipedia definition of reciprocity:

“In social psychology, reciprocity is a social rule that says people should repay, in kind, what another person has provided for them; that is, people give back (reciprocate) the kind of treatment they have received from another. By virtue of the rule of reciprocity, people are obligated to repay favors, gifts, invitations, etc. in the future. […]

A person who violates the reciprocity norm by accepting without attempting to return the good acts of others is disliked by the social group.”

I said before that Tony made Peter believe that he needed him to make him a new suit in order to gain leverage on him, and this is it. To quote myself:

“Giving him a very expensive and high-tech suit means that Peter owes him something in return.”

Every single thing that Tony gives to Peter as a “gift” only serves to make Peter owe him more.  Peter can’t and won’t tell Tony no after everything he’s done for him— that would be awful. Tony has done so many good things to help Peter become a better version of himself; he took him to Germany in his private jet, gave him everything he needed, built him this amazing suit Peter would’ve never been able to afford… how can he say no without feeling guilty? Without being ungrateful when Tony has been so good to him?

This is the leverage. The social rule of reciprocity and Peter’s need to repay him somehow.

But I have to say, given what we’ve seen of Peter and his absolute excitement about the fight… I don’t think he would’ve said no, especially after he saw his new suit and was probably desperate to try it on. He’s clearly not capacitated to make an informed decision; I said before that Peter viewed the entire thing as a game. Still, that’s irrelevant. Tony’s intentions don’t suddenly change or should be ignored just because Peter “had fun” during the fight.

To further prove my point: there is one scene during Homecoming where Tony decides that Peter isn’t doing what Tony told him he’s supposed to, and he takes the suit away from him.

Tony: I’m gonna need the suit back. Peter: But I’m nothing without the suit. Tony: If you’re nothing without the suit, then you shouldn’t have it.

Okay, let me explain this a little bit. During Civil War, Tony made Peter believe he needed him in order to truly become Spider-Man because he was the only one who could provide him with a real suit, because “not in that onesie you’re not.”

This is something Tony said to Peter himself. In Peter’s original suit, Peter is not Spider-Man. Only in the suit that Tony built him he can truly be Spider-Man.

And now he tells him that if he’s nothing without the suit he shouldn’t have it? After he told him he was not Spider-Man without the better suit he was going to make him?

…Yeah.

And that’s not the only problem with this particular interaction, the fact that Tony can ask for the suit back whenever he wants means that Peter’s suit was never actually his.  Sure, Tony gave it to him and told him it was a gift but this shows that this wasn’t true, because if it had then Tony would not be able to take it back.

Tony can take it from him whenever he wants to because:

He holds a lot of power over Peter. If he presses enough, Peter is going to relent.

The suit was never truly Peter’s. He didn’t even help to make it, or pay for it. It’s just something Tony lent him and he doesn’t have a right to act like it’s his now that Tony wants it back, even if Tony said it was a gift.

Tony knows better because he’s more experienced, therefore Peter has to obey.

All of this is horrible in its own terms, but it’s what I got from that interaction. And added to this is the fact that he put special features on the suit that are currently locked because of a “training wheels protocol”, which also means that the suit isn’t truly his. Tony has a huge amount of control over it, and therefore, over Peter.

This is not surprising, and seeing how Tony has acted towards Peter from the beginning. It only makes sense that he’d want to keep controlling him and showcasing the power he holds over him whenever he sees fit.

Look, I get that some people are happy that Tony gets his chance to be a father figure after fucking up and having a shitty father himself, but he does not get to use Peter as his lab rat for his redemption experiment. He does not get to make mistakes with Peter just because he’s “trying” to be a mentor and a “better, more responsible person” or “better than his dad”. Tony isn’t Peter’s father or legal guardian and he barely even knows him, therefore he has no right to make a decision of that magnitude.

Even though I am a firm believer that Tony’s presence in Homecoming was unnecessary, I can sort of see why people would want to see his relationship with Peter. But please, don’t forget about what happened before that movie. Don’t forget that because these are fictional characters and not real people, every single thing they do is written by people like you or me, which means that if their goal was to make this relationship look “cute”, they intentionally wrote it and showed it like that so people would perceive it that way. But ignoring everything that led Tony and Peter up to this point and pretend like Tony did nothing wrong just because people want to see him as a father figure might be something to reconsider.

Do I think everything I got from their scenes was the writer’s intention? Absolutely not. Actually, I’m more inclined to believe that it was the opposite: I think they never even realized how bad it would look, or how inexcusable what Tony did was. But that’s the problem— the fact that people who wrote those scenes don’t think there is something wrong with what Tony did doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything wrong. Intent and result don’t always end up being the same thing. “It wasn’t meant to be taken that way, that’s not what they were trying to show!” I don’t care, that’s how it turned out.

I felt that something was wrong with their relationship from the moment I saw Civil War, but the fact that so many people didn’t and still don’t tells me that what may seem obvious to me isn’t as obvious for others, or they simply choose to ignore it because they don’t care, which is fine. Everyone is entitled to do whatever they want. But ignoring something isn’t the same as not seeing something, and I wanted to write this just in case there were people out there who maybe thought there was something off about their interactions but couldn’t put it into words. I know there will be people who won’t agree with me— hell, maybe everyone will think I’m wrong— but I want this to be out there because maybe there is someone like me who will type “peter parker kidnapped civil war” into the Google search bar in hopes of finding everyone talking about how wrong what Tony did was, only to discover that in reality there’s only one article talking about it.

[briangroth27]

Spider-man Films Wish List

Since Sony partnered with Marvel Studios to share Spider-man, they have a unique opportunity to have their cake and eat it too. Spider-man has a whole multiverse of alternate Spider-men and villains they could flesh out to explore all corners of Spider-man’s web, while Peter Parker continues to make full use of the benefits of existing in the MCU. Spider-man is tied with the X-men as my favorite superhero, so there’s a lot I’d love to see in these movies!

Full spoilers (for movies, comics, cartoons, etc.)…

Peter Parker I loved Homecoming, but I do think Uncle Ben should’ve been mentioned (though I never need to see him die again). Not only would invoking his death have given weight to May’s concern for Peter and Peter’s drive to be a superhero, but if Ben were a fan of Captain America and viewed being an Avenger as an honorable thing, Peter’s obsession with joining them would’ve been about more than just trying to grow up too fast. It’d be about living up to what he thought Ben believed a hero was. A glimpse or mention of how selfish Peter was before Ben died would be nice too; they could connect his personal growth to his gravitation toward Stark (in addition to their shared scientific interest), seeing a similar moral evolution in Iron Man.

As fun as suit AI Karen was, I wish Peter had given Tony both suits back to make a true break from Stark’s toys and guidance so he could start finding his path as his own man. Maybe we’ll get a more self-reliant Peter after Infinity War. We know another MCU hero is guest-starring in Homecoming 2, but I hope it’s not another mentor figure. A major draw of classic Spider-man is his self-sufficient nature—he was a kid who wasn’t a sidekick—so I’d love to see that onscreen; we did get that in the earlier Spider-man movies, but now that he’s in the MCU they could play up that distinction in relation to the rest of the Avengers. A kid who’s just as competent as the adult heroes would make for an inspiring hero. I want Peter to be the one developing web attacks and genius solutions to problems rather than having them handed to him. Spider-like tactics like Andrew Garfield’s Spidey feeling for vibrations on his webs in the sewers in Amazing Spider-man would be great too! They should definitely look into stylizing Peter’s crime-fighting techniques and attack style so he stands out from the Avengers crowd. As much as I want Peter to forge his own way with his suits, I hope he keeps the emotive lenses he invented; they’re a great rendition of the comics' tactic of giving him expressions while masked and, with some refinement, they'd serve that purpose on film too instead of having him lose his mask in every climactic battle.

I was very pleased we finally��got Peter inventing both his web-shooters and his web fluid in Homecoming and I hope that expands to practical uses of science as he takes on other supervillains. Too often Rami's movies portrayed him as a nerd just to emphasize his outsider status, but he should be using his brains to beat the bad guys just as much as he uses his fists. The animated Spectacular Spider-man had a very good balance of Peter as an outcast nerd and Spidey using science to stop evil that the MCU films would be smart to imitate. I’ve heard we’re getting Spider-Sense in Infinity War, so I’m excited to see that employed on a regular basis and to explore how it alters his perception of the world around him. Digging into how Peter’s powers affect his life and shape his outlook (beyond his responsibility to be Spider-man) would be fascinating!

Perhaps most importantly, I hope the MCU Spidey films continue to focus just as much on Peter's personal life as on his superheroics. Homecoming nearly perfectly used Peter's heroics and villain problems as metaphors for everyday life. No other MCU hero except Ant-Man has had much focus given to a down-to-Earth, relatable daily life outside their super suits (even Tony Stark seems to live in a fairly isolated world with occasional lavish public appearances), so Homecoming was a breath of fresh air in that regard. It’s also perfect for Spider-man: while being Spidey lets Peter's confidence shine in ways it can't as Parker, it also wreaks havoc on his social life. That push and pull is classic (and brilliant) and I want to see it develop as this series continues, though I hope they don't go overboard like Spider-man 2 did by making Peter's responsibility as Spidey a huge, depressing weight that crushes the fun out of everything. They should always remember that being Spidey may cause problems, but being him is fun for Peter too. While on the topic, his rapid-fire quips and jokes are necessities! I also don't think they should be afraid to make Peter a bad boyfriend for anyone who doesn't know he has responsibilities as Spidey…or even just because he has no experience in that area. It’d be realistic for Peter to have to learn how to be an equal, supportive partner in any relationship he gets in and they could set a good example for everyday relationships if he learned to fix mistakes that didn’t come from his heroic calling interrupting his dates. My biggest issue with Homecoming’s take on Peter’s social life was that Liz was essentially an idealized potential girlfriend from what we saw of Peter’s interest in her. While it’s good they didn’t play her as his “true love” because of this, they could’ve gone the extra step and made him face the reality of who she was instead of who he’d pictured from afar (though I assume they know each other at least somewhat from the debate team). They also could’ve had her shoot him down when he asked her to the dance (after ditching and disappointing her the whole movie, why wouldn’t she?)...and had him come away OK with not getting the girl both because she may’ve not been interested and because he screwed up. To the writers’ credit, they don’t end up together in the end and it seems they’re both OK with the relationship not happening. Peter getting the date didn’t ruin the film at all for me, but they could play with something like this in a future relationship.

As far as Peter's arc goes, I don't want to see Peter in high school forever. I think Tom Holland will age faster than anyone's really expecting given how long it will be between movie releases, and that's fine with me. I hope we get to see Peter finally grow up and find balance in his life. He can move forward as a young adult without having everything together, which would be just as relatable as being a kid with problems (and they can have Miles Morales take over the kid role, bringing a whole other level of social relevance to the story). In addition to the classic photographer gig at the Daily Bugle, I hope we get to see Peter at least intern (if not become a full-fledged employee) at Horizon Labs to work on cutting edge science. If the movies go long enough, Parker Industries wouldn't be out of the question for me. Maybe it shouldn’t be as global as it is in the comics, but it would certainly work as the low-budget, people-focused Stark Industries it started out as. Fun elements like the Spider-mobile could be introduced too, either through Horizon (when Peter claims to be designing tech for Spider-man), or as the licensing opportunity it was in the original comics!

Miles Morales/Ultimate Spider-man While Miles is getting a theatrically-released animated movie, he’s a hero I’d love to see in the MCU as well. Originally, instead of having Miles take up the mantle after Peter dies, I thought they should cast them as contemporaries and play it as a buddy cop comedy. It’d also work if they played Miles as a more withdrawn, insecure Spider-man once Tom Holland’s Peter has grown up a bit and started working for (or at least interning at) Horizon Labs. They could roll Peter’s successes into Miles’ arc as he tries to find his place and live up to the "amazing” Spider-man. I absolutely don’t want them to kill Peter like in the Ultimate Comics. Morales being Peter’s mentee like Peter was Tony’s isn’t a bad idea—they could team up for the first time in Homecoming 3—and I think it’d be awesome if Miles got a show on Netflix or Freeform while Peter is in the movies. 

Not only can Miles fill the “everyteen Spider-man” role as Peter grows up, but his half-African American/half-Puerto Rican heritage would make his outlook and experience totally different. He was initially nauseated at the idea of superheroics in the comics, but later felt he had a responsibility to use his powers and learned to enjoy them; that’s a very clear and cool foil to Peter’s instant excitement over his superhero status, and a Miles who doesn’t want to be an Avenger would be an entirely different storyline, particularly with the Sokovia Accords in play. Miles could also start with no one knowing his identity, since we’ve mostly skipped those classic moments with Peter. While Miles shares Peter’s wall-crawling, spider-sense, agility, and super-strength, he also has a venom blast that can be deployed by touch and the ability to become invisible through a camouflage power, which would help set him further apart from Peter’s Spider-man.

Miles has an entire supporting cast unto himself that could be mined for drama. His father Jefferson was a one-time agent of SHIELD, and maybe they could say he worked with the Parkers and/or against Chameleon. His mother Rio was in favor of Spider-man and vigilantes, contrasting with Jefferson and possibly Aunt May. I don’t know why they grafted Ganke Lee’s personality onto Ned Leeds for Homecoming, so I’m interested to see what Miles’ best friend will be like if he appears onscreen. Katie Bishop was Miles’ girlfriend at one point—until her parents were revealed as Hydra operatives (she was a sympathizer)—which could be a relevant story nowadays. Lana Baumgartner was trained by her criminal mother Lori so the two of them could team up as the Bombshells, villains with explosive powers, but Lana reformed; her villainous parent could be a solid parallel to Miles and Aaron Davis. If Fox was willing to share him, Fabio Medina could be a friend of Miles’ who’s also a popular and public superhero (they’d have to make him an Inhuman instead of a mutant here), contrasting with Morales’ secret identity. If Miles got a Freeform series, he could team up with Cloak & Dagger. On Netflix, he could look up to Luke Cage. They could keep the budget to TV standards by having Miles bounce around fights on a mostly ground level instead of swinging between skyscrapers (except for travel and special fights!); they could invent an entirely Miles-specific style of attack for him. Staying close to the ground would not only avoid the probable budget issues of web-slinging, but they could use it to play up his initial wariness about even being a superhero even after he’s put on the suit.

Venom Tom Hardy is playing Eddie Brock in the Sony corner of the MCU—it’s still a bit unclear whether Tom Holland will get to appear in these films or if they exist in their own Spider-verse—and I’m thinking this is going to lead to Brock becoming the Lethal Protector of the 90s and potentially the central anti-hero of the Sony Spider-films. I like Eddie and I’m eager to see him onscreen in his own movie (this short was a cool, unconnected and unofficial look at what a Venom movie could be), but I hope they don’t leave out his history with Spider-man and just have the symbiote go directly to Brock, even if Tom Holland can’t appear. They could mention his past with “the Bug” in passing or detail it in a prologue, but Spider-man should be a fixture of Venom’s origin.

Brock dealing with his sense of right and wrong in addition to his lack of responsibility when it came to Spider-man uncovering the truth about a story Brock had reported—he blamed Spidey for “getting him fired” instead of accepting that he should’ve dug deeper for the truth—mixed with the mind-altering alien symbiote will make for a fascinating redemption arc. I hope they start out with Venom as a full-on villain—possibly hiding from Spider-man—and have Brock rediscover his humanity as he begins to protect innocents. The line between villain, hero, and “Lethal Protector” anti-hero would be interesting to explore. What makes a person fall into those categories, can they change, and how? Brock’s Catholicism could also bring an interesting angle into any redemption arc they give him, if they choose to go that route; that religious outlook on “what makes a hero?” (or even just a good person; to him, does it “count” if we forgive ourselves and each other?) could also make Venom an unexpected foil for Daredevil. They can explore whether the symbiote is an excuse for his misdeeds or a drug habit he needs to kick. The symbiote could also be treated as a physical manifestation of Eddie’s darkest, most selfish impulses since that’s what it heightened when it was bonded to Peter. Can Eddie control it—control himself—to be a better man or is he destined to be a monster he can only point at worse evil? Carnage makes sense as Venom’s enemy in his first movie—he’s the symbiote’s even more psychopathic offspring bonded to a serial killer—and I’m excited to see them clash.

I don’t know much about Venom’s time as a solo vigilante except that he was everywhere when I was reading comics in the 90s, so I’m up for anything in that regard. Whatever they do, I’ve long wanted a subplot where Peter sees Venom dealing with a crisis on the news, so he Planes, Trains, and Automobiles his way across the country (with a heaping dose of Parker Luck giving him trouble at every turn) to get wherever Venom is to help stop Carnage (or, misreading the situation, to stop both of them), only to arrive after Venom has already saved the day. It’d just be a fun comedic subplot, so I hope that they can work that out (Peter never even has to suit up). I wouldn’t expect it from a horror-themed movie like Venom is supposed to be (which does sound like a great angle to take with Venom!), but it could be just the dose of comedy needed to break the tension every now and again.

Black Cat It’s a shame that being in Sony’s Spider-verse likely means we won’t get to see Black Cat interact with Tom Holland’s Peter. I’ve always been a fan of how Felicia Hardy prefers Spider-man to Peter and that their relationship is played mostly as a fun, flirty friends with benefits situation between two adults who respect each other; that would’ve been perfect for Amazing Spider-man 3 if Peter didn’t want another serious relationship—or even to focus on being Peter Parker—after Gwen’s death (and Felicity Jones would’ve been great as Black Cat!). If Venom doesn’t become the cornerstone of the Sony-verse, I’d like it to be Black Cat (or they could share). Not only is she more moral than he is, but we don’t have any cinematic superhero universes built around women.

It’d be cool for the movie to start out with Felicia as an excellent thief, following in her father’s footsteps (perhaps with some flashbacks to being trained by her father), and to have one of her heists be the tablet from the comics that gave her bad luck powers. She’s able to alter the fortune of anyone around her, which could make for some cool sequences as changes to fate create Rube Goldberg-like disasters for rival thieves and anyone trying to stop her (this also sets her apart from Catwoman a bit more). To keep from making it too easy for her, part of her arc could be learning to control these powers and prevent them from tripping her up as well. Perhaps they could connect learning thievery to learning to control chance; that's what skill is, isn't it? Narrowing chance to the smallest allowable factor while you rely on yourself. If they did that, we could watch Felicia flashback to her father training her as she applies his lessons to mastering her newfound gift. I love Black Cat’s latest costume; it’s sleek and sexy without being exploitative, so I hope they use it in the movie rather than her classic one. I’d love it if her movie(s) eventually found her controlling the underworld like in the current era of Spider-man comics; showing her rise to power and struggle to hold it would be a cool twist on a character that might seem like she’s headed for redemption.

It sounds like Silver & Black, featuring Cat and Silver Sable—a mercenary in the comics—will also include Chameleon, Tombstone, and Tarantula as antagonists. Knowing nothing about the film, I’m envisioning a series of heists by Felicia and Sable and counterattacks from the mobsters they’ve stolen from. I’d love a Kingpin-esque, extremely imposing and coolly calculating Tombstone like in Spectacular Spider-man to be the main villain in this, and that show is where I’d draw inspiration for the other characters too. Silver Sable could be the daughter of Silvermane, another mob boss; perhaps she’s initially against Black Cat. Felicia herself could be the daughter of the burglar who killed Uncle Ben, which was a brilliant twist in SSM, but I suppose wouldn’t matter much in a universe where she may not be able to interact with Peter (though it would be a hell of a setup for a potential crossover!). I’d guess Tarantula is an enforcer for Tombstone and Chameleon could be either a rival thief or a hitman working for Tombstone as well. They could also use Hammerhead if they wanted to throw Cat and Sable into the middle of a massive gang war.

Spider-Gwen Spider-Gwen is relatively new to comics; she’s the Gwen Stacy of Earth-65, where she was bitten by the radioactive spider instead of Peter Parker. She initially used her powers as Spider-Woman for popularity until her father—police Captain George Stacy—commented that the vigilante could be using her powers for good instead. Gwen changed her ways and became an idol to her schoolmate and friend Peter Parker, who turned himself into the Lizard in an effort to be like his hero. Realizing her mask didn’t free her of responsibility like she thought, this was her Great Power/Great Responsibility moment and Spider-Woman was blamed for Peter’s death, so Gwen set out to clear her name and earn the city’s trust...as she’s being hunted by her father and his cops. She’s wisecracking like Peter, furthering the common themes among the Spiders, while George’s complicated relationship with his police force—especially after he learns Gwen’s secret and decides to protect her—would give her an entirely different family dynamic. This Gwen is also the drummer in a band—the Mary Janes, along with MJ, Betty Brant, and Glory Grant—rather than being a science student, giving her a whole other world to inhabit and obligations to fulfill in her social life as they try to make it big (one of their songs, “Face it Tiger,” performed by Married With Sea Monsters, is even available to buy!). She has the classic spider-abilities, detective skills thanks to watching her dad, and she learned kung fu moves from movies, making her crime-fighting distinct from Peter’s style. Gwen has webshooters (created by retired superheroine Janet Van Dyne) that create webs out of the moisture in the air rather than cartridges, giving her a different set of potential problems with her webs than Peter and Miles would have. Gwen’s neon-noir world and punk rock sensibility would be an entirely different flavor from every other superhero movie, which would definitely be a breath of fresh air.

Since Gwen lives in an alternate MCU, they could get several actors they’ve already cast to flesh out the twisted versions of her supporting cast and enemies. For instance, Frank Castle is one of the cops trying to bring down Spider-Woman for Peter’s death and Matt Murdock is the right-hand man of the Kingpin. Peggy Carter is the leader of SHIELD on Earth-65, and if you follow my blogs, you know I’m down for any and every Peggy reappearance I can get. They can also play up the differences in villains; Gwen’s villains are distinct enough from their mainstream counterparts that they could use both at once without feeling repetitive in most cases. The heroes are different too; Gwen’s world’s Captain America is Samantha Wilson, which would be cool.

At first I thought it’d be neat if Sony’s Spider-verse were secretly Spider-Gwen’s world, but I think I prefer the option of easier connections between Venom, Black Cat, and Tom Holland’s Spider-man if Sony wants to play ball without the need for dimension hopping right off the bat. Instead, I’m thinking that billing a Spider-Gwen movie as an alternate universe to the Amazing Spider-man films would be kinda brilliant. They’d already have Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, which would be outstanding (Dennis Leary could return as George as well), and Peter helping Curt Connors become the Lizard in Amazing Spider-man parallels his death in Spider-Gwen’s world perfectly. Branching off of ASM would immediately create a Spider-verse unto itself—one that springs from movies audiences are already familiar with, no less—which could also incorporate Tom Holland’s Spider-man and any others they wanted to bring back in a massive crossover down the road! Spider-Gwen could also be done as an animated feature like Miles is getting next year, but any way we get cinematic Spider-Gwen adventures, I’m down!

Supporting Characters Aunt May We need to see May and Peter talk about him being Spider-man. Peter was an adult in the Rami films and those only hinted at Aunt May knowing the truth while Sally Field’s version never found out, so this would be an entirely new scene in addition to being very important for both characters. I loved how Homecoming left them, but I'm afraid we’ll lose that talk since Peter's next appearance is in Infinity War. Hopefully we'll get that conversation in the opening scenes of that Avengers film to establish where Peter is at that point in his life. If not, jumping back to that conversation at the start of Homecoming 2, like Homecoming did the events of Civil War, would work too. I’d definitely like her to invoke how dangerous New York City is with a reference to Ben. It’d also be cool to see her life outside of Peter (and without every guy she meets hitting on her); what is she doing with herself these days?

Ned Leeds Peter’s best friend and “man in the chair” worked really well in Homecoming and I wonder if he’ll follow his comic path to the Daily Bugle with Peter (which also includes getting married to Betty Brant). Maybe he’ll even wind up a patsy of Hobgoblin, which could leave him burned out on superheroics as things get far too real for him. That’d produce an interesting wrinkle to his friendship with Peter, especially if they came to blows while he was mind-controlled by Hobgoblin. What if it wasn’t cool for him anymore, taking away that support from Peter for a bit? I don’t want his death included in the cinematic version, though. 

Michelle Michelle’s “my friends call me MJ” does not mean she’s Mary Jane, though I wouldn’t have minded if she was. She was such a cool, funny character that I’m excited to see where she goes no matter who she is. I’d love them to continue Michelle’s social awareness; that was an unexpected way of showing that Peter’s not the only kid who thinks beyond high school. If she were to discover Peter’s secret, that’s a point they could bond over. She could also deal with classism, sexism, and racism in ways that Peter won’t be able to experience; all of which are natural outgrowths from her fearlessly calling out social injustices. Those are villains he can’t fight for her, so seeing her take them on to save herself would be great! Whatever they do with Michelle, I want to see more! I’d love it if they brought her into the comics as an adult in Amazing Spider-man or as a contemporary of the leads in Miles Morales’ Spider-man series and/or Spider-Gwen.

Flash Thompson I loved that Homecoming made Flash a smart kid; not only did it allow him to challenge Peter intellectually, but it broke the mold of jocks vs. nerds by proving that bullies can be anywhere and nerds aren’t by default good guys. I’d like them to increase his bullying beyond calling Peter names by including some 21st century tactics, even as he becomes a fan of Spider-man (which could make for some good commentary on real-life comic and sci-fi fans who seem to completely miss the values espoused by the stories they love). I wouldn’t mind eventually exploring Flash becoming the government’s Agent Venom, but that’s far in the future from where he is now. Superspy Agent Venom was a very cool development for Flash; not only did it restore his legs (previously amputated due to his military service), but he had to closely monitor how long he wore it and how angry he got, or it would take over his mind. Even though Sony’s Venom movie is semi-separate from the Peter Parker films, they could easily say that the Agent Venom suit was cultivated from a “sample recovered from a larger specimen,” obliquely referring to Tom Hardy’s Venom without having to say it outright.

Gwen Stacy I don’t need her to die ever again, so I’d like for them to introduce her into the MCU and twist that fate. The one-two-three punch of Lacey Chabert’s Gwen on Spectacular Spider-man, Emma Stone’s portrayal in the Amazing Spider-man films, and the Spider-Gwen comic series made Gwen my favorite of Spidey’s love interests (and one of his best supporting characters in general) and I’d like to see her appear here as well. It was weird they made Betty look just like Gwen in Homecoming—I think maybe she was supposed to be Gwen and it was changed at the last second—but even if she doesn’t look exactly like the iconic Gwen, I’d like Peter to meet his scientific match. Beyond being a cool character in and of herself, Gwen’s science skills allow her to actively contribute to the plot arguably more than any of Peter’s other love interests or friends can. That’s not to say everyone has to contribute directly—Michelle was certainly a great, memorable character who didn’t necessarily add to the plot, but still mattered—but Gwen’s skills allow her to, so she should. 

Much like in the ASM films, Gwen is someone on Peter’s intellectual level who he can bounce scientific ideas off of. If she isn’t in the know, we could get some fun and ridiculous excuses as to why Peter would be spit-balling ideas about scientifically curing vampirism or turning sand into glass. In their leisure time (whether she knows he’s Spidey or not), we could see them hanging out as friends, geeking out about whatever the newest scientific discovery is (or whatever their other shared interests are) and dreaming of making their own breakthroughs one day. Simultaneously, her father puts Peter in danger in a very different way than Liz Allan and Harry Osborn’s parents do since he has the law on his side, complicating things if her father catches Spider-man. If she’s on her dad’s side about Spider-man being a criminal vigilante—at best putting himself and the people around him in danger by escalating situations—having her voice that opinion instead of yet another authority figure could provoke real reflection in Peter. An opinion like that would also bring variety to the students’ outlook on Spidey in the MCU. Making Gwen a potentially frustrating scientific rival for Peter is another way to subvert expectations upon reintroducing her. Maybe she’s another intern at Horizon Labs, who is trying to scientifically enhance cops and people in general (via technology or biology) to protect them from superhero battles; cops with high-tech enhancements could inadvertently make things much harder for Spider-man. Perhaps she’s out to nullify all the villains’ powers to help protect her dad (or in his memory), and that includes curing Spider-man (at first). Completely independent of whether she’s a help or initial hindrance to Peter, Gwen could also face sexism in the STEM fields, giving her a set of obstacles to overcome to achieve her dreams entirely different from Peter’s (and hopefully, making him reflect that his white male privilege gives him advantages she doesn’t have). If they introduced Spider-Gwen’s universe as an alternate world to the MCU instead of ASM, whoever they cast as Gwen would have a great opportunity to play two distinct versions of the same character! 

Mary Jane Watson Growing up, MJ was my preferred love interest for Peter: she was pure fun and her party girl persona being a “secret identity” of sorts to cover up her troubled family life made for a nice parallel to Peter’s confidence shining through as Spider-man. That setup also made her someone who understood what it was like to have a secret identity. However, beyond making her an aspiring reporter like in Ultimate Spider-man (a role movie Betty is already inhabiting), I wasn’t sure what the classic supermodel MJ adds to the plot beyond a grounding influence and acting as a love interest for Peter. Perhaps they could play her like Betty in The Rocketeer to Peter’s Cliff Seacord: maybe the MCU MJ is a famous teen star (or a teen with a very strong social media presence) and her acting world is way outside Peter’s comfort zone. Modernizing a young MJ into an already-semi-successful actress or social media darling would also give her a more heightened world than most high schoolers live in, meeting Peter’s life as Spider-man on relatively equal terms. They could also contrast her fame and fans with his growing infamy, and the two could commiserate about bad press if the tabloids slammed her for any number of rumors. Perhaps she could use her social media platform to help out Spider-man’s image (or initially, she could think he’s the menace everyone else does, adding to his problems). If she were to aid him with her legion of followers, they could set up a youth vs. adults theme connecting to how the different generations view the media and fake news.

MJ could also be someone that helps Peter let loose as Peter rather than being worried about responsibility 24/7. The Rami movies got some good, understated mileage out of contrasting MJ’s fame with Spider-man’s infamy, and as detailed here, made a solid commentary on classism, abuse, and sexism with MJ and Gwen. A new MJ—particularly one who’s in a tabloid spotlight thanks to being an actress, an internet sensation, or both—could also take on sexism and misogyny in ways Peter simply can’t. Guys at school could expect sex from MJ for being a "party girl" and because of some modelling/acting campaign she’d done (or even just tabloid rumors), while she just wants to have fun and get out of her bad home life. Even if she is having sex, we could see her confronting guys who expect she'll sleep with anyone just because she slept with someone. If her star status includes that image, she’d definitely have her detractors as a “bad influence,” just like Spider-man is a “menace.” The Bugle could even be the one running a “what happened to wholesome teen stars?” piece, giving her and Peter a common adversary. Like Gwen, whatever they do with her, she certainly shouldn’t appear just to be Peter’s girlfriend and/or to be in danger. If they do reintroduce MJ, I definitely hope they do the classic introduction, complete with Aunt May trying to set Peter up with her (to his dismay and disinterest) and the iconic “Face it Tiger, You just hit the jackpot!” reveal.

Liz Allan I wanted to know more about what Peter saw in her beyond her being a smart, pretty, unattainable senior in Homecoming. The car ride to the dance was a perfect opportunity to at least tell us what she wanted out of life; one the writers missed completely. It’d also be nice to know what she sees (or saw) in Peter, especially since he didn’t do much but disappoint her in Homecoming (I assume they interacted more in debate club than what we saw, though). If she returns, I hope they flesh her out more. I’d also like to know what her thoughts are about her father being a criminal; might she come to understand why he did what he did and follow in his footsteps? Would she blame Spider-man for destroying her family?

Captain America I definitely don’t want all of Peter’s movies to become Marvel Team-Ups (even though we know another hero is in Homecoming 2), so if we must have the Avengers stop by, I hope they each teach Peter something new without making him their unofficial sidekick. Captain America would be my first choice for the hero in Homecoming’s sequel; I’ve thought since Civil War that had he gotten the chance to talk to Spider-man, Peter would’ve seen that Steve’s side was really the one representing power and responsibility. Cap could teach Peter about tactics and the resolve to try and do what’s right even if you fail, but if Uncle Ben were a fan of Steve’s, then Peter interacting with his Uncle’s hero could be extremely touching. If Ben saw Cap as the quintessential hero, they could even say Peter based his color scheme on Cap’s to honor his Uncle Ben; to emulate the man he thinks his Uncle would’ve wanted him to be. Of course, Steve would remind him Ben is proud of Peter for who he is, then Peter could confess why Ben is dead, and it’d be a great, raw emotional moment between the two of them! Steve’s current fugitive status could be a neat parallel to Peter breaking from Tony and going his own way. And no hero in the MCU is better set up to contrast the iconic Captain America image with his hilarious educational videos than Peter, so the endless ribbing that could come from that would be a blast! A reality/public image disconnect—particularly with Steve being a “war criminal”—could also create a bond between them if Jonah starts smearing Spider-man’s name.

Cloak and Dagger They’ve got a series coming to Freeform, but it’d be cool to see these classic Spider-man allies team up with either Peter or Miles! These teen heroes could band together to form the Champions—their answer to the Defenders and Avengers—creating a youthful bond where the kids are just as likely to hang out and help each other cope with the realities of growing up as they are to take down criminals.

Iceman and Firestar If Marvel ever makes a deal with Fox like they did Sony, it’d be excellent to see Peter meet and become Amazing Friends with the X-men’s Iceman and Firestar! That show was one of my first exposures to superheroes and getting a live-action team-up would be awesome!

Cardiac Dr. Elias Wertham became a vigilante attacking corporations for their greedy practices after his brother died of a condition which had a cure, but the corporation that created it refused to sell it because it wouldn’t be profitable. Later, he ran an underground hospital for those who couldn’t afford care. His hatred of big business and the lack of sufficient health care would be extremely relevant right now, and his noble intentions would thematically continue Vulture’s argument while challenging Peter’s concept of what the right and wrong way to achieve justice is. They could tone down his attacks on corporations to the point where no one is harmed (maybe he only steals medical supplies or cures that aren’t on the market, making them available to all) and have the Bugle still call him out as a violent, murderous anarchist in the same way some see the Black Lives Matter movement. Spider-man could initially attack him—ironically believing the Bugle when police reports also say Cardiac is a criminal—only for Peter to discover he isn’t that at all. If it’s the opinion of some corrupt officers that sends Spidey against Cardiac, exploring how the authorities tolerate Spidey but open fire on Cardiac would be another socially relevant avenue to explore with him.

Molten Man Mark Raxton is Liz Allan’s stepsister, so there’s already an easy introduction for him if Liz’s mom divorces Toomes and remarries in her new home. He could be something of a tragic villain, since his heat powers and molten skin are as much a danger to the people he cares about as he is to his enemies. His entire villainous streak could be motivated by finding a cure for his condition, making him an uneasy ally of Spidey’s by the end. If Peter ever gets to the point where being Spider-man is too much for him and he wishes he didn’t have his powers, Mark could remind him not only could it be worse, but his real power is his sense of responsibility.

Clash Spider-man busted this sometime criminal (who uses focused soundwaves as weapons), but after hearing about the circumstances that led him to crime, Peter Parker gave him a job to help rehabilitate him. Spider-man permanently defeating a villain by listening to him and having faith that he could improve (as Peter himself did) would be an awesome, unique way to deal with a supervillain.

Villains Growing up with the 90s Spider-man Animated Series, I can see why fans my age might want Peter to face off with Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin, but I hope he doesn’t. He seems too low-level for Spidey to deal with. I think he should stay a Daredevil villain; there are already many more enemies for Spidey to fight anyway!

Obviously not all these villains would make for lead villains in movies (one of many reasons I'd love to get a new live-action Spider-man TV series). However, an idea I saw online a long time back was to do cold opens for superhero films, like the Bond movies do. That'd be a great way to introduce a unique villain in a “short story” that related to the themes of the film (and established where Peter is in life) and give audiences a wider look at his rogues gallery without having to dedicate a while film to villains who may not be able to carry it.

Since we probably won’t get an endless stream of Peter Parker-focused movies, splitting these villains up with Miles Morales (and/or Spider-Gwen) down the road would be great too.

J. Jonah Jameson I'd be fine with JK Simmons coming back as Jonah; more dimension than he got in the Rami films would be nice, though. If Jonah ever became mayor in the movies, that’d be a great opportunity to either really make him see the contributions Spider-man makes to the city or to play up some relevant political parallels (and to make things even tougher on Spidey). The people annoyed with Spidey in Homecoming could provide a nice foundation for the readership that would believe his lies, so “fake news” and the people who refuse to believe anything but their chosen news source could definitely be a factor in these films. I'd definitely like the MCU’s public to be more skeptical of Spidey than in the earlier Spider-man films, driven to distrust him thanks to Jonah’s own fear of men in masks. It would also be great to see Jonah eventually develop into a (slightly) more caring and understanding person, like he did as a supporting character in the Silk series!

Vulture Michael Keaton made Adrian Toomes my absolute favorite MCU villain, so I can’t wait to see more of him! I loved that he had a legitimate point about how Stark and the government treated him and making him Liz’s dad was the perfect analogy to an awkward meeting with your girlfriend’s parents. I also liked that his version of power/responsibility is that he can provide for his family through crime, so he does. I’m intrigued to see whether he’s keeping Peter’s identity a secret because he respects him, wants to kill him himself, or a mix of both. Keaton barked some of his lines, so even though he seemed sane, it felt like there was something dangerous and violent within Toomes; let’s see it unleashed! As Peter gets more confident in his web-swinging, I’d love to see an epic aerial rematch between him and Toomes. I don’t think it’d be out of character for him to continue tinkering with his suit to add new weapons to it either, scavenging the parts from other MCU battles. Whatever we get from the next Vulture appearance, I hope Peter makes some Birdman, Batman, and Falcon jokes!

Mysterio As silly as he can be (and that’s the point; he should not be revamped to be “badass,” even if his illusions are intimidating and mind-blowing), Mysterio would be a fantastic villain for a visual medium like the movies. I know he’s being looked at for a solo Sony film (which I assume would be like a Now You See Me heist film with magic…though that would work better with Peter as the “cop”), but I really want him to fight Spider-man instead. Quentin Beck was a Hollywood special effects wizard who turned to a life of crime using those same effects (plus a costume stolen from a 50s/60s sci-fi movie) and if he became a criminal for fame, that could be a cool parallel to Spider-man’s early motives. Mysterio chasing fame could also give Jonah an avenue into blaming Peter for the same thing (and a criticism that wouldn’t necessarily be untrue, at least as regarding Peter’s earliest exploits). They could play Mysterio as the Peter Parker who never lost his Uncle Ben. Mysterio’s deadly special effects could pose a great challenge for Peter’s scientific mind while giving the filmmakers an amazing opportunity to go wild with their visuals; literally anything would be possible, and for once it wouldn’t really matter how CGI something looked. The Ultimate Spider-man comic had the right idea casting Bruce Campbell as Mysterio and I’d follow that instinct in a heartbeat.

Hobgoblin Willem Dafoe was excellent as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin (even if his suit left a little to be desired), but honestly I’m tired of businessman supervillains and Norman in general so I don’t need to see any iteration of the Green Goblin onscreen again, probably ever.

That said…there is one goblin businessman I’d like to see in the movies: Hobgoblin. Roderick Kingsley was a fashion mogul who regularly employed mind control to coerce other people into playing the role of Hobgoblin, obscuring his identity so well that he actually beat Spidey and retired to a tropical island at one point. Two of his forced decoys? Ned Leeds and Flash Thompson, which would be a cool way to continue involving Peter’s classmates and friends (and Spidey clearing Flash’s name would boost Flash’s Spidey fandom while still bullying Peter). The movie could also feature Jason Macendale and Phil Urich (other Hobgoblins from the comics) as red herrings. Hobgoblin’s a criminal mastermind the likes of which we’ve never seen in a Spider-man film and the multiple false leads about who he is could give us Peter Parker trying to solve a mystery for the first time in the movies as well. If Roderick does get away with it (and I wouldn’t mind if he did), his more recent trend of licensing out his Hobgoblin persona into a franchise for criminals to buy into (and share their profits) could be a fun new wrinkle for a supervillain in a film down the road. Tom Hanks once said he’d like to play a supervillain, and Hobgoblin could be a pretty great role for him.

Doctor Octopus One villain I’d love to see redone in the movies is Doc Ock. As good as Alfred Molina was, I never needed him to be sympathetic (and being controlled by his arms was a lame retread of Green Goblin), so I’d make the MCU Doc Ock the classic mad scientist from the comics. He’d be the polar opposite of Peter: Spidey’s true opposite number and arch-enemy; a selfish, self-centered scientific genius with no sense of responsibility whatsoever. I’d toy with upgrading his abilities a bit; maybe he invents a device that gives him some of the camouflage ability octopuses have and tinkering with Pym Particles allows him to dimension-shift to a degree, mimicking cephalopods’ ability to squeeze through tight spaces (and also making him extremely hard to hit). Utilizing the most insane, maddest science and numerous master plans, Octavius would be the greatest mental challenge for Peter (without being a slouch in the physical department) and I’d love to see that showdown! I’d cast Jeffery Combs as Otto in a second.

Scorpion Mac Gargan’s already set up with a grudge against Spidey, so I’m eager for that to play out. I’d like them to mention that he was a failed private detective before he became a criminal, so perhaps he could work out Peter’s secret identity and threaten his life on a larger scale than just as a costumed supervillain. I’d also upgrade his suit to not only include the scorpion tail, but retractable wrist gauntlets that mimic scorpion pincers.

Prowler I liked Donald Glover’s version of Aaron Davis in Homecoming, even if he wasn’t as nefarious as in the Ultimate Spider-man comics. That Prowler was my favorite revamped Ultimate villain and I’d love to see Homecoming’s Davis develop into the twisted Uncle Ben figure that his comics counterpart is. He could train Miles to be a thief by claiming to only steal from bad guys, before Miles finally takes a stand against him. I definitely wouldn’t kill him like in the comics, though, and his status as Miles’ uncle would make for a great real-life parallel to family members who don’t always want the best for you.

Kraven the Hunter and Calypso Using potions to enhance his senses and physical prowess, Kraven being hired to hunt down Spider-man (or just doing it for sport) seems like a no-brainer for a minor villain in a movie. His lover Calypso could come along to introduce a mystical threat that Peter would have a hard time believing, much less defeating; it would be cool if she were the real threat between the two of them. There was a rumor Sony is looking at Kraven for a solo film, and while I guess I can see him being hired to hunt down other supervillains, I’m not sure he’s leading man material (though perhaps there’s some potential with his code of honor). I’d rather see him and Calypso fight Spider-man, and eventually getting to “Kraven’s Last Hunt,"—where defeating Spider-man isn’t enough; he has to prove he’s better by going out dressed as Spidey and fighting crime—would be a fantastic arc! I wouldn’t be opposed to him taking on animal traits thanks to Calypso’s magic, similar to his lion appearance in Spectacular Spider-man (though maybe here, the animal traits/abilities would only be temporary transformations). Regardless, his enhanced physical prowess and super-senses would be a tough challenge for Spidey to out-maneuver. Coming up with ways to dull and/or block Kraven’s senses would be a fun recurring problem for Peter. I think Oded Fehr could make an interesting Kraven. 

The Jackal Ms. Warren appeared in Homecoming and, assuming she’s the MCU version of Miles Warren, I think it’d be fun if those kids who “went missing” on field trips were replaced with clones by Ms. Warren to cover up their disappearances. It’d be funny if the professors made offhand comments about certain kids being replaced, weirding Peter out as he overheard them, until he discovered the horrifying truth. This would admittedly work better as a running gag/subplot on a Spider-man TV show, but I’d like to see it employed somewhere. Maybe it could evolve from a running gag into a Carrion virus outbreak in the school, giving Peter a mini-zombie outbreak only his science skills can cure (and preventing him from changing into Spider-man in front of his friends, causing secret identity problems). It'd be perfect as a Halloween-themed "Bond opening" for one of the movies even if it wasn't the main plot. The suave red-suited Jackal from “The Clone Conspiracy” is how I’d like any onscreen Jackal to appear (even if that wasn’t really Miles Warren).

Sinister Six I’d absolutely love it if the MCU finally pulled off a Sinister Six appearance! I wouldn’t want them teaming up with Spider-man against a bigger enemy; they should be the evil Avengers and he should be the only one who can take them on. I don’t want any Avenger assistance here either; let Peter prove he’s capable of taking all of them on and winning despite impossible odds! I’d also love it if Doc Ock’s team actually worked well together instead of inevitably turning on each other, forcing Peter into the hardest fight (and fights, including the opening salvos where different Six members pair off in various configurations) of his life with no turncoats among the villains and no help from the other heroes.

Shocker I'd like him to continue to be high-tech muscle for any villain who'll pay. He doesn't need to be a criminal mastermind, but maybe he's scheming to be a bigger player on the super-weapon black market instead of just a henchman. Maybe he has ambitions to become an arms dealer. He could be a cool recurring source for Peter (if Spidey's after one of his rivals) as well as a thorn in Spidey’s side.

Tinkerer Phineas Mason just likes building gadgets, and that’s OK! He doesn’t have to be evil, just fascinated by the possibilities of science, which gets him into trouble as he pushes boundaries. I wouldn’t want him to provide every villain with their tech, though; many of Peter’s villains are scientists in their own right and there’s no reason they can’t be self-sufficient without needing to lean on Tinkerer for everything. I’d like Mason to continue outfitting the lower-level criminals (and maybe building weapons for Shocker to sell), though.

Chameleon Perhaps Peter's parents were SHIELD agents in the MCU, which would provide a great excuse to bring in this master of disguise. Maybe Chameleon was behind the Parkers' deaths. Maybe he makes it appear that Richard Parker has survived, because he needs something from Peter. Maybe he dresses like a fake Spider-man to ruin the reputation of the son of the agents who wronged him. A master spy who can be anywhere and anyone could be the perfect opponent to force Peter to hone his Spider-sense to its fullest potential!

Lizard I'd love for Curt Connors' reptile-obsessed scientist to turn up again sometime! He can be both a mentor to Peter and a dark foil when it comes to loss, power, and responsibility as well as the use of science. They could explore his feeling of being incomplete and inadequate because of his lost arm and compare him to Peter before he got his powers: Curt's wounded pride leads to the destruction of his family just like Peter’s ruined his. Curt, however, stays on his destructive path, thinking it’s better than humanity...and better for humanity. Like Molten Man, Curt’s transformation—especially the loss of his mind—could remind Peter how lucky he is with his own mutation…or it could frighten him into thinking the spider bite could eventually turn him into the Man-Spider (and maybe the Lizard tries affecting others’ evolution, inadvertently turning Peter into the spider beast; Peter working on a cure for Connors could also accidentally result in him mutating himself). I’d also love it if they introduced Curt’s wife and son, either giving him a reason to fight for his humanity, or—as mutated lizards—helping him to spread his dream of a reptile paradise. Whatever they bring him back to do, I only ask Lizard wear his lab coat while transformed! It's a cool, iconic visual as well as a subliminal message that the lizard monster is still human inside. Curt does want to improve humanity, even as the Lizard, but at what cost? Exploring the line between man and animal could lead Peter to question just how human he is anymore, especially if he’s been acting more and more spider-like in his crime-fighting. Peter can’t go all-out against Lizard without hurting his friend, so how does he stop this vicious monster?

Sandman Perhaps stealing to get his sick daughter medical care would be too similar to Vulture trying to take care of his family through crime, but that doesn't mean Sandman still can't have an arc that takes him from uncommon criminal to unlikely ally of Spider-man. Maybe he comes to genuinely regret what he’s done, feeling that his outward appearance is showing him as the monster he’s become. A supervillain stepping back and taking a good look at themselves without anything to gain from it but a better soul—then actually doing the work to change for the better—isn’t an arc we ever see, and it could work for Flint Marko. Perhaps he views his robberies as something different (and maybe even somewhat noble in a Robin Hood/“the billionaires are the real criminals” sort of way) than the all-out world domination and murder attempted by villains like Hobgoblin or Doctor Octopus. He could have a “honor among thieves” code of conduct to set him apart from the egomaniacs and monsters. A supervillain with a growing conscience would be a cool arc that would parallel and reveal Peter’s early selfishness nicely. Peter isn’t Superman—he isn’t even close to being perfect—so he shouldn’t have a problem believing villains can change if they really want to (and having Marko change without the death of a loved one could be a cool commentary on heroes who “need” tragedy in their lives, as well as potentially showing his moral awakening to be a little purer than Peter’s). Peter should even be out there helping his enemies to walk the same path he has. Wherever they take Flint Marko, I'd like them to really dig into his powers—just how much sand can he control? Are we talking entire shorelines?—and Peter's need to use science to stop him. 

Rhino I have no problem with him being just the nearly invulnerable and less-than-intelligent muscle, but if they want to add layers to him that's cool too. They could do something like "Flowers for Rhino,” wherein he became increasingly smart. He could have a genuinely loving marriage to Oksana, like in the comics, which could parallel Peter’s problems with balancing his heroic and love lives. I’d prefer he have some version of his classic suit over another mech version, though I can see the MCU going with the latter for simplicity. Whatever they do with his personality, Rhino should be like a force of nature: truly unstoppable and deadly to everyone in his path.

Electro If they do Electro again, I'd like them to really play up his powers and have him go for godhood! I thought the tragedy of ASM2’s Electro was he was still too insecure to believe he had as much power and potential as he did, and it'd be amazing to see an Electro who knew what to do with the power at his fingertips. He could give power only to those who are loyal to him. He could plunge the eastern seaboard into the Dark Ages by taking it away. He could be everywhere, all the time, unless you’re away from electronics (which could be a fun gag about the omnipresence of cell phones). If Peter still has his Stark suit, Electro could take it over completely; maybe he could even take over whatever tech shrinks it to fit Parker and use it to force him to commit crimes or act as his enforcer like a puppet. With every surveillance network at Electro’s fingertips and his ability to move through any circuitry, Peter would have to be as low-tech and stealthy as possible, maybe even forgoing his costume to travel as Parker, to get close enough to defeat him. Electro is potentially one of Peter's most powerful enemies—a villain Spidey can't even touch and one of many that forces him to adapt his webs and use his head to stand a chance of surviving, not to mention winning—and I'd love to see him up against those odds! The sympathetic origin from Spectacular Spider-man (or a version of it) would be great as a starting point—that’s my favorite version of Electro—but I’d like to see Electro develop delusions of grandeur…then use his power to make them real.

Mister Negative He'd be cool as both a way to get May into the action—Negative's alter ego Martin Li ran the homeless shelter May volunteered at—and he could fill the “secret mob boss” role Kingpin played on the 90s cartoon (as did the much more menacing Tombstone on Spectacular Spider-man) if they wanted to go with a gang war angle. While Li has a healing touch, Mister Negative can bring out the negative aspects in anyone he touches (his morally inverting touch also gives him control over his victims), which could give us a taste of not only how selfish Peter was before Ben died, but how Peter might be with the Venom symbiote (since it seems we won't see that story in the MCU, though I hope it's mentioned as backstory in Venom). Negative would be a great way to give us a glimpse into how far Peter's come as a hero without resorting to character regression. His belief that the balance of good and evil is necessary to the universe would be a fascinating perspective that could challenge Peter’s perception of right and wrong (in addition to questioning if there’s even a point in continuing to fight), and his split personality could be a cool parallel to how being Spider-man messes with Peter’s social life. Then again, perhaps his origin would make him more appropriate for the upcoming Cloak & Dagger series on Freeform, since they were all exposed to the same tests with the Darkforce dimension.

Morbius Similar to Lizard, Michael Morbius accidentally made himself into a vampiric creature while trying to cure his rare blood disease. He'd be a cool way to bring a horror vibe into Spidey's corner of the MCU. He could be a classmate of Peter's to rival him in both intelligence and power, or like in the later comics, an employee at Horizon Labs trying to cure himself. Perhaps he could be a creature who truly scares Peter, giving Parker some fears to fight through; something we don’t often see from Spider-man in movies. Morbius has powers similar to supernatural vampires (enhanced strength and speed, night vision, echolocation, an enhanced healing factor, the ability to hypnotize people, and the ability to glide using transvection), and none of their mythical weaknesses, except for a vulnerability to sunlight (though it’s not fatal, it will weaken and burn him severely). He’s not always able to turn the people he bites into vampires in the comics, but I’d give him that power as well as his ability to “liquidize” his body, allowing him to squeeze through small spaces and elongate his limbs. What would Peter do if Morbius was forced to feed on others to survive? How would he defeat Michael if stopping him from getting blood likely meant killing him? Even though Morbius is not a supernatural vampire, his existence could open Peter’s eyes to the possibility of the supernatural, even if after struggling with something science can’t explain, he rationalizes it as science mistaken for magic.

Man-Wolf Jameson's son, turned into a werewolf-like monster by an alien artifact, could be a cool way to bring Peter and Jonah together and repair their enmity to an extent (and Jonah having to thank Spidey for saving his son would be a great moment for the web-head!). Making John Jameson—a hotshot astronaut—someone relatively close to Peter's age (maybe he’s a pilot prodigy at NASA) and something of a hero for Peter could make Pete reflect on how much more he could be accomplishing if he weren’t spending time fighting crime as Spider-man. They could also contrast John being celebrated as an American hero with Peter being unable to tell anyone how much he's done for the city. That'd give Peter a reason to dislike John removed from any real reason, much like Jonah dislikes Peter (and like Flash hates Peter but is a fan of Spider-man). How much would Peter hate being similar to JJ and Flash? Saving John from alien technology would also be a great challenge for Peter’s already brilliant mind; I’m sure he’d be geeking out at the chance to work with such advanced, otherworldly technology.

Stunner This villain who uses a holographic projector to create her idealized appearance would be a good high school enemy! Increase her holographic powers to include force field projection and she'd have offensive capabilities as well as a neat way to hide her identity. She’d also be a good opportunity to explore bullying in addition to what Flash dishes out; that’s both a villain Peter can’t beat and a good parallel to how he deals with his own torment at the hands of his classmates. They could have Peter examine whether his banter in fights is bullying (Max Landis has said it is, I’d say it isn’t, and Peter can ask himself that question) and whether he should be doing more to understand his villains’ pain before just attacking them. She could also prompt Peter to see the other bullied kids at school and try to do something to help as Peter. Her idealized self would also be a perfect foil for Spider-man being the outlet for Peter’s confidence.

Hydro-Man He sometimes seems like just a watery version of Sandman, but what if he were reconfigured as a killer who could strike his victims anywhere? Walk by a fire hydrant on the street? He's there. Have fire sprinklers in your place of business? You're not safe, even with everyone around you. Have a sink or shower in your apartment? He can get into your home, no matter how many locks you've got on your door. The 90s animated series had him stalking Mary Jane with some of these methods, and an unstoppable killer like this might be best saved for a Venom sequel.

Morlun Best used in a Spider-verse crossover, this nearly-immortal, vampiric monster who consumes the life force of spider-powered people across the multiverse would be a crazy cosmic-level villain for Peter to face. Peter would even have to recruit a whole army of Spider-people in an epic Avengers-styled adventure, showcasing a wide-variety of worlds and Spider-men (and women). Letting Peter see who he could've become under different circumstances (even though some of the Spiders aren't Peter at all) would be illuminating both for him and us. As Morlun is almost a god, discovering how to beat him—and how to lead a team—would be very cool in the later portions of Peter's arc; it’d probably be the ultimate test of Peter’s accumulated skills.

Shriek Once insane and romantically obsessed with Carnage, my first thought was that they could play her as Spidey's (or Venom’s, given her longtime connection to Carnage) version of Harley Quinn. Obviously I wouldn't want a total ripoff, but maybe making Shriek—who has sonic blasts—a goofily serious villain could make for a fun, unique challenge for Peter or Eddie. However, given Shriek’s obsession with motherhood, making her the overbearing and controlling mother of one of Peter’s classmates would be a cool update. That would allow them to play her as a clever foil to Ben and May. Like the classic comics May, she could be paranoid about her child’s safety, but unlike May, she’d resort to violence to protect her kid. Her ability to create chaos and bring out the fear, anger, and hatred in people could produce some interesting challenges for Peter: how does he stop a crowd of innocent civilians from hurting the uninfected among them without hurting the attackers as well? What if he gets infected; how much damage is an angry, uncontrollable, super-powered Spider-man going to do? Does she unleash these powers on Peter’s school after her child is severely bullied, turning the bullies’ hatred against themselves? Where is the line between protecting her child and going so far that not only are others hurt, but her child can’t cope well enough to defend his or herself at all? Does Spider-man cross that line by saving the city over and over again, to the point where we can’t help ourselves? What if she purposefully infected her child to enrage them to defend themselves? Shriek could be the Peter who never shirked her responsibility, taken to a detrimental extreme.

Spot Spot's transportation portals all over his body could make for a neat, maze-like puzzle for Spidey to solve in one of his strangest adventures. Like Mister Negative, he too might be better suited for Cloak & Dagger, since his powers came from studying Cloak’s dark dimension in the comics. If he were to fight Spider-man, it’d be cool to pit Peter (or Miles) against a villain their spider-sense can’t detect, since it can’t sense attacks coming in from alternate dimensions. Dimensional warping would also allow him to hit Spidey from multiple angles at once, as well as deflecting attacks through various portals. 

Alistair or Spencer Smythe/Spider-Slayers Maybe the spider-slayers are a little too similar to Sentinels in X-Men, but I wonder if there's a way to reconfigure them as smaller (but no less lethal) bugs that can be anywhere and see everything. They'd be like the spider drone network set up by the Superior Spider-man (Otto Octavius) in the comics, and perhaps it'd be best in a movie if Otto simply called them spider-slayers as a shout-out to the Smythes.

Big Wheel I really have no idea how to make Big Wheel work outside of a gag appearance, but that'd be enough for a Bond-styled opening. I've always thought it'd be funny to have him rolling down a street, wreaking havoc and shouting "No one can stop me!" Spidey swings up, tries to web Big Wheel's Ferris Wheel-styled vehicle to halt him, but the webs snap. Big Wheel proclaims no one can stop him again...as he plunges off the pier into the ocean. Before going to rescue him, Peter muses that he though Big Wheel was boasting, not yelling frantically that he'd lost control of his vehicle. 

 The World Midtown High I really hope all the apathetic staff returns! They were a great, unexpected source of comedy and I’d love to see more of them. The other students were great too; Betty Brant’s deer-in-the-headlights news reports were a perfect, realistic high school layer to the environment! All the high school stuff clicked perfectly with the superhero themes, giving the heroics relatable metaphors and grounding them in a realistic world. Let’s see that continue!

The Daily Bugle I’d love for the Bugle to be more than a set for Jonah to rant about Spidey. It’d be cool if it became a place where we could see the varied reactions to Spider-man from the adults in New York, while we see the younger generation’s reaction at school. Robbie Robertson, Glory Grant, and any number of other characters could pop up to fill us in on how the common man sees Spider-man, both in relation to other heroes and as a solo hero. Robbie could push Spidey as the hero he is, Glory could mentor Betty in terms of where her career could take her, etc. The Bugle is practically begging for a MCU parallel to fake news with its anti-Spider-man message, and building on some of the public’s annoyance with Spidey in Homecoming would allow for some brilliant social commentary. The Bugle can also question the validity of the government having its own team of superheros in the Avengers. Is there a problem with state-sponsored heroes?

Horizon Labs Max Modell, Sajani Jaffrey, Anna Maria Marconi, and Co. would be great additions to the Spider-man corner of the MCU! Beyond the bleeding edge super-science Horizon would introduce and the potential path for Peter’s future as a scientist, Max would be a significant scientific mentor for Peter (and one who does not turn into a supervillain). The Lab’s staff is very diverse, continuing the real world look of Midtown High in Homecoming. The staff would also provide a variety of non-villainous perspectives on science for Peter to look up to or disregard, getting him to consider things beyond Tony Stark’s way of doing things. It’d also be interesting to explore not only what inventions they could use to update and aid the city (creating problems for Spidey, no doubt), but whether they should be helping the wall-crawler to more efficiently stop bad guys. Would that make him a corporate-sponsored hero? Should that be a thing? 

The NYPD The police reaction to Spidey should be varied as well. Introducing Captain George Stacy as someone hunting Spidey and eventually mentoring him would be very cool. Jean DeWolffe was eventually a Spider-man supporter in most versions, but her tough-as-nails attitude could work against him as well. Her partner, Stan Carter, could admire Spidey in a twisted way before becoming the masked serial killer Sin-Eater. Yuri Watanabe, who is also the vigilante Wraith, could be a cool parallel to Spidey acting outside the boundaries of the law, particularly if he ever leaves the Avengers and ignores the Sokovia Accords. Carlie Cooper, a police forensic specialist and sometime love interest of Peter’s, could put his secret identity in danger while also eventually resenting being a target because of her association with Spidey. Since Spider-man plays more in the everyday world than most of the MCU heroes, I’d like the local cops to have their own reactions to him rather than just treating him as another Avenger. The same should go for New York’s civilians.

SHIELD What about the Sokovia Accords? Was Peter unofficially drafted into service by Iron Man, as I've suspected? Is he considered a child soldier? If he leaves the Avengers, does he automatically become a fugitive? Would SHIELD put all his closest family and friends in danger to force him back into line? 

Other Heroes Let’s see Spidey interact with the Defenders! I think it’d be funny if the youngest hero were also the one from the biggest stage as an Avenger. Alternatively (or additionally), a Miles-Spidey meeting the Defenders could be cool as well, since they’re almost all representative of the downtrodden and ignored in society. Miles getting lessons on being a hero from the Defenders would give him an entirely different outlook than hanging out with the Avengers, making his point of view that much more different from Peter’s when they team-up..

Animated Features Miles is getting one next year, but what if Sony were to make a series of standalone animated Spider-man films that weren’t in any continuity, then wrapped them together in a Spider-Verse adaptation? Spider-verse dealt with Morlun’s family of immortals absorbing the life-force of people affected by the Spider-totem to sustain themselves. These Inheritors, mainly Morlun, were somewhat vampiric, extremely hard to defeat, and terrifying. They crossed into multiple realities to hunt down the spiders of each, even really clever continuities like the Marvel vs. Capcom video game and Spider-man’s newspaper strip.

Since they’d be animated, it’d be easy to mix them with every version of Spider-man from his numerous animated series (along with those from the comics). You could animate Toby Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland, Nicholas Hammond, the Japanese TV Spider-man, and the Broadway Spider-man into this too. We could get Spider-Ham and a sentient Spider-mobile (alias: Peter Parkedcar)! In fact, an animated Spider-verse seems like it’d be the most feasible way of adapting the story into a movie. Regardless of whether they culminate in Spider-Verse or not, the standalone animated films I’d like to see most are as follows:

Spider-man Noir Taking place in an alternate 1930s, Peter Parker Noir is a chance to bring a bit of The Shadow and Batman the Animated Series to the Spider-verse! Peter was affected by an occult artifact in this universe, granting him similar powers to the version we know (though he can create organic webbing). Both his job as an investigative reporter and his main criminal targets being gangsters would make for the perfect throwback to a 30s/40s crime movie. The Parker of this world didn’t learn “with great power, there must also come great responsibility,” but rather “If there is too much power, it’s the responsibility of the people to take it away,” giving him a slightly different outlook and reason for taking action. This Peter also struggles with killing villains, giving him an internal battle that the mainstream Peter doesn’t have. The villains—sometimes patterned after classic movie monsters: Vulture as Dracula, Hammerhead as Frankenstein’s Monster, Goblin as a Wolfman, etc.—are distinctive and the pulpy, film noir vibe is very cool. Spider-man Noir’s struggle for the rights of the people and distrust of anyone with too much power would be a very timely story for today, told in the context of our history.

Spider-man 2099 Miguel O’Hara is the Spider-man of the future and lives in a technologically advanced wonderland that would make a great animated feature. It’d be cool to explore Peter’s legacy in this potential future! Irish-Mexican Miguel was a geneticist working at Alchemax until a genetic bonding experiment caused the death of the person Miguel was testing. Disgusted, he tried to leave, but his boss secretly addicted him to a drug in the hopes that he’d have to stay (Alchemax was the sole manufacturer), but Miguel performed the same genetic test to cure himself of the addiction, giving himself powers when his supervisor sabotaged the experiment in an attempt to kill him. Miguel’s DNA was spliced with a spider’s, giving him the classic Spider powers in addition to a healing factor, enhanced vision, telepathy, organic webs, talons, and fangs. His high-tech suit also allows him to glide. They could go crazy with his futuristic villains, making them stark contrasts to the present-day Spidey’s rogues. In at least one version of his future, Miguel was instrumental in saving, rebuilding, and enhancing the entirety of society, allowing for an epic end-of-the-world story that could actually have a hopeful, definitive ending where Spider-man improves the world for good. They could also play with his adventures in the past trying to maintain his future if they wanted to.

Lady Spider May Reilly lives in the Victorian Age on her Earth and uses a steampunk suit she designed to fight crime. She says the spider that bit her (encountered in a cage in her father’s study) taught her to let no one cage her, which would be a powerful feminist message. She doesn’t have super-powers, instead relying on her intelligence and her inventions to defeat the Six Men of Sinestry and other nefarious criminals. She was the only woman in her university class and achieved three degrees. As a wealthy, brilliant heiress and adventurer, she’d be the perfect character to build a classical—but socially updated—adventure around. There aren’t many Victorian superheroes in film, and a Lady Spider animated movie would stand out from the pack while being visually outstanding.

Spider-Girl The teenage daughter of Peter Parker and Mary Jane in a near-future alternate world, May “Mayday” Parker became Spider-girl when Norman Osborn’s grandson restarted his family’s Goblin legacy. Retired after losing a leg, Peter followed his Aunt May’s example in not wanting his daughter to be Spider-Girl at first. The chance to see how Peter and his supporting cast might end up—and how the world might be improved by his adventures—would be very cool; a way to give an ending to his character and a passing of the Spider torch without it needing to be the ending. May having a father who used to be a superhero himself would also be an easy way to replicate the Peter/Tony relationship, or at least the function it served: May would have someone who could say no to her, reinforcing her teenager status despite her great power. It would also be a fairly fresh relationship, with only Hope Van Dyne and Hank Pym having explored that before. Peter could give practical advice as a former hero and he’d have insights into some of the villains she faces, while she could also prove that it’s a new age and she’s the right hero for it.

 Other Notes Another thing I'd like to see is more self-control from Sony's promotions department. Homecoming didn't have it as bad, but the trailers for both Amazing Spider-man films heavily featured the end credits tag. This would've been like advertising the first Iron Man with Nick Fury and the Avengers Initiative front and center; I'm sure this contributed to the misconception that Amazing Spider-man 2 was nothing but a stepping stone to the Sinister Six, when in reality it is a full and complete movie unto itself. Across the Sony Spider-verse, I hope they're more careful about what they put in their trailers; I'd prefer it if nothing past the runtime’s halfway mark made it in.

I haven't gotten to watch Marvel's Spider-man animated series beyond the pilot, but I'm excited to see Peter and Miles as contemporaries and how Gwen will work as a third Spider-hero. Peter’s focus on science is brilliantly applied—the scientific method is how he calmed himself down after the spider bite and provided the framework for his origin story—and I can’t believe that idea wasn’t used before. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more! You can find official, free uploads of the origin story shorts here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and the pilot here. I do wish it had more of a theme song, but I’m glad there’s a new Spider-man cartoon on the air!

It'll never happen, but my biggest Spider-man wish would be the return of Spectacular Spider-man. It boasted excellent fights, genuine humor, and a healthy dose of science, responsibility, and heroism from Peter, as well as excellent representations of almost all of Peter's friends and enemies (and Spider-man himself, perfectly voiced by Josh Keaton). That show is my favorite version of the Spider-mythos anywhere and it's a shame we didn't get to see the full version of Greg Weisman's extensive plans.

I’d also love a live-action series to really be able to explore and flesh out all the supporting characters and villains, but that’s unlikely to happen now…at least with Peter as Spidey. However, I think a Miles Morales Spider-man series could be a great addition to either Netflix’s Defenders lineup or to Freeform’s Cloak & Dagger corner of the MCU, so that those three could team up with Ms. Marvel and form their own teen supergroup, the Champions. You could focus the series on Miles and his supporting cast, while Peter drops in occasionally (playing up Miles’ feelings about following in Parker’s footsteps) and the two Spider-men could split the classic villains so they all get a moment in the sun.

I'm very excited for the upcoming PlayStation 4 Spider-man game! The trailer looks outstanding and I'm hoping they find a way to make playing as Spidey feel fresh. Even if it’s something similar to Spider-games of the past, what we’ve seen so far gives me hope this is going to be the best one yet!

What do you want to see from the web-slinger’s world?

[hermanwatts]

Light Novels: Introduction and Secret Worlds

Light novels have been a frequent topic in pulp fantasy, combining the evolution of the pulp magazine with Japanese pop culture to various degrees of success. In the 1970s, Japanese publishers combined pulp magazines with anime-inspired illustrations aimed at teens and young adults. Since then, the market for these short, pulpy and fannish novels (about 50,000 words or so, like the hero pulp novels), has exploded in Japan and abroad, with recent English publisher J-Novel Club releasing over 200 translated volumes in two years.

Success has changed light novels from their pulp origins. Rather than an episodic series like the Shadow or Doc Savage, the average light novel has returned to dime novel serialization, with many light novels amassing a dozen volumes of story and more. And, to fill the demand, publishers have been offering contracts to newer writers and web novel writers. So the polish expected of the pulps has started to rub away. But enthusiasm, novelty, and an editor’s not-so-gentle prodding have carried many a light novel writer to success despite the deficiencies of technique. Currently, just as in American Young adult, the medium has been following their readers as they grow older. But the heart still remains–mystery, action, and a heavier leavening of the spicy than even Martin Goodman would consider wise.

Like in any medium that has been around for longer than a fortnight, writers have chased various trends. Currently, isekai portal fantasy and harem romance have been the rage, influencing Russian litRPG and the recent glut of American harem fantasies, to the point that many readers are searching for their next novelty fix. Prior to that, the fad of the day included, at various times, “devil” stories, sword and sorcery, space opera, magical battle academies, and high school secret histories.

Over the next few weekends, I’ll take a closer look at these admittedly broad categories and make recommendations in each, based on what is currently available, starting with my personal favorite category, the secret worlds. 

Like Alice chasing the White Rabbit, protagonists in the once popular secret world setting follow a bit of strangeness in an otherwise mundane life, discovering instead vast conspiracies and earthshaking revelations that upend the main character’s understanding of what the world is and how the world works. For the shadows of everyday life are full of alien infiltrators, secret societies, living urban legends, ghosts, and other mysteries, each with a hand on the tiller of the world and each trying desperately not to be noticed. Swept up in that madness, suddenly a mundane life becomes something far grander and the world never seems quite so small–or safe–ever again.

These “secret world” fantasies are primary world fantasies, taking place on Earth in the present at the time written, and always offering a peek behind the curtain at Fortean secrets most people are unaware of. Popularized in light novel form by Boogiepop and Others, these secret world novels are a common setting for horror, as well as the main outlet for a pop science fiction junkie for the better part of a decade.

The height of the secret world books came to an end with the popularization of the term chunibyo (“Eighth Grader Syndrome” or middle-school delusions). Many of the stories of secret aliens, superheroes, and living legends found in secret world matched the delusions of grandeur common to a certain phase in a young teen’s life, and realism and ironic detachment settled into the genre. Instead of being swept up by grand and hidden secrets, the main characters instead turn to rescue friends from their delusions. And if the delusions turned out to be real secret worlds, the characters view everything through a genre-savvy and often snark-filled lens. The point becomes to move past these delusions and accept life as it is, instead of thirsting for wonders unseen.

Those looking for wonder–or a place to revel in the fantastic unmocked by their peers–soon turned to settings beyond the constraints of the current day, to the video game-inspired settings of isekai portal fantasy.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – Nagaru Tanigawa

Kyon is ready to start high school after putting aside childish things such as belief in UFOs and superheroes. Then, on the first day of class, he is introduced to Haruhi Suzumiya, a strange girl who has no interest in anything except the weird. Haruhi is unwilling to speak to anyone other than aliens, time-travelers, and psychics. But, after a chance conversation convinces Haruhi that Kyon shares her interest, he gets swept into Haruhi’s strange club. A club full of aliens, time-travelers, and ESPers all trying to keep their identities a secret. For Haruhi also has a strange power to influence reality, and it’s best for all that she never knows about it.

Admittedly, Haruhi puts the manic into manic pixie girl, but the real charm of the series is watching Kyon play the only sane man among his co-conspirators as they deal with time-traveling hijinks, dimensional shifts, homicidal aliens, and even rival clubs behind Haruhi’s back. Over time, Haruhi adjusts to normal high school life, while Kyon warms up to the weirdness that surrounds Haruhi at all times. Kyon narrates the various mishaps in a deadpan that never lets up, no matter what pocket dimension, past era, or alternate timeline he finds himself in. Unfortunately, the complexities of simultaneous alternate dimension and time travel became too much for Tanigawa to navigate, so it is doubtful if the series will ever be finished past the tenth volume.

Bakemonogatari, by NISIO ISIN

After a particularly monstrous Spring Break, Koyomi Araragi’s eyes are open to the various curses, monsters, and aberrations that cling to the people around him. When he catches a reclusive girl in his class after she floats down a staircase, he discovers that she is cursed with weightlessness. Freeing her from this curse only ensnares Koyomi in a strange web of living urban legends and monster tales.

I have reviewed Bakemonogatari both at my own blog and for Castalia House’s, and find the series a complex mix of reward and frustration. NISIO ISIN brings two important elements not found in many light novels; a literate playfulness with the Japanese language carried into the English translation and a deep love of mystery literature. Keen-eyed readers will see nods to American and Japanese mystery traditions, including a story structure familiar to fans of Doc Savage. Not only does Bakemonogatari play with language, but it is also rich in symbolism as well. The literate approach adds depth and gravity to the living ghost stories. Unfortunately, Bakemonogatari gets a little too taken with its own cleverness at times, and the less said about its pandering to some of the least tasteful trends of late 2000s Japanese pop culture, the better. But if a reader can overlook what for a light novel are minor foibles, the monster tales of Bakemonogatari are among the best in the medium.

Invaders of the Rokujouma, by Takehaya

Koutarou thinks he’s found the perfect place to stay while his father is away. The apartment is close to school, and most importantly, the rent is dirt cheap. However, he soon finds out why, as a ghostly girl, two aliens, an honest-to-the-Moon magical girl, and an underworld princess crash through the door. Each invader wants Koutarou’s apartment for their own purposes, but Koutarou is not willing to give up his room without a fight.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way, as Invaders has sandpaper rough prose guaranteed to grate on the nerves of anyone with the slightest desire for style. However, what the series may lack in grace, it makes up with a surprising amount of heart. Instead of appealing to the young professionals who enjoy most light novels, Invaders is aimed at a junior high audience who might yearn for a little science fiction-flavored excitement. Freed from the demands of acting cool, the characters are given the chance to revel in the moment, whether it be the classic high school culture festival or ship vs. ship combat between rival space princesses. Uncluttered by the typical demands of fanservice, Invaders instead has room for a slow burn through an ambitious plot through time and space, with the invaders of Koutarou’s apartment at the center. Also slowly burning is a rather sweet romantic rivalry as the invaders switch from invading an apartment to invading Koutarou’s heart.

Honorable mentions include Full Metal Panic!, by Shoji Gatoh, an alternate history where the Cold War never ended in the 1980s and schoolgirl engineering geniuses are protected by mecha pilot mercenaries without social graces, and A Certain Magic Index, by Kazuma Kamachi, where an unlucky young man gets thrust into an X-Men-style clash between Science and Magic when he meets a young nun.

Light Novels: Introduction and Secret Worlds published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

[fazeupmag-blog]

New Post has been published on Fazeup

New Post has been published on https://www.fazeup.tk/2019/05/finest-youngsters-and-household-films-on-netflix/

Finest youngsters and household films on netflix

Disney

Netflix has a beautiful quantity of unique programming, but it surely’s additionally an incredible place for widespread youngsters and household films as effectively. This case would possibly get a bit extra bleak with Disney pulling out of Netflix within the not too distant future however for now there’s a plethora of alternative.

As a guardian of three younger youngsters, I’ll admit I watch extra child films than movies geared toward my age. I additionally am not ashamed to confess I don’t thoughts! That will help you discover the very best choices, we’ve created an inventory of the very best household films on Netflix proper now.

Whereas a number of the youngsters films on Netflix may not be as attention-grabbing for adults, we’ve tried to search out films that children and households of all ages will get pleasure from. The excellent news is that this record simply scratches the floor of the record as there’s a ton of household films on Netflix which might be really price watching.

(Observe: sure, there’s quite a lot of Disney, most likely as a result of my household loves Disney!)

Incredibles 2

I’ll be trustworthy, I strongly favor the unique. So do my youngsters. Nonetheless, it’s a great film and price watching and comes near matching the magic of the unique. The film follows straight after the occasions of the primary, with superheroes nonetheless being unlawful. Elastagirl is employed to assist shift public opinion in order that superhero work will turn out to be authorized as soon as extra. In the meantime Mr. Unbelievable finds himself taking up the position of a keep at house dad, all whereas being greater than just a little jealous of the eye his spouse is getting.

Author/Director: Brad Hen

Solid: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Huck Milner, Sarah Vowell, Catherine Keener, Bob Odenkirk, and Samuel L. Jackson

Click on right here to look at it straight from Netflix

Coco

I’m fairly positive that I’ve seen Coco a minimum of six instances, and my youngsters have most likely watched it one other dozen. That is arguably probably the greatest Pixar films in current instances and probably the greatest youngsters films on Netflix, regardless of being fairly predictable. The story follows a younger Mexican boy with a love for guitar, regardless of his household’s outright ban on all issues referring to music. Decided to make a reputation for himself and show his price with the guitar, younger Miguel finds himself on a wierd journey the place he learns extra about his household and the way necessary it actually is.

Author/Administrators: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina, Jason Katz, and Matthew Aldrich

Solid: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, and Benjamin Bratt

Click on right here to look at it straight from Netflix

Bolt

Bolt isn’t essentially a Disney masterpiece, but it surely’s a enjoyable film that’s a minimum of just a little completely different from the everyday Disney film method and that makes it probably the greatest household films on Netflix. The film follows Bolt, the canine star of a TV present a couple of canine with superpowers. Solely factor, he doesn’t understand it’s all a TV present. After believing his proprietor is legitimately in peril, Bolt finds himself on an extended journey within the exterior world the place he quickly discovers his powers aren’t working. There are some catchy pop songs and it’s definitely watchable sufficient as an grownup, and odds are your little ones will adore it.

Author/Administrators: Byron Howard, Chris Williams and Dan Fogelman

Solid: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, and Susie Essman

Click on right here to look at it straight from Netflix

Automobiles 3

Automobiles is one in every of my 5-year-old son’s favourite films, however we usually don’t ever placed on Automobiles 2 as a result of.. it was terrible. The ultimate installment within the Automobiles collection isn’t in the identical league as the primary, but it surely’s welcome return to kind that trumps the second. Going down a few years after the primary two, Lighting is discovering that he’s not fairly the younger hotshot he as soon as was, with newer generations of automobiles performing higher, because of improved tech and quicker engines. With most of his former friends retiring from the rat race, Lighting is set to win the Piston Cup as soon as extra — even when it means outpacing race automobiles which might be supposedly superior.

Author/Administrators: Brian Price, Kiel Murrary, Bob Peterson and Mike Wealthy

Solid: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Man, and Nathan Fillion

Click on right here to look at it straight from Netflix

Cloudy With A Probability Of Meatballs

This film is dumb however in a great way! Flint Lockwood is a genius but additionally a serious screwup. None of his innovations ever go proper. Hoping to lastly show of us unsuitable, he invents a machine that may flip water into meals, which is sort of the commodity on his distant island the place the locals largely eat sardines. One factor results in one other and he screws up once more, this time together with his machine getting caught within the clouds, creating what at first looks as if a welcome miracle: raining meals. In the event you haven’t seen this 2009 flick for some motive, I extremely suggest it.. simply be sure you know moving into that the story, characters, and humor are all a bit bizarre.

Author/Administrators: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Solid: Anna Faris, Invoice Hader, and Bruce Campbell

Click on right here to look at it straight from Netflix

Christopher Robin

I wasn’t positive I’d hassle watching this one, however lastly we chunk the bullet when it hit Netflix. I’m glad we took the time as a result of the story was enjoyable, and there was quite a lot of nostalgia. Like just about each youngsters film ever, the story has some predictable moments, but it surely’s heartwarming sufficient and ought to be good for each youthful and older youngsters (although teenagers would doubtless discover it a bit boring).

Author/Director: Marc Forster, Alex Ross, Tom McCarthy, and Allison Schroeder

Solid: Ewan McGregor and Hayley Atwell

Click on right here to look at it straight from Netflix

Casper

That is nothing wanting an iconic 90s film, I don’t care what you say! Nice solid, enjoyable story, and it’s a bit completely different than your common youngsters film. This one is ideal for barely older youngsters, and perhaps even youthful teenagers. The story follows a ghost therapist (sure, actually) and his daughter who’re employed to get ghosts out of a home. Whereas the titular Casper is a pleasant ghost, his uncles? Not a lot.

Author/Administrators: Brad Silberling, Sherri Stoner, and Deanna Oliver

Solid: Invoice Pullman, Christina Ricci, and Cathy Moriarty

Click on right here to look at it straight from Netflix

Hercules

Bless my soul, Herc was on a task. This may not have the standing of a few of different large 90s Disney hits like Aladdin and the Lion King, but it surely had a great story primarily based loosely on Greek mythology, some enjoyable songs, and loads of refined references I didn’t perceive as a child however as an grownup deliver a smile to my face. The story follows a younger Hercules who doesn’t slot in, having superhuman power he can’t management. Quickly he learns about his true parentage and units on a quest to turn out to be a real hero, restoring his place among the many gods.

Author/Administrators: Ron Clements and John Musker

Solid: Tate Donovan, Susan Egan, and James Woods

Click on right here to look at it straight from Netflix

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Stars Wars is an iconic movie collection and price introducing to your youngsters whereas they’re nonetheless younger. Whereas most likely not for the littlest ones, my five-year-old son does benefit from the Star Wars movies and so does my nine-year-old daughter. Solo is a facet story that explores the origins of Han Solo and helps set the stage for the later Star Wars episodes. The film reveals how Solo joined forces with Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian, in addition to explores how the Millennium Falcon ended up in Hans’ palms.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2 (2017)

Whether or not your youngsters are younger or teenagers, this can be a fantastic film. Tons of 80s music references, quirky characters, numerous motion, and a stable story. I’m undecided which I like higher, the unique or the sequel, which is uncommon for me to say as I normally flip my nostril upward at most sequels. This film follows straight after the primary with Peter Quinn unintentionally unraveling the mysteries of his parentage and the darkish secrets and techniques that his historical past holds.

Author/Director: James Gunn

Solid: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Kurt Russell

Click on right here to look at it straight from Netflix

Avengers: Infinity Struggle

Avengers: Infinity Struggle gained’t go on any “best films you don’t know about” record anytime quickly. You probably have any passing curiosity within the MCU as a collection, you most likely noticed this movie in theaters, or at house when it hit iTunes and different digital platforms just a few months after its launch. Whether or not or not you noticed it, its launch on Netflix makes it the proper time to revisit earlier than catching the record-breaking Avengers: Endgame in theaters.

I’ll admit I haven’t been as large into the Avengers and we really simply watched Infinity Struggle lately, I’m that behind. I do know I’m within the minority although and that is definitely an incredible film. The movie follows the Avengers workforce with gamers together with Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain America. The villain is none aside from Thanos. The Avengers collection melds story and characters from tons of Marvel films, making it a should watch if you happen to’re a fan of the Marvel universe.

Author/Administrators: Joe and Anthony Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

Solid: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth

Click on right here to look at it straight from Netflix

Bridge to Terabithia

This can be a nice film however I warn you that it is likely to be a bit a lot for youthful youngsters or those that are notably delicate. The movie revolves round Leslie and Jesse, two outsiders who immediately turn out to be mates. When not in school or coping with every day life, they dwell in their very own imaginary world referred to as Terabithia, crammed with all types of epic fantasy creatures. Whereas the story appears harmless sufficient, it takes a tragic twist that may pull on the heartstrings greater than just a little.

Author/Administrators: Gabor Csupo, Jeff Stockwell and David Paterson

Solid: Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, and Zooey Deschanel

Click on right here to look at it straight from Netflix

Supply

[thedeadshotnetwork]

Every Superhero Who's Ever Been In The Justice League, Part 1: Adam Strange To Elongated Man While the Justice League in the latest DC movie features just a handful of heroes, the history of the team in the comic books is a lot more complicated. First created in 1960, over the decades it has seen over 150 members in a wide variety of divisions, offshoots, alternate versions, and reimaginings. From Justice Leagues America, Europe, and International to Justice League Dark and Justice League Elite, through the various timelines and reboots of Flashpoint, New 52, and Rebirth, it all gets a bit complicated. Here's the first part of our run-down of all the heroes who have been part of this legendary team over nearly 60 years of justice. Adam Strange A regular in the DC universe since the late '50s, Strange joined Justice League United as part of New 52 in 2014. He has bionic eyes, a jetpack, and an energy gun. Agent Liberty AKA: Benjamin Lockwood Former CIA agent turned masked crimefighter, Agent Liberty briefly joined the Justice League to fight Brainiac in 1991. Amazing Man AKA: Will Everett, III The second hero to be called Amazing Man, this version joined the Justice League at Wonder Woman's request in 1994. His body can duplicate the properties of any inorganic material he touches, from stone to glass. Amazing Man AKA: Markus Clay The third Amazing Man is the cousin of Will Everett, and possesses similar powers. After helping the survivors if Hurricane Katrina, he was asked to join the League. Ambush Bug AKA: Irwin Schwab One of the most hilariously useless heroes ever to join the League, this bungling, teleporting hero was a member of the short-lived New 52 JLA. Amethyst AKA: Amaya In the New 52 reboot of this '80s character, Amethyst is a princess called Amaya, with powerful mystical abilities. She was the part of the more supernaturally-themed Justice League Dark. Andrew Bennett A shapeshifting vampire who is able to control his lust for blood, his debt to John Constantine led him to join the Justice League Dark. Animal Man AKA: Buddy Baker As his name suggests, Baker can take on the power of any animal. He was first created in 1965, but was a member of Justice League Europe in the 1980s. Antaeus AKA: Mark Antaeus The second hero to carry the name Antaeus, this version was a powerful, genetically modified hero who fought with the Justice League in the late '90s. The Atom AKA:Ray Palmer Palmer was an early member of the JLA, joining the classic line-up in 1962 to fight alongside the like of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash. He has the ability to shrink to incredible sizes while retaining his full mass and strength. The Atom AKA: Rhonda Pineda The Atom of the New 52 timeline turned out to be a spy from the Universe of Earth-3, who infiltrated the Justice League. The Atom AKA: Ryan Choi Choi was yet another incarnation of The Atom. He was recruited to the Justice League by Batman and Lobo as part of the Rebirth continuity. August General in Iron AKA: Fang Zhifu A highly decorated iron-skinned super-hero from China, August General was part of Justice League International in 2011. Aquagirl AKA: Mareena Curry Aquaman's daughter was part of both TV's Justice League Unlimited, and the Justice League of DC's 2014 event Future's End. Aquaman AKA: Orin / Arthur Curry Aquaman was a founding member of the Justice League, and returned to the team as part of the New 52 line-up. Aztek AKA: Uno Subtitled "The Ultimate Man," Aztek is a champion of the Aztek god Quetzalcoatl. He fought alongside the League in the late '90s, but sacrificed himself to allow Superman to save the world. Batman AKA: Bruce Wayne Alongside Superman and Wonder Woman, the most famous member of the Justice League. Batman was there at the start, and appeared in the New 52 and Rebirth versions. Batwing AKA: David Zavimbe Part of Batman Incorporated, Bruce Wayne's attempt to create a Dark Knight franchise across the world. Batwing was based in Africa, and fought with Justice League International. Big Barda AKA: Barda Free A powerful New God, Barda first appeared in 1971 and is also known as the wife of Mister Miracle (aka Scott Free, Darkseid's son). She fought in the League alongside her husband. Big Sir AKA: Dufus P. Ratchett What he lacks in brains, Big Sur makes up for in strength. He was part of Justice League Antarctica, a team of inept reformed criminals put together by Max Lord with the intention of keeping them well away from civilisation. Black Canary AKA: Dinah Laurel Lance A vigilante with incredible martial arts skills and a sonic scream, Black Canary was a vital part of the JLA through the 1980s and became their leader when the team later reformed. Black Condor AKA: Ryan Kendall The second character to carry the name Black Condor, Kendall is a Native American hero with telekinetic powers. He is by nature a loner, but spent a brief time in the Justice League. Black Lightning AKA: Jefferson Pierce Black Lightning was one of DC's first African American superheroes. The lightning bolt-firing hero initially turned down membership in the Justice League, before becoming a member many years later in 2007. Black Orchid AKA: Alba Garcia The New 52 version of the classic character, Alba Garcia is a member of Justice League Dark. She has super strength and the power of flight, plus shapeshifting abilities. Bloodwynd An ambiguous and powerful necromancer, Bloodwynd initially joined the League while under the mind-control of Martian Mindhunter, who himself was being controlled by the demon Rot. However, he remained in the team once freed from Rott's control. Blue Beetle AKA: Ted Kord The first of two Blue Beetles to have been part of the League. The wise-cracking Ted Kord was part of Justice League International in the 1980s and partnered with Booster Gold. He was killed in 2005 by former JLA bankroller Max Lord. Blue Beetle AKA: Jaime Reyes Reyes became the Blue Beetle after Kord's death, and featured in the limited series 'Generation Lost' in 2010 as part of Justice League International. Blue Devil AKA: Daniel Cassidy Former stuntman Daniel Cassidy was permanently bonded to a suit that was designed for a horror movie he was working on, and his subsequent attempts to remove it left him cursed with demonic powers. Accepting his fate, he put his abilities to good use in the JLA during the 1980s. Blue Jay AKA: Jay Abrams Blue Jay was introduced in 1971 as part of the Champions of Angor, a superhero team initially written as an Avengers spoof. Blue Jay could fly and shrink at will and later joined Justice League Europe. Booster Gold AKA: Michael Carter This egotistical, time-travelling hero comes from the 25th century and was part of Justice League International. Best buddies with Blue Beetle. Bulleteer AKA: Alix Harrower Bulleteer was based on the classic character Bulletgirl. She wears silver alloy on her body, which makes her skin indestructible, and was briefly part of an interim Justice League put together by Firestorm, post-Infinite Crisis. Captain Atom AKA: Nathaniel Adam With alien powers gained through an experimental army weapons test, Captain Atom joined the League in the mid '80s and eventually became leader of Justice League Europe. Captain Cold AKA: Leonard Snart Technically a villain and long-term adversary of The Flash, Captain Cold served briefly in the League as part of the New 52 reboot in 2011. Captain Marvel AKA: Billy Batson Known as the world's mightiest mortal and now better known as Shazam, Billy Batson joined Justice League International when it formed in the late '80s. Catwoman AKA: Selina Kyle Gotham's greatest thief was part of the New 52 version of Justice League America, which was put together by Steve Trevor. Clock King AKA: William Tockman Another member of the inept Justice League Antarctica, Clock King possesses no super powers. In fact, his sole "ability" is a keen sense of punctuality. Cluemaster AKA: Arthur Brown Cluemaster is a failed game show host turned villain who, like Clock King, was packed off to Antarctica by Max Lord. Coldcast AKA: Nathan Jones The electromagnetism-controlling Coldcast was a member of Justice League Elite. This was a shadowy black ops team organised by Sister Superior, who dealt with the jobs that the normal Justice League would not. Congorilla AKA: William "Congo Bill" Glenmorgan Once a human who could transform into a gorilla, Congo Bill ultimately became trapped in the body of the beast. He joined a new Justice League group put together by the Green Lantern in the Cry For Justice comics. Crimson Fox AKA: Vivian and Constance d'Aramis Crimson Fox is the alias of twins Vivian and Constance d'Aramis, who share their superhero duties. They have the ability to use pheromones to affect the behavior of men, and were part of Justice League Europe. Cyborg AKA: Victor Stone Originally a member of the Teen Titans, Cyborg became a founding member of Justice League in the New 52 reboot of the team in 2011. Deadman AKA: Boston Brand A former trapeze artist who now walks the Earth as a ghost, Deadman uses his powers of possession in Justice League Dark. Doctor Fate AKA: Kent Nelson One of two Doctor Fates to feature in Justice League International in the 1980s. Kent Nelson is a powerful sorcerer whose powers are provided by the ancient god Nabu. Doctor Fate AKA: Linda Strauss After Kent died from old age, his powers passed to a woman called Linda Strauss, who took on the identity of Doctor Fate. Doctor Light AKA: Kimiyo Hoshi A member of both Justice League International and Justice League Europe in the 1980s, Doctor Light has power over all light sources. Doctor Light AKA: Arthur Light While the other Doctor Light was originally a villain, in both New 52 and Rebirth timeline Arthur Light was rebooted as a hero and member of the Justice League. Doctor Mist AKA: Nommo Balewa The immortal spellmaster Doctor Mist was originally recruited to be a member of Justice League Dark, but was ultimately exposed as a double agent working for the evil Felix Faust. Donna Troy A long–running superhero with an incredibly complicated past and a variety of powers, back stories, and aliases. She featured in the 2010 version of the League, which included Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Dr Light. Element Woman AKA: Emily Sung As her name suggests, Element Woman can transform into a variety of compounds. She was part of the New 52 Justice League. Elongated Man AKA: Ralph Dibny The super-stretchy Elongated Man joined the Justice League in the 1970s. He was killed off, but resurfaced in New 52 as a villain. November 19, 2017 at 03:28PM

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Inhumans’ Mad Maximus: Get To Know Black Bolt’s Evil Brother

With the upcoming “Inhumans” series pulling off the note-perfect casting of Iwan Rheon (Ramsey Bolton from “Games of Thrones”) as Maximus, we figured that it would be nice to provide a spotlight on the main villain of the “Inhumans” stories, who also happens to be the brother of the most famous member of the Inhumans, Black Bolt.

RELATED: Inhumans Casts Game Of Thrones Alum As Maximus The Mad

Maximus is one of the rare supervillains who made his first appearance after his master plan had already been successful. When we first meet Maximus in “Fantastic Four” #47 (by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Joe Sinnott), he had already taken control of the Inhuman people, wresting the crown from his brother, Black Bolt.

However, like many Marvel villains from the Silver Age, Maximus’ undoing proved to be his obsession with a woman who wanted nothing to do with him. The first Inhuman to be introduced in the pages of Marvel Comics was Medusa, who we first met as a criminal as part of the Frightful Four. It later turned out that she had lost her memory after she left the Great Refuge, the hidden city where the Inhumans lived. The Fantastic Four then met the rest of the Inhumans when Maximus decided to send Gorgon to find Medusa, with the intent of then forcing her to marry Maximus. This was enough to get Black Bolt to get his head together and decide to take control of the Inhuman race once again.

RELATED: Inhumans: Marvel Casts Its Live-Action Black Bolt

The scene where Maximus loses his crown to Black Bolt is both a stunning example of Jack Kirby’s storytelling brilliance, and a sign of just how quick Maximus is to adjust to new situations. When Black Bolt takes the crown back, Maximus is at first shocked and angry, but almost instantly he realizes the best play is to suck up to Black Bolt, so he goes from anger to fake happiness in a matter of seconds.

Of course, since he’s a comic book villain, Maximus still tried to play not one, but two trump cards. First, he unleashed a device that he thought would annihilate the human race, leaving only Inhumans on Earth. He figured that his brethren would totally be cool with the genocide if it meant that they were now the undisputed rulers of the planet, and moreover that they would overthrow Black Bolt and give control of the Inhumans to the man who killed the humans. When that device did not work, he went to his back-up plan, creating a “Negative Zone” (different from the other dimension that we would learn of just issues later) that would cut off the Great Refuge from the rest of the world. He figured his plans would have a better chance of succeeding if he had the humans out of his way.

RELATED: Inhumans: Marvel Casts Its Live-Action Black Bolt

Black Bolt used his powers to eventually break through the barrier created by Maximus. After a plot with some Inhuman criminals failed, Maximus once again successfully conquered the Inhumans when he used a hypno-gun to mollify the masses and get himself declared ruler of the Inhumans in “Fantastic Four” #83 (by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Joe Sinnott). This time his reign involved an awesome Jack Kirby/Joe Sinnott full-page splash…

Luckily, Black Bolt and the rest of the Royal Family broke free from the prison Maximus threw them in and they helped prevent Maximus from successfully using his hypno gun on the rest of the world.

The Inhumans then gained their own ongoing feature in the pages of “Amazing Adventures,” initially written and drawn by Jack Kirby, but he then left Marvel. Roy Thoams, Neal Adams and Tom Palmer took over the creative duties on the title and they revealed that after Maximus has attempted (and failed) to cause a war between the Inhumans and the Fantastic Four in the opening story arc in “Amazing Adventures,” Black Bolt had locked him up in suspended animation. Gorgon and the other Royals thought that that is was cruel and unusual punishment, so in “Amazing Adventures” #5 they let him go, but they quickly learned that Black Bolt had discovered that Maximus’ latent psionic powers had returned and that if he was free, he would use his abilities to take control of Attilan, which is precisely what he did as soon as he was freed.

This storyline ended up resolved during the “Kree/Skrull War,” as the Avengers helped Black Bolt take back Attilan, where Maximus was in the midst a plot to sell Inhuman soldiers to the Kree.

That same basic idea was used the fourth time that Maximus took control of the Inhumans in the mid-1970s “Inhumans” ongoing series, namely “Inhumans” #5 (by Doug Moench, George Perez and Mike Esposito), where Maximus captured Crystal and her new husband, Quicksilver, and forced Black Bolt to abdicate the throne to him in exchange for their safety.

This one was the coup that finally made Black Bolt snap. Up until then (outside of the suspended animation period), he had insisted on keeping his brother around even as he kept trying to take control of Attilan, as he was his brother and he loved him. In addition, we eventually learned that Maximus had been driven mad when he and Black Bolt were children. The thing that had driven him mad was the first usage of Black Bolt’s tremendous sonic powers (the trauma from that usage also caused Maximus’ psionic powers to become dormant). Here, though, he ended up punching his brother and locking him up.

RELATED: INTERVIEW: Ewing’s Royals Embark on an Inhuman, Intergalactic Quest

For the next two decades, Maximus certainly tried to take over Attilan a number of times, but eventually he settled in as a sort of behind-the-scenes manipulator. It was in this role that he helped to almost cause an invasion of Attilan by the United States government in the classic “Inhumans” maxiseries by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee. In that series, Maximus really embraced the whole “mad” aspect of his identity, as he began acting exceedingly disturbed, but mostly worked more as a manipulator than as a direct aggressor.

However, all of his manipulations ultimately paid off big time in the miniseries “The Silent War” (by David Hine and Frazer Irving), where he manipulated Medusa into using Crystal’s daughter, Luna, to try to “cure” Maximus’ madness, but instead it unlocked a dark ability where Maximus was able to take control of the Inhumans people.

This did not last, and Black Bolt once again took control of the Inhumans. However, after Black Bolt’s death in the crossover “War of Kings,” for the first time Maximus did not try to thrust himself into the seat of power, choosing instead to let Medusa take the crown and then try to manipulate her from behind the scenes.

Even when Black Bolt returned, Maximus chose to work with his brother and honestly, it seemed as though Maximus’ motives are somewhat purer than they were in previous years. He helped his brother create the Terrigan Bomb, the game-changer where any distant descendants of the Inhumans living as humans in the world would have their Inhuman heritage activated.

Maximus also discovered his brother’s role in the superhero Illuminati and Maximus soon found himself as part of the villain counterpart to the Illuminati, the Cabal, as they took it upon themselves to destroy alternate Earths to protect this Earth during events known as “incursions” when it was a choice of having two world collide or having one destroyed so that the other could live. He and his teammates chose “destroy the other worlds.” Eventually this failed and that led to the event known as the most recent “Secret Wars.”

Most recently, Maximus’ madness has led to him just coming up with plans to mess with people mostly just to entertain himself. He rode both sides of the Inhumans vs. Iron Man conflict during “Civil War II” and he is currently helping to push along the “Inhumans vs. X-Men” crossover event, just for kicks.

The most interesting thing about Maximus is that his madness allows writers to pretty much do whatever they want with him. If they need a Machiavellian villain, he can be it. If they need an outright villain, he can be it. If they need an almost anti-hero who the Inhumans need despite themselves, he can be that, as well. He is almost the comic book version of the Man For All Seasons.

The post Inhumans’ Mad Maximus: Get To Know Black Bolt’s Evil Brother appeared first on CBR.com.

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