#marvel phase 5 icons

[marvelsgirl616]

Agatha Harkness Icons

-- Agatha All Along S1 Ep. 3: Through Many Miles / Of Tricks and Trials

[marvelmutantmagic616]

agatha harkness icons

Agatha All Along S1 Ep. 2

[mcudc616]

╰☆☆ 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 "𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲" 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬 ☆☆╮

𝐒𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐬* (𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓)

[rootspiral]

Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 7 part 1

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4] ep2 [1][2][3][4] ep3 [1][2][3] ep4 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][+1] ep5 [1][2][3][4][5] ep6 [1][2][3] ep7 [1][2][3][4][5][6] ep8 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] ep9 [1][2][3][4][5][6])

ah yes, episode 7, a notoriously low stakes one that people are not emotionally invested in whatsoever. a mere 9.1 on IMDB, nothing to write home about.

we start with lilia dying, because life and death are a never ending cycle. and also because the people who made this show are evil

she's like a teardrop. good fucking shot.

meanwhile billy is marching on, puffing his chest, all stone faced. agatha is pretending to be a nice little guy, to make friends.

she's really TRYING, okay?

rio's busy reaping alice's soul, but we don't reveal that until later. and LMAO agatha being all like, I'm gonna be OPEN and HONEST and a good ment- except for that I donwannatalkabouthat

agatha after she babysits a little boy once, scares him shitless and tries to kill his mom: we CLEARLY had a connection there

that poor little dash in the subtitles. fighting for its life to convey the chasm of time she leaves between ex and best friend

LET'S HEAR IT FOR REBECCA WHO RAISED THIS BOY FOR FAR LONGER THAN WANDA OR AGATHA EVER DID

but the unfortunate fact is, wanda still is his mother. or rather, she's the witch who thoughtlessly created him and left a big scar in her wake. he has to deal with all that.

marvel's powers that be: wanda maximoff is definitely dead-dead

jac schaeffer and co. every chance they get: she sure is!!! *big fat kathryn hahn wink at the camera*

if they ever do a 'marvel most iconic line' poll we as a fandom are voting for this one. just to be clear.

I saw some reactors going ooooh it's ho***rts. HOW DARE YOU SIR. that's the wicked witch castle. billy maximoff would never.

I've been asking myself WHY agatha simply doesn't tell billy about the nature of the Road, not even now that everything else is out in the open. the only answer I can come up with is that the Road is real and it's here and deadly, it's not in any way an illusion. and since the Road is linked to billy's emotional state, we dont' want him to go ballistic one he realizes he's been killing witches. agatha has decided she can only soldier through at this point and get herself and billy's home, they can talk about the implications later. yes, she's really scared of what billy can do.

I've also been trying to figure out the moon phases:

Full moon - water phase, blue, Jen.

Waning moon - fire phase, red, Alice.

Blood moon or lunar eclipse (still a full moon): spirit phase, purple, Agatha

Waxing moon: air phase, yellow, Lilia

New moon: earth phase, green, Rio

so we get full moon, waning, full moon again, waxing, new moon. they're completely out of order??

this whole trial is the equivalent of billy calling lilia a slur. no fr it's billy repeatedly beating lilia over the head with a stick and going, reCLAIM IT RECLAIM THE DAMN SLUR YOU WITCH

i find kathryn hahn as the wicked witch of the west alarmingly hot and i don't know what that says about me

billy is like, i effin KNEW I'd look this good. oh god, the Road was just an excuse to cosplay as maleficent all along

i love how these two find themselves alone for five minutes and immediately proceed to BUTCHER a trial. i'm overusing tumblr lingo these days and all, but I still gotta say it: there is one single braincell in this whole coven and lilia has it. it's like leaving two children in charge

a cursory google search tells me the two sphinxes represent light and darkness, you need to learn how to control both for the chariot to move forward

she always is!! sort of. kind of. mostly.

agatha, who's about as spiritual as a q-tip: how hard caN THIS BE

I can totally see her as a con artist counting cards in vegas

somehow I cannot picture evanora homeschooling her. or sending her to school at all, for that matter. you know this bitch is self-taught.

someone with more time than me should totally check if there's any rhyme or reason to the cards these two buffoons drew

I'm gonna end this entry with lilia's eyes again so it's another nice circle. a fun little ouroboros!

damn patti has such big doe eyes

go to episode 7 part 2

[theuntitledblog]

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) - REVIEW

Let's be honest, it felt rather inevitable that Deadpool and Wolverine would come together and it's everything you'd hoped it to be. Anyone worrying about the prospect of a Disney owned Deadpool generally needn't worry as this is every bit as R rated and edgy as the first two movies and likewise goes all out. Does it give the Marvel Cinematic Universe a much needed shot in the arm? Not really for me because it doesn't quite feel like an actual part of the MCU even though it casts aside most of the side characters from Deadpool 1 and 2. This film instead does what Spider-Man: No Way Home did in effectively using the Multiverse phase to do its own thing. Deadpool and Wolverine at the very least is a tribute and final send-off to the Fox era of comic book movies that started with 2000's X-Men.

This still has plenty of fourth wall breaking quips from Ryan Reynold's Deadpool that pokes fun at everything from Hugh Jackman's perfect send-off in Logan, the Disney/Fox merger to even the state of the MCU itself. It never feels like it's ever being held back and is very funny from start to finish and most, if not all, of that comes down to Ryan Reynolds who has unquestionable mastered this role to perfection. But this movie has an added edge thanks to the return of Jackman's Wolverine who likewise has mastered his iconic character over the two decades. Reynolds and Jackman have incredible chemistry together whether they're working together, trading insults or fighting each other. The plot is a bit by the numbers that utilises the multiverse concept for some very fun moments that I won't spoil here but it is those moments that you'll remember rather than the plot. A big shout out should be given to Matthew Macfadyen's hilarious, villainous performance as Mr. Paradox. It's all terrific fun.

VERDICT

Deadpool and Wolverine may not reinvent or save the MCU as such, but it is consistently funny, bloody and a terrific night out at the cinema. What more could you want?

4/5

[mariacallous]

It's typical Peggy Noonan but even with that, there's some valid points

Trump and the Collapse of the Old Order: A disquieting Washington visit leaves me with a sense that America is making a big break from the past.

I would like to point out a simple fact. A major and unnoticed part of Donald Trump’s power is that 100% of Americans know who “the president” is, including children above 5 and nonnative speakers. I base this on personal interactions with strangers of all sorts. Since I made up “100%” because there’s no way to prove it, I will guess at some other numbers I believe to be true. Eighty percent know, in some broad sense, what his policies are, and more than 60% have some sense of an action he took last week: “He fired everybody.”

No modern president has achieved this level of complete cultural saturation. It gives him power in this ill-educated, broken-up, low-attention-span country. You remember “Jaywalking,” Jay Leno’s comedy bit in which he’d ask people on the street, “Who was Abe Lincoln?” (“A singer?”) When was the American Revolution? “Um, 1970?” We haven’t become more historically literate.

You have to keep this in mind to understand the moment we’re in. Mr. Trump has pierced American consciousness in this way. He has broken through as an instantly recognizable, memeable, cartoonable figure—the hair, the red tie, the mouth—but he also provides, deliberately and not, iconic moments that connect to other iconic moments. The tech barons arrayed behind him as he was sworn in, and the White House meeting hours later in which the president promoted artificial intelligence. As I watched them at the inauguration I abstracted. It was like Elon is passing the solid gold phone to Mark Zuckerberg, who nods and passes it to Jeff Bezos, who passes it to Sam Altman, who marvels at its weight and shine.

That of course is taken from the scene in “The Godfather Part II” in which the American business behemoths sit at a conference table in the palace of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista, as he communicates they’re safe with him because he loves business. Almost every American adult has seen a “Godfather” movie. I believe that as they watch the second Trump administration they occasionally connect it to themes of that great drama. When Mr. Trump fires the inspector general, when ICE gets the illegal-immigrant child molester, when Mr. Trump tries to get rid of the federal workforce—he’s settling all family business. His second term can be understood as an attempt to change his image from Sonny to Michael.

Last week I had four days in Washington with members of both parties, many elected officials. The only subject was Mr. Trump.

Republican lawmakers, including those most supportive of the president, are beside themselves with anxiety. When you speak to them—off the record, between friendly acquaintances—and ask how it’s going, they shift, look off, shrug: You know how it’s going. A GOP senator who supports the president had a blanched look. “He doesn’t do anything to make it easy,” he shrugged.

What is the meaning of the averted eyes and anxious faces? It means Trump 2.0 isn’t better. It means for all the talk of the new professionalism in the Trump operation, they have to get used to the chaos again and ride it, tempting the gods of order and steadiness. After one week they concluded the first administration wasn’t a nervous breakdown and the second isn’t a recovery; instead, again they’re on a ship with a captain in an extended manic phase who never settles into soothing depression.

In a general way, also, there is something big I sensed. Among those who think about foreign affairs and world history, the great story of the past dozen years or so has been the collapse of the postwar international order that created systems and ways of operating whose dynamics and assumptions were clear, predictable, and kept an enduring peace. You can say the fall began when Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 or Ukraine in 2022. Take your pick, it’s over.

I saw a broad and growing sense in Washington that American domestic politics, or at least that part of its politics that comes from Washington, is at a similar inflection point. That the second rise of Donald Trump is a total break with the past—that stable order, healthy expectations, a certain moderation, and a strict adherence to the law aren’t being “traduced”; they are ending. That something new has begun. People aren’t sure they’re right about this and no one has a name for the big break, but they know we have entered something different—something more emotional, more tribal and visceral.

There is the strong man, and the cult of personality, and the leg-breakers back home who keep the congressional troops in line. In 2017, a lot of people who watch closely and think deeply, thought: We’re having an odd moment, but we’ll snap back into place.” Now they are thinking something new has begun. American politics was a broad avenue with opposing lanes for a very long time, at least a century, and now we have turned and are on a different avenue, on a different slope, with different shadows.

There’s a sense we’re living through times we’ll understand only in retrospect. But the collapse of the old international order and the break in America’s old domestic order are shaping this young century.

So far Mr. Trump is governing by executive order. This contributes to the uneasiness. Such orders are legitimate, sometimes necessary. Barack Obama used them heavily—“I’ve got a pen.” Mr. Trump increased their use, Joe Biden more so, and Mr. Trump is turbocharging their use. The heavy use of executive orders makes all politics personal, having to do with the man who orders and signs with a flourish. Making it personal distorts our understanding of what a leader can and should do. Executive orders ignore the branch of government called Congress and work against its authority, its role in the republican drama. They give the impression we are a government of one branch. Doing all this habituates the public to the idea of authoritarianism, of rule by the strongman. We will pick a new caudillo and he will save us with his pen! When you do away with branches and balances you cause trouble.

Has it hurt his popularity? No. People back boldness when they think a lot has gone wrong and needs righting. They’d expect a certain amount of mayhem. And with Mr. Trump, chaos is baked in.

A word to Democrats trying to figure out how to save their party. The most eloquent of them, of course, think the answer is finding the right words. We need to talk more like working people, we need Trump’s touch with popular phrasing.

The answer isn’t to talk but do. Be supple. The Trumpian policies you honestly support—endorse them, join in the credit. If you think violent illegal immigrants should be removed, then back current efforts while standing—firmly, publicly—on the side of peaceful, hardworking families doing no harm and in fact contributing. Admit what your party’s gotten wrong the past 15 years. Don’t be defensive, be humble.

Most of all, make something work. You run nearly every great city in the nation. Make one work—clean it up, control crime, smash corruption, educate the kids.

You want everyone in the country to know who you are? Save a city.

[doctorstrangereview]

0072: Doctor Strange #177

Cover Date: February 1969 On-Sale Date: November 5, 1968

This issue we get one of the most iconic coves for the series and probably for the era. We conclude the first phase of the Sons of Satannish arc, trigger phase two and, thanks to the powers that be at Marvel, Doc gets a new look. Rumor has it that the editorial at Marvel wanted Doc to look more like a superhero. That means he's loses the baggy tunic and gains a skin tight bodysuit. Now we know Doc is as cut as some of the other heroes. His cloak's collar gets a bit of a reshaping. His cool leopard spotted orange gloves turn into blue pointy ones and his tights now end in form fitting boots. Oh, he also gets a mask. It's also blue and rather featureless.

Doc and Clea have been exiled by Asmodeus to another dimension. The first few pages of the story illustrate this journey with Doc spouting lots of flowery purple prose. Gene gives us lots of swirling color.

As they arrive at their hostile destination, the pair run into a wall. Doc blunts the impact with a hasty spell but is unsure if it protected Clea.

Oof! That had to hurt. Once he gets his senses back, he checks on the silver-haired temptress. She's okay and he gives us more purple prose.

They start to explore and it's not long before the ground itself tries to eat Clea. It then tries the same trick with Doc. Doc escapes from the trap and proceeds to look for Clea. He frets about breaking out high above the ground without his Cloak of Levitation. But Doc is a powerful wizard who can levitate without it if necessary so I'm not sure why that's a concern. The Eye of Agamotto suddenly appears and we'll soon find out how that came to be as the cloak and eye were confiscated by the Sons of Satannish last issue.

Doc finds Clea and frees her. She asks about the eye and we find out that the amulet Asmodeus confiscated is empty and he's been hiding the eye itself on their journey here.

Meanwhile Asmodeus is perusing the stolen Book of the Vishanti. While I'm sure it's pretty amazing, calling it the source of ALL occult knowledge is probably a bit of a stretch.

The Sons second-in-command, Marduk, questions Asmodeus saying "Mine" and asks if he meant "Ours?" "Of course, Marduk, of course!" Then a little surprise springs on Asmodeus as the book suddenly does a fade out. Yeah, Doc wasn't as dumb and naive as you thought. He set a trap.

Asmodeus checks out the Satan Sphere and we see the book is in the hands of an old friend.

Asmodeus the reveals his plan to the rest of his cult. He will call forth Surtur and Ymir to wreck up the place. This is the first time we learn of Vishanti magic co-mingling with Asgardian magic.

Surtur does look a bit like Heat-Miser there. I wonder if Rankin and Bass read this before they produced their "Year Without a Santa Claus" special. Next, Asmodeus and his cult perform the requested Trance of Transferal. We get a look at how slimy Asmodeus really is. Not only does he steal all their power, but he then banishes them to somewhere else. Never fear, we haven't seen the last of them and we'll find out where they went. Later.

That truly is a low blow, Asmodeus! But he's not done with the dirty tricks. He's got to go to Tibet and steal back the Book of the Vishanti. To most easily enter the old dude's pad he's disguising himself as Doc using "the very air breathed last by my vanquished foe!"

As Asmodeus heads to Tibet, we switch to Doc and Clea resting for a moment. It doesn't last as the local flora attempts to eat Doc. The plant starts to transform Doc into a likeness of itself and with his hands transformed he can't work most spells. He must resort to the Eye of Agamotto again. Oddly, the amulet has appeared at Docs neck again. Not sure how that got there. I thought it was just the Eye that came along for the ride. The Eye goes on a trip through the dimensions.

The Eye goes back to the Earth cemetery and it turns out the cloak that the cult confiscated was a fake and the real one was hidden. The Eye retrieves it and returns it to Doc and Clea.

Doc anticipated losing the first round and placed a lot of his power in the cloak. Once it returns to Doc he's able to free himself from the hungry flora. Now it's time for the pair to head back to Earth and confront The Sons of Satannish. Doc doesn't yet know it's just Asmodeus left. Doc encounters a problem. Because Asmodeus has stolen Doc's face, he can't re-enter his home dimension. But Doc is a smart guy. He has a cunning plan!

And thus we get our first view of Doc's new look. I'm not sure how a mask is able to circumvent a multi-versal law that seems to be preventing them from re-entering, but I'll just go with it for now.

Smarty-pants Doc also realizes that the spell on the Book of Vishanti has kicked and and that Asmodeus stole his image to more easily get into the Ancient One's pad. The newly clad Doc heads directly to Tibet.

Doc arrives in the nick of time to confront Asmodeus. Asmodeus jumps immediately into the fray.

Doc surmises from Asmodeus' increased power and that he's gone solo that his fellow cultists have met a miserable fate. He counters the attack.

Asmodeus thinks Doc's counter attack should have killed him and also thinks that he'll never use his full strength. Doc won't kill Asmodeus. The exchange also confirms to The Ancient One that the Doc who looks like Doc is an imposter. Despite the fact that world/universe is at stake here, The Ancient One decides to take a hands-off approach to the situation. Maybe the old duffer is a bit past it.

Doc asks Asmodeus to surrender. He has come to the decision that he will do whatever it takes to stop his evil doppelganger. Asmodeus realizes this and is about to unleash his own full strength on Doc. He doesn't get the chance. His ticker gives out.

Doc thinks it's over, but The Ancient One hints that it's not. However, before he gets into that, we have a moment that will soon be repeated over and over again on an about to debut show named Scooby-Doo. Doc unmasks the dying villain. (Note: Scooby's villains aren't usually dying in this situation.)

Jinkies Doc! It was Doc Benton all along! Benton passes to his eternal reward/punishment. The Ancient One tells Doc that he cast the spell of fire and ice. The Norse demons will soon be making an appearance! Thus begins the second and final phase of The Saga of the Sons of Satannish!

Even though I'm not a fan Doc looks that deviate too much from his classic appearance, this is definitely my favorite issue of this run. It's non-stop action. The plot drives the climax to a personal duel between Doc and Asmodeus. The method of giving Doc his new look is a bit shoehorned in and probably wouldn't have happened without interference from editorial. Roy gives Gene more opportunities to go hog wild with weirdness. We have a crazy dimension and lots of magic battles. Twice he gets to draw awesome portraits of Surtur and Ymir. And damn, if that isn't an awesome garb he gives The Ancient One. He gets a lovely high collar, a flowing cloak and robe and those wonderful pointed shoes! It's just awesome all around. Between Ditko's fashions and this The Ancient One should be taking a stroll along the catwalk. The even more dangerous phase begins next issue. And this time Doc will need help!

[animebw]

So I've been stewing a bit with the whole concept of "MCU Fatigue" after my disappointment with The Marvels, and I think I've come to a realization.

See, most people when they shit on the modern MCU act like they're been putting out tons of terrible stuff. But looking at their track record, that's not actually true. In fact, I'd argue that the majority of their Phase 4 and 5 output has still been above average. The only real misses I'd count are FATWS, Dr. Strange 2, The Marvels, and maybe What If if I was feeling particularly uncharitable (and I guess Secret Invasion, but the bad response kept me away from that one so I've never watched it myself). Other than that, Marvel's still putting out a lot of good stuff.

The problem is they're not putting out a lot of great stuff.

Like, we need to take a step back and realize just how fucking insane the MCU's track record used to be. They didn't just put out good movies on a regular basis that put every other franchise to shame, they regularly released some of the most iconic superhero blockbusters of all time. They cranked out all-time classics on such a consistent basis that at this point, at least half of the top 20 greatest superhero movies of all time list would be taken up by MCU projects, maybe more. That's how they built trust with the general audience; not just consistency, but the promise of greatness. People flocked to the MCU not just because there was a near guarantee of a well-made fun time at the cinema, but because that was a strong probability you were going to see something truly spectacular.

Seriously, just look at the studio's track record through Phase 2 and 3. Iron Man 3, Captain America 2 and 3, the first two Guardians movies, Thor Ragnorak, Black Panther, Infinity War and Endgame... you could argue that over half of their movie output from this period was unqualified home runs. And sure, maybe Thor 2 was a dud and Avengers 2 was disappointing, but it didn't matter because there was always the promise of another masterpiece waiting in the wings. People weathered the occasional misstep because they could trust the MCU to always find its way back to greatness.

But now consider: how many all-time bangers can you name from Phases 4 and 5?

Like, I can name a few. Wandavision, Black Panther 2, Guardians 3, Spider-Man 3, maybe Ms. Marvel if I pretend episode 5 doesn't exist (and I've heard Loki season 2 was also great, but that's another one I haven't seen yet). But the ratio of Big Deal Events to Just Another Marvel Thing has gotten much steeper. Between the movies and the Disney+ series, Marvel's cranking out more stuff than ever, but it hasn't been cranking out landmarks any faster than it used to. It's just shoving a lot more padding between the properties that really set the world on fire. And it's training the audience, unintentionally, to no longer associate the MCU with guaranteed smash successes every other weekend.

And I still like most of the MCU's current output! But I don't love it as much as some of its older stuff. Black Widow and Shang-Chi are good, but not quite great. Eternals I will defend to my dying breath, but it was destined for cult classic status. Love and Thunder I would argue is actually pretty fantastic, fuck you fight me, and Quantummania is fine, you guys, but I wouldn't die defending them the way I would, say, Iron Man 3. And as much as I enjoyed Hawkeye, Moon Knight and She-Hulk, you can only watch so much Pretty Good TV before it starts to feel like a chore.

This deluge of content hasn't resulted in tons of more Great Marvel Stuff. It's just resulted in tons of more Good, Okay, and Not That Great Actually Marvel Stuff. It's resulted in audiences feeling like you can't trust Marvel to regularly crank out classics that change the way you view superhero media. And it turns out, it gets a lot harder to justify spending so much time on such an overstuffed time-sink of a franchise when it can't guarantee you a steady stream of masterpieces on a regular basis.

Especially with so much more of it coming out now in such a painfully short timespan. Even in Marvel's busiest years, they used to max out at three movies per year and a couple spinoffs like the Netflix shows that you didn't need to watch to feel up to date. You went out to the movies a couple times a year and were basically guaranteed a good movie every time, and that was it. Now, though, with the Disney+ content, it feels like a constant battle to not fall behind, to keep up with tons of stuff you're just kind of enjoying to justify getting to the increasingly few nuggets of true gold. This stuff would need a track record just as good as the Phase 2/3 days to justify sitting through so much of it, and it just... doesn't. And the second you drop off from exhaustion, it's already roaring ahead and leaving you with too much to ever reasonably catch up on if you're not prepared for a couple days of heavy bingeing.

The shared universe model is fucking hard. Every studio's failed attempt to copy Marvel's playbook is a testament to that. The fact it even maintained its cultural domination as long as it did is nothing short of a miracle. Because it turns out, even being consistently good isn't enough to maintain the level of trust and engagement necessary for such a long haul. You need to be consistently excellent. You need audiences to come away from every other event singing your praises as the new gold standard of blockbuster cinema. And the second you can't maintain that standard anymore, all that goodwill slowly bleeds out as more and more people decide that the effort it takes to keep up with everything is no longer worth the reward.

Does the MCU recover from this? I don't know. At this point, what it needs to do more than anything is slow the fuck down instead of overloading audiences with too many shows and movies to keep up with. Maybe it's not the dominant cultural force anymore, but with a little patience and willingness to sacrifice quantity for quality, it can at least re-establish itself as a franchise worth sticking around for. Marvel used to be special; with a little luck, maybe it can be again.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

This weekend’s MCU developments, fresh out of Comic-Con and on DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE's massive opening weekend, seem to indicate that Disney's trying to make the year 2026 - as I've mentioned before - into their proverbial next 2019.

A repeat of a year where they just dominated with billion dollar smashes, with few valleys in-between... They made *bank* with CAPTAIN MARVEL, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, ALADDIN, TOY STORY 4, THE LION KING, FROZEN II, and STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER.

Of course, that was a rare occasion where the planets pretty much aligned for them... CAPTAIN MARVEL directly preceded ENDGAME, and of course ENDGAME was the big climax to the entire "Infinity Saga" of the MCU: Three phases, 11 years of movies, all down to that one big battle. ALADDIN and LION KING were remakes of some of Disney's most iconic and beloved animated films. TOY STORY 4, following up the huge smash that was TOY STORY 3 by almost a decade, almost as long of a wait between 2 & 3. FROZEN II, sequel to their animated phenomenon. RISE OF SKYWALKER was the end of the entire Skywalker Saga, 9 movies across five decades...

I think they keep wanting to recreate that, even though the 2020s are a much different time from this past decade, and some of those "brands" are now kinda stale...

So they revealed at Comic-Con that AVENGERS 5 has dropped the Kang stuff altogether, the Russo Brothers have returned to direct (along with SECRET WARS, arriving 2027), Dr. Doom is now the main villain and is played by none other than Robert Downey Jr., and it's called AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY. A lot of fans, from what I understand, are very mixed on this. Some feel it's desperation at this point, after their Kang/multiverse plans for phases 4-6 just didn't seem to pan out, and arguably weren't planned too well in advance - Majors accusations or no Majors accusations. So, go to an iconic villain who has been portrayed in live-action before, and get the beloved actor who played Tony Stark to make his grand return as this all-time Marvel villain that could very well be a thinly-written portrayal that strips the character of what makes him compelling and richly-written in the comics... Maybe, we don't know, the movie's far from being done... But the announcement definitely caught me off guard.

But yeah, add that to 2026... A year with, tentatively, two new STAR WARS movies: THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU, and an untitled movie about Rey 15 years after the events of RISE OF SKYWALKER. Familiar faces. Also TOY STORY 5. And a live-action remake of the beloved MOANA... Though, somewhat differentiating 2026 from 2019 is the possibility of new original movies from the two animation studios: A Pixar in the spring, and a WDAS in the autumn. In 2019, both studios only offered up sequels. There are a couple other slots Disney has for 2026 as well, which will likely go to some 20th Century/Searchlight movies. 2019 was when Disney finished their acquisition of 20th Century, and... The line-up that year was either movies they didn't give a damn about, or just didn't cut it. That was the year of... DARK PHOENIX, STUBER, THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN... Movies that didn't get greenlit under Disney's watch, but these 2026 movies will be, so maybe those will do better for them.

So yes, I can kinda tell that Iger's Disney is still chasing that 2019 high. Surefire hits based on old favorites, but I think in the case of the MCU, it really isn't - say - 2017 anymore. Announce both DOOMSDAY and SECRET WARS back then, and the roof is blown off the joint. But we're in 2024 now, and while Deadpool teaming up with Hugh Jackman's iconic go as Wolverine is expectedly doing amazing business, Captain Marvel joining forces with Ms. Marvel and Rambeau (two characters largely established in two Disney+ shows) did horribly, as did a third Ant-Man movie. CAPTAIN AMERICA 4 without Chris Evans, this THUNDERBOLTS* thing, and another go at Marvel's First Family could reverse this, maybe not... Tellingly, BLADE - still ostensibly scheduled for November of next year - didn't get a mention at all during the presentation. We know it has been held up, that they just can't seem to crack what was already done w/o pools full of Disney money back in the 1990s... Maybe it goes to show that something as neat as Blade falls apart when you try to force it into the fractured framework of the MCU. BLADE would've had a much easier time, I feel, if it were being developed during the first two phases w/o Ike Perlmutter around.

I guess at this point, it either opens in fall 2026 after DOOMSDAY releases, or it'll debut after SECRET WARS. I don't know anymore. The MCU was certainly imperfect from the word-go, but the character interactions and dynamics, the fun soap opera-like tricks, and often memorable moments got us through the big tangle of it all. The novelty of this big cinematic universe with all these characters from multiple movies crossing over was just such a real novelty circa 2010-2019, it was done on a scale that no one really saw beforehand. But that has now worn off, what with many of the OGs having died or left. It's not too late to reinvent it, and go a new direction after SECRET WARS. One that doesn't recreate what came before.

I think audiences have gravitated towards that kind of superhero movie now... The likes of the SPIDER-VERSE movies, THE BATMAN, etc. Both a handful of recent MCUs and the last of the old DC movie-verse films largely got rejected, so the tricks of the 2010s no longer work. It's about personal stakes and distinct style and a vision now. Unless it's a pre-established portrayal of a character that audiences love (like Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool and Jackman's Wolverine), you gotta be more than just a garden variety CG spectacle. It's why I'm curious as to how James Gunn and Peter Safran will launch the live-action end of their new DC Universe. Do SUPERMAN, SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW, THE AUTHORITY, BRAVE AND THE BOLD, etc. all stand out on their own? Or do they feel like episodes with little to no visual/storytelling differences?

Either Marvel Studios are onto something, or this is some last-ditch attempt to drum up a lot of interest again and make the end of Phase 5 and all of Phase 6 flop-less. Less MARVELS, more GUARDIANS/DEADPOOL 3-sized stuff.

What caught **my** interest the most were the details revealed about their new Fantastic Four film, now titled THE FANTASTIC 4: FIRST STEPS. Continuing their little way of differentiating their movies from the adaptations that came before. Fantastic Four already had two* iterations (*not counting the unreleased 1994 Roger Corman film), the 2005 movie was called FANTASTIC FOUR, as was the 2015 movie, though everyone calls it FANT4STIC. This tells you it's the Marvel Studios MCU F4 movie! Just like how their Hulk movie was THE INCREDIBLE HULK, five years after the release of the 2003 movie HULK. And how their first Spider-Man solo movie added the subtitle HOMECOMING. Also, it's like we get an F4 every 10 years now. The Tim Story-directed movie with Chris Evans in 2005, the next version in 2015, and now this version. Next year. 2025.

It had been teased that this film would have a more '60s flavor to it, which always made sense, given that the Fantastic Four debuted in the early 1960s and directly correlated with space age exploration. The setting of this film is described as a sort-of '60s retro future, and the first look at it certainly confirms it... And what's more, Michael Giacchino is doing the score.

This is literally THE INCREDIBLES!

I remember for many years, some people joked that they didn't need to make a "good" Fantastic Four movie. One already existed: THE INCREDIBLES. And of course, THE INCREDIBLES is highly inspired by the same space age aesthetics that inform the original F4 comics and most superhero/sci-fi stuff of that era. They both have stretchy and invisible characters. And Giacchino did the score for that film. Brad Bird grew up during that period, and it's all over his animated classic. Tim Story's FANTASTIC FOUR was in post-production when THE INCREDIBLES came out, and he had made changes to his movie, fearing similarities that were always inevitable.

So maybe this 2025 movie, part of the MCU, finally works. That Marvel's First Family finally works as a live-action movie, and can stand on its own in a world where an amazing animated equivalent exists. Matt Shakman directs, who helmed WANDAVISION, which had three episodes heavily patterned after sitcoms made in the '50s, '60s, and '70s, so maybe I'll quite like this movie. It's the one future MCU movie, outside of BLADE, that actually has my interest.

[knot-ee]

▇ 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒 ▇ 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒 ▇ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐎 ▇

the content.

yadda yadda independent roleplay blog featuring canon characters from all sorts of media. you curate the content you want to see. mature and dead dove content will be featured on this blog without tagging. pro doing whatever the hell you want since this is fiction and a hobby. two thumbs up when it comes to smut, but it comes with conditions.

the babes.

∙ work in progress character info sheet is located here. ∙ Kim Hong-jin "Horangi" — Call of Duty ∙ Piers Nivans — Resident Evil ∙ Roy Harper "Arsenal" — DC Prime Earth ∙ James "Bucky" Barnes — MCU + 616 ∙ Akihiro "Daken" — Marvel 616 ∙ Varro — Spartacus TV ∙ Lambert — Witcher games & books ∙ Olrox — Castlevania TV ∙ Ben Braeden — Supernatural TV ∙ Jin Marito — Bucchigiri ∙ Ryōmen Sukuna — Jujutsu Kaisen ∙ Getō Suguru — Jujutsu Kaisen ∙ Dean Winchester — Supernatural TV

the writer.

disgustingly older than 18. horridly older than 20. if i were under 25, i'd be a happy boy and bragging about it. male (he/him) and gay — just like all my muses. i am very friendly and open minded; i just have no interest being your bff or your therapist.

the rules.

1. one-liners and single paragraph threads bore me. gimme content. gimme details. furthermore, plotting is encouraged and is more certainly a two way street. 2. i am selective but going back and forth about being running a mutuals only blog. for now, non-followers can send in asks. 3. do not fucking reblog my headcanons and edits if we're not mutuals. reblog images and memes from the source; this really pisses me the fuck off if you fail to do so. if i tag you in something, you are, of course, free to reblog it from me. 4. i will not tag individual "triggers". the only thing i will tag is nsfw images as freaky!! this is pro-creativity zone. don't like something, do not follow me. 5. cut yer damn posts. tag yer fucking posts. i will not follow people who post excessive negativity and excessive mun images like it's twatter. 6. icons aren't guaranteed because they take god damn time. 7. i do keep up with the jujutsu kaisen manga on a weekly basis. please do not share leaks. i will tag all manga spoilers as spoiler alert! 8. when it comes to daken, i do not write him through his redemption/hero phase. he will only be portrayed as a villain here. 9. all of my muses are cis-male with the exception of the nogitsune who is sexless and genderless. 10. smut will only occur with male muses as all my muses are written as gay.. except akihiro who is technically pansexual in the canon. i used to be really loose when it came to smut and ended up getting bored, sooo there needs to be compatibility between us, the characters, and a fun plot built around doing da nasty. 11. nsfw memes can be sent by all mutuals even if we haven't written before or plotted. don't continue them as threads unless i've given you approval.

straight up i fucking love crossovers even if i'm not familiar with the fandom your character is from, i'll give you a shot if i find it vibes with what i got going on here. however there are some fandoms that i have no interest in or do not like, such as: animated disney shows, the vampire diaries, star wars, wwe.

[marvelsgirl616]

mommies. 💋

[marvelmutantmagic616]

『 welcome 』

𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞: 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞. (𝐬𝐡𝐞/𝐡𝐞𝐫)

𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫: 𝐱-𝐦𝐞𝐧, 𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐬, 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐜.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭:

𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞/𝐭𝐯: 𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐬, 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞!

[mcudc616]

╰☆☆ 𝐑𝐢𝐨 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬 ☆☆╮

𝐀𝐮𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐲 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐩. 𝟏 '𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝'

[doamarierose-honoka]

We've been waiting with bated breath for some official news on Marvel's Fantastic Four movie for a long time. The wait, though, is finally over, as the comic book giant has dropped some massive news about its hotly-anticipated film.

First up, the biggest reveal of the lot: the Fantastic Four movie's official cast. Making the announcement on its social media channels – including X/Twitter – Marvel confirmed that Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us), Vanessa Kirby (Napoleon), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) have officially signed on to play Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/The Thing.

But wait, there's more… Marvel also revealed that the movie will now fly into theaters on July 25, 2025. That was the date previously held by Marvel Phase 5 film Thunderbolts, whose latest release delay is sure to bump it out of that lineup of movies and Disney Plus shows and into Marvel Phase 6.

The movie also has a new title: it's now called The Fantastic 4, which is a two-fold marketing plot from Marvel Studios. For one, it's a nostalgic call-back to the title of the iconic superhero group's first-ever comic book – The Fantastic Four #1, which was released in November 1961. Perhaps more importantly, though, The Fantastic 4 title differentiates it from the superhero team's previous big-screen outings – those being 2005's Fantastic Four and its 2015 reboot namesake.

Lastly, The Fantastic 4's first piece of official artwork has been unveiled by Marvel (see the X post above). The Disney subsidiary revealed the film's new name and release date alongside said artwork, which is certainly giving off the retro-futuristic vibes that the supergroup are renowned for. Marvel's Fantastic Four poster also teases when the movie might be set, too.

The end of a drawn-out, rumor-filled era

The Fantastic Four casting rumor mill can finally rest (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

It's about time we learned official details about The Fantastic 4. Ever since the superhero movie was first announced in July 2019, there's been no end to the speculation about who'll play the iconic quartet. Indeed, the rumor mill has been in overdrive for at least 18 months, with a number of big-name stars reportedly holding talks with Marvel.

In January 2022 we first reported that Marvel was ready to cast the lead roles in its Fantastic Four film, only for the comic book giant to, well, not do so. Since then, Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard batted away suggestions she would play The Invisible Woman, Star Wars alumnus Adam Driver was linked with playing the group's legendary villain Doctor Doom and Richards, and the likes of Margot Robbie, Paul Mescal, and Dev Patel were reportedly tapped for various roles.

In January 2022 we first reported that Marvel was ready to cast the lead roles in its Fantastic Four film, only for the comic book giant to, well, not do so. Since then, Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard batted away suggestions she would play The Invisible Woman, Star Wars alumnus Adam Driver was linked with playing the group's legendary villain Doctor Doom and Richards, and the likes of Margot Robbie, Paul Mescal, and Dev Patel were reportedly tapped for various roles.

All in all, the sheer number of Fantastic Four movie cast rumors sent Marvel fans into a tailspin, and led director Matt Shakman to ask fans to ignore the growing speculation about who would feature.

Things, though, continued to escalate. Per an unlikely source, Marvel was said to have officially cast Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic in early February – the apparent confirmation coming three months after Pascal was reportedly tapped to star in the Marvel film. Shakman appeared to reveal that this was the case on Instagram before deleting the post 24 hours later once the unveiling gained traction.

Vanessa Kirby seemed set to play Storm, too, with the Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning actor coyly telling TechRadar it "would be an honor" to portray The Invisible Woman in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Ebon Moss-Bachrach was similarly skittish when asked about his likely involvement in January.

Thankfully, Marvel has put an end to all the long-running speculation, and finally put us all out of our misery – and by misery, we mean made us all the more excited for The Fantastic 4. July 2025 can't come soon enough.

[pinepickled]

1, 2 and 17 for DC? ^^

Thank you so much for the ask! I love doing these :3

What originally drew me to it?

Well as a kid I watched the Batman animated series from 2004 religiously, and my mom was also a huge Batman fan in her day so it felt only natural that i'd be exposed to and love a bunch of Batman media! That was my backbone for it, but then after my intense weeb phase I was redrawn into the Batman fandom by I think a Jason Todd fan edit? I'm not quite sure but Jason's story was what drew me back in.

2. What I like most and least about it?

oh, haha.... so much

I like DC over Marvel in particular because I feel that Marvel doesn't have that human connection that DC can foster so easily. DC characters feel warmer, and more human (even though Marvel has more actual humans in it). I like how certain authors can tell such compelling stories in these universes, the endless possibilities, the loving interactions between iconic characters, the lorebuilding, all of it is amazing!

But as for dislikes... too many cooks in the kitchen. WAY too many. Anyone who wants to start reading the comics is going to have to fight demons for any sort of coherent storyline. Manga is currently wildly overtaking comic books in the graphic novel market and for good reason! You want to read Naruto? Start at chapter 1! You want to read Superman? Well there's the 1976 line and the Superman Returns line after world 3 which is- you get what I mean? It's very hard to get into. Also, at this point, DC authors need to just write fanfiction. It's so annoying to rehash the basic same storyline over and over again in different fonts and colors. Earth 3, 4, 5, 6 and fucking 1,000,000 with their slightly different worlds with slightly different Batmans. Everything is too cluttered and there is too much of everything. Not to mention they're still letting the same ol bigoted authors (including a literal former FBI agent??) write comics. Enough is enough bro!!

And then my pet peeve for Batman in particular is the recent 'dark' path he's taken. No Batman author knows why or what Batman is or does. They make him brutally, horrifically violent. They make him cold and uncaring. They make him hate his kids. They make him a real womanizer instead of a pretend one. Batman isn't a hero who took to the streets of Gotham to protect little kids from the trauma he went through as a kid, now he's just an over glorified abusive cop. Batman is supposed to be a father. A good friend. A comforting hand in the darkness of life. Balancing his persona, his stony face, and his loving nature is the entire appeal of Batman.

17. The line of dialogue I quote most often

haha, i'm sure this is obvious considering I rant and rave about it every other day but

"You somehow found a way to win... where everyone still loses!" - The Joker, Batman: Under the Red Hood (right after Batman kills Jason)

It's just such a good quote that encapsulates the entirety of the past 30 years of Batman and the whole Jason Todd morality thing, fuck! Judd Winick knows how to kill 'em. Literally.

[trixibebe]

share ten different favorite characters from ten different pieces of media in no particular order, then send this to 10 people (anon or not, your choice)

Oh this is a good one, thank you anon! ^^

Tianyou Zhao - Yakuza: Like a Dragon I have to start with this one, obviously. Who do you take me for? If you have been on my blog for 2 minutes, you know what I'm about. Has a big mouth, handsome, charming. His style. His voice. All of it. Love the "tough guy is secretly a softie" types.

2. Yato - Noragami Yato did nothing wrong ever and I won't hear otherwise. Okay maybe he did and his approach to a lot of things is pretty yikes as he tries to keep Yukine and Hiyori out of harms way. But still. Absolute Trash King.

3. Shorter Wong - Banana Fish I have with absolute fashion disaster icon characters who wear shades, own a restaurant and are gang leaders, okay? He's cute and loyal and I am in denial. Pls watch Banana Fish, it's so good.

4. Bruno Bucciarati - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (Part 5) He's so caring and driven you will forget how crazy he is as he hides it underneath a layer of politeness.

5. Kaiji Itou - Kaiji Kaiji is one of the smartest and dumbest characters ever at the same time, and also one of the most pathetic ones. He has a good heart and a gambling problem and he never knows when to quit.

6. V - Devil May Cry 5 Something about his bony ass, his tattoos, the poetry reading have compelled me. He is a nice contrast to the rest of the cast and I found his relationship with essentially himself and the others very interesting.

7. Castiel - Supernatural I know. Don't laugh. Yes, I watched all of Supernatural and yes, I loved it with all its flaws. This was actually a hard decision between him and Dean ngl. It was very interesting to watch him go from cold soldier to a caring angel.

8. Demon Salvatore - The Vampire Diaries Yes, I was a teen during the 2010's and it shows. Twilight was peaking and vampires were the shit. All the girls had either a crush on him or on Stefan. That smirk and the bad boy aesthetic got to me.

9. Loki Look, you can say about the MCU what you want, I don't watch Marvel stuff anymore either. But there was a phase and he's still dear to me. If nothing else he got me super into Norse mythology so there is that.

10. Ronan Lynch - The Raven Cycle The only character to represent a book series. Sad, I know. I should read more. Ronan is another though guy who is kind of a softie. Especially for Adam. Also his ability to pull stuff out of his dreams is super cool.