#so its funny to see erik be there for him and david miss him once hes gone ... i love it here

[xxplastic-cubexx]

i remember seeing u say that erik and charles briefly co parented david where’s that from?

i remember saying they got to co-parent wanda and pietro for a bit during the ultimate comics tho i cant remember if theres a time where charles and erik actively co-parent david together

BUT i do know for like. a hot minute erik got to act a lil fatherly to david in legion of x that impacted him A Considerable Amount afterwards

(Legion of X #6)

[jedimaesteryoda]

Black Panther vs Aquaman

I am going to be discussing the talked about comparison of MCU’s Black Panther to DCEU’s Aquaman. I admit when one looks at them, there are similar elements in the stories as well as clear contrasts, I’m not just talking about the generally positive reviews of Black Panther (97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) compared to the more positive to mixed reviews of Aquaman (64% rating). They are superhero films that deal with missing heirs, parents’ legacies and royal disputes.

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD

Plot

Black Panther has the Black Panther, T’Challa, become crowned king, and chase down a villain, Ulysses Klaue, only later to have to face a new villain, Erik Killmonger. Killmonger is his cousin from America who comes to challenge him for the throne, and create a “Wakandan empire.” Aquaman follows Aquaman Arthur Curry, the son of lighthouse keeper in Maine and the Queen of Atlantis, as he comes to Atlantis to claim the throne from his half-brother, Orm, who intends to wage war on the surface world. Arthur then goes on a quest to find Atlan’s trident to prove his worth as king and stop Orm.

The plots of both superhero films have a hidden heir from America coming to their royal parent’s country of origin to claim the throne, as well as the hero stopping a tyrant from basically declaring war on the rest of the world. The loss of the royal parent at the hands of the king contributed to the American heir’s antipathy towards their country of origin. Finally, there is a duel between heirs where the hero loses, only for a rematch in the end where he wins. The villains are motivated by injustices against their peoples as well as the loss of a parent. Killmonger is motivated by centuries of racial injustice by the Western world, and the death of his father. Orm is motivated by the pollution of the oceans by the civilized world, and the death of his mother, since it was her son by a man on the dryland that resulted in his father sacrificing her in the Trench.

However, in Black Panther the rightful heir is the one born and raised in the fabled country already sitting the throne while the villain is the missing heir from America, and in Aquaman, it is the opposite. The worst parts of Killmonger were American while the best parts of Aquaman were American, and the worst parts of Orm were Atlantean while the best parts of T’Challa were Wakandan. Arthur’s journey resembles that of the mythical king he is named for: claiming his throne by retrieving a mystical weapon, in this case Atlan’s trident. T’Challa’s journey was more about challenging the traditions of his kingdom, and changing its isolationist stance. We also got to see Arthur’s past while we never saw a glimpse of T’Challa’s life growing up.

Aquaman does have some good scenes, the scene where he grabs Atlan’s trident was epic, and the undersea battle was good, but Aquaman’s plot is very generic and run-of-the-mill while Black Panther’s is more original, thoughtful and intelligent.

Characters

Hero

T’Challa/Black Panther easily fits the mold of royalty as he was raised as the Crown Prince to assume the throne when T’Chaka died. He is shown to have a sophisticated, calm and intelligent demeanor, and is commanding when he needs to be. He is also merciful like he showed with M’Baku, and compassionate with the way he feels towards the cousin who tries to kill and overthrow him. He is also a skilled hand-to-hand and melee combatant. We see him grow as a character when he challenges his father and his predecessors over Wakanda’s isolationism, a position he himself once held. He abandons that position, seeing the costs of Wakanda isolation, and have Wakanda use its wealth and technology to help the world.

Arthur Curry/Aquaman stands in contrast to T’Challa. He is more the kind of superhero you would want to have a beer with, more of a Thor than a Black Panther (including retrieving a mystical weapon to prove his worthiness). He wasn’t raised royalty, but as an everyman as he doesn’t seem out of place in the blue-collar, coastal Maine town he lives in. He can be lighthearted, fun-loving and a bit of a goof-off, which helps to make for an entertaining character. Arthur can also be impulsive, often acting without thinking as he demonstrated when he challenged Orm to a duel, completely forgetting about Vulko’s plan to retrieve Atlan’s trident, and not thinking about how it syncs with his long-term goals. However, he isn’t unintelligent and shows to be resourceful such as going into the whale’s mouth to hide from Orm’s men, and figuring out that to find the location of the trident, he had to put the looking glass into the hand of the statue of the likeness of a king and which statue it was. He also shows to be compassionate such as when he saved the submarine crew, and sparing Orm, despite. However, he can also be vulnerable such as when he is alone with Mera on a fishing boat, he expresses his regret for not saving Jesse Kane and making an enemy of his son, David, as well as his own personal doubts.

While T’Challa pursued the call, Arthur initially rejected it. T’Challa is more active as a protagonist following his own direction whereas Arthur is more passive in his role, following the directions of Vulko and Mera.

Major Villain

Erik Killmonger as a villain is very memorable. His plan was to kill his cousin, and take the Wakandan throne, and use it to distribute advanced Wakandan weapons to people of African descent to stage uprisings and form a Wakandan empire. He served in the US Special Forces, worked as a mercenary, and proves himself to be a formidable opponent. He is shown to be intelligent, such as when he infiltrated Klaue’s gang to take him down and use his body to win allies in Wakanda to back his bid for the throne. He is also violent as he demonstrated when he choked a priestess for questioning his order to burn the sacred herb, and ruthless, going so far as to shoot his girlfriend to kill Klaue. Erik is also angry and vengeful over his father’s death, going to Wakanda to kill his cousin as vengeance for his uncle killing his father .

Orm Marius/Ocean Master is the King of Atlantis at the beginning of the film. His plan was to unite the remaining underwater kingdoms of Atlantis under his rule as Ocean Master, and start a war against the surface world. He trained to become a skilled warrior, and proves to be a formidable duelist underwater. He is also shown to be cunning and manipulative such as when he had a pirate hijack a submarine to stage a false flag attack to convince Nereus to join his cause. He is also ruthless, as demonstrated when he kills the Fisherman King. In a way, he resembles T’Challa, in having been raised to be king, and having a more calm, controlled demeanor. The supposed death of his mother is a significant part of his motivation against the surface given he blames his half-brother for her death, and by extension, the surface world.

We see the villains’ ideology was influenced by their fathers in both films. In Black Panther, we get three scenes of N’Jobu. N’Jobu is portrayed as a more sympathetic character as the reasons he lays out for his animosity towards the white Western world are completely justified. In Aquaman, we never really got to see Orm’s father, Orvax, and all we have is what other people tell us about him. Orvax is just portrayed as some tyrant who fed his wife to fish monsters out of jealousy, and taught his son to hate the surface world. Both villains blamed the hero for the loss of their respective parents, and it contributed to their hatred of Wakanda and the surface world respectively.

Killmonger’s motivations for his actions are more compelling, and make for one of his most memorable features as they help to make him a more sympathetic character. Like another Marvel villain who was motivated by the murder of a parent and injustices against his people, Magneto, he manages to be one of those villains who can almost convince because he’s half-right. You clearly see where he’s coming from, and he’s right pointing out the problem, but wrong about the solution. Orm, on the other hand, doesn’t have as much depth to his character. He cites the surface world polluting the oceans, and he wants to wage war on the surface to stop the damage, feeling it is best for his people. However, that is only brought up once briefly, and doesn’t really go into detail when the story would have really benefited from diving deeper (pardon the pun) into that. The film would have done better to actually show rather than tell, like Orm viewing sea animals and Atlanteans affected by pollution, and allowing the audience to see where he’s coming from. In Killmonger’s case, the movie didn’t need to show since it is a subject already familiar to most audiences, especially in the age of Black Lives Matter.

Minor Villain

Minor villains are the first villains introduced in the films, and are used as pawns by the major villains to further their goals.

Ulysses Klaue is a smuggler, thief and mercenary who is the most wanted man in Wakanda, having stolen a large hoard of vibranium and killing a few Wakandans on his way out. He is also shown to be prejudiced if not outright racist towards Wakandans. As a character, he is entertaining and funny such as singing “What is Love” during his interrogation, talking about making a mixtape during a sale of vibranium, demanding his men play music while they’re being car chased and when he blew up a stash of cash said “I made it rain.” He is killed by Erik to be used to win support from W’Kabi’s tribe.

David Kane/Black Manta is a pirate and mercenary who is hired by Orm to hijack a submarine and have it programmed to attack Orm and Nereus during their meeting. He later creates a suit from Atlantean technology given by Orm to hunt down Aquaman. I’d be willing to say David’s a more interesting character than the main villain, Orm. While with Orm, his motivations aren’t really shown well, with David, there doesn’t seem to be that problem. The motivations for his vendetta against Aquaman are clearly shown when Aquaman refuses to save his father, and one can see David’s anguish in the scene of his father’s death, and how it affected him. You actually believe him when he refuses the offer of gold doubloons from Orm, stating he only wants to kill Aquaman.

Female Supporting Characters and Love Interests

Black Panther has no shortage of female supporting characters with at least four while Aquaman has two. We have Okoye, the head of the Dora Milaje and Wakandan army, a no-nonsense, formidable elite warrior who takes her duty seriously, even when it hurts, such as serving Killmonger as king. We have Nakia, T’Challa’s ex (later former ex), who is a Wakandan agent who challenges Wakanda’s isolationism, thinking Wakanda should be helping the world. She retrieves the sacred herb that is used to revive T’Challa. Then there is Shuri, T’Challa’s sister who is a genius tech prodigy that created the Black Panther suit and gadgets T’Challa uses. Shuri also provides plenty of the funny moments with her mother reprimanding her such as telling everyone at the royal ceremony wrap it up, and flipping the bird to her brother.

Ramonda, T’Challa’s mother, is the Queen of Wakanda. She did everything that was expected of her: be a loyal wife to the king, provide heirs, give him and later their son council and honor the traditions. She is representative of tradition as opposed to her more tech-savvy daughter, Shuri. It is her knowledge of herbs that saves her son in the end. She also shows to be courageous in choosing to stay in Wakanda despite the danger posed by Killmonger as king.

Atalanta, Arthur’s mother, couldn’t be more different from Ramonda. She resembles the character from Greek mythology she was named for in terms being a royal heiress who bucked tradition in being a ferocious, courageous fighter and wanting a say in her choice of mate. She is Queen of Atlantis, but by birth rather than by marriage, and in place of a traditionalist, she is more of a rebel. She eschewed tradition by running away from her arranged marriage, and taking up and fathering a son with a man on the surface world. She only follows through on tradition and goes along with her arranged marriage to protect her family. She later suffers for her actions by being sacrificed to the Trench. She was also a mentor to the other female supporting character, Mera.

Mera is the daughter of King Nereus of Xebel, betrothed to Orm and let’s be honest, Arthur’s future wife. She plays the straight man to the more comedic Arthur throughout the film. She is thankfully not without agency as opposed to Lois Lane in the DCEU, and I’d be willing to say she is a more active character than Arthur. Mera proves to be intelligent, resourceful and a capable fighter. She goes to retrieve Arthur and bring him back to Atlantis, guides him through his journey, fights off elite Atlantean soldiers and she saves Arthur’s life when he battles Orm and sees to his wounds after his fight with Black Manta. Arthur wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without her.

Setting: Wakanda vs Atlantis

Wakanda is beautiful, and the design of its capital is unique with rhinos as mounts alongside hovercraft, looking simple and futuristic at the same time, a perfect representation of Wakandan society. Atlantis looks stunning, being bright, colorful and sleek, with sea animals as mounts and beasts of burden, making the kingdom look almost otherworldly. Aquaman as a film is a feast for the eyes.

Wakanda and Atlantis are both highly technologically advanced kingdoms, the most advanced civilizations on Earth, hidden from the rest of the world. Wakanda is a landlocked country hidden by a hologram and presenting an international image of a third-world country while Atlantis is hidden beneath the ocean. Their societies were significantly influenced by a cataclysmic event. The falling of a vibranium meteor to Earth provided the material that allowed the Wakandans, through their ingenuity, to develop their advanced society. The sinking of Atlantis into the ocean resulted in the Atlanteans’ aquatic evolution. Wakandans ride rhinos to war while Atlanteans ride sharks, giant seahorses and in Orm’s case, tylosaurs. Wakanda has five tribes with the Jabari in the mountains being isolated from the other tribes out of choice, but come to aid T’Challa in the end. Likewise, Atlantis has five remaining kingdoms with the inhabitants of the Trench being pretty much isolated from the other kingdoms (for the understandable reason of the inhabitants being man-eating fish monsters), but come to aid Arthur in the end. Wakandans, while being unique on their own, are still basically human while the Atlanteans have evolved into four different species being able to breathe underwater, control water and have superhuman strength and resilience to survive in the ocean depths. Wakanda also provides universal healthcare whereas we don’t hear much in the way of social services in Atlantis.

Both states’ governments are monarchies, and appear to have a tradition of being able to settle disputes between squabbling heirs over who sits the throne by dueling. However, the similarities end there. Monarchies, like many political systems, can come in different flavors. You can tell just by looking at monarchies in our modern world. On one end, in Norway we have a constitutional monarchy where the monarch is head of state, but not head of government. The king is more of a symbolic figurehead with little power over government apart from being able to issue pardons, veto bills and dismiss Prime Ministers and other Councils of State, etc while a Prime Minister is the actual head of government who, along with parliament, makes the government’s decisions. On the other hand, we have Saudi Arabia, which is an absolute monarchy where the king is not just head of state but head of government, and has absolute authority over government with no legislative body other than a token advisory council whose decisions aren’t binding. And don’t get me started on the countries’ human rights records which are practically on opposite ends of the scale. Before you say anything, Europe has known its share of absolute monarchies as well as Asia, just ask Russia and the Vatican, so it’s not something solely unique to the region with regards to Saudi Arabia.

Wakanda is a bit of a constitutional monarchy with a council of elders each representing the four tribes to aid in making decisions. Atlantis, by contrast, is an absolute monarchy. The Wakandan monarchy is portrayed as more benevolent, while the Atlantean monarchy fits with the saying “absolute power corrupts absolutely,” and it comes to no surprise that it is portrayed as a tyranny. I mean come on, in how many societies can a king sacrifice his queen to a bunch of fish monsters? I think if I had to choose, I’d much rather live in Wakanda. Wakanda’s society is generally portrayed as more utopian while Atlantis’s society is portrayed as more barbaric and cruel.

Cultural Significance/Impact

The one thing that truly distinguishes the two films is the cultural impact. Wakanda had an impact that Atlantis never had. In Wakanda’s case, throughout African history, the continent suffered at the hands of Westerner countries. It began with the Atlantic slave trade which depopulated and weakened Africa, especially since the majority taken as slaves were strong, full grown men. This was followed by the Age of Imperialism where Africa was carved up by European powers, and it was done by Europe for Europe, with much of the wealth of the continent being sent back to Europe with the native people hardly seeing any benefits. After the Age of Imperialism, Western countries continued to interfere in African politics to the present-day for access to its resources. It ranges from overthrowing the first democratically elected President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Patrice Lumumba, and replacing him with the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko to apartheid in South Africa and overthrowing Gadhafi in Libya, turning what was once the wealthiest country in Africa in GDP per capita into a failed state with an economy in shambles.

Wakanda is portrayed as an African nation that managed to avoid the scourge of the slave trade and European colonialism, and remain independent. It managed to avoid Western interference, maintain control over its own resources, and develop on its own. It maintained its traditions and culture without any European imposition while becoming the most advanced civilization on Earth whose very existence challenges Eurocentrism, the notion of Europe’s preeminence.

Atlantis, on the other hand, while an advanced civilization, doesn’t really have the same impact and inspiration that Wakanda does. It is beautiful to look at and interesting, but there is really no cultural impact the civilization has off-screen.

Final Thoughts

Comparing the two films, I think Black Panther’s strength lies in its plot and story while Aquaman’s lies in its visuals. Black Panther has a stronger main villain while Aquaman has a stronger minor villain. Comparing the titular leads, I think Arthur is more entertaining as a character (Sorry, Black Panther fans), but T’Challa is more active as a character, and Black Panther has a stronger supporting character roster. The jokes in Black Panther also landed while plenty of the jokes in Aquaman fell flat. Black Panther has a cultural significance that Aquaman could never hope to match, and is more memorable as a film.

[aion-rsa]

Loki: Best Shows to Watch If You’re Missing the God of Mischief

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The God of mischief might be off in a different timeline prepping for a second season but we still need something to put in our eyes. Assuming you’ve already binged the MCU shows WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we’ve rounded up some other great series that could scratch that Loki-shaped itch. Some of these are spiritually similar, some are great showcases of Loki’s cast and others explore similar themes. All are crackers though and well worth setting your tempad for. 

Flowers

This Brit black comedy which aired on Channel 4 in the UK ran for two seasons, each equally special. Is it similar to Loki? Not at face value, but it does feature a stand out turn from Sophia Di Martino who stole the show as female Loki, Sylvie. Written by Will Sharpe, it’s the story of a highly dysfunctional family, with Julian Barrett and Olivia Coleman as parents on the verge of separation and Di Martino and Daniel Rigby as their troubled twins. Flowers is surreal, magical realistic, gothic and often bleak while remaining funny and moving at all times. Not a big world-hopping show like Loki, then, but it does tackle existential crisis head on, and it’ll only make you love Di Martino more. RF

Lovecraft Country

Like many Marvel projects, the Loki TV series has a deep bench of impressive acting talent. One of the most undersung (and honestly underutilized) members of the first season’s cast was Wunmi Mosaku, aka Hunter B-15, who was asked to depict a deep and abrupt change in loyalties over the course of six episodes. Mosaku pulls it off, mostly because she is a phenomenal actress. If you’re looking to see more of her work, look no further than HBO’s Lovecraft Country (but also watch In the Flesh, in which Mosaku plays the Season 2 antagonist), which also features He Who Remains’ Jonathan Majors in the main cast. (A two-fer!) Mosaku plays Ruby Baptiste, a Black singer living in 1950s Southside Chicago in this social horror. Come for Wunmi Mosaku and Jonathan Majors, stay for… Wunmi Mosaku and Jonathan Majors, but also for a TV series that has more supernatural twists than even the most bonkers episode of Loki. KB

Rick and Morty

If your favorite part of Loki was the existence of a thriving multiverse, then we’ve got some good news. Beloved Adult Swim series Rick and Morty (that also admittedly can have an overzealous fandom) is all about the storytelling joy that multiverses can provide. Mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty Smith reside in a plane of infinite universes and therefore infinite possibilities for bizarre adventure. Rick and Morty alum Michael Waldron served as Loki‘s head writer and the writing staff consisted of several more vets of the animated hit. Fans of Loki’s many variants will certainly enjoy encountering the countless versions of Rick, Morty, and their family. Just wait until you meet Lawyer Morty. Look at the little guy go! AB

Doctor Who

Not an original comparison, but one that absolutely stands up. After all, what was Loki episode three if not Doctor Who gifted a Disney budget? Nexus Events, the Sacred Timeline, doomed moons, memory reactivation… almost everything about Loki has one foot in the world of Doctor Who. The Marvel series may have had Time Keepers instead of Time Lords,  variants instead of regenerations, and an alligator in place of… well, which Doctor would be the most likely to eat a cat? (Troughton’s, obviously), but there’s common DNA here. The really good news for the Loki fan who hasn’t already travelled with the Doctor(s) through space and time is that instead of just six episodes, there are roughly 10 billion of them plus novelisations, audio adventures, comic strips, videogames and a TV movie. Allons-y! LM

The Night Manager

Tom Hiddleston’s bum. But also this is an excellent series adapted from the novel of the same name by John le Carré and directed by Oscar winner Susanne Bier. Hiddleston plays Jonathan Pine, manager of a luxury hotel who gets recruited to infiltrate the inner sanctum of Hugh Laurie’s violent and volatile arms dealer. Olivia Colman co-stars once again (Hiddleston, Laurie and Colman all won Golden Globes for their performances) with a supporting role for Elizabeth Debicki which was very much a precursor for her part in Tenet. Post-Night Manager, Hiddleston was top billed to be the next Bond, so given Tenet basically was Bond but on another timeline, and featured time travel as an integral part, Loki and The Night Manager are basically the same show… RF

Timeless

If you wish Loki had been a bit more of a time-hopping procedural, then we have a show for you. Timeless, which aired on NBC for two too-short seasons from 2016-2018, stars Abigail Spencer as Lucy Preston, a historian who gets recruited by a secret department within U.S. Homeland Security in order to stop a mysterious organization that has stolen a time machine. Lucy teams up with scientist Rufus and soldier Wyatt, and the three unlikely bedfellows must learn to work together in high-stakes settings like the Hindenburg, Ford’s Theatre, and the Alamo. Co-created by The Boys showrunner Erik Kripke, Timeless has tons of character-driven twists that make the time travel personal, tying together these characters and settings in unexpected ways. KB

Legion

Loki is such a bold, creative superhero series that it’s hard to imagine that there’s every been anything quite like it. Believe or not – that’s not entirely true! While Loki is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first big heady sci-fi TV swing, it’s not Marvel’s first overall on television. From 2017 to 2019, Marvel-adjacent property Legion enjoyed a bizarre, colorful three-season run on FX. This series is based on the X-Men character David Haller a.k.a. Legion. Diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age, David also just happens to be a mutant with nigh-omnipotent powers. This show from Fargo‘s Noah Hawley revels in the strange potential of its premise. Legion is often confusing, but always intriguing. It’s a show that largely replaces superhero battles with dance offs. It’s well worth watching the entire run while you wait for Loki season 2. AB

The OA

Very different to Loki in tone but very similar in head-messing inter-dimensional WTF-ness, The OA is a strange and beautiful beast. If you could follow the Marvel show’s timeline hopping, then you’ve a strong chance of grasping the madness at play in Netflix’s The OA. It starts off as a story about the return of a woman (played by co-creator Brit Marling) who’s been missing for seven years, and ends up as a story about… parallel dimensions, arcane rituals, experimental physics, sci-fi magic and a kind-of-haunted house. It’s a total trip, in short, and should scratch any itch Loki fans are experiencing for TV of the weird variety. Speaking of which, give us season three, Netflix, you cowards. LM

Quantum Leap

Before the TVA there was Doctor Sam Beckett. Played by puppy-faced Scott Bakula, Sam is a scientist who invented a “quantum accelerator” (time machine) that randomly transports him back in time to put right events which once went wrong. In each episode of Quantum Leap, Sam wakes up in the body of someone else at a distinct point in history and has to figure out his mission with the help of his best mate, in hologram form, Al (Dean Stockwell). Sam is essentially maintaining the sacred timeline at the expense of his own life and free will, which would make Al…. Miss Minutes? Either way, it’s a hugely good natured show which ran for five seasons and it’s well worth a visit. RF

Continuum

Continuum protagonist Kiera (Rachel Nichols) has serious Sylvie energy. While they might not have much in common when it comes to their background—Sylvie is trying to take down the time authorities while Kiera, a cop from the corporate-controlled future, is an authority—they’re both incredibly focused women who will do what they have to in order to achieve their goals. Continuum follows Kiera, when she is unexpectedly stranded in our present. Desperate to get back to her family and her life in the future, Kiera teams up with a teen genius, as well as local detective Carlos Fonnegra. Filled with complex character arcs and alternate timelines, Continuum is a must for any fan of time travel TV. KB

Life on Mars

Loki’s crime procedural/time-hopping/fantasy cocktail may have been made famous by Quantum Leap, but it achieved its apotheosis (that’s right, five syllables, count ‘em) in BBC One’s Life on Mars. That’s the story of Sam Tyler (John Simm), a Manchester police officer who’s hit by a car in 2006 and wakes up in 1973. Like Loki, Tyler has to piece together what’s really going on behind-the-scenes while running his own investigations. Tyler may not be a God, or have magical powers and other planets to visit, but Life on Mars still took him to some odd and captivating places. It ended prematurely after two seasons (at the request of Simm, who said he wanted to spend more time with his family), after which the tale continued with sequel Ashes to Ashes starring Keeley Hawes. Currently, plans are afoot for a belated third series. LM 

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

The post Loki: Best Shows to Watch If You’re Missing the God of Mischief appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3C2QP9q