#yes i know mcu is different from the comics

[akii-doinstuff]

This feels like Gun Batman. No i cant explain

[orionsangel86]

I watched X-Men 2000 tonight. Yup the Deadpool and Wolverine brain worms got me - at least for a little while - so I figured I'd rewatch the old movies that I havent seen in over a decade and have basically forgotten entirely at this point.

You know what really stunned me? Even more than the slow pace, serious tone, actual dedication to telling a coherent and interesting story with layers of meaning and social commentary attached to it, as well as a sincerity that's been missing from most superhero films since the MCU was born (thanks Josh Whedon).

Nope, what shocked me most was this:

This is a perfect specimen of a man. Look at him. He's gorgeous. But look at his chest? His arms? He's muscular, he's pretty well toned, he's hairy. He's definitely got a six pack - but it's nicely covered by a healthy layer of fat. His skin is plump, he has a bit of squish to him. He'd probably be great to hug (Jean Grey certainly gives him a good squeeze lol).

When he sits down he looks like his stomach will roll just nicely. Like a stomach should.

I know my point here is obvious. It's just that scrolling the Deadpool and Wolvering tag is basically 50% "oh they definitely fucked in the Honda Odyssey" (yes lol) and the other 50% is just horny posting over Wolverine's topless scene like the entire site suddenly adopted Deadpools horny brain.

I gotta give props to Hugh Jackman for his dedication to turn himself into an actual comic book character - because that's what this new movie does. It gives us a comic accurate Wolverine in practically every way (except for his height lol) the suit is amazing, the cowl was a joy to see brought into live action. The body too though was straight out of a comic book artists male power fantasy.

What I wanted to emphasise was that this:

Is extremely tough on the human body. What I wanna know is how long he starved and dehydrated himself for before filming this scene? How long before they shot this did he last drink some water? Because damn that must have been tough. The oil and the lighting probably help further emphasise the muscle, vein, and sinew definition. It's probably similar to how body builders prepare before a show.

Nothing about body building is healthy though. So in the coming weeks as the whole entertainment industry rides on the coat tales of this movies success, and everyone goes crazy over Hugh Jackmans physique, please don't feel pressured into thinking that his 2024 physique in the movie is remotely realistic - or realistically attractive. Like I get the fantasy sure, but come on. I'd personally rather lie on a cushioned bed than a concrete floor.

Deadpool may disagree with me, but he's a masochist lol.

Oh and whilst I stand by the shade I threw at the MCU above, I think Wolverine's different physiques in the movies is a good standard of comparison for how much superhero movies have changed. Because when superhero comics first started getting adapted I think a lot of the choices made were about how to bring them to live action realistically and believably and the attitude was to try not to make them look ridiculous. The first X-Men movies definitely do this.

It was about bringing the comics to life in a way that fit in our world. But over the years, as audiences got more and more used to comic book movies the movies became more and more like comic books and less like a realistic adaptation of a comic book. Does that make sense? So as the movies attempted to bring the comics to life in a way that was less realistic and more comic accurate, the demands on the actors to sculpt their physiques to meet the standards of comic book art became normalised.

I think Deadpool and Wolverine is the MOST comic book accurate of all superhero movies made in the past 2 decades. Half the time the images from the movie look like they could be literally pulled from the pages of the comic books. The story is convoluted and stupid, the plot is barely there and is full of gaping plot holes and elements that don't fit any past stories. The action is ridiculous, extremely fast paced, gratuitous, and violent to a hilarious level. But it's so entertaining, joyful, exciting, and laugh out loud hilarious throughout.

It reminded me a LOT of my attempts at reading through the Deadpool comics (I've read a lot of them but no where near all of them).

To sum up this rambling message with multiple points, I'll say that Deadpool and Wolverine is a really fun movie that I thoroughly enjoyed, but make no mistake there is nothing real in it at all. It is almost literally a comic on screen. Don't expect anything more than that and you'll enjoy the experience.

[thankskenpenders]

At long last, the trailer for Sonic movie 3 is here, giving us our first look at Shadow! It looks like a fun time, though my excitement is probably more tempered than a lot of peoples' due to a few things I have mixed feelings on. Here are my off-the-cuff thoughts about it.

Shadow

Yes, it does seem like they've really nailed Shadow here. Fowler's attachment to the character clearly shows. The action looks cool and really sells Shadow as a serious threat. He's got his bike, he's doing Chaos Control all over the place, it's great. Keanu is very much just doing his regular voice, but it fits well enough. The backstory from SA2 seems to mostly be there, though I'm sure some details will be adjusted. Mostly I'm still just amazed that we're getting a major tentpole blockbuster movie this Christmas starring Shadow the fucking Hedgehog that treats him as a serious character worthy of respect. We've come such a long way...

I mean, just... what an image to see on the big screen.

I also really like the way they're setting Shadow up as a foil for movie Sonic, kind of his dark mirror image as a Mobian hedgehog whose family life on Earth ended in tragedy and turned him into a vengeful antagonist. It's pretty straightforward, but it works well.

Robotnik(s)

Welp. They put Jim Carrey in a fat suit. I suppose we knew this day would come eventually.

I guess a small part of me is glad that movie Eggman finally actually looks like Eggman in every way that matter, but they're completely playing it as a joke at his expense here. And, yeah, the Sonic franchise isn't immune to fat jokes, the early years of the franchise (particularly Western adaptations) gave Sonic tons and tons and tons of jabs about Eggman's weight. But I thought we'd moved past that. But here we are with a depressed movie Robotnik binge eating and gaining a lot of weight like Fat Thor and the other characters think he's so GROSS and look his clothes don't even fit him anymore, haha! There's so much of this crammed into the trailer. I can only pray they don't do this in every fucking scene he's in in the movie.

I do like the plot of Sonic reluctantly teaming up with Robotnik to try and stop Shadow, though. It's very different from SA2, but we knew it would be, and I think that gives the movie some potential for Sonic to have kind of a dark turn of his own that mirror's Shadow's. I have a feeling that Sonic will try to get back at Shadow for something he does - maybe hurting Tom or something like that - and in the end Sonic sympathizes with Shadow and decides they have to stop their cycle of revenge, teaming up to stop some final threat.

Oh, and, of course... Jim Carrey is also playing Professor Gerald. Who might still be alive? Or maybe it's a hallucination on Ivo's part? I don't know, but either way, I'm here for it. Everyone joked about them doing it and then they went and did it. Yes, it risks playing him as a joke character, but the shot of him and Shadow mourning Maria while surrounded by GUN soldiers makes me believe he won't be a total joke. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the true final antagonist of the film, which would diverge a lot from the games but would work as its own version of the story.

And again, WHAT an image to see on the big screen lmao

Everyone else

The human cast is VERY downplayed in this trailer, but let's not forget that they're still going to get a lot of screentime one way or another. The Sonic 2 trailer barely showed anything from Hawaii. Where oh where is my best friend Wade?

Speaking of the Wade show, Knuckles... frankly still seems to be mostly a comic relief character heavily influenced by MCU Thor here, getting some jokes in the trailer but immediately getting Worfed by Shadow when it comes time to fight. Tails seems to be flying the gang around in a real-ass helicopter, and his big pilot's helmet is funny, but otherwise he doesn't really do anything here aside from getting stomped by Shadow. I really hope they don't get sidelined too hard, but frankly I fully expect them to, Tails especially.

And, of course... I can't help but think about who isn't here. Namely: the girls. Yes, three movies and one streaming miniseries into this film franchise, exactly zero of the female (animal) characters from the games have made the jump to live action. Please allow me to bitch about this.

Despite her being both 1) a main character in the game this movie is loosely adapting and 2) my fave, I suppose I can understand why Rouge isn't here. Paramount took one look at that bat cleavage and went "nope," cowards that they are. There was some speculation that Kristen Ritter could be playing Rouge, but we now know she's just playing someone at GUN. But, again, I at least get why they'd be hesitant to include her.

But Amy... Amy is such a glaring omission at this point. There's no excuse. She's the female lead of the franchise. She's one of Sonic's closest friends. (Honestly, these days it's more accurate to say Team Sonic is Sonic, Tails, and Amy, not Knuckles, especially in the comics.) And she's also a key player in Shadow's arc in the game. Shadow has his change of heart because Amy reminds him of Maria! And yet, she's nowhere to be seen. It sucks.

(I know some fans are still holding out hope for Amy, but the toys for the movie already leaked and she didn't get anything, so I have to assume she's not in it.)

It's not like I really expected either of them to be in this movie, but that doesn't make it less disappointing that they set up the film franchise in a way that makes it logistically difficult to include 90% of the characters and conveniently managed to leave all of the girls in the "low priority" pile. Yes, I know everyone points to how much Tails was downplayed in the third act of Sonic 2 as evidence that it's just so impossible to introduce more than one new Mobian character in each movie and give them the focus they deserve. Yes, I know having to come up with a story excuse to bring more characters over to Earth is an obstacle, especially when they're gonna have to devote time to Shadow's backstory. But these are excuses. It's a writer's job to figure out solutions to problems like this. They could make it work if they really wanted to. I'd take Amy having a suboptimal amount of screentime over her not being in it at all. It's just not a priority for them. That's what disappoints me. You can justify these absences from a logical perspective, but I just care way more about Amy and Rouge as characters than I do about Shadow, so there's no way for this to not sting.

But, at the end of the day, for what the movie is actually trying to do, it seems to be pulling it off well. Aside from the fat jokes. I don't like the fat jokes. But the Shadow stuff is good. As always, this live action version of the franchise is never going to be my ideal version of Sonic, but it's turned out far better than it had any right to, and I'll probably have fun when I go see this in theaters and hear Live and Learn.

[tethrarisms]

*sigh*

Let's do this again.

The most harmful and irreparable damage the MCU has ever done is definitely Wanda's characterization and how the "fandom" perceives her even when non-cb readers migrate to the 616 side.

(This is screenshot depicting a fan reacting to Russell Dauterman's redesign of Lore, an evil Wanda variant who first debuted in 1993 in Scarlet Witch #1. She will return in the new Scarlet Witch series this year)

In addition to all the "she's always been white" constant, toxic and racist comments, which only reinforces their lack of ability to recognize issues such as colorism, Rromani representation (when they actually know the difference between Rromani and Romanian, that is) and straight-up whitewashing, they also fail to identify a most essential trait of her entire characterization: her desire to do good and become a symbol of heroism.

Wanda despises doing harm to others. Her first iteration is legitimately a depiction in which she and Pietro are being forced by Magneto to work for him and his brotherhood of evil mutants, all thanks to emotional manipulation. She never means to hurt the original X-Men except when Pietro is hurt and/or in danger. It's her protective side, not her "evil" side.

(Uncanny X-Men v1 #4; #11)

It's also fundamental to be aware that Wanda and Pietro come from a place where there's trauma for being abused by Magneto when it comes to their powers. This is why they are hesitant to join the Avengers, and yet their sense of responsibility is stronger.

(Avengers v1 #16)

Now, when it comes to Chthon, it's another rabbit hole of struggling with independence, power and agency. Being controlled by an evil force is as an old trope as any other in comic books. Still, I can't help but notice that her relationship with Chthon is never truly solved as other magic characters' issues, so why does it stick to Wanda the hardest?

Allow me illustrate with other examples:

1. Magik and the Darkchylde.

For those who don't know, the Darkchylde is "an evil side" of Illyana Rasputin, result of her captor and abuser's tampering with her soul.

The Darkchylde has several interpretations, from abuse to struggling with self-worth, and it has been established for decades as a side of Illyana that she despises, fears and suppresses.

(New Mutants v1 #71)

Illyana took years to make peace with her inner self and even had an arc to leave her reigning place of power in Limbo to Madelyne, another character who was villanized by the narrative for the very same reasons. Which begs the question.... why would a fan root for the Darkchylde to be her standard self when this is precisely what she hates the most? When it's precisely what causes her pain and leads her to a process of isolation and unhealthy behavior?

2. Doctor Strange and dark magic

Throughout sixty years of stories, there are a few moments in which the Sorcerer Supreme is faced with the old dilemma if he should use dark magic or not. And yet, from everything he went through, even in his darkest moments, he still chooses to do good. This is an intrinsic part of him. Yes, we've seen alternate evil iterations, but the main version is still a recognized, praised character for all the good deeds he performs on a daily basis.

(New Avengers v3 Annual #1)

3. Loki against fate

(Immortal Thor #2)

Loki's most recent and important journey throughout the years is precisely changing their fate, from the god of mischief and lies to the god of stories. They know they also have antagonistic roles to play as such, and yet they look forward to building a better relationship with Thor and the Asgardians. They're as complex as they come, but never back to their first and oldest iteration.

--

There are others, of course, like Nico Minoru and the Staff of One, Daimon Hellstrom and his will to deny his father's desires etc etc. I can even point a famous non-magical one: THE HULK. Yep, the guy who has spent his entire existence struggling with said dichotomy.

So you see, this is not a situation where "women can't be villains, god forbid women do anything" like some of them love to claim. You have Amora, Morgan Le Fey, Umar, even Lore now. The fact is, the MCU pushed the main version of its Wanda to be an irremediable character. Fans may or not defend her actions, but the truth is, they went too far for a role of opposition/antagonism justified by mental issues, which is yet another problematic, hellish rabbit role that we discussed so many times, over and over and over.

House of M is by itself such a harmful event in Wanda's entire characterization that, even now in the 616 universe, she still struggles to be (re)accepted by the hero community. She's still demonized by mutants, she's still depicted as mentally unstable.

(X-Men #7 - 2019)

Meanwhile, few writers are doing their hardest to give her some independence and agency (praised be Orlando and McKay). She has finally showcased her resolve to deal with Chthon by absorbing the Darkhold. She finally built a place to help people in a small community. She's an avenger yet again.

(Darkhold: Omega #1)

However, despite all that, she's still being patronized and lectured on (for instance, Agatha trying to take the Darkhold from her).

(Scarlet Witch v3 Annual #1)

The fact that she hasn't given up on the role of super hero only showcases how fundamental, intrinsic, unshakeable is her desire to do good. The fact that she's a nexus being and that the Scarlet Witch is a role passed down through generations are enough reasons to reiterate how important she is as a defender of the universe, same importance we often see in the role of the Sorcerer Supreme.

No fan has ever advocated for readers to be feared by a Sorcerer Supreme. Those are roles of heroes.

So yeah, "evil mother" and "serving cunt" will not do it for me. Because being evil means embracing everything Wanda hates the most and fights the hardest. So you come here and tell me that Wanda was supposed to be evil incarnate, to the point of comparing her to Voldemort, is plainly offensive and shows how little you understand her. You have other mothers to kneel to if you so desperately need one. Wanda is not one of them. Leave her alone.

TL;DR: Saying Wanda should be evil is stupid and harmful.

[klaus-littlestwolf]

Sebastian Stan is Going to be in a Horror Movie!

I just found out Sebastian is going to be in a movie called, ‘Let the Evil Go West’ and I am so curious!

There’s so many questions considering the movie is still in pre production and we know so little about it. We do know that it will also be starring Lily James, his costar from Pam and Tommy so you know they work well together already.

Sebastian talks often about how he never wants to “play it safe”. He always shocks us with the roles he decides to take and this time he has absolutely done it again. I mean Yes, he was in Fresh (2022), and he did a wonderful job. However there is a big difference between that movie- (which was him playing a sexy psychopathic cannibal so well that many of us had to question our morals at the end when we debated whether or not we would have accepted an invitation to a home cooked meal made by Steve Kemp and actually been alright with eating the “main course” just to be able to experience the absolute roller coaster ride that we all know that psychopathic freak would have given between the sheets) -and this movie which seems to be a true psychological horror/thriller. This is truly something I never expected to see Sebastian do and thinking about it now I can only get even more excited because I think he is going to be amazing.

I would love him in anything but this man in a horror movie? This man in a movie about a haunting?! I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for anything he’s been in ever!

(Apart from the Thunderbolts but that’s only because I read the comics as a kid and the Thunderbolts was my favorite group-The Winter Soldier was always my favorite cause he gave me trauma comfort 😅(pre-MCU when he was a proper Anti-Hero) so the excitement for that is unmatchable-it’s not their fault)

The guy is apparently a Railroad Worker (Sexy) that finds a fortune under “deeply disturbing circumstances”. Then he starts having horrible visions and hallucinations that are driving him completely mad (Crazy Sebastian? I’m Fuckin’ In!). The wife thinks their family has a demon or something attached to it and the movie follows the haunting experience.

Watching a sexy railroad working Sebastian Stan losing his mind while being ridden around by a demon that decided to hitch a ride to his back for reasons I’m sure we will find out eventually sounds absolutely amazing and I hope the rest of you Sebastian Stan fans (that have somehow read this crazy mess all the way through) will join me in getting Hype to see our leader give us a movie of sexy, sweaty railroad working Sebastian Stan losing his fucking shit while he’s being ridden around by a demon.

This might just be the best movie ever made…

[olderthannetfic]

AO3 going "we shouldn't just have a MCU Captain America category, we need a Chris Evans one and an Anthony Mackie one" is so weird to me as a Doctor Who fan. We have way more stuff. We get by with the categories we have just fine. All you have to do is put in a tag for 9th Doctor or, in this case, Sam Wilson Captain America or something. Why does this need a second category? And why are the categories named after actors? Nobody calls them that. My MCU friends call them Sam and Steve.

I don't go here but this is just so weird. Like. What is the point, genuinely? Whatever happened to "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? And Sam's movie isn't even out yet. Who's to say we're even going to get enough Sam-centric fics for this to be an issue?

I try never to assume bad faith but this looks so, so out of touch. It's like your mom coming into your room and rearranging things without your permission, then telling you she cleaned it for you because she knows you're going to go shopping and buy new stuff. And then you go, "I wasn't planning on that, and I didn't ask you, actually?" and she shrugs and says you can't move your stuff back to where it was.

I really hope they don't do this to the Doctor Who fandom. I don't want separate categories for every actor who has played the Doctor. And I don't even want to imagine what a clusterfuck this could be when applied to comic characters. Especially since AO3 is willing to split categories for something set in the same continuity. Even canon doesn't split the second Captain America into a different category than the first. It's not "2nd Captain America: Brave New World".

The vibe here is "I don't go here but I think I can help!" when nobody asked for that. It's like my cat trying to help me by knocking ornaments off the tree.

--

Ah, I see we're descending into Did Not Look At The Tags on this one.

Disambiguating with actor or director names isn't new. I'm skeptical that it will be useful here, but it's something AO3 has done for years.

In what sense do you have more stuff? More Doctors? Yes, that's true, and on Teaspoon, everything was organized by them. But if you mean AO3 works, you don't.

All of Doctor Who currently has 91,281 works.

The old Captain America movies tag (now synned to the Chris Evans one) has 114,257.

I guess if you go up to Doctor Who & Related fandoms, you just squeak through with more at 114,874, but come on, dude, the sheer might of stucky dwarfs anything in Who and even exceeds the total works for new Who, and that's the issue going on here.

From the sound of things, people are trying to figure out a way to let works be more findable when they're more about later developments in the continuity. I suppose people are tagging too much past or background stucky for just filtering the ship to work or there's too much where a cap!so-and-so additional tag doesn't indicate what people wish it would. (Personally, I think this is an unsolvable problem, but I see why people are trying.)

Frankly, this would all be better solved by a return to reccing culture and more Sam-centric bookmark collections and recs lists, but wranglers don't control that.

[sophieinwonderland]

r/systemscringe is Hulking out over my Avengers post!

Does everyone know that?

What comics or movies was this addressed in?

Why does the hatesub act like this word was just made up? Sanism has been a thing since the 60s!

I know it's hard for you all, but please at least TRY to educate yourselves before making fools of yourselves in the future!

This subreddit just cannot stop itself from hurling ableist insults.

Oh, for the love of the triple goddesses!

What is it with certain groups reacting to NEUTRAL descriptors by claiming they're slurs?

This is the ridiculous bad faith "cis is a slur" argument all over again.

"Singlet" is a neutral term for a non-system. It's not a slur. It's not an insult.

You just have a massive raging victim complex.

And I promise you, the fact that you don't have DID is not the reason everyone thinks you're a piece of shit.

They've typically fought Mutants when those Mutants were doing something that could be dangerous to the world. Not just attacking them because they're mutants.

Mutants have even served on several Avengers rosters. And The Avengers have teamed up with mutants far more than they've come to blows with them.

Yes, Steve and Tony have generally stood aside while mutant discrimination was happening. That's an unfortunate side effect of separate groups of writers running different comics. Besides that, Captain America showing up to save the X-Men from their enemies in their stories would be pretty unsatisfying.

But even if Steve is just someone who hasn't done enough for mutants, he's still generally supportive of mutants.

Hulk wasn't abused in the MCU as far as has been revealed. Nor is his plurality considered DID.

This may be confusing it with the Ang Lee movie that did address the abuse.

MCU Hulk, so far as we know, is an endogenic systems made by trying to recreate the super soldier serum in an experiment gone wrong.

"He doesn't live in Marc's head. He just invades it"

Right... That's a Gateway System. A headmate from the outside entering the mind.

And the gods do seem, at least, somewhat "attached" to their avatars. It seems like they can communicate only with their avatars and prospective avatars. How this works isn't perfectly clear. But it at least doesn't seem as if he can just freely roam Earth and appear to different people whenever he wants while bonded to someone. I admit this may be disproven in the future.

Still, my assumption is that he can appear to Layla because he wasn't currently bonded to Marc. Once he's bonded to Marc again, he can't communicate with Layla anymore.

This did come to mind. But being pro-endo isn't just about believing endogenic systems exist. Even if we consider the Winter Soldier an endogenic system... which feels wrong on multiple level... he's a brainwashed tool to them.

They don't even consider him a real person. Just an asset to use.

Given their association with Nazism, I wouldn't expect them to see other systems any better.

Your so-called "defense" is reliant on having no idea what you're talking about, and regularly accusing DIS systems of faking for things that are basic parts of the disorder.

One of the first things you'll see on my page is a debunking of just a small fraction of the lies r/systemscringe has spread about DID in the name of "defending" it.

But we are not talking about DID here. We're talking about plurality. About the experience of being multiple in one body. And this is something that has been well-recorded by actual psychiatrists.

The entry on DID in the World Health Organization's ICD-11 states that you can have multiple "distinct personality states" without a disorder.

In Transgender Mental Health, a book published by The American Psychiatric Association, it was specifically acknowledged that you can be plural without trauma or a disorder.

If I wanted, I could go on and on and on, listing paper after paper affirming the existence of non-disordered and endogenic plurality.

But what's the point?

The thing I've learned from sysmeds is that they are chronically incapable of accepting any information that proves them wrong.

And this is the ultimate reason that the Avengers could never be anti-endo. And even most Avengers villains couldn't. Being presented with all of these expert opinions and still doubling down, when you can't even name a single doctor who claims all plurality comes from trauma, requires a certain level of willful ignorance that fictional characters like these are rarely written with.

None of the Avengers would ever be a sysmed.

Because being a sysmed requires you to lack curiosity. It requires you to lack critical thinking. It requires you to be someone who will go along with the crowd and be sucked in by groupthink. To NEVER question the narrative that you're given.

And this type of person... doesn't make for a good protagonist.

In the end, you're pretty clearly not The Avengers. You're just ignorant bigots who hide your bigotry under the guise of helping people. But that is just a front. Inside, you're looking for people to blame for your own suffering, and so you've picked a marginalized community you think you can get away with attacking because it's more socially acceptable. And you will refuse to accept facts that prove you wrong because accepting those facts would mean you're the bad guy.

No, you're definitely nothing like Avengers. But maybe Purifiers?

[catlady48]

So I have been playing a lot of Marvel Rivals this week and I would like to talk about the design choices for Asgard a bit and share some screenshots I took.

As you can see they styled most of the "Yggsgard" outdoor map after the MCU version of Asgard. Really cool to just be able to walk around there. Of course, the areas used for battle have a really different layout and the interior design is also completely different from both the comics and the MCU.

For example, this is what they did with the throne, which is more reminicent of what they did with Asgard in Ragnarok and after, which I personally dislike a bit. On that note, the infamous Loki statue also makes a return and there is a reward for destroying it. Fun fact: in the Jeff's Winter Splash Festival game mode, it is turned into an ice statue.

Character design wise they take inspiration from both the comics and the MCU and add their own flair. I'm sure you've seen Loki's redesign already, but I wanted to show a picture of both Loki and Thor as kids that you can find in one of the spawn areas.

Loki has the "Kid Loki" look from the comics (yes I know the show tried to retcon it, but I don't see OG!MCU!Loki wearing that outfit as a child, sorry comic fans). But that was definitely what young!MCU!Thor was wearing in one of the first scenes in Thor 1 and I think Frigga also looks more like she does in the movies. Odin visually seems a bit more like in the comics, though. So do with that information what you want.

Anyway, it's a ton of fun being able to just wander about Asgard. In the game it's been merged with Yggdrasil for some reason, which is why it's called Yggsgard. But still, I like how much inspiration they took from the MCU. Probably because it's design for Asgard is more iconic.

[burninblood]

guys, I sense a lot of tension about this whole buckynat situation XD ... there is even some hate going on on "X" saying they should have stayed broken and stuff... and, listen, I understand, this kind of reunion wasn't what we was hoping for after all these years (10 years?!?!) and of course we had better scenarios in our mind and we were hoping for more good character work (or any characters work at all!), and we want to hear Nat's version (eheh) and these writers are, let's say, uhm, not so good...

BUT

these are american superhero comics for you in 2024. No greatly written for most part, action focused all the time, little or not at all character development, aiming to reach big sales or them get cancelled, flowing with the MCU synergy and stuff. And I tell you as someone who has read comics her whole life (and I had a loooong life, ok XDDD): bad moments in comics come and go, and poor characters run through a lot of shitty writing, and this happens all the time.

Are Lanzing and Kelly good writers? No. HELL NO.

Do I think Cold War was the worst thing written in the media in the maybe last 5 years? YES with a cherry on top! 100% YES.

Is Thunderbolts a good mini series? ... Well, not really. Better than SOL and CW, but still, we're not quite there yet. It was basically random, with a stretched plot that I can't even recall, and really not a team book since it doesn't focused on any of its characters for real. 'Cause you know, I said it before: no character work, just action action and more action.

Is Bucky written by L&K good? No. He isn't. But to be honest he wasn't good in a lot of other comics too, sadly. He has been worse, he has been better. He will improve at some point, that's the cycle.

All this said, am I happy they brought buckynat back? YES. I AM SUPER HAPPY 'cause it opens for possibility!!!

If they gain some more audience as a couple there are more opportunities for them to get more exposure, to be feautured into other comics (in the current cap run written by Straczynski for example?) more and better content, not only together but on their own too! I think them both didn't have a good comic since... 2018??? Nat even earlier probalby, but it's important they somehow stay relevant in the stories 'cause this is how this whole circus works (sad): the characters who sell better get more stories, more comics, better comics from better writers (... hopefully!)! It's bad, but that's the comic market guys.

Idk, it just feels so sad to me that we have waited for so long for buckynat reunion and when it happened finally it left us with just a bittersweet aftertaste... I think this is inevitable 'cause we had so many hopes and we pushed it bigger than life into our heads, and this is reality XD...But realistically speaking, I was never expecting their reunion to be that different from what we got in the end.

It's good to be disappointed, it's right, but let's turn this into a good occasion then, let's try to stay positive and maybe try to exorcise the bad in it by taking a creative angle on the matter: let's write meta about Natasha's pov, let's write fics, let's do edits, fanarts, let's discuss it. But wishing it never happened and dragging them badly...

I know we all feel like they deserved better, and I agree, but let's consider this just THE BEGINNING. It's a starting point and we should keep our fingers crossed for something good to come!

Let's not give up!!!

I'm sorry if this is so long and a whole lot of useless blablabla bhubhubhu, but some of the stuff I'm reading around is starting to be really depressing and a bit too negative considergin the whole situation, and it's a shame 'cause I feel like we should be at least a tiny bit happier here around <3 :D

Let me know what you think of all this mess (or not, lmao) if you want! <3

[mama-qwerty]

Ok so as someone who enjoyed the Knuckles series, I honestly appreciate that it didn't end up pertinent to movie 3. You could have skipped the series and lost nothing because sure-! Knuckles delegated the master emerald to Wade? Funny joke on brand for these movies - let's roll with that! It even makes some sense if you consider it with an approach that Knuckles has chosen a hiding place no one would ever suspect.

But if you *have* watched the Knuckles series, you know all the context for that decision. Knuckles went on a buddy trip with Wade. Wade is now a kind of protégé to Knuckles, and they have developed a level of friendship and trust that goes with it.

When Knuckles began telling Sonic about where he's hidden the master emerald I had this grin on my face because I knew exactly who we'd be jump cutting to next. It was a sweet pay-off to the Knuckles series. A nod to events that happened, without feeling compelled to over-explain those events.

I think in short I'm just saying, this is exactly how the SCU should handle any spin-offs for its universe. Make them act as nice bonus features that are not required viewing for the main film series. They augment the viewing experience and they do NOT fragment it.

Examine the MCU as evidence of how much of a mess can be created when streaming shows are made out to be required viewing in order for successive films to make sense. It sends story arcs into a complicated blitz and just makes the viewing experience feel like homework.

I'll happily accept more spin-offs in the SCU that add to personal character stories without interrupting the film series.

YES

I also enjoyed the series, I enjoyed the way Knux and Wade clicked and played off each other. They are good for each other, in the sense that they help the other grow as a person but don't feel like they're simply forcing themselves to interact.

I absolutely do not want the SCU to end up like the MCU where there are a billion different series and movies and if you haven't seen each and every one you're hopelessly lost in the plot and know you're missing out on things in them. Things are referenced and unless you've 'done your homework' you don't understand them or the importance of them.

The thing I like about the SCU is that while Jeff and Co take inspiration from the games and comics and other media, and add little Easter eggs and nods to them, if you're not intimately familiar with every teeny bit of Sonic lore you don't feel like you're missing some secret in-joke that only real Sonic fans will get.

There are likely lots of callbacks and nods that I'm missing, mostly because I've come into Sonic through the movies themselves, and much of the game & comic lore I've learned incidentally as I've been in the fandom. I don't know the plots and details of every single game, I don't know the characters and happenings in every single comic. But it doesn't affect my enjoyment of the movies if I don't catch each and every little nod and wink to those long time fans.

The Knuckles series was filler. It was something to tide us over as we waited for movie 3. I've never claimed it was perfect, it had its flaws, but I enjoyed it for what it was, and really liked how they handled both Knux's and Wade's characterizations. I really liked them hanging out together.

I don't want a complicated cinematic universe. I want something with good characters, interesting stories, and decent world building. These are enjoyment, and once I feel like I have to watch every single thing that's released for that universe, it feels more like work to keep up with it.

I'll gladly watch any future series, so long as they remain just 'filler' or little 'side quests' that don't really have an effect on the main movie storylines.

[mxabankzz5]

American Dream

paring: wolverine!logan howlet x f!mutant!reader

Chapter 1 (Preview)

summary: Y/n, a high level mutant and vital member of the Avengers is left bewildered when another Wade Wilson, from outside her timeline, pleads for her help in his mission to save his dying world. Even more shocked when the merc reveals their other crucial ally to be a man she thought to have left in her past.

warnings: 16+, Fem!Reader, AFAB Reader, Use of Y/N, Her Avenger name is American Dream (Inspired by the comic hero), She/her pronouns, Swearing, Angst, Heavy Violence, Deadpool (he's his own warning), Fluff, Possible Smut, Slow Burn, TVA

a/n: Heyyy I thought I’d try writing on tumblr, I already do write for some people but i’ve never written for anyone in the MCU soo im kinda excited (this is my first time especially writing for logan so plsss bare with me if anything is out of character or incorrect😓) This is just a preview/ snippet to see if you guys would like me to post a story like this soo lmk if you enjoy it!

. . . Earth 982 . . .

“Y/n! Wait.. oh my god are you-“ Wade gawked at her outfit. It was almost Identical to Steve Rodger’s suit, from the star on her chest to the red boots that adorned her feet. Even her helmet was identical, except for an open area in the back to let her long soft curls run down her back. Her tactical suit was neatly polished and had a bit of a shine to the red white a blue leather. This was definitely different from the other Y/n’s he’s visited.

“No Wade, I’m not captain America.”

“Oh my god! You know me?!”

“Yes wade, this is your 5th time trying to audition for the team of course I know you…”

“But wait.. if you’re not some type of female version of Cap then where is he? Is he alive here??”

Y/n gave him a confused look.

“What do you mean, of course he’s alive. He just got off the phone with you yesterday he told me he rejected you from joining...what the hell are you doing here wilson?” She reached to pick up the phone on her desk, possibly calling security.

“Woah Woah calm down! I’m just shocked by the preppy, all-American sweetheart look, in every other timeline you’re always some kind of badass ‘anti-hero’. Ugh you and Logan would be perfect for each other.”

Wade almost didn’t catch the quick falter in her stance at the mention of the Wolverine but ignored it.

“Anyways sweetpea, I didn’t come here to audition, I came here for you.”

Her eyebrows raised in confusion and a bit of amusement.

“I’m flattered wilson but-“

“No! No! Not like that! My universe is dying, and in order to save it I need to replace at least one of the anchor beings that died in it to buy it some time. If I replace both.. I can probably keep my timeline alive for good. Please, you’re the only one that can help!”

“Help how?”

Wade sighed in annoyance, gosh why all the inquiries!

“See this is where it gets a bit flakey- and please just hear me the fuck out before you flip out and say no! *Deep Inhale* Since you’re one of the anchor beings in my universe, you have to come back with me to my timeline, maybe chill out there a little bit while it slows the dying process, and then come with me to replace the other anchor being and permanently save my world.” He spews out quickly before Y/n could interfere.

He was expecting her to instantly lash out, telling him it was insane of him to ask her to abandon her timeline to go live in his with his soon-to-be new best friend.

But she just stood there, an almost blank look on her face. It honestly scared him, before she finally gave him a confused glare.

“Wait.. so you’re not from this timeline?”

“Uhm no.. but I would really appreciate it if-“

“And you want me to go with you to your timeline to find your other…anchor being? What the hell is that?”

“Oh! Ugh It’s kinda this thing where if someone really really important dies then your timeline just goes to shit. Ya know I’m pretty sure if I were dead my timeline would probably be gone by now but since they needed me or whatever I decided to stick around for a bit longer.” He flipped his imaginary hair before turning back to Y/n with a hand on his hip.

“So I’m dead in your universe?”

“Bingo! And I really need you to be undead in my universe by… yesterday so chop chop!” He exclaimed, looking down at his imaginary watch before pulling out some kind of remote.

“Hold up! Who’s the other anchor being?”

“Ughhhh God, all these damn questions! It’s someone you know, a very very dear friend to us all. Jimmy.”

Y/n frowned.“Who?”

“Jimmy? James? The man made of metal? Any of this ringing a bell?”

Y/n stared at him in bewilderment silently.

“Oh for christ sakes James! James Howlett! The Wolverine. Yikes Y/n you need to keep up with the lore, you’ve been around since Wolverine Orgins you should know what’s was going on girl!”

“Logan?!”

“Yes! Now let’s go find that little honey badger before he fucks around and nobly sacrifices himself again in this timeline. You do have one in this world, correct? Cause it would be soo sooo much easier if you could just call him right up for me honeybun.”

“I haven’t talked to Logan in years, I don’t even know where he is, let alone if he has a phone number I can call. And I’m sorry wade but I don’t know If I can just leave my timeline-“

And there it was.. gosh you were always so fucking responsible.

“Fine, guess I’ll have to just find Logan myself and go find another you that’ll help me.”

He tapped a button on the weirdly futuristic remote and turned away slowly, about to step through an orange door before she stopped him.

“Wait!”

The merc turned around giddy, hopeful that she would come to her senses and join him.

“What happens when I leave my timeline? Wouldn’t that fuck everything up here too?”

Wade froze, he hadn’t really thought about that part. Shit!

“Uhhh well as far as I know, as long as you’re not dead your world should be fine. So uhhh you should be good.” He said, trying to sound as convincing as he could.

She could sense he was a bit unsure of himself but she also realized how much he needed her help.

“Y’know what, I’m in wilson.”

[skyekitsuneart]

Okay so. Dont get me wrong, I LOVED Agatha All Along. The characters, the story, the song, the gimmicks. Literally all so awesome.

However as a comic Young Avengers enthusiast, and honestly more specifically, a Wiccan and Speed enthusiast, I have some critiques with the portrayal of Billy.

Once again!! Gonna start by saying im not here to be a comics elitest!!! I did really enjoy what they did with Billy and his struggle over his self identity. Like the amount of imposter syndrome that boy is going through is so off the charts its crazy. And while that doesn't exactly match up with comic Billy, (who was born into the Kaplans biologically while still retaining the soul Wanda created), thats okay!! I think Billy Maximoff taking someones elses body on accident its an intriguing way to approach his character.

My frustration with MCU Billy lies in how they basically just stereotyped him. Like, yes, Billy being gay is a very important part of his character. He was harassed at school for it and his powers manifested while standing up to one of his regular bullies. His relationship with and love for Teddy (aka Hulkling) drives a lot of his actions and his development as a character. But his *personality* isnt based around the fact that hes gay.

And what I mean by that is like, Agatha All Along took Billy and A) made him feminine; with the beauty vloggers, and the voice, and the slang, and n B) made him "emo" which typically i am all down for emofiying a character but in combination with the feminization feels like the a stereotype of "alternative gay teen". And thats just not who Billy Kaplan is basically??? Like Billy Kaplan is your typical boyloser-nerd and is actively masculine. Hes not *hyper* masculine by any means but hes just. some guy, you know? Hes just some guy who happens to be gay.

And characters are often a bit different from their comic book counterparts in the MCU, but the decision to make one of Marvel comics most popular canonically queer characters, (him and Teddy are almost always front and center on the covers of Marvel Pride issues), and turn him into a feminine alternative gay stereotype when thats not who he is??? It just leaves me a little disappointed.

(Extending on this a little: while his queerness should absolutely not be erased, I also think bringing it up almost every episode felt like "hey!! look at us!!! we made the gay character gay on screen isnt that crazy!!!". Going back to earlier, being gay doesnt have to be like the center of his personality he can just exist normally and happen to be gay. Idk I guess its just me wanting queerness to be treated like a normal thing but if people disagree I get it.)

Now if Teen was his own original character and not Billy I would enjoy him 10x more. I do enjoy him already!!! But he feels like a separate character. Like when a superhero title gets transferred to another person I guess. But trying to think of him as Billy skews my liking of him.

Anyways! Hope that made sense. As I said, Agatha All Along was great, I did end up warming up o MCU Billy and love the direction they went with his story, but just something that bothered me.

Time to make a less serious post of me screaming about Tommy Shepard >:3

[one-very-small-dragon]

can I talk about how I don’t think the winterwidow / Buckynat ship isn’t a good ship? For the mcu, I understand it’s quite the thing in the comics, but I don’t think it would make sense at all if it were to be incorporated. If you want to bother reading, it’s all below the line, but don’t like argue with me or something unless you’ve actually read it all. Or don’t argue with me, please, because this is my opinion and it doesn’t have to effect you.

First of all, in the comics Bucky (as the winter soldier) was brought to the red room and stuff for some reason (which makes sense, I can see HYDRA and the red room being in kahoots with each other since they are very similar) but for some reason Bucky ‘fell in love’ with Natasha? While he was there? And he’d like sneak to her room to see her and stuff, but she was “promised to another man” or whatever the story was. However. That wouldn’t make sense at all, because A) Bucky would have obviously been under heavy security and was very much brainwashed to not feel emotion at the time. B) the red room would not marry off their widows. And C) Natasha would have been wayyyyyyyy younger than him physically at the time. Like I personally just treat Bucky by his physical age or whatever, like his thirties or something, because obviously he’s way older than everyone anyway, but that’s like seriously concerning if that’s true that he fell in love with her then. And in the ca:tws movie Natasha takes about the Winter Soldier like she is also barely sure he was real, and only knew because she was shot.

like I understand that they are both very similar, yk trained assassin against their will, and yes they’re both attractive people, but I don’t like the ship for the movies. I don’t know, it just rubs me the wrong way. Even if that isn’t the backstory that would be used. I, personally, like the idea of Natasha not having a love interest at all. That’s just my opinion. It makes her character more interesting and, to me, just cool. I don’t have as much against the her and Bruce ship, I think the way the marvel movies did that was decent. But I’m also perfectly fine with her having no love interest at all. She doesn’t need a love interest. Thanks for reading this if you somehow bothered to and just remember, that this is my opinion. You can ship whatever you want (unless it’s the bee movie). I’m not stopping you, I’m not saying you’re wrong, if I didn’t explain this good enough please ask me so I can clarify. Again, the comics can do whatever and I know that the comic logic is far different from the movies, but that’s exactly why I think that ship would be bad for the mcu

[the-great-knight-gay]

Spider-Man skins in Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals is without a doubt a huge success and part of that is due to it's expansive roster of characters, all available to use for free.

However, due to having so many characters, a lot of people seem to have ignored one issue.

Spider-Man's skins.

Spider-Man has 5 skins in game, not including his default.

There is the No Way Home Integrated Suit worn by Tom Holland (one of my favourite redesigns of a Spider-Man outfit from the MCU honestly - I still stand by the fact that this should have been the Iron Spider design)

There is the Bag-Man Beyond suit which is Peter using a bag for a mask. (Some people pointed out that the Bag-Man outfit in the comics also included a FF suit but in reality this is based on the time Peter wore the Bag Man suit during the Beyond arc by Zeb Wells where there is no ff suit)

There is the Insomniac suit from Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (a new addition) which is very fun to play as.

However, the other suits are where Marvel Rivals loses me with the skins.

They are the Chasm suit and the Scarlet Spider suit.

These suits are incredibly fun and well designed. There's just one issue.

They aren't Peter Parker.

There is a similar issue with Psylocke's Vengeance skin being a usable skin despite this not being the Braddock version of Psylocke.

Chasm is Ben Reilly and Scarlet Spider is Kaine. Both have different power sets than Peter and making them into skins for Peter Parker just makes Rivals lose out on being able to add them as playable characters.

Ben Reilly's descent into Chasm was part of Zeb Well's (horrible) run on Spider-Man and gave him a new power set.

Firstly, his Spider-Sense now manifests in a physical form that can react and attack any opponents. Not only that but he can control it, creating a psycho reactive goo (not even kidding this is what its called) that allowed him to make energy weapons.

Yes its completely shit story wise but Marvel Rivals might have been the only place where a Chasm version of Ben Reilly would be allowed to shine.

The potential for different skins with him would be very high too as he could have his classic hoodie look:

his spider suit look that inspired Mayday Parker's first costume:

his Beyond suit look:

his Jackal look from the Clone Conspiracy:

or his look post clone conspiracy:

also potentially a kind chasm look but probably not:

Next is Kaine, who also has a slightly different power set to Peter Parker. Firstly, he does NOT have a spider sense. Peter's spider-sense in Rivals alerts him to nearby enemies in the form of an icon above his head which could just be removed from Kaine. (not sure how they'd do that for chasms offensive spider sense but knowing these devs they'd find a way)

Kaine also has other abilities. His suit was the Stealth Suit Peter made during Dan Slott's Big Time, just recoloured so Kaine could have multiple settings in the suit to match what the big time suit did in the comics. There could be one for invisibility and one that makes him immune to sonic based attacks.

He also has the ability to talk to spiders.

You read that right. Kaine can talk to spiders.

Tell me it wouldn't be cool to be able to summon a horde of spiders in rivals.

Now Kaine lost this next ability in the comics after the first Spider-Verse cross over event but a really cool ultimate for him could be to transform into the Other.

For skins, Kaine also has a few we can select from.

First up is his first costume:

This could be made so cool in the Rivals art style

Next is his trench coat look:

finally is his tarantula look from spider island:

[lucianalight]

Where the fuck are people getting the "Agatha is a misandrist" thing?

Just because you're a misandrist, babe, doesn't mean she is.

It's honestly disgusting.

Agatha is a misandrist? As in she hates men and boys? Based on what? There's nothing that supports this. And as far as canon goes, her only on screen murder victims were women? She has even joked about not having any female friends. But obviously no one says she hates women because you know, context matters.

It's also a really odd thing to say about someone who has been such a loving mother to Nicky and a supportive motherly figure to Billy and has helped him bring Tommy back to life. Also in her What If episode she has three good male friends.

If they mean she wouldn't date men or is not attracted to them, well first and foremost there is canon to consider:

"If you want a straight answer, ask a straight lady."

"Not straight" includes every identity under LGBTQ+/queer umbrella. It's simple logic. It means you can headcanon her with any queer identity you want. It means if I want to headcanon her as asexual, I can and no one can stop me.

Moreover there's this deleted scene from Wandavision in which Agnes flirts with a man.

Yes she's under mind control but Wanda changed her memories/personality not her sexuality. And since it doesn't contradict anything in canon, it can be considered part of it.

Also Kathryn who has been a major part of developing mcu's version of Agatha, addressed this topic directly in an interview. Agatha's sexuality can not be labeled, because Agatha herself isn't someone who likes to be put in a box.

Kathryn was asked a question about chemistry and the sexual tension between both witches and why was it important to portray the character of Agatha as queer. Responding to this, Kathryn replied, “Agatha loves everyone – and probably does. Gender doesn’t matter. Love is love. Sex is sex. I don’t think you can pigeonhole Agatha“.

Further, Kathryn explained that it was natural for her character to develop as a queer character in the universe as she loves everyone. She continued, “Honestly, it’s the natural progression. Of course, she’s [queer]. Of course she loves everyone. She’s attracted to who she’s attracted to. And of course she would never define herself as one or the other. But I would say that about her relationship with Rio too.“

And last but not least, is the fact that Death in comics is genderfluid but mostly presents as fem. So we can assume that's true for her mcu version too.

It is sad and ironic that when the creators try their best to be as inclusive as possible for queer community, there are a part of fandom who decide to gatekeep. They need to remember that as near as a few years ago queer people were harassed for their queer content in fandom. Hell, there were people complaining about Agatha's queerness in the show even now. How is what they're doing any different? Fandom belongs to everyone.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Is It Really That Bad?

So. You want to watch a pre-MCU Marvel movie.

The time before the MCU was truly a Wild West, so you have all sorts of bizarre offerings to choose from. Of course there’s the Blade trilogy, which covers a whole range of quality from good to bad; you have the Ghost Rider duology, a pair of campy supernatural action films where Nicolas Cage turns into a flaming skeleton; you have three different Punisher films of varying quality that all get Frank Castle at least to some degree; and you have Howard the Duck. But maybe you’re looking for something truly weird, obscure, and strange…

No, not that one.

Not that one either, that’s too obscure.

There we go!

In 1990 we got a film featuring the first Avenger, directed by cult filmmaker Albert Pyun and with a budget of only three million bucks. This tiny budget meant a lot of corners had to be cut, the script was constantly changing, the film had to be shot in Yugoslavia, and worst of all Stan Lee’s cameo had to be cut. And what’s the end result of this? A film that grossed barely over $10,000 and left many staff members at Marvel extremely disappointed. It would be a little over two decades before Steve Rogers was unfrozen for another ride, and this film was left to languish in obscurity. Hell, the only reason I know it exists is because it was the subject of an early video from the Nostalgia Critic.

But in the spirit of America, in the spirit of redeeming crappy old Marvel movies, and the spirit of cashing in on the release of the new Captain America film, I decided I’d finally check out this bizarre piece of Marvel’s history to find out if this really is as bad as critics say it is, or if this hero film is a lot more super than previously imagined.

THE GOOD

The biggest thing that stood out to me while watching this is that Captain America and Red Skull are genuinely perfectly done. Let’s talk about Skull first, since he’s a bit more mixed.

His makeup is extremely weird, but we only see it in the first quarter of the film, and his backstory is unexpectedly tragic seeing as he’s a boy forcibly orphaned by Italian fascists (yes, he’s Italian rather than a German Nazi) and turned into a super soldier through torturous experiments in a backstory that is vaguely and ironically similar to Magneto in a lot of way. But those things aside, he very much feels like a megalomaniacal comic book villain, complete with dramatic speeches and a truly dastardly plan. You see, he—a fascist foreigner—wants to mind control the United States president and use him as a puppet to rule by proxy. Thankfully, nothing so ludicrous as a foreign fascist using the president as a puppet could happen anywhere but in the world of comic books and their movie adaptations!

It really is Scott Paulin’s performance that carries the character. Yes, it sucks that Red Skull’s skull is not actually red outside of the World War II scenes that kick off the movie, but with how deliciously menacing he makes the guy it’s hard to be too upset. He may not have the look, but he has the wickedness down to a T.

But more impressive, and the thing that stuck out to me the most, is how good Matt Salinger is as Cap. I wasn’t expecting to be blown away, but boy did Matt knock his role out of the park despite the script and budget not always letting his Cap go as hard as he should. His simple refutation of Red Skull mocking everything he stands for—a simple rebuke of “I care,” delivered with conviction and sincerity—is so fucking good that it’s worth the price of admission alone. Salinger also nails the sweetness and corniness of Steve, such as genuinely complimenting his now elderly former flame by telling her she’s still beautiful or just in general having a cheesy fish-out-of-water charm of a man from the 40s transplanted into the 90s. I love Chris Evanas to bits, and his Cap is one of the best parts of the MCU… But I think Salinger might actually have done Cap best. If nothing else, it's very funny seeing a Salinger prevent presidential assassinations instead of being blamed for them (yes, Cap is The Catcher in the Rye author's son).

Ronny Cox as President Kimball is probably the biggest surprise in the cast, though. You’d expect the kidnapped president of the United States to just be a helpless plot device or even a dick, but no! Kimball is badass and resourceful, escaping on his own and being utterly willing to die just to foil Red Skull’s plans. When he finally gets to meet up with Cap near the end, they also have a really fun little dynamic going on. It’s so easy to make a shitty, unlikable douchebag president so it was just refreshing seeing a noble, selfless, and likable one, even though such a thing makes it glaringly obvious this is a work of fiction.

THE BAD

Look, this is a low-budget action movie and it shows. The action scenes are few and far between, and when they show up you can see where a lot of the corners were cut. Not to say there’s nothing good, but when half of the scenes feature Cap running away rather than kicking everyone’s ass, you know there’s a problem. There’s also a lot of really bad acting, particularly from the non-Red Skull villains. Like these guys just have awful line reads. And don’t get me started on the wings on Cap’s helmet. I am more charmed than mad at how silly it looks, but I’d be remiss not to mention it.

Of course, the bigger problem is just some of the weird creative choices. Changing the Red Skull from a Nazi to a fascist Italian lab rat is the big one, as is only letting him keep his iconic look for a brief window. While the latter is presumably due to budgetary reasons, the former is strange because while his new backstory does garner him some sympathy it’s just… not really dealt with at all? Like it never comes up after the opening, at least not until Cap weaponizes his trauma to give him PTSD flashbacks in the climax. It’s not glaringly awful but the fact they do pretty much nothing with it and have Skull be a scheming, unashamedly evil supervillain makes this feel like a forced attempt to garner pity from the audience.

Then we have Cap. Yes, Salinger does a great job with him and makes him extremely charming and likable, especially in the corny ways Cap should be, but the writing of the film also kind of makes him a dick in a couple of moments. I am of course referring to the two times he fakes carsickness in order to jack a car. Yes, seriously. I think people do harp in this too much—it’s not a huge dealbreaker and both times he is at least a little justified as to why he does it—but it is so strange to see Cap do something so petty and ridiculous that I have to mention it. At least it’s pretty hilarious.

IS IT REALLY THAT BAD?

So. You thought I was going to hate this movie.

For the first time I held a poll asking what viewers of my blog predicted what my opinion of the film would be, with the negative option winning by a very slim margin. Considering this movie’s reputation, it’s easy to see why, especially since as a big superhero movie fan and an ardent MCU defender I at least try and have some standards. But as a B-movie lover and a trashy cinema aficionado, it was pretty impossible not to be charmed by this film.

Yes, this film has tons of issues because of its tiny budget. No, this is not some pitch-perfect adapatation or an awesome action showcase. Yes, it is unbelievably corny. But I think in the vein of the unreleased Fantastic Four movie, this film has something a lot of other superhero films of the time don’t: Heart. This film has personality oozing from every pore, and for everything it does poorly or weirdly it makes up for with how well it understands core aspects of Steve Rogers and Red Skull. Salinger and Paulin really do carry this film, their acting paving over the cheap action and the janky acting of the villainous goons.

If you like cheesy 90s B-movie action films, you will love this. As the world’s only unironic Street Fighter fan, I am definitely deep into that category, and so I think this film is definitely worthwhile. I gave it a 7/10, but I think realistically it should be in maybe the high 5s or low 6s. This is a cheap, janky film, but it is full of heart and charm. It’s hard to love, but it’s damn near impossible to hate. At any rate, it's always interesting to go back and see what superhero films were like back in the day before they had to be cogs in an overarching franchise.