My Thoughts On The All-New, All-Different Marvel Books

So, I went ahead and got the free preview book for the All-New, All-Different Marvel, which begins in October. As such, I’d like to give my thoughts on a few specific ones, general looks at the rest, and just talk about a few things I feel might be missing from the new Marvel Universe as a whole, as it’s being shown here. Also, not gonna bother talking about the ones already revealed that I talked about before, so if you notice some rather notable books missing from this article, click here to see if I mentioned them already. Let’s start off with probably the obvious…

Additional Avengers Books

I told ya. ^_^ So, in addition to the All-New, All-Different Avengers, AKA Earth’s Mightiest Most Dedicated Heroes, and the all-superheroines A-Force, we’ve got a couple other Avengers teams. The first is the Uncanny Avengers which, as shown above, will star Rogue, Steve Rogers, Human Torch, Doctor Voodoo, Quicksilver…um, some woman I don’t recognize, the Amazing Spider-Man, and the back-from-the-dead Deadpool…because, let’s be honest, we knew he would be. lol The other team is the New Avengers, which will star Songbird, Hulkling, Wiccan, Hawkeye, Squirrel Girl, and Sunspot as part of the new Avengers Idea Mechanics. On top of that, there’s a new Illuminati book, which apparently is now about a team of villains, and a new Ultimates book, which features Black Panther, Blue Marvel, Miss America, Captain Marvel, and Spectrum going up against Galactus. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is getting written by one of the show runners for Arrow, of all people. Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. will apparently have Dum-Dum Dugan teaming with Elsa Bloodstone and the monsters of the Secret Wars Howling Commandos. And lastly, there’s gonna be a Contest of Champions book, which may or may not tie into the game, and has Maestro pitting heroes against one another in an arena. And that’s not even the end of the team books, because guess who?

The X-Men Titles

Yup, you can put down the riot helmets and posters, they’re still around, folks. We have three books with the name X-Men in them: Extraordinary X-Men (Storm, Iceman, Colossus, time-displaced Jean Grey, Old Man Logan, Nightcrawler, and Magik), All-New X-Men (time-displaced Beast, Iceman, Cyclops, and Angel, along with the All-New Wolverine), and Uncanny X-Men (Magneto, Mystique, Sabertooth, Psylocke, and Fantomex). There’re also three other X-Men related books: Old Man Logan, which features the aged Logan existing in this new world, All-New Wolverine, which has X-23 stepping into the role, and Deadpool…’nuff said there. XD Supposedly, in the eight month gap between Secret Wars and the new books (which I’m guessing they’ll fill us in on later), there was some sort of incident between Mutants and Inhumans, which will help explain this new status quo for the two sides, as present day Beast will be joining the Uncanny Inhumans as a result of that.

Spider-Man Incorporated?

In addition to the Spider-Man book I mentioned starring Miles Morales, as well as the relaunched Spider-Gwen, there are several other Spider-related books coming out. Amazing Spider-Man will have Peter launching a new and improved Parker Industries worldwide, bringing back the Spider-Mobile, and pulling the old Tony Stark trick by having his superhero identity be his ‘bodyguard’. Also, for those wondering, he’s not still married from Secret Wars, and the book will probably never even mention what happened in One More Day, so don’t expect to see me buying this…which is sad, because otherwise, this looks like it’ll be nice, crazy fun. Web Warriors will feature Spider-Gwen teaming up with Spider-Girl, Spider-Ham, and a few other Spider-Men from various realities as some sort of Spider-Man Incorporated-like team…because why not at this point? Silk is ‘apparently’ turning heel, although I don’t know if I buy it just yet. Carnage is coming back after sacrificing himself during AXIS, so it’ll be interesting to see if he’s still a hero or not. Spider-Man 2099 is sticking around, with a new costume to boot. Then there’s Venom: Spaceknight… … …If Rom doesn’t show up, I’ll be so sad. lol Before I continue, though, there’s something specific I need to discuss…

Spider-Woman PREGNANT?!?!

…Yeah, Spider-Woman’s a mom now. And, as I understand it, the new books pick up approximately 8 months after the end of Secret Wars, so I think the implication is that Jessica is about a month or two away from delivering the baby… … …Okay, first off, I will admit to having to stop myself from squeeing at the idea of Jess having a baby. lol Also, I DO kinda find the whole single-mom-being-a-superheroine schtick kinda awesome. However, if I’m correct and the implication is that she’s still active as a heroine while carrying the baby, can I just ask one question: WHY?!?! That is super dangerous, not only to Spider-Woman, but to the baby! Now, maybe I’m way off, and the series actually picks up with her either finding out she’s pregnant or as she’s having the baby, but I REALLY hope she’s not putting on the costume and gliding through the night skies while carrying the kid. Also, who is the father? Is she even dating anyone currently? Oh, PLEASE don’t let this be another ‘mystical pregnancy’ storyline. I learned of Avengers #200 just last year, and I still haven’t gotten the bad taste outta my mouth. Otherwise, though, as I said, kinda excited to see the kid. lol

Uchuu KITAAAAAAAAAA!!!

500 geek points to the first person who gets that reference. ^_^ Also, a million geek points says that’s Kitty Pryde posing as Star-Lord in the new Guardians of the Galaxy book. With that said, two questions come to mind: Where is her fiancé (the new Star-Lord book SUGGESTS time travel, but I have no idea), and what’s with all the dudes on the team besides her? It’s Thing, Drax, Venom, Rocket, and Groot, with Rocket as the only one who isn’t some buffed up powerhouse. I know Gamora left (and I’ll get back to that later), but where’s Captain Marvel? Mantis? ANY of the other space-faring superheroes that aren’t bulky dudes? Other than that, as I said, Star-Lord looks like he might be travelling through time, the Uncanny Inhumans are gonna be kicking ass as the next big superhero team, Drax is entering the interstellar octagon, Angela might be running Hel, Karnak is getting a solo title, and Nova has Sam teaming up with either his dad or Richard Rider, I can’t tell. And Howard the Duck is getting a relaunched solo where even the creative team are openly acknowledging how silly it is to relaunch it so soon.

SO MANY SOLOS! XD

Getting back to the Avengers, there are a lot of them getting their own solo books, so let’s do a quick rundown of each. Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers will apparently be in the middle of a schism of some sort in ‘Sam Wilson, Captain America’, which could get more than a little awkward for the foreseeable future. Ms. Marvel is gonna be fangirling like a crazy person over the fact that she’s an Avenger (and in record time), which I can’t wait to read. The Totally Awesome Hulk is more than likely gonna turn out to be Amadeus Cho, all things considered, especially given that both Greg Pak and Frank Cho LOVE the guy. Daredevil is supposedly gonna be teaming up with Gambit… … …’kay. Doctor Strange, Invincible Iron Man, and Captain Marvel, already said my piece on them. All-New Hawkeye might be All-OLD Hawkeye, as Clint Barton may be joining in the old heroes club for some reason and having a clash of some sort with Kate Bishop…not sure what’s going on there. Scarlet Witch is finally getting a solo book that will last longer than 4 issues. Vision is starting a new robotic family…in which family sitcom hijinx are almost certain to follow. lol Astonishing Ant-Man is apparently going back to his villainous ways, although he’s got his fingers crossed on the cover, so probably a ruse. And then there’s the last book I wanna talk about…

The Mighty Thor

Okay, I had a big talk about this on Deviant Art recently, and I gotta be honest with you guys about this. While I like the idea of Jane Foster in the role, there exists many problems with it and this book in general. Now, her getting the name Thor doesn’t bother me as much as a lot of people, since it’s not like she’s a usurper or anything, Odinson GAVE the name to her. What bothers me is that this is the only time someone else has taken up the hammer and kept the name Thor, unlike in the cases of Beta Ray Bill and Thunderstrike. Also, the mystery behind what Fury said to Odinson probably won’t pay off in the long run, Odin is being a colossally sexist douchebag for reasons that are out of character for even him, and Jane’s voice and mannerisms just feel off for the character, although her inner monologue makes up for it a little bit. And how the hell did the inscription on the hammer change anyway (which should probably have had the inscription instead say ‘if THEY be worthy’ from the beginning, as opposed to the former ‘he’ or current ‘she’. More gender neutral, and let’s face it, women have held the hammer before now anyway)? Don’t get me wrong, I’m still very excited to see her as a member of the Avengers post-Secret Wars, and seeing Odinson still be active and badass is good, but it feels kinda tainted by, I’m sorry, bad writing. So, what would I have done differently? I would’ve had Jane gain Mjölnir for a short time, then do what they did with Thunderstrike by having her gain a new hammer of her own with her own badass identity while Thor regains Mjölnir and have the two running at the same time as God and Goddess of Thunder. And before you think it wouldn’t sell well, I would just like to remind that, back in the day, Thunderstrike at one point was vastly out-selling Thor.

So, that’s all well and good, but what’s missing from this equation? Well, looking at the books present and the characters on the banners, I notice that Black Panther only shows up in the Ultimates book so far, Inferno isn’t appearing on the cover for Uncanny Inhumans and may have been swapped out for Reader, and Citizen V and Red Wolf have yet to show up at all. Other than those present on the banners, though, the most notable absentee from the new books is probably Black Widow, which is odd since her solo title was doing really well. Further compounding her absence, however, is a rumour on Twitter I’ve been trying to track back to its source regarding her possible DEATH. I don’t know where this rumour started, but if it’s true, I can tell you for a fact that a lot of people are gonna be ticked off. Other absentees are Gamora, who is supposed to be getting her own book soon, the Fantastic 4, although I already assumed that would be happening, Loki, who has been on a huge roll since the first Avengers movie came out, All-New Ghost Rider, who just got started last year, and while they’re on team books, it’s odd that Rocket Raccoon, Storm, Squirrel Girl, and She-Hulk’s solo titles are apparently not being renewed. As such, I get the feeling this isn’t all there is planned.

Anyway, that’s all I gotta say about the new books so far. Lemme know what you think in the comments section, and we’ll see if any more books get announced between now and October. Ja né!

The NEW MU Books Confirmed Thus Far

While the official date for the release of the full Marvel line-up for the NEW MU (or All-New All-Different Marvel, whichever we’re calling it now) is July 1st, several titles have been confirmed over the past month, while others have been alluded to. As such, let’s take a look at some of these books, starting with…

As I’ve said before, this book will be the flagship title for the new line-up. This book will feature Tony pretty much having to work from the ground up to get to where he once was in his standing as both Tony Stark and Iron Man. The new Invincible Iron Man book will include a new suit with new abilities, new characters, and new resolutions on previous story arcs, as we’ll hopefully get the answer to the question that I’m sure has been on the minds of many the past few years: Is Tony Stark too far gone after everything he’s done, or can he redeem himself for his misdeeds? It’s hard to say, but then again, consider that Tony Stark was first created as a character that no one in that time period would like and then would be forced to sympathize with. In addition, thanks to modern interpretations of the character (in large part, the first of the Marvel movies), Iron Man is ultimately the story of a man who, when his eyes were opened to the terrible things he’d done, strove to better himself as a result. As such, if anyone could come back from these things, it’s Tony Stark… … …Let’s just hope that, while he remains the magnificently snarky bastard we know, he remembers to stay sober, not indulge in petty fights with his fellow heroes, and for God’s sake, keep his friends in the know about what he’s ACTUALLY doing in certain situations. lol

Not gonna lie, I don’t really know much about Squadron Supreme. Everything I DO know is stuff that I’ve learned on wikis, or have been told by fans, comic enthusiasts, and a certain internet personality. Apparently, they come from another world in the Multiverse, although the team has been rebooted and had their stories retold on other Earths beyond that. A lot of the members are analogues for members of the Justice League (Hyperion is Superman, Doctor Spectrum is Green Lantern, Power Princess is Wonder Woman, Nighthawk is Batman, etc.). Also, some of their stories and their history can be seen as What If-type stories of the Justice League without using their trademarked names and whatnot, such as crossovers with the Avengers, and were the first to really look at things like what if heroes used their powers to forcibly turn their Earth into a paradise, long before there was an Injustice: Gods Among Us, or even Watchmen. But, that’s about all I know about the team, and I really know dick all about the individual members. As for this book, all I know is that the members on this team come from the various incarnations of Squadron Supreme seen throughout the Multiverse and are now forced to work together in this new world. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how this set-up develops, but I don’t know if it’s necessarily for me.

Again, thank goodness this book is sticking around. However, despite the fact that this is getting a new #1 issue post-Secret Wars, I’m still gonna be checking out the current book. If for no other reason, but because it helps to introduce the new character and member to the team, Singularity. Plus, it’s a good way to see how this team will gel together. With that said, can I make maybe one or two comments regarding this team? I don’t know why Nico is wearing a muumuu, but unless you’re going for the witch-like look, it doesn’t work. And even then, I feel like she should be wearing a hat or hood, just to complete the look. Also, I get this isn’t an issue with this book specifically, and it’s just the direction the character has been taken lately, but the goth look for Dazzler irks me. I mean, if it was just her being angry about what Mystique did to her, fine, I understand that completely, but I thought when she chose not to kill her in the end, that was the end of that. Plus, looking at this team, it would make them a bit more varied in colour if she was in her old look. But I’m still looking forward to this. Also, wouldn’t mind seeing Spider-Woman or Misty Knight join the team to make it a magnificent seven.

This was something that was teased a little while ago, but now we’ve got confirmation on this new Hulk. The name of the book threw me a bit, but apparently, this new Hulk is someone who is VERY excited about the role, so that makes a bit more sense. The weird thing is that both his face and his arm are blacked out in this preview, which has led to some speculation about who it could be. The obvious candidate seems to be Amadeus Cho, given his background, the hairstyle shown, and a few other reasons that’s been brought up, but we’ll see what happens. Incidentally, though, I should note that it’s been confirmed that Maestro, the possible future evil Hulk, is gonna be sticking around post-Secret Wars, so between that and this reveal, that suggests that Jen might be needing to use that cure on Bruce Banner pretty soon after all. Also, if there’s a new Hulk in town, wonder if we’ll be seeing him in this next book…

Yup, the team I will not shut the frak up about. lol I can’t help it, I’m excited about this book, and this team. It’s diverse in nationalities, powers, ages, and just overall walks of life. The only thing I find myself wondering about is how this team is gonna be at its most effective if Tony Stark won’t be funding and supplying them with money and equipment. Apparently, they won’t even have Avengers Tower, although really, that is like painting a giant bulls-eye on the island of Manhattan for their enemies…even though they tend to attack New York most of the time anyway. Also, I’m curious to know if this means Kamala told her parents about her superhero life, since I can’t imagine her being a full-time member of the team and doing her own patrols of New Jersey without telling them or having a really good cover story… … …I kinda want her to tell them, just because I wanna see her mom’s reaction. XD

So, according to Bendis, because of course he’s writing this book, Miles Morales is the main protagonist, while Peter Parker will act as his mentor. Personally, if they’re going the direction of having Miles be the primary Spider-Man from here on out, having Peter mentor and guide him is a good idea. The thing is, while Miles has been Spider-Man for at least a little while now, he’s never really had any kind of formal training as a superhero, having to pretty much pick it up as he goes with only his knowledge of how Peter worked previously in his universe. Peter Parker, meanwhile, not only got training with his fellow heroes, but he took what he learned from Shang-Chi and Steve Rogers and used these new moves in tandem with his powers to create the Way of the Spider. Given Miles’ own unique abilities (invisibility and venom sting, if he could merge them with the Way of the Spider, it could potentially prove even more effective in his hands. Plus, it’ll be interesting to see how Miles adapts to this new world and how he stacks up against Peter’s rogues gallery, who, while similar to the villains he knows from his Earth, are nonetheless different in a lot of ways.

Speaking of the Spiders of the Marvel Universe, Spider-Gwen’s solo title is confirmed to return. I say return, because Spider-Gwen #5 was the final issue of the first volume of her book…which I didn’t know about until I got to the very end of it. Granted, I understand the need to start whole new volumes for each series in this new universe, but goddamnit, Spider-Gwen JUST GOT STARTED. The new volume even has the same creative team, thank God. Hell, she’s not even part of the mainstream universe, she’s gonna be dimension hopping between her Earth and the new one. Which, FYI, for anyone saying that the Marvel Multiverse is just gonna completely up and disappear, just remember that Marvel counts EVERYTHING in the Multiverse. Well, the movies aren’t ending, the TV shows are still airing, and Spider-Gwen’s Earth is gonna be sticking around, so it’s not disappearing. It might be SHRINKING, it might have some worlds disappearing and combining into new worlds, but it’s not going away completely. But anyway, I’m just glad this book will be back post-Secret Wars. And hey, it’s nice knowing that at least one alternate take on the Spider-Man mythos will be sticking around full-time…Still, can’t we at least make some kind of distinction from the first book, so that, in the future, people looking for the first issue of the first volume don’t accidentally pick up the new #1? I know I started calling the book Gwen Stacy: The Insert-Cool-Sounding-Adjective-Here Spider-Woman as a joke, but at this point, I think I’d take it.

Another book I’m super happy to see that is confirmed to be returning is Captain Marvel, with Carol Danvers as the titular cap. Unfortunately, it seems that Kelly Sue DeConnick isn’t sticking around to write it post-Secret Wars, which makes me a little sad. She’s the one who has helmed the book since Carol took over the role. She’s a big part of the reason we have a movie starring the character scheduled. Still, good to see Carol returning in all her badass glory, with her regulation haircut back, her costume getting some minor updates, and apparently running her own orbital defense space station. Also, for worried feminists, don’t, it’s being written by Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas. If you don’t know who they are, I’ll give ya a hint: Agent fucking Carter on ABC. We’re gonna be fine, folks. lol

Yeah, you had to know that, with this guy getting a movie soon, he was gonna have a solo book. According to Jason Aaron, when he was talking to Entertainment Weekly about the new book, he and Chris Bachalo “wanted a Doctor Strange who was always having to work for what he gets,” and that  “Strange has to worry about repercussions” because “We’re talking about the forces of magic. So whatever he does has repressions.” This is probably the reason why we’re seeing him use more basic weapons and tools in artwork for the new book and his post-Secret Wars situation in general: When the best weapon at his disposal has a big risk factor to it with multiple possible bad ends to using it, it’s best to keep it as a last resort. It’s like Willow in Buffy The Vampire Slayer after she went bad, having to lean on her other skills as to not abuse something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Granted, the two are doing it for somewhat different reasons, but it’s still a comparable scenario. Hopefully, like Iron Man, we see more of Strange looking back on certain past mistakes (mind wiping Steve Rogers, for example) and trying to make up for them.

Other than these, we know that Ms. Marvel will get a new volume, that there’ll be a couple of books focused on S.H.I.E.L.D. and its members, there’ll be solo books for Drax and Gamora, that there will be an Uncanny Inhumans book, and that there’ll be at least one X-Men book, probably multiple knowing that brand. Also, given the characters presented on the banners we saw a while back, we can probably expect books for Captain America, Spider-Woman, Daredevil, Thor, Ant-Man, Black Panther, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Lastly, I’m willing to bet that there’s at least one or two more team books planned, since I don’t know what else Red Wolf and Citizen V are doing, with at least one other Avengers team present besides the All-New, All-Different Avengers, and that we may see the returns of Groot, Black Widow, and Team Hawkeye and their books, since they seem to be doing pretty well thus far. There’s also been this teaser for something potentially involving Venom, with the words “I’ve returned” present…which doesn’t seem to bode well for Flash Thompson. o.O

Anyway, what kind of books would you like to see released in the All-New, All-Different Marvel? Lemme know in the comments section below, and we’ll see what appears on the list on Canada Day. Ja né!

Welcome To Marvelous May + Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Marvel Characters That Should Have Their Own Netflix Series

Fans of my blog, Marvel Comics fans, fans of the Avengers movies, etc, welcome to Marvelous May.

This whole month is gonna be dedicated to Marvel-based stories, news, lists, and so on. And, since Avengers: Age of Ultron is out today (and no, I haven’t seen it yet, and if you spoil it for me, I know a guy in town with an Iron Man suit who can kick your ass, lol), might as well start off by talking about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Specifically, let’s talk about the Netflix exclusive series they’ve been making. As you probably know, a recent change to the original plan they had for the series has occurred. Whereas there were originally going to be four characters (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist) with their own series with approximately 13 episodes each, which would lead to a 4-8 episode series for the Defenders, the plan has changed in that Daredevil apparently did so well that it’s been renewed for another season. Which, I gotta imagine, was a little stressful for the creators of the show. I mean, they had this show they were so proud of that was primarily meant the launching pad for this bold new plan, and the people looked at it and went “That was amazing! What are you guys gonna do for Season 2?” And the creators were like “… … …Oh shit.” Because what do you do? Do you compromise your original plan and go about the process of making a whole second season, or do you tell them no? And frankly, if you tell the audience no when they want more of something they thought was good, you run the risk of losing that audience.

Regardless, though, the point remains that the original plan has been slightly compromised, but in a good way, where we can see that this strategy for the Marvel Cinematic Universe is working. So, with that said, one has to wonder if this means they’ll be considering adding more to the plan. Specifically, more characters with their own series. So, with that said, time for another Jyger’s Favourite 5 as we look at 5 Marvel Characters That Should Have Their Own Netflix Series. As usual, for the benefit of people new to this blog, these are in no particular order. Also, Black Widow is not here simply because I think she should instead have her own MOVIE, not TV show. With that said, let’s start with the one I keep saying they should do…

#1 – She-Hulk

Seriously, how was this not part of the initial game-plan? Superhero shows are hot, courtroom dramas are hot. So, mix the two and see what happens! Plus, we’ve got Daredevil, who is a lawyer by day, meaning you could potentially cross over with the two outside of the big one planned. And, it would create a great contrast between the two, with Daredevil being a far darker and edgier series about a lawyer who is a superhero, whereas She-Hulk would just have fun with the concept. Plus, think of the guest stars you could have by, say, having one of the Avengers (Tony, most likely) getting sued. You can do all kinds of weird and wacky stuff with that concept, and still have a viably good show. On top of all of that, there’s just the great contrast between the personas of Jennifer Walters and She-Hulk, which is VERY different from Bruce Banner and the Hulk. Whereas Banner can be afraid to let the Hulk out and feels the need to leash the beast, Jennifer can sometimes feel like the She-Hulk persona is needed to do the things she can’t, but at the cost of her sense of self-worth (at least, that’s what I took away from Dan Slott’s run with the character, which FYI, he’d need to be a creative consultant for the series).

#2 – Spider-Woman

Now that Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have a deal, there’s no more concern as to whether this character can appear in this universe. And thank goodness, too. With the reveals made in Captain America: The Winter Soldier regarding S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, it would actually be cool to see a character that was on both sides of the spectrum at one point or another, to learn more about how Hydra continued to exist for so long without S.H.I.E.L.D.’s knowledge, even infiltrating its organization. And then there’s the aspect of Jessica herself, especially at this point in the MCU, where S.H.I.E.L.D. officially doesn’t exist anymore, with its agents now having to operate even more clandestinely than ever, and where she fits into that, and if she even wants to work as a spy anymore, or if she’d prefer to be a hero that helps people more in the open. With that said, though…I’m think it might be best to use a modified version of her current costume. Or, if nothing else, alter the old one so it isn’t quite as skin-tight and doesn’t have the frigging arrow pointed down at her crotch. lol Seriously, who the hell designed that? I mean, I like the colour balance, but that’s about it.

#3 – Hawkeye

Again, I haven’t seen Age of Ultron at the time of this writing, but I have heard a few details, specifically as it pertains to the character of Hawkeye. Let’s just say we learn some interesting details regarding Clint Barton that would be cool to explore. And seeing as how the movies don’t seem keen on exploring them much farther than shown in this movie, the options seem to be to either have him be a guest character in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or have him get his own Netflix series. And frankly, the latter would also open the door for Hawkeye related characters to appear, like his brother Barney, AKA Trick Shot, the super-villain Crossfire, his ex-wife Mockingbird, and even his eventual successor Kate Bishop. On top of that, it’d be a great character study for Clint, looking at how he feels being on a team with a god, a super-soldier, a near-invulnerable gamma radiated man, and a genius with his own high tech mech suit, and if he feels in any way inadequate compared to them.

#4 – Ms. Marvel

I’ve actually heard rumours they may be at least considering doing a live-action adaptation of this character. If they do, all I ask is that, for the love of God, don’t white wash her, and PLEASE have actual Pakistani-Americans writing for the show. Hell, have G. Willow Wilson on board for this. If Geoff Johns can do the DC shows, I’m sure it wouldn’t be problematic to have her for this. Beyond that, I would also suggest holding off on it. Like, a lot. In fact, might even be a good idea to wait until after Inhumans hits theatres, considering that she is one of them after all. And it might be a good idea to aim this at a SLIGHTLY younger audience (not LITTLE kids, just younger), thus allowing Kamala to be their stand-in as a young person entering this oftentimes insane world.

#5 – The Mandarin

Okay, in my personal opinion, and I know I’m gonna get crap for this, the decision to make the Mandarin in Iron Man 3 just an actor playing a role was actually a good call. It plays well into the overall theme of the movie. It also works even better that it turns out, via a one-shot in the Blu-ray release of Thor: The Dark World, that there was a REAL Mandarin that’s been hiding in the shadows whose name was stolen by Aldrich Killian and used by Trevor Slattery, and that this individual is VERY unhappy with that. As such, we have our cake and eat it too. People who like the twist in Iron Man 3 don’t have that taken away, and fans of the character from the comics get what they want. So, why not explore that? See what his real schtick is, and establish him as a character and a legitimate threat for either Iron Man, the Avengers, or the Defenders to have to fight later on. Again, everybody wins.

Anyway, those are five characters I think should get Netflix series. Got one that’s not on here? Lemme know in the comments below, and we’ll see how things develop over the years. Ja né!

Why All The Hate For Batfleck?

Okay, I know I’ve talked about this before, and I probably will do so again in the future, but something’s been bugging me a LOT about fan reactions to Superman vs Batman: Why are people so pissed off about Ben Affleck being cast in the role of Batman? What’s got people angry? Why would they have concerns over this?

Now, before anyone takes this to mean I’m a huge Ben Affleck fan, I’m REALLY not. I don’t really have any major problems with him, I’m just not much of a fan, either. He just doesn’t really register with me. I’m also not saying that he will not suck. I haven’t seen any footage of him as Batman, so it’s impossible to judge one way or the other. I’m just saying that I don’t really get what people are so angry or worried over with him being Batman. I mean, we’ve seen plenty of odd choices for Batman over the years. Some worked, some didn’t, but they all at least TRIED to give us something memorable. In fact, speaking of past Batmans, a lot of the complaints I’ve heard actually sound rather familiar, in that they sound a lot like the ones people had for Michael Keaton as Batman: They could see him in the role, they couldn’t see themselves taking him seriously as Batman, etc. Guys, that’s what made him the perfect Batman for that movie: YOU WOULDN’T SUSPECT HIM! You would never look at Michael Keaton and go “Yeah, that guy is TOTALLY Batman”. I mean, you would NOW, because he was in two Batman movies, both of which were great (the second one didn’t work as well with audiences, but I thought it was great), but regardless, not being able to finger out a guy like Michael Keaton as Batman? That was the whole point. He didn’t act out in public like someone trying to hide something or someone desperate for attention, he acted like a normal guy (albeit, a rich one) who was keeping all his pain, angst, and exhaustion inside. So I don’t think that’s credible enough reasoning against Affleck.

One theory I have is that people think it’ll suck by virtue of Affleck’s OTHER superhero role, Daredevil. Now, I haven’t actually seen the movie, but I have seen clips, and…yeah, it’s not that great. However, to be fair, the same people who made that movie then went on to do Elektra, which was even worse, so I’m gonna cut Affleck some slack and suggest that he didn’t have the best direction…Oh, and while I’m on the subject, there’s a video on YouTube that’s basically a Daredevil trailer done in the style of the trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, definitely give THAT a look, just for fun. lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQNh-HVRr6g

Anyway, getting back on topic, and while I was talking about direction, that’s actually where MY concerns for Superman vs Batman comes into play. I’ve made it no secret that, while I liked Man of Steel, I had SERIOUS problems with it, namely the portrayal of Jonathan Kent (FU, Kevin Costner, even without those lines, you are still a dull and wooden performer if ever I saw one), and pretty much the final climax of the movie being a massive fight scene that destroys most of Metropolis and ends with Superman snapping Zod’s neck. Well, now the same guy, Zack Snyder, is doing THIS movie, AND he’s been asked to get creative input from Frank Miller, a man who never understood Superman even BEFORE he went bat shit insane! And apparently, this movie is going to take lots of cues from The Dark Knight Returns, which is a good book that made for a good movie, but is also infamous for its portrayal of Superman and the fight between him and Batman…Although, if we’re still trying to be fair here, it could’ve been worse. It could’ve been the sequel. But yeah, that’s MY concern for the movie…Well that, and rumours of Batman’s love interest being Supergirl. *shivers* But yeah, it’s got nothing to do with Affleck.

So those are my thoughts on Batfleck. Again, I’m not saying he won’t turn in a bad performance, it’s entirely possible that he’ll suck. I’m just saying that I can’t really say that he will suck before I see any actual footage of him as Batman. And until I see any footage, that opinion will not change. For now, let’s just hope this movie manages to be good, and possibly even makes up for the mistakes of the last one, because otherwise, I’m worried for the future of this film franchise. Ja né!

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• Ben Affleck Comments on Being Cast as Batman in ‘Batman vs. Superman’ [Video] (screenrant.com)
• Batfleck hate. (devanmartinez.wordpress.com)
• Do You Want to Be In the New Batman / Superman Movie? (entertainmentslapblog.wordpress.com)
• Hans Zimmer praises Ben Affleck as Batman but admits having a ‘problem’ deciding to score Man of Steel sequel (metro.co.uk)
• Ben Affleck on Batman criticism: ‘I’m tough’ (theguardian.com)
• Hans Zimmer Sees “So Many Good Reasons Not to Do” ‘Batman Vs Superman’ (slashfilm.com)
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt: I don’t think I’ll be in Superman vs Batman (metro.co.uk)
• Batman vs. Superman: Ben Affleck’s Batman Will Be ‘Tired, Weary & Seasoned’ (screenrant.com)
• Batman is ‘boring’ – according to Quentin Tarantino (metro.co.uk)
• Ben Affleck Laughs Off Batman Criticism (variety.com)