Who I Think Of When I Think Of The Avengers

So, I’ve had a few days to think about it, and I think I’m just about ready to answer my own question: Who do you think of when you think of the Avengers? Just as a side note, these aren’t necessarily my FAVOURITE Avengers, and there’s even one guy on here that I actually kinda/sorta loathe a little bit. Nonetheless, these are the people I think of when I think of the Avengers, in no particular order…Although, before that, I should put on appropriate music.

Muuuuch better. ^_^ Now then, here are eight heroes I think of when I think of the Avengers, starting with probably the most thought of member of all…

Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America

‘MERICA!!! XD Seriously, though, even as a proud Canadian, how could I not love Captain America? To me, he stands for more than just American patriotism and idealism, but rather, he represents what we all hope to be, and I don’t just mean his physique, but his sense of honour and conviction. And while it IS a bit odd that he’s probably the first person most people think of when it comes to the Avengers, given that he wasn’t one of the five founding members, he’s been on so many different versions of the team that it’s hard not to think of him as one of the group’s most iconic members.

Jennifer Walters, AKA She-Hulk

I can’t help it, okay? I think of She-Hulk before the Hulk. Call it the feminist in me, or I just sooner gravitate to her than Hulk for…less noble reasons. ^^” Also, I constantly use her in Avengers Alliance, which, one of these days, I’m gonna post an article about, but regardless of why, I think of her first. And frankly, while the Hulk is clearly has the superior raw strength and power, She-Hulk is the more well-rounded in action. She has better self-control, she’s had formal self-defense training from Captain America and Gamora from the Guardians of the Galaxy, and while their overall speed might be similar, I’d imagine Jen’s agility trumps her cousin’s.

Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man

Yyyeah, not gonna lie, Tony Stark in the comics (and a little bit in the movies, for that matter) has become rather deplorable to me. However, it appears as though that after Secret Wars, he’s either been replaced as Iron Man, reverted to an earlier state of mind, or switched with an alternate universe version of himself. Frankly, I’m good with any of those scenarios at this point, because dammit, Iron Man at his best was one of Marvel’s best heroes EVER, and a founding member of the Avengers. Still, he’s not exactly the hero I most have a problem with. Wanna know who that is? It’s none other than the next person on this list…

Hank Pym, AKA Ant-Man

I hate Hank Pym. I REALLY do. I’m sorry, but his likability is EXTREMELY minimal, and none of that has to do with his powers as Ant-Man. With that said, I NEVER need to see him shrink down and go under the bed covers to give Wasp her jollies ever again, I’ll wake up throwing up every night until I die. No, it’s his personality that I can’t stand, even without his severe inferiority complex that makes him do half the shit he’s REALLY infamous for doing. And for the record, I don’t care if hitting Janet was a mistake or not, it happened, and why she ever went back to him, I’ll never know. Nevertheless, he IS a founding member of the Avengers, and one with a really useful power-set. I think it was Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes that really opened my eyes to that. Speaking of which, if you want a GOOD take on the character, watch that show. It does a FAR better job putting him over as a character and a hero than the comics did.

Carol Danvers, AKA Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel, she’s our hero! Gonna take the villains down to zero!………..Wait. XD Anyway, Carol’s been a pretty high-profile member of the Avengers for a long time, and has proven herself relatively early as one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Having said that, she might be the focus of one of the more infamously icky stories I’ve personally ever seen in the Avengers line-up: Avengers #200. I don’t wanna go into too much length about it, but if you wanna know the whole story, go watch Linkara’s review of it. Suffice to say, it’s most certainly for the best to never go back down that avenue with Carol, and instead see her fly ‘higher, further, faster, more’.

James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes, AKA War Machine

Again, this kinda goes back to Avengers Alliance. Specifically, dear GOD, that Minigun Barrage (or, as it’s called when he’s the Iron Patriot, the ’21-Gun Salute’, lol). But yeah, be he War Machine, Iron Patriot, or just good ol’ Rhodey, he is always ready to kick your ass. Sadly, he didn’t really have all that stellar a start with the Avengers, as Tony’s stand-in as Iron Man in the West Coast Avengers, which ended when the suit started giving him severe headaches that caused him to become increasingly irrational, and has since gone through some pretty harsh ordeals, like having himself converted into a cyborg (although he’s since ‘gotten better’, so to speak), but he’s also proven himself a loyal and heroic friend to many of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and has even now joined the team in the movies.

Prince Odinson of Asgard, AKA Thor

How can you NOT think of the God of Thunder when it comes to the Avengers? The new female Thor may be freaking awesome, but this man, this Norse God, is the originator of everything that makes her so awesome. And y’know, something I’m sure that others have realized by now and I’m late to the party about, Prince Odinson nowadays is kinda like Aquaman in the 90’s when they decided to make him look frakking BEASTLY. Think about it: Long hair, beard, prosthetic left hand (or, in this case, his whole forearm), and mostly topless. Hell, for those worried that he might get phased out in the new Marvel universe in favour of the new Thor, think about this for a second: He still has a lot of his old powers, and he’s got that giant axe and a prosthetic arm made out of the same metal that was used in the construction of Mjölnir. If anything, becoming unworthy just made him more badass! O_O

Natalia Romanova, AKA Black Widow

Agent. Avenger. Assassin. Subject to horribly controversial scene in the movie… … …Erm, that is, I figured I should probably give my two cents on the situation involving the infamous “Black Widow calls herself a monster” scene from Age of Ultron, seeing as how I didn’t talk about it in my official review. I won’t talk about it in THIS post, mind you, but I thought I should make it clear that, yes, I AM going to discuss it, as well as explain why I didn’t originally. For now, let’s talk about Natasha, or Natalia, whichever of her names is more canonically correct. lol Despite being experimented on in Development X’s Red Room to make her essentially superhuman, she’s one of the less powered heroes among the Avengers, lacking any kind of high tech suits, not being able to fly, and only having peak human strength. In fact, I think even Captain America has got her beat when it comes to being considered superhuman. As such, though, it really makes what she does as an Avenger all the more impressive. It’s not just that she doesn’t have those things, it’s that she doesn’t NEED them to be relevant, no matter what kind of threat the Avengers are up against. Mind you, there are others that I’d put in the same boat, like Hawkeye, but she’s the one that stands out most to me.

Anyway, those are the eight Avengers I think of primarily when it comes to the group. Lemme know what you think of this group, and… … …hoo boy, I just know I’m jumping into the fire with this next post, but check back in when I give my thoughts on the Black Widow/Age of Ultron situation. Ja né!

Jyger’s Favourite 10?! – 10 Characters That NEED To Survive Marvel’s Secret Wars

I’ve recently posed the same scenario to a few people, just out of curiosity: Let’s say Marvel came up to you and asked who you felt 10 must-have characters are that need to survive Secret Wars and exist in the new Marvel Universe. Who would be on your list and why? The reason I ask this is because…well, let’s face it, after Secret Wars is over, and the Marvel Universe is rebooted, things will be VERY different, and it’s entirely possible that not everyone in the Marvel Universe that we know and love now will make it into the new one. And frankly, it’s not just who gets in, but which version of what characters get in. For example, let’s say Tony Stark makes it through to the post-Secret Wars universe, which he probably will. It could be any version of Tony throughout history and across the Multiverse, or a brand new take on the character. Hell, it could be a complete cut and paste of Robert Downey Jr.’s take on the character…which I’d actually be perfectly okay with, by the way. But yeah, point is, there’s no way to know, and a lot of people could potentially be losing some of their favourite characters with this reboot. As such, I’ve decided to list the 10 characters I feel need to survive Secret Wars, though I should note that I won’t be including any that are currently part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as I would imagine their positions are secure. So yeah, thankfully, I don’t see Carol Danvers going anywhere anytime soon. ^_^ So, let’s start off with the one that you all probably know I couldn’t stand to have the Marvel Universe be without…

#1 – Kamala Khan, AKA Ms. Marvel

…Yeah, I have a confession to make: For many years, Stephanie Brown has been my favourite superhero. While I wouldn’t say that she’s been usurped, if there was ever a hero in a position to possibly do so, it’s Kamala. She’s simultaneously able to reach out to a minority group, AND be extremely relatable to lots of people: She’s a geek, she writes fanfiction, she has trouble relating to her family, standard teen issues, non-standard teen issues (see aforementioned family), a good sense of humour, a love of superheroes, and a desire to be like them. Plus, while she isn’t always the most successful heroine at her job, she nonetheless keeps trying, learning new ways to use her powers and getting better at being a superhero, thus earning the praise of Wolverine and Spider-Man. She’s a very inspiring hero as a result. It’s really no wonder the trade paperback for issues 1 through 5 did as well as it did, ranking #2 on the New York Times Best Seller list. And frankly, we know that Marvel is always looking for ways to make money, so keeping Kamala around as Ms. Marvel is a must. Failing a solo book, however, she should at least be on a team, possibly a new version of the Young Avengers, or even a sort of Young Inhumans book.

#2 – Miles Morales, AKA The Ultimate Spider-Man

Honestly, I attribute the Ultimate Universe surviving for as long as it did to its Spider-Man books, and to be perfectly frank, I loved how they handled the death of Ultimate Peter Parker (or DID he?), and the rise of Miles Morales as his successor. Much like another entrant on this list, Miles takes a lot of what works about Peter’s character and goes in a somewhat different direction with it, but nonetheless in a way that works. He’s actually younger and more awkward than his predecessor was when he first got started, and his powers are just different enough that he’s a very unique Spider-Man. Plus, hey, we gotta keep SOMETHING from the Ultimate Universe around…although it’s a pity that it seems we’ll probably never get resolution on whether the Peter that he teamed with recently was the real thing or a clone. As for what to do with him…well, there’s a few options. One is that he could replace mainstream Peter as Spider-Man for the most part, with Peter acting as a mentor/occasional partner in action. Two, they could both operate as Spider-Man, working both as partners and with Miles working with my aforementioned Young Avengers idea. Or three, there IS seemingly an opening for the role of Scarlet Spider, with Kaine’s apparent death (still not 100% sure about that, but whatever), that Miles could fill in. But speaking of Multiverse Spiders…

#3 – Gwen Stacy, AKA The Insert-Cool-Sounding-Adjective Spider-Woman

Like with Miles, Spider-Gwen is able to take elements of what makes mainstream Peter’s character work and pull it in a new direction. In this case, it’s taking those elements and applying them to a character we sort of already know, but isn’t EXACTLY the same. As such, she’s a wonderful blend of the familiar and the fresh. However, here’s where there could be a problem. You see, as far as I can tell, all the worlds left in the Multiverse are getting merged together into Battleworld for Secret Wars, and that, following the event, Battleworld will be transformed into the new Earth of the new Marvel Universe. I’m not 100% sure where that leaves Gwen and her radically different world, where characters we know and love have a lot about them that are different (Daredevil actually WORKS for Kingpin). And true, I could say the same for the Ultimate Universe, but this one is far more fresh and new to the reader, with a lot of possibilities left undiscovered and unrealized. It’d be a shame to toss it all aside. That’s why I’m hoping that this world at least remains part of its own universe, and that we don’t see the COMPLETE collapse of the Multiverse. Plus, say she was made part of the main Marvel Universe. What would we call her? I know her book is called Spider-Gwen, as is she by fans, but I think calling herself that in canon would kinda compromise the whole secret identity thing. lol

#4 – James ‘Logan’ Howlett, AKA Wolverine

Of all the people that aren’t in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is probably the one that’s the biggest no-brainer in terms of who will be making it into the new universe. And let’s be honest, you and I both know Logan’s coming back. As I’ve mentioned before, though, I hope we aren’t put in the same position we were in with the character prior to his losing his healing factor. I mean, he can have it, that’s fine, but there needs to be a limitation to it. He can’t be INVINCIBLE. Otherwise, you eventually lose interest in reading about him, because he can shrug off anything villains throw at him. Sure, just because he’s able to recover from anything doesn’t mean he’ll always win, but it certainly increases his overall success rate. And it’s not like he shouldn’t be able to win, it’s that we should have some tangible threat/concern-level so that it’s not a given that he’ll come out on top. That way, we can feel all the better for him when he does.

#5 – Ororo Munroe, AKA Storm

Another member of the X-Men, and like Wolverine, I just can’t see the new Marvel Universe without Storm. She’s just been too important a character for too long for her to just completely vanish. She’s also one of the most powerful Marvel Superheroes, to the point where I’ve often wondered why she only spent a VERY short tenure with the Avengers. Granted, I think that she’s currently best served as the leader of the all-female Adjectiveless X-Men, but there’s nothing saying she can’t pull double duty. Hopefully, A-Force does in fact stick around post-Secret Wars, and Storm can be one of the primary members.

#6 – Anna Marie, AKA Rogue

…Yeah, as I’ve made clear on a number of occasions, I’m a big fan of the Southern Belle known as Rogue. As both a high-profile X-Man and a founding member of the Uncanny Avengers, she has proven to be a force to be reckoned with, no matter who she’s fighting. One touch is literally all she needs to turn the tide of battle. Her touch can even be lethal, though…let’s face it, with most of us, it’s worth the risk. Honestly, though, I kinda wish they hadn’t undone her getting past that by merging her with Wonder Man, and I hope this can be fixed later. And frankly, while we’re on the subject of wishes, I wish that Rogue could appear in the MCU in her more badass self, because if Fox ain’t gonna do it, I know Marvel Studios would be more than happy to. ^_^

#7 – Norman Osborn, AKA The Green Goblin

I felt compelled to put in at least one villain. Granted, with the next new Spider-Man reboot on the way, I would imagine Green Goblin will eventually play a role, but it’s not set in stone just yet. And because Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin persona is one of the most scheming, conniving, and morally bankrupt villains in all of Marvel, who has not only had a number of memorable encounters with his arch-nemesis Spider-Man but with the Avengers as a whole, I feel that he’s a must among villains to make it into the new Marvel Universe.

#8 – Jessica Drew, AKA Spider-Woman

Admittedly, this is one that could very easily turn out to be in the MCU, as rumours are afloat that she may appear in AKA Jessica Jones, but since nothing’s finalized yet, and it wouldn’t be a huge role, I feel justified placing Spider-Woman here. She’s an integral part of the Marvel Universe, having worked for the Avengers, the Secret Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., S.W.O.R.D., the Spider Army, the Lady Liberators, and even HYDRA for a time. In short, she’s had long-term interactions and relationships with multiple characters across the Marvel Universe, to the point where it would feel odd to see her not present in the new one, like it were incomplete. Besides, she just recently decided to pursue a whole new solo career in a new Batgirl of Burnside-esque costume. I’m sure plenty of people would love to see where that takes her.

#9 – Jennifer Walters, AKA She-Hulk

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m left wondering why the hell this character ISN’T part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I digress. To be completely honest, I actually like She-Hulk a lot more than the Hulk. And no, it’s not because she’s a woman…though that helps. lol I guess I just find the relation between the Jennifer and She-Hulk personas more interesting, her civilian job allows her a unique perspective of the Marvel Universe and the people in it, and…well, Bruce Banner in the comics has become kind of a dick lately. It’s actually weird seeing him behave like that in the comics, and then in the movies, he’s potentially shacking up with Black Widow. And yeah, I will admit that She-Hulk being a super strong, super sexy woman helps, but what helps a lot more, and I really mean this, is that she’s super strong, super sexy, AND super smart, meaning she has the complete package.

#10 – Flash Thompson, AKA Agent Venom

Again, this is someone who could very easily turn out to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he isn’t yet, so no guarantees about his status post-Secret Wars. I think what I like most about Flash Thompson being Agent Venom is that here is a guy who used to be a colossal dickhole to Peter, who enlisted in the military, lost his legs in a heroic fashion, and has evolved into someone you could easily see becoming a competent anti-hero who has even joined the ranks of the Secret Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy (which, btw, I hope to see happen someday in the movies). And again, it’s familiar powers and a familiar character, but done in a different way. Love it.

Anyway, that’s it for now. Next time, I’ll talk about what superhero teams I’d like to see in the post-Secret Wars Marvel Universe, and who I’d like to see on each one. Ja né!