All-New, All-Different Avengers #3 Preview

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes might have a little teen drama to deal with. Here’s the preview for All-New, All-Different Avengers #3!

• Warbringer has made good on his name, and the All-New Avengers stand poised to yank defeat from the jaws of victory unless they can put their differences aside–and in the case of Ms. Marvel and Nova, that doesn’t seem very likely!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/all-new-all-different-avengers-3-marvel-comics-2016

All-New, All-Different Avengers #2 Preview

Part two of the origins of the newest Avengers team of all comes out this week, so here’s an early look at it! It’s All-New, All-Different Avengers #2!

• The Avengers are dead–long live the Avengers! Earth’s Mightiest Heroes–Captain America, Thor, Vision, and Iron Man–are living separate lives, not tied to any team–but when a threat from beyond the stars targets our world, fate draws them together once more, alongside Nova, Ms. Marvel, and Miles Morales a.k.a. Spider-Man!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/all-new-all-different-avengers-2-marvel-comics-2015

All-New, All-Different Avengers #1 Preview

Well, it’s finally time to see if this comic lives up to the heaping amounts of hype I’ve been giving it. lol Here is the preview for All-New, All-Different Avengers #1!

• The Avengers are dead–long live the Avengers! Earth’s Mightiest Heroes–Captain America, Thor, Vision, and Iron Man–are living separate lives, not tied to any team–but when a threat from beyond the stars targets our world, fate draws them together once more, alongside Nova, Ms. Marvel, and Miles Morales a.k.a. Spider-Man!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/all-new-all-different-avengers-1-marvel-comics-2015

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!

More Post-Secret Wars Wishes & Expectations + Which Ones I’ve Gotten Right So Far

So, back in February, I made a list of 10 things I either expected to happen in the post-Secret Wars Marvel Universe, now referred to as either the NEW MU or All-New, All-Different Marvel, or what I simply hoped might happen. Well, four months and a birthday later (yeah, I turned 30 on June 3rd, much to my dismay at now officially being ‘old’), I looked back on what these wishes and expectations were and which ones I got right. So, let’s take a look at these first before I go through a few more.

#1 – Wolverine Brought Back

CONFIRMED! According to recent banners for the All-New, All-Different Marvel, Old Man Logan is apparently gonna be a part of this new universe…which hopefully doesn’t result in us having to see the incestuous children of the Hulk and She-Hulk from his universe (EW), but nonetheless should result in some interesting scenarios. And, in addition to him being back, my other request was confirmed as well, since not only is X-23 sticking around, but she might be inheriting the position of Wolverine from him. I’ll get back to her later, though.

#2 – Tony Stark Becomes Good Again

CONFIRMED! On top of that, he seems to be the new flagship character for this new age. Of course, as I’ve mentioned before, this leaves us with more than a few questions, but it could prove to keep things interesting, at least.

#3 – Ms. Marvel Sticks Around

CONFIRMED! Not only is she sticking around, but she’s having a team-up with Captain Marvel, and is joining the Avengers! Also, Ms. Marvel #1 is getting reprinted AGAIN in September (which I believe makes at least 8 times now) with a bunch of #1 issues of female led comics. 😀

#4 – A New Young Avengers-like Team Book

…Ehh, not exactly. I mean, the new Avengers team kinda has shades of it, in that 3 members are teenage inheritors to legacy hero titles, but I wouldn’t really call it a team that specifically focuses on teen superheroes. In fact, the more I learn about the Young Avengers (because I didn’t read the book, which I admit is totally my bad), the more I realize that team needs to be brought back with them picking up where they left off.

#5 – Miles Morales Stays

See Ms. Marvel. In other words, CONFIRMED! lol Also, apparently, while Spider-Gwen will apparently be keeping her Earth, she’s apparently gonna be doing some dimension hopping between her world and the mainstream one, so expect some team-ups between the two.

#6 – One More Day Reversed

…Maybe? Looks like they MIGHT be, but I don’t really know yet. We’ll see. And speaking of which, I heard someone suggest that the reason Iron Man is being made Marvel’s flagship character is because, for the longest time, Spider-Man was considered the guy in Marvel, the most recognizable hero in their roster of characters, their answer to DC’s big name heroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and it would be inappropriate for them to have him be their guy when he made a deal with the literal devil of their universe. And granted, that WOULD be a reason to lessen his overall importance and position in Marvel, but considering he’s being replaced with the guy that cloned his believed-to-be dead friend to hunt down superheroes for the oh-so-terrible crime of wanting to keep their identities a secret, mind wiped Captain America to cover up his own crimes, and basically screwed over his world by perpetuating the idea that they could stop the incursions when he knew it was outside of their ability to do, something he admitted to being a liar about, I somehow doubt that’s the case… … …Seriously, I hope that this new take on Tony Stark takes steps to see him make up for all of these terrible things. If I may be allowed to get up on my soap box for a second, I WANT to like Iron Man. I NEED to like Iron Man. We need a character like him to be on the heroic side of things. And the same goes for Spider-Man. I need to know that this guy can look back on what he did in One More Day and legit say to himself “…I screwed up. HORRIBLY.”, and then work to make up for what he did, really take responsibility for his actions. We need heroes who can do more than just save the day when called upon. We need heroes that, when they make mistakes, will learn from their mistakes and spend everyday afterward making up for them and never do it again.

#7 – A Simpler History

Not confirmed yet, but hopefully, we’ll get some simplification, particularly where it relates to Jean Grey and the Phoenix.

#8 – Old Heroes Retaking Their Mantles

Actually, if anything, DISPROVEN, at least for the moment. Sam Wilson is still Captain America, Jane Foster is still Thor, and it looks like we might even be getting MORE of these, as X-23 looks to possibly be taking up the mantle of Wolverine, and there’s been rumours afloat regarding a new Hulk…which, combined with news that the possible future evil Hulk known as Maestro is gonna be sticking around, makes me concerned as to what’s happened to Bruce Banner, and wonder if She-Hulk might just need to use that cure on him after all.

#9 – The A-Force

CONFIRMED, thank goodness! 😀

#10 – Character Histories Merged

Not really confirmed yet, but we’ll see. In fact, I’d be very shocked if Miles is the only survivor of the Ultimate Universe, with characters from that world becoming merged with their counterparts… … …Seriously, I can’t stress this enough: Fuck Marvel Universe Aunt May, Ultimate Universe Aunt May is AWESOME. XD

Soooo, yeah, about half of them confirmed, four of them still up in the air, and one that’s actually been thankfully disproven… … … … …Let’s try my luck with a couple more! ^_^

#11 – X-23 Joins The All-New, All-Different Avengers

During Marvelous May, I made a list of possible recruits for the All-New, All-Different Avengers…I can’t believe I didn’t add Laura to that list. And right now, with the reveal of her in the Wolverine costume, I think the odds are better than ever that she might be joining this team, unless she’s otherwise too busy with the Wolverines (assuming they’re still around post-Secret Wars) or the X-Men (because I would assume that, as the apparent successor to the Wolverine lineage, the X-Men would WANT her on the frontlines of their team). And, before anyone points it out…again, I am aware that Logan didn’t want Laura to become Wolverine and live the same life that he did. Well, first off, that didn’t stop Dick Grayson from becoming Batman for a time. And secondly, honestly, I think most of us knew she would eventually take up the role of Wolverine if Logan was unable, because, as his clone/adopted daughter (which I just realized how weird that must sound to non-comic fans, lol), she’s a lot like him.

#12 – The Return of Otto Octavius

I think the end of Spider-Verse pretty much made it obvious that this was gonna happen. The second he realized he was gonna disappear and that Peter would retake control of his body, it was clear he was setting up plans to orchestrate his later return. Now, the question remains, will he come back as the Superior Spider-Man, or as Doctor Octopus? Honestly, and I know I’m gonna take flak for this…I think he should continue to wear the Superior Spider-Man costume and have those powers. It makes him a bigger threat. Hell, let’s go one bigger: What if evil Tony DOES wind up being his own separate character from good Tony post-Secret Wars? Could we possibly see a Superior team-up?

#13 – The Fantastic 4 Taking A Break

While I suspect the team won’t up and vanish, it looks like the individual members might be doing their own things for a while, with Thing joining the Guardians of the Galaxy and Human Torch helping out the Uncanny Inhumans. And again, I know a lot of people suspect that, because Marvel Studios doesn’t own the rights to Fantastic 4, they’ll just phase the team out completely, but I honestly don’t believe that to be the case. Still, don’t be surprised if the team takes a break from the spotlight for a little while, at least AS a team. Although, in the absence of the Fantastic 4, we could be seeing more of the Future Foundation.

Anyway, I think that’s all for now. Let’s see what happens when Secret Wars ends before I look back on these again or make any more. In the meantime, lemme know what you guys think of the odds of the predictions that are still up in the air happening, how things are developing overall for the NEW MU, and if there are any predictions you guys have too. Ja né!

Thoughts And Questions Regarding The New Invincible Iron Man

So, Brian Michael Bendis had a lot to say recently. Apparently, he’s gonna be writing the flagship comic of the All-New, All-Different line-up of Marvel’s NEW MU, which is none other than…

…Does anybody else totally hear the old 90’s animated series intro when they look at that?

Anyway, despite my earlier beliefs to the contrary, Bendis confirmed that Iron Man in this book IS Tony Stark, and that apparently, part of this new story arc involves his biological parents (it was revealed a while back that the Starks actually adopted Tony, since they couldn’t have a child of their own). Also, there were some details given on the new suit, drawn by David Marquez, which can apparently, and I quote, “change into any past version of the suit at will by the suit’s wearer”. And thank goodness for that, because from what I’ve seen and heard of the finale for Superior Iron Man, several (if not all) of his previous suits were heavily damaged and/or destroyed.

…And speaking of which, the fact that this has been proved to be Tony Stark in the new suit has me scratching my head, and not because I was proven wrong. I’ve been wrong plenty of times before when it came to guessing what was coming in comics, this is nothing new. It’s just that this revelation kinda comes out of left field, and leaves more than a few questions, both regarding the apparent clues I was picking up on, as well as other details regarding Tony’s continued presence as Iron Man and what this could mean for the Marvel Universe going forward. And that’s not even necessarily a bad thing that I’m finding myself asking questions, either. I like a good mystery as much as the next guy. Plus, nowadays, we SHOULD be asking questions. So, with that in mind, here are some of the big ones coming to mind revolving around Tony continuing to be Iron Man, starting with the most obvious…

Question #1: Is this the 616 Universe Tony Stark?

Really, when it comes to this situation, and given what’s going on right now in the comics, this seems like the most obvious question to ask. The way I see it, either Tony’s been re-inverted back to being a good guy, he’s faking (and doing a heck of a good job of it), or he’s been replaced by one of his alternate universe counterparts that wound up on the new Earth of the new Marvel Universe due to the events of Secret Wars. Right now, the most obvious suspects when it comes to the last option are the Ultimate Universe Tony, and the Tony that’s currently the main protagonist of Armor Wars. Really, either one of them would work for their own reasons (though primarily Ultimate Tony, considering how much Brian Michael Bendis has done for the Ultimate Universe). However, based on what’s been said so far, I think the more likely answer is that, yes, this IS Tony Stark of Earth 616, the mainstream Tony we’ve known since the beginning. So, with that in mind, the next obvious question is as follows…

Question #2: What the hell happened since Superior Iron Man #9???

Chronologically speaking, the last we saw of 616 Tony, he was evil and fighting Steve Rogers in a pretty brutal fight as the two worlds began their collision. Also, in the finale of Superior Iron Man, Pepper had declared that Tony was a lost cause and that she’d instead expose him for all of the terrible things he’d been doing as Superior Iron Man. Well, a partial answer to that might come in a comment that Bendis made in reference to Iron Man 3, wherein after Tony lost his house and all his suits were gone, he picked up a screwdriver from the wreckage of his house with a smile on his face, showing he was ready to start over anew. Bendis said that that’s where he’d want to make an Iron Man 4 if he were given the option: Tony’s starting over phase. And, considering Tony’s position in Avengers: Age of Ultron…Yeah, I think that was a necessary chapter of Tony’s character development that we skipped over. -_- So, what do I think happened? Basically, he’s lost everything, he’s been re-inverted by causes unknown at this time, and he’s now attempting to start over with a clean slate. And that would certainly back up one other piece of information we’ve had for about a month now…

Question #3: What happened to the ‘Stark Money’?

If you read the Free Comic Book Day preview for All-New, All-Different Avengers (and considering how much I’ve been yapping about it, I don’t know how you couldn’t have, if for no other reason but to shut me the hell up), you might’ve noticed a line where Miles mentions that the Avengers “don’t have Stark money anymore”. Now, originally, I took this as a clue, suggesting that this Iron Man wasn’t Tony Stark. After all, every time Tony’s been on the Avengers team, he’s supported it with his extensive wealth. Now why wouldn’t he be doing so here? Well, the obvious answer, if this IS the same Tony Stark we’ve known all along, is that he doesn’t have it. Why? Well, suppose Pepper DID succeed in exposing his crimes as Superior Iron Man. The resulting backlash would’ve been insane, with the government taking his company, his assets, his houses, EVERYTHING. If I’m correct, this is Tony having to rebuild his career as Iron Man, his standing in the Marvel Universe, his position as a ‘genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist’ from the very bottom of the barrel, all with the knowledge that he has no one to blame for this but himself. But, speaking of his position as one of the Avengers, that brings up something else that’s been bothering me…

Question #4: Where does Steve Rogers fit into all of this?

Again, in a scene from the FCBD issue, Iron Man has a short conversation with Captain America suggesting that Sam and Steve Rogers aren’t on good terms right now. That struck me as odd, considering how long Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers have been friends, and the fact that Sam even took over the role of Captain America for Steve when Rogers lost his super soldier serum and began to rapidly age (although he’s seemingly still in pretty good shape for his age). However, if we believe Iron Man to be the 616 Tony Stark, suddenly, one has to ask themselves this: What would Steve’s reaction be like, learning that someone who betrayed his friendship and trust in such a deep and personal way as Tony did was now a member of the Avengers again, and that Sam was working with him? I mean, even if Tony’s been restored to normal, hell, even if it’s not even the same Tony Stark that he knew prior, how willing would he be to trust him again? And if Sam vouched for him, that would just make it all the worse. He might feel betrayed by Sam as well, even going so far as to become antagonistic to the whole team…which, I gotta honest, I’m not sure how to feel about. Steve Rogers was always the one guy who seemed to best represent everything we should want to be, and the idea that he could wind up becoming an antagonist in the future…well, I sincerely hope I’m wrong.

Regardless of if I’m on the right track or not, though, one thing’s for certain: There’s some seriously big changes on the horizon for Marvel. And naturally, considering the last time major changes happened (female Thor, Sam Wilson as Captain America, etc.), I suspect that there are people freaking out. I’ll get more into this as we get closer to the end of Secret Wars, though. For now, lemme know what you think all of this could/might mean for the future, and we’ll see if we’re right in the next few months. Ja né!

Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Things I’d Like To See Added Or Changed By Next May In Marvel

Well, it’s the last day of May, so I guess that makes this the last blog post for Marvelous May. I wanna thank everybody that came to this blog to enjoy my first ever theme month. Will I do this again? Meh, maybe, if I feel up to it. Still, if I ever do Marvelous May again, here’s some things that I’d like to see different with Marvel Comics and other related properties by that point. As usual, this is in no particular order. And I’m not even gonna bother mentioning that Marvel Studios should make a deal with 20th Century Fox, since I said that once already today. lol So, let’s start off with a big one that I’ve been complaining about for a long time now…

#1 – Less Heroes vs Heroes Event Comics

I cannot be the only person bothered by this. In fact, I know for certain I’m not. I remember being so excited for AXIS, thinking “WOW, they finally did it. They’ve got a big crossover event between the Avengers and X-Men where the focus is on stopping the villain and not fighting each other.” And what happened by the end of it? Heroes fighting heroes. Guys, it’s been played out to DEATH. I’m not saying you can’t ever do it again, that’s stupid. Of course, when you’ve got so many heroes from different walks of life and with differing view points on philosophy, methods in the field, belief systems, etc., things are naturally gonna get heated from time to time. But for God’s sake, it’s like at LEAST every other event in Marvel eventually boils down to or is centered around the idea of heroes fighting heroes. I’m just saying, it’s a new universe following Secret Wars, it’s a clean slate, let’s try something different. Hell, I’ve even got one in mind…

#2 – Marvel Ultimate Alliance

Here’s my idea: Have Marvel Ultimate Alliance be an annual Summer-long mini-series. Each year, the most insane yet awesome set-ups and scenarios occur, requiring the team-up of heroes that aren’t generally seen together. Stuff like ten villains being merged together into a single entity wielding the Mandarin’s rings, or a sentient sun that goes around literally turning whole planets to ash, or the Infinity Gems becoming entities that are out of control. Just crazy stuff like that where we’d need team-ups between the Avengers, X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, Fantastic 4, Inhumans, and so on. It’d be great, and it’d be about superheroes saving the day against incredible odds.

#3 – Stop Having Heroes Do Villainous Behavior

Look, I see nothing wrong with flawed heroes. It’s unrealistic to imagine heroes not having any kinds of problems, considering all they have to deal with, and frankly, it’s not interesting to read. But for God’s sake, there’s a difference between being flawed and just being plain unheroic. This is my problem with Hank Pym, Reed Richards, and modern-day Tony Stark and Scott Summers. They don’t act like heroes. Granted, right now, Tony kinda has an out where his moral compass has been inverted, but he was already kinda taking a dive to the dark side long before that, as I’ve documented before. Then there’s Cyclops, who willingly put the world in jeopardy to bring back the Phoenix, and then after doing horrible things while being possessed by it, has apparently decided in the set-up for Secret Wars to become the Phoenix AGAIN. I remember a while ago making a demotivator telling everyone to get over the fact that Cyclops was a villain, and then recently he decided to try to be a good guy again, and now he’s pulling this crap. Oh, and just saying this now, I don’t care what is done from here on out, I am NEVER accepting Namor as a superhero ever again. That was my ONE problem with A-Force #1, was when he showed up to help out. On top of everything else he’s done, he knowingly and willfully blew up a fucking planet, killing everyone on it. More than anyone else in the Illuminati, he is now unforgivable in my eyes. I would sooner read Tony as a hero than Namor. If you want these guys to be villains, FINE, make them villains. If nothing else, it makes their behaviour easier to understand. Do not, however, jerk us around with this crap by having them be heroes that do outright villainous things. It’s ANNOYING.

#4 – Reverse The Deal With Mephisto

Okay, let’s get this outta the way right now: I’m very happy that Renew Your Vows features a Peter Parker that didn’t make the deal with Mephisto, is still married to Mary Jane, and has a daughter named Annie-Wait, Annie? What happened to Mayday? Also, REALLY, guys? You had a redheaded daughter that you decided to name ANNIE? And yes, I know MJ has an aunt named Anna, but come on. Regardless, even if this is a change that will continue into the new universe, the bigger problem is that the deal wouldn’t have been UNDONE, just forgotten about and tossed aside to where it’s never addressed again. What I would much rather like to see is the main Peter Parker learning of this one living in Battleworld, recalling the deal, and before Secret Wars is over (or perhaps after it as a sort of follow-up story), he tells Aunt May the truth about what he did, then decides to go see Mephisto and call off their deal, realizing what he gave up and how wrong it was. THAT would be undoing One More Day and the deal with Mephisto, and would set Peter back on the path of taking actual responsibility for his actions and growing into an adult with real adult problems requiring real adult solutions. Granted, I might also like to see him still running Parker Industries as best as he can at the same time. Plus, then we’d have a really good excuse/explanation for why him and Miles are both Spider-Man following Secret Wars, since both have so much in their lives that they need to balance. Actually, I’m pretty sure that last part is more or less what they’re gonna do regardless of if the deal is undone or Peter and MJ are married or not, but whatever, just saying there’s more drama and potential storytelling to be had there.

#5 – A Better Frigging Animated Series

I like Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. I may have brought this up once or twice before. lol However, even if I didn’t, I can assure you, I would still hate its successor, Avengers Assemble. The writing is weaker, the choices of voice actors are kinda iffy, and whereas EMH started off with a team that paid tribute to the early days of the Avengers in the comics and then eventually added new members from various eras of the Marvel Universe, this team is pretty blatantly based off the movie team, with Falcon being added to basically be the viewer’s stand-in guy for the team. Kinda like Jubilee in the X-Men cartoon, where she was the new girl and was our eyes and ears in this world. Then Scott Lang joins, because he’s got a movie coming out, and do you see the problem? The quality of the show takes a backseat to advertising the movies. And I’m not saying they shouldn’t advertise the movies, just that we still need a quality show. What would be a MUCH better idea, in my opinion, is to have a show where all the new solo-movie heroes (Ant-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Spider-Man), along with some of the new Avengers that joined in Age of Ultron (Vision, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Falcon, and War Machine) team up, and bring back the writing team that did EMH. That way, you’re still advertising the movies, but you’re also doing something different and you’re making sure the writing is good enough to where people WANT to watch. I have NO idea who is watching this show or why… … …Also, just saying this while I’m on the subject, EMH has the best frigging superhero cartoon theme. Not kidding. Play that shit.

Anyway, that’s all I got for now. Got one I didn’t list? Leave it below, and we’ll see how things change between now and next May. In the meantime, as we close out Marvelous May, be sure to check in next month when I give my thoughts on DC’s Convergence, both good and bad, and where this is all hopefully going. Ja né!

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 Rant: Avengers Age of Ultron Review (WARNING – SPOILERS)

Well, I’ve let my thoughts on the movie sit and stew for a couple of days, so now I feel ready to talk about the eleventh movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Age of Ultron. I should warn right away, though, that if you have not seen the movie, there are massive spoilers ahead, so if you don’t wanna have the movie ruined for you, skip to where I have labelled ‘Spoilers End Here’ to get my overall thoughts on the movie. For now, let’s run down the plot of the film.

So the movie kicks off with the Avengers going to Sokovia, a fictional country in eastern Europe. Remember that mid-credits scene at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where we found out Baron Strucker was using Loki’s Scepter (likely procured due to Hydra’s infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D.) to enhance human beings? Well, apparently, in between these two movies, the Avengers realized that Hydra had it, and have been going through the process of finding hidden bases and clearing them out in the hunt for the scepter. However, while the operation goes well, save for Hawkeye taking a bad hit, and they wind up apprehending Strucker, the two Enhanced, the twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, not only escape, but Wanda uses her powers to feed Iron Man a vision of the future. In it, Tony sees the Chitauri return and the Avengers are all killed because he couldn’t do enough to save them. As such, he’s encouraged not only to take the scepter, but to examine it and, after he and Bruce find an artificial intelligence inside the gem of the scepter, try to use it to finish work on Tony’s Ultron program. Basically, a first line of defense against external threats to the world that wouldn’t necessarily require a second one. Meanwhile, Doctor Helen Cho repairs the damage done to Clint’s side with synthetic tissue. Remember this, it’ll be important later.

Unfortunately for the Avengers, during a victory party they’re hosting, which features appearances by Rhodey (who has gone back to being War Machine instead of the more PC branded Iron Patriot), Sam Wilson (who is still on the trail of Bucky following Captain America: The Winter Soldier), and quite possibly the best damn Stan Lee cameo EVER, Ultron comes online and is a bit…confused. After a quick search through the database and a conversation with J.A.R.V.I.S., though, he’s lead to believe that, for his mission to save the world to be successful, humanity needs to be eliminated. Specifically, those who want to protect the world but don’t want it to change. As such, he seemingly destroys J.A.R.V.I.S. and takes control of the Iron Legion, pitting them against the unprepared Avengers. Even after the Avengers manage to come out on top, it’s clear that Ultron is a massive threat, made worse when he escapes through the internet. He kills Strucker and regroups with Wanda and Pietro, and they plan to get rid of the Avengers. Luckily, said Avengers manage to figure out that he’s going to pay Ulysses Klaue a visit, who apparently smuggles vibranium (the metal used to make Captain America’s shield) out of the fictional country of Wakanda (which, if you’ve never heard of, you will in the Black Panther movie). However, while Iron Man is able to destroy Ultron’s newer, tougher body, he nonetheless escapes again, this time with the vibranium. To make matters worse, all of the team but Hawkeye are trapped in nightmarish visions from Wanda, which have caused the Hulk to go berserk in Johannesburg. Luckily, Bruce helped Tony build something to help contain him should he go out of control: The MK XLIV modular exo-skeleton, AKA V.E.R.O.N.I.C.A., or as comic fans know it better as, the Hulkbuster. While Tony DOES eventually bring Hulk down, though, the damage done to the city is pretty bad, and backlash against the Avengers is also bad.

Deciding to hide out somewhere and regroup (the team is still pretty shaken from their visions), Hawkeye takes them to his place: A farm house in the middle of nowhere, where Clint lives with his wife and children…and if you’re like me, you’re more than a little surprised by that. It seems only Black Widow knew about them, as S.H.I.E.L.D. tries to keep the families of their agents in safe locations and the knowledge of them known only by a select few. The team tries their best to recover from their mental trauma, with Thor going to meet with Eric Selvig to learn about his visions of Ragnarok and the Infinity Stones, Bruce and Natasha confiding in each other about their tragic lives and a possible desire to escape everything and make a new life together (they’d been showing less than subtle hints of a mutual attraction for a while now), and Steve and Tony doing what they’re mostly known for doing nowadays in the comics: Arguing. lol Well, okay, Nick Fury also shows up (was he just hiding in that barn this whole time?) to help get the team back on their feet, and they learn that, while Ultron has been going after launch codes for various weapons of mass destruction around the world, someone or something has been constantly altering the codes, keeping Ultron out. Instead, they eventually figure out the next phase of Ultron’s plan: To create a new body made of vibranium and synthetic tissue. As such, he’s used Loki’s scepter to take control of Helen Cho and is using her to make said body. He even cracks open the gem in Loki’s scepter, revealing, you guessed it, an Infinity Stone, which he embeds in the new body’s forehead. However, as he begins to download himself into this body, Wanda is able to peer into his mind, realizing what his ultimate goal is: Essentially, he’s going to enact an Armageddon-level attack on the world with the intent of forcing what survivors are left to evolve into a stronger race, though it’s entirely likely that there may not BE any survivors. As such, the twins decide to leave him and, as the Avengers arrive to take the body before Ultron can finish downloading himself, come to their aid, as well as help keep the civilians in the area from getting hurt. Unfortunately, Ultron again escapes, and has captured Black Widow along the way.

You may have noticed one thing about the film already that can be a problem: The overall structure. Most movies follow a basic three act structure. As far as I can tell, Age of Ultron more or less has a four or five act structure, which can be off-putting for some people. Regardless, the team regroups at Avengers Tower, where Tony and Bruce are at work. Tony realized that the one rotating the launch codes and keeping Ultron at bay all along was actually J.A.R.V.I.S., who survived the attack on him and went into hiding. As such, they’ve decided to reconfigure J.A.R.V.I.S.’s program and put him in the body Ultron built. This leads to a fight between the six present at the tower, and when I say a fight, I mean they literally come to blows, until Thor arrives and uses lightning stored in Mjölnir to awaken the body. Apparently, it was in his vision of things to come, and that the Mind Stone is the source of Ultron’s AI, the twins’ powers, and was what was powering Loki’s scepter. The power of the Mind Stone, combined with Thor’s lightning, the new vibranium and synthetic body, and J.A.R.V.I.S.’s program, brings to life a whole new being called The Vision. Vision makes it clear that he doesn’t WANT to kill Ultron, but because of what he’s planning, there’s no other choice. He has to be stopped before he annihilates humanity. Luckily, Natasha managed to get a message out to Clint, and they figure out that Ultron is hiding right back at where the movie started: Sokovia.

Arriving on the scene, and evacuating as many people as possible, the Avengers confront Ultron, who reveals his ultimate move: He uses a machine made out of vibranium to physically lift a huge portion of the land out of the ground and into the sky. Once it’s high enough, he’ll drop it with enough force to wipe out humanity. He’s also built an army of robots to contend with the Avengers, with himself in an upgraded vibranium body. However, while it is possible to blow the machine up before it can hit the Earth, there’s still people left in the city that will die if they do. Thankfully, Fury arrives with a helicarrier, a skeleton crew of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and War Machine to evacuate anyone still left in the city. Bruce manages to save Natasha, and the two regroup with the others, as they assemble to stop Ultron from activating the drop mechanism. Vision cuts him off from the internet, and they crack his most powerful body, causing him and his army to retreat. Wanda stays with the control panel to keep it clear, while the others go about helping evacuate the civilians and destroying all of Ultron’s bodies before they can escape, as if even one of them gets away, Ultron will survive and do this all over again. However, in the midst of the chaos, Ultron steals a jet and tries to gun down Hawkeye as he saves a child, only for Pietro to save him at the cost of his own life. In a rage, Wanda finds Ultron and destroys his primary body, which allows one drone to crawl over and activate the machine. Luckily, they all manage to get away at the last minute as Iron Man and Thor destroy the machine, blowing the landmass apart, as Vision tracks down and destroys the last Ultron body, ending the threat for good. However, fearing for Natasha’s safety, Hulk takes Ultron’s jet and flies away in stealth mode, deciding to go into hiding alone.

In the aftermath of the battle, Fury sets up a new base for the Avengers in upstate New York, since…y’know, having a giant tower in the middle of NYC makes you and everyone around you a massive target. Cho, Selvig, and Maria Hill all set up shop there, as well as the rest of Fury’s agents. Clint decides to retire from the team to be with his family, and Thor opts to return to Asgard, hoping to learn more about his visions as he believes someone is manipulating events to set up for something bigger than they’ve ever dealt with. Finally, Tony decides to take his leave of the team as well, which just leaves Captain America and Black Widow. Thankfully, though, it seems they’ll have a few new recruits, as Steve prepares to train Falcon, War Machine, Vision, and Wanda as the Scarlet Witch as the new team of Avengers. However, they may need more than that, as the Infinity Gauntlet is taken by Thanos, who proclaims “…Fine. I’ll do it myself.”

…SO, let’s get character stuff outta the way. First off, let’s talk about Tony Stark. This movie continues to delve into his PTSD following the first Avengers movie. He’s not having attacks like in Iron Man 3, but you can nonetheless tell how affected he is by what happened. Every decision, every move, everything he does in this movie, you can tell that he’s motivated by the fear of watching his friends be killed by the returning Chitauri. And what’s worse is that, as irrational as he comes off, as often as he makes decisions that are clearly not thought out that well, he’s right to be afraid. We know that this is all leading to Thanos looking to obtain the Infinity Stones, and where is one of them right now? On Earth. Worse, they’ve already earned his rage once. If he comes back with the rest of his army at their front door, AND the Infinity Stones, it’ll be a slaughter. They only won last time because of a conveniently placed off switch for the portal that let the Chitauri through. If it wasn’t for that, they would’ve eventually been exhausted, overwhelmed, and obliterated. Granted, the nuke kinda helped too, but something tells me that Thanos’ army will be prepared for that next time. So as much as what he does earns the ire of his now ex-team at times, you nonetheless understand what he’s going through and want to continue to root for him. Plus, y’know, he’s Iron Man and he’s a badass. And, as always, his snark levels are high for this. Oh, and the Hulkbuster being named V.E.R.O.N.I.C.A.? Apparently, that’s an inside joke. Veronica, as in opposite of Betty, like Betty Ross, the Hulk’s ex……..Not sure what to do with this information, especially considering that Bruce Banner actually helped build the thing. lol

Speaking of Bruce, I don’t know what happened between the first Avengers movie and Age of Ultron, but Bruce seems to have gone from having control of himself and acceptance of being the Hulk…to constantly having to keep himself as restrained as possible and being hesitant to releasing the Hulk. Seriously, what the hell happened there? Is there story we’re missing? I mean, I know there was a prequel comic to Age of Ultron that helps fill in when they got back together and started hunting Hydra, but if that’s where this development happened, I gotta call foul. Like, I get that it’s probably more compelling story for him, but it just doesn’t make a lot of sense. Still, I will give it this much: Seeing him leave on his own in the end is sad. His decision to keep Natasha from getting hurt by being around him is tragic……although, it would be MORE tragic for me personally, if this wasn’t a complete rehash of Oz leaving Willow in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Even Joss Whedon describing the Hulk as a werewolf makes it clear he’s falling back on that story heavily here. Hell, Willow and Natasha are even both redheads!

If Hulk’s story throughout this movie was sad, though, Black Widow’s is HEARTBREAKING. I’m not gonna lie, and N. Harmonik can attest to this since we went to see the movie together, when Natasha explained that, as part of her initiation as a Russian spy, she had to be sterilized, I was on the verge of tears. I’m not much for crying. I’ve never really had a problem being emotional, but tears requires some doing. So yeah, while Joss loses points with me for retreading ground I watched him tread over 15 years ago, he nonetheless makes it back here, as does Scarlet Johansson for really selling this scene. There’s something about her subtle yet strong delivery that makes me wanna weep for her. And for Nat to go through all of this and wind up alone in the end, it’s all the more horrible. Still, as one should expect from Black Widow, she takes the worst that this movie can throw at her and powers through like a boss……Seriously, though, how many movies does this character and the actress playing her have to steal before Marvel Studios finally green-lights a Black Widow solo movie? Honestly, I’m not asking for the moon here, I just want a frigging Black Widow movie. lol

Captain America’s personal journey in this movie is probably the least compelling of the group, but it’s nonetheless something that plays into his overall character arc throughout these movies. Steve Rogers is a soldier, built for war, but when the war’s over, he’s not sure what to do with his life. The love of his life is on death’s doorstep, nearly everyone he knew in his old life is dead, his best friend is missing, and he’s a man out of his own time. By the end, we see signs that he’s accepted his life as a soldier with no possibility of a ‘normal’ life, but one has to wonder. Still, like Black Widow, while he might get put down by these things, he will not allow himself to stay down. Cap fights like a man possessed in this movie, pushing himself as hard as we’ve ever seen. He’s also got a device on his arm that lets him recall his shield, which is handy since, with some of the enemies in this movie, his shield doesn’t so much bounce off of them as it does STICK into them. There’s a running gag throughout the movie wherein he chided Iron Man for his language early on and people keep teasing him over it, and while it’s funny, I think they maybe pushed it a little too far. But most of all, no matter how bad things get, he refuses to give up or give in, continuing to be the symbol of everything we should aspire to be, to the point where, during a scene where the team all try lifting Thor’s hammer, he actually manages to budge it, showing he’s well on his way to proving himself worthy of Mjölnir.

Speaking of the God of Thunder, Thor’s story in this movie is actually something I wanna get into later. Suffice to say, beyond the pacing and act structure of this movie, there’s one other problem this movie has. For now, though, it seems like some of the stuff regarding his arc in this movie may have been cut for time. There was talk that Loki was gonna be in this movie, which I imagine would’ve been in the visions (because otherwise, how else would you even get him in here?), and a scene of a woman stepping into the pool that Thor enters at one point in one of the trailers, but neither occurred in the movie. One other running bit in the movie is, again, when everyone tried to lift Mjölnir and failed, though you could see a look of concern on his face when Steve budged it. Then comes The Vision, who is somehow able to lift it with ease, much to Thor’s stunned amazement. However, by the end, while Steve and Tony are trying to comfort him over it (in a rather amusing manner), we see that Thor’s alright with it, and uses the fact that Mjölnir deemed Vision worthy as proof that the Mind Stone is safe with him.

And that brings us to The Vision…who I absolutely loved in this movie. His overall power-set is a bit different in this movie from how he is in the comics, but I’m fine with that. And while he sounds like J.A.R.V.I.S., and even has maybe a tiny hint of his old personality, he’s clearly something wholly different, born from the sum of his parts into something completely new. His cape is probably justified in the movie due to having been created through Thor’s lightning, feeling a connection to him. He also has an interesting relation to Ultron. Despite Ultron having tried to eliminate him as J.A.R.V.I.S., he doesn’t want to destroy him. He sees Ultron as a unique being, whether he counts as alive or not. But, ultimately, he doesn’t have a choice. To him, Ultron is less-so evil than he is a rabid dog: He doesn’t WANT to kill him, but at this point, it’s the only humane option left. And while the team is at first distrusting of him, when he rallies them all together and even lifts Mjölnir, there’s no question in their minds from then on that he’s not only on their side, but he may be the only one who can save the world.

Let’s talk next about the twins, Wanda and Pietro…who, for some reason or another, are never, at any point in this movie, referred to as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. I dunno, maybe it’s a rights thing. Speaking of, because Fox owns the cinematic rights to the X-Men and Mutants, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are obviously very different in this movie. They’re ‘Enhanced’, humans that were given powers through the Mind Stone in Loki’s Scepter, who had volunteered to such a process as a means of eventually getting revenge on Tony Stark, as his weapons were used to destroy their home, their family, and left them hidden under a bed for two days with what turned out to be a dud, waiting to die. As such, when Ultron plans to eliminate the Avengers, they’re all to happy to join his cause, but once they find out what he’s really after, they immediately realize their error and switch sides. Plus, after spending some time with the team, they quickly begin to learn that they’re good people and start integrating themselves into the group, becoming Avengers themselves.

While I still prefer the version of this character from X-Men Days of Future Past overall, I really liked this Quicksilver from pretty much his first scene. He’s snarky, cocksure, and full of energy. He doesn’t like staying in one place for very long, unless it involves protecting Wanda (because he’s technically the older brother by being born twelve minutes earlier than her, a fact he likes to point out). When he first meets Hawkeye, he develops a rivalry with him that, by the time they’re working on the same side, develops more into an annoying brother sibling rivalry type of thing. And, I’m not gonna lie, watching him sacrifice himself to save Clint and the child he was protecting was heart-wrenching. As I told several people, I had a feeling someone was gonna die in this movie and have it be for real (a lot of the Marvel movies like to do fake-out deaths), but I wasn’t expecting it to be him. And seeing that Clint named his newborn son Nathaniel Pietro Barton really brought it home that they’d developed a tight connection, and that his sacrifice would always be remembered. Personally, I kinda want a memorial for him in the new Avengers facility.

Regarding Scarlet Witch…….Okay, here’s where I’m honestly finding myself having to tread lightly, so bear with me here. I really like this character, and I’m SO glad that we got another woman on the team. Plus, after she had a little Heroic BSOD and got a pep talk from Hawkeye, which I’ll talk about in a sec, she bounced back and became BADASS. She was clearing Ultron robots out like a fucking demon, and when Ultron killed Quicksilver, she got her revenge by literally ripping his ‘heart’ out of his chest. Having said that, beyond her relationship with Pietro, I don’t really think I would consider this character all that faithful to her comic book counterpart. She’s a good character, she just doesn’t feel like Wanda. Honestly, with the changes to personality and powers, she feels similar to, ironically enough, Jean Grey. But regardless, that doesn’t devalue her as a character, just let it be known for comic book purists, you’re probably not gonna be 100% satisfied with this portrayal.

And then there’s Hawkeye……who has my favourite damned scene in the entire movie, when he says to Wanda during her breakdown, and I quote, “Hey, look at me. It’s your fault, it’s everyone’s fault, who cares? Are you up for this? Are you? Look, I just need to know, because the city is flying…okay, the city is flying, we are fighting an army of robots, and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense, but I’m going back out there because it’s my job. Okay? And I can’t do my job and babysit. It doesn’t matter what you did or where you were. If you go out there, you fight. And you fight to kill. Stay in here, you’re good. I’ll send your brother to come find you. But if you step out that door, you are an Avenger.” In that one scene, they completely redeemed him not getting a lot of character time in the first Avengers movie. That and including his family. That being said, if they kill off his family like in the Ultimate Universe just to bring Clint back for Infinity War, I’m NOT going to be happy.

And last of all, let’s talk about Ultron. I actually thought the idea to make his personality seem like a dark reflection of Tony’s worked out great. He’s got a lot of the same snark levels and actually beats him to the punch of certain jokes. It also gives him a character trait wherein he more or less has daddy issues with Stark, and actually cuts off a man’s arm for comparing the two. But one thing I find very interesting about him, though, is how he interacts with Wanda and Pietro. He seems to legitimately care for the two, despite the likelihood that his plan might kill them, although it’s possible he’s not mentally registering that fact. He even comes off as somewhat hurt by their betrayal. Even in the end, when he’d inadvertently killed Pietro and was confronted by a vengeful Wanda, all he could do was tell her that, if she stayed, she’d die. In that moment, her safety still mattered to him. One has to wonder if Vision was correct about him, that he wasn’t really evil, just wrong and dangerous, and simply went too far in his misguided quest. And whereas Vision looks to him with pity, Ultron likewise feels disappointment in how Vision turns out, seeing him as a puppet. There’s a reason the original teaser trailer used lyrics from “I’ve Got No Strings”, and why he sings it during his escape. Ultron doesn’t want to simply be a puppet under anyone’s control. He wants to be his own individual with his own free will…which one can see as ironic and a little hypocritical for someone who builds his own legion of robots that respond to his will, but again, that can be seen as further enforcement of how he’s unwilling or unable to see his own mistakes. His last words to Vision were “You’re unbearably naive.” But, really, while that might be true, the same reflects on himself. Likewise, Vision’s retort that he was literally born yesterday also can be applied to Ultron, since he’s only got him beat by a couple of days. He’s quite literally a child. If he’d simply given himself more time to think things out, to learn about the world and how it works, and to learn about himself and his own emotions, he might’ve turned out differently.

So, before I wrap this up, let’s talk about one aspect of this movie that, while I personally don’t mind too much, is nonetheless a problem: All the advertisement for the Phase 3 movies. Look, I’m just gonna say it, and I don’t care who gets pissed with this one, but Iron Man 2 SUCKED. Why did it suck? Because the actual plot took a backseat to being a 2 hour commercial for the Avengers, which we were gonna see anyway. This movie’s plot didn’t necessarily take a backseat to being a 2 1/2 hour commercial for Phase 3, but it was still pretty blatant. Thor’s visions are setting up for Thor: Ragnarok. Captain America and Iron Man’s issues in this movie are setting up for Avengers: Civil Wa-…Oh, I’m sorry, Captain America: Civil War. I got confused because I looked at the cast for the movie and saw a lot of the Avengers on there. Wakanda’s mention is to set up for Black Panther. The mid-credits scene is setting up Infinity War, but I guess the mid-credits scene is always where we see advertisement for the next movie, and that’s okay. But seriously guys, we’re already gonna go see these movies, you didn’t have to do this.

Spoilers End Here

Anyway, with all that said, my overall opinion is that the movie is really great. It’s got a couple of problems that maybe hold it down a bit, but I think the pros outweigh the cons. That said, if you didn’t like the first one, this one’s probably not gonna sell ya. So yeah, definitely for fans of this franchise, but the plus side is, those that are fans of this franchise will likely love this movie. Those are my thoughts, but hey, feel free to leave your own. Ja né!

My Thoughts On The All-New, All-Different Avengers Preview Comic

So, I went to Heroes’ Beacon and GameZilla for Free Comic Book Day today. Sadly, I can’t upload photos of my trips to either, because my computer, for some strange reason, doesn’t wanna accept SD cards right now. I can’t even begin to understand why. Nonetheless, the point of this article is not to talk about Free Comic Book Day and what I did there, but rather, what I got: All-New, All-Different Avengers.

So, not a whole lot to say, since it’s just a preview of stuff to come. What’s here is good, though. We see the Avengers having to fight Radioactive Man, but something apparently goes wrong when Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Spider-Man (Miles Morales), and Nova (Sam Alexander) are sent to bring him in while Thor (the new female one), Iron Man (presumably Tony Stark, although they can’t seem to recall that Wasp was the one to name the team the Avengers), Vision, and Captain America (Sam Wilson) deal with…erm, Radioactive Man’s giant green dragon……’kay. Anyway, the other four seem to the teens as being highly upset that Radioactive Man seemingly got away, but it turns out that the reason he got away was because the teens decided to save one innocent pedestrian in the middle of the chaos. When Cap presses the issue and asks if they really thought saving one man was worth it, which they seem to confirm…he’s convinced that they were the right choices for the new team. Saving people is their number one priority, and these three clearly have the mindset of doing so above all else. So yeah, it’s kinda short, but it nonetheless showcases how these seven operate, and I do like the way they work as a unit. Still, I would’ve liked to see some mix-and-matching between the older and younger groups instead of having the generational members split off, but I guess I can look forward to that when the book starts.

I’m not gonna talk too much about the other half of the book, which features the Uncanny Inhumans, except to bring up a couple of points. First off, why is it called Uncanny Inhumans? Look, I know that a lot of adjectives used to describe heroes and teams have been interchangeable at times, but there really is no way to use the word ‘Uncanny’ to describe a superhero team without thinking of the X-Men. In fact, the only one I can think of off the top of my head other than them is the Uncanny Avengers, which have like half their team made up of X-Men alumni. Next thing I gotta ask about is the Human Torch’s presence on the team. Not only does this raise some questions about his status with the Fantastic Four, but…………..Since when were Johnny Storm and Queen Medusa ROMANTIC?! Maybe this is none of my business, but isn’t Medusa married?! The frak is going on?! But other than that, it was okay, showing the team going up against Hydra agents looking to kidnap newly awakened Inhumans.

Anyway, that’s all I really wanted to say about the book. It was good, and the post-Secret Wars universe looks promising, but man, does it raise some interesting questions. Lemme know what books you guys got at FCBD, and then come back in a day or two for when I give my overall thoughts and opinions on Avengers: Age of Ultron. Ja né!