Defenders Flashback Idea

Hello again everyone

So by now the hype train for the Marvel Netflix Defenders series has left the station and is moving at full speed! We finally have some casting news for Iron Fist, we have three seasons so far under our belt, and Luke Cage comes out in just a few months. And, according to Matt Murdock himself, Charlie Cox, they start shooting Defenders later this year.

With that in mind, I had an idea that I thought would be great as sort of a prologue montage at the very beginning of the series, before the main events pick up. And I actually got the idea from DC.

Batman v Superman was disappointing on many different levels. However, one of the scenes that most viewers agree was well done was the flashback scene of Bruce Wayne seeing the battle between Superman and Zod from the ground in Metropolis. That little bit helped to establish that character in that world. Not enough to be proper motivation in my opinion, but it was a good start that never got fleshed out. And I think it would be amazing to see something similar from the Defenders cast.

Now, let me take a moment to say that I have no idea what the plot of Defenders is going to be. It may not involve the New York incident at all. But what I do know is that the problems in Hell's Kitchen that led to Matt fully becoming Daredevil were in fact directly related to the invasion. And, even if the Defenders focus on more supernatural enemies, like the Hand, or Black Sky, or whatever is coming in Luke and Danny's series, the first major event to rock their city on a paranormal or supernatural level would have been the alien invasion. And I just think that it would be cool to see all of them at that point in time. Before they were heroes, before the Defenders were a thing. Just to see them all reacting to this one event in so many different ways, before bringing them together for the main series.

Let's start with Danny Rand. Now, I admit I know very little about Iron Fist because I've read very little about Iron Fist, but from what I've gathered and the casting announcements so far, it seems like his father, and associates of his father, are a big part of his world. So from my limited knowledge, I'm imagining Danny Rand in some kind of conference room, big shots all around, discussing who knows what, when it happens - the portal opens and aliens come flying into our world. The room goes silent as everyone stares at the events, moving closer to the windows to try to make out just what exactly is happening.

Jump then to ground zero. Jessica Jones is on assignment, following some piece of dirt for some dirty reason, when everyone on the streets start screaming and blasts can be heard from Chitauri ships. This would be a great time to show some "reluctant heroism" from Jessica, not wanting to involve herself but being unable to stand by and do nothing. So she helps people to their feet, pulls debris off their bodies, maybe even throws a brick at an alien. Obviously none of the Avengers themselves would show up, but maybe we see a shield, a hammer, or an arrow whiz by.

Move further away from the action to Luke Cage's bar. People are running in off the streets, panicking, and as is always the case in situations of mass panic, people start showing their true selves. Robbers stealing purses, riots in the streets, breaking windows and looting shops. And Luke Cage has to step in to keep some level of order in the chaos.

Finally, we see Matt Murdock. And Matt Murdock sees nothing. Everyone else at Landman & Zack is frantic, running wildly as they watch the destruction through the window. But Matt can't see anything, and is overwhelmed by the screams, the shocks pulsing through, trying in vain to determine what is going on, because it's nothing he's ever sensed before.

It doesn't have to stop there either. Depending on which supporting cast members are involved in the show, Foggy could come to Matt's side, trying to explain what exactly is going on. We could see Frank and Maria Castle calling their kids' school, which has gone into lockdown because of the event. Ben Urich arguing with his editor at the Bulletin - Ben wants to go cover the story but his boss doesn't want him to get hurt. Trish Walker reporting on her radio show, urging people to stay calm.

This event shook that city. And even if Defenders is about something else entirely, it would be a nice introduction, especially for anyone who hasn't watched every show leading into it, to show who these characters are when the chips are down, and what they can do.

So what do you guys think? Does this sound like a good idea? A cool scene? Or would it be pointless? If you like it, share this around, and #MakeItHappenMarvel!

Excelsior!

An Alternate View to MCU Villains

Hey all,

I know it's been a while, but I'm currently in the middle of my massive MCU marathon, over 115 hours of material at this point, in preparation for Civil War, and I've noticed something I think is worth sharing.

Now we all know that one of the MCU's biggest flaws is its villains. Many of them are one-dimensional, forgettable, and are too easily defeated or never heard from again (seriously, we need the Leader!). But I realized something that I think the MCU has done right, that many previous CBMs got wrong, and I haven't heard anyone mention it yet, so I'm stepping in.

Remember back before the MCU, whenever you had a new superhero origin film, how forced the villains always seemed to be? Obviously every hero needs a villain, but it always seemed to me a little forced how the villain always seemed to get their powers right after the hero got his.

Look at Spider-Man (2002). Peter Parker happens to get bit by a spider, and an extremely short time after that, Norman Osborn decides to do what any scientist knows is stupid by experimenting on himself and ZAM now we have a villain for him to fight. It's not organic, it's blatant.

In many films, the villain had to be written in, usually as a response to the hero. Now this isn't true of every CBM, but it happens more often in sequels.

Look at the Dark Knight trilogy. In Batman Begins, the main villains are in play before Bruce becomes Batman. Mobsters, Dr. Crane, and Ra's Al Ghul are all working towards their goals before Batman shows up. Bruce becomes Batman in response to that. But what happens next?

In The Dark Knight, one criminal steps up his game in a big way in response to Batman by becoming the Joker. No explanation of where he came from, no real motivation. And a lot of people say that's what makes the Joker great, but it also makes him very easy to write. If you don't have to explain anything, you don't have to worry about it. You just know that Batman needs a villain, so here he is.

Move on to The Dark Knight Rises, and your main villain, Talia Al Ghul, is out for Revenge. This is basically Die Hard The Dark Knight With A Vengeance. She's only there in response to him. And Bane is only there as a pawn for her. Catwoman is not a true villain of the film, as she acts more heroically than anything else.

Man of Steel is terrible about this as well. Of all the time that has passed since Zod and his followers were exiled, and Kal was sent to earth, it just so happens that when Clark comes out as Superman to save Lois happens at nearly the exact time that Zod et. al miraculously, with no explanation, free themselves and come to Earth. It's lazy writing. In BvS, Luthor. Jr. has no motivation. No in-story reasoning for his actions, but the movie needs a villain, so he's stuck in there anyway.

The X-Men films feature more organic villains, in terms of the government. But the actual "villains" of the X-Men lore are usually put in the spot of the hero as a result. So that's a whole different situation.

Now, look at the MCU. What I've noticed, and what I love, is that the villains were around first, and the heroes are mainly stepping up because of them. It may not be as "cool" as a mysterious figure like the Joker, but it's more organic to the story, and gives the villain more understandable motivation. I mean, General Zod was literally written to be programmed to do what he did, so that the writers wouldn't have to actually create any motivation for him.

Iron Man: Obadiah Stane was playing his game long before Tony Stark was even running Stark Industries. This is a villain that has been planning for decades and acts before we even have a hero. But his actions - giving the kill order on Stark, is what creates the hero. Stane may have gone out without a bang, but his character makes more sense in that world than Zod somehow showing up just as Superman puts on the costume. Then in the sequel, again you have a character who has been in the game for decades, Ivan Vanko. Ever since his father Anton was rejected by Tony's father Howard, his rage has been building. It's organic, it makes sense, even if the villain himself is lackluster. And Justin Hammer is just like Obadiah Stane, a greedy business man who wants what Tony has. Iron Man 3 used a flashback to establish that Killain, again, has been working on his plan for years, and that has progressed until the point of the film.

Captain America: In The First Avenger, Johann Schmidt had become the Red Skull before Steve Rogers ever picked up a shield. Abraham Erskine fled to seek out a hero in response to the Skull's existence. If the Red Skull had not been created, Erskine may have never finished his work. As Schmidt progressed with his plans, the need for a hero to stop him increased. It fits the story. And the followers of that man continuing his work into The Winter Soldier was a great twist. We didn't suddenly have dozens of villains for Cap to fight without explanation, we had hundreds of villains that were simply biding their time, waiting for their moment to strike.

Hulk: General Ross was a villain (though not 100% a dick) before Banner got angry. And the Hulk was caused due to the actions/lies of Ross himself. Seeing a pattern here?

Thor: Loki and his brother have known each other for centuries, with Loki's mischief ever growing. Thor's education in humility came as the result of Loki's tricks.

Ant-Man: Darren Cross had been working on his Yellowjacket suit for decades, and Scott Lang was trained in response to his danger.

Guardians of the Galaxy: These various characters need to band together to stop Ronan, who has long been a threat to innocents.

Do you see what I'm talking about? The MCU villains may not seem as menacing as villains in other franchises, but I believe that's because they're written to be more "realistic" and easier to relate to. I think the concept that the "villains" are mostly ordinary people, people that we know, that turn out to be evil, is more understandable, and honestly, scarier, than monsters that show up randomly to give the new hero something to punch.

Charn (Part I)

Hey all

So this it totally not related to anything comic book or movie or anything.

This is me shamelessly plugging my own story that I'm working on, "Charn"

Charn is intended to be the story of the city of Charn, introduced in C.S. Lewis' book "The Magician's Nephew" as the birthplace of Jadis, the White Witch, and a title character of his more famous book "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." My story will also detail the origin of Jadis, and the path that led her to where she is when first introduced in the Narnia series.

As an added, twist, my story will show the origins of Charn and Jadis' bloodline as coming from the land of Oz, most well known from L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and its many, many adaptations.

My goal is to bridge these two fantasy worlds together into one larger story, using Charn as the connective tissue.

If that sounds interesting to you at all, check out the first section, connecting Oz to Charn. Some of the characters here are from the second Oz book, "The Marvelous Land of Oz" as well as those from the first book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

Star Wars: Episode IV v. Episode VII

Hello again readers! As a follow-up to last week's Star Wars post, I have yet another Star Wars post for you here today! I read many comments from viewers of The Force Awakens (including George Lucas, apparently), making such claims that it was the same as A New Hope, a copy of A New Hope, a reboot of A New Hope, etc.

So in response, I created this chart showing that, while there are indeed similarities in the plot, the characters themselves in The Force Awakens are very different than their New Hope counterpart, which means that this film and the future of the trilogy is sure to play out differently that the Orig Trig.

Check it out by clicking the link below!

https://prezi.com/ovr7sscmaewh/episode-vii-vs-episode-iv/

Star Wars Map

Hello again, viewers. It's me, once again trying to resurrect this blog that I spent so much time and effort to create before letting it fall into obscurity. After many failed revitalization attempts, I have created the New Years Resolution to create AT LEAST ONE NEW POST per week. Hopefully that will last.

SO, at the end of the first full week of 2016, here is the first post! And it's about...Star Wars?

Ok, so that's odd for me. I had never seen any Star Wars movie (other than A New Hope) until about a month ago. I had tried many times to watch but just kept falling asleep. They bored me. BUT with all of the hype for episode 7, I decided to try again, but starting with Episode I rather than Episode IV. I still had to stop for breaks a few times because I came close to falling asleep, and I still don't care for episodes I-VI, but I finally made it through the series, including the Clone Wars film, and about 30-40 episodes of the show, and ended with Episode VII. Clone Wars and TFA I actually enjoyed, so I guess that's something?

Anyway, as I was going through, there were so many characters and planets and things that frankly are just gibberish words, and it became clear I wouldn't be able to keep track of everything just from memory, so as I was viewing I created this map to keep everything straight. Check it out, let me know what you think, and may the Force be with you to hold you SW fans over until Rogue One.

http://prezi.com/8raezwji9mkz/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

MCU Abbreviated Cut - Phase One

The Challenge:

Create an "abbreviated" cut of the Marvel Cinematic universe, keeping all the best moments but watchable in a single sitting - or at least a weekend. Cut up chronology any way you like, but limit the time to 3 hours for each Phase and/or year of television.

My main process for shaving down the runtime is to cut a lot of villain "buildup" moments because, let's face it, it usually doesn't go anywhere, because most of the villains in the MCU are one-and-done. Following that, cutting any abandoned plot point that doesn't go anywhere saves a lot of time (Iron Man 2 has a lot of those because of the lack of continuation into Iron Man 3). Finally, any extensive buildup for characters or drawn out foreshadowing can be left out, because for this cut, we can assume it's fans watching, not a GA who doesn't know who characters are.

So here we go, draft one of my Phase 1 cut - let me know how you would do it!

Captain America: The First Avenger
I'm going to cut out a lot of "skinny Steve" moments because we know he becomes Captain America, so a lot of that is, for this cut, a waste of time. But I want to keep in a little so that we see that Cap spirit even without the body.

I would open in the theater scene, with Cap telling the bully to show respect. Include the alley fight and Bucky's entrance. Then cut all the way to the Stark Expo where Steve decides to enlist again. We don't need to hear about all the other times, just starting here will do. Include the talk with Bucky while Erskine overhears, and Erskine's offer to Steve. From there, we go to boot camp where we only spend a fraction of the time. Again, we know he's going to do it. But we include the introduction of Col. Philips and, more importantly, Peggy Carter. Cut out a lot of the "Steve's a weakling" shots, but include Philips talking to Erskine and my personal favorite moment of the film, the dummy grenade. Keeping the flagpole gag in too will help build the relationship with Peggy and the fact that Steve thinks differently than other men.

Pretty soon I would cut to the operation because, again, we know that's where it's going. So we have the operation, the death of Erskine, and the Heinz Kruger chase and fight. Show Skull with Zola containing the cube, but we don't need to see Skull obtaining it. Cut out the "chorus girl" subplot and go straight to Rogers rescuing the POWs. Maybe a brief snippet of the stage days to explain the costume, but we don't need to see a lot of that. After rescuing the soldiers, show Stark equipping Rogers for future combat, and the Howling Commandos montage, going right into the death of Bucky and the final assault on the Skull and the plane crash. No ending scene in modern times yet

Most of the cuts are from the first two-thirds of the film.

Agent Carter
From the series, show some footage (very trimly cut) of her working with the Howling Commandos, discovering the Red Room, rescuing Fenhoff, fighting Dottie, Fenhoff killing Dooley, and being put in prison with Zola.

The series is actually pretty self-contained, so we don't need a lot of it. More Howard Stark would be nice and certainly some of Jarvis, but the series shouldn't contribute too much to this cut. The short, however, would be nice to include, because that's already very trim, and aside from character points shows as much as clips from the show would.

Ant-Man
As a bonus, we could include the Pym-Carter-Stark exchange from Ant-Man's opening, and the scene of Ant-Man and Wasp in action.

Iron Man
Open with the opening shot of the convoy, but when it explodes, skip the whole casino scene. Cut right to the cave, waking up and speaking with Yinsen, and the "deal" made with Raza's second-in-command. I would cut out most stuff with Raza himself, because he's not actually that important. Skip right to Stark explaining the plan to Yinsen and them starting the breakout. Keep the Yinsen death speech of course and then Stark getting the Hell out of Dodge.

Back in the US, skip the press conference and Stane buildup, and testing of individual suit components (maybe keep a little for the comedy) and focus right on the test flight, and Mark III design. Keep the Stane reveal at the party, the scene with Pepper after Tony's first mission (Are those bullet holes?) and the Iron Monger reveal with Coulson and Pepper, leading to the final fight. No stinger yet.

The Incredible Hulk
The opening montage is gold - keep that in. Cut the subplot with Mr. Blue until it actually becomes important, but show Banner's homemade lab. Show the blood spill in the factory (Stan's first cameo in this cut) immediately followed by the attack by Ross et al. Cut to Betty finding Bruce at Stan's and meeting Sterns, along with Blonsky becoming abomination. Forget most of the helicopter shots and cut right to the Harlem fight. No Stark cameo yet.

Iron Man 2
Cut the opening Stark Expo nonsense. Cut the entire palladium poisoning and not-"demon in a bottle" subplot, and the new element, because none of those plot points are continued in Iron Man 3 (thanks, Shane). Even the Howard Stark subplot can go. Stark's first scene should be in the ring with Happy, introducing Romanoff and showing Pepper becoming CEO. Forget Whiplash's first fight - forget everything at the Grand Prix. Again, this is all about the Howard Stark subplot that Shane Black completely ignored, so it can go. Whiplash's first moment should be Justin Hammer breaking him out of prison, and him and Hammer meeting should be Hammer's first appearance.

Cut Stark meet with Fury at the donut shop and save the "Rushman" as Black Widow reveal for her scene with Happy. Show an argument between Rhodes and Stark ("they're gonna take your suits!") but skip the party. Just show Rhodes taking the suit and getting it weaponized. Cut to Hammer taking the stage at the Stark Expo (we don't need to see Vanko working on the drones much), and the whole fight between the Hammer Drones, Crimson Dynamo, Iron Man, and War Machine, and of course keep Black Widow's best scene in the movie, with Happy in the background.

Finally we get to

The Stingers
First show the scene with Fury in Stark's house. I know this isn't technically correct chronology but it fits nicer. Then show the donut shop scene from Iron Man 2, cut to avoid plot points from that film (poisoning), but revealing Romanoff as Black Widow to Tony. Include the "Southwest Region" line from Fury to lead into A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer, and finally show The Consultant complete with the ending scene from The Incredible Hulk.

Thor
Cut out a lot of crap with Foster, Selvig, and especially Darcy. Focus on Thor.
Show the flashback of the battle against Jotunheim, but cut the coronation scene before the weapons vault. We need the weapons vault fight to lead to Thor leaving with Loki, Sif, and the Warrior's Three. Most of the battle on Jotunheim can stay, including Odin's interference and the subsequent banishment of Thor.

Cut to the "Excalibur" scene and the talk at the diner (we don't need to see Thor get hit, tazed, injected, and hit again), where Thor learns Mjolnir's whereabouts. Skip Jane's back-and-forth and cut to her driving Thor there (sorry, no "I need a horse!). Thor breaks in, keep Coulson, Hawkeye, and Selvig. After he fails, skip the interrogation, skip Loki's scene, cut to Selvig getting him out. From there, cut right to the Warrior's Three arrival (don't need to see Thor and Selvig act like fratboys), the arrival of the Destroyer, and the battle between the five of them. Thor returns to Asgard (cut out as much Jane as possible) and destroys the Bifrost. Then cut straight to the cube (no Heimdall, we don't need to see Jane and Darcy again), being shown to Selvig, and Loki's influence.

The Avengers
Cut out a lot of buildup. We've had five movies, four shorts, and a TV show of buildup. Cut all that filler. Show Loki attacking project PEGASUS to introduce Hill and show Hawkeye being taken. After that, show the scene from Captain America: The First Avenger where Cap wakes up and Fury makes contact. Then cut to Germany, where Cap and Widow attack Loki, and Stark comes in (Cap meets Stark). Keep some of the forest fight, but not too much because we know they aren't going to be enemies. At this point (not the same time as the film), have Coulson call Widow to recruit Banner. Show Fury imprisoning Loki, and Loki's speech to Widow. Keep some of the "Phase 2" banter but not much. Jump quickly to Loki escaping, Coulson dying, and almost immediately to them heading the Manhattan. Keep most of the fight, Thanos, and Shawarma.

Agents of SHIELD
Item 47 doesn't lead anywhere, because we haven't seen those again. If you include it, trim it. The more important coda to Phase 1 is the Pilot of Agents of SHIELD, showing Coulson back from the dead and the beginning of his adventure.

Can that all fit into 3 hours? I have no idea, and I probably won't find out anytime soon. But what do you think of this cut? Was there anything you think should be left out? Anything you thought I should have included? Let me know what you think!

Redwing

 

OK, we've had Falcon in (spoiler) two movies now, but we have yet to see his ever-present partner, Redwing. Redwing has been around since Falcon first appeared in Captain America #117, but the films seem content on leaving him out.

Why do we need Redwing? Firstly, because the character deserves the recognition. If we can center a movie around a gun-toting raccoon and a talking tree, surely we can thrown in a telepathic falcon (the Flash already did the telepathic gorilla, after all!) Secondly, it makes Falcon more unique. What does he have now? He can fly. Great. So can Iron Man, War Machine, Thor, and upcoming Captain Marvel and Dr. Strange. Oh, and anybody who has a plane. So he's not unique.

Further, in both (spoiler again) movies he's been in, his tech has been compromised. The Winter Soldier ripped his wing right off in the Captain America sequel, and Scott Lang was able to deactivate the suit from the inside in Ant-Man. So he needs something beyond the tech.

I present to you now, three methods of bringing in Redwing to the MCU.

1) The "realistic" method
The easiest to sell, but least cool IMO, would simply be to give Sam Wilson some backstory as a Falcon trainer (as in the comics) but leave out the telepathic communication, and ability to see and observe through the eyes of any birds. This would be similar to Falcon's earliest appearances, and give him a small fighting companion to make his fighting style unique, with commands that could conceivably be followed by an ordinary Falcon. Even though long-distance communication would be out, some cool feats could still be done using Redwing as a transport/delivery vessel. Don't tell me it wouldn't be amazing to see Scott Lang riding Redwing as a faster alternative to his flying ants (RIP Antony).

2) The "comic" method
One step past giving commands is actual communication with birds. And while before I would have admitted that this would be a little far-fetched for this realm of the MCU, Hank Pym changed all that. With very little explanation, audiences have accepted that Hank Pym, and ANYONE who's trained enough (Hope, Scott), can communicate with ants. What's to stop Wilson or Pym or whoever from modifying this technology to birds? Having Sam being able to talk to Redwing would not only make him a truly unique character with wicked awesome fight scenes, but I would love to see a moment when the villains thinks they have the upper hand only to turn and see a murder of crows blanketing the sky, coming right for them.

3) The "tech" method
Fine. Throw out any chance of audiences buying a bond between man and bird. Redwing could still work. How? By going the route of J.A.R.V.I.S. That's right, Redwing becomes R.E.D.W.I.N.G. - Remote-Enabled Dexterous Weaponized Intelligent Nonhuman Guardian. Do I even have to explain how awesome this could be? Preprogrammed fighting styles and moves, observational technology sending remote signal to Falcons HUD of what REDWING "sees" or "hears." Recording and playback make stealth missions easy peasy. Throw in some weapons for when emergencies arise - whether that be energy blasts, spraying gas, sonic screams, grappling talons, or all of the above - and you've got yourself one amazing little gadget. I personally think this would be the most MCU-appropriate method, although it would be made infinitely better if we discover that Wilson HAD a pet Falcon named Redwing earlier in life (just like the JARVIS/Jarvis relationship with Stark).

 

 

So what do you think? Would you like to see Redwing in the MCU? If so, what method would you prefer? If not, what else can be done to make Sam more unique? (Aside from having him take up the Captain America mantle - that's a whole other discussion!)

 

"What if" the MCU retconned old movies into their universe?

So, we've heard for years people whining that Spider-Man is at Sony and not Marvel Studios.
"Spider-Man should be in the Avengers!"
"Spider-Man should be in the MCU!"
"Marvel should get back the rights to Spidey!"
No matter how right these outcries may be, the simple fact is - he's not, and he won't be anytime soon. Get over it. But still people ask, what if his films could be revealed to actually exist in the MCU?

I'm done beating that dead horse (for now), but recently I started thinking: what if we took a film or franchise...not an ongoing franchise but one that's over and done...and found a way to retcon it into the MCU?

So that is my challenge for you. Which previous Marvel film or franchise do you think would be the easiest to retcon and say is actually part of the MCU, even though the MCU didn't exist yet, without causing too many continuity errors?

For me, the answer is the Blade film series. (I haven't seen the entirety of the TV series so I can't account for that). Because of the supernatural element to the Blade story, the public is largely unaware of Blade and the vampires he hunts. That could explain why it seems like nobody knows about him or ever mentions him...because he operates in secret. And he is so focused on eliminating vampires and again, supernatural threats, he would be too busy to care much about other heroes popping up, he's got his own job to do.

Obviously this isn't something I expect to happen. I just enjoy thinking of the possibilities.

What other films do you think could - hypothetically - be retconned into the MCU?

Discuss!

Daredevil: A way to introduce She-Hulk

In case you haven't heard, (shame on you), Marvel Studios and Netflix have teamed up to bring us four series based on Marvel characters: Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones, all leading to a mini-series about the MCU's version of the Defenders.

Daredevil is reportedly the first of these that will be coming to our screens, and he should be the most recognizable to movie-goers, because of the 2003 film based on the character. With a promise of at least 13 episodes per series, I expect we'll get more character development than a 2 hour movie could provide. This means we should see more of Matt Murdock, and the law side of his life.

This seems like a perfect way to introduce Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, into the MCU. Small at first, just plant the seed. But gradually, she could become a more important recurring character throughout the MCU. Then, as her importance grows, she could transition from Jennifer into the She-Hulk, giving more of a supporting cast to the Hulk, who is the "adopted child" of the MCU films so far.

Now, obviously, I don't want her to be the focus. This should be Daredevil, not Daredevil-and-She-Hulk. But with fans screaming for more Hulk action, no live-action version of the character yet, and an entire lawyer-based aspect that should come with the show, she should at least exist in some manner.

Want to read more about the MCU Netflix series'? This is a fun read.

I'm Back!

Hey all!

So, it's been a while -- about four months, actually -- since I've posted. Not since Chicago Comic Con have I published a new post. A lot has happened for me since then! I got a new job, moved, and got real busy with actual work, and unfortunately this had to go to the side. But I've got a little time now, so I'm back, even if it's on a lesser level than I was before.

Lots of news has come up since I left - Ben Affleck is Batman, Age of Ultron is coming, Paul Rudd is Ant-Man, the MCU Netflix project, the Sinister Six is coming....lots and lots has happened! I'm not going to go into depth about things that people have already gotten over, but I have a lot of thoughts built up that I'm excited to start have conversations about!

Hope you're ready!

Chicago Comic Con: Day 3

Ok, gotta get there early, because the line for the picture with Allison Mack and Michael Rosenbaum starts early. So gotta get there early!

That's what I told myself Friday. Saturday morning, I overslept. By an hour. And a half.

So I got ready quick, and stopped by Walgreens to get some cash back. You see, my bank from central Illinois has no ATMs in Chicagoland, and my original $150 in cash was gone. I used to work at Walgreens and new I could get another $150 out easy. As a formality, I asked the cashier how much I could take out, and freaked when he said "$20." The machine confirmed this terrible news, and I realized I'd have to find an ATM at the con, wait in line, and hope it wouldn't be out of cash when it got to be my turn.

Somehow, I still got there half an hour early. But this was Saturday, the crazy day. The line was tremendously long already. I took my place and waited.

My "place" this time was at the very front of one of the rows of lines. Which was much nicer that being stuck in the middle, surrounded on all sides by fidgety con-goers.

Finally, we we let in. By thus time, I had learned how to get from floor to floor and from the convention floor to the seminar room. I was an old pro. So I headed to the photo area to wait for Allison and Michael.

On the way, I passed right by an ATM. Suspicious from the lack of line, I assumed it must already be empty. However, upon closer inspection, it was, in fact, stocked. So I took out another $140 (plus the $3.75 fee) and continued to the photo line.

Not super long, but still half an hour before the photos started, I waited in line. It was at this point, early on day 3, that I realized that, when in a non-moving line, it's perfectly possible to rest my bag on the floor rather than my shoulders. You see, I had my "con bag" with me at all times, with things like pop-tarts, granola bars, water, chargers, and lantern corps rings, as well as my binder for putting my photos in, my book for Stan Lee to sign, and my Smallville case for Allison and Michael. Fairly heavy, and I had carried it non-stop for two days, much to the regret of my shoulders and back. On day 3, i finally learned.

Made it into the booth, said hi to the celebs, shook Michael's hand, took the shot, and said goodbye, which Allison returned with her smile. Not just any smile - Allison Mack's smile. My favorite smile in the world of smiles, (sorry Jennifer Love Hewitt, you're second place), and I saw it in person, eight inches from my face. Took a while to recover from that one.

From then, got immediately into the line for Sara Underwood, known to me as Ninja Warrior contestant and host of Ridiculousness and Attack of the Show, but known to many as Playboy bunny and Playmate of the Year 2007, and known to still others as an actress in films such as Miss March and Epic Movie (both of which I own) and the house bunny (which I don't).

Sara was so nice, I walked up and she introduced herself, and put her arm around me, and we took the picture, and I thanked her and was leaving, and she stopped me and asked to read my shirt (I'm a Teacher what's your superpower?) and she said it was cool!

I stopped by Summer Glau's booth, my "I want a picture with you but I don't really want to pay that much and wait in that line for it" celebrity. And I saw the line.

From there, I went to have Michael sign my Smallville season 1 case. You wouldn't know it from watching him play Lex, but he is hilarious. Right next to his booth was Jon Heder's (Napoleon Dynamite) and next to that was Jason David Frank (the Green Power Ranger).

So Jason has thus huge mass of fans screaming and yelling, so Michael decides to have us start telling too, creating a fan-fight between these two celebrities. It was hilarious.

So they yelled. Then we yelled. Back and forth a few times. Then Michael said to yell "boo" at them instead, which we did, and they continued yelling.

Then Michael held up his photo celebrity pass, but it was actually Jon Heder's. And he looked over to Jon (the poor guy had no line) and showed him, and John looked down and realized he was wearing Michael's. So then, Michael starts impersonating Napoleon Dynamite, and Jon starts throwing paper at him, and they started fake fighting.

All the while, Jason's fans are still shouting, and Michael told us to yell "Shut Up!" Which we did. Finally, it was my turn, and after he signed it, he handed me a flyer for his directorial debut in a feature film. "Will you go see my new movie?" "Yeah, I'll see it." "Do you promise?" (laughs) "Yes, I promise." "Will you follow us on Twitter and Facebook and all that?" "I think I can handle that." "Ok" Then he stuck out his fist, and I fistbumped him, and was on my way.

Stopped back by Summer's booth. Saw the line again.

So it was off to Allison's booth! She was at lunch, so the line was pretty short. About a half hour went by, and the line started filling up, and finally she came in, and I didn't have to wait long. She was very friendly, and joined Michael in signing my case (though he didn't leave her much room). We said some things to each other (of the hi, bye variety), and she smiled again as I left. Oh that smile.

Summer? Nope.

On to Sara's booth.

Sara Underwood is ridiculously friendly. Go ahead, make a joke, a double entendre on the word "friendly" but the fact remains: she is nice. She was posing with people, doing whatever pose or face they wanted, just being great to her fans.

I got up to her, and she remembered my shirt, but I never told her my name, so she asked it and signed the photo to me. Then she asked what grade level I taught, and I told her what grades and what subject, and that I just graduated (to which she said "yeah, cuz you're young") and she congratulated me and gave me a high give. Just a very nice person.

Summer? Nope. Food.

I sat in an uncrowded hallway, plugged in my phone, and ate some pop tarts.

Impatiently getting up again with only 72% power, I went back to the Con floor, looking desperately for Ant-Man, the Maximoff twins, and Thanos.

I settled for getting, among others, Falcon and Mandarin, both of which I also really wanted, and an Ant-Man that, while not the familiar costume, came with Ant-Size and Normal-Size, which expanded to become Giant-Sized. I had a deal to get several more, but was short on cash.

Giving up on Summer for the day, I decided it was time to rest again before the costume contest. I went to my car, ate some poptarts, and charged my phone.

Got to the room way early, and ended up sitting in on a Firefly/Serenity panel, which was entertaining even though I've never seen it. But I learned that Summer Glau is really quiet, and Alan Tudyk doesn't shut up.

The room cleared, and I moved up to get a seat ready for the contest. Front row, near the stage, and near the large screen. I thought of everything except lighting.

From where I was sitting, the background was two drastically different levels of brightness, and my cell phone didn't cope well. Let's just say I wish I had had the forethought to bring an actual camera. I will probably post some of the photos I got, but I apologize for their poor quality. I did get a good live view of all the costumes, and there were lots of great ones.

Three hours later, the contest was over and I left. Only Sunday remained.

Chicago Comic Con: Day 2

Walked in to the Con. I had my special orange 4-day pass wristband, so I didn't have to wait in line, right? Wrong. Lesson learned.

Spent the first couple of hours buying more toys (I had to make a list of who I bought the day before so that I wouldn't buy them again). Hit up a couple of new booths I had missed before, and revisited some of my favorites.

By 2:00, I was glad I remembered to leave a $20 in my car for parking, because I was down to the last $20 in my wallet. Decided to take my stash to my car, grab my emergency $20 (parking was only $13), and head to the line for Stan Lee.

The photos started at 3. I got to the line at 2:30 and it was already several rows wide. So I took my place and waited.

They said the photos would go fast. I was hoping he'd say hello, ask my name, maybe even shake my hand. Of course, in hindsight, with a man that old, with that many people to see in such a short time, I should have taken the initiative and said hello, but what can I say, I was star struck.

I finally got into the booth around 3:45. They said the photos would go fast, but they didn't say how fast. No "1, 2, 3!" no "ready?" they just took the picture, and hopefully you were looking. It cost $80 (or was it more, I can't remember?) and it lasted three seconds. How much is that per hour?

After that, I went immediately to the line for his autograph. I knew he was taking pictures until 4, so the line wouldn't even move for 15 minutes, but it said he was there til 7, so I figured I'd make it.

After snaking through the bars, getting closer and closer to the table, I finally made it to the penultimate row, the last bar, Stan was four feet from me! And it was 5:00, and Stan had a panel to be at. So I took my number and ran through the labyrinth of lines, hallways, booths, stairs, escalators, and broken escalators (also called stairs). As I was approaching the panel room, Stan (how did he get here before me) was sitting nonchalantly near a door to another room. I walked right by, less than 10 feet from him.

I entered the panel, and Stan came in shortly, and hilarity followed. Typical Stan, rambling on and on. Pure enjoyment for True Believers. As they announced time for one last question, a man approached the mic with a story of gratitude and tragedy, which ended up with him walking on stage, removing his prosthetic leg, which had been painted all Marvel, and having Stan sign his leg. Now go back and read that sentence again.

As the man rambled on, pulling his son and mother on stage with him for more free photos and autographs, I headed back through the maze, and returned to my place in line at 6.

A short while later, Stan returned. Ignoring the sleazebag selling cologne, I finally made it in front of Stan and placed in front of him my copy of his autobiography.

He signed it exactly where I hoped he would, and showed his age (91) as it was clearly difficult for him to see, and to hold his hand steady. (Rumors were passing that he had skipped lunch to keep fans from being turned away). And I stood there, humbled at this man I've looked up to so long, and feeling slightly sorry for him. Many of these people in line were clearly only having him sign something they would later sell. I saw one person put a stack of comics three inches thick in front of him, without speaking. But not me. I thanked him, and he replied to me (of course I can't remember what he said, but he spoke to me!) and went to go get my photo print.

Waiting in line for the print, Lou Ferrigno, the Hulk himself, was walking perpendicular to my line. And he pushed through me to continue on his way. The Hulk butted me in line! For however short a time, however weak a hindrance, I got in the Hulk's way. And I survived. Call me silly, but I felt like Wolverine.

After that, I grabbed a few more Spider-Man villains (using my "emergency $20") and left. Waking through the skybridge, I enjoyed following two people dressed (and in character) as Jay and Silent Bob.

Chicago Comic Con: Day 1

My first day at my first con!

I had a few programs on my schedule, but my main goal for the day was pretty simple: explore. I wanted to check out what booths were where, where the photo rooms were, and where the seminar rooms were.

I managed to pass all of them, but after moving past the seminar rooms early on, I never found them again.

I spent nearly three hours on the main level, buying up toys after toys and piling the bags up my arm. I had packed pop tarts, granola bars, and bottles of water, along with various device chargers and a power strip, but never stopped moving long enough to use anything.

After the main level, I found the way down to the artists alley. Not much as I was interested in buying here, but this is where the photo booths were, and though I didn't pose with him, i saw Lou Ferrigno, the Hulk himself, in person!

After exploring a bit more, and not being able to relocate the seminar rooms, i decided that 20 action figures, an indigo lantern ring, and a deadpool button were enough for my first day, and headed out to attempt to find my car.

I made mental notes of booths to check back at tomorrow, to buy even more toys, and vehicles like the batmobile and mystery machine to pose with when my girlfriend finally joins me on Sunday.

Tomorrow is Stan Lee day, when I'll get an autograph, a photo, and, if I can find the room, attend a seminar of his.

I also have tickets to pose with Allison Mack, Michael Rosenbaum, and Sara Underwood, and I'm hoping to pose with Summer Glau as well, and get as many autographs as possible!

Most interesting costume I saw today: a ghostbuster with a light saber.

#FridayIsUpdateDay: August 09, 2013

Not a ton of updates for you this week, which is good, because I'm mobile and out of town for Chicago Comic Con, so less updates are easier to handle on y tablet, JARVIS, since I have no computer with me.

Mark Strong may be the next Lex Luthor

New trailer for Thor: The Dark World
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=npvJ9FTgZbM

William Stryker will be in Days of Future Past, Scarlet Witch will not

Thursday is Thor's Day: August 08, 2013

The inscription on Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, is first shown in Thor's first comic appearance: Journey into Mystery no. 83.
"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor"

This message was repeated verbatim in the 2011 film by Anthony Hopkins as Odin.

Spider-Man: Over the Years

Tobey Maguire brought superheroes to the forefront of Hollywood. And Andrew Garfield had everybody questioning the necessity of reboots. But there's another webslinger that came around long before either of them. In fact, even before Michael Keaton became Batman and Christopher Reeves flew.

Let's take a look back at Spider-Man over the years.

Nicholas Hammond: The Amazing Spider-Man (1977 TV Series) and it's related films
The Amazing Spider-Man  (1977),  Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978)
and Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge (1979)

Tobey Maguire: Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), and Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Andrew Garfield: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

#CosplayOfTheWeek: August 05, 2013

OK, not sure if it technically counts as Cosplay if its an original character, but Chicago Comic Con is coming up, and Sara Underwood is going to be there! And I might get to meet her! So, in that spirit, here is Sara's superhero persona/costume, "Bustice"

#FridayIsUpdateDay August 02, 2013

Kick-Ass 2

- Many new clips!

Agent's of SHIELD

- Photos!
- David Conrad joins the cast, in an unspecified role

Arrow

-The Flash will appear in season 2, with an episode late in the season to serve as a "backdoor pilot" for a Flash series.

Thor: The Dark World

New poster

X-Men: Days of Future Past

- Interview with Lucas Till (Havok)
- Will be set 10 years after "First Class" and 10 years after "The Last Stand"
- Trask Industries fake website, complete with details on Trask, the company, and sentinels!

Life-sized Sentinel

Is this Mystique?

Avengers: Age of Ultron

- Aaron Johnson talks Quicksilver
- Joss Whedon says Black Widow will play a pivotal role

Batman/Superman

- Armie Hammer isn't interested in playing Batman

Amazon

- The potential upcoming Wonder Woman series has been delayed, yet again, with no release in sight

Thursday is Thor's Day: August 1, 2013

Did you know?

Stan Lee wanted Thor to be able to fly. However, it bothered him when characters could fly for no apparent or explainable reason, like Superman. So all of his flying characters had reasons, though not exactly scientifically sound, for why they were able to fly.

For Thor, this involved the magical hammer, Mjolnir. Instead of just flying, Thor would actually throw the mighty hammer, and hold onto the unbreakable thong, and join the hammer in its trajectory.

My thoughts on the Fox Shared Cinematic Universe

So a while ago, it was announced that Fox would follow Marvel's example and create a shared universe. However, the only properties they still have film rights to are the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. And while both of those teams could carry franchises on their own, a lot of people question the opportunities to merge these two properties together. The X-Men focus primarily on mutant-human relationships, and the FF don't meddle much in the world of X-Men.

However, something did pop in to my mind.

A unique element to the FF is that their identities are public: the world - and the government - know who they are. In fact, in the 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the FF were approached by the government due to their reputations as both scientists and crime-fighters.

So that got me thinking, what if the FF was used by the government in the creation - directly or indirectly - of the sentinels that will appear in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Now I know that Boliver Trask has been cast as the man who creates these machines, and I'm not ignoring that, but maybe the FF is consulted in some way, or unknowingly used to create some tech or gizmo or something used by the sentinels.

While this idea would have potential to clash the FF and the X-Men against each other, at least initially, which could be a great fight to see on screen, there is, of course, another direction to go, using sentinels as the "go" point.

Maybe, in this version, the FF aren't so well known. And the use of sentinels to attack mutants could bring them out of the shadows as heroes in this world, that aren't subject to being targeted by sentinels because they're not mutants. This could provide a glimpse of a better potential future between mutants and humans, and give the mutants hope that in time, humans will think better of them.

Of course, this is all pure speculation on my part. I just hope that we finally get the FF movie we deserve, and more crossovers means more stories and more characters.