RJ Writing Ink

Marvel What If…? Episode 6 Review

Who’s the best villain in the MCU? Given how most of the MCU baddies are forgettable, there are only three real choices right now: Thanos, most versions of Loki, and Erik Killmonger. Erik Killmonger may not be a demi-god like Loki or a universe-altering warlord like Thanos, but he’s still one of the best villains in the franchise. His backstory elicits sympathy. His motives, while violent, are understandable given what he went through. And though he lost, he ended up changing the Black Panther’s view on the world. So, when I saw that Killmonger would be coming back for Marvel What if…?, I was excited to see how things would turn out for him in this part of the Multiverse.

Having seen the episode, though, I am…a little let down.

What If…Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?

In the latest alteration to the MCU timeline, the fateful attempt of the Ten Rings to capture or kill Tony Stark fails, thanks to the intervention of Erik Killmonger. According to him, he was in deep cover with the Ten Rings when he got word about the attack, and thus saves Tony from the events that make him Iron Man. Then, to further ingratiate himself (and show just how far above he is over most of the MCU villains), he ousts Stane as the mastermind behind the attack.

That is only step one of Killmonger’s master plan. From here, he orchestrates a Machiavellian chess game that would make Littlefinger and Tywin Lannister jealous. Firstly, he talks Tony into building mini Gundam drones (he likes anime, just like his actor). Then, he offs both Rhodey and T’Challa and frames both sides for the other’s deaths. Tony follows suit, along with Klaw (Andy Serkis was great as him), and uses it to get himself into Wakanda where he “heroically” saves the day from the drones he helped to create.

On the one hand, this just hammers home how dangerous Killmonger really was, rivaling even Loki in terms of manipulation. On the other hand, it feels like they wasted him this time around.

What the What If…? Should’ve Been

When I first saw the teaser for this episode, I hoped that things would take a far different turn than what they did. Saving Tony Stark could’ve been Killmonger’s start to a better life, one where he could actually do some good for the world. He could’ve turned his back on his violent past, become a better person, and become the Prince he could’ve been if T’Chaka hadn’t left him behind. If he did that, then he could’ve entered Wakanda under much happier circumstances.

Instead, they wasted one of the MCU’s best villains just to hammer home how dangerous he really is by playing everyone like a fiddle. Almost everyone, really; Pepper and Shuri team up at the end to stop his plans for good; that seems like even more of a cop-out than it did when Hank Pym killed the Avengers. Even the Watcher disapproved of how things turned out.

The Watcher May Not Watch for Much Longer

Speaking of the Watcher, this episode dropped a subtle, yet important, clue about his role as the show continues. When we started out, we never saw the Watcher; only his silhouette. Then, we saw him cloaked in shadow. The story with Dr. Strange had him directly interact with events in the show. And this week, we see him in full view as he watches everything with disgust.

Those who read the comics will know the Watcher’s history, and that despite his oath to not interfere, he ends up breaking it many times for the greater good. My guess is that as these alternate timelines in the MCU continue to grow worse, it gets to the point where the Watcher says “Screw it. I need to fix this mess!”

I would not blame it. There’s a time to observe and a time to take action. And something tells me the Watcher will take action soon. Until then, Disney should go back and use an alternate Killmonger better.

They did, however, hit home with this scene of T’Challa’s funeral.

I Give “What If…Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?” a 2/5

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A Reflection on the Impact and Passing of Chadwick Boseman

Hello, everyone, RJ Writing Ink here. By now, I’m sure most of you will have heard the news about Chadwick Boseman. Best known for playing King T’Challa in Marvel’s “Black Panther”, Chadwick passed away yesterday from colon cancer.

I was right in the middle of watching the new Bill and Ted movie for my review when the news broke. For a moment, it felt like my heart stopped. Like 2020 had just given the world the latest of a long line of gut punches. I was so heartbroken, I stopped the movie so I could cry about it. Even after sleeping on it, it still feels unreal. Chadwick Boseman, dead at 43? Yet, here we are now.

I loved Chadwick Boseman. I think that he was a big part of why Black Panther became the success that it did. Yeah, there was the storytelling, special effects, themes, and touching upon African Culture. However, when Chadwick Boseman came onscreen, he brought this charisma and charm to him. And from the way everyone talks about him, that was all a part of how he really was. He was just a nice guy.

What makes his death so unbelievable is the fact that almost no one seemed to know that he had cancer. I’m not even sure his co-stars knew about it, given their reactions on social media.

Chadwick Was A Real Life Hero

According to social media accounts, Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016. In other words, he spent the entire time filming Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame while enduring surgeries and chemo. In spite of all the pain he must have been going through, he never let it show. He always brought his A-Game onscreen, and that helped him become a cultural icon. For all we know, he may have known that he wasn’t going to live long enough to see Marvel make Black Panther II.

This year has seen us endure a lot of loss as it is. But the death of Chadwick Boseman seems to one of the hardest losses of all. Mark Ruffalo summed up everyone’s feelings fairly well.

I think the reason his passing has hit everyone so hard is because of how he chose to keep quiet about it. In my opinion, he knew how important his role as T’Challa was to Africans everywhere, how empowering he was. That what he was doing as the Black Panther was going to be bigger than one person. So he gave it his all, and helped make a cultural milestone.

With Chadwick’s passing, everyone’s agreeing that he was a hero both on and off-screen, and I agree. Even when he didn’t know if he would live or die, he kept moving forward and giving life everything he had. As a result, he became a hero for everyone. And I hope that once we finish mourning his death, he’ll become a legend. Rest in Power, My King. Wakanda Forever!

Chadwick Boseman, 1977-2020

Everyone, by now you’ll probably have heard the news. Chadwick Boseman, the man who brought the Black Panther to life, has died of Colon Cancer at the age of 43. He is survived by his Wife and Family.

Of all the losses we’ve had to endure this year, this is one of the hardest.

WAKANDA FOREVER.

When I look back on the year 2018, there are a couple of things that I want to remember it for (and I will be covering some of them in my Review of 2018 here). Looking back, though, I think I can sum up my memory of 2018 in four words: the Year of Superheroes.

Year of Superheroes

Superhero movies dominated the film industry in 2018, churning out movie after movie up to the final weeks of the year. In hindsight, aside from a few exceptions, the majority of the movies that I went to see in theaters were superhero movies. I didn’t get to see every last one of them, but I saw a good deal of them, sometimes more than once. With the year wrapping up, I thought it would be fun to go back and give my thoughts about what I did see.

So, without further delay, here it is, true believers! My thoughts on this Year of Superheroes.

Black Panther

Dear god, where do I even begin? As someone who has read Marvel Comics for years and scoured the internet for lore, I knew the basics about the Black Panther: the first African superhero. Created in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, he was a game-changer then, and he is now. This was the first time in living memory (that I know of) that an African or African-American superhero had the spotlight to themselves, and the people who made the film knew how important that was.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that this movie would be as big as it got. I thought Infinity War was going to be the big superhero movie of the year, but this one seems to have made the bigger cultural splash. I loved it, and I would watch it again in a heartbeat.

Avengers: Infinity War

From the moment I saw Thanos in the mid-credits to Avengers, I KNEW that this moment was coming. I watched nearly every Marvel film for the last six years, watching the pieces fall into place and the Infinity Stones be revealed. When it finally came, I was one of millions of people who went to the movies to see it. What I saw exceeded my expectations.

I felt I had a lot of reasons to worry about this film not being a success. I was worried that, with so many characters, there wouldn’t be enough screen-time for everyone. Or that, after repeatedly topping themselves so many times in terms of scope, that this would be the moment when the MCU stumbled. Thank GOD that it didn’t.

I was enthralled by the film from start to finish. I gasped out loud at some of the moments, I laughed, squealed in delight, and at one point, I quietly screamed in sorrow.

By the time the credits rolled around, I just sat there with my mouth hanging open. I don’t know if it actually happened, but I swear people started applauding it. This was one of the best movies I have ever seen, and it was a night I will never forget. Big highlight for year of superheroes.

Deadpool 2

I’ll be the first to admit it: once upon a time, I hated Deadpool.

I’m serious. I thought he was annoying as hell. But then Ryan Reynolds somehow made me fall in love with the Merc with a Mouth. Actually, I think it’s more like I’m in love with Ryan Reynold’s performance as Deadpool. I don’t know how, but the way plays DP is just hilarious, and you can tell that he has fun with it. Shoot, I think he only agreed to play Pikachu in Detective Pikachu just to make fun of it as Deadpool.

What were my favorite scenes: just this.

I laughed my butt off with my friends in the theater when I saw what happened to most of the team. It was a big spit in the face of the concept of superhero teams. But then the film manages to top it in the mid-credits by correcting some…mistakes.

And Ryan Reynolds got to stop himself from making the biggest mistake of his career.

Thank you, Marvel.

Incredibles 2

I didn’t particularly like the original film, but I think that when I saw it, I wasn’t in a good mood that day, so that may have affected my viewing. Nonetheless, Pixar and Disney times Incredibles 2 perfectly. With superheroes dominating the box office, this was the best time to release the long awaited sequel. I don’t really know what else there is to say, other than when’s the next one coming out?

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Initially, I wasn’t going to see this movie. Because after the events of Avengers: Infinity War, I thought that there would be no point. There was no way this movie could top it. Overall, I was right. There were no universally-high stakes in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Maybe that’s what moviegoers needed to see, though. It wasn’t as big or as epic as Infinity War, and it knew it couldn’t compete with it. So, it didn’t bother trying. It was a light-hearted film that helped take the edge off of having to wait another year for the next MCU film, and the ending does help set up for Avengers: Endgame.

Teen Titans Go! to the Movies

I was a fan of the original Teen Titans show, so when I saw this show for the first time, I wanted to puke. But then, for reasons I fully don’t comprehend, I decided to go see this movie. And you know what? It wasn’t that bad. Actually it was, pretty good.

Put the torches and pitchforks down. And drop the shotguns.

I still don’t like the show! But the movie made me realize that Teen Titans GO! was never meant to be like the original cartoon. It’s trying to be its own thing and entertain a different audience, and so far it seems to be working. What I’m getting at is that this movie is basically the show telling the haters that it’s proud to be silly, and that doesn’t stop it from being cool when it needs to be. Just look at this!

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes

Considering how much I love superheroes and anime, I wonder how I did not get into My Hero Academia sooner than this year? Well, better late than never. I love this show, and I loved the movie, and I don’t know what I can say clearly to express my admiration for the author or the people who work on the show. I just wish I could find an actual clip of the final battle. The moment you hear “You Say Run”, your hair will start to stand on end in excitement.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Anything that I say here will have already been said in my review of this movie, so I will keep it brief. I thought Infinity War was the best superhero movie of the year, but compared to this, I don’t think it even treads water. This film is a love letter to one of the greatest heroes of modern culture and a tribute to the recently deceased creators of Spider-Man, Steve Dikto and Stan Lee. If you haven’t seen it yet, then you need to drop what you’re doing and buy some tickets. You will not regret it. Just look at this scene!

My hair stood up in excitement. This captures what makes Spider-Man great, in a way that words alone cannot capture.

Year of Superheroes in Conclusion

So, in conclusion, this year was an amazing year for superhero movies, and it’s going to be one of the things I will remember it for. For the other things I want to remember about 2018, check out my year in review, out soon! Peace out!