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Superman Review

It’s been twelve years coming now, but I can finally say it: we have a Superman movie that feels like a Superman movie!

I’ve always been a big Marvel fan, but I’ve also had a lot of respect for DC and its IPs. And while I got to see Marvel dominate the 2010s, I also had to see DC try too hard to catch up, only to largely miss the mark and crash and burn. Considering how DC had already done what they were trying to do in cartoon form a decade earlier, it was beyond frustrating. By the time The Flash came out (and I didn’t see it), I was glad to see the reset button get hit. It was time for DC to do what they should’ve done and start over. And while I didn’t care about who it was, I think putting James Gunn in charge was a good move.

His work on Guardians of the Galaxy was enough to give me a little confidence in him. And I am glad it did, because when I went to see Superman for its IMAX fan event at my local AMC, I was in for one of the best movies of the summer. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it was the best Superman movie since the 1978 film with Christopher Reeve. And I am prepared to die on that hill!

A Revised Universe

Since this film is a reboot of Superman on the big screen, one would think that this first film would reestablish his origins. However, since the DCU is a soft reboot of the DCEU, it chooses to start things with Superman already having three years of hero work under his belt. In fact, the opening crawl reveals that in this rebooted timeline, metahumans have been a part of society for three hundred years, meaning they’re already well-established as a part of society.

Some people might complain about the decision not to revisit Kal-El’s origin story, but to me, it feels like the right call. It’s like what Marvel did when they added Spider-Man to the MCU. They were betting that at that point, everyone already knew his origin story, thus making retelling it a waste of time; and they were right. We have had at least two films telling Spidey’s origins in the last fifteen years. We didn’t need a third!

At any rate, that’s not the most interesting aspect of the film’s opening. Remember that scene in the trailers where Superman’s lying bloody on his side in a crater in Antarctica? Normally, that would a scene reserved for the halfway point of a film. But here, it’s the opening scene, with the title crawl revealing Superman just lost a fight for the first time. And then he has to deal with Krypto’s doggy antics before being dragged home to heal.

A More Classic Superman

The trailers had already made it a point of emphasizing that this version of Superman, played by David Corenswet, would be different from Henry Cavill’s grimdark version. He’s kind, optimistic, and always wants to do the right thing, regardless of the consequences. The film manages to do a great job of continuing to demonstrate how nice David’s Superman is. At one point while fighting a Kaiju, he takes a moment to save the life of a squirrel that was in danger! That’s how much he cares about the lives of others! Superman has often been jokingly called the big, blue Boy Scout, but unlike Cavill’s version, he lives up to it! And while I know some fans, especially those who like Snyder’s films, are going to complain, I think it’s the right decision.

If you’ve read my blog, then you know how I’m a big fan of My Adventures With Superman. Part of it is because of the show’s overt anime influences, but another part of it is because it feels like such a breath of fresh air. Ever since Batman Begins came out twenty years ago, it feels like DC has largely been trying to recapture the grim and grounded aesthetics of the Dark Knight trilogy. Ultimately, that’s culminated with shows like The Boys and Invincible, each with their own corrupted version of Superman.

It’s no secret that Homelander and Omni-Man were inspired by Superman. Homelander was created to be his universe’s version of the hero, while Omni-Man seemed to share his alien origins. However, what I think some people have forgotten is the fact that the two are meant to be corrupted copies of the real deal. Omni-Man is a soldier from a militaristic culture like the Saiyans. And Homelander? He’s a product of what happens when a soulless corporation tries to raise a hero without the emotional support they need: a menace! And while there are versions of Superman that wind up being evil, they’re ultimately the exception rather than the rule. But that isn’t what who Superman generally is at the end of the day, and MAWS and James Gunn both seemed to want to remind of this.

James Gunn Just Gets Superman

See, James Gunn and My Adventures With Superman? They get it. They’ve looked at all the versions of Superman that have come before, and they understand the root of his character. A main theme of MAWS, in particular, seems to be the debate between idealism and cynicism. Superman serves as as the argument for idealism, while his enemies like Amanda Waller represent cynicism. Waller, in particular, is so quick to declare that Superman is evil that she sees his altruism as an act for something sinister he has planned. Whereas General Lane ultimately realizes that Superman is as nice as he says he is, Waller just doubles down on her beliefs even when everyone else is saying she’s wrong. And by the end of the second season, she’s been humiliated and forced to watch as Superman invalidates everything she believes to be right.

Gunn and the guys in charge of MAWS must have been doing their homework, because this is who Superman is as a character. It already shows in MAWS, but Gunn’s Superman film does it even better. He has David play who Superman is at his core: someone who wants to do the right thing.

Some, like Lois, may call his decision to stop a war to be reckless and violating rules and procedures, best shown in the trailer with their mock interview. But as that trailer showed and the film expands upon, he’s not doing it to flaunt his power. He’s just the kind of person who doesn’t waste time on red tape when doing so could mean more people dying. When he wants to do the right thing, he won’t let anything stop him. In other words, he has no tolerance for bs, and that’s something I think is a good thing.

Like a Shonen Protagonist

Beginning in my tween and teen years, I spent a lot of time reading Shonen manga like Naruto and One Piece. One of the reasons why I like them so much is because of how honest and straightforward characters like Naruto and Luffy are. They know they’re in complicated worlds with complicated problems that need solving. And while they recognize that they’re not the smartest people in the room and can’t always understand the complexities of what’s going on, they habe a different kind of wisdom to them.

They’re naturally good people at heart, and when they see something going wrong, they don’t take too long to think about what to do. They just go ahead and do it. Luffy, in particular, is smart enough to understand that the simplest solution can be the best one: finding the root cause of the problem, and beating it up. Superman is way smarter than Luffy, but at the end of the day, he does the same thing. And as shown in MAWS and this movie, that winds up not only being right, but something the world needs to remember right now.

Superman is an Immigrant

Besides criticism from people who liked Snyder’s version better, the new Superman film has gotten its fair share of flak for being “too woke.” A big reason for that is because a big part of the film is centered on the fact that Superman is a refugee and an immigrant. He came from another planet as a baby and has lived in the US almost his entire life. He is as American as they come, but critics claim Gunn put particular emphasis on that fact. And while I was a little preoccupied with enjoying myself, I can see where they’re coming from, and why that would get flak. Immigration has been a hot-button topic over the last few years, especially since we got our new/old President.

In the months since then, I’ve seen plenty of news about deportation and detainment of immigrants, and while the sources might be biased, that doesn’t change the fact that all of this is still happening. They just want to be entertained when they see a movie and not have to think too much about. But the thing about storytelling is that the best stories are often the ones that give their message without being too overt about it. And Superman does that.

I can’t possibly understand all the legal issues that goes into immigration rules and policies, and I doubt I will. But I didn’t see any of that in the Gunn’s Superman film. Maybe it was because I was spending too much time enjoying the story l, but I fail to see why people would complain about it being woke. Is it because some people dont like immigration being associated with an American icon, and thus America itself? News flash: Superman has always been an immigrant. America was founded by immigrants. Almost everyone in America is descended from immigrants.

Maybe the fact that Superman is bringing that up at such a volatile time in our history is Gunn’s way of trying to tell us something. That underneath all the fog and haze and politics, we should remember to treat each other with basic kindness and decency. Because at the end of the day, Superman is about being a decent person to everyone for the sake of it. If people think that’s woke or too political, that’s their opinion. It doesn’t change the fact that Superman is still a good movie, and a lot of it is thanks to the cast.

David Corenswet Owns Superman

There have been many people who have played Superman over the years, and many have their favorite. I’m partial to Tim Daly and Jack Quaid’s voice work, and I think Christopher Reeve is the definitive, live-action version of the hero. However, if I had to pick a close second, I think my choice would be David Corenswet.

David absolutely clinches it as both Clark Kent and Superman. He instills into the character a lot of the adorkableness found in Jack Quaid’s performance while also giving him the air of nobility that comes with being Superman. While some people like Cavill’s performance, and again, I appreciate his attempts to be more grounded and realistic, Superman is still Superman. He’s generally going to be a larger-than-life Boy Scout, and needs to reflect this. And David does this in spades. He combines the dignity and nobility that Christopher Reeve brought to the character with the adorkableness that Jack Quaid gives him in MAWS. Most important of all, though, he gives the character the sense of humanity that he should always have, and this is best shown in his interactions with Lois.

Rachel Brosnahan is Great as Lois. And Jimmy was unexpected!

At the start of this film, Lois and Clark’s relationship with each other is already well-established, with them already being in a relationship for three months. She’s the only one outside his parents who knows he’s Superman and serves as his anchor to humanity. However, that does not mean that they do not come to blows. This is best shown when the two have time alone together, with the interview from the trailer shown to be every bit as stressful in the actual film.

The two spend more time arguing the morality of what Clark did than answering the questions, and it ends poorly. Their relationship is really on the rocks for much of the film, really. But compared to other incarnations of Lois that I’ve seen in live-action, I think Rachel Brosnahan is the most in-line with what I’ve seen in the cartoons. She’s not Tomboy Lois, but she’s more like the Lois from the DCAU. She’s confident.

The real surprise, though, was how the film handled Supe’s best friend, Jimmy Olsen. I was surprised when I saw that the film had him as this chick magnet! Having never read the comics, I didn’t realize that he was popular with women in there! Though I do ship his MAWS variant with Kara!

Outside of David, though, I think the biggest stand-out has to be Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

Nicholas Hoult Gave us a real Lex Luthor

With all due respect to Jesse Eisenberg, I hated how Snyder wrote Lex Luthor in Batman vs. Superman. The Lex I knew from watching Superman: The Animated Series was this bald, menacing, and egotistical evil billionaire. But Jesse? I don’t know what he was playing, but it was not Lex Luthor! If anything, it felt more like the Joker!

In contrast, though, Nicholas Hoult got Lex Luthor to a tee. The bald head, the ego the size of a planet, and the irrational hatred of Superman that gets him a spot in the hater’s hall of fame. All of it was there and on full display, as it should come as no surprise that Luthor is responsible for every threat that Superman faces in this film. He even goes the extra mile by kidnapping Superman’s dog and using monkeys to spew out hate for him on social media! And that’s not even the most evil thing he does! He kidnaps this one citizen in Metropolis, Malik, who gave Superman a falafel once. And then he kills right in front of a captive Superman just to hurt him! That is next-level hating!

Nicholas Hoult knocked it out of the park as Lex Luthor in this film. Whoever wrote his lines into the script knew what they were doing. And while the film ends with Lex getting what he deserves ad infinitum, there is no doubt that we have not seen the last of him. Hoult’s performance deserves an Oscar nomination, and his Luthor deserves a place in the haters’ hall of fame! Especially for kidnapping poor Krypto!

Ruff, Ruff, and Away

Krypto the Superdog, aka the best doggy in the universe…is what I would like to say. My only exposure to him was through the 2000s animated cartoon on Cartoon Network, but I know he’s one of the more campy elements in Superman’s mythos. So I was looking forward to seeing him as part of the rebooted canon. Unfortunately, for those expecting him to be a loyal and super smart dog, keep dreaming. Krypto is one wrong move away from obedience school!

This version of Krypto is the kind of dog that would make Marley from Marley and Me proud. He’s an embodiment of chaos, doesn’t really understand boundaries or how to do what he’s told. One of the clips shows him explicitly having torn up the Fortress of Solitude! He’s a very big source of frustration for poor Kal-El, and as someone who has had many dogs in his life, I feel for him. He’s also a big part of the film’s comedy, with his antics clearly designed to make people chuckle. It does help that things can be explained by Gunn being inspired by his own dog, who somehow managed to destroy his laptop. Write what you know, you know! Fortunately, when it comes down to it, Krypto is still a loyal dog who helps save Superman’s life several times.

Superman was Truly Amazing!

So, yeah. I loved the new Superman movie. It’s not perfect and it does throw a lot at us in its two-hour runtime. But it is trying to set up a new universe, and this time, it has to do things right. It has to make up for what was, whether we want to admit it or not, was decade long misfire on DC’s. And in that regard, it manages to do a great job!

Yes, there are people who are going to complain that it’s too woke or too corny, but in case you haven’t noticed, that’s what Superman often is. He’s an optimistic view on mankind meant to inspire us to do better! They want grim and gritty, then stick to Batman! I’ll take my Superman sunny with a side of optimism.

Judging by what people are saying about it, it seems like James Gunn made the right call, too. By the time the movie was over, everyone in the theater was clapping and cheering because of how good it was. That’s an encouraging sign! If the film can keep up this momentum until Fantastic Four: First Steps comes out, it might be a financial success! I may even have to go back for another round, because I don’t wanna wait until it comes out on streaming! This is what we should’ve gotten twelve years ago, and I’m glad that DC is starting to make up for lost time.

I Give “Superman” a 4/5

WandaVision Episode 9 Review

Well, everyone, it’s finally over. Nine weeks, six decades of sitcoms, twists and turns around every corner, and it’s over. We’re at the series finale of WandaVision. So, did we get everything that we wanted out of the series finale? No, we didn’t. My theory about Pietro turned out to be wrong, but more on that later. But unlike some shows whose series finales can leave us disappointed (*cough* Game of Thrones *cough*), there’s not much to be dissappointed about here. It’s Marvel; we know that there’s going to be more to the story later on, so the story will continue. Ergo, I’m reviewing each part of the finale and where the show goes from here. It’s series finale time.

Wanda Embraces Her Identity…

The whole concept of WandaVision has been that Wanda’s trying to escape from the reality she’s been stuck with. One where her parents are dead, her brother’s dead, and Vision’s dead. She couldn’t deal with that, so she created the Hex. But no matter how much she wants to run from it, she has to learn to accept her reality. What she’s doing to Westview is wrong, and she can’t ignore that anymore. After Agatha continues to prod her and free everyone from her thrall, Wanda finally undoes the Hex. More importantly, though, Wanda chooses to embrace the role Agatha claims she’s meant to fulfill. She is now the Scarlet Witch.

I mentally freaked out when I first saw Wanda’s Scarlet Witch outfit. It’s a perfect synergy of the classic look and what she’s known to wear in the MCU. However, it’s also very dark and foreboding looking. You go, girl!

…But Says Goodbye to Her Family For Now

Ultimately, Wanda manages to come to terms with what’s going on around her. The Hex must come to an end, even though this means saying goodbye to her Vision and sons. They all know what this means, but they all accept this. They understand that this is the only way things can be set right. And with the end of the Hex, Tommy, Billy, and the Hex Vision fade out of existence.

I don’t buy that for a second! I don’t know how, but Tommy and Billy are going to return in some form or another. Having developed powers similar to their mom and uncle, Marvel likely means for them to become the next generation of heroes. The Young Avengers will rise one day, and they will be a part of it!

As for Vision, even though the one Wanda made is gone, he managed to do some good. He managed to talk down the original Vision that Hayward reanimated, and unlocked all of his memories. And then, White Vision left. Like, just leaves and goes somewhere else.

So, the good news is, Vision ended up coming back for real. However, the series finale gives us no clue as to where he’s gone. I have a feeling that we’ll see him in the future of the MCU, though. He’s too good a character to be forgotten.

Jerks Get Punished

There’s not much to say here. The two antagonists of this miniseries, Hayward and Agatha, get what they deserve. Thanks to Darcy and Jimmy Woo, Hayward’s illegal actions (bringing back Vision as a sentient weapon, risking the lives of everyone in Westview) are exposed, leading to him being arrested.

As for Agatha, Wanda gives her a more fitting punishment. While everyone else in Westview’s set free, she will remain trapped in the role she chose: that of the nosy neighbor. A fitting punishment for someone who tried to take power that didn’t belong to her. That said, I know that this is temporary. The MCU will compel Marvel to eventually release her when Wanda needs her. God help us when she’s freed.

Monica Flies Again

As for Monica, she came out of this story better than most. She helped save Wanda at her lowest point, and now she’s got superpowers of her own. And thanks to her help, Hayward’s going to be behind bars for some time. But Monica’s not meant to be grounded forever. In the mid-credits scene of the series finale, Monica’s approached by a Skrull disguised as an FBI agent. According to them, an old friend of their mom needs their help in space.

This is going to set us up for multiple routes here. On the one hand, Monica could end up being in the next Captain Marvel movie alongside her aunt Carol. On the other hand, she could be working with Nick Fury and Talos in the upcoming Secret Invasion series on Disney+. Either way, Monica’s journey to becoming a superhero’s already begun. Her mom would be proud.

By the way, Monica learned that that fake Pietro wasn’t anybody special. He was just some schmuck under Agatha’s control. No Pietro from another universe; just a dude with an embarassing last name.

Can’t Wait To See What’s Next

We shouldn’t be asking whether the series the finale to WandaVision was good. Instead, we should be asking about what’s next for the MCU. This is only the first step to Phase 4 of the MCU, one that’s going to include a new Spider-Man film, the Black Widow film, and so many miniseries and shows. But above all, it’s going to be building up to one movie that everyone can’t wait to see: Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. This show’s going to tie directly into that upcoming movie. It’s not known how she’ll affect it, but Wanda’s going to be playing a role in the next Doctor Strange movie. The question is whether or not she’ll be a hero or villain? I’m honestly hoping for the former, but the latter would be interesting.

Either way, this was a fitting sendoff to the first big show of 2021. Thanks for the memories, WandaVision. But question: what happened to that S.W.O.R.D. Agent that got in through the sewers?

I Give “Series Finale” a 3.9/5

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Harley Quinn Season 3, Episode 3 Review

You know who one of my favorite characters in Harley Quinn is? Poison Ivy. She’s stood by Harley when she needed it the most, and believed in her when no one else would. Ivy’s been Harley’s rock, but at the expense of her own development. That is, until this episode, where their roles are reversed, to my enjoyment.

Catwoman is Joker to Poison Ivy

Having killed Penguin and trapped Riddler in a hamster wheel, Harley’s next target is Mr. Freeze. He’s the one who literally put her on ice for months, so she wants payback. However, when she can’t melt her way into his fortress, she decides to steal Firefly’s plasma flamethrower from Dr. Trap. He’s this trap-based villain who’s got a museum of villain artifacts, and Harley and Poison Ivy can’t get inside. So Harley calls in a professional: Catwoman.

Personally, I don’t like this version of Catwoman very well. She has the whole femme fatale thing going for her, that’s for sure. However, I think she lacks the playfulness we expect from Catwoman. She looks down on others because she knows she’s good at what she does, especially Poison Ivy, who has a love/hate relationship with her. On the one hand, Ivy knows that Selina only cares about herself. On the other hand, she thinks that Selina’s so cool, even when she’s leaving her hanging.

From my viewpoint, Poison Ivy and Catwoman’s relationship mirrors what Harley had with Joker in the first season. Harley knew Joker was bad for her, but couldn’t help but fawn over the guy. Ivy helped her see that, so now it’s her turn to look after her friend.

Ivy Rediscovers Her Roots

In the end, Harley and Ivy’s boyfriend, Kite Man, help her realize that she shouldn’t try to emulate what Catwoman’s got going on. She’s got her own life that makes her happy, and she shouldn’t get rid of that. However, Catwoman does help the eco-terrorist realize that she’s spent so much time helping Harley that she’s neglected her own growth. As a result, she makes time to do what she loves: killing people who hurt the environment.

This leads to a moment where Harley and Poison Ivy have a heart-to-heart as the latter melts the board of directors of Ace Chemicals with their own toxic chemicals. Harley basically gives her friend the same support she offered her in season one, and Ivy admits that she’s happy with how her life’s turned out. It’s a heartwarming and morbidly hilarious scene that fits with the show’s writing, and I couldn’t help but smile at it.

I’m personally glad Ivy’s recognized that she needs time to focus on herself. She’s a great character that’s neglected a lot of development by spending time helping others. Having seen Steven Universe: Future, I know the consequences of what happens when a person helps everyone but themselves.

Dr. Psycho’s Insecurity

Meanwhile, Dr. Psycho’s going through his own issues in the B-Plot. He used to be an A-List villain until he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Now he’s working for Harley and his ego’s hurt. As a result, Riddler messes with Psycho to escape. Then he willingly goes back into captivity, having only done it to show that he could. It’s a fun little side plot that shows some cracks in the crew, but time will tell if this ends up mattering.

What’s most concerning is how so easy it was for Riddler to escape. He’s only staying there because he wants to. He’s got great exercise, good food, and front-row seats to the drama the Crew goes through. Odds are, he’ll escape when he’s bored with messing with Harley’s Crew.

Okay Filler Episode

This wasn’t my favorite episode of the show, but even a great show can have a few bad eggs, I guess. What it does do, though, is set us up for some potential plot threads as the series progresses over the spring and summer. I’d love to see it focus on Ivy as much as it does on Harley and the others. As long as the comedy keeps on coming, though, I can’t complain.

I Give “Trapped” a 3/5

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My Favorite Comic Book Series

After 29 days, we’ve finally arrived at this moment. I haven’t read as much of Marvel Comics as I want to; I chalk the rest of my knowledge from encyclopedias and guides. Still, there’s one comic book series that I recommend you read above all others in the world. This is my favorite comic book series.

Uncanny X-Men, Chris Claremont Run

If you’re a fan of the X-Men, then there are several reasons why this series is the holy grail for X-Fans. The series did start in the 1960s with the original X-Men, but after failing to gain traction, Marvel pulled the plug on it in 1970. The X-men would have stuck in cameo hell if it wasn’t for Chris Claremont.

From 1975 to 1991, Chris Claremont was the lead writer for the X-Men, and he turned them from a second-rate team into Marvel’s flagship title. He co-created characters that would become mainstays in X-Men lore like Kitty Pryde, the Phoenix Force, Rogue, Gambit, and more. He gave us “The Dark Phoenix Saga” and “Days of Future Past.” He helped make Wolverine into the fan-favorite he is today!

If you haven’t read through Chris Claremont’s run of the Uncanny X-Men, then please, for the love of all that is holy, read it. It has some of the best stories Marvel’s made. By the time you’re done reading The Dark Phoenix Saga, you will understand why fans hate the films for messing it up.

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Favorite comic time period

I got confused by the criteria for today’s challenge, as I’m not sure what it means by “favorite comic time period.” In my view, that either means the run for a specific author or comic book series, or an era of comics in general. I’m going with the latter in this case for Marvel Comics, as there’s only one time period I consider my favorite.

Bronze Age of Comics

If I were to describe Marvel about the different ages of comic books, it would be like this. The Golden Age’s their infancy; the Silver Age is their early to mid-childhood, and the Bronze Age is their late childhood and adolescence. That means it has all the angst and issues that come with it.

Lasting from 1970 to 1986, this is my favorite Marvel Era because it gave us some of the best stories that Marvel’s ever put out. The company spent the 1960s laying the groundwork, but once that was done, they started working with darker, more mature stories. Stan Lee even did a three-part story on drug use in the Amazing Spider-Man, despite it going against the Comic Code Authority. I respect that (stick it, Frederic Wertham).

The Death of Gwen Stacy

This was a watershed moment in the Bronze Age of Marvel. In the span of a single issue, Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man’s girlfriend, was murdered at the hands of the Green Goblin. Before that, you never saw a hero fail so badly, or see a major character die so suddenly. Next to losing Uncle Ben, this was probably the worst moment in Spider-Man’s life.

This moment set the tone for the Bronze Age. From here on out, Marvel wasn’t afraid to deal with things like drug abuse, racism, murder, etc. It led to us getting the new X-Men, Days of Future Past, the Dark Phoenix Saga, and more. Henceforth, it’s my favorite comic time period for Marvel.

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Most Memorable Comic Book Death

There’s an unspoken rule in comic books: the only person who stays dead is Uncle Ben. Characters get killed off and brought back all the time in the comics. It’s gotten to the point where I can watch Jean Grey die for the umpteenth time and not bat an eyelash. Effects of desensitization aside, there’s one character that I consider to be the most memorable death in Marvel history.

THE DEATH OF ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN

The hardest part of being a hero is having to make the ultimate sacrifice, and that was the way the Ultimate version of Peter Parker went out. While the Avengers and the Ultimates are fighting a civil war, the Green Goblin uses the chaos to escape from prison along with some of Spider-Man’s worst enemies. Their only goal was to kill Spider-Man and his loved ones. Already wounded, Spider-Man pulls out all the stops to save his family, leading him to destroy the Goblin in a fiery explosion seemingly. Tragically, the injuries he sustained are fatal, and Peter Parker dies in the arms of his girlfriend, MJ.

Marvel had announced their plans to kill the Ultimate Spider-Man ahead of time, but it still hit us right in the feels. Watching Peter Parker die, saving his Aunt, his friends, and his girlfriend was more emotional than the death of Superman. After he died, all of New York City came to see him laid to rest at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, showing just how much the young hero meant to the city he protected.

Unlike many comic book deaths, watching the Ultimate Peter Parker die felt different. In the Ultimate Universe, people who died had more of a tendency to stay dead. Add on the fact that Ultimate Spider-Man had started the Ultimate Marvel Universe, this was a big moment. That’s what makes it the most memorable death for me. I felt like he was gone for good.
The Ultimate Peter Parker did end up coming back. He chose to let Miles Morales be the new Spider-Man while he and MJ ran away together. That’s a happy ending in my book.

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Thanos

Deadpool

Hidey ho, all you nerds out there who must not have anything better to do with your lives. I mean, why else are you sitting in front of the computer and definitely don’t have a box of tissues next to you. We all know what they’re for… to stop the nosebleeds from seeing all those smokin’ hot babes in anime! JK, LOL. Really, LOL? Who writes this stuff, [insert bad writing joke here] Anywho, I’m your deadly neighborhood Deadpool.

You may remember me for Ryan Reynolds senpai’s portrayal of me on the big screen, or those times I fought in Death Battle and got played by Takahata101 (love ya, Nappa. Still waiting for you to call me). Or you may remember me as hanging around on ol’ Jay’s blog back in December. Well, I decided to hij- I mean borrow his blog again for this challenge.

Now you may be wondering, why me? Why of all people would you choose the Merc with a Mouth? Well, it has nothing to do with the fact that my movies were awesome. It’s more to do with the fact that I am just. That. Tough.

The Tale of Dreadpool

Don’t believe me? Then let Uncle DP tell you about his evil twin, Dreadpool.

Once upon a time, the guy who leads the X-Men while cosplaying as Walter White sent the Deadpool from another universe to a mental hospital. They wanted to help him get rid of his… quirks. Instead, the doctor screwed him over harder than Game of Thrones did when Jon didn’t take the Iron Throne.

What, too soon?

Anywho, this Deadpool had the same power that all DP’s have: that voice in their head that reminds them that their existence is a lie and they’re fictional characters. Only now, it told him to do something about it. So this Deadpool decided to break the cycle and proceeded to kill every last character.

I’m talking hero, villain, mutant, inhuman, gods. Not even freaking Galactus was spared, and that guy eats planets!

Yeah, I Rule!

After he finished racking up a body count higher than all of Game of Thrones combined, Dreadpool went to other universes and started to do the same thing. But he made one fatal mistake. He messed with my chimichanga night! Just kidding! Seriously, though, I kicked his butt.My point is, if that Deadpool could kill every last character in the Marvel Universe, then so can I. Ergo, that makes me the strongest.

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There are plenty of creatures in the Marvel Universe that I could have chosen for today’s pick. Plenty of monsters and all sorts of aliens to choose from. For this, I decided to go old-school and use a creature that, while not as memorable, had a big impact on Marvel Comics.

Krakoa, The Island That Walks Like a Man

This is s monster the likes of which few can rival in comic books. It’s only made a few appearances outside of flashbacks, but like I said, it had a major impact on Marvel. Appearing in the legendary Giant-Size X-Men #1, Krakoa isn’t your ordinary monster. It’s a living island.

Decades before, the US was testing nuclear bombs across the Pacific. One of those tests took place near a small island named Krakoa. Somehow, the radiation altered the island, turning it into a giant hive-mind.

The original X-Men (minus Beast) came to investigate the island in search of a new mutant. What they found was hell. The animals tore at them, the plants grasped at them, and giaant monsters trapped them. It then began to feed on them, until Cyclops was freed to bring him new mutants.

These events lead to Professor Xavier recruiting a new, international team of X-Men, including characters that would become fan favorites. Storm, Colossus, and Nightcrawler all made their first appearences, and while Wolverine already appeared fighting the Hulk, here he became a mainstay.

These new members went with Cyclops and rescued the original X-Men before battling Krakoa. But how do you fight an island itself? The only way they could stop him was by pulling off something unbelieably badass. While Professor X used his telepathy and Cyclops and Havok used their energy powers to keep the monster at bay, Storm conjured lightning. She used that to supercharge Polaris’ powers of magnetism, letting her create a magnetic pulse so strong that it severed gravity around the island. The monster got sent far into space where it could never hurt anyone again, while the X-Men escaped.

Legacy

Like I said, pretty awesome, right? It’s my favorite creature, though, because of the legacy it left. This would be the rebirth of the X-Men, with the era that followed turning them from a backwater team into Marvel’s most popular group. Unknown to all, though, Krakoa also left a darker legacy.

In X-Men: Deadly Genesis almost thirty years later, it was revealed that there was a lot of the original story was a lie. Xavier had sent another team of mutants to rescue the original X-Men, and while they got Cyclops to safety, they were all lost fighting Krakoa. Half of them got killed, and the other half was unknowingly left to die when Krakoa got launched into space. Add on the fact that one of those mutants was Cyclops’ long lost brother, and it was a horrific event.

With Cyclops mentally broken, Xavier chose to erase all memory of this other team and new brother. He then kept up the illussion by making the island appear sentient when it was, in fact, a mindless monster. Also, those two members that were left for dead came back after M-Day, and Cyclops’ brother went crazy.

This whole story was crazy, and I urge you to take a look at Giant-Size X-Men #1 and X-Men: Deadly Genesis if you get the chance. It will be worth the read!

It’s day three of the 30-Day Marvel Challenge, and I have to pick out my favorite diva character. I’ll be honest: I don’t know that many divas in Marvel’s repetoire. I tend to avoid reading about them because they’re the kind of person that I can’t stand. In fact, there’s only one diva that I know of.

Emma Frost, The White Queen

I didn’t learn who Emma was until I first saw in Wolverine and the X-Men, but she has quite the history in the comics. Introduced all the way back in 1980 during Chris Claemont’s legendary run, she’s the daughter of a wealthy family from Boston. Once she discovered her mutant powers as a telepath, she used them to advance her standing in life, becoming the White Queen of the secret Hellfire club. In her first appearance, she tried recruiting a young Kitty Pryde to her school (and the Hellfire Club), only to be defeated by the X-Men and seemingly killed.

She only faked her death, though, and she and the X-Men would clash several more times over the years. When most of her students were killed by a time-travelling villain, though, she becomes an ally to the X-Men. After making her way to Magneto’s mutant island-nation of Genosha, Frost lost another group of students when most of the island was slaughtered by Sentinel Robots. She joins the X-Men as a full-fledged member, and after Jean Grey dies, starts dating Cyclops. Last I heard, she got forced out of the X-Men after a war between them and the Inhumans due to helping to start the war. I think, I don’t know.

In all her appearances, the key thing I remember about Emma Frost is her “high-and-mighty”, queen-bee demeanor. She’s always acting reserved and refined, and when she was with the X-Men, that didn’t win her any favors. There was also the fact that she talked a emotionally-fragile Cyclops into having a psyhic affair with her, too. If I’m honest, if Emma frost was a real person, I doubt that I would get along with her that well. She’s a diva who likes to act high-and-mighty. Still, I know that she can be a good person, as seen in Wolverine and the X-Men when she sacrificed herself to save the X-Men.

Introduction

Stan Lee passed away in November, 2018. I had planned to do this some time ago, but I could never find the right words to use. I wanted this to come from the heart.

My Love of Heroes

When I was in school, I didn’t really interact with people as much as I should have. Every moment I wasn’t working on some assignment or listening to some lecture, I had my face buried in a book. With no video games or TV, they were the only entertainment I had. I would spend my lunch-time in the library reading books. I would read any book that looked interesting, but what I really loved were comic books and superheroes

The 2002 film Spider-Man gave me a proper introduction to superheroes, but this was my crash-course. I dove into every comic book, encyclopedia or paperback collection I could get my hands on.

I don’t remember when I first learned about Stan Lee. It was probably from watching the DVD’s for Spider-Man The Animated Series. But I grew to learn how important he was. I came close to meeting him twice, actually.

How I (Almost) Met Stan Lee

The first time I came close to meeting him was when I saw a commercial for a local comic book convention. It said that Stan Lee was going to be at the convention signing autographs. I begged my Dad to take me down there. We were able to get in, but then I realized how much money it would cost to meet him. I’d never considered that, and since I didn’t have the money, I chose not to meet him. I caught a quick glimpse of him walking by his booth, through the curtains.

The second time was because of forces outside my control. I had bought a ticket ahead of time and had made sure to pick it up. I didn’t have anything for him to sign, but I bought a comic book with him on the cover. But when the time came to get in line, my ticket was gone. To this day, I don’t know if I dropped it or if someone had stolen it. It didn’t matter: the people operating the booth refused to let me in otherwise. They got my comic book autographed, but that was of little consolation. I knew Stan was getting old, and that this was probably the last chance I had to meet him.

In hindsight, I don’t think I should have taken that lying down. I want to go back the second time and tell myself to forget what the booth guys said: to find a way to get in, even if you had to sneak in. Now, I’ll never get that chance.

Reacting to His Death

I still remember what I was doing. Looking back, it feels fitting that I was playing Marvel’s Spider-Man; a video game based on one of the characters he created. Then I saw the headline flash on my laptop. I just put the controller down on the table in front of me, and just sat there for a minute or two, my jaw hanging open in disbelief. Then I started looking it up.

Stan Lee Was Gone

I knew that Stan wasn’t going to be around forever, that he was already very old, and that he had had a lot of issues in the last year. His wife, who convinced him to stick to comics when he wanted to quit, had died the year before. That would devastate anyone. But then for all the reports about people taking advantage of him, and the allegations of sexually harassing his nurses. I had kept hoping that he would live at least long enough to see Infinity War. I got my wish, but now he won’t be around for the culmination in Avengers 4. 

I wanted to cry. I honestly felt like I was going to cry. Pop Culture wouldn’t be the same as it is now without his work. Not just Stan Lee, though; he wasn’t the sole creator of Marvel. Marvel had been around since the 1940s, and despite what some headlines may say, he was not the sole creator of characters like Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men or Avengers. He created them alongside other men, Steve Ditko, and Jack Kirby. There are probably countless others that deserve part of the credit, but never will. 

So, yeah, Stan Lee wasn’t the end all, be all when it came to Marvel Comics. He did play a big role creating them, and he certainly deserves the recognition that comes with it. But I can’t help but wonder if we liked Stan as we did because he was one of the last survivors of the great people who gave us comic books. Everyone else of note had already passed away; he was the only one left. If that were true, though, then people would have reacted the same way to Steve Ditko’s passing. Plenty did, but not as many as Stan Lee.

I Wish I Could Have Met Him

I am going to miss Stan Lee. I’m going to miss his cameos. But most of all, I regret not being able to meet him just once. I want to walk up to him and say hello. I just wanted to be able to tell him “Thank you for everything that you and your friends did.” But now I’ll never get that chance. But I know that he helped to leave the world a far better place. 

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