In a world that’s filled with magic, aliens, other dimensions, and who knows what else, the presence of gods is not the craziest thing there is. While almost every pantheon in human history can appear in Marvel, the Norse Gods are ones seen the most. My best guess is that it’s to counter the fact that DC Comics uses the Greek Gods so much. It may not be a big surprise, but my pick for favorite god is Norse.

Thor

He’s known far and wide as the God of Thunder and wielder of the hammer Mjolnir. He’s one of the Earth’s most stalwart champions, a founding member, and the main reason behind the existence of the Avengers. Give it up for my favorite god, the Mighty Thor!

Keeping with his mythological origins, Thor’s the son of Odin and Prince, then later king, of Asgard. After leaving Earth with the rest of the Norse Pantheon, Thor got banished to Earth by his dad to teach him humility. He lost his memory and powers and lived as a mortal until he found a disguised Mjolnir. Thus, he became Thor once more.

Too bad Odin’s lesson worked too well. Thor decided to spend more time on Earth as a superhero.

Since then, Thor has been one of Earth’s first lines of defense against all sorts of threats. As I said above, he also played a significant role in the founding of the Avengers. When Loki framed Hulk for going on a rampage, he meant for Thor to fight him. Instead, Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, the Wasp, and the Hulk all teamed up to defeat him. Thus, the Avengers was born, and Thor has been one of its most active members.

I do not usually pay attention to the gods in Marvel, but given how important he’s been, Thor might be an exception. Thanks to Chris Hemsworth’s portrayal of him in the MCU, he’s not just my favorite god, but the favorite god of tons of fans.

Click here to see the rest of my comic book related writings, including the 30-Day Challenge

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.

Click here to see the rest of my comic book related writings, including the 30-Day Challenge

We interrupt this blog post for some breaking Marvel news: GUESS WHO?

Hi, everyone! I’m your deadly neighborhood Deadpool, and I have given Jay “a holiday” for today’s part of the 30-Day Marvel Challenge. Don’t worry about him; he’s busy working on his theme for next week: “Pride Month in Cartoons.” Spoilers, don’t tell anyone.

In the meantime, let us talk about Jay’s favorite rivalry in Marvel Comics. But then I thought of one better than “Spider-Man and Green Goblin,” so we’re going with mine!

Deadpool and Thanos. The Greatest Rivalry Marvel Has Ever Known!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, trolls. Put the torches down and let me explain. Or don’t; I’m digital right now, so I can’t die. Believe it or not, me and Thanos do have a big rivalry. It’s not just because we fought in Deadpool 2, either. Like many useful conflicts, it all started with a woman.

Back when Francis and those jerks at Weapon X were torturing me to give me superpowers, I came so close to dying that I could see Death near me. We both came from different worlds; she was dead; I wasn’t. We ended up bonding and falling in love. Then my Deus ex healing kicked in and put an end to our plans to be together forever. So much for the wedding; she even made a cake!

Anywho, we got reacquainted whenever I came close to dying, but when I managed to die for real, Mr. Grimace came in and ruined everything. He wanted to win Death’s heart, and couldn’t stand the fact that she liked me. So he cursed me with immortality to keep us apart forever, and I cursed him by annoying the daylights out of him.

So, Deadpool and Thanos have been at each other’s throats ever since. He ended up taking away my curse because he wants to strangle so much! Yet he can’t because then I’d get to be with Death. Either way, he still loses, and he knows it.

Doesn’t matter. I already moved on to Vanessa. Go watch my movies, Marvel rules!

Click here to see the rest of my comic book related writings, including the 30-Day Challenge

For today’s challenge, I have to pick my favorite romance. .After years of seeing writers starting and ending relationships on a dime, though, I can’t find a good romance. I planned to do Jean Grey and Scott Summers, but beyond the mushy teen years, I realized it had no substance.

So instead, I’m going to look towards the MCU for my favorite romance. There’s only one that I could think of.

Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter

I’ve only seen a few couples in films that are as meant for each other as Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter. In the MCU, Peggy Carter is an SSR Agent who has no patience for the sexist attitudes of the men around her. I recall her kicking some guy’s ass in Captain America: The First Avenger. Meanwhile, Steve’s a skinny runt who insists on fighting even when he knows he can’t win.

Aside from Dr. Erskine, Peggy’s the only one who saw Steve’s worth before he became America’s Super Soldier. We saw how impressed she was with his ingenuity and selflessness during training. On the other end, Steve was one of the few men who treated Peggy with the respect she deserved. They bond pretty fast, and by the end of World War II, they’re in love.

Love Torn Apart

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Captain America ended up on ice for seventy years, leaving Peggy an old woman by the time he got revived. Peggy died in her sleep in 2016, while Steve tried to carry on as a superhero.

Right when I thought that Cap had moved on from Peggy, though, Endgame gave us a pleasant surprise. After returning the Infinity Stones and Mjolnir to their places in the past, Steve chose not to return. Instead, he used the last of the Pym Particles to go back to the 1940s and live out his life with Peggy. They finally got their dance and their happy ever after. That’s something few couples in comic books can say they got, so that makes them my favorite romance.

Click here to see the rest of my comic book related writings, including the 30-Day Challenge

Click here to see my reviews for some of the MCU films.

‘Your Least Favorite Character’ in Marvel? This one will be harder than I thought it would be. I am a person who, if I don’t like a character, will avoid them like the plague. That, or I loathe their very existence.

While there are a lot of characters that I loathe because I hate them, most of them are villains, so that’s their job. If I am honest and picking a character I hate more than anyone else; it’s might as be the one based on the man that I would go back in time to throw stuff at.

The Hate Monger

His name may sound stupid, but few people have as much blood on their hands as the Hate-Monger. If you have not heard of him before, I don’t blame you. He’s not that big of a villain. You may have heard of his real-life counterpart: Adolf Hitler.

Back in the 60s, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created him as a villain for the Fantastic Four to fight. In the Marvel Universe, Hitler burned to death at the hands of the original Human Torch, but that was not the end. Dr. Armin Zola found a way to transfer his mind to a clone, letting him escape justice for all he wrought. Years later, he would resurface to spread hatred and bigotry throughout the world.

Aside from my deep-rooted hatred for Hitler, the reason this guy’s my least favorite character because the idea seems dumb. I know that hatred and racism are two genuine threats to the world. Consider, though, the fact that Marvel has plenty of villains that deal with racism and hate. The Red Skull was Hitler’s protege, and he’s deadlier than Hitler ever was. Half of the X-Men’s rogues gallery has racist, mutant-hating jerks. The Sentinels are a mechanical product of hatred towards mutants!

When you put all that in perspective, Hate-Monger seems pointless. The idea of Hitler coming back is scary, but I think he’s better as an abstract, unseen force of evil. Luckily, Hate-Monger’s dead for good, which is good, because if Magento got his hands on him, he’d subject him to the worst pain imaginable.

For today’s part of the 30-Day Marvel Challenge, I have to choose my favorite weapon. Since I spent a lot of my time in high school reading encyclopedias about Marvel, I know a lot of great weapons. I even know of one that can erase anything from existence but can also destroy the user.

Of all the weapons in the Marvel Omniverse, though, there’s only one that I could call my favorite.

Captain America’s Shield

This simple, discus shield is one of the most iconic weapons in the history of Marvel, and one of the oldest, to boot. Introduced back in Cap’s second appearance, this shield may not look like much, but it packs quite a wallop. It is, in fact, one of the most durable artifacts in the entire universe.

The reason behind its nigh-indestructible nature lies in the secret of its creation. Something so secret, not even the man who made it knows it. While trying to create Cap’s weapon, a doctor fell ended up falling asleep on the job. While he did, the vibranium metal he was using bonded with an unknown substance. Thus, Cap’s shield was born.

Unbreakable Shield

Thanks to the vibration its made from, the shield can absorb kinetic energy like a sponge. This makes it sturdy enough to withstand blows from weapons like Mjolnir or even a punch from the Hulk. Since vibranium can redirect any energy it absorbs, the shield can make for a powerful weapon. It can rebound off any surface without losing momentum, and it’s a third the weight of steel. The only things that have damaged the item have been altering its molecular structure or reality altering weapons. It’s the ultimate weapon for Marvel’s ultimate soldier.

Why is it my favorite weapon, though? Simple: it looks cool, it is cool, and I think it could take a nuke and survive without a scratch

Marvel has tons of examples that I could call my favorite superpower. From Wolverine’s healing factor to Spider-Man’s Spider-Sense, Marvel’s full to bursting with powers. There are even characters capable of warping reality itself like it’s nothing!

As much as I would love the chance to warp reality and turn all the plastic in the ocean into bubbles, I don’t trust myself. It would go to my head and drive me crazy. As fate would have it, there’s a power that’s adaptable enough to make it my favorite superpower.

Omnilingual Translation

It may not sound cool or flashy, but when you look at it, this is one of the most impressive powers a person could have. Omnilingual translation is the ability to understand any written or spoken language. When I say any, I mean any language, including the ones that aren’t from Earth. This power comes from a little known member of the X-Men’s branch teams, Douglas Ramsey.

With his mutant powers, Douglas was a natural at computers and programming, to the point where no one realized he was a mutant at first. Once he found out, though, he became a part of the New Mutants as Cypher. Then he got killed in battle and wasn’t brought back until years later.

After his resurrection, Douglas found his powers had increased. He could now read people’s hidden intentions and their body language, giving him an edge in combat that he once lacked. He may only have average strength and durability, but Cypher’s powers are incredible.

Why It’s My Favorite Superpower

So, why did I choose this as my favorite superpower? It’s because, with these abilities, a person would be able to understand any language in the world at once. No years of practicing or learning in a classroom, no language barriers, no wait! I could go to any place in the world and never worry about understanding the language. Mastering computer programming would take less than a day with it. I could play games from Japan without having to wait for translations!

There are so many things that go into making a good costume for a superhero or villain. There’s the practicality and how it can help them in battle. How it reflects their personality and what kind of message they want to send. Last, there’s style: does it look cool, sexy, intimidating?

Okay, I’m doing two favorite costumes here. In my defense, though, one of them isn’t even from any Marvel material but was too cool to ignore.

Miles Morales Spider-Man Costume, Into the Spider-Verse

It was this or the”White Spider” costume from Marvel’s Spider-Man, but in the end, I had to go with this. First seen in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, this is my favorite costume. It makes some changes to Miles’ suit in the comics, but otherwise, it’s the same.

The reason I like this costume so much is that it has such a casual feel to it. In the film, Miles takes one of the deceased Peter Parker’s dresses, and spray paints black over it. The result is a crude, graffiti-esque spider-logo on the front. The contrast between the red and black is astounding and makes the whole thing look even more relaxed.

While it may not be a part of the costume itself, I also loved the fact that Miles wore his regular clothes over the suit. The grey and red hoodie give it a casual feel that complements the outfit itself, while the suit reinforces that look. And the fact that he’s wearing his shoes over the whole thing? Awesome. It’s the kind of home-made costume that a cool teenager would make, and it screams Miles and Marvel. That’s why it’s my favorite costume

Spider-Man Deku Costume

This is cheating, but I can’t help it. It combines my two favorite things: anime and superheroes.

If you’ve been paying attention to the world of anime, you have at least heard of My Hero Academia. Did you know that one of the significant influences for the main character Izuku Midoriya, AKA Deku, is Spider-Man? It’s true! Kohei Horikoshi, the creator of My Hero Academia, was a big fan of American superheroes growing up. In a panel at SDCC in 2018, Horikoshi revealed his favorite hero was none other than Spider-Man.

Ergo, it made sense to combine the two heroes costumes. Cleverly combining aspects of both, this suit is a tribute to two heroes. One of them’s already a legend, while the other has, in my opinion, the potential to become one of the greatest superheroes in fictional history. I said it: Deku could end up there with Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, and the other greats!

All rights go to Chrispohe Pichette on Instagram.

This one was tougher than you might think. It’s not because I have too many to choose from, though. It’s because I’m not sure what exactly “Classic character” means.

For the sake of simplicity, I chose to use the characters that have been a part of Marvel since or close to the beginning. In other words, the characters from the 1940s as Timely Comics, and the ones created by Marvel in the 1960s.

Bucky Barnes, The Winter Soldier

It would have been easy for me to say Spider-Man, Iron Man, or Captain America. That’s not what I want to do, though. My choice is a classic character, but one that didn’t reach the prominence he has until fourteen years ago. His history, though, is fascinating, both in-universe and in real life.

James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes appeared for the first time alongside Captain America in Captain America Comics #1, in March 1941. Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Bucky was Cap’s sidekick, much like Robin was Batman’s. In the universe, Bucky was an orphaned army brat who received elite military training, and after Steve Rogers became Captain America, the military assigned him to be his partner. The rationale behind putting a 15-year-old into danger was to rally America’s youth, which is what he was meant to do in real life.

When WWII ended, Cap and Bucky got put on the bus. While Cap came back in modern times after being frozen for decades, Bucky didn’t. During their final mission, Cap and Bucky got caught in an explosion trying to stop an experimental drone plane from falling into Nazi hands. Cap survived, though everyone thought Bucky died in the blast. For forty years, that was the official status quo, and people said that he was one of only a few people you didn’t bring back.

The Winter Soldier

Then in 2005, Ed Brubaker said “yeah, screw that,” and brought Bucky back. Bucky survived, but the explosion destroyed his arm and left him in a coma. A passing Soviet submarine fished him out of the water and revived him in Moscow. The blast had left him with amnesia, but all his training and skill remained intact.

The Soviets gave him a bionic arm and brainwashed the amnesiac hero into becoming a ruthless assassin, the Winter Soldier. They would send him out on assassination missions to strengthen Soviet power around the world. When they didn’t need him, they put him cryogenic stasis, hence why he survived up to the present. When the General in charge of the program died, Bucky Barnes went under for the next twenty years and was forgotten about.

Not long after the Avengers disbanded, Bucky would be brought back by a former Soviet general to use as his weapon. This would lead Cap to learning that his friend and partner was alive. After several battles, Cap was able to restore Bucky’s memories, but he fled.

Bucky would come to be a key player in the Marvel Universe. When Steve Rogers was thought to have been assassinated, Bucky took up his old friend and mentor’s role as the new Captain America. Might I say that he did an excellent job at it, too, even keeping the part after Steve came back from the dead. Then his life as Winter Soldier got outed. Long story short, he ended up faking his death, forcing Steve to become Cap once more. He resumed his identity as Winter Soldier, defending the world alongside his fellow heroes and from the shadows.

Super-Cool Super Soldier

Like I said, his history in real life and comics is fascinating. Created to be a sidekick and audience surrogate, thrown on the bus for sixty years, only to come back as an anti-hero and assassin? Bucky’s had a tough road, but I think that’s what makes him so cool in the end! Why else would Disney make him the co-star of a miniseries in their upcoming streaming service?

Did I mention he dated Black Widow?

If you want to read the comics that inspired the movie, click this!

True believers everywhere, today’s part of the 30-Day Marvel Challenge is to name my favorite Marvel movie. Now, this would be the point where I’d do a segue into this, but if you’ve read my movie reviews, you’d know my choice. So, let’s just skip to the end.

Avengers: Endgame

It was either this or Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Since I’ve been following the MCU since Captain America: The First Aveneger, though, I vote for this. This movie is, for all intents and purposes, a love letter to Marvel Comics.

If you have read my review for this movie, then you know that my love for this movie is very real. While the three hour run-time can be a huge pain in the butt, this is the finale to eleven years worth of story-telling. That justifies the amount of time that goes into it.