Author: Mary Maerz

REVIEW: ‘Titans’ Episode 10 – Troubled Water

It’s hard to know where to start with episode 10. At the end of the day, the episode is as chaotic as Gotham after the water contamination from the end of episode 8. The show not only flubs the villain story but manages to implode the remaining slivers of an overarching, cohesive plot. In fact, the episode seems to decidedly prove that there is no genuine or comprehensible story. There’s certainly no storyline available with a meaningful, consistent, or valid goal or even journey throughout.

Even if Titans has some clue as to what that plot might be, the villains of the show absolutely do not. Apparently, dosing the entire city with the anti-fear (and now crazy zombie-esque?) drug was not really an end goal at all, but simply a throwaway to hype up Red Hood as Gotham’s true savior. All that to take down Nightwing and the other Titans. How this tracks with what the season has provided us thus far is mysterious, to say the least. After non-stop back-and-forth motivations and betrayals by Jason, he winds up at Crane’s side as if nothing ever happened. Crane is still just Crane, defined by mediocracy and unconvincing ever-moving plans and motivations to take over Gotham. At the very end of the episode, they make a toast to “bad seeds”, not knowing he was breaking the fourth wall in doing so.

The episode moves into emergency territory with much of Gotham affected by the drug, the city put in full lockdown and quarantine, and general crime is causing generic chaos throughout the city – it is reminiscent of the episode as a whole. However, the true sacrifices to this setup are unfortunately our Titans, whose grand plan first involved showing up in random spots in the city to fight drugged criminals rather unsuccessfully. With that failure in plain sight, they somehow concoct the brilliant plan to turn themselves in as a group “for show”, with the idea being that they would post bail and then disappear. As a quick aside, the notion that these people – accused and arrested for poisoning and attacking an entire whole city – would be granted bail is just absolutely ridiculous to the point it almost hurts.

Shocking, however, is that this plan did not work out. Not because they were not granted bail, but because some Gotham City police are in cahoots with Red Hood and the attack the Titans. Now they are simply in hiding—a large group of (depending on the day) highly superpowered individuals up against the occasional handgun did, in fact, run away from the situation. Again, how this squares with the first nine episodes that portrayed the group as a very confident, dedicated to Gotham unit is anyone’s guess. It’s probably safe to assume that separating the group in this sort of war zone atmosphere of Gotham would, in fact, give it more of a gritty war zone sensation. However, it’s not only completely arbitrary but flat-out disingenuous to any premise laid down thus far.

If the episode felt bold with its general Gotham story decisions, it undoubtedly felt more empowered to make some bold character-specific moves. It could be compared to the brief allusions to a chess match between the Titans and Red Hood early in the season, except the Titans – and Jason Todd honestly – are making completely random moves without any rhyme or reason. Hence, this episode.

We can start with Dick, who is given the most attention as always. While he just suffered some head trauma and is having occasional visions of the bat symbol, he otherwise comes across as mentally competent. While sane as he might be, his character is not consistent in the slightest. If he’s seeing bats, that would suggest he’s probably leaning into the “bad Batman” route some more, and one would expect that it would lead him to be more dark and batty, quite frankly. Here, though, he’s just lukewarm at best and making terrible, selfish decisions without the added necessary mental components to make it believable or understandable. The hardest pill to swallow is his line, “Gotham is on its own.” I mean, come on. Even in a “baddest Batman” situation, Gotham is very much attended to.

Other characters can be looked at more briefly because the absurdity speaks entirely for itself. Blackfire somehow sustained a deadly gunshot wound through her Tamaranian armor. Starfire attempts to heal (really?) her with her fire, but her sister merely absorbed it and takes it from her. Moving past how all of that is bad, we are yet again at a space where Starfire’s character and powers are just wrecked. Shockingly, the admittedly evil and traitorous Blackfire appears to be following her passion. It might be worth harping on how this storyline has a negative amount of reasons to take place within the Gotham story. It’s hard to even care at times when it’s treated like it’s some mild sisterly squabble among the “real stuff”.

Donna and Lydia’s interactions were so unnecessary. Of course, the show feels the need to tie Donna’s just-came-back-from-the-dead issue in a very shoddy knot. But Lydia sneaking around in a potato sack outfit acting a bit crazed, the two “fighting” for four seconds in mystical woods only for Donna to be told she is the greatest of everyone just didn’t need to happen. Her arc within episode 9 was plenty enough to redeem and re-hype her character, and this only brought it down.

To end on a high note, the random never-before-seen police station GCPD officers/workers that gave Commissioner Gordon the rundown on the situation and advised her what to do actually provided some solid acting. While the (what felt like) 23 seconds of that scene at the very beginning go the episode left more to be desired, it was solid.

September 30, 2021
How ‘What If… ?’ Season 2 Can Fix the Series’ Biggest Flaw

With What If… ?’s season finale just around the corner, it’s a good time to look at the future of the series and where it can go from here. While the show has certainly given us what it promised – and arguably even more in cases like the Doctor Strange episode and the recent penultimate Ultron episode – but What If… ? hasn’t always stuck the landing. A leading cause for this is the restraints the series has received, whether by design or for practical reasons. Breaking free of these would take What If… ?‘s second season to another level.

What If… ? is a unique venture for Marvel Studios, so it certainly comes across at times as though the writers and producers were testing the waters rather than jumping straight into its full potential. Part of why they may have felt so restricted is the uncertainty around the debut of their first animated series that’s also their first exploration of the multiverse, and, on top of all of it, being canon to the rest of the MCU.

The creators likely did not have the full green light to go wild with the series from the start, as that arguably could have lost too many casual viewers. Those fans who are not particularly invested or knowledgeable in every facet of the universe could have felt lost or left out fairly easily. By easing us into familiar stories and using them as strong baselines for virtually every episode, it’s more accessible.

But these restraints can make it feel stale, too familiar, and not the greatest use of what the What If… ? concept has to offer. As always, “there was an idea” to explore universes beyond our own and expose us to theoretically unlimited situations. Situations that could not only provide meaningful additions to the MCU. Not just that, but also entertain viewers with new ways that characters and stories could be used to show off Marvel’s painstakingly-grown universe and honestly throw out some fan fiction-type bait. Hopefully, the series can grow into a much more complex set of storylines and themes apart from what can come across to some with Season 1 as sort of the bare minimum. There are obvious ways that What If… ?’s Season 2 can grow and evolve from the series’ debut.

The creators should move on from testing the waters and dive right into the deep end. With the multiverse at play, there is literally nothing stopping writers from going wherever they want. It doesn’t matter if it’s recognizable or entirely new. They can do away with their reliance on existing MCU movies as starting points, and simply start stories from scratch. Being able to tell stories beyond an audience’s wildest dreams is precisely the power the series can wield, particularly given its canonicity. It absolutely can be a franchise of its strength, but it needs to own it and strut it.

Season 1 held viewers’ hands through the concept and lightly introduced everyone to arguably one of Marvel Studios’ most ambitious and risky entries to date. We respect and thank you for that, What If… ? but even some of the more beginner viewers already now have a strong taste for what the series is giving them and what the series could be giving them. We’re ready to take off the training wheels and take a much more exhilarating ride with the series.

Lastly, What If… ? can distance itself from some of its technical or practical constraints and crutches. While this certainly falls into the categories above, it’s worth a mention. For starters, the half-hour runtime truly crams what essentially is a remix of two-hour films into thirty minutes. The episodes can undoubtedly feel rushed, and there can be wasted opportunities to dive into some interesting aspects in each universe that are often alluded to or just plain curious. The T’Challa Star-Lord episode benefited the most from being completely disconnected from any existing property outside of its initial pitch.

Moreover, it is unclear how important having the original live-action voices are to the making of the show. While it certainly helped with the training wheels, it arguably sacrifices the quality of the storylines and sub-plots when certain characters seem to be reintroduced in ways that don’t make the most sense within the context they are added to. Yet, there’s undoubtedly a “cool” aspect to bringing back well-known and even minor characters with the original actors in an animated adaptation. To be fair, it also adds to the series’ current overall practice of mixing and matching familiar elements into new(ish) stories. Still, breaking free from any dependence or preference on that to put the focus entirely on the stories themselves could prove valuable.

What If… ? has delivered a solid series thus far. While plenty of the episodes suffer from some of the restraints noted above, there were undoubtedly standout episodes that hinted at the series’ future ability and intention to go bigger and bolder. If Season 2, off the heels of what looks to be a promising Season 1 finale, can look to the vast open space of the multiverse and its endless possibilities as the future, while looking at its reliance on the pre-existing MCU as the past, the future of What If… ? could be breathtaking, wild, weird, and a blast.

September 29, 2021
REVIEW: ‘What If… Ultron Won?’ – Episode 8

What If… Ultron Won? is another lovingly dark episode that scoops up the scraps of the multiverse and the varied multiversal seeds the series has been planting throughout the season. While Ultron’s presence is certainly in the spotlight—and he’s definitely a class-act villain—he comes across as more of a vessel to tell the Watcher’s own story through. Impressively, Episode 8 manages to tell a two-pronged story throughout its short runtime.

First, it explores the classic What If… ? story of what would have happened on the sacred timeline had Ultron been able to assume Vision’s body. The result is that he is able to quickly laser Thanos in half, acquire all of the infinity stones, and destroy the entire universe piece by piece. He even takes on Captain Marvel, who once again returns as a wildly powerful being that can drive Ultron into the inner core of a planet but it’s not enough. It’s a story that the Watcher uncharacteristically states breaks his heart—which is somewhat interesting considering he also watched Strange Supreme destroy his entire universe for love and due to overwhelming grief. Either way, generally everything and everyone we would know from our universe is wiped out, and almost no hope remains.

But enter that sliver of hope: Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton as the last remaining heroes alive fighting Ultron and his sentries. The episode absolutely paints the two “lamest Avengers” as, frankly, pretty damn cool. Natasha is up to her usual skillset for the most part, but Clint really seems to get an upgrade. Apart from a metal arm, his archery skills are nearly perfect and his arrows are wild.

Still, Clint stands out as having a particularly human dark moment that hit even amongst the total universal destruction. He mentions throughout the episode that he feels tired and as though there’s no point in fighting anymore. While Natasha and the Watcher hold out hope—and hope appears to arrive in the form of Arnim Zola—Hawkeye eventually actually gives up because he no longer wants to fight. It’s a stunning shot of him leaping into a pit of sentries in an obvious nod to Natasha’s own death on Vormir in Endgame. Honestly, even if you hate dark episodes, you have to love it for its realistic take on post-apocalyptic life and human (or superhuman) imperfections. Despite the entire premise of this first layer of story being “hope survives”—a message we’ve encountered before in the series—this episode is a brutal but wise reminder that sometimes it dies.

The other side of the episode involves the Watcher more personally. While we have seen him somewhat more involved emotionally, we have never peered behind the curtain until now. The Watcher already toyed with interfering in Natasha’s and Clint’s affairs, but was able to stay out of it. But, when all seemed saved, Ultron gained the power to see beyond his own universe, recognize the multiverse, and find the Watcher.

The Ultron-Watcher showdown is a genuine spectacle of solid animated action and visual enhancement. At first, the Watcher was surprised that Ultron was able to see and locate him, but he also seemed scared. The turnaround into him being an incredibly powerful cosmic being was definitely rewarding, particularly considering that we have only seen him hovering around. Still, Ultron is ultimately the powerhouse he always should have been, and he ultimately defeats the Watcher with some bonkers moves like taking a Galactus-esque bite out of a galaxy.

Once the Ultron-Watcher battle starts, What If… ? really begins feels like the work it did in building the season piece by piece will pay off in a compelling and rewarding way, rather than just attending to fan service in exclusively one-off kernels of easter eggs and mini-stories. The two literally punched their way through numerous universes throughout the fight, with Ultron seemingly taking the wheel on most of it. And yes, we did see a universe where Steve Rogers becomes president.

The result was stunning—combine it with the visuals of where the Watcher resides amongst all the shards of time prisms, and we have a very different visual and spatial concept of the series and the multiverse itself. It’s much more Doctor Strange than any other comparison, but the unique elements at play (and the animation) certainly distinguish it from anything we’ve seen before. Any live-action adaption of this type of imagery and movement—looking at you, Multiverse of Madness—will likely be a sight to behold.

Speaking of Doctor Strange, the Watcher ends up in Strange Supreme’s tiny universe bubble we saw at the end of Episode 4. Luckily, the two have briefly met before, and there’s already a buddy-banter dynamic. Which does interestingly call into question Strange Supreme’s personality—he was certainly “Dark Strange” before, but he was fairly jolly here. Either way, he gets the Watcher to admit he needs to intervene and get help. While we know from teasers and trailers who many of these “Guardians of the Multiverse” will be, the finale will undoubtedly keep a few surprises or twists up its sleeve to finish the season strong.

The penultimate episode of What If… ? definitely delivered in terms of setting up a larger crossover that spans the entire season. Now that we’ve finally seen the Watcher in his fullest, we have a greater sense of how the multiverse comes together and how to view it on a macro-level rather than bit by bit as we have been doing. The episode certainly sets up an exciting finale and it is another strong take on dark themes that the series has toyed with so well in the past.

September 29, 2021
Stop Panicking: Breaking Down the Marvel Lawsuits

On Friday, news exploded that Marvel filed several lawsuits against the heirs of certain late comic book legends including Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Gene Colan in order to keep full control of major Avengers characters such as Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Falcon, Thor, and more. Misinformation and misunderstanding spread like wildfire, and headlines at times even suggested that these characters are at imminent risk of somehow being lost forever.

The internet, of course, immediately went up in arms at the thought that Marvel and Disney are on the cusp of losing iconic characters that we see daily in films, television, comics, toys, and everything in between. Some have even taken to social media to despair about how we are about to lose Spider-Man forever. There is good news—you can take a deep breath, and we’ll tell you why in our breakdown of the situation. If you take anything away from this let it be that the Avengers and friends are perfectly safe, but you should still probably care about what’s going on.

The Lawsuits

While Marvel’s lawsuits were filed yesterday, the dispute started well before then. The key point to understand is that Marvel has the right to use its comic book characters because the original creators of the characters—for example, Stan Lee—gave the company that right by allowing the publisher to have copyright protections for the property.

Having copyright protections allows Marvel to exclusively use a character. DC can’t just start using Iron Man and neither can Hyundai without the go-ahead from Marvel. Without the transfer of copyright protections to Marvel, the exclusive right to use these characters would have remained with the individual creators. Right now, these creators are simply asking for copyright rights back from Marvel.

Marvel’s lawsuits are asking a court to declare that the creators have no legal right to reclaim copyright protections in these characters from the company. If Marvel wins, essentially nothing will change in the way the company gets to use the property. Very importantly, if Marvel, or Disney, loses this battle, it does not “lose” the characters. Marvel would lose full ownership of the characters but it is expected that the company would share ownership of the property with the creators’ estates. So, Marvel would still retain some rights in the characters, but the multi-billion-dollar corporation would have to share profits with the creators as co-owners.

How Does It All Work?

Multiple creators have notified Marvel in the past few months that the company’s copyrights on certain characters are legally about to expire—this is known as copyright termination. In copyright law, copyright protections are only granted for a certain period of time. The point of this is so that creative works can eventually be used freely by the public after creators have a chance to make money off of them. The precise time limit has changed throughout the decades, but under the Copyright Act of 1976, the duration of copyright protection became 56 years. So, the comic book creators here in theory have the legal right to terminate Marvel’s current copyrights if they choose to within a five-year window after the company has held the copyrights for more than 56 years.

For example, in August, the administrator of Ditko’s estate filed a notice of termination on Spider-Man, who first appeared in comic book form in 1962. Using the 56-year time frame, that would mean the window for copyright termination began in 2018 and will finish five years later in 2023. This is why some are panicking at the thought of Marvel losing Spider-Man in a couple of years. But as noted above, win or lose the legal battle, Spider-Man is surely going nowhere.

The Characters Aren’t Going Anywhere

If you are rooting for Marvel being able to use its characters, the good news is that you will be happy at the end of this legal fight pretty much no matter what. If you’re starting to question whether or not it seems right that creators have so few if any rights to their creations, you will probably be disappointed, but the fact that this type of conversation is being amplified is incredibly important (more on that below).

This is not the first comic book copyright termination debacle. The heirs that are currently going head to head with Marvel are being represented by attorney Marc Toberoff, who famously represented Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster in an unsuccessful termination attempt against DC. Interestingly, at the time, DC was represented by Dan Petrocelli who is now representing Disney and Marvel in this case.

Toberoff more importantly also took on a case eerily similar to the one at hand which involved Marvel. In the early 2010s, the attorney represented the estate of comic book legend Jack Kirby to determine whether he could terminate a copyright grant on Spider-Man, X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, and The Mighty Thor. While it never reached the Supreme Court, the courts below held that Kirby’s heirs were out of luck because the former Marvel freelancer had contributed his materials as a “work made for hire.”

In terms of copyright law, a work made for hire is a work—in this case, a character—that was created by an employee as part of their job. Considering that these creators generally were employed or had some working relationship with the publishers of the comic books that their characters found their way into, it seems like an easy fit. It’s not always that simple—however, Marvel has another trick up its sleeve.

Marvel will surely rely on their use of the “Marvel Method,” which was an in-house collaborative effort between writers and artists. Writers would discuss baseline ideas with artists being responsible for the more essential details. Importantly, if you believe in the Marvel Method, all of these classic characters currently up for termination were in theory created through this collaborative process using Marvel personnel and resources.

The simplest way of understanding the outcome is recognizing that Marvel has a very strong argument that all of these characters were created for Marvel. If a court finds that to be the case, the company will not lose its copyright protections. As explained, legal precedent is also on Marvel’s side. Disney also has a passion for settling legal disputes out of court—these creators might simply be paid off, to put it bluntly. The real question is whether or not we should want the current precedent to change.

It’s All About How Creators Are Treated

So now that we’re all on the same page that Spidey and friends aren’t about to disappear, do these lawsuits actually matter? The answer depends entirely on what you think the original creators of these iconic characters deserve all these decades later. Not only that, but it depends on what you think current and future creators should be owed.

It’s well known that Disney does not pay much at all to original creators even in light of the extreme financial success of their characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, among other channels. Earlier this year, former Captain America writer and Winter Solider co-creator Ed Brubaker spoke out about the lack of recognition and credit he and other creators receive in light of the big- and small-screen success of properties such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Whatever your viewpoints on employment, corporations, or law are, it’s undeniable how purely unfair it seems for a creator of Spider-Man, for example, to receive little if any meaningful compensation for their work that became a multi-billion-dollar franchise. While processes such as the “Marvel Method” might be great for business, they can also create an environment where the worker, writer, or artist is taken advantage of and credit is simply not given where credit is due.

While this flurry of lawsuits will likely have little to no impact on how companies like Marvel control their copyright-protected properties, it does yet again reignite dialogue surrounding how creators are treated and compensated. The legal strategy being taken by the estates and heirs of legendary creators is not favored to win by a long shot, but perhaps incessantly knocking on Marvel’s and Disney’s door is the way forward.

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, The Direct

September 25, 2021
Marvel Files Lawsuit Against Heirs of Classic Comic Creators

Marvel filed multiple lawsuits today in an effort to keep its rights to iconic Avengers characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Falcon, and more.

While it is easy to assume that these classic Marvel characters are actually owned by the company, surprisingly that is not the case. The original owners of the characters were the actual creators themselves, such as legendary comic book creators and writers Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Gene Colan, until they gave up the copyright. Back in the day, it was a much easier discussion to give these character rights up simply because there was no big TV, film, or video game adaptation of it. Now that billions are being made from their creations, it’s a whole different discussion.

Marvel holds its current rights to characters like Iron Man through copyright protections. Essentially, holding the copyright in the character means that Marvel is the only entity that can legally use Iron Man in comics, movies, advertisements, products, and more.

Under copyright law, the original creator can reclaim rights to her character after a certain period of time has passed. Last month, Ditko’s estate filed to terminate Marvel’s copyright on Spider-Man, who first appeared in comic book form in 1962. According to Ditko’s estate, the law requires that Marvel’s copyright end in June of 2023. While the idea of Marvel losing Spider-Man in less than two years is terrifying, Ditko’s estate’s claim most likely will not be successful.

Marvel is countering Ditko’s estate’s claim and preemptively acting to protect its rights to other characters. Marvel filed five lawsuits today, asking a court to declare that these characters on the chopping block are ineligible for copyright termination because they are “works made for hire”. A work made for hire is a work–in this case, a character–that was created by an employee as part of their job. Certainly, Marvel employees creating characters for Marvel comic books arguably falls under this definition.

History is on Marvel’s side as well. In 2013, comics legend Jack Kirby’s estate tried to terminate Marvel’s copyright on Spider-Man, X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, and the Mighty Thor. The court held that Kirby’s estate could not reclaim its rights from Marvel precisely because the Marvel freelancer had contributed these characters as works made for hire.

In any event, the ongoing lawsuits certainly highlight tensions between powerful billion-dollar companies like Marvel and the creators who made these companies what they are. If Marvel does happen to lose against these creators and their estates, it and its parent company Disney would be forced to let ownership of characters worth billions go. Still, it is incredibly hard to mentally or emotionally separate these iconic and beloved characters form Marvel, and the idea of them at a new home is hard to imagine.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

September 24, 2021
HBO Max Developing a Three-Part Documentary on DC’s Legacy

It looks like HBO Max will be putting the spotlight on DC Comics’ rich history and influential legacy as part of a three-part documentary series. Oscar and Emmy-nominated director, and producer, Leslie Iwerks, will act as showrunner alongside Greg Berlanti. It’ll explore the early years of the company and how it evolved into the comic book giant we know today.

HBO Max is no stranger to DC, as the streaming service already features a number of titles including Doom Patrol, Titans, and the upcoming Peacemaker series. All that is in additional to working closely with Warner Bros. films. With comics assets as popular as they have become, it makes sense that DC would want to celebrate its successes and relive some of the world’s most beloved characters and stories. Jim Lee, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer at DC told Deadline:

DC has a rich legacy of over 80 years of iconic storytelling: from the introduction of the genre defining Super Hero Superman in 1938 to the amazing movies, TV shows, cartoons, games and comics which have been synonymous with superheroism for generations thereafter. We are so excited to dive into this history and bring fans along this amazing journey,
Jim Lee

Iwerks previously received an Outstanding Nonfiction Special Emmy nomination for her work on The Pixar Story, a documentary that took audiences behind the scenes of the the animation legend. She will exeuctive produce with Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and David Madden. Co-executive producers are Mark Catalena, Rachael Jerahian, and Jonathan Gabay. The series will be co-directed by Iwerks alongside Catalena.

Source: Deadline

September 23, 2021
REVIEW: ‘TITANS’ Season 3 Episode 9 – Souls

Episode 9 of this season of Titans is extremely baffling. On one hand, it makes no sense at all and feels completely out of place. Combine that with how corny and ridiculous it is this episode should have been a write-off. But yet, like its main characters, it manages to keep itself alive and be one of the most enjoyable rides of the entire series.

The episode finds our main three (dead) characters—Tim Drake, Donna Troy, and Hank Hall—in the black-and-white area of the afterlife where they are supposed to be on a literal train that takes them to the “final place.” Inexplicably, Tim and Donna are on the train at the same time but jump off the train because Tim desperately wants to be alive. Outside of the train, there is an entire rural outskirts-of-a-small-town type of area that generally consists of wooded areas and a road. There, they happen to run into none other than ‘Livin’ On a Prayer’-blasting Hank Hall, who is some sort of purgatory outlaw. There’s plenty more that can be mentioned, but the concept is outright nonsensical and absolutely does not match the universe in which Titans has been placed. The premise comes off as one that could better belong in Doom Patrol. Maybe that’s why it was so much more fun to experience, but in the context of Titans it is downright bewildering, even apart from the extremely contrived and illogical circumstances of absolutely everything that happens in the black-and-white place.

As mentioned, though, the episode is quite the dark horse, and the mini-adventure our three heroes go on throughout the episode was genuinely enjoyable and only partly because of its “so bad it’s good” quality. The three main characters, arguably all very much side characters in the world of the living, had the best chemistry and presence of any characters this season. Hank and Donna easily outdid their previous incantations and newcomer Jay Lycurgo’s Tim was stellar in the limelight this episode. Alan Ritchson’s Hank, alone and sans obligatory Dawn, was the charming and entertaining character he always had the potential to be. Even Conor Leslie’s Donna, who previously always felt flat, had substantially more color (ironically) to her personality and presence and was much more compelling than the character who died last season. The dynamic between the three was solid and the episode brought some humor to the land of death. Donna’s acknowledgment and resentment of dying at a carnival was appreciated dark humor and even a recognition of where at least one creative choice Titans made went wrong.

Out in the colorful regular world, Rachel Roth is living with the Amazonians in Themyscira, wanting to bring Donna back to life. The idea that Rachel was able to simply decide to go to Themyscira and then live and train there as one of them is ridiculous. That aside, the character was both still annoyingly juvenile in blatantly disrespectful of the Amazonian culture at every possible moment, but seemed to have some sort of growth when she was, essentially, put in time out. Hopefully, her time here off-screen will be used as an excuse for her having better control of her powers going forward and make her less of a constant liability to the Titans. She did provide a lovely admission that the Titans never actually did much work when she was with them.

While, as depicted, Donna and Tim seem to be able to simply will themselves back to life, it’s unclear if there is more behind their ability to do so. Hank didn’t make it over the bridge, however, one has to wonder what body he would have woken up as he previously exploded. Hank not returning made the most sense and at least gave some additional finality to that emotional arc, including a sweet reunion with his brother. Bringing any character back to life, especially so soon after their death, cheapens and lowers too many stakes, but Donna’s revival was entirely foreshadowed and Tim was too new and clearly significant to actually be removed from the story.

Donna’s first course of business upon being reanimated after months was, for some completely unknown and likely absurd reason, to rescue Bruce Wayne from suicide by fire. Yes, Bruce has returned to the screen, and apparently, he is still generally deranged. He dramatically finalized a last will and testament and then set his castle on fire with him in it. At this point, the question still remains why Titans has such a Bruce Wayne complex and why we need to keep caring considering we have been told or shown time and time and time and time again that he is terrible.

Episode 9 still deserves a toast—despite being dealt a hand that should never be able to win, it managed to make the most of it. The premise and context of it all made less than zero sense and had no place in the currently established Titans universe, its story devices were lazy and corny, but it entertained like no other. So, here’s to this episode—and the viewer—having some fun.

September 23, 2021
Joshua Collins Cast in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

Details about Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are still scarce ahead of its February 17, 2023 release date. Filming began in early 2021 and is expected to continue into 2022, but we may have learned another kernel of information about the cast.

According to his Spotlight profile, actor Joshua Collins is set to play a character named “Derrick” in the film. Collins is a British-American actor known for roles in movies What’s Love Got To Do With It (2021) and Against the Law (2016) among others.

Collins’ role as Derrick is presumably small, but time with tell how he will stack up next to Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, and Johnathon Majors whose Kang the Conquerer is set to make his film debut in Quantumania.

Source: Spotlight

September 23, 2021
REVIEW: ‘Doom Patrol’ Season 3 Episodes 1-3

The premiere of Season 3 of Doom Patrol picks up right after the cliffhanger that was the pandemic-induced Season 2 finale. While all still seems lost for the briefest moment, Dorothy quickly regains control of the Candlemaker by putting it in a sort of timeout “as long as it takes for us to be friends again.” It’s a quirky, maybe sweet, way to look at the relationship between the apocalypse and a hundred-year-old “little girl,” but the episode makes quick work of that entire arc. It feels too easy after all this time, but the series was probably just ready to move on. With Niles apparently dead, the characters and the viewers are also supposed to move on, but the next couple of episodes promise that he will continue to linger around for a bit.

If Episode 1 does anything, it really goes character by character to remind us of where exactly they were literally and mentally the last time we saw them and sturdily place them on a new track. There’s definitely a lot going on, but arguably it’s a reflection of all the stuff going through the characters’ heads in light of their complex and contradictory feelings about the Chief’s death. Cliff is still resentful that his metal body is pretty terrible, but now his human brain seems to be letting him down, possibly with Parkinson’s. The Negative Spirit is taking Larry to space (for a very brief moment). Vic is dealing with the aftermath of his relationship with Roni, making it worse for himself by letting her get away with another crime. But Jane and Rita really do the most work.

Jane’s story picks up in the Well right where we left her last season. She rescues Harry the stuffed lamb and her and the other personalities band together to take on “Miranda,” aka the manifestation of Kay’s psychological trauma, to make it to the surface the very moment “Miranda” steps off the real-world table to hang herself (themselves?). It’s an intense, but short, moment—it definitely sets the stage for Jane to change in some way having been affected by all of that journey built by Season 2. Her relationship with Kay is clearly different, and she seems much more tuned in to Kay than she ever was before. These first few episodes make it clear that Kay is starting to grow and is even trying to take care of Jane, rather than the other way around. The series’ ability to keep Jane’s narrative so high quality and long-running is insane. The very literal depiction of trauma manifesting in someone is pretty stunning. Even though they make Jane/Kay’s mind so supernatural, it honestly might be the most real and grounded part of the series if you cut back on taking it literally.

Rita’s moments are less dramatic but certainly the most integral to the burgeoning plot. The episode makes an effort to tell us that the characters have a very messy grieving period to mush through with Niles’ death, but Rita represents this the most. As she tells Larry, “our relationship to the Chief was complex, I wouldn’t expect our reaction to his death to be anything but.” Coupled with her breakdown at community theatre rehearsal, she truly portrays this aspect the best by far. She discovers that Niles left her a key to a “secret”, which turns out to be an alarm for some sort of danger. Rita outright ignores the call to heroism, and her journey there is put in focus and set up for future episodes. Her general identity crisis that follows literally leaves her as a puddle that has to be carried around in a sack.

The alarm turns out to be a woman who does not reveal anything about herself arriving in some time travel/underground drill machine. While it’s only practical to assume that she will be a significant villain called Madame Rouge, here she’s incredibly goofy, but her demeanor is just serious enough that she keeps some facets of threatening. The fact that she shape-shifts sets up countless potential snags for our heroes and may curiously tie into Rita’s own abilities.

Episode 2 sees the group take an uncomfortable vacation to a ghost town of a resort. The Brotherhood of Evil, along with the Brain and Monsieur Mallah, is briefly introduced, and we mostly get acquainted with Garguax, who was hired by the Brotherhood to assassinate a target that looks like Rita. After decades of no luck, he gives up and lives in peace at the same resort. When he and our main characters come face to face, the awkward banquet hall scene is both hilarious and meaningful concerning how the group talks to Garguax as well as how they talk amongst and about themselves. Vic is dead set on taking on obvious supervillains, while the rest of the group is adamant that they are not a super team.

While Episode 2 was great in a very laid-back and comforting way, it also ended with them all being killed by Garguax’s still-eager henchman. Episode 3 is an absolute delight with the group navigating the afterlife. While Cliff, Vic, and Jane/Kay all visit family members, Rita is somehow still conscious and instead visits her ongoing self-identity problem once more: “He [Niles] literally handed me my destiny and I went on vacation.” The main players in the episode, though, are the Dead Boy Detectives who agree to help Dorothy and Larry bring back the rest of the team before they are truly, fully dead. Charles and Edwin, played by Sebastian Croft and Ty Tennant respectively, are delightful. After watching Episode 3, it is not all that surprising that ‘Dead Boy Detectives’ got an HBO Max pilot order. Add them to Larry’s mental breakdown and you’ve got a solid concoction.

Overall, one of the biggest concerns is how separate the heroes’ plot lines seem to have gotten last season Episodes 1 through 3 fluctuate on that. Doom Patrol generally does best when the characters are all very scrubbed together on shared absurd terrain. Episode 1 still felt too separated, but Episodes 2 and 3 represent the series’ skill at creating isolated adventures within kooky and fun newly-built worlds. It’s reminiscent of earlier Season 1 Doom Patrol where the group is placed in random situations with each other non-stop while the details of the story are driven by their own actions and personalities in contrast to the wild components happening around them. The first three episodes of the series are certainly promising for a fulfilling third season. Seeing where Madame Rouge and the Brotherhood of Evil take the villainous element from here will be integral, but the opening of Season 3 suggests that our team still has the knack for its classic, dark, absurd, and hysterical exploits.

September 23, 2021
REVIEW: ‘What If… Thor Were an Only Child?’ – Episode 7

The most recent episode of What If… ? is certainly the most casual and light episode to date which is sure to please the select group of fans who have been complaining that the episodes have consistently been overly tragic. Exploring Thor and Midgard’s fate had he not grown up with Loki as a brother ends up as a fun romp with little more to offer outside of its own bubble…until that phenomenal ending.

Turns out, having Loki as his adopted brother was the element that prevents Thor from becoming the aptly nicknamed “Party Thor”, or a full-on raging frat bro throwing wild and destructive parties across the cosmos. Not only has Thor himself been remixed, but his influence seems to have spread across the Nine Realms and beyond, as countless other major and minor characters make appearances at these legendary parties as party animals in their own right.

This episode is notable for having virtually all of its characters voiced by the original actors, though there are too many to specifically mention. Chris Hemsworth’s Thor feels like the Thor: Ragnarok version of the character, but with some added frat boy persona and devoid of any semblance of seriousness or responsibility. Ironically, Loki taking the Jotunheim throne still has the two ending up as “brothers from another mother.” He becomes the most laidback and seemingly least motivated with glorious purpose iteration of the character the MCU has given us. Tom Hiddleston’s performance is integral to pulling it off.

Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster is arguably the main character of the episode as her actions drive the plot. Thor and Jane Foster’s kindling romance is highlighted throughout the episode, but it’s her ultimate resolve to stop the alien invasion from destroying the planet that truly pulls the strings with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s involvement. Kat Dennings’ Darcy is true to character and the voice work is perfectly corny to match her. Seth Green’s Howard the Duck’s three-ish lines landed so well that they are some of the most memorable lines of the entire episode.

The result is a quirky alien invasion story that sees S.H.I.E.L.D. under the acting leadership of Maria Hill – due to Fury being incapacitated from a Korg party foul – responding to the very real threat of Thor’s planetary party destroying many parts of Earth, if not the entire planet. This is the vessel through which Alexandra Daniels’ Captain Marvel makes her true debut in What If… ? (apart from her very brief cameo in Episode 3). From this, we get epic showdowns between powerhouse Carol Danvers and the God of Thunder. The two are a solid duo and the matchup is no doubt another example of the series having fun with which characters they would want to see go up against one another.

Still, the plot is ultimately a classic teenager throws a party while parents are out of town, then finds out mom is coming home, and frantically tries to clean up the mess. Of course, said teenager somehow succeeds at the very last minute. Frigga still figures out that Thor was not studying as part of cultural exchange, but nevertheless, the classic comedy trope is all over this episode.

At the end of the day, Episode 7 is arguably a throwaway episode but not necessarily in a bad way. The writers and actors clearly had fun with it, and it was a lighthearted as well as a rose-colored view of what alternate timelines can provide. It also took incredible advantage of the talent available to create a melting pot of MCU characters in the form of a big party. Even Nebula needs a night to drink her family issues away.

The Watcher goes out of his way to acknowledge that this timeline’s story is an example of a simple happy ending. That is, until, the exciting final few seconds that feel like a classic post-credits scene setting up the “big bad” for an eventual crossover showdown. Here, we see what appears to be Vision as Ultron with a sentry army coming through some type of portal. Not just that, he also seems to possess all six Infinity Stones.

Almost certainly, this is something the Watcher might feel the need to address sooner rather than later considering that he seems to be completely caught off guard at Vision-Ultron’s arrival. Also, there are only two episodes left in this season. Given what What If… ? has either already provided or teased it can provide, a culmination of the entire season into an overarching crux will surely, and hopefully, be something worth waiting for.

September 22, 2021