Category: Features

Theory Thursday: Doctor Strange’s Role in ‘SPIDER-MAN 3’

Just a few moments from when I started writing this post, it’s been confirmed that Benedict Cumberbatch is set to appear in the upcoming “Spider-Man 3” film. Doctor Strange’s involvement in this film, for the meantime, remains unclear, though it certainly isn’t hard for one to speculate what his casting in this film means. And with the timing and direction that Marvel wants to take Phase 4 for, his involvement is certainly no mistake. So, in honor of the Superhero Theorist motto, we’re going to discuss the possibilities of the role the Master of the Mystic Arts could have in this film, starting with the main question on everyone’s mind.

A. The Multiverse

Right now, probably the biggest question on everybody’s mind is if Spider-Man 3 is setting itself up to be a Spider-Verse film, and rightly so, this needs to be addressed. Up until a few hours ago, if you would have asked me, I would have said no. But with every news confirmation that keeps coming out, it’s becoming more and more apparent that there is a possibility we might see a Multiverse plotline play out in this film. Considering this film is set after the events of WandaVision, and that the events of the show will transcend its own boundaries and affect the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, there is a massive possibility that Spider-Man may have to face the aftermath of Wanda’s “reality-altering” powers.

But how does Strange fit into all of this? Well, we know from the Marvel Studios panel last year at SDCC that the next Doctor Strange sequel in 2022 will have the Master of the Mystic Arts delve into the Multiverse of Madness, so we know that the Multiverse is the direction that Marvel Studios is aiming for. And by having Doctor Strange appear in the upcoming Spider-Man film before his own titular appearance, it’s entirely possible that Doctor Strange will attempt to help Peter in handling the conflicts that Spidey faces on the more multiverse front.

We already know that Jamie Foxx is set to return as Electro for Spider-Man 3 and that while he has confirmed he “won’t be blue in this one”, it is becoming more and more possible that Marvel is trying to incorporate the same actors to portray different iterations of the characters they were originally cast as. The perfect example of this was JK Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson during the post-credit scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). Simmons had already portrayed Jameson before during the Spider-Man trilogy directed by Sam Raimi, but he gave a different portrayal of the character for the MCU. It could be entirely possible that, as I mentioned in my Phase 4 theory, the lines between universes become blurred when the events of WandaVision take place, causing universes to merge into one another and introduce characters that we have never seen before in the MCU until now. From Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s own interpretations of the web-slinger, Kirsten Dunst’s “Mary Jane”, Alfred Molina’s “Doc Ock”, Williem Dafoe’s “Green Goblin” to Emma Stone’s “Gwen Stacy”, Rhys Ifans “The Lizard”, & Dane DeHaan’s “Harry Osborn”, the Spider-Man franchise has had its fair share of web-slingers, love-interests, and villains for many years across many forms of media. So if Jamie Foxx and JK Simmons can return as Electro and J. Jonah Jameson respectively, what’s to stop other characters from possibly joining the fray?

B. He’s the mentor figure in this Spider-Man film

Tony Stark in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Nick Fury in Spider-Man: Far From Home.

As fellow writer John Sabato mentioned in his piece earlier today, Doctor Strange “may fill the mentor role that was once filled by Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark (in Spider-Man: Homecoming), and then by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury (in Spider-Man: Far From Home). Considering the relationship these two characters have had in the comics (and their relationship off-screen in interviews), it isn’t necessarily hard to picture Doctor Strange acting as a sort of mentor (or ward as Strange would put it) and watch over Spider-Man as both Stark and Fury did in the previous films.

C. He might cameo in the film and help move the plot forward like in “Thor: Ragnarok”.

Thor in Thor: Ragnarok.

Now, another possibility is that he might come to Spider-Man’s aid in a similar fashion to how he aided Thor in Thor: Ragnarok. He may present himself in the form of a cameo, where he might come to Spider-Man’s help in his time of need and may require some sort of magical assistance to either face of an enemy threat or simply deal with the plot thread of his identity being revealed to the world and may require Strange to wipe everyone’s mind.

Whatever the case it may be, it’s becoming apparent that with Doctor Strange being involved in this film, things are about to get more mystic and weird in ways that we can’t possibly imagine. Who knows? We might be one step closer to seeing this become a reality one day.

October 8, 2020
Marvel Studios ‘BLACK WIDOW’: Who is Taskmaster?

As Marvel Studios has once again postponed Black Widow‘s release, it gives us some time to brush up on our comic history. The film will focus on Natasha Romanoff’s history with the Red Room. It is a top-secret Soviet institute that turned young women into elite assassins. Of course, Natasha was once a member before joining S.H.I.E.L.D. at an unknown point. The upcoming film will dive deep into the various characters from her past who all may have deep ties with the secret organization. So, let’s use this opportunity to dive deep into the various characters in 400 words or less.

Taskmaster, or Tony Masters, first appeared in The Avengers #195 in 1980. David Michelinie and George Pérez. He was introduced as the head honcho of the Solomon Institute. He even had to take on Ant-Man, Yellowjacket, and Wasp at the same time in that very issue. While he initially was portrayed as a villain, the character is more of an anti-hero. Masters is well-known for his ability to mimic other people’s movements. As such, he works as a mercenary and combat instructor. He specialized in training goons but has also trained various superheroes for the government including U.S. Agent. He even franchised his academies before they got shut down by the Avengers. Of course, he is also quite infamous for his work as a mercenary. He was signed on to kill many Marvel icons like Moon Knight or Spider-Man.

The character has seen a resurgence in popularity. He was featured in PlayStation’s Spider-Man with a unique storyline. Masters also is one of the main causes of A-Day in Marvel’s Avengers game. We still do not know who will be playing the role in Black Widow. They have teased that he will return to stealing other’s movements by replicating moves of Black Panther, Captain America, and, of course, Black Widow. It was not confirmed if this character will be Tony Masters or a new interpretation of the character. His involvement in the film would tie him to the Red Room in some capacity. In the comics, he has no obvious connection to the institute. There is the theory that his function as an instructor might be the inspiration, as we get the tease of a new generation of Black Widows. We will see which version we will get when it is released in May 2021.

October 8, 2020
Marvel Studios ‘ETERNALS’: Who is Sprite?

With the Infinity Saga coming to a close, Marvel Studios is preparing to launch into an all-new, all-different era beginning with Phase 4. While several properties are going to serve as deeper dives into already established characters and worlds, Eternals is going to introduce new characters and change what we think we know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Eternals were born in the mind of Jack Kiby as Marvel Comics “ancient aliens”: beings of immense power who had protected Earth since the beginning of time. Over the course of history, the Eternals and their enemies, the Deviants, worked their way into the religions and mythologies of many cultures gods and monsters, angels and devils and heroes and villains. Marvel Studios will certainly put their own spin on the characters, but we can still take an opportunity to get to know them here…in 400 words or less!

Despite his child-like appearance, Sprite is thousands of years old and the inworld inspiration behind William Shakespeare’s mischievous A Midsummer Night’s Dream prankster, Puck. The ageless Eternal has spent much of his time on Earth developing his illusion casting skills to the point where they rival those of fellow Eternal Sersi. While he typically uses them to play pranks on humans, Sprite’s biggest “prank” was forcing the Eternals to forget who they were and strip them of their powers as his revenge for them treating him like a child. That prank turned out to be his last as he was killed by Zuras as punishment for the near world-ending catastrophe his subsequent actions caused.

Concept art of Lia McHugh as Sprite, 5th from right

Marvel Studios has cast newcomer Lia McHugh as the Eternals Peter Pan analogue and to this point we have heard very little about what role Sprite will play in the film. Given the relative lack of source material for the character, there are only a few possible options, one being described above while another option would tie into the original Kirby series as see Sprite free Gilgamesh from his captivity in a move that helped save the day. Whatever the case, be prepared for all kinds of mischief when Eternals hits theaters in November of 2021.

October 6, 2020
‘She-Hulk’ Could Introduce Hulk’s Greatest Enemy: His Father

Just today, The Direct revealed that a 10-year old Bruce Banner is being cast for She-Hulk. At face value, it’s something we could’ve guessed given that they are cousins. It wouldn’t be too hard to imagine some minor flashback sequence between the two. Yet, once you start thinking about it, this is Marvel’s chance to tell a Hulk-centric story since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. That film skipped through his origin and creation. We get scenes reminisced of the original 1978′ The Incredible Hulk TV show, but it didn’t spend much time on Banner. The MCU was mainly focused on his relationship with the Hulk. We never truly spent a lot of time with Banner before he was facing his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde scenario. Well, if the casting rumor is true, we might get

Throughout the MCU, Banner never much talked about his family history. We have seen this story told in the original Hulk film by Ang Lee. The 2003 film focused on Bruce’s relationship with his father David Banner, who started his experiment in gamma radiation. He isn’t the father of the year, as he believes Bruce owes him for putting him in this world. This ends up becoming his obsession by stealing Bruce’s ability before transforming into Zzzax.

In the comics, his father’s name was Brian. Sadly, the comics did not share a happier story for the Banners. He was quite abusive towards his son, as he believed his family had a “monster gene”. His work in nuclear energy drove him to alcoholism. He even swore never to have children but, of course, broke that when Bruce was born. He neglected him believing he shared the same monster gene, which he felt confirmed when Bruce showed a hyper-intelligence. It all led to the moment that Bruce had to witness his father kill his mother. These moments were what would truly shape the rage monster that he was holding within.

It’s a very dark story that was never delved into within the MCU. The recent news might be a small inkling of how we may uncover why rage is what fuels the Hulk. We might get to meet Brian and his mother, Rebecca. She-Hulk‘s protagonist Jennifer Walters is his cousin on his father’s side. We don’t know how close they are since he was on the run for most of his life after the transformation. He may have tried to get back in contact with her since he joined the Avengers. This forced him to face his past, which will be at the center of the story.

Jennifer’s introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be a jumping-on point in exploring more of Banner’s past and his relationship with his family. It opens up the question if we will get the introduction of Brian, who in the comics even transformed into a Hulk-like monster during the Chaos War storyline. Whatever they may have planned, it’s looking like Bruce will have to face his past one way or another.

Source: The Direct

October 5, 2020
Marvel’s 10 Most Terrifying Horror Characters

It’s October and that means it’s time for monsters, ghosts and all time of spooky stuff to get their just due. For me, that means taking some time to celebrate some of Marvel’s most terrifying characters and, as an additional bit of fun, compare their Magnitude of Terror to some of my favorite horror films.

Avi Arad

Much of modern horror cinema relies on the main character making a series of terrible decisions that everyone else in the audience can see coming. Nobody related to Marvel has done a better job of tapping into this mojo than Avi. He’s fortunate enough to have his name attached to films like Iron Man and Into the Spider-Verse and some of Marvel’s best animated series, but his real legacy will always be his inability to strike gold with Marvel’s most popular character (Spider-Man) in the midst of the great comic book movie renaissance of the 2010s. His struggles led to everyone’s gain, however, when Sony struck a deal with Marvel Studios to help produce Spidey flicks but it also emboldened him to go off and make whole new series of horrifying decisions like trying to make an Aunt May spy thriller.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Shining. Much like the Overlook Hotel, too much time around Avi will drive you completely insane making you capable of unimaginable atrocities.

Blade

Marvel Comics didn’t invent the vampire but Marv Wolfman certainly came up with something spectacular when he thought up Blade. I don’t know enough about the entire history of vampire literature to know if Wolfman invented the idea of the Daywalker or if he was just smart enough to borrow it and incorporate it into Eric Brooks’ story but I do know it made for one of hell of a character. A daywalking vamp that lives to kill vamps and starred in what stands up as one of my favorite Marvel films to this day, Blade has shared the page with big timers like Spidey, Doctor Strange and the Avengers without ever really seeing an incredibly popular solo series. With a Mahershala Ali led reboot/retcon on deck, the character is about to get another chance to bite into the mainstream market.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Lost Boys. Frenetic and fully immersed in the terrifying world of vampires but somehow appealing enough to lure you in, Blade absolutely deserves his place on this list.

Dracula

Of all the classic horror characters adapted by Marvel Comics over the years, Dracula has been used to the greatest effect since Gerry Conway brought him into the universe in 1972’s Tomb of Dracula. In addition to having a handful of other great Marvel characters introduced in his comic (Blade among them) Drac has had some legendary run ins with the X-Men and the Avengers. The transition from the blood thirsty monster of folklore to the calculating, scheming power player he’s become in universe has only added to the character’s legacy and h

e’s back again in Ben Percy’s current Wolverine run proving that much like the legend says, he never dies.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Silence of the Lambs. Equal parts intellectual, insidious and iniquitous, Marvel’s Drac can get into your head or your throat with ease. As we all sit around and wonder who the MCU’s next “big bad” is, it’s hard to imagine there won’t be more than one and that Dracula could fill the role of one of them in the future.

Elsa Bloodstone

The most underrated character on this list, Elsa Bloodstone is Marvel Comics’ version of Buffy the Vampire on steroids. The daughter of the immortal monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone, Elsa burst out of the mind of Dan Abnett and onto the pages of the comics in 2001 and has, sadly, been an all too infrequent flyer since; however, she’s always made a big impact on me when she’s been on page and seems incredibly well-suited to find her way into the MCU. Say what you will, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a tremendous success in the late 90s and a Bloodstone series would be straight fire on Disney Plus in the 2020s.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: 28 Days Later/Zombieland. Rude, irreverent and deconstructionist, Elsa IS the next generation of Marvel horror even if you don’t know it yet. Like 28 Days Later, Elsa’s story changes the pace of the genre (monster hunter, not zombie, in this case) and produces an underappreciated gem.

Hulk

When the Hulk first hit the pages of Marvel Comics in 1962, he did so as Stan Lee’s amalgamation of two great horror icons (okay, maybe three): Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde and Frankenstein’s monster. Lee thought the idea of a giant monster who was actually a hero was a winner and the first couple of decades worth of stories explored the duality of Banner and his jade-jawed alter (that duality has since expanded significantly into something harder to desribe) who took over once the sun went down. For quite some time those aspects of the Hulk took a backseat as other creators took over and took the character down other different but often interesting paths (the Maestro says hello), but now Al Ewing has brilliantly brought the character back to his roots while finding ways to expand his mythology along the way.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Fly (1986). Jeff Goldblum’s Seth Brundle has at least some commonality with Bruce Banner and the Brudlefly and Hulk certainly both have a problem with controlling their primal urges. Of course there’s not a perfect parallel between the two, but the idea of a science experiment going wrong and creating an unimaginable beast who loses control line up and and put them among one of mankind’s most commonly explored themes: the duality of man and the “beast” within us all.

Johnny Blaze

Cursed from birth, Johnny Blaze’s early life story was horrific enough before he made a deal with the devil (Mephisto) to save the soul of his foster father. Through his deal, Blaze became bonded with the demon, Zarathos, the Spirit of Vengeance, transforming him into the Ghost Rider each night. It’s hard for me to think of a Marvel Comics series that deals more directly with the horror concepts of Hell, the devil and the evil of men than Ghost Rider. Of course there have been several other Riders throughout the years, but Blaze stands out not only as the original but as the archetypal innocent whose life was forfeit through no fault of his own. Now the King of Hell, Blaze has changed a lot through the years but he’s arguably one of Marvel’s most iconic characters and has dealt with all manner of demons, witches, magic and the like.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Johnny’s soul was a bit more pure than Vlad’s when he struck his deal with the devil but they both remain men cursed to be monsters by night because they made deals to save the souls of people they loved. While Dracula himself feeds off the blood of others, Johnny’s bonded to a demon who feeds on the souls of sinners and stands as one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe.

Magik

At first glance you might not think that Ilyana Rasputin belongs on this list but a deeper look into her character reveals someone who has gone through Hell. The mutant sister of one the X-Man Colossus, Ilyana’s mutation gifted her the ability to teleport but that’s about the most boring thing about her. As a child, she was taken to the dimension of Limbo by the demon Belasco gained power while he corrupted her soul. Though she initially escaped, Belasco found a way to bring her back which eventually led to her transformation into the demonic Darkchilde and her ascending to the throne as the Demon Queen of Limbo. Also a powerful sorceress, Magik has teamed up with Doctor Strange and other mystics over the years to take on some formidable threats.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Babadook

Magik’s childhood trauma would rip the soul from any of us but ‘Yana, with some help from her friends and family, found a way to pull through and become stronger even learning to use her own life force to create her formidable magic blade, the Soulsword. Magik, for the most part, has learned to control the monsters that sought to use her and has become one of the X-Men’s most fierce warriors.

Man-Thing

“Whoever knows fear burns at the touch of the Man-Thing!” A terrifying creature created from the minds of Marvel legends like Stan Lee, Steve Gerber, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway and Gray Morrow, the Man-Thing is another victim of a science experiment gone wrong. The man that was Ted Sallis became the Man-Thing after working on, among other things, a new version of the Super Solider serum that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America. Though he survived an attack by A.I.M. on his lab, Sallis crashed into a swamp where the combination of the serum he injected into himself and the mystical properties of the swamp (it was later revealed to be the Nexus of All-Realities) collaborated to turn him into the monstrous Man-Thing. The original Man-Things stories saw the creature take on the role of hero by accident as criminals often found themselves up to no good in his swamp. Drawn to the violence through relatively confusing means, Man-Thing’s body would manifest a physical (maybe mystical) reaction to those who fear him and causing them to burn if he touched them. If you’ve never read through these early 70’s gems, do yourself a favor and check out a few on a cold, rainy night this October.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: Halloween (1978)

Emotionless but inexorably drawn to violence and impossible to stop, the Man-Thing has much in common with Michael Myers. His body count, while comprised almost entirely of bad people doing bad things, is probably higher than Michael’s but he remains silent, inhuman killer nonetheless.

Nightmare

One of Marvel’s most conceptually chilling villains, Nightmare has been mostly known as a thorn in the side of Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange but has caused plenty of problems for the rest of the Marvel Universe as well. A demon and one of the ancient Fear Lords whose power comes from the fears of other beings, Nightmare carved out his own chunk of the Dream Dimension to lord over and from there he used his power to capture and torment the astral forms of beings while they slept. Given that he draws his power from dreams, he’s essentially indestructible as he’ll continue to exist as long as people dream. His ability to torment sleeping souls doesn’t always end when they wake up either and he’s been proven to be powerful enough that those he torments take their terrors into their waking hours forcing them to question whether they’re asleep or awake.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

The only horror film that ever truly traumatized me was Wes Craven’s OG Nightmare film. The idea of someone like Freddy Krueger who could haunt your dreams, kill you in your sleep and drive you the the brink of insanity while you were awake honestly kept me up at night for months after I first watched the film. Like Krueger, Nightmare loses much of his power outside of his own dimension, but can still provide a formidable threat. Done well, Nightmare could almost be TOO scary for the MCU.

Simon Kinberg

Some recent horror films such as Scream and Cabin in the Woods have successfully gone meta by having the characters aware of horror movie tropes only to have some of those characters ignore the established source material and drive head first into disaster. That pretty much sums up Kinberg’s tenure with the X-Men films which culminated in him somehow making a worse Phoenix film than the original dumpster fire that was X-Men: The Last Stand. Despite having the ability to work with some of Marvel Comics deepest and richest source material, Kinberg seemed to continue to shoot from the hip and never really hit the mark. In addition to whiffing on Phoenix twice, he also managed to screw up Apocalypse, hire Miles Teller to play Reed and turn Doctor Doom into a computer hacker…it’s hard to imagine anything more horrifying than his tenure with these characters.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: Night of the Living Dead. Despite moving at what seemed to be a snail’s pace, Kinberg found a way to make his mark on almost everything you held near to your heart and morph it into something completely unrecognizable and devoid of life through his relentless and unyielding assault on these IPs.

As tough as it was to limit it to 10, I think I nailed it. What characters are in your top 10? Let us know in the comments.

October 5, 2020
Pitching a ‘Metal Gear Solid’ Inspired S.H.I.E.L.D. Game

We have entered a new era of Marvel’s gaming. Sony’s Spider-Man kickstarted a brand new franchise. Marvel’s Avengers attempted a new style of game for the franchise. Now, many of us wondered if we could see any other games based on iconic characters. Spider-Man had the advantage of learning from the games that were released years ago. So, I started wondering if there is any template that would be perfect to use for the Marvel universe. At one point, I was replaying Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, and I then realized it. Hideo Kojima could bring us an amazing game based on the spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D. I do doubt he would ever tackle a third-party IP like this but it is still a fun experiment. So, here are the reasons I believe that Kojima would be perfect to bring Nick Fury and the spy organizations into the gaming world.

Tactical Espionage Action

So, the most obvious reason is the stealth-gameplay from the Metal Gear Solid. Just imagine being able to take control of iconic S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Quartermaine, or Jimmy Woo. You’ll have a set of different characters available with unique aspects. Quartermaine might be more of a combat-focused character. He has more ammunition available while Jimmy can hack specific doors. You can access different missions where you infiltrate locations from comic history like an underwater HYDRA base. Maybe you even have to sneak through the Avengers mansion. They are spies so they will do anything to get access to the information they need. They also are regular people so they won’t be able to just take on superpowered individuals. So, it makes sense that they are more stealth-based.

Let’s imagine a scenario of Maria Hill having to get her hands on valuable intel. It would reveal the whereabouts of Baron Zemo, who has gone off their radar. So, you infiltrate the location while stealing one of the soldier’s uniform. Halfway through the base, you realize you don’t have the required key card to continue. So, you have multiple choices. You can use Maria’s knack for disguises to take over from a higher ranking member. Of course, you have to learn the enemies’ patterns and find the perfect time to steal it. Or, you try to squeeze your way through an air duct through which you uncover a discussion between Zemo and the Grim Reaper. You could risk jumping in to take them out, or you focus on your mission.

Heroic World Building

There is one more reason that Kojima‘s approach to storytelling would work well with a S.H.I.E.L.D.-based game. He has this style that easily blends supernatural worlds with military action. To give an example, the original MGS focuses on the character of Solid Snake. The story slowly eases us into a world filled with supernatural characters. Many players fondly remember the moment Psycho Mantis takes over our controller. The entire game ends in a battle on top of a giant Metal Gear mech. He isn’t a stranger to this type of storytelling that would help players jump into a world filled with superheroes, magic, and other dimensions. Plus, he has a way of handling even the most absurd characters. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. has its fair share of strange members like Dum Dum Dugan sticking around since the 1940s.

It would be such a perfect opportunity to let Kojima‘s sometimes insane writing style enter this expansive world. Marvel already did all the world-building over its history. Death Stranding is quite a confusing story, but it does work on an incredible world-building. You start a simple espionage story before you realize people aren’t who they seem to be. You are facing villains with abilities beyond your comprehension, but there is no way around them. Some of your teammates are Skrulls in disguise. It also lets the boss fights get crazier as the story progresses. It opens up the question if S.H.I.E.L.D. becomes too dependent on the heroes to come to the rescue. Nick Fury wants to take things into his own hands and prove that humans are capable of so much more. If there is anyone that can keep the balance of realism and surrealism.

Just a Pipe Dream

Even as I write this article, I know it is a pipe dream. Kojima Productions is focusing on unique IPs. Marvel would supervise soo much that Kojima would get flashbacks to the times working at Konami. Moreover, Konami still has the rights to the Metal Gear Solid franchise. A similar build would get the attention of their lawyers. Still, a part of me hopes that this concept could see the light of day at one time. They can create a roster of unique characters that would include Inhumans or Mutants. Your roster grows as the game’s world starts to expand with new threats. You can be part of S.H.I.E.L.D. growing throughout the game and seeing it adapt to the world around it. It also forces you to adapt your playstyle along the way, as each new mission or encounter comes with its own new challenge. In a world filled with wonders, wouldn’t you want to prove the world you can stand among the mightiest?

October 5, 2020
‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Journal: Importance of Taking Breaks

You read that title correctly. I have taken a break from playing Marvel’s Avengers until the next major update. No, I have not found any exotic gear. I didn’t max out any character cards. So far, I’ve only really gotten Thor and Hulk past the 110 Power Level. In reality, I have a lot more grinding to do so that I could proclaim I’ve maxed out all my characters. I am also not a person to chase down PlayStation’s platinum trophies. The story was great, and I enjoy playing as the different Avengers. Not everyone will share my outlook on the game. That is why I started this series, and I am taking a bit of a break. Crystal Dynamics promised future updates, so I don’t feel the urge to burn myself out early. From what I’ve seen online, I would recommend it to anyone reading this right now

A Current Limitation

The Avengers Initiative is currently barebones. I have repeated this statement multiple times throughout these entries. After releasing their latest patch 1.3.1 the general mood seemed to be in an upswing. All players wanted now was more content, but that didn’t happen this week. Right now, theories are that we will get something by the end of next week. This would include the S.H.I.E.L.D. Substation Zero and the A.I.M. Secret Lab. These are great additions that hopefully are also accompanied by new mission chains and environments. I’ve finished the last mission chain titled “Reigning Supreme”. It will build-up towards the new cloning technology that Monica Rambeau has been cooking up. My motivation was to finish up this mission chain as it contained small story hints, teases of future content, and even unique animations. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but it felt like the story was moving forward. I finished it around 50 to 60 hours in as I took my time to grind a bit to adjust to specific mission caps.

Afterward, most people hit the “now what” phase of the game. From what I’ve seen and discussed, a lot of players continue to focus on the additional checklists. There is a lot to do, but you are going to repeat existing missions to do so. The only new content added was the single-player focused Mega Hive. It’s the same as the sixteen-floor Epic Hive that was the final mission of the last mission chain. It is a single-player experience that rubbed people the wrong way, as it was new content that recycled existing concepts. Personally, it is a fine addition, but it felt like a quick way to add more content as they focus on fixing bugs. As long as matchmaking has issues, there is no point in adding a Raid mission. Technically, it was a safe move by Crystal Dynamics. Still, people wanted those Exotics that rarely drop, and kept playing it even if they were vocally frustrated. We want to play the game with friends to make the repetition easier. There are multiplayer options, but it just drops Exotics at a much lower rate. Right now, getting the best gear won’t serve any specific purpose outside of a stat increase. There is no point focusing on getting something that will only end up frustrating you. If there is a mission that would require these stats, then it might be worth the time.

A Personal View

As much as I enjoy the combat, attempting it multiple times with Mega Hive’s 40 floors and crash issues, no wonder someone will get mad. Plus, if you manage to finish it and don’t get the reward you want, you will be frustrated. My approach to the Mega Hive is to try it out now and then. I generally only play one or two missions every other day if I feel like it. Sometimes I try to get in some mission cards. I’ve gotten to the point with now 40 more hours in that it’s a bit repetitive now. Also, I have other games and projects I need to spend time on. Currently, I feel no drive to play the game for long sessions, and I don’t see any issue with that. It’s been only a month, and the game will only grow from here. I don’t lose anything by taking my time. Crystal Dynamics has been working hard on the game to get it where it needs to be. Should it have released like this? No, absolutely shouldn’t have, but we can’t change it now as it is already released. I respect the work they put in with consistent updates. I do hope we get more transparency in the future. It all depends on the reveal of the roadmap, which will give us a better feeling of what the future entails.

Right now, my future investment depends on what content they plan to add. The selling point of this game is the potential of what it may offer in the future. I enjoyed my time with the game and spent countless hours playing it. This is only the third game I put in more than 100 hours into the game. So, how could I proclaim the game wasn’t worth my investment? Plus, future additions are for free, so that covers a lot of additional hours. I’ve seen some state that this game is predatory with its time-based missions to force people into paying for it. In the end, it is all just optional. The game wants you to play for a long-time rather than rush through it. So, why rush through the experience? At some point, you will hit the limitation of content with any game. There is no point forcing yourself to play through everything now if it only ends up frustrating you. Of course, it is easier said than done. I am just sharing my own approach to the game.

A Look to the Future

This is a bit of a different journal entry. I am not focusing on the game’s content, as I covered most of what was available. Even I felt like I played through it faster than I initially expected. People are proclaiming the game’s death as they focus on Steam numbers and Twitch streams. There is no point in doing so. We don’t know how many people are actively playing it on other consoles. Who knows how many are just sitting it out until new content drops. In the end, the developers need to know if enough players are around to make it worth investing in it. All of us want the same thing, to have a good time playing Avengers and see it succeed so we can see it expand throughout the coming years. This sentiment is shared by the man responsible for saving Final Fantasy XIV Online. I look forward to what the future holds and to continue to share my experiences with it, as I leave you with Naoki Yoshida‘s quote:

It’s not about forcing players to keep playing the game consistently. If you just consume everything with each major patch then you’ve played everything, then you can play other games, you can spend your time and plan around your timing. If you want to come back to Final Fantasy XIV, you can come back and catch up easily. Everybody has different hobbies and ways they want to spend their time, they’re quite busy.

Source: WCCFTech

October 4, 2020
FIRST LOOK: Meister Watches Doctor Strange Ambassador X

A couple of months ago, I had to opportunity to get my hands on the MSTR Spider-Man Ambassador X watch and give you guys a first look at it. Meister has now added to there already incredibly impressive line of Marvel watches with another great looking piece: the Doctor Strange Ambassador X.

The face of Meister’s new entry to their Marvel line is among their best looking yet. Including both the iconic Sanctum Sanctorum window and the MCU’s visual representation of the energy channeled by the Masters of the Mystic Arts, the golden circled watch face absolutely catches your eye. I love that Meister went with the green color scheme allowing MCU fans to have their own version of the Eye of Agomotto’s Time Stone spell on their wrists!

The watch has the same scratch resistant lens and comfortable rubber band and buckle as the Spider-Man X and I’m a big fan of them choosing black as it allows me to wear this timepiece almost every day. As with the Spidey piece, this one comes in a box fit for collectors with the inner case showing off the Sanctum logo.

As with many of MSTR’s products, there’s a limited number available (150 in this case), so if this Sorcerer Supreme inspired piece has caught your EYE, don’t wait because unlike Strange, you won’t be able to turn back time to get your hands on one. Take a look at the official specs below and visit the site HERE to check this and all MSTR’s great watches out.

There’s nothing strange about our latest Marvel Ambassador X, only mystical. Constructed in an ultra-lightweight, incredibly strong polycarbonate case in black, the Doctor Strange timepiece features matching gold stainless steel accents. The green design of the dial, second hand, and subdials channel the power of the Time Stone, and reveals a fully functional chronograph. Equipped with a Japanese Miyota JS20 movement, the wizard’s watch is water resistant up to 50 meters. The Doctor Strange Ambassador X is limited to only 150 pieces with each individually numbered on the back case.

October 4, 2020
What Could Have Been: A Look at del Toro’s ‘JUSTICE LEAGUE: DARK’ Script

Many have tried and each time the lights went out. Just like that, the Justice League went dark. Justice League Dark could quite possibly be the prime example of being trapped in development hell. Not even Constantine could fight through this hell. The earliest reports on the film began all the way back in 2012. Rumors began to swirl of Guillermo del Toro‘s possibly developing the film. It would bring together some of DC’s best and brightest supernatural characters. During an interview with Gizmodo, del Toro’s 2012 animated feature Rise of The Guardians, he confirmed the rumors that he was indeed talking to WB and DC about bringing these characters to the silver screen. As time went on, del Toro would drop updates here and there. At one point, he even confirmed his script was finished and would be turned in as soon as possible.

Concept art by comic book artist Lee Bermejo for Doug Limans “Dark Universe” featuring Etrigans painful transformation

Sadly, news broke in July of 2015 that Guillermo del Toro had departed the project but would remain as a producer. Shortly after, he commented on his departure

Warners liked the script, they were very enthusiastic and wanted to greenlight it but they wanted it to coincide with Pacific Rim 2. I was put in a very difficult place facing a difficult choice, and I chose to do Pacific Rim 2.

Concept Art by Esther Wu at Ironhead studios featuring Abby Arcane and Swamp-Thing

Joseph Kahn, a long-time music video director, was the next to revive the project. He pitched the film along with concept art for the potential adaption. It was sure to hype up long-time fans who’d been waiting patiently to see the adaptation. The concept art for the film included the film’s main roster. It offered our first look at Kahn’s vision of how he would translate characters like Swamp Thing and Deadman to the silver screen.

Suddenly in 2016, it was announced that Doug Liman would be leaving Fox’s Gambit in favor of directing DC’s Justice League Dark film. It would be written by Michael Gillio and was re-titled Dark Universe. This didn’t last long as Liman would end up departing the project in 2017 and move onto the yet-to-be-released YA novel adaption Chaos Walking. With Liman out, The search for a new director was on, with the studio eyeing Andy Muschietti, who would end up helming WB’s Flash project.

Concept art of the team featuring potential actors from Joseph Kahns pitch

Even among the many new directors, Del Toro‘s original vision remained constant. Constantine, tired of Shadowpact’s fame and flare, decided to get his own team together. His stubborn attitude certainly didn’t help in listening to orders, believing he himself would be a natural-born leader. As is typical for the supernatural detective, his past comes to haunt him during his journey. He ends up recruiting people he has wronged in the past to make up for it. They end out seeking the book of life and death to ensure they don’t land in the wrong hands. He is forced to learn he cannot do it all alone.

They aren’t the only ones though. Dr. Jason Woodrue, also known as the Floronic Man is also on the hunt for the magical books of life and death. Woodrue was described as a villainous Johnny Appleseed. He is joined by Klarion, a small-blue-skinned boy, who’s followed by a cloud of flies, once an ally and informant to Constantine who went mad on astral energy. Throughout their journey, Jason is changing into a bark-clad beast as a result of a regenerative serum. He leaves behind seeds that sprout massive plant tendrils that destroy everything. An encounter in the Bayou with him also ends with him destroying Abby Arcanes bar and taking her as a prisoner, which results in Swamp-Thing having a sudden change of heart and joining the team

Concept art of The Floronic Man by Ironklad Studios and Klarion by Houston Sharp

A man known as Carl Carnahan has the books and is set to sell them to a mystery buyer. The thing is, Carl is dead and the safe requires his handprint. Constantine’s only hope was to recruit Boston Brand, who is better known as Deadman. He promises to resurrect him if he helps them get their hands on the book. We even get a showcase of his possession ability in a chase sequence that sees him traverse the everchanging landscape of a bustling city. This leads them to the morgue, a scene that survived almost every rewrite. There they are introduced to Carnahan’s mysterious business associate, Jason Blood.

Blood and Constantine bicker over who will be taking the books home. Blood recommends they contact Doctor Face and the Shadowpact, which naturally doesn’t sit well with Constantine. Deadman also refuses to possess the dead body of Carl, as he fears getting stuck in a rotting husk. His refusal doesn’t last long though.

Suddenly, they hear a giant fly in the room. Klarion makes his presence known and demands the key to the safe. Luckily, he has no idea that it is actually in the drawer in front of him. As he becomes impatient, he hexes the cadavers to make them his unwilling pawns. Their bodies become infused with flies as they stagger like flesh puppets, becoming the Invunche, overwhelming the trio. Constantine tries to transport them through his talisman but is facing some issues. Without much choice left, Blood transforms into Etrigan the demon. This transformation comes at a heavy price for the demonologist, as each time he turns, he loses more and more of his mortal life.

Concept art by Lee Bermejo and Ironklad Studios featuring the Morgue Scene

Once Constantine is finally able to rally them all to his cause, it’s revealed by Deadman that Constantine is dying from Lung Cancer. The team ends up at the Oblivion Bar, a watering-hole located in a pocket dimension. It is run by Edward Deacon, where we get cameos of various characters ranging from Detective Chimp, Shade, Animal Man, Dr. Occult, Night Nurse, and Shade. There they also run into Doctor Fate and the Shadowpact. Their members consist of Black Orchid, the Phantom Stranger, and Pandora, with the team being heralded as a supernatural Justice League.

Later on, Deadman tries to possess the Floronic Man, failing he’s able to uncover his true plan. Within the mind of the Floronic Man, Deadman is reduced by Madame Xanadu, She shows him a puppet show of the Gilgamesh legend. This introduces viewers to Inanna, who was in love with king Gilgamesh and was jealous of his friendship with Enkidu. The pair were very close, fighting monsters across the world together. In a jealous rage, she summoned Gugalanna, a bull from heaven, described as a one-man rapture that could collapse civilizations. Still, it was defeated by Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Its remains were hidden in the lost city of Eruk, located now in modern-day Iraq, The Floronic Man aims to sacrifice Abby Arcane to resurrect Gugalanna, and usher in a time before humans were nature thrived. The team follows him after losing one of the books in Zatanna’s bright-pink private jet. Swamp Thing refuses and simply gives them a leaf to water once they arrive.

https://vimeo.com/176392452

Once they arrive, Woodrue is drawing a blood sigil into the ground, chanting an ancient incantation. Deadman uses the chance to possess an unconscious Abby before she becomes a sacrifice. Still, Gugalanna’s revival is successful. Swamp Thing grows to colossal size to take him down while Zatanna harnesses the magic of the world. Yet, it was Constantine’s sacrifice that saves the world. As he was held in the grasp of the colossal Floronic Man, John realizes the amount of oxygen in the arm could seal the deal. Constantine reaches for his Zippo igniting it in an instant, Woodrue, Gugalanna, Klarion are reduced to seed, and not even Swamp Thing was safe, with only a seed left behind.

Abby tears up after the loss of Swamp Thing. Luckily, as her tears drop to what’s left of Swamp Thing, he begins to sprout up once more, back to life as the eternal protector of the green. Sadly, the same can’t be said about John Constantine, At least the team believes so. The film ends in a dark room. We can hear a raspy cough before a blue glow illuminates the inside of a bomber plane. Remember the malfunctioning orb? Well, it managed to transport him the moment he set the Floronic Man on fire.

The film ends with Deadman chasing a crook down a dark alley and questioning him about a man with a hook hand., a reference to the man that killed him, Hook. John steps out from the shadows much to Boston’s surprise and tells him he’s thinking about getting the band back together. Sadly, we will never know what the plans were for the future of this franchise. This film adaption has since been abandoned and will likely never see the light of day. Earlier this year, it was revealed that Bad Robot would be developing projects focused on the characters that made up the team of supernatural heroes. It was announced that a Justice League Dark project currently in the works at HBO Max. So maybe there is still some light in the dark after all.

Source: Lee Bermejo, Ironklad Studios, Joseph Kahn, Houston Sharp

October 1, 2020
‘MORBIUS’: The San Quentin Prison Theory

This theory is something that’s been in development since January of this year, and it has taken lots of forms over the past few months, but this is the most updated version to date. One of the running jokes in the community is that Sony somehow tends to spoil some of the most important scenes or take shots from the ending of their films and place them in the trailers, making it easy for fans to be able to piece together a film’s plot based on a few trailers. (I.E. TASM2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Far From Home, Venom) . The same could be said for the Morbius teaser trailer, which dropped in January of this year (I know right? It feels ages ago). Something that caught the attention of everyone who saw it was that surprise cameo by none other than Michael Keaton at the end of the trailer. But with this surprise, came many multiple reactions.

Michael Keaton in Morbius (2021).

Some saw this cameo as a possible “power move” by Sony in order to draw in audiences to a movie about a character that not many people have general knowledge about. However, many fans saw this as a possible connection Morbius may have to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, by acknowledging that the events of Moebius occur within the . & while I agree that this film may establish a “partial connection” to the MCU, I believe this to be the smaller picture. There certainly is a bigger picture being painted here when it comes to this film. And when I mean big, I mean State-Wide Prison big.

San Quentin Penitentiary

Welcome to “San Quentin State Prison”. A maximum-security correctional facility for and home to some of the most notorious inmates in all the US. The name sounds familiar no? That’s because it was seen most recently to be holding one of the most dangerous killers and villains in the entirety of Marvel Comics, Cletus Kasady a.k.a. Carnage, back in 2018 during the Venom post-credit scene. It was also seen in the first Ant-Man film, back in 2015 when Scott Lang was released from prison.

Now, you might be asking yourself how or why this prison is important not only for this film but for the context of the MCU and the SUMC as a whole. Well, it’s quite simple. I believe that Cletus Kasady, Adrian Toomes, Mac Gargan, (and coming soon), Michael Morbius will all be in the same prison by the time Morbius drops in March of next year and that by doing so, it will be the point in where the MCU and the SUMC will converge and acknowledge both of their universes as one and the same.

POINT #1: THE UNIFORMS

The police officers that were seen in the Spider-Man: Homecoming post-credit scene and Venom post-credit scene are wearing the same patch on their uniforms on their right sides. (Spot the first two images). Another thing to point out is that when we see Adrian Toomes in the Morbius trailer, he was still wearing his prison outfit from Spider-Man: Homecoming, the same white uniforms on Gargan and Kasady. Most prison systems use different colored jumpsuits for the different categories based on the crime you are in. White signifies “segregation unit or in specific cases, death row inmates.” And who better than supervillains to take up that mantle. But perhaps that may all be a coincidence no? Well, let’s dig a little deeper.

POINT #2: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Liz Allan Toomes in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).

The last time we saw Liz Allan Toomes in the MCU was at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, where following the final battle between Spider-Man and Vulture, she revealed she was moving to Oregon with her mother to avoid seeing her father’s trial. Now, in the Spider-Man: Homecoming post-credit scene, Toomes’ family comes to the prison where he is being kept in to visit him. Now let’s think about the logistics of this for a minute. Oregon is on the west coast of the US, and if the prison was in New York where they originally lived, Liz and her mother would have to go cross country every time they wanted to visit her father in prison. Now, personally, I don’t find this to be feasible/smart in any way. They must have moved to the west coast for a reason. So if we take into consideration those factors, if Adrian was sent to San Quentin State Prison in California, and Oregon is the state directly above it, one can assume that they moved to the west coast in order to be able to visit Adrian while he was in prison. Something else we know is that the prison is by the sea. This shot of 6 seagulls from the Spider-Man: Homecoming post-credit scene and the sounds of waves crashing indicate that wherever Adrian is, they’re in a prison by the sea. And it just so happens that San Quentin State Prison fits that MO.

CONCLUSION: PRISON RIOT

Something we need to keep in mind is that during the trailer, we see Morbius walking by a Spider-Man poster in an orange prison jumpsuit. This detail is important because it means that he was recently incarcerated and somehow managed to escape. Not only that, but we also see Adrian in front of police lights when we see him in the trailer. Taking into consideration all of these factors, I have reason to believe that we’ll see a prison riot/jailbreak moment take place during Morbius. And it would actually serve as a very good plot point not just for this film, but for the future projects to come. By establishing a prison riot/jailbreak moment in Morbius, not only does it provide an escape for Michael Morbius so that the plot of that film can continue, but it can also potentially set up the future Spider-Man films and the upcoming Venom: Let there be Carnage sequel, by allowing Toomes, Gargan and Kasady to all escape from the same prison at the same time. Not only that, but they’d also be pay homage to Kasady’s ‘Carnage’ origin story, where a riot takes place in the prison where Kasady was kept and he managed to escape the prison whilst the riot took place. So if this chain of events happens to become true by the time Morbius rolls around in 2021, I think we can say this is going to cause a world of trouble for our “Friendly-Neighborhood”.

October 1, 2020