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‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Beta: Promising or Worrying?
It has been a steep hill for Square-Enix’s ambitious Avengers project. People have been quite jaded by service-based games. The controversies surrounding Anthem, Fallout 76, and Final Fantasy XIV played a big part in that. They were sold as the next major AAA game that would keep players invested for many years. Yet, they ended up never delivering on their promises. As such, by the time they were able to solve these issues most players have already stopped playing. So, it is rather risky for a massive IP like Marvel to enter such a market, especially when facing their own set of controversies surrounding exclusivity deals. Now, all eyes are on the first closed Beta for PlayStation per-orders. This could determine if the game will deliver on its promises and offer a good first look at what is to come.

Avengers Assemble

The game’s story looks promising as a single-player experience, especially the reveal trailer for M.O.D.O.K. which hyped me up for what it could offer. A misstep, however, was their marketing only focusing on A-Day. This created this feeling of a lack of content that wasn’t addressed until a video in June. It is unsure how much of the game will be story-based missions, but they have been a bit more transparent. Why is it important? This will probably be a major selling point. Unlike other service-games, this IP already has years worth of potential story content and characters. If most of the missions just consist of dialogue without any animations, it could undersell the work put into it. The Beta throws us into a shortened version of A-Day, the search for Jarvis and Nick Fury. This highlighted a bit more of the story that was hidden up until this point and seemed quite promising. A personal highlight was the battle against Abomination that offered a great set-piece and teased the potential of future boss fights. Hopefully, they will stay true to their statement and continue the story even beyond AIM.

The War Zone missions you unlock after the story are limited. They do show a bit of variety, even if there could be more. We get character missions, like Hulk’s “Condition: Green.” Here we have to infiltrate a gamma-lab to avoid it becoming a weapon. Sadly, there weren’t any animations to give this mission more life. We got some voice-over from various characters but didn’t actually see much of the villain of this vision. Maybe it’s due to this being a Beta but I really hope they give character-specific stories more attention. Don’t want them to be just another War Zone mission with some extra dialogue. Another highlight was “To Tame a Titan.” After you infiltrated an AIM facility, you see something looming in the distance only for you to realize it’s a boss battle against a giant Warbot. There was some actual build up to this moment. Hope to see more of this in the game.

Most of the other missions consisted of combat. Sometimes they add variety by having siege-like areas you need to secure. After a few missions, however, you did start to notice the same corridor repeating. It’s a Beta, so they probably limited the environments and game styles. Still, they will need to offer some variety to truly give the game legs. Luckily, open areas did give you freedom to find secret little missions that offered some additional incentive. If they do have to reuse assets, it would be good if they space it out accordingly. Would be best to avoid a constant feeling of déjà-vu.

Focus on Character

Let’s talk about the playable characters. As soon as you unlock the Helicarrier, you have access to four characters. The Beta lets you play Ms. Marvel, Hulk, Iron Man, and Black Widow. Thor and Captain America are only playable during A-Day as a short tease of what they offer. Thor plays a lot like Kratos from God of War with how he uses his hammer. Captain America seems to take some inspiration from the Batman Arkham Games in how he in combat. Even if they do feel unique and play different, the controls are standardized. Each character has a light and heavy attack. They can dodge and even counter enemies to avoid damage. Everyone has a third-person targeting function that depends on the character’s unique abilities. If you play right, you can even juggle enemies to create some interesting combos that fit your play style. Their approach is especially highlighted through the gear system. It is a bit too much like Destiny‘s design. So, you’ll probably invest resources to upgrade an item only to find a better one shortly after. The cool idea though is that you can add special effects to attacks. For example, Iron Man can use his beam to shrink enemies through Pym tech.

Here is a quick rundown of the four main playable characters and how they differ from each other:
- Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel gets the most spotlight in this game. She is the easiest to start with, mostly because she gets the most gear in the story missions. Her attacks take down a wide area thanks to her stretching abilities. You can also target your punch to take enemies out from the distance. The best part is that after upgrading you can even grab them. She also uses her stretching powers to maneuver the environment. It is a great touch even if it isn’t always as responsive as it should be.
- Hulk is really heavy in comparison to the others. He is the only one that can cling unto specific walls. What is odd is that he can only jump off of those areas instead of the classic wall running mechanic. Given his focus on combat, he cannot block attacks. Instead, he uses his rage to heal and take less damage. These kinds of small changes fit the characters and force you to change your approach with each character.
- Iron Man‘s heavy attacks are his iconic beams. The action meter decreases with each use, so you cannot spam them. You can’t just camp out enemies while hovering over them. When you dash from a hover you will end in the flying animation. It is sadly very restrictive and needs some practice to get right, especially shooting while flying is difficult due to a lack of a lock-on function. It probably is the one thing I hope they expand in the future. Still, you can instantly switch between flying, fighting, and hovering which handles great.
- Black Widow is a fun character to play but could be fleshed out more. She can pull out her guns at any time to take down enemies from a distance. Found myself switching quite a bit when I was low on health. Sadly, no stealth functions to hide from enemies. Her special ability to cloak is mostly so you can avoid a few hits. So, you can’t sneak up bad guys to take them down instantly. Would like to see them use her unique abilities in interesting ways for unique mission types potentially.
Question of Villainy

You get to try out these abilities on a variety of enemy types. At first glance, it could seem like you are just pounding away on damage sponges (won’t deny that some are). AIM’s focus on tech allowed them to add some diversity to the enemy types. You have your classic enemies with guns, staffs, and shield. Some also have their own abilities to use against you. there are turrets and drones are there to distract you. We see some variations of comic enemies like the Adaptoids. Then there are also heavy types like the Aliens-inspired mech suits, spider-mechs, and the before-mentioned giant Warbot. The Beta probably showcases some enemies from later in the story. I do hope we get some more surprises in enemy types in the full game.

Yes, they do recycle throughout the Beta but depending on the mission they also have unique properties. These are similar to how your own upgrades. This adds some nice world building to what happened after the Avengers disbanded. In the “Condition: Green” mission, most enemies are infused with gamma radiation. These return while facing villains with cryo weapons. So, you have to avoid getting frozen and being poisoned. It’s a small touch but it does mix up battles in an interesting way to make you strategize a bit more. In my mind, this keeps it from just being a button-smasher as you need to pay attention to what is happening. You can easily get ganged up while focusing on one specific enemy. That got me killed more often than I am willing to confess throughout my playtime.

The only thing that stands out is that all enemies so far are AIM’s goons and robots. We barely spend time with the mercenaries, so hope they will also return. Marvel has such a large world to be inspired by. It would be a waste to just focus on one singular organization. We could see a mission suddenly interrupted by HYDRA or even Flag-Smasher’s ULTIMATUM. We get to visit New York City for a bit, so they could introduce minor villains for special missions. You could play as Kamala Khan trying to race the Hood through the city after a robbery. The advantage of this IP is that the different characters from the comics can help create unique mission types to avoid repetition. The multiplayer’s function should not limit what is possible with this game.

Room for Potential

In the end, it’s still a Beta that only reflects a small portion of the actual game. There are some noticeable bugs. A personal favorite was Kamala’s hair just vanishing into thin air during a cut scene. Didn’t even realize it was here until it was over. The multiplayer aspect faced some connection issues. It is nowhere as bad as it could be in a Beta. My only major gripe was that twice I got kicked out due to a connection error. I was playing with AI companions, so there was no reason for it. If this happens in the actual game, I hope your party just gets replaced with AI. Imagining a two hour mission being interrupted at the last second would be infuriating. Overall, the game has some rough edges but with the service-concept, I believe this can be fixed easily. The developer Crystal Dynamics has been very on point listening to player feedback. This is one of the reasons why Hawkeye was announced as the first DLC character. Still, here are some things I noticed while playing the game that I hope will be updated sooner rather than later:
- The menus need a complete overhaul. It was the only thing that really bothered me throughout the game. There are a lot of different menus with additional sub-menus that just become disorienting. For example, they could just turn the collectibles could just be added into the Helicarrier as a special museum area. Could add a Stan Lee cameo as a silent SHIELD agent, who works there. Would give it a bit more flair and a sense of progression. I noticed that the character card wasn’t in the War Table stream, so it might just be for the Beta. I just think a lot of functions that aren’t necessary for missions should be added to the base.
- Speaking of menus, the start menu is quite bland. Instead of just starting the game with a click of my controller, I have to select a button. It is just an unnecessary additional step in my opinion. The update page could be kept on the main page as a notification menu. The marketplace I think would work better as an actual shop in the Helicarrier. I know, it’s probably there so they can entice people when starting to game but it’s very lackluster.
- I think this is due to the Beta skipping a lot of sequences but some important information is just revealed very late. It is one of the reasons I kept dying throughout the second mission. I didn’t know that there are healing containers, or that there were any benefits to going into rage mode. I didn’t realize willpower was the game’s name for health. The counter was only revealed around two to three hours into playing, which would’ve saved my life countless times. Hope that the actual A-Day mission spreads this out much better.
- The dynamic camera is a great idea on paper. It makes a lot of action sequences look great but it becomes quite disorienting at times. Motion blur especially adds to that. Sometimes when a lot is happening it just goes crazy. I noticed especially with Hulk this to be the case. It starts shacking every time he slams to the ground. Maybe just an option to change it a bit would be helpful.
- Levels are a bit strange in this. I think they only really add to the skill tree. The character card also has levels but I couldn’t unlock anything. I don’t know if you get more willpower through it. I think it should add to your stats in addition to the gear. Whatever it does and how the character card works (outside of paying to unlock in advance) just wasn’t well communicated in the game.
- It would be good to add the length of the mission in the War Zone briefing. If you want to just jump in for a quick mission, you might accidentally end up in one that lasts about 30 minutes to even two hours.
- Also, I hope they rename the difficulty settings, as “Challenge II” or “Challenge III” doesn’t really say anything. I would love to see threat levels such as “Venom” or “Thanos” as an indicator and to add to the world-building of the game.
- This is more a personal pet-peeve but I think the character’s health meter should be in the bottom left corner. Most of the action is below and it just feels unnatural to constantly look up. Also, it is a waste that their power bar only includes an almost unrecognizable icon. Why not make the symbol a unique aspect of the character (Kamala’s is drawn, Hulk’s is punched into the screen) to just add some flair to the HUD. It being placed in the corner with the various meters coming out of it. As of now with the menu design, it feels very by-the-numbers and could use some spice.
Great Potential

These are just improvements I hope to see. In general, I had a blast playing this game. Even though it is just probably 10% of the actual product, I already invested around ten to twelve hours. Each character gives you a new experience and offers some variety. I underestimated how much the skill tree changed my approach to combat as I leveled up. I cannot wait to develop the Helicarrier back to its former glory. Really hope you have a lot of freedom to do so. This is something I have always wanted n a Marvel game. Hope it gets expanded as it continuous to grow. Once you have the Helicarrier built and defeated AIM, maybe you get to build your own Avengers mansion or even a Triskellion. The teased faction concept also sounds like a fun way to expand the world. There is just a lot to be excited about.

While I say that, I do have my worries. The most important thing moving forward is transparency. One of the driving factors for these service games failing was that there was no real communication. All you were stuck with was a bare-bones game with the empty promise of a better future. Avengers already laid the groundwork with the tease of Hawkeye as the first DLC character but how long will we wait? Is this a matter of half a year or a few months? All that is currently in the air.

My hope is that we get a road map. Street Fighter V recently revealed one for their latest season pass, which offered a good overview of what is to come. We don’t need to know the exact release date but just to get a feeling how this game will continue to expand. This game consists of so many elements that you can easily underwhelm your audience. People will stop caring if the story missions you promise are just two pieces of dialogue with re-used assets. There is still a month to go and hopefully another War Table to reveal what the future has in store for us. As of now, I am really excited to get my hands on the game and find out how this game will continue to develop.
August 10, 2020
5 Marvel Comics Events Fit For the MCU

Marvel Comics most recent event series, Empyre, is in the midst of its run and has received mixed reviews to this point. It’s place in the long and storied history of Marvel’s major events will ultimately be determined by how it ends and what impact it has on the future of the line but I’ve already seen a lot of fans speculating how it could tie into the MCU down the road. While we’ll have to wait to see how that goes, let’s look at some other events that could also be great fits for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Secret Wars (2015-16) by Jonathan Hickman

Jonthan Hickman’s work has trended toward the cinematic and Secret Wars is probably the most definitive example of that: it is a story absolutely intended to be adapted to the screen. While a lot of people would argue that a film adaptation of this is over a decade away, I would counter that it might not take quite that long (though I do think the film might benefit from the decade long build up-complicated thoughts, I know). Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness is the first step towards this film becoming a reality and the addition of Disney + as a medium on which to tell additional stories will allow the requisite foundations to be laid.

The story itself is one of Marvel Comics all-time gems: as the Multiverse destroys itself, Doctor Doom saves fragments of each world and creates a new world where things are as he makes them but not everyone has forgotten their past lives. Now I see no road to a film adaptation that doesn’t go through Doom, but the idea of bringing characters from their disparate universes into one created by God Emperor Doom would certainly challenge, if not top, the Infinity Saga. Ten years from now will we see the Doctor Strange sequel as the beginning of the Secret Wars Saga? We could only be so lucky.

The Korvac Saga (1978) by Steve Gerber

One of my all-time favorite events that’s really more of just a long run in Avengers (issues 167-177), The Korvac Saga is a fascinating story that calls into question the nature of good and evil and refuses to give an answer, forcing the reader to look inward for the answer.

Michael Korvac, a spacetime refugee from an alternate universe where the Badoon turned him into a cyborg before he defeated them and tried to destroy Earth, arrives in the 616 universe where he immediately hacks into Galactus’ ship and finds himself loaded up with the Power Cosmic. Basically, Korvac finds himself with the power and knowledge of a god and heads to Earth planning to make it his own, personal paradise. The story, which sees the original 31st century Guardians of the Galaxy team up with the Avengers, forces the reader to think about what they would do should they have to power to truly “heal” the world. Why are the Avengers, a group that have spent their entire collective history fighting against evil, trying to stop Korvac from acting in a way that essentially completes their mission for them by eliminating it?

As I said in the open, the event will make you question your beliefs and might even make you a bit uncomfortable. It would take quite a bit of work to retcon the OG Guardians from hillbilly space pirates to the kind of heroes that they are here, especially Starhawk, but that’s a possibility when you have an entire multiverse of characters at your disposal. So yeah, there are a few things to work out, but this one is absolutely meant for the screen!

Siege (2009-10) by Brian Michael Bendis

As soon as we visited New Asgard in Avengers: Endgame, this one entered the realm of possibilities. Everything about New Asgard fits into the pre-existing politics of the MCU and it isn’t much of a stretch to consider that people are not going to feel good about a group of alien refugees living on Earth, especially if things go south there as I expect they will in Thor: Love and Thunder.

In the comics, Siege sees Norman Osborn, manipulated by Loki, invading Asgard which, at the time, is located in Broxton, Oklahoma. While it is increasingly unlikely we’ll see Osborn involved if Marvel Studios The-One-Above-All decides to adapt this even for the MCU, we can take comfort in knowing that the studio has already adapted some major events with some major changes and it’s worked out ok so far. In this case, I would fully expect General Ross and his Thunderbolts to be the aggressors; at the same time, I could easily be talked into Tom Hiddleston’s unreformed Loki finding his way into the mix, just like the comics. If there’s any reason I could come up with for seeing more of Hiddleston, it would be to see him in a purely evil role and that could be offered to him here.

Siege is a crazy, visceral event with some really memorable panels (Sentry ripping Ares in half is definitely the best example) and it includes a cast of characters that would be tough to assemble on screen in the current MCU, but given just how well it fits thematically, I think it’s got a decent shot of making the jump from page to screen.

Annihilation and Annihilation: Conquest (2006-08) by multiple writers

Annihilation was the comic event that brought me back into the fold as a Cosmic junky and, arguably, elevated Marvel’s Cosmic characters to a new level. It’s hard to follow up something as sprawling as Annihilation, but Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning not only did it but topped it with Annihilation: Conquest, an event that saw the return of Ultron and led to a new version of the Guardians of the Galaxy coming together, the team that ultimately inspired the MCU version that everyone has grown to love.

The two stories are truly massive, drawing in nearly every major Cosmic character, race and entity from Marvel’s vast stable and redefining some of them in ways that fans didn’t even know we needed. From Galactus to the Space Knights to the Shi’ar to the High Evolutionary, these events truly touched all the bases. Should they be adapted to the MCU, Disney + series may be a better fit than trying to squeeze them into a pair of 2.5 hour films and there’s certainly some work to do to get the existing universe from here to there, but it’s all doable and should absolutely be done.

The road to Annihilation begins with the introduction of the Fantastic Four and the Negative Zone, allowing for the cinematic debut of The Living Death Who Walks along with some other key characters. If you’ve read my 5-part Nova series, you know that Richard Rider would have a big part to play in these stories as well and, along with what would certainly be some new members of the Guardians, would bridge the gap to Conquest. The return of James Spader as Ultron there would be a major selling point for fans who felt he didn’t get his just due in Avengers: Age of Ultron and would also help tie the Earth-bound stories to the Cosmic corner. If Marvel Studios has any hopes of correcting course on their Cosmic stories, these two stories should be their North Star.

Rise of the Midnight Sons (1992) by multiple writers

A six-issue event that spanned five different title, Rise of the Midnight Sons brought together nine occult-related characters (also called the Mystic Nine) to take on Lilith, the mother of demons. While we are unlikely to see all nine original comic book members on the team should it appear in the MCU, it certainly seems like Kevin Feige could be lining up an adaptation. The effort to bring Ghost Rider and his associated mythology into the MCU proper, the development of Blade, which is almost certain to stick closer to the source material than the prior iterations, and the rumors some other “horror-based” characters such as Dracula, Werewolf By Night and others all at least give us hope.

The original event, to be honest, is a little all over the place, but that’s what happens sometimes when you have too many cooks in the kitchen and it’s something that could easily be straightened out by the studio. This story could easily be adapted into something nice like, Doctor Strange: The Rise of the Midnight Sons, and work as the same sort of event film for that franchise as Civil War did for Captain America. The big selling point for this is event would be the idea that it would serve as a launch pad for the other characters’ properties by giving them the spotlight in the film. I think we’d be likely to see it do for some characters what Civil War has done for Sam, Bucky, Zemo and Sharon. This one would be a VFX extravaganza, but it’s definitely something that would put butts in seats and be worthy of a few buckets of popcorn.

August 9, 2020
‘DOOM PATROL’ Review: 2.09, “Wax Patrol”

Setting up what was probably supposed to be quite the epic finale, “Wax Patrol” finds the team at the tail end of Dorothy Day, in an abrupt finish, Doom Patrol finishes its second season with a shocking cliffhanger that begs the question, will the team ever truly feel whole again? The finale may not have been what fans wanted but due to the ongoing pandemic it was impossible for them to finish the season, as the safety and health of all involved in the production means much more than something that can definitely be folded into the shows next season. With the success and the praise the past season has mustered I see it as virtually impossible that a third season isn’t put into production as soon as possible.

We open in quaint Milwaukee diner in the year 1969, just as a shy, yet curious Miranda is getting off work. She’s greeted by a lone guitarist just looking to make a living playing what tunes he knows. The man extends an invitation for a date that the reclusive Miranda is unsure about at first but she comes around to the idea after sharing a sandwich with the vagrant musician. The relationship seemingly blossoms between the two and the end up moving in with each other. As primary Miranda believes this could be the best possible situation for them and that they could possibly be happy in one place for once. This of course isn’t the case, following they’re big move in the two decide to have a house warming party, but what Miranda isn’t aware of is that this house warming party is actually just an orgy organized by the one person she had learned to trust, and considering Kay’s traumas revolving around her father this obviously did not fly. After causing quite the ruckus, an understandable ruckus that is, Crazy Jane is born, and is new primary sees it best to get them out of that situation. This leads to the moment briefly mentioned in season 1, as Miranda hurdles herself down the well. Crazy enough its revealed that Miranda is not who she says she is and leads to another giant unanswered question as to who she really is? has father returned? Diane Guerrero does not get enough credit for the work she puts in on this show, slaying every single persona down to the way she speaks, its incredible how she’s able to differentiate them all, and deliver a knockout performance time and time again.

Corralled by a nervous Herschel, The team quickly makes their way to the fairgrounds where

Dorothy day had taken place, one now devoid of people and beginning to melt. This doesn’t make everyone too happy. Cliff, still pissed beyond belief at the Chief, would much rather attend his daughters wedding then give any other ounce of help to Dorothy and Chief. But thanks to Larry’s excellent call to action the gang heads to the fair where they eventually split up and are each greeted by the now loose Candlemaker, who has taken the form of each and everyone of their childhood imaginary friends. Through a fight with a profane and enraged Jesus, to a dance with a paper doll, and a pep talk from a scientific cowboy, each and everyone of them believing to have defeated their imaginary foes is met with the Candlemaker. This leads to the waxing of each and everyone of them, except for Cliff who is given the worst fate, and is blown to pieces and then waxed over.

In the final scenes, Dorothy is seen treading the now waxed fair grounds and sees the chaos and devastation that the Candlemaker has unleashed, the emotion through her perfomance is once again a standout and you can hear the pain Dorothy feels as it pushes through the prosthetic’s upon her face. Dorothy is once again greeted by her mother who ask her the difficult question, Are you girl or are you a woman? Dorothy realizes only she herself can be the one to face the Candlemaker and slides the red boots on. With her father behind and unable to stop her, Dorothy is pulled into the fire.

Doom Patrol Season 2 did what many shows struggle to do, and that is to live up to the previous season. Without stopping for a second Doom Patrol handles the outlandish and the emotion and gives so much depth to what seems like a bunch of silly characters. I don’t believe this season was able to best the first but I also don’t believe it was worse in any way shape or form. I eagerly await a third season renewal that can explore so much more of the rich history behind the Doom Patrol.

August 9, 2020
‘DOOM PATROL’ Review: Episode 2.08, “Dad Patrol”

The final countdown has begun and Armageddon is imminent for the ghastly Candlemaker charges forward in ‘Dad Patrol.’ The penultimate episode throws the dads into the limelight and if you know anything about the Doom Patrol, it’s that daddy issues are in abundance. The standout of this episode, once again, the incredibly faultless Dorothy Spinner, played by the flawless Abigail Shapiro. Gracefully tossing her into the mix for Season 2 was probably one of the best decisions made for the story in a show already so full of potential and showstopping performances.

Chief, still denying that fact that Dorothy will inevitably grow up, decides that a ‘Dorothy Day’ is in order as in a few short hours she must be given to Kipling and the rest of the Knights Templar to ensure the fate of the word. As unintentional as it was it was, watching the Doom Patrol go through some of their lowest moments this season showed Dorothy just how rough it was to be a grown up. She had spent a majority of this season doing everything possible to escape the inescapable threat of growing up. In this one day, Chief attempts to make up for years of not being with Dorothy and try to relieve some of that guilt hes feeling before his time with Dorothy is up. Yet all throughout this day Dorothy is haunted by the spirit of her mother who beckons her forward to claim the red boots and grow up.

Still reeling from the return of Miranda, Jane sets off to acquire a stuffed animal that once brought comfort to a sorrowful Kay, that had been forced deep into a well as a form of punishment from her abusive father. As primary its first priority to do what makes the girl happy, and with the return of Miranda and her claim that Kay is ‘Healing’, Jane goes into panic mode and she fears that if Kay really did heal she would cease to exist, this leads to her to the farm, where she believes that if she can acquire Kay’s stuffed animal, it can help her see that Kay needs her personalities. She’s joined by a confused Larry, stuck at a crossroads after an encounter with the negative woman, who told him that freedom from his cloth prison was an option, but he would need to become one with the negative spirit instead of just a host. But becoming someone new would mean letting go of his past, a past that has since defined who he is and he would once again be deserting his family, but this raises another question, would the negative spirit even want to merge with Larry? how do you coexist with such a being when you have little to no communication except for painful flashbacks.

Shifting the focus to an even more depressing topic, Cyborg, on the hunt for a now wanted Roni Evers, is joined by an eager Rita, who has dubbed herself ‘The Bee Keeper’ after having her ego blown back up to superstar proportions by a local paper. Roni, using Uma jelly she nabbed from the scants, sought out revenge on the men who poisoned and irreversibly damaged her body. this leads to an altercation in the sub shop where the two had their first date. Vic had become so attached to Roni, thinking he finally found someone who liked him for him, cybernetic enhancements or not, he so blindly ignored the many red flags that even she warned him about. After being betrayed and hurt by so many people Roni had reached a point where she thought she was truly the only person looking out for her and would do anything she had to survive.

Ending on a lighter note, were treated to a real reunion between Cliff and his daughter, Clara, who showed up to Doom Manor out of the blue. After showing her the tape of Nile’s confession the two really began to make progress. Seeing Cliff truly win for once was a satisfying enough as he had dealt with the loss of time and his family since he went operational. what really stuck with me was their final interaction, that of Clara offering Cliff an invitation to her wedding and the chance to be involved in a crucial point in his daughter’s life, and one true win for The Robotman.

With the finale up next and the threat of the Candlemaker approaching rapidly, ‘Dad Patrol’ lays the character development on hard and once again doesn’t fail to flesh out these outlandish characters while exploring the wild and eccentric history of one of DC’s oldest teams. With the ongoing pandemic the show was unable to finish filming its sophomore season meaning next weeks finale is sort of a place holder until further notice, with the seasons tenth episode which would likely be folded into the shows third season when it undoubtedly gets the greenlight.

August 8, 2020
‘DOOM PATROL’ Review: Episode 2.07 “Dumb Patrol”

Never being one to stray from the most illogical of choices, ‘Dumb Patrol’ proves that they don’t have a care in the world, and with this type of freedom skies the limit, and as usual it pays off. ‘Dumb Patrol’ may not be the best episode of the season but it furthers the point that ‘Doom Patrol’ can do quite literally anything and still show us focus on and develop these characters that we’ve all become so attached too in such boisterous ways. With the impending threat of the Candlemaker still looming over the team and Chief’s life slowly fading from him, will they be able to wrap it up by the end of this quickly fleeting second season?

Following the return of Vic Stone, accompanied by Roni Evers, to Doom Manor, they’re met with the arrival of a mysterious crate from the illusive and mysterious Willoughby Kipling. Once opened Vic, Roni, and Larry, are infected with Shants, side affects? the uncontrollable urge to make bad decisions, weirdly Jane (currently hosted by new primary and recently resurrected Miranda). Once infected they must go into the canvas and find the Shant queen to break the irresistible impulse to do make a bad choice. This happens to be one of the more lighthearted episodes and didn’t hesitate to keep it meta, with the return of a semi nude Beard Hunter, dressed in Teen Titans Go underwear with a cartoon Beast Boy slapped on the back, while it wasn’t what fans had in mind when they asked to see Beast Boy and Cyborg on screen together, it was pretty funny. When asked where Mr.Nobody happened to be, Beard Hunter mentioned that he picked up a gig on some animated show, they then proceed to project an advertisement for Harley Quinn, another show on DC Universe in which Alan Tudyk, who played Mr.Nobody, voices Joker. This really puts the spotlight onto Vic and Roni’s relationship, acknowledging how fast they’re moving and how little they really know each other, and just how dangerous that can be for a guy like Cyborg.

Still dwelling on the acts of her mother and questioning the past life that she so proudly presented to all those who crossed her, has thrown herself into the role of the beekeeper in the towns local production of the events of the pilot episode. Rita’s subconscious has pushed her deep into this role, she believes that she needs to really dig deep and prove that she has the talent and the ability to really bring a character to life even if its even the smallest of roles. This is the only way for her to really deal with what she witnessed as a child and without the ability confront her mother she must thinks this is the way to really deal with what has been eating her up inside. It’s not until the end of the episode when she is able to successful hone her elastic abilities and thwart a mugging that Rita finally begins to feel as if she had done something her self and has found a new path to travel in life.

It’s the how the episode ended that really stuck with me, Chief’s journey through Yukon to find answers as to the origins of the Candlemaker and why Dorothy must carry this burden. When he comes face to face with the ugly truth. Chief is faced with a decision he had been dreading to make, learning that the Candlemaker was created and bestowed upon Dorothy by Oyewah’s people, Niles doesn’t see much of a choice anymore and in the final moments of these episode, Nile’s meeting with Kipling ends with a uncommon silence for the show, almost if Nile’s last light had went out and he has just about lost his world, like a candle being extinguished.

August 8, 2020
RETRO REVIEWS: Arkham City

The downtime caused by this quarantine has offered me some opportune time to get back in touch with my gaming roots. The last console I owned was a Playstation 2 which should give you an idea of what generation of video games I peaked on. Everything that came after, I missed out on. So as I relive the carefree gaming days of my youth, I thought it’d be a fun idea to review some of the games I missed out on. Spoilers ahead.

A huge fortified wall is built around the slums of Gotham, with psychiatrist Hugo Strange leading the project with a shoot-to-kill strike team called TYGER, in an attempt to quell the criminal element of the city for good. Bruce Wayne publicly lobbies to shutdown this inhumane fortress, now called Arkham City, and is arrested by TYGER forces. Bruce is brought right into the belly of the beast and therein begins his investigation into this fortress of misery.

I should preface my thoughts on the game with the fact that I clocked in 36 hours of gameplay – DLC and all Riddler challenges completed – when I finished it. Suffice to say I got the most out of Batman: Arkham City.

It’s no surprise that the game’s biggest star is the core gameplay. You put a character like Batman with all his fancy gadgets and skills in a sandbox as huge as Arkham City, you’re bound to spend hours just trying to parkour across rooftops, gliding to the next district, hanging on to patrolling helicopters, divebombing from tall structures, Batarang-ing unsuspecting villains, and drop-kicking enemies from the roof. The mobility you’re given with the character is just too damn fun.

Of course, you got the signature Arkham combat which has become the gold standard for games of this kind. There’s almost nothing new left to be said about it at this point: it’s fluid, dynamic, graceful, stylish, and whatever adjective applies to fighting mechanics. The game does a great job of keeping it dummy-proof which incentivizes players of all skills to really excel with the combat. Being able to utilize gadgets like the Batarang and grappling hook in the middle of combos takes the whole thing to another level. The combat almost has a relaxing addictive component to it; you fight waves of bad guys and it slowly becomes this choreographed dance where it becomes a fully instinctual exercise for your fingers on the controller. If I didn’t have other games queued up on my list, I would have definitely spent more time topping those Riddler combat challenges.

The stealth component is also stupid fun. The game gives you the freedom to either just brutally assault enemies head-on like the tank Batman is in a room or to use some of his League of Shadows ninja skills. Granted, I do wish the stealth mechanics were more developed (more options on how to ninja your way around a room and better level designs that accommodate it) but it’s just absolutely hilarious to watch goons react to dangling unconscious bodies from your grappling hook. I’m curious on how succeeding Arkham games improved on this component.

Much like the groundbreaking first game, one of Arkham City’s biggest strengths is how it builds on the Batman mythology. There’s a slew of classic villains waiting to ruin Batman’s day. Two-Face, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Bane, Mad Hatter, Victor Zsasz, Solomon Grundy, Clayface, Ra’s Al Guhl, Deadshot, Hush and Riddler all make an appearance in this game. For someone like me who rarely gets to read Batman comics and see his villains, anytime I get to see pop culture’s best rogues gallery showcased is always a win.

Going through from point to point and seeing villains in different parts of the story (main mission and side missions alike) felt like I was playing various episodes of the iconic Batman: The Animated Series. There’s an episodic quality to the way the rogues gallery are spread out in the game and it keeps things varied and fresh. Overall, I do wish some villains were given the limelight more than others which brings me to the game’s biggest weakness: the actual story.

Arkham City doesn’t really know what story it wants to tell. The game oscillates between two arcs: the titular one centered on Hugo Strange’s Arkham City and a continuation of the Joker story from the first game. Now, this wouldn’t generally be a problem if these two arcs intersected in some way but they don’t. The momentum constantly shifts between you dealing with neverending Joker problems and getting to the heart of Hugo Strange’s sinister Protocol 10 plot that neither end up being a fully satisfying story. It also doesn’t help that you’re forced to play Catwoman at times in a plot that also doesn’t connect to the main story, save for one or two scenes.

The main plot, which is the Hugo Strange one, is by far the more interesting one. On paper, the notion of Arkham City as a whole sounds ridiculous. More than anything, it feels like a cheap attempt to keep the Arkham name alive in the franchise but the game actually manages to explore some intriguing ideas that pertain to incarceration, criminality, fascism, and human rights. Even though you don’t actually see Strange until the third act of the game, him being a constant voice you hear in the prison’s PAs reinforces those themes as he recites the inhumane laws that govern this city and counts down to his endgame: Protocol 10, an order to kill all inmates inside the prison.

Sadly, beneath this mammoth of a plot lies a narrative foundation that’s basically made of straws and the entire thing collapses once the nature of Strange’s role in the story is revealed. Turns out, he’s an errand boy for Ra’s Al Guhl. Now, if you’re a comic reader or have a semblance of basic Batman knowledge, you know that Ra’s and the League of Shadow masterminding the plot to get rid of Gotham’s crime makes sense. The problem is that the game doesn’t make an effort to tell you this. Ra’s makes a 10-minute appearance as a boss mid-game in a subplot that has nothing to do with Arkham City. Suddenly, he’s the big bad pulling the strings and the game just expects you to go with it. Strange is reduced to a bumbling lackey. Even worse, within like a minute of the reveal, both Strange and Ra’s die and you’re back to dealing with Joker’s bullshit. The game doesn’t care to explore Ra’s and the League of Shadows’ twisted sense of righteousness.

Joker’s bullshit by the way is just as frustrating. The effects from hulking out from the previous game are killing Joker so he devises a plan that leaves Batman and the rest of Gotham poisoned. The Caped Crusader is forced to find a cure via the Lazarus Pit which is how Ra’s comes into the picture. Of course, the pit becomes the Joker’s eventual endgame of immortality. It’s not a bad story in itself but in the wake of the more interesting Arkham City plot, it ends up being a detriment to the big picture. If the developers managed to find a way to blend the two stories and have them connect in a big way (what does Joker think of Strange’s attempts to get rid all criminality? Surely, Joker has some things to say about that!), my feelings would be a lot more different.

All that said, the weak story does not take away from how fun and immersive of a game Arkham City is. With so much to do and explore as the Dark Knight, the shortcomings of how the story comes together feel inconsequential. I groaned when I was about to face off with the Joker in the final fight but was jolted with excitement when Clayface surfaced as the final boss. The Riddler challenges were painfully grueling but the promise of getting to knock the shit out of Nigma was enough to get me to complete the damn thing. The game truly is greater than the sum of its parts. I’m probably not gonna play any more Arkham games given how this and Arkham Asylum checked those boxes for me but I am more than excited to check out Rocksteady’s next offering which is the Suicide Squad game that was just announced.

August 7, 2020
What I Heard This Week: Marvel Studios Has Come Back to Atlanta!

Marvel Studios crews returned to work this week in Atlanta to begin preparation for the resumption (or in some cases the beginning) of filming.

Crews for The Falcon and The Winter Solider, Loki and Hawkeye moved back into town and got the ball rolling again on the three upcoming Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series, joining the crew for the Untitled Spider-Man Sequel, which had previously begun prep work.

The past week saw crews return to their projects’ offices, stages being built and preproduction steps taken that should ensure both The Falcon and The Winter Solider and Loki are able to resume filming sometime in late-August or early-September. Back in early July, the studio had hoped to resume filming on those projects by August 17th (a date I reported in my Patreon).

A recent report indicated a late-October start for Hawkeye and, as I reported a few months ago, the Spidey sequel is expected to begin filming in September (though the recent release date shift does give them a month to play with). WandaVision, you may have noticed, is glaringly absent from the list but we continue to hear they have work to complete in Los Angeles.

The return of crews to the area is incredibly encouraging as it continues to give fans hope that production on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will be completed in enough time for the series to stream before the end of 2020, giving content-starved fans an epic introduction to Kevin Feige’s plans for the streaming service. It also means casting news might begin to trickle out for Hawkeye and Spidey 3 over the next several weeks, giving us some insight into what exactly we can expect from these projects. This is just the kind of great news we needed headed into the weekend.

August 7, 2020
Nia DaCosta Set to Direct ‘CAPTAIN MARVEL’ Sequel

According to Deadline, Nia DaCosta, director of the upcoming Candyman reboot, has come on board to helm the 2022 sequel to Captain Marvel.

The report indicates that while DaCosta has been the front runner for a while now, she landed the job after meeting with Marvel Studios The-One-Above-All this past weekend.

The sequel, written by WandaVision writing room grad Megan McDonnell, is expected to adapt the Marvel Comics event Secret Invasion.

August 5, 2020
Florian Munteanu is Playing Black Jack Tarr in ‘SHANG-CHI’

Before you go any further, please note that this is what we call a “Connecting Imaginary Dots” feature. We are not claiming any insider knowledge; this article is PURELY speculation.

If you’re not familiar with the “Connecting Imaginary Dots” features here at Murphy’s Multiverse, these are speculative pieces, and so although we’ve gathered evidence to support our conclusions, we cannot officially or 100% prove them at the time. The speculation may turn out to be right or wrong, but we still think it’s worth sharing with you all for considersation.

In this Connecting Imaginary Dots, I will explain why I believe that in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Florian “Big Nasty” Munteanu is playing another mountain of a man: Black Jack Tarr.

Why do I believe this? Well, back on January 30, Murphy’s Multiverse broke the news that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings would introduce 3 significant MI-6 characters: Leiku Wu, Clive Reston, and Black Jack Tarr. In the previously mentioned article by Charles, Tarr is described as “an elite martial artist who enjoys the thrill of the battle.” That certainly sounds like a good fit for “Big Nasty” doesn’t it? Tarr is a bit of a rough, gruff, hot head who starts out as a combatant to Shang-Chi, but later becomes a friend and ally. That would most likely mean the actor who played him would be filming a significant time, and judging by the panel above, it would require another “mountain of a man” to play the character.

In addition, the amount of time Munteanu has spent in Australia this year while they were filming seems significant. We know via his Instagram that he arrived in Sydney in mid January and was there until at least March 19th. It is shortly after he arrives in January that Shang-Chi himself, Simu Liu started following him on Instagram and liking and replying to many of his posts. Awkwafina too, started mutually following and liking his posts. All of this, and other hints and winks from Munteanu along the way, gave pretty much anyone who was paying attention the idea that he was more than likely in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

A more recent mutual follow, post, and interaction with Munteanu made me all the more suspicious that he is in fact playing Tarr. Check out the post below about his return to Sydney to finish what they started and the reply by actress Fala Chen who seems to have started mutually following him fairly recently.

What the reply and likes and mutual follow here tells me is that they probably have some screen time together, and if Fala Chen is indeed playing Leiku Wu, as we have surmised (and currently who she is listed as playing in IMDB), then the most likely character he is playing is Black Jack Tarr.

An edit to add: A quick search online puts Black Jack Tarr at 6’6″ and 300 lbs. Now, how many well established actors out there can even come close to that? Not many. A search for Florian Munteanu puts him at 6’4″ and 235-245 lbs. If they want to come close to “the man not even Kung Fu can smash” then “Big Nasty” certainly sounds about right!

August 3, 2020
‘Shang-Chi’ Production Ready to Return to Filming

A brand new video and report today from 7 News in Australia reveals a fresh look at work being done on a set for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in Sydney. Check it out below!

The report also indicated that cast has returned and they would resume filming in the coming days. Check out the full video from Facebook below!

August 2, 2020