#mcu everett k. ross

[redlightning1]

For @scribble-dribble-writes

I made 5 video of Namora x Ross that are long.

Get ready to see them for the next 5 weeks.

[loremori]

Martin Freeman (233/366)

🎬|Black Panther (2018) Directed Ryan Coogler Written Joe Robert Cole | Ryan Coogler Costume designer Ruth E. Carter

*Gif: thanks to @stream

[hjbirthdaywishes]

September 8, 2024

Happy 53 Birthday to Martin Freeman.

[thingsasbarcodes]

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Hey, lovely, me again haha! You did such a great job on the Family of Heroes post that I wish to request something else. Maybe some Everett Ross x Reader headcanons - possibly about them going undercover together and their kids sneak out to see them in action - thus sparking their passion for espionage? Please and thank you again!

Hello love!

So first, I want to apologize for how long it has taken me to get back to you on this request. I loved writing Family of Heroes and Everett Ross is so underrated that I love getting requests for him 😭 I hope you like this little prequel/sequel to Family of Heroes and thank you so much for your love and support !

Family of Spies | Everett Ross Headcanon

[houseofkob]

BlackPanther: Wakanda Forever - La Recensione

Parlare del trentesimo capitolo dell’MCU non è una cosa facile. Anzi, direi che è quasi impossibile farlo senza che le emozioni prendano il sopravvento. Ho riflettutto molto (troppo) tempo su come impostare la recensione e… niente, ci provo così. Continue reading Untitled

[tvandcomicsita]

BlackPanther: Wakanda Forever - La Recensione

Parlare del trentesimo capitolo dell’MCU non è una cosa facile. Anzi, direi che è quasi impossibile farlo senza che le emozioni prendano il sopravvento. Ho riflettutto molto (troppo) tempo su come impostare la recensione e… niente, ci provo così. Continue reading Untitled

[stycerutti]

BlackPanther: Wakanda Forever - La Recensione

Parlare del trentesimo capitolo dell’MCU non è una cosa facile. Anzi, direi che è quasi impossibile farlo senza che le emozioni prendano il sopravvento. Ho riflettutto molto (troppo) tempo su come impostare la recensione e… niente, ci provo così. Continue reading Untitled

[adamwatchesmovies]

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had its work cut out. Following one of the best entries in the MCU was tough enough. Then, Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020. Considering everything, I don’t think this film was ever going to reach the level of success its predecessor did but by biting off more than it could chew, that was guaranteed.

After King T’Challa dies unexpectedly, his sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), is devastated. If only she could have synthetically recreated the heart-shaped herb, Wakanda would still have its king. The Black Panther is needed more than ever as Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), the ruler of the underwater kingdom of Talokan, approaches Shuri and Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) with an ultimatum: a deep-sea search for vibranium is pushing the surface world dangerously close to his home. Unless Wakanda finds and hands over the scientist who developed the vibranium-detecting technology, he will attack.

This film had to: 1) Give Chadwick Boseman and King T’Challa a eulogy. 2) Address how Wakanda revealing itself has affected the world. 3) Follow-up on the many characters in the first film, which include those previously mentioned and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), Okoye (Danai Gurira), M’Baku (Winston Duke) and Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman). 4) Introduce the film’s villain, Namor. 5) Introduce Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne). 6) Introduce a new Black Panther, which also means either finding a way around the destruction of the heart-shaped herb, or bringing it back from extinction. 7) Connect all of these characters, events and pieces together.

It’s no wonder the film lasts a gargantuan 161 minutes - even longer than the original Avengers. I applaud Wakanda Forever for checking all its boxes but it's too much. The most obvious element to cut is Riri Williams. She’s the one who invented the vibranium-detecting machine. Somehow, Namor knows she only built one of them, on her own, and that the plans to make it are non-existent. This excuse to bring in the new Tony Stark into the MCU (I always thought Shuri was going to take his place) takes the film to action/chase scenes in familiar urban settings. They're well done but pale next to everything we see in Wakanda and Talokan. We also get a few “fish out of water” type scenes as Shuri and Okoye search for the college-aged prodigy while trying to remain secretive about it. If they reveal Namor’s existence to the world, he will attack Wakanda. Their decision not to call for help feels contrived. I know all of these shared universe superhero movies take place “at the same time”, that while Wakanda is fighting Namor’s army, Thor is assumed to be away from Earth with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man is busy doing his own thing, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man were exploring the multiverse, etc. Normally, it wouldn’t bother me but the film is too long and at one point, you start thinking “Can’t they just call some of their Avengers buddies to wrap this up?”

I have a lot of good things to say about Wakanda Forever but I must discuss a pet peeve before getting to them: Namor. I remember when we were happy to get any kind of comic book movie. It didn't matter if the source material got bent out of shape. Nowadays, however, fans expect the material to be treated with respect (with a few exceptions; comic book Whiplash sucks). Writers Ryan Coogler (who also directs) and Joe Robert Cole have altered Namor so much he might as well be an original creation. His origin is completely different, he doesn't act the same, look the same, come from the same place or have any connection with the Fantastic Four. He isn't even Namor "in name only" because he pronounces it differently. What were they thinking?!

At bidding farewell to King T’Challa, you couldn’t have done much better than Wakanda Forever and the grief Shuri feels throughout the picture mirrors our own. Though she isn’t going to don the mantle yet, if there’s going to be a new Black Panther, it will be Shuri and she struggles with that idea on many levels. You’re concerned for our heroine and for Wakanda, as Namor is both a credible threat and a compelling character. He’s no Killmonger but you’d be excited to see him return in a later film.

Production-wise, the film is a triumph. The Wakandan and Tanokan costumes are gorgeous. They create the illusion that these people belong to real cultures, the kind with rich histories that we've only glimpsed by viewing this film. The sets and environments are just as good. As for the performances, they’re excellent. Angela Bassett, in particular, shines. You’re not sure how you feel about her character. Though you might disagree with the way she’s doing things, you can’t take your eyes off of her. Even when she’s right, there’s just something uneasy about the way she’s ruling Wakanda. Letitia Wright also does an excellent job showing us her character's inner turmoil. Shuri relates with Namor they're enemies. She has mixed feelings about her mother's decisions on the throne, all while wrestling with the guilt she feels over the death of her brother… despite it not being her fault. Emotionally, there’s so much happening in this film that the action can almost feel like a distraction. The exception is the climax, which will have you biting your nails.

Black Panther: Wakanda forever does so much right. The fact that it falls short of what it could be feels like an extra big disappointment. In a way, I almost wish they hadn’t made the film but then again, we’re promised more during the end credits and this is likely to be the rough middle chapter in an impressive series. (March 25, 2023)

[phantom-le6]

Film Review - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Finishing off our reviews of 2022 films, we take a break from Warner Brothers-produced films and return to the MCU as we consider Black Panther: Wakanda Forever…

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

T'Challa, king of Wakanda, is suffering from an unspecified terminal illness which his sister Shuri believes can be cured by the heart-shaped herb. Shuri attempts to synthetically recreate the herb after it was burned by Erik Killmonger, but fails to do so before T'Challa dies.

A year later, Wakanda is under pressure from other nations to share their vibranium, with some parties attempting to steal it by force. Queen Ramonda implores Shuri to continue her research on the herb, hoping to create a new Black Panther that will defend Wakanda, but she refuses due to her belief that the Black Panther is a relic of the past. In the Atlantic Ocean, the CIA and U.S. Navy SEALs utilize a vibranium detector to locate a potential vibranium deposit underwater. The expedition is killed by a group of blue-skinned, water-breathing superhumans led by a mutant ruler later identified as Namor, with the CIA believing Wakanda to be responsible. Namor confronts Ramonda and Shuri, easily bypassing Wakanda's advanced security. Blaming Wakanda for the vibranium race, he gives them an ultimatum: deliver him the scientist responsible for the vibranium detector, or he will attack Wakanda.

Shuri and Okoye learn from CIA agent Everett K. Ross that the scientist in question is MIT student Riri Williams and arrive at the university to take her into their safekeeping. The group is pursued by the FBI and then by Namor's warriors, who defeat Okoye before taking Shuri and Williams underwater to meet Namor. Angered by Okoye's failure to protect Shuri, Ramonda strips her of her title as general of the Dora Milaje and seeks out Nakia, who has been living in Haiti since The Blip. Namor shows Shuri his vibranium-rich underwater kingdom of Talokan, which he has protected for centuries from discovery by the world. Bitter at the surface world for enslaving the Maya, Namor proposes an alliance with Wakanda against the rest of the world but threatens to destroy Wakanda if they refuse. Nakia helps Shuri and Williams escape, killing one of the Talokan guards in the process, and Namor retaliates with an attack against Wakanda, during which Ramonda drowns while saving Williams. Namor vows to return with his full army, and the citizens of Wakanda relocate to the Jabari mountains for their safety. Meanwhile, Ross is arrested by his ex-wife, CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, for secretly exchanging classified intelligence with the Wakandans.

After Ramonda's funeral, Shuri uses a remnant of the herb that gave Namor's people their superhuman abilities to reconstruct the heart-shaped herb. She ingests it, gaining superhuman abilities and meeting Killmonger in the Ancestral Plane, who urges her to seek revenge. Shuri dons a new Black Panther suit and is accepted by the other Wakandan tribes as the Black Panther. Despite M'Baku's urges for peace, Shuri is determined to exact vengeance on Namor for Ramonda's death and orders an immediate counterattack on Talokan. Preparing for battle, with Ayo assuming the position of general of the Dora Milaje, Shuri bestows the Midnight Angel armour upon Okoye, who in turn recruits Dora Milaje member Aneka to join her. Williams creates an Iron Man-esque powered exoskeleton to aid the Wakandans.

Using a seafaring vessel, the Wakandans lure Namor and his warriors to the surface with another vibranium detector as a battle ensues. Shuri traps Namor in a fighter aircraft, intending to dry him out and weaken him. The pair crash on a desert beach and fight. Shuri gains the upper hand but has a vision of Ramonda and implores Namor to yield, offering him a peaceful alliance. Namor accepts, and the battle ends. Namor's cousin, Namora, is upset at Namor's surrender, but he assures her that the new alliance will allow them to conquer the surface world one day. Williams returns to MIT, leaving her suit behind, while Okoye rescues Ross from captivity. Shuri plants more heart-shaped herbs to ensure the future of the Black Panther mantle. In Shuri's absence, M'Baku steps forward to challenge for the throne. Shuri visits Nakia in Haiti where she burns her funeral robe in accordance with Ramonda's wishes, allowing herself to finally grieve for T'Challa.

In a mid-credits scene, Shuri learns that Nakia and T'Challa had a son named Toussaint, whom Nakia has been raising in secret. Toussaint reveals his Wakandan name is T'Challa.

Review:

While this film has garnered great commercial and critical success, receiving many award nominations and even winning a few, I personally don’t find it to be as good as the previous Black Panther solo film.  This isn’t due to any fault on the part of returning cast and crew, nor the absence of the late Chadwick Boseman.  Indeed, beyond the great acting and visual appearance of the film, I think the choice not to recast the role of T’Challa and instead have the Wakandans mourn him was a very smart move on the part of all concerned.  Combined with a very moving and apt closing song with Rihanna, this made Wakanda Forever a great film to watch.  So, if these are not the issues that I feel hold this film back from the original film’s greatness, what then are those issues?

To be honest, it’s the changes made to Namor and his undersea kingdom, ostensibly made in the name of diversity, but in reality, it is clearly an attempt to avoid too much similarity to DC’s Aquaman.  Anyone who has read enough of the relevant comics will know that in source material, Namor and Aquaman are the Marvel and DC rulers of Atlantis; each company has their own version of this ancient myth, which is clearly public domain considering that Disney animated classics and the Stargate franchises have projects with Atlantis in the title.  Both are male heroes and both share enhanced strength and water-breathing abilities, but here the similarity between Namor and Aquaman stops.

The various differences between the characters include differences in royal title (Namor is always a prince where Aquaman is a king), which world they’re raised in (Aquaman was raised on land by his father, Namor underwater by his mother), romantic situations (Aquaman marries and has a son where Namor’s romances never end well) and surface world relations (Aquaman often guides Atlantis towards peace whereas Namor is often more antagonistic).  There’s also the matter of additional powers being different, as well as Aquaman being strictly a member of the Justice League in DC where Namor has laid claim to membership in at least three superhero groups (Defenders, Avengers and X-Men) while at times being an ally to a fourth group (the Fantastic Four, when he stopped vying with Reed for Sue’s affections).

Given this many differences, the question in my mind is why turn Marvel’s version of Atlantis into something Mezzo-American?  The issues at hand in the film for Namor and his people are not specific to or indicative of that culture, compared to the first Black Panther film which put the issues of Black people in the world front and centre.  If this film had taken a similar path, had made turning Marvel’s Atlantis into Talokan something that explored the issues of indigenous cultures, then it might make some degree of sense.  Instead, it’s nothing more than another surface-level race-shift to make a show of diversity without actually being diverse, in part because they wanted a style shift away from DC’s efforts with their own aquatic super-being.

Another issue with the film is the apparent lack of originality to Shuri’s path through this sequel.  At first, she is managing to chart her own course in things, and maybe if the film had followed that throughout, it would have been better.  Instead, once Ramonda dies, Shuri’s path is virtually identical to T’Challa’s path in Captain America: Civil War.  Parent dies, kid seeks revenge as Black Panther, only to relent when they realise how vengeance isn’t actually solving anything.  Frankly, I think that since Shuri is going to be the Black Panther of the MCU for some time to come, she deserved a more original origin arc, and I hope that going forward, she’s given better stories that are more unique to her.

On the positive side, the film isn’t suffering the lack of exposition others superhero films have been lacking in some of my most recent watch-throughs, and even with its issues, it does better than the last MCU instalment I looked at.  Nonetheless, I think that if Marvel should be treating the indigenous cultures of the Americas and other continents with the same kind of reverence it showed when it introduced Wakanda to the MCU, and it should respect the new Black Panther with the same original story-telling they gave her predecessor.  Overall, I give this film 8 out of 10.

[redlightning1]

For @scribble-dribble-writes

[hjbirthdaywishes]

September 8, 2023

Happy 52 Birthday to Martin Freeman.

[scribble-dribble-writes]

Hidden talents Wakanda forever version:

Namora definitely sings, she is a siren.

Okoye is a dancer, interpretive dance combined with folklore storytelling.

Attuma definitely knits in his free time or weaves baskets.

Namor makes handmade jewellery. Personalized rings and necklaces.

M'baku loves to cook. He'll spend time in his kitchen baking cakes and icing them.

Ross is an astronomy geek. He slips away at midnight to see the stars.

Shuri likes to dabble with fashion design. If she's not making tech gear, she making a couture gown.

Who else should I add?

[safedistancefrombeingsmart]