heroesofthemodernage - Tumblr blog

[heroesofthemodernage]

Back-Issue Review: Uncanny X-Men 400

As part of a new series for Heroes of the Modern Age, I will be reviewing some back-issue comics that I have accumulated over the years. I have quite a stack of them in my room and I do know they are prevalent in most comic shops, so let’s give them some love, shall we?

For this first review, I read Uncanny X-Men #400. I will also preface this article with the fact that I am not a big X-Men reader so you will have to bear with me on this. Primarily, I know them through TV shows, video games, and movies, so this was a change of pace for me to get into some written material. Overall, I thought this was a decent comic to start an arc with, and while its focus on the introduction of the Church of Humanity as a new antagonist and Stacy X as a new member of the X-Men were done well, its artwork and development of other characters was more inconsistent.

Stacy X and Chamber in the beginning of the issue.

I enjoyed Stacy X’s character in this issue. She was a new character at the time and had been introduced in the issue prior to this one, so it makes sense to feature her more prominently and go into her backstory a bit. Power-wise, she has pheromone control, which equates to her making other people lose control of their bodily functions, including vomiting and paralysis. She’s a wild character and steals the show in this one, but carries with her a vulgar edge that I couldn’t see translating to the screen or other media very well. She’s not one of my favorite X-Men characters, but she is definitely one that stands out and could be used for more mature renditions of the team.

Stacy X as she appears in her flashback.

Another aspect of her story in this issue is that of her origin; while detailed through a flashback, it is unclear just how much of it is true or not, and as a reader, I enjoyed this challenge. The mystery surrounding her character kept me interested, despite wanting to know the truth. Will we learn of her origin in future issues? Probably, but the execution of it in this scene is done well and suits the story.

Villain-wise, this book introduces the Church of Humanity, who are basically a cult of mutant hating Christians that believe God created men to be superior to mutants. There’s a whole backstory flashback detailing their origin, which reads nicely and has some slick art and graphics in it, but as an organization, I’m not sure they’re as unique as the Brotherhood of Mutants or some of the other foes the X-Men have encountered. I’m not as knowledgeable regarding that area of the X-Men, but these guys didn’t do much to interest me. Perhaps I wanted them to be more independent of an established religion, but for what it’s worth, they offer great contrast to Stacy X’s off the rails, wild-child character. Additionally, with Nightcrawler’s strong Catholic beliefs, I foresee some interesting discussions of religion, and perhaps a manipulation of Nightcrawler’s own beliefs with the Church of Humanity.  

Aside from the Church and Stacy X, the rest of the X-Men are featured in passing. Wolverine has his own brief segment where he runs off on a solo mission to get a lead on their new enemy (big surprise there) then returns to the group later in the issue; Iceman is present but provides little more than support in battles; Chamber, another newer X-Man, provides some banter with Stacy but otherwise is not much to write home about; and Nightcrawler is here as well, though only for a few panels. Nightcrawler’s role seems to set up more for later in the arc, but it is unclear what that may be. One of the strengths of the X-Men has always been the wide variety of characters and perspectives in their stories, and that is seen here, but none get as much time or focus as Stacy X or the Church. Still, each character does something in the issue and has a presence, it’s just a matter of them needing more time and space. But I suppose that is what other issues are for as well.

One of many interior shots of the Church of Humanity.

Perhaps the strongest aspect of this book is the art, which is solid all around. The cover art features the X-Men in a monochrome palette stylized in a messy, draft-like oil pastels aesthetic. Over the X-Men is the same art but in red and featuring members of the Church. It’s a striking comic, and the artwork inside doesn’t disappoint either. With the combined styles of six artists, each section of the book has its own feel and personality. Sections like the flashbacks and backstory explanation are rendered beautifully and stand on their own as stories, and scenes taking place inside the Church are illustrated in the same monochrome, dirty style that the cover is. The Church’s scenes come off as hazy and supplement their disparate ideals well.

My problem with the various artists lies in their interpretations of certain characters and how drastically they shift throughout the book. Iceman starts the book with sunglasses, messy brown hair, and a scruffy beard. As the story progresses, his hair turns blond, he becomes clean-shaven, and he looks younger. Were it not for the ice powers, I would have thought this was a different character. Stacy X faces similar issues, except hers are localized to her face and markings. First she has tattoo-like markings, then loses most of them aside from her head, then has more in her flashback sequence, and finishes the issue with yellow eyes and markings that look like scars. I’m fine with variations on characters between issues or arcs and I suppose Bobby could have shaved between the mission and when we see him next, but for them to change so much within one issue is jarring and confusing.

The X-Men back in the X-Mansion.

As a general note, I think this comic is a great period piece and works as evidence of Marvel’s early efforts of corporate synergy and also their response to real world events. This comic was released in December 2001, which is evident from the cover graphics and the designs of the X-Men’s costumes themselves. I’ve written about corporate synergy before, but essentially it is making one universal image or branding for all versions of an intellectual property. So, in this case, it’s the costumes. The first X-Men movie had come out about a year and a half prior to this comic’s release date, and the influence of black leather from the film is incorporated into similar black leather costumes with yellow stripes and jackets. What I find interesting about this choice is that each character’s suit is slightly different, and they incorporate personal shirts under the jackets, as seen with Iceman and Chamber. It’s a neat idea and one that is also from the movie, but done differently here. Of course, each X-Men has always had personal touches to their costume, but here they are done with a more realistic edge to them in this issue.

The other real world influence I noticed was the incorporation of the twin towers silhouette with a red, white, and blue striped ribbon over it in the lower right-hand corner of the cover. This comic came out just two months after 9/11 and the graphic makes that known. Around the time of the attack, Marvel took a stance and wrote a few stories dealing with the incident and how their heroes responded alongside firefighters and police officers. Following that, Marvel printed these graphics on their comics to remember the tragedy. For how long they did this, I’m not sure, but it’s evident that Marvel made an effort to remember the attack for some time.

If you’re looking for some great artwork and newer characters, then I would say this issue is for you. On the whole, it’s not a bad issue, just the start to a new arc with a fresh enemy for the X-Men to face. Personally, I have not been won over by it and will not look into the rest of the arc. It’s a bit all over the place, but the art is gorgeous despite being inconsistent and there is potential here for these characters to be intriguing, but as it exists now, this is a decent first issue with some ground to cover for the rest of the arc.

[heroesofthemodernage]

PS4 Spider-Man 2018: First Thoughts

Insomniac’s upcoming PS4 exclusive Spider-Man game premiered 8 minutes of gameplay at Sony’s E3 conference last night, but will this be the next great Spidey game or another ripple in the pond?

Image courtesy of Gematsu.

Sony’s E3 conference was held last night, June 12th, 2017, and among the offerings was a new gameplay trailer (the first gameplay trailer since the game’s announcement trailer at last year’s E3) and boy was it a fun trailer.

Now, let me preface it: I’ve played a lot of Spider-Man games, with my first being the Neversoft Spider-Man for PS1 and N64, all the way through the Sam Raimi trilogy games, Ultimate Spider-Man (2005), Web of Shadows, Shattered Dimensions, and The Amazing Spider-Man game.

I’m used to the character, his tropes (from comics, films, and video games), and common gameplay mechanics. So it takes a lot to impress me. At this point, I’m excited for the game, but I won’t be impressed until I play it myself.

So, first off:

New Story

Image courtesy of thereelworld.

Whoever the Demons are and what their goals are, I don’t know, but it has been confirmed that these are new characters with a new story set in the Spidey mythos. Spidey is older and more experienced, so I’m predicting this is a post-college Peter who is closer to the Peter we currently have in the comics (and while I doubt Parker Industries exists right now in this universe, it could be possible). To me, it seems these guys have powers similar to the Negative Zone or related energy. Who knows, but that black glowing stuff was cool, and I believe there was some magnetism involved in the big hulking guy’s fight with Spidey.

Cool Costume

Image courtesy of ibtimes.co.uk.

So I dig the new costume. It has a lot of white on it and some padding on the knuckles and hands, presumably because this Spidey is not pulling punches as much. He means business and is going to pack a wallop. The white ties together the eyes to the rest of the suit, and I like the subtle partitions and breaks in the suit taken from the Garfield original suit and the newer Tom Holland suit, in addition to the aperture eyes from the Holland suit. There is a bit much white on his hands, but I can live with it. Gone are Spidey’s red boots, replaced instead with heel and ankle red and white highlights, which work well together. Overall, this is a cool suit that sticks to the overall traditional design while giving it some more highlights and nods to current suits.

Fluid Web-Swinging

Image courtesy of arstechnica.net.

Spidey was running on walls, zipping around corners, and running through buildings in the trailer. I don’t think we have anything to worry about here, considering Insomniac’s background with Sunset Overdrive and its fluid movement system. Also, the developers know well the one outcry every Spider-Man fan has when a game comes out: MAKE THE WEB SWINGING FLUID AND NATURAL! This one’s seems similar to the Amazing Spider-Man’s mechanics, which is a good thing considering how fast the swinging was in that game. I was satisfied with it there, so if it’s similar, then it’ll be quick and fun.

Stealth and Combat a la Arkham

Image courtesy of gamer-network.net

So one of the biggest complaints I’ve read following the trailer is that this is Batman: Arkham but with Spider-Man. To that, I say: is that a bad thing? Arkham revolutionized super-hero games, not just because of the combat and stealth mechanics but also the attention to detail, breadth of the universe, and references hidden in the game. Rocksteady loves Batman and it shows in their games. So if Insomniac is borrowing some elements from them and giving this game as much love, then good. However, I would prefer some variation and updates to these mechanics. It seems web-strikes are back from Web of Shadows and most of the current games (an awesome mechanic and loads of fun) along with enhanced stealth that drops you on objects instead of crawling on the ceiling. From there, the basic combat is like Arkham: strike until you start a combo, dodge and counter, use gadgets, power up until you can do a big move, and rinse/repeat. I did notice there was a shock web attack Spidey did on one guard once he got spotted, so it will be fun to see what new gadgets Peter has in his suit, and also more of the scientist aspect of the character taking practical applications.

Image courtesy of comicbook.com

Quick-Time Events

Image courtesy of comicbook.com

Ah, yes. The other complaint: Quick-Time Events, or QTEs. Look, they’ve been popular since God of War 1 back in 2005. I have no problems with them since they are a neat way to draw players into cut-scenes. That being said, the timing of them can be frustrating, so I understand that and have had many encounters where I failed and had to restart again (Dead Space 2 eye needle, I’m looking at you, especially on Hardcore mode). They looked great and work well for Spidey to have us control him partially while he does his agile spider thing. Hopefully, they will be used well.

Final Thoughts

Image courtesy of perch.com

I’m excited for this game, as I think most Spidey fans should be. Is it breaking a lot of new ground for Spidey mechanics or action/super-hero games as a whole? No, not from what we’ve seen. But if we get a solid Spidey game that has lots of content, is true to the character, and runs well/is fun to play, then I’m happy.

I think it’s safe to say this will be that game.

[heroesofthemodernage]

The Rectification of Bill Finger’s Legacy

Batman & Bill, a Hulu documentary. Photo courtesy of Hulu.

This one’s going to be quick today, but for those of you Batman fans out there, or anyone interested in comics and creator ownership, you need to check out Batman and Bill on Hulu.

The documentary follows the struggle of the Finger family to get Bill Finger’s credit on the Batman property.

For those unaware, Bill Finger co-created Batman with Bob Kane and made many of the design choices that make the character recognizable and iconic, yet never received credit...

Bill: The Boy Wonder, by Marc Tyler Nobleman, the host of the documentary and the person who originally dug up all the info on Bill in recent years. This book came out and eventually spawned the interest for the documentary. Photo courtesy of Amazon.

As a creator of fiction and other art, this film moved me and it was gratifying to see the fandom stick up for Bill, even when there were only a few at the beginning. This is also why I never choose to pirate films or other media; creators are due royalties and recognition for their work.

‘Nuff said.

-Kyle

[heroesofthemodernage]

Who Really Died in Captain America: Civil War?

SPOILERS AHEAD

     It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, and I realized that I never finished my series on who really died in Civil War, so here we go. 

BEWARE: SPOILERS

     So what I found funny about Civil War is that in the end no one of major importance died. Now, before all the Agent Carter fans lose it, she was a secondary character, even tertiary, after the First Avenger and her TV show. She was just no longer relevant for Cap, and it was clear by Winter Soldier that he was ready to move on, so it made sense that it was her time to die.

     In that sense, the obvious answer is Peggy Carter died.

Aged Peggy from Winter Soldier. Photo courtesy of blogspot.

     But Peggy wasn’t a part of the Sokovia Accords, nor influenced by it. Rather, she served as motivation for Cap and Agent 13 to go against the wave of conformity that Tony and his team were kneeling toward.

     However, the real death occurred in the Avengers as a team.

Don’t let Steve’s smile deceive you. Photo courtesy of Pinterest.

     The team is shattered by the end of the flick, and while Cap is shown breaking out his team members from the Raft, they are now criminals; Cap and Falcon have abandoned their government owned identities, and everyone else is in hiding; Clint can’t go back to his family; Scott can’t contact his daughter; and if people didn’t hate Wanda enough before, they certainly do now.

Ross and Tony butt heads. Photo courtesy of KCSR.

     While Tony’s camp survived, they are not in good standing either. Everyone is hurt, and Tony’s faith in the law and Ross’s intentions are shaken. We know all these players will be back for Avengers: Infinity War and it’s sequel, but there will be a shroud of animosity among the team, and especially its new members like Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel.

     Everyone will have different perspectives on each other, and to say the team will be explosive would be an understatement. But so we’ve come to expect from Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

     So to answer the question: the death was Peggy Carter, but the true victim was the Avengers.

     Stay tuned for more Marvel news; there may be a Thor: Ragnarok article coming soon!

[heroesofthemodernage]

Wingdings: You Mean the Font Style?

Nightwing wielding a Wingding. Photo courtesy of nightwing.wikia.com.

Typically when I bring up “Wingdings” the first thing people think of is that silly font style in Microsoft word, which I can’t say is wrong because Wingdings aren’t really publicized all too well.

Wingdings, put simply for those that don’t know, are Nightwing’s equivalent to Batman’s Batarangs. They function in the exact same manner and for the most part look similar, but due to the branding of Nightwing as his own character, Dick took on his own title for his tool. For a similar case, look into Robin and his Birdarangs; same tool, different branding.

While Nightwing left Batman to start his own crime fighting career in 1984, the first use of the name “wingdings” to refer to Nightwing’s Batarangs is harder to track. In general, I think I remember one comic in the New 52 which referred to Nightwing’s throwing weapon as a “Wingding,” though I can’t remember which one. If I find it, I’ll update this article. 

The first time I remember running into the term was while playing Batman: Arkham City back in 2011. I downloaded the Nightwing pack soon after it released and was doing some of the Predator challenges when I noticed that my Batarangs had a different name: Wing-Ding.

The Wing-Ding as it appears in Batman: Arkham City. Photo courtesy of arkhamcity.wikia.com.

Puzzled, I laughed at the goofiness of the name and searched it on Google to find out that this was the correct term for Nightwing’s tool.

So he carries Escrima Sticks and...Wingdings?

To this day, I still find the name of the tool hilarious, and I believe that is why many writers don’t explicitly list it in Nightwing’s books because it sounds childish and silly. Can you imagine him beating a criminal to a pulp and then shouting “Oh no, out of Wingdings!?” He’d be a laughing stock in two seconds.

Anyhow, that‘s a little lesson on Nightwing’s Wingdings. While not incredibly useful, now you know more about Nightwing and can share the knowledge with your friends who think he carries Batarangs.

Until next time, keep reading!

P.S I had pictures, but for some reason, the article wasn’t loading with them so I’ll have to post without. I will try to add them again later.

[heroesofthemodernage]

Man of Steel Second Viewing Opinion

Henry Cavill as Superman in Man of Steel. Photo courtesy of gizmodo.

    So I rewatched Man of Steel last night (mostly because I wanted a fresh take on it and the new film came out, so I figured a viewing was warranted) and I actually enjoyed it.

    It's not a perfect film by any stretch, but I had fun watching it.

*Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen the film, but at this point, I think it's common knowledge*

    I enjoyed the new take on Superman and his soul searching parts, but wanted more of Clark's development in the present day versus all the scenes we got of his past. While those added backstory, so much of his development was in the past that I felt I didn't really get to know Clark as a person too well. Clark and Lois' romance was rushed, really wished they gave that more time to develop instead of rushing it because it was supposed to be there according to the mythos.

Smallville fight. Courtesy of comicvine.gamespot.

    Superman's violence and destruction of Smallville and Metropolis I chalked it up to Clark being new to the job (he only learned to fly a few days before Zod showed up, and Faora and Zod were his first and second fights respectively). If you pay attention, Clark often seems lost and unsure of himself in those fight scenes, looking for Zod or Faora and not being sure how to control himself too well. Clark blasting through Smallville was a rage thing, and while I haven't seen BvS, I hope in that one and future flicks he learns to control the collateral damage more. Again, new hero, so I'm forgiving it.

    Also worth mentioning in terms of Clark's departure from the traditional Superman ideals: in one of the bully flashbacks, his adoptive father tells him whether he's good or bad doesn't matter; that's Clark's choice. What will matter is that Clark will change the world, and that his father heeds him to remember that. He doesn't directly tell him to be an outstanding citizen, but instead hopes he will choose that.

    Zod's fight was in Superman's hands, I agree he could've ended it differently. But after all that fighting, all the threats from Zod that he would never stop killing people in retaliation for Superman destroying the genesis chambers, I think Clark realized there was no way out and made a rash decision. He is young and impulsive here afterall. However, he could've easily subdued Zod another way, but probably saw this as an opportunity and just acted on impulse. Regarding keeping the fight in Metropolis, I still think his inexperience led him to focus on Zod and stopping him, not the damage or casualties he incurred in the process.

Jor-El and the Kryptonian Council. Courtesy of kryptonian.info.

    Action and special effects were great. No complaints here, except that it did seem like the purpose of those fights was to blow up as many set pieces as possible. I enjoyed the musical score; the drums had a good heaviness to them and added to the pic feel of the movie. The soundtrack was, however, overpowering at times, but for the most part, was a great complement to the story. Loved the Krypton bits and almost wished we saw more of Krypton and what was going on there in the prologue; the prologue, however, spent a little too much time there and building up to finally getting to Earth. Maybe a prequel just about Jor-El and the politics of Krypton could be fun, but I suspect DC is more interested in the Justice League than the fantasy of Krypton’s past.  

    I didn't mind the slowness in the beginning of the film either, but I feel the action could have been spaced out better so the beginning wasn't so flashback and plot development heavy and the ending hour all action. In terms of plot holes...the only one that I didn't get was the fact that Jor-El left a suit on Earth for Kal-El. I suppose he could've sent suits to all the colonies, or forged one on the ship between when Clark inserted the El key into the console and when Clark met the hologram of his father, but whatever.

    Regarding why the Kryptonians didn't leave before the planet core exploded...Jor-El stated they abandoned the colonies long ago and were more interested in harvesting their planet than ensuring their future safety. Look at our current situation with gasoline use and climate change for a similar case of waiting too long to act against destructive use of resources. The Kryptonians didn't know if those colonies were still there, and even if they got to them and studied them, there's no guarantee they could've moved the population to various colonies in time, nor terraformed them before Krypton blew up. Granted, Zod's terraforming probably would've been complete within a day, but I don't know. Their phantom drive warp cores seem to work instantaneously, so time may not have been an issue, but who knows. This one's hard to justify, and I just lean towards once the planet became unstable and they realized that it was over, it was too late to act. Clearly they weren't listening to Jor-El or the other scientists at the time, and Zod likely didn't help with that either. Zod was a distraction and they lost time dealing with him.

Jor-El explains Krypton’s past to Kal-El. Courtesy of rellimzone.

    Zod could've chose any planet to terraform and turn into Krypton, but there were a few reasons he chose Earth. I think there had to be a certain makeup to the planet in order to warrant terraforming it; Earth had minerals, water and could support life and would be an easy switch, whereas say Mars may not have worked since it would've taken much longer to develop water and life there than Earth that just needed a gravity update and atmosphere tweak. Why Zod wouldn't want to keep Earth's strength and power benefits...probably because it wasn't how they originally were and he saw them as disgusting alterations to their Kryptonian makeup. I'm inferring this and it really should've been stated or implied, but whatever. The main reason I think he chose Earth was because he wanted revenge against Jor-El for sending Kal-El, an abomination in Zod's eyes and the next generation of Kryptonians there, and because Kal-El loved humans so much. In the end, Zod had a big ego and made everything personal, so I think he wanted to take the earthlings and all they cared for from Kal-El to make him suffer for being different and defiant of Zod's order.

    In one of the reviews I read, someone complained about why Jor-El chose to send Clark to Earth: he chose Earth because humans were intelligent and could become an adoptive species for Kal-El because Clark would look just like a human and blend in, minus his powers, which could be hidden. He could've sent him to a planet of squid people, but Clark would've been abandoned for looking different, so that's why Earth worked.

    Young Clark in one of the film’s flashbacks. Courtesy of birthmoviesdeath. 

    Otherwise, I enjoyed the film. Could use more character development, but it's a good start, and I just hope DC focuses on individual characters rather than building this Justice League and blowing crap up. Marvel familiarized us with the characters before plunging them into the team-up movie, and it worked because they were independently developed first then thrown together to see how they play in a team. From what I've heard of BvS, there's just too much going on for one movie, and that should be something DC notes if they want to improve their ratings.

    I did like the film, and I look forward to more films, even though they aren't "traditional" Superman. I think once people get more accustomed to this new version of Superman, the heat will come off his actions a bit, and there is lots of potential for growth in this new character and universe. 

[heroesofthemodernage]

[heroesofthemodernage]

Our First Glimpse at Captain America: Civil War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVdV-lxRPFo

While a lot has already been posted about this trailer, there are a few key elements I wanted to point out that struck me as critical to the development of the story. 

1) Focus On Bucky and Steve

Photo courtesy of moviepilot.com

As the trailer begins, we get a lot of scenes focusing on Bucky and Steve’s relationship in this trailer. This cements the fact that this is a Captain America movie, not an Avengers 2.5. While there are a lot of Avengers in this film, they’re not the focus here, and neither is Tony’s inclusion or that of even Falcon or Black Widow form the last Cap film. This is the story of Bucky and Steve’s friendship, and how far Steve will go to defend it. 

2) Sokovia Accords

Photo courtesy of marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/

Here’s our MCU version of the Superhero Registration act, and it stands as the reason that Steve is standing against Tony and the government in this film. If you want to know more about it, watch Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD since they’ve been dealing with Inhumans and mentioning it in the plot frequently, but here’s the basic rundown: 

Sokovia was the city where Ultron tried to destroy all humans on Earth at the end of Age of Ultron by dropping the city on the planet and killing millions of people. The Avengers topped him of course, but the world’s governments banded together to make the Sokovia Accords, which aims to enlist all superheroes as government agents or at least sanction them under the power of a government somehow. We don’t really know too much about it yet, so only the film’s release will answer these questions, but it makes sense given SHIELD’s former involvement with the team and then their relative hands-off approach seen in Avengers Age of Ultron. Without some form of control, the Avengers are just as dangerous as the people they fight, with all of Age of Ultron consisting of trying to cleanup Tony and Bruce’s mess of an experiment.  

3) New Avengers

Photo courtesy of theworkprint.com

In this trailer, we get a pretty good glimpse at Black Panther in action, along with a shot including Scarlet Witch on Cap’s team. While Vison, Ant-Man and Spidey are missing from this trailer, we know they’ll be included in the film, so a lot of lines will be drawn with these new heroes based on what their interests are. There will be a lot of judgments made in this film and a lot of characters making them, but it will come down to Tony’s belief that Big Brother’s hand will be useful in preventing more deaths versus Cap’s idea that the government has no right controlling the lives of superheroes. 

4) Thunderbolt Ross is back!

Photo courtesy of marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com

While the Red-Hulk to be is not my favorite character, he did portray the persona well in the Incredible Hulk, which was filmed nearly seven years ago. While we’ve known for some time that the Incredible Hulk was a part of Phase 1, no one really mentions the events of that film in the MCU for the most part. It’s almost as if The Avengers stands as his definitive role and that the Incredible Hulk was forgotten long ago, but clearly someone has connected the dots and brought it back into the lore. I’m glad to see Ross return, and hopefully bring with him some more of Hulk’s universe, since it has been rather ignored up to this point. 

5) Rhodey and Tony

Photo courtesy of mvoiepilot.com

Rhodey had no speaking parts in this trailer, but it seems that Rhodey will have an important part in this film as well, backing Tony up and bringing us back to one of Tony’s oldest friends and perhaps founding some of the belief that Tony should work under the government. Rhodey has worked under the Air Force as War Machine since Iron Man 2 and has been trying to convince Tony to stop being independent since then, letting up a bit in Iron Man 3 but no doubt continuing to believe the Iron Man suit should be used for military purposes. Rhodey is here to back Tony up in his decision to follow the Sokovia Accords, and hopefully Rhodey’s role will be explored in this way in the upcoming film. It’s too good an opportunity to pass up.  

6) Theme of Friendship

Photo courtesy of empireonline.com

Yes, that does sound lame, but the theme of friendship runs throughout this trailer. We’ve got Steve defending Bucky on the terms of their old friendship and Bucky’s reformation, Rhodey backing Tony because he believes Tony should work under the government’s forces to save more lives and Steve stating that he’s fighting Tony because Bucky’s his friend, and Tony retorting, “So was I.” 

Brothers will be pinned against each other, like the namesake of Civil War suggests, and the dynamic of the Avengers and who splits up into whose teams will haunt them from here forward, questioning where each characters’ true allegiances lie. 

This film will set the tone for Phase 3 and influence how many of these Avengers enter the two Infinity War films, so this is definitely one you won’t want to miss. 

[heroesofthemodernage]

Who Isn’t Dying in Civil War

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/7-Characters-You-Don-t-Have-Worry-About-Dying-Captain-America-Civil-War-96807-p7.html

Photo courtesy of newsarama.com.

This post on Cinema Blend will give you an idea of who isn’t dying in the film, and most of the people not mentioned are supporting cast and and a few main superheroes like Black Widow. Worth a read if you want a quick perspective from the other side of the argument (who isn’t dying). 

Enjoy! 

[heroesofthemodernage]

Joker, this is Joker and this is Joker. http://daily-superheroes.tumblr.com Source: http://i.imgur.com/ZFLJ1y9.jpg

[heroesofthemodernage]

Marvel Has Options...

Above: Captain America and Iron Man square off in concept art for Captain America: Civil War. Courtesy of screenrant.com.

Rumors continue to circulate that a major character will die in Captain America: Civil War. Who will it be? 

The story of Civil War isn't a new one, and Hollywood won't follow it to the letter. The obvious choice for a cliffhanger death would be Captain America. He could and would be replaced or resurrected very easily (the Marvel way).

What has historically happened in print:

Captain America was assassinated following Civil War.

Captain America has also been known to renounce his position as Captain "America" in the past.

Bucky AKA the Winter Soldier has once substituted for Captain America.

Falcon is currently the new Captain America in the Marvel Universe.

Marvel's history has gone everywhere!

In the movies, we don't see the obvious happening. In fact, the real question would be HOW someone dies in the Marvel Movie Universe. As we know from previous movies, Agent Coulsen was "dead". Technology and sorcery are beginning to develop in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making anything possible. Bringing someone back will simply take a great script.

Above: Gwyneth Paltrow plays Pepper Potts, Tony Stark’s love interest, in the MCU. Photo courtesy of cinemablend.com.

But remember... anyone here can be a victim of Civil War. Iron Man and Captain America are the leads in the dispute, so we discount them. That's waaaay too easy! We will hypothesize Pepper Potts being a casualty of war, perhaps collateral damage? Imagine the rage Tony Stark would be in at that point... Things would be escalated and his need to resurrect her would now be paramount. Maybe Tony Stark would look into other worldly devices like the reality stone? That would tie in well with the Infinity War or Doctor Strange. HMMMM?

Anyway, you see the dilemma. Hawkeye, Black Widow, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, etc. are all great characters, but their deaths wouldn't upset the audience much... It's too likely. The death of Pietro Maximoff AKA Quicksilver (a title not used in the Age of Ultron due to licensing restrictions) wasn't cool, but not really that upsetting with any real fans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5iO8hEEFbA

In the link above, it is revealed that Hawkeye has a secret family in Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

Someone outside the group, but clearly a pivotal character with consequence, would most likely be the victim and they don't need to be a superhero either. Hawkeye was shown to have a family in seclusion... It isn't like Marvel to not have meaning to displays of character development without somehow using it in the future. Perhaps something happens to his family and he loses it! He then becomes a rogue agent and off goes the Civil War in another direction. Hawkeye himself becomes crazy with revenge and a wanted man with a bounty on his head...

Above: Concept art of Cap’s team in Captain America: Civil War. Courtesy of moviepilot.com.

Eh, who knows? It's fun to think of the possibilities and one of the reasons to watch the movie!

-George Milligan and Crew of Comic Underground

George Milligan is the owner of Comic Undergound, a comic book store based in Bethel, CT, and staffed with a passionate crew of comic book fans and collectors. 

You can check out their website at: www.comicunderground.net; email them at: leaders@comicunderground.net; find them on facebook at: facebook.com/ComicUnderground; or follow them on twitter at: twitter.com/comicunder@ComicUnder. 

[heroesofthemodernage]

Wolverine vs. The Wendigo!

X-Men #139, page 25 by John Byrne & Terry Austin & Glynis Wein. 1980.

[heroesofthemodernage]

Black Widow’s Got a Number...

Rumors has it an Avenger will die in Captain America: Civil War. Who’s on the chopping block?

Photo courtesy of justjared.

Many rumors have been circulating in the past few months regarding the death of a prominent Avenger in next May’s Captain America: Civil War, which is set to pit the Avengers against each other in an epic feud of superhero betrayal and blood. While almost every character has been named for termination in these rumors at some point, one makes the most sense to me: Black Widow. 

I don’t say this because Black Widow’s a poor character or because I don’t like her; admittedly, my favorite Avenger so far is Iron Man (who may also be on the death block, who really knows) but I think Black Widow’s popularity with the general public and strong development across the MCU films makes her the best candidate. 

Johansson’s character is one of the longest running within the MCU, appearing first in Iron Man 2 as Tony Stark’s new assistant but in reality is a double agent working for SHIELD and making sure Tony doesn’t kill himself. She then appeared in the Avengers as a founding member of the team, developing her bond with Bruce Banner and helping Hawkeye snap out of his Loki induced hypnosis. Black Widow then teamed up with Captain America for the majority of his second film and aided in taking down the Hydra threat, proving her worth as a character and strong espionage expert. Widow has since faced the titular malevolent android in Age of Ultron while kindling a relationship with Bruce Banner that came as a shock to most MCU fans, but further cemented her importance in the films. And finally, Black Widow is slated to fight against Captain America in Civil War, teaming up with her old “boss” Tony Stark under circumstances we don’t quite know yet. Perhaps Black Widow’s simply selecting the best team, or even that she is conflicted about the fight and chose a side because she was forced to. 

Regardless, she is the strongest candidate to die. 

She’s popular, and as we saw with Coulson, Fury and Loki, popular characters get axed a lot. They don’t stay dead long, which is what I suspect may happen with Black Widow, but what better way to make audiences cry than to kill Black Widow? Not to mention the strife her death will cause the Avengers; Civil War killed countless heroes in the comics, and what better way to make the whole conflict a bloodbath than to kill Black Widow and torture the Avengers even more? Think about it; she has history with everyone except Thor and a few of the newer Avengers, but Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Hawkeye and Fury all have strong bonds with Black Widow. They’d be ruined if she died.

For this reason, I believe she will die. 

Only time will tell what happens in Civil War, but Black Widow is the best Avenger for Marvel to kill. ‘Nuff said. 

-Kyle Venditti

[heroesofthemodernage]

“Everything is Wrong”

Rumor has it that a major character in the MCU will die in Captain America: Civil War. Who will it be? 

Photo courtesy of screenrant.

I don't really know THAT much about the marvel universe and its production to make even an educated guess. 

Can I guess no one? 

Everything is wrong. 

-Robert Zoccano III 

[heroesofthemodernage]

Crossbones’ Fate

Who do you think will die in Captain America: Civil War? 

Potential Spoilers Ahead

I DON’T WANNA THINK ABOUT THE DEATH OF AN AVENGER, ESPECIALLY BLACK WIDOW! DON’T DO THIS TO ME, KYLE! 

The only person who I want to die is Crossbones.

Crossbones. Photo courtesy of moviepilot. 

So what I'm trying to say is I don't want any of the avengers squad to die! I also think that in reality if someone does "die" they'll come back in the MCU because I mean let’s be real. Look at Fury, Loki, and Agent Coulson-they all “died,” and look at them now. Back from the grave. People don’t stay dead in the MCU for long.

-Shelby Ruman

[heroesofthemodernage]

Great Matt Murdock costume!

Avocado at law coming through. http://daily-superheroes.tumblr.com/ Source: http://i.imgur.com/TwD23WJ.jpg

[heroesofthemodernage]

Batman Shadow Puppet - Exhibition at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia http://daily-superheroes.tumblr.com Source: http://i.imgur.com/tiYVMUx.jpg