#and the Hulk’s response is ‘Betty needs us calling us’

[daydreamerdrew]

excerpt from The Incredible Hulk by Peter David, based on the screenplay by Edward Norton and Zak Penn

[starryknight09]

Unforeseen dangers ch. 8

Summary:  As Peter recovers from his capture by Ross, a photo of him with Tony and the Avengers leaks and is splashed all across the media. Luckily, no one can figure out who he is and everyone thinks the buzz will die down. However, the public’s interest has been ignited. While Tony worries it’s only a matter of time before Peter’s identity is exposed, Peter isn’t as concerned. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen anyway?

Read on AO3.

________________________________________________________

“And the end result is H2O2.” Mr. Eldridge said as he finished writing the chemical reaction on the chalkboard.  He was the only teacher that still insisted on using a tool from ancient times instead of switching to the less messy whiteboard.  “Any questions?”

Betty raised her hand and Peter and Ned shared a knowing look.  She always had a question.

“Yes Betty?” Mr. Eldridge asked.  Even the teacher couldn’t keep the slight exasperation out of his voice.

“So, when we’re balancing the equation—”

“Peter Parker report to the office please.  Peter Parker to the office.” The overhead speaker interrupted.

“Dude, what’d you do?” Ned whispered.

Peter frowned.  “Nothing.  I don’t think?”

“Peter.” Mr. Eldridge prompted.  “It appears you’re needed in the office.”

“Um, yes sir.” He mumbled and hurriedly grabbed his things, trying to ignore the buzz of the class around him as they whispered about him.

“Way to go Penis.” Flash hissed as he walked by.

Peter glared back.  Apparently Happy’s threat at the beginning of the year was starting to wear off.

“All right everyone settle down.  Settle down.” Mr. Eldridge said.  “Now Betty, what was your question?”

The door closed behind Peter before he could hear whatever she’d been about to ask.  That was one small blessing at least.  He loved chemistry, but the class bored him to death since he’d known how to balance equations since early middle school.  He tried not to complain too much, though, because at least it was an easy A.  

Instead of walking straight to the office, he stopped by his locker and grabbed his backpack, stashing all his homework and books into it, before shouldering it and slamming his locker door shut.  Chemistry was his last class of the day this semester and he had no plans to return for any more brain numbing torture after he was done with whatever this thing was.

He still had absolutely no idea why he was being called down to the office.  Without meaning to, his mind drifted to the last time this had happened, when he’d been tricked by Ross’s man into leaving with him and getting kidnapped.  That definitely wasn’t happening again.  He didn’t care if the president himself showed up and said he wanted to take him out of school.  He was never leaving with someone he didn’t absolutely trust again.

It only took him a couple minutes to finish walking the short distance to the office.  Once he was outside the door, he pushed it open without hesitation, but the sight that greeted him made him stop up short in the doorway.

Tony stood there, dressed in a white AC/DC t-shirt and black pants along with a suit jacket and red tinted sunglasses.  His dad’s appearance at his school would be surprising enough, since only Morita knew of their relationship, but he wasn’t alone.  Steve stood next him in khakis and a polo, looking grave, along with a nervous appearing Bruce in his usual jeans and purple button up ensemble.

“Oh good, Peter you’re here.” The secretary said as soon as she noticed him.  “I was just about to call for you again.”  She gave him a smile before addressing Tony, “He’s been all signed out, so he’s free to go.”

Tony gave her a nod.

“Uh…what-what’s going on?  Is this something to do with the uh internship, um, Mr. Stark?” Peter stammered, catching himself from sounding too familiar at the last minute.  He surreptitiously glanced at the receptionist, hoping she hadn’t noticed, but it didn’t seem like it.  She was still staring at him with a weird, almost knowing, smile.  

As his gaze swept back toward Tony, Peter noticed Principal Morita was there as well, standing in the doorway to his office with his arms crossed.  Peter couldn’t read his face, but he didn’t seem too shocked to have three Avengers in his school.  But then again, he had met Tony before.  

“You don’t need to do that, kid.  The cat’s out of the bag.” Tony said and stepped forward to squeeze his shoulder.

“What?  What cat?” Peter looked past his dad to Bruce and Steve for any clue as to what his dad was talking about and how he was supposed to play this, but they both remained silent.

“You haven’t been on the internet recently?  Or Tweeter?  Or whatever it is your generation does these days?”

“It’s Twitter.” Peter automatically correctly.  “And no.  Mr. Eldridge has a really strict no phones policy in his classroom.”

Tony nodded and took a breath as if to bolster himself for what he was about to say.

“Why?  What happened?” Peter asked, suddenly envisioning worst case scenarios.  “Did someone get hurt?  Oh god, did someone—”

“No no.  Nothing like that.” Tony interrupted as he shook his head.

“Ok…  Then what-why are you here?” Peter frowned.

“Listen.” Tony took his sunglasses off with a sigh and looked him in the eyes.  “There’s no easy way to say this, but someone, somehow, and believe me I’m going to find out who, leaked your identity to the press.  The news broke half an hour ago.”

He froze and his eyes widened.  The first thought that crossed his mind was that his dad was talking about his superhero identity, but after a second he realized that wasn’t it.  His dad was talking about his civilian identity.  His identity as Tony Stark’s son, which meant…the whole world knew who Peter Parker was now.

“Oh.” He didn’t even know what else to say.  His thoughts raced but all he could do was blink up at his dad.

Luckily, Tony seemed to understand his mental state.  “Sorry buddy.  I know this is less than ideal.”

“I just thought we’d have more time.” He said softly.  

“Me too.” Tony nodded and let out a heavy sigh.  “But we don’t.  So, what we have to do now is get you out of here and then we’ll go from there.  All right?”

Peter nodded.

“Ok.  First, put these on.” Tony handed him his red tinted sunglasses.

He took them with a frown.  “Why?”

“Because.” His dad said.  “Trust me, they’ll help.”

Peter slid them on, confused.

“Ready?” Tony asked.

Peter nodded and heard Steve answer, “Ready.”

He looked over and watched as Bruce gave his dad a nod too.

Oh.  Peter realized Tony hadn’t been talking only to him, but to Steve and Bruce as well.

“Ok, let’s go.” Tony said and headed for the door.  Peter followed, Steve and Bruce right behind him.

“Thanks Jim.” Tony called out over his shoulder as he pulled on the door handle.

“No problem Mr. Stark.  Good luck.” Principal Morita replied.

“I’m sure we’ll be in touch.” Tony said and stepped out.  As soon as they were in the hallway, he wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulders.  Peter could feel the pent up tension in his body.  “I can’t believe this place doesn’t have a back exit.” His dad mumbled under his breath as he led them down the hallway toward the front doors.

Peter frowned.

When they got about fifteen feet from the doors, his dad stopped and peeled off his suit jacket while Steve took a few steps in front of them and Bruce stayed behind.  Before Peter could ask what was going on, Tony draped his jacket over Peter’s head and shoulders, so Peter could still see out, but barely.

“Keep your head down until we get to the car.” Tony ordered.

“What?  Wait.  Why?  What’s going on?” Peter finally asked, pulling the jacket off his head.  None of this was making any sense to him.

Tony blinked and seemed to check himself with a small shake of his head.  “I’m sorry kid.  I figured you knew.”

“Knew what?”

“Everyone knows who you are now.” Tony said slowly as if Peter might not have understood it the first time.

“Yeah I know.  You said that.” Peter mumbled, still not quite getting it.

“Think about it.  They know who you are, so how hard do you think it was for them to figure out where you go to school?” Tony explained slowly.

Peter’s eyes widened as he finally realized what his dad was trying to tell him.

“It looks like the red carpet out there.” Tony added with a wince.

“Oh.” That was a lot to process.

“Yeah.” Tony said with an aggrieved sigh.  “You’re a Stark now, kid.  Sorry.”

Peter didn’t know what to say to that.  He glanced back toward the doors and now he could see faint flashes of light through the frosted windows, probably cameras.  He suddenly felt kind of sick.

Tony gripped his shoulders and looked him in the eye.  “I’m going to get you through this, ok?  Just stay close to me.  It’ll all be ok.”

Peter swallowed, his mouth dry.  Right now it sure didn’t seem like it’d be ok.

“You ready?” His dad asked.

He nodded and tried to take a deep calming breath.  He could do this.  Spiderman did way harder things than this every day.  It was just a stupid little crowd.

“Ok.” Tony said and made eye contact with Steve and Bruce.  Peter realized then the reason they were here.  For his protection.  Besides Wanda and Vision, who’d gone off to Europe sometime after New Year’s, the Hulk and Captain America were two of the strongest Avengers.  

Tony readjusted the suit jacket so it was over his head again and shielding his face as well as it could.  Once his dad was satisfied with its position, he slung an arm around Peter’s shoulders and pulled him tight to his side like he was trying to protect him.

“It’s going to be loud, but just remember, keep your head down until we get to the car.  Ok?”

“Ok.” He whispered in response.

“Let’s go.” Tony said and they started walking, quickly closing the remaining distance to the doors.  Peter could hear the cacophony of noise behind them now that he was listening for it.  His dad was right.  It was going to be loud.

They stopped at the doors and Steve touched his ear.  “Sam?  Clint?  Rhodes?  We all clear?”

Wow.  Apparently more Avengers than just Bruce and Steve had come to get him.

“We’re clear.” Steve told Tony after a few seconds.

“Ok.  Time to go.  Straight to the car.” Tony said and Peter’s heart fluttered in trepidation.

“We’re coming out.” Steve said, pressing at the comm in his ear again.

Then he opened the door and they stepped out into absolute chaos.

Even with the sunglasses on and his face partially covered by his dad’s suit jacket, he was still blinded by all the camera flashes.  And everyone was screaming.  Questions.  Accusations.  It was like an all out assault upon his senses.  His head spun with it, along with the realization that this was all for him.  They were here to take his picture, not his dad’s or the Avengers.  His breath caught in his throat and it took all his concentration to keep putting one foot in front of the other as his dad led him straight towards the car.

“Step aside.  Let us through.” Steve said as they passed through the mob.

The distance to the car was only about thirty feet, but it felt like it took an eternity to cross it.  Luckily, the crowd parted for them, but even so, Peter still got jostled.

“No comment.” Tony kept saying over and over again in his cold media voice as everyone yelled questions and screamed for his attention.  His dad clutched him tighter, obviously trying to shield him from it all.  

Out of the corner of his eye Peter could see the hordes of news hounds lined up, hoping to get a piece of him.  A good picture of him right now would probably be worth a pretty penny.  No doubt that was the reason Tony had tried to keep him as covered up and as hidden as possible.  The thought made his gut churn.  This was worse than anything he’d imagined when he’d thought about what it’d be like to be outed as Tony’s son.  Was getting in and out of school going to be like this everyday?

Finally, they made it to the car.  He heard Steve open the door and Tony ushered him in, Steve and Bruce following right behind.  The door slammed shut with a definitive thud, and the commotion quieted slightly, but Peter could still hear it. Tony was quick to yank the jacket off his head, but he kept his arm wrapped around him.

“You good?” His dad asked, trying to peer down at him, but Peter was still pressed too tightly against his chest for him to really see.

He nodded.  But it was a lie.  He wasn’t good.  He was so far from good it wasn’t even funny.

The car started moving, but at a glacial pace, with the horn honking every other second.

“Get out of the way asshole!” Happy yelled from the front and the horn blared again, a long three second squeal.  Peter winced and glanced up.  Happy was driving and Natasha sat in the passenger seat, twisted around to look back at them.  When she caught him looking at her, she gave him a reassuring smile.

“Hey squirt, you ok?” She asked.

He just blinked at her.

“Peter?” His dad asked him with a nudge, trying to get him to sit up straighter so he could see his face.

“This is crazy.” He blurted out without thinking.

“Yeah it is.” His dad agreed and this time when he nudged him, Peter pulled away and sat up.  “But you’re all right now.  They can’t see through these windows.”

They were in his dad’s bulletproof Bentley with the deeply tinted windows.  Outside there were people and more people as far as the eye could see.  Peter recognized all the media crews with their official logos and huge cameras, but there were a lot of what looked like average people out there as well, holding up their phones in the hope of snapping a quick photo of him.  The idea of some random stranger trying to take his picture seemed insane.  He hadn’t done anything special, that they knew about anyway.  He was just Peter.  What was wrong with these people?  How did his dad live like this?

Peter turned entreating eyes on him and asked, barely above a whisper, “What are we going to do now?”

“I don’t know yet buddy, but I promise we’ll figure it out, ok?” Tony gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

He chewed on his lip and nodded.  He wished he could pretend that his dad would be able to fix this like he fixed everything, and that everything would all go back to normal soon, but he knew that was a fantasy.

“Nothing’s ever going to be the same again, is it?” He asked.  He already knew the answer, but he needed to hear it spoken out loud.

“No.” His dad said, his regret evident.  “It’s not.”

Peter sighed and let his head fall back against the seat.  As he closed his eyes, he tried to ignore the fact that his entire life had just irrevocably changed in the span of a single afternoon.

[hellsguardiandevil]

continued from here with @strongestavengerbruce:

“Honestly, I’m wondering whether I should give up on being a science person and do the same.” Bruce admitted. It was no secret the scientific research into the dome and its properties was proving useless. Seemingly there was no way to understand it, which meant there was no way to figure out how they might bring it down. If people like Doctor Strange couldn’t have any affect, then what hope did he have, really? Magic felt like a far better tool than his lab equipment. “I hope so.” He said quietly, despite knowing Matt really was right. any help he could offer in that respect would be very much appreciated. “I think a little figurative light could go a long way right now.”

Laughing quietly at the suggestion, he wondered whether maybe he was just a watered down version of Tony. Hiding behind logic and weak protests so that he could deny any responsibility when things finally did go wrong. Smiling, momentarily forgetting Matt couldn’t read his expression, it took him a moment to show his appreciation of the gesture. Not many people offered to help both himself and the Other Guy. Most people liked to pretend the Other Guy didn’t exist. “That… actually means a lot.” He admitted, unsure how to put into words that the sentiment had touched him. “If either of us need help… I guess I know who to call.” Laughing at the idea of still having a lawyer, he tapped his fingers against his mug. The thought was endlessly amusing to him. “Tony has taken on the role of my legal protection. Well- I guess his legal team have. But honestly, they help because they’re paid to. It’s comforting to know there’s somebody out there who genuinely cares…”

Even if Matt was still a stranger, somebody he didn’t know well yet, it mattered to him. It mattered an awful lot. Feeling the atmosphere change again when the conversation turned back to the woman he loved and her family, his smile faded. He could hear how much Matt cared, he recognised the same tired resignation in his voice when talking about the troubles they faced together. “I guess I do, yeah.” He agreed, chewing on his bottom lip as he thought about everything he had been through with Betty. “I’m sorry things are difficult…”

Matt couldn’t help but let out a huff of air and shake his head a bit when Bruce mentioned giving up on being a scientist throughout all this because of their lack of progress. “Right before all this with the dome, I considered giving up being a lawyer because I felt like I couldn’t make a difference with anything I did, so I get it, I do. I also know that people are grateful for what you have given them. You’ve all saved a lot of lives with your work. It might not feel like it, but you have. I’m going to assume I’m one of them, so thank you,” he told him. “I’ll leave the literal light to everyone else, but I appreciate the figurative one.”

Matt smiled and sipped from his mug while Bruce thought over what he said. “Are you nodding right now?” he teased. “I feel like you are nodding,” he grinned at him. Sometimes, being a little crazy was the only way to get things accomplished. 

“I mean it,” Matt assured Bruce. From the sounds of it, not a lot of people offered him help. He nodded when Tony’s legal team was explained, “Money can only get you so far. I know you’ll have unique challenges and I want you to know that I’d do what I can to help you both. I’m good at reading people. You’re good men. If Hulk really was the monster Ross described to me, I’d be dead. I’ll help fight whoever needs fought to help other people see that side of him so you both can have time to settle down without looking over your shoulder,” he told him.

Matt shook his head at Bruce’s apology. “Not your doing,” he sighed. “Just a grumpy old man who was stuck in his ways and refused to believe he could ever be wrong about anything. Or anyone,” he shook his head. “I hope things get better for you and yours,” he offered. “Speaking of her, I should go,” he told him. “I’m really glad I stopped by here though. I always wondered what happened with you two and it is comforting to know that you are doing better.” He put down his empty mug and grabbed up his cane. He wasn’t sure of Bruce was much of a toucher, so he patted his shoulder before he left and gave it a squeeze. “Take care, you two,” he smiled before heading out of the mansion.

[ourbrokeninsanity]

Hulk/Reader SFW and NSFW Headcanons

Hulk is my bae. I spend too much time thinking about this so decided to share. No idea if these are any good or if anyone other than me even wants this but *shrugs*

SFW aka Hulk is a gift

Hulk is a tactile guy. If you’re ok with it, he tends to touch you a lot - a hand on your shoulder, an affectionate back pat, hugs, have you sitting in his lap or on his shoulder like an pirate’s parrot. It’s a way for him to show you affection, but also he just enjoys non-harmful touching - it’s a reminder to you but mostly himself that he can, in fact, touch people without hurting them. If you reciprocate, he’s over the moon. 

So, yeah, you’re probably going to spend a lot of time in his arms. Which is pretty great, as Hulk is warm and surprisingly cosy.

Dates tend to be non-traditional - very little going out to the movies or to a restaurant here, people just don’t react well and everything is tense and no fun. You don’t mind much, the two of you find other ways to have fun. Movie nights at home in comfy clothes with loads of snacks - what could be better? Other date ideas include: playing pranks on the other Avengers/Smashers, helping him train (ie Hulk showing off his strength for you), cooking together (Hulk is fond of spicy food - he is technically from New Mexico after all, and he is always happy to eat the evidence of botched recipes. Also he is the best at kneading bread. If a recipe calls for an ingredient to be smashed he is on it, which becomes an inside joke.)

Hulk isn’t the most eloquent guy, but he’s serious about relationship negotiation. Hulk is very aware of just how much bigger and stronger he is compared to you and how the outside world would view your relationship - he needs to know that he isn’t pushing your boundaries or making you uncomfortable. If you’re willing to initiate these conversations or help him clarify his viewpoint he’s grateful - he appreciates that you understand how important this is to him.

He is protective, sometimes very protective. He’ll let you fight your own battles but he is always going to be watching, ready to wade in if he has to/you ask him to. Frankly, anyone who messes with you is on his ‘to be smashed’ list. If someone, anyone, actually hurts you (especially physically - he has the same reaction to emotional hurt but is aware that smashing isn’t always the best response here - especially if the perpetrator is a friend or relative) then they’re getting smashed. Hard. He will then stick to your side like glue, offering affection, protection, comfort and reassurance until you bat him away. This applies whether you are a superhero yourself or not.

Hulk is super supportive. He’s great to vent to, able to offer supportive silence with affirming noises and/or increasingly ridiculous and violent smash offers depending on the subject of the ranting. You try not to do so too much, aware that Hulk has enough anger issues himself, no matter how well controlled. He supports your hobbies, even if he doesn’t understand them. He may not be the most vocal cheerleader, but you know that he supports you. Really enjoys watching you do/talk about the things you’re passionate about, he finds it really sweet. He also trusts you with his hobbies - you are the one person trusted with The Zoo (also he absolutely has a figurine of you, made after he introduced you to Glorian. It’s one of his favourites. You blush when you see it).

You will fight anybody who calls Hulk a monster or a beast. Hulk will try and pull you away, but inside he is super touched. Also, he admires your left hook - for such a small person you’re a pretty effective smasher. You also get annoyed when the other Avengers treat Hulk like smashing is all he is good at - you see a side of Hulk that not many others are aware of but you insist that it’s there to see, if people bothered.

He has quite a few nicknames for you: Tiny (no matter your size you are tiny to him, Little Smash(er), Pretty Girl/Boy/One (when he’s feeling playful or wants to see you blush).

Hulk is rather protective, and proud, of the fact that you’re his s/o. Not Banner’s, his. He cared about Betty, but she loved Bruce over Hulk, and really only loved Hulk as an extension of Bruce. You, on the other hand, care and love Hulk as his own person. That means the world to him. He repays you by seeing you as you are and loving the real you, rather than what others try to paint you as. Basically, Hulk is a literal gift and you don’t understand why the world can’t see that.

NSFW (such sin, but good sin)

I personally headcanon Hulk as demisexual. As such, you’ve been together for quite a while before sexual stuff gets broached. He just notices one day that he’s attracted to you, and is honestly a little mind-boggled; when did you become so sexy???? It takes him a little time to get used to. For a little while pretty much everything you do turns him on a little and he gets all flustered. He’s very glad that his thick green skin means that his blush isn’t very noticeable. 

Hulk doesn’t really have a preference for physical characteristics on a partner. Rather adorably though, once you’re together and he starts noticing you sexually, he tends to notice people who have your traits more, simply because they remind him of you. Not that he becomes attracted to them, he just notices certain traits that match or nearly match yours. 

So much negotiation. Hulk is so worried about hurting you, it takes a lot of discussion and reassurance from you before he’s ready to do much more than kiss you. For this reason, you initiate pretty much all sexy times at first. Eventually he becomes confident enough in himself and his knowledge of you (your body, your boundaries) to initiate.

Because of the huge amount of discussions, your sex life is a slow build thing, which just heightens your anticipation. Like pretty much all aspects of your relationship it’s non-traditional, based not on societal expectations but on what feels good and comfortable to you both. Because of this it is very, very good. You realise you may be spoiled and now ruined for any future sexual relationships, Hulk takes such good care of you.

You tend to be on top. It makes the size difference easier to manage, and lets Hulk relax a little. He’s not going to fall on you or accidentally crush you. You approve of anything that lets Hulk relax. 

Hulk is a gentle and enthusiastic lover. He is super responsive to you and enjoys instruction. Tell him what you like, guide him, beg him and just watch him light up as he gets to it. It is quite possible that your first sexual foray started out as a make-out session where you pointed out how much you like his size (”your forearms are works of art, big guy. I could get off against that wrist.”) where you precede to do just that. Hulk has a Thing about you masturbating on him, whether that’s you fingering yourself/jacking off whist you’re sat on his lap or humping his arm/thigh. 

Unless you have some shapeshifting/sizeshifting/magic of some sort, penile penetration just isn’t going to be a thing, he’s far too big. Frottage is a large part of your sexual repertoire - but as you will smugly tell anyone who asks, penetration is over-rated. Hulk does not find this at all frustrating - he’d never want to do something that would risk harming you. Also his focus is on making you feel good over making you cum/orgasm - and it’s really nice that he takes the pressure off (especially if you’re female-bodied).

The absolute king of oral (fight me on this). Hulk loves going down on you, absolutely loves it. It turns him on (loves the smell and taste of you, and the noises you make, yes, give him more) and soothes his ego - see he isn’t just a monster he is also a beast in the bedroom who can make you sound like that. Whether you’re on your back or riding his face he loves it. He will totally sling your legs over his shoulders and effortlessly hold you up as he goes down on you - oral sex + showing off his strength = win. Sexual episodes where he doesn’t go down on you at some point are pretty rare, honestly. You learn some tricks to reciprocate but Hulk honestly prefers giving over receiving. He gets of on getting you off.

Also the king of making out, once you get used to the size difference (honestly you are starting to realise you may have a size kink). Lying on him, mouths locked together, scraping your nails against his scalp as you grind down on his bulk = the best way to spend a lazy afternoon. 10/10.

His fingers are the same size of other guys dicks. Do with this information what you will. 

Hulk lowkey has a praise kink. He doesn’t accept a lot of praise outside the bedroom but you notice that once you’re getting down and dirty he just soaks it up, so you keep giving it to him. Tell him how good he’s doing and he just gets even more enthusiastic.

He also likes some sensation play, which you figure out after witnessing his reaction to you wearing velvet. This leads to you incorporating different fabrics and textures in the bedroom - Hulk is pretty open to experimentation (your whole relationship has been pretty experimental really, figuring out what you both want and can give each other) as long as he doesn’t feel like an experiment and it doesn’t risk hurting you). Velvet is a favourite of his. 

He enjoys bathing with you. Showers can be a little awkward as he’s so much bigger, but if you have a tub large enough he’s pretty much always down to bathe with you. He loves the warm water and skin contact. He’s very relaxed and playful in the bath. Will both splash you and wash your back. Great bath buddy.

Hulk lowkey enjoys feeling you struggle against his strength. He’s not consciously aware of this, and would likely be horrified if he was - it screams harmful dominance, monster, to him because of his experiences. You are aware of it. And enjoy it. You know him using one hand to hold to hold your hips still as he gets you off (so you don’t get carried away and hurt yourself, he justifies) and enjoying the feel of you writhing and bucking against it, is a whole world away from forcing someone down to hurt them. 

[mafiamamaj]

Here's an Endgame fix-it I would love but don't have the patience to write.

So, Steve goes back in time. Everybody's all pissed because its so out of character, and why is Peggy worth more than Tony or Bucky, all that. But, hear me out.

Steve goes back and the first thing he does is find Peggy and Howard. Convince them its really him, somehow get them to believe the time travel nonsense, all that. They play it up like he survived the crash and found his way home because it's only been like, a week, if that, since the Valkryie went down.

Steve gets Howard and Peggy to help him look for Bucky. He has a vague idea of where he should be at this point, but no solid details, so it takes a little while. This derails any interest Howard had in the Manhattan Project, especially since Steve is Very Vocal about his hatred of the idea.

(Now, I dont have the knowledge to even begin to theorize what would have happened in a reality where Steve Rogers was around to Loudly and Publicly as Captain America declare his disapproval of something as huge and significant as the Manhattan Project. For the sake of my brain, we are going to say that they met a lot more resistance than they otherwise would have, but it still happened because the American Government is awful.)

They find Bucky within a few years of Steve's crash and survival. Obviously he's still all kinds of fucked up because of torture, experimentation, cryo, etc. But 5-6 years is a whole he'll of a lot different than 70+. Shield still gets built, honestly Steve couldn't imagine it with any other name, but Bucky's return reveals that Hydra is still around and that Operation Paperclip was a bad idea (Zola). So they clean house early. Peggy becomes Director because Howard is to busy with his tech, and Steve and Bucky both said no. They do work for the newly built Shield though, running ops and hunting Hydra. They also might as well be married. Its still illegal for the time, so they're careful, but all the people who matter to them know and none of them care that the Captain and his Sargeant are doing the horizontal mambo.

Steve was friends with Tony, even if it didn't work out that well. And for all their differences, well earned and understandable, Tony and Howard had a lot more in common than Tony would ever want to admit. So Steve learns from the mistakes he made with Tony, and keeps Howard from turning into the monster he was in Tony's memories.

He mother hen's Howard into drinking less, drags him out to socialize more(Bucky is a huge help with that), calls him out when he's being a dick, and puts him in his place when his ego, or his head, gets too big for his britches.

Howard gets Steve to actually sell his art, builds him neat gadgets and armor, teases him to no end about Bucky, and is consistently endangering both of their lives on his never ending quest to get Steve drunk. (Bucky might have more sense than both of them, but he's also an adrenaline junkie with a hard-on for mechanical anything, so he is no help whatsoever and Peggy constantly despaired that the fate of the world lies with these overgrown children.)

When Howard marries Maria, Steve stands up for him at the wedding. The first time Howard made Maria cry because he ignored her/forgot something important/said something mean without meaning too, Steve beat him over the head and gave him a Captain America lecture, made Howard bake an apology cake himself, then dragged Howard back to Stark manner to apologize. The second time it happened, Bucky showed up in whatever place Howard had fallen asleep, dressed in full combat gear, cussed him out in Russian and threatened to shoot him. The third and last time it happened, Peggy showed up in Howard's lab, had him tied up before he even new she was there, and calmly informed him of exactly how she would torture him into a slow and agonizing death, as well as how exactly, she would get away with it.

Howard still forgot things, and could be careless with his time, but they never let him get bad, never let him forget how much he Did Not deserve Maria. And when Tony was born they were there for him. Steve refused to let Howard ignore his son, dragged him (figuratively) the first time Howard showed any sign of jealousy towards Tony. It wasn't perfect, nothing could be. But this Tony would grow up with a bumbling inventor of a father who was only forgetful and easily distracted, rather than an alcholic with a mean streak. He would have a mother who wasn't afraid of her husband and would love him even if she didn't always understand him.

He would have a godfather, his Uncle Steve, who would teach him to fight, to stand up for what was right no matter what, who would play games with him, paint with him, love him.

He would have his Uncle Bucky, who would share his interest in all things mechanical, would listen to music with him, take apart and build machines with him, teach him dirty jokes and play pranks on his Dad or Uncle Steve, who would listen to all of his ideas and tell him he could do anything.

He would have his godmother, Aunt Peggy, who would teach him how to play the game that is high society, would teach him how to charm the socks (rather pants) off of anyone, male, female, or otherwise, who would help him when emotions got to difficult, or people didn't make sense the way he thought they should.

Steve would find the others too. Phil did alright on his own, but everyone else...

Shield would be looking for the Red Room from the start. Maybe they find Natasha as a child, or a teenager, but they would find her, because Steve would want to save her after all the times she saved him. She would get placed with a loving family, probably a shield agent and their spouse. She would have therapy, but even a couple of years with the Red Room would mess her up. She would eventually end up an agent herself, still the Black Widow, just a little less damaged. A hero because she wants to be, knows what it means to be saved by one, rather than a way to repent and repay the lives that she took.

They would find Clint probably around the time Barney and Trickshot turned on him, before he had a chance to start on his mercenary career. Therapy, maybe a shield agent foster parent for a year or two depending on his age. They would make no secret about recruiting him, but he would jump at it. Nat would probably already be there, and nothing would stop that friendship. Coulson is probably a few years ahead of them, though not many, and if there is anyone who could reign in Hawkeye, even a slightly less damaged version, it would be Phil Coulson.

Tony meets Bruce. Howard takes Steve's admittedly limited knowledge of Bruce's past and tracks down the kid. Creates a scholarship to get him to a private school and away from his dad. They meet at a Stark expo in their early teens and immediately hit it off. Bruce is one of the only people who can keep up with Tony's genius. When Tony ends up at MIT (sometime between the ages of 14-16) Bruce ends up at Harvard. They share an apartment, because the dorms would have been a disastrous idea. Steve and Bucky live with them because they might be super geniuses but you can't send two teenagers to live alone in another city Howard! Especially not when they have access to dangerous and/or explosive chemicals/tech!

Likely, Howard will still die at some point, probably from all the liquor. Fury will probably still end up as Shield's director because neither Steve or Bucky will want the responsibility. Tony will take over SI, but will still eventually hire Pepper, and eventually promote her, because running a company is never going to be his thing.

Bruce will probably still end up at Culver with Betty, if only because he's actually halfway decent at the whole teacher thing, and the Hulk incident will likely still happen one way or another. Having Steve Rogers alive would not stop men like Ross from wanting the serum. Instead of disappearing for years on end, He'll end up in Tony's tower in NYC. Tony will likely still be kidnapped, though he probably would not have the Obadiah Stane factor involved, and would still end up as Iron Man.

They would "find" the Steve still frozen and thaw him out around that time. Play it off like they found someone for Old Steve to pass the mantle onto. Give Young Steve a new identity, and a family in Old Steve and Bucky.

Young Steve would make friends with Tony, would have time to grieve his lost world without an alien invasion. Would move into the tower and mother hen Tony the way Old Steve used to do to Howard. Tony would not have all the Cap resentment he did in the original timeline, so he would get to know Young Steve as just Steve. Would be able to see him as an entirely seperate person from his godfather, because they are two separate people. Young Steve and Tony would fall in love.

Even if they weren't running it Old Steve and Bucky would still have a hand in Shiled. Would keep an eye on Natasha and Clint. They would have likely met Tony, Bruce, and Young Steve. So when the Chitauri roll in, the only one that wouldn't already be a part of the group is Thor and he fits in seamlessly. Coulson might still get hurt, but Fury wouldn't have to fake his death, because the Avengers would have been a team years before they were needed.

And when the time came to face Thanos again, they would do it as a united front, and they would win. Because together, they are unstoppable.

[ljones41]

"SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME" (2019) Review

"SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME" (2019) Review The Marvel Cinematic Universe finally ended its third phase with the release of its second Spider-man movie called "SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME". Released after the franchise's mega hit, "THE AVENGERS: ENDGAME", this second Spider-man movie is regarded as a follow-up to the previous film.

Set in June 2024, eight months after "ENDGAME", former S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nicholas Fury and his top aide, Maria Hill, investigate an unnatural sandstorm and discover it was created by a creature known as an Earth Elemental. A super-powered man from an alternate universe named Quentin Beck arrives to help them fight the creature. In New York City, those students who had been killed by Thanos' Snap and revived by the Hulk's "Blip" prepare to finish out the school year they had been forced to repeat. Among them are Peter Parker aka Spider-man and his fellow members of the school's academic decathlon team, who the school rewards with a two-week European vacation. Still grieving over the death of Tony Stark aka Iron Man, Peter anticipates enjoying the trip and using it as an opportunity to confess his growing feelings for fellow classmate, Michelle "MJ" Jones. However, while the Midtown students are in Venice, Italy; Peter is contacted by Fury, who delivers a pair of glasses equipped with an Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) called E.D.I.T.H. that had been given to him via Stark's will. E.D.I.T.H. was an augmented reality security, defense and artificial tactical intelligence system. Fury also asks Peter to help him, Hill and Beck to deal with a new threat to Earth, the Elementals. Longing to spend time with MJ, Peter rejects Fury's request. But when a Water Elemental threatens to overwhelm Venice, Peter dons a new Spider-man suit given to him by Fury and Hill and helps Beck deal with this new threat. I might as well be frank. I was not a fan of 2017's "SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING". I simply thought it was a badly written film with very little imagination. I also consider it to be one of the worst films within the MCU franchise. I never had a problem with Tom Holland as Peter Parker aka Spider-man. But with Jon Watts back as director, I had doubts that my feelings for "SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME" would be the same . . . or similar. I did not think that this sequel to "HOMECOMING" would be a vast improvement over the 2017 movie. And this is why a family member literally had to drag my ass . . . wait a minute. I should be more honest. I had every intention to see "FAR FROM HOME". It was the only major film that was being released around the Fourth of July holiday and I needed something to do. So, was the movie worth a trip to the theaters? One of the joys I had managed to derive from "SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME" were its European locations. I have not been that impressed by the photography featured in many of the MCU films. But I could not help but be impressed by cinematographer Matthew J. Lloyd's work in this film. I found it unusually sharp and colorful for this franchise. And it did help that he had utilized his talent for scenes shot in Venice, Prague and London. I also felt that Leigh Folsom Boyd and Dan Lebental's special effects had enhanced Lloyd's work. Another aspect of "FAR FROM HOME" that impressed me were the special effects created for the Elementals. Another aspect of the film that I enjoyed were the performances. Tom Holland gave his usual excellent performance as Peter Parker aka Spider-man. Samuel L. Jackson's portrayal of Nick Fury proved to be a bit more skillful than usual, deliberately conveying the idea that Fury seemed to be a bit off in this story. This was due to the fact that his old Skrull friend from "CAPTAIN MARVEL", Talos, was impersonating him. I thought Jake Gyllenhaal gave the best performance as the costumed vigilante Quentin Beck aka Mysterio, whose sincere and warm manner hid a possibly sinister agenda. I was pleasantly surprised by Zendaya, who gave a more nuanced performance as Peter's new love interest Michelle "M.J." Jones than she did in "HOMECOMING". However, I remained unimpressed by her screen chemistry with Holland. There was another screen pair that proved to be surprisingly impressive was Jacob Batalon and Angourie Rice, who portrayed Ned Leeds and Betty Brandt, Peter's roommates. Thanks to their performances, I really enjoyed Ned and Betty's summer romance that took everyone by surprise. The movie also featured funny performances from Tony Revolori, J.B. Smoove, Martin Starr, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau and a surprising cameo from J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. The only real disappointing performance came from Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill. She seemed to be used as background, instead of a supporting character. I blame the writers. Thanks to the European locations, Matthew J. Lloyd's cinematography and the cast's performances, I can honestly say that I enjoyed "SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME" . . . more than I did 2017's "HOMECOMING". But despite the above, I was still disappointed with the film. There was simply too much about this movie that rubbed me the wrong way. And I find this sad, considering that Spider-man has always been my favorite Marvel Comics character for years. The main aspect about this movie that irritated me was the main villain's goal. The Disney/Marvel publicity machine had hinted for months that "FAR FROM HOME" would explore the aspects of an alternate universe. In fact, the Mysterio character was supposed to be from an alternate universe who had arrived in this one to defend Earth against the Elementals. Instead, this all proved to be cheap plot twist that originated from revenge. The main villain, Quentin Beck, was a former Stark Interprises employee, who had been fired by the late Tony Stark for his unstable personality. Stark had also stolen Beck's holographic technology for his own private use, embittering the latter even further. With Tony dead, Beck settled with deceiving Peter Parker into handing over E.D.I.T.H. to him. I could not believe what this story had been reduced to . . . another Spider-man movie in which the main villain had a grudge against Tony Stark. Then again, I should have known better. For some reason, the movie's narrative seemed unwilling to touch upon or explore any grief that Peter may have experience over Tony's death. I take that back. The movie featured one scene in which Peter and Tony's former security chief, Happy Hogan, did discuss the dead Avenger. But there were no other scenes in which Peter dealt with the emotional consequences of Tony's death. Instead, he spent most of the movie being torn between plotting to win M.J.'s love and "helping" Beck and Fury deal with the Elementals. Which would have been fine with me, considering my dislike of Tony Stark. But instead of allowing Peter to face the emotional consequences of Tony's death, the movie included scenes of Robert Downey Jr.'s mug being plastered on a wall or a billboard or in a dream. After I saw Downey Jr.'s face for the fourth time, I had to fight the urge to throw something at the movie screen. It was sooooo fucking annoying. What I found even more annoying is that for the second time, the main antagonist's villainy sprung from some past action of Tony Stark's. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has managed to make two of Spider-man's well-known villains more about Iron Man, instead of him. I still find it ridiculous that the MCU seems hellbent upon making Spider-man's villains more about Iron Man, instead of Spider-man. And then there was the matter of E.D.I.T.H. Why on earth would any responsible adult will a dangerous piece of technology like E.D.I.T.H. to an adolescent? Why? Why did the screenwriters treat this dangerous and irresponsible action on Tony's part as a source of comedy? Come to think of it . . . when did Tony make this decision to bequeath the glasses to Peter? During the last five years of his life, Peter had been dead, thanks to Thanos' snap in "THE AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR". He had been resurrected at less than two hours before Tony's death. So, when did Tony decide to bequeath E.D.I.T.H. to Peter? Had he included this legacy in his will before the events of "INFINITY WAR"? If so, why did he fail to change his will following Peter's death? Especially, since he and Pepper Potts managed to get marry and conceive a daughter? Or did he create a new will, while building a time machine (MASSIVE EYE ROLL) for the Avengers? I have never heard of anything so stupid in my life . . . even for a comic book movie. One more thing - how did Quentin Beck and his co-conspirators discover that Tony had bequeathed E.D.I.T.H. to Peter? Was Tony stupid enough to post his will electronically? And why in God's name would the MCU allow Tony to create something so dangerous and not treat it so seriously? What was the franchise thinking? I had assumed that "SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME" would explore the aftereffects of both Thanos' snap and the Blip that had resurrected Peter and others who had been killed by the former. It barely did. The movie revealed that Peter and his aunt, May Parker, were helping other resurrected victims of the Snap in Queens, New York; who had had returned to life to find themselves homeless by staging some kind of fundraiser with Spider-man. I had learned via the MCU Wiki page that May Parker had also been killed by the Snap. I find this odd, considering that the same website had made it clear that she had survived the Snap back in 2018. And if both Peter and May had been killed by the Snap, why did they NOT end up homeless after being resurrected? How did May resume her profession (whatever it is) after five years? How did she get her money back? Did her bank refund her money following her resurrection? The more I think about Peter and May's situation regarding the Snap and the Blip, the more I find myself disgusted with the MCU's handling of its overall narrative. Audiences never saw May deal with the discovery that her nephew was Spider-man. Audiences never saw Peter and May struggle after their resurrection. It seemed as if the screenwriters of this movie had become emotional cowards. Or perhaps I should simply label Kevin Feige as an emotional coward? I have noticed that in past movies, he has never allowed the franchise to deal with the aftermath of serious events. At least not in the movies. "AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D." had to deal with the aftermath of the agency's fall back in 2014. The series had to deal with the rise of Inhumans - something that the movies never touched upon since the topic first came up back in 2014/2015. And now, it seemed apparent that the MCU seems unwilling to deal the aftermath of both the Snap and the Blip. Looking back, "SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME" was the wrong movie to follow "THE AVENGERS: ENDGAME". It was willing to be some ham-fisted ode to Tony Stark, but it was obviously unwilling to explore how people like Peter and May Parker dealt with their deaths and their resurrections. Speaking of the Snap . . . guess who else got killed? All of Peter's friends from his school's Academic Decathalon Team. ALL OF THEM - Michelle M.J. Jones, Ned Leeds, "Flash" Thompson and Betty Brandt. All of them. All of them had been killed by Thanos' Snap and resurrected by the Blip. All of them. You cannot imagine how much I found this incredibly contrived. According to the movie's narrative, those students who had been killed and resurrected were given a two-week trip to Europe during the summer. So . . . Peter, his four remaining companions from the last film, and a handful of other students were the only ones from Midtown School of Science and Technology who had undergone the Snap and the Blip? Just them? How convieeeennent. By the way, this was a shoddily planned trip. The movie never featured them visiting any place of academic interest. No one discussed or brought up the possible trauma of being killed and resurrected. No one. And when did Peter become interested in Michelle "M.J." Jones? Audiences last saw her casually conversing with Peter at the end of "HOMECOMING", while he was mourning the end of his relationship with Liz, Adrian Toomes aka the Vulture's daughter. Sometime between the 2017 movie and this one, he became attracted to M.J. My God, how frustrating! It almost reminds me of the rushed development of Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo's relationship in the STAR WARS Original Trilogy. At least in that franchise, "STAR WARS: EPISODE IV - A NEW HOPE" revealed hints of Han finding Leia attractive. I saw no such hints in Peter's feelings for M.J. by the end of "HOMECOMING". So . . . when did he fall for her? I was also surprised about how Nick Fury aka Talos managed to change the group's itinerary at short notice in order to get Peter to continue with the so-called "Elemental threat". How did he achieve this without alerting the school board or the travel agency? This made no sense to me. Speaking of the fake Nick Fury and Maria Hill . . . why? Why on earth would Fury allow two aliens (even if they were friendly) to impersonate him and Hill? Why? If he was on vacation, he should have immediately cancelled it when the so-called "Elemental threat" first appeared. But he did not. Why? This is not how someone as paranoid as Fury would behave. Was he really on vacation? This whole scenario regarding his identity was simply a joke to me. After the joke about his eye in "CAPTAIN MARVEL", it seems as if the MCU is hell bent upon making him the franchise's punch line. Has Kevin Feige recently developed a grudge against Samuel L. Jackson or something? It was worse for Hill/Soren since she/he barely said a fucking word. By the way, what has Fury been doing since the breakup of the Avengers? Which government agency was he working for when the Snap happened? Or was he operating his own security firm? How did the Snap and Blip affect his livelihood? I get the feeling that the MCU will never explain anything. I would discuss the movie's ending, which featured Peter's identity as Spider-man being exposed by Beck or one of his colleagues. But I was too disgusted with the film to overall care. I am certain - or I hope - that this issue will be addressed in what I HOPE will be the final MCU Spider-man movie. Granted, I enjoyed the film's photography and the European locations. I enjoyed the performances of the cast led by Tom Holland. I especially enjoyed Jake Gyllenhaal's performance. And I enjoyed the romance between the Ned Leeds and Betty Brant characters (they eventually got married in Marvel Comics). Unfortunately, the sloppiness and laziness of the film's writing, the narrative's unwillingness to address issues from the last two Avengers films, the heavy-handed ode to Tony Stark and Jon Watts' mediocre direction has led me to regard "SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME" as a complete bust. This is the second time that a MCU Spider-man movie has completely disappointed me. I really wish that Sony Pictures would resume producing Spider-man movies without any output from the MCU. I really do.

[sorrythatwasmean]

The Lullaby and Bruce’s Protectors Headcanons

It’s not the mere words lullaby that calms him. That’s not why it works.

Natasha was called onto do it the most in Age of Ultron, but for multiple reasons.

1)Young Bruce’s protectors were the not-yet green pre-gamma accident Hulk identities and women. Rebecca Banner was Bruce’s hero. His mother, his defender, his protector. She was one who saw his talents and potential and encouraged his love of science. She was the one who tried to teach him a better way of coping with anger and pain. She was the one who said you don’t give up and you don’t give in. You can be better even if it’s hard. She’s the one who’d sing the actual lullaby. She’s the one who stood up to Brian and kept getting back up until the day she couldn’t.

Other women in Bruce’s life: His cousin Jennifer Walters visited him during the summer and would spend hours reading books at a public library to avoid Brian. She would go on to be a lawyer and eventually She-Hulk. Bruce risked the emergency blood transfusion because she was important to him.

After Brian Banner was locked up, it was Bruce’s Aunt Susan who raised him. Aunt Susan, divorcee, now a single parent to her nephew, and survivor of both her father and her brother Brian’s abusive behavior. We don’t know much about her in the comics, but we know she raised Bruce.

Bruce only had his mother a short time. Brian is everything Bruce never wanted to be. Susan is the one who would’ve been there for him growing up. She would’ve been the first to learn about Bruce’s,what at the time would’ve been called Multiple Personality Disorder, then Dissociated Identity Disorder. She would have to help him through that. She brought him up. And what we know about her is she’s probably the reason he isn’t Brian. And if we know nothing else about Susan, we know the kind of man Bruce became: compassionate and brave and  willing to risk his life to save Rick Jones from the gamma explosion.

And even if MCU has a different origin, Bruce still dedicated his year without Hulking out to helping people where he could even if it would’ve been less risky to keep to himself.Betty and Natasha are the two people within MCU who have been shown calming the Hulk down.

2) It comes down to energy. Hulk responses to energy and instinct and if there’s too much negative energy or if the situation hasn’t calmed down then merely saying “sun’s getting real low” isn’t going to cut it. We saw that when Hulk was shot at before Natasha could finish the process in Age of Ultron. Tony is the person Bruce would’ve become closest to and I definitely think he’d be able to calm Hulk down, too. But this is where the energy part comes into play.The Iron Man suit means Tony is zooming around during a battle. There’s no guarantee he’s anywhere near where Hulk is running around. The suit is full of electronics and sounds and weapons and Tony usually has the helmet on to protect himself. It’s the wrong kind of energy. Tony isn’t vulnerable in that situation. He isn’t calm. And Hulk responses to energy.

Rhodey in War Machine suit and Sam as Falcon would have similar issues with Hulk. Steve with the mask on would be harder to coax Hulk down than without a mask. These three also have an association with the military which probably doesn’t help when it comes to the Hulk. (I blame Ross for that one.) That said, out of the three, Hulk would probably know Rhodey best because of how much time Bruce would’ve spent with Tony.

In the movies, we don’t get as much of a sense of how close Steve and Bruce would’ve been or Sam.

That leaves Thor, Clint, and Natasha.

Thor definitely didn’t have the right energy. He flies, too. He has lightning. And he enjoys fighting. But Thor genuinely respects and does not fear Hulk. Maybe if he could calm himself down, he’d succeed. We see him fail in Thor: Ragnarok,but there was also so much more working against Thor. Hulk had plenty of reasons to stay in Sakaar. Hulk believes he’s hated by Earth. He gets to fight and he gets praise and food and has a friend in Valkyrie who accepts him completely as Hulk. And in the arena, he was surrounded by people hyped-up for violence and bloodshed. It wasn’t the trusting, calm, safe energy Hulk needed to leave.

Clint doesn’t have a mask and he doesn’t tend to fly around. He has a good sense of humor and I don’t think Hulk would find him intimidating. I’d be interested in seeing if Clint would’ve tried had Natasha and the others NOT been out of it in Ultron.

We see the right, calming, energy succeed in The Incredible Hulk with Betty in the cave. Betty approached Hulk as a person and--besides the storm--nothing interfered with calming him down. That brings us to the final component.

3) You have to acknowledge Hulk,but ultimately need to reach Bruce. Surprising the Hulk can work, though.Bonus points for including both of them.Tony addressed Bruce during the fight in Age of Ultron. And if there’s something that can make someone angry it’s not being acknowledged as a person. Tony had to drop Hulk on a skyscraper construction site to snap him out of it.

Natasha consistently spoke to Hulk as a person and even with kindness. She is a woman and Hulk would based on past experiences feel more inclined to calm down around her and she had the right energy.She isn’t whizzing around in a suit. And most importantly, she does have a connection to both Hulk and Bruce. So yes, the romance aspect would’ve played into it, but it’s not the only reason she succeeds in calming the Hulk down.

[drrjsb]

Part 7: Breakthrough

Summary: This is part of the Banner and Hulk story arc Kevin Feige promised us, which should have been delivered in Endgame. In this part, Bruce returns to Willowdale, Virginia, seeking professional help from Leonard (Lee) Samson whom we last saw in The Incredible Hulk (2008).

Bruce watched over Natasha as she slept. His mind was genuinely too preoccupied and his heart too full to settle down and join her in a nap. He took his time and savored the pure joy of thinking through all of the possibilities for a future together that had just resurrected from the ashes like a fiery phoenix. He felt more hopeful than he had since five years ago when he’d first traveled down to Virginia to talk with Leonard Samson. It was seven weeks after Thanos’ Snap, and Lee was still coping with loses himself. Betty had been one of the 50% of people who were dusted, and Lee was suddenly a single parent with a three and a five-year-old to raise alone.

This was the first time Bruce had been back to Willowdale, VA, since he’d been searching for a cure to his “condition” and had the dustup with Betty’s father, General Thaddeus Ross, and his subordinate Emil Blonsky at Culver University. Lee and Betty had been living together in the Arts and Crafts-style bungalow Bruce and she had bought a year before their involvement with the Bio-Tech Force Enhancement Project and Bruce’s accident. After the so-called Battle of Harlem, she and Lee had gotten back together after some time apart. Bruce was happy for them and relieved he’d not ruined her life. That didn’t keep him from feeling responsible for not stopping Thanos, but that was what he was here to fix.

On the one hand, things could hardly be more “complicated” between the two men because of their shared past experiences; on the other, the psychiatrist had more insight into Bruce’s situation than a different therapist starting from scratch would have. Lee didn’t take many clients since he was an academic and primarily involved in research and running the psychology graduate program at Culver, but considering the unique circumstances, he agreed to work with Bruce. The physicist met Samson at his house where they’d talked in Lee’s home office, which doubled as a consultation room. Bruce and Betty had mainly used it as a study, but it brought back old memories. Some of the furniture was even the same.

After catching up and some pleasantries, they’d gotten down to business. “Bruce, this is very new territory for me. I’ve only treated one other person with Dissociative Identity Disorder because it’s so rare, especially in men, and yours is so extreme that calling it a unique condition is probably more accurate.”

“I understand that. I also know that not everyone in your field believes it exists,” he returned with a wry smile.

The psychiatrist gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. “True, but I’m not one of them. So, what do you hope to get out of this, Bruce?”

“I need to communicate with my other half, so some way of doing that would be at the top of my wish list. Then, we need to find some way to get along because clearly, we’re not. At this point I’m completely open to suggestions for how to accomplish that.”

“Is there some way I can communicate with your other personality?”

“If you’re okay with it, I can see if he’s finally willing to come out. Like we discussed on the phone, he refused to come out at all after we came back to earth from outer space.” Bruce looked around at all of the smashable things, “Maybe we should try it someplace else though. I don’t want to mess up your office or the rest of your house.”

“Would the backyard work? I have a gazebo I sometimes meditate in. Mats and pillows to sit on and it’s reasonably private.”

“That might work better. He’s usually calmer and has better communication skills if he’s not forced out by accident. I want to give him a choice.” “Do you think he’ll want to talk?”

“He’s not happy with how things are. As I believe I told you, he had over two years of being out and in control on Sakaar, so he’d probably like to have a life rather than just be the genie bottled up inside me. Still, I probably shouldn’t presume to speak for him since he can speak for himself.”

“That’s probably a good idea.”

Continued on WattPad, FanFic. Net, and AO3. 

[thorongil82]

Silver Rings for a Web of Love - Chapter 2

Can also be read on AO3 here:

Chapter Summary: How to ask out your crush who doesn't trust you while keeping your superhero identity a secret.

Chapter: 2/?

Words: 8422 of 12023 total

A/N: Hi. Sorry for the delay. Just quickly, yes, I’ve seen Endgame. There will be no spoilers in this chapter, and I’m not sure how much I’ll use of it. Mainly, I’m still going to stick to my original idea. Onwards!

                                            Chapter 2 - What to Say?

Song of the Chapter: Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls

“You are my paradise and I would happily get stranded on you for a lifetime."

~ Unknown

“Peter!” Aunt May cheerfully greets as she opens the apartment door up to her nephew, quickly enveloping the spiderling in a big hug.

“Sorry I'm so late,” Peter apologises as he wraps his arms around his aunt.

“Aw, nonsense,” May says as she waves him off, untangling her arms from his. “Tony let me know beforehand. Not that I think he should've taken away from our time together, but that's just how these things work out.”

May steps aside, her long auburn hair sweeping around behind her back as she lets Peter walk into the apartment. Over the years, more pictures of Peter seemed to take up the free space around the rooms. Whether it be along the walls or lining the drawers, more and more memories seemed to envelope the space the Parker's lived in. And, since the younger Parker has left to live in his own apartment with Ned, the number only seems to have grown exponentially, along with the pictures of her and Uncle Ben.

Apart from the great increase of family photos, everything appeared to be relatively the same as Peter stepped through the door. The layout still remained the same, no matter that the number of inhabitants had downgraded from two to one. From within the kitchen, the sizzling sounds of food frying over the stove-top hisses away with the slight flicks of smoke wafting over, while sitting on one side of the dining room table is Ned with his head face down in a laptop, only glancing up slightly to see his best friend walk through the door.

"So, you've already ordered Thai?" Peter jokes with a grin, only to receive a firm smack on the arm from his Aunt as she walks by. "Hey!"

"Don't 'Hey!' me, I'm still trying here," May defends as she moves into the kitchen.

“Hey, dude,” he greets, holding up his fist over the screen.

“Hey, Ned,” Peter replies, walking over and doing their special handshake. “What are you doing? I thought you finished your exams today.”

“Yeah, I did. I'm just helping Betty out with her assessment,” he answers with a giant beaming smile. “She was panicking about how she couldn't get what was wrong with it and that this was going to cost her everything, so I offered to have a look over it for her.”

“Isn't that a little counter-productive?” Peter questions as he slings the backpack he had been carrying all day off his shoulders and onto the floor.

“Not really,” Ned replies as his eyes drift back down to the screen. “A lot of people will get others to check their work for errors before it gets submitted, and that's mainly for jobs.”

“Doesn't that kinda depend on the work?” Peter inquires as he slides into the chair opposite his best friend.

“Not necessarily,” Ned responds. “Besides, I'm only really checking for spelling, grammar and punctuation. I'm not changing any facts or anything like that.”

“Wasn't Betty the one that was stronger in English?”

“Apparently it helps to have someone else read it,” Ned shrugs. “Something about it being a lot easier to spot someone else's mistakes than your own.”

“Still seems a little detrimental to me.”

“You do it for others at Stark Industries,” Ned retorts, not even looking up from his laptop.

“And wasn't that what you both did with Michelle for your college applications?” May adds from back within the kitchen.

“Okay, okay,” Peter surrenders, bringing his hands up as he slips his backpack off his shoulder and slides into the dining table chair opposite Ned. “I just think that it's a bit different. Exams and assessments are supposed to be about what you can do.”

“So, what did you and Stark do?” Ned questions, excited eyes flickering up from the laptop screen.

No matter how long Peter had been running around as Spider-Man, Ned always seemed just as excited about the prospect of his best friend having adventures with other superheroes. Perhaps getting even more excited over time.

“Not too much. Just helped with a new Iron Man suit design,” Peter explains. “Figuring out some of the adjustments and calibrations that would be needed to get it working the way Mr. Stark would like it to.”

The young Parker leans forward in his chair as a stupidly broad grin explodes across his face.

“Mr. Stark really wants to try and get one up on Shuri. He's trying to compress the nanites further so that he can fit more of them into his chest-piece. We're also going to make them move and react faster than ever. Mr. Stark's also planning to improve on the energy absorption system. He wants to not only absorb the kinetic energy of an impact, but also transfer it throughout the suit so that it can be released in different ways. Not just having it all explode around him, but also focusing it out into a directed blast.”

“But not just that!” Peter exclaims as the chair beneath him slides away across the apartment floor, pushed out as the spiderling leaps to his feet. “We're also looking at transforming the energy between states, so he can feed the harnessed energy into his power conduits, or use it for his repulsors, or thrusters, or any of his equipment! Obviously that part is the most complex. But if we can manage to make it work … I'm telling you, man. It's going to be so cool!”

“Awesome! When do we get to see it in action?” Ned asks as he leans forward, fully facing Peter as the laptop and Betty's assessment are completely forgotten.

“Uh … I dunno,” Peter admits, his face dropping slightly. “It depends. I mean, it's not necessarily going to work straight away. There will more than likely be some trial and error involved. Plus, it's not like it's going to be produced quickly. These things can take time.”

“I think it would be unlikely that Tony Stark would just wear it out right away anyway,” May adds in from the kitchen. “And hopefully we don't need him wearing it any time soon. I don't know about you both, but I've had enough alien attacks for quite a while.”

“Alien attacks are awesome!” Ned rebuts loudly, nearly jumping out of his chair. “You never know what new technology they'll bring in!”

“Yeah, and besides, it's not like it'd be the strangest thing Mr. Stark's ever done to just wear a suit for the sake of it,” Peter tags on, nodding his head.

“Still,” May seemingly grumbles as she shuffles from the sizzling wok to the bubbling saucepan, “I would be fine with another end of the world event not appearing for more than a few years. If not for my heart's sake.”

“Why's that?” both Peter and Ned question as they tilt their heads towards the older Parker with furrowed brows.

“Why do you think?!” May asserts strongly as she spins around, brandishing a wooden spoon at the pair. “My nephew goes gallivanting off in a skin-tight outfit at the first sign of danger! Maybe I'd like for him to be safe for more than a passing day or two!”

“Oh … uh, right,” Ned mumbles as he sheepishly turns his gaze back to the laptop screen he had momentarily forgotten about, while Peter slouches over and guiltily stares at the wooden tabletop, his face burning slightly at his Aunt's assertive tone.

It hadn't been a good start when May accidentally found out about Peter being Spider-Man. At first, after seeing him drag the mask off his head the day he turned down Mr. Stark's offer – and subsequentially passed the 'test' – she had been furious. Peter had never seen his aunt so enraged. He swears on his life that she could have even faced down Hulk in her state and the humongous muscular being would have backed down. He was forced to sit on the couch as she vehemently shrieked, yelled and teared up over how “stupidly reckless” he had been, by both sneaking around in his vigilante persona and hiding everything from her. He had thought it was bad enough, until Mr. Stark was then rung up and brought over, both teenage nephew and billionaire hero incurring her wrath. The eventual compromise, to which Peter could keep being Spider-Man while May could have some peace of mind, was an imposed curfew where there was no patrolling allowed while he should be at school, if he had homework, after 10 PM on a school night and after 11 PM if there wasn't any school the next day. He also had to answer every call and reply to every text message that she sent while he was zipping through the skyline, while also letting her know when he would be back, and she was to receive a full medical report if he ever got injured and needed to be treated at the compound upstate.

Over time that rage had diminished, far quicker than Peter had expected it to, until May seemed to have accepted that Peter could handle himself safely and responsibly – what wasn't reported on the news stations wouldn't hurt her – and the curfews all but disappeared. It had gotten so much better to the point that she was far more relaxed and happy with his heroics, despite her worries, and would even suggest for Spider-Man to come and offer his support to groups that she was helping with. This also included possibly joining in with a homeless shelter program that she had been planning on creating for a while. When Thanos and his alien friends attacked, Peter almost expected the curfews to return once he had finally been saved and flown back home, but instead May was so relieved that she hadn't truly lost another loved family member that she just wanted to make sure he was safe, sound, and enjoying life. And with her homeless shelter, now called F.E.A.S.T., taking off in the months of despair and confusion after The Decimation, both Peter and Spider-Man set to work helping draw publicity to the noble foundation, while Peter looked to aid May with taking care of the people who came.

Even so, despite her gradually growing optimism of Peter's superhero persona and actions, May would still grip onto an understandable fear that his selfless nature and desire to help, both she knew were very admirable traits, would someday result with her sweet nephew ending up like the loving uncle that had raised him to embrace those attributes. And occasionally it would bubble to the surface. Just like now.

The apartment falls quiet after May's short outburst, split only by the occasional click of keys pressed on Ned's keyboard and the sizzling of the stove top, before being broken as Ned glances up and meekly asks, “Are you going to get the same upgrades?”

“Maybe,” Peter answers, not entirely sure himself. “I might just get some of them. If any, probably the faster nanites.”

“And why did he ask you to go today? Don't you normally go tomorrow?”

“He's flying out tomorrow with Ms. Potts to spend some time away before the wedding.”

“Do you know where they're going?” May asks from the kitchen, having turned back to the wok.

“Well …” Peter drawls as he fishes through his backpack before pulling out the envelope. He opens it up and pulls out one of the boarding passes. “Looks like they're going to New Zealand.”

“Dude, did you steal Mr. Stark's pass?!” Ned exclaims, as the clattering sound of wood against metal comes from the kitchen, followed shortly afterwards by wood hitting the wooden floor.

“What?! N-No!” Peter abruptly leans back at Ned's exclamation. He watches May reach down and pick her wooden spoon off the floor before tossing it into the sink, her eyes looking at her nephew. “I was invited to the wedding. And to the celebrations beforehand.”

“Holy shit …” Ned gasps, his eyes going as wide as dinner plates.

“Honey, that's incredible!” May squeals as she moves round the kitchen bench and over to Peter, hugging him from behind and giving him a light kiss on the forehead.

“I still can't believe I was invited,” the spiderling admits as he shrinks into himself.

“The wedding's in a fortnight, right?” Ned asks, answered by a short nod from Peter. “So when are you flying out?”

“This Saturday.”

“Why that early?” May inquires, leaning back from her nephew.

“Well, Mr. Stark said that they wanted to spend some time just relaxing with the other Avengers before the wedding,” Peter explains as he fidgets with the envelope. “Take a break from superheroing.”

“Well, you look like you could do with the rest,” May says, her hand ruffling through her nephew's hair. “Do you mind if I see the invitation?”

“Yeah,” the young Parker shrugs as he searches through the envelope before pulling out an invite, also inadvertently dragging the other invite out with it. Peter separates the two beautifully decorated cards and hands one to his aunt, who glances at the other as she takes it before reading the information.

“Why do you have two?” she inquires, her eyes darting over the words.

“Uh, because I'm allowed to bring a guest,” Peter slowly answers. “I'd have asked either of you, but I know you're both busy.”

“Aw, man!” Ned moans, burying his face in his hands. “I almost wish I wasn't going to visit family. I'd have loved to go!”

“Ned! Don't you dare think about ditching your family, or poor Betty,” May scolds, fixing Ned with a glare.

“So, who're you asking, then?” Ned perks up again, his excitable state instantly replacing his short regrets.

“No one, probably,” Peter quietly answers.

“Why not?” May questions.

“Well, who else besides you two would make sense? No one else knows about me being Spider-Man. And besides, it's not like they'll keep it under wraps that well.”

“Just because you can't keep a secret doesn't mean other superheroes can't,” May reminds him as she hands him back the invitation.

“W-What?! I can keep a secret.”

“Please, Peter, you could barely keep your alter ego a secret,” she responds with a wave of her hand.

“Hey, barely anyone knows that I'm Spider-Man,” Peter retorts as he slides the invitation back into the envelope.

“And how many people have you told?” Ned asks with a raised eyebrow.

“N-No one,” Peter mumbles.

“Exactly,” his best friend nods, accepting the high five from a grinning May as she takes the scenic route round the table to get back into the kitchen.

“... Shut up,” Peter pouts, trying to fix them both with as intimidating a glare as he can – which is not very scary.

The apartment falls quiet once again save for the sizzling sounds in the kitchen and the occasional clicking of Ned's keyboard. Outside, Peter can hear the general hustle and bustle of Queens life in the early evening, along with the shouted voices from a flat downstairs that may require a visit from a man dressed in red and blue if it keeps up, and the muffled sounds of the TV a couple of doors over and across the hall that belongs to a particularly nice old lady named Mrs. Thompson who May has enjoyed tea with for the past ten years, before focusing in on a set of footsteps clunking heavily along the corridor until they come to a stop in front of May's door.

“Peter, can you get that please?” May calls out from the kitchen.

“Yeah, sure.”

Peter leaps up out of his chair and deftly springs across to the door. Opening up, his eyes widen as they fall upon a taller woman who's bushy brown hair is pulled back into a bun save for a couple of curly bangs that delicately fall down the side of her face, wearing a zipped up grey hoodie, a pair of torn and faded denim jeans, and bulky combat boots covering her feet.

“M-Michelle?!”

“Weren't expecting me, loser?”

“No, n-not really …” he admits. After a tentative gulp his lips part again, only to flounder as the vast number words he possesses in his vocabulary suddenly go on strike and refuse to work in any form – nary a gargle, whisper or squeak, and his brain enters a state of shock that lasts until she clears her throat.

“So … are you going to let me in?”

“Huh? O-Oh, uh, yeah, sure,” he manages to utter as he steps aside to let her in.

As soon as she manages to step past the threshold of the apartment an auburn blur rushes out of the kitchen in a speed that the younger Parker has barely witnessed before.

“Michelle!” May greets with a beaming smile, sweeping MJ up in a hug that stiffens her up. “How are you sweetie?!”

“I'm good,” Michelle replies softly with a smile Peter cannot see as she melts into the arms of Aunt May, hugging her back and resting her head on her shoulder. Peter knows that no one can resist the warmth of his aunt - not even the almighty Michelle Jones.

Peter gently closes the door shut and shoots a questioning look at May, who simply responds by maintaining her loving smile and raising her eyebrows back at him.

“Sorry I'm late,” MJ says as she breaks the hold.

“No, you're right on time,” May replies, dismissing her apology with a wave of her hand. “Dinner should be just about ready.”

“So we've already ordered Thai?” Michelle jokes, getting a laugh from May as she walks back into the kitchen.

“Wait, why do I get hit for saying that and she doesn't?” Peter questions.

“Simple: you're a loser, and I'm me,” MJ speaks up as she sits down at the table in the spare chair beside Ned before turning to her table neighbour. “Hey, loser number two.”

“Hey,” Ned absentmindedly greets as he continues looking over Betty's project. “Hang on, I'm number two?”

“Congratulations, you can hear clearly.”

“Why am I number two?” he asks in confusion.

“I wouldn't argue. You don't want to be number one,” she states, gesturing to Peter who shares Ned's muddled expression

“Uh, thanks?” Peter replies uncertainly.

“It's not a compliment.”

“Thanks,” he repeats far more bluntly than the first as his shoulders sag.

“Peter, can you give me a hand?” May asks from the kitchen.

“Sure thing.”

Peter heads into the kitchen and, seeing May gesture to the cupboards and drawers with the end of the wooden spoon, starts to pull out bowls and cutlery for everyone.

“Why didn't you say she was coming?” he whispers.

“I forgot,” she whispers back, her small smirk giving away her lie. Peter just stands there mid-reach for a bowl, glaring at her until she sighs and amends, “Okay, I didn't want to make you nervous.”

“Nervous doesn't cover it.”

“Don't tell me you've made it worse again?”

“No!” Peter hisses sharply before covering his mouth. At a quick glance over the counter and seeing that Ned and Michelle didn't hear his outburst, or at least aren't responding to it, he continues on. “At least, I don't think I have … I had only just started making some sense of her before Mysterio. Now I'm back to square one.”

“It'll be fine, sweetie. If she hated you, she wouldn't be here.”

“She would. She just wouldn't be talking to me.”

“There, you've still got something figured out.”

“ … Doesn't that applied to everyone?”

“Ok, you've still got a lot to learn,” May admits with a sigh.

“Too much,” he agrees with a nod.

“Hey, why don't you ask her to Stark's wedding?” she whispers, her eyes brightening while his widens at her question before narrowing to a squint.

“Mr. Stark put you up to this, didn't he? Is that why you invited Michelle?”

“What? No! I'd already invited MJ before he called me about you. Why? What did he say?”

“He thinks I should invite her,” he mumbles.

“You should,” May agrees, holding out a hand. “Bowl.”

“I can't,” Peter opposes as he hands her a bowl, which she starts scooping rice into out of the saucepan.

“Why not?”

“How would I explain everything?” Peter asks as May moves on to adding the fried vegetables in. “She doesn't know that I'm Spider-Man.”

“You haven't told her,” May points out as she hands him the meal and gestures for another bowl. “And that hasn't stopped anyone finding out yet.”

“Still-”

“I think it's a good idea,” May presses on, filling up the second bowl and handing it to Peter. “It'll help you both get closer again.”

As she glances back at Peter after he hands her the third bowl, she notices the calculating expression of his as he stares off at a randomly chosen point in the floorboards, lost deep in thought.

“I know that look, you're overthinking again.”

“Am not,” he replies, snapping his attention back to May.

“It's not like anything will happen there,” she promises filling up the third bowl and swapping it for the last one. “Who would be silly enough to attack a place crawling with Avengers.”

“Don't jinx it,” Peter groans, rubbing his face with his hands.

“It's only jinxed if it happens,” May points out with a raise of her spoon. “Which would mean you'd need to bring her.”

“So, that's another reason not to invite her.”

May pauses for a second before answering. “That worked against me, didn't it?"

“The point is, that you always overthink things when you're worrying for others,” May continues at her normal volume as she gathers her bowl and cutlery and takes it over to the dining table, leaving Peter to carry Michelle's and Ned's. “It's sweet, but you need to relax. She'll be fine. Ned, put your laptop away.”

“Yes, May,” Ned says as he starts to put it to sleep while Peter sets MJ's food in front of her, the girl perking up at May's words.

“Peter's worried about a girl?” she asks as Peter sets Ned's meal in front of him while he is sliding the laptop into his bag underneath the table.

“Yes,” May simply states as she pokes through the food with her fork and spoon, while Peter simultaneously pulls back with a sudden, “N-No!”

“Don't worry, it's just work related,” May explains, causing Peter to groan as he goes to grab his food from the kitchen.

“So, who's this mystery girl?” MJ questions with a face schooled for many long years to give nothing away, her elbows on the table resting either side of her bowl while her hands are clasped together above it.

“Why are you so interested?” Peter snaps as he sets his bowl and cutlery down.

“Peter!” May scolds.

“Sorry,” he mumbles.

“Fishing for new material,” Michelle answers. “Not that I really need it for you. There's just so much to tease you for. It's a bottomless pit.”

“Th-This looks really good, May,” Ned says, glancing nervously between his two friends. “Smells delicious too.”

“Thank you, Ned. Truthfully, I just fried up some of the leftover Thai in the fridge.”

“So it is takeaway!” Peter exclaims, getting another light smack on the arm from May.

“Hey, I did cook the rice at least,” she defends while Peter rubs the area she hit. “I'm sorry, MJ. I was trying to make something different, but it kinda went up in smoke.”

“It's fine, May. Just so long as there isn't any meat in mine.”

“I made sure there wasn't meat in any, just to be safe.”

“Thanks.”

“So, how are your exams going, MJ?” May asks as they start to dig into their dinner.

“They should be fine. Same with the assessments. Just one more tomorrow,” she answers with a swallow before looking at Ned. “I take it Betty asked you to read over her work?”

The rest of the meal passes by with few events, just some causal talk, May asking questions of how MJ's holding up, and a few choice barbs flung by the snarky warrior over to the young Avenger. When they are all finished, Peter insists on collecting up the bowls and cutlery and washing up, despite the protests of his Aunt, leaving him now washing up the dishes in the kitchen.

“I should be going,” Michelle states as she rises up from her chair, though stops as May reaches a hand over.

“You don't have to go. We've got chocolate ripple cake for dessert. And I think the boys are going to put a movie on.”

“No thanks, I should go get ready for tomorrow. Make sure I'm prepared and all.”

“Well, I'll give you a slice for the road.”

“You don't have to-”

“Oh, nonsense,” May waves her off before looking over her shoulder. “Peter!”

“On it!” Peter shouts, grabbing a tea towel and quickly drying his hands before diving into the fridge.

“It was good to see you again, sweetie,” she says, pulling her into another hug that MJ accepts much quicker than the first. Michelle breaks away with a smile before walking over to Ned, who has gotten his laptop out once more.

“Bye, Ned,” she says, holding out a hand for a fist bump.

“See ya, MJ,” Ned says as he returns it. “Keep in touch over break?”

“Yeah, sure. Sorry, I've just been busy with school.”

“Yeah, we all have.”

MJ moves back around the table just as Peter bumbles out of the kitchen, sliding across the floor in his socks and bumping into a set of drawers. She manages to choke her laugh into her hoodie while he's busy fixing it and schools herself back to the blank canvas by the time he turns back around. With a slight tinge of faint crimson across his cheeks, he holds out her sizeable share of ripple cake tightly wrapped in glad-wrap. Silently, she takes it from his hands and pockets it in her hoodie along with her hands.

“Bye, dork,” she says before she walks to the door.

Peter waves awkwardly to her back and manages to stutter out, “Y-Yeah, see ya,” as she opens it, before glancing at May.

“Ask her!” his aunt mouths.

His mouth opens up again to fire back some sort of excuse, but for the second time that night the working words have gone on strike. Union has managed unity amongst every sound and syllable, turning them all in opposition of him again. No matter what his brain suggests as a compromise, there's no pleasing them. Not even the promise of using simple basic English properly. And yet, what whips everything back into shape is the sudden slam of the door behind Michelle making him jump and shifting everything into high gear. Diving for his backpack, he scurries inside for the envelope Mr. Stark gave him which had, by some means, managed to fall underneath his work and textbooks.

'This is a bad idea! This is a bad idea!'  his brain runs on a loop as he finally pulls it free. Rushing to the door and wrenching it open, Peter darts through and spots her just before she makes it to the elevator.

“Michelle! Wait!”

MJ sighs and stops just short of the elevator doors, turning around as he dashes up to her

'This is a bad idea! This is a bad idea! This is a bad idea! This is -'  

“What is it, Parker?”

“U-Um ...” Peter stammers out before clearing his throat, hoping that his words will stay working just long enough to finish this. “W-Well, today – earlier – obviously earlier, I-I got something Stark – from Mr. Stark. Not just any something; a big something. Like, monumental-”

“Get to the point, Parker,” Michelle interrupted, pulling her hands out of her pockets and crossing her arms across her chest. “You're not making any sense.”

“U-Uh, r-right … So, um, you know about Mr. Stark's wedding? To Ms. Potts?”

“No, I haven't heard about the wedding every media platform's been spending too long covering instead of actual important social issues.”

“O-Oh, right …”

'This is a bad idea! This is a bad idea!'

“What about it?”

“U-Um …” her starts again, before deflating with a sigh. “Don't worry. It's nothing. S-Sorry.”

Peter turns around and goes to walk back, until he feels her hand on his shoulder.

“Clearly not if you came running after me. What is it?”

“W-Well … I got invited,” he states, rubbing his free hand against the back of his neck.

“Huh …” she manages to utter, the blank canvas adding some life as her brows rise slightly higher over her widened eyes, “You must do some really important work for him to be invited to something so important.”

“I-I guess?”

“Is that a question or an answer?”

“… both?”

A heavy silence falls between the two of them before Michelle speaks up again.

“… So, is there anything else? Or were you just looking for compliments?”

“No! I-I … It's just … I've been allocated a guest for the trip and I … uh …” he stammers out before taking a deep breath, “… Iwaswonderingifyouwantedtocomewithme?”

“… Can you repeat that? Not all of us have super hearing, you know.”

“W-What?” he squeaks, his face draining of colour.

“Not all of us have super hearing,” she repeats. “Like your pal Spider-Man?”

“O-Oh, right. Um …” Peter clears his voice as the colour returns too quickly to his face, rushing past his normal tone and turning into a beat red blush. “I-I was just wondering i-if you wanted to come with me? T-To the wedding.”

Michelle's eyes widen again and her lips part slightly. She makes a move as if to speak, but it seems as if whatever she was going to say got caught along the way.

“Um … Look, Peter,” she starts, her head dropping slightly and tilting to the side, “I dunno-”

“You don't have to!” he exclaims, jolting her back to looking at him. Quietening himself back down, he continues with, “I-I was just asking … I knew May and Ned couldn't come-”

“Oh, so I'm third choice?”

“No! I-I mean, I see why it looks that way, but May is family and Ned's always been interested in this stuff, so i-it just seemed more likely that they would come. N-Not that I asked, because I already knew they couldn't come.”

Peter had kept his head trailed on the floor as he tentatively stammered through his explanation, meaning that he had completely missed the small smile that had managed to creak through Michelle's filter and painted itself across her canvas while he bumbled through his excuse. A small smile that had already been painted back over, along with the rest of her expression, ready to start again once more.

“Why not ask that girl that you're so worried about?”

'That's what I'm doing!'  his insides exclaim, building up and waiting to be released. Instead, what came out was, “We aren't that close, me and her.”

MJ slowly nods before she admits, “Look, I don't know-”

“You don't have to!” he repeats again. “I mean, I don't want you to feel pressured into it. Just that, you know, if you didn't have any plans for spring break, and you wanted a holiday-”

“Oh no, my usual routine of wrapping myself in blankets and reading every book in sight with no end of tea is ruined now,” she complains dryly.

“O-Oh, right. Well, enjoy your plans, I guess-”

“I was joking, loser,” she smirks with a shake of her head. “I've got nothing on.” The smirk falls from her head as she continues, “It's just, last time we planned something for us, it didn't go well.

Peter slowly nods, remembering the disaster with Mysterio and his goons that Michelle could never understand. He takes in a deep breath before asking, “… So that's a no?”

Michelle sighs and leans up against the wall, staring off at a point on the ground.

“… I don't think I'd get along well with Stark when I'm there, regardless of if he's paying for the trip or not,” she answers.

“Ms. Potts will also be there,” Peter countered, remembering Michelle's admiration for her. “Also the Avengers.”

“Seriously?!” she exclaims, raising her head in time to catch Peter nodding. “How'd you get on that invite list?”

“I dunno.”

 'Tell her! Tell her!'

“I've, uh, done some things for them. Tech upgrades and modifications.”

'And, also, I'm Spider-Man!'  his mind continues on to mock him. 'Sorry for not telling you sooner. Friends again?'

“Th-That's it,” he finishes with a swallow, waiting in silence as MJ's squinted eyes stare at him. Every time she's looked at him that way, he always felt like she was doing more than observing; she was looking straight into his soul to find some answer. If there was any way that she knew he was Spider-Man, it was through that look.

“I don't know, Peter-”

“I could also owe you a favour?” Peter interjects again. “Something- Anything that you want.”

“Anything?” she questions with a raised eyebrow.

“Y-You know, within reason,” he clarifies. “I'll even get you a dress for it.”

“You don't think I've got a suitable dress?”

“N-No! Th-That's not-”

“What if I want to wear a suit instead?” she inquires, the ghost of a smile returning to her lips as she watches him crumble.

“Then I'll get you a suit. Whatever you want.”

MJ just manages to clamp down on the laugh just after it starts, with a small smile that still manages to pluck a melody along his heartstrings.

“I'm just messing with you, Pete,” she states, still keeping the smile on her face. A smile that he can't remember being directed at him since their trip to Europe. “You make it way too easy.”

“R-Right,” he says, slowly laughing.

“Where is it?”

“Plane ticket says Auckland, New Zealand,” he replies, pulling out one of the invitations and handing it to her.

“And you're leaving …?” she asks, reading over the page.

“Saturday. Morning. Day after tomorrow.”

“Thanks for the large warning,” she mutters quietly.

“Sorry, I only found out today,” he responds, causing her to look up and eye him again with her soul piercing gaze. Suddenly, Peter wasn't too sure if he should have said anything, considering her quip before about super hearing. Or if it was just because she didn't mean to say it aloud.

“Thanks for the warning, Stark,” she mutters again before handing the invite back. “I'll think about it, okay?”

“Y-Yeah, that's fine,” he replies, taking the invitation and sliding it back into the envelope. “Just, you know, let me know tomorrow. Or May, and she can tell me.”

“I'll be sure to message late.”

“Uh, maybe at a more reasonable time? You know, for the clothes and all? In case you do decide to come?”

“What, you haven't been sizing me up now?” she asks, giving Peter a sly look that sends the crimson fire burning across his face once more, spreading quickly down his neck.

“N-No! No!”

“You sure?” she says, pushing away from the wall and moving towards him. “A lot of guys would be admiring a body like mine like a piece of art.”

“G-Good for them?” he gulps as he backs up.

MJ backs him against a wall and leans in, his eyes fluttering down to her lips just inches away from his own.

'Just lean in. Kiss her,'  a tiny voice whispered in the back of his head. 'You know you want to see if she still tastes the same.'

There was a time, though brief, where he knew exactly what she tasted like. It was heaven, or as close to it as he was ever going to get. So vibrant and shocking, sweeter than the sweetest honey, an unforgettable taste that would linger on his lips long after the smallest peck. And they were few, now just a memory of sweet torture. The whole concoctions of senses and visions builds at the tension eating away at his will while he shrinks down in a crimson mess. That is, until the smile that spreads its way across her morphs into full blown laughter, pure and joyful, the beautiful sound he hasn't truly heard in years that ever since has both blessed and haunted his dreams at the same time.

“You really make it too easy, dork,” she laughs and backs away, allowing him to release the breath of hot air trapped in his throat that he hadn't realised he was holding back.

“W-When's your exam?” he manages to spit out, pushing himself uneasily off the wall.

“It goes from 8 to 11,” she answers, getting just a nod in response as she walks over to the elevator doors and presses the down button. “Apparently we get too much sleep as it is.”

“Well, mine starts at 1, s-so just m-message any time before then, I guess. Maybe 12:30 at the latest?”

“Fine.”

The elevator doors whine as they slowly slide open, sticky metal rubbing against one another. Michelle gives them a tentative glance before stepping in and hitting the ground button.

“W-Well, see you,” Peter says, giving her another awkward wave that she finally sees.

MJ just stares at him through squinted eyes as the doors start to close, before smirking as she raises her middle finger just at the last moment. Peter lets out a loud sigh and puts his head in his hands before he makes his way back to May's apartment. When he gets inside, he closes the door before falling back against it and sliding down to the ground. Ned glances up from his laptop before taking a double-take at his crumpled friend, May quickly joining him.

“What did she do to you?” Ned asks, slowly hovering away from his chair.

“I have absolutely no idea,” Peter admits, taking several deep breaths as he spreads out his enhanced hearing, listening for any trouble on her end.

All he can hear is her softly humming to herself as she rides down, while Mrs. Thompson's TV has been switched off and the shouting from downstairs seems to have gotten louder. Looks like they'll need a visit from Queen's red-and-blue domestic expert, though they'll have to settle for Spider-Man instead. At least the suit is in the backpack.

“You asked her?” May inquires. “Properly?” Peter just nods. “… And?”

“I'll find out tomorrow.”

Michelle stretches her arms up above her head as she leaves the exam hall with the swarm of students. She had finished early, as she expected, but not as early as she thought as stupid Parker's stupid proposal kept worming its way into her head as she was trying to think. Still, she finished early, but of course she wasn't allowed to leave until time was up anyway. Not without failing, as the examiners said, which wasn't something she wished to push today. At least she had a chance to think about it, more than she had already antagonised over the decision much more than she felt she should have last night when she was meant to study. Beside her, her friend and roommate, Cindy Moon, sighs happily, her utensils cluttered in her arms.

“Finally it's over!” Cindy Moon sighs happily beside her, her overly large collection of writing utensils and highlighters cradled in her arms, “I'm so happy I could just collapse here and now!”

“I'll call the ambulance,” Michelle drawls, pulling out her phone from her jean pocket to check for messages. Nothing. “Tell them to expect the usual.”

Cindy giggles and bumps into her, “It's not that normal.”

“It's way too common for it to be considered normal,” Michelle retorts, sliding her phone back into its designated pocket as another friend and their other roommate, Betty Brant, jogs up on her other side.

“Time to celebrate, girls!” the blonde cheers. “Clubs and drinks tonight!”

“Don't you need to pack for Ned's holiday?” Cindy questions.

“No, I'm already packed. Besides, we're leaving Sunday. There's plenty of time.”

“Yeah, in which you'll throw out half your clothes an hour before you need to leave because it just doesn't feel right, and then antagonise over what else to bring,” MJ points out.

“That never happens,” Betty dismisses. “You worry too much.”

MJ and Cindy share a glance, remembering last year's trip where she was crying with her clothes strewn on the floor around her empty suitcase with 10 minutes before they left. Then again, MJ knew that Cindy stressed about packing for an entire week beforehand and keep meticulously checking even the smallest detail to make sure it was right, so she had no room to talk either.

“Drinks do sound good, though,” Cindy admits with a thoughtful nod. “Michelle?”

“Maybe,” she shrugs.

“So you're not going with Peter?” inquires Betty, drawing a sigh from Michelle.

“I haven't decided.”

“Wait, what's this?” Cindy asks in confusion, glancing between the two.

“Peter asked MJ to go to Stark's wedding with him.”

“Seriously?!” Cindy squeals, her hands jerking up to cover her mouth only to stop as she realises she's still holding her equipment.

“Not so loud …” Michelle mumbles with a wince.

“How have you not decided yet?!”

“Because I'm not that big on Stark,” Michelle starts to list off on her fingers, “Because I'm not that big on a bunch of big muscly superheroes who'll argue over who's the most macho. Because I don't want to be around a bunch of corporate yes men who are way too old and creepy to contribute to society. And because it's Peter.”

“Is the last point for the positive or negative?” Cindy stage whispers to Betty, leaning in behind MJ's back.

“Probably positive,” Betty muses. “Outweighs those three negatives.”

“Seriously?” MJ says, folding her arms over her chest with an unimpressed eyebrow raised.

“Hey, regardless of what you say, I know you still haven't gotten over Peter,” Betty says as she keeps walking, the other two quickly catching up and keeping pace. “And the way you treat him doesn't exactly help your case.”

“How I treat him?”

“Well, it's not exactly normal for girls who claim someone's broken their heart to playfully tease them,” Cindy joins in, a hand somehow free from the clutter in her arms tapping her chin thoughtfully.

“I don't tease playfully. Wait, what do you mean, 'you know'?”

“Drunk Michelle tells me things that Sober Michelle is too afraid to say,” Betty answers candidly with a sing-song pitch.

'I'm going to have to sit down and talk with Drunk Michelle,'  Michelle internally broods. 'If she keeps lying like this, I'll end up in a mess I'm not going to get out of.'

“And it's because of this that you keep turning down dates and don't do anything outside of one night stands,” Betty continues. “You should give one of those boys a chance.”

'Forget the talk. Drunk Michelle's meeting the firing squad tonight. With full prejudice.'

“Cindy-rella!” calls out a male voice from across the courtyard.

“Zekie!” Cindy perks up and runs over to the source of the pet name, running into the arms of a tall black man with short stubby dreadlocks, her utensils scattering on the cobble floor beneath them. Michelle notes him as her boyfriend, Ezekiel, as their bright grins morph together when their lips crash into each other's.

“How'd it go?”

“I dunno,” Cindy replies. “I'm worried I messed it all up.”

“Nah, you're amazing! There's no way you didn't get top marks.”

“No way, top marks will go to this girl,” a smooth male voice says coming from behind Betty and Michelle.

“Speaking of boys …” Betty says, turning around.

'Speaking of creepy …' MJ sours internally, also pivoting to the source of the sound with a scowl.

Striding over towards the group, dirty blonde hair slicked back, tight button-up shirt that hugs his muscular physique with the top buttons left undone, and tight jeans clinging to his legs, is the heir to Oscorp Industries, Harry Osborn; charmer, playboy, womaniser, millionaire in his own right, flashing a smile that would make any girl swoon.

Any girl not named Michelle Jones.

“What do you say, MJ? Top of the class yet again?”

“It's Michelle, Osborn.”

“Whoa, slow down,” Harry chuckles, “I haven't even gotten the ring yet.”

“Fuck off,” she growls, turning her back to him.

“Still as feisty as ever, huh? Calm down, MJ. I was just joking,” he says, placing a hand on her shoulder, which is quickly smacked away as she spins back round.

“I told you. It's Michelle,” she snaps, glaring at him and jabs a finger in the air in front of him. “Okay?”

“Whatever you say, princess.”

Michelle huffs and folds her arms over her chest, not failing to notice how his bright blue eyes travel down her body, taking in every little piece that they can see. A cold chill darts across her skin like a sickness as his gaze continues to linger while it travels back up her body, no doubt undressing her in a way that would be as uncomfortable as possible if she ever had the displeasure to live it out.

“Some friends of mine were talking about heading around to my mansion and getting a head start on the drinking before the clubs all open up,” he finally speaks after what feels like an eerie eternity for Michelle, his eyes peering into her own. “Interested?”

“Betty and I were thinking of going out later anyway,” Cindy jumps in, holding hands with her boyfriend as they walk over, their free hands holding her once again collected equipment.

“Excellent,” Harry says, barely letting his eyes leave Michelle. “You're welcome to join us.”

“We've still got some things to take care of too, though,” Betty points out.

“Alright, then we can swing round and pick you up on the way to the clubs.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“What about you, princess? We can grab a drink, get to know each other more personally,” Harry says, turning back to Michelle. “I can even invite you to join the getaway to California. Just think; hot sun, busy beaches, lots of parties. You can put all those fake girls to shame with that beautiful body of yours.”

“Nope. Not a chance, Osborn,” MJ replies, sidestepping the arm he went to throw around her shoulders and sliding her phone out of her pocket. She quickly unlocks it and opens up her messages to Peter. “Gotta pack. I've got plans. Far away from you.”

I'm in Dress and favour included

'Thanks for making that choice so much easier. Only thing you've ever been good for, Osborn,' she thinks as she gets a quick buzz back.

                                                                                                             rly?!?!?!?!?!

Yep Shocker Details?

“Really?” Osborn questions in surprise, his brow rising up. “What kind of plans?”

                                                                                               I'll send them 2 U l8r                                                                                                                After exam

“One's that don't involve you.”

Pick text speech or normal and stick with it

                                                                                                                           Ok

… Please tell me you picked normal

“That sounds lonely,” Harry croons in his sultry tone.

“It sounds peaceful,” MJ jabs back.

                                                                                                        I picked normal

I don't believe you

                                                                                                                      Y not?

You took to long to write that Also, your last message

“So, where are you going?” Harry continues to inquire, leaning in to try and peer at her phone. Without looking up, Michelle tilts it away from his eyes, keeping it close to her body.

“Somewhere not Osborn related.”

                                                                                                                          Fair                                                                            For your dress, go to 154 on 32nd                                                                                     I'll let them know u r coming

MJ's brow furrows as she reads the address. From what she remembers, that's meant to be a top end shop filled with custom makes and designer makes that only people with some decent cash can afford.

“That'll be hard to do,” Harry presses on. “Osborn is a household name, after all.”

“Right. Up on the same level as Stark himself,” MJ sarcastically retorts with a roll of her eyes.

Isn't that that really expensive new place?

                                                                                                                          Yep

“It is,” he stresses. “And soon will rise above. There's lots of money in Oscorp. Which means plenty of riches and fame for me. And anyone that's personally involved.”

“Aw, you say that to all the girls,” Michelle says, putting on a fake sweet voice that sounds deliberately off.

Stark's paying for this, isn't he?

                                                        He asked me to go there for sizing yesterday 

So you're not getting me a dress?

“Just the special one.”

“Just one? You're getting old, Osborn.”

                                                                                                                          Hey                                                                                                 It counts in my book

Fine But only because you didn't have to offer

“I think you'll find I'm young enough in all the right places,” he leans in to whisper with a smirk, “if you'd care to take a look sometime.”

“No, I'm not up for playing Doctor.”

“Right now?”

“Ever!” she growls, taking a step back.

“Hey, Cindy? Maybe we should get going?” Betty interjects nervously, stepping in between Harry's cool and calm persona and Michelle's fiery spirit fit to burst. “Let Michelle finish her packing.”

“Yeah, okay,” she nods, untangling her fingers from Ezekiel's and quickly pecking his lips. “I'll see you later.”

“See you soon,” he replies, handing her back the utensils he was carrying.

“And I'll see you later, princess,” Harry grins at Michelle. “Still time to change your mind.”

“Don't count on it,” she huffs as she storms away.

“MJ, wait up!” Betty calls after her as she and Cindy take off after their friend.

Forget sending me the details Mind if I stay tonight?

                                                                                     I'm staying at May's tonight                                                                                         She should be fine with it                                                                                                                   I'll check                                                                                        Why the sudden change?

Just thought it'll save travelling between two houses

                                                                                                                           Oh                                                                                                                         Right

Don't get excited, Parker

“Sorry, I should have defused that a lot sooner,” Betty apologises as they finally catch up to Michelle's long legged stride.

“That would have helped,” Michelle grates as she receives another couple of buzzes, this time from May.

Honey, you're more than welcome to stay.   Whenever you need to.

Michelle has to smother the smile bubbling up with the special kind of grateful feeling that only May Parker's warmth can give before turning to her friends and roommates.

“I'm not staying tonight.”

“Where are you going?” Cindy asks.

“I'll stay at May's. Peter's there and it'll save travelling all over in the early morning,” MJ explains. “Plus I'm not wanting to see that slime ball again.”

“We'll make sure they don't come to get us before you're gone,” Betty assures her.

“Thanks.”

A/N: Please feel free to let me know what you think. Hopefully the next chapter shouldn’t be too far away. At least not as far as this one was. Until next time, adios!

[gammundcrstand-blog]

Tell us your favorite quotes from your character. give us an idea of who they are from five things they’ve said. Then tag your friends!

Tagged by: @rationalunreason Tagging: @writermoore , @pathtotruth , @opticshot , @bcsslady & anyone else that wants to do this!

Betty Quotes:

                  “ Stop, I know you’re in there! General, please! DAD!  ” (MOVIE)

Reason: Betty has a pretty terrible relationship with her father. This quote is one of the biggest emotional impacts of the movie for me anyways because you see how exactly Betty’s life with her father has been and how their life has been ordered and structured. He’s an army man. Country has always come before anything else. I mean, we’re talking about the man that after her mom’s death had her placed immediately in a boarding school, for years, someone who probably was never around to help with her homework or come to her dance recitals, she was probably incredibly lonely. And this shows how truly vulnerable and desperate she is for a father’s relationship, understanding and command of attention in the moment. When she screams “please! DAD!” I also think it’s the last straw. Her last shred of hope in her father as a human being and as a parental figure died in that scene. 

                  “ Come this way. Watch your head.... We’re okay. ” (MOVIE)

Reason: THIS IS SO IMPORTANT  👏 👏 👏 👏 Betty Ross treating Hulk like his own person is SO IMPORTANT. And that last we’re okay? So many people think it’s just a comforting, awe cute thing but I think to Betty it has deeper meaning and that’s why it’s one of my favorite quotes. Cause I think that Betty is actually saying WE’RE OKAY. Sure it matters, all the changes that Bruce has gone through and how Betty’s trying to understand and adapt but she’s basically telling Hulk WE’RE GONNA BE OKAY TOO and I ACCEPT YOU and I don’t care what anyone says Betty loving Hulk as Hulk and Bruce as Bruce is SO IMPORTANT TO THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND HER CHARACTER. 

“ You made him a fugitive. To cover your failures, and to protect your career. Don’t ever speak to me as your daughter again. ” (MOVIE)

Reason: This is a pivotal turning point for Betty’s character and shows how very strong she is. This is a man Betty has cared for, loved and desired to please since she was a girl. Though he’s probably not deserved it, her father has always had her love, consideration and understanding that he has his responsibilities. But the man she loved for loving his country and wanting to protect it is no more. In this scene, she not only stands up to her father for the first time probably, but she calls him on his bullshit and effectively disowns hIM. This quote has me wanting to hug her and cheer for her every time. Fuck you Ross, you lost something you took for granted and broke my poor girl’s heart. But good on you girl. Standing up and saying enough is enough, and we’re done now. Having the courage to cut unhealthy relationships out of your life.

“ Protect me? Protect me from what, Hulk? The only thing I'm afraid of... the only thing that is hurting me... ...is you.” (COMICS)

Reason: Last but not least this speaks to Betty’s own vulnerabilities and something that needs to be said. Betty’s never been scared of the Hulk. She’s known she probably should be and has every right to be but she somehow strongly believes she has a connection with him too and that he’d never intentionally hurt her. What absolutely terrifies her though is that Bruce will push her away, which frustrates the hell out of her and saddens her more than anything. Because it’s people making choices for her without really considering HER THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS. And every male figure in her life has done that to her. Except Bruce. When he eventually runs away, when he pushes her away it’s so much harder for her to accept. Something that, as Red She Hulk makes her angry and feel helpless. Because deep down, even without her powers she knows she’s not weak. And regardless, it’s time for people to stop treating her like she is and for her to start calling them out on it. 

         “ I can't...she can't... Betty can't take it. So I guess it's up to me. ”                                                         (COMICS)

Reason: This perfectly outlines the protective nature of Red She Hulk and how very much she cares for Betty. In my opinion, Betty’s transformations as Red She Hulk are because Betty in and of herself is a strong person, we’ve seen how strong she is and all the crap she’s had to put up with. It takes a lot to break her. But we all do get to that point. We’re only human, and Betty’s dealt with a lot. That’s why she transforms into She Hulk, whenever she’s so upset she can’t take something, She Hulk steps up.  Say it louder for the people in the back! The Hulks will always be PROTECTORS. 

[glynnisi]

FYDL Drabble-A-Thon, Day 3

i KNOW.  I’m a few minutes late.  Oops.

Prompt: Slow Down.

Pairing: Darcy/Steve (Shieldshock)

Length: pushing it, 985 

Organization: Heartstrings, support for parents who suffer pregnancy or early infant loss

“Secretary Ross!  Is it true that you hid information about experiments that damaged Dr. Bruce Banner’s cells and caused his mutation into a raging Hulk?  And, Sir, is it true that you hunted him in order to have him dissected, so you could make more Hulks?”

Next to Ross, Tony Stark froze.  He stopped walking as he felt the world and every atom in it slow down.  The word ‘dissected’ echoed with Bruce’s confessed suicide attempt and wretched anguish.

The press lurched, surprised as Tony stopped. Questions overlapped and their volume reached fever pitch. Ross glanced at Tony. His façade faltered long enough for the genius to know the truth.  The Secretary blustered to reporters as he left. 

Whether he fled them or Stark was anyone’s guess.

---

In their room above a pub in Scotland, Darcy Lewis transmitted more files to her favorite investigative reporter.  She took a swig of scotch and choked.

“Slow down, Darce.  That’s good stuff.” Piercing blue eyes crinkled with mirth. They waited, listening.  Steve drummed his fingers.

Her keyboard clattered.  “I know. I’m trying to like it.”  She pulled Steve close and kissed him.  “I like it best second hand- mysterious, beardy lover.”

Ringing sounded. He jumped.  “Finally.”

Darcy nodded.  “Took him long enough.  You two need to put your dicks away and make up, for the greater good.”  She winked in response to Steve’s miffed expression.  

They heard Tony’s indignant cry.  “Did you know?”

Darcy’s fingers paused as her gaze met Steve’s. Steve growled, “just heard.  Didn’t want to keep it from you.  Saw you on TV. Looked like you didn’t know.”

Darcy offered support, like every day.  She sipped scotch again and shook her head as she pushed it to Steve.

Tony barked, “Of course not! Bruce is a friend, as well as one of the most brilliant minds I’ve ever known. Rare.”

“You mean friends are rare, for you.” Steve sighed.  

Darcy grabbed the phone. “Hi, Tony. Stop your self-pity train before it jumps the track again.  From what I hear, that gets ugly.  This is Darcy, Thor’s friend, the one you called ‘Jessica Rabbit’.”

“Well, when the fire sprinklers soaked your clothes there was a resemblance.”  Tony sounded defensive.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m brunette, Tony. And short.  And not a cartoon.”

Tony chuckled, “Somehow that escaped me.”

Steve grinned sympathetically. Darcy slapped Steve’s arm, “ha!  Listen. I watched you and Bruce. I saw what he means to you. I tipped the reporters.  I have a source.  Someone who knows all about what happened to Bruce, the hell Ross put him through, and how he made Bruce a scapegoat for Ross’ power-hungry misdeeds.  My source…”

“Just say Betty Ross. I know Bruce was with her and that they worked together while living in General-infuriating sin.”  Tony’s faux-nonchalance was weak.  

Darcy huffed, “Fine.  Betty worries about Bruce.  And things she said about her dad, the Avenger Persecutor?  Your friends worry about you.”

“’Jessica’!  I’m too rich to touch.”  Tony sounded stronger as the shock of hearing Steve’s voice again faded.

“Nope.”  Darcy chided, “You should know better.  He’s tried to arrest T’Challa already- and the King of Wakanda could buy and sell you a dozen times.”

“Hey!”  Tony paused.  “Okay. Fine. The vibranium helps.”  After another pause, “that where the rogue Avengers hide? Wakanda?”  Tony let out a grunt as someone knocked at his door.  “Who’s here?”

Darcy huffed.  “Courier.  I needed to get your location to put copies of Ross’ files in your hands. Your trust issues are famous. Read ‘em and weep, Futurist.”

Tony opened a door.  “Thanks, old man.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Stank.”

Steve chuckled.  Darcy cocked her head, listening to the sound of papers rustling.  She pictured the scene, Tony loosening his tie as his face paled and his anger rose.

“Shit.”  Tony’s tone shifted.  “He’s got a warrant ready to drop?”

Darcy nodded, “yup.  Your transport to The Raft’s on call already.  Frankly, I don’t want to let Steve out of our bed long enough for him to swim to the bottom of the ocean again to rescue your ungrateful ass.  So, keep out of Ross’ hands, 'k?  Maybe cancel your trip to his lair tomorrow?”

Steve winced as silence stretched.

Finally, Tony managed, “Slow down. Your bed? He tears apart the Avengers, betrays me in the worst way, abandons the world- and gets ‘Jessica Rabbit’ to pop his cherry as a reward?”

Darcy groaned.  “Gimme that drink, honey.  Imma need it.”  She took a sip as Steve leaned closer.  “Ugh. You? A virgin?  Really?” She kissed Steve hungrily.

“Stop!  I don’t wanna hear that.” Tony’s voice rose.

Darcy groused, “fine.  Have you asked yourself why you didn’t check your dad’s info in the Hydra data dump from D.C.?  The order was there.  Ya know, the ‘take Asset out of cryo and torture him lots to force him to murder again?’ That order.”

Steve looked mournful.

Angry, Tony pushed back, “for Pete’s sake.  I don’t want justifications.”

Steve offered, “I’m sorry, Tony.”

Darcy whispered, “accept. He wants you at our wedding.”

Tony squawked, “wedding?! Slow down, Ms. Rabbit.  What?”  He breathed deeply.  “I guess I accept.”

Darcy grumbled, “now, thank me for the heads up?”

Tony relented, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Darcy preened.

Steve kissed her again, smile soft and grateful. “Thank you.”

She responded, “take me to bed and do that thing you…”

Tony grumbled, “bye now.  Good night. And, thanks.”

---

Darcy giggled.  “He’s more prim than I expected.”

“Well, you put him off balance- between revealing Ross’ character, handing him his arrest warrant, and sharing about us.”  Steve laughed softly as he pulled her hand, pleading for his fiance to lay with him.

Darcy shut her laptop.  “Slow down, buster.”

He shook his head.  “Nope.  You stand up for me, even when I’m not sure I deserve it.  Wanna thank you.”

Darcy’s lips curled to a smile of anticipation. “O-kay!”

[saintheartwing]

So, Cap. Marvel had this One Deleted Scene...

It sort of expands more on her stealing that motorcycle. Here.

https://twitter.com/usatodaylife/status/1131620934077571072

I’d say “You should have included this, it adds more personality to her when she kind of needed it in the film” but...then I thought about it. It’s just more FLIPPANCY. Y’know, the only other switch she has other than stoic calmness. Those are the two buttons she predominately has throughout the film. She’s calm and collected and all stone-cold “Don’t got nothing to prove to you” and flippantly snarky when she’s not. That’s it.

I know what you’re thinking. “Well a lot of the Marvel heroes are snarky and quippy and flippant, why’s it okay when they do it”? 

One, it gets annoying seeing it done twenty times. 

Two, the guy who does it the most and started the whole snarky dry wit humor thing? Iron Man. 

And I HAAAAAAATE Iron Man. I have never, EVER forgiven him for the stuff in Marvel’s Civil War comic. Not ever. He got off fuckin’ scott free and he can fuck a garbage disposal. I’m Captain America all the way. Even though they fucked HIM over with the Hydra crap in the comics. 

Three, we actually get to know the characters in the other films who do similar behavior. We know their likes, dislikes, their fears, hopes and dreams. We see their family. We get a buildup. What do we really know about Carol? 

Well, we THOUGHT we knew her when the film starts off, then about twenty minutes or so in...evidently not, something’s off about her past. So everything we THOUGHT had been established about her past was a big fuckin’ lie. She’s not that person at all. So who is she then? Do we see her past? Not really. The most we ever see of her actual past doesn’t add up to ten minutes of screentime and it’s FLASHBACK stuff that first appears with quick, almost seizure-inducing editing when her brain is being scanned. Then there’s the one full scene when Mar-vell is shot and Carol gets her powers. That’s it. 

Let’s compare her to Captain America. We see his normal life. We see him with his friend Bucky, and him wanting to join the army out of a sense of Patriotic duty and because he doesn’t like bullies, and the Nazis are the biggest ones of all. He’s too weak though. But then he gets a chance to be a candidate for a super soldier serum and proves his mettle by trying to fall on a grenade to save his fellow men. We also see he’s smart, and not a brainless brick. He gets a flag down that nobody else did not by climbing up the pole...but by just knocking down the pole itself, then leisurely plucking the flag up. Nobody else thought of that. But he did.

So we see him quite a lot and get to know who he is BEFORE he gets his powers and even then, it didn’t really change who he was inside. It just brought out the potential that was always there. 

But Carol? What do we know about her? We don’t really see her with her friends and family. We get TOLD what she is, but we’re not SHOWN. And on top of that, she doesn’t really suffer any consequences or trials. She gets it easy.

Let’s compare. 

Thor actually gets kicked out of his home. He disobeys his dad’s orders and because he’s such an arrogant toe-rag, he is stripped of his godhood, and he can’t even use his big, fancy hammer because he’s not worthy of it anymore. He’s easily captured by SHIELD. He’s a fish out of water who has no idea how the Earth works and he has nothing but the clothes on his back, and he has to learn humility, and to respect other people. He begins to fall in love with a human woman, and at the end he even offers himself up to save others. So he fell to his lowest point and then got to rise back up by proving himself humble and noble and worthy again through self-sacrifice for other’s sake. 

Guardians of the Galaxy. It opens with a KID LOSING HIS MOM TO CANCER. He’s so hurt he can’t bring himself to take her hand on her deathbed, he runs out of the building to cry and he’s abducted by aliens whom, we get told, joke about doing things like EATING HIM. Which he doesn’t find funny AT ALL.  That kid grows up into a rather selfish jerk who’s an arrogant thief, and he gets into a big fight with bounty hunters AND they all get tossed into jail. Peter, the kid, has to work with others to break out and sell the fruits of his labor, which turns out to be an infinity stone. We learn more about the others, we learn of their pain, and we see them at low points too. Rocket drunk and feeling like a worthless, stupid animal. Drax tries to avenge his murdered family and fails miserably. Groot’s self-sacrifice. And they’re all...well...losers! All of them have indeed lost people and Gamora’s implied to have been heavily mistreated by Thanos, but they’re also all sort of pathetic. Just about everything they try to do blows up in their face in some way. So because they keep getting screwed over and screwing up and then at the END succeed by working together, we can identify with them. They don’t really have these huge, amazing powers either, so you can further identify with them because for the most part, they’re just normal people with guns and knives except for Groot. 

Capt America, as I’ve shown, has a ton of his life shown before he even becomes Captain America. But he loses his best friend. He can’t even get drunk to numb the pain.  And then at the end of the film he has to sacrifice himself to keep WMDs from being launched on America. He crashes into the arctic, and he doesn’t die, but he’s frozen for 70 years. He’s lost the love of his life. He’s lost his whole world, his time. All of his friends and family are dead now. He’s got nothing. He saved America...but he has nothing left. THAT...is tragedy. THAT...is drama. THAT...is good writing and it gets us to identify and relate to him.

Heck, take ANT-MAN. He’s a pathetic thief. He can’t even see his own daughter. He can’t even pay child support. He can’t hold a job because he’s a thief. So from the beginning, this guy is a loser. His only special thing is the suit he manages to steal, and he even at first doesn’t WANT it, he tries to return it. Throughout the film that sense of “this guy’s pretty pathetic” lingers on. His big thing is being able to shrink and to summon ants. Not that impressive. But we can relate to somebody who’s so pathetic, we can see ourselves in him, especially since he sincerely keeps trying to help his daughter. You know, the clear, obvious family that’s very firmly established and we get to know more than Marvel’s family who isn’t even her actual family and most of what we know about them  is from an info-dump scene and very brief flashing images of her singing in a bar with Monica? 

Even TONY has a better origin. At first he’s a smug weapons manufacturer. Then he gets kidnapped. He’s gonna get killed. He gets to know a man named Yinsen, a doctor, who helps save his life. They form a bond and Tony builds a suit made of scraps in a CAVE! But tragically Yinsen dies to save Tony. Tony barely makes it out of their alive, and decides...no more weapons. His company is done selling them. Period. But he does build a new suit, the Iron Man suit, and decides to use it to start helping people and fighting terrorism. He wants to clean up the mess he’s unknowingly made. He was at a low point. Knocked down. Nobody takes his company seriously anymore and they think he’s cuckoo for getting out of the weapons business AND if that electromagnet in his chest is removed, he’ll die. There’s a real threat to his life. So at least he started out at a low point and had to rebuild himself and build his way back up. And even then I still don’t really like him much at all.

There’s only ONE origin that I think is truly weak and could be called worse than Capt. Marvel’s. Hulk. Bruce Banner HAS to control his temper, sure, because when he tried to perform an experiment to make humans immune to gamma radiation...it failed, he went all Hulk and destroyed the lab he was in and killed several people AND he hurt the guy who helped start the project, Gen. Ross AND his beloved Betty Ross, whom Bruce cares for deeply. He’s a fugitive from the law from the very beginning of the film and desperately looking for a cure. And yes, the entire film he’s on the run and there’s never a moment’s peace for him until the very end. But then again, Captain Marvel is also on the road and the run a lot of her movie, and we see more bonding with the people who used to be her friends than Hulk bonding with Betty. And she and Nick Fury get plenty of great friendship too. Not much friendship and bonding in Hulk.

But I think you get the point. Compared to almost all the other superhero origin films in Marvel, Carol Danvers got jack. Even BLACK PANTHER in HIS debut in Civil War got more because we see him lose his dad and he doesn’t even get vengeance and he has to accept that revenge isn’t the answer. There’s an arc. And he’s also more fleshed out as a character. Plus his own actual movie gives him even more of an arc and having to accept responsibility for his country while realizing they’ve really dropped the ball on how to handle power. And the villains aren’t boring either. 

So Captain Marvel’s film is just...ehhhhhh. Meh. Blah. Whatever. That’s it. 

I know what you’re gonna say. “But it got so much money!” Yeah. And one of the big reasons was the same reason Black Panther did. Superhero marvel film featuring a type not seen before. For Black Panther, it’s a mainstream black superhero. For Capt. Marvel, mainstream superHEROINE. We only really had one other, Wonder Woman. People were hungry for more, even if the end result is just OKAY or AVERAGE at best. People will accept poor representation or just average if the alternate is none at all. You’d rather have crumbs than nothing. Even the critics said Captain Marvel was about a 78%, even Ant-Man and the Wasp, one of the weaker Marvel films, got a higher rating. It got ONE point higher than Thor, one of the weaker Marvel origin films. But to be fair it dead beat The incredible Hulk! And again, that’s from the Critics. AKA people who get paid to like this stuff. Sometimes outright directly in Sony’s case since we found out they were paying off critics. XD 

Just saying. Capt. Marvel wasn’t that good. But if I had to say one thing about this deleted scene that didn’t make it into the film, it’s this.

SUUUUUUUUUUUBTLE. XD

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1265

Monday, June 10, 2019

 Well sir, summer weather has finally hit the nation's capital. I am reluctant to fire up the AC yet but the ceiling fan was turned on overnight. The welcome heat means the flower gardens are showing off their myriad colours. The birdies are singing and the fish are biting. I am a happy and contented guy.

 Domino: Hotshots #4 - Gail Simone (writer) David Baldeon & Michael Shelfer (pencils) David Baldeon, Michael Shelfer & Craig Yeung (inks) Jim Charalampidis (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Cold War part 4. It looks like the team has saved the world from extinction but wait, there's more. Someone else has been given great power and she's made it her responsibility to get revenge on the Hot Shots. The conclusion next issue should be epic.

 War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery #4 - The McElroys (writers) Andre Lima Araujo (art) Chris O'Halloran (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I don't know The McElroys from Adam but I sure do like the way they write. Ares catches up with the team and their mission goes FUBAR. Now they have to rescue the demon baby. The conclusion next issue should be epic.

 The Incredible Hulk: Last Call #1 - Peter David (writer) Dale Keown (pencils) Mark Farmer, Marc Deering, Walden Wong & Scott Hanna (inks) Peter Steigerwald with John Starr (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). If you've been reading the Immortal Hulk you know that Betty Ross plays a major role in the recent story. This $4.99 US one-shot gives you some history and it's brought to you by the creative team that made reading Hulk comics so much fun in the nineties. The super villain was a complete surprise but made a lot of sense.

 Batman #72 - Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin & Jorge Fornes (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I'm not quite sure but this story looks like a team up of Bane and Thomas Wayne to kill Bruce/Batman. This whole issue is narrated by Thomas with not a peep of dialogue and references events leading up to the beating Batman gets from Bane this time. At least I think it's Bane. Jorge Fornes's protagonists aren't as bulky as some artists draw them.

 Black Cat #1 -  Jed MacKay (writer) Travel Foreman (art) Brian Reber (colours) Ferran Delgado (letters). Marvel's version of Catwoman first appeared in 1979 and I've liked her ever since. I think the last page of this debut pays tribute to DC's feline femme fatale with the bats escorting the getaway car. There are two short back-up stories so you get good value for $4.99 US. This first heist isn't too elaborate but it does serve to introduce Selina and her crew. This was good enough that I will read the next issue.

 DCeased #2 - Tom Taylor (writer) Trevor Hairsine (pencils) Stefano Gaudiano (inks) Rain Beredo (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). This zombie virus infesting the DCU story isn't kidding around. Two major characters bite the bullet this issue. The only reason I would keep reading the rest of this 6-issue mini is to see how the good guys beat the walking dead and who else might possibly die before they do.

 Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1 - Four stories featuring a bunch of team members and a mysterious bad guy.

 "Faith" by Donny Cates (writer) John McCrea (art) Mike Spicer (colours) & VC's Cory Petit (letters) has Cosmo the talking Russian dog cosmonaut and the aforementioned villain foreshadowing some nasty doings for our heroes.

 "A Long Time In Politics" by Al Ewing (writer) Yildiray Cinar (art) Rain Beredo (colours) & VC's Cory Petit (letters) starts with two guys walking into a bar who wind up talking about intergalactic politics. The two guys are Nova and Quasar. This is not a joke.

 "Advent Horizon" by Tini Howard (writer) Ibrahim Moustafa (art) Jay David Ramos (colours) & VC's Cory Petit (letters) has Adam Warlock dealing with a planet of peaceful aliens being controlled by a malevolent god. Gee, I haven't seen Warlock in a while so I'm not familiar with his current status but this Warlock could have been a brand new character to me. He didn't spark any joy.

 "You're Only Young Twice" by Zac Thompson & Lonnie Nadler (writers) Filipe Andrade (art) Mike Spicer (colours) & VC's Cory Petit (letters) features Darkhawk in a freaky Friday situation. I forgot that Darkhawk was a merger of two things like DC's Firestorm.

 I was not impressed with this sausage fest. No female characters at all and no one that I really cared about. I don't think you would be missing anything crucial if you're a fan of the regular book if you decide to skip this.

 Shazam #6 - Geoff Johns (writer) Marco Santucci, Marco Santucci, Dale Eaglesham & Scott Kolins (art) Mike Atiyeh (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). I was thinking of benching this book as I read the first few pages but then things take a turn with Billy's dad showing up and now I want to keep reading. The last page sealed the deal.

 War of the Realms #5 - Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Showing the war on Midgard on all its fronts would be a daunting task for any creative team but this one does it beautifully. I hope they do an oversize full colour hard cover reprint of this main story. I would not hesitate to add that to my meagre collection. I've complained about excessive super-sized super hero versus super villains fights before but this one has just the right amount of action and suspense for me. I have enjoyed the evolution of Jane Foster that Jason Aaron has plotted and now she's in for another surprise metamorphosis.

 Marvel Team-Up #3 - Eve L. Ewing (writer) Joey Vazquez with Moy R. (art) Felipe Sobreiro (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The conclusion of the Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel body switcheroo story made me smile. I love a happy ending.

 Young Justice #6 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Timms (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). This is a good jumping on issue even though it's the conclusion of the first story arc. It gives you tidbits of information on almost everybody on the team and why they're on Gemworld fighting the evil Lord Opal. When you get to the last page there's the patented Bendis ending that makes you want to read the next issue as soon as it hits the racks. I was particularly impressed with Gabe's colours this issue.

 Savage Avengers #2 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Mike Deodato Jr. (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). The cover may show Wolverine attacking Conan but nothing like that happens inside. This is one of those comic books that I was able to finish reading in about 5 minutes. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, I actually got a chuckle out of it. The big bad Is revealed to be the wizard Kulan Gath who is also time displaced like Conan. I was thinking that Conan would only be able to survive in the modern world if he learned how to shoot a gun. Who better to show him the ropes than the trigger happy Punisher? Guess which Savage Avenger makes his first appearance in this issue? They've shown the cover to Savage Avengers #4 and the two macho men are featured, one with a sword and the other firing a gun. Ninjas of the Hand pop in with Frank so I hope that means that Elektra isn't too far behind.

 War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #3 - Greg Pak (writer) Gang Hyuk Lim (art) Federico Blee; Andres Mossa; Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Here's another fake cover. It makes it look like the good guys lose the battle but the battle has just begun in this issue. Who picks these? I'm not a fan of the little ID captions naming everybody cluttering up each panel. I know there are a lot of characters in this book and some fans may need help identifying everybody. They should do what the main War of the Realms book does and have a full page showing who all the players are. Chances are really good that the heroes will find a way to stop Sindr from winning.

 Batman Last Knight On Earth #1 - Scott Snyder (writer) Greg Capullo (pencils) Jonathan Glapion (inks) FCO Plascencia (colours) Tom Napolitano (letters). Welcome to the future where the super heroes have lost the never ending battle with evil. This is a terrific first issue that sets up the story with everything making sense and there are no "what the heck is going on here?" moments. This 3-issue deluxe $5.99 US mini is going on my "must read" list. Thanks to Doug for lending me his copy to read.

[thelimpingalpaca]

The Incredible Hulk Infinity Stone: None Villains: General Thaddeus Ross, Emil “The Abomination” Blonsky, the US Army, Dr. Sterns Ross is still a General and probably has his career saved by them needing to track down Bruce, Blonsky is in custody and may or may not be human shaped, Sterns is unknown (but if his head got all big he’s probably also in custody).

The credits for this are just beautiful Like just the right amount cheesy to remind you of the old show March 7 Green Monster Sighted Culver City University And they tie in with some Stark Industries weapons requisitions 2/7/2006 reads the e-mail Nick Fury’s name pops up Days Without Incident 158 Was that the old Hulk show on his TV? The origin of the bad undercover Avengers look. Just dress like a white middle aged American dad on a vacation with three kids. I like that Bruce is at least being proactive about learning control and not just trying to find a cure. He’s been working at the factory for 5 months

The cgi blood is bad Bruce you dummy. Why didn’t you check the bottles? The you wouldn’t like me when I’m hungry is cute. So is him knowing its not quite right He has a dog and it’s cute that he wants a life. And he joins Steve in the having a picture of the woman he loves that he cut out of a newspaper club Mr. Blue and Mr. Green What’s that flower supposed to do? Absorb Gamma? Could he take a shitton of iodine? Mr. Blue wants to meet. Or at least get a blood sample. He’s tired, so he sends the blood. Stan Lee dies of Gamma sickness in Milwaukee General Ross has a real shit office. But enough clout to get a team to Brazil Puerto Verde, Brazil Emil Blonsky, born in Russia raised in England and on loan from the Royal Marines Fugitive from the US Government who stole secrets and is responsible for like, eight deaths He is dangerous. Tranq him. Mr. Blue is having luck with the blood sample. He thinks he has a cure. But he needs more data. Bruce doesn’t have the data. It’s at Culver. The strike team is at his door. Do they need c4 to bust down that door? And Blonsky tranqs a dog so that we know to hate him The girl from the factory hides Bruce. Who then escapes in the worlds brightest hoodie. And is spotted immediately. This foot chase is shot cool He lost his dad hat This whole thing reminds me of the Bourne movies. Which I think is the right vibe for the Hulk. Oh man. He can’t even run away, it raises his heart rate too much. Well the scene started at night and then the chase was happening during the day and now it’s sunset. That’s some bothersome continuity. Why would you hide in the one place the bullies and the military know about Bruce? His heart rate is 197 and rising Hulk takes over at 200 And that guys dead Him too And him So that’s like 8 guys dead I like that the soda is bright green. It looks cool when it explodes. Stop shooting at the bullet proof monster you idiot And now Ross has the computer Blonsky might be having an existential crisis Bruce wakes up by a waterfall In Guatemala Days Without Incident 1 Blonsky is so tiny How tall is he? He thinks he’s way more badass SAD HULK MUSIC!! Chipas- Mexico Bruce is begging, or at least sleeping on the street with his hand out And having flashbacks How long does it take him to get back to the States? Infantry weapons development programs sub group Bio-Tech Force Enhancement Super Soldiers He’s the one who dusted it off Banner thought he was working on radiation resistance He tested it on himself He considers Banner property of the Army He’s a scientist. He is not one of us Blonsky is 39. Really? And he’s down for government experimentation Culver University- Virginia Days Without Incident 17 He can’t get in the building without ID Der. Elizabeth Ross Cellular Biology And he’s creeping on her Liv Tyler is just angelic Stanley’s Pizza Paradise He ships it The new boyfriend is a “head shrink” Stan’s gonna let Bruce crash upstairs And borrow the pizza delivery outfit Hey Lou Ferrigno Who he bribes with pizza Jesus. That man’s arms are gigantic He knows her username and password Project Name: Gamma Pulse, B* Banner Why does that school computer have an encrypted chat program? He talks to Mr. Blue He has to keep moving Betty are you really going to make that old man make you dinner? How rude Her top is awful But she see’s Bruce and goes looking for him He’s behind a dumpster Like a true Avenger But she tracks him down in the rain, on a bridge, like a cliché And they hug And she still loves him She hid the data on a usb in an antique silver box She’s not speaking to her dad Ross wants to dissect Bruce To weaponize the Hulk Cryosink I don’t think that man has permission to be doing that The serum is blue. But not them same vivid blue as Erskine’s. it’s dull. Watered down. Bruce has to leave in the morning Blonsky’s not even that fit. They’re gonna give him a low dose. Two infusions one into the deep muscle and one into the bone marrow And they do it in a dim lab What university is that really? It’s beautiful She untucks his shirt. Cause she loves this useless nerd And the military has them He runs and tells her to leave So she doesn’t Blonsky is now part gazelle. It’s a good effect Bruce swallows a whole ass usb drive Betty throws herself in front of a tank and demands to speak with her father They lock Bruce in a glass overpass and shoot knock out gas at him. Cause they have no idea what they are dealing with. Betty tries to go to him and elbows a soldier in the face before getting tackled. Cause she is a badass That guys dead Ross thinks Betty will turn on Bruce when she sees the Hulk This lawn fight is good looking The cgi is a little dated but not bad And there’s kids with cell phones filming it Why would RPG’s work? Or a pistol Oh He’s just bait Why can we see sound? And yet Betty is still afraid for Bruce The Hulk is kinda dumb and I like it Don’t antagonize the unstoppable force, Blonsky Oh, Betty’s boyfriend is nice And he’s trying to help Calling him Bruce. Going to him Being soft Ross thinks she got exploded And of course it starts raining Boyfriend sees that Bruce was trying to save her and that Ross is a liar He calls him on his bullshit and feels bad for turning them in Betty has the correct response to waking to a Hulk in your face Which is to scream and hit it But she recognizes him And then we watch him get struck by lighting and not even flinch He throws a rock at the sky and tries to protect her from the storm Her “Watch your head” is too sweet I fully get why they picked Liv for this. She has that soft voice and kindness Blonsky’s bones are powdered but his heart wont quit He is bright red And awake God that must suck Bruce looking sun burnt and like shit And the shower head gives him a flashback to gunfire and he collapses Those purple pants WHiH news And one of their students calls him a huge, Hulk Betty’s cutting his hair They’re cute It’s good that she tried to move on God he must be so sexually frustrated It’s been like six years since he could do anything remotely sexual Blonsky is fully healed after what? Two days? Three max Betty is sassy and I love her She has forty bucks And she’s willing to pawn her mother’s necklace He’s been on the run for five years Mr. Blue is at Grayburn College Hey look, SHIELD’s helping them track the emails Dr. Samuel Sterns They buy a shitty pickup They volunteered for induced hallucinations while they were at Harvard He only remembers fragments She thinks its still him He doesn’t want to control it he wants to get rid of it Blonsky’s got abs now. And they are gonna give him more serum They’ve got road blocks going into New York. So they pay a guy to take them in a little boat. You’d have been better off in the subway Betty’s not meek, she’s just reserved Sterns and Bruce look related. Is that intentional? The cure could just as easily kill him And Sterns doesn’t really care about the danger Blonsky’s looking very sweaty. And kinda melty. “How are you feeling man?” “Like a monster.” The machinery seems sketchy and old. They’re using dialysis to mix the antidote with his blood. And an electro shock to induce. It’s super gross watching him half transform The cgi is not so great She hopes up on him and tries to anchor him long enough for the antidote to be administered Sterns is very excited The Gamma Pulse came from the amygdule They don’t know which is more toxic the gamma or his blood Sterns cloned his blood. There’s hundreds of bags He thinks they can make humans impervious to disease Bruce wants to destroy it all. Sterns doesn’t understand The military wants to make it a weapon No he is not being a little paranoid he is being the right amount of paranoid Betty gets thrown into a glass case and cuts her hand (if they wanted a way to make her Red She Hulk there it is) ”If you took it from me I’m gonna put you into a hole for the rest of your life.” Ross made Bruce a fugitive to save his career and cover his ass Betty disowns her father Sterns says Bruce was a freak accident the goal is to do it better Blonsky wants Sterns to make him like Banner “I didn’t say I was unwilling. I just need informed consent.” Why are these two so cute? They just pump Blonsky full of the cloned blood And then some of the blood drips into a cut on Sterns head and his skull goes all bubbly Have these soldiers learned nothing this week? You can’t shoot these things 121st street headed north on Broadway They’re by the Apollo God is the cgi on the Abomination bad It looks okay from a distance and while moving fast Bruce wants to try and aim the Hulk. He has to try Betty is worried he’s about to fall to his death But he feels responsible That kiss is sweet His “oh shit” The Hulk looks good there The abomination does not. Is it the bones? I like the car boxing gloves And Ross gives permission to open fire on a residential building How many people in Harlem died that night because of him? The fire light is where the cgi starts looking real janky He makes the Hulk bleed so there could be people in Harlem who got contaminated Why did Betty stay in the helicopter when it was clearly getting ready to explode? Any last words ”Hulk smash!” Why can The Abomination talk coherently? Is he more Blonsky than a separate personality Betty, why did you stop him from killing the big scary uncontainable horror show? Why is that woman and her child standing five feet from a monster battle? Betty cries and tells him it’s okay He wipes away her tear and says her name And then runs when the helicopter puts a spotlight on him The Hulk parkour is cool looking Betty’s still in New York and has been staring at that photo on the digital camera Bella Coola – British Columbia Bruce is jogging He’s using David B. as an alias He got the necklace back and is sending it to her Days Without Incident 31 Days Without Incident 0 Post credits is that whiskey green? Enter Tony Stark “That super soldier program was put on ice for a reason.” “I hear you have an unusual problem.” “You should talk .” “You should listen. What if I told you we were putting a team together.” “Who’s we?”

[amateurfan227]

Shitlist Christmas Reviews - The Avengers revisited - 2012

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m Amateur Fan 2.27 and welcome to the Shitlist, where bad movies burn, and this is the Christmas edition of 2017; a while ago I reviewed this movie when I first started the site and yet I’ve been getting comments over why this movie is the best, and after re-watching the movie, I can see some major flaws..... The movie I’m of course referring to is Joss Whedon’s The Avengers...

Ah Joss, what happened to you man, you were the king of fan culture with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and yet you set your career on self-destruct with the Justice League (though I’ve heard very bad things from due to direction of characters), but seeing that you’ve changed your mind in destroying the franchise I loved most through my childhood (DC) let’s have a look at one that you did indeed bastardize... Marvel...

Before I start the reviews and with the production history for that matter, there is some that I must address first on why I hate Marvel so much, granted I love Stan Lee,  his work makes me believe that Superheroes are real, from the teenage years of the Amazing Spider-man to the science beyond mutation in the Uncanny X-men.

There are other words that I can describe on how Stan Lee has indeed affected my life growing up, like he’s possibly one of the greatest living icons by far with such incredible work. Other characters were established as well which were created by other writers such as Deadpool or my particular favourite character, The Punisher. Those two characters drew me into the Marvel Universe because of one genius,

Though something comes to mind about this, other characters I admired from Marvel are interesting with incredible breakthroughs such as Spider-man’s guilt or Iron Man’s Alcoholism but with DC it’s entirely different as their characters have more personality as well as more problems when it comes to their own identities, I’ll get to this in a different review, hopefully when I review BVS...

Marvel through-out the years when it comes to producing their films has an interesting basis, mainly towards different companies like SONY or most recently Disney, some movies I did previously reviewed were interesting taking interesting takes on independent characters, such as Hulk, The Punisher (which is to be reviewed) or Spiderman.

But with the MCU however comes with one major problem.... S.H.I.E.L.D...   for those out there who don’t know S.H.I.E.L.D. is the fictional agency that deals with Paranormal or Superhuman ‘Mutant’ events through-out the world of Marvel, think of them like the Agency or Project Cadmus from DC but less ‘scientific’ (which I use loosely.... looking at you Agents of Shield...) and more on fantasy.

Through the M.C.U. Shield have been through nearly every film mention but this raises one major question on a particular level... why? Granted they are there to monitor the heroes and villains but yet through the movies.... they don’t seem to do very much about the situations the heroes (or so-called heroes for that matter) are trapped in apart from one in particular and that are Captain America.

But speaking of which we are going back into the movie that started it off to trope of SHIELD’s involvement, Avengers Assemble from 2012 directed by Joss Whedon, before I commence with the review, I’m removing to dive into the Production history due to the involvement of Disney attempting to make the heroes and the story more light hearted which divides the tone of the movie.

Especially that Disney have now purchased the rights to 20th Century Fox which also host a series of interesting movies based on the Marvel Universe (X-Men and Deadpool, Spiderman trilogy previously reviewed).

I have to admit that rebooting the Marvel Universe in the cinematic form was incredible but also difficult at the same time as it would achieve some fans in the comics as well as a fan base towards the films, though I’m not the biggest fan of the MCU but there are some moments in the franchise I do admire, as some of the problems with the heroes are mixed with some of their own characteristics, which is destroyed by Civil War which I will get to on another time as the movie and the comic it’s based on tells different stories and spawns bigger controversies.

I have to admit it that the movie I’m reviewing today was previously reviewed but I dived into it at the wrong time as I reviewed Iron Man before it which skipped 4 additional films which would corrupt the saga, but now that I’ve finished reviewing the last 4 movies (ending Iron 2) I think it’s a better idea to dive into the movie in a more appropriate manner and see if there are any problems with the movie, and trust me, there are a lot.

This is the Avengers Assemble.

 The movie begins with a monologue from an antagonist known as the Other; the leader of the race known as the Chitauri, a species from the Marvel universe similar to the Skrulls; the Other speaks towards an unknown person (see ending of Thor) that he will give Loki an army to take over Earth in return of a source of unknown potential energy known as the Tesseract (First Infinity Gem – it’s not like it’s a spoiler or anything).

In the present however, Director of SHIELD, Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson, you know what he’s been in) and his Second in Command SHIELD agent, Maria Hill (played by Cobie Smulders from How I Meet Your Mother) on a secret remote SHIELD research facility where they are performing experiments on the Tesseract as everyone is evacuating due to an energy surge.

Fury speaks to future red shirt, I mean SHIELD agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) about the problem only for the reaction to state that it woke up, being unsure that the Tesseract was activated with no-one touching it; Fury speaks about Selvig being involved with the projected stating that he can’t shut it down...

This raises a question on how a meteorologist of all people can suddenly change occupations towards a scientist responding towards Energy; but saying that, this question will respond with no answer towards the end of the movie, including the other films relating to the same character.

Agent Hill... you know I’m just gonna call her Maria from now on, Maria informs Fury that it’s a bad idea to do a minimum evacuation due to the source of the energy but Fury has other plans on stating that the Phase 2 prototypes should be sorted out first, (we will see this later on) ignoring her recommendations.

All in seriousness, it comes to show that SHIELD are shown as a reckless force than they were told in the comics, as Fury had other ideas on scrapping the secondary projects in case of situations like this, especially when it comes to times of desperation involving combinations between Primary and Secondary tasks. I will get to this later on.

Fury speaks with Selvig about the source only for him to state that the Tesseract is misbehaving, so the energy source is a sentient being all of a sudden? This also comes to a downplay when he states that it also sparks interference with electrical equipment and minimum levels of radiation, only for Fury to speak to Barton (Jeremy Renner) about the Tesseract stating that something might be coming through in response of the misbehaviour of the source.

Suddenly a wormhole opens leading to the reveal of the movies villain, Loki (Played by Tom Hiddleston), who then appears to brutally kill off a few more red shirts before brainwashing a few agents, including Selvig and Barton. Fury attempts to steal the Tesseract away (wise to take it in your bare hands dumbass) only for Loki to stop him by stating that he needs the Tesseract for a future purpose.

Loki trades a few threats towards Fury only for Barton to state that Fury is stalling and Selvig to prove that the wormhole is collapsing on itself leading them to have two minutes exactly to leave before it goes to a critical level. Fury gets shot leading for Barton to take the Tesseract leading Loki to follow as they leave the facility, only for Fury to warn Maria about the situation leading for a chase sequence to launch through the tunnels of the facility.

I have to admit, it’s a pretty creative fight scene, only problem is that it reminds me strongly of the Metal Gear Solid when Liquid chases you in Shadow Moses... Anyway Fury manages to follow Loki via Helicopter only for the facility to collapse on itself; Coulson and Maria are a safe distance from harm but Fury as some trouble as the helicopter is attacked by Loki leading him to call for action... his call for war.

The next scene we see Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (played by Scarlett Johansson) stuck in interrogation with a Russian suspect of a presumed arms dealer only for Coulson to call her during the interrogation leading her to an able escape and the ability to take down the interrogators only for her to receive the information on what’s happened with Barton. He informs her to go after the big guy while he goes for Stark.

In Calcutta (a city in West Bengal, India) we see Dr Bruce Banner (Played by Mark Ruffalo from Shutter Island) treating patients as a general doctor, only to be called away when a girl asks for his assistance only for him to follow leading to be a trap set up by SHIELD, Banner is disproval of this when Agent Romanoff appears stating that they need his help with something, only for him to state that other guy (HULK) won’t comply.

She debriefs him by stating the Tesseract releases small pulses of gamma radiation that are too small for them to find though Banner can... which is weird because they could have asked Betty Ross who also shared Banner’s experience when it came to Gamma Radiation, or General Ross for that matter.. He tests her patience and wins over to her approval leading him to be on the team for the moment.

The next person shows Fury in a meeting with the World Security Council showing their disapproval of what Fury has planned stating that he need to stay focused on the Phase 2 project and not on Loki or the ‘handful of freaks’ only for Fury to decline by stating they only hired a response team to retrieve the Tesseract... see what I mean by reckless force?

We then see Captain America, Steve Rogers (Chris Evens) fighting against a boxing bag whilst having flashbacks from the world war only to literally punch it off the hanger only to be greeted by Fury to appear and informs him about the current situation at hand, which Rogers quickly agrees to as long as it’s to stop the threat as well as to return the Tesseract when he responds that they ‘should have left it in the ocean’.

We then skip to Iron Man himself Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) who is in the process of repairing an electrical line under the water of New York to power up his building using pure clean energy which he himself invented (Iron Man 2) named Stark Tower. Just out of curiosity, wouldn’t that new source of energy also boost his reputation for being a scientist aside from a former weapons engineer?

As he leaves for Stark Tower, we see his assistant/girlfriend, Pepper Potts (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) who recommends him on going to the press which he’s dismissive of, only for his A.I system Jarvis (once again voiced Paul Bettany) interrupts him on Coulson’s intrusion only for Tony to ignore them numerous times. Coulson does eventually get over to Stark to consult him on joining the Avengers Initiate to Stark’s dismay on the matter at hand as he wasn’t qualified for the team.

Though he reluctantly agrees to join them over Pepper’s use of persuasion, mainly the 12% theory that Marvel has thrown out for the sake of it; Steve and Coulson are on a Quinjet on their way to the SHIELD Heli-carrier and discuss the people that he’s about to meet, which is an interesting session as Coulson literally states that he idolised Captain America but meeting him in the flesh is something of a treat.

Loki on the other hand speaks with the Other who is strongly displeased with the results that Loki is performing with the Tesseract, mainly towards Loki’s attitude against the Chitauri Army leading for a threat of the Other stating that is Loki fails, then He will come for him and no matter where he hides, He will remove everything from his existence.

However when Banner comes to meet him, he’s quite displeased that he will be locked with in a floating fortress, especially that he is suspicious about the fact that he agreed to team up with a high military force whilst searching for a device which has unlimited amount of energy. As they are brought inside for debriefing of the situation at hand, the Heli-carrier begins to ascend as well as be placed on camouflage, this raises a question on the technology itself that SHIELD are using.

If the camouflage is extended around the base of the Heli-carrier, what about the planes that are on the ship? Would they be camouflaged as well or do they run on a separate system entirely?

Meanwhile Selvig needs to acquire some iridium to stabilize the power of the Tesseract only to locate the Iridium in Stuttgart, Germany leading for Barton to state that he needs a distraction as well as an eyeball; SHIELD have managed to track Loki at a museum leading SHIELD to send Captain America with a team to assist.

At the Museum, Barton kills several guards outside to get to the safe holding the iridium while Loki performs a distraction by killing several guards also abstracting an eyeball (in quite a gruesome manner especially for a family film) to Barton to unlock the safe, Barton steals the Iridium giving Loki the advantage on taking several hostages while destroying the authority nearby.

An elderly man rises above him to confront him stating that he doesn’t fear monsters like him, only for Loki to shoot a bolt from his sceptre at him only to be defended by Captain America’s Shield just in time and oh boy...

What the actual hell have they done to his costume, it looks like he’s going to a strip club, not become a superhero, hell the early nineties Captain America costume was better than this, and to make matters worse, that this was Coulson’s idea when he mentioned that he placed something in the costume to update it, for what to announce that he’s in the closet?

A fight ensues when Romanoff arrives in the Quinjet leading Loki to gain the upper hand only for Iron Man to interrupt the fight overpowering Loki and saving Captain America before it escalates, knowing that he’s surrounded; the god of mischief surrenders and places himself arrested by SHIELD.

On route back to the Helicarrier, Stark and Rogers discuss on Loki’s performance that he’s too quiet to be remain a prisoner but something in the clouds disagree with them, a storm suddenly emerges only to be revealed by the god of Thunder himself arriving, behold the almighty Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) who forces his way in the Quinjet and steals Loki away for a private negotiation, leading Iron Man to pursue along with Captain America.

Thor throws Loki to a mountain and starts an interrogation on where the Tesseract is but breaks down on the fact that they all missed him (referring to the Asgardians) only for Loki claims his right to the Kingdom of Asgard only for Loki to mock his brother’s love of Earth only for him to state that he will take Earth as his own.

Thor is immediately taken down to a forest by Iron Man only for a confrontation leading Stark to mock him for his clothing, which escalates into a fight between the crimson avenger and the Norse god of thunder. Err Stark, I would run if I was you, he is literally a god and you are just a mere man. Loki is literally watching them go at it only for one question is why doesn’t he run away? Captain America stops the fight leading to Thor to slam Mjolnir against the Shield only for the Shield to deflect the mighty blow.

After this, they agree to take Loki in as a team only for Thor to return the Tesseract where it belongs, on the Helicarrier, Fury places Loki into a prison cell which can descend from the atmosphere straight to the ground at a high velocity, as well as placing one final threat. The Avengers talk on Loki only for Thor to state what he knows on Loki, that he leads an army called the Chitauri as well.

The team also speak of the way Loki is planning the war at hand, also leading the fact that he needed iridium to stabilize the Tesseract only for Stark to act like he normally does and pretty much becomes a jerk to everyone aside from placing a tracer connected to JARVIS on one of the SHIELD computers, aside from stating that they need a high energy frame to support the portal that Loki requires to open the portal, which causes Maria to ask why he knows so much...

Maria... you did your homework on Stark, right? It appears that the character is heavily downplayed rather the ones we see in the comics. Though after stating this Stark becomes friends with Banner due to his experience in military science and technology leading towards a cringe-worthy moment from Captain Boy-scout... no seriously can someone please change his bloody outfit?

Stark agrees to help Banner search for the Tesseract in using the sceptre only to notice that the sceptre is both powered by the Cosmic Cube as well as having the same radiation levels of the device; though this leads to a confrontation on Stark and Rogers over the idea of joining the Avengers, leading for Stark that it was due to desperation or possibly something else while Roger’s refuses to believe it.

Though Banner has some good points such as seeing that the Tesseract needed something with enough energy to supply a replacement source and then states that Stark Tower could have that energy due to the arc reactors that support the power, or another question entirely on why is SHIELD so involved with energy to begin with.

Rogers points out dismay at Stark stating on why they didn’t want Stark on the team though Stark proves it by stating they were scared of his intellect. This is why I think Captain America is the weakest Avenger alone, his story isn’t very interesting as it just debunks everything of his own premise, he’s just a man looking for a fight and that’s it, and people wonder why I prefer DC.

Though leaving Bruce and Stark, Rogers does have some thoughts over what Stark says and starts his own investigation in some of SHIELD’s secrets and eventually does come across something of interest which does raises his suspicions, HYDRA weapons from the World War 2 era. Selvig on the other hand has supplied the last of the iridium into a support frame for the Tesseract.

Thor speaks to Coulson about Jane Foster for a brief moment stating that she was safe and away from harm only for Thor to recollect his meaning of war from a young age. Especially stating that Loki has supreme vengeance upon him alone for what Thor has done by removing his Throne away from him.

Loki on the other hand has a visitor in the form of Black Widow whom he continuously threatens by stating that her friends will be dead all to the account of her only when she releases the Monster, though through her confession she does state some feelings for Barton due to a mission gone wrong, but she manages to recover from his threats by revealing that he was going to release the Hulk on the ship.

Though this comes to a problem as Stark finds out the Phase 2 program that Fury was desperately hiding, to use the Tesseract in order to make weapons because of Thor in case they go rogue causes a huge argument between Thor, Black Widow, Banner, Fury, Stark and Rogers leading them to distrust each other as Thor calls them petty.

And to be entirely honest, it was Fury’s fault for doing so as it was his original plan on using the Tesseract which resulted in bringing Loki to Earth as well as his army, remember what I stated about SHIELD being incompetent... at least you don’t see Star Labs or A.R.G.U.S doing something this stupid.

Meanwhile in an argument between Captain America and Iron Man which leads them to suggest who would win in a fight. Barton on the other hand manages to assemble a team of corrupted agents that Loki used to attack the Helicarrier head on to retrieve the sceptre in order to awaken the portal to release the Chitauri only to shoot and explosive arrow that destroys one of the Helicarriers propellers.

This leads over to Banner stating that he attempted to commit suicide in return of living like a monster only for the Hulk to retaliate, he also states that it’s Fury who put everyone at risk for bringing him on board, this causes them to know the location of the Tesseract just in time for the explosion to hit them at full force, leading Fury to give orders to Stark and Rogers to repair the engine while Coulson to get to the armoury, Banner on the other hand is trapped with Romanoff and has no other choice but to unleash the beast.

Rogers and Stark manage to fix the engine due to broken debris whist preventing an invasion of the brainwashed henchmen from Loki, Black Widow on the other hand has some issues when Hulk starts chasing her leading him to fight Thor when he forces him away into the aircraft section, the henchmen invade the command centre leading Maria and Fury to stop them from killing the others only for Barton to shoot a virus headed arrow into the control panel disrupting one of the engines.

Maria orders a soldier to distract the Hulk via aircraft to stop him from shredding the Helicarrier apart, which he does get distracted leading him to attack the pilot leading the plane to explode causing him to fall to the earth; Iron Man manages to fix the engine on the other hand keeping the Helicarrier up in the air, leading Widow to find Barton only to knock him out of his brainwashed mind.

Thor attempts to stop Loki from escaping only to get trapped in the cage leading for Coulson to confront the god of Mischief with a gun they made from the Destroyer (Thor). Coulson gets fatally stabbed by Loki leading for Thor to get sent straight to the Earth leading for Loki to gloat about his deeds leading for Coulson to shoot him through the wall via the Destroyer’s gun.

Thor manages to break out in time leading him some temporary misuse of the Mjolnir, Loki eventually escapes but to Coulson’s death shocking the group, including Rogers and Stark. Later that day, Fury states that he found several cards that related to Captain America that belonged to Coulson which he throws at him, leading me to believe that he is blaming them.

Fury... you are aware that all this is entirely your fault, if you didn’t mess around with the Tesseract to begin with, none of this would have eventually happened, I know I’m being a bit overboard on this but you have to agree in some points that Fury in the MCU movies is portrayed somewhat over confident towards their goals but somehow manipulates others into to stating that it’s their fault for losing.

Fury states the truth that they were planning on making weapons with the Tesseract and then states that the Avengers Initiate based on a group of remarkable people on stating that they can do something more to help them with their lives... such as a being of Nordic mythology, a man whose only skill is in archery, a man who would easily drop dead from exposure to radiation, a man with severe memory problems in resulting in flashbacks, a guy with a hole in his chest which could kill him due to metallic poisoning as well as heart problems (trust me I’ve been there) and a Russian assassin... so much of a team of remarkable people there Fury.

He also performs the dead person card which is too much for Stark to handle and plainly leaves for a moment of himself... all I have to say to you, Whedon, is screw you for writing a meaningful character from the comics and turning him into an utter moron as well as a disrespectful immature child who only wants things done for his own personal need. This is why I hate the MCU... Christ, Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad was a better leader than Nick Fury in this.

Banner wakes up in a broken warehouse as well to a cameo of a celebrity who is no longer with us (Harry Dean Stanton you are missed) Henry states that he saw pretty much everything that Banner once was and states that he needs serious help. At the Helicarrier, Barton comes round from his injury and remembers who he was and apologizes to Natasha for what has happened.

Rogers and Stark have a brief moment alone and states a few good words on Phil only for Stark to literally go into a meltdown on how they are going to take down Loki which results in him remembering that he wants to hit the Avengers hard by taking down the Stark Tower as he stated to gain an audience. Where we see Selvig set up the Tesseract in the support and waiting for Loki’s permission to start.

The Avengers prepare themselves for one final fight as Thor regains his power, Stark repairing his Iron Man suit and Captain America going to a LGBT Parade; sorry I mean getting on a Quinjet and taking it to New York. Fury manages to track were they are heading and forces Maria to obtain the communications to collect backup.

Iron Man arrives first and after attempting to destroy the wormhole machine itself, he realises that he must face Loki alone, which he does so whilst preparing to obtain a newer updated Iron Man suit, this is where it loses me for a bit, Stark debunks that Loki has pissed the Avengers off only for him to reply with that’s the plan... What the Hell... so his plan was to fight a group of people who can easily over power and beat him.... what is Loki’s Motivation again? Something to do with conquering earth in return for the Tesseract...

Stark manages to threaten him that they will easily defeat him only for Loki to state that will not happen... Loki... you are as threatening as a villain as Scarecrow from Batman Begins... maybe cool and threatening once but easily overused and easily beaten...

Loki throws Stark through a window leading for Stark to activate the new suit in mid air whilst shooting Loki in retaliation for Phil, just in time for the Chitauri Army to arrive to destroy New York City... I have to admit one thing... it’s actually surprisingly amazing as well as the CGI meets Practical effects... kudos...

Thor fights against Loki for a bit leading for the others to arrive bar Banner leading to a fight between the 5 against an entire army... Loki manages to evade Thor by jumping on the Chitauri craft leading for the Avengers to separate ways to defend others as Black Widow and Hawkeye to defend a bunch of civilians and Captain America to defend the police, while Iron Man and Thor to clear the skies.

However seeing that they are overmatched, Banner arrives to assist by transforming in to the Hulk once again, which I have to admit, is a pretty amazing scene as well and a highlight from the movie in point of view especially punching on the Chitauri, killing it in the process, leading the camera to cycle around the heroes.

The team go separate ways to stop the war from spreading leading for Fury to engage a conversation with Council once again, leading for them to state that they need to launch a nuclear strike on the city to prevent the war from spreading across the country, this is also due to the national guard arriving to help defeat the aliens. Though Fury has doubts about this and cancels the communication about them.

So some reason Black Widow manages to get her way to the Tesseract only for Selvig (now out of his mind control) to reveal a weakness, Loki’s sceptre which will disrupt the wormhole destroying the invasion; The Council have managed to override Fury’s command and sends a plane to nuke New York City, Fury warns Stark about the missile which Stark attempts to trace down with the remaining battery power he has left.

Black Widow manages to obtain the Sceptre and prepares to close the portal only to stop when Stark tells them that a nuclear missile is inbound, leading Stark to grab the missile and force it through the portal in order to stop the invasion. He does so, stopping all power to his suit sending his body into a freefall while destroying the Chitauri mothership leading for Romanoff to close the portal fortunately saving Stark from being trapped.

Though this is a problem when Stark is still in freefall only to be saved by the Hulk leading the Avengers to attempt the bring Stark round from his death-like encounter, which again is saved by the Hulk as he screams which somehow brings him back to life; which brings them to the realization that Loki is still on the loose.

Loki is quickly captured and taken under custody of SHIELD who give him and the Tesseract over to Thor to return to Asgard in safety and preparation for future invasions, Fury on the other hand is in a conference call with the Council whom states that if they place a call like that then the Avengers would be at war with the council, hell even Maria Hill brings it up leading Fury to state that they will be needed when a situation will be at hand.

During the credits, Stark is changing Stark Tower to the Avengers Tower following some blueprints that he’s created, and through the mid credits, the Other speaks with his leader, the one they gave the sceptre to Loki is revealed that it is indeed Thanos.

 And that was Avengers Assemble, I have to admit one thing, it has major flaws in some areas, such as Loki’s change of motivation, Fury’s need for his own authorisation, his ideas towards making weapons on someone who didn’t expose them as threats, and another thing is the costumes towards one character in particular.

I’ll go over the good points to start with, the music alone is a plus for the feature especially done by Alan Silvestri who also worked on the Back to the Future series, or in particular Forrest Gump, the theme actually works in some scenes, especially the fighting scenes.

The acting from the main Avenger characters is incredible especially when it comes to symbolising each character from Captain America’s war fetish to Iron Man’s ego, the acting is quite spot on, though some of the characters didn’t get enough screen time possibly due to neglect from the script or mainly screen time on said characters.

Let’s look at Maria Hill for example; she needs to be explored more than just an agent as she was more closer to the characters rather than Fury was, she was more of an open character who dealt with things in a more manual position than Fury did, especially when it came to one event entirely that Fury wasn’t in... Civil War, I’ll get to that another time. Another character was Selvig as he didn’t get enough time to explain his change of career or his interest in physics.

Now for the bad side of the film, the motivation of 2 characters in particular really pissed me off with the film entirely, Loki who changed from messenger to godlike figure then back to messenger, this is a Nordic god for crying out loud and yet they down play him as just a beat up boss from a video game. It seemed like there was something different changed for the character from the first movie, such how was he meant for the power without the staff or everything that Thanos gave him.

Nick Fury’s turn now and I apologize for disliking what I stated in the review but the truth is still there, as he was supposed to bring them up to speed and introduce them to each other yet in this , he’s turned into the second antagonist villain like material only to change to a protagonist during the third act.

They should have had someone better to write the characters rather than a person who only created franchise about a teenager who sleeps with demons and vampires. The writing of the character needs to be changed PRONTO as he was more ambitious as well as profound towards a child like manner.

The costume design now which I hate to say it is really close breaking some barriers, mainly towards Captain America as I thought it was more of a satire but after watching the film kinda forced the upper hand to make some crude comments on the decision but if you look at the outfit and judge it from a Superhero movie entirely then you would see the same thing that I saw. Why modify it into a slick outfit that not even Elton John would wear, the outfit was both humorous to watch as well as ridiculous to gander at.

And that was the Avengers Assemble, unfortunately I rushed myself in the last review I made on this but it was achieved with a good rating due to how close the movie was to the comics, but after re-watching and re-reading my previous review, I was wrong on how strange it moved itself away from the atonement of the comics.

The comedic tone of the film heaves it down a bit though for a family feature it was supposed to be light hearted yet it was dark in some scenes; the writing was badly done and needs to be developed further as well as the introduction to the other characters including SHIELD agents that were featured in this film.

Hell Suicide Squad was a better team based movie than this, and that is saying something...

Unfortunately Joss, you have failed greatly to achieve Marvel’s dream of an ideology towards superheroes and how to make a movie based on superheroes; Which means that this movie is on the Shitlist for poor character development on the main villain, side character, poor costume design and story towards main villain.

I hope you guys enjoy the review and yes this is my official review for Christmas of 2017, join me next year as I dive into a review on a game that has been around since the early 1990s. I hope you guys have a lovely Christmas and if I don’t speak to you till then, I’ll see you next year...

Yours Truly,

Amateur Fan 2.27