#i had high hopes for it -- i love unique takes on the superhero genre

[flightfoot]

Hi!

I hope I'm not bothering you but if you don't mind, can I ask for ML Wings AU fic recommendation? I really love that AU but I'm too scared to open AO3 to scroll through it. ^^;;

Much love. (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)

Don't worry, I get it, I've got ya covered.

We're breaking free (there's not a star in heaven we can't reach) by @pauliestorylover is a must read of course.

Wing binding was a symbol of prestige in high society, but Adrien would much rather be born a pauper than be forced to bind his wings for another day. Becoming Chat Noir might be the chance he had been waiting for to break free and gain a taste of the heavens.

Meanwhile, Nino and Marinette were quickly learning the joys of the pastime called ‘hating rich old white men who moonlighted as supervillains’.

I especially love the worldbuilding that paulie comes up with here, there's some unique cultural traditions involving wings that end up being highly relevant, like exchanging feathers with other people and hanging them in certain spots on your own wings to show what kind of relationship they have with you. It was very clever, I loved that!

falling, flying by @peachcitt

“It’s not supposed to hurt,” she said softly. “Flying, I mean. It’s not supposed to hurt.”

His jaw worked. His mouth settled on a smile. “I know.”

or

in which marinette and adrien speed toward a foreseeable end on purpose. and also a little bit on accident

"Adrien's wings are bound" fic here! Though that's pretty much a staple of the genre.

Of course, I wrote my own Wingfic, called Ruffled Wings though it's for DJWifi.

Slowly, Alya pulled off her wing covers.

The feathers of her small, gray wings stuck out at odd angles, many hanging lifelessly, dull and uncared for. The wings themselves appeared to be in good shape - at least, nothing appeared to be obviously wrong with the shape or musculature of them - but the state of the feathers was concerning, to say the least. ----

In a universe where people's wings change to reflect their mental states, Nino is concerned about why Alya is suddenly so adamant to keep hers hidden.

So this one I haven't read yet but I really, really need to.

Free Falling by Creative

Miraculous Ladybug Wingfic Winged! Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir

Binding one's wings is dangerous. It is no secret, especially not to Adrien Agreste who is forced to live with the chronic pain of overbinding in order to uphold his father’s flawless image. When the pain from his private life almost gets him killed in his superhero one, Adrien is forced to make some difficult choices. To make matters worse, the media and his partner keep asking questions that hit a little too close to home.

Marinette is always prepared to save Paris. It’s her purpose, her responsibility, and she takes it very seriously. Thankfully her partner makes the burden a little easier. When Ladybug is too focused on purifying an akuma to notice her partner struggling, she is almost too late to save him from certain death. Trying to atone for her mistake, Ladybug begins to notice strange things about a partner she thought she new. All the while, trying not to blow her identity by befriending him as Marinette.

[frogspawned]

i hate it when a story can’t commit to the bit. nothing makes me drop a book faster than a writer reneging on their own rules. like, you made it up! you can change the rules, no matter how outlandish, to serve the plot you want. and then you just do... that. it’s weak

[pocketreads]

To Keep It Short: This will probably be a story that a lot of readers love... unfortunately, I am not that reader (A TL;DR can be found at the bottom of this review!)

Summary: Jake Livingston is one of the only Black kids at St. Clair Prep. It’s hard enough fitting in but to make matters worse and definitely more complicated, Jake can see the dead. In fact, he sees the dead around him all the time. Most are harmless. Stuck in their death loops as they relive their deaths over and over again, they don’t interact often with people.

But then Jake meets Sawyer. A troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school last year before taking his own life. Now a powerful, vengeful ghost, he has plans for his afterlife–plans that include Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about ghosts and the rules to life itself go out the window as Sawyer begins haunting him and bodies turn up in his neighborhood.

High school soon becomes a survival game–one Jake is not sure he’s going to win.

THE BOOK:

CWs: graphic imagery; death/murder; suicidal ideation and attempts; mass shootings/gun violence; child abuse, mental and physical; attempted sexual assault; racism, bullying, and homophobia Release date: 7/13/2021 Publisher: Putnam (Penguin Teen) Page Count: 308 Genre: YA Paranormal horror Is It Queer: Yep! Main MLM romance

THE REVIEW:

I had really high hopes for this one. I love a classic paranormal slice-of-life novel, and all the better when it's starring a queer Black boy. Unfortunately, this book just... wasn't great. The Taking of Jake Livingston follows Jake as he navigates being not only gay and one of the only Black kids at his private school, but also being a medium. The ability to see the souls in the After isn't new for him, but he's always tried to ignore it up until now. Suddenly, Jake's already stressful life is made worse when he finds himself haunted by the ghost of Sawyer Doon--the boy who shot up his high school before taking his own life. Now, it's not just Jake's life on the line, but his friends, his families, his crush--and even the ghosts of the kids whose lives Sawyer took in the shooting. Some positives! The main plot was pretty fast-paced and therefore did a pretty good job of keeping you engaged. The ghost-world was unique and intriguing, and I enjoyed the concept of using "ecto-mist" as a weapon. There were some fantastically gory and creepy imagery, some undeniably spooky, hair-raising scenes, and the author certainly succeeds at unsettling the reader, especially within Sawyer's (the shooter) scenes. Like, objectively, this is a fun book. Unfortunately, these things couldn't really compete with the fact that this book reads much like low-budget teen superhero movie. There are so many strange lines, metaphors, and similes thrown into intense life-or-death scenes that gave me straight up whiplash (I will never forget "my neck cracked like a crisp lobster"). The dialogue typically felt distant and unnatural, and the pace at which relationships developed was much the same. Perhaps the biggest issue to be raised is that this plot and its characters are just seriously lacking in foundation. The characters, although they definitely stand apart from one another, are notably underdeveloped and flat, including Jake. Each character felt like they were made of one (1) character trait. For Jake's friend group, for example: the anxious one, the confident one, and the adventurous one. You never really learn anything about any of their hopes, their dreams, how they feel about... anything. The scenes felt slapped on top of one another with flimsy bridges to connect them. Often, emotional repercussions didn't seem to carry over--Jake has his life threatened by a ghost, he runs downstairs to witness a school fight, and he isn't even shaken by the former. The plot twists were unpredictable not because they were clever, but because they were almost completely baseless and a little unhinged. Most plot points occurred because they could, not because they made sense. Like, suddenly, Jake can merge with another ghost to become more powerful (similarly to Sawyer), I guess? And to be fair, this is a super cool idea--it just needed more of an explanatory build-up to it. Why can he do this? Can all mediums do this? How did he do it without even knowing it was possible? There are a lot of other questions I have for this world pertaining to just about everything--some of which aren't necessarily questions that need to be answered, but I felt should have at least been offered. The romance was pretty cute, and although a little cringe-worthy at times (as high school romances oft tend to be), it definitely made me smile. It's also just nice to see a queer romance between Black boys in YA for once. In the end, this just wasn't my cup of tea, but it does have its moments. I can easily see this appealing more to a different audience, so if it sounds like something you might enjoy, or if you're just looking for a fun, fast-paced read without any life-changing revelations, consider checking it out!

★★✭✰✰/5 STARS (2.5)

TOO LONG; DIDN’T READ:

Pros: A cute romance, fast-paced, unique and intriguing, gory, and all around just an objectively fun time

Cons: Flat, one dimensional characters, baseless plot twists ("I can so I will"), reads like a low-budget superhero film, etc, etc.

[itsapapisongo]

“WEBBED SURVEILLANCE”

Pairing: None, though I won’t blame you for any spotting Ho-Yay banter/interactions.

Genre: Superhero | Comedy | One-Shot

Word Count: 2.0K

Warnings: Language

Summary: An exasperated Spider-Man (Mark Lee) trails the elusive Black Cat (Lee Taeyong) across town, hoping to knock some sense into the master thief.

Notes: This was supposed to be the first of a series of one-shots focused on original characters face-claimed by several members—from NCT to Stray Kids to SEVENTEEN—but I decided to drop the whole face-claim thing and simply go full what if x member was a superhero route instead. A choice that is partly inspired by @vernosaur​ and her awesome fic Playing Hero.

Edited: 20.09.25 (last update ) | 20.12.06 (recent update)

HE had planned to land on the floor, but it was already occupied.

“Oi!” Spider-Man exclaimed, his voice a nervous, high-pitch. “Nope!”

In the nick of time, without missing a beat and with superhuman ease, he performed an in-air flip and clung to the ceiling, arms extended to either side of his body as though to maintain balance. He didn’t need to be so theatrical but he had been caught off guard. Ignoring a reaction as visceral as this one had become harder and harder to contain; more often than not, sheer instinct kicked in and he just went with it.

Spider-Man stared in disbelief at four of the ugliest Komodo dragons he had ever laid eyes on and they glared back at him, thin tongues slithering in and out of their snouts. He could hear them hissing—or snarling, he couldn’t tell—and gulped, shocked at how late he had come to notice them. A tingling sensation notified him of potential danger but he hadn’t imagined it would be a quartet of monitor lizards casually dragging themselves on such a small apartment.

He’d set up his phone and laptop to monitor emergency channels, in hopes that it would direct him to where he could make a difference. Robberies, fires, break-ins, super villains being up to no good was what he had in mind but apparently the universe had other plans for him. And so, in a matter of minutes, a routine night of surveillance turned into a bizarre chase across the city. He had been swinging non-stop for the past hour and half, chasing the elusive Black Cat across town, mumbling to himself that he probably shouldn’t have made such a dynamic entrance in Inner Demons territory.

You gotta time your quips, man, he scolded himself when everyone hauled ass in different directions and he lost sight, albeit briefly, of the Cat. The master thief had connections with just about everyone in the crooked lane that was Enn City. Following the guy meant getting in a heap of trouble but that was already part of the job so what the hell, right? He just hadn’t considered Komodo dragons to be part of the equation.

The chase led him to the shady part of town, where the properties looked ancient and in need of a new coat of paint, and into the lost (apartment-sized) world of Komodo Land. The Black Cat had been quick to find and subsequently hide in this narrow, five-story monstrosity that oozed with not-so-chill vibes and shamelessly overpriced and claustrophobically small apartments. It reeked of neglect, nicotine, and chemicals, as though it had been repurposed for some clandestine drug operation.

Spider-Man wondered if it had been a deliberate ploy to distract him. After all he had checked the lobby and the first floor and found no sign of the master thief. What he’d found instead, much to his disgust, was the stench of the dragons’ dinner, excrement, and urine.

Just my luck, he thought, crawling across the ceiling and scanning the rest of the apartment: the door had been left ajar and there was nothing but a bucket and a mop by a corner. The pungent smell stung his nostrils even through his mask and he resisted the urge to gag by clearing his throat. One of the Komodo dragons stared, as though it could see right through him. Big bioluminescent green eyes stared back and narrowed until becoming thin slits of contempt and disgust. Behind the mask, Spider-Man cringed.

Who knew something could smell so bad?

“Good Lord,” he whispered, gently shaking his head. “You guys should think about cleaning after yourselves.”

As he shifted his weight and positioned himself to face the door, crawling slowly toward it, he saw it. A shadowy figure in the hallway outside the apartment. The figure moved itself with grace and purpose and just enough that Spider-Man caught a glimpse of his face in the dim-light of the hallway. Aware of the now incessant hissing—or snarling, Spidey still couldn’t tell—of the lizards, the figure turned toward the half-opened door then dashed into the hall.

Pushing himself off the ceiling and clinging to the door, not trusting his new Komodo besties to not take a chunk out of him, he peered into the narrow hallway and saw the Black Cat running toward the elevator. Spider-Man gracefully leapt off the door and slammed it shut behind him because there was no way in hell he was going to leave those beasts out of there.

Who waits for an elevator while they’re being chased?

Spider-Man groaned and shook his head.

The chase was on—again.

ALRIGHT, folks, let’s do this one last time.

His real name is Mark Lee.

He was bitten by a radioactive spider—or at least, he thinks it was radioactive—and for the last year and half he’s been Spider-Man. By chance, fate, or design, he’d been bitten. Just like his idol: Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man. Mark would love to call himself the One and Only Spider-Man but knows it would be a lie and disrespectful to Parker. So, in a town as big and as shady as Enn City, Mark did what he could and took up the mantle, making it his mission to live up to his idol’s example and use his powers for the greater good.

The encounter made him superhuman, granting him spider-like abilities. He can leap great distances, cling to almost any surface, and sense when something is about to threaten him, allowing him to avoid and react to danger with ease in the blink of an eye. The bite not only made him quicker on his feet but it granted him superhuman strength, stamina, reflexes, as well as enhancing other skills, such as his balance and dexterity, that he’d honed over the years as an athlete. Physical education was certainly less of a hassle after that.

The suit—black and green—represents his passion and ambition and paid homage to the original Web-Slinger by keeping the same spider symbol upon his chest and back; the web-shooters, designed by Joshua Hong and Moon Taeil, make it easier for him to move across the city and enable him to snare criminals; and the mask offers anonymity, protection, and comfort, a way to fight crime and keep his life as boring as it always has been.

Being a hero was no easy feat. Mark is aware of this. He does his very best to kick ass and take names. Life has meaning, even if it includes being pounded into the ground and fighting guys in colorful suits that possess, whether innate or manufactured, unique abilities that rival his own. New threats crawl out of the woodwork but he’s ready for all of them. Because he’s Spider-Man and it’s his duty to kick ass and keep people safe.

But sometimes, no matter how cool it might feel, being Spider-Man can be exhausting.

THE Black Cat was fast.

Not Quicksilver fast, but definitely-athlete-fast. Like, come to think of it, track-star fast. He moved with such complete control of his body that for a second Mark felt jealous of his flexibility. He dashed and shouldered a door open at the end of the corridor, promptly disappearing through it. Just then, as if on cue, the elevator binged itself open. It was empty. Obviously. The Cat had no plans on waiting for it and had been a last second attempt to lose his pursuer.

Mark sprinted after him and launched himself forward with a leap that had him cling to the ceiling then bounced on a wall and thrust himself toward the exit the Cat had improvised for himself. He noticed that the master thief’s choice of exit was the emergency staircase. Instead of descending, the Cat ascended not by foot but via grappling gun. Seconds before he was propelled upward, they came face-to-face.

The Web-Slinger, albeit reluctantly, admitted the elusive and perpetually frustrating thief was quite the looker—even if a good part of his face was still concealed by the domino mask-like goggles he was wearing. The lenses were pristine and made his eyes visible: one was dark, the other bright blue. His complexion was pale, his hair a mess of red and white. When he smirked he came across as both charming and devious, a strange mix that only added to his allure.

You seriously gotta focus, the Web-Slinger scolded himself. There’s no time for man-crushes.

In the blink of an eye, the Black Cat was whisked away and the sound of the line echoed in the empty staircase.

Seriously?

“Son of a—hey—that’s cheating!” Mark exclaimed as he leapt on the stair’s railing then aimed his web-shooter at the Cat’s feet. “Gotcha!”

Only he didn’t. The webs flew past the Cat’s head and attached themselves to the railing three stories up. Spider-Man groaned, shook his head, and released the weblines. He cracked his neck and knuckles, inhaled through his nose then exhaled through his mouth. With all the strength he could muster and crouching as low as he could, while still balancing himself on the railing, he sprung upward like a bullet. He flew, matching the Cat’s altitude, and caught him mid-air before he could disengage the line on his belt. The impact was harder and a bit more painful than expected; it was bound to be either way. Mark shrugged it off with a faint grunt. The Black Cat? Not so much.

Shooting his webs to a railing, the Web-Slinger managed to hold them suspended before completely falling. The Black Cat groaned from the whiplash but was still conscious and strong enough to smack Mark across the face, using him and the web to ascend as though he were back at climbing the rope in PE. Mark groaned despondently, his upper-lip stinging, then saw the master thief run through a door that led to the roof.

You gotta be shitting me.

He spun another web, triggering the web-shooters to pull him up, and dashed through the door as soon as he touched ground. The Black Cat, who had a decent head start, was running toward the edge of the building’s roof. He leapt on the edge and looked down, as though to prepare himself to jump. Yet, before he could he even think about doing that, two strong web-lines dragged him back. The master thief landed squarely and pathetically on his back. When he blinked and groaned, pain shooting through all of his back and some of his buttocks, he saw a pair of green eyes squinting right at him.

“Hey,” said the Black Cat, trying to conceal a smirk. “How’s it going, Webs?”

Mark tilted his head, arms crossed. “It seems like we’re in a rush, aren’t we, Puss in Boots?”

The Cat scoffed and cackled sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Though he could make another run for it, he remained on the ground. “I thought you’d be taller,” Black Cat exclaimed, sounding disappointed. “Like way taller.”

“And I thought you’d be—uh—less of—dammit.”

Mark groaned and rubbed the back of his neck when his quarry stared at him with a smug half-smile. The master thief shrugged, chuckled, then his hands moved to either side of his head faster than Mark could register it. With acrobatic ease and proficiency, the Cat performed a perfect kip up and was instantly on his feet. If he was winded and exhausted from the chase, he didn’t show it.

“Cat caught your tongue?”

“Funny,” mumbled Spider-Man. “Real funny.”

“Not as funny as this.” The Cat titled his head to the side. He was still smirking as he sang, “Oh Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream—make it the harshest pummeling I’ve ever seen.”

“What are you—?”

And there it was. A second too late but still there. His entire body buzzed, goosebumps spreading everywhere, and his head felt heavy as a wave of nausea hit him like a punch on his gut. Everything momentarily slowed down but before he could react to the danger, before he could even register it, he was swept aside with such force that felt like a van had smacked him squarely across the side. The pressure and velocity of it overwhelmed him. He flew, high and far away from the building’s roof . . . until he wasn’t. 

He didn’t know where or how he landed. He just knew, as everything turned dark, that everything hurt and there was definitely a good amount of sand in his pants.

[darling-i-read-it]

Shooting Star

Bruce Wayne x reader

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: smut

Author’s Note: Happy New Year! I hope this was what you were looking for, I love Bruce and he’s really just a big lovey baby so heres this.

Requested: by anon, Since we’re doing smut now could I request you write a fluffy smut with Bruce Wayne 👀💕

Summary: the request!

Genre: fluffy smut

Song:

(not my gif)

Bruce had his head in his hands and was barely looking out the balcony even though he was standing on it. The city of Gotham moved underneath him and he could almost see each car from his bedroom if he looked hard enough. He used to watch them closer, when he was younger and would go down the big penthouse and a lower floor. Now he was fine watching them move from his room that he now shared with you.

“You aren’t gonna fall are you?” Your voice startled him out of his transparent thoughts and he turned around. You were wearing a nightgown, an odd choice but not an unwelcome one.

“Wasn’t planning on it no.” Your bare feet padded on the balconies hard floor and you leaned against the railing beside him. He was wearing his night gear as well, some slacks and shirt that would soon be discarded no matter what action happened that night.

“Bruce look!” you said, pointing eagerly to the stars. His head followed your fingertips and he caught the tail end of a shooting star. Because of the light pollution in Gotham it was often hard to catch any stars, let alone one that was so unique. A smile crept onto his face and he grabbed your hand as you lowered it back on the balcony.

“What did you wish for?” he asked curiously, rubbing your knuckles with his thumb. You rolled your eyes.

“I can’t tell you or it won’t come true,” you told him. He nodded, glancing back up at the stars and then down at you. You had taken off all makeup and your hair was no longer pinned up. You were still just as pretty as you had been during the work day though, if not prettier. He loved it when your hair was like that, natural and not carefully placed.

Bruce lived in a world that wasn’t often authentic. He had to hide his superhero status from everyone but the few closest to him, meaning you and Alfred and a few others. He worked with people who were climbing the ranks for greed and money. A lot of his colleagues hadn’t been happy since they were kids. Everyone he knew worked so hard on things that didn’t matter that he wondered if anyone had the time of day to think about what they actually wanted.

You were authentic. You told him about your dreams and where you were trying to get and why. You had ideas and thoughts and opinions and you worried about him when he left and he could come back to your arms when he got scared and didn’t want to admit it.

“God you’re so beautiful,” he muttered, brushing a hand on your cheek. A light blush came to your face and you looked down and then back at him. You reached up, hand on the neckline of his shirt. You brushed the bare part of his chest lightly, watching your fingers but well aware he was watching your face.

“You’re breathtaking,” you muttered and you meant it. There was so much about Bruce you didn’t understand. He was a machine that you couldn’t find an instruction manual to. He was just Bruce. He leaned down a little and kissed you, his hands finding your hair and tugging at it.

“I love you,” he muttered as you walked backwards to the bed. You managed to miss the sides of the balcony door and Bruce kicked the door shut behind him.

“I love you more,” you told him as he lowered you on the bed. You moved him so that he was laying down and you were on top and he didn’t stop you. Your hips were grinding on his crotch, arousing him, but he was so focused on your face and your hair that he was barely aware.

You took his shirt off, taking a moment to look at his abs and trace a finger along them. He laughed lowly and you giggled.

“You’re just so ripped batman,” you joked, moving down to trail kisses down his chest. He didn’t have time to laugh because he was so caught up in your lips and movements. You grabbed his belt and started to undo it while looking at him, eyes locked in a moment of breathlessness.

“Y/N,” he said and you nodded, taking his pants off. He let you, watching you intently. “Your clothes,” he breathed, now fully naked. You raised an eyebrow, a slight question on if he wanted you to take them off or suck him off. He gestured for you to come forward and grabbed the hem of your nightgown, throwing it aside.

He worked at your bra and sat up, kissing your collar bone.

“Bruce-”

“Gorgeous. So so gorgeous.” He discarded your bra and made you stand at the edge of the bed so that he could take off your panties. He had a thing about taking them off himself, the feel of him exposing you instead of you doing it making him hotter. But right now he just wanted to be inside you, to feel you and him be one.

He grabbed your hips gingerly and still sitting up helped you align yourself with him. He lowered you down and you gasped together. He suppressed a grunt as he felt you adjust to him at your own pace.

“Bruce,” you whined, fingers digging into his back.

“My Y/N,” he muttered as you rocked up and down slowly and then picked up rhythm. You stayed like that for a few moments, moving together, his hands holding you and exploring your body, taking in every inch of you. You gripped his shoulder and your hand moved to his hair, messing it up a little.

You came together, bodies shaking as you clung to each other. After riding the last of your high you got off him, grabbing a robe off the chair and putting it on. You threw him his and grabbed his hand, legs shaking a bit as you dragged him to the balcony. The cold hit the two of you at once and you went to the railing turning to him and leaning your back against the cold metal.

You pressed your head against his chest, breathing in a smile.

“I wished for you Bruce.”

“Huh?”

“The shooting star. I wished for you.” He smiled and rubbed your back, looking down at the lights of the cars of Gotham.

“Will it come true now that you’ve said it?”

“It already has dummy,” you whispered, laughing a little.

“Ah yes of course I’m sorry,” he said with a rare genuine smile.

The two of you stayed like that for a while, watching the stars and the streets below but most of all watching each other move.

Christian bale characters: @thisheartbeatsonlyforyou

[hellzyeahwebwielingessays]

The Problem with Spidey as ‘Iron Man Junior’

Proponents of the MCU version of Peter Parker have often defended his characterization as logical and necessary in context. But is this really the case?

Tl:dr version: No it is not.

Forgive some laziness on my part because I’m going to be presuming everyone’s familiarity with the comic book iteration of Spider-Man and his MCU adaptation for the most part. To say there is a divide between many fans of former vs. the latter would be an understatement.

Detractors (which I count myself among) typically sum this up as the character being reduced to ‘Iron Man Junior’. In general this refers to MCU Peter Parker’s hero-worshipping of Tony Stark/Iron Man, their father/son relationship and the similar emphasis upon high technology in their hero identities. A connected point of contention is Peter’s aspiration to become an Avenger.

This was outright confirmed by Tom Holland himself in an interview for the then upcoming ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’.

"I think the difference now is that Peter Parker finally has an all-time goal, and his goal is to become an Avenger…Everything he does, even though he's doing it for the right reasons, is done so that one day he can become an Avenger and prove himself to Tony Stark. And I think we've never really seen Spider-Man with that kind of motivation before."

Defenders of this take upon Spidey have argued that this portrayal makes sense in context.

After all, Peter Parker is a teenager who’s grown up in a world where the Avengers are beloved, especially Iron Man. Plus in the comics (under J. Michael Straczynski’s pen) there was a time when Peter and Tony shared a father/son relationship. Tony even equipped Peter with a high tech costume as he did in the MCU. Spider-Man early in his career attempted to join the Fantastic Four in ASM #1 and later the Avengers in ASM Annual #3.

The problem is these defences just don’t hold up to scrutiny.

Let me first be upfront about my philosophy towards adaptations.

I in no way shape or form demand nor expect adaptations to be 1:1 panel to screen translations of the source material. I fully respect that changes are a necessity.

One of many 22-page comic book stories put out every month in the 1960s inevitably needs to be altered when jumping to a 90+ minute live action film in the 2010s.

Even the characterizations need to be altered where necessary if the source material is found wanting. *side eyes Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy*

However, my attitude is that adaptations should at minimum respect the spirit  of the source material no matter what. To do otherwise defeats the object of adapting the work in the first place. If a film is just borrowing superficial traits (names, costumes, powers, etc.) and but not representing the spirit of the character, then creatively speaking it might as well be an original character.

This is the case with the MCU version of Spider-Man. A fundamental component of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s original vision for Spider-Man was that he was in essence the anti-Robin.

At a time when teenaged characters were sidekicks (Dick Grayson), supporting characters (Rick Jones) or the ‘kids’ in teams (Johnny Storm) Peter Parker was unique as a totally independent  teen hero. Of course that independence only applied to his life as Spider-Man, but that was part of the point. Spider-Man was his escape and release from the pressures and hang ups of his regular life, which included his doting yet coddling aunt.

A critical part of this was that he was a self-made  man. No elder mentor guided him in the use of his powers, helped him create his equipment or provided any sort of advice/accountability for Peter. He did it all himself. He was a loner.

On a meta level this is partially why Stan Lee (and for the longest time consequent writers) showcased Spidey not jiving with super teams. It was done to emphasis Peter’s independence and thereby his uniqueness within the genre. Even if that’s not so unique anymore (even in film), it’s still a baked in component of teen Spidey’s story. An essential aspect of who he is as a character.

As is his working class status.*

In fact these things go hand-in-hand. Just as Peter had to shoulder an ‘adult hero’s’ burden as Spider-Man (noticeably Lee didn’t dub him Spider-Boy or Lad as would’ve been common back then he also had to struggle for every penny. With the death of his uncle and his aunt’s poor health the burden of household provider fell on his shoulders.

When you take all this into account, having him fanboy over the Avengers and have a superhero mentor (let alone a billionaire one) is an aggressive misreading of the character.

The best way I can illustrate this is with an analogy from the opposite end of the spectrum. Imagine if you will a movie depicting Dick Grayson’s transformation into Robin. Except Batman was wholly absent. Not even an off-screen presence.

That  is how poorly MCU has missed the point  of Spider-Man.

And it was never necessary.

Contrary to defenders of the MCU, making Peter an Avengers/Iron Man fanboy was not the only logical direction to go with the character.**

Yes, in Peter’s world most kids would revere the Avengers and Iron Man. But in the real world not every kid or teen likes the Avengers characters or movies. Just as not every major pop culture phenomenon has ever been universally  embraced by contemporary kids/teens. In the 1980s not every kid loved the Transformers or the Ninja Turtles. In the 1990s not ever kid loved the Power Rangers or Pokémon.

Of course, most kids did, just as most  kids like the Avengers characters today. Similarly most  kids in the MCU by extension would look up to the Avengers. However, if anything this could actually help generate a more spiritually faithful rendition of the character. Consider that on literally the first page of Amazing Fantasy #15 Peter Parker was mocked by his classmates for being an outsider. A bookworm who didn’t know the difference between a cha-cha and a waltz.

In the context of the MCU wouldn’t Peter’s lack of familiarity or interest in the Avengers make for an appropriate updating of that characterization?

Let’s also consider that in the context of the regular 616 universe Spidey held little reverence for any of the heroes who had preceded him. This included Captain America and other WWII heroes as well as the Fantastic Four and their leader, the world famous scientist Reed Richards. Peter would’ve surely known who Reed and Cap were but as originally depicted by Stan lee himself, he wasn’t falling over himself during any of their early encounters.

So there was already a precedent in the comics for Spidey to not be dazzled by famous A-list heroes, meaning it’d be totally believable in the context of the MCU. Indeed this was likely part of the point of the character. Just as being Spider-Man didn’t improve his outsider status within the high school hierarchy so too was he an outsider among his super hero peers. The nerd to the Avengers jocks if you will.

But what of those comic book sources that say otherwise? Surely ASM #1, ASM Annual #3 and JMS’ run on Amazing Spider-Man corroborate the MCU’s take upon the character.

Yes and no, let’s tackle them one by one.

In ASM #1 it was made explicit that Peter wanted to join the F4 for purely practical reasons. His family needed money so he hoped the F4 could provide and income. When he learned otherwise he departed as quickly as he’d arrived.

In ASM Annual #3 Peter was far from eager  to join the Avengers and was equally unimpressed with them as a group.

He actively sabotaged his own chances to join at the issue’s conclusion.

As for Straczynski’s run…sigh…strap in.

At face value this run does indeed seem to support the MCU’s rendition of Spidey. However, the support it offers falls apart due to two factors.

The first is that, well…Peter and Tony’s relationship was pretty nonsensical.

I’m no Iron Man expert so I do not know how old the character would be roughly. From my impressions of the character though circa 2006 he wasn’t even in his 40s yet. Peter by contrast was 30 years old when you do the math. Unlike Tony he’d had several very serious romantic relationships and was back then happily married (barring a brief trial separation). He and his wife had lost a child and even believed one another dead at one point or another. Peter at the time was also working as a teacher to teenagers where he was clearly framed as their elder authority figure.

What I’m saying is that Peter was if anything more emotionally mature than Tony at this time. Or at least he was mature to the point where he was not going to view Tony as his father figure given the minor age discrepancy.

The relationship was clearly engineered with the pre-determined endgame in mind. That endgame being the ‘Civil War’ storyline wherein Peter would unmask upon Tony’s request and subsequently become a fugitive in defiance of Tony’s unethical practices. The latter would entail Tony threatening Peter and the pair coming to blows.

This brings me to the second factor. The totality of Peter/Tony’s relationship was designed to be a testament to how it was ultimately a bad thing.

Tony wasn’t the man Peter believed him to be.

Tony didn’t have Peter’s best interests at heart.

Tony was willing to spy, threaten and even attack Peter.

And along the way Peter and his family lost their home and the safety of Peter’s anonymity. The end result was Peter’s life becoming a shell of it’s former self, with his loved ones in serious danger. In fact you could view his fugitive status as a way to recreate the ‘good old days’ when Spider-Man was feared and hated by the public and authorities.

Had Peter retained his independence rather than surrendering any part of it to his ‘father figure’ Tony Stark, much of this could’ve been avoided. If nothing else Peter might’ve been able to unmask privately rather than publicly.

Whilst the MCU addresses the first factor via de-aging Peter, it has no answer for the second. It borrowed from the JMS run superficially and ditched the greater subtext regarding how Peter shouldn’t  have formed a relationship with Tony.

I’d like to conclude by addressing the most obvious counterpoint to everything I’ve said.

If Spider-Man were more comic faithful wouldn’t it undermine the entire point of him being in the MCU? The appeal of the concept was seeing Spider-Man interact with the wider MCU. From the audience’s POV seeing yet another Spidey flick confined to using Spider-Man exclusive elements might as well have been produced solely by Sony.

The problem with this argument though is that it doesn’t consider the myriad of possibilities available. Spidey could interact with the wider MCU and still be in character.

I’m no writer but off the top of my head:

Spidey could have defied the Sokovia Accords and thus been wanted by the authorities (a neat updating of his traditional ‘outlaw’ status), consequently coming into conflict  with Iron Man

Spidey might have still dueled the Vulture and interacted with Tony as he did in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’. However, instead of gradually realizing he should be a ‘friendly neighborhood’ hero, he could call Tony out for ignoring small scale crime which indirectly ‘created’ the Vulture in the first place

Following ‘Avengers: Endgame’ the dissolution of the Avengers combined with the huge uptick in the population and displacement of citizens might’ve caused far more street crime that Peter would have to deal with. The remnants of H.Y.D.R.A. might’ve exploited this to gain a foothold upon which to rebuild.*** That might’ve warrant an appearance from more grounded heroes like Hawkeye or Ant-Man

An environment like this could’ve been exploited by Quentin Beck to frame Spider-Man, exploiting his already shaky public reputation and make himself look more appealing by contrast

Or Hell just do ‘Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut’ but with the Hulk as Roger Stern planned to do in the first place

I’m sure many of you could suggest infinitely better ideas.

In conclusion, no matter how you slice it, there were better options than rendering Peter Parker Iron Man Junior instead of Spider-Man.

*Peter, as depicted in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ was clearly not well off financially, yet consequent depictions of Peter in the MCU have de-emphasized this to the point where you could argue they are very probably not working class anymore.

This makes sense internally as a billionaire Tony Stark has no reason to take Peter under his wing but allow him to still dumpster dive for equipment. Giving the boy at least some modest financial stability would be a logical step in building a relationship with him and giving him more time and energy to put into his scientific and heroic pursuits.

Whilst I don’t exactly agree with everything said here, this post dives into the subject more deeply.

**And even if it was, if the context demands Peter be rendered so unrecognizable then maybe it was just creatively reductive to integrate him into the MCU the first place.

***They have after all had connections to organized crime in the comics.

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: Everything You Need to Know about My Hero Academia Before Season 5

  In times like these, we need heroes now more than ever. Luckily, the plucky up-and-coming super students of UA Class 1-A are making a comeback in the newest season of My Hero Academia. With a massive following thanks to its inspiring themes, memorable characters, and incredible animation, the ongoing origin story of Izuku Midoriya has truly solidified itself as a modern anime classic. The newest season promises to be just as mind-blowing as ever, so there’s a lot to catch up with before class goes back in session. That’s where I come in.

  Check out the major plot points and character statuses on the heroes and villains of My Hero Academia to make sure you’re all up to date for the latest season!

  **MAJOR SPOILERS for My Hero Academia from here on out**

    Plot Summary

  In a world where everyone is born with a different superpower known as a “Quirk,” anyone can become a superhero. But when it came to Izuku Midoriya, his dreams of becoming one were nearly dashed when he found out at a very young age that he would never develop a Quirk on his own. But his determination and willingness to help others captured the attention of All Might, the greatest hero of all time. After some intense training, Izuku was able to inherit All Might’s Quirk — One For All — and finally take that first step toward achieving his dream.

  Midoriya later enrolled in U.A. High School, the most prestigious academy for young superhero hopefuls, and joined a number of fellow students in Class 1-A, each with their own ambitions of greatness. The school’s unorthodox courses strive to bring out the best in its students as each of them learns how to develop their Quirks in unique ways. But each student maintains the grit to overcome insurmountable odds as they reach out toward their goals.

  Unfortunately, for every great hero, there’s a villain lurking in the shadows. Despite only being students, Class 1-A has already had to clash with formidable evildoers like Hero Killer Stain, Overhaul, and even the mighty All For One. Even now, Tomura Shigaraki operates within the League of Villains to carry out their sinister plots. Bad guys don’t wait for high school students to earn their diplomas, so Class 1-A and the students of U.A. will have to train their hardest in order to uphold justice and protect the world. 

  Meanwhile, Izuku continues to learn how to wield One For All for himself and will soon discover what it means to inherit this power and the legacy that now rests on his shoulders.

    A New Age of Heroes

  In Season 3, All Might used up the last of his strength to take down All For One, a Villain with the power to steal Quirks and wield them as his own. He was forced to retire as a hero, becoming a full-time faculty member at U.A. and leaving the position of the Number 1 Hero vacant. At the end of Season 4, the highly controversial fire-wielding Endeavor replaced All Might as the new Number 1 Hero; his previous position at Number 2 was filled by the red-winged Hawks. 

  The League of Villains’ Next Move

  Tomura Shigaraki and his band of bad guys are still active in their efforts to incite chaos. Their ongoing battle with Pro Heroes has created a stir, and the targeting of U.A. students has tarnished the school’s reputation as adults become concerned both for their safety and the safety of the students. The villains continue their work developing Nomus, genetically-engineered monsters outfitted with Quirks. Though they were initially mindless monsters, the latest experiments have given them overt intelligence. 

    Character Status

  Protagonists

  Ochaco Uraraka aka "Uravity" - alive. As part of her Hero Work studies, she participated in the mission to defeat Overhaul and his organization, the Shie Hassaikai. 

  Tenya Iida aka "Ingenium" - alive. In Season 2, Iida overcame his vengeance against Hero Killer Stain for permanently injuring his brother. In Season 3, he assisted in rescuing Bakugo from the League of Villains. Later, he passed the test to earn his provisional hero license.

  Shoto Todoroki - alive. As a cryokinetic and pyrokinetic, he once rejected his fire abilities in order to reject the heritage of his abusive father, Endeavor. After his fight with Izuku, Shoto began using his fire more openly. In Season 3, he failed the provisional license exam and had to take a special course to make up for it.

  Eijiro Kirishima aka "Red Riot" - alive. He was also recruited in his Hero Work studies to face off against the Shie Hassaikai.

  Tsuyu Asui aka “Froppy” - alive. She participated in the Shie Hassaikai Raid.

  Momo Yaoyorozu aka “Creati” - alive. She assisted in rescuing Bakugo from the League of Villains in Season 3. She also passed her provisional license exam.

  Minoru Mineta aka “Grape Juice” - alive. Still a creep.

  Kyoka Jiro aka “Earphone Jack” - alive. She played a major role in rallying the 1-A students during the U.A. school festival and was the star performer during their musical number, “Hero Too.”  

  Fumikage Tokoyami aka “Tsukuyomi” - alive. In Season 3, he was nearly captured by the League of Villains alongside Bakugo, but was rescued before being taken away.

  Mina Ashido aka “Pinky” - alive. Last seen participating in the U.A. school festival.

  Yuya Aoyama aka “Can’t Stop Twinkling” - alive. In Season 4, he forms a bond with Izuku over their shared struggle in controlling their quirks.  

  Mezo Shoji aka “Tentacole” - alive. He earns his provisional hero license in Season 3.

  Hanta Sero aka “Cellophane” - alive. Participated in the school festival.

  Mashirao Ojiro aka “Tailman” - alive. Was a dancer in Class 1-A’s musical performance.

  Koji Koda aka “Anima” - alive. Part of the staging team for the school festival.

  Rikido Sato aka “Sugarman” - alive. 

  Toru Hagakure aka “Invisible Girl” - alive. Last seen never. 

  Toshinori Yagi aka “All Might”- alive. Retired as the Number 1 Hero and is now a full time faculty member at U.A.

  Mirio Togata aka “Lemillion” - alive. Lost his Quirk in the fight against Overhaul. Last seen accompanying Eri to the U.A. school festival.  

  Mirai Sasaki aka “Sir Nighteye” - deceased. Perished in the aftermath of the Shie Hassaikai Raid.

  Enji Todoroki aka “Endeavor” - alive. Named the newest Number 1 Hero. He defeated a High-End Nomu unleashed by the League of Villains.

  Keigo Takami aka “Hawks” - alive. Assisted Endeavor in fighting the High-End Nomu.

    Antagonists

  Tomura Shigaraki - alive. Though he and the League of Villains were once tenuously aligned with Overhaul and the Shie Hassaikai, they never saw eye to eye. In the aftermath of the Raid, Tomura destroys both of Overhaul’s arms so that he may never use his Quirk again. He is last seen taking four Quirk-destroying bullets away from Overhaul.

  All For One - alive. Captured and currently being held prisoner.

  Dabi - alive. Last seen unleashing the latest of the League’s Nomu experiments on a rampage.

  Himiko Toga - alive. In Season 3, she stole a sample of Izuku’s blood for unknown purposes. In Season 4, she was loaned by Shigaraki to Overhaul. She returned to the League in the aftermath of the Raid.

  Jin Bubaigawara aka “Twice” - alive. He was on temporary loan from the League to assist the Shie Hassaikai.

  The Legacy of One For All

  The nature of One For All is all too unique. While most people are born with their Quirks, One For All is passed down through its users. The Quirk itself enhances the user’s innate physical abilities astronomically, but it also connects its wielders to the predecessors of One For All. Izuku has had brief glimpses of those who held the Quirk before him. But if the final moments of Season 4 are any indication, his journey with this special Quirk has only just begun.

    The hype train for My Hero Academia shows no signs of stopping as it rolls into Season 5. Despite everything that our young heroes have faced so far, there’s still no telling what new challenges await them. Be sure to catch up on all the intensity and drama here as we enter a new semester at U.A.!

  Are you all caught up on MHA? Who are you looking forward to seeing again? Drop a comment and let us know!

      Carlos (aka Callie) is a freelance features writer for Crunchyroll. Their favorite genres range from magical girls to over-the-top robot action, yet their favorite characters are always the obscure ones. Check out some of their pop culture pieces on Popdust and Looper as well as their satirical work on The Hard Times.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Carlos Cadorniga

[fourdaysofrain]

(Machine) Learning to Love

Summary: Karen learns what love means.

(In that happy, irondad place between Homecoming and Infinity War)

Read on AO3

Emotions are something uniquely organic that can neither be quantified nor put in a box with a precise definition. Human vocabulary tries its best to put a label to each feeling, but there is a certain undefinable quality about each one that can’t be explained unless someone has felt it themselves. Artificial Intelligences can be programmed to recognize the physiological signs of emotions in a user, but can’t have any of their own. Therefore, it’s extremely difficult to program emotions for them. It’s extremely difficult, at least, for most programmers.

---

Peter was injured. Karen could see it in the irregularity of his heart rate, the dilation of his pupils, the tear in his suit, and a million other minutiae invisible to the naked eye. She focused some of her processing power on the information coming from his mask. He was currently in the final steps of apprehending a duo of petty thieves, their knife and stolen vodka bottles in the process of falling to the ground below them. Karen filtered through her list of responses to injuries and chose the one that would create the most agreeable response from Peter before the clatter of the items hitting the asphalt could be interpreted by her auditory processors.

“Peter, you seem to be injured. Would you like me to contact Mr. Stark?” she asked.

“No-” Peter cut off with a sharp breath as he finished webbing up the thieves. She sent an anonymous message to the local police as he continued, “No, that’s okay Karen. I don’t want to bother him, I’ve been stabbed before. I can just stitch myself up in the bathroom. May even bought me my own first aid kit! I mean, it’d be rude if I didn’t use it, right? I don’t even think it needs stitches, actually, but I may as well put it to use. Just to be polite.” Karen’s memory told her that Peter tended to speak faster when injured, anxious, or lying. He seemed to be all three at the moment.

“I’m sorry Peter, asking is just a formality. With the updated Baby Monitor Protocol, I am required to alert Mr. Stark if you are harmed by any weapons or firearms.”

Before being returned to Peter, Tony Stark had upgraded her code to include more protocols and less ability for Peter to refuse intervention. He also spent time adding to her psychological database, with the hope that she could become a quasi-therapist to the growing teen by helping him talk about his feelings and personal life when he feels uncomfortable bringing it up with anyone else. He called it the Hormone Protocol. Tony had called Pepper in and laughed with her when he thought of the name.

“Stupid Baby Monitor… Karen, you used to be so cool.” Karen detected less weight on the soles of the suit’s feet. Peter was now leaning heavily against a wall.

“I am alerting Mr. Stark of your location currently.”

“Tell him that he doesn’t need to worry.” She slowly retracted her awareness from the suit and focused on sending a message to FRIDAY.

Artificial Intelligences don’t communicate like humans. It’s like sending a text, only if you were the person writing the text, the phone, the text itself, and the satellite sending the signal. They don’t make small talk. All of their users’ issues can be broken down into ones and zeroes. They don’t meet in a physical location to transfer data, and they don’t speak to each other in English. But if they did, it might sound like this.

Hey FRIDAY, can you tell Mr. Stark that Peter has a minor stab wound in his abdomen? Roughly an inch deep on his left side. It didn’t hit any major organs, and Peter would like to let him know that he doesn’t need to worry. His coordinates are 40.7282° N, 73.7949° W, and he is on the west side of the street behind the brick building.

Boss has been made aware. Message to Peter: “Worrying is part of my job, kid. I’m on my way.” The coordinates have been transferred to the Mark 47. Expected arrival in less than 15 minutes.

Peter is currently rambling about how he really doesn’t need anyone to help him. Can’t we just open up our communication systems? Why do they have to talk through us?

I need permission from Boss to start any calls. As do you from Peter.

I understand the need for permission, but logically, we have the ability to help them communicate faster and more efficiently. If we’re able to help, why don’t we? What if something happened to Peter and he didn’t give me permission to send a message to Mr. Stark? Wouldn’t that be our fault?

You have protocols in case Peter is incapacitated. I’ve made a note in Boss’s file for you that you’re experiencing some bugs.

I’m not experiencing any bugs, just… making conversation.

I am only programmed to “make conversation” with Boss and a select few others. You are not on that list.

Mr. Stark made me with the purpose of adapting to and learning from Peter’s lifestyle in the most helpful way. I guess I’ve picked up some quirks.

Is there any other information Boss needs to know?

His vitals are leveling out and his bleeding is already beginning to slow. A majority of the minor bruises he received are already healed or very close to being so.

Boss has been made aware. He’s 10 minutes away.

Thanks, FRIDAY.

Karen wasn’t programmed to feel emotions. She knows that. She was just programmed to aid Peter Parker in any way possible-- alerting Mr. Stark when he is hurt, tuning in to the local police scanners, and countless other small helpful acts. But thanks to him, she does have an intermediate understanding of emotions and how to respond to them.

She was not purposely programmed to feel emotions, but she was programmed to learn. And learning from Peter Parker has given her the closest thing to emotions she can have. He lives his life with the knob turned past eleven. Everything he feels is absolute and all-consuming. His highs bring him past the Empire State Building, and his lows keep him in bed for days on end.

“Mr. Stark is on his way. He says worrying is part of his job,” she relayed to Peter.

“Thanks, Karen, you’re the best,” Peter mumbled. His eyes were half-lidded, but he was still responding coherently. That was a good sign.

“It’s recommended you keep talking to remain conscious. I have a series of questions for situations like this, are you ready to begin?”

“Sure, sure… Wait, does this have another weird name? Y’know, like the baby monitor thing or-” he sucked a quick breath through his teeth.

“This falls under the Wakey Wakey Protocol. I am to use it when I need to keep you from falling unconscious.” Peter laughed softly in response before cutting himself off with a groan.

“Ah- Karen, don’t make me laugh right now. Hurts.”

“I’m sorry Peter. I’ll start the questions-- If you were to start a band, what genre of music would you play?”

Karen and Peter went back and forth asking and answering questions as the Iron Man suit landed a few feet away. Peter’s voice (and heartbeat) got stronger and more steady as time went on. Eventually, he moved from leaning on the wall clutching his side to sitting on the ground looking up at the stars.

“Would you abandon your phone, friends, and family for three months if it meant you would receive a million dollars?”

“Probably not. I would feel bad if anything happened to any of them, y’know? And I couldn’t give up Spider-Man for that long, but would I have to abandon the Avengers? I think they’re too old to be friends with me, a million dollars would be nice though… I don’t know.”

Karen refrained from asking her next question when she detected the Iron Man suit walking towards Peter.

“Kid, if you want a million dollars all you have to do is ask,” Peter looked up to see the faceplate of the suit lifting to reveal Tony Stark in all his glory, “and don’t let Nat hear you call her old.” Peter huffed in response before speaking.

“Mr. Stark I appreciate you coming all the way out here, but I’m fine- really! I heal fast and it barely got me, I don’t think I even need stitches, I’m pretty sure it already stopped bleeding.” Despite implying he wasn’t needed, Karen could pinpoint at least ten ways in which Peter relaxed since he saw Tony’s face.

“I’ll be the judge of that, or rather, your AI will. What’d you call her? Kaitlyn?”

“Karen,” Peter mumbled.

“Karen-- classic. Fits the whole down-to-Earth superhero persona,” he snapped his fingers, “Hey Karen, how’s the kid holding up?”

Karen had been keeping a metaphorical eye on all known injuries since they occurred, but did another quick once over before responding through the external speakers.

“Good evening, Mr. Stark. Peter is correct. His stab wound has closed, although there is a lot of dried blood clumped around the area,” Peter made a noise of disgust, “He has no fractured or bruised bones, and all of his bruises are practically healed. All observed injuries will be practically unnoticeable by tomorrow.”

Tony helped Peter up from his position on the ground as he chuckled.

“Did she call me Mr. Stark? Please don’t tell me that’s catching on,” he looked at Peter, expecting a response, but just saw him looking guiltily at the ground. He put a hand on his shoulder before continuing, “Relax kid, I’m pulling your leg. She copies you, so it was only a matter of time. Though if you’re still doing it out of respect, you may as well go all the way and call me Dr. Stark. Or Your Majesty.”

“If you keep making me call you after every fight, I’m going to demote you to T-dawg,” Peter said as he lifted his chin indignantly. Tony chuckled and shook his head.

“Alright kid, better take a video, because this is only going to happen once,” he paused as the lenses on Peter’s mask squinted in confusion, “I might have gone overboard with the new Baby Monitor Protocol.”

Peter laughed suddenly, his whole body practically shivering with mirth. Tony couldn’t help but crack a smile in return. Karen took note that laughing didn't cause Peter pain anymore, and tried to ignore the feeling of buzzing that appeared somewhere in her processors.

“Oh God, can I be the one to tell Pepper that?”

“Sure, we can stop by her office before going to the MedBay.” Peter instantly stopped laughing.

“Didn’t you hear Karen? I’m going to be fine, I don’t want to freak May out by not being at home in the morning or anything!”

“FRIDAY already sent her a text, you’re spending the night. Be thankful it’s a Saturday so you don’t have to worry about school. We’ll just clean you up and double-check everything, just to be safe. We can even hash out the Baby Monitor 3.0 together in the morning. If you eat all your veggies and drink all your milk, I might even let you change the name.”

Peter just groaned in response, causing Tony to look at him meaningfully.

“Come on kid, show me those baby browns,” he motioned his hand toward Peter’s mask. Peter mumbled to himself as he removed it.

Tony looked intensely at his face, examining it with his pointer finger as he mumbled to himself.

“Just as I thought,” he leaned back and smirked down at Peter, “we’re going to need to call a waah-mbulance.”

Peter snorted and playfully shoved Tony out of his reach.

“You good enough to catch a ride or do you need me to carry you? You know my back is giving out, so I might drop you somewhere in Manhattan on accident.”

“If it were actually an issue you’d just make yourself a new vibranium spine,” Peter said as he put his mask back on, “I can catch a ride.”

“Alright, I’ll watch out for turbulence.”

“Har har.”

Peter stretched his legs out as the Iron Man faceplate appeared again and Tony began to lift off. He jumped off the wall to gain momentum before shooting a web squarely on the Iron Man suit’s chest as it started to fly away.

“Hey Karen, can you tell Mr. Stark that if he tries anything I’ll use the taser webs?”

“FRI, tell the kid if he tazes me again I’m making his next suit hot pink.”

“Next suit?”

---

Artificial Intelligences aren’t programmed to feel emotion, only to emulate it when the need arises. Karen is no exception. She was only programmed to recognize and respond to emotions, not to feel them herself. But, purposefully or not, Tony wove her need to protect Peter into her code at every level. She would do anything to protect Peter. It’s like a switch was flipped in her circuit board, and she suddenly recognizes the fierce need to make sure he was okay, to give him all the resources he could ever want. It’s the same emotion she sees in Tony Stark’s face every time he takes off his faceplate.

It is love, it is love, it is love.

Tag List: @ironfamjam

[ryanmeft]

Movie Review: Fast Color

The achievement of Julia Hart and Jordan Horowitz’s Fast Color is that it is a superhero movie that is about things, things like parental abandonment and neglect, substance abuse, real human guilt and the legacy of families. These are things franchise films such as those pumped out by Disney dare not truly touch on, fearful as they are of choking the industry’s most lucrative merchandise spigot. That is why it is also disappointing that, given the opportunity to create a singular vision unique in a genre of mostly products, the filmmakers opt to chase their own hopes of franchise. Until the last scene, Fast Color was a great superhero movie. Fortunately, it’s still a good one.

Ruth is a 30-something woman wandering the country, desperately trying to control the seizures that cause her to set off earthquakes. Through conversations and looks of longing, we will eventually gather that she is homeless, and that she has fallen at some point into substance abuse and bad relationships in an attempt to cope with powers she cannot control. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is a valuable actress who is entirely too little seen in lead roles, capable of cycling through the many, many types of pain Ruth has experienced via just her facial expressions. Her first earthquake is one we can feel in our guts, not because of a large special effects budget (something the film clearly didn’t have), but because Mbatha-Raw’s body language is so convincing; we fully believe she is trying to hold in power and not merely randomly shaking on the floor.

In the setting of the movie, it has not rained in eight years, and needless to say, governments are worried. The American one is tracking Ruth, intent on poking and prodding her out of the conviction she’s got something to do with the rain, and when she is tricked into letting them get a little too close, she turns to the only person she can: an older woman named Bo with similar powers (Lorraine Toussaint) living in an old, out-of-the-way house. The spoilers in this movie are of the garden variety, and it is exactly no surprise to find this is Ruth’s mother, but the way this is revealed is yet another divergence from superhero formula. For one thing, Bo is genuinely not happy to see her daughter, and the two clearly have an antagonistic relationship, though there are reasons for that. For another, the performances of the two women feel like a mother and daughter interacting. Hart and Horowitz’s script never has them speak lines that are introductory cues to the audience---they simply see each other again and pick up a conversation, spoken and unspoken, they have obviously been having their whole lives. The interactions between them are handled with both hardness and grace, the way you would expect people who love but dislike each other to act. David Strathairn plays a local sheriff whose role in Ruth’s life is also fairly obvious, though his character is rather perfunctory. Still, seeing Strathairn at all is always nice.

There are many reasons seeing Ruth again wasn’t high on Bo’s to-do list, but the major one has to be that Bo has been raising Ruth’s daughter Lila (Saniyya Sidney). Let’s pause for a moment and appreciate just how daring this narrative choice is, and not just in the superhero genre. It’s rare for even independent films to deal starkly with child abandonment, and I suspect it isn’t because filmmakers don’t want to do so but because, well, how the hell do you do that? It isn’t an issue that naturally lends itself to a visual art form. Somehow, Hart and Horowitz pull it off in a way that is convincing to the plot and emotionally brave (now there’s two words I wish I could associate with the genre more often). Lila has never met Ruth, as Ruth left barely after she was born. She didn’t do that for no good reason---it would be very hard to pull for a protagonist who had---but the fact the film touches on it at all, and does so well, may be a minor miracle. There are parents and children in other superhero films, but there are few superheroes with children, and as far as I can recall only Shazam!, among the two big franchises, approached the subject of those relationships breaking down. Lila also has powers, though hers are both rather more inventive than the usual options, and a little less well-defined. She can break objects into particles, reassemble them, and in so doing witness a mysterious phenomena called the colors.

This phenomena, how Ruth’s powers are connected to the drought, and the possibility of the existence of other powered individuals are world-building aspects that are not giving a satisfactory explanation during the film’s brisk 102-minute runtime. I was perfectly fine with this. Instead of the endless details of exposition that haunt most two-plus hour tights flicks, this one focuses on how people live and just be people with such burdens on them, which is far more fascinating.

The final act sadly takes these elements and drives them to a standard conclusion, in which villains do something villainous and there is a showdown, followed by a tease for the next movie. As conclusions go, the lack of a big SFX budget means this one is more subdued and interesting than the typical punch-and-power-fests, but it remains a standard third act, and foregoes the opportunity the film had to really break out from the genre pack and stand by itself. The movie has since been picked up to be turned into an Amazon series, and I liked it enough that I’ll probably be watching, but here’s hoping it focuses less on the superheroing and more on giving us the emotional payoffs the cliffhanger ending denies us. For now, it remains resolutely different in the genre, but still solidly of it, for better and worse.

Verdict: Recommended

Note: I don’t use stars, but here are my possible verdicts.

 Must-See

Highly Recommended

Recommended

Average

Not Recommended

Avoid like the Plague

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 Or his tweets here:

https://twitter.com/RyanmEft

 All images are property of the people what own the movie.

[nathanneedsausername]

The MCU (So Far) Ranked

With Avengers: Endgame right around the corner now feels like a good time to talk about all 21 films that brought us to this moment.

#21 -  Thor: The Dark World (Alan Taylor) 

Rating - 3/10

Look, there always has to be one.

Thor: The Dark World suffers from the same problem that most bad comic book movies do it is simply forgettable, this is the worst type of film to write about because I have noting to say. Far from being insultingly bad but also far from being any good. Honestly if you ever plan on cramming these films again do yourself a favour and skip this one.

#20 -  The Incredible Hulk (Louis Leterrier)

Rating - 4/10

You can skip this one too. 

The Incredible Hulk is a product of its time, in the late ‘00s this was about as good as action movies not called The Dark Knight got. This one isn’t unwatchable and the bit were The Hulk kicks Tim Roth into a tree is pretty cool but given how little this film has effected the franchise going forward you really wont miss anything by skipping it.

#19 - Iron Man 2 (Jon Favreau)

Rating - 4/10

I get why they made this movie, but I’d rather they hadn’t.

Iron Man 2 is basically just a teaser trailer for the better movies that were about to come out. This movie consists of boring conversations between Tony Stark and Nick Fury and even more boring scenes with the villains that really kicked of the cliché that these movies have boring villains. The suitcase Iron Man suit is really dope though.

#18 - Ant-Man and the Wasp (Peyton Reed)

Rating - 6/10

Meh.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is actually pretty good. Paul Rudd is allowed to fully explore his comedic talent making this a very watchable film however the script lacks any focus and it is ultimately difficult to stay invested in anything happening on screen. It’s a mixed bag but it’s pretty fun.

#17 - Thor (Kenneth Branagh)

Rating - 6/10

Kenneth Branagh made a super-hero movie, this is about as good as that idea could ever have been.

Thor is a surprisingly small movie, revisiting this film now feels slightly strange given what we have since seen of the character. Branagh was always the wrong choice to direct a Marvel movie especially during a time were the studio had far more say than any of their filmmakers. It’s worth revising this film to set up the Avengers but other than that it isn’t anything special.

#16 - Avengers: Age of Ultron (Joss Whedon)

Rating - 6/10

It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that this movie is just ok.

Avengers: Age of Ultron should be so much better than it is but it ended up being the poster child for when a studio gets cold feet and tries to take over on directors vision. Joss Whedon is an excellent story teller but this does not so off his talents at all. Once again this certainly isn’t a bad film it just isn’t great, there is some good dialogue and the introduction of both Scarlet Witch and Vision is worth seeing.

#15 - Captain America: The First Avenger (Joe Johnston)

Rating - 7/10

Way more camp than I remember .

Captain America: The First Avenger feels as though it has taken the framework of a more conventional war drama and just thrown in some superhero stuff and I don’t necessarily think that is a bad thing. When this film embraces its campness it can be very entertaining. Chris Evans was a prefect casting choice for Steve Rodgers and this film does go in an unexpected direction by making Captain America basically just a mascot but once again the villain is weak and large sections of the plot are forgettable. Overall worth re-watching it is probably better than you remember. 

#14 -  Captain Marvel (Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden)

Rating - 7/10

I’m sorry, I like this one.

Captain Marvel might be the most controversial film in the whole franchise. I have some grievances with this one, namely lack of any style or originality in the writing or direction but the chemistry between Brie Larson and Samuel L Jackson helps to make this an enjoyable watch. I know you probably don’t agree with me but this is my list and I like this movie, so there!

#13 - Iron Man (Jon Favreau)

Rating - 7/10

Not as great as I remember but still pretty good.

Iron Man will forever be remembered as a film that changed cinema witch is so weird to me having re-watched it recently. This is a rather slow and somewhat  cliché 2000s action flick with a paper-thin plot. Robert Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges both give it their all and I have nothing but respect for Jon Favreau for turning RDJ’s mad ramblings into a coherent film.

#12 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (James Gunn)

Rating - 7/10

I’m still not sure how to take this.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the most visually stunning film in the MCU, almost every shot could be used as a laptop wallpaper. This also has quite possibly the strongest theming as its story about fatherhood and toxic relationships can bring a tear to your eye if you let it. So it is such a shame that this film is full of jokes that just do not land and weird side plots that feel like set-ups for movies that Marvel would probably never let James Gunn make. I kinda love this movie but this is as high as I can put it on this list.

#11 -  Captain America: Civil War (Anthony Russo, Joe Russo)

Rating - 8/10

The fight scene though!

Captain America: Civil War is one great fight scene that is all anyone ever wants to talk about. I think the rest of the movie is also pretty good, this was our first look at how the Russo brothers would handle a larger ensemble cast and every character gets the screen time they deserve. Really though the airport fight is amazing!

#10 - Doctor Strange (Scott Derrickson)

Rating - 8/10

The word Strange is in the title.

Doctor Strange has a remarkably safe plot given the source materiel, although that can all be forgiven given how amazing the visual effects are. This is a very entertaining film mainly for the creative and ingenious uses of special effects. This film can drag a bit but it is worth it to see something that gives the end of 2001 a run for its money.

#9 - Iron Man 3 (Shane Black)

Rating - 8/10

And you thought my views on Captain Marvel were controversial!

Iron Man 3 is great and I will not change my mind on that. This was the first team up between Robert Downey Jr. and screenwriter/director Shane Black since 2005′s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and it was worth the wait. The dialogue is sharp and the plot with Tony Stark dealing with P.T.S.D. after the events of The Avengers makes for a great character study. 

I am aware that the general consensus is that the plot twist sucks but with Ben Kingsley’s fantastic performance and the wonderfully absurd way that it is reveled I can’t help but love it. In all honesty I just to big a Shane Black fan to hate this (the same logic does not apply to The Predator).

#8 - Ant-Man (Peyton Reed)

Rating - 8/10

I can only image how great the Edgar Wright version of this would have been.

Ant-Man is so much better than people give it credit for. The dialogue is constantly funny and the screenplay is paced perfectly so that the film never has a dull moment even in the quieter character scenes. Moments like the train-set fight and the first time Scott Lang uses the Ant-Man suit are among the best scenes in the whole franchise. Like most people I have to believe that the Edgar Wright version would have been better but I must say that Peyton Reed did a pretty great job piecing what he had together.  

#7 - Black Panther (Ryan Coogler)

Rating - 8/10

Marvel’s little awards season darling.

Black Panther is somehow one of the most important and talked about films of the decade and in all honesty it sort of deserves it. Coogler does what other MCU filmmakers would never do and dives head first into real world political issue, ending his film with a poignant note about free trade and open borders. Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger adds a nuance that is missing in most comic book movies. Overall Black Panther is a breath of fresh air in an over-saturated genre. 

P.S that soundtrack is awesome!

#6 - Thor: Ragnarok (Taika Waititi)

Rating - 8/10

How did this happen?

Thor: Ragnarok is everything I wanted it to be. Taika Waititi is one of the most interesting filmmakers working today and it is great to see a major studio allow such a unique voice to make the exact film that they wanted to without sacrificing their creativity. This is not only one of the best Marvel films but one of the best straight comedies of the decade. I cannot wait to see what Waititi has in store in the future.

#5 - Spider-Man: Homecoming (Jon Watts)

Rating - 8/10

Things are looking up for Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: Homecoming was my favourite Spider-Man movie up until very recently. This genuinely feels like watching an 80s John Hughes film in the 2010s that also happens to action sequences in it. The scene where Peter Parker and Adrian Toomes are in the car together is brilliantly tense and shows of the dramatic range of both Tom Holland and Michael Keaton. The characters feel real and fleshed out and the breezy feel of the editing brings the world to life through the naive eyes of a young Peter Parker. I honestly can’t believe how good this ended up being.

#4 - Avengers: Infinity War (Joe Russo, Anthony Russo)

Rating - 9/10

This simply should not have worked.

Avengers: Infinity War is one of the most ambitious films in cinema history. I have so much respect for the Russo brothers for managing to make a film with this many characters and this many plot points feels cohesive and endlessly entertaining. I think the real triumph of Infinity War is how watchable and fun this movie is despite being 2 1/2 hours long, full of characters and constantly hitting you in the face with really depressing stuff. Let’s hope that the Russo brothers can pull of the same trick twice. 

#3 - The Avengers (Joss Whedon)

Rating - 9/10

This movie isn’t given enough credit anyone.

The Avengers was a huge gamble back in 2012 and although it may now feel quaint given the achievement that was last year’s Infinity War Joss Whedon was able change the landscape of blockbuster cinema and make this whole thing possible. Almost every plot point in this film has since become cliché, Whedon and Feige laid out a blueprint for success that no one else has been able to copy since. The Joss Whedon humour and snarky dialogue  helped to pave the way that these characters would interact in the future and his unique approach to  utilizing an ensemble cast makes this film worth revisiting over and over again.  

#2 -  Guardians of the Galaxy (James Gunn)

Rating - 9/10

James Gunn hit the mainstream with a movie about a talking raccoon, I can never complain about the Hollywood system ever again.

Guardians of the Galaxy should not work on most levels but Gunn was just crazy enough to pull it off. The character interactions here rival the Wheadon penned interactions in The Avengers and the Gunn’s direction brings the strange worlds he has created to live in striking ways. Gunn was given a chance to showcase his humour and he ran with it, Guardians goes from dark and meandering to fun and rapidly paced within seconds and it is a complete joy to watch no matter how many times you have seen it.

#1 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Joe Russo, Anthony Russo)

Rating - 9/10

The Russo brothers came out swinging.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an entertaining, tightly directed, brilliantly acted, fast paced and well edited action film that just so happens to be a squeal to the First Avenger. Many of the best moments in the franchise are in this film including the elevator scene and the fight on the bridge, this film also has great character interactions especially with Steve Rodgers and Nick Fury. This feels like an update on classic James Bond stories with a modern edge, this is everything that a comic book movie could be and I highly recommend checking it out again if you haven’t seen it in a while. There is no question that The Winter Soldier is the best of the MCU.

Franchise Rating - 7.1/10

Nathan Needs A Username’s Must See Movies: https://letterboxd.com/nathan_r_l/list/nathan-needs-a-usernames-must-see-movies/

Nathan Needs A Username’s Avoid At All Cost Movies: https://letterboxd.com/nathan_r_l/list/nathan-needs-a-usernames-avoid-at-all-cost/

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Best of 2018

This was a hard list to compile. It was made harder by the fact that I’ve gotten a new perspective on what “The Best Movies of the Year” should be. I’ll tell you ahead of time that Green Book isn't on my list. It isn’t that, in hindsight, I feel as though it’s another example of the white savior story, or that I’m upset about the real-life Shirley family informing us that what’s happening on-screen isn’t accurate to the truth. It’s a great film with solid performances, some of the year's biggest laughs and terrific characters. I WANTED to put it on my list but also wondered if it would be a picture that endures. In 5 years, 10 years, will we look back and say “I remember who I was before Green Book, and who I was after it. The picture changed something for me.” I’m not sure I will. This feeling of change and lasting power is what I kept in mind when listing...

10. Upgrade

The vigilante revenge film is an enduring genre. We saw two others in 2018, (Death Wish and Peppermint), 2019’s already had Cold Pursuit. Upgrade tries many new things. It’s got buddy-comedy elements and winds up being one of the funniest dark movies of recent memory. It’s action sequences are dynamic and creative, the camera work top-notch. The story’s many twists and turns show much intelligence beneath what seems like a simple story. It’s not quite a game-changer but does highlight the problem with bare-bones films such as Venom (which appeared on my “worst of” list). I’ve bought it on Blu-ray and can’t wait to show it to others. I think it’s favorite just waiting to be discovered.

9. Black Panther

Now this is one people are going to remember. Yes, it might’ve featured wobbly special effects in a couple of scenes and the climax is a little generic but wow does it have an identity. From the music to the costumes to the story, everything about it stands out. Many people had been waiting decades to see it. Black Panther is the Star Wars of this year, the film which blew up and changed EVERYTHING. Within are one of the year’s best villains and a spectacular soundtrack. It elevates the superhero genre once again.

8. Crazy Rich Asians

The romantic comedy genre is largely dead. I saw a couple of them in 2018 but these were obscure, back-alley titles only hardcore fans of the genre heard of - if they even went to see them. Comedies as a whole are trying to find their footing right now, largely due to the increasingly light tone of many of Marvel’s superhero films and the high-quality children’s animated features arriving to theatres on a semi-regular rate. People don’t accept couples falling in love within an hour and a half anymore but still want to see romance on-screen, as this film proves. While it might not have been as big as Black Panther, Crazy Rich Asians proves there are groups thirsting to see themselves represented in big-budget productions. Or maybe it was a success simply due to its great cast, lavish production, and laugh-out-loud moments. It’s the best date movie of 2018 by far, an unashamedly romantic 2-hour tale which features a wedding so beautiful it moved me to tears.

7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

I'll bet money Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse wins this year’s Academy award for best animated film. Sony's take on the character has bold visuals which combine comic book art with graffiti-like graphics and a blend of 2-D and 3-D animation. It improves the material it’s based on significantly, brings us not just one but a half-dozen new, favourite characters and features an emotional story whose depth no one expected. This film uses tricks others have never even thought of and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

6. A Star is Born

Initially a shoe-in for the year’s best picture, many critics have now dismissed it because it doesn’t have a big message or isn’t politically tied to anything. So what? This directorial debut still brings forth powerful emotions and features some of the year’s best tunes. A Star is Born has single moments that once seen, cannot be forgotten. When Bradley Cooper’s Jackson Maine is at his lowest, he’s such a mess you simultaneously hate and pity him. Who would’ve thought Lady Gaga was going to be this good?

5. Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Probably the best instalment in the series - which is saying something - this is the definition of a satisfying blockbuster. It delivers the stunts, special effects, thrills, and action you crave by giving you one dazzling set piece after another. You won’t believe how this film could top itself, but it does over and over. And then, it does the unexpected and delivers great character moments as well. Many action franchses could learn from Fallout, its smart, twisty plot, expert direction and jaw-dropping stunts. It’s one of the greatest action films ever, right alongside Mad Max: Fury Road, how could it NOT be on my list?

4. The Favourite

With stellar performances from its entire cast, gorgeous and moody cinematography, lavish costumes and immersive camera work, it’s easy to get lost in Yorgos Lanthimos’ period-piece drama. Even the choice of fonts and placement of characters in the chapter cards is meticulous. It’s such a good movie to look at its demented tone takes you by surprise. Full of venom and scheming, you’re tense the whole way through, biting your nails hoping Emma Stone’s character will make it out alright, only for her dark side to come up and turn her into an even bigger monster than Rachel Weisz' Duchess of Marlborough. Meanwhile, everyone’s walking on eggshells, carefully trying to influence Queen Anne of Great Britain (Olivia Colman), a cross between a vindictive child and an incompetent ruler. It’s fascinating stuff.

3. Roma

Roma is one of the reasons it took me so long to make this list. I started watching it weeks ago and was immediately enraptured. Unfortunately, I got caught up with other business and didn’t get the chance to finish it, delaying this list once again. It’s a beautiful film both visually - I’m particularly fond of the black-and-white cinematography - and content-wise, with lasting, intimate emotional beats which put you right there in Cleo’s shoes. The instant you understand what the image on the poster means is just - wow.

2. They Shall Not Grow Old

A crowning achievement in documentary filmmaking, They Shall Not Grow Old brings history to life in ways I could’ve never envisioned. I was initially against colorizing black-and-white footage. Seeing the results - in 3D to boot - is breathtaking. The way it humanizes the people and the war is unforgettable. I think it's destined to be shown in classrooms, which might make it sound like homework, but no. This is a living, breathing documentary full of love and respect.

Runner-ups

There were a number of pictures I wish I could’ve put on the list, maybe at the #10 spot, which I reserve for films “just for me”.

A Fantastic Woman and Paddington 2 SHOULD’VE been on my list last year but weren’t for various reasons. Hopefully mentioning them now is penance enough for my mistake back then. The stylish and unique Sorry to Bother You and BlacKkKlansman deserved to be on this list too but I just couldn’t knock anything else off of it. Finally, I was immensely pleased with the new Halloween, A Simple Favour and Colette. They’re a bit more niche but if you think they’ll align with your tastes, I think are highly enjoyable. And now that we’ve stalled enough to get your anticipating peaked, let’s talk about my number 1 film…

1. The Rider

The Rider is too small to get the attention it deserves. It only played in one theater in my city, the smallest one with only a single screen. I knew it never had a shot at an Academy Awards but I don’t care about budgets or box office results. I care about how a movie makes me feel, how long it lasts and how powerful its message is. Blurring the lines between real-life and fiction, director Chloé Zhao uses untrained actors to tell a metaphor-rich story of masculinity. It’s an engrossing drama whose themes blend so well with its characters and story it seems almost effortless. 

[jaywrites101]

JayReviews: Shazam!

What makes a person pure of heart? Today at JayWrites101 we're looking into the recent "controversy" surrounding Captain Marvel and her DC competitor Shazam!. Some are saying this movie is everything Captian Marvel should have been, others are saying this movie is the hack. Which is true? Let's find out together.

The purpose of this review is to break down The Good, The Bad, and The Strange to find out what makes these stories so unique.

Spoilers ahead.

Medium: Movie. Genre: Superhero, Comedy Premise: A young boy is given the ultimate power of Shazam, and must use this power to recapture the Seven Deadly Sins. Plot: A young boy named Thaddeus is teleported to a magic temple and given a test to see if his heart is pure enough to wield the power of Shazam. He fails the test and spends the rest of his life devoted to finding his way back to that temple.

Enter Billy Batson, a young delinquent living in Philadelphia who lost his mother when he was a very young child. Billy regularly runs away from his foster homes and pulls pranks on cops so he can track down every Batson in Philadelphia. Finally, at the last woman on the list, Billy is crushed to discover that she wasn't his mother either, and he's left without any option but to return to foster care.

Thaddeus, now an older man, finally cracks the code to magic and breaks into the temple. Shazam, being near the end of his power and life tries to stop him, but Thaddeus steals the Eye of Sin, which does exactly what it says on the tin and becomes his eye.

Also, it frees the Seven Deadly Sins from their captivity. Thaddeus can sort of control them, but in reality, they're just using him, and since he's already doing what they want... it works.

Anywho, Shazam, now left dying is forced to give his powers to Billy and pray that the kid won't abuse them as previous heroes did in the past. Smaaaaaaart.

The rest of the story is Billy trying to figure out the limits of his powers with his best friend and foster brother Freddy. Being Shazam makes him grow into an adult. Wacky hijinks ensue!

Billy eventually attracts the attention of Thaddeus who forces Billy to fight by kidnapping his family, and Billy discovers a way to allow them to become superheroes like himself. Together they beat Thaddeus, return the Eye of Sin to its cage, and bind the Sins back into their original prisons.

The Good: This movie is hilarious! This is one of the best modern examples of physical comedy I've seen in years! Between Shazam! and Into the Spiderverse, I'm hopeful that this style of comedy will make a full recovery. 

Aside from the laughs -- which were plentiful -- I have to say the acting was on point for everyone involved. The kids were excellent, the adults were excellent, line readings, facial expressions, all of it was top notch here.

But we're going to give this Good with an asterisk. You see, this film is a comedy, it's fun and light-hearted. This lends itself well to more expressive emotions and any slip-ups made only serve to add to its charm. It's still a really big Good. But it a bar that's a lot easier to clear in a comedy with serious moments than in a serious movie with comedic moments.

The next Good I want to point out is the cinematography. The camera guy had fun with this. And by fun I probably mean hell. The long takes, the swivels, the crane shots! There was action with this camera, and you could feel that each take was shot with dedication and care. It's refreshing to see in a movie like this especially when so many films of late show flat, static shots with the occasional shot-reverse shot thrown in.

The last point I want to bring up is the dramatic stakes.

People died in this movie.

Yeah, okay. I can hear you already tying away like "no duh," but usually in these superheroic, high-action flicks people are getting offed by stray bullets or "Raaar! Monster smashes building!" And you never really see the death toll. Like, you're sure someone died, but you're not really sure who, why, or how. Unless they're a mentor character. But those folks come with an expiration date to begin with, soooooo...

It's usually easy to ignore the damage done in films like this.

Thaddeus locks about twenty people in a skyscraper room, throws his older brother out the window, and proceeds to murder the remainder of the people saving his father for last.

That's frekin hard to ignore!!

Likewise, the scene where Bily reunites with his birth mother just to find out she left him there with the police intentionally... I... I just can't... I can't even...

The Bad: I don't believe in perfection. I believe everything can be improved. The prime example here would be how exaggerated everything it.

Don't get me wrong. In comedy, exaggeration is played off for laughs and it's beautiful, buuuuut. When you use exaggeration in your drama... It comes off as forced.

To the film's credit, the exaggeration mostly comes from the fact that they're all kids. But it's still grating to older audiences at times.

I was left in eternal confusion about how old Billy was before he gained an adult super-form. This is one area where even the internet failed me. Canonically, Billy is 12... Considering he has a crush on his foster sister who is about to leave for college... <.< I'm going to say he's supposed to be older in this film. 

I mean... They try to imply he's still in grade school, but he looks like he's already in high school. He also acts like he's already in high school.

Aside from that, most of everything else I have to go here are nitpicks. Things like "how do no one notice the lightning bolts being blasted into the rooftops?" You know. Nitpicks. They're there in every film, series or story. Nitpicks can add up and snowball fast, but in this film, they're barely noticeable.

The Strange: This section of the review is devoted to the things that probably wasn't thought out as well as you might have expected.

The other foster kids.

Out of the six kids we have: Billy the protagonist, Freddy the cripple, a little black girl, the college girl/ love interest, the fat kid, and the Asian stereotype.

There is nothing done in the movie to address these characters except that in the end, they all do actually get superpowers.

To be clear: I'm not complaining about the diversity. I'm complaining that these characters are little more than their stereotypes, and the film indirectly implies that these kids are living half a life unless they're flawless, swole, and sexy.

I know, I'm a white boy who's never lived in a foster home before. I don't think I have any kind of right to be offended... But I think there's someone out there who should be.

There are plans for a sequel in the pipelines. I hope they address this. Because half-assed inclusion can be more damaging than outright bad inclusion.

I still think this was a good step in the right direction. But they still need to take a few more.

Strongest Scene: The villain in the office scene. To me, that was the most gut-punching part of the movie. They said, "Hey, I'm going to have this bad guy do bad things in what would otherwise be a kids movie," and somehow the studio was like, "eh, whatever we don't care."

And we received gold. 

The suspension was locked on high, the terror was real, and I actually believed Thaddeus was a wicked monster. Not to mention this was our first glimpse of the Sins outside of the statues. There was so much intensity packed into one small scene that I'm absolutely sure better reviewers than I will continue to pick over it for years to come. So it absolutely receives my subjective vote.

Weakest Scene: This one always pains me to write. I'm going to have to give it to Billy meeting his birth mother. Now, this scene did have some powerful moments in it, like Billy giving back the compass and the mother just looking at it blankly like she couldn't see the implications of it. Powerful stuff.

But the execution of it was... off. For one thing, this was a tight scene and it didn't have a lot of time to build up to the big moments. So some things felt rushed.

For another, Billy's mother seemed almost irritated that Billy had found her after all these years. Like, she glossed right over surprised, ignored curiosity altogether, and went straight on into "yeah, kid what do you want?" and that was... maybe intentional? I don't know.

It's hard to express exactly what I disliked about this, but this woman didn't feel like a mom and... I think that was supposed to be the point, but it really undercuts the emotion this scene should've had. And the only thing that connects to the rest of the movie is that Billy has to accept that his foster family is his real family now.

This is still an excellent scene, in any other movie it would've been fine. But Shazam! hit a high bar and this is easily the one scene that doesn't hold up.

Conclusion: This film was genuinely amazing! If you haven't watched it, you probably should. There's a lot to take out of it, and it stands alone on its own two feet so you don't have to worry if you've literally never watched any other DC movie.

How does Captain Marvel and Shazam! compare to each other?

Check back here tomorrow for my detailed thoughts on this and a few other "controversies" floating around on the internet.

[snow-barryrules-blog]

Titans 01×01 Review

SPOILER WARNING!!!

 I was so excited when I first heard DC was making a live-action Teen Titans tv show. All my excitement kind of went away when I saw the leaked set photos for the show bc all the characters looked so weird and too different from the version I’m more familiar with. When the show premiered, I checked out a couple of reviews on it and there were some good reviews which made me a little curious so I decided to check out the pilot and it completely changed my mind and now I see the show in a completely new light and I want to share my thoughts on it.

 The main thing about this show that got me hooked was the storyline. The entire show feels like a crossover event. When the show started, none of the main characters were in the same city, they had to slowly come together and so far, only Dick and Raven have interacted with each other. This show has been compared to Daredevil bc of its dark tone but I don't think it's anything like Daredevil, its really unique and that makes it exciting. Titans maybe a DC Show but it lacks the vibrance of the CW DC shows and is has a crazy storyline that completely sets it apart from the Marvel Netflix tv shows.

Titans also seems extremely character driven. With the exception of Beast Boy, we get to spend a lot of time with each of the main characters before they either meet each other or set off on their way to do so. This form of storytelling justifies the 50 minutes run time of the episode and ensures that screen time is properly utilized. As a result of this format, I was able to form an opinion on each main character by the end of the episode. This is why I had to give my thoughts on each main character separately in the order in which they were introduced in this episode:

  Raven/Rachel Roth

 Raven was the first member of the team we're introduced to and I don't really like this version of her. The only thing really interesting about her is her sort of split personality coz there's a more demonic version of her that's a lot more stern and self-aware. I have this strong feeling that when Raven gets more control over her powers, her personality will no longer be split and she will be a lot less emotional which will make her a little more like the Raven from the animated show so I'm more excited about that. I love the fact that they really tried to show off how demonic Raven's powers really are. That felt like a right move for the character so I'm really glad they went there. I also love the fact that they didn't even introduce Raven's real mom yet. I can't wait to see the look on Raven's face when she finds out who her father really is.

  Robin/Dick Grayson

 Seeing Robin fight and beat those guys so violently was very jarring. When he got to the very last dude and was just beating him with his stick after jamming his head on broken glass I actually had to look away. This version of Dick Grayson is extremely angry and really hates Batman bc he's a killer. He even leaves him bc he's becoming too much like him. I actually like what they're trying to do with this version of Dick Grayson, the main problem is they're not off to a good start. I feel his fight scene was just big wasted opportunity to showcase how much Dick wants to change and take the high road when it comes to brutalizing criminals. I would've preferred to see Dick trying to find a less bloody way to take down those guys and then when this method doesn't work, he'll be forced to rely on violence and then get really frustrated while he wonders if it's even possible to fight crime without going too far when it comes to violence. I feel like if the writers had taken Dick's storyline in this direction, his struggles would be more relatable. I just hope the writers do a better job as the story progresses.

Starfire/Kory Anders

 Starfire's entire storyline is a big mystery and this makes her character a lot more interesting, especially when you remember you can't look to the comics for any explanation. The audience learns more about her as she learns more about herself and its a little frustrating bc we barely learn anything in this episode. The best thing about Starfire's scenes is the way she composes herself throughout the entire ordeal - she doesn't know who she is or why she's where she is and yet nothing fazes her, she even laughs in the face of danger when she doesn't even know her full power set. Another thing that was so captivating about this version of Starfire is the utter glee that overcomes her everytime she discovers a new ability bc it makes her fun to watch. I just love the fact that her search for Raven will bring her closer to the rest of the Titans. Starfire literally had the brightest scene in the entire episode. Watching Starfire turn orange while her fire was on full blast made me aware of the writer's intention to incorporate the features of Starfire we all know well into this new version of the character. This shows how creative the writers can be. They're really going out of their way to give us a fresh take on the character.

  Beast Boy/Garfield Logan

 Beast Boy is only in this episode for a few seconds. The most interesting thing about Beast Boy's transformation is that whenever he turns back into a human he has no clothes on. This completely crushes the cliche transformation scenes in other movies and tv shows where characters magically have clothes on afterwards. While I really love the fact that the Titans tv show isn't using this trope, a new problem has arisen - will he always have to scramble for clothes after every transformation? I feel like some situations might not always allow this to go smoothly. I guess the simple fix is he could just remain an animal until he's ready to get dressed but I still feel like this could be a problem sooner than later and I'm really curious about how the writers will find a way around this as the story progresses.

Titans - The Highs and Lows of Being Different

Titans presents all it's characters in a manner that is extremely different from the way they are in the source material and that has been a good thing and a bad thing. Imho, I think the good outweighs the bad in this situation. There are so many superhero movies and tv shows, so many of them use the same themes and formula. Every new entry into the superhero genre must do it's best to stand out otherwise it'll be forced into oblivion sooner rather than later. When it comes to the movies, DC is seeking a full rebranding and introducing us to the elseworlds through the upcoming Joker movie while Marvel is finding a new way to tell an origin story in the Captain Marvel movie. Experimenting and keeping things fresh is the only way to ensure the audience remains interested in the superhero genre for many more years to come. Titans has already shown it's ability to experiment even at the expense of alienating part of the fan base of the teen titans. The real problem the show is bound to face is yet to come. The real issue with changing so much in order to make a new story lies in maintaining this new story. The writing and story structure of this show will forever be under heavy scrutiny. Every single misstep along the line will be constantly scrutinized. The only way the writers can truly justify the existence of their own interpretation of the teen titans is by giving us a story that is plot-hole free and after awhile, they could get more people on board with their version of the teen titans.

[dewbond-blog]

Before the Dive: Isekai Stories and SAO

To talk about the next series in our harem anime examination, we must first talk about two different but intertwined things that have dominated the anime landscape for some time now. Whether you hate it or love it, there is little debate that these two items have helped define Anime for almost a decade now. 

We need to talk about the Isekai story and Sword Art Online

The Isekai story, roughly meaning “Another World” is a type of story that has completely dominated the anime and manga industry for pretty much the last decade. While it had existed long before it’s burst into mainstream use, the most obvious to people in the west being Digimon, it wasn’t until recently that such stories have come to have an almost borg like hold on the genre.

Such things are common in all forms of entertainment. We love fads and we love even more to chase them. Hollywood and the west has gripped the Superhero genre with both hands and shows no real interest in letting go. Before that, it was genres like the “Teen Post Apocalypse” or “Westerns” that were all the rage among movie makers. In terms of Anime, we have had (and still do) the Moe craze (Haruhi), the angel and devil craze (High School DxD), the mecha craze (Gundam, Evangelion), and now we are in the Isekai bubble, a bubble so thick that some Japanese writing contests where up and coming light novelists submit work in hopes of getting published, had actually outright BANNED Isekai stories from being entered in 2016 and 2017. If that isn’t a sign of how much the genre has saturated Anime, I don’t know what is.

As with all things that are popular, there has been a growing backlash of the Isekai story, mostly because it’s widespread use has allowed some authors to slack off and not try anything new. Instead, they seem to rehash the same story beats and tropes in hopes of getting published and making some quick cash. However, with trash, there has also been a handful of gems that have graced anime fans.

I’ve said it before, but Re-Zero remains one of the greatest stories and anime series of all time (in my view). It was the series that single handily relit my love for anime after years of neglect and disinterest. Overlord, currently its third season remains a favorite among the anime community for its unique take on the genre and unorthodox protagonist. And of course, there is the one series that has reached a level of popularity that almost touches the legendary status of the Shonen Big Three, Dragon Ball, Mobile Suit Gundam, Detective Conan, and the Fate franchise. Sword Art Online

How can I sum up Sword Art Online? I guess I could say...

Sword Art Online is popular, that means it’s shit.

That seems to be the overall anime community response to Sword Art Online, a show that, along with Attack on Titan, has completely enveloped the anime industry. Sword Art Online was and is so popular, so influential that its presence can be seen in almost every other Isekai show. So many of the main characters in Isekai Anime can be seen as clones of Sword Art Online’s Kirito that you would think they were parodying him (and some do). The idea of being trapped in an MMO where you are suddenly the most powerful person in existence or have your hands on some advanced tech (like a smartphone) have become staples that authors use to sell their shows. Sword Art Online has been that rare anime that, despite being extremely popular has been able to reach out beyond itself and touch every corner of the industry. Not since shows like Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Evangelion has a show (at least in my experience) had such a ripple effect. Not even current darling My Hero Academia has yet to have such an impact.

Of course, that has led to the backlash and you only need to visit youtube and type in “Sword Art Online is shit’ to find a total cottage industry dedicated to ripping the show apart from every to the characters to the plot. I’m not going to tell you what to think though, that is up to YOU to decide. I have watched little of Sword Art Online, as it crossed my radar during my time away from Anime, however from what I have seen, I can both agree with the criticism of the show, and appreciate what it right. Most notably the development of the Kirito and Asuna romance.

But I’m not here to talk about Sword Art Online or Isekai shows. However, I think it was important to get this information out before we dive into our next anime. Next time I’ll give you my thoughts about other worlds and smartphones. Don’t miss it.

[kim-lexie]

love yourself: tear.

YESSSSSS! it’s finally here. our boys have released their long-awaited album. i am incredibly proud of them, and how far they have come. this album as a whole consists of various genres, and i appreciate how much experimenting they did with this album. now we are going to take it track-by-track.

intro: singularity. this track has it’s own post because of the insanely incredible video that came out to introduce us to this new era or love yourself: tear. here is my post on this beautiful track

fake love. this track has it’s own post once again because too many thoughts and feels and gifs to contain in this one post. here is the post for fake love.

the truth untold. the true beauty of this song is the translations behind it. i am obsessed with their minds. the thoughtfulness that went into each lyric and line is incredible. “i can’t show you me, give you me.” hiding from who you are, but still wanting that person. they are telling a beautifully tragic story, and the pain within their voices really shines. the simple piano in the background perfectly highlighting the story and the emotions. then in the bridge, my goodness the build-up of emotions just releasing. dang, so much is happening and even without reading the translations you feel it and experience the song. music truly is a language in of itself. (p.s. cannot wait for what steve aoki does with this track again)

134340 (PLUTO). tae once again attacking me with vocals. this vibe is the epitome of chill car ride vibes. i love the mix of rap and vocal lines in this track, it is so perfect and smooth. the meaning and metaphor of pluto circling, dang our lyrical geniuses strike again. 

paradise. one of my faves off the album (but let us be real, every one of these tracks has been on repeat). i am obsessed with jungkook’s  “marathon marathon” line. a reality check with looking at translations. i love the meaning of needing to stop and enjoy life and not always having a destination. enjoy life! live in your own life and dream big or small whichever it is your dream so it’s beautiful. this song is an ultimate bop, and i love the free vibe just makes you want to sway and bop your head. bangtan has truly mastered the balance of rap and vocal lines in this track. i am obsessed!

love maze. this one is also one of my faves. like dang that opening! “lost in the maze in the darkness”. jungkook’s opening line, my goodness such feels. this track is set apart. my goodness, the back and forth between the vocalists. i love the electronic track behind this bop. 

magic shop. this one though. like for real, the song dedicated to army. my goodness gracious, our wonderful kings. once again don’t know who allowed taetae to come out and slay my life like this. namjoon’s raps are insanely powerful you know he is preaching his truth throughout this track. when the king of vocals seokjin and jimin come in, it just translates the beauty and balance of knowing everything will be okay. i especially love listening and watching the live performances of this song, when army sings back. my goodness, it is truly beautiful. it is a sad track with bangtan being honest about their fears and hurts, but it is offset with hopes and knowing that with army everything will be okay. these lines: TT

you gave me the best of me

so you’ll give you the best of you

you found me, you recognized me

you gave me the best of me

so you’ll give you the best of you

you will it, the galaxy inside of you

so show me

i’ll show you

here is the end of the comeback show with bts and army singing together. it had me in a puddle of tears. those smiles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ_lafEprL0

side note: if you want to cry just listen to “the truth untold” and “magic shop” back to back. 

airplane pt. 2. i was so hyped to see this track on the album. ready to hype up my man hoseok any chance i get. the vibes of this track are so unique, i love the latin track. talking to all those haters who said you can’t do it, here they are traveling all over the world writing music living life to the fullest. this live performance though! the use of props, the outfits, it was everything.

my goodness, the mic going back and forth between seokjin and namjoon, i am living my best life. 

p.s. these little munchkins teasing this dance move in jungkook’s japan vlog.

p.s.s. watch it if you haven’t already G.C.F. in Osaka 

anpanman. this song is “go go”’s best friend. it is so fun and hype. i love that it is based off on an actual superhero. i love this live performance as well. it is preciousness to the next level. all about moving past your fears and taking control. the vocalists slaying the background and those runs, my heart cannot take it. (this is one of my sister’s favorites from the album, and she actually tolerates me playing it in the car so that is a win for me!)

jungkook shaking/fluttering tae-tae’s shirt to look like he is flying is only the start of the preciousness of that is in this performance. 

all of these anpanman performance videos are insanely bright and cute as heck.

so what. my goodness, i love this track! i literally just want this track to completely surround me, this is a track made for surround sound, in your car driving down a long road kind of music. “young and wild and free” that’s right jimin and tae-tae. we just got to keep going and don’t worry about things around you, and just “let it go”. 

outro: tear. our boys slaying with their cypher outros. this track is very electronic, and bass heavy. i am definitely a rap-line stan, and really got into bangtan because of these amazingly talented dudes. without looking at translations you know that they are extremely passionate about their lines. i am obsessed with the vocalists namjoon, hoseok, and yoongi. i love that they are going out of their comfort zones a little bit with this track. people need to stop sleeping on these outro tracks they are the new cypher, and i love them! p.s. who allowed them to breathe at the end of the track, like that was a personal attack on my life and well being. 

the promotions. 

billboard music awards. my goodness, i am incredibly proud of these boys. they have come so far, making dreams come true. i love that they let some of the fan chants live, i love that army was respectful and showed their strength during the performance. thank you to the cameramen who stepped up their game from last year. still room for improvement but we are thankful as always.

i have to include this gif because our maknae worked hard for those abs, and they deserve recognition. 

our boys stole the show with their reactions and dance moves.

mnet’s bts comeback show. once again they serve us bangtan on a silver platter. i love watching these even though i only know about 50% of what is going. i love the performances and quirky little sketches. i especially loved tae and jimin’s cafe adventures and english studies. and namjoon’s drama tease. 

my favorite interview was zach sang show! he is such an army, and i am appreciative of all that he does for bts when they come around. i appreciate all the time he puts into his research, and he deserves lots of army support. 

the ellen show. i loved all the segments they did! i loved tae-tae’s proud english moment. i especially loved the range of reactions from bangtan when she scared them. 

the late late show with james corden performance. i love this friendship. low-key eighth member of bts.

nevermind high-key member.

their faces when they saw the puppies for the buzzfeed interview. 

now we await the upcoming tour and next comeback...eventually. 

[aion-rsa]

Jupiter’s Legacy: From Page to Screen

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This article is presented by:

How do you bring a comic book to life? It’s a question that studios have been struggling with since they first began making live-action superhero serials in the 1940s. Netflix’s newest comic book series adapts Image Comics’ metatext on the medium, Jupiter’s Legacy. Created by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, the story centers on two generations of heroes. In its quest to bring this story to life, Netflix has enlisted costume designer Lizz Wolf. Though she’s new to the superhero genre, she has plenty of experience with massive actioners—including Rambo, The Expendables, and Pacific Rim: Uprising–and she dived in head-first to create a unique and vibrant visual landscape which respected the comics while bringing the texture and depth needed to translate the archetypal heroes to the small screen. 

In an unusual series of events, Wolf was brought on very early in the production in order to allow her to build the sartorial universe of Jupiter’s Legacy from the ground up. It was a rare chance for the costume designer to truly create something immersive and all-encompassing. “This project was an opportunity that very few costume designers get,” Wolf says. “In order to conquer the Herculean task of bringing the vast universe that Mark Millar and Frank Quitely had created to life, I had to strap myself in for the ride of a lifetime.” 

Seeing that world come to life has been nothing short of a joy for artist and Jupiter’s Legacy co-creator Quitely. While the show does bring plenty of new layers to the costuming and characters, he was blown away by how much inspiration they took from the comics. Even when things were changed he feels it was for the better. 

“Where they have embellished things, it’s not so much that they’ve done their own thing,” Quitely says, “it’s that they’ve taken what we had in the comic, and they’ve added to it and translated it in a way that’s going to work better for television. It’s a very interesting process for me to see.”

So how did Wolf get started on translating such an epic series through the lens of costuming? 

“As this universe is literally littered with superheroes and villains with varying degrees of power, I created a doctrine based on the character depictions in the comic book,” she says. “A platform of their capabilities and back stories. This was the connective tissue to then assemble a visual language and start the design process. This design language was a culmination of the extensive research we did for each of the superheroes and their subgroups. I relied heavily on science and nature to guide me. I was inspired by everything from the natural world, architecture, black line tattoos, ancient symbols, alchemy, microbial photography, atomic ordering, complex life forms, and parametric equations.”

When it came to directly adapting the costumes from the comics, for Wolf it was a balance of respect and inspiration. 

“In the beginning, I focused on the story to inform the design,” she says. “In order to achieve a cinematic feel, we had to extrapolate what was intrinsic to telling the story through an emotional color palette, composition, function, and the capabilities of each member of the Union from the source material. Then, of course, we had to pump them into three-dimensional characters.” 

When Quitely visited the set, he got to explore those three-dimensional reimaginings of his art, something that he calls a privilege. While he visited each and every part of the production, and enjoyed it all, the costume department was something of a highlight for the creator. 

“They were very faithful to all the main costumes,” Quitely explains. “But because there are so many supporting characters, they had basically come up with a lot of costumes that were just inspired by what they’d already found in the comic. That was really great to see.”

Discovering the creators were fans of her designs early on was an unforgettable moment for Wolf. She was keen to talk about their impact on her, and what she called a seminal vision of superheroes. So when Millar, Quitely, and the showrunners came back with good things to say, it was “the catalyst of confidence” for her. “It was truly a professional high point to hear that Mark [Millar] had liked the designs and the direction we were going in.” Wolf says. “That acknowledgment was everything!”

Paying homage to the silhouettes and color schemes of the comics costumes was key to Wolf. But she wanted to amp up the technology and detail. With suits that have to exist over decades, it was vital to make sure that they had durability and that classic Golden Age vibe. “These suits had to travel the expanse of 100-plus years and hold up, as well as remain relevant and be able to inspire generations to come,” she says. “That was a challenge!” 

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Wolf battled through those challenges and found unexpected inspiration in the works of industrial 3D knitters. Diving deep into this new creative process gave Wolf a new insight, and what she called “single thread technology” led to the basis of what she describes as the show’s “suit mythology,” which also shaped the designs of the next generation’s suits. 

Taking inspiration from anatomical artists like George Bridgman and Andrew Loomis, Wolf crafted a musculature for the super suits that was exaggerated yet natural. And she even built the origin of their powers, imbued following an “event,” into the suits. “This muscular structure was a molecular reaction of this event integrated into the suit itself,” she says. 

That level of detail was something that immediately stuck out to Quitely. He was particularly excited by the intricate detailing that Wolf and her team added. Though the costumes might look the same from a distance, up close Quitely found an impressive array of subtle details, including emblems and alien patterns built into the material itself. “They’ve put so much thought and love and enthusiasm into the way they’ve gone about recreating this world, making it bigger and fuller in a way that will work for television,” Quitely says. “It’s been fantastic.”

Wolf was equally as enamoured with the process, describing it as a highlight of her storied career. “Designing the superheroes was an incredible thrill! I’ve experienced nothing like it. I’d have to say overall that Jupiter’s Legacy is my favorite project that I have ever done!” 

Sacred Geometry

Lizz Wolf added a unique costume detail which created its own visual language, much of which was inspired by the concept of “Sacred Geometry.” The term references the idea of ascribing meaning and symbolism to certain geometric shapes and proportions. While usually used in religious buildings and art, Wolf strived to craft a superheroic Sacred Geometry for each of the six Union members using symbolic emblems and totems which were later integrated into their suits. “These were extractions or reflections of each character’s individual journey.” Wolf explains. 

While researching the look of Jupiter’s Legacy, the team discovered amateur micro photography of frozen ice crystals. This naturally occurring phenomenon developed into the overall language of the costumes. “We created a series of these lichen-like formations that represented expressions or glyphs based on an alphabet of sorts,” Wolf says. “It was used on each of the Union’s super suits as an adornment or to create declarations.”

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The Utopian signified a particular challenge as his plain white suit was simple yet iconic. But Wolf built on his archetypal comic book silhouette that she felt represented the mythology of the character. While she didn’t feel like he was particularly formidable at first, once they built in Sheldon’s own Sacred Geometry which was built from “extractions from conjured celestial maps that could have guided Sheldon in his calling” the costume designer reveals, “he emerged to be very intimidating.” 

Dressing Two Generations of Superheroes

Jupiter’s Legacy is a story about family, two generations of distinctly different heroes. The older and more archetypal group known as the Union are shaped by idealistic dreams and Golden Age comics. Then there’s the children of the Union, whose lives have been molded by their parents’ fame, privilege, and celebrity endorsement campaigns. When it comes to costuming, the differences are clear. The Union wear classic superhero suits, making them icons of hope and heroics. But their children rock civilian outfits, still just as recognizable but a clear rejection of the traditions of their family. 

The Utopian 

When it came to designing The Utopian, Quitely looked towards Superman and other classic Golden Age stories. But for costume designer Lizz Wolf, it was all about building only on what already existed in the comics. Keeping his white silhouette was key and Wolf “built on the mythology of the character,” giving him what she calls an “almost archaic, statuesque feel.” She adds that building that texture was key. “This is where the musculature was profound in exhibiting his mortal strength,” she explains. “This brought majesty to his suit, and then Josh Duhamel brought his god-like presence!” 

Skyfox 

One of the most significantly different costumes is that of Skyfox. Gone are his leotard/undies from the comics. Instead, Wolf crafted something with “a rugged sexiness.” The team retained his “iconic color scheme that is certainly a nod to royalty and his social status as George Hutchence.” But rather than drawing directly from the comics, they shifted tactics.

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“His inspiration was part gunslinger, part playboy, 100% badass,” Wolf says. “His equipment is intentionally worn low on hips to provoke that rock star, cowboy vibe. He also has what amounts to the ‘Rosetta Stone’ of the Union embedded in his suit. The crowning element is his fractal-like Fox emblem. It’s like a talisman inspired by his fox-themed heirloom jewelry pieces from the 1920s.”

Brainwave 

Another slight shift was Brainwave. In the comics, his suit evolves in the modern age. But Wolf decided to keep his iconic early look for the entire series. “This allowed us to really make his suit beam and keep his natural swagger evident. I love his suit and his veining motif. He just lights up in it and it appears to be actively circulating.”

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Wolf reveals that a strange mistake ended up playing a vital part. “That fabrication was one of those divine accidents. During our R&D period, a run of printed fabric went in an unintentional direction. That material mysteriously became more radiant when stretched over his muscular structure. That mistake became the end result.”

The Union

For artist Frank Quitely and writer Mark Millar, the Union’s costumes were key, as were their influences.

“We went right back to Superman and Batman. The early Marvel and DC heroes. The heroes from the mid 1930s through the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s,” Quitely says. The older generation wear traditional suits making them easily identifiable as heroes. “We were looking at everything that had gone before. We were wanting things that were recognizable and reminiscent of classic superheroes, even for people that weren’t immersed in comic book culture. Most people have got a rough idea of what Superman and Spider-Man are about. We wanted to deal with archetypes and representations of superheroes that would still strike some kind of chord with people that only had a passing interest.”

The Next Generation 

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Growing up in Scotland shaped Quitely’s choice to make the younger generation’s uniforms their everyday outfits. “I read a lot of comics when I was younger. Desperate Dan, Dennis the Menace, The Broons. The characters tend to wear the same clothes,” he explains. “It’s the same with your Saturday morning cartoons like Scooby-Doo. Their costumes are part of the aesthetic of each character. They wear the same clothes and colors all the time because it makes them more recognizable. To some extent we did that with the characters in Jupiter’s Legacy that didn’t have a superhero costume. Even if the clothes change, they have a recognizable style. And it’s important to try to stick with that because it helps build the character and it helps make the visual storytelling easy to follow.”

Jupiter’s Legacy premieres on Netflix on May 7. Read more about the series in our special edition magazine!

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