#looking through the marvel database wiki

[autisticidiot]

chameleon who retired from being a criminal and became a game host i could not find your brief cameo in Spider-Man: Edge of Time but i love you

[dis-plus-fanfic-reblog-writes]

So, I was looking through Fandom at the Marvel database. I was correct in that Logan cannot regenerate like Deadpool.

Healing factor

Wolverine It states Logan’s latest death was beheaded by Beast. If he was able to regenerate like Deadpool his head would have remained alive and regrown his body. It did not. He has to be resurrected by The Five.

Now that is the extreme version. I haven’t found anywhere about a regrowth of limbs prior to the adamantium grafting.

Deadpool https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Wade_Wilson_(Earth-616)?mobile-app=true&theme=dark

Healing factor:

Wade versus Logan (Deadpool v. Wolverine)

L

My husband and I were talking about this. He made good points:

Logan has a healing factor

Wade had a restorative factor

(Spoilers for movies below)

Wade—

Wade sought out his mutant ability to stop his cancer, right? Well, his power is to restore him to the same physical state he was at the time his mutant ability activated. That’s why he can regenerate his body.

Sinister tried to replicate or clone Wade and couldn’t. His power went nuts without the cancer to balance it out. His power is linked to his cancer. His cancer is never gone as a mutant and this aspect has been shown so many times.

Logan—

Logan, as far as the comics, tv shows, and movies show, can only heal. He cannot regenerate body parts. I mean, there is that one version that’s missing an eye, okay? He only heals.

His body literally pushes out bullets the direction they entered into his body. He can drown. He can be stabbed. He can be poisoned ((Old Man) Logan, movie). It takes a lot to kill Logan.

Aging—

As far as I understand, the aging aspect of Wade and Logan is different too.

Logan can age. His mutant powers functioning are based on his age. His enhanced senses, strength, claws, and such are influenced with his age. His reflexes are slower due to his age [and poisoning in (Old Man) Logan (movie)].

The exception is if he is “killed”, like in X-men Future Days Past (movie). He was drowned, and when everything changed and he was found, he was the same age as when he died. There’s loopholes. This could be a movie thing and not a mutant thing.

I don’t know if that’s the same in the comics since I haven’t kept up with xmen in a while in the comics.

Wade, due to his restorative healing, cannot age (in theory).

In the comics due to his romance with Death and Thanos’ jealousy, he makes Deadpool immortal so he can never be with Death. I don’t think that truly worked but you get the point. If he wasn’t basically immortal before, he was at one point.

[sigynappreciation]

Sigyn Meta: Who is Sigyn?

A Norse Goddess who is known for being the wife of the Trickster, Loki, and holding the bowl to protect him from the snake’s venom. 

But besides that, Who is Sigyn? What does she mean to others? 

Journey with me as we explore who she is -- not only in the mythologies, but in other forms like the Marvel Comics, Worship and through fans.

#JusticeforSigyn

Sigyn’s Origins (Mythology):

Sadly, not many stories that have Sigyn in them have survived till today. She is only attested in the following works: Poetic Edda & Prose Edda. 

In the poem, Lokasenna, the most famous of poem’s with the couple, it talks of how Loki has been bound by the gods with the guts of his son, Nari, and how his son, Vari, has been turned into a wolf. The Goddess Skadi fastens a venomous snake over Loki’s face, from which venom drips. Sigyn, stated as Loki’s wife, stays by his side and holds a basin under and catches the venom so it won’t drip onto her husband, but when the basin grows full, she pulls it away to empty it, during which time venom drops onto Loki, causing him to wither so violently that earthquakes occur that shake the entire earth.

In the poem, Gylfaginning, Sigyn is introduced in Chapter 31 as being married to Loki and that they have a son by the name of “Narfi or Nari”. She is then mentioned again in Chapter 50 where events are described differently than in Lokasenna; Vali, described as a son of Loki only, is changed into a wolf by the gods and rips apart his brother, “Narfi or Nari.” The guts of Nari are then used to tie Loki to three stones, after which the guts turn to iron, and Skadi places a snake above Loki. Sigyn of course catches the venom in a bowl. This process is repeated until he breaks free, setting Ragnarok into motion.

In the poem, Skáldskaparmál, Sigyn is introduced as a goddess, an Æsir, where the gods are holding a feast for their visitors and in kennings for Loki: “husband of Sigyn” and “cargo [Loki] of incantation-fetter’s [Sigyn’s] arms.” 

Sigyn’s name means “Victorious-Girlfriend” in Old Norse. 

Sigyn may appear on the Gosforth Cross and has been the subject of an amount of theory and cultural references.

She appears in the 9th century skaldic poem Haustlöng from pagan times, written by the skald Þjóðólfr of Hvinir. Due to this early connection with Loki, Sigyn has been theorized as being a goddess dating back to an older form of Germanic paganism.

Sigyn in Worship/Honor: 

I’ll be speaking on this through my personal experience of working with Sigyn while also sharing some tid bits of basic info from others on this subject. I’m someone who works with Sigyn primarily, but sometimes gets help from Loki. 

A Lokean is someone who honors Loki as their primary deity ( or at least one of their primary deities.) Most are polytheists that respect a variety of worldviews and a wide variety of gods. FOR MORE ON THIS SUBJECT, VISIT THIS BLOG: https://lokeanwelcomingcommittee.tumblr.com

For those who work with Loki, you will also find yourself working with Sigyn. And sometimes you don’t even need to work with Loki first in order to work with Sigyn (like me!)

Sigyn is usually a calming and motherly presence. Loki is protective over her, but they usually work in unison together to help. 

SMALL DEVOTIONAL ACTS TO SIGYN: 

Holding the Bowl: It is a reflective act of Sigyn holding the bowl to protect Loki from the snake’s venom. This is usually the major one. 

Helping to support mothers (especially single mothers)

Support single parents

Supporting Women’s Rights

Keep fighting through the hardships 

Wear earthy tones

Commitment in everything you do.

Help others, but remember that self-care is important too

More devotional acts

KENNINGS/HEITI FOR SIGYN:

Wife of Loki

Incantation-Fetter

Lady of Staying Power

Lady of Unyielding Gentleness

Lady of the Unconquerable Heart

Mother of Narvi and Vali

North Star

Victory Woman

Lady of Loyalty

Loki’s Treasure

Devoted Mother

Lady of Endurance

Goddess of Constancy

Goddess of the Heart

Goddess of Neglected Children

Goddess of Comfort

Healer to All

Mother to All

Beloved of Monsters

SIGYN’S VIRTUES:

Strength

Loyalty

Grace

Humility

Gentleness

Charity

Constancy

Love

Endurance

Patience

Simplicity

Mindfulness

Compassion

I’ll cover more on this subject soon in a separate post, but this is the basic. 

Sigyn in the Marvel Comics:

Sadly, Sigyn is not portrayed the best in the Marvel Comics of Thor, resulting in her being missing from the comics since 1996 and practically killed off (only being referenced to in flashbacks.) 

Loki comes across her and desires to have her. However, she is already engaged to an Asgardian named Theoric, who Loki has killed and ends up taking on the disguise of in order to take Sigyn for his own. On their wedding day once the vows are said and done, Sigyn accepts her duty as his wife, granting her the title Goddess of Fidelity by Odin. 

She doesn’t have much of an agency or personality besides being Loki’s faithful wife in this. 

Fans wish for her to make a comeback in the Comics and MCU with better characterization. Hence, much Fanfiction, Cosplay, Roleplay and Fanart has been made of others own interpretation’s of Sigyn and #JusticeforSigyn is shared around in hopes of this. 

LIST OF SIGYN COMIC APPEARANCES:

Thor Vol 1 #275 (First appearance, 1978)

Thor Vol 1 #276

Thor Vol 1 #277

Thor Vol 1 #278

Thor Vol 1 #301

Thor Vol 1 #302

Thor Vol 1 #303

Thor Vol 1 #307

Thor Annual Vol 1 (9)

Thor Vol 1 #313

Thor Vol 1 #321

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol 1 (1)

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol 2 (1)

Gamer’s Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol 1 (1)

Thor Annual Vol 1 (14)

Thor Annual Vol 1 (19)

Thor Vol 1 #479

Thor Vol 1 #483

Thor Vol 1 #484 (1995)

Thor: The Legend Vol 1 (1) (1996, last appearance)

Avengers: Loki Unleashed #1 (2019, first & only modern day appearance since 90s. FLASHBACK ONLY)

LIST OF SIGYN MENTIONS IN COMICS:

Thor Annual Vol 1 #10 (1982)

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol 1 #11 (1983)

Thor: Asgard’s Avenger Vol 1 #1 (2011)

Mighty Thor Vol 1 #12.1 (2012)

Loki Vol 3 #1 (2019 - referenced)

Sigyn and her impact with Fans:

Sigyn is still not that well known among others, but there is a small community of us fans who honor her through all forms she is displayed and her relationship with Loki. This is the reason this blog and @dailylogyn​ were created: to help unite fans and spread the word of Sigyn and her relationship with Loki through appreciation and education.

Fans also show their appreciation for Sigyn through Art forms like Fanfiction, Cosplay, Fanart & More! The cool thing is that she can be interpreted however you wish, but her love for Loki and her compassion is always her strong points. 

There is a tag #JusticeforSigyn in order to help give her the proper attention she deserves. MORE HERE. 

FANARTISTS:

I’m not going to post any of their art here in order to make others visit their blogs and give them the appropriate credit they deserve. 

Let’s support content creators! <3

@nanigram​/Nanihoo: This artist makes wonderful fanart of her own interpretation of Sigyn and her relationship with Loki (plus their children.) You can usually find most of it on Deviantart. 

@sigynart​: This artist makes lovely art of Tom Hiddelston’s Loki, but has recently come out with their own interpretation of Sigyn and has even started to draw Loki & Sigyn together. 

@dank-art​: This artist makes a lot of interesting twists to Sigyn and Loki either if it’s a modern look, an alternate universe or a certain aesthetic of the couple. They have a lot of amazing concept designs concerning Sigyn and Loki! 

COSPLAYERS:

@bubbleteycosplay​: She is known as the German Sigyn! This cosplayer has done a wide varieties of different versions/outfits of Sigyn. Besides here, you can usually find her on Instagram, Deviantart and other websites. She also helps inform others on Sigyn and her relationship with Loki.

In fact, HERE IS A LIST she has created pertaining to other Sigyn Cosplayers. I’ll list the others below though with links to their pages:

Vontrug (Instagram)

lady_laufeyson (Instagram)

Mizerious (Instagram)

Maryintothewoods (Instagram)

danni_darling (Instagram) 

I myself am planning to join these wonderful cosplayers too as I work to create my own Sigyn cosplay as well. :) They are all such an inspiration! 

CONCLUSION:

I could go on and on about the subject of Sigyn. She’s an amazing, caring and loving goddess who teaches us many helpful traits we need throughout life. Despite still not being that well known, she is greatly loved by this community -- and none other than Loki. 

Hopefully someday she will make a comeback in the Marvel world and get the proper characterization and love she deserves. Till then, us fans will continue to share the love, joy and appreciation we have for Sigyn and her relationship with Loki, welcoming anyone as Sigyn does with open arms and loving hearts. 

SOURCES:

Holding the Bowl: https://lokeanwelcomingcommittee.tumblr.com/post/102422224083/a-bowling-tutorial

Lokean Welcoming Community: https://lokeanwelcomingcommittee.tumblr.com

Small Devotional Acts to Sigyn: https://bramblevitch.wordpress.com/2020/06/23/small-devotional-acts-to-sigyn/

Sigyn on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigyn

Lokean Welcoming Community’s topics on Sigyn: https://lokeanwelcomingcommittee.tumblr.com/tagged/sigyn

Sigyn on Marvel Database: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Sigyn_(Earth-616)

Sigyn’s Shrine: Who is Sigyn?: http://www.northernpaganism.org/shrines/sigyn/sigyn/who-is-sigyn.html

Sigyn - Norse Mythology for Smart People: https://norse-mythology.org/sigyn/

[dailylogyn]

Logyn Meta: Loki & Sigyn’s relationship in the Marvel Comics

Photo Source (by Sexy-Salmon): https://lokisergi.tumblr.com/post/70164902295/siege-loki-problems-it-almost-looks-innocent

Other Logyn Meta’s: https://dailylogyn.tumblr.com/tagged/logyn-meta

Did you know Sigyn was in the Marvel Comics long ago? Did you know Loki had a wife? 

Oh...that’s probably because Marvel wanted you to forget their terrible writing mistakes concerning this great Norse Couple. 

Let’s dive into this exploration of history where the Marvel writers realized they fucked up on telling a perfectly good couples story, and in the process, setting off a spark of rebellion that caused some retconning and a group of fans to demand justice for both Loki & Sigyn -- not just as a couple, but as their own individual beings. 

#JusticeforSigyn #JusticeforLoki #JusticeforLogyn

Where it First Began (Meeting & Marriage of Lies):

In September of 1978, Thor #275 came out featuring the first appearance of Sigyn, Loki’s wife from Norse Mythology. She was introduced as a beautiful Asgardian Loki had randomly come across while looking into a crystal ball inside his castle, wanting to find some companionship to fill his loneliness. 

However, when Loki came with riches and jewels to offer her in exchange for her hand in marriage, Sigyn outright rejected him, stating she would never take someone as vile as him, even stating she was already engaged to an Asgardian Warrior part of Odin’s guard -- Theoric. 

Unable to accept this, Loki came up with a plan to have her fiancee killed during a mission, resulting in the Trickster taking on the disguise of Theoric in order to take Sigyn for his own. Despite having slightly suspicions of her lover being more romantic than before, Sigyn didn't notice that her lover wasn’t exactly who she thought he was.

Now comes the day of the wedding as Odin marries the happy couple. This was when Loki finally revealed his true self and what he had done. Odin tried to null the marriage, but it was against Asgardian law for even the High Father to do such a thing. Hence, Sigyn accepted her fate as Loki’s wife. This caused Odin to name her the Goddess of Fidelity. 

Where it’s Heading (Cargo of Incantation-Fetter’s Arms):

Loki being Loki, he did some shit that ended up with him being imprisoned in a tree by Odin, something that infuriated Sigyn, resulting in her trying to take control over Donald Blake to use over the All-Father as a way to free her husband from his punishment. However, it didn’t work out, resulting in a bunch of other crazy shit happening and putting Thor on their trail.

After Balder was killed, Loki was put on trials for his crimes and received yet another punishment that Sigyn had to protect him from -- having burden over the fact she was “the evil’s wife.” Just like the classic Norse tale, she holds a bowl over his head, shielding him from snake venom and leaving to empty it momentarily when it became full, resulting in Loki cursing her. 

Also, Loki and Sigyn had a child -- Narvi, but they died young, being used as the binding to imprison Loki (following the Norse myth too.) 

Some more crazy shit happens and now Odin has shackled Loki to Sigyn so he doesn’t cause anymore trouble. Loki of course is not pleased about this one bit. Having had enough of this, he went to Odin demanding to be released, only resulting in him being banished to an outpost. 

There Just Might be Hope????:

Some more shit happens again, resulting in Loki being stuck in an astral form and bound to a suit of armor so he could reside in Asgard thanks to Sigyn. A fight happens with Thor, Loki and Mephisto, putting Sigyn in danger. This is when for the first time ever, Loki ends up having a tender confession of love over Sigyn, asking Thor to save her since he could not.

It’s unknown if this is just Loki putting on an act or being real, but you know how the Trickster God can be. 

After the battle, while Loki had released Sigyn from her marital vows, his wife swore to always be there for him when he needed her.

And that’s the last we see of Sigyn’s regular appearance in the comics in 1996. She makes a cameo in Avengers: Unleashed #1 in 2019, but it’s nothing more than a flashback to her time of helping Loki. 

A Hypothesis & Notes on their relationship in comics:

The whole entire plotline consisting of Theoric and Loki killing him in order to obtain Sigyn is just something most of the fandom doesn’t like. Not only does it objectify Sigyn, but it makes Theoric a Pointless character to introduce anyway, only used as a tool for means in which Loki can get Sigyn, when honestly, he could have done so in a different way.

I like that they stick with Sigyn being the faithful wife of Loki (that’s who she is), but they honestly don’t give her any agency in this besides that trait alone. The writers don’t even let Sigyn be her own damn person! She is SO MUCH MORE than Loki’s loyal wife. SHE IS A FREAKIN GODDESS! I know there is more we can do with her.

Instead of pulling the ‘woe is me, my husband is evil and I’ll just go along with it’ card, something else could have been done. LIKE LITERALLY, ANYTHING ELSE! We know Loki can be a troublemaker, but Sigyn knows how to deal with his shit. She isn’t some damsel in distress here! It’s another reason Loki likes her.

Couples can bicker in times, it’s normal in marriages and relationships, but to have Loki whining about how much of a burden Sigyn is is just....WHY? I mean, you went after the woman and killed another guy for her. This is what you wanted! *shakes head at writers*

I will give them kudos though for some of the stuff near the end when Loki actually starts displaying his true feelings of love towards Sigyn. And sadly we only got a little taste of that...and we aren’t even sure if it was an act or Loki being real.

THE FACT THAT SIGYN ISN’T EVEN IN THE COMICS ANYMORE SINCE 1996. She’s only mentioned, but it’s just as a tale, not as an actual person who USED to be his wife. They literally killed her off. EXCUSE ME! #JusticeforSigyn (We’re still waiting for her in the MCU...)

NORSE MYTHOLOGY TIE-INS:

There were some moments in the comics between them that they writers took from Norse Mythology with them. Thought It’d be important to list.

Loki’s Punishment of snake venom dripping onto him while Sigyn holds a bowl to collect it and shield him.

Narvi being Loki & Sigyn’s son who was killed and his insides used to bind Loki for his punishment.

Sigyn being Loki’s wife. 

DIFFERENT WRITERS, DIFFERENT CHARACTERIZATION:

As is the case with everything out there, if you have different writers working on the same project, there is bound to be a difference of characterization and interpretation, resulting in OOC moments or just something completely different altogether. After researching and pondering on this subject, I FULLY believe this is what has happened with Loki & Sigyn’s relationship in the comics. Let’s take a look at the evidence I’ve found:

For the comics Sigyn’s creators were Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Tom Palmer. 

Loki’s creators for the comics were Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby, Violet Barclay, and honestly, many others.  

My favorite quotes on them from the comics:

Wait? Despite the crappy writing, I actually have quotes I like from the comics? GASP! I call these the only positives from the comics of their relationship. 

“My Sigyn-- the love of my immortal life...” �� Loki, Thor Annual Vol 1 #19

“Aye-- For only Sigyn, of all in the realm eternal, feels love for Loki. And among all Asgardians, only for Sigyn does Loki feel...” — Loki, Thor Annual #19

“Sigyn loves me-- just as she is the only thing in the nine worlds that I truly love.”— Loki, Thor #483

Photo Source: https://www.zerochan.net/1262293#full

Fandoms Wish for MCU & Future Appearance Justice:

Fans would like to see Sigyn make an appearance, not only in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), but also the Marvel Comics once again. They would like to see Loki & Sigyn’s characters done justice with proper writing, especially regarding their relationship with each other. 

This is why there is plenty of fans out there writing Fanfiction, making Fanart, Roleplaying and even Cosplaying them, giving their interpretation’s of what their relationship would be like. This is THE VERY REASON this blog and @sigynappreciation​ was created to help spread awareness and unite fans who feel the same way. 

These characters are very near and dear to our hearts. Some of us even worship them in our religions. We would like to see their relationship grow and portrayed in a way that helps fill the pieces of the missing puzzle to how they came to be in Norse Mythology. 

CONCLUSION:

Although their relationship in the comics usually leaves fans grimacing, at least we got to have it explored. Who knows if Marvel will ever touch anything with them ever again, but at least it’s brought together a small community that continues to go strong -- and honestly, that kind of unity is what Loki & Sigyn would want. 

So imagine to your hearts content! Draw that fanart! Write those fanfictions! Dress up in that cosplay! Be those characters! But just remember, you have a family here to love and support you. 

SOURCES:

Sigyn’s info on Marvel Database: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Sigyn_(Earth-616)

Loki’s info on Marvel Database: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Loki_Laufeyson_(Earth-616)

Sigyn on Marvel Universe: http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/sigynthor.htm

Logyn on the Shipping Wiki: https://shipping.fandom.com/wiki/Logyn

Loki & Sigyn’s relationship through Media: https://www.alehorn.com/blogs/blog/norse-mythology-loki-and-sigyn

[earthstory]

Alabama Hills: Endgame

This image comes from the state of California, just outside of the town of Lone Pine, a place known as the Alabama Hills. In the background, you can see the Sierra Nevada mountain range, with Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States, in the distance almost at the center of the frame.

In California, the main mountain range, the Sierra Nevada, runs north-south through the state. On the west side, the Sierras gradually lose elevation and merge into sedimentary basins in the Central Valley, but on the east side, they stop abruptly.

The Sierras are cut on their eastern side by a series of normal faults that have dropped the rocks down and created a deep, sediment-filled basin known as Owens valley. You can see the trace of one of those faults in this image; it basically marks the place where the mountains go from incredibly steep to very flat.

The Alabama Hills sit right in the middle of Owens Valley. They’re made of granite that is very similar to the rocks of the Sierra Nevada, but there are about 3 kilometers of valley floor between them and the Sierras. The Alabama Hills are a block of the Sierras basically trapped in the middle of Owens valley.

These hills are pieces of Sierran granite, but because they are bounded by faults, they didn’t drop down as far as the rest of the valley. The faults around the hills still move, and in fact there was a magnitude 7.4 earthquake along the east side of the Alabama Hills in 1872.

They sit in an incredibly picturesque area. There isn’t a lot of rain, so the hills don’t erode rapidly, but since they’re not big they’re easy to climb on or drive around, and they have the gorgeous Sierra Nevada as a backdrop. The Alabama Hills also sit in the rain shadow of the Sierras; they don’t receive much precipitation, making the area great for filming desert scenes. The weathering granite helps as well, it weathers to grus; broken up fragments of the grains in the granite that don’t host much vegetation and give a good impression of a desert when they’re on camera.

These hills are such a great location that they show up throughout Hollywood history. The other name for the portion of land right around the Alabama Hills sums this up pretty well; Movie Flat. If you look in the background of any number of “western” movies, there’s this remarkable habit of Mount Whitney showing up. Django Unchained, Gladiator, Tremors, How the West was Won; the list of films shot here seems endless. Captain Kirk was even buried here.

That brings us to the Endgame of this post. In the 2008 film Iron Man, the film that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Alabama Hills played a key role, standing in for Afghanistan. This spot is where Tony Stark demonstrates the Jericho Missile. This is the spot where Tony Stark’s convoy is attacked and Stark is taken prisoner - leading to his development of the Iron Man Mark 1. In fact, they test the missile on the Sierras; literally on the slopes just south of Mount Whitney. With all due respect to Captain America (as his movie was filmed later but occurs earlier in earth History), the story of the Avengers began right here, in the shadows of Mount Whitney. 

So, to paraphrase a line...We’re in the Alabama Hills now.

-JBB

Photo credit: Me! No rights reserved.

1872 Lone Pine Earthquake: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1872_Lone_Pine_earthquake

Alabama Hills on Tripadvisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g32646-d117177-Reviews-Alabama_Hills-Lone_Pine_California.html

Alabama Hills from the BLM: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bishop/scenic_byways/alabamas.html

Lone Pine Film Database (39 pages!): http://www.lonepinefilmhistorymuseum.org/index.php?option=com_joodb&view=catalog&Itemid=31

And why not, the video clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBC1Qob27sM

[sineala]

Hi! I just recently started reading the comics and I’m really only interested in Tony. I read Avengers v1 and Tony is already quitting 16 issues in?? Is he going to reappear again? If so, I was wondering if you had a list of issues in which he does?

Yes, Tony absolutely reappears again!

If you’re not familiar with it, I encourage you to learn to love the Marvel Database wiki; it has a page for every Marvel issue ever, with cover art, usually some kind of summary and – the part you are going to like – a list of every character that appears in the issue in question. For example, this is the page for Avengers v1 #16.

However, I happen to have an even more helpful resource for your purposes, which is this chart – there’s a link on that page to a hi-res version – of every member of the main Avengers team, issue-by-issue, from the beginning of volume 1 up until the end of volume 5. (Volume 5 is Hickman’s Avengers run, which isn’t quite current since it ended in 2015 but it’ll get you pretty far.)

Looking at the chart, it looks like – after Cap’s Kooky Quartet (the name for the team that is Steve, Clint, Pietro, and Wanda) – Tony appears sporadically through the next four or five dozen issues but rejoins the Avengers team on what seems to be a mostly permanent basis starting at Avengers #86 (in 1971). My v1 reading is patchy so I can’t actually tell you what if anything happens then that might be significant, but he appears to continue on as basically full time from there until Avengers v1 #228 (in 1983). I do, in fact, know what happens there: he starts drinking. (Well, he starts drinking in the Iron Man book, which has more details about why.) At this point he’s basically too drunk to function. Not only does he quit being an Avenger, he also quits being Iron Man. (He does continue to appear in the Iron Man solo comic, and, yes, yes, it IS my favorite Iron Man run ever.)

Rhodey takes over as Iron Man while Tony is off being drunk, which I mention because you should be aware that if you are reading a team comic with Iron Man in it from the mid-80s – for example, an event like the original Secret Wars – that the Iron Man you see is actually Rhodey. (Since most of the Avengers don’t even know that Tony was ever Iron Man at this point, the fact that it isn’t Tony in the suit might not even come up in the comic.)

If you’re following the chart it then looks like basically Tony doesn’t appear at all in the Avengers for the entire rest of volume 1 (so up until the mid-1990s), which is technically accurate – but this chart only covers exactly one team, the main Avengers team, and Tony spent his time on teams like the West Coast Avengers (although if you’re starting WCA from the beginning, you should know that the Iron Man who joins at the beginning is Rhodey and not Tony) and then Force Works. And also the chart only counts Avengers who are actually on the team and I happen to know that Tony shows up in Avengers toward the very end because he dies in Steve’s arms in The Crossing.

After that, v2 is a very short volume with apparently some Tony (I haven’t read it) and then there is v3 which I adore and which has a whole lot of Tony, although he is absent from the team for a dozen or so issues in the middle of it, I think.

Since the chart only covers comics called Avengers, it won’t tell you that the next thing after Avengers v3 is New Avengers v1, which is great run with a team that contains Tony until about issue #20, when Civil War happens. After Civil War, New Avengers is about the Avengers team resisting the SHRA (i.e., the team Steve used to lead), and you can read about Tony and his new government-sponsored Avengers team in Mighty Avengers v1.

We head through events like Secret Invasion, Dark Reign, and Siege, and then  the SHRA is over and Steve comes back to life and then Avengers v4 starts and we have a brand-new Avengers team that Tony is on pretty consistently and it’s a good run. And then there’s Avengers v5, which runs concurrently with New Avengers v3 (and you need to read them both together), both of which heavily feature Tony, although for plot reasons he is scarce in the latter third or so of both of them. He shows up for the finale even though he’s not on the chart, I promise.

After that, Tony is on the team for All-New All-Different Avengers until Carol punches him into a coma at the end of Civil War II. Avengers v6 is one #0 preview issue for all the Avengers comics so it doesn’t really count. Tony is still comatose in Avengers v7, and therefore not on the team. And here we are in Avengers v8 and Tony is back again!

I hope that helps.

[earthstory]

For your consideration…the Alabama Hills.

This image comes from the state of California, just outside of the town of Lone Pine, a place known as the Alabama Hills. In the background, you can see the Sierra Nevada mountain range, with Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States, in the distance almost at the center of the frame.

In California, the main mountain range, the Sierra Nevada, runs north-south through the state. On the west side, the Sierras gradually lose elevation and merge into sedimentary basins in the Central Valley, but on the east side, they stop abruptly.

The Sierras are cut on their eastern side by a series of normal faults that have dropped the rocks down and created a deep, sediment-filled basin known as Owens valley. You can see the trace of one of those faults in this image; it basically marks the place where the mountains go from incredibly steep to very flat.

The Alabama Hills sit right in the middle of Owens Valley. They’re made of granite that is very similar to the rocks of the Sierra Nevada, but there are about 3 kilometers of valley floor between them and the Sierras. The Alabama Hills are a block of the Sierras basically trapped in the middle of Owens valley.

These hills are pieces of Sierran granite, but because they are bounded by faults, they didn’t drop down as far as the rest of the valley. The faults around the hills still move, and in fact there was a magnitude 7.4 earthquake along the east side of the Alabama Hills in 1872.

They sit in an incredibly picturesque area. There isn’t a lot of rain, so the hills don’t erode rapidly, but since they’re not big they’re easy to climb on or drive around, and they have the gorgeous Sierra Nevada as a backdrop. These hills are such a great location that they show up throughout Hollywood history. The other name for the portion of land right around the Alabama Hills sums this up pretty well; Movie Flat. If you look in the background of any number of “western” movies, there’s this remarkable habit of Mount Whitney showing up. Django Unchained, Gladiator, Tremors, How the West was Won; the list of films shot here seems endless. Captain Kirk was even buried here.

The Alabama Hills also sit in the rain shadow of the Sierras; they don’t receive much precipitation, making the area great for filming desert scenes. The weathering granite helps as well, it weathers to grus; broken up fragments of the grains in the granite that don’t host much vegetation and give a good impression of a desert when they’re on camera.

That brings me, of course, to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the 2008 Iron Man film, the Alabama Hills played a key role, standing in for Afghanistan. This spot is where Tony Stark demonstrates the Jericho Missile. In fact, they test the missile on the Sierras; literally on the slopes just south of Mount Whitney. The scene where Stark is attacked and captured by militants, leading to the development of his miniaturized arc reactor, was also filmed right here, in the Alabama Hills. So effectively, the entire Iron Man film series (and the other Avengers movies) got their start right here, in the shadows of Mount Whitney.

So, to paraphrase the movie…ladies and gentlemen, for your consideration…the Alabama Hills.

-JBB

Photo credit: Me! No rights reserved.

1872 Lone Pine Earthquake: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1872_Lone_Pine_earthquake

Alabama Hills on Tripadvisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g32646-d117177-Reviews-Alabama_Hills-Lone_Pine_California.html

Alabama Hills from the BLM: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bishop/scenic_byways/alabamas.html

Lone Pine Film Database (39 pages!): http://www.lonepinefilmhistorymuseum.org/index.php?option=com_joodb&view=catalog&Itemid=31

And why not, the video clip: http://www.corporate-aliens.com/quotes/getquote.php?Tony-Stark&quoteid=462