My Favorite Stan Lee Cameos

Many creators in the comic book industry can leave their mark in the business, but none have done it in such a way as Stanley Lieber, better known as Stan "the Man" Lee. In the 1960's, he helped spearhead the Marvel universe we know today with the creation of many popular characters and teams, from the Fantastic Four to Spider-Man, Avengers, X-Men, and even Groot. Even those who don't read comics would know Stan from his numerous appearances in adaptations of his works through movies, cartoons, and video games. Stan passed away on November 12, 2018, with his final filmed cameo featured in "Avengers: Endgame." But today, on what would have been Stan's 97th birthday, I'd like to share some of my favorite Stan Lee cameos through his illustrious career.

SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (1998)

You never forget your first. I think for a lot of Marvel fans who grew up in the 90's, self included, the final episode of the Spider-Man animated series was their introduction to Stan Lee.

After saving all of reality from Spider-Carnage with his multiversal counterparts, the main Spidey of the series journeys to the world of the powerless Spidey (who I'd like to call Tobey), where he learns of his status as a popular fictional character and meets the man responsible for it. Basically it's our world, and Stan Lee coming face to face with his greatest creation is equivalent to that of Walt Disney meeting Mickey Mouse. The meeting means as much to Spidey as it does to Stan, finally looking forward to a bright future after all the hardships he's faced over the course of the series.

There's also the nice touch of Madame Web, who I would find out long after the series' conclusion that she was voiced by Stan's wife, Joan. Stan and Web's compliments about each other made a lot more sense after that.

THE SIMPSONS (2002)

What, you thought this was going to focus squarely on Marvel? We all know Stan is bigger than that. Of the dozens of celebrity guest appearances the Simpsons has had in its decades spanning history, Stan Lee's appearance in the season 13 episode "I am Furious (Yellow)" surely ranks among the best (and it's one of my favorite episodes of the series in general).

It starts out simple enough with Stan Lee randomly showing up at the Android's Dungeon and giving Bart some creative advice (while also promoting Marvel over DC). You think that would be all, but we cut to some time later and Stan has apparently not left the comic book store, taking the "Marvel over DC" campaign further by crushing Database's toy Batmobile trying to force a Thing action figure to fit. Then you have the cherry on top with one more scene. After Homer is painted green due to one of Bart's pranks and ends up resembling the Hulk, an angry Stan claims he himself is the Hulk and attempts to transform. Comic Book Guy pities Stan but quickly comforts him after he fails. Honestly, the funny part about this scene is Comic Book Guy leads Stan back into the store after saying he wish he could get him to leave. But hey, it's Stan. Who wouldn't want his company?

Stan Lee would make a few more appearances on The Simpsons, including officiating Comic Book Guy's wedding in 2014's "Married to the Blob", but they don't quite top the first time he rolled into Springfield.

FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (2007)

With the boom of Marvel movies in the 2000's, Stan Lee cameos became a staple no matter which studio they came from. If a Marvel movie was coming out, there was a 95% chance Stan would make an appearance. I think his cameo as a guest at Reed and Sue's wedding in the Fantastic Four sequel, "Rise of the Silver Surfer", is where they started to actually have more fun with his appearances. Stan Lee, as himself, getting kicked out of a wedding of characters he created is just hilarious. This one still goes down as one of my favorite cameos and I smile every time I watch it.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2012)

It's Stan Lee as a librarian apparently wearing ridiculously loud headphones listening to music oblivious to the destructive battle between Spider-Man and the Lizard. Whether you like the "Amazing" reboot or not, how can you not love this cameo? Also, bonus points for Spidey saving him from being hit by a thrown table.

THE BIG HERO 6 FRANCHISE (2014-2019)

Not many know that Big Hero 6 is based on comics published by Marvel. So as tradition usually allows with Marvel films, Stan Lee does make an appearance. While a portrait of Fred's father uses Stan's likeness, the true cameo comes in the post-credits scene when Fred discovers his father's secret superhero cache and then his father (voiced by Stan) discovers his son's discovery (discoverception?). That alone probably wouldn't have made my list, but the subsequent animated series kept this cameo from being just for laughs.

In the animated series, we learned that Fred's dad is a semi-retired superhero known as Boss Awesome with a regular rogues gallery, some of whom appear to fight the next generation team of Big Hero 6. Stan would voice Fred's dad several times throughout the series' first two seasons. I love the fact that Stan got his own superhero life and I enjoyed it every time he showed up.

The last episode Stan recorded for before his death was "Supersonic Sue", which was dedicated to him. With a third season ordered, I'm kind of hoping Big Hero 6 has an episode that pays tribute to Stan and Fred's dad in some way.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015)

For the most part, Stan's cameos are usually as some sort of civilian. That's why I feel his appearance in "Age of Ultron" is a special one. At a celebration party the Avengers are holding with many of their friends in attendance, we see Stan as one of Cap's old war buddies hanging with both him and Thor. It's made even better when he dares to drink a strong Asgardian elixir, messing him up so bad that he has to be escorted out while slurring one of his signature catchphrases, "Excelsior!" Excelsior indeed, Stan. Excelsior indeed.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016)

So after the emotional turmoil of watching Steve and Tony nearly killing each other, we needed someone to help lighten the mood. Enter Stan "the Federal Express Man" Lee! The combination of Stan's delivery (no pun intended) of "Tony Stank?" and Rhodey's reaction to it make this cameo comedic gold. And Rhodey's right; this is one we won't be forgetting any time soon.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017)

This cameo not only officially introduced the Watchers into the MCU, but it also gave credence to a long running fan theory about Stan's cameos. That theory is that Stan is a Watcher himself, witnessing events across time, space, and the multiverse. Of course, this excludes the times he appears as himself or a specific character. But whether it be MCU, the X-Men films, either Spider-Man series, etc., all Marvel movies/universes he appears in are connected in some way. His cameo in Guardians 2 is basically him on break with his fellow Watchers. There's also the fact that he directly refers to his "Civil War" cameo, despite the fact that delivery man and space man have literally nothing to do with each other and that Guardians 2 takes place two years before that.

SPIDER-MAN (2018)

I didn't play the Spider-Man PS4 game until after Stan's death so his cameo in the game would be the first one I'd see since then. As you'd expect, I got a little emotional when he popped up since it was nice to see him again. Another reason I enjoy this cameo, and I may be reading too much into it, is because it cements Peter and Mary Jane as Stan's favorite Marvel couple. Coincidentally, 2018 also saw Peter and Mary Jane finally get back together in the comics after splitting up way back in "One More Day". So yeah, it was a good year for those two.

VENOM (2018)

When it comes to Sony's 2018 Venom movie, while it still felt unnecessary, it honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's not on the level of the MCU of course, but I still found it entertaining. One of the best parts in my opinion was Stan's cameo where he stops Eddie on the street to give him (and Venom) encouragement on his love life. I also didn't see this until after Stan's death, so it kind of felt like Stan talking to Eddie from beyond the grave to me.

It's a very blatant Stan Lee cameo, but it's one that's so meta that I have to bring up the Watcher theory again. Stan observing the events of the movie is the only way this makes sense. I mean, how does he know about Eddie's love troubles when he was nowhere near him and Anne during their conversation or that Eddie has a symbiote? Hell, it's such a strange interaction even Venom has to point it out by questioning "who was that guy?" A legend, Venom. A legend. It's still a memorable cameo though, even if it does lack some logic from a certain view.

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018)

The makers of "Into the Spider-Verse" sprinkled Stan Lee cameos throughout the whole movie like some kind of game of "hide and seek", but his most prominent cameo in the film is always hard for me to get through. Since this was the first of Stan's posthumous cameos, the context of the scene added much more meaning than it intended to. As the city mourns the loss of Spider-Man, fans feel it even more when Stan appears and says "I'm going to miss him." It's like a double punch to the heart.

CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019)

For the final cameo on my list, "Captain Marvel" marked the first MCU film Stan appeared in posthumously. The loss was still fresh and the film even had a special Marvel Studios intro dedicated to Stan and his cameos. It's a very simple cameo with Stan rehearsing for his part in "Mallrats" when Carol, searching for a Skrull, comes up and pulls it down. Stan smiles and Carol smiles back. Personally, I see Carol's smile as a way of saying "We miss you, Stan." While that wasn't the intention, that's the way I'll always look at it.

In conclusion, happy birthday Stan. We'll never stop missing you.

Movie Review: "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" - Messy yet Satisfying

I've never talked about Star Wars before on the blog, mostly because I haven't had anything worth talking about to warrant a post...until now.
Like many, I became a Star Wars fan when I was very young. My parents got me the original trilogy on VHS in a three pack collection and I got tons of toys of various characters as well. The original trilogy are classics and I appreciate them the more I get older and rewatch them.
The prequel trilogy is a bit of a rough spot, but I think each of the films had something positive to look at. "Phantom Menace" had one of the best lightsaber battles in Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi against Darth Maul. "Attack of the Clones" is what I consider the worst of the series, with poorly aged CGI, too many plotlines going on, and Anakin's whiny and creepy behavior; Yoda's lightsaber battle was pretty awesome though. "Revenge of the Sith" was the best of the lot by a mile and was at a time my favorite of the franchise.
When Disney bought the franchise and announced a sequel trilogy, it took me quite awhile to get on board. "The Force Awakens" would become my all-time favorite Star Wars film, combining what I felt worked best from both of the previous trilogies. "The Last Jedi" divided the fanbase, but I'm of the camp that thought it was good. I enjoyed how it subverted expectations, was more politically topical than what came before, and it featured one of the most badass Luke Skywalker moments ever. The only thing that keeps bugging me about it was Haldo's "don't tell anyone the plan to save them" thought process, because that just caused a ripple effect that got more people killed.
Now we've come to "The Rise of Skywalker", the ninth and final film of the main series...and boy do I have some thoughts on it.

Honestly, the story isn't as strong here as it was in the previous two installments, and I feel it was due to the fan response to "The Last Jedi." If that didn't scare Disney, then the box office failure of the Han Solo spin-off sent them into a panic, with the goal of making sure Episode IX made everyone happy. While I thought "Last Jedi" had a pretty epic set-up for the end of the trilogy, I felt somewhat underwhelmed with what we would end up getting and it can get predictable at times. A lot of elements brought in seem meant to appease fans, but it can come off hollow or too "fan-fic"y, like Finn apparently becoming force sensitive all of sudden. Strangely enough though, it appears to want validate part of "Last Jedi" as Poe also seems a little more dickish in this movie compared to how he's been before, almost like they were trying to justify Haldo's treatment of him in that film. And even though I thought it was genius to bring back Emperor Palpatine (who's looking a bit like Davros from Doctor Who), revealing that he's been pulling strings the whole time and cementing his spot as THE villain of the franchise, it doesn't have as much grandiose as I expected. They revealed his involvement in the trailers, but I at least expected it to be built up instead of bringing him in the first five minutes. Lastly, while I didn't realize the parallels "Force Awakens" had to "A New Hope" until it was pointed out, I was constantly reminded of "Return of the Jedi" throughout "Rise of Skywalker"; hell, even the climax is eerily similar to "Avengers: Endgame". Still, it at least doesn't have any glaring story problems that "Last Jedi" did.
Between Disney and the fans, I think both sides are to blame for the film's problems. Disney didn't have a course plotted for the trilogy (planning one film at a time), fans held on to their fan theories too obsessively, and Disney over-course corrected to the level of "Justice League" trying to please everyone.

What did I like though? Well, for one, we finally have Rey, Finn, and Poe (the trinity of the trilogy) working together for an extended amount of time. As a whole, all the new main characters introduced in the last few years have some pretty good moments in the film, bringing their stories to a close and parallel moments from the beginning of the trilogy to bring things full circle. And of course there are some pretty exciting moments, including the speeder chase in the desert and the fight between Rey and Kylo Ren on Endor.
"Rise of Skywalker" also does a good job at bringing a sense of finality to the decades spanning story and doing so in epic fashion, particularly the climax. From the Resistance rallying and going into battle with the Sith Fleet and Rey and Ben confronting Palpatine, it felt like a true culmination of what came before in both the original and prequel trilogies. There are also some nice callbacks from said trilogies, one of which finally gives some payoff to the story of Darth Plagueis from Episode III. Between being a life long fan and having rewatched all the movies beforehand, despite the problems, I really thought "Rise of Skywalker" as a whole was a satisfying conclusion that can bring all fans together.

Overall, "Rise of Skywalker" leaves more to be desired as a stand-alone film, but it succeeds more as the final chapter to the overall saga. This is really just an initial reaction, and I may look at it a little better on a second viewing or marathoning the entire sequel trilogy; hell, I may have gone into this as a critic opposed to a fan. For now though, I'll just say this: I love Star Wars as a whole, originals, prequels, sequels, and all. Are all the films perfect? No (hell no in some cases), but I can see in each one that the people behind them tried to make the best story they could because they cared as well. In any case, the Skywalker Saga is a story that will stick with me for years to come.

My Ranking of the Star Wars Skywalker Saga:
1. The Force Awakens (VII)
2. Revenge of the Sith (III)
3. The Empire Strikes Back (V)
4. A New Hope (IV)
5. Return of the Jedi (VI)
6. The Rise of Skywalker (IX)
7. The Last Jedi (VIII)
8. The Phantom Menace (I)
9. Attack of the Clones (II)

TV Review: Runaways Season Three - Final Exam

Runaways has been a beloved addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a surprise treat of a show in its own right. All good things must come to an end though as season three marks the show's finale. Unlike all the Netflix shows' petty cancellations, Runaways' early ending is more due to the restructuring of Marvel's TV division to become part of the proper Marvel Studios. Like all the other Marvel shows that have ended though, I still have hope we'll see these characters to some degree in the future. At the moment though, the series' final season does a good job closing the chapter on a group of characters many have become invested in.

To start things off, the beginning episodes of the season actually make me appreciate the latter half of the second season much more than I did before. Now fully being aware of Jonah and his wife and daughter possessing Victor, Stacey, and Tina, respectively, brings a little more clarity to some of weirdness previously seen. As the season begins, the aliens (known as Gibborim) possessing the characters begin to act more like themselves than the people they're pretending to be, and I give props to the actors for their performances. James Marsters, who plays Victor, begins displaying mannerisms similar to Julian McMahon when he played Jonah. The best of the trio though is Brittany Ishibashi, who is playing an older woman (Tina) being possessed by an alien with the personality of teenage girl; it's such a total 180 from how Tina usually acts that it's a scary good performance. There's also the character of Xavin; her development at the beginning of season three makes her a lot more compelling and relatable compared to how she was during the latter of season two that it made it a shame to see her leave half way through.

Like last season, season three feels like it's made up of two smaller ones again, but it's done in a more fluid way with the second threat being built up during the first one. The second half is also just as strong if not stronger than the first.
After the Gibborim threat is finally defeated, the next major adversary is Morgan le Fay, played by Elizabeth Hurley. Much like Brendan Fraser on "Doom Patrol", it's nice to see another actor who faded away for awhile return for such a prominent role. Hurley's performance as Morgan reminds me much of when she played the Devil in "Bedazzled", which makes a lot of sense considering they both have this charming personality and use magic to get what they want. Her relationship with Nico also makes me think of that of Chancellor Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars. Hurley overall does a good job at filling the role of charismatic villain left by Julian McMahon in season two.
What's important about Morgan is that she's a big enough threat that both the Runaways and the PRIDE parents (some of who take on some surprising directions and roles this season) do what they can to stop her, eventually coming together. This truly brings the series full circle, with the relationships between the kids and their parents not totally healed, but at least on the mend.

This season has the strongest connections to the broader MCU than ever before. While hinted at last season, it turns out I was correct that the Dark Dimension from "Doctor Strange" would play a prominent role. The Runaways travel there and unknowingly release Morgan as well, and Morgan's plan is to merge it and Earth and rule over all (partly using the Darkhold spellbook from season 4 of "Agents of SHIELD" to do so). If I had a complaint though, it's that not only is it just the same villain plan from "Doctor Strange", but it's also similar to Neron's plan in season four of "Legends of Tomorrow", enticing people through their phones to power up the spell they need to combine dimensions. However, while I'm not sure if there was any intended social commentary, but it's worth noting that the beings in the Dark Dimension are called the Mindless Ones, and Morgan was using smartphones to take control of people on Earth; make of that what you will.
We also have a cross-show team-up this season with Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph reprising their roles of Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson from "Cloak and Dagger". In its own right, "Cloak and Dagger" was another pretty damn good Marvel show and dealt with a lot of mature topics; unfortunately, it too was cancelled for similar reasons Runaways was. For their last hurrah, it was nice to see these characters again and they had some entertaining interactions with the Runaways cast. However, I think people who watched their show will understand and get more from their appearance here than those who didn't, but maybe it'll push the latter group to go back and watch that series (since it's available on Hulu as well). In any case, hopefully we haven't seen the last of Cloak and Dagger either.

The series finale brings in a time travel element, and part of that involves some of the characters travelling all the way back to the first episode. Returning to what I said about "full circle", it was nice to be reminded of how things began and reflect on the changes the characters and their relationships have gone through over the last few years, whether it be for better or worse.
However, the time travel element displays the already glaring disconnect between the Marvel TV and film divisions, despite all the connections I spoke of earlier. Without spoiling much, let's just say that the time travel rules set in "Endgame" are ignored here (not to mention it brings up some blatant problems with the show's own timeline). Despite all the shows we're losing in the restructuring, I'd like to think it will be worth it so that we have a truly connected MCU.

Overall, not only does season three bring Runaways to a worthwhile conclusion, but it makes up for the problems from season two. I think season one is still the best of the series though since it was so fresh and original to me. But as a whole, Runaways was an endearing epic and one I'd like Marvel to revisit one day.

Analysis: Spider-Man (2017) Season Two Episodes 14-26

Well that was certainly a long hiatus. The last time I look at this series was August of 2018, and the season has only now just wrapped up. Better late than never I suppose.
So when we last left the series, Doctor Octopus had transferred his mind into Spider-Man's body, leaving Peter Parker's consciousness in the Neuro-Cortex. It was a hell of a cliffhanger to end on, though it kind of sucks there was thirteen month gap between episodes. But I digress. Let's jump back into the series.

Before we pick back up with Ock in Spidey's body, we have an episode focusing on Gwen getting her spider-powers back and now creating the Ghost Spider identity. While it is nice to have Gwen get her powers back, I really hate the Ghost Spider name Marvel's been pushing for the character the last few years. I know she probably needed a unique name aside from being another Spider-Woman and Spider-Gwen doesn't do much for a secret identity, but why Ghost Spider? Even though she wears a white mask and hood, her powers have nothing do with ghosts. At least in the comics, Earth-65 Gwen took on the name as reference to her deceased 616 counterpart. Here, they just think it sounds cool. Still, it's not as bad as Miles being given the codename "Spy-D" later on in the season; suddenly "Kid Arachnid" seems more dignified.

But back to the main plot with Ock, who has retreated to a secret lab he set up in the city, initially calling it an "Octo-Lair" before redubbing it "the Spider's Nest". Ock takes off his mask and his flabbergasted to find out Spider-Man is Peter Parker. What's interesting is that while Ock's inner thoughts are still done by Scott Menville, Robbie Daymond still provides Peter's voice, but now speaking like Menville's Ock would, using his inflections. I'm betting that during recording, Menville would say the line first and Daymond would do his best to mimic him. It sounds a little off at the beginning, which is probably the point, but Daymond as Ock as Peter soon enough sounds natural. It only gets really cringey when he tries to sound hip with his "peers", calling them "dude" or "bro".
While Ock plans to resume his criminal life as Spider-Man, he begins experiencing flashes of Peter's life, including memories of Uncle Ben and reliving the origin story, seeing Peter's inaction lead to Ben's death. This has a profound effect on Ock, who decides to take Ben's mantra of "With great power comes great responsibility" to heart. Otto declares his intent to live by Ben's words and carry on Peter's heroic mission, now as the Superior Spider-Man.

The series adapts many elements from the original Superior run. Otto goes straight into the red/black suit, uses a legion of spider-bots to patrol the city, and begins brutally dismantling the criminal underworld, which earns the suspicion of the Avengers and surprise admiration from J. Jonah Jameson. Also like the comics, it's the moments where he tries to live out Peter's life that get awkward, particularly when his arrogance comes through. Everyone picks up on Peter's bizarre behavior, thinking he's just under stress from having to find a way to pay his tuition and lacking on sleep (so pretty much everything that's happened since the previous Venom two-parter). But things reach a tipping point when "Peter" feels insulted that he has to pay for school and quits Horizon High, feeling it is beneath his intellect. This leads to "Peter" going back to Midtown High. While Otto is at first annoyed by this idea, he tries to make the best of the situation, saying that he can excel in his classes, standing out and securing a bright future for "Peter". It's here that he meets Anna Maria Marconi, a student teacher who hopes to bring Midtown to the level of Horizon High. The two form an immediate connection, with Otto admiring her determination. Otto also begins to form a bond with Flash Thompson. While not fond of Flash's physical affection, Otto does seem to take his opinions on Spider-Man's recent behavior under consideration, that being he feels being a hero is more about heart and not just statistics.

So while Otto's living it up in Peter's body, Peter's mind has been trapped in cyberspace, trying to find a way to reach the outside world and figure out how to get his body back. After getting out of the Neuro-Cortex to the Horizon web network, Peter finds Otto's data storage where he apparently digitized his memories. Peter finds out that he and Otto are quite similar, being kids who loved science but bullied by their peers. The major difference is that while Peter had a nurturing figure like Uncle Ben, Otto had an abusive father who was jealous of his son's intelligence while also belittling him for not being a physical boy. Eventually, Peter is able to transfer into Otto's robotic arms where he's finally able to get a message about the situation to Miles, who was the most suspicious about Peter/Spider-Man's behavior. The two battle with Otto in an attempt to swap minds again, with Peter also trying to appeal to Otto's rational side now understanding him a little better. Otto declares he will never give Peter his body back, nearly destroying the his old arms. Miles saves Peter at the last minute and the two retreat.

Things come to ahead when the Venom symbiote awakens and abandons the comatose body of Eddie Brock, now able to move and speak without requiring a host body, once again bent on destroying Spider-Man. It first goes to Horizon High to find Peter, only to discover he isn't there (at least technically physically), badly injuring Miles in the process. As the symbiote heads to Midtown High, Peter contacts Otto to warn him Venom is coming and that he'll use his weaknesses against him. Otto, however, is not worried, claiming he has no weaknesses. Venom does indeed attack Midtown, outmatching Otto and making quick work of the spider-bots, eventually taking both Anna Maria and Flash hostage. There's a significant character moment for Flash, revealing he has some PTSD from being possessed by the symbiote back in season one, frozen with fear when it arrives. Venom says he'll release them if Spider-Man rebonds with him, but upon beginning to, Venom automatically realizes he tastes off, tossing Otto aside and demanding the real Spider-Man. For the first time, Otto is full of doubt and fear. He's afraid of losing the two people he cares about and has no idea what to do to save them. Suddenly, Peter arrives in Ock's damaged arms to try and help, only to be tossed aside by Venom. Otto follows Peter and begins a mind transference. What happens next would be an injustice to merely describe.

Back in his own body, Peter doesn't waste any time, first saving Flash who promptly escapes. Venom takes note of Spider-Man actually making jokes and after getting a taste  realizes he is finally dealing with Peter Parker, saying his name in front of Anna Maria. The battle ends with Peter overloading Venom with electricity, causing the symbiote to explode (don't worry, Venom is already announced to be the main villain of season three). In the aftermath, Peter has to explain the situation to Anna Maria, officially introducing her to Otto, whose mind is now in the damaged arms. Otto states his sacrifice was worth it knowing that Anna Maria is safe as the circuitry in the arms dies. Peter then realizes there may still be a way to save Otto by transferring his mind back into his comatose body. The transfer is successful, and while Otto's still in a coma, there's more brain activity showing. And with that, Peter Parker returns to the red and blues and reclaims his spot as the original Spider-Man.

The series does a fairly adequate job adapting the Superior Spider-Man storyline. While it doesn't last as long as it did in the comics and may seem to go by quick, it kind of makes sense given it's a different medium. For all intents and purposes, Otto was still the antagonist who took over the protagonist's body, not fully redeeming himself until he relinquished control back to Peter. Since this is a kid's show, they probably wouldn't want to be following the villain for half the season. I really enjoy the ending, as it not only recaptures the emotional moment of Otto's sacrifice, but it offers a happier outcome to Otto and Anna Maria's relationship. Considering their relationship didn't progress as far as it did in the comics, it avoids much of the ethical dilemmas that one could point out. Even though it was Peter's body, Anna Maria was able to get to know Otto and see the good person he was deep down, signaling a more positive future between the two compared to how it would go in the comics.

The rest of the season deals with much of the fallout of Otto's actions as Peter and Spider-Man. As Spider-Man, Peter is able to restore his good public reputation, with his supposed incompetence leading to Jameson hating him again, as well as make amends with the Avengers (since supervillain body takeovers aren't such an outlandish claim in the Marvel universe). Peter's life isn't as easy to fix. As Peter, Otto practically ostracized Max, Gwen, Anya, and everyone at Horizon High, save for Miles. Even if Peter did have some way to pay tuition, he's unwelcome.
Otto would soon awaken from his coma, and while not Spider-Man anymore, he's still inspired by Uncle Ben and seeks to try and do good. Though Peter is initially angry and untrusting of Otto at first, his help in defeating both Regent and Slyde would lead to Otto becoming Spider-Man's "guy in the chair." Anna Maria was also putting plans into motion to bring Otto on as a teacher at Midtown, since the two still hoped to elevate the school's status.

The season wraps with the four part "Goblin War", an adaptation of the "Goblin Nation" story that ended the initial Superior title; so I was half right about my predictions in the previous analysis.
New York is being overrun by a gang using Harry Osborn's goblin tech, calling themselves the Goblin Nation and doing the bidding of someone named Goblin King. Peter calls Harry about the situation, who immediately comes home to help deal with it. Unfortunately, there's not much of a united front as Harry and Otto don't trust one another, with Harry perplexed why Peter would work with Otto after what he had done to him. Both theorizing that the Goblin King could be Norman, since his body was never recovered, Peter and Harry suit up as Spider-Man and Hobgoblin and travel down a hidden tunnel they discovered in the Osborn family crypt at the cemetery. This leads them to a cache full of goblin tech where they're attacked by the Goblin King and his minions. It is then revealed that the Goblin King is actually Adrian Toomes, the Vulture. Between discovering the cache and taking advantage of the Superior Spider-Man's dismantling of the criminal underworld, it was easy for Toomes to gather an army and equip them with Goblin tech.
Making Toomes the Goblin King is a mixed bag for me. I give them props for being a little original by not making him Norman, but it just seems kind of random to make it Vulture. It reminds me a lot of making the Riddler into Hush, though they used some plot threads in the comics and altered them to fit the narrative. Still, they do give Adrian decent motivation in the identity change, blaming Norman for ruining his life and wanting to use the goblin tech to ruin the Osborn legacy in return. I do wish that they hadn't reveal his identity right away though. One of the best things about the Goblin plotline in the original Superior run was the ambiguity, that we weren't 100% if it was really Norman Osborn until the final issue. I think the Toomes twist would have worked better if they let us think it was Norman for a little longer.

With the major threat growing stronger, Spider-Man organizes Harry, Otto, Gwen/Ghost Spider, Anya/Spider-Girl (the previous two initially working as a duo to fight the goblins), Miles, and Anna Maria to combat the Goblin Nation, saying they need to put aside their differences and mistrust of one another in order to save the city. As Otto and Anna Maria direct from the Spider's Nest and the rest of the spider team deal with goblins across the city, Peter and Harry attempt to prevent Toomes from reaching his true endgame, the Goblin Mech. See, Norman left plans for Harry to build a Goblin Mech, a war machine that could take control of any form of machinery and technology. Harry had intended for the Goblin Mech to be used for police and military purposes, though Peter points out the obvious risk of it falling into the wrong hands. Toomes does acquire the Goblin Mech, also revealing that he was the one who designed the Goblin Mech and that Norman had stolen his plans (and it's here where I think they should have revealed Toomes to be the Goblin King).
The Goblin Mech is a force to be reckoned with, quickly knocking most of the spider team out of commission. Peter's still in the fight, but his costume gets torn up, and you know things are serious when the Spidey suit gets ravaged. As they realize Toomes is controlling the Goblin Mech through a mental interface, Peter and Otto theorize they can use the Neuro-Cortex to send a strong mental blast to override Toomes' control and disable the Mech. Harry does his best to distract Toomes while Spidey heads to Horizon High to get the Neuro-Cortex as Anna Maria calls Max to get him to evacuate the school and prepare for Spider-Man's arrival. However, Otto reveals that the energy output from using the Neuro-Cortex in such a way only has a 2% chance of survival to whoever wields it. Peter is willing to make the sacrifice, but Otto arrives on the scene with his arms and takes the Neuro-Cortex from Peter, using it himself to bring down the Goblin Mech and ends Toomes' rampage. As predicted, the energy from the Neuro-Cortex is too much for Otto's body. In his last moments, Otto reveals that he considered Peter to have become his best friend, and that the world needs Spider-Man more than it needs him. It's a pretty emotional moment, though it's kind of undercut by Otto's body dissipating into pure energy.
Sometime later, Peter, Anna Maria, Max, Gwen, Anya, Miles, and Harry all pay their respects to Otto at his tombstone. With everyone present, Peter uses the opportunity to make amends for "his"/Otto's behavior. They forgive him, with Otto's own change in character inspiring them to give Peter a second chance. Max also reveals that before his death, Otto transferred part of his estate into a scholarship to Horizon High along with a letter of recommendation for Peter. So Max welcomes Peter back to Horizon, while also hinting that he's figured out he's Spider-Man, based on the previous conversation he had with Spider-Man when he came for the Neuro-Cortex (I also think the torn up Spidey mask revealing his eye and mouth may have also played a part in that).

And so wraps the second season of the 2017 Spider-Man animated series. While it had some issues, I think season two as a whole is much better than the first, bringing a lot of dramatic and emotional moments. The standout star of the season is Otto with how much he grows as a character, going from self-centered to self-sacrificing. The best parts are the interaction and growth of his and Peter's relationship as they slowly understand and trust each other. I'm really hoping that the series lets Otto rest, because bringing him back would cheapen his death.
One major issue I do need to bring up though is that Gwen and Anya still don't know Peter is Spider-Man, even after everything that happened in "Goblin War." With all of Peter's friend group now having spider-powers, I think it's kind of crappy behavior from Peter to have Miles be the only one who knows. Hopefully it's rectified in the next season.
Speaking of which, when season three starts up next year, the series will now go by "Spider-Man: Maximum Venom", with Venom and a symbiote invasion incoming. It's a storyline done to death with so many versions, but I'm willing to see how this series handles it.

TV Review: Titans Season Two - Like A Phoenix (SPOILERS)

Sometimes the first of something points out the flaws and problems that need to be worked on when it comes to the next project. While I thought the first season of "Titans" could have been better, the DC Universe shows that followed after, "Doom Patrol" and "Swamp Thing" were absolute wins in my book. That gave me a little hope for season two of "Titans", and the trailer that came out beforehand got me really excited. Now that the finale has come and gone, I can say that while not perfect, season two was a considerable improvement with "Titans" finding its stride.

First and foremost, the season begins with the final resolution to the Trigon storyline in what would have been the season one finale...sort of. From what I've heard, they rewrote and reshot much of what was originally intended, introducing elements of season two's plot in the process and setting up a parallel scene between Rachel/Raven and Gar/Beast Boy that would play out in season two's own finale. I still hate the fact that season ended on such a major cliffhanger without truly finishing off its story, but for what we would eventually got, it was pretty good with Raven using her powers to defeat Trigon in a way that reminded me of how it went in the original animated series.

A lot of what worked in season one is present in season two, particularly the character relationships, including the ones I enjoyed before (Rachel and Gar, Rachel and Kory/Starfire). Speaking of those three, they still don't have super suits yet, but like in season one, the costume designers still do a good job creating looks that resemble their comic appearances. Gar still has the red/white jacket while Kory wears clothes with a darker shade of purple. Rachel gets a little more closer to her comics look, especially with the gem now present on her forehead.
Of course, we do get some characters with some comic accurate looks. Deathstroke's costume is perfect, creating a menacing presence. The finale sees Dick finally suit up as Nightwing and man is the suit gorgeous. Rose's Ravager costume is also pretty faithful to the comics, but to a fault. The mask seems like something you'd wear on Halloween with huge cartoony eyes as lenses; I don't know why they didn't just give her eyes holes like her father's suit.
Areas they greatly improved on are the story pacing and the mature tone. Within the first four episodes, they establish most of the main characters and their relationships with one another going forward. There are two direct threats this season: Deathstroke (bringing in some elements of "The Judas Contract") and CADMUS (which introduces Superboy into the show). It's similar to how the second seasons of Daredevil and Punisher went with two different threats occurring and intersecting; Much like those, I think viewers will prefer one story over the other. For me it's Deathstroke, which is why it's a shame he's taken care of before CADMUS, even though he's supposed to be the season's big bad.
The mature tone is taken down a notch compared to season one. It's still explicit in the language and violence, but it's about on the level of Doom Patrol and Swamp Thing. I.e., not distracting and less immature. F-bombs are still present, but only really said constantly from characters you'd expect (like Hank/Hawk or Jason/Robin) and by other characters in stressful situations.

The show makes a "Rebirth" style retcon in establishing that there was a prior Titans team before the show began made up of Dick as Robin, Donna as Wonder Girl, Hawk, Dawn/Dove and Aqualad. With "Rebirth" in mind, that brings us to the main theme of this season. Much of the focus is about the tragedies inflicted on and mistakes made by the original Titans coming back to haunt them and new team Dick wanted to set up with Gar, Rachel, and Jason. Titans past and present must overcome their troubles in order to forge ahead and create something better than before. This is the "Rebirth" in question for the both the team and the series overall. This can also be seen particularly with Dick in his journey to becoming Nightwing. Plus, the best lesson to be learned from the season is when you're hurting, it's better to reach out to others for help rather than retreating within.

There are a lot of character developments, moments, and introductions this season, but here are the ones that really stood out to me.
* Bruce Wayne is introduced and portrayed by Iain Glen. I really enjoyed his performance as Bruce, with his voice reminding me somewhat of Kevin Conroy's. It's interesting how between this, the DCEU and Arrowverse, DC seems to be on a kick about making Batman a more seasoned crimefighter, with Glen's depiction being the oldest seen so far. He doesn't suit up as Batman this season, but I hope we get a chance to see this in the future.
* Esai Morales portrays Slade Wilson/Deathstroke and while I greatly enjoyed Manu Bennett's depiction of the character on "Arrow", Morales outdoes him and feels like the character jumped straight from the comic pages. I already mentioned the costume does a good job of creating an air of menace, but it's Morales' performance in and out of the suit that creates an intensity in his actions. Whether he's working on a job or a personal vendetta, he's a man you don't want targeting you. While his exceptional fighting skills are shown against characters like Donna and Dick, the one thing I wished we could have seen was him against all of the original Titans; it may have made him look uber-powerful fighting off a whole team, but I think it would have better established him as such a threat that all the old Titans are worried about his return.
* Ryan Potter shines again as Gar/Beast Boy, quite possibly the most optimistic character on the show. When everything starts falling apart, Gar's the only one trying to keep hope alive and hold on tight to what the Titans represent. Unfortunately he can still only transform into a tiger (save for the one instance where he's a snake during the Trigon situation), and there was even three month time jump. Again, I don't know if it's a budget thing, but can we get a little more variety in season three.
* As mentioned before, Conner/Superboy is introduced, portrayed by Joshua Orpin. While we've seen a brooding Conner in "Young Justice" and a cocky Conner in "Reign of the Supermen", this depiction of Conner is a bit more childlike. Despite the older body, he has the mindset of a child, which can lead to some moments where you kind of feel embarrassed for him. Whether you like this choice or not, it is admittedly unique. The best part with Conner though is his conflict in personality, wanting to be heroic like Superman, but has to fight off the darker tendencies of Lex Luthor's DNA at times.
* Mercy Graves, portrayed by Natalie Gumede, is a freaking sociopath. She has a wife and two daughters, yet shows no remorse for the actions she takes at CADMUS, Seriously, she's responsible for some of the darkest parts of the season, making her a character you can't help but hate.
* The character direction I'm most interested in is Curran Walters' Jason Todd. Like the first season, Jason's an arrogant little brat. There's a real shift in character though after nearly being killed by Deathstroke, showing some PTSD and considering suicide. He's more broken inside than I think any of the characters or viewers fully realized. It leads to him going out on his own, and it's completely understandable. He's already had a rough childhood, but after being passed off to Dick by Bruce, not getting a real chance to prove himself along with Rachel and Gar, being kept in the dark about the old Titans' past with Deathstroke, and being let down by Rose after opening himself up to her, he's just done. Jason's journey is not only once again the opposite of Dick's, but the Titans and the season's overall message. He's cutting himself off from everyone, I assume even giving up the Robin role. I can easily see him donning the Red Hood identity in the future, and he didn't even have to die to do so; and hey, that could also leave it open for Tim Drake to be introduced.

One of the biggest missteps of the season comes in the finale, with the death of Donna Troy. It kind of comes out of nowhere and occurs after both Deathstroke and CADMUS are dealt with. What happens is she prevents a transmission tower that had been damaged in battle from falling on Dove and some civilians, getting electrocuted in the process. On one hand, she does go out as a hero, but it seems like such a lackluster way to do it, especially when it's from collateral damage from a villain and not the villain themselves. There may be some hope for her return, with Rachel's belief that her ever growing powers may the key to bringing her back. Still, if that's the case, just have her be gravely injured and having to return to Themyscira for treatment with Rachel going to help.

Overall, season two of Titans learns from the mistakes of the past to bring some engaging story and character moments. There's still some areas that need some work, but they're on the right track.