Movie Review: "X-Men: Dark PhoeniX" - X-Meh

Despite its ups and downs, the X-Men franchise under Fox deserves some respect. Along with the Blade movies and Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man trilogy, the first X-Men film ushered in a new age of superhero movies that would eventually lead to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It also deserves props for lasting nearly 20 years without under going a full-on reboot. But all things must come to an end. Fox has been bought out by Disney, and as a result, the X-Men film rights have reverted back to Marvel's control, ensuring their spot in the MCU. Before their reboot in a few years though, we still have one more X-Men movie to go (two with New Mutants next year) as Fox tries to redeem themselves by once again attempting to adapt the Dark Phoenix saga that was botched so badly in "X-Men: The Last Stand". The results this time around are better, but only slightly.

"Dark Phoenix" hits a lot of similar notes from "Last Stand", even going so far as behind the scenes with a new director picking up from Bryan Singer's set-up for the Phoenix from the previous movie. But story-wise, we see Jean's power going through a major increase after a traumatic event, the Professor revealing he put up psychic barriers in Jean's mind, Jean causing a major death that makes her teammates question whether she's redeemable, other villains hoping to use her power for their own use, and a sense of peaceful co-existence between humans and mutants. So yeah, it's basically "Last Stand" again, but it does take some of these plot-points and makes them work a little better.
What helps most of all is that we are totally focused on the Dark Phoenix. The main plot of "Last Stand" was based on the "Gifted" storyline and the mutant cure, and it felt like the Phoenix plot was shoehorned in because they were wrapping up the trilogy and needed to finish what Singer set up.
Jean's turn to evil shows much more internal conflict as she struggles with her increased powers and the revelations of her past. Compare that to X3 where she basically went full villain with barely any self-resistance and hardly did anything to help Magneto after joining his side, that's a point to "Dark Phoenix."
The Professor messing with Jean's head is still problematic in my eyes, and the situation is even worse compared to X3 depending on your viewpoint. But what helps make it better in "Dark Phoenix" is that Charles is actually more repentant of his actions. Charles in X3 couldn't admit he did anything wrong, even stoking the fire inside Jean which lead to her blowing him up. Here, Charles is more subdued and trying to reach Jean's heart rather than her head.
I still think it was a mistake to spoil Mystique's death in the trailer, but damn it if they still made it emotional. This is thanks in part to the acting of Nicholas Hoult's Beast and Michael Fassbender's Magneto and their reactions to her death. Thinking back to when I first saw "Last Stand", my response to both Cyclops' and Charles' deaths were more shock that they actually did it. But another part of why I feel Mystique's death was handled better is because I've found myself more invested in the younger versions of these characters since "First Class" compared to the original trilogy. As much as I love the characters there, they were always overshadowed by Wolverine and there was real growth to follow with the "First Class" versions.

There are a lot of good action pieces in the movie, though my favorite is probably the train scene. Apparently they had to rework the climax due to the original script's similarities to Captain Marvel's, but I can see they tried to make the best of it, as it had a lot of cool moments with characters doing things we hadn't seen them do before, or at least in a different way.

Where the film lacks is quite a bit though.
The movie jumps another decade like the other "First Class" movies, but unlike those movies, they don't take full advantage of being set in the 90's, something "Captain Marvel" succeeded at. No fashion, no music, and they don't even have George H.W. Bush as president.
When it comes to characters, unless you're Charles, Jean, Beast, Cyclops, Magneto, or Mystique, you're pretty much there for the sake of being there. Even Magneto's two new henchmen are so underdeveloped and forgettable that I had to look up who they were on Wikipedia; hell, I thought Selene was Psylocke at first. It's nothing new to have characters in an X-Men movie not have much beyond the surface, but characters like Bishop or Blink at least had cool powers and unique looks.
As for the rest of the X-Men, Storm has some good action moments but nothing added to her character aside from giving Cyclops essentially the same speech she gave Wolverine in "X3". Also, I may not know Storm's full capabilities, but I'm pretty sure she can't just make ice cubes. She controls the weather; she's not Iceman.
There seemed to be some intended character development for Nightcrawler, but I think it was cut, because a big character change for him comes out of nowhere when he becomes bloodthirsty and starts killing the D'Bari aliens coming after Jean left and right. I know they're aliens, but I've always kind of seen Kurt as one of the most innocent X-Men characters, who only fought when he needed to. Add that into conjunction with his religious nature and it's what helps add contrast to his demonic appearance; it's basically "don't judge a book by its cover". Between his appearances in "X2" and "Apocalypse", Kurt never showed such violent nature of his own accord. Hell, even his absence in "Last Stand" was explained in a technically non-canon video game set between movies, where he chose to leave the X-Men because of their violent lifestyle.
Quicksilver, who arguably had the best moments in "Days of Future Past" and "Apocalypse", is barely in this one. He almost has one of his signature moments, but there's no accompanying song, and it's cut short as Jean violently knocks him aside, which results in him being injured for the rest of movie. There also isn't any development between him and his father Magneto, with no character interaction or even mention of one by the other.

"Dark Phoenix" is ultimately the superior adaptation of the story compared to "Last Stand", thanks to better focus and the performances of certain characters, but not by that much. It's definitely not as bad as the critics are making it out to be, as I sense they were trying to do better this time around. I think their response is due in part to people growing weary of the franchise and lack of investment knowing it's about to be restarted anyway.
Before the Disney buyout of Fox, this film was supposed to kick off the next saga of X-Men movies as there are plot points set up that probably would have been explored in sequels, but it doesn't matter now. As a result, it doesn't really serve as a proper conclusion to the franchise as one would hope or expect. If you've been following the franchise and want to see the final entry, just know it doesn't really end with a bang or a whimper. It just ends.

Comics Review: "Superior Spider-Man: Full Otto" - I Am SpOck

Initially, my next comics review was going to be "Heroes in Crisis". But due to its length and Tom King's convoluted writing, it's one I think will need some time to focus on and properly analyze. There are also a number of other reviews I planned over the next month like Dark Phoenix, season three of Jessica Jones, and hopefully my series analysis of Power Rangers Ninja Steel. So my "Heroes in Crisis" review will out in July at the latest, but until then, let's take a look at some actually good comics.

I've made it no secret that the "Superior Spider-Man" storyline from 2013-14 is one of my favorites of the character. A dying Doctor Octopus had swapped bodies with Peter Parker, but despite his evil intentions, Ock had been inspired by Peter's selfless acts and sacrifices, promising his former enemy that he would not only carry on his legacy but be a better hero as well. Thus, the Superior Spider-Man was born. The story was a shot in the arm the character needed at the time. Peter Parker would obviously and eventually return, but Otto's time as Spider-Man was a memorable one with critics and fans (or at least the fans who actually gave the story a chance). Cut to 2019, and the Superior Spider-Man has returned.
But wait, Otto erased his consciousness and gave Peter back control of his own body. How is he back, you ask? Well, a lot happened in between series, but here are the basics. During the "Necessary Evil" story, Ock had been transported to the year 2099 and participated in the events of "Spider-Verse", where he had learned that Peter would eventually return to his body. Ock would then be transported back to his proper place in the timeline with no memory of what happened; prior to that however, Ock created a digital copy of his consciousness and set a timer to activate at some point in the future. Once activated, Ock transferred his mind into the robot body of the Living Brain, biding his time until he could take over Peter's body again. During "The Clone Conspiracy", Ock would transfer his mind into a new clone body and by the end of that storyline, he would transfer again into a new clone body made up of both his and Peter's DNA, allowing him to even have spider-powers. Following that, Otto would head to one of his weapon caches only to find it occupied by HYDRA. With no other choice, Otto joins the organization to use their resources, creating a pretty cool new suit that embodies his time as Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man, dubbing himself the Superior Octopus.

Admittedly, I did find it sad to see Ock go back to villainy even if his mind at that point was still too arrogant to give up control of Peter's body, feeling that Peter's influence must have corrupted his judgment.
Ock would work with HYDRA during the events of "Secret Empire", eventually breaking from them after their defeat. Ock would later be seen in Amazing Spider-Man #800, where he saved Aunt May from a Carnage-possessed Norman Osborn. This act leads to Peter and Otto burying the hatchet, giving his enemy a clean slate. Otto would then move out west to San Francisco and under the new alias Elliot Tolliver gains a job at Horizon University, working alongside his former love interest while he was in Peter's body, Anna Maria Marconi. The Superior Octopus would be San Francisco's new hero, but during the events of "Spider-Geddon" (the sequel to "Spider-Verse"), Ock would once again become the Superior Spider-Man, with the new series picking up after that storyline.

Original "Superior" writer Dan Slott had stepped down from the Spider-Man books last year, so Christos Gage would take the reigns of the new book, and it's a good fit. Gage has been a long time collaborator with Slott and had written the two annuals and "Age of Ultron" tie-in to the original series. So will the new Superior Spider-Man live up to its predecessor and tread new ground as well? Let's take a look at the first six issues and find out.

Issue one begins with Otto fighting Stilt-Man. The villain calls him out for not being the real Spider-Man, to which Otto clarifies he is the "superior" one. Otto is irritated that this fight is taking so long because he has to give a lecture as Elliot Tolliver at the university, so Otto decides to wrap it up quickly. He webs Stilt-Man's long legs, who boasts that the real Spider-Man knows his webbing won't stick. But Otto's developed much stronger webbing than Peter's, which means it does stick and he is able to knock Stilt-Man off balance, who begins to fall but stops just a few feet off the ground. Otto webs up Stilt-Man as the villain says Otto's stunt could've killed him, to which Otto replies the problem still would have been solved. Otto swings off, still fuming that a criminal would have kept him from his personal commitments, chastising Peter for allowing himself to do that in the past.
Along with his lecture as Tolliver that goes over well with those in attendance, these first few scenes do a good job at introducing our protagonist. If this was anyone's first experience with the Superior Spider-Man, they'd be able to pick up right away how different he is than Peter Parker. We even get a quick recap of Ock's life to this point, from his childhood with his abusive father and overbearing mother and the events that lead to him being Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man. We also get a glimpse of Otto's apartment, which can transform into his own personal lab when needed as well as stores his suit. But what's really going to make this new title so different from the original run is that despite living under a new alias, this is pure Otto Octavius. He no longer has to worry about Peter Parker's relationship or keeping face with the other heroes. Otto can make the life he wants without fretting over anyone's past but his own.
We then cut to Otto fighting members of a cult trying resurrect their dead master named Master Pandemonium. Assisting Otto are a group of supernatural mercenaries he's hired called the Night Shift. More members appear later, but the only two helping Otto at the moment are Digger, who has increased durability and no sense of pain to where he's essentially a zombie, and Dansen Macrabe, who uses her hypnotic dancing to control the cultists to turn themselves into the police. Afterwards, Dansen hits on Otto, but Otto rebuffs and leaves in a hurry. Otto's hesitant about relationships considering his last one with Anna Maria was while he was in Peter's body and she outright hates Ock for lying to her.
Speaking of which, Anna Maria confronts Elliot in his lab at the university, telling him she knows he's Doc Ock, commenting that he even looks similar to Peter and a young Otto. There's also the fact that he's swinging around as the Superior Spider-Man again, so that may have been a giveaway.
Anna's a smart cookie; soon after Peter got control of his body back, he got in a fight that was televised that resulted in his whole costume being destroyed, save for his mask, and Anna Maria figured out who he was just based on marks on his body. I feel like if you gave her just enough clues, she could figure out any superperson's secret identity.
Realizing he's made, Otto assures Anna that he know there's no chance their relationship resuming and that he's only trying to make a new life for himself as both Tolliver and Spider-Man. Anna doesn't care about Otto's intentions and plans to turn him in for his past crimes, even summoning a rebuilt Living Brain to assist her. Their argument is interrupted by the school's emergency alarm going off and they turn on the TV to see the cosmic villain Terrax touching down in San Francisco intending to conquer the planet; to emphasize how major this is, Terrax was once a herald for Galactus, so he's on the same level as the Silver Surfer. The issue ends with Anna telling Otto to go, but that their situation isn't over.

Issue two starts with Otto saving an elderly couple from being killed by Terrax by throwing a freaking bus with his robotic spider legs at him while swinging in in a real badass moment. As the two begin their fight, Anna watches on TV while asking the Living Brain to contact Peter, the Avengers, or any other superheroes, but there are no responses. Anna tries to bare with the idea that "the only thing standing between San Francisco and agonizing death is Otto freakin' Octavius."
Otto's Night Shift team arrives, and along with Digger and Dansen are Wax Man, Skein and the Brothers Grimm. When it comes to the Brothers Grimm, is it me, or do they remind anyone else of Watch and Ward from the Venture Bros.? I mean, I'm at least hearing the latter's voices when I read the Brothers' lines.

Anyway, Terrax immediately cuts Digger in half with his axe (he's still alive though and just needs to be stitched back together), which prompts the rest of the Night Shift to run away in a really funny moment. Otto continues to battle Terrax using all he can, including sonic and electric based attacks, but nothing's working. Otto contacts Anna, asking for help in building a device his miniature spider-bots were working on to fight Terrax. Anna reluctantly agrees to finish up the device for him. Otto tries to hold out in the fight until then, but between Terrax's power cosmic and his ability to move the Earth itself, he might not last that long. Otto's near the end of his rope with his costume in tatters when Anna contacts him to let him know the device is ready, so Otto sends the remaining Night Shift members who didn't flat out abandon him, Skein and the Brothers Grimm, to pick it up. They arrive and Anna insists they bring her and the Living Brain along.
Before Terrax delivers the death blow to Otto, the device is dropped around Terrax's neck and Otto uses his remaining strength to get on Terrax's back and turn the handles. This harness allows Otto to siphon off some of Terrax's cosmic energy into himself, allowing him to reform his costume and become "the cosmic-powered Superior Spider-Man!" The issue ends with Anna hoping she "didn't just make a colossal mistake." Yeah, as big of an ego Otto has, the last thing he needs is god-like power.

Issue three sees Otto using Terrax's own power against him, but Terrax still has the upper hand given his longer experience with said abilities. Anna believes there may be something they can do if they had a chance to study Terrax's cosmic energy, so Otto is able to get Terrax's axe, which is an extension of himself, away from him long enough for her to scan. After a brief moment, Otto summons the axe himself and uses it on Terrax. Terrax still has a connection to the Axe and summons it back to him, which is what Otto intended. From my understanding, Otto's use of the axe altered its energy in a way that would counter Terrax's own, creating a blowback that finally takes down villain. Otto ponders on the idea of keeping the power cosmic for himself, but quickly decides to siphon the energy back into the harness, deciding to rely on his natural talents. Well at least we won't have another "Superior Venom" situation. The battle takes its toll though as Otto passes out soon after. He then wakes up in the medical wing at Horizon, being brought there by Anna and the Living Brain with the cover story that Elliot was caught up in the battle. Among his injuries are a concussion and some broken ribs and arm. Otto thanks Anna but is confused by her actions considering what she wanted before. Between seeing no selfish angle to Otto's battle with Terrax and finally being able to get a hold of Peter about the Otto situation, she's decided to give Otto a chance. She'll basically act as the angel on his shoulder, keeping him in line until the moment she thinks he's going bad again. I really like this idea since I'm a fan of superheroes having at least one confidante that helps them in their crusade, and Otto's definitely someone who needs a north star so to speak.
The issue ends with the reveal that Anna's keeping Otto's Cosmic Harness hidden in her own lab, as she plans to use the energy still inside it in case she has to take down Otto herself. I'm really curious how this will play out in the future; Anna could well use it herself, but I see someone else stealing it and this could cause a rift between Otto and Anna about her hypocritically keeping secrets herself.

Issue four deals with the aftermath of the devastating battle between Otto and Terrax, as Anna Maria pretty much forces Otto into suiting up and helping with the clean-up and rescue. Otto thinks he's done enough by stopping Terrax and reminds her of his injuries, but Anna says he needs to get up close and personal with the people he's protecting. She has a point, as being a superhero is helping people even when there aren't any bad guys around involved. Otto's attitude at first shows he still has room to grow, as he continues to correct people who call him simply Spider-Man that he's the "Superior Spider-Man", directing firefighters to high priority spots so they can save the most people instead of all (essentially advocating letting others die), and being rude to a woman he saved and offered to make him kielbasa. Anna's in his ear the whole time, chastising him and making him be nice to others so that he doesn't come off as a complete tool. His demeanor changes though when he finds a child and his mother under some rubble. Unfortunately, the mother is dead and the child seems too young to understand what happened to her. This leaves Otto in the position to tell the terrible news to the child. The following page speaks for itself.

No words were needed to make this scene emotionally powerful. This gives Otto a little more motivation afterwards, as we see him helping as many people as he can, including finding a little girl's puppy to using his webbing to help strap a woman to a stretcher. Otto is worn out as Anna says the police radio says they're pretty sure they've helped everyone they could find.

Upon returning to Horizon, Otto sends his suit back to his lab, which has an artificial intelligence that allows it to walk, as well as avoid any contact with anyone or cameras. More importantly, the suit can walk on its own. I felt I should emphasize that part because it seems pretty creepy, and there's a whole episode of Jimmy Neutron about why you shouldn't bring your clothes to life. Anyway, Otto tells Anna he realizes that even though not everyone is as smart as he is, they all live their lives the best they can and are special in their own ways. Although Otto follows this up with saying that any looters or anyone selling bottled water at huge prices during this crisis are being tased by his spider-bots. Well, I still see this as progress on Otto's part.

Following this, Otto (as Elliot) is met by a colleague named Emma Hernandez, who asks him out to dinner. The two have been shown to be getting close and somewhat flirtatious in this issue and previously in issue one. Emma is significantly older and worries about the age difference since Otto's new body is much younger, but Elliot assures her he's attracted to women for their minds. The two set a date for the night after tomorrow, as Otto as Spider-Man takes part in a large kielbasa dinner for the city's rescue workers made by the old lady he saved earlier.

Issue four ends with two clean-up workers in what remains of the building the cultists from issue one were, who are then killed by miniature demons who pop out of a puddle of blood on the ground. Out of the blood rises Master Pandemonium, who plans "to bring about hell on Earth."

Issue five begins with Elliot and Emma's date, but we have a flashback to Anna telling Otto she thinks it's a bad idea of him pursuing romance given what happened between the two of them. Anna relents but advises that if things are leading somewhere between them that Otto should tell her the truth. Cut back to the date, the two of them have a splendid time that ends in a kiss, and then Elliot flat out tells her everything. And I mean EVERYTHING, from him being Otto, to the body jumping, and that he's Spider-Man; there's even a handy caption box saying it takes him fifteen minutes to do so. Emma is understandably freaked out and leaves after saying she's going to use the restroom. This is probably the worst bomb I've seen dropped on a first date since Ted told Robin he was in love with her in the first episode of "How I Met Your Mother". Seriously, this is like one of those moments from the original Superior run where Ock made pride himself on his intelligence but still does really stupid things that lack common sense.

Otto suits up as Spider-Man and catches Emma outside before she can reach some police officers. Otto is unsuccessful at calming her down, attracting the nearby officers. As it turns out though, the officers are possessed by demons, one of whom flings another demon into Emma's mouth, and then she herself is possessed. Otto takes down the two officers and webs up Emma, carrying her back to his apartment and leaving her on the couch. Believing there could be more demons, Otto re-calibrates his lenses to find any more hiding, and it turns out the city is infested with them.

Realizing he needs help, Otto contacts Dr. Strange, despite his disdain for magic. Before Otto can explain the situation, Strange teleports to his location, stating his magic knows he's Otto Octavius and the two begin fighting. First off, I just realized that when Ock took over Peter's body the first time, he must not have encountered Strange, otherwise he might have seen through him. Secondly, there has to be an unwritten rule that heroes always have to fight before they team up, because this seems to happen every time.

The two calm down once Strange finally sees the demons. Otto believes Master Pandemonium is behind this, and for those new with said character (like myself), this issue explains he was an actor named Martin Preston who "made a deal with a demonic entity to regain lost body parts" which "were replaced with demons". He also has a hole in his chest that's a gateway to hell. Strange is able to trace Pandemonium to the Palace of Fine Arts where the possessed citizens seem to be gathering. As Pandemonium said in the previous issue, he plans to make a "hell on Earth", which he intends to rule over and the more souls he has possessed, the more powerful he becomes. Issue five ends with the revelation that Pandemonium isn't using these people as batteries or shields, but that they're becoming part of his body as they conglomerate on him, making him giant.

Issue six begins with two flashbacks between Strange and Otto before they developed their super abilities. The first is before Strange's accident, where she blows off Otto about a business opportunity. The second is after Strange's accident but before he learns magic as he's passed out on the street and not looking so well. He's passed by Otto on the street, and while he takes some joy in seeing Strange fall due to his arrogance, he still drops a twenty dollar bill on him. It's interesting to see these two in a way where their stories intertwined and how far they've come now compared to then.

Back in the present, Pandemonium is growing more powerful and Otto and Strange aren't getting along well, both on their own preferences of magic or science and whether they should hurt the possessed civilians attacking them or becoming part of Pandemonium's body. When they get a chance to talk strategy, Otto's scans show that Pandemonium's true body is located where the brain would be in the large conglomerate body and devise a plan. The two attack Pandemonium, only now Strange is using Otto's robotic spider legs and Otto has the cloak of levitation. Strange is able to use the legs to get through Pandemonium's forehead and fights his way through the demons inside to get to his true body. On the outside, Otto keeps distracting Pandemonium by insulting his work as an actor. I guess if Otto learned anything from Peter in their past fights, it's how to attack one's ego. Otto holds him off long enough for Strange to break Pandemonium's hold on everyone he has possessed. Pandemonium brags he still has the power to crush them thanks to his chest gateway, but then Strange uses a spell that changes which hell dimension his gateway leads as a familiar red hand comes out of his chest and grabs Pandemonium by the head. Off panel, we can pretty much assume Pandemonium got his whole body pulled through his own chest in a fashion Otto deems "painfully impossible."

Afterwards, Strange casts a calming spell on all of Pandemonium's victims, sending them home safely. Otto then asks a favor of Strange to make everyone forget that Elliot Tolliver and the Superior Spider-Man are Doctor Octopus, referring to what Strange did for Peter after "Civil War" in the story "One Moment in Time" (which was the re-written history created by "One More Day"). Strange says he would need help with such a spell, but that he wouldn't do it for Otto anyway, saying he needs to make up for his past rather than run from it. As Strange teleports away, he tells Otto that if he has a problem, he shouldn't be afraid to ask for help.

Afterwards, Otto brings Anna Maria back to his apartment, who chastises Otto for telling Emma his true identity on their FIRST DATE. Emma is no longer possessed, but still webbed up on Otto's couch, and luckily for Otto, she remembers the demon cops and being taken over herself. Anna is able to talk Emma into not calling the cops on him just yet, and that he's trying to do some good, such as dealing with Terrax and Pandemonium. Emma agrees, saying that she'll see them at work and "never speak of this again." If anything, this story shows why it's not always a good idea to date co-worker. Sometimes they reveal they're a reformed supervillain. Sometimes you get possessed by a demon. These things happen.

The issue ends revealing Mephisto being the one who dragged Pandemonium back to hell, who find it amusing to have Pandemonium "home", as well as finding out Otto Octavius is trying to be good man. And I'm only just now realizing this issue makes references to both "One More Day" and "One Moment in Time", stories that rewrote and ultimately wrecked Spider-Man's history. Still, if there's more to come from Mephisto in this series, this will make Otto the third Spider-Man the demon has messed around with, the second being Ben Reilly. It makes me wonder what Mephisto's interest in people with Peter Parker's DNA is, but at the same time, it kind of comes off as writers trying to make Mephisto's involvement in Spider-Man's history mean something more than an editorial mandate; it made sense with Ben, but doing it with Otto may be pushing it.

Overall, these comics are great. Putting Otto in a new city under a new identity helps do something new with the concept, and using cosmic and supernatural villains elevates threat levels we haven't seen him face as Spider-Man before. There's good character development for Otto, as he's not only trying to be a better hero than Peter, but also better than himself in the original run, which I think is a real possibility depending how long the series lasts. I also really enjoyed the team-up with Dr. Strange, not only because of it putting polar opposites together, but because it was always entertaining seeing Ock as Spider-Man work with other heroes and see how they play off of each other. I like the artwork by Mike Hawthorne, particularly how he's able to make a good composite of Peter's and Otto's facial features for Elliot Tolliver. If I had one complaint though, it's that I miss Ock's black lenses he originally he had; it really helped his Spider-Man look stand out.

If you were a fan of the original Superior Spider-Man run, you'll likely enjoy the return of the title. Considering a timeclock won't be involved for Peter's eventual return, there's no telling how long Otto's tenure as the Superior Spider-Man will last this time, but here's hoping it's a good while.

Movie Review: "Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" - What Took So Long?

It hadn't occurred to me until recently how similar the Batman and Ninja Turtles franchises are. Both involve vigilantes in major cities who use a combination of martial arts, scientific knowledge, and variety of gadgets to fight crime. They also shared high points of popularity in the 90's thanks to their respective animated series, movies, and massive toy lines; hell, even their last movies of said decade were both so bad that they put their film series in a long hiatus. Despite all this though, we never actually got a crossover between the two until 2015. The comic team-up was such a success that it spawned two sequels as well as another crossover between their animated counterparts (Batman: The Animated Series and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012). Comic crossovers are one thing, but an actual animated movie between the two? I was very surprised when this film was officially announced, considering the two properties being owned by separate studios, Batman by Warner Bros. and TMNT by Nickelodeon. I find it quite similar to when WB and Disney worked together on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" As for this film, I never realized how well the worlds of Batman and Ninja Turtles could mesh together.

The film does such a good job combining the franchises that I could find it very plausible for the Ninja Turtles to be part of the DC universe. It's here we find even more similarities of the franchises, particularly on the villains side, like secret ninja organizations (League of Assassins and the Foot Clan) and chemical companies used for nefarious purposes (TCRI's mutagen and Ace Chemical's Joker venom). The best of both worlds combine when Shredder and Ra's al Ghul unleash the inmates at Arkham Asylum and expose them to mutagen; it's interesting to see that given the right circumstances, even Batman's rogues gallery could be worked into enemies of the Turtles.

All the characters are written well, and the interactions are stellar, thanks in part to the voice acting. On that part, I give props to Troy Baker for pulling double duty in reprising both Batman and Joker, who he voiced in the Telltale Series and Arkham Origins, respectively.

There's common ground made between characters like Donatello and Batgirl and Raphael and Robin. Given the setting for the movie is Gotham, this allows for TMNT characters to have different reactions to their surroundings. Shredder is irritated and disgusted by the inmates at Arkham, while conversely, Michelangelo is having the time of his life and embracing the craziness. He geeks out about Penguin's swiss-army umbrella, thinks Batman is cool even after he and his brothers got beat in their fight, tries on a bat-cowl and climbs on top of the t-rex when they find the Batcave, and so on. Honestly, Mikey is probably the most entertaining character of the whole film, especially when Alfred has to put up with his carefree personality.

The animation lends itself to both franchises as even separately, it could work solely as either a Batman cartoon or a TMNT cartoon. The fights are also very entertaining, making the best use of the 

combat styles of both the Bat-family and the Turtles. It's hard to pick a favorite, but the best that come to mind are Batman vs. the Turtles, Batman vs. Shredder, and Ra's al Ghul vs. Leonardo.
It is worth noting though that despite the family friendly look, there are moments that may not be appropriate for kids. The film is rated PG-13 (which is actually a first for the TMNT), but by animation standards, this could translate to a live action R. There are quite a few moments of brutality, ranging from blood to dismemberment, as well as Donatello getting his arm broken by Ra's.

Anything negative I have to say is inconsequential, because overall, this film is an absolute delight. This is a must-own for fans of both franchises, combining elements of the two that flow well together without one side overshadowing the other. There's a post-credits scene that sets up a potential sequel, and considering there are comic sequels to pull inspiration from, I don't see why they couldn't make another one. We still need new actually good animated Turtles to watch after all.

While any sequel would be pretty far out, let's just say I may have another Batman/TMNT related post coming in the future. Stay tuned.

TV Review: Doom Patrol - Weirdness at its Finest

The Doom Patrol is definitely one of DC's lesser known super teams. The most they've been seen outside comics are guest appearances in animated series like Teen Titans and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. After their debut appearance in an episode of "Titans", I was really looking forward to their forth-coming spin-off series. While I thought "Titans" was just okay, "Doom Patrol" shows the true potential of the DC Universe streaming service, giving characters who have had little to no spotlight shined on them.

In comparison to "Titans", "Doom Patrol" is so much better in terms of structure, from story pacing and character story arcs. I was immediately sucked in with the first episode just from the opening credits alone. The main characters and tone are firmly established in that you connect with them and know what to expect for the rest of the season, and what you can expect is weirdness. Lots of weirdness from start to finish. So much so that you'll be quoting Cliff's unofficial catchphrase "What the fuck?" throughout the series. Story wise, we're given a lot more time to breathe with some smaller subplots throughout that allow us to get to know the characters better. And while the season does wrap up quite quickly and has set-up for a season two, you can still watch season one by itself with no worry of being left on a cliff-hanger.

While it shares the same mature nature of "Titans", "Doom Patrol" is able to make use of it in a way that isn't distracting. The constant f-bombs in "Titans" came off as juvenile and trying to be edgy for the sake of it; it's equivalent to Fant4stic in attempting to make lighthearted characters more gritty. "Doom Patrol" is like the Deadpool movies in a way, as its mature nature is prominent, but the weirdness of everything else happening helps balance things out.

But what really makes this series so great are the characters. Because initially, these characters are not heroes. A good way of looking at it is that Doom Manor is kind of a halfway house for super people. Even before their accidents, these were not good people. A major part of the series are these initially selfish characters trying to find closure for their past mistakes and traumas in an attempt to become better people.

I don't think there's one bad actor on this show. Even characters like Cliff/Robotman and Larry/Negative Man, whose faces are covered up in some way, shine thanks to their voices and the subtle facial ticks coming through; and going off that, I applaud the character designs and costumes on the show with a good mix of practical and special effects.

My favorite character of the series is probably Cliff Steele, the Robotman, played by Brendan Fraser. This is probably Fraser's biggest role in quite some time and it's nice to see he hasn't lost his touch. Cliff's origin story is the most heartbreaking of all the characters in my opinion, and Fraser's performance, even through his voice alone, tugs at the heartstrings. I think I also like him because he's pretty much the most open out of all the characters. He's quick to point out how weird something is (usually cursing while doing it) and tries to get the others to talk about their own problems as well.

My second favorite is Crazy Jane, played by Diane Guerrero. Jane has multiple personalities, each with a different super power. Guerrero shows she has great range as she pulls off many different character types, from the hot-tempered Hammerhead, the child-like Baby Doll, and the hopeless romantic Karen, just to name a few.

Jane and Cliff share my favorite relationship of the series where we see a budding surrogate father-daughter dynamic develop, as the characters attempt to fill voids left from their old lives.

Joivan Wilde is our second live-action Cyborg in the last few years, and no disrespect to Ray Fisher, but Wilde is the better between the two. Cyborg's strained relationship with his father and his balance struggle of man and machine are much more prominent in this series, and honestly, Wilde offers more emotion in his performance. There's just more character to connect to here compared to the movies.

The show probably has the some of the strangest villains you will ever see, from Ezekiel the Cockroach, Admiral Whiskers, the Beardhunter and the Decreator. But none of them are quite as entertaining as our big bad of the season, Mr. Nobody, played by Alan Tudyk. Tudyk has done voice work for a number of projects for both DC (like Green Arrow in both "Young Justice" and "Injustice") and Disney (like Alistair Crei in "Big Hero 6" and King Candy in "Wreck-It Ralph"), and you would recognize him in real life from roles such as Steve the Pirate in the movie "Dodgeball." Tudyk has this eccentric personality that shines through in all his performances, and Mr. Nobody is no different. Nobody is able to warp reality, which allows him to do things like create a donkey that sucks up an entire town into a pocket dimension inside its stomach (and that's just the first two episodes). He also constantly breaks the fourth wall, sometimes providing narration, so there's a lot of fun and meta-humor to be had with the character. As you'd expect, a character like that can be pretty unhinged, so it's really hard to picture anyone else by Tudyk in the role.

"Titans" may not have been the best original series to kick off DC Universe, but any room for improvement was proven and accomplished with "Doom Patrol". It's unlike any superhero movie or show before. The Doom Patrol's first appearance in the comics billed them as the "world's strangest heroes" and I feel the show captures that sentiment.

Stories I'd Like To See in the MCU "What If...?" Animated Series

Since 1977, Marvel Comics have both regularly and irregularly thought of what would happen had certain stories happened a different way in a series called "What If...?" Soon, that question will be posed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a new animated series coming to the Disney+ streaming service. The first episode confirmed for the series will be what if Peggy Carter became the first super soldier. There is a lot of potential with the series, and I wanted to share the stories I think would be interesting, would like to see done, and my own thought process of how said events would go.

WHAT IF BETTY ROSS BECAME THE HULK?

The idea of Betty Ross becoming a Hulk has been done in both the mainstream and Ultimate Marvel comics, but what if she had been the one originally exposed to gamma radiation instead of Bruce Banner? The relationship that would be most affected in this situation would be with Betty and her father, General Thaddeus Ross. If Betty went on the run (with or without Bruce), Ross' tactics in trying to find the Hulk would probably just be as obsessive, but more likely as a father than a military man. Then again, Ross has been shown to lie to Betty, as he did in "The Incredible Hulk", not telling her that he wanted to find Bruce to weaponize the Hulk. Ross may convince Betty to work with him to help her try to understand the Hulk, hiding his true intentions.

WHAT IF CAPTAIN AMERICA WAS NEVER FOUND?

Without Captain America being revived in the 21st century after being frozen in ice during World War II, the MCU would be a very different place. It wouldn't be an overstatement that the MCU's moral compass would be lost. With a bunch of hotheads like Tony, Thor, Natasha, and Bruce, the Avengers may really be as dangerous as Ross viewed them to be in "Civil War". While I could see the team being able to thwart the Chitauri invasion without Cap, the events of "Winter Soldier" may have been the true turning point. Bucky wouldn't have had his old memories stirred up, but more importantly, would Fury have been able to trust anyone else with what he found out about "Project Insight"?

WHAT IF LOKI TOOK CONTROL OF NICK FURY?

When Loki arrived on Earth in the first "Avengers" film, he used the Mind Stone placed in his scepter to take control of some who were present, including Erik Selvig and Clint Barton. Nick Fury was also there, only to be shot by the controlled Barton. But what if Loki didn't just try to take Fury out, but wanted him as another minion? Loki could potentially have even more of SHIELD at his disposal to use to create a portal with the Tesseract for the Chitauri, with less opposition to stand in his way. Would anyone within SHIELD like Coulson or Hill go underground and try to recruit the Avengers themselves? Would anyone even realize what was happening within SHIELD until Thor arrived to find Loki? Going off that, would Thor even have allies to help him against Loki's plans?

WHAT IF TONY STARK USED EXTREMIS?

Tony has said it himself that he's a mad scientist. He's been known to take risks and use whatever he has at his disposal to further his mission to protect the people; the best example is using the Mind Stone to create Ultron, which obviously didn't go so well. But in another potential instance of something not going well, what if Tony had decided to look more into Extremis after the events of "Iron Man 3"? He may perfect it the best he could and use it on himself. On one hand, it would be a way for him to defend himself in case he's unable to access his armor, but Tony would most likely also be able to craft an armor that amplifies the Extremis, powering the suit or making more weapons based around it. Of course, the biggest drawback would be the psychological effects. Based on what we've seen with Killian, Savin, and other Extremis users, they seem to have a few screws loosened, as well as violent tendencies. Even Pepper had to collect herself after the brutal way she killed Killian while she was under Extremis. Tony's relationships with Pepper and the other Avengers could be greatly affected with his Extremis use.

WHAT IF HULK NEVER LEFT EARTH?

In Hulk's last scene in "Age of Ultron", he chooses to close himself off from the world and drift wherever the Quinjet takes him. But what if Bruce was able to take back control, transform back and follow Natasha's directions to get back to them? Where would Bruce and Natasha's relationship go from there? Furthermore, how would Hulk's presence affect "Civil War"? It's easy to see Bruce choosing Cap's side based on his distrust of Ross alone. But who's to say Tony wouldn't be able to sway Bruce over to the Pro-Registration side? Tony's been able to convince Bruce to do things before, such as their creations of both Ultron and Vision. Whichever side he would choose, it's a sure thing the airport battle would have been a lot more one sided with a Hulk thrown in there. This would also affect Thor's story in "Ragnarok". Without Hulk on Sakaar, would Thor's escape be easier, harder, or possible at all? Would Hela have had no true obstacles in her way? 

WHAT IF HANK PYM WENT SUB-ATOMIC?

To stop a missile, Janet Van Dyne as the Wasp shrank down to sub-atomic level in order to disable it and save scores of people. In doing so, she was lost in the Quantum Realm for 30 years. But had Hank Pym's suit regulator not been damaged, what if he had gone through what Janet did? Janet's very intelligent in her own right, but I have a feeling the biggest secrets of the Pym Particles would be lost with Hank. Hank also made many mistakes after losing Janet, both in raising Hope and his business practices. Would she be more open with Hope compared to her father? And with Janet most likely the beneficiary of Hank's assets, including Pym Technologies, she would probably run things much differently, probably grooming Hope to take over rather than Darren Cross. Admittedly, Hank and Scott Lang get screwed in this scenario. No Cross means no recruitment of Scott, who most likely ends up barely scrapping by after getting out of prison. No Scott also means he doesn't travel to and from the Quantum Realm and wouldn't entangle with Hank like he did with Janet. So yeah, Hank would pretty much be trapped forever.

WHAT IF THE AVENGERS REMAINED ASSEMBLED?

Aside from Tony finding out Bucky killed his parents, the Sokovia Accords introduced in "Civil War" was the focal point that fractured the Avengers. Tony rallied half the team to sign while Steve was against government oversight. But what if things happened in a way that they were able to see the other's way? Maybe Tony missed Miriam Sharp and wasn't swayed into thinking about accountability. Or maybe Tony chose his words more carefully when convincing Steve to sign while in Berlin. How would the Avengers fair working with the government or working in the shadows? And more importantly, would a more united front have prevented Thanos from achieving his goal? 

WHAT IF SPIDER-MAN JOINED THE AVENGERS?

Yes, Tony officially declared Peter an Avenger in "Infinity War", but Peter had an opportunity to join prior to that. This scenario is asking what would happen had Peter accepted Tony's offer at the end of "Spider-Man: Homecoming", which in he had rejected the offer feeling he wasn't ready yet. Peter also assumed it was a test, not knowing there was a press conference waiting for his debut. It's also worth noting that Peter revealing his identity was a potential ending considered for "Homecoming". So what if Peter took that leap? How does a 15 year old kid handle the spotlight as a publicly known superhero and member of the Avengers? How would this affect Aunt May, Ned, and his other friends? Based on what happened when Peter revealed his identity in the comics, it probably wouldn't go well.

And those are my ideas for the "What If?" series with the most potential. What stories would you like to see? Leave a comment and let's get the discussion going.

Retro Review: "Batman: The Gift" - Fool's Gold

Next month, I intend to review the soon to be completed "Heroes in Crisis" miniseries in what will surely be the DC equivalent to my Civil War II review. But before that, I wanted to talk about a precursor to that story that involves the book's writer, Tom King, and one of the main characters, Booster Gold.

Michael Jon Carter was a disgraced football player in the 25th century until taking a security job at a superhero museum allowed him to steal certain items, including one of the museum security robots named Skeets, to travel back in time to make a name for himself as a superhero. He became Booster Gold, and he did not hide the fact that he was in it for fame and money. As time went on though and having to go through personal tragedies, Booster would begin to act more like a real hero. However, his old reputation still makes other heroes look down on and reluctant to work with him. This is also a sentiment some writers tend to have as well.

Tom King entered the comic industry in 2013 and after a number of works at both Marvel and DC, he eventually became the writer for Batman as part of the Rebirth initiative, which he continues to write. King's Batman run has had its ups and downs for me. His first few arcs were just okay, but starting with "The Button", a crossover story with the Flash, his run really started to hit its stride for me. This was partly because he was bringing something new to the character: his engagement to Selina Kyle/Catwoman. It really seemed like the wedding was going to happen, but Selina would end up leaving Bruce at the altar; but due to this happening because of Bane's machinations, I don't think their story is over just yet, especially since King's plan is a 100 issue run, and we're almost three-fourths of the way done. After the non-wedding though, the book's back to hit and miss for me, with the worst part of his run so far being a seven issue arc called "Knightmares" that did nothing to move his story forward at all.

That brings us to today's story, "The Gift", a three-parter in the Batman book that was one of several stories meant to lead up to the wedding, and one that I had mixed feelings about when it first came out. As we look at this story, I plan to prove one thing: Tom King doesn't get Booster Gold.

Part one begins in Gotham City, which looks even shittier than usual with constant fires going through this arc. Green Lantern Hal Jordan is talking crazy to Booster Gold stating he can do anything with enough will power, like blasting himself in the head with his ring and survive. Hal does this and does not actually survive. And it just occured to me that between this and Deadpool 2, 2018 was a popular year for Ryan Reynolds characters killing themselves. Booster's reaction is as follows: "That was...intense. Seriously intense. But y'know...also admittedly, a little bit, or kind of...awesome!" I think this gives you an idea of the kind of Booster that Tom King is giving us.
Booster tells Skeets that they should go find Batman as Skeets tells Booster this is the worst thing he's ever done. Booster indeed finds Batman, but it's a gun-toting one that attempts to kill Booster, and Skeets' scans reveal that this Batman is actually Dick Grayson. After the two are able to escape Bat-Dick, Booster says they need to go find Bruce Wayne, locating him dancing with his mother at his parents' anniversary party.
During all this, we get an idea of the state of Gotham and see where other Bat-related characters are. Tim Drake works at a cubicle at Wayne Enterprises, Jason Todd sells tires that shock people who try to steal them (because irony), Duke Thomas has been lobotomized, Oswald Cobblepot is the President, Ra's al Ghul rules over a combined Europe and Asia, and some kind of disease runs rampant in Gotham that turns people as crazy and violent as the Joker, only effecting the lower classes of the city.
So how did it get so bad? Because of Booster of course. He tells Bruce he wanted to get a wedding gift for him and Catwoman and thought about the time Superman was in a dream world where Krypton never exploded, but it wasn't perfect, which made Superman appreciate the life he does have. So he thought he could do the same thing for Bruce by using Skeets to go back in time and save his parents' lives, so Bruce could see how bad things would be and that he'd have more appreciation for the life he has once he sets things back. Bruce admits he's had dreams of his life as Batman and thanks Booster for doing what he did...and proceeds to destroy Skeets with a fireplace poker, having Alfred escort Booster out of Wayne Manor as Bruce returns to the party.

While the ending of part one does subvert expectations with Bruce allowing the world to go to hell as long as he has his parents, the premise of this story alone has major problems.
1. The story Booster is referring to that served as his inspiration was "For the Man Who Has Everything." In that story, Superman had been tricked into having an alien plant latch onto him by the villain Mongul. The plant is the Black Mercy, which places its victim in a coma where their mind lives out their heart's desire while the plant feeds off the victim's body. I think when Booster heard this story, he wasn't paying close attention. Mongul gave Superman the Black Mercy to kill him, not make him appreciate his life. And Superman was trapped in a dream world which he slowly woke up from; his real life wasn't changed. It's also worth noting that this story was written by Alan Moore, and this is something we'll get into more with "Heroes in Crisis", but Tom King has a tendency to try and emulate Moore.
2. "The Gift" comes only two months off "Booster Shot", a story that shows Booster as a competent hero. Superman had just discovered that his father Jor-El had been transported away from Krypton just before its destruction by an unknown force (though believed to be Dr. Manhattan from "Watchmen") and forced to witness all of the travesties humans have committed on Earth. Believing he made a mistake sending his son to a world with no hope, he became the villain Mr. Oz. Shaken and still unwilling to believe this revelation, Superman uses Flash's Cosmic Treadmill to travel back in time to just before Krypton exploded to see for himself. After failing to arrive in time to stop him, Booster and Skeets chase after Superman because his interference could break time itself, either with Superman trying to save Krypton or dying with the rest of his people. Making sure the timestream is kept in tact and that certain events happen as intended is another role Booster has taken on in the character's history. I am really wondering what happened to Booster between these stories to pull a 180 like this. In "Booster Shot", while he was aware of Superman's well intentions, Booster still knew there was temptation for Superman to try and help. Even if Booster was planning to fix things, where was this concern that Bruce would try and keep the life he has with his parents alive? Hell, things aren't just bad in Gotham, but part two reveals that without Bruce's presence and his strategic knowledge, the Justice League died in battle.
3. This is more of a nitpick, but why is Dick Grayson Batman? I have no doubt that Dick would become a vigilante after his parents' murders and that he would be more bloodthirsty without Bruce to guide him, but why would he specifically become Batman? Did this Dick have some kind of traumatic experience involving bats too?

Part two picks up one year later, with Booster breaking Catwoman out of Arkham Asylum. This version though is a serial killer who can only make cat noises. Booster's plan is to have Bruce meet Selina, realize he loves her, and that will make Bruce want Booster to make the world right again. Again, this is an altered timeline, not a dream. This Bruce and Selina have never met and are extremely different from their mainstream counterparts. This is obviously not a good plan, though Booster thinks all she needs is a leather catsuit. Booster sews the costume (seen on the cover at the top of the page) and it quite resembles the one worn by Michelle Pfeiffer in "Batman Returns"; it's a good homage and fits well given the psychotic nature of these versions of the character.
Later at Wayne Manor, Bruce is with his father who has just recovered from a heart attack. Booster and Catwoman arrive and that's when things go south. After slashing Alfred's neck with her claws, Selina begins scratching away at Thomas only to be stopped by Bat-Dick, who shoots her in the back. Bat-Dick then throws flashbomb/smokebomb at Booster which knocks him out. Bat-Dick then moves to put down Selina once and for all, but he's close enough for her to slice off the tips of his fingers, causing him to drop his gun. The two battle as Martha arrives trying to reach Thomas. Bat-Dick uses another of his guns to shoot Selina again, this bullet going through and also hitting Martha. Bruce picks up the dropped gun from before and fires it right between Bat-Dick's eyes. Bruce screams "NO!" in anguish, surrounded by the bodies of his butler, parents, Bat-Dick and Catwoman. The only other living party is Booster, who has no idea of the bloodbath he caused. "Did I do it? I bet I did it. I'm a hero. I always do it. I have to do it. I saved the world." Booster, with heroes like you, who needs villains?

Part three picks up another year later as Bruce has had his company rebuild Skeets, intending to go back in time one year and save his parents. Unfortunately, Skeets can only be operated by voice command, and that being Booster's. Bruce reluctantly has to use Booster, who he has kept chained beneath the caverns of Wayne Manor in what would have been the Batcave. Booster's also worse for ware, with his hair and beard long and shaggy and body wasting away.

After having Booster cleaned up and reunited with Skeets, Bruce tells Booster to have Skeets take them back in time so he can kill Batman and Catwoman before they kill his parents, return them to the present, and then he'll kill Booster. Booster then tells Skeets to take them back to the night Bruce's parents were killed with a not so subtle wink. Bruce notices and after some rambling dialogue between the two as Skeets powers up, they're all transported back to that night in Crime Alley, but Skeets is shot by Bruce, jumping in the way to save Booster.
The past Booster and Skeets who prevented the Waynes' deaths arrive knowing its time to undo that, with past Booster not analyzing the situation well as past Skeets starts to put the pieces together. Present Booster tries to get Bruce's gun away, but it ends up shooting and killing past Booster (which means all of this story should have been prevented, but when it comes to time travel, it's basically dealer's choice in how the writer wants to handle it). This distracts Bruce long enough for events to play out as they should, with Joe Chill killing Thomas and Martha in front of young Bruce. Unable to handle the trauma, the older Bruce shoots himself in the head, with his blood splattering on Booster.
The story ends with the surviving Booster and Skeets returning to the proper present, telling Batman (Bruce) and Catwoman what he had done, hoping it would make him feel better and that despite his visor being clean, he still sees the other Bruce's blood on it.

If all you know of Booster Gold is his reputation as the moronic showboat, this story may not be so bad for you, but those who have seen his more competent side may find it frustrating. Booster may not be the smartest guy, but he is not as idiotic as Tom King writes him to be in this story. Even taking Booster's characterization out of the equation, it's kind of a mean-spirited and exploitive story as we see familiar characters act so differently. At the same time though, it's almost like watching a multi-car pile-up, where it's fascinating to see just how much worse things can get, this case being Booster's actions. So upon re-reading it, I still have mixed feelings, but it's definitely not better the second time around. If I had to give this story any positive points, it's that Tony Daniel's art is on point as usual.

The events of this story lead Booster to get some therapy at Sanctuary, the secret superhero rehab facility, which is the focus of "Heroes in Crisis". Come back next month as I give my thoughts on that story, where I won't be as lenient as I was with this one.

Movie Review: "Avengers: Endgame" - The One We've Been Waiting For

Last year, "Avengers: Infinity War" was the beginning of the end of what would be called the "Infinity Saga", the collective name for the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "Infinity War" left such a major impact on audiences, from the character dusting practically becoming a meme to so many theories about how things would be resolved; it actually got ridiculous with how every character or item was believed to be the key to defeating Thanos. But we need no longer wonder, as "Avengers: Endgame" has finally arrived.

The trailers and commercials didn't show much, but if you think can piece together the story from that, you'd be dead wrong. There's plenty of twists and turns that will surprise you and keep you on the edge of your seat. As the story progresses, you'll find the surviving characters dealing with life after the Snap in their own ways. There are a lot of emotional moments, and you'd be surprised with where certain characters end up. It tonally matches "Infinity War" with its mix of serious moments and trademark humor. A lot of that is thanks to the investment we've had in the characters through these years, and we know these actors and characters well enough to expect magnificent performances.
While this is part two to "Infinity War", "Endgame" is where the real culmination of all the MCU films since "Iron Man", especially now that we have "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and "Captain Marvel" under our belts. The film is full of callbacks and payoffs to almost everything that came before it; I was even making my own callbacks in my head during certain moments. There are also multiple cameos from characters you wouldn't have expected to appear or even share the screen with. As we end one era and begin a new one, main characters have their arcs wrapped up (some in quite the poetic fashion) while others embark on journeys quite different from what we've seen previously.
Then there's the climax, which was the most exhilarating experience I've had watching a film probably since the very first "Avengers" film. The climax of "Endgame" is the moment that fans have been waiting for ever since the idea of a shared superhero movie universe was becoming more and more tangible, and even with how crowded it gets, each character gets a standout moment or two. I was damn near hyperventilating and the tissues I had brought in case I cried were used to wipe the sweat off my forehead. The climax and its aftermath are a testament to how large the MCU has gotten, and it's only getting bigger and bigger.

This review is going to be shorter than my usual ones because I don't want to go into any details and wish for everyone to experience the film for themselves. I'll just take this moment to thank everyone who made these last eleven years so amazing, not just for the stories told, but all the fans that were brought together because of these films. When I was younger, I used to feel like an outcast because of my love for comic books and superheroes. But now, even if not everyone's a hardcore fan, I know I'm not alone.
So thank you Kevin Feige. Thank you Russo Brothers. Thank you Robert Downey Jr. Thank you Chris Evans. Thanks to all the stars, directors, and everyone behind these films. But most of all, thank you Stan Lee for making it all possible; we'll always miss you.
Here's to the last eleven years, and here's to many more.

My Marvel Cinematic Universe Film Rankings:
1. Avengers: Infinity War/Avengers: Endgame
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
4. Black Panther
5. Captain America: Civil War
6. Thor: Ragnarok
7. Avengers: Age of Ultron
8. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
9. The Avengers
10. Guardians of the Galaxy
11. Doctor Strange
12. Spider-Man: Homecoming
13. Ant-Man and the Wasp
14. Ant-Man
15. Captain Marvel
16. Iron Man 3
17. Thor
18. Captain America: The First Avenger
19. Iron Man
20. The Incredible Hulk
21. Iron Man 2
22. Thor: The Dark World