'Til We Meet Again, Rangers: A Retrospective

Given the general thought that Power Rangers is merely just for kids, it's the reason why I'm not as upfront about being a fan of the franchise as I am with other things geeky. Allow me to tell the history of my relationship with the show.

Like most fans, I was there at the start with Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. I loved the show. The characters, the fights, and especially the megazords. Tommy was definitely my favorite, especially when he was the White Ranger. As the years went on, I continued to watch as the show transitioned from Zeo and then to Turbo. While I don't remember too clearly since I was young, I remember feeling a little bored once pretty much the whole cast had been replaced halfway through Turbo. The only things that got me through the rest of that season were the Phantom Rangers and the Rescue Zords. Looking back at that season now, you can tell there were problems going on behind the scenes. I kept watching, and when the finale came with the destruction of the zords, Power Chamber, and Turbo powers, it got me pumped for the next season, Power Rangers in Space. As many fans would say, that series really gave the franchise new life with its darker and more mature storylines, especially with the character arc of main villain Astronema, who was revealed to be the long lost sister of Andros, the Red Space Ranger, along with great villains like Darkonda and the Psycho Rangers. Even the new Turbo Rangers who I didn't like from the previous season I liked them much better with their new powers. When that season came to an end with "Countdown to Destruction", I thought the series was totally over. All the villains were either dead or purged of their evil because of Zordon's sacrifice, and the Rangers saved the whole universe. While it was intended to be the finale, it ended up saving the series.

I didn't realize another Power Rangers series was coming until I saw the toys for "Lost Galaxy". Before that season started, I remember thinking that the Space Rangers were getting new powers. Imagine my surprise when it turned out they were totally new characters. However, there were still elements from the past series in there. Bulk and Professor Phenomenous were there (to little degree however), and the Galaxy Rangers resided in the Astro Megaship from the previous season and had Alpha 6 helping them. Those elements kept me around, but I ended up caring for the new characters as well. As that season ended, I thought "Okay, it's done. I can move on." But then I learned about "Lightspeed Rescue" coming. I tuned in and once again found new characters. I held in there for awhile, but eventually I stopped watching and fell out of the series for years.

Jump to 2005 and I find out that the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers series was being shown on Toon Disney's Jetix block, and I started watching those again for nostalgia. As it would turn out, all the previous series by that point were airing on that channel. And while I was originally only watching for the older seasons I watched as a kid, I was eventually sucked into watching the rest. Thanks to those reruns I was able to rewatch the old ones I loved and catch up between Lightspeed Rescue and Dino Thunder and jump into SPD in the middle of that season, and I ended getting new favorites seasons and characters. I continued to watch after that. I enjoyed Mystic Force, hated Operation Overdrive with a passion, got renewed hope in the franchise with Jungle Fury, and loved the darkness and originality of RPM. By that point, it was announced that RPM would be the final season produced, and after the finale, I thought the series ended on a good note.

A year later, imagine my excitement when it was later announced that Saban had bought back the Power Rangers rights from Disney and would be producing "Samurai", their first new season since Wild Force. As I watched "Samurai", I was a little conflicted. While the storyline and characters were interesting, the acting was very poor, which made it hard to really enjoy it compared to all the past seasons. I just chalked that up to the fact that it was Saban's first season since Wild Force.

That brings us to Megaforce. With this season, Saban decided to forgo all the progress and maturity the franchise has gone through in the past twenty years in favor of trying to nostalgia trap older fans, resulting in uninteresting characters all around, plot points that make absolutely no sense, and essentially an insult to the older fans. The series began with a similar premise to the original series: an ancient guardian recruits five teenagers with attitude to defend the Earth from alien attackers. While I applaud them for that kind of throwback, apparently that's all the thought that was put into it. Then again, the theme songs for Samurai and Megaforce were only remixes of the original theme, which probably shows how much they're out of ideas. Aside from the little stupid things, let me just list out what's wrong with this season's characters and plot points:

1. If the Armada was such a big threat to the universe, where the hell have they been the whole time? I mean, sure, you had alien villains who operated on their own like Scorpius and Lothor, but were they a part of the United Alliance of Evil from the Zordon era (MMPR-In Space)? Besides that, they're just not memorable or complex as other villains. Frax from Time Force was a human whose mind was planted in a robot, Mesogog from Dino Thunder was the Hyde to Anton Mercer's Jekyll, Emperor Grumm from SPD talked to a voice inside his head that would later turn out to be his master, Omni, and Jarrod from Jungle Fury was possessed by the evil spirit of Dai Shi. The villains of Megaforce are pretty much evil just for the sake of being evil. At least in Samurai, we had tragic back-stories for Dekker and Daiyu. For the most part, I couldn't even remember the names of villains in Megaforce because they were so generic.
2. None of the Rangers are interesting or have any real character growth, not to mention had the worst dialogue. Troy is just a generic leader with a "never give up" attitude and nothing else. Noah's the stereotypical nerd. Jake is the jock that is also the main source of comic relief. Gia's the hot blonde and that's it. And Emma, I guess you could call her the hippie of the group. But hell, the way they all kept talking about how much they love the Earth, this team would probably be better known as Power Rangers Hippie Force. When it came to their Samurai predecessors, at least those Rangers had some interesting personalities and backgrounds, even if they were hidden behind some wooden acting. Back to the Megaforce though, in pretty much every battle, they always had to say some kind of annoying line. I'm pretty sure no other Ranger team did that before; just shutting up and fighting has always been the norm. It's almost like they thought they couldn't keep kids' attention unless people were talking, like the fights weren't exciting enough to. And I thought the overuse of explosions during battles in Operation Overdrive was bad. I mean, even when they morphed into past Rangers, I kept thinking to myself "You aren't worthy to wear that suit!" or "You're insulting so-and-so's legacy!" For a season that relied on nostalgia, I couldn't even enjoy seeing the old suits because of who was in them.
3. Considering Gosei was Zordon's student, like the Armada, where has he been this whole time? And from that, exactly how was he able to draw energy from past Rangers into the keys? Not only that, but how was he able to get the SPD and RPM powers when chronologically, those powers exist in the future and in a parallel dimension, respectively.

But honestly, I could have forgiven all that, if it wasn't for the "bait-and-switch" tactic they used to promote this season. While the Megaforce Rangers could morph into Legendary Rangers from the past seasons, they also said that actual former actors who played Rangers before would make appearances throughout the season. We saw guest appearances from Jayden of "Samurai" and Casey of "Jungle Fury"...and that was it. Hell, we were even teased by an RPM Ranger appearance when the Megaforce traveled to Corinth to stop a rampaging zord (because the RPM Rangers were busy apparently). Then later on, Mia and Antonio from "Samurai" make an appearance with their band, but that was only stock footage from their own series. So that makes three episodes with appearances from former Rangers, and only two were new footage.

Even that I could have forgiven, because throughout all of Megaforce, they were building up to the big finale which would involve every Power Ranger ever in a climactic battle to save the Earth. It seems like Ranger fan's dream, right? It was that moment that kept me going through the whole season. Through all the stupid moments, the bad acting, and the shit that made no sense, I thought it would have all been worth it for the Legendary Battle. Well guess what: SABAN EVEN FOUND A WAY TO FUCK THAT UP!
Let me break down the episode. It picks up from the previous one and the people of the city are trying to help each other after another Armada attack. Only this time, they receive help from past Rangers, who only have at best 20 second cameos. This includes Tommy, TJ, and Cassie from the Zordon era, Leo from Lost Galaxy, and Carter and Dana from Lightspeed Rescue. They all probably bring the best acting I've seen from Power Rangers since RPM, thought it feels like such a waste when they're barely there.. Later on, after the Megaforce kills the Emperor, another huge army of X-Borgs show up from out of nowhere and for no reason. That's when all the past teams show up to help. Out of all those, only the ones I mention before take off their helmets and greet the Megaforce. Also, Damon and Karone from Lost Galaxy and Mike and Emily from Samurai are actually there, but don't say anything at all. Must have been an easy pay day for them; "Stand there. Look pretty. Say nothing. Get paid. Go home." So then the Megaforce morphs up again and all the Rangers charge at the X-Borgs for one final epic battle to save the Earth! The result: A POORLY EDITED TWO MINUTE FIGHT THAT MAINLY FOCUSES ON THE MEGAFORCE AND THEIR STUPID ONE-LINERS RATHER THAN SHOWCASING ALL THE PAST RANGERS. I mean, we never even see Tommy fight! All we hear are his trademark yells. I'm sorry, but for every anniversary special or team-up, all the Rangers were given some time to shine. I don't care that in this case there were around a hundred Rangers, this was the 20th anniversary! You know an anniversary special is bad when Tommy can't save it.
I also need to bring up the fact that while it is nice to see old Rangers, it doesn't make sense why they're there. Gosei didn't call them, so what brought them there? Why did the Lost Galaxy come all the way to Mirinoi just to help, SPD from the future, or the RPM team from Corinth? Is there a Power Ranger Phone Tree we don't know about? And why do they decide to show up now? Again, if the Armada was this big of a threat, why weren't the old Rangers around the whole time they were attacking Earth and help end the threat quicker? I mean, sure, there were continuity issues like this in the "Forever Red" 10th Anniversary episode, but at least that episode took the time to introduce the threat and show the Red Rangers gathering to fight it. There's also the fact that Robo Knight, who died a few episodes earlier, shows up with no explanation. He even has a brief conversation with Troy, and like the robot and wooden actor they are, there's no emotion. It doesn't go exactly like this but it's basically, "Hey, I thought you were dead." "Nope.". After a whole season of plot points that make no sense, I just couldn't take anymore! JUST EXPLAIN!

So after they defeat the final X-Borg army and the past Rangers teleport back to whence they came, the last moment of the episode is just the Megaforce going home, and that's it. There's no sense of finality here like past season finales. There's no goodbye to Gosei and Tensou or giving up their powers to return to their normal lives, it's just "Let's go home." You know what I take that as? It's basically Saban saying "we don't really care anymore."

I know a lot of you are thinking "What do you expect? It's a kid's show." No. Even through the ridiculous moments that still happened, as far as Power Rangers has come and the mature themes its taken, that argument is invalid, because the show grew as well as its fans. I mean, characters have actually died in this franchise, and I'm talking actual human characters. In Wild Force, when Cole was a baby, his parents were murdered by their best friend, who would later become the main villain of the season, Master Org. In RPM, Scott's brother was killed when his jet was shot down when Venjix was taking over the planet. And in Mystic Force, the corpses of Leanbow and Daggeron were thrown straight at the Mystic Rangers. Corpses! On what's supposed to be a kid's show! There's plenty more examples of death that happened in Power Ranger history too.

Besides, when you think about it, the best kids programming are the ones that older audiences can enjoy as well. Why do you think Batman: The Animated Series, Green Lantern, Young Justice, and The Spectacular Spider-Man were so popular? Because they were made in a way so that anyone can enjoy them. Goddamn, even Animaniacs had so many raunchy jokes. Finger Prince, anyone? Even modern cartoons like Adventure Time and Regular Show can appeal to older viewers. When you dumb down your shows just to appeal to younger audiences, you ostracize everyone else. That's the reason current Marvel animated shows like Ultimate Spider-Man and Avengers Assemble aren't as beloved as their predecessors.

It's sad really. After every bad season, I gave the franchise a chance to win me back, and they usually did. But now, given the mediocrity of Samurai and Megaforce, and a huge F-U to fans with the latter's finale when the whole season had so much potential, it's making me wish the franchise just ended with RPM. Disney may have wanted to bring the series to an end, but at least they actually put effort into going out with a bang. When it was announced Saban got the rights back, they said in a "read between the lines" kind of way that Disney's seasons sucked and that they would do as good a job with the franchise as they did with Mighty Morphin' to Wild Force, and a lot of fans prefer those seasons to Disney's. While the Disney era from Ninja Storm to RPM may have had their problems, they were still a lot more epic than what Saban has come out with over the last four years. Hell, I once considered Operation Overdrive the worst season of the series, but now I feel like I owe it an apology after what was done in Megaforce. I'm just going to say it: You did it Saban. You finally killed Power Rangers. I may have just fallen out during Lightspeed Rescue, but I came back, I caught up, and kept watching, but Megaforce finally killed the series for me. I'm not even giving Dino Charge a chance next year. I don't even care that it's a dinosaur based team again. Though if by some chance they're able to pull off a major team-up with the Mighty Morphin' and Dino Thunder teams and give them proper respect, I would probably at least tune in to that. I won't be holding my breath though.

At least this isn't like "How I Met Your Mother" when the finale made me hate the series as a whole. Between Mighty Morphin' and RPM, I still have fond memories from this franchise. Right now, I'm even in the process of collecting every season between them on DVD, currently up to "in Space."

But maybe there's a way the Rangers can bring me back. In 2016, a new Power Rangers film is set to be released. Not a lot of details are known, but it appears that the movie will still be set in continuity with the series while also acting as a reboot. It seems like it would be something along the lines of "X-Men: Days of Future Past" and the Mortal Kombat game of 2011. When you think about it though, if Saban is intentionally making bad seasons that would lead to the franchise's cancellation after Dino Charge, it would make sense for them to close shop on the TV series and make a fresh start through film. Honestly though, I think this would be a good chance to show that Power Rangers can be taken seriously. Look what the Star Trek reboot did. It took a cheesy series and made it something epic. I had this idea awhile back that Power Rangers could do this in a film trilogy. The first one would be mostly based on "Day of the Dumpster", the second would be a mix of "Green With Evil" and "Island of Illusion", and the finale would be a mix of "The Green Candle" and "Doomsday", but unlike the original series, it would feature Tommy's death and Rita and her gang being sealed back into the dumpster. Fun fact: before anyone knew Power Rangers would become a phenomenon, the "Doomsday" two-parter was originally going to be the series finale and feature Rita's defeat. If the new film can pull off something like I'm hoping for, maybe they'll be able to bring me into the theater.

For now though, I say goodbye to Power Rangers. Will I come back? At this point, it seems unlikely. But if they're able to do something big to bring back not just me, but other fans also jilted after Megaforce...well, I guess time will tell.

If you need me, I'll be getting the bad taste out of my mouth with highly superior fanmade version.

Comics Review: "Superman: Doomed" - Super Fuster Cluck (SPOILERS)

While I am familiar with well known moments from Superman's comic book history like "The Death of Superman" and Geoff Johns' 2008 "Brainiac" storyline, it wasn't until the New 52 began that I decided to add a Superman title to my pulllist. Instead of the main "Superman" title, I decided to go with "Action Comics", which began with Grant Morrison telling a new version of Superman's early days. Eventually, "Action" jumped to the present and found a steady new writer in Greg Pak. Since some Superman "events" were happening the main book and written by Scott Lobdell, I missed things like "H'El on Earth" and "Psi-War", though from what I've heard, they weren't that good. But then the "Doomed" event was announced, and with "Action Comics" involved, it looks like I was along for the ride for my first Superman event.

Let me start by saying that this event had a lot of build-up across almost the whole Superman line: Action Comics, Superman, Superman/Wonder Woman, and to less extant, Batman/Superman and Supergirl. For the most part with events, you can follow along but not have to worry about doing research. This is one of those cases where you pretty much needed to be following along the whole time. Since I was only reading "Action", I was somewhat lost when the actual event started in certain areas. The main Doomsday build-up was happening in "Superman/Wonder Woman" while "Superman" dealt with a storyline involving Lois Lane developing psi-powers and the citizens of Smallville inflicted by a disease putting them in comas. In addition, Cyborg Superman, who plays a part in the event later, was appearing in "Supergirl", but I wasn't covering that, and if it wasn't for the Cyborg Superman one-shot from DC's Villains Month, I wouldn't have known that it was Zor-El, Supergirl's father and Superman's uncle, experimented on by Brainiac and acting as a herald to find worlds to collect. The point is, there's a lot going on, and if you were only reading just one of these books, you won't get a full grasp of the event.

But I think that is only half the problem with this event. The main premise of "Doomed" wasn't going to be a rehash of "Death of Superman" for the New 52, but after Part One of the event depicts Superman defeating Doomsday, he is infected by a virus that causes him to actually transform into a Doomsday creature, being triggered by stress or anger, similar to Bruce Banner turning into Hulk. Now when the event began with that premise, I thought it was pretty good. We would see Superman dealing with something he couldn't control and his friends would have to find a way to save him. There's even a really good issue of "Superman/Wonder Woman" where she finds him in his Doomsday state and its causing him to vent his frustrations about her and their relationship.

If that was going to be the main focus of the event, maybe I would feel differently about this event. But once Brainiac attacks Earth again, using the psi-powered Lois we find out is under his control to lead his forces, and is also behind the comas in Smallville as the beginning of collecting all the minds of everyone on Earth, it just goes all over the place. I believe there's some attempt to explain that Brainiac was somehow responsible for infecting Superman with the Doomsday virus, but I didn't really understand it. Honestly, it feels like there were two very different stories occurring in the event that were poorly connected. If it wasn't for the personal moments between the characters throughout this events, I don't think I would have made it through.

The best way to describe the ending of this event is "Deus Ex Machina". Eventually, Superman confronts Brainiac, who reveals his plan to collect psionic energy of people across the universe to rewrite it to his own whim, particularly to revive his wife and son. Let me explain why I have a hard time following that. I know comic book science can be totally out there, but I have never heard of the idea of people's consciousnesses or minds could actually manipulate reality. Even the anime "Code Geass" worked with the idea that all people's consciousnesses were part of a system that makes up God, but even that idea didn't deal with changing things as drastically as Brainiac wanted here. Besides that, the way people have seen Brainiac is that she's this emotionless being who does things on an intellectual or preservationist level. I know the New 52 can makes changes to characters as they want, but don't try to make me feel emotion for someone like Brainiac. Lex Luthor, sure, make him a member of the Justice League and give him a sad story about his sister, but I really don't think Brainiac can be done that way either.
To defeat Brainiac, Lois uses her own powers to transfer his psionic energy into Superman, which creates what I'd like to call a "SuperDoomBrain" creature. If anyone has a better name, I'd like to hear it, cause I honestly feel dumb typing and referring to him as that, and I hope whoever came up with that idea did. Superman then uses that energy to free the minds Brainiac had collected, which apparently burns out that power but also the Doomsday virus, reverting Superman to his normal state. Like I said, "Deus Ex Machina." It just seems like a quick resolution to the whole event, which lasted way longer than it should have in my opinion.

Now the finale of this event was supposed to be out at the end of August but ended up delayed to the end of September. Usually when that happens, it's due to an art delay, but upon reading it, I think it was to tie-in more with the "Futures End" Five Years Later event DC has all its titles involved in that month. The final moments of the finale have Superman forcing Brainiac's ship into a black hole, trapping them both. They are separated, and Brainac ends up in a place where he views visions of the classic DC universe before "Flashpoint" occurred. A week later in the "Futures End" weekly series, we find Brainiac, apparently unheard of since "Doomed", with a new giant robotic body and residing on what he calls the "Blood Moon". In addition to that, in these connecting "Futures End" covers, a wave of energy is coming from Brainiac's hand, and if you look closely, you can see DC characters in their classic depictions.

Obviously, this is all building up to DC's "Blood Moon" event occurring next April. I have my own thoughts on what could happen there, but that would get us off topic. I'll just say that when I saw the last page of Brainiac looking at the old DC universe, I was a little frustrated that this event once again threw in another plotpoint we have to go elsewhere to find out what's happening.

Since this event actually ended in September, you're probably wondering why it took so long to get a review up. Well, I had to wait for Action Comics #35, which acted as an aftermath issue, to find out what happened to Superman and everyone else. There were also aftermath issues in "Superman/Wonder Woman" and "Supergirl", but as I feel they aren't necessary, I didn't read them. So apparently the aftermath of the event has the same problem as the build-up, where you can't get the whole story from the main portion, and need bookends to prop it up. So eventually, Superman finds his way home after two months and the issue deals with him exploring how the worlds has fared since Brainiac's defeat, and through a convoluted plan that would take awhile to explain, he realizes that even with the damaged caused through his battles, he still serves as an inspiration to the people of Earth.
The one drawback of this issue though is that Lois, who had discovered Clark was Superman in the main story, has forgotten his identity due to the loss of her psi-powers. In my opinion, that's a loss of a potentially good story. Apparently DC wants to keep pushing the Superman/Wonder Woman relationship, but would it have really hurt to have Lois know the secret? We all know that Superman and Wonder Woman's relationship will end at some point, DC even said so, so why not make it interesting and have a sort of love triangle? Sure Clark has more in common with Diana, but everyone's so familiar with his relationship with Lois. It could have left the door open for Lois and Clark to reignite things. But I guess DC wants to see how long they can keep the powerhouse couple afloat.

So to wrap things up, I wouldn't say it's a bad event. I mean, I gave it a fair shot and tried my best to like it and it did do some interesting things. The personal moments between characters got me through it though some plotpoints were confusing and probably played out too long. Maybe if I had been reading the other books involved, it would have been clearer and I may have enjoyed it more. I'm really just glad it's over and that "Action Comics" can get back to its own thing for awhile.

I usually give number scores for these comic reviews, one for story and one for recommendation, but I honestly can't really place numbers on this event. I'll just say that if you want to give it a try, go for it. I heard the trade collection will include the prelude and aftermath issues along with the main story, so you'd be lucky there.

Speculation Fun Time!: Marvel Cinematic Universe's Civil War and Beyond

So this is the first post I've done in almost two months. It's not that I haven't tried to write, but I felt the ideas I had wouldn't have produced good write-ups, so I'll give the rapid version of what I would have wrote about: "Sin City 2" sucked, "Original Sin" had a lackluster ending in Marvel's onslaught of comic events, and Marvel may be rebooting after their new "Secret Wars" event next year. I do plan to do a review for the "Superman: Doomed" storyline soon though. But right now, I definitely have something to write about.
On Monday, in a piece of news that once again broke the internet, it was announced that Robert Downey Jr. would reprise his role of Tony Stark/Iron Man in 2016's "Captain America 3", and that that film would begin the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of the "Civil War" event. For those who aren't familiar, "Civil War" dealt with the passage of the Superhuman Registration Act, which would require all superhuman to register their identity and powers with the government or face the consequences. This split the superhero community down the middle, with the Pro-Reg side lead by Iron Man and the Anti-Reg side lead by Captain America. Now that battle will be brought to the big screen. While a lot of people thought "Civil War" would be the basis for Cap 3, I thought "You guys are crazy. That's way too big a story for a solo movie." But with RDJ on board, that quickly shut me up, aside from the thought "Shit just got real."
Like "The Winter Soldier", this film will definitely change the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet again, stated to have effects that would stretch as far as Avengers 4. Exactly how though? Well, let me throw out my ideas, category by category.

 

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

 

Before we get to "Civil War" though, we still have the "Age of Ultron" film. Now this film will obviously have the most build-up to Cap 3, and while there could be many events in the film that would lead to the idea of the Superhuman Registration Act, perhaps the biggest impact of the film will be what happens to Tony Stark. As we've seen Tony in past movies, he's not one to answer to authority, whether it be the government or SHIELD. So something must happen that causes Tony to take the government's side, but what? The best theory I have is that Tony's best friend, James Rhodes, AKA Rhodey, AKA War Machine, AKA Iron Patriot, will die in the film at the hands of Ultron. Considering the scope of this film and that this is a Joss Whedon movie after all, someone is sure to die. Storywise, Tony is the one who activates Ultron, which would make him responsible for Rhodey's death. You have to imagine the impact that would have on him. It would inspire him to do better than before, which is why he would support something like the Registration Act.

 

But besides Cap and Tony, there may be another character who would have a starring role.

 

 

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN



 

The rumors of Spider-Man's inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have gone as far back as 2012. There were apparently plans to include the OsCorp building in "Avengers", but they fell through due to missed post-production deadlines. But since then, that is why I have since considered "The Amazing Spider-Man" series an unofficial part of the MCU. It's not that far a stretch when you think about it. Nothing about either universe contradicts the other. Hell, you know all those construction cranes in the climax of "Amazing Spider-Man"? Maybe they're reconstructing after the Chitauri invasion in "Avengers." It just makes more sense for Spidey to be in a world of heroes rather than be the only one and all supervillains just happen to show up in New York. It definitely shows that unlike Fox, Marvel and Sony are on friendlier terms over their property. If you look at some of the promotion for "Amazing Spider-Man 2" this year, it had merchandise on the shelves, including toys and school supplies, Marvel promoted the film on their Facebook page, and even included a movie skin for their "Avengers Alliance" game. Besides that, when you look at the opening credits for both "Amazing" films, the Marvel logo has a box around it like the other Marvel Studios films. Unlike those films though, "X-Men: Days of Future Past" had no merchandise, no promotion whatsoever from Marvel, and the Marvel logo in the opening credits was the same logo used since 2002. That said, it's possible Marvel may have more say in the "Amazing Spider-Man" series than we think. I wouldn't have even minded if the universes didn't crossover, but as of recent events, Spider-Man could use an Avengers-bump.

Sony had a plan, with the third Amazing Spider-Man film set for 2016, and the fourth in 2018. But then "Amazing Spider-Man 2" came out and got crapped on by critics and fanboys who are still hung up on the series being rebooted in the first place. Now everything's in disarray. The third film has been postponed to 2018, with rumors that Sony may even try a "soft reboot". I'll just say that if they reboot again, I am done with this franchise until the rights go back to Marvel. But I'm sure that Sony knows that another reboot is practically a death sentence. Sony needs to look at Fox for inspiration. They learned from their mistakes with the X-Men franchise, and now "Days of Future Past" is the highest grossing and second best reviewed comic book film of the year. What Sony needs to do is focus on the third film, but it wouldn't hurt to have some help.

As I've said, there have been constant rumors of Sony and Marvel making a deal to share Spider-Man, some even believing that the delay for "Amazing Spider-Man 3" could be due to working out a way to incorporate Spider-Man into "Avengers 3". It worked well for the Hulk. True, Hulk hasn't had a new movie since, but it's still being talked about. Spider-Man in the MCU could get more people interested in his solo films again. Besides, tell me you can't see Andrew Garfield interacting with RDJ and Chris Evans. The rumor made rounds again last week, but to a greater extant, even getting the attention of non-comic book news outlets like Entertainment Weekly. Now this week was the announcement of the MCU's "Civil War". If the film version is like the comic version, Spider-Man may be caught in the middle. It's possible that the deal is already in place, but just hasn't been announced yet. To add fuel to this fire, Marvel also announced they would be releasing a new "Civil War" miniseries next summer, retelling the story to get fans ready for the film version. But when you look at the teaser image (which is posted above), you see Stark and Cap pulling Spider-Man in a tug of war. Now when you think about it, if Marvel's retelling the story for MCU fans, why would they include Spider-Man in the initial announcement when his film rights are with another studio? Just sayin.'

Like in the comics, Spider-Man could serve as the audience's guide to the story, as he's conflicted as to whose side to be on. To connect this films, Stark could use Spider-Man as the prime example of unchecked superhuman activity, citing the damage caused from his battles with Lizard, Electro, and Rhino, as well as civilian deaths like Gwen and her father. But rather than condemn Spider-Man, Stark would be offering him a chance to do better. He knows Spider-Man has strong public support, so he wants to get more people on his side by recruiting the hero of the city. Now would they go as far as Peter revealing his identity to the public? Probably not. However, this would bring Spider-Man into the fold and he could be involved in future film and be seen working with multiple heroes. Not to mention there's the possibility of the Iron Spider suit.

Whether or not Spidey will become part of the MCU is still up in the air, but let's be honest, everyone, Marvel, Sony, the fans, they all win if he does. So for the rest of this write-up, for all intents and purposes, let's say that Spider-Man IS part of the MCU.

 

 

THUNDERBOLTS

 

One of the controversial moves made by Tony and Pro-Reg side was the use of supervillains to capture heroes avoiding the Act, which is one of the reasons Spider-Man switched sides in the comics. While the villain list in the MCU is short, there's still the chance we could see the debut of the Thunderbolts, a team of villains who wished to redeem themselves (or some who didn't have a choice to be there). Considering that DC is planning a Suicide Squad film and Sony is doing the same for the Sinister Six in the Spider-Man franchise, a Thunderbolts film wouldn't be out of the question considering the new surge of villain team movies. During and after the Civil War, Norman Osborn was the leader of the team. Now while Sony's plans for the Sinister Six aren't real clear at the moment, whether it be for their own movie or fighting Spider-Man in the third film, if Sony and Marvel can work things out, it's possible they could do something similar. At this point, Norman Osborn is dead in the "Amazing" series (if we ignore the leaked image of his frozen decapitated head in the Special Projects room), so if someone was to fill the role, why not his son, Harry, who is already the Green Goblin? Say in some film in the future, Spider-Man succeeds in defeating the Six, and afterwards, Harry is approached to lead the new team. This would also work out into another plot detail that I will get to later.

 

 

 

AVENGERS 3

 



With all the talk of "Civil War", you probably forgot about that whole storyline involving Thanos and the Infinity Stones. It's all but certain we'll get that payoff in the third Avengers movie, which will most likely include a team-up with the Guardians of the Galaxy, hightailing it to Earth once they realize Thanos is heading there. But now, with the announcement of "Civil War", it appears "Avengers 3" will also serve as the opportunity for the Pro- and Anti-Reg sides to come together to stop this threat, similar to how in the comics they came together to fight the Skrulls in "Secret Invasion." This film also marks the end of Chris Evans' contract with Marvel, meaning it would be the last time he plays Captain America. I think we all know what that means: DEATH. But I think we all know that if Cap's gonna die, he's gonna go out in style, sacrificing himself to try and stop Thanos; then that will open up Bucky to take the mantle. However, if this film ends similar to how "Secret Invasion" did, it won't be a good guy who gets the job done.

 

 

PHASE FOUR: DARK REIGN

 

If Marvel's Phase Three will be "Civil War" with hero vs. hero, it would be interesting that the next place to go would be having the bad guys in charge. In the "Secret Invasion" storyline, it was Norman Osborn who got the killshot on the Skrull queen, with that image being broadcast across the world, and in turn saving it. That lead to him being named the new head of SHIELD, which he rechristened HAMMER. Now imagine in the movies that Harry is the one who somehow stops Thanos (don't ask how, just go with it). With Rogers dead and Stark disgraced for letting another alien invasion happen, the people would look to Harry Osborn as the man to keep them safe. Also keep in mind that Harry is apparently able to transform back and forth into his Goblin appearance, so he would still have a look people can trust. What would make this interesting is that Harry has always been underestimated, ignored, and stepped on. Now with the whole world in his hands, he would have something to prove. Something I think Harry would do to rub it in the face of the heroes would be to take Rhodes' Iron Patriot armor, becoming the hero the people want, saying he's paying tribute to both Rhodes and Rogers. And like his father in the comics, Harry could form a film version of the Cabal. Now while anything could happen between now and then, I think some good members to include would be Loki (he was manipulative of Norman in the comics), Red Skull (come on, you know he's out there somewhere), and Dr. Doom (when the Fantastic Four reboot next year bombs so hard and Fox sells the rights back to Marvel, this would be a good way to bring in Doom to the MCU). But of course, the Dark Reign would have to end, and the way it does could also be similar to the comics.

 

 

RAGNAROK AND SIEGE

 

While a third Thor film has not been officially announced, it's pretty clear that Marvel is building to one, with Loki posing as Odin and apparently planning for some kind of war. Many believe that the third Thor film would feature Ragnarok, which in Norse mythology is their version of the Apocalypse. While I am not that familiar with Thor comics, some research I have done shows that this is most likely to happen. However, sometime after Ragnarok, Thor is able to rebuild Asgard on Earth, just outside of Broxton, Oklahoma. The only thing I am unsure of is how these events could transpire in the MCU, but if anyone make it work, it's Marvel.

By the end of the Dark Reign storyline, Norman Osborn set his sights on Asgard, by Loki's request, seeing it as the last great threat to his power, which was the plot to the "Siege" event that ended with Osborn removed from his position and the heroes finally united and once again viewed positively by the public (not to mention the repeal of the Superhuman Registration Act).

It was by this point that Norman's Goblin side was starting to manifest again, with him even going so far as to wear Goblin warpaint under his Iron Patriot armor. Harry could go down that road as well, and just imagine him getting his armor off and looking like his Goblin self again. Besides that, "Siege" also saw Loki having a redemption moment, realizing his mistakes and sacrificing himself to save his home. This eventually lead to Loki being resurrected as a child.

With Phase Four dealing with the villains in power, it would make sense for "Avengers 4" to be based on "Siege", which could lead to a new "Heroic Age" like in the comics, which could be the basis of Phase Five.

 

That's as far as I've thought. Keep in mind this is all just fan speculation on my part. But what does anyone else think? Even if there are no Spider-Man characters involved, do you think I'm right about other things? Could we see the Thunderbolts? If not Harry, who could usher in a Dark Reign? Could Marvel get the FF license back in time to include Doom? Will Asgard fall and rise again? Sign off in the comments with your own thoughts.

 

All I know for certain is that some interesting things are sure to come from Marvel Studios, and it's really fun to speculate what they may be.

Movie Review: "Batman: Assault on Arkham" - A Good Kind of Mess (SPOILERS)

Perhaps the key point used in promoting "Batman: Assault on Arkham" was that it was a tie-in to the highly successful "Arkham" video game series. To be fair though, this isn't the first time the Arkham universe has been seen outside the games. DC has done some comic book series, including a prequel and epilogue to Arkham City, an anthology series called Arkham Unhinged, and an upcoming prequel graphic novel to Arkham Origins. I have read them all (except the Arkham Origins prequel), and while I have enjoyed them on some level, they don't leave much of an impact as the video games, probably due to actually being involved in the events in a way. Ultimately, the same can be said for "Assualt on Arkham".

Let me start out by saying that this is a very unique entry in DC's line of animated films. To start out, this movie is essentially a hybrid of an action movie and for a good portion of it, a heist movie. There's even a rundown of the team, showcasing their talent or state of mind in some way. In a way, it's similar to running down the assassins in Arkham Origins. The team in question is the Suicide Squad, a secret government team of supervillains who work to have time shaved off their sentences, who have to follow orders, or they get their heads blown off from the implanted explosive in their heads. In conjuntion with mostly being a heist movie, for a good portion, this is a Suicide Squad movie with Batman characters involved, but it eventually becomes more Batman focused around the third act. I guess to be fair though, DC had talked about doing a Suicide Squad video game, with such an idea hinted at in the Arkham Origins post-credits scene. But I sense that they may have found it troubling to promote a Suicide Squad game and make it successful, so this movie tie-in to a video game is probably their way of getting that idea out of the way. It's like how Fox took portions of the "Magneto" movie script and used them for "X-Men: First Class." I would have at least called it "Batman vs. the Suicide Squad: Assault on Arkham". I know it's a long title, but so is "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."

Given its more action focus, there isn't much in character development, but it doesn't mean the characters aren't interesting. You got the love trianlge between Joker, Harley, and Deadshot, Deadshot's rivalry with Captain Boomerang, and the potential relationship between Killer Frost and King Shark. Plus, the characters act like you would expect. Batman (voiced again by Kevin Conroy) and Deadshot are badass as usual, Riddler is a know-it-all, Waller is a vindictive bitch (and once again greatly voiced by CCH Pounder), and Harley is the psychotic comic relief showing why she's DC's female equivalent of Deadpool. But just like in Arkham Origins, I must give mad props to Troy Baker's performance as the Joker, who again proves himself as a worthy successor to Mark Hamill.

I mentioned before in my review of "The Flashpoint Paradox" that even though their films are rated PG-13, in animated form, DC and WB have the oppurtunity to push the envelope when it comes to graphic violence that if it were in live action, would get an R rating. "Assault on Arkham" is just as violent, featuring people's heads exploding and Joker stabbing Deadshot many many times, but in addition to that, it gets pretty raunchy as well. For example, Harley solicits Deadshot for sex, who declines, but when Captain Boomerang says he's interested, Harley rebukes, and the scene is full of double entendres. Eventually though, Harley shows up naked in Deadshot's bed and he figures "What the hell?". But I guess since a naked Harley (they don't show anything just to be clear) wasn't enough fanservice, Killer Frost went topless for awhile as well. The point here is that I'm just giving parents a warning. Just because it's Batman and just because it's a cartoon, doesn't mean it's for kids. Movies have ratings for a reason.

One thing I really want to applaud the film for is its attention to detail. Being a tie-in to the Arkham games, they really wanted to make sure they used the same designs for characters and locations. When you look at characters like Batman, Riddler, and Joker, they look a lot like they did in the games. In Batman's case, it was a little odd to actually see his pupils through his mask in animated form. As for locations, the designers did good when it came to the Iceberg Lounge and many of the locations on Arkham Island. It brought back some memories from playing Arkham Asylum. I do have to take some points off though, because Amanda Waller appears as her classic larger self, whereas in the Arkham Origins post-credits scene, she's thin like she is in the New 52.

While I'm sure we're meant to watch the film on its own or as non-canon, I couldn't help but pick apart some things based on my knowledge of the Arkham games. I'll just start with the biggest one, which is the appearance of Bane. During the third act of the film, Joker lets loose everyone in the Asylum, including Bane. For one thing, Bane being in Arkham makes no sense; since he's not insane, he belongs more in Blackgate, which Gordon even stated in the first game. What makes even less sense is why he's hooked up to his Venom pack and even had some ready for use. Let me just put it this way: the Bane in this movie is essentially the hulking thug from "Batman & Robin." Take that in, try to recover from your memories of that film, and then we'll move on.
The next thing that bugged me was that Poison Ivy once again had her giant plant, which was used in a boss battle in the first game. What doesn't make sense there is that Ivy only had that big of plant in the game because Joker was experimenting on plants with the Titan formula. Eventually, Ivy was able to use said plants to her advantage. Considering both that Titan shouldn't exist yet and that in the film the giant plant seemed to just be created out of nowhere, it just doesn't make sense.
One last thing: there's one scene where Joker gets stuck in a falling helicopter, laughing all the way down because he's Joker of course, and it explodes once it hits the ground, but it's later stated that his body wasn't found. Okay, there have been numerous occassions where we see Joker get into a no-escape situation where he totally should have died, but eventually he rears his ugly head again. Now I could have just ignored that like any other time, but let's remember that this Joker is the same one that dies in Arkham City from the effects of the Titan formula in the first game. So you're telling me that this version of Joker can survive being trapped in an exploding helicopter, but he can't get better from a disease? I'll be honest, when I first played through Arkham City and watched Joker die, it freaked me out, because that's something that was never done before. I just find it hard to believe that the Arkham Joker could die so easily.

To sum things up, "Assault on Arkham" kind of has a problem trying to decide what kind of movie it is, especially during the third act. But like other non-game tie-ins to the Arkham universe, it does a good job using the source material and expanding on it, while not necessarily memorable. If it has anything going for it, it's essentially the characters, both in personalities and interaction with one another. Overall, it's kind of all over the place, but if you like the characters and just want to watch something fun and not include anything real significant, this film is right up your alley.

RATING: 6.5/10

Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy - I AM GROOT (SPOILERS)

 

Let's be honest, when Marvel announced this film, a lot of people saw it as a risk. Compared to Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, they were not very widely known. Hell, even characters who haven't had a movie yet like Black Panther and Dr. Strange are more well known. I myself didn't even know about these guys until they appeared in an episode of "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes." After watching it and knowing the future possibilities of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I knew that they would have a movie soon. Despite the risk, Marvel proved themselves time and time again, so I knew it would have to be good on some level, probably similar to the first Thor and Captain America films. Now considering that Marvel has only introduced characters through solo films, saving team-up crossovers for Avengers movies, "Guardians" could be considered a mix of both concepts. So despite not knowing these characters beforehand, I still found the film able to provide entertainment at the same level of "Avengers." I'll be honest, I've seen it twice now, and I'm still processing all the awesomeness, so bare with me as I go through this.

Of course the main draw of this movie is the main characters of the team. They're all very different from the past heroes we've seen in the MCU. As they've been described in the trailer, they're "a bunch of a-holes", but that's what makes them interesting characters to follow. They're trying to do good, but for the most part, they're in it for themselves. But like ogres and onions, they all have layers too.
With Peter Quill, AKA Star-Lord, he's really the most level headed of the whole team, even though he has his own faults. Essentially, he's the Tony Stark of the Guardians. While Gamora is also somewhat level headed, she's usually stuck in warrior mode, but does show signs of having a conscience. Then you have Drax. He puts on a strong front, burying the pain of his loss through anger and getting drunk, but deep down, he is a valuable ally. Sure, he still loves to hurt people and insult his friends, but you can't change a guy that much. And who can forget Rocket Raccoon? I knew right away this guy would steal the show. I mean, he's a trigger happy talking raccoon. What more do you want? But like Drax, he likes to cover up his emotional side, usually through being a smartass. When Rocket gets sad, it's kind of like when you see an animal hurt. You can't help but want to hold him. And last but not least, Groot. I did question when a big star like Vin Diesel was cast as a character who only says one line, but honestly, it's not what he says, but how he says it. Honestly, Groot is the most innocent of the group, and is willing to do anything for his friends. Even with just one sentence, he can convey being happy, stern, sad, and even angry. I mean, the guy did play the Iron Giant, so he's proven he can show emotion through a non-human role.
But it's not just who the characters are, but how they interact with each other. Like the Avengers, they're used to working alone, and they interact as such, not willing to put up with each other's crap unless they have to. When you watch Rocket and Groot, the comparison they most get is that they're like Han Solo and Chewbacca. Rocket's the brains, Groot's the muscle. Deep down though, they're still good friends. Rocket's interaction with Quill is also fun. Like I've said, Quill's more level headed, so when Rocket's doing stuff that's way out of line, Quill has to call him out on it, which Rocket sees as ruining his good time. But after Groot and Rocket, my second favorite character interaction was between Quill and Gamora. They have real chemistry and there's the possibility of romance between them, especially if she succumbs to his, as she put it, "pelvic magic."

As for the villains, the ones that stand out are Ronan and Thanos. While Rocket and Groot are like Han and Chewy, Ronan and Thanos can definitely be compared to Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. Okay, given that Thanos only appears for two scenes, but he still has such a powerful presence. DC needs to take notes for when they bring in Darkseid for their movies. As for Ronan, he's like Vader in a couple ways, like he has that big black round headwear and a deep voice. He's also a real powerhouse and a good challenge to Drax. I'm a little disappointed in what happens to him in the end; it would have been cool to see him fight Thor.
Nebula's also a good foil to Gamora, and considering their familial bond, it makes some good tension between, especially since Thanos considered Gamora his favorite daughter. She'll definitely be seen again; though I guess she has to make sure Thanos will allow her to live between now and whatever movie she should appear in next.

Like all the other Marvel movies, this film is also filled with a lot of Easter eggs. My favorites were during the scene where the Collector is explaining the history of the Infinity Stones, and we see not only a Celestial, a race of giants who created the universe, but what I assume to be a group of Watchers, a group of aliens who collect data and objects and observe everything in the multiverse. They certainly had robes like them. I also thought I saw a Skrull in the Collector's place, but upon closer inspection, it was only a Dark Elf from "Thor 2". It makes me wonder though if Marvel even has the rights to the Skrulls, considering they're considered Fantastic Four villains, which would make them Fox's property. That's something to look into.

Like "Winter Solider", Marvel continues to nail it when it comes to the action scenes, and believe me, not only is there a lot of it, but it's damn entertaining. What other movie can you see a raccoon with a machine gun, shooting it until he runs out, screaming the whole time? Hell, everyone had some damn good moves. In fact, Groot even delivers a great moment that would rival Hulk tossing Loki around like a ragdoll in "Avengers."

If there's one thing that sets this film a part from the other Marvel movies, it's the music. While they usually have a normal orchestra score with some modern music spliced in, thanks to Peter's "Awesome Mix Vol. 1" tape, we get some classic music from the 70's and 80's for a good portion. I still have some of the songs stuck in my head, like "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.

I will say though that the only thing about the film that has me conflicted is how much they introduce in such little time. Unlike "Avengers", you're introduced to the heroes, villains, and supporting cast without any prior knowledge. It could be too much for some people. But I will admit that "Avengers" could still be viewed without watching the solo films. However, "Guardians" does introduce everyone in such a way that it doesn't matter that we're meeting them for the first time. By the end, we know these characters. I'm probably annoying people by using another Star Wars comparison, but the original film really did the same thing "Guardians" has done here.

Honestly, like my "Quest for Nightcrawler" review, there's nothing to really speculate what will happen next. I mean, sure, there's Thanos being built up, but for the most part, "Guardians" is able to stand on its own as an action comedy film. Even the post-credits scene is more for comedy than for future set-up. Think of the shawarma scene in "Avengers."
But I will talk about the Infinity Stones, which ones are accounted for and what ones are still left to be introduced:

• The Tesseract, the Space Stone: In Odin's Trophy Room on Asgard.
• The Mind Stone: Still a part of Loki's scepter, which is under HYDRA's possession.
• The Aether, the Reality Stone: Part of the Collector's collection on Knowhere.
• The Orb, the Power Stone: Under protection of the Nova Corps on Xandar.

The only ones left are the Time Stone and the Soul Stone, and considering we're probably four to five years away from Avengers 3, which will most likely include the Guardians, there's plenty of time to introduce them. "Guardians" really doesn't fit with the other Phase Two films or have any build-up to "Age of Ultron", but that's okay. Marvel has these movies planned out for over the next DECADE. While not everything can be connected right away, you surely know there will be big pay offs down the line.

If you've enjoyed everything else you've seen Marvel Studios put out, there's no doubt you'll love "Guardians of the Galaxy." It's "Avengers" level entertaining and you don't have to worry about having prior knowledge to follow the story. It's truly its own being.

RATING: 8.5/10

My Marvel Cinematic Universe Film Rankings:
1. Captain America: The Winter Solider
2. The Avengers
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
4. Iron Man 3
5. Thor
6. Captain America: The First Avenger
7. Iron Man
8. The Incredible Hulk
9. Iron Man 2
10. Thor: The Dark World