Superheroes!

[Cutlass]

I just got caught up on AoS eps 1-2 of the new season. Fairly good. But some odd questions open to be answered.

 

[EgonSpengler]

I just got caught up on AoS eps 1-2 of the new season. Fairly good. But some odd questions open to be answered.

Yes, they've set up some potentially cool stuff. I'm hoping that the plot thread that clearly relates to Dr. Strange isn't purely to set up the movie, but relates somehow to the unfolding story in SHIELD (having something to do with Ghost Rider, presumably).

(In case it's unclear what I'm referring to...)

Spoiler :

The scientists using The Darkhold for something. The Darkhold, a.k.a. The Book of Sins, is like Marvel Comics' version of The Necronomicon. It was written by the evil 'elder god' Chthon centuries ago and then passing down the ages causing trouble for people like Merlin, Red Sonja, Kull, and Conan, and in the modern day, Dr. Strange, Hannibal King and Blade. Thulsa Doom, Morgan Le Fay, Count Dracula and Doctor Doom have all tried to use it for nefarious purposes, and it was the original source of vampirism.

So I hope that wasn't just a name-drop and a nod to the movie.

[EDIT: The Marvel database says Chthon wrote The Darkhold "billions of years ago." That's ridiculous, but hey, it is a comic book, right? ]

In rewatching episode 2, I really liked Gabriel Luna's performance. (Gabriel, not to be confused with Diego Luna, which I've done - Gabriel is American, Diego is Mexican; Gabriel mostly does television, Diego mostly films.) His scenes with Chloe Bennet were good, they had nice chemistry, and he seems good as showing changing emotions on his face without overacting, which I think is good for this character. I want him to be stoic and masculine without being inscrutable and emotionless. I'm not an actor, but I imagine that's a difficult balance to strike.

I can't help wondering if they're laying the groundwork for a "back-door pilot" of a Ghost Rider spinoff. The guy who plays Robby's boss at the garage is a veteran television actor I recognize but can't name, and Robby's younger brother doesn't appear to be an important part of the storyline here so far.

 

[Cutlass]

I've been thinking that the thing between Coulson and the new director is setting up a conflict which will play out later in the season. Mushrooming Coulson, particularly where May is concerned, has to lead to an explosion.

 

[EgonSpengler]

I watched the first 4 episodes of Luke Cage over the weekend. Pretty good so far. I see the Shane comparison. The villain doesn't seem to have a "master plan" that the hero must foil (at least, not yet - still 9 episodes to go), but rather, we have two people on a collision course. The central conflict is sparked by one guy doing something dumb, but then Cage and Stokes are like two freight trains on the same track and can't avoid each other.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I've been thinking that the thing between Coulson and the new director is setting up a conflict which will play out later in the season. Mushrooming Coulson, particularly where May is concerned, has to lead to an explosion.

I can't think about a prospective explosion from Coulson without picturing him saying "Talk to the hand."

Perhaps that's just me.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Episode 7 of Luke Cage:

Spoiler :

I did not see that coming.

I mean, the assassin at the end I saw coming. Everybody saw that coming. I mean Mariah murdering Cornell. That surprised me. I had been wondering for a bit if Mariah might secretly be Diamondback. Now I hope she isn't.

I had also assumed the nicknames (Cottonmouth and Diamondback) were for security within a larger organized-crime group, so the various players involved wouldn't know each other's real identities and couldn't incriminate each other if one of them was exposed. Except that everybody in the world seems to know that Stokes is 'Cottonmouth.' But now we see the nickname came from his uncle when he was a kid, long before he was a gangster.

I feel like there's some interesting twist coming wrt Shades. He's been hanging around so much without really getting involved. Maybe's he's Diamondback but, as with Mariah, I think he's more interesting if he's not. In the comics, I think Shades had super-powers, eye-beams kind of like Cyclops.

Anyway, good episode.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Evidently the folks over at Underworld: Blood Wars asked Marvel if they could use Blade. I haven't kept up with the Underworld series. In fact, I only saw the first one, but still... Selene and Blade team up? Selene and Blade fight? Selene and Blade fight and then team up? All perfectly fine scenarios, in my book. Could we get Ron Perlman to paint his face red and deliver some one-liners? Alright, maybe that's too much. Doesn't matter anyway, Marvel said no, but also said they have no plans for Blade in the MCU. Well, shoot.

In other universes, the season premier of Supergirl and a beer was pretty much a perfect Tuesday night.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

In other universes, the season premier of Supergirl and a beer was pretty much a perfect Tuesday night.

How did "the licensing costs for Supergirl are off the charts!" turn into "now we can afford the licensing fees for Superman"?

Great fun though, no doubt.

 

[EgonSpengler]

How did "the licensing costs for Supergirl are off the charts!" turn into "now we can afford the licensing fees for Superman"?

Great fun though, no doubt.

Maybe Warner Bros are getting their heads out of their behinds. I seem to recall the licensing fee for Supergirl was insane.

I read that the season 2 premier got 3 million viewers, a near-record for The CW, bested only by an episode of The Gilmour Girls 8 years ago. It's half what the season 1 finale got on CBS, but it's still a homerun for The CW.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Amber Heard in costume as Mera, Queen of Atlantis.

 

[Cutlass]

The NPR radio show On Point did a show on the superhero shows.
http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2016/10/13/luke-cage-black-panther-american-superhero

‘Luke Cage’ And The Changing American Superhero47:23

Play
October 13, 2016

The hero of the new Netflix show "Luke Cage" is a bulletproof black man. We’ll look at the changing American superhero.


Once upon a time, and for quite a long time, American superheroes were basically white, male and super. They were great, but not every kid could see him or herself in their boots, their cape. Well, that has changed. Superman’s still out there. But now we’ve got a new raft of superheroes. Luke Cage, the bulletproof black man. Jessica Jones, super-powered rape survivor. And more. This hour On Point, the new faces, and powers, of the American superhero. — Tom Ashbrook

Guests
Abraham Riesman, associate culture editor at New York Magazine and Vulture. (@abrahamjoseph)

Alyssa Rosenberg, pop culture columnist for the Washington Post. (@AlyssaRosenberg)

Roxane Gay, feminist writer and critic. Associate professor of English at Purdue University. Author of “Bad Feminist” and “An Untamed State.” Author of the forthcoming ‘World Of Wakanda” series for Marvel Comics. (@rgay)

From Tom’s Reading List
Vulture: How Luke Cage Went From Cutting Edge to Caricature, and Then Back Again — "It wasn't too long ago that Luke Cage, Marvel's heavily muscled, no-nonsense bruiser of a superhero, existed mainly as a punch line. Existing in the margins of the Marvel universe, many years removed from his own standalone title, the character at the turn of the millennium was a far cry from what he had been at the time of his creation in the early 1970s, when the blaxploitation phenomenon was at its zenith."

Washington Post: ‘Suicide Squad’ was sold as a triumph of diversity. It’s actually trash. — "The only actual reason to watch 'Suicide Squad' is that it’s a powerful testament to the ways in which Hollywood can absorb basic demands for greater inclusiveness while still turning out a movie with a nasty, regressive streak."

New York Times: Marvel’s World of Wakanda Will Spotlight Women, on the Page and Behind It — "It is no surprise that Marvel would try to capitalize on the success of Black Panther. Eager anticipation greeted the announcement of Mr. Coates. And the comic book, drawn by Brian Stelfreeze, is a critical and commercial hit. The first issue, which was released in April, sold more than 300,000 copies, a number undoubtedly boosted by collectors and the curious. Issues 2 and 3, whose sales for any series are typically more indicative of sustained readership, each sold more than 75,000 copies."

 

[EgonSpengler]

I had that NPR show on while I was working, but wasn't able to give it my full attention. It sounded like a good introduction for people who still think of Adam West and Christopher Reeve when someone mentions superheroes. I can imagine a non-superhero fan might not realize that Jessica Jones is not just the next iteration of Wonder Woman and Xena, and let their kids watch a parable about rape and abusive relationships.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Variety published an interview with Scarlett Johansson and, among other things, asked her about a Black Widow solo film:

I would like for [a Black Widow movie] to happen under the right circumstances. I think there’s a lot of opportunity to mine that story line.

[...]

If I did it, I’d have to do it while I still actually wanted to wear a skin-tight catsuit. I don’t know how much longer that’s going to be.

I like that she's putting a little pressure on them, that she's not going to wait forever. I hope the Marvel folks have read this interview. Within the MCU's ongoing storyline it's getting kind of late in the day for a Black Widow film. We should have had one (or three) by now.

 

[Cutlass]

Yeah, the Black Widow film should have been done 5-8 years ago. Same for the Hawkeye.

One thing that stood out as better in the first Avengers movie in comparison to Suicide Squad was that it wasn't wasting any time introducing characters. Because by that time they'd already been introduced. But BW and Hawkeye only as minor characters.

Spoiler :

The other thing better being that it was actually an ensemble movie, and not a series of solo short films intertwined with one another.

I don't really know what they'd do as a stand alone BW now. And Barton is too old for a Hawkeye movie on his own. He's already semi-retiring.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I don't really know what they'd do as a stand alone BW now. And Barton is too old for a Hawkeye movie on his own. He's already semi-retiring.

Page from the X-Men series: origin retrospectives for either/both. It worked for Wolverine.

 

[EgonSpengler]

If it involved flashbacks, could we get cameos from Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, and Adrianne Palicki? I can't be the only one who'd like to see Natasha and Bobbi... er... sparring.

 

[EgonSpengler]

From io9's review of the latest ep of Supergirl:

Meanwhile, Alex Danvers is about to embark on a rainbow paved odyssey loaded with the entire discography of Tegan and Sara, at least one motorcycle, two leather jackets, and an ex-girlfriend who learns English with her tongue.

I do like Alex, though. Wouldn't mind seeing more of her.

 

[EgonSpengler]

I rewatched Captain America: Civil War over the weekend. To my memory, most of the talk when the movie was released was about the airport fight, which of course was fantastic, but I was most impressed by the battle in Lagos. The choreography, stunt work, practical effects and CGI were all outstanding, and they were all combined perfectly. I particularly want to give a shout out to Heidi Moneymaker, Scarlett Johansson's stunt double, and for the choreography on her fights. Johansson and Moneymaker are both 5' 3", so Natasha can't be much bigger. Her fighting style is all offense, with some Muay Thai, some krav maga, some judo, some gymnastics, and a big helping of comic-book silliness. I love how she throws the motorcycle at one guy and kick-slams the truck door on the next. Her tempo is ridiculous (dare I say "superhuman"?). Just the 20-second fight between Natasha and the two mercs in the market must have taken several days for choreography and practice.

 

[Cutlass]

I'm actually just watching that again myself. Got the disk from the library the other day. It's a good movie all through. Some of the dialog you really need to catch.

 

[EgonSpengler]

I'm actually just watching that again myself. Got the disk from the library the other day. It's a good movie all through. Some of the dialog you really need to catch.

"Looking over your shoulder should be second nature."
"Anyone ever tell you you're a little paranoid?"
"Why? Did you hear something?"

"I know you know a lot of super-people, so thinks for thanking of me." And the shoulder squeeze made me laugh out loud. I wonder whose idea that was.

"Hey, Manchurian Candidate, there's a truce here."

I love that Clint got bored with golf because it was too easy.