The Temporal Loom is central to Loki’s second season, and we learn it’s critical in making the Time Variance Authority function. But what is Loki‘s Temporal Loom exactly? Here’s what we know about the Temporal Loom from Loki season two and what we can glean from Loki‘s various inspirations.

The MCU’s Loom: Loki Season Two’s Temporal Loom

Created by He Who Remains at some unknown point in time, Loki‘s Temporal Loom takes raw temporal energy and refines it into a physical timeline. Part of the reason the TVA prunes the extra timelines is so that the Temporal Loom doesn’t overload trying to “weave” too many timelines at once. Without the Temporal Loom, the TVA can’t function. And if it overloads, the TVA goes boom, and all of reality would soon follow. In episode two, we learn that a meltdown can’t be prevented without the temporal aura, or time signature, of He Who Remains. Who is currently quite dead.

By the third episode of Loki season two, the Temporal Loom is indeed overloading, thanks to the countless branched timelines that are returning with the death of He Who Remains. It simply wasn’t made to handle so many divergent timelines branching off at once. And without it, not only does the TVA cease to function, but chaos will reign in the multiverse. But we also learned of the origins of the Temporal Loom and how they tie into a specific Kang variant.

Victor Timely and the Origins of the MCU’s Temporal Loom

In episode three of Loki’s second season, Loki and Morbius travel back in time to the year 1893. There, they encounter a variant of He Who Remains. This variant, Victor Timely, is presenting his latest invention at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. It’s a very rudimentary version of the Temporal Loom, sold to the 19th-century audience as a way of harnessing energy. Victor Timely was able to create this Temporal Loom prototype based on his understanding of the descriptions of the TVA manual. A book that was left for him by Ravonna Renslayer and Miss Minutes when he was a child. Of course, the Temporal Loom malfunctions on stage after a mere few minutes. Yet it shows that as early as the 1890s, a Kang variant was working on the very thing that would make the TVA run.

Loki‘s Temporal Loom Implodes Threatening the MCU’s Multiverse

In episode four, Loki and Mobius bring Victor Timely to the TVA to fix the overloaded Temporal Loom. They need the temporal aura of He Who Remains to open the blast doors to the Loom, which Timely matches. But Timely provided another service, what he called his “greatest invention” in the previous episode. Timley’s greatest invention is something that looks like a primitive version of Kang’s Multiversal Power Core from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. He can attach this invention to the Throughput Multiplier and expand the rings of the Temporal Loom. This would allow the new branched timelines to filter through, and save the TVA, and all reality. However, it doesn’t quite work out that way.

When Victor Timely tries to head out and fix the loom, he turns into spaghetti. And the Temporal Loom, well, it overloads and explodes. We don’t know the full extent of what the Temporal Loom’s explosion means yet, but already there are major consequences in the world of Loki and the MCU.

In episode six of Loki, we see that seemingly due to the Temporal Loom’s explosion, every branch of reality is starting to turn into spaghetti and die. Every universe and thread of reality is literally shredding, and there’s nowhere to go. Thankfully, Loki seems to be able to turn back the clock and is trying to head to a time before the Temporal Loom’s complete meltdown. Whether or not he is able to remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, it looks like the Temporal Loom being able to do its job is key to keeping existence stable.

That’s the MCU. But does Loki‘s Temporal Loom have a precedent in the pages of Marvel Comics? Well, yes and no. But mostly, no. However, Loki season two’s Temporal Loom found inspiration in various parts of Marvel’s comics and actual myth.

Loki‘s Temporal Loom and Its Mythological Inspirations

In Greek mythology, there is a Loom of the Fates, which also exists in the Marvel Universe. In Norse mythology, that loom is the Loom of the Norns. (Marvel Comics combines these two mythologies together into one.) Essentially, in mythology, the three Fates weave this loom to shape the life and destiny of every being in creation. Thor destroyed the Loom of the Fates in Thor Vol. 2 #85 and broke the thread that holds the destiny of Asgardians, from which Those Who Sit Above in Shadow were absorbing energy. Those Who Sit Above were the silent beings who created the Asgardian Gods. So it’s fitting that a powerful loom that determines how the universe flows originated in Thor comics since the MCU’s Temporal Loom now appears in Loki, thus tying it to Thor’s mythos.

Spider-Man’s Loomworld

In the Spider-Man lore, there’s another powerful loom of sorts, reminiscent of Loki‘s temporal loom. The loom in this instance is a whole world itself, one that accesses all existence. There’s an entire Loomworld, where beings called the Inheritors could access the Web of Life and Destiny to travel across the multiverse and hunt down Spider-Totems. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse especially drew inspiration from this. They created the Loomworld of conquered realms from countless wars fought across realities. Eventually, several spider-people formed the Web-Warriors. They operated from Loomworld and used it as a focal point to protect the multiverse, which is similar to how the MCU’s TVA works.

Temporal Limbo, Chronopolis, and the Heart of Forever

In the comics, Kang did not create the TVA. There was a “He Who Remains,” but as far as we know, he’s not a Kang variant. However, the TVA has a lot in common with the realm of Limbo, a place outside of time historically ruled by Immortus, who was, of course, a Kang variant. Temporal Limbo was a timeless realm facilitating time travel to various points in history. Much like the MCU’s TVA, it existed outside the time stream. And time did not flow there the way it does everywhere else.

Limbo is also part of Chronicles, which has something very similar to the MCU’s TVA. At its heart is the most important component of the city, the Heart of Forever. It’s a trans-chronal engine that enabled Kang’s home to exist in every branch of the timestream simultaneously. While not exactly like the Temporal Loom in Loki, it has key similarities.

In the end, Loki‘s Temporal Loom is a hodgepodge of different elements from the pages of Marvel Comics—not to mention actual mythology itself. Ultimately, though, the Temporal Loom is a unique creation designed for the MCU. However, we’d hardly be surprised to see it retconned into the comics at some point.

Originally published on October 5, 2023.

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Most of the time, when original comic book artwork goes up for auction, it’s because it has great historical value. But occasionally, sometimes a piece of comic book art has historical value not necessarily for contributing anything great to the medium. Such is the case with this original uncolored piece of Captain America art from artist Rob Liefeld. Boing Boing reports this piece is going up for sale via Heritage Auctions. It’s currently going for north of $8,000. But what’s so special about this one promo image of Marvel’s Sentinel of Liberty? In a way, this one illustration of Cap, which you can see below, encapsulated an entire era of “extreme” ’90s comics.

So, a little background on this particular image, and why it sums up a whole decade of comics. In the early ’90s, artists like Rob Liefeld, Jim Lee, and Todd McFarlane became superstars for their work at Marvel Comics. Books like Spider-Man and X-Men, which showcased their art, sold better than ever before. But in 1992, they and several other artists left Marvel to form their own imprint, Image Comics. Although a success, the glut of comics led to a speculator boom. And eventually, that led to a cratering of the entire comic book industry in 1994. Marvel Comics was in such dire straits that it canceled almost every ongoing title that wasn’t Spidey or mutant related. The outlook for Marvel at the time was bleak.

So in 1996, Marvel came to their former superstar artists with an idea. They’d allow Image Comics, specifically Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld, to take over four of their once most famous series for one year. These series were Fantastic Four and Iron Man by Jim Lee’s Wildstorm Studios, and Avengers and Captain America by Rob Liefeld’s Extreme Studios. They named this publishing initiative Heroes Reborn, and fans were legit excited.

Marvel released an early example of what Captain America’s redesign from Liefeld would look like. Let’s just say that actual human proportions for Steve Rogers were not a concern. His manly chest was so ridiculously inflated that this one image seemed to sum up everything wrong with ’90s superhero media. And it became almost instantly infamous. Even Liefeld himself has poked fun at it in recent years. And this is exactly why this one piece of art is a true piece of comics history. Marvel would find a way to reboot their line in a better way in the 2000s, with the Ultimate line. But this one image really is the symbol of an era.

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For over 60 years, the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man and its various other Marvel spinoffs have been home to some of the best superhero storytelling of all time. From the days of Stan Lee in the ’60s to today’s creators like Dan Slott, here are our picks for the 10 greatest creative team runs of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man of all time.

10. J.M. DeMatteis with Sal Buscema, Spectacular Spider-Man #178-203 (1991-1993)

Writer J.M. DeMatteis is perhaps most famous for his comedic take on DC’s Justice League, but he also wrote a relatively brief but fantastic run on The Spectacular Spider-Man, from issues #178-200. This was after he wrote the epic Kraven’s Last Hunt storyline in 1987. During his 26-issue run, which lasted from 1991 to 1993, he and artist Sal Buscema told one of the best stories ever involving Harry Osborn and his descent into becoming the Green Goblin, which culminated in issue #200 of Spectacular Spider-Man. It was one of the very few gimmick covers of the ‘90s that actually had a good story behind it. Add in the introduction of the villain Vermin, some X-Men, and this run deserves its status as one of the best.

9. Peter David with Rick Leonardi, Spider-Man 2099 #1-44 (1992-1997)

Peter David has defining runs on several iconic comic book characters, including the Hulk, X-Factor, and for DC, Aquaman. But he also had a pretty defining run for Spider-Man. It’s just the Spider-Man that wasn’t Peter Parker. In 1992, Marvel tasked David with creating a new, futuristic Spider-Man with Spider-Man 2099. This wall-crawler was Miguel O’Hara, the half-Mexican/half-Irish hero who was the first not Peter Parker ongoing character to be called Spider-Man in 30 years.

Together with artist Rick Leonardi, David inverted almost everything about Peter Parker’s Spidey. Miguel was wisecracking out of costume, totally mute as Spider-Man, and so on. His web shooters were organic and not mechanical (something Sam Raimi would later use). The run only lasted 46 issues and four years, but judging from the character’s renewed popularity thanks to Across the Spider-Verse, it’s fair to say David’s run had a long-lasting impact.

8. Todd McFarlane, Spider-Man #1-16, (1990-1991)

Todd McFarlane became an instant superstar in the comics world when he illustrated David Michelinie’s Amazing Spider-Man run in the late ‘80s. His versions of Spidey and Venom became iconic, so much so that Marvel gave him his own Spider-Man title to both draw and write—despite his inexperience as a writer at the time. So in 1990, McFarlane launched Spider-Man #1, which sold an incredible 2.5 million copies. Marvel would break that record a year later with a certain team of mutants.

McFarlane’s writing was a bit over the top, especially by modern standards, but his overall storytelling was undeniably entertaining. It was exactly what the audience craved at the time. His darker take on villains like the Lizard, Kraven, and Hobgoblin redefined the look of those characters. The crossovers with Wolverine and Ghost Rider were very ‘90s, but also very fun. This is one of the shorter runs on this list, but also one of the most iconic. McFarlane’s run only lasted 16 issues as he left Marvel in 1992 to form Image Comics, yet its impact was huge.

7. Dan Slott, with Humberto Ramos and Ryan Stegman, The Superior Spider-Man #1–33 (2013-2014)

Dan Slott has been one of the most prolific Spider-Man writers of the 21st century. But although he’s written plenty of iconic Peter Parker stories, his best Spider-Man run was actually about Otto Octavious, a.k.a Doctor Octopus. In Slott’s Superior Spider-Man series, Peter Parker’s body is taken over by the consciousness of Doc Ock, who takes over Peter’s life and decides he can be a better Spider-Man than his old enemy ever was. Although he does try to do the right thing as Spider-Man, more or less, he’s still arrogant and insufferable. Nevertheless, it was all fun as heck to read. The art by folks like Humberto Ramos, and Ryan Stegman was also always top-notch. Otto was Spidey for less than two years, but it was a memorable two years.

6. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Spider-Man: Blue #1-6, (2002-2003)

In the late ‘90s, the creative team of Jeph Loeb and the late Tim Sale produced one of the greatest Batman stories of all time, The Long Halloween. A few years later, from 2002 to 2003, they re-teamed to tell a story about Peter Parker and his great lost love, Gwen Stacy. In the mini-series Spider-Man: Blue, Peter Parker recounts the events of Amazing Spider-Man #40-48. This modern retelling includes Sale’s incredible renditions of characters like Kraven, the Lizard, the Rhino, and the Green Goblin. And, of course, Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson. Blue is only six issues long, but it still stands as one of the most heartfelt and beautifully written and illustrated Spider-Man stories of all time.

5. Gerry Conway with Gil Kane and John Romita, The Amazing Spider-Man #111-149 (1972-1975)

Following up the legendary run of Stan Lee, which lasted a decade, would have been an unenviable task for any writer. But Gerry Conway took big swings in his Amazing Spider-Man run, which lasted from 1972 to 1975. Conway’s stories were enhanced by some gorgeous art by Gil Kane and Spidey veteran John Romita. It was during Conway’s run that fans met the villainous Jackal and his cloning operation (this would matter a lot 20 years later).

Conway’s MJ became a more fully fleshed-out character. She wasn’t just the “out of his league” supermodel anymore. Oh, and Conway’s run also introduced the world to the Punisher. You may have heard of him. Most importantly though, Gerry Conway bucked all known comic book conventions at the time with one shocking act. He did this by killing off Peter Parker’s longtime girlfriend Gwen Stacy. The repercussions of this are still being felt in the Spider-Man titles today.

4. David Michelinie with Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, and Mark Bagley, Amazing Spider-Man 296-352, #359-388 (1987-1994)

In the late ‘80s, Spider-Man was still Marvel’s best-selling solo character, but some excitement had fallen away from Peter Parker. Then, writer David Michelinie took over writing duties in 1987. This was shortly after Peter Parker married MJ, and he focused on the high-stakes soap opera of their lives. During his seven-year run on Amazing Spider-Man (second longest-run after Stan Lee) he worked with some of Spidey’s best-ever artists. Names that became iconic, like Erik Larsen, Mark Bagley, and Todd MacFarlane. And together, they made comics magic. Highlights of his run include the introduction of villains Venom and Carnage. Luckily, he bailed from writing duties right before the infamous Clone Saga, so his run remains untainted.

3. J. Michael Straczynski with John Romita Jr., Mike Deodato, and Ron Garney, Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 #500-545, Vol. 2 #30-58 (2001-2006)

At the same time Marvel was injecting new life into teenage Peter Parker in the Ultimate Spider-Man titles, the comics publisher had to figure out what to do with the adult Peter in the 616 universe. They brought in Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, who made Peter a school teacher. He teaches at the very same place others bullied him as a kid, Midtown High School. Straczynski wrote adult Peter and MJ better than anyone in years and did so by adding a level of sophistication largely absent in the late ‘90s stories.

He also introduced lasting elements to the mythology like Morlun, a villain who hunts spider-totems across dimensions. That’s a huge influence on the Spider-Verse mythology in the animated films. Sadly, his run also revealed a sordid retcon of Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborn, but nobody’s perfect. The main artists for this run were Mike Deodato and John Romita Jr. The latter’s work on this run made him stand with his father as one of the definitive Spidey artists of all time. Straczynski’s run ended with the much-hated undoing of the Peter Parker and MJ marriage. However, that was an event Marvel editorial forced on him. We don’t hold it against him.

2. Brian Michael Bendis, with Mark Bagley, Stuart Immonen, Sara Pichelli, Chris Samnee, David Marquez, and Pepe Larraz, Ultimate Spider-Man #1-160, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1-27 (2000-2011)

During the late ‘90s, Marvel was in trouble creatively and financially. The company emerged out of bankruptcy in the early 2000s, knowing it had to take drastic measures to gain new readers. Marvel conceived the Ultimate line, which involved fresh modern takes on classic characters. Writer Brian Michael Bendis reintroduced Peter Parker and his supporting cast as 21st century teens in Ultimate Spider-Man. And from issue one, the dialogue and characterization were absolutely top-notch. The kids felt real in a way mainstream comics characters hadn’t in a long time.

The reinvented versions of Spidey’s villains often surpassed the originals as well, particularly Norman Osborn. Bendis and artist Mark Bagley did over 100 issues together. Actually surpassing Stan Lee’s run, Bendis continued the title with artists Stuart Immonen, David Lafuente, and Sara Pichelli, with whom he co-created Miles Morales, one of the biggest contributions to come from the Ultimate Spider-Man line. Between Peter Parker and then Miles, this run heavily influenced Spider-Man’s portrayal in other media. This run was an absolute game-changer, surpassed by only one other.

#1. Stan Lee with Steve Ditko, John Romita, John Buscema, and Gil Kane, Amazing Fantasy #15, Amazing Spider-Man #1-100 (1962-1971)

“With great power, comes great responsibility.” This was the only run that could have ever taken the top spot. While Stan Lee co-created almost all the most iconic Marvel Comics heroes, without a doubt his 100-issue run of The Amazing Spider-Man was his best work. With artists like Steve Ditko (Spidey’s co-creator) and later, John Romita, Lee introduced everything that forms the core of what Peter Parker is to this very day. Name a classic Peter Parker personality trait or trope, and chances are it came from Lee.

Lee’s stories introduced 90% of the most iconic Spider-Man villains, like Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Sandman, Mysterio, Kraven, and so many more, not to mention most of the most well-known members of Spidey’s supporting cast. Stan Lee’s run on Amazing Spider-Man lasted a full decade, and it remains the bible from which all following Spider-Man runs on this list pulled from. Simply put, no other Spider-Man run could likely ever take the top spot. Stan Lee and his collaborators broke the mold.

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Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan appears in a major role in season two of Loki. The Everything Everywhere All At Once and Indiana Jones actor just can’t get enough of stories about the multiverse, it seems. His name is Ouroboros, or O.B. for short. But how does Ke Huy Quan’s Loki character tie into the existing Marvel Comics lore? And how does Ouroboros relate to existing mythological roots in our own world? Here’s what we know so far about Ke Huy Quan’s Ouroboros and his role in Marvel’s Loki season two.

The Ouroboros in Folklore and Norse Mythology’s Jörmungandr

You’ve no doubt heard the turn of phrase “the snake eating its own tail.” Well, that particular iconography comes straight from ancient mythology. That snake consuming its own tail is actually called the Ouroboros, and is found in the mythologies of ancient Egypt and Greece. According to Britannica, “[The Ouroboros] represents a being that is continually devouring itself, and thus reborn from itself. A gnostic and alchemical symbol, Ouroboros expresses the unity of all things, material and spiritual, which never disappear but perpetually change form in an eternal cycle of destruction and re-creation.” The Ouroboros is a fitting mythological reference to invoke in the MCU’s Loki which is all about questions of the destruction, creation, and flow of timelines.

Although the character Ke Huy Quan plays on Loki season two has the name Ouroboros, he might also have ties to a more specific character from mythology, one that even more directly related to our titular God of Mischief. In Norse mythology, the snake that consumes its own tail, a.k.a an Ouroboros, goes by the name Jörmungandr. This Ouroboros is also known as the Midgard Serpent or the World Serpent. In the old Norse myths, Jörmungandr encircles the realm of Midgard, which is another name for Earth. He is the son of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. He’s also the brother of the great wolf Fenrir and Hel. During Ragnarök, a.k.a, the Twilight of the Gods, Thor kills him.

In the pages of Marvel Comics, the Midgard Serpent has played a big role in several Thor comics. He first appeared back in 1966 and reappeared again and again over the years to fight the God of Thunder. Although the Odinson slays the gigantic beast, Marvel resurrects him more than a few times, and the two battle all over again.

When it comes to a connection with Loki, the god of mischief does ride the Midgard Serpent at one point. But there is never any real indication that Marvel Comics’ version of this Ouroboros is in any way the literal child of Loki. Marvel writers often play fast and loose with Norse myths, changing many things outright. This is another example of that. It will be interesting to see, however, what Loki season two does with the mythological origins of Ouroboros as the show continues to remix and reference mythology.

Ke Huy Quan’s Loki Character O.B./Ouroboros and His Marvel Comics Connections

Ke Huy Quan’s Ouroboros might be an original creation for the MCU series, not based on a preexisting Marvel Comics character. However, his name does pop up in several comics from the past. And in different forms.

The only Marvel Ouroboros with ties to the TVA is a certain Mr. Orobourous, who made one appearance in a She-Hulk comic in 2005. Created by Dan Slott, Orobourous was a judge for the Time Variance Authority. In Marvel’s She-Hulk comic, Orobourous is spelled a bit differently than the traditional Ouroboros of mythology, but the reference seems to be the same. This character was also a clone of Mr. Paradox, who himself was a clone of several TVA bureaucrats. We already know the O.B. is not a judge in Loki, but it seems the creators took a shine to the name at least.

But She-Hulk‘s judge is not the only Ouroboros in Marvel lore. First, there was the Oculus Ouroboros, which was not a person in Marvel Comics, per se, but a conduit of elemental magic, that depicts a variation on the classic Ouroboros shape of a snake eating its tail by featuring a second snake. It first appears in Doctor Strange #92, back in 1993. The Sorcerer Supreme stops an attempt by Doctor Doom to gain access to its power.

An actual character using the name is Admiral Ouroboros. He made his first Marvel Comics appearance relatively recently in 2015’s Silver Surfer #11. He battled the former Herald of Galactus during an adventure where the Surfer became stuck in a time loop.

The most recent Marvel usage of the name Ouroboros appeared in 2022, in Marvel’s Contest of Champions. In this instance, Ouroboros is an organization in universe 517. This organization came together to oppose the rule of the Elders of the Universe across the reality called Battlerealm.

However, despite all these possible references, we think it’s unlikely that Loki’s O.B. is directly related to the previous Marvel concepts of Ouroboros. It’s far more likely the MCU’s Ouroboros is riffing on one or more of the mythological histories of the creature.

Ke Huy Quan’s O.B./Ouroboros in the MCU and Loki Season Two

The version of Ouroboros played by Ke Huy Quan in Loki is an integral part of the TVA. He’s just someone who rarely gets a visit from other TVA employees. He’s been toiling away, quite literally without sleeping, in the Repairs and Advancement department. O.B.’s office is stuffed in the TVA’s basement. It’s a sprawling mishmash of all kinds of mechanical parts and different inventions. Mobius takes Loki to help with his time-slipping problem. O.B., a nickname for Ouroboros we learn Loki gave to him when he time-slipped into the past, becomes invaluable in helping them. In episode two of Loki, O.B. gives Mobius and Loki the TVA Guidebook to help them.

Here’s How O.B. Connects to Victor Timely and Kang on Loki

In the fourth episode of Loki’s second season, “Heart of the TVA,” O.B. and Victor Timely meet at last. In fact, their meeting reveals an actual ouroboros of sorts for the pair. Timely was taken aback at meeting the man who wrote the TVA Handbook, the book that he received as a child, which inspired all his inventions and career. O.B., meanwhile, was having his own fanboy moment meeting Victor Timely. The man who inspired him to write the Handbook in the first place. As O.B. said, their meeting was “the snake eating its tail.”

Loki’s co-executive producer Kevin Wright said that O.B. is integral to the functioning of the Time Variance Authority. Even if we never saw or heard of Ouroboros in season one of the MCU show. Wright said, “His job is basically every piece of tech, every computer, everything that is running at the TVA… He either designed it, or he fixes it and keeps it running.” None of that sounds remotely like the Marvel Comics versions of Ouroboros. So far, it seems as if the MCU’s O.B. is tied far more to the mythological concept of the character than anything in the comics.

Hopefully, we’ll soon learn more secrets about Ke Huy Quan as O.B. when Loki season two continues on Disney+.

Originally published on October 2, 2023.

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In the latest chapter of Loki season two, we learned some pretty huge revelations about the relationship between former TVA judge Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and He Who Remains, a.k.a. Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), thanks to Miss Minutes. But what does it all mean, and how does it tie into some of the earliest Marvel comics? Buckle up, because the Ravonna and Kang romance is a very twisted affair.

Ravonna Renslayer and Kang Were Partners Before the Multiversal War

In episode four of Loki’s second season, Miss Minutes explains a crucial piece of Ravonna Renslayer’s history to her. Information she would not be happy to hear. She explains that Ravonna and He Who Remains were working together as partners during the Multiversal War and were likely romantic partners as well. At some point, he indicated she would lead with him in the aftermath. Together, they’d rule from the Citadel at the End of Time. But He Who Remains betrayed Ravonna. Remember when Victor Timely said he doesn’t work with partners? That seems to apply to He Who Remains as well. So he sends her back to the TVA and erases her memories along with the rest of its employees. As Miss Minutes explains to an angry Ravonna, she says “Maybe we don’t need him. Maybe we never did.” This leads Ravonna to attempt to take over the TVA herself, along with Miss Minutes.

The Complex Marvel Comics Love Story of Ravonna Renslayer and Kang the Conqueror

In the comics, Princess Ravonna Lexus Renslayer made her first appearance in Avengers #23, back in 1965. She and Kang have a rather complicated relationship, to say the least. She was the daughter of King Carelius, who ruled 40th century Earth. Kang tried to destroy any monarch who did not submit to him, like Ravonna’s father. But Kang fell in love with the stubborn and determined Princess Ravonna, and she also fell in love with him, admitting to it only before her death. In fact, she threw herself in front of a deadly blaster bolt meant for him, dying to save his life. But this was not the end of the Kang/Ravonna romance.

Another variant of Kang eventually plucked a version of Ravonna from the timeline moments before her death, while another Kang preserved her body in stasis, hoping to gain the power of Life (or Death) from the cosmic Grandmaster in a game. A Grandmaster who is far more powerful than his MCU played-by-Jeff Goldblum counterpart. He’d then use the Power of Life to revive her. Although he won the game, he chose the Power of Death to get revenge on the Avengers, instead of the Power of Life to revive Ravonna. Grandmaster revived Ravonna anyway, who was now furious and betrayed that Kang had chosen vengeance on his enemies over his love for her. The lovers were now mortal enemies.

In the Marvel Comics, Ravonna Renslayer Becomes the Terminatrix

Now hellbent on revenge, Ravonna eventually infiltrated the Council of Cross-Time Kangs. Not long after, she took on the very ’90s identity of the Terminatrix. She put Kang in stasis, much as he had done to her when she was presumed dead. She then fought a future variant of herself known as Revelation. After many time travel machinations and attempts at altering her own future, Ravonna and Kang were reunited. And she seemingly forgave him. Then, she literally stabbed him in the back. She went back in time to Timely, Wisconsin in 1903 to start things over with an earlier version of Victor Timely, hoping to rewrite their narrative.

He Who Remains Wiped Ravonna Renslayer’s Memories in the MCU

So how does all that comic lore inform Loki? Earlier in the season, we heard recordings of He Who Remains saying “Ravonna Renslayer, you are quite a marvel. I would be proud to lead with you. Thank you, for being on my team.” Now, we know these very words to her were spoken by He Who Remains after the Multiversal War. But He Who Remains betrayed her and sent her back to the TVA and enacted Protocol 42, which saw her and all the other TVA employees have their memories wiped. It’s also why Agent Mobius doesn’t remember He Who Remains. He wiped Mobius’ mind of all knowledge of him and replaced it with false memories of the Time Keepers. We’ll see how this anger and betrayal leads to a changed, and more dangerous, Ravonna Renslayer in the remainder of Loki’s second season. Maybe we’ll see the Terminatrix after all.

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Lately, it feels like every major franchise is getting the Magic card treatment. Magic: The Gathering has collaborated with The Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park, Doctor Who, Fallout, and more to bring fans cards that speak to their favorite fictional worlds via their Universes Beyond arm. But now, it feels like the biggest collaboration yet has just been announced. Marvel and Magic: The Gathering will come together to bring Marvel’s greatest heroes, worlds, and more into the world of Magic cards. And although we don’t have any official card art, or really any details yet, we feel the excitement already.

A release shares that this Marvel and Magic collaboration is a “multi-year, multi-set deal.” So fans can look forward to many Marvel Magic cards in the future. The release further notes, “The first tentpole Magic set based on Marvel’s fan-favorite characters and epic stories will appear globally in 2025, with additional all-new exciting sets for multi-generational fans to collect and play.”

2025 feels like a long way off, but we guess there is a lot of Marvel to distill down into one set. We can already imagine the “Captain America’s Shield” card in our mind’s eye. But we hope there will be some deep cuts and Easter eggs we didn’t see coming in this upcoming Marvel Magic card sit. One thing is for sure, though, this collaboration will be beautiful. If Magic: The Gathering’s The Lord of the Rings cards were anything to judge by, then these Marvel sets will totally floor us. We can’t wait to see our favorite heroes reimagined in this whole new way.

“Trading cards have always been a part of Marvel’s DNA, so this collaboration takes that experience to a whole new level,” Dan Buckley, President of Marvel Comics and Franchise noted about this team-up. “With the depth that our storytelling and characters bring to the table, we can’t wait for fans to see how the Marvel Universe translates seamlessly into gameplay within these Magic: The Gathering products and sets for years to come.”

And so, the multiverse expands. There’s no official release date for the Marvel Magic card sets, but we’re sure we’ll get more looks and news about the collaboration way before 2025.

The post Marvel and MAGIC: THE GATHERING Announce Collab Cards Coming 2025 appeared first on Nerdist.

In the third episode of Loki season two, Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief and agent Mobius travel to the 1893 World’s Fair, in an effort to find a variant of He Who Remains. In the World’s Fair pavilion for the country of Norway, they see wooden carvings of their ancient gods. There’s Odin, Thor… and Balder the Brave. In the MCU series, Loki scoffs at Balder’s inclusion in the pantheon, saying “nobody cares about Balder.” But whatever Loki says, in Marvel Comics, Balder is indeed a key member of Thor’s supporting cast who has been conspicuously absent from the MCU. With confirmation now that Balder exists in the MCU, we never know when he might appear in the flesh. But just who is Marvel’s Balder the Brave?

Here’s the comics history of Balder, why he wasn’t in the MCU until this Loki season two mention, and how Balder nearly made his MCU debut previously.

The Marvel Comics History of Balder the Brave

Long before his Loki appearance, Marvel Comics introduced Balder the Brave in one of the earliest Thor stories, 1962’s Journey into Mystery #85. This story was written and illustrated by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who created Balder. This issue not only introduced Balder, but also Loki, Odin, Heimdall, and most of the other Asgardian gods. For years, Marvel Comics portrayed Balder as Thor’s trusted friend and battle companion, even though Balder was described him in Norse mythology as Thor’s brother. (We’ll get to that.) In Marvel’s comics, Thor and Balder trained together growing up, and no one was a fiercer ally to Thor.

The Marvel Powers of Balder the Brave

Like all of Marvel’s Asgardians, Balder’s abilities include heightened strength, speed, and invulnerability, but he also controls vast light powers. Only Thor was arguably a better warrior than Balder. In addition to the other powers, Balder can create powerful light blasts, manipulate light to appear invisible, and make clouds of mist. And just as Thor has his enchanted hammer in the Marvel universe, Balder has an enchanted sword Svraden, that allows him to teleport.

Because of Odin’s paranoia regarding Balder’s prophesied death triggering Ragnarok, he had his wife Frigga place an enchantment on him. One that would make him invulnerable to all harm, at least while in the Asgardian realm. The belief was that if they could not kill Balder, it would not trigger Ragnarok.

Balder the Brave’s One Weakness and Loki

Balder did have one very odd weakness, however. Balder the Brave remained vulnerable to, of all things, mistletoe. So often, his enemies laced arrows and other weapons with it hoping to do harm to the Asgardian warrior. Loki, of course, discovered this weakness in Balder, and sought to exploit it and kill Baldur, but was ultimately waylaid in his attempts.

We wonder if the MCU Loki has created a similar weak point for the MCU version of Balder. Loki exploiting Balder’s aversion to mistletoe sure would make for an interesting Loki Marvel Christmas special.

Is Marvel’s Balder Thor’s Best Friend or Thor’s Brother Like in Norse Mythology?

In the 616 universe of Marvel Comics, Marvel did not portray Balder as a Prince of Asgard like Thor or Loki. He believed himself to be a foundling child, taken in as a ward of the Asgardian court. And that was the official company line on Balder for many decades, Balder was Thor’s friend but not his brother. It wasn’t until Thor Vol. 3 #10 in 2008 that Marvel Comics continuity lined up more with Norse mythology with Balder.

Although Balder believed he was only Thor’s friend and a ward of the Asgardian court, he was, in fact, the first son of Odin and Frigga. Odin abandoned him out of fear because the King of Asgard had premonitions about how Balder’s death would cause Ragnarok, the end of all things. He later regretted that decision and took his child back into the court. But he kept his true parentage a secret.

Thor and Balder fought together in many, many battles. And Balder has died and returned to life several times (as have all the Marvel Asgardians). He’s been a stalwart member of Thor’s cast of characters since the earliest days. At the peak of Thor’s comics popularity, under the direction of writer/artist Walter Simonson, Balder the Brave even received his own Marvel mini-series. In more recent years, he’s even been the King of Asgard itself… at least for a brief time. So if he’s so crucial to the overall Thor mythos, why then no Balder the Brave in the MCU?

Does Balder the Brave Appear in the MCU? His Mysterious Absence, Detailed

When Marvel Studios introduced Chris Hemsworth’s Thor in 2011, they managed to introduce most of his most well-known comic book family and supporting cast. There was Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, of course, but also their parents, Odin and Frigga, Heimdall, the Warriors Three, and Lady Sif. But there was one big omission from the comics in the MCU, and that was Thor’s best friend (and sometimes brother) Balder the Brave. A major character from the earliest Thor comics, Balder previously went unmentioned and unseen in any MCU project. This has led many to believe Balder didn’t even exist in the MCU. But now, thanks to Balder’s mention on Loki, we know that’s not true. Balder the Brave has officially appeared in the MCU and he is even part of the main MCU continuity.

But why didn’t Balder the Brave appear in Marvel’s cinematic world until now? There’s never been a concrete answer for Balder’s MCU omission. However, one can guess that Kevin Feige thought another sibling would muddle the rivalry of Thor vs. Loki. Although the MCU could have made Balder just a good friend, the role of the loyal companions was essentially filled by the Warriors Three and Lady Sif. Perhaps the MCU thought of Balder as just superfluous? It’s unknown, but until the third episode of Loki season 2, Balder the Brave just didn’t exist in the MCU’s version of Asgard.

Daniel Craig Almost Played Balder in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

When Marvel Studios was developing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we almost got an MCU appearance of Balder the Brave at last. In fact, he was nearly played by James Bond himself, Daniel Craig. Craig was all set to play Balder as a member of the Illuminati on Earth 838. And that would have officially confirmed that the character existed in the greater Marvel multiverse. Elizabeth Olsen also confirmed in interviews that she saw the concept art of Craig as Thor‘s Balder the Brave. Everything was ready to go, until Craig dropped out due to concerns over the pandemic filming. But he was this close to appearing in the MCU.

A Balder Confirmation in the MCU’s Disney+ Series Loki Might Lead to His Arrival 

Even though evidence of Balder appeared before Loki in a branched timeline in the 19th century, he recognized Balder’s statue and knew exactly who he was. And since the Loki of the series is a variant that branched from the Sacred Timeline, it means Balder exists in the main MCU version of Asgard. But where is he? Balder certainly wasn’t on Asgard during the first three Thor movies and didn’t get a mention in Love and Thunder.

Given that we almost got Balder in Multiverse of Madness and his big name drop in Loki, it feels like Balder the Brave is gearing up for an MCU arrival at last.

The post LOKI Makes a Classic Thor Character MCU Canon appeared first on Nerdist.

Episode three of Loki season two on Disney+ introduced us to a variant of He Who Remains. As a child, this variant, Victor Timely, received a TVA instruction manual in the year 1868. This acquisition of future knowledge led him to become an inventor. In Loki, we meet adult Victor Timely at the Chicago 1893 World’s Fair, where he is presenting his rudimentary version of the Temporal Loom. Timley gets caught up in the time-traveling shenanigans of Loki and Mobius, who travel to his branched timeline to find him. But how is the MCU’s Victor Timely different from the one found in Marvel Comics? So far, the Victor Timely in Loki is a totally different character from his Marvel Comics counterpart—aside from both being variants of the despotic Kang the Conqueror.

Victor Timely, the Victorian Era Marvel Comics Kang Variant

In Marvel Comics, the Victor Timely variant of Kang the Conqueror first appeared in 1992’s Avengers Annual #21. Writer Peter Sanderson and artist Rich Yanizeski created him. In that issue, we learned this Kang variant traveled back to Wisconsin on January 1, 1901, the first day of the new century. Once there, he established the town of Timely. He named it after his newly assumed name, Victor Timely. This small town, with its quaint All-American Victorian feel, would serve as a 20th-century base for his future self. From this chronal vantage point, Timely would eventually evolve into the Prime Kang and make life miserable for the Avengers.

The relatively immortal Victor Timely became an industrialist, turning Timely into a boom town of industry. He became a business rival of people like Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. As the 20th century unfolded, Timely faked his death repeatedly. He would then assume the identity of his own son Victor Timely Jr., then Victor Timely III, and on and on. He introduced very advanced technology to unsuspecting scientists of the time. Timely was the man who introduced the concept of androids to Dr. Phineas Horton. The same man eventually created the first android Human Torch in 1939. The Torch, in the comics, would also become the basis for the synthezoid Avenger, the Vision.

Timely, Wisconsin and Kang’s City of Chronopolis

Timely, Wisconsin also became the hub from which Kang would create the city of Chronopolis. Existing outside normal time and space, Chronopolis would serve as a hub for Kang’s conquest of all known time periods. Various eras of history intersected in Chronopolis, only perceivable to Kang himself. It eventually bled into the realm of Limbo, which exists outside of time. It’s something very similar to how the Time Variance Authority functions on Loki.  

The MCU Victor Timely and How He Differs from Marvel Comics’ Version

The MCU Victor Timely on Loki does not seem to be a Kang from the future who has settled in the past. That is, unless they throw some last-minute twist at us. From what we can tell, Loki‘s Victor Timely was born in the 19th century when Ravonna Renslayer and Miss Minutes interfered in his life and created the version of Victor Timely we see in 1893. From all indications, it appears the MCU’s Victor Timely belongs to that time and that he isn’t a future Kang who went back in time. The main similarity between the comics and the MCU is that Victor Timely is an assumed name. We may never know what the true birth names of the Kangs really are.

The MCU Victor Timely may actually evolve into Kang during Loki‘s run and may even be the same version from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. But for now, Victor Timley’s ultimate MCU fate and future are some of the big questions the Loki series sets up. We’re interested in what we’ll learn about Timely going forward.

The post How LOKI Season 2 Reimagined Marvel Comics’ Victor Timely appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s been another full week in the entertainment world. Netflix has raised prices again, but it also revealed some amazing looks from its Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series. We learned that Gargoyles may turn into a Disney+ series from some excellent horror-oriented minds. Not to mention, Rick and Morty revealed its new lead voice actors. But in among the rest, some other pretty cool things happened.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends that you don’t want to miss reading about.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News:

Jump to:

• Omni-Man Will Be First Downloadable Character for Mortal Kombat 1
• Pokémon Go‘s New Party Play Offers Collaborative Gameplay and Team-Ups
• Infinity Paws Comic Brings Together All Your Favorite Marvel Pets
• Knives Out 3 Has a Premise and a Setting
• The Afterparty Has Been Canceled by Apple TV+
• Saturday Night Live Takes on Barbie‘s “I’m Just Ken” with “I’m Just Pete” Parody
• MastersFX’s Monster Museum and FX Studio Opens in Vancouver
• A New Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima Is on the Way
• LEGO Brings Your Worst Nightmares to Life in Horror Posters for Halloween
• Immersive X-Men Event, The Uncanny Experience, Wants You to Enroll in Professor X’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters

Omni-Man Will Be First Downloadable Character for Mortal Kombat 1

Much to the delight of the franchise’s fans, Mortal Kombat 1 recently released into the world. And it served as a reboot for the series as a whole. The game promised to deliver “a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and fatalities.” And so far, so good. But, of course, these days, nothing ever stops at its first release. Via the mechanism of Kombat Pass, a purchasable add-on to the game, new characters will join the Mortal Kombat 1 fun. And first up is Invincible’s Omni-Man.

In Mortal Kombat 1, Omni-Man will offer fans of both Invincible‘s comics and its TV show something to get excited about. And, as a bonus treat, Mortal Kombat 1‘s Omni-Man will be voiced by J.K. Simmons. If these trailers are anything to go by, Omni-Man is definitely not pulling ANY punches. And he’s bringing a whole lot of blood with him. Omni-Man will arrive in the game in November 9, 2023.

GameSpot shares that in addition to Omni-Man, five more new characters will join Mortal Kombat 1 via Kombat Pass. They include Quan Chi (arriving in winter 2023/2024), Peacemaker (arriving in Winter 2023/2024), Ermac (arriving in spring 2024), Homelander (arriving in spring 2024), and Takeda (arriving in summer 2024).

Get nostalgic with Mortal Kombat 1‘s recreation of a 1993 TV commercial.

Pokémon Go‘s New Party Play Offers Collaborative Gameplay and Team-Ups

Trainers, get ready to team up because soon you won’t have to go it alone anymore while playing Pokémon Go. Pokémon Go has offered fans many fun adventures, but it has always been more of a solitary game. You can occasionally get together with a member of your team to take over a gym, but that’s about it. Normally, you can play next to someone, but not necessarily play with them. But that’s all about to change thanks to Pokémon Go‘s new feature Party Play.

With Party Play, which we first saw via Polygon, Pokémon Go players level 15 and above can “adventure and complete challenges together, all in one shared in-game experience.” As a party, players can engage in “spinning PokéStops, battling in raids, catching Pokémon, and more” and do so together. The experience will appear on every player’s screen. If you raid with your party, you’ll also get Party Power which “doubles the damage of your next Charged Attack and charges with every Fast Attack.” Sounds likes a great time to us. You can learn more about how to organize a party and the mechanics of Party Play, in Niantic’s official blog post about Party Play.

For information on Pokémon‘s latest collaboration with The Van Gogh Museum check out our post here.

Infinity Paws Comic Brings Together All Your Favorite Marvel Pets

Who doesn’t love superpowered heroic animals? I can’t think of a single person. And that’s probably why Marvel Comics is bringing together our favorite Marvel Pets in an Infinity Comic series titled Infinity Paws. Infinity Paws will assemble an all-star that includes Jeff the Land Shark, Carol Danvers’ alien feline friend Chewie (named after Star Wars‘ Chewbacca), Alligator Loki, Lucky the Pizza Dog, and more. We know we’d feel safe in their paws. The adorable series will release in spring 2024 on Marvel Unlimited, Marvel’s digital subscription service. Infinity Paws is “written by seasoned Infinity Comic creator Jason Loo… and superstar artist and colorist Nao Fuji.”

“MARVEL MEOW fans will be in for a treat! Or treats,” shares Loo via a release from Marvel. “Because we have almost all of your favorite Marvel pets in this giant crossover, from the furry ones to the scaly ones. And I couldn’t be more pleased to be joined by the delightfully talented Nao Fuji illustrating this series!”

We guess we’d better have some treats ready for all of the hardworking heroes who are about to see some action.

To enjoy more Marvel animals, learn more about Frog Thor’s deleted scene from Loki

Knives Out 3 Has a Premise and a Setting

Our favorite mystery movie franchise finally has a bit of an update. Yes. Rian Johnson has shared that Knives Out 3 has a premise AND a setting. Is that exciting or what?

In full, Johnson noted to The Wrap, “It’s coming along. I obviously couldn’t work during the strike, and now that it’s over, I’m diving in full force, and so it’s coming along. I’ve got the premise, I’ve got the setting, I’ve got what the movie is in my head. It’s just a matter of writing the damn thing.”

We can’t begin to speculate what the premise or the setting of the next Knives Out movie will be… but we are happy to hear that Benoit Blanc’s next outing is well underway.

Still pondering the end of Knives Out 2? We break it down.

Jump to:

• Pokémon Go‘s New Party Play Offers Collaborative Gameplay and Team-Ups
• Infinity Paws Comic Brings Together All Your Favorite Marvel Pets
• Omni-Man Will Be First Downloadable Character for Mortal Kombat 1
• Knives Out 3 Has a Premise and a Setting
• The Afterparty Has Been Canceled by Apple TV+
• Saturday Night Live Takes on Barbie‘s “I’m Just Ken” with “I’m Just Pete” Parody
• MastersFX’s Monster Museum and FX Studio Opens in Vancouver
• A New Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima Is on the Way
• LEGO Brings Your Worst Nightmares to Life in Horror Posters for Halloween
• Immersive X-Men Event, The Uncanny Experience, Wants You to Enroll in Professor X’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters

The Afterparty Has Been Canceled by Apple TV+

Sadly though, not all mysteries are getting great news. Apple TV+ recently canceled its part-murder mystery, part-comedy series The Afterparty after two seasons. The Afterparty, from creator Chris Miller, told a different story in each of its two seasons but had some of the cast reprise their roles. It featured names like Tiffany Haddish, Zoë Chao, Sam Richardson, John Cho, Paul Walter Hauser, Ken Jeong, and more. Of course, uniquely, each episode took on a different genre of storytelling, depending on its point of view character. From taking on a Jane Austen romance to campy horror, The Afterparty really flexed its storytelling muscles.

We’ll be sad to hear we won’t see another chapter of this unique show on our screens.

The Afterparty gave us some good moments to look back on. Check out this hilarious antic.

Saturday Night Live Takes on Barbie‘s “I’m Just Ken” with “I’m Just Pete” Parody

Wait for it… Wait for it… There it is. Barbie’s hit power-ballad “I’m Just Ken” is now officially stuck in your head. But get ready for a whole new rendition to take over your life. “I’m Just Ken” is obviously ripe for parody. And we aren’t surprised that Saturday Night Live saw their chance and took it. In “I’m Just Pete,” Pete Davidson takes us through a day in the life. To give you a taste, some of the lyrics to “I’m Just Pete” are as follows, “I’m just Pete. Anyone else, I’d be a three. But I guess I’m hot for dudes in comedy.”

We expect this won’t be the last “I’m Just Ken” parody we encounter, but it sure is a good one.

There was a lot to love about Barbie. Here’s what we thought of the movie.

MastersFX’s Monster Museum and FX Studio Opens in Vancouver

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Looking for something fun to do with your October? How about checking out some truly eerie works of FX mastery. MastersFX recently opened a Monster Museum and FX Studio in Vancouver, and it looks like it is well worth haunting.

A release shares:

The MastersFX team has created a Monster Museum, which is presenting “Forty Years of Monster-Making.” The experience offers visitors an interactive exhibit that takes them through parts of MFX’s actual working monster shop, showing-off their various techniques, and letting visitors operate the animatronics and take selfies with actual screen-used monsters.

Occupying the museum are an assortment of aliens, demons, devils, fairies, harpies, vampires, beasts, corpses, cadavers, robots, sasquatches, mummies, werewolves, zombies and more. These exhibits of “FX Art” have been personally curated by multi-Emmy Award-winner, Todd Masters.

The museum, now open on weekends during October, also demonstrates advancements that the MFX team has made within the field of special effects – aspects of which they call “Neo-Practical Effects.” The museum contains over 80 creatures and FX used in making shows on which MFX has contributed their special form of art, including: Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Fringe, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Sonic the Hedgehog, Yellowjackets; Stargate; Six Feet Under; Star Trek: First Contact and Predator. Even current projects are represented: It Lives Inside, Monster High, and The Fall of the House of Usher, to name a few.

What an incredibly fun-sounding time! The museum is located at 4185 Dawson Street in Burnaby, BC, in Canada. You can buy tickets here.

‘Tis the season to embrace Halloween. Here’s how these iconic slashers match up with the signs of the zodiac.

• Pokémon Go‘s New Party Play Offers Collaborative Gameplay and Team-Ups
• Infinity Paws Comic Brings Together All Your Favorite Marvel Pets
• Omni-Man Will Be First Downloadable Character for Mortal Kombat 1
• Knives Out 3 Has a Premise and a Setting
• The Afterparty Has Been Canceled by Apple TV+
• Saturday Night Live Takes on Barbie‘s “I’m Just Ken” with “I’m Just Pete” Parody
• MastersFX’s Monster Museum and FX Studio Opens in Vancouver
• A New Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima Is on the Way
• LEGO Brings Your Worst Nightmares to Life in Horror Posters for Halloween
• Immersive X-Men Event, The Uncanny Experience, Wants You to Enroll in Professor X’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters

A New Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima Is on the Way

It’s almost time for Dragon Ball‘s 40th anniversary. And it looks like we’ll celebrate with a brand new Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima. While not much is known about this upcoming Dragon Ball show yet, Toei Animation did release a teaser trailer for Daima. The trailer, which we first saw on IGN, hints at a brand-new story for the franchise. Its description shares that the new Dragon Ball: Daima series is “Drawn by the original creator, Akira Toriyama” and features “a story never told in Dragon Ball.”

In the Dragon Ball: Daima trailer, we see Goku transforming into a de-aged version of himself after an encounter with Shenron. De-aged versions of Vegeta, Bulma, Chi Chi, Pamput, Krillin, Piccolo, and Shin also appear to tease us. We feel like we’re about to see one adorable Dragon Ball story unfold.

Dragon Ball: Daima will release in fall 2024.

Need more anime in your life? Netflix is bringing a Yu Yu Hakusho live-action adaptation to our screens soon.

LEGO Brings Your Worst Nightmares to Life in Horror Posters for Halloween

Uh oh… Did you just drop a piece of your LEGO build mid-construction… only to step on it with your bare feet three weeks after you had to improvise with a block that didn’t match in color? Yep. We’ve all been there. And LEGO is capturing these true terrors in a set of LEGO horror posters just in time for Halloween. Whichever LEGO vision torments you in your nightmares, LEGO’s Building Nightmares posters are ready for you. And we’re kind of obsessed with this collection.

But you have to be a true LEGO fan to get your claws on these. The LEGO Building Nightmares horror posters are available as LEGO Insider rewards. You can redeem 1,750 points to unlock one poster. Don’t delay, though; according to DesignTaxi, there are only 5,400 copies available per poster type.

And good luck finding that piece in the carpet.

We overcame every one of these horrors when putting together LEGO’s incredible Rivendell set.

Immersive X-Men Event, The Uncanny Experience, Wants You to Enroll in Professor X’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters

The Uncanny Experience, an immersive X-Men event that takes you into Professor Xavier’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters, is back for its “sophomore year” (a.k.a, its second annual event).

A release shares:

The Uncanny Experience is an immersive event that transforms the historic Minneapolis Club into Xavier’s Institute – the home of the X-Men in comics, film, and cartoons.  The inaugural event saw ticket holders attending classes on mutant culture, exploring the campus with rooms decorated like Wolverine’s bedroom, unraveling clues in the Mystery in the Mansion quest, being initiated into the Hellfire Club, and singing karaoke alongside Dazzler.  2024 attendees can expect much of the same with even more surprises in store.

Honestly, how amazing does that sound? Immersive events can go either way, but it’s always a good sign when they come back for round two. Additionally, the event even has some pretty cool guests. The official description for The Uncanny Experience notes, “Legendary comics writer Chris Claremont returns to The Uncanny Experience where he will continue to lead discussions on X-Men History and be available for autographs, remarks, and more.  Alison Sealy-Smith and George Buza, who voice Storm and Beast in X-Men: The Animated Series and returning to the franchise with X-Men ’97, were also announced to be Special Guest attendees.”

On a practical level, this immersive X-Men experience takes place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It will run from September 28-29, 2024. Pre-sale tickets for Newsletter Subscribers are available now and the general public will be able to purchase them beginning on October 20.

Do you have what it takes to enroll? Read about the best X-Men teams ever and then decide.

The post POKÉMON GO Reveals Collaborative Play, New DRAGON BALL Series Announced and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

For Marvel Studios’ upcoming film The Marvels, it seems the story is not leaning into some of the more well-known villains from the pages of Marvel Comics. In fact, what appears to be the film’s “big bad” is a fairly obscure character. One that even the most die-hard Marvel fans have likely forgotten about. Here’s what we know about Marvel’s Kree leader Dar-Benn, played by Zawe Ashton in the Captain Marvel movie, their comic book origins, and how they factor into The Marvels and the overall MCU.

Who Is Marvel Comics’ Dar-Benn?

So just who is The Marvels‘ upcoming villain Dar-Benn in Marvel’s comics? Dar-Benn is a very minor Marvel Comics villain in the grand scheme of things, making only two appearances in the early ‘90s comics. The comics introduced Dar-Benn in the cosmic Marvel crossover Operation: Galactic Storm, in 1991’s issue #53 of Silver Surfer. A general in the great Kree Empire, Dar-Benn, along with Kree general Ael-Dann, coordinated a plot to assassinate a Kree leader named Clumsy Foulup. (Yes, that was his name. The ‘90s comics were not subtle). Aliens known as Cotati put Foulup in a leadership position. The generals later assassinated Foulup using an imposter robot Silver Surfer, leaving Dar-Benn and Ael-Dann as co-rulers of Marvel’s Kree Empire. However, this was a brief reign.

A brutal tyrant, Dar-Benn considered himself superior to the previous Kree leader. He saw that ruler as weak and believed they should eliminate him. Even the infamous Kree villain Ronan the Accuser was viewed as weak by Marvel Comics’ Dar-Benn. But Dar-Benn met his match when the Shi’ar leader Deathbird, often a foe of the X-Men and Carol Danvers, killed his right-hand man Ael-Dann in front of him. It wasn’t long after that Deathbird killed Dar-Benn too, and she became the new leader of the Kree Empire, now calling herself Viceroy Cal’syee Neramani. The minds of Dar-Benn and Ael-Dann were ultimately absorbed into the Kree Supreme Intelligence, and that was the end of Dar-Benn in Marvel Comics, at least for now. Often MCU appearances can bring comic book resurrections.

The MCU’s Dar-Benn Is the Villain in The Marvels

In the MCU, Marvel gender-swapped Dar-Benn, who is now an Accuser of the Kree Empire. This is much like Ronan’s title in Captain Marvel and Guardians of the Galaxy. It appears that the MCU version of Dar-Benn blames Carol for the fracturing of her planet’s dominance of the galaxy. We assume this is something that happened after the events of the first Captain Marvel movie. So it appears Dar-Benn’s mission in The Marvels is twofold—establish a new Kree Empire, and get revenge on Carol Danvers.

What Are Dar Benn’s Powers in The Marvels?

As a very skilled Kree warrior, Dar Benn is an expert in armed and unarmed combat. Usually, they wield either a gun or a staff that dispels a very deadly energy beam. In images we’ve seen from The Marvels, it seems Dar-Benn holds the Warhammer, or “cosmi-rod,” of a Kree Accuser.

Dar-Benn’s Bangle

Another deviation from Marvel Comics is that the MCU version of Dar-Benn seems to wear a bangle similar to the one worn by Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan. We don’t know for sure yet, but this implies that the mythologies of Ms. Marvel and her ancestors, citizens of the Noor, are tied into the Kree in some way. And also, perhaps, so are the Ten Rings from Shang-Chi. We’ll be interested to see what role the bangle plays in the hand of The Marvels‘ villain.

Who Plays Dar-Benn in The Marvels?

Actress and filmmaker Zawe Ashton plays Dar-Benn in The Marvels. She’s famous for her roles in Not Safe for Work and the Netflix horror thriller film Velvet Buzzsaw. She has one other rather big MCU connection, though. She and Tom Hiddleston, a.k.a. Loki, are a couple.

The Marvels, starring Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parris, is scheduled for release on November 10, 2023.

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Most characters in the MCU draw inspiration from those in the pages of Marvel’s comics. Sometimes, two characters are combined. But usually, it’s a character or characters with a long history, often going back decades. And then, there’s Prince Yan D’Aladna (Park Seo-joon), soon to star in The Marvels. Prince Yan is joining the MCU and making it to the big screen after only one Marvel Comics appearance in an issue of Captain Marvel. Here is everything you should know from Marvel’s comics about alien royalty Prince Yan D’Aladna and everything we know already about the version Park Seo-joon will play in The Marvels.

Prince Yan D’Aladna’s First Marvel Comics Appearance

In Marvel Comics, Prince Yan of Aladna’s first and so far only appearance happened in 2014’s Captain Marvel (Vol.8) issue #9. The issue has Carol Danvers, who had only recently become Captain Marvel, and her alien sidekick Tic journeying to the distant world Aladna to help a mutant rock star, Lila Cheney, who also happened to be a cosmic adventurer. Lila Cheney had the mutant power to teleport across the cosmos, which led her to many entanglements with the X-Men and Carol over the years. Now, Lila found herself trapped in an unwanted engagement with alien royalty, and needed her old friend Carol to bail her out. In Prince Yan’s world, everyone has to rhyme when they speak. Good times.

Prince Yan’s Connection to an X-Men Character

When she was a child, and her mutant powers first manifested, young Lila Cheney transported herself to Aladna and fell for the planet’s handsome prince. Lila was an Earth mutant of considerable power who once dated Xavier’s student Cannonball. In Prince Yan d’Aladna’s world, only women could choose their lifemates. Being from Earth, Lila didn’t realize that when she chose Prince Yan, it was a real commitment that would have to be honored. When she returned to Aladna as an adult, they forced Lila to marry Prince Yan, even though neither of them wanted that.

Prince Yan asked Captain Marvel to help him stop the ceremony by formally objecting. During the ceremony, Marlo of Sleen, who wished to rule Aladna, appeared, intending to defeat Lila in combat and marry Yan. Carol represented Lila in battle and won. Now officially betrothed to Yan, Captain Marvel offered him the right to choose whoever he wanted to marry. Hoping to avoid the possibility of Yan being denied the crown if he attempted not to marry, Tic volunteered to become Yan’s wife. Once he became king, Yan abolished this rule of Aladna.

What Are Prince Yan’s Powers?

As far as we know, Prince Yan D’Aladna doesn’t have any superpower, at least not in Marvel’s comics. However, like everyone on his home planet, Yan can always speak and carry on a full conversation totally in rhyme. Essentially, all of Aladna’s people speak musically. So, that’s kind of a power? We’ll have to see if Park Seo-joon’s MCU Prince Yan develops any other powers in The Marvels.

Is Prince Yan Captain Marvel’s Husband?

Although Carol Danvers won the right to marry Prince Yan, she decided not to. She allowed the Prince to choose his own consort. Or rather, the consort chose him. So no, Carol is not married to the Prince in the Marvel Comics and is, therefore, not secret alien royalty. However, that did not stop him from being flirty with her. It remains to be seen how the MCU relationship between Captain Marvel and Yan D’Aladna unrolls in The Marvels and if they end up entangled in some kind of marriage plotline.

Park Seo-joon as Prince Yan D’ Aladna in the MCU

We also don’t know yet how Park Seo-joon’s version of Prince Yan in The Marvels will differ from his comic book counterpart more globally. We don’t think Lila Cheney is in this movie, so that aspect of his comic book storyline probably won’t play out in the same way. And Prince Yan doesn’t have the Davie Bowie-esque lightning bolt image over his eye in the MCU. Park Seo-joon’s The Marvels character also definitely feels like a warrior prince in this film, something the 616 universe Prince Yan really wasn’t. Or didn’t seem to be.

We’ll learn more about Prince Yan d’Aladna, his relationship with Captain Marvel, and whether Park Seo-joon is actually playing him when The Marvels hits theaters on November 10.

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The second episode of Loki season two introduced a reference to a very obscure character from the pages of Marvel Comics—the murderous and monstrous Zaniac. We actually learned in Loki season two’s second chapter that TVA Hunter X-05, played by Rafael Casal, actually was an actor who portrayed Zaniac in 1970s movies. It’s something he did when he escaped into the past of the Sacred Timeline. But who is this long-forgotten Marvel baddie? Here’s the comic book history of the killer called Zaniac.

In the comics, Zaniac was a villain who first appeared in Thor #319, back in 1982. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Keith Pollard, this wild villain remains a relatively obscure one from the God of Thunder’s pantheon of bad guys. While most of Thor’s main villains are other mythological beings, occasionally, he battled a more Earth-bound villain like Zaniac. Although, Zaniac’s powers came from otherworldly forces. So god or not, he was definitely more than a mere human.

Who Is Zaniac in Marvel Comics?

In the late 19th century, Dormammu, Lord of the Dark Dimension and mortal enemy of Doctor Strange, exiled an entity to Earth to possess a mortal human to be his agent of chaos. This being attached itself to a deformed and shunned man named Tom Malverne, a man harboring bitter resentment for the way the world treated him. With the power of this entity within him, Malverne went on a murderous rampage in 1888 London, where he butchered five women. He became the serial killer we know as Jack the Ripper. Once the person it possessed died, the entity continued to possess as the decades went on.

Also, this is the basic idea for the original Star Trek episode “Wolf in the Fold.”

Zaniac Fights Thor

This brings us to the modern day. A movie star by the name of Brad Wolfe was filming a slasher movie at the University of Chicago, which was where many early experiments for the Manhattan Project took place. While in costume as the film’s slasher villain, the Zaniac, Wolfe found himself trapped in a nuclear explosion. A pyrotechnics accident on set triggered residual radiation from the Manhattan Project experiments of the 1940s, causing this explosion. Wolfe gained incredible super strength and could create energy knives with a thought. Clad in the killer’s movie costume, he became the Zaniac.

The Entity drove Wolfe to madness; it also amplified Wolfe’s already inherent misogyny. He began to act out the movie’s plotlines. He kidnapped Shawna Lynde, a friend of Thor’s alter-ego Dr. Donald Blake. Thor saved Shawna from Zaniac, but Zaniac got away. He then attempted to act out the movie’s ending in real life, which involved murdering dozens of innocent women. Victims he called his “pretty pretties”. Luckily, Thor ended Zaniac’s plans. Zaniac only appeared a few more times, and Marvel killed him off in 1986’s Thor #372, a story where the Time Variance Authority appears.

How Zaniac Ties into Loki Season Two

In the second episode of Loki’s second season, we found outTVA hunter X-05, upon learning the truth about the Timekeepers, retreated into a new life on the Sacred Timeline, in the year 1977. He used the name Brad Wolfe, which might have been his true name. Much like the comics, this Brad Wolfe was a movie star. He played a character named Zaniac in a film of the same name. However, the similarities ended there with his comic counterpart. Zaniac was just an acting role for MCU Brad, not a being who possessed him. Loki eventually takes him back to the TVA as a prisoner. Will his Zaniac past come up again? Maybe when Marvel Studios does Wonder Man we’ll learn the superhero/actor is now starring in a modern reboot! We definitely think that would be a fun connection.

Originally published on July 31, 2023.

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Writer and artist Keith Giffen, prolific for decades of groundbreaking comic book work at both DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and other publishers, has passed away at the age of 70 from a stroke on October 10. He was perhaps most famous as the co-creator of Lobo and the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle for DC, Rocket Raccoon for Marvel, and his legendary runs on Justice League International and Legion of Super-Heroes for DC. Known especially for his comedic takes on superheroes, his final message to his fans on social media exhibited the legendary creator’s signature humor even up to the end.

Giffen got his start as a professional artist in comics at both Marvel and DC in 1976. At Marvel, he co-created the character Rocket Raccoon with writer Bill Mantlo. Of course, Rocket is character who decades later would gain pop culture icon status thanks to the MCU. At DC that same year, he started to do layout pages for artist Wally Wood in All-Star Comics. This title showcased the adventures of the Justice Society of America. He’d continue to lend his talents to a ton of other titles in the ‘70s, like Marvel Comics’ The Defenders.

However, it was in the ‘80s when Keith Giffen became a true force in the comics industry. He began to co-plot many of the comics he illustrated and transitioned into a full-on writer. With writer Paul Levitz, he illustrated DC’s teen heroes of the far future in Legion of Super-Heroes. Together, they worked on the book for four years, from 1982 to 1986. Under their tenure, Legion became DC’s second biggest title, far outselling books like Superman and even Batman. In 1982, he drew the Legion’s “Great Darkness Saga,” which elevated Darkseid into one of the DC Universe’s biggest villains.

After producing two characters for DC that showcased Giffen’s wry sense of humor — the parody hero Ambush Bug, and the Legion spin-off Legion of Substitute Heroes — DC hired him to co-plot their revival of Justice League with writer J. M. DeMatteis. Instead of using an all-star lineup of heroes, the Giffen/DeMatteis League largely consisted of DC’s second-stringers. Heroes like Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. Instead of Hal Jordan, their League’s Green Lantern was the obnoxious Guy Gardner. He was a G.L. who Batman took out with one punch in a single panel in the hilarious Justice League issue #5.

Justice League was a runaway hit for DC and quickly rebranded as Justice League International. Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis turned JLI into a franchise that gave Avengers a run for its money, spinning off Justice League Europe, Justice League America, Justice League Quarterly, and Dr. Fate. Together, Giffen and DeMatteis worked on the franchise for five years, from 1987 to 1992, producing over 100 issues together. They somehow turned the formerly deadly serious League’s catchphrase into characters bursting out in “Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!” laughter.

In 1990, Giffen would revive a character he co-created for the series Omega Men in 1983, the cosmic bounty hunter Lobo. Only now, Lobo became a hilarious parody of tough biker characters, and “badass” heroes like Punisher and Wolverine. It was another instant hit for Giffen, and Lobo became a comics icon. That same year, he returned to the Legion as a plotter and artist. He showcased the former teen heroes as washed-up middle-aged characters, who have to get the band back together. Controversial in its day, his “5 Years Later” Legion of Super-Heroes is now beloved by fans.

Giffen took a break from comics in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. He became a storyboard artist for animated shows like Ed, Edd, ‘n Eddy and Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi. In the ‘80s, he’d even written an episode of The Real Ghostbusters. But he returned to comics where he teamed up with his old Justice League partner J. M. DeMatteis once more, producing several comics featuring their comedic League again. Most importantly, during this time, Giffen co-created the Jaime Reyes version of Blue Beetle, and wrote the first ten issues of his series in 2006-2007. He also returned to Marvel as the writer of their cosmic Annihilation event series. This series eventually led to the modern version of the Guardians of the Galaxy. He also co-created several independent comics such as 10, Tag and Hero Squared for Boom! Studios, Zapt! and I Luv Halloween for Tokyopop.

In an era when comics were desperate to show how grim and adult they were, Giffen created stories that showed that yes, grown adults in silly costumes beating up bad guys is actually pretty funny. But he never forgot to give the characters actual personalities and pathos, and infuse drama into the usually comedic stories when needed. In many ways, Giffen’s superhero comics were precursors to things like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy. His contributions to the comics medium were vast, as there’s almost no major character he didn’t leave a mark on. Everyone who loves the medium of comic books shall miss him.

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In the post-credits scene in the first episode of Loki season two, we finally find out what happened to Sylvie after her killing of He Who Remains. She actually went to a branched timeline, in the town of Broxton, Oklahoma in 1982. She wanders into a local McDonald’s establishment and sees the customers just living their ordinary lives. So she decides to stay there. But why would an Asgardian god want to live in a small town in the American Midwest? Well, there actually is a comic book precedent for Asgardians hanging out in this particular Oklahoma town, believe it or not.

Broxton, Oklahoma Was Home to Asgard in the Thor Comics of J. Michael Straczynski

Broxton first appeared in writer J. Michael Stracyinski’s celebrated run on Thor, which began in 2007. After the events of Ragnarok and the death of all the Asgardians, they are all ultimately reborn once more. Only this time, the Asgardians are mortals with no memory of their godly lives. Thor eventually awakens to his true self and recreates the City of Asgard close to the town of Broxton, OK, a mere few miles away.

For some months, the ordinary citizens of the town had to contend with ancient and powerful gods who were living among them. Asgard actually floated above the ground, making it even more off-putting to the nervous Broxton residents. Thor actually paid for the use of the land with Asgardian treasure, even if it took him some time to do so.

Lady Loki First Appeared During the Broxton Era of Thor

Interestingly enough, Loki during his time in Broxton took the form of a woman. It was the first time they portrayed Loki as female, at least for an extended time. Since Loki is the God of Mischief, when he was reborn he took the form that they originally intended for Lady Sif. But the truth is, in comics as well as actual Norse mythology, they have always described Loki as genderfluid. So the Lady Loki we met in Broxton was actually the same Loki as the one we’d always known in a different form. Unlike Sylvie, who is a variant from another timeline. But it’s fitting that a version of the Trickster God that’s a woman resides in Broxton in both the comics as well as the MCU.

The Sad End of Broxton in the Pages of Marvel Comics

Hopefully, MCU Broxton receives a better fate than the one in the pages of the comics. Obviously, a floating City of Asgard nearby placed a huge target on the small town. The often corrupt company Roxxon, a longtime enemy of the Thunder God’s, started “investing” in Broxton. Sadly, the town became wrecked as a result. It was their evil CEO’s plan to blame the Asgardians for what befell the town. When the Asgardians finally left, they allowed their Everlasting Fountain and Bountiful Tree to remain there. But the town was later totally destroyed when the God of Hammers annihilated it just to spite his nemesis, Thor. Ultimately, this poor small American town paid the price for its association with these higher beings.

The “ancient Asgardian god in a tiny American town” was the basis for the first Thor film back in 2011. Only there, they changed it to a New Mexico town instead of one in Oklahoma. Thor: Love and Thunder also played with the concept of Asgard coming to a small human town and integrating. Now, Broxton has arrived in live-action thanks to Loki. Hopefully, nothing terribly sinister happens to the poor Broxton in the MCU, as it did in the comic books. It seems like a nice chill town. And that McDonald’s that Sylvie pops in gives us all the retro vibes we love. And yes, there actually is a real town named Broxton in Oklahoma, near Caddo County. Hey, if Marvel can use real big cities like New York and Los Angeles, then why not real small towns?

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For the better part of 60 years, Marvel Comics’ X-Men franchise has ruled the comic book store shelves. And in that time, the mutants sworn to protect a world that fears and hates them have had some legendary creator runs. We’re here to reveal our choices for the best of the best. Now, we should note, that these are just the flagship X-Men books. So, no spin-off teams. Also, unless it’s a writer/artist duo that collaborated on the entire run together, we’re classifying each run by writer primarily. For unknown reasons, writers defined the X-Men runs, with various artists contributing more often than not. Now, with all that out of the way, let’s rank the top 10 X-Men creator runs of all time.

10. Fabian Nicieza (X-Men, Vol. 2)

Writer Fabian Nicieza, the co-creator of Deadpool, had the unenviable task of following up writer Chris Claremont’s legendary 16-year run on the X-Men, which was no easy feat. To say he (and writer Scott Lobdell, who wrote Uncanny X-Men) had big shoes to fill is an understatement. But after a rocky start, Nicieza wrote the hell out of the main X-Men title. He really developed Psylocke into more than a gimmick character, truly developed Gambit, and wrote some of the best issues of the groundbreaking Age of Apocalypse storyline, not to mention, he was behind the moment Magneto ripped the adamantium off of Wolverine’s skeleton. His writing was also augmented by some incredible artwork from folks like Andy Kubert. You can’t write that many iconic X-Men moments in their history and not make it on this list.

Issues in Fabian Nicieza’s X-Men Comic Run:

X-Men (Vol.2) #12-45, Amazing X-Men #1-4, X-Men Forever #1-6

9. Brian Michael Bendis (All-New X-Men, Uncanny X-Men)

Writer Brian Michael Bendis wrote many celebrated Marvel contributions. His run on Ultimate Spider-Man is legendary, and he co-created Miles Morales, Jessica Jones, and more. Then there’s his New Avengers run, his time on Daredevil, and on and on. So, expectations were high when he finally came on board the X-Men in 2013 for All-New X-Men. And to be fair, for many, he didn’t meet those expectations. His run, which saw the teenage original five X-Men come to the present, was not without its faults. However, it had some big, noteworthy highlights.

For starters, Bendis made Kitty Pryde the primary mentor of the young, time-lost X-Men. Many of them were her mentors as adults (oh, timey-wimey headaches!), all of which yielded great storytelling moments. He wrote some great chemistry between the adult Emma Frost and the teen Jean Grey. And Bendis finally made it official, and had Iceman come out of the closet as a gay man. This after years of speculation. The art by the likes of Stuart Immonen and others was also consistently top-tier. So yes, the “teen X-Men in the past” thing went on for way too long. But the best parts of this run make it worthy of inclusion in a best X-Men runs list.

Issues in Brian Michael Bendis’ X-Men Comic Run:

All-New X-Men (Vol.1) #1-41, Uncanny X-Men (Vol.2) #1-35, (Vol.1) #600 (2012-2015)

8. Mark Millar (Ultimate X-Men)

In the early 2000s, Marvel Comics was just emerging from bankruptcy and was desperate to get new readers. Unlike DC Comics, they had never resorted to rebooting their universe. But with their new Ultimate line of comics, they created a new universe where younger, contemporary versions of their iconic characters start from scratch, all adjacent to the main universe. Marvel tasked writer Mark Millar, fresh from DC’s controversial superhero book The Authority, to reinvent the X-Men for the 21st century with Ultimate X-Men.

Although some of his choices were questionable (no one needed incest versions of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver), some were so exciting to read. Millar and his principal artists Adam Kubert and Chris Bachalo gave the X-Men’s classic stories a blockbuster movie makeover, showing the potential of what the mutants could be with a budget behind them. Eventually, this series ran out of steam, especially as other writers took over. Not least because they stopped having truly classic stories to reinvent. But Millar’s run remains a big, bombastic blast to read. Sometimes a slightly problematic blast, but a blast nevertheless.

Issues in Mark Millar’s X-Men Comic Run:

Ultimate X-Men (Vol. 1) #1-33 (2000-2003)

7. Mike Carey (X-Men, Vol. 2, X-Men: Legacy)

Although Mike Carey wrote the X-Men for five years, the longest outside of Chris Claremont’s, his run remains criminally underrated. While he used many iconic members like Wolverine and Cyclops, his best team during his years on the title had a very unusual roster—Iceman, Mystique, Rogue, Sabretooth, Cannonball, Cable, and new characters Lady Mastermind and Omega Sentinel. This oddball grouping of wild cards and ex-villains provided the X-Men with some much-needed uniqueness, smack in the middle of crossover event after crossover event.

Carey introduced the Children of the Vault, another advanced breed of humanity which continues to play a part in X-Men lore today. He finally gave Rogue control of her powers after decades, and when the title switched names to X-Men: Legacy, he used it to truly develop Charles Xavier into a multi-faceted character, after years of being either a saint or a monster. Carey’s run was accompanied by a bevy of talented artists, including Chris Bachalo, Humberto Ramos, and more. Hopefully, one day, more X-Men fans will recognize this run as one of the best. We sure think it is.

Issues in Mike Carey’s X-Men Comic Run:

X-Men (Vol.2) #188-207, X-Men: Legacy #208-260 (2006-2011)

6. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (X-Men, Vol. 1)

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were only on the original X-Men series for the first seventeen issues, from 1963-1965. Compared to Lee & Kirby’s run on Fantastic Four, Thor, and even Avengers, these first X-Men comics were certainly lacking. But without a doubt, they lay the groundwork for the entire future of the franchise in these still innovative first few years of Lee and Kirby’s run. Xavier’s School, the Magneto vs. Charles conflict, the love affair of Scott Summers and Jean Grey, the Sentinels. All Lee and Kirby concepts. Really, just the entire idea of Marvel mutants, period. It all started here. Other creators might have improved on the framework that Lee and Kirby created, but without a doubt, their run is where a large chunk of what makes the X-Men THE X-MEN came from.

Issues in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s X-Men Comic Run:

X-Men (Vol.1) #1-17 (1963-1965)

5. Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Astonishing X-Men, Vol.2)

When writer Joss Whedon came on board the X-Men titles with Astonishing X-Men, he wasn’t the problematic creator we know him as today (Or he likely was, we just didn’t know). Nor was he the director of the first two Avengers films. He was the guy who reinvented TV genre storytelling with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly. But the inspiration for many of the characters on those shows was none other than the X-Men. Buffy Summers herself was based on Kitty Pryde, and her last name was a nod to Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops. So Whedon on an X-Men series felt like a long time coming.

Whedon and artist John Cassaday did a full 25-issue run on Astonishing X-Men that followed up on Grant Morrison’s, incorporating elements of his run, like Cyclops and Emma Frost in a relationship, and the Xavier School expanded to dozens of students. However, they also made the X-Men into costumed superheroes once again, something Morrison stayed away from. Most importantly, the Whedon/Cassaday run put Kitty Pryde back in the spotlight after years of being a second-stringer, and gave the character one of her defining moments in the franchise. New villains like Danger, and Cassaday’s incredibly detailed pencils on every issue, also make this a truly top-notch run, and one that was hard to beat for several years after.

Issues in Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s X-Men Comic Run:

Astonishing X-Men (Vol.2) #1-24, Giant Size Astonishing X-Men #1 (2004-2008)

4. Jason Aaron (Wolverine and the X-Men, Vol. 1)

These days, Jason Aaron is thought of more for his extended run on Thor, or even his own series, Scalped. But his Wolverine and the X-Men series was a breath of fresh air during an era when the X-books were mostly deadly serious. After the (most recent) death of Jean Grey, Cyclops and Wolverine have an ideological schism, and split the team in two. Logan ends up being the headmaster of the newly named Jean Grey School. Characters like former students Kitty Pryde, Beast, and Iceman were now part of the faculty.

Aaron infused a ton of humor into the awkward nature of Wolverine trying to teach a bunch of teenage kids. All while also writing those same kids with genuine heart and pathos. Aaron wrote the first 42 issues, with artists like Chris Bachalo, Nick Bradshaw, Ramon Perez, and Pepe Larraz. Each of them gave the book a true visual panache. A second Wolverine and the X-Men series came from writer Christos Gage for another 12 issues. It ended when Wolverine died under Marvel mandate (he got better). But the Jason Aaron run remains the best version, and still one of the best X-Men runs overall.

Issues in Jason Aaron’s X-Men Comic Run:

X-Men: Schism #1-5, Wolverine & The X-Men (2011) 1-35, 38-42; Wolverine & The X-Men Annual (2011-2014)

3. Grant Morrison (New X-Men)

Grant Morrison took over the X-Men titles in 2001, following a full decade of other writers trying to emulate Chris Claremont’s style. Some pulled it off. But just as many did not. By the turn of the 21st century, the Jim Lee/X-Men: The Animated Series look and feel was just tired. Morrison, who’d already written groundbreaking runs for DC on JLA and Doom Patrol, decided to change the game for Marvel’s mutants. Their New X-Men run, with artists like Frank Quitely and Phil Jimenez, was the biggest change to the series since 1975.

Morrison’s New X-Men focused on Xavier’s students teaching at a much-expanded School for the Gifted. Mutants became trendy in Morrison’s world, but also an endangered species when the mutant nation of Genosha was obliterated. Morrison evolved Hank McCoy, a.k.a. the Beast into something even more animal-like yet smarter. They even dared to have Cyclops cheat on Jean Grey, and engage in a (psychic) affair with Emma Frost. Their character of Xorn, a Chinese mutant with a star for a brain, was more than we thought at first. Morrison finally evolved the mutants into something more than they’d been in years, more than just costumed heroes. Their three-year run pushed the envelope in ways few writers have ever dared to.

Issues in Grant Morrison’s X-Men Comic Run:

New X-Men #114-156, New X-Men Annual #1 (2001-2004)

2. Jonathan Hickman (House of X, Powers of X, X-Men, X-Men: Inferno)

With few exceptions, for decades, the X-Men were always a group of mutants fighting for a world that fears and hates them. They usually lived in a big mansion, where they trained in the use of their powers. Then, in 2019, Jonathan Hickman came in and blew that whole paradigm up. Starting in the mini-series House of X and Powers of X, the mutants of Earth, under the guidance of Professor X and Magneto, migrate to the living island nation of Krakoa (itself a mutant). There, they essentially become immortal gods on Earth. For the first time, they find themselves in a position of power within humanity, and not perpetual victims.

Hickman’s X-Men era (of which he wrote the main X-Men title and topped it off with the series X-Men: Inferno) introduced new concepts and ideas to the Marvel mutant universe with practically every new issue. Because of this, the franchise became more exciting than it had been in years. Hickman worked with many artists during this time, primarily Pepe Larraz and Leinil Francis Yu, all of which elevated it to one of the best-looking X-Men runs, along with one of the most innovative and fresh. It might have only lasted three years, but Hickman’s time on the X-Men franchise is one fans will still be talking about for decades to come.

Issues in Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men Comic Run:

House of X (#1-6), Powers of X (#1-6) X-Men (Vol.5) #1-20, Giant-Size X-Men: Jean Grey, Giant Size X-Men: Storm, Giant Size X-Men: Magneto, Giant Size X-Men: Fantomex, Giant Size X-Men: Nightcrawler, X-Men: Inferno #1-4 (2019-2022)

1. Chris Claremont (Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, Vol. 2, X-Treme X-Men)

Simply put, no one else, alive or dead, could have topped this list. Writer Chris Claremont might not have created the X-Men himself, or even the “All-New, All-Different X-Men,” which he inherited from Len Wein. But he wrote the book on them in every other sense of the word. His epic 16-year run on Uncanny X-Men from 1975 to 1991 saw Xavier’s students go from previously canceled and washed-up heroes to the stars of Marvel’s best-selling flagship series. Claremont worked with artistic titans during his tenure too. Creators like Dave Cockrum, John Byrne, Paul Smith, John Romita Jr., Marc Silvestri, and Jim Lee, to name but a few. To list Chris Claremont’s contributions to the X-Men universe would take us all day, so we’re just gonna lightly touch Claremont’s unique contributions to X-Men one at a time.

Ready? Here we go. The Shi’ar Empire. Magneto reframed as an anti-hero. Mystique. Rogue. The actual characterizations of Wolverine, Storm, and Nightcrawler. Jean Grey’s evolution from constant hostage to the all-powerful Phoenix. The creation of Kitty Pryde (with artist John Byrne). The Dark Phoenix Saga. Days of Future Past. The Mutant Massacre. Mister Sinister. Madelyne Pryor. The Brood. Gambit. All of this culminated in the legendary X-Men #1 in 1991, which sold 8 million copies. Chris Claremont’s later X-Men runs were not as beloved as his first, but who cares? He could have never written another issue again after 1991, and he’d still top this list. The X-Men simply would not be what they are today without him. Period.

Issues in Chris Claremont’s X-Men Comic Run:

Uncanny X-Men #94–279, 381–389, 444–473, Annual #3-14, X-Men (Vol.2) #1-3, (1975-1991) 100–109, 165, Annual 2000, X-Treme X-Men #1-46 (2000-2004) X-Men Forever #1-25, X-Men Forever 2 #1-16 (2009-2011)

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This year marks the 60th anniversary of the classic X-Men. Long before characters like Wolverine joined the team, the X-Men were five teenage mutants at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. These X-Men were never as popular as later incarnations, but whenever they regroup, it’s still a big deal. Now the ol’ gang is back together again, with a twist. Announced via AIPTComics, Original X-Men #1 hits in December. This new one-shot spotlights the “O5,” from writer Christos Gage (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and artist Greg Land (Phoenix: undersong).

So what’s the twist? In this story, the Phoenix Force, who can’t seem to ever leave poor Jean Grey alone, plucks from time the original five X-Men—Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Iceman, and Angel. All for a sacred mission across the Multiverse After the cosmic entity restores the team’s lost memories, this story will explore themes introduced by Brian Michael Bendis when he brought the original five to the present day in 2012’s All-New X-Men series. More importantly, it will set up a brand-new X-Men series launching next year.

The first-ever mutant heroes to call themselves X-Men name once traveled into their own futures to bring back the adult Cyclops from going down a dark path. Now another multiversal mystery calls them forth. When the dust settles, one hero will remain, trapped in the world as we know it. How this ties into the current Fall of X era in Marvel’s mutant comics is a mystery. But we can’t wait to find out the answer.

The original X-Men team broke up after the iconic Giant Size X-Men #1 in 1975. The same issue introduced the All-New, All-Different X-Men. A decade later, they reformed as X-Factor, before finally rejoining the X-Men proper in 1991. Then their teenage selves traveled into the future in the previously mentioned All-New X-Men series, before finally returning to their proper timelines in 2017. But in the world of Marvel’s mutants, nothing is ever that simple. And when the multiverse is involved? Even less so.

Original X-Men #1, written by Christos Gage, with art by Greg Land and a cover by Ryan Stegman, goes on sale on December 20.

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Fans of Marvel’s Mutants are eagerly anticipating the early 2024 arrival of X-Men ’97, the new Disney+ continuation of the classic ’90s X-Men: The Animated Series. The original show adapted many classic storylines from the pages of Uncanny X-Men over its run. At least, stories that were written up until that point. But since it went off the air in 1997, many new and seminal X-Men stories have been added to the canon in the Marvel Comics. And we think these would make for perfect animated episodes in the upcoming revival series. Here are our top picks for X-Men stories we’d love to see adapted next.

X-Men: Onslaught (1996)

Onslaught is not from a particularly creative high point for the X-Men titles. This story was mainly a function to remove the Avengers and Fantastic Four characters from the 616 Universe for a year in the Heroes Reborn event. But the basic premise would still be great for animated episodes. In the Fatal Attractions story a few years prior, Xavier had mind-wiped Magneto, in an attempt to put an end to his schemes once and for all. But a seed of Magneto’s mind lived on in Xavier, becoming the unstoppable and ridiculously huge psychic entity called Onslaught. This story is maybe too over the top and too ’90s for live-action, but would be perfect for the world of X-Men ’97.

X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills (1982)

This early ‘80s original graphic novel by Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson was the template for X2: X-Men United. But that film changed some key elements of the story, such as changing the villain William Stryker from a televangelist to a military general. The original story dealt more with the concept at the very core of the X-Men comics, which is how people use religion and politics to justify bigotry. It represents key X-Men writer Chris Claremont at his creative peak. Some elements of the story haven’t aged well. However, the core ideas would still work in the animated format. Plus, this might be the perfect excuse to bring in key characters from that story, like Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler. This storyline was a bit too mature for Saturday morning audiences, so it was never adapted then. But it’s perfect for today.

X-Men: Inferno (1988-1989)

Rumors persist that the clone of Jean Grey, Madelyne Pryor, is making her way into X-Men ’97. With Mister Sinister confirmed as one of the series’ main antagonists, it makes sense that Maddy would appear. After all, she was a creation of that pasty-skinned mad geneticist. If Madelyne does appear, then it would be an ideal time to adapt her most famous storyline, Inferno, for animation. In that 1988-1989 comics event, Madelyne, bitter her husband Cyclops left her for his resurrected lover Jean Grey (her genetic template), makes a deal with powerful demons to unleash Hell on Earth. X-Men vs. demons from Limbo might be a tad much for live-action, but for animation? It’s just perfect.

New X-Men: E is for Extinction

In the early 2000s, superstar writer Grant Morrison lent their genius to refreshing the X-Men franchise for the 21st century. And the first story out of the gate for them in what was called New X-Men was E for Extinction. That storyline saw the addition of Emma Frost to the Xavier School faculty. It also introduced one of the best modern X-villains, Cassandra Nova. Unlike many X-Men baddies, she actually presented a real threat, destroying the island nation of Genosha and murdering millions of mutants in one heinous act. And did we mention Cassandra is Xavier’s secret twin sister, whom he believed he killed in the womb? This is one story that we’d really love to see the animated series tackle.

X-Men: House of X and Powers of X

In 2019, writer Jonathan Hickman upended decades of mutant status quo in the series House of X and Powers of X. For once in their long publication history, mutantkind would be on top. He reintroduced the mutant island of Krakoa, a living island where Xavier and Magneto welcomed every mutant as a citizen. But Krakoa had secrets. Among them is the key to mutant immortality. This era raised the X-Men to the level of almost gods on Earth. Marvel Comics has done a version of this era as if it happened in the X-Men: The Animated Series world. And we think adapting that for the cartoon would be amazing. And it would really meld the classic ’90s X-Men with the storytelling daring of the modern Marvel Comics. Put Wolverine’s claw to our head? This is the one we want the most.

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The Mighty Avengers have been Marvel Comics’ premiere “all-star” collection of heroes for sixty years. And during that time, across the media of comics, animation, live-action film, and video games, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have had many different rosters. But which iteration of the Avengers has been the best across different media? Here are our picks for the ten best Avengers lineups over the past six decades.

10. Marvel’s Avengers Video Game Team

Video games haven’t delivered quite the same amount of incredible rosters for the Avengers as comics or film. And although the 2020 Square Enix/Crystal Dynamics game Marvel’s Avengers wasn’t the runaway hit that many were hoping for, the team in the game was still pretty great. It focused on the version of the Avengers we saw from their first live-action film, but added two very important members—Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), and Hawkeye (Kate Bishop). Eventually, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Black Panther (T’Challa), and the Winter Soldier became playable characters as well. The game never lived up to the roster they used. But credit where credit is due; this was a formidable team.

Members of Marvel’s Avengers Team

Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Hawkeye (Clint Barton) Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Thor (Jane Foster), the Winter Soldier

9. The All-New, All-Different Avengers

In 2015, Marvel Comics infused a lot of new blood into the Avengers with the All-New, All-Different Avengers. Written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Adam Kubert and Mahmud Asrar, it featured some of the youngest members to ever serve on the main flagship team. While Tony Stark’s Iron Man remained in the lineup, this version had Jane Foster as Thor, Sam Wilson as Captain America, and the Vision. But it also contained teen heroes like Spider-Man Miles Morales, Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), and Nova (Sam Alexander). This team would be dissolved after just 15 issues, when the younger heroes forged their own team, the Champions. But for a brief time, they were a pretty memorable roster of Avengers.

Members of the All-New, All-Different Avengers Team

Iron Man (Tony Stark), Captain America (Sam Wilson), Thor (Jane Foster), Vision, Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Nova (Sam Alexander)

8. The West Coast Avengers

It took over 20 years from their debut, but the Avengers finally got their first official spin-off team in 1984 with the series West Coast Avengers. Hawkeye (Clint Barton) moved to Southern California, and started a new team with classic members. WCA added characters whom Marvel had long relegated to second-stringer status like Wonder Man (Simon Williams) and Tigra. But it also introduced new important additions like Mockingbird, Moon Knight, and the U.S. Agent. Eventually, this Avengers team decided to ditch the name, and became the atrociously named Force Works in the early ‘90s. But for several years, they were a top-tier Avengers team, with a pretty “all killer/no filler.”

Members of the West Coast Avengers

Hawkeye, Iron Man (James Rhodes, Tony Stark), Scarlet Witch, Vision, Hank Pym, Tigra, Wonder Man, Mockingbird, Moon Knight, Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter), U.S. Agent

7. The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Animated Team

The original animated Avengers: United They Stand series from 1999 left a lot to be desired. But Marvel got it right with their second attempt in 2010, Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. This animated line-up featured a cast of core Avengers heroes that most fans might expect from the original comics. One inspired largely by the ’70s and ’80s rosters. But the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes team also expanded into an early 2000s New Avengers-inspired roster, featuring the likes of Spider-Man, Wolverine, War Machine, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Although, there were some puzzling omissions (Hey, where’s Wanda?), this cartoon version of the team was ultimately a hard one to beat.

Members of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, the Wasp, Ant-Man, Black Panther, Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Hawkeye, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Wolverine, War Machine, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, the Thing

6. Roger Stern’s Mid-’80s Avengers

By the mid-’80s, Uncanny X-Men had overtaken Avengers and the Fantastic Four as Marvel Comics’ biggest-selling team book. Then, in an effort to compete, Avengers series writer Roger Stern got a little experimental. He introduced a new Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, to the team, quickly making her team leader. While stalwarts like Cap and Thor stayed, members like She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters) and Wasp (Janet Van Dyne) got a big boost during this run, including a long stint with Wasp as team leader. And they propped long-missing members like Hercules and the Black Knight up, and even the “doesn’t play well with others” Namor joined the team. Of course, this roster had two of the worst members ever, Dr. Druid, and the eternally horny Eternal, Starfox. But no Avengers lineup is perfect.

Members of the Mid-’80s Avengers

Captain America, Thor, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) Hercules, Namor, Starfox, the Black Knight, Doctor Druid.

5. Brian Michael Bendis’ New Avengers Team

After the Scarlet Witch decimated her former team in Avengers: Disassembled, the group was in pieces. Sales hadn’t been great for the Avengers, and even previous writer Geoff Johns, who would create huge hits for rival DC, couldn’t really spruce up attention for the team. Enter superstar writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist David Finch who expanded the Avengers into something fans had never seen. Captain America and Iron Man remained (Thor was dead at the time), but they finally added Marvel superstar characters like Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Luke Cage to the roster at last. And long-abandoned heroine Spider-Woman became a member during this era as well. Sure, she was secretly a Skrull, but the real one joined eventually. This run also saw Clint Barton transition from Hawkeye to Ronin. This roster was such a hit with readers, New Avengers overtook X-Men in sales for the first time in decades.

Members of the New Avengers

Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ronin, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Spider-Woman, Sentry, Echo

4. The Avengers: Age of Ultron Final Battle Roster

The Avengers from the original film are pretty iconic themselves, a mix of the original Stan Lee/Jack Kirby team, with a dash of 2000s alt-universe series The Ultimates. Who can forget their circular pre-battle shot in the first film? But the best MCU Avengers roster, for our money, came in film two, Avengers: Age of Ultron. They came together in what many consider the least loved Avengers sequel. But this roster not only had all the MCU founding members from the first film, but also new recruits War Machine, the Vision, Scarlet Witch, and (ever so briefly) Quicksilver. They all still make for the most formidable big-screen Avengers team, even if they only lasted for this one film. But as Vision said in Age of Ultron, “A thing isn’t beautiful because it lasts.”

Members of the Avengers: Age of Ultron Team

Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Vision

3. Steve Englehart’s 1970s/Early 1980s Avengers

From about 1975-1980, writer Steve Englehart created some of the most iconic stories to ever run in the pages of Avengers, showcasing what many believe solidified the team’s most popular roster for decades. During this era, which featured such iconic stories as “The Celestial Madonna” and “The Korvac Saga,” Englehart collaborated with an up-and-coming artist named George Perez, who would become the team’s most defining penciler, but also wrote the last ever Jack Kirby Avengers stories. This roster featured most of the original members (sans poor Hulk), as well as newer additions like Moondragon and Hellcat. Former X-Man Beast joined up and became besties with Wonder Man, a once-forgotten member. Even the Guardians of the Galaxy were made honorary members during this run. A truly GOATed iteration of Marvel’s most iconic heroes.

Members of the ’70s/’80s Avengers

Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Wasp, Yellowjacket, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Beast, Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Black Panther, Black Widow, Hellcat, Moondragon, Jocasta

2. Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers

In the wake of the enormous success of the MCU Avengers in 2012, Marvel relaunched the book with writer Jonathan Hickman. Not only did he use the complete roster from the film, but also heroes from the previous New Avengers run like Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Spider-Woman. Plus, he added several new characters, and even a few former X-Men like Sunspot and Cannonball. This run was mind-blowing in its scope and imagination, introducing concepts like Avengers World. And Hickman found a role for each member of this super-sized team to play in the cosmic proceedings. Hickman’s team really was a “best of every era” roster. Together, they pushed the very concept of what the Avengers were meant to be within the Marvel Universe.

Members of Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers Team

Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), Spider-Man, Shang-Chi, Wolverine, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Falcon, Wasp, Hank Pym, Hyperion, Captain Universe, Star Brand, Manifold, Abyss, Nightmask, Smasher, Ex Nihilo, Cannonball, Sunspot

1. Kurt Busiek’s ’90s “Heroes Return” Avengers Team

In 1996, Marvel gave several of their most iconic properties to the Image Comics founders Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld for one year, who wrote stories about them in a separate pocket universe. Then, one year later, they came back to the 616 universe, in a new #1 “Heroes Return” issue by writer Kurt Busiek and returning artist George Perez (and later, Alan Davis and Carlos Pacheco). Busiek’s team featured a truly classic roster. But he also added former New Warriors stars Firestar and Justice, along with newcomer Triathlon, adding a much-welcome rookie POV. Busiek’s four-year run on Avengers is still the gold standard, and his team lineup was pretty much perfect. It resulted in some of the best Avengers stories ever, with a collection of some of the best Marvel heroes to ever respond to the call “Avengers, Assemble!”

Members of Kurt Busiek’s Avengers Team

Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Firestar, Justice, Triathlon, Wasp, Hank Pym, She-Hulk, Quicksilver, Black Widow, Quasar, Jack of Hearts, Silverclaw.

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The MCU loves a yellow super suit. First, it gave Charlie Cox’s Daredevil his red and yellow outfit when he appeared on the Disney+ series, She-Hulk. And now, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have officially revealed what costume Wolverine will wear for his MCU debut. And no surprise, Deadpool 3 has opted to give Wolverine his bright yellow (and blue) suit, a costume pulled straight from the pages of Marvel Comics. Although Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine has appeared on our movie screens many times, his yellow comics-accurate suit has not made the live-action jump… Until now. But a bright yellow suit on this extra grumpy version of Wolverine in Deadpool 3 seems exactly appropriate.

You can check out the first-look image of Wolverine’s MCU costume from Deadpool 3 below. Then, take a minute to fully appreciate the incredible yellow-ness of this suit.

We bet we’re going to hear Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool refer to Jackman’s Wolverine as “Sunshine” at least once in the movie, thanks to this costume. And, the yellow and red suits for these heroes might lead to some ketchup and mustard jokes in Deadpool 3, much to Wolverine’s annoyance. But Wolverine had to eventually suit up in the comics’ yellow and blue X-Men costume in a Marvel movie.

The Marvel Comics Origins of Wolverine’s Classic Costume, the Yellow and Blue Suit

So how did we arrive at this Deadpool 3 look for Wolverine? Wolverine made his debut in The Incredible Hulk #181 in 1974, wearing his classic yellow and blue costume. The mask was slightly different at first. But by the time the Canadian mutant became a part of the X-Men in Giant Size-X-Men #1 the following year, the classic yellow and blue suit as we know it was introduced, with the larger Wolverine mask. That look stuck until 1980, when Logan received his brown and tan suit. The second Wolverine costume lasted a decade, but he went back to his yellow and blue for the X-Men: The Animated Series era in 1992. This is likely why Wolverine’s yellow suit is seen as THE costume for a generation.

If there’s a true direct from the comic books inspiration here, the Deadpool 3 costume looks the most like Wolverine’s in Astonishing X-Men, which ran from 2004-2008. The great John Cassaday designed that outfit. The biggest detail that doesn’t match up to the Astonishing X-Men look is that Wolverine now has sleeves instead of bare arms. Oh, and no mask that we can see yet. But we expect that’s coming. You simply can’t have a complete classic yellow Wolverine costume without the mask, right?

Deadpool 3 Brings Us This Iconic Look in Hugh Jackman’s Potentially Final Turn as Wolverine

Fans have long-clamored to see this classic-colored costume on the hero. And the MCU loves to deliver an Easter egg if it can. As mentioned, yellow might seem an odd color for the hero known for being a bit of a grump. But, although Wolverine has worn many different costumes in his long Marvel Comics’ career, his suits have more often than not included yellow in them. It seems like Hugh Jackman had to don the color as Wolverine at least once before he hung up his claws.

Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy shared more about Wolverine’s potential final turn on screen and bringing the yellow suit to life. He noted, “Like the rest of the world, I’ve waited two decades to see Wolverine in a whole movie with Deadpool, and I don’t know if this is our last shot at Wolverine on screen, so I was going to make goddamned sure we get the old yellow and blue just once, and that we get it right.”

And, in order to do that, Wolverine’s yellow costume went through “multiple, multiple, multiple iterations and fittings.” But Levy adds, “It also helps that I’m making this movie within the MCU, so I have access to an army of the nerdiest nerds available to a Marvel project.”

Could This Be Hugh Jackman’s Final Outing as Wolverine?

Before Deadpool 3 became a reality, Hugh Jackman said his Wolverine days had ended, and he would not play the character again. Of course, we can never say never, but those previous pronouncements make it likely the actor will be done with the role of Wolverine, yellow suit or otherwise, after the Deadpool movie. If this is indeed Hugh Jackman’s last time as the hero, then it’s fitting to end it on this classic note. Finally, we will see Wolverine, as we’ve come to know him, in the costume we most associate with the role.

Marvel Studios had slated Deadpool 3 to release on May 3, 2024. But we may see a shift in that release date depending on when the studios agree to fair compensation and support for their writers and actors.

Originally published on July 10, 2023.

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Stealing scenes left and right on the Disney+ series Loki is Sylvie, an alternate timeline variant of the mischievous prince of Asgard. Sophia Di Martino deliciously plays the character deliciously in season one of Loki, and soon, in season two. But who is Loki‘s Sylvie in the comics? Is she the same person as Lady Loki? Turns out, not so much. In Marvel Comics, Sylvie is a totally different character from Loki Laufeydotter. Unlike in Loki, Sylvie is related to the adopted Asgardian Frost Giant, but not exactly another version of her. Marvel Comics’ Sylvie is also a relatively recent creation, debuting in 2009’s Dark Reign: Young Avengers mini-series. Here’s the rundown.

Marvel Comics’ Sylvie Becomes a New Enchantress

Marvel Comics

Originally hailing from Boxton, Oklahoma, Sylvie Lushton believed she was just an ordinary American girl. Until one day, the Asgardians who perished during Ragnarok reappeared in the skies over her small town, reborn. Shortly after the resurrected Asgardians arrive, Marvel Comics’ Sylvie discovered she suddenly had magical abilities, like teleportation. She could also cast many spells, including transmutation. Sylvie also had the standard flight, mental manipulation, and telekinesis powers. And she was proficient at creating forcefields and detecting others’ spells.

These powers were themselves all products of Loki’s magic. In fact, Loki would later suggest that Sylvie didn’t even exist at all until the moment she awoke with powers, and the God of Mischief totally fabricated her memories of an ordinary life. Loki was amusing herself by creating a mortal being that only suspects she’s an Asgardian. The Loki of this Marvel Comics era presented as a woman, which ties the concept of Lady Loki together with the creation of Sylvie. Sylvie also took on the name and general appearance of Amora, the Enchantress, a longtime Thor foe from Asgard. One who has yet to appear in the MCU.

Sylvie’s Short-Lived Avengers Career

Marvel Comics

Although the original Enchantress was a villain, Marvel Comics’ Sylvie became a hero. Well, she tried to. She went to New York and joined a team called the Young Masters. This was during the period in the Marvel Universe called “the Dark Reign.” During this time, Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, positioned himself and other villains as Earth’s great heroes. The Young Masters became Osborn’s counterparts to the Young Avengers. Despite being on a Marvel team already, Sylvie tried out for the Young Avengers and got in. But then, the truth came out. Sylvie was a creation of Loki’s sent to dismantle the Young Avengers’ magical defense systems from within, as a sort of trap. Soon after this revelation, the group kicked her out.

After the events of the Dark Reign, and her disastrous brief tenure with the Young Avengers, Sylvie wandered around the Marvel Comics’ universe looking for a purpose. Ultimately, Sylvie embraced her role as a bad guy. She joined the Hood’s version of the villainous Illuminati and also joined the Doom Maidens. She even joined up with a new version of the Masters of Evil. All of her adventures on different Marvel Comics villain teams ended when the real Enchantress, Amora, returned. Not too keen on someone infringing on her trademark, the real Enchantress subsequently banished Sylvie to one of the Ten Realms. And she remains lost there to this day.

Marvel Comics

The MCU’s Sylvie Appears on the Disney+ Series Loki

Sylvie Laufeydottir, born as Loki Laufeydottir, was a Princess of Asgard who caused a Nexus event as a child and escaped the wrath of the Time Variance Authority. On the Loki series, Sylvie spent the following years seeking revenge against the TVA, and their mysterious masters, Time-Keepers. However, the Loki we all know and love interrupted Sylvie’s big plan. Having been convinced of the TVA’s lies and manipulations, Sylvie and Loki teamed up together to fight them on the MCU Disney+ series. This is where we learned the Time-Keepers were phonies.

At the end of Loki season one, despite warnings from Loki, Sylvie goes on a rampage, killing He Who Remains, the true “man behind the curtain” of the TVA. Ultimately, Sylvie’s decision causes the Marvel Multiverse to explode in many comics and movies.

So, is the Sylvie from Loki tied into the Sylvie from Marvel’s comics? Right now, the name might just be an Easter egg for Marvel Comics fans. And the character from the series might just be a creation of the true Lady Loki, who remains offscreen. Only time will tell. No pun intended, of course.

Originally published on June 28, 2021.

Featured Image: Marvel Comics

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The Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is a character that who been around in the pages of Marvel Comics since the Silver Age. And in the last few years, the femme fatale super spy has become a pretty important character in the MCU, post-Infinity Saga. (The character played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus differs greatly from her comic book counterpart.) But learning about Valentina’s comics history might shed some light on what we can expect in the future from the MCU version of the super spy, whose allegiances are always suspect.

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s Controversial Comic Origin Story

Created by artist Jim Steranko, the Contessa first appeared in a Nick Fury story in 1967’s Strange Tales #159. This was back in the days when S.H.I.E.L.D. still stood for Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-Enforcement Division. Valentina was a super spy who first popped up during a fight between Nick Fury and Captain America. Eventually, in the great James Bond 007 tradition of the moment, she and Nick Fury began a romantic relationship. One of their romantic encounters was so suggestive, clearly showing the couple were about to have sex, that the Comics Code Authority edited it out.

Ironically, the version used was even more suggestive. Marvel Comics art director John Romita Sr. redrew a telephone that had been taken off the hook for privacy. That image alone implied a sexual encounter. So they had to replace it thanks to Comics Code rules. In the last panel, they removed and replaced the image with a closeup of a drawing from earlier on the page. The image was that of a very phallic long-barreled gun in a holster. The sanitized version was accidentally more scandalous than the original one, and became infamous in comics history.

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s Twisted Past

Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is actually her assumed name. The woman we know as Valentina is of Russian descent, and her parents were a part of the clandestine terror network called Leviathan. During the Cold War year, Leviathan gave her family the identities of the de Fontaines. Leviathan moved the newly named de Fontaines to Italy. There, they assumed the identity of resistance fighters against the Soviet Union. Eventually, Russian operatives kill Valentina’s parents and Leviathan later offers her a home in their organization.

Val soon takes on the persona of a European socialite. Having heard of her parents and their particular skills, S.H.I.E.L.D’s Dum Dum Dugan offers Val membership in the spy organization. Realizing she can spy on S.H.I.E.L.D. on behalf of Leviathan, Valentina accepts the offer. Becoming a valued agent, Val is present when S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury Sr. visits their training Academy for a sparring demonstration with Captain America. Val rushes to help Fury after an explosion momentarily stunned him. At first, the chauvinistic Nick Fury rejects Val’s help, but then she causally tosses him aside using her martial arts skills. This only makes Fury more interested in her and he promotes Val. She became a part of S.H.I.E.L.D’s Femme Force, where she often butted heads with Sharon Carter, better known as Agent 13.

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and Nick Fury

Although loyal to Leviathan, Valentina simultaneously worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. all while romantically involved with director Nick Fury Sr., and then also worked for the terrorist organization Hydra. In fact, for a time, she became Madame Hydra herself. Working within both organizations, Val was effectively a triple agent. She gathered intel from the two rival operations, reporting her information to her Leviathan superiors. Fury eventually found out, and although betrayed, he never stopped loving Valentina.

The Contessa played a significant part in the Secret Invasion comics event. At first, it appeared that Val had returned after a long absence, but the Val we saw was actually a Skrull imposter sent to spy on Nick Fury and mine him for secrets. Fury realized that this particular Val was a fake and kills her. A different Skrull posing at Val very nearly kills Dum Dum Dugan. After they repelled the Skrull Invasion, they freed the real Contessa from captivity, learning that the Skrulls had stolen her identity for months.

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the MCU

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is a very different character. There is no indication she ever worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. or had a romantic past with Nick Fury (although for all we know she did). We do know that she’s the director of the CIA in the MCU, as revealed in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. And that she was once married to Everett Ross. We saw her first in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, recruiting John Walker as the U.S. Agent. And she was sending Yelena Bolova on a mission to kill Clint Barton at the end of Black Widow. We’ll see her again in the upcoming Thunderbolts film in a major role. Will she be as shady and untrustworthy in the MCU as she was in the comics? We’re thinking that’s very likely, but only time will tell.

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For 60 years, the X-Men have been fighting for a world that fears and hates them. And over the decades, the mutant students of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters have had many, many different teams across Marvel Comics. Some X-Men teams are iconic and instantly come to mind when someone says “X-Men.” Others X-Men teams are made up of awesome characters, but largely forgotten. Here are our choices for the 10 best X-Men teams across comics, TV, games, and film. For the purposes of this list, we’re sticking only with teams called “X-Men” here. If we covered adjacent groups like the New Mutants, X-Factor, X-Force, and others, this list would be a whole lot longer.

10. The Australian Outback X-Men Team

The late ‘80s was a weird era for the X-Men. However, we have a special place in our hearts for this oddball lineup. In 1987, the Fall of the Mutants event saw all members of the X-Men die to save the city of Dallas. But, the goddess Roma secretly resurrected them. To the world at large, and to their former teammates who were not there, the X-Men were dead. So, team leader Storm took advantage of this public perception as a better way to strike their enemies with surprise. No one in Marvel’s world expected to be fighting a bunch of dead mutants.

Instead of going back to Xavier’s School, this X-Men team lived in an old base in the Australian Outback. Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, and Rogue remained a part of the team (all sporting some wild ’80s hair, courtesy of artist Marc Silvestri). New X-Men members Psylocke, pop star Dazzler, Cyclops’ brother Havok, and their first non-mutant member, Longshot, joined them. They also had an Aboriginal member for a time, the teleporter Gateway. This character allowed the X-Men to pop up anywhere in the world at will. This roster only lasted three years, but the members of this X-Men team remain one of the most punk rock and badass lineups in their long history.

Members of the Australian Outback X-Men

Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Rogue, Havok, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Gateway, Madelyne Pryor (ally)

9. The Original X-Men

Back in 1963, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were mandated by their bosses at Marvel Comics to make “another Fantastic Four.” After co-creating characters like Spider-Man and the Hulk, Lee couldn’t think of a way to give his new team powers, so he came up with Marvel’s mutants. They were all just born that way. The original concept of the X-Men, the one that gained them worldwide popularity decades later, was there from day one.

Professor Charles Xavier gathered younger mutants into his School for Gifted Youngsters. That first class included Cyclops, whose eye beams could level mountains, the telekinetic Marvel Girl, the animal-like Beast, the flying Angel, and the youngest, the polar-powered Iceman. Each student fit their role in the team dynamic perfectly; Cyclops was the serious brooder, and Marvel Girl was the princess. Iceman was the joker, Angel was the “popular good looking rich guy,” and Beast was the brain. Heck, one can say they did the Breakfast Club before the Breakfast Club. When Lee and Kirby left the book, it lost whatever steam it had, and Marvel canceled it.

Although the original team of X-Men was never a huge seller, there’s something undeniably special about this mix of characters. Every time Marvel regroups them, either as X-Factor, or as the All-New X-Men, it brings all the nostalgic feels.

Members of the Original X-Men

Professor Xavier, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Angel, Iceman

8. The Konami Arcade Game X-Men Team

In 1992, X-Men: The Animated Series launched on Fox Kids, making the Jim Lee version of the team into superstars for kids who had never picked up a comic. But another X-Men roster found big mainstream appeal that year, when Konami introduced the X-Men video game to arcades everywhere. This classic beat ‘em up game was one of the most successful games of its kind. And the X-Men arcade game is often voted one of the best superhero video games of all time.

Despite launching the same year as the cartoon, the team lineup in the X-Men game wasn’t based on the show. In fact, the roster came from the Pryde of the X-Men animated pilot from 1989. Only one episode was ever produced, and it featured a version of the early ‘80s team and their costumes from that time. That pilot, however, replaced Rogue with the light-powered Dazzler. This X-Men team found a whole new life thanks to the game. The Konami arcade game was so popular, many credit it as much as the cartoon with making Marvel’s mutants into pop culture icons.

Members of the Konami Arcade Game X-Men

Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Dazzler, Kitty Pryde, Professor Xavier

7. Grant Morrison’s New X-Men Roster

By the early 2000s, the Jim Lee/X-Men: The Animated Series roster and look had become a bit long in the tooth—something very emblematic of the previous decade. Comics were changing, and as the X-Men were by definition all about change, they had to update too. Enter writer Grant Morrison. The Scottish scribe had reinvigorated DC’s Justice League a few years earlier, and was tasked to do the same for Marvel’s premiere mutant team. He pared down the main X-Men lineup, focusing on the characters of Professor X, Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Beast.

However, Morrison also added a wild card, the X-Men’s former enemy Emma Frost. The ex-White Queen of the Hellfire Club created a volatile love triangle between Cyclops, Jean, and herself. It created the kind of soap opera spice the team hadn’t seen since Rogue and Gambit. Morrison also added Xorn, a mutant with a star for a brain. This team’s leather costumes, designed by artist Frank Quitely, drew inspiration from the 2000 film, but the bold yellow and black also recalled the original 1963 team.

Members of the New X-Men

Professor Xavier, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Beast, Emma Frost

6. Wolverine and the X-Men‘s Team

In terms of X-Men cartoons, most fans think of the ’92 show, or the early 2000s’ X-Men: Evolution. But in 2008, there was another X-Men series that lasted one brief season, titled Wolverine and the X-Men. More like the comics than either of its predecessors, Wolverine and the X-Men saw Logan gather a team of mutants both old and new when both Professor X and Jean Grey were presumed dead.

By the end of this show’s run, we had one of the best X-Men teams ever, a truly all-star lineup. Among the roster of Marvel mutants were the titular Wolverine, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Beast, Iceman, Angel, Nightcrawler, Storm, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Forge, and briefly, Colossus. Other iconic members appeared on the show, like Psylocke and Gambit, but they were adversaries and not actual X-Men. Rumors suggest if there had been a year two, they’d have made the roster too.

Members of Wolverine’s X-Men

Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Iceman, Angel, Beast, Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler, Emma Frost, Rogue, Colossus, (in absentia) Professor Xavier, Jean Grey

5. The X2: X-Men United Roster of Characters

The Fox movie X-Men were usually a smaller team than in the comics. The first X-Men in 2000 really only had Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Storm as members. Even the original X-Men comics team had five in the lineup. But by X2: X-Men United, we started to get a formidable team, one that reflected the comics at their best. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine was still front and center, as was Halle Berry’s Storm, James Marsden’s Cyclops, and Famke Janssen’s Jean Grey.

But Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) actually got to use their powers in battle as proper X-Men in this Marvel movie. Also, Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) joined and was introduced in one of the coolest opening scenes in superhero movie history. Even Colossus made a cameo, helping the younger students escape the X-Mansion. And with Magneto (Ian McKellen) and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) aiding the team in their fight, we count them as temporary members. We love the X-Men: First Class team as well, but to us, this is the live-action X-Men lineup to beat.

Members of the X2 X-Men

Professor Xavier, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Iceman, Pyro, Colossus, Magneto, Mystique

4. The X-Men: The Animated Series Team

It’s hard to oversell the importance of X-Men: The Animated Series to the brand of X-Men overall. Heck, to the very Marvel brand in non-comics media, period. Using the 1991 X-Men #1 comic book roster as its template, the Fox Kids series pared the team down to an essential nine members: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Beast, Jubilee, and of course, team leader and mentor, Professor Xavier. And it also included the occasionally dead Morph, based on the old ’60s character Changeling.

X-Men: The Animated Series balanced the characters’ personalities perfectly, in some ways better than the comics at the time. This was in large part because they perfectly cast the voice actors. Only because certain X-Men members from the comics became reduced to guest star roles, like Colossus, Archangel, and Nightcrawler, do we relegate this iteration of Marvel’s mutants to the fourth slot. But for an entire generation of kids, we know this was the GOAT team lineup.

Members of the X-Men: The Animated Series X-Men

Professor Xavier, Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Beast, Jubilee, Morph

3. The “All-New, All-Different” X-Men

In 1970, Marvel canceled the original X-Men series due to low sales of the mutants’ story. But in 1975, in an effort to court an international audience, the X-Men were revived as a team made up of heroes from all over the world. There was Storm from Kenya, Nightcrawler from Germany, Colossus from Russia, Banshee from Ireland, and some guy named Wolverine from Canada. Led by original team leader Cyclops, the “All-New, All-Different X-Men,” as Marvel advertised them, became a critically acclaimed darling.

Later, when writer Chris Claremont upgraded Marvel Girl/Jean Grey into the godlike Phoenix, he really started to cook with fire. When artist John Byrne joined Claremont on the book, and put these characters through The Dark Phoenix Saga, the X-Men suddenly became Marvel Comics’ biggest brand next to Spider-Man. It’s no wonder that heroes from this version of the X-Men team, particularly Wolverine and Storm, became cornerstone characters for the franchise for the rest of its history.

Members of the All-New, All-Different X-Men

Professor Xavier, Cyclops, Phoenix, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Banshee, Thunderbird (deceased)

2. The ’80s X-Men

Coming off The Dark Phoenix Saga in the early to mid-’80s, The Uncanny X-Men was now the biggest hit in comics, regularly boasting over 100,000 in monthly sales. Not bad for a comic Marvel canned only a decade earlier. This was writer Chris Claremont’s creative high point for the team in many ways, and it saw the introduction of iconic team members to Xavier’s School like Kitty Pryde, Rogue, and the second Phoenix character, Rachel Summers.

Storm both lost her powers and became team leader in this era, and Cyclops married the clone of his dead girlfriend (it’s complicated). The X-Men’s arch-enemy Magneto even reformed and joined the X-Men at this point, shocking fandom. This X-Men roster fought the alien Brood, battled in the epic Secret Wars event, and tangled with Loki of Asgard. They even teamed up with DC’s Teen Titans. Some of their costumes were not so great at this time, reflecting a very ’80s MTV aesthetic. But otherwise, this X-Men team absolutely ruled.

Members of the ’80s X-Men

Professor Xavier, Cyclops, Angel, Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Phoenix II, Magneto

Honorable Mentions for Great X-Men Teams

Before we get to our number one entry, here are some honorable mentions who almost made the top 10: the cast of the X-Men: Evolution animated series from 2000, the all-women team from the 2013 X-Men series, the third Astonishing X-Men team line-up from 2018, and the first X-Men team from the modern Krakoan era.

1. X-Men Blue and X-Men Gold Is the Best X-Men Team Ever

By the early ‘90s, the Uncanny X-Men had been Marvel’s biggest-selling comic for over a decade. It spun off titles like New Mutants, X-Factor, and Excalibur. But there had never been a proper second X-Men title. So, in 1991, Marvel launched a companion ongoing comic for Xavier’s students. The creative team was longtime writer Chris Claremont and a new superstar artist by the name of Jim Lee on pencils. Lee, whose popularity was rising, redesigned the X-Men’s costumes, making some of them THE costumes people think of when they think of these characters.

X-Men #1, which sold a still-record eight million copies, was the beginning of the end of Chris Claremont’s 16-year run. However, it saw the return of the original five members together as X-Men for the first time in decades. It also saw the return of iconic members like Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, and Rogue. Plus, newer Marvel mutants like Gambit, Bishop, and Jubilee became icons themselves just for their membership in this roster, as did the “transformed into a ninja” character of Psylocke. (Our only roster complaint? No Nightcrawler and Kitty). Although split into a Blue Squad and a Gold Squad, they really were two halves of one team. Within a few years, these X-Men would drop the squads and formally become one team. This version of the group even inspired a series of wildly popular trading cards. And, of course X-Men Blue and X-Men Gold inspired the 1992 X-Men: The Animated Series, launching the team into mainstream popularity. It’s why for many, it’ll always be the best.

Members of the Blue and Gold X-Men Team

Professor X/Blue Team: Cyclops, Wolverine, Psylocke, Beast, Gambit, Rogue, Jubilee/ Gold Team: Storm, Jean Grey, Iceman, Colossus, Archangel, Bishop, Forge and Banshee (tech support)

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Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man Universe is ever-expanding. Coming up very soon is Kraven the Hunter. Sony’s Kraven the Hunter film has been in the works for some time now, but it has finally turned a corner. With Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven, suiting up for his third different superhero project, we know we’re in for… something. Here’s everything we know about Sony’s Kraven the Hunter movie.

Title

The film is named Kraven the Hunter, after its central character.

Kraven the Hunter’s Plot

In the original Marvel Comics, Sergei Kravinoff is born into an aristocratic Russian family. He becomes a world-famous international big-game hunter, who tries to catch the ultimate and elusive prize: Spider-Man. The villain first shows up in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 (1964). The Stan Lee/Steve Ditko creation is a founding member of the Sinister Six. Later stories show witch doctor Calypso giving Kravinoff an herbal potion, granting him enhanced speed and senses that match those of a wild jungle cat.

In Kraven the Hunter, it seems like we’ll get an origin story for the Spider-Man villain. Take a look at the movie’s official trailer below.

Unlike Venom, the character of Kraven has never had a shelf life outside of being a Spider-Man villain. So it’s hard to see how they are going to create a narrative around the character that doesn’t involve the wall-crawler in some form. There is no news of Tom Holland appearing in the movie so far.

Kraven the Hunter will unsurprisingly be Sony’s first R-rated Marvel movie. As Aaron Taylor-Johnson eloquently noted at Sony’s panel at CinemaCon 2023, “Will it be rated-R? F**k yes, it will be rated R.”

Behind the Scenes

A Most Violent Year’s J.C. Chandor is directing a script from Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk, with Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and David Householter producing.

Kraven the Hunter’s Cast

The upcoming film is anchored by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who is playing Kraven the Hunter. Joining him are Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, and Alessandro Nivola. Crowe will play Kraven’s father. Meanwhile, Nivola will play classic Spider-Man villain Rhino, and Hechinger will act as Kraven’s brother, Chameleon. DeBose will play Calypso.

Additionally, Deadline reports that Christopher Abbott will join Kraven the Hunter. Although unconfirmed, the publication shares that Abbot will play the film’s main villain, the Foreigner. In the comics, Foreigner is a Spider-Man villain with the ability to induce hypnotic trances. Otherwise, it is his skills in martial arts and mastery of weaponry that makes him a threat. As we learn more about Kraven the Hunter‘s plot, we will see how this character comes to exist on the screen.

Kraven the Hunter’s Release Date

Kraven the Hunter will now arrive in theaters on August 30, 2024.

Originally published on May 26, 2021.

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It’s been a busy time for Marvel’s fan-favorite hero Ms. Marvel. Ms. Marvel joined the world of live-action in her own MCU Disney+ series, Ms. Marvel. Iman Vellani plays Ms. Marvel in the MCU. And Vellani’s Ms. Marvel is also getting ready to make her big-screen MCU debut in The Marvels, the Captain Marvel sequel coming in November. Meanwhile, in the world of Marvel Comics, Ms. Marvel recently died, sacrificing herself for the world in Amazing Spider-Man #26. This Marvel Comics death did not sit well with fans, though, and there was great protest on Ms. Marvel’s behalf. But death is often not permanent in Marvel’s comics, and Kamala Khan will be back.

In a delightful turn of events, the MCU’s Ms. Marvel Iman Vellani will actually be the one to write Kamala Khan’s return to Marvel Comics in Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant. This time Ms. Marvel will join a new team, becoming a member of the X-Men.

The MCU’s Ms. Marvel Iman Vellani Will Write a Ms. Marvel Comic for Marvel Comics

That’s a lot to unpack. First—we absolutely love that Iman Vellani will write this new Ms. Marvel comic for Marvel Comics alongside Sabir Pirzada. Vellani shared with Entertainment Weekly via Marvel’s website, “This was way scarier than joining the MCU for me… Those projects feel like they live in their own dimension, so I guess I can separate myself easier. But you can hold a comic book! I’ve never written anything before in my entire life, but I have read many comics, so I just wrote what I would want to read. I was given a very professional tool to write what is essentially my own fan fiction.”

We feel it’s likely that no one loves the character of Ms. Marvel more than Iman Vellani, so it’s safe to say she and the story are in good hands. Vellani herself is also known to be a huge Marvel fan. Pirzada shares of making the Ms. Marvel comic, “It was actually a very humbling experience to work with Iman [Vellani], because she knows her comics even better than I do, and that is saying something… She was throwing out references to specific comics that came out before either of us were born. She has a very great eye for what makes for a good sequence on the page as drawn by an artist. It was very impressive to me to see her throw out all these references to different artists that she’s been following through the years.”

Ms. Marvel Will Join the X-Men in Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant

Next up, we can’t wait to see Ms. Marvel join the X-Men. Ms. Marvel has been part of many Marvel Comics teams, like the Avengers and the Inhumans. But this marks the first-time Ms. Marvel will join up with the X-Men. We feel that will make for an excellent adventure, guarenteed. This crossover also makes us think more about what might happen in live-action. The X-Men will join the MCU sooner or later—if Wolverine’s yellow Deadpool 3 suit is any indicator. Maybe we’ll see Ms. Marvel as a member of the MCU X-Men team when it arrives; there will be Marvel Comics precedence now, after all.

Vellani shares more about this Ms. Marvel change in the Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant comics, noting. “I want to make it very, very clear that we are not reconning her Inhuman origin. That’s a part of Kamala’s identity that Marvel editorial and myself would very much like to keep and protect… Our book will absolutely reflect all those core themes of identity that the Ms. Marvel comics have consistently explored — only now there’s a whole new label that Kamala has to learn to accept. It’s going to be pretty crazy.”

More About Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant: Synopsis, Release Date, Covers, and X-Men Costume

In addition, Marvel has revealed a synopsis of Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant. It reads:

After being brought back via Krakoan Resurrection Technology, Kamala is shocked to learn she is mutant. But before she has a chance to come to terms with this revelation, the catastrophic FALL OF X will throw her world into chaos…and a secret mission on behalf of the X-Men.

Marvel Comics also shares, “After Kamala’s heroic sacrifice that saved the world in Amazing Spider-Man, Kamala will be brought back thanks to the miracle of mutant resurrection in X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2023 #1! What a way to learn she’s a mutant! The bad news is her debut doesn’t go exactly as planned, and soon all of mutantkind will be hunted worldwide as the catastrophic FALL OF X grips the Marvel Universe!”

You can also take a look at some of the variant covers for the four issues of this new Ms. Marvel series. Drawn by Betsy Cola, Federico Vicentini, and Chris Samnee, these amazing covers highlight Ms. Marvel’s new connection with the X-Men. In all, there will be ten variant covers for Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant. They will reveal “Ms. Marvel in her new X-costume, recreate her most iconic covers and insert herself into some of the most memorable moments in X-Men history!” Sounds exciting to us.

Click To View Gallery

As mentioned, Ms. Marvel will also receive a brand new X-Men costume in Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant.  This suit comes from “superstar artist Jamie McKelvie, who designed Carol Danvers’ iconic Captain Marvel suit and Kamala’s original Ms. Marvel look in the comics.”

Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant will be a four-issue limited series co-written by Iman Vellani and Sabir Pirzada. The new Ms. Marvel comic will be drawn by artists Carlos Gómez and Adam Gorham. Covers will be drawn by Sara Pichelli. Ms. Marvel: New Mutant #1 will go on sale August 30.

Originally published on July 14, 2023.

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Wolverine first appeared in 1974’s Incredible Hulk #181 and Deadpool didn’t pop up in Marvel Comics until New Mutants #98 in 1991; however, the two characters are inextricably linked. Mostly, because even though their temperaments are polar opposites, Deadpool and Wolverine’s histories are very similar. The Weapon X project experimented on both of them. Wolverine was given his adamantium skeleton by the shadowy group, and Deadpool had Wolverine’s own healing factor grafted onto his DNA while battling cancer by Weapon X. But in most ways, this is where the similarities end. Let’s dive into the strange relationship and history between Wolverine and Deadpool, both in and outside of Marvel comics, before their big Deadpool 3 team-up in the MCU.

Wolverine and Deadpool’s First Comics Together in the Marvel Universe

In the regular Marvel Comics continuity, Wolverine and Deadpool first met in 1994’s Wolverine #88. That issue saw Deadpool trashing an apartment after failing to get his girlfriend back from her new guy, Garrison Kane. This brought Wolverine into the picture, as Kane was his buddy. After trading the usual verbal jabs, then came the actual jabs, with Wade stabbing Logan through the chest with his two swords. And that set the tone for Wolverine and Deadpool’s entire relationship in Marvel Comics—insulting each other, stabbing one another, getting back up again, and doing it all over again. Rinse, wash, and repeat.

But although Wolverine and Deadpool met for the first time in Wolverine #88, it’s also worth noting they briefly shared the comic page a year before the issue was published. In 1993’s Toys R Us X-Men Premium Edition, the X-Men encounter Deadpool for the first time. Logan and Wade don’t actually fight or talk, but they do share a big group panel together. So it kinda, sorta counts as Deadpool and Wolverine’s first comic book meeting.

Despite these temporal truths, years later retcons to Marvel’s universe determined that Wolverine and Deadpool had met much earlier than that, in-universe at least. In 2008, Marvel revealed a new history for Deadpool and Wolverine. The pair’s first fight actually happened when the Winter Soldier, still a brainwashed Hydra agent, hired Wade to take out Logan. This was all in an effort to draw out Daken, Wolverine’s son, who ultimately saved him. This occurred in 2008’s Wolverine Origins story “Deep End.”

The Best Wolverine and Deadpool Comics to Read in Order to Understand the Pair’s History

Deadpool and Wolverine have alternately fought and then teamed up in several comics over the past three decades, which makes for one interesting trip down comics’ history lane. In one infamous fight in 1999’s Deadpool #27, Wade fought Logan as a form of therapy for depression. The Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan mini-series, meanwhile, found Wade Wilson getting into it with the cranky gray-haired version of Logan. In Wolverine/Deadpool: The Decoy, a two-faced killer robot from space wanted to kill Jean Grey for all of her Phoenix shenanigans. Since she was dead (at that time), Wolverine dressed up Deadpool as Jean Grey as a distraction until he defeated the killer robot. In Uncanny X-Force, the pair were true teammates at last. However, even with this new relationship, Wolverine and Deadpool still butt heads constantly.

Friends? Enemies? What Is Wolverine and Deadpool’s Relationship in the Marvel Comics?

Wolverine and Deadpool were what we call “frenemies.” Sometimes they were literally trying to murder each other, and other times they seemed like best buds. Their first meetings were definitely adversarial, as seen in almost all their encounters in the ‘90s. By 1999, the pair fought a group of werewolves together, calling a truce. At the end of that story, Deadpool and Wolverine bonded over their mutual tortures at the hands of the Weapon X program and shared a beer. This was the start of an awkward friendship. Eventually, Logan invited Wade to join X-Force and, for the first time, Deadpool and Wolverine were officially teammates. But sometimes, they still came to blows. We’ll likely see this dynamic come to life between Wolverine and Deadpool in the MCU’s live-action Deadpool 3.

Who Would Win in a Fight, Wolverine or Deadpool?

With over a century and a half of his life and training behind him, Wolverine was likely the better fighter than Deadpool. Although the two have fought numerous times, it almost always ended in a stalemate. Wade Wilson’s healing factor may have been derived from Logan’s DNA, but he had a leg up on the adamantium-clawed mutant. Deadpool literally can’t die. Wade was cursed by Thanos with immortality because the Mad Titan was jealous of Deadpool’s relationship with his beloved entity of Death. So although Logan’s healing factor made it very hard to kill him, Wolverine could actually die. Deadpool, not so much.

Can Deadpool Kill Wolverine in the Marvel Universe?

In the 2012 alternate timeline mini-series Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Dalibor Talajic, Marvel Comics finally showed a version of Wade Wilson who managed to kill Wolverine. Taking place on an alternate Earth in the multiverse, this comic featured a supervillain brainwashed Deadpool, who killed every known Avenger and X-Man. Only Wolverine was left standing at the end. Not for long though, as Deadpool found a way to kill Wolverine in this Marvel reality. In this story however, he needed a carbonadium sword to do it, as that metal is the only one on Earth that can nullify Logan’s healing factor. So yes, Deadpool could kill Wolverine. He just needs a little carbonadium help.

Who Heals Faster, Wolverine or Deadpool? Their Healing Factors Compared

Although Deadpool got his powers when Department K infused him with Wolverine’s mutant DNA, his healing factor was ultimately superior to Logan’s. Wolverine’s healing factor can’t regrow lost limbs, for example. Deadpool’s healing factor allows him to regrow any limb that is lost or severed. Deadpool’s healing factor will even allow him to regrow his head. Wolverine’s wounds do heal, but his powers stop short of recreating actually lost cells out of thin air. Deadpool has the superior healing factor in this regard, probably much to Wolverine’s annoyance—we bet it’s a sore spot in their relationship.

Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Ryan Reynolds’ first appearance as Deadpool actually came in the much-derided X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009. In that continuity, Wade Wilson was a mercenary with a metric ton of confirmed kills. He’s still a wisecracking motormouth, at least, at first. But unlike in Marvel Comics, Deadpool is a mutant who’s fast enough to deflect bullets with swords. In the comics, he was born without the X-gene. But in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Deadpool was recruited into William Stryker’s mercenary Team X, along with Logan, and was eventually used by the Weapon X program as an experiment. Stryker infused his body with the DNA of several mutants, making him an undefeatable “mutant killer.” But he had his mouth sewn shut, so the famously talkative character became strangely mute. Let’s just say…the fans hated it.

Wolverine and Deadpool fought on Three Mile Island, but Logan defeated him. But we later saw that Deadpool’s severed head was still alive, and he winked at the camera. Luckily, X-Men: Days of Future Past essentially rebooted the X-Men movie universe timeline, allowing for the 2016 Marvel film Deadpool to be closer to the comic book interpretation. At the end of Deadpool 2, using Cable’s time travel device, Wade Wilson actually ventured into the events of X-Men Origins timeline and shot the previous Deadpool in the head. We have a feeling those time-travel shenanigans will play a part in Deadpool 3.

Hugh Jackman Will Play Wolverine in the MCU’s Deadpool 3 Movie

Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds will meet again for the very first time in Deadpool 3. Jackman is set to reprise his role as Wolverine in the Deadpool movie. However, Jackman has stated that his appearance in Deadpool 3 will not negate his character’s death in Logan. This suggests that this MCU version of Wolverine is from a totally different timeline than the previous X-Men films.

All we know for sure is that Jackman’s Wolverine will wear a version of his yellow and blue costume from the comics at last. And that he and Deadpool will slice, stab, kick, and punch each other. Regardless of where Wolverine and Deadpool are in the multiverse, some things remain constant as their ongoing history and relationship continues to unfold. We can’t wait to see Deadpool and Wolverine, confirmed frenemies, take on the MCU.

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Although the Fantastic Four might be a few years away from arriving in the MCU, one of their most famous villains might arrive far sooner. Based on a moment in the trailer for the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion, which shows a Skrull with stretchy tentacle powers, we think the Super-Skrull might make an appearance very soon. Or at least a version of him. But just who is the Super-Skrull, and how exactly is he more super than his alien brethren, who can already change their shape?

A One-Man (Alien) Fantastic Four

The Skrulls were an aggressive alien species of shapeshifters, who first appeared in the second issue of the Fantastic Four in 1962. Reed Richards handily beat them, and in fact, convinced some Skrull invaders to turn themselves into cows. But the Skrull Empire suffered a big humiliation, and was hell-bent on revenge. The Skrull Emperor Dorrek chose the warrior Kl’rt, who they gifted with the combined abilities of the Fantastic Four. Kl’rt was a decorated Skrull warrior, but one whose family name had fallen into disgrace—most notably because of his daughter’s failure in a campaign against the Kree, the Skrull’s dreaded enemy. In order to gain favor again, he volunteered for this mission of vengeance.

Arriving on Earth in 1963’s Fantastic Four #18, the Super-Skrull could channel all of the FF’s powers. He was stronger than the Thing, had better control of his flame than the Human Torch, exerted more control of his invisibility than Invisible Girl, and could stretch further than Mister Fantastic. These abilities were on top of his innate shapeshifiting and Skrull hypnosis powers. But sadly for him, he didn’t have Reed Richard’s intellect. Reed figured out a signal from the Skrull homeworld was giving Kl’rt his powers and managed to block it long enough for the Fantastic Four to defeat him.

Becoming a Major Marvel Villain, and Even an Occasional Hero

Now driven for personal revenge against the Fantastic Four, the Super-Skrull kept returning to Earth. His actions eventually resulted in the death of Franklin Storm, the father of Johnny and Sue Storm, forever making him one of the team’s worst enemies. Over the decades, he also frequently clashed with Thor, the Avengers, the original Captain Marvel, the Silver Surfer, and even Spider-Man. He even served on Thanos’ side for a time.

But occasionally, Kl’rt’s noble side came out. He helped the half-Skrull/half-Kree Young Avenger Hulkling out once. He’s shown a more heroic side even before then, too. These instances of kindness are rare. Perhaps the most famous instance of “good guy Super-Skrull” was when his memory was wiped. They then forced him to live as a young Earth boy named Bobby Wright. Bobby would use his Skrull powers to turn into Captain Hero, a riff on DC’s Shazam! comics. But eventually, Captain Hero got the memories of Kl’rt back. Then he reverted to being a mean and nasty villain again. He did help Nova against his own people during the comic book version of Secret Invasion, however. He’s mostly a bad guy, but he has his moments.

Other Super-Skrulls

Ever since Kl’rt first popped up, the Skrull Empire has dispatched several other Super-Skrull-type beings. Biff Bison and Mr. Waspwind were able to mimic the powers of X-Men like Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Wolverine. Godkiller was a female Super-Skrull who could copy the powers of notable Marvel powerhouses like Titania and Thundra. Veranke, the Skrull Queen, had all of Spider-Woman Jessica Drew’s powers. Runaways member Xavin was the most similar to the original Super-Skrull Kl’rt, but could only use one Fantastic Four member’s powers at a time. And the War Skrulls were like Super-Skrulls 2.0. They could naturally mimic the powers of the X-Men and other Earth mutants.

The Super-Skrull in the MCU

So, do we get the Super-Skrull in the MCU in Secret Invasion? We’ve already seen heroes in the MCU who are super strong like the Thing, (the Hulk), invisible like Invisible Girl (Ghost), pyrokinetic like the Human Torch (the original 1940s Torch), and Ms. Marvel’s mutation might allow her to have stretch powers, like Mister Fantastic. And it seems that a Super-Skrull invasion is exactly what Gravik has in mind. He gets back together with his Skrull council members and says he sent three officers to infiltrate the Royal Navy and execute a strike on a key UN target. He guesses that the Earth’s heroes will react and says the only way that they can counter that is to become super themselves. Gravik tells them that they will not only change faces, but also change powers to become “uniquely programmed weapons of mass destruction” a.k.a. Super-Skrulls. He invites them to join him in destroying the human race. Oh boy.

In episode four, Gravik uses Groot’s branch arms as a weapon during a major showdown against Nick, Talos, and soldiers. It truly shows us how wild and dangerous the Super-Skrull initiative will get. Let’s see how Secret Invasion continues to put its unique spin on the Super-Skrull.

Originally published on April 2, 2023.

The post Who Is Marvel Comics’ Super-Skrull? appeared first on Nerdist.

The Disney+ series Secret Invasion, which stars Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, details the veteran agent’s attempt to uncover a conspiracy of alien Skrull infiltrators on Earth. The show’s title refers to a seismic event in the Marvel universe, which took place in the eight-part Secret Invasion event mini-series in 2008. For MCU fans who are less familiar with the comics, here’s a full breakdown of the Marvel Comics Secret Invasion event. Just what was the secret invasion? Who exactly were the aliens that did all the invading? And how did it all work out in the end? Here’s the comic book history of the Secret Invasion and how it differs from what we’re seeing in the MCU.

What Is Marvel Comics’ Secret Invasion?

Secret Invasion was the brainchild of Marvel Comics writer Brian Michael Bendis. After revitalizing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes with his New Avengers run starting in 2005, Bendis planted the seeds for what would be one of his greatest epics. He began his long run at the end of the original Avengers series, with the storyline Avengers Disassembled. This story saw the legendary team crumble from within. It was the end of an era that had lasted over 400 issues.

But soon, Captain America and Iron Man would put together a new Avengers team, realizing the world couldn’t go unprotected. For the first time, long-standing Marvel heroes like Spider-Man and Wolverine would join the ranks. Also enlisted was one hero who hadn’t been heard from in a long time: Jessica Drew, the original Spider-Woman. Fans hadn’t seen her in costume in decades but were nevertheless excited for her return. However, this return was not as it seemed. Before we get too far into Marvel Comics’ Secret Invasion, a brief explainer on a particular alien race is in order.

A Brief History of Marvel Comics’ Skrulls, Key Secret Invasion Players

The menacing Skrulls have been a thorn in the side of Marvel’s heroes since 1962’s Fantastic Four #2. The green, reptilian aliens were shapeshifters and could assume the form of anyone. They made life miserable for Earth’s heroes, culminating in the epic Kree-Skrull war in the pages of Avengers. Even after that, they continued to create havoc, notably kidnapping the Thing’s girlfriend Alicia Masters, and replacing her with a Skrull agent. She married the Human Torch, creating a deep rift among the team. During this time, the planet eater Galactus destroyed the Skrull homeworld, leaving them a nomadic race. But they never lost sight of their plans for Earth.

The first signs of a Skrull infiltration came in 2006 when an Avenger named Echo killed the assassin Elektra. Upon her death, Elektra transformed back to her natural Skrull state. This led to shockwaves throughout the superhero community. Who else had been replaced? This was especially shocking to the Illuminati, the secret cabal of heroes formed after the Kree-Skrull war. These included Iron Man, the Inhuman King Black Bolt, Black Panther, Professor Charles Xavier, Doctor Strange, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards. Black Bolt then revealed himself to be a Skrull and attacked the rest of the Illuminati.

Secret Invasion‘s Skrull Infiltration of the Marvel World Revealed

In Secret Invasion, suddenly, every hero in the Marvel Comics universe was a suspect—especially heroes who had died and suddenly come back to life in previous years. Captain Mar-Vell had passed away from cancer years before and had only recently returned. Turns out, he, too, was a Skrull in disguise. Others replaced by Skrulls in Marvel Comics’ Secret Invasion event were Iron Man’s faithful butler Jarvis, the X-Man Longshot, and Brother Voodoo. The biggest blow came when Spider-Woman was discovered to be not only a Skrull, but the Skrull’s ruler Veranke.

Readers learned that the alien Princess Veranke was originally exiled by the Skrull Emperor Dorrek, but after Galactus destroyed the Skrull homeworld, Veranke became the new Empress. She was behind the invasion of Earth, gaining knowledge of Earth’s superhumans while posing as the heroic Spider-Woman. The real Jessica Drew was held captive when Veranke assumed her place.

All-Out War in Secret Invasion‘s Comics

Once revealed in Secret Invasion, Marvel’s Skrulls infiltrated and disabled the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, along with their orbiting base, The Peak. Skrulls instigated a massive breakout on the Raft, a supervillain high-security prison. The Secret Invasion comics’ climax saw a huge battle between Nick Fury’s collection of Marvel heroes and the Skrull Armada. Naturally, the heroes ultimately won. But it wouldn’t be one of the good guys who dealt the Skrull their killing blow, but former Green Goblin Norman Osborn.

Those replaced by Skrulls came home, some after years away. But the failure of the Avengers and the other heroes to stop this massive infiltration did not go unnoticed by those in charge. The President of the United States dissolved S.H.I.E.L.D. and replaced it with a new organization called H.A.M.M.E.R. (Don’t ask what it stands for; that’s classified.) Norman Osborn took charge of H.A.M.M.E.R., kicking off a period in Marvel history known as the Dark Reign. For the next several years after Secret Invasion, villains ruled the day in Marvel Comics.

Who Do You Trust in Marvel Comics’ Secret Invasion?

Of course, the MCU is very different than the comic book universe. There are no X-Men or Fantastic Four… yet. The only Kree-Skrull war we know of took place in the past during the events of Captain Marvel. Also, the biggest change is that in the MCU, many of the Skrulls are good guys, like Captain Marvel’s Talos. Ben Mendelsohn reprises his Talos role for Secret Invasion.

The MCU’s Own Secret Invasion

The MCU Secret Invasion is much, much more akin to an espionage thriller than a superhero epic—one with an alien twist. The only Avenger we’ve seen so far is James Rhodes, a.k.a. War Machine (Don Cheadle), who is working for the government (and might be a Skrull). Emilia Clarke plays G’iah, the daughter of Talos; we met her as a child in the climax of Captain Marvel. Now, G’iah works with other displaced Skrull refugees, many of whom are angry at how little the human race has done for them in terms of relocating her people to a new home.

But where the original Secret Invasion comics were about which Marvel superheroes were replaced with Skrull agents, this series is all about replacing (mostly) ordinary humans in positions of power across the globe. Like many previous Marvel Studios projects, the MCU is taking the comics as inspiration for the premise of Secret Invasion and running with it. Big superhero battles seem very unlikely to happen in the series. However, one thing is certain: although the MCU’s Secret Invasion is sure to be different than the comic book version, we should expect massive changes to the universe as a result.

Originally published on December 15, 2020.

The post The Marvel Comics History of the Skrulls’ SECRET INVASION appeared first on Nerdist.

The shapeshifting alien Skrulls have been around the Marvel Comics universe since the very early days. In both the comic book series Secret Invasion and its MCU namesake, the Skrulls have replaced key people associated with the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and the X-Men. And that leads many to wonder, just who has been a Skrull in Marvel’s world? Well, it turns out, quite a few characters. Here are some of the most important Marvel characters who Skrull agents replaced over the years, some almost two decades before the Secret Invasion comics.

Alicia Masters Was a Skrull

One of the first major Marvel Comics characters a Skrull replaced was Alicia Masters. Marvel introduced the blind sculptor as Ben Grimm’s, a.k.a. the Thing, girlfriend in Fantastic Four. Alicia was his main squeeze for decades, until Thing decided to live on another planet after the first Secret Wars. With the Thing gone, and likely never to return, Alicia fell in love with his Fantastic Four teammate Johnny Storm and married him. When Ben Grimm returned, let’s just say he was not happy. Fans didn’t love it either.

But years later, Marvel revealed that the Alicia Masters who met and fell in love with Johnny was actually a Skrull agent in disguise, meant to infiltrate the Fantastic Four and destroy them from within. Meanwhile, the Skrull Empire kept the real Alicia Masters in captivity. The Skrull imposter’s true name was Llya, and although a Skrull agent, she really did fall in love with the Human Torch. Eventually, Llya was exposed as an alien Skrull, and an enraged Johnny left her. Marvel Comics returned the real Alicia to Earth. Years later, she eventually married the Thing, Benjamin J. Grimm.

Captain America’s Time as a Skrull in Marvel Comics

Years before the Secret Invasion comics mini-series, Marvel replaced Steve Rogers with a Skrull. In a 1998 storyline in Captain America from writer Mark Waid and penciler Dale Eaglesham, the Skrulls captured Captain America and impersonated him with one of their own. Their plan was to have Skrull Captain America expose two of his companions as Skrulls live on TV, hoping it would send the human population of Earth into prolonged paranoia, turning neighbor against neighbor. The plan very nearly worked, as Steve Rogers was perhaps Earth’s most trusted hero. But with the help of the Avengers, the real Captain America returned and exposed the Skrull plot.

Wolverine Became a Skrull in the ’90s

Another late ‘90s Skrull infiltration plot occurred when they revealed the X-Men’s Wolverine as a Skrull. In a twist, the Skrulls were actually working for the X-Men’s longtime enemy, Apocalypse. He needed a new Hoseman of Death, especially as his previous Death, better known as Archangel, had reverted to being a good guy. So Apocalypse chose the character of Logan and replaced Wolverine with a Skrull imposter in the world of Marvel. His fellow X-Men went unsuspecting for months, even the psychics like Professor X. This fake Wolverine had implanted memories and didn’t even know he wasn’t the real Marvel Comics’ Logan but a Skrull version. He heroically died in battle with Death, who was eventually freed from Apocalypse’s thrall and became good ol’ Logan again. The Skrull Wolverine actually made his debut in a Punisher/Wolverine crossover.

Elektra’s Skrull Reveal Began Marvel Comics’ Secret Invasion Series

The truth of the Skrull threat to Marvel’s heroes began in earnest when the ninja assassin Elektra was the first of several heroes exposed as a Skrull. This reveal happened in 2007’s New Avengers #31, by writer Brian Michael Bendis and penciler Leinil Francis Yu. Echo killed Elektra in battle, and upon death, Elektra was revealed to be a Skrull, shocking everyone. Marvel Comics then revealed that Skrulls replaced the true Elektra several months prior, and that the Skrull who impersonated her was meant to die. Marvel designed the Skrull infiltration to be revealed to the Avengers as a way of creating suspicion among the heroic community. The real Elektra would return, of course, but the death of the Skrull impersonator would kick off the Secret Invasion event series.

Skrull Black Bolt Attacked Marvel’s Illuminati

With the Skrull Elektra exposed, Iron Man brought her corpse to the rest of his compatriots in the Illuminati. He hoped this would spur his fellow Marvel Universe power players to treat the Skrull threat seriously. It was then that Tony Stark learned his fellow Illuminati member Black Bolt, King of the Inhumans, had been a Skrull for months, replacing the real Black Bolt at a time when his brother Maximus assumed the throne of Attilan. Skrull Black Bolt attacked Marvel Comics’ Illuminati, but the Illuminati defeated him with a bit of help. His wife, Queen Medusa, eventually rescued the real Black Bolt.

Skrull Spider-Woman Betrayed the Avengers

Spider-Woman was a prominent Marvel hero in the ‘70s and ‘80s, only to all but vanish for decades, while other heroes took her name and carried on. But the original Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew, returned in 2005 as a member of the New Avengers. But just a few years later, Marvel Comics revealed this Spider-Woman was never the real Jessica Drew at all, she was the Skrull Queen, Veranke. And she was about to commence the Skrull invasion of Earth, fulfilling a prophecy she believed was about Earth becoming a new Skrull Throneworld. Luckily, the real Spider-Woman appeared not long after, and joined the Avengers, but the other members had to work to trust her. After all, the last version of Spider-Woman in their ranks was working against them from the start.

Dr. Hank Pym Was a Skrull for Years in Marvel’s Comics

A Skrull agent replaced founding Avenger Hank Pym as well. But during Marvel Comics’ Secret Invasion, Pym revealed that the Skrull had replaced the true Hank after the events of 2004’s Avengers Disassembled. So Skrull Hank was on the team for roughly four years. His purpose was to give his ex-wife Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp, a special growth formula—one that was actually a deadly weapon to be used against the Avengers.

Captain Marvel Returned to Life Only As a Marvel Comics Skrull

The original Captain Marvel, the Kree warrior Mar-Vell, was one of the rare comics heroes to die and stay dead. Marvel chronicled his demise from cancer in the 1982 story The Death of Captain Marvel. Others succeeded him, most recently Carol Danvers, but Mar-Vell stayed dead until 2007’s epic The Return of Captain Marvel, which shocked Marvel Comics fans. Many longtime fans met this grand return of a Silver Age hero with skepticism. Eventually, during Secret Invasion, Marvel revealed this Mar-Vell as a Skrull sleeper agent, and he attacked Marvel’s heroes. Much like Lyja beforehand, he ultimately sacrificed himself as one of the good guys after switching sides. And so, the real Mar-Vell remains dead, 40 years and counting. In comics, that’s got to be a record.

Skrull Mockingbird Caused Some Drama

Heroine Bobbi Morse and her ex-husband Hawkeye were a tumultuous couple. Both heroes, both stubborn—their relationship ultimately ended in divorce. Mockingbird herself died in Avengers West Coast #100. But surprise, that Mockingbird was a Skrull agent. The shape changers held the real Bobbi in captivity, and she finally returned to Earth during the Secret Invasion. Mockingbird was entirely unaware of her “death” and that she and Clint Barton were no longer an item. One big Marvel Comics continuity error with this Skrull takeover was that when Skrull Bobbi died in the ’90s, the character did not revert to Skrull form.

Skrulls Used Doctor Voodoo

Jericho Drumm, the sorcerer originally called Brother Voodoo (now Doctor Voodoo) eventually became the Sorcerer Supreme. But for a time, he was an advisor to Black Panther in Wakanda. But this version of the good doctor was actually a Skrull agent, meant to infiltrate the ranks of Wakanda’s royal court as a weapon from within. The hope was that incapacitating the most powerful nation on Earth via this character would make the Skrull invasion that much easier in the Marvel universe. This version of Jericho Drumm died once he was revealed, and the real Doctor Voodoo returned.

Nick Fury

The Disney+ series Secret Invasion has everyone asking “Is Nick Fury a Skrull?” We don’t know for sure if the Nick Fury we see in the show is or isn’t a Skrull… Although we know Fury became a Skrull in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, so we can’t rule it out. Regardless, it does beg the question, was S.H.I.E.L.D director Nicholas J. Fury ever impersonated by a Skrull in Marvel Comics? And the answer is yes, here’s when it happened.

In the comics, in one issue of 2010’s Hawkeye & Mockingbird series, Nick Fury was a Skrull. But only ever so briefly. This Skrull Fury imposter was sent to the Savage Land, where he was tasked with gathering the dead bodies of other Skrulls. Mockingbird and bounty hunter Dominic Fortune went to look into a beacon in an old S.H.I.E.L.D. base. But Mockingbird realized this Nick Fury was nothing more than a Skrull imposter and ended him pretty quickly. We’ll have to see if Secret Invasion brings any new entries to the Fury Skrull ledger.

Originally published on June 28, 2023.

The post These Marvel Comics Characters Were All Replaced by Skrulls appeared first on Nerdist.

In Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion, we learned that in the MCU, the Kree destroyed the Skrull’s homeworld Skrullos, leaving the entire species as a roaming diaspora around the galaxy. It was one enemy that brought them down to the level we first encountered in Captain Marvel. But the Skrull Empire was much more powerful in the pages of Marvel Comics with several different events to cripple them. Despite their long conflict with the Kree Empire in the comics, it was something far bigger and badder that destroyed the home planet of the Skrulls.

The Skrulls’ Journey From Skrullos to Throneworld

Despite Skrulls having been a part of the Marvel Universe since Fantastic Four #2 way back in 1962, the original Skrull homeworld did not appear in print until 2008’s The Incredible Hercules. Skrullos was where the species originated from, somewhere in the Andromeda galaxy. Their shapeshifting powers were the result of genetic tampering by the godlike Celestials. Yes, the very same beings who created the Eternals and the Deviants on Earth. These shapeshifting powers led to civil wars on Skrullos, where the “changing peoples” dominated the rest of the species. Around 100,000 Earth years ago, the Skrull Empire relocated to a new world, Tarnax IV, more commonly known as the Skrull Throneworld.

It was from the planet Tarnax IV that the Skrull Empire truly conquered their galaxy, and eventually set their sights on the Milky Way. The Skrulls conquered thousands of worlds, becoming a major power in the universe, along with the Shi’ar, the Badoon, and the Kree. But despite their long-standing war with the alien Kree Empire, it was not the Kree who destroyed their home planet. It was Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds.

The Coming of Galactus to Destroy the Skrulls

In Fantastic Four #257, writer/artist John Byrne had Galactus’ new herald Nova choose the Skrull Throne World as his next meal. This Nova was a transformed Earth woman named Frankie Raye. She’s not to be confused with Marvel’s other hero named Nova, who wore Nova Corps armor. With her power cosmic, Nova was able to lay waste to the Skrull Empire’s Imperial Starfleet. Or at least the part of it that was present in Tarnax space. Galactus then arrived and consumed the planet entirely. But that wasn’t even the worst thing that happened to the Skrull Empire. Something worse was on its way.

The Annihilation of the Skrulls’ Throneworld

Although the destruction of Throneworld was a huge blow to the Skrulls, they still had thousands of planets in their conquered areas of space. But that too was about to change. An interdimensional invasion from the Negative Zone led by its maniacal ruler, Annihilus, devastated most of the Skrull-controlled space. They called this invasion the Annihilation Wave. The shapeshifting species was now at a fraction of its former power and without a homeworld to call their own.

The Secret Invasion Takes Shape as Skrulls Take Over Other Planets

But an ancient prophecy spoke of a “blue world” that would become the new home for the Skrulls. And many believed that prophesied blue planet was the Earth. This belief was perpetuated by the ultra-religious Skrull Queen Veranke. She implemented a plan to replace heroes on Earth, in preparation for a full-scale Skrull invasion. Veranke actually impersonated the heroine Spider-Woman, and hid among the Avengers for months.

The Avengers thwarted this clandestine infiltration when they and other Marvel heroes teamed up to defeat the Skrulls, repelling the invasion. The Skrulls would later reorganize under a new ruler but Earth would not become their new home. Although we doubt they’re done trying to take the Earth from humanity. It’s only a matter of time before they try again, perhaps in Secret Invasion.

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse blew everyone away in 2018, introducing mainstream audiences to Spider-Man Miles Morales, as well as a host of multiversal variants of everyone’s favorite wall-crawler. The film was a hit at the box office, and won Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. Now, after several delays, the first of two sequels has finally arrived in theaters, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. A third film, Beyond the Spider-Verse, arrives in 2024.

And for fans heading to theaters, the multiverse is that much more real. A few eagle-eyed viewers have spotted slight differences in scenes across theatrical viewings. And recently, Spider-Verse editor Andy Leviton confirmed that there are at least two versions of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse swinging through our reality. Neat!

Although we don’t know with certainty how many differences or even versions exist, you can take a look at the above video for a rundown of the differences that exist.

Keep your eyes out for more! Here is everything we know about the first, long-awaited continuation of Miles Morales’ adventures across the multiverse.

Title

The title for the first sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s Plot

In this movie, Miles Morales will reunite with his friends Spider-Gwen and Peter B. Parker, and also team up with Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Punk, and the original Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew. Whatever multi-dimensional shenanigans the story entails will see multiple animation styles at play. The villain is an often mocked villain from the comics, called the Spot. But for the film, they have given the Spot a power upgrade. Now he has abilities that allow for him to create portals to other realms of the multiverse. Early toy reveals for also show that Ben Reilly, the so-called “Spider-Clone” from the ’90s, as well as a Cyborg Spider-Woman also feature in the plot.

Of course, we will also see many new Spider-Man variants in Across the Spider-Verse and per a recent article on Empire, five new worlds in total. According to the article, there’s Spider-Gwen’s Earth-65, which is done in watercolors. Additionally, we’ll visit Mumbattan, an India-inspired world, Nueva York where Spider-Man 2099 lives, and New London, the world of Spider-Punk. There’s one more universe besides all of those, but that’s a secret for now. Or is it the mysterious LEGO world?

Jake Johnson, who voices Peter B. Parker, added one more to the pile. He teased a LEGO universe would be a part of the movie. Johnson offered, “Everything in this movie, the animation is so wild. It’s pushing so many boundaries that at times I’m like, ‘what are they doing now?’ Like the Lego world was really neat, remember where it jumps into a LEGO universe for a little bit? And I’m like, ‘man, what is happening?'” Will this LEGO Spider-Verse location be central to the movie or just a passing place we’ll visit? Only time will tell.

At CinemaCon 2023, we learned that Across the Spider-Verse begins more than a year after Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It seems like Gwen and Miles have been apart for that time. And, according to Slash Film, Gwen has been involved in some multiversal adventures, having joined a society comprised of Spider-People. Reports indicate that the society works to prevent universes from collapsing.

Additionally, the main theme of the movie appears to be: “It’s how you wear the mask that really makes you a hero.”

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s Cast

Across the Spider-Verse will see many returning cast members from the first film, like Shameik Moore (Miles Morales), Hailee Steinfeld (Gwen Stacy), Jake Johnson (Peter B. Parker), Oscar Isaac (Spider-Man 2099), Brian Tyree Henry (Jefferson Davis), Luna Lauren Vélez (Rio Morales), Issa Rae (Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman), Jason Schwartzman (the Spot), and Daniel Kaluuya (Spider-Punk). Shea Whigham is also part of the cast, as police captain George Stacy, Gwen’s father. Jorma Taccone plays the Vulture, as a secondary villain. Additionally, according to the co-director of the movie, Joaquim Dos Santos, Scarlet Spider will appear and be voiced by a mysterious and notable celebrity. And it turns out, that celebrity is none other than Andy Samberg—an exciting reveal.

pic.twitter.com/qY51GisX1f

— Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (@SpiderVerse) May 29, 2023

Recently, we learned that Deadpool franchise actor Karan Soni would join Across the Spider-Verse as Pavitr Prabhakar or Spider-Man India. This is an exciting addition to an already incredible cast.

There’s no official word yet if we’ll see cameos from some characters from Into the Spider-Verse not officially listed in the cast for the sequel. As far as the official cast listing, there’s no indication that variants like Peter Porker will appear again. But it would not surprise us to see some of them. It would also not shock us to see and hear animated versions of the live-action Spider-Mans like Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire, although none of them are confirmed.

A Spider-Man we won’t see returning, though is Nicolas Cage’s Spider-Man Noir. Here’s what Cage had to say about Spider-Man Noir’s presence in Across the Spider-Verse.

You’d have to ask Sony. I don’t know what’s going on with that… No one’s spoken to me about that. Ask them. I don’t know. I really don’t. I wish they would. I love Spider-Man Noir, too. I think that’s a great character. Spider-Man’s the coolest superhero. And then you combine that with [James] Cagney and [Humphrey] Bogart and Edward G. Robinson, come on, it’s a great character.

That’s one Spider-Man variant we’re sad to see go.

Behind the Scenes

Across the Spider-Verse is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, in their feature directorial debuts. The script comes from the original film’s writing team of Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and David Callaham. Like the first film, this one is a Sony Pictures Animation production, and Marvel Studios had no involvement.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s Release Date

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits theaters on June 2, 2023. 

Originally published in 2022.

The post There Are at Least Two Versions of ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE in Theaters appeared first on Nerdist.

Many comic book historians would likely argue that the most important date in comics history is April 18, 1938, the publication date of Action Comics #1. After all, that issue introduced Superman to the world, and by extension, the entire superhero genre. But, I believe July 2, 1963 is the most important date in comic book history. On that date, Marvel Comics published X-Men #1 and Avengers #1, both by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

These two franchises, at different moments, change the face of not just comics culture, but pop culture in general, especially these past two decades. From a seed that was planted on drug store comic book spinner racks in 1963, at 12 cents each, these comics grew into films, merchandise, and theme park franchises. And it all started because Marvel was chasing trends and trying to replicate their own earlier success. Those seeds were planted on the same day; however, it took several decades to evolve into the mighty oak it is now. This was a tree that needed a lot of water, time, and patience to grow.

Two Super Teams Ahead of Their Time

In July 1963, as far as American culture was concerned, it was mostly still the ‘50s. The “Baby Boom” was in effect, a young President had energized the country, and Elvis movies reigned supreme. But within six months, JFK would be assassinated, and the Beatles would strike their first hit on the American charts. Everything in American culture would change almost overnight. This is the environment that both X-Men and Avengers were released into the world. They were both comics that were a little edgy for the time, certainly for kids. Yet they would be perfect for the decade of change that was coming soon. And both of them only happened because Marvel’s competitor DC Comics had a big hit on their hands.

DC Comics’ Justice League Paves the Way

In 1960, Marvel Comics’ biggest rival DC Comics launched Justice League of America, which grouped their most iconic heroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman together in one team book. Sales were fantastic, and Marvel Comics publisher Martin Goodman heard DC’s editor-in-chief brag about the JLA sales to him during a golf game. He subsequently told his nephew and employee Stan Lee to give him a similar superhero team. Together, Lee and artist extraordinaire Jack Kirby introduced Fantastic Four to the world and Marvel Comics as we know it today was born. It was an instant hit and game changer.

But Fantastic Four was not a real riff on the “all-star heroes” team the League was for DC. Lee and Kirby kind of went against their directive when creating them. Fantastic Four succeeded anyway, but by 1962, Goodman wanted Lee to introduce more teams to Marvel. This time they had to produce one that was more like DC’s Justice League of America, a group made up of established heroes, as originally asked—and another that was more in line with Fantastic Four. It needed to be a cross between the FF in terms of aesthetics, but mixed with the teenage soap opera of Spider-Man. The results were the Mighty Avengers and the Uncanny X-Men.

Two Super Teams of Mismatched Misfits

Despite the Avengers being more like the JLA by teaming up previously established heroes, Lee and Kirby still didn’t do a one-for-one with DC’s team. It wasn’t exactly an “all-star” team, as Spider-Man was already too high a seller to be part of the group and didn’t need a boost. Iron, Thor, and Ant-Man had features in anthology titles, but not their own comics. Hulk’s title had just been canned and he needed a home. So established heroes or not, the Avengers were already different from DC’s JLA as not having all their biggest stars on one team. This made them misfits of a sort too and that appealed to teen readers who didn’t want their parent’s superheroes.

And while X-Men might have essentially looked like an FF knock-off, with the characters all in basic matching uniforms and with similar powers, there were key differences. Lee and Kirby injected a sense of otherness into the mutant X-Men that the celebrity FF didn’t have, something future X-Men writers would run with to great success. But neither Avengers nor X-Men were instant hits. They sold well enough, Avengers a bit more so, but FF and Spider-Man ruled the sales charts. By 1969, nearly every Marvel book was outselling Avengers and X-Men. Marvel decided to cancel X-Men and keep Avengers going. X-Men spent the next five years as a reprint title only.

The X-Men Dominate Comics, While the Avengers Try to Keep Pace

Throughout the ‘70s, Avengers, under writers like Steve Englehart and others, rose to become a steady seller for Marvel, and a showcase for iconic stalwarts like Iron Man and Thor. Then in 1975, Marvel introduced the “All-New, All-Different X-Men.” With series writer Chris Claremont, Uncanny X-Men became a juggernaut, overtaking the comics industry and producing spinoff after spinoff. Marvel’s Mutants received a second volume in 1991, whose first issue sold a staggering eight million copies. This led to the greenlighting of X-Men: The Animated Series in 1992, where the characters, especially breakout star Wolverine, became household names—all nearly 30 years from the moment the first issue hit newsstands.

Movie Icons for the New Millennium

In 2000, the long-awaited X-Men live-action film launched a franchise that few believed could ever work. If the ‘90s cartoon made Wolverine an icon to ‘90s kids, then Hugh Jackman made him a global icon to their parents as well. While X-Men was achieving the pinnacle of their pop culture success, Marvel Comics started to position Avengers as a title that could finally outsell their mutant colleagues. Forty years after Martin Goodman told Stan Lee to make his own “all-star” team, New Avengers added company mascots Spider-Man and Wolverine. The Avengers franchise overtook X-Men in sales. And a newly formed Marvel Studios started to think about capitalizing on the brand’s potential. From the beginning, Marvel Studios hoped to introduce their roster of heroes to big-screen success. After all, X-Men had become a global phenomenon. Why couldn’t Avengers?

Of course, we all know what happened next. The MCU, anchored by the Avengers films, has grossed a staggering 29.1 billion dollars. For context, the next most successful franchise, Star Wars, is a distant second at 10 billion. In short, no other franchise is likely to topple the MCU anytime soon. So what’s the lesson here? We now live in a media landscape where things need to be instant hits. If a movie doesn’t blow up the box office on opening weekend, that marks its death. If a streaming series doesn’t click right away, it gets canceled. The same goes for comics.

But decades ago, Marvel Comics knew that both the Avengers and the X-Men were great concepts, and eventually, the world would catch up to how awesome they were. Maybe Marvel should officially declare July 2 as #AvengersXMenDay? It’s certainly a pivotal shared birthday that deserves to be celebrated.

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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and to a lesser extent Spider-Man: No Way Home, have both exploded the Spider-Man mythos in wild new directions. Nothing is off the table now when it comes to Spidey movies. So we think Sony and Marvel should start thinking outside the box. There are plenty of weird, off-the-wall Spider-Man tales that would make for amazing films, in both animation and live-action. Here are some wild chapters from Spider-Man’s comic book history that just might work (or be hot messes). But we’d love to see them try!

The Six-Armed Spider-Man

One of the earliest of the “weird” Spider-Man stories came in Amazing Spider-Man #101-102, in a Stan Lee-written tale where Peter Parker decided to take a serum to remove his powers, which caused him so much grief over the years. Instead, they cause him to mutate into a more spider-like being with six arms. While this story only lasted two issues, it was adapted into a memorable episode of the ’90s Spider-Man cartoon. And there are some wild What If…? stories where Six-Armed Spider-Man is actually proven to be better, and even defeats Thanos! All because he had a few more extra limbs. We dare you to make that movie, Sony and Marvel.

The Superior Spider-Man (Doc Ock Spidey)

For over a year in the comics, Peter Parker was dead. Not in body, just in mind. And his mortal enemy Doctor Octopus took over his physical form and retained his memories. And after experiencing all the pain and sacrifice Peter went through, he had an epiphany and became a hero. He was still an arrogant jerk, however, declaring himself the “Superior Spider-Man.” But in some ways, he really did a better job at being Peter Parker than the real Peter Parker, even creating a huge business empire, Parker Industries. Superior Spidey briefly popped up in Across the Spider-Verse, but he deserves his own movie.

Spider-Man and the X-Men

In the Marvel universe, the X-Men are mutants, and Spider-Man, famously, is not. He got his powers from that infamous spider bite, and doesn’t have an X-gene. But in the Spider-Man and the X-Men limited series, Wolverine asks Peter Parker, who recently taught at Midtown High, to teach ethics at the Jean Grey School for Gifted Youngsters (the renamed Xavier School). While there, he investigates a traitor at the school, and has to deal with super-powered students who don’t have much respect for their teacher, Mr. Spider-Man. Corporate logistics might make this one impossible, but what a fun animated film this would make.

Spider-Island

In the two Spider-Verse films, as well as in No Way Home, we’ve learned that there are an infinite number of variants of Spider-Man across the Multiverse. But what if everyone on the island of Manhattan suddenly got spider powers too in just one reality? That’s the premise of Spider-Island, a 2011 storyline that had Peter Parker suddenly dealing with a New York where everyone has his spider powers, but not his moral compass. This one is probably too wild for live-action, but it would make for an incredible animated Spider-Man movie.

Spider-Man vs. Dracula

When you think of Spider-Man, you don’t usually think of gothic monsters like vampires (Morbius notwithstanding). Dracula seems like a more natural enemy for someone like Batman. But back in 1974, in Giant-Size Spider-Man vs Dracula, Peter Parker took on the Lord of the Vampires himself. Well, except he really didn’t? In that comic, written by the great Len Wein, the two never even fight. They just happen to be on the same ship at sea for reasons. Luckily, in more recent times, in the YA book Ultimate Spider-Man: Spider-Man vs. Dracula, he really fights the legendary bloodsucker and his undead armies with the help of S.H.I.E.L.D. We say adapt that one and forget the original.

The Spectacular Spider-Ma’am

Why have a Spider-Man, when you can have a Spider-Ma’am? Yes folks, there is a Spectacular Spider-Ma’am, and she is Aunt May herself. In an issue of What If…? from 1980, Spider-Ma’am was introduced in a story where her nephew Peter forgot his lunch at home. So May rushed to the science demonstration field trip to give to him, and she was bitten by that pesky radioactive spider instead. She made a costume and set out to do stunts to support her family, but ended up fighting the villain Leap-Frog. We can’t tell you how down we’d be for this as a movie. An Aunt May movie was once seriously discussed. This is the only one we want to see.

Cosmic Spider-Man

What if Spider-Man was a cosmic god? That’s not a What If…? story; for a time, that actually happened in the pages of Marvel Comics’ main continuity. For a brief few issues, Peter Parker gained the might of the so-called “Uni-Power,” and became Captain Universe. When a professor at Empire University had a machine in his lab overload and unleash the mysterious Enigma Force, it surged through Peter Parker’s body, giving him the cosmic Uni-Powers. Man, what are the odds of being in two lab accidents that give you super powers? As the new host for this ultimate power, he became Cosmic Spider-Man. It didn’t last long, as the power left him for a new host. But a movie where Spidey gets suddenly as strong as Galactus? Sign us up.

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One of the most prolific and legendary artists to ever work for Marvel Comics has left us. John Romita Sr. has sadly passed away at the age of 93, on June 13. The news arrived via Twitter, in a post from his son John Romita Jr., himself an art legend at Marvel Comics. The elder Romita was especially famous for taking over art duties on The Amazing Spider-Man, redefining Peter Parker’s look. This was after Spidey’s co-creator Steve Ditko left the title. During his time with Spidey, he introduced several of his co-creations to the lore, like the Kingpin and Peter Parker’s future wife, Mary Jane Watson. Stan Lee asked Romita to draw “the most beautiful girl you can imagine” when creating MJ. Romita delivered on that promise in just one iconic panel.

In addition to his five-year run on The Amazing Spider-Man, Romita also co-created the characters of Wolverine, Luke Cage, and the Punisher. Technically Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko co-created the bulk of the classic Marvel heroes and villains. But by the early ’70s, Romita was the chief architect in how Marvel’s characters looked in merchandising. John Romita became the go-to guy when you needed images of Marvel’s pantheon of heroes drawn in heroic poses. In fact, during this period, John Romita Romita would serve the role of Marvel’s art director.

John Romita was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1930, the son of Italian immigrants. By 19, he was already working as a comic book artist. He would then find success drawing romance comics aimed at a female audience. In 1966, he got hired by Marvel, to draw their relatively low-selling series Daredevil. But after eight issues, Stan Lee hired him to take over for Steve Ditko when he left The Amazing Spider-Man.

During Romita’s time, he put his experience with romance comics to good use. He made Peter Parker more handsome, like a soap opera lead. He became a character MJ Watson would believably fall for. During Romita’s Spider-Man tenure, the title would go from Marvel’s second best-selling title to their biggest seller.

If you were a Gen-X kid growing up in the ’70s and ’80s loving Marvel Comics, then the art of John Romita was the way you perceived the Marvel characters. From calendars to plastic cups to posters to lunchboxes, it was Romita’s renditions that were on almost every piece of merchandising during this era. The Marvel “House Style” ultimately wasn’t Jack Kirby or Gil Kane or any other prolific artist, it was Romita’s. The heroic pose of Spidey standing in the center of his web was an image every kid knew back in the day. Most kids didn’t know who drew it, but it was the distinctive touch of John Romita. Although Romita mostly retired for the last several decades, he drew the occasional issue or cover for Marvel, reminding younger readers that he still had it. His contributions to the art form of comic books will not be forgotten.

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Despite what many believe, Miles Morales was not the first non-Peter Parker Spider-Man to star in his ongoing series. Nor was he the first non-white hero to use the name. The first was Miguel O’Hara, famously known as Spider-Man 2099. Created by writer Peter David and artist Rick Leonardi, this Spidey was part of a publishing initiative by Marvel known as the 2099 universe. In the early ’90s, Marvel Comics gave many of their most popular titles futuristic updates, often with new characters wearing the famous mantles of past heroes. There was X-Men 2099, Punisher 2099, and of course, Spider-Man 2099. And thanks to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse film, Miguel O’Hara’s Spidey is a household name. Here’s the backstory of this once-forgotten ’90s hero.

Miguel O’Hara: The Most ’90s Spider-Man

In the early ’90s, the comics industry was booming. DC sold millions of comics with stunts like Superman’s death. And Marvel crushed it by selling 10 million copies collectively of Spider-Man #1 and X-Men #1. This resulted in a brief comic boom, which also coincided with the rise of Image Comics. Marvel launched a whole new line of books, conceived by Stan Lee and superstar creator John Byrne. This new line of comics would take place a century in the future from the regular Marvel series, “The Marvel World of Tomorrow.”

That title became a bit of a mouthful, so it became Marvel 2093, then finally, Marvel 2099. Spider-Man 2009 first appeared in a preview in 1992’s Amazing Spider-Man #365, before launching in his own ongoing title a few months later. Writer Peter David named him Miguel after his friend actor Miguel Ferrer, best known for his roles in Twin Peaks and Robocop. He was given mixed ethnicity, with an Irish father and a Mexican mother. This was something that was a pretty big deal at the time when most superheroes were of caucasian and North American descent only.

The Comics Origins of Spider-Man 2099

Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 was from what appeared to be the future of the mainstream 616 Marvel Universe. However, it was later revealed as Earth-928. Miguel was the head of the genetics department at the mega-corporation called Alchemax. He spent much of his time trying to replicate the powers of the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker. Miguel’s manipulative boss Tyler Stone got him addicted to a drug called Rapture, an addiction that Miguel tried to purge from himself by making himself the guinea pig in his experiments to replicate spider powers. But a co-worker named Aaron Delgado, who was always jealous of his success at Alchemax, sabotaged the machine that would give Miguel spider abilities. He now had a staggering 50% arachnid DNA. The machine exploded, and Tyler Stone began the hunt for his former employee to unlock the secrets of his powers.

Using an old Dia de Los Muertos costume, which was made from unstable molecules (an invention of the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards), Miguel donned the suit and became the year 2099’s new Spider-Man. Miguel embraced this new Spider-Man 2099 identity, and became an enemy to not only his former employer Alchemax, but also all the corrupt megacorporations which run the world in the future. He also fought many futuristic versions of classic Peter Parker foes, like the Vulture and the Green Goblin. Always with the help of his holographic assistant, Lyla. Eventually, thanks to some time travel shenanigans, Spider-Man 2099 even met his predecessor Peter Parker in the past. The solo Spider-Man 2099 Marvel Comics series ran for four years and had a respectable 46 issues. But in the late ‘90s, Marvel Comics hit serious financial troubles and shuttered the whole line. Miguel’s Spider-Man 2099 would be more or less absent from the Marvel Universe for a decade.

The Powers of Spider-Man 2099

Miguel O’Hara has powers similar to Peter Parker, but they are not exactly the same. Like Peter, Spide-Man 2099 has the proportionate strength, agility, and speed of a spider. But he can only climb on walls thanks to the talons he grew on his appendages. He also has a pair of fangs that deliver poisonous venom. Some have joked that, in some ways, Spider-Man 2099 is a “vampire Spider-Man.” Unlike Peter, Miguel O’Hara’s webbing comes out of his wrists naturally, a power Spider-Man 2099 had whole decade before Tobey Maguire had organic webs. He tends to prefer gliding to swinging on webs, though. Unlike Peter, Spider-Man 2099 has no traditional Spider-Man “Spidey Sense.” However, he makes up for this fact with telescopic vision, not to mention his super hearing.   

Spider-Man 2099 in Modern Marvel Comics

In the 2000s, Miguel found himself stranded in the past. Spider-Man 2099 finally showed up again in mainstream monthly titles like Amazing Spider-Man. Miguel even worked for Peter in his Parker Industries empire before Peter lost it all and went back to being an ordinary middle-class guy. He appeared a few more times, particularly in the crossover comics events like Spider-Verse or Spider-Geddon. Spider-Man 2099 even got a new white costume while stuck almost a century in the past. But without a doubt, his upcoming appearance in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is his biggest mainstream appearance—at least outside of comics.

Who Is the Animated Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 in Across the Spider-Verse?

We saw Spider-Man 2099 and his assistant Lyla in the post-credits scene for Into the Spider-Verse. Then Spider-Man 2099 played a key role in its sequel, with Oscar Isaac reprising his role. In Across the Spider-Verse, we learned that Miguel runs the Spider-Society of multiversal spider-heroes in Nueva York, on Earth-928B. Unlike his Marvel Comics counterpart, this Spider-Man 2099’s home city looks utopian—not like a dystopian hellscape.

Miguel built the device that allowed him to hop dimensions within the multiverse, something we saw at the end of Into the Spider-Verse. Eventually, he discovered a universe where he had a family and a daughter. When his alternate self there died, Miguel decided to replace him on that Earth and raise his daughter as his own. But that one anomaly seemingly caused that particular Earth to unmake itself, apparently killing everyone on it.

Now despondent over his unintended actions, Miguel created the Spider-Society, multi-dimensional Spider-People dedicated to returning any wayward Spider-People back to their proper dimension after the Super Collider event at the end of the previous film. Most importantly, his trauma caused him to enforce a strict mandate: every spider hero had to follow their intended destiny and “canon event,” usually a personal tragedy, otherwise it could lead to anomalies like the one that destroyed the alternate Miguel’s world.

Miguel sees Miles Morales as the “original anomaly.” He says Miles’ unintended existence as Spider-Man is the entire reason he had to create a Spider-Society in the first place. When Miles lets it be known that he won’t allow his personal “canon event” to take place—the death of his father—Miguel sends the entire Spider-Society out to stop him. Although he thinks he’s doing the right thing, Miguel O’Hara is the real antagonist of Across the Spider-Verse. Here’s hoping he sees the error of his ways by the third film. We’d hate to see Spider-Man 2099 only as a misguided villain; he deserves a heroic turn.

Originally published on May 31, 2023.

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Spider-Man has one of the best rogues’ galleries in comics—formidable and iconic villains like Green Goblin, Venom, and Doctor Octopus. Heck, only Batman has a better set of bad guys. But Spider-Man has got some real D-list baddies too. (The Hypno-Hustler, anyone?) But one of those second-string bad guys, known as the Spot, has a pretty big role in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. And he’s actually quite powerful. Whether he realizes it or not. But who is this forgotten Spider-Man villain, now movie star? And is the Spot secretly…kind of cool? Here’s the Marvel Comics history of the Spot, one of the most unlikely Spider-Man villains ever to get the cinematic treatment.

The Origin of the Spot, Spider-Man’s Goofiest-Looking Villain

The villain known as the Spot first appeared in Marvel Comics as an unnamed scientist at MIT; he arrived in 1984’s Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #97. Writer Al Milgrom and artist Herb Trimpe created him. In the very next issue, they revealed the Spot as Jonathan Ohnn, who worked for Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the villainous Kingpin. Working for Fisk, they tasked the soon-to-be Spot with trying to replicate the powers of the Marvel hero called Cloak, of the duo Cloak and Dagger. Cloak could create portals out of his own being, and the Kingpin wanted that power for himself. Working late one evening, he thought he cracked the code to Cloak’s dimension. But Ohnn actually wound up in a different dimension, one-half dark and one-half light.

This dimension was filled with various small black portals that opened up into other realities. Ohnn found a way back to Earth eventually by going through one, but many of the small black portals had already attached themselves to his body. He discovered he could use these black holes by throwing them and opening portals. Once returning to Earth, he confronted the Kingpin’s nemesis Spider-Man, declaring himself “the Spot.” Spider-Man laughed right in his face at the dumb name that made him sound like a pet. Spidey soundly defeated the Spot, leaving him humiliated. After all, being able to throw interdimensional portals? WAY cooler than having octopus tentacles or rhino skin. Having Spider-Man beat you, regardless of how powerful you were, must have been downright embarrassing for the Spot.

The Spot’s Marvel Comics Fate

After a few defeats at the hands of Spider-Man, Marvel relegated the Spot to permanent loser status. The character was conceived of as a joke villain, but the fact that they gave him such incredible powers makes it a kind of depressing joke. Since his first Marvel Comics appearance, the Spot continually popped up here and there, usually fighting Spider-Man, sometimes in battle with another hero like Daredevil. Often, the Spot was part of a larger Marvel criminal team, like the Sinister Sixteen, MODOK’s 11, or the Legion of Losers. The fact that he was part of a team with a name like that shows you everything you need to know about how the Spot saw himself.

The Spot’s Powers in the Spider-Man Comics

Despite the dumb name, Marvel’s the Spot was pretty formidable power-wise. With his trademark space warp spots, the Spot could transport himself or any part of his body from one area to another, all over what seemed like an unlimited distance. The Spot is able to do all these things thanks to the dimension that gave him these powers. A dimension he unimaginatively named “Spotworld.” These spots could be small, large, and even suspended in the air. The Spider-Man villain could also change their size at will.

The Spot could even control which portal could lead to Spotworld, and which could open up somewhere else in this dimension. Because of his connection to Spotworld, the Spot learned that he was effectively immortal. This power set technically made him one of Spider-Man’s most formidable Marvel Comics foes. Or at least, it should have. But he’s inflicted less damage on Spider-Man than some weak villains with names like the Looter and The Answer.

The Spot’s Role in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Until now, the Spot’s most prominent role outside the pages of Marvel Comics had been in the 1990s Spider-Man: The Animated Series. He appeared in that show in season three’s “The Spot,” and then again in the recent 2017 Spider-Man cartoon. Now, Jason Schwartzman portrayed this loser villain in Across the Spider-Verse. And he’s even Across the Spider-Verse‘s “Big Bad.” The Spot was always the Spider-Man villain with the most potential when it comes to his powers and abilities, and yet he was barely ever used as anything but a punchline.

In Across the Spider-Verse, we learned that this Jonathan Ohnn was a scientist working at Earth-1610’s Alchemax. He transported the radioactive spider from Earth-42 to his dimension, causing the chain of events leading Miles Morales to become Spider-Man. When Kingpin’s Super-Collider was destroyed, Johnathan became corrupted by dark matter, transforming him into the Spot, a villain who can create dimensional portals across space and parallel worlds.

Blaming his current situation on Miles Morales, and fighting him in a rather hilarious sequence early in the film, the Spot became hellbent on revenge for Miles making him something both more (and also less) than human. We’ll find out in Beyond the Spider-Verse if he can succeed when it comes to exacting vengeance on poor Miles, or if he’s truly a joke “villain of the week” or not. Who ever thought that this reject of a bad guy could potentially destroy all reality? The Spot proves even the goofiest bad guy has potential.

Originally published June 1, 2023.

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Unlike many of her heroic Marvel counterparts, Jessica Drew, the original Spider-Woman, doesn’t have the kind of origin story one can summarize in just a few sentences. Her backstory is, to put it mildly, somewhat complicated. She plays a big part in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, so as we celebrate Jessica Drew’s animated cinematic debut, and wait for her to make her grand cinematic live-action entrance, let’s take a deep dive into her bizarre backstory. For Jessica, it began with 1977’s Marvel Spotlight #32, which gave us Spider-Woman’s complicated origin story. Or, at least, the first version of her origin story.

Contradicting Marvel Comics Origin Stories for Spider-Woman

Jessica Drew is actually way older than any Marvel hero not named Steve Rogers. She was born in 1924 to scientist Jonathan Drew and his wife Miriam. As a very young child, Jessica Drew traveled with her parents to Mount Wundagore, in the small Balkan nation of Transia. This locale was also central to the comic book origins of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Her father conducted genetics research at Mount Wundagore with Dr. Herbert Wyndham, who would later become the villainous High Evolutionary.

Marvel Comics

At the age of seven, Jessica contracted a deadly case of uranium poisoning after exposure to her father’s experiments. In an effort to save her life, her father and Dr. Wyndham injected her with an experimental spider-derived serum, one which would only work with years of hibernation in a genetic accelerator. After spending decades in a slow-growing form of hibernation, the soon-to-be Spider-Woman received subliminal education through specially designed recordings. She finally woke up decades later, fully cured, but now physically a teenager. She also had superpowers, thanks to the spider-serum and the effects of her stasis.

However, that might not be the origin of Spider-Woman’s powers. Later Marvel comics from the 2000s, like Brian Michael Bendis’ Spider-Woman: Origin reveal that Jessica received her powers differently. In the Bendis retcon, Jessica gained her powers when a laser beam hits her pregnant mother Miriam in the torso. This beam contained the DNA traits of several different species of spiders, thus altering the fetus’ DNA. It’s unclear which version of the origin of Spider-Woman’s powers is officially the current Marvel canon.

A Different Set of Powers than Peter Parker

Regardless of how she got her powers, Spider-Woman’s power set has remained consistent over the years. Jessica has super strength, superhuman speed, stamina, agility, and reflexes. She doesn’t have a healing factor like her good friend Wolverine per se, but she does heal more rapidly than a normal human. Spider-Woman also emits bio-electrical “venom blasts” and releases pheromones that can both attract and repel people. Like her male counterpart, Spider-Man, she can attach herself to surfaces and climb on walls. So they have that in common, at least.

Spider-Woman’s Life as a Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. Double Agent

With no family and now living in a strange time, Jessica Drew left Wundagore and tried to have a normal life. But after accidentally killing her boyfriend with her new powers, she fell under the sway of Count Otto Vermis, a high-ranking member of Hydra. Vermis brainwashed Jessica into believing she wasn’t human, but a spider evolved into a human form. He trained her to be Hydra’s most skilled assassin and gave her the name Arachne. Spider-Woman trained in hand-to-hand combat by none other than the Taskmaster.

One of her first missions was to kill S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury. While attempting to kill him, the super-spy informed Jessica Drew of the truth: Hydra was a terrorist organization, and they had brainwashed her in a vulnerable state to become their tool of destruction. They even lied to her about accidentally killing a man. Devastated upon learning the truth, Jessica Drew abandoned Hydra and joined Fury as an agent of S.H.I.E.LD. Eventually, Spider-Woman decided to leave the life of being a secret agent behind to become a full-time superhero.

Spider-Woman, Marvel’s Globetrotting Heroine 

Spider-Woman then moved around the globe for years. First, she worked out of London, where she partnered with a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Scotland Yard detective named Jerry Hunt. When that romantic and working partnership dissolved, she moved to Los Angeles. There, Spider-Woman became a super-powered bounty hunter in the Marvel universe. Later, she moved to San Francisco, where she worked as a private investigator. After a battle with the ancient witch Morgan le Fay, Jessica Drew lost her Spider-Woman powers. She continued to lead the life of a P.I., only this time in the dangerous island nation of Madripoor.

Things start to somehow get more complicated for Jessica Drew at this point. She is approached by Hydra agents who offer her a chance to restore her powers. But only if she rejoins them and infiltrates S.H.I.E.L.D. as a double agent. She goes to Nick Fury, informing him that she is taking the offer but will secretly be loyal to him. Unbeknownst to either of them, these Hydra agents are actually Skrulls. The alien shapeshifters then place Spider-Woman in stasis, and the Skrull Queen Veranke replaces Jessica Drew to the world at large. She joins the Avengers and infiltrates the superhero community from within.

Juggling Avengering and Motherhood

After the events of Secret Invasion, the Skrulls are defeated, and the real Jessica Drew returns. Feeling she has nowhere left to go, Spider-Woman joins the Avengers for real. She has adventures with several different iterations of the Avengers, establishing herself as a stalwart member of the team. Spider-Woman also gets pulled into several Marvel adventures with Spider-Man and other arachnid-powered heroes, forging a bond with them as well. More recently, Jessica Drew became a single mom, giving birth to a son named Gerry. Little Gerry Drew inherited all of his mother’s powers, and now Spider-Woman has to contend with a toddler who can crawl on walls and has super strength.

Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

In Across the Spider-Verse, Jessica Drew (Issa Rae) goes by “Jess Drew.” She’s one of the many Spider-People who work out of the interdimensional hub known as the Spider-Society. Like her later incarnations in the comics, Spider-Woman still fights the good fight while pregnant in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. She mentions a dad, but we never learn who her partner is. Maybe in Beyond the Spider-Verse, we’ll find out more about Spider-Woman and her family.

Spider-Woman also rides a cool motorcycle to boot. Her costume is all-new for the Spider-Verse movie, but it has some recognizable elements to it from Marvel’s comics. Her powers seem more in line with Spider-Man’s than 616 Jessica Drew. But it’s possible Sony is waiting for the third film to unleash her venom blasts. In Across the Spider-Verse, Spider-Woman is one of the Spider-folk who Miguel O’Hara sends after Miles Morales.

Meanwhile, if the Olivia Wilde-directed Spider-Woman film is set in the MCU, as rumors suggest, then maybe we will see the ties between Hydra and Nick Fury explored more. When it comes to Spider-Woman, her different connections to the Marvel Universe are all primed to provide cinematic fodder for years. And her animated incarnation hopefully has a bright future as well.

Originally published on June 9, 2021

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Few Marvel characters exemplify the ‘90s more than Ben Reilly, the Scarlet Spider. He was, in many ways, the epitome of comic book trends of the era. First, the Scarlet Spider was popularized in a major “status quo-shaking” Marvel Comics event. Second, he was an edgier version of an iconic hero. These were key ’90s comics ingredients. Now, Scarlet Spider has made his big screen debut in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, voiced by Andy Samberg. But who is Ben Reilly, the infamous alternate Spidey? And why were folks so excited to see him return? Here’s the lowdown on Peter Parker’s broody clone, the Scarlet Spider.

The Scarlet Spider’s Groovy ’70s Marvel Comics Origins

The roots of the Scarlet Spider didn’t actually begin in the ‘90s. They went back even further, to 1975. In that year’s Amazing Spider-Man #149, Peter Parker’s college professor Dr. Miles Warren, also known as the Jackal, created a fully grown version of Parker to destroy Spider-Man. Why did he hate Spidey so much? Well, it turned out Dr. Warren was a super creep. He was obsessed with his much younger student Gwen Stacy, whose death he blamed solely on Spider-Man. And he was a brilliant scientist who studied under none other than the High Evolutionary. That association always leads to trouble.

When Gwen died at the hands of the Green Goblin, a death Spider-Man could not prevent, Warren snapped. He developed an alternate persona to deal with his feelings of guilt—the Jackal. As the furry costumed Jackal, he cloned Gwen and Spider-Man, thus learning that the wallcrawler was his other student, Peter Parker. This clone had all of Peter’s memories and was designed to fight and kill his doppelgänger. However, he seemingly died in the very issue they introduced him in. And that would be the last we’d hear of this Spider-Man clone for nearly two decades. It was all meant by writer Gerry Conway as a one-off story, but it ended up creating Marvel Comics’ Scarlet Spider.

Scarlet Spider Returns in the ’90s, Following Comics Trends of Darker Doppelgängers

In the early ‘90s, one of the biggest comic trends was replacing iconic heroes with darker, edgier versions of themselves. In 1992 Superman died, and one of his replacements was the evil Cyborg Superman. Batman’s back was broken, and then the ultra-violent Azrael wore the batsuit. At Marvel, someone remembered the clone from 1975 and had an idea. What if maybe the Spider-Clone didn’t die and had been living in secret for years? Even more tantalizing for Marvel, they teased readers with the notion that this character was actually the Peter Parker we’d been reading about for years, while the newly emerged “clone” was the real thing.

When Marvel brought back the Spider-Clone, they revealed that after his apparent death, he realized he was a mere copy of Peter Parker and not the original. He decided to leave New York and became a drifter wandering America. He bleached his hair blonde and took the name Ben Reilly. Ben after his deceased uncle Ben, and Reilly since it was his Aunt May’s maiden name. He continued his scientific studies, this time under Dr. Seward Trainer (yet another acolyte of the High Evolutionary). He suffered many tragedies during his exile, making him a darker and more bitter version of his (now happily married) genetic twin. But when he learned that his Aunt May was near death, he went back to New York, and revealed his existence to Peter.

Ben Reilly and Peter Parker first resented each other and had an uneasy relationship. There was a good deal of spider-on-spider violence. Eventually, Dr. Trainer performed blood tests on both heroes, only to determine that the Peter Parker fans had been reading about for 20 years at Marvel was the clone, and Ben Reilly was actually the first Peter Parker. Ben then decided to stay in New York City and fight crime under a new name—the Scarlet Spider. Sales soared for the Spider-Man titles during this time, and it seemingly encouraged Marvel editorial to keep the newly coined Clone Saga and Scarlet Spider going for as long as possible. And they did.

Scarlet Spider Becomes Spider-Man and Ben’s Untimely Demise

In late 1995, Marvel decided that Peter Parker and MJ would retire to married life and start a family, and Scarlet Spider would take over as Spider-Man. He was “the real deal” after all. Scarlet Spider became the new friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, taking over all five Spider-Man ongoing books and getting a new costume. Although some fans felt betrayed that the Spidey they’d been following for years was a copy, Ben Reilly persisted. In fact, in the epic Marvel vs. DC crossover event that year, it was actually the Ben Reilly Spidey that fought DC’s heroes, not Peter.

Eventually, after more than two years, sales of the Spider-Man books (and comics overall) began to plummet. Marvel decided it was time to end The Clone Saga and get back to basics. It was revealed that a returned Norman Osborn/Green Goblin—who had at that point been dead for almost 25 years—had been behind everything. He planted fake evidence that Scarlet Spider was the real Peter Parker, as a way of tormenting Peter Parker himself. Ben Reilly died in battle with the Goblin and literally liquified. Thus proving he was the actual clone all along. At the time, people were mostly glad the story was finally over. It seemed no one would miss old Ben.

The Scarlet Spider’s Modern-Day Resurrection

But as we know, nostalgia makes even the worst stories look better. Kids who grew up with The Clone Saga and the Scarlet Spider actually loved that event looking back. By the 2010s, these kids were now adults, and begged Marvel to bring back the Scarlet Spider. In 2015, Marvel finally did. In The Clone Conspiracy, Marvel revealed that the Jackal had collected the DNA of Ben Reilly from his death site and attempted to bring him back, memories and all, 26 times.

The 27th clone was stable and lived, but held traumatic memories of each painful death. Ben freed himself from the Jackal, and resumed a heroic career. At first, he took the name Anubis, after the Egyptian God of Death. Eventually, he took on the name and mantle of the Scarlet Spider once more. And thus, the Scarlet Spider returned to Marvel Comics. ‘90s nostalgia was in full swing. He was the hero of Las Vegas for a time before returning to New York City. Scarlet Spider’s last major storyline was Marvel Comics’ Dark Web, where he became entangled with Marvel’s other most famous clone, Madelyne Pryor, herself a disregarded genetic copy of the X-Man Jean Grey.

The Scarlet Spider Becomes a Movie Star in Across the Spider-Verse

With his appearance in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Ben Reilly’s Scarlet Spider finally made it to the big screen. He appeared in the ‘90s Spider-Man: The Animated Series a couple of times, right around the time of his comics heyday. But aside from showing up in the recent Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon series, there were not many appearances by Scarlet Spider outside the comics. With Across the Spider-Verse, that’s finally changed.

In Across the Spider-Verse, Ben Reilly is used as a kind of comedic meta-commentary on the overly angsty Marvel comics of the ’90s. Ben is part of Spider-Man 2099’s squad sent to go after “fugitive spider” Miles Morales. He spends most of his screen time brooding and constantly commenting on his situation, giving voice to an old-school comics thought balloon. His look was very much like the art style of his co-creator, the late Tom Lyle. Will Scarlet-Spider switch sides in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, and choose to help Miles instead of hunting him? We’ll find out when the third chapter hits theaters in 2024.

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The MCU often reinvents Marvel Comics’ main characters. Hawkeye was a very different character from his comics counterpart, and they removed Scarlet Witch’s mutant past completely. Similarly, Adam Warlock, who finally made his movie debut in Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, is very different from what Marvel Comics fans remember. Or was he? Actually, James Gunn reinvented him by going back to his earliest comic origins. And when we say he “reinvented him,” we literally mean “Him.” As “Him” was Adam Warlock’s original name.

Most Marvel Comics readers know Adam Warlock as the powerful being who owns the Soul Gem, and who often went toe-to-toe with Thanos. Not only did he have the standard super strength, invulnerability, flight, and energy projection powers, but he also had “Quantum Magic.” He was a central figure in the Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity War ’90s crossover events, and spun out of those with his own title, Warlock and the Infinity Watch. So the version we saw in Guardians was a far cry from the ones modern comics readers knew. How was Will Poulter’s overgrown golden baby anything like his comic inspiration? Actually, he was. Just not a version most modern readers were familiar with.

Before Adam Warlock, There Was Marvel Comics “Him”

Adam Warlock wasn’t always called Adam Warlock. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created him as the antagonist in Fantastic Four #67 in 1967. A cult of nefarious scientists called the Enclave used all their scientific skills to create the perfect artificial being. Out of their cocoon chamber emerged a male-presenting being of perfect proportions with golden skin and hair. By nature, he had telepathy, incredible strength, and energy manipulation powers. He didn’t have a name, he was simply referred to as “Him.”

This perfect specimen of a man was essentially a newborn baby, with the accumulated knowledge of humanity dumped into his brain. But he had no actual experience with the world at large and acted much like an overgrown child. When he read the minds of his creators and saw they were actually evil, he turned on them and flew away into space. For years, readers had no idea what became of him, as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby left it open-ended. His story became something for future writers to pick up on. It took several years, but eventually someone did.

Marvel Comics Him Became an Outer Space Doctor Strange

In the early ‘70s, writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane remembered that Him was still out there in the cosmos. So they gave him a name, a costume (he was all but naked before), and made him a superhero. Writer Jim Starlin added even more story elements to Warlock in the following years. From the start, those early adventures saw him receive a glow-up, as he inherited the Soul Gem, an Infinity Gem which he embedded in his forehead. He became a wise mage character, like a cosmic Dr. Strange with magic added to his already formidable power set. When you needed a powerful sage voice in a billowy red cape to tell you what’s what with an impending cosmic threat, Adam Warlock became the go-to character.

MCU Adam Warlock Goes Back to the Him Basics

But for the MCU, James Gunn went back to square one. Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock did have a name from the get-go. It would have been silly to only refer to him as, well, HIM. But the rest of his appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 tracks with his first comics appearance. They birthed him from a cocoon as a fully grown adult, but was innocent and easily manipulated. He only understands serving his creators. In this case, the Sovereign, not the Enclave. But much like the comics, he recognized his creators were not noble, turning on them to help the good guys. Replace the Fantastic Four with the Guardians, and it’s very much the same scenario. Instead of flying off to parts unknown at the end, he finds a new family with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

It remains to be seen how much of Adam Warlock’s more well-established comics personality will remain as the character moves forward in other projects. For several decades, much of the comics version of Adam was informed by owning the Soul Gem. It gave him tremendous extra power and knowledge. Without it, how does MCU “baby Adam” become so wise? Although the MCU Adam has some sort of stone in his forehead, it’s definitely not an Infinity Stone. We know they were all destroyed. So much of the comic book Adam’s history was tied into both the Soul Gem and Thanos. Without those concepts, MCU Adam will likely deviate even more from the version comics fans know.

What Is Adam Warlock’s MCU Future?

As fun as it would be to see Adam Warlock in a future Guardians project, whatever form that may take, we honestly hope to see him in his own thing. Although a stalwart member of the Guardians in the comics, Adam Warlock was more famous as a solo hero first. A Disney+ show expanding on how this adult-sized golden infant became a wise cosmic sage would be fun. Will Poulter was perfect to play the big baby version of Adam, “Him 2.0.” But we’d love to see him evolve into the version most comics fans love, which is Superman meets Doctor Strange, only in space. Let’s see what happens with Adam Warlock a.k.a. Him in the future.

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Doctor Strange may have the word “strange” as part of his name, but almost no superhero in the Marvel Universe is truly as strange as Adam Warlock. But who is Adam Warlock, really? He’s an immensely powerful cosmic being and a longtime enemy of Thanos. Adam Warlock has even wielded all the Infinity Stones at once (called Infinity Gems in the comics). So he’s a major player. And on top of this, Marvel’s Adam Warlock finally made his MCU debut in a big, bad way in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. But now that he has emerged from his alien cocoon, here are the most important things to know about Marvel’s cosmic messianic hero. Who is Adam Warlock? Let’s find out.

Adam Warlock’s Origin Story: Simply “Him”

Few Marvel Comics heroes have a stranger origin or a stranger series of adventures than Adam Warlock. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created him in the pages of Fantastic Four back in 1967. He had no name at first, only referred to as “Him.” Adam Warlock’s first stage of Marvel existence came when a villainous group of scientists bent on world domination, known as the Enclave, used all their scientific know-how to create the perfect artificial being.

The Enclave succeeded, making a perfectly built humanoid man with golden skin. The soon-to-be Adam Warlock emerged from his birthing pod with incredible strength, telepathy, and energy manipulation powers. But because of his telepathy, he could sense that his creators had nefarious plans for the world. Disgusted with them, he destroyed their laboratory and departed for the stars.

Becoming Adam Warlock in Marvel Comics

After a brief tussle with Thor, “Him” encased himself into a healing cocoon. He emerged from this state when he met the being known as the High Evolutionary. During this time, the High Evolutionary had created a duplicate of Earth 616, which revolved around the sun in the opposite direction. This “Counter-Earth” didn’t have superhero protectors of its own, so the High Evolutionary entrusted “Him” with the Soul Gem. And thus, a new superhero was born.

Possession of the gem allowed him to capture the souls of living beings. The High Evolutionary gave him the name “Warlock,” and a group of kids gave him the first name “Adam.” And together, the High Evolutionary and the latter unexpected source birthed Adam Warlock. This huge revamp of the character was because of the creative team of Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, who took the blank slate of “Him” and gave him his own comic series. And in interviews over the years, Thomas has admitted that inspiration for Marvel Comics’ Adam Warlock came from the (at the time) new musical, Jesus Christ Superstar. 

Adam Warlock vs. Thanos: Round One 

Eventually leaving Counter-Earth and the High Evolutionary behind, Adam Warlock travels into Marvel Comics’ cosmos. There, he crosses paths with the Universal Church of Truth, an intergalactic cult led by a madman called Magus. To stop Magus, Adam Warlock forges an alliance with the Mad Titan Thanos and his daughter Gamora. (You’ve probably heard of them). But then Adam Warlock learns the ugly truth. He himself is Magus but from the future—a version of himself driven mad by overuse of the Soul Gem. Adam Warlock beats Magus but then turns against Thanos when he discovers the other five Infinity Gems.

Adam Warlock defeats Thanos by turning him to stone. This does seem to indicate that Marvel’s Adam Warlock is stronger than Thanos in some ways… At least in Marvel Comics. After Warlock bests Thanos, his consciousness finds a new home in the Soulworld, which exists in the Soul Stone.

Adam Warlock’s History with Infinity Gauntlets, Infinity Wars, and the Infinity Watch

Thanos eventually finds a path toward resurrection and gathers all the Infinity Gems together. He plans to erase half of life in the universe. Sound familiar? That’s because The Infinity Gauntlet event series was the basis for the MCU’s “Infinity Saga.” (The “Infinity Saga” are the first 23 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.) Although Adam Warlock was not present in the MCU version of events.

In the comics, Adam Warlock leaves the Soulworld along with Gamora, who was also trapped there, essentially resurrecting themselves. With Earth’s heroes in tow, they defeat Thanos, just like in the MCU. Instead of the gems being destroyed like in the MCU, however, Adam Warlock splits them up in the Marvel Comics’ version of the story. Adam Warlock gives one gem out to several different individuals while keeping the Soul Gem for himself. This group became known as The Infinity Watch.

To best host the Soul Gem, Adam Warlock purges himself of all emotion, becoming a creature of pure logic. He comes like Spock from Star Trek, only with gold skin like Data from The Next Generation. Additionally, like Spock and Data, Adam Warlock is also a logic-based character who falls on the side of good in Marvel Comics. So, unless, James Gunn throws a curveball our way, or Adam Warlock appears first as Magus, it seems unlikely he will join the MCU as a villain.

It is interesting to note that Warlock’s “good” and “bad” emotions go on to form their own beings, which Warlock later has to fight. Perhaps we may see these inter-Adam Warlock battles appear somewhere in the MCU.

Terrible Cosmic Abilities, Itty Bitty Living Space: Adam Warlock’s Powers

Despite living for years within the world contained in the tiny Soul Gem, Adam Warlock retained all of his powers. And his powers are formidable, to say the least. Adam Warlock has superhuman strength, speed, and stamina, not to mention he can also manipulate cosmic power for energy projection. In addition, he can fly, and he can regenerate himself by encasing himself in cocoons similar to the one which birthed him.

Essentially immortal, with each Marvel Comics resurrection, Adam Warlock only gets stronger. But the perks don’t end there. He also has accessed “quantum magic,” which is good since his name is “Warlock,” after all. He can create force fields, travel faster than light, and even create wormholes in space. And not only does Adam Warlock have the power to resurrect himself, but he’s resurrected others in the past. Adam Warlock isn’t omnipotent on the level of the Celestials, but he’s in their ballpark.

Adam Warlock and Thanos: Brothers?

Adam Warlock, due to his connection to the Soul Gem, is Marvel’s Avatar of Life. Meanwhile, Thanos is the Avatar of Death. So, in a manner of speaking, they are spiritual siblings or different sides of the same coin. This leads fans to speculate about whether they are brothers. But are Adam Warlock and Thanos siblings? No, not exactly. But they have a unique bond. And that causes Adam Warlock and Thanos to be both enemy and ally.

Although they fought against each other many times, together they defeated Annihilus and other cosmic threats. And despite ruining Thanos’ plans with the Infinity Gauntlet, Adam Warlock still trusted him with the Power Gem when he split up the rest of the remaining gems. We look forward to seeing what kind of relationship, if any, Adam Warlock will have with Thanos in the MCU.

So Why Hasn’t Adam Warlock Been in the MCU Until Now?

Adam Warlock has appeared in animated form before, first in the animated film Planet Hulk and then in shows like Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Guardians of the Galaxy. But despite these appearances and his comic book history, Adam Warlock hasn’t surfaced in the MCU yet. Given Adam Warlock’s importance to the whole Infinity Gauntlet saga and all its various comic spinoffs, it’s not clear why he didn’t feature in the MCU’s Infinity Saga. The entire concept of the Infinity Stones comes from Adam Warlock comics, after all.

At the end of the day, only Kevin Feige knows for sure why Adam Warlock never appeared in the MCU’s Infinity Saga. It’s possible Marvel wanted the focus solely on the main Avengers team. Marvel teased the character in both Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of the Galaxy, where his cocoon was shown. But it was the post-credits tag to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 that showed that Adam Warlock was finally coming into the MCU. Only this time, Adam Warlock is created by the alien Sovereign, not Earth scientists. Finally, Marvel announced they cast Will Poulter as the MCU’s Adam Warlock. The studio announced that Warlock would finally be join the MCU in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. 

Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and His MCU Future

The MCU reworked Adam Warlock’s origins, as we learned that the High Evolutionary actually created the Sovereign race, making him an indirect product of his expertise in genetics. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Adam Warlock was a newborn being of immense power, tasked with bringing Rocket back to his master. He mowed through the Guardians on Knowhere, showing off his true potential.

The MCU’s Adam Warlock eventually turns on the High Evolutionary and helps the Guardians of the Galaxy, even saving Star-Lord’s life. By the end of the film, he joins Rocket’s new Guardians team, heading towards a path of heroism. All of this is a truncated version of Adam Warlock’s comic book relationship with the High Evolutionary, in which Warlock served the High Evolutionary and ultimately left him behind. Only Adam Warlock’s Marvel Comics connection to the Infinity Stones is totally left out of his MCU counterpart.

One thing is for sure. Whether it’s in a movie or as part of a Disney+ series, without a doubt, Adam Warlock will have a big role in the MCU going forward. As Gunn teases, “I wanted somebody who was youthful, and I wanted the person who had the dramatic chops and the comedic chops, not only for this movie but for what Marvel will use Adam Warlock for in the future… He could become this really important character.”

Originally published on November 8, 2021.

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If you were like us, and fell in love with the anthropomorphic otter from Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, you might be wondering about her comics history. Well, the Lady Lylla is indeed a character from the comics, and made less than 10 appearances overall. However, Lylla remains a crucial part of Rocket’s backstory, something that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 explored. In the movie, MCU vet Linda Cardellini played Lylla. Here’s the lowdown on the Marvel Comics history of Rocket’s one true love.

Lady Lylla, Marvel Otter and Toy Empire C.E.O.

Lylla first appeared back in 1982’s The Incredible Hulk #271, which was only the second appearance of Rocket Raccoon. In those early Marvel appearances, Lylla was the otter heir to an enormous intergalactic toy company, Mayhem Mekaniks, on the planet Halfworld. They named the planet that due to it being half industrial, half natural. Think “half Coruscant/half Dagobah,” to use Star Wars terminology.

Once, the planet was a giant asylum, where robot caretakers looked after the patients. The robot caretakers eventually became sentient and experimented on the patient’s animal companions in an effort to evolve them. Eventually, Marvel’s Halfworld became a planet occupied entirely by anthropomorphic animals, similar to what we saw with Lylla the otter in the Guardians 3 trailer. We have a feeling James Gunn is fusing Halfworld with Counter-Earth, another similar Marvel Comics concept from the same era.

Meeting Her Soulmate

Eventually, a hostile takeover over Mayhem Mekaniks occurred, by the malevolent half-man/half-mole Judson Jakes, and Lylla’s parents were murdered. She needed help, and she received it from our favorite swashbuckling “trash panda.” Although Lylla regained control of Mayhem Mekaniks after that, the other fell in love with Marvel’s Rocket. The two went on to become a couple. They went off into the galaxy to have adventures together, getting a “happily ever after” style ending.

Rocket the Raccoon and Lylla the Otter’s Marvel Reunion

There were many years between these adventures, which took place in the four-part Rocket Raccoon series, and Rocket’s return to the Marvel Universe in the ongoing Guardians of the Galaxy comics. In those comics, we learned that Rocket and Lylla split up before he became partners with Groot and joined the Guardians of the Galaxy. However, Rocket and Lylla reunited in 2011’s Annihilators #4.

There, Rocket learned that his former love had married an anthropomorphic rabbit named Blackjack O’Hare. Ultimately, Rocket accepted that Lylla had moved on, and the two parted ways, as Rocket continued his adventures with the Guardians. In fact, Rocket discovered that many of the memories he had of his otter girlfriend Lady Lylla were implanted, putting into doubt whether they were really soulmates after all. It’s now been a decade since Lady Lylla appeared in a Marvel comic, the previously mentioned Annihilators #4.

The MCU’s Lylla the Otter in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

In the MCU, James Gunn heavily revised the Marvel Comics backstory of Lylla for the MCU version of the otter. While she Rocket do have a history together, all that Halfworld and giant toy empire portions were jettisoned. Instead, both Lylla and Rocket Raccoon were subjects of the High Evolutionary’s experiments and formed a bond as test subjects in his laboratory.

Before the film even came out, James Gunn shared that in his past, Rocket was caged alongside several other animals, including Lylla the otter, Teefs the walrus (Asim Chaudhry), and Floor the rabbit (Mikaela Hoover). The group of them was trapped together in the High Evolutionary’s lab. Gunn noted that they are all best friends who dream of seeing the world beyond their captivity. He also shared some adorable test footage of the MCU’s Lylla coming to life in all her otter glory.

Lylla and the rest of Rockets’ friends’ experiences were some of the most memorable and heartbreaking parts of Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, giving the film much of its emotional core. The movie would not have been the same without Lylla’s presence. Although Lylla was only present in the MCU for a short time, we know in both the Marvel cinematic and comic worlds there is always a possibility of return. Hopefully, we will see Lylla again in some fashion.

Originally published in April 2023.

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With Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, and the team as we knew them saying farewell, it leaves a spot for some new cosmic heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yes, we know The Marvels is going to be pretty cosmic. But the adventures of Carol, Monica, and Kamala will at least partially take place on Earth. We are talking total outer space adventures here, Star Wars/Star Trek style. And these are our picks for the cosmic Marvel heroes we would like to see fill the Guardians’ slot in the MCU.

The Starjammers Could Be the MCU’s New Cosmic Misfit Heroes

The Guardians of the Galaxy were the MCU’s resident spacefaring band of rogues, scoundrels with hearts of gold. But in the pages of Marvel Comics, there’s another gang of intergalactic misfits who travel the spaceways — the Starjammers. These rebel pirates travel Shi’ar space in their ship, the Starjammer, from which they took their name, helping the helpless and making a little coin where they can.

Yes, there are strong similarities to the Guardians of the Galaxy, with a crew of ragtag aliens led by a human captain from Earth. But these guys, with names like Ch’od and Raza Longknife, are even rougher around the edges. And the Starjammers have strong ties to the X-Men mythology, as their leader Corsair, a.k.a. Christopher Summers, is actually the father of X-Men brothers Cyclops and Havok. We could see the Starjammers being a new MCU cosmic crew of heroes.

The Silver Surfer Could Glide Into Action

There is no bigger cosmic superhero in Marvel Comics than the Silver Surfer. And fans have long been clamoring for the MCU arrival of the former Herald of Galactus, who turned over his existence to the Devourer of Worlds save his home planet. The logical place for this cosmic hero to arrive would be in a Fantastic Four film. After all, that’s where the Surfer first appeared in the comics, and he has ties to that team.

However, Norrin Radd (that’s the Sentinel of the Spaceway’s true name) could appear in a solo project first. Rumors continue to make their way online that he might be the subject of a Marvel Studios Disney+ Special Presentation. Or he could get his own big-screen solo project at last. But he should definitely show up soon. The Silver Surfer remains one of the biggest Marvel Comics characters yet to appear in the MCU. And we’re just throwing this out there, but Keanu Reeves would be perfect in this role.

Nova Could Finally Arrive in the MCU as an Anticipated Cosmic Hero

Marvel Studios keeps teasing plans for Nova, and they still have yet to come to fruition. In the comics, Nova is a human teenager named Richard Rider, who becomes the last member of the intergalactic Nova Corps. A dying member of the planet Xandar’s Nova Corps turned over his uniform to the New York high school student, giving him the powers of a Nova Centurion. Yes, it’s basically DC’s Green Lantern mashed up with Spider-Man, but it works.

There’s actually already a perfect setup for this cosmic character in the MCU because we met the Nova Corps in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. And we know Thanos destroyed Xandar right before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. The table is perfectly set for Nova to arrive on the scene. In fact, they almost included his origin in Endgame. Of all the cosmic heroes yet to turn up in the MCU, Nova is one of the characters it seems fans want to see the most, behind only the Silver Surfer.

The Imperial Guard Could Appear in Live-Action

One of Marvel Comics’ biggest interstellar empires is the Shi’ar. The avian-humanoid race lords over thousands of worlds across the galaxy and are ruled by the Empress Lilandra… Who occasionally dates X-Men founder Charles Xavier. But the Shi’ar were protected by the Imperial Guard, a mini-army of characters who showcase different powers. And who were based not-so-loosely on DC’s Legion of Super-Heroes. The most famous Imperial Guardsman is Gladiator, a mix of Superman and, well, a Roman gladiator (hence the name). We’re not sure these cosmic heroes are meant to carry their own movie or series, but they should appear somewhere in the MCU.

The Phoenix Force Is a Cosmic Entity Worthy of an MCU Adaptation

You’re probably thinking, “Didn’t we do the Phoenix in not one, but two X-Men movies? That were not all that great?” Well, technically, yes, we did. But the X-Men movies chose to translate Jean Grey’s Phoenix identity as a result of her mutation alone. Dark Phoenix hinted at something more cosmic, but just barely. But in the pages of Marvel Comics, the Phoenix Force is a cosmic entity that can swallow suns and destroy worlds. It would be cool to see that version in the MCU—long before the entity connects with a young mutant girl named Jean Grey.

Quasar Should Fight Marvel Space Baddies

Quasar is one of Marvel’s most prominent cosmic heroes, and he’d fit right into the MCU. Quasar was an Avenger for many years and headlined their own ongoing series for 60 issues in the ‘90s. Wendell Vaughn was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who was studying the Quantum Bands, alien bracelets of incredible power. Think Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet, only shaped like Wonder Woman’s bracers. When he put them on, he became Quasar, Protector of the Universe.

There were reports that the hero Quasar was going to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and that turned out to be false. Then we heard Quasar would pop up in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3. Phyla-Vell, who once went by the name Quasar in the comics, did appear. But she wasn’t Quasar yet. So there is still room for the original Protector of the Universe to appear somewhere in the MCU. Perhaps as a future Avenger? But what we really want is to see him out in space fighting alien baddies.

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At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, James Gunn presents us with a new Guardians of the Galaxy team, led by Rocket Raccoon. Among the new team members is one of the white-haired children rescued from the clutches of the High Evolutionary. Her name is Phyla, and she has an energy band around her wrist. This new teammate is Phyla-Vell, one of the most prominent members of the Guardians of the Galaxy from the comics. Specifically, Phyla-Vell hails from the era of Guardians of the Galaxy comics that the MCU team was based on. In the movie, Phyla-Vell is played by child actress Kai Zen. But who is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s Phyla-Vell, and what are this cosmic hero’s ties to some of the most famous spacefaring heroes in Marvel Comics?

Phyla-Vell Is the Daughter of the Original Captain Marvel and an Eternal

In Marvel Comics, Phyla-Vell’s story actually began with her brother, Genis. Genis-Vell was the son of Elysius, an Eternal from Titan, and lover to the late Kree hero Mar-Vell, the first Captain Marvel. After Mar-Vell died from cancer, Elysius took some of his genetic material and impregnated herself with it. She bore a son, Genis-Vell, who became a Captain Marvel himself after he was “grown” to adulthood. This is after Monica Rambeau’s time as Captain Marvel but before Carol Danvers took on the mantle as the current Captain in the Marvel Comics timeline.

Phyla-Vell’s Marvel Origin Story, Powers, and Abilities

Phyla-Vell’s origin story is a complex one, like many Marvel Comics creations. A being of great power, at one point, Genis-Vell lost his mind due to his vast cosmic awareness and recreated a new universe. In this new reality, Elysius created yet another child from Mar-Vell’s DNA. And thus, a new Marvel character was born: Phyla-Vell. Like her brother and father, Phyla-Vell’s powers included superhuman strength, flight, durability, speed, agility, and enhanced reflexes. She could absorb energy and project incredible bursts of power. Similarly to her brother, Elysius grew Phyla-Vell into adulthood with implanted memories of a childhood on Titan.

Marvel Comics’ Fourth Captain Marvel

During the time her brother Genis-Vell lost his marbles, Phyla-Vell claimed the title Captain Marvel for herself. This stint as Marvel Comics’ Captain Marvel did not last too long, as her brother returned to sanity and took his name back rather promptly. Phyla-Vell floated around the cosmic side of the Marvel universe for some time, forming a romantic relationship with the former Avenger named Moondragon. She would eventually become the love of her life, and the two married. When Moondragon died, Phyla-Vell literally went to Hell and back to return her to the land of the living. Phyla-Vell and Moondragon remain one of Marvel’s most iconic LGBTQ+ couples, and we hope to see this duo arrive in the MCU.

Phyla-Vell Joins the Guardians of the Galaxy as the New Quasar

A few years later, the epic Marvel cosmic crossover event Annihilation would give this character a whole new life. One that would lead Phyla-Vell to join Marvel Comics’ Guardians of the Galaxy. Annihilation focused on a deadly energy wave reaching across the universe, begun by the Lord of the Negative Zone, Annihilus. The Earth-born hero Quasar, who gained his status as “Protector of the Universe” from the power of his Quantum Bands, lost them during the event. Phyla-Vell managed to steal the bands from Annihilus and became the new Quasar.

After several adventures, Phyla-Vell became a founding member of the modern version of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in the comics. She joined along with familiar characters like Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot. She later returned the Quantum Bands to their original owner Wendell Vaughn, losing the Quasar name. After that, Phyla died in battle but managed to return from the realm of Oblivion changed, becoming the avatar of that dark reality. She was now known as Martyr. Years later, this version Phyla-Vell died too, later replaced by a counterpart from a parallel timeline.

The Formidable Weapons of Phyla-Vell

With the addition of the Quantum Bands to her arsenal, Phyla-Vell’s powers were doubled. The Bands gave her even more incredible energy manipulation powers. With the bands, she could absorb and transform energy on a cosmic level. It also gave her the power to make solid energy constructs and forcefields, allowing for interstellar travel without the need for a spaceship. The Quantum Bands also provided protection from telepathic attacks. With the Bands, Phyla-Vell could create a Quantum Sword, a weapon unique to her. As mentioned, after losing the Quantum Bands, Phyla became the Avatar of Oblivion, and the Quantum Sword became the Oblivion Sword.

Phyla-Vell in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

In the MCU, Phyla-Vell has totally different origins than her comic book counterpart. She shares her white hair, but this Phyla-Vell is still a young child. She was one of the many children who were the experiments of the High Evolutionary to create a perfect lifeform in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Phyla-Vell does not appear to have any connections to Mar-Vell, who in the MCU was a woman (played by Annette Benning in Captain Marvel). Although, that’s just an assumption. For all we know, the High Evolutionary used Mar-Vell’s DNA to create Phyla and all of the other children. We’ll have to wait and see if Phyla-Vell shows up again in the MCU after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. And hopefully, we can learn more about her true nature and origins.

The post Who Is GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3’s Phyla-Vell? Her Marvel Comics History, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

Fifteen years ago this week, the Marvel Cinematic Universe launched with the arrival of Iron Man in theaters. A decade and a half later, the MCU is the biggest live-action movie and TV franchise in history. Its success, as well as the success of the earlier non-MCU Marvel-based films like X-Men and Spider-Man, took many in Hollywood by total surprise. It took years to get Iron Man and the rest to go from comic to screen, and studio after studio passed on what now seem like no-brainer ideas. But the groundwork for a successful media of shared Marvel heroes happened nearly two decades before Tony Stark said the words “I am Iron Man.” And it all happened on Saturday morning and weekday afternoon TV with ’90s Marvel cartoons.

The Fox Kids Marvel Revolution

Of course, it all really began with the comics. In the ‘80s and early ‘90s, Marvel Comics was the king of comic book publishers. For much of that decade, Marvel’s two biggest sellers were consistently Uncanny X-Men and The Amazing Spider-Man. These titles were so huge, that in 1990 and 1991, Marvel relaunched both Spider-Man and X-Men with new #1 issues, which collectively sold 10 million copies. So one would think this success would lead to animated shows. Well, not so fast there.

Regardless of this runaway comic book success, it was a battle for X-Men to make it to air. Margaret Loesch, a veteran TV executive, saw X-Men’s hit potential with kids. But not one executive at Fox believed in it. They just didn’t get it, thinking comics were too confusing and esoteric to translate to children’s TV. Eventually, Loesch staked her reputation on X-Men being a hit, and the network reluctantly agreed. They told her if X-Men didn’t click, it would be the end of her tenure at Fox. Not only did it click, but X-Men also helped push Fox Kids from fourth place in the ratings to first place almost instantly.

X-Men Launches the MAU: Marvel Animated Universe

X-Men: The Animated Series premiered on Halloween in 1992 as an instant smash. The characters became household names. X-Men sold everything from action figures to pizza. Fox wanted more Marvel, and two years later, Spider-Man debuted on weekday afternoons. And from that very first episode, Spidey let viewers know that he existed in a larger universe. He name-dropped the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. By season two, he met his Fox Kids compatriots the X-Men in a two-part episode event. Even though an entirely different animation studio produced Spider-Man, the voice actors from X-Men reprised their roles, cementing the notion of a unified continuity between both shows. But that was just the beginning.

We should note that the 1994 Spider-Man was not the first Spidey show to feature the X-Men and other Marvel heroes. The 1981-1984 cartoon series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends had Peter Parker partner with two former X-Men, Iceman and Firestar. And the X-Men guest starred several times, marking their first animated appearance. But Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends didn’t lead to any spinoffs, despite Marvel Entertainment hoping to create an X-Men show. But now, back to the ‘90s.

Iron Man and the Fantastic Four Expand the Universe

With the success of the two Fox Kids Marvel shows, Marvel Entertainment wanted more. When Fox passed on Iron Man and Fantastic Four, they went the syndicated route for these two shows. The fall of 1994 saw the premiere of the Marvel Action Hour, featuring Iron Man and Fantastic Four. Stan Lee himself was the host. The first seasons were not particularly well received, but the two shows still got second seasons, slightly revamped to reflect the tone of X-Men. An Incredible Hulk series and a Silver Surfer show followed them, although the Silver Surfer’s only lasted one season. The Hulk’s show in particular had ties to the MAU, as Robert Hays once again voiced Iron Man.

While the other Marvel cartoons weren’t as huge as the two heavy hitters of X-Men and Spider-Man, they all tied into one continuity. Both Iron Man and the Fantastic Four appeared on Spider-Man after their shows ended, in the epic 1997 Secret Wars event, and the original voice actors returned to reprise their roles. This settled any dispute of whether or not Iron Man and Fantastic Four were of a single continuity with the Fox Kids Marvel shows. Despite minor continuity issues here and there, this connected universe basically worked across all these series. However, by the time Avengers: United They Stand and Spider-Man Unlimited came out in 1999, the MAU fizzled out. But at its peak, it proved an interconnected Marvel universe could work outside the niche comics audience.

’90s Marvel Kids Become 2010’s MCU Adults

The wild popularity of Iron Man shocked Hollywood executives when it hit theaters in 2008. It was the same when X-Men exploded in 2000. There was no general awareness that an audience this big existed for characters studio heads likely considered B-list. They were equally flabbergasted when the first Avengers made box office history. But they shouldn’t have been; the kids who watched the interconnected Marvel cartoons of the ‘90s had become adults. They were ready for live-action versions of the universe they watched on TV with their bowl of cereal. Warner Bros. later did an interconnected DC animated universe of their own with Justice League (and they did it with higher quality). But Marvel beat them to the punch. Without a doubt, the MCU ultimately did this interconnected Marvel universe better too. But the often crudely animated ‘90s Marvel cartoons all walked so the MCU could run.

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The Guardians of the Galaxy are now world-famous outer space superheroes, known across the globe as one of Marvel’s biggest brand names. But it was a long and slow climb to iconic status for this particular cosmic team of misfit heroes. In fact, it took them nearly 50 years. This is how Guardians of the Galaxy went from an obscure Marvel property into a mainstay of both the comic book and live-action Marvel universes.

The Original Guardians, Heroes of the Future

Created by legendary editor Roy Thomas, Doom Patrol co-creator Arnold Drake, and Daredevil artist Gene Colan, the Guardians of the Galaxy first appeared in early 1969, in the 18th issue of Marvel Super-Heroes. Their first adventure took place in the 31st century, where an astronaut from the 20th century, Major Vance Astro, traveled a thousand years into the future. There, he teamed up with the sole survivor of the planet Jupiter, a hulking soldier named Charlie-27. They were joined by the crystalline Martinex from Pluto, and Yondu Udonta from Centauri-IV. Together, they attempted to save Earth’s solar system from the alien Badoon empire.

This one-off special issue introduction to the team might have been the beginning and the end for them, as they did not appear again in a Marvel comic for another five years. Then, in 1974, writer Steve Gerber decided that time-traveling Guardians should journey to the past, where they could meet up with contemporary Marvel heroes. In that story, they teamed up with the Thing, the Defenders, and Captain America. Gerber also added new members like Starhawk, and later Nikki from Mercury, to the roster. Readers seemed to like them, and it was decided by Marvel editorial to give them their own comic series. During this time, it was revealed that their future was an alternate reality, Earth-691.

The Guardians of the Galaxy: Honorary Avengers

Starting in 1975’s Marvel Premiere #3, the Guardians took over the title. They were now a spacefaring team of adventurers, and artist Dave Cockrum, who that very year designed the second generation X-Men, gave them new looks. Unlike the X-Men however, this alone wasn’t enough to make Guardians of the Galaxy a hit title. After just ten issues, their run was canceled. However, they made an extended appearance in Avengers for a year in 1978, where they were honorary members of the team. After that, the Guardians essentially vanished for the next decade until a popular show about the Final Frontier inspired Marvel to revive them.

Star Trek: TNG Saves the Guardians from Obscurity

In 1989, with Star Trek: The Next Generation becoming very popular on TV, Marvel decided to start a “spacefaring group in the future” book of their own. They dusted off the ‘70s team a third time, and hired writer/artist Jim Valentino to start a new Guardians ongoing title. The first issue came out in 1990. This time, the title was more well-received by fans, and lasted 62 issues until 1995. However, Valentino left a couple of years in to form Image Comics with other ex-Marvel creators. Once again, the Guardians were put on the shelf with few appearances. They seemed otherwise forgotten until 2008, when the team as we know them today began. But before we get to the modern version, we once again have got to go back to the 1970s Marvel bullpen.

Modern Guardians: the Children of ’70s Cosmic Marvel

Back in the early ‘70s, writer/artist Jim Starlin started to really flesh out the cosmic side of Marvel. First, he introduced characters like Thanos and Drax the Destroyer in Iron Man. Later, he redefined Adam Warlock, and created Gamora. At around the same time, writer Steve Englehart created Mantis in the pages of Avengers. Star-Lord was introduced for a brief run in Marvel Preview in 1976, more or less disappearing from comic book store shelves for over two decades. But these cosmic characters from the Disco era would form the foundation of a new Guardians team in the 2000s.

In the early 2000s, a new version of Star-Lord appeared in 2004’s Thanos series. Writer Keith Giffen, famous for DC’s Justice League International among many others, revamped him for the modern era. During this time, Giffen gave Drax a makeover into something that is far more recognizable to MCU fans today. Although that series ran fairly briefly, it resulted in renewed interest in Marvel’s cosmic line of heroes. This ultimately led to the event series Annihilation, which proved to be extremely popular. So popular in fact, it got a sequel, Annihilation: Conquest. Out of that event, writing partners Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning decided to introduce a new group of freedom fighters fighting off against a cosmic version of Ultron.

Guardians 2008: The Blueprint for the MCU Team

Abnett and Lanning decided to bring these ragtag space adventurers together into a new team. And to give this new team a designation? Well…there was a perfectly good name for a cosmic team just lying around: the Guardians of the Galaxy. Instead of operating in the future, they patrolled the spaceways in the present time, and in the 616 universe.  Among them were Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Mantis, and two other long-forgotten Marvel characters: Groot and Rocket Raccoon. Also on the initial team were Adam Warlock, Phylla-Vell (Quasar), and Cosmo the space dog. They worked out of Knowhere, the decapitated head of a long-dead celestial. All of these elements, Minus Adam Warlock and Quasar, of course, would form the backbone of the first Guardians movie.

The Guardians title by Abnett and Lanning ended after 25 issues and two years total. However, it was very critically well received. It inspired screenwriter Nicole Perlman to take a crack at the property in a script for Marvel Studios, which then only had two Iron Man movies to their name. Eventually, that script made it to James Gunn, and the rest is history. From that very first Guardians comic back in 1969, only Yondu made it into that first film. But without it, we wouldn’t have the intergalactic a-holes we all love so much today. Because of the mega success of the films, Marvel has had a Guardians of the Galaxy comic running ever since. It took some time, but Guardians eventually became an A-list Marvel team like the Avengers and the X-Men. Sometimes, the fourth time’s the charm.

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It’s often seemed like the impossible dream for comic book movie fans. An honest to goodness cinematic Marvel/DC crossover event. While it may currently seem like a pipe dream, in a recent interview former Marvel creative and current DC Studios head honcho James Gunn admitted “I’d be lying to say we haven’t discussed it.” Yes, it would be years away. But it’s now at least something we can speculate about it. But what would our dream big-screen MCU/DCU projects even be? These are the ones that would be comic book movie nirvana for us.

Side note: We’re only talking about characters and not the current actors portraying them here. Simply because by the time this happens, if it ever even happens, who the heck knows who will be playing any of these roles. We’ll probably be on our fifth live-action Spider-Man and our hundredth live-action Batman by that point.

Justice League/Avengers

If we could only have one come true, it would be this one. The one that would blow the barn doors off of movie theaters, the Justice League vs. the Avengers. In the comics, this series was literally 20 years in the making. Because the two most iconic teams in their respective universes had to be a bigger-than-life experience and worth the reader’s money. And it was. JLA/Avengers gave us everything; billionaire playboy heroes Iron Man and Batman butting heads, and expert hand-to-hand fighters Captain America and Batman testing each other’s mettle. The God Thor vs. the Goddess Wonder Woman. Hawkeye and Black Widow vs Green Arrow and Black Canary.

The 2004 comic book event series, drawn by the legendary George Perez, was ultimately worth the long wait. And we hope any movie version would be the same. We’re not sure who they would fight, however. It would have to be a villain so big, it takes the biggest powerhouses in two universes to stop them. Maybe they literally take on the Gods of Olympus or something? All we know is that if we don’t get an image of Superman using Thor’s hammer and Cap’s shield to make one last stand against the bad guys, we will demand our money back.

X-Men/Teen Titans

We don’t know what form either the live-action X-Men or the Teen Titans will take in their respective cinematic universes, once they inevitably show up. But we know that sooner or later, both super teams of angsty young heroes will be a part of the action in the DCU and MCU. In the comics, the best Marvel/DC crossover event was easily 1982’s Uncanny X-Men/New Teen Titans. Not only did it feature both team lineups in arguably their most iconic versions, but they fought off Dark Phoenix and Darkseid together. It was the definition of epic in the comics, and would make for one of the most epic comic book movies of all time.

Batman/Spider-Man

On the surface, Batman and Spidey don’t have a ton in common. One has no powers, one does. One lives modestly in Queens, the other in opulence in Gotham City. One barely cracks a smile, the other one cracks jokes constantly. But both heroes were forged in pain and loss. Neither would be who they are if not forged in tragedy, and lost a parental figure (or in Bruce’s case, his actual parents). Because of that loss, their fight will never end. This one thing would form a strong bond between them. Plus, it would be fun to see Batman constantly annoyed at Spider-Man’s constant quipping. Our dream villain team up for this movie? Well, it’s gotta be Joker and the Green Goblin, right? So much villainous cackling, it might be overwhelming.

Batman/Daredevil

Another Batman team-up, and one we wouldn’t see in any Justice League/Avengers crossover. Simply because Matt Murdock isn’t traditionally an Avenger. But both heroes are the kind who prowl their cities at night, stalking criminals and striking terror into their hearts. And they both love to brood. It’s just a natural fit for a crossover. Marvel’s Man Without Fear has actual powers, and DC’s Dark Knight doesn’t, but we’re not sure he’d win in a fight against the Batman. Even if they don’t battle, these two together, fighting mad mob bosses and taking on ninja hordes, would be the moodiest superhero movie ever. But we’d be there on day one.

Superman/Captain America

Although we imagine a Superman/Captain America meeting would happen in some sort of Justice League/Avengers crossover film, we still want something with just the two of them. Because these two are their respective universe’s idealistic boy scouts, whose unwavering morality defines them. Plus, we want a time travel story where the Man of Steel travels back in time to World War II, where he helps Steve Rogers punch some Nazis. Think of how culturally therapeutic a movie like that could be. Hey, maybe the movie ends with them merging into one being, “Super Soldier.” That’s a thing that actually happened once in the ’90s.

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How tall, or short, are your favorite MCU characters? Well, in most cases, we know how tall the actors are and that’s helpful sometimes. But other times it simply doesn’t give us an accurate guide of the actual size of their Marvel characters. For example, Iron Man is considerably taller than Tony Stark, thanks to those iron lifts in his boots. Also, when it comes CGI creations like the Hulk, or Thanos, the actor’s heights aren’t an accurate representation of how massive the characters are. Thankfully, the Global Data YouTube channel has got answers for us. They’ve created a Marvel character size comparison video, which shows us the heights of some of the most famous MCU heroes, from tiniest to largest. You can watch the full video right here:

As one would expect, Ant-Man is the tiniest Marvel character. However, we were a little surprised to see some characters turning out to be so short. Valkyrie feels like she’s approaching six feet on screen, but she’s only 5’4. Even Throg, the Thor frog from Loki, got included in this size chart. (What, no Alligator Loki??) Apparently, the size comparison video includes the entire Marvel Cinematic Multiverse, because characters like Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man were included along Tom Holland’s Spidey. There’s also Deadpool and even Venom in the mix. But we don’t get to see Wolverine. Maybe when Deadpool 3 comes out, they’ll update the video.

As great as this video is, there’s some stuff that is a bit confusing for us. For starters, this is a size chart for the MCU versions of the characters, not the Marvel Comics. So how did Galactus get on here? After all, he’s only appeared in a Fantastic Four sequel back in 2007. Even if you were to “multiverse him in,” the Galactus in that movie was a giant space cloud.

Speaking of Galactus, why does he have two entries with two different heights? The first has him at 28’9 feet, which seems small. The final one shows him bigger than the Earth itself! When the Fantastic Four arrive in the MCU, they’re going to need to do some explaining and maybe some updating. Still, it is a very cool project that gives us a better idea of how big (or tiny) our Marvel faves are in comparison to each other.

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One of the most well-known Avengers foes is about to arrive in live-action. It’s been announced via TV Line that Fear the Walking Dead actor Demetrius Grosse has been cast in the Wonder Man series as Eric Williams, also known as the Grim Reaper. Although the Grim Reaper is not quite on the Thanos/Ultron level, he’s been a thorn in the side of the Avengers for decades, often cited as one of their most persistent enemies. He first appeared in Avengers #52, back in 1968, created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema. Here’s the skinny on Wonder Man’s twisted brother and his Marvel Comics history.

Wonder Man’s Twisted Sibling

Eric Williams was born into the wealthy Williams family of New Jersey, which ran the company Williams Innovations. While his younger brother Simon was the favored son, Eric was always the troublemaker. While experimenting with chemicals once in the garage, Eric wound up burning down the family home. Simon felt responsible for his brother’s bad behavior but never could get his criminal tendencies under control. As they grew older, Simon took over Williams Innovations, while Eric moved to Las Vegas and joined the Maggia, the Marvel universe version of the mafia.

Simon Williams’ time as CEO of the family company was short-lived, as he ultimately ran the business into the ground. He blamed competition from Stark Industries, and Tony Stark specifically, for his ruin. He agreed to become a test subject for superpowered experiments by Baron Zemo, who have him ionic powers. With these powers, he took on the identity of Wonder Man, with the intention of infiltrating Stark’s Avengers, and destroying them from within. But he had a change of heart, and ultimately died on the side of his new team.

Becoming the Grim Reaper

His brother Eric, however, blamed the Avengers for Simon’s death. Thanks to his Maggia connections, he had the criminal scientist known as the Tinkerer create a scythe weapon for him to take the place of an amputated hand. The scythe could project energy blasts, and spin at high speeds, becoming a deadly buzz saw. It could also induce death-like comas, thanks to a cerebral frequency generator. Taking the name the Grim Reaper, and wearing a very goofy helmet, he fought the Avengers in the name of vengeance for his dead brother. However, they ultimately defeated him, thanks to the Black Panther’s intervention.

Later, the Grim Reaper formed a supervillain team known as the Lethal Legion, and attacked the Avengers several times over the years. He eventually allied himself with the voodoo master Black Talon, who resurrected his brother Wonder Man as a zombie. Eventually, Wonder Man came back to life for real as a result, and much to Eric’s disappointment, his brother sided with the Avengers against him. The Grim Reaper now had deep animosity towards the Avengers and his brother. During one confrontation with the Avengers, he died in a fall from a cave ledge. But death was just the beginning for the Grim Reaper, as one would imagine might be the case with a name like that.

An Endless Cycle of Death and Resurrection

Eventually, the mutant Nekra resurrected Eric Williams, subsequently turning him into a zombie who did her bidding. This was the start of a pattern of the Grim Reaper dying and coming back to life over and over again. This continued in Avengers stories for years and years. With each supernatural resurrection, the Reaper gained new and more deadly powers. Eventually, he could reanimate the dead and make them do his bidding. He also gained teleportation powers, the ability to summon demons, and the power to create illusions. The techno-scythe he once had was replaced by a mystical one that could absorb life energy from his victims.

The Grim Reaper has fought the Avengers and died several times. He has a special hatred for his brother Simon and the android Vision. This was due to the fact that the Vision shares Simon’s brain patterns, and the two considered themselves brothers. Feeling replaced in Simon’s life with the android Avenger resulted in the Grim Reaper losing his mental faculties more and more. One of his last deaths was at the hands of the X-Man Rogue. He was then resurrected yet again, this time becoming one of Apocalypse’s Four Horseman. And yes, it was, of course, as the Horseman known as Death. Given his knack for never staying dead, he’ll likely continue plaguing the Avengers, and especially his brother Wonder Man, for the rest of eternity.

The Grim Reaper in the MCU

How will the MCU Grim Reaper differ from his comic book counterpart? So far, it seems all we know is that he’s still Eric Williams, brother of Simon Williams. We also know that the show will focus on Wonder Man as a superhero actor, something that happened much later in his career. Will the Grim Reaper simply be a mortal enemy who uses technology against his brother, or will they go the supernatural and undead route? We’ll find out when Wonder Man debuts on Disney+ in 2024.

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M.O.D.O.K. is a classic Marvel Comics villain, created by the legendary duo of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The memorable-looking bad guy with the ridiculous acronym of a name has been a staple of Marvel stories for over 50 years, and he made his MCU debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. But who or what is M.O.D.O.K, and what does the comic book history of this over-the-top villain have to tell us about his MCU future?

Who Is Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.?

M.O.D.O.K. in Marvel’s Comics

M.O.D.O.K. first appeared in 1967’s Tales of Suspense #93. In his first origin story, M.O.D.O.K. started out as put-upon George Tarleton, a scientist working for Marvel’s criminal organization Advanced Idea Mechanics, or A.I.M. (Think of them as a low-rent Hydra). George’s father, Alvin, created the organization, starting them out as high-tech arms dealers. A.I.M. scientists eventually used advanced mutagenic science to transform Tarleton, who was their guinea pig. Those scientists came to regret this decision.

What Does M.O.D.O.K. Stand For in Marvel’s World?

By upgrading George Tarleton’s brain to inhuman levels, A.I.M created M.O.D.O.C., an acronym for “Mental Organism Designed Only for Computing.” M.O.D.O.C.’s brain was capable of “enhanced intuition, pattern solving, information storage/retrieval, and logical/philosophical structuring.” In short, he was smarter than everyone else on the planet. Thanks to his super brain, Marvel’s M.O.D.O.C. could predict probable outcomes to specific tactical scenarios. It made him a perfect tool for world-conquering.

Once transformed, however, the A.I.M. scientists simply could not control M.O.D.O.C. He slaughtered his creators and took control of A.I.M. for himself. He renamed himself M.O.D.O.K. M.O.D.O.K’s new name replaced the C with a K. It stands for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing.

M.O.D.O.K’s Powers

M.O.D.O.K.’s A.I.M.-created headband allowed him to focus his mental power into powerful and destructive energy beams. Most importantly, M.O.D.O.K has psychic abilities in the Marvel Comics universe, including telepathy and the power to control the minds of others. He can even generate force fields similar to those of the Fantastic Four’s Susan Richards, the Invisible Woman. We must say, M.O.D.O.K. doesn’t live up to his name often in Marvel’s world. For a being designed “only for killing,” he does a lot of speechifying and not all that much killing.

Why Does M.O.D.O.K Look Like That?

So why is M.O.D.O.K’s head so big? M.O.D.O.K.’s giant head was a side effect of the mutation that gave him his powers. Because his brain had grown so large, his human body couldn’t support its own weight any longer. Because of this, M.O.D.O.K. relied on the mechanical exoskeleton/hoverchair named “the Doomsday Chair” to move about. The Doomsday Chair also had several deadly projectile weapons. He might look silly, but he was capable of destroying you with a thought in that chair of his. Once he finished making speeches about it, anyway.

M.O.D.O.K. vs. the Marvel Universe

M.O.D.O.K’s first Marvel conflict was with Captain America, who sought to rescue his girlfriend, Sharon Carter, from A.I.M’s clutches. For many years after, A.I.M. was completely under the control of M.O.D.O.K.

After fighting Captain America, a long animosity between M.O.D.O.K. and the superhero community began. Besides Cap, over the next several decades, M.O.D.O.K fought Iron Man, Namor, Carol Danvers (when she was Ms. Marvel), the Thing, and the X-Men. Almost every Marvel hero crossed paths with M.O.D.O.K. He even fought other villains, like Doctor Doom. In the end, they all humiliated him and sent him packing.

Besides Captain America, however, M.O.D.O.K.’s biggest nemesis was the Hulk. In fact, M.O.D.O.K was part of Marvel Comic’s Intelligentsia, the group that transformed General Thunderbolt Ross into the Red Hulk and Hulk’s wife Betty Ross into the Red She-Hulk. Eventually, they reverted M.O.D.O.K. to his human form of George Tarleton. But an even more dangerous clone of his, called M.O.D.O.K. Superior, continued to make trouble for Marvel’s heroes.

Does M.O.D.O.K. Have a Connection to Galactus?

Well, not exactly. By the 1990s, M.O.D.O.K., thanks to his goofy name and appearance, wound up more as a joke villain than a serious threat. So much so, that the writers at Marvel started to have some fun with him. In 2010’s What If? Iron Man: Demon in Armor, the all-powerful Beyonder transformed him into Galactus’ butt. Yeah, you read that right. He was the mighty Devourer of Worlds’ rear end. Marvel literally made M.O.D.O.K the butt of the joke.

M.O.D.O.K. and Kang

In Marvel’s comics, M.O.D.O.K. and fellow Avengers villain Kang the Conqueror have little shared history. AIM’s objectives were for global domination, while Kang sought to control time itself. However, in a 2017 storyline in Avengers, the team encountered a Kang variant who was also a M.O.D.O.K., from Earth-6311. However, we think in the MCU, M.O.D.O.K. and Kang will have a much greater connection. But we’ll get to that.

M.O.D.O.K: TV Star

Before appearing in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, M.O.D.O.K. made many appearances on animated TV shows over the years. His first popped up in the ‘90s Iron Man cartoon show and then, more recently, M.O.D.O.K appeared in over 10 different Marvel animated series. He even got his own comedic one-season show on Hulu in 2021, which portrayed M.O.D.O.K. as a family man suffering a midlife crisis. Voiced by Patton Oswalt, M.O.D.O.K. was married with two kids, Lou and Melissa.

Melissa looks just like dad, but she’s the most popular girl in school, regardless. Melissa tells everyone that her name is an acronym, too, standing for “Mental Entity Living to Induce Seriously Sinister Anarchy.” However, her dad said he named her after musician Melissa Etheridge. His arch nemesis on the series was Monica Rappaccini, A.I.M.’s Scientist Supreme. She was modeled after a character from the comics, but in the series, she was his workplace rival. After the Hulu show, it seemed they would only use this villain as a joke character. But it looks like Kevin Feige has found a way to introduce M.O.D.O.K to the MCU after all.

M.O.D.O.K Joins the MCU in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

When it comes to his MCU history, M.O.D.O.K almost debuted in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, portrayed by Peter Dinklage, but that didn’t come to pass. M.O.D.O.K. finally made his MCU debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. But he wasn’t really the M.O.D.O.K from the comics. He looked like him, but his identity was different. Instead of George Tarleton, he was actually the villainous Darren Cross from the first Ant-Man movie. Corey Stoll once again played him.

We learned that when Darren shrunk down into the Quantum Realm in the first film, his hand and legs became tiny, leaving him as a giant head. Kang found him and turned him into his “Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing.” He embraced his new life as a weapon. But upon seeing Cassie Lang again, who got through to his better nature, M.O.D.O.K. turned on Kang and died a hero. In his own mind, he even died an Avenger. Although this Avengers status is open for debate. Will we ever see this version of M.O.D.O.K. again? Probably not. But in the multiverse, all things are possible.

Originally published on January 3, 2023.

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Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) came face to face with Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. And the interactions between the size-changing young hero and the mad villain were decidedly not pleasant. But what if we told you that in the comics, the two were, however briefly, a romantic pairing? Yes, this was absolutely a thing that happened, and the MCU could adapt in some form down the line.

Now, before you go calling the police on Kang, the version of Nathaniel Richards that Cassie smooched with was also a teenager. And she didn’t even know the adult Kang at the time. She just thought he was Iron Lad, a teenage version of everyone’s favorite armored Avenger. This brief romance took place in the pages of Young Avengers and could have ramifications for the future of the Multiverse Saga. Here’s the comic book history of the Stature/Iron Lad romance.

How Cassie Lang Became a Young Avenger

During the time that Cassie’s dad Scott Lang/Ant-Man was seemingly dead at the hands of the Scarlet Witch, a despondent Cassie went to live with her mother and stepfather. Forbidden from being a superhero, she ran away from home. She was hoping to join up with the teen team known as the Runaways. But she learned of a Young Avengers team forming in New York, and went where they were instead. She informed them she had been taking Pym Particles for years, and could grow to giant size. She took the name Stature, and was immediately smitten with another Young Avenger named Iron Lad. He was equally smitten with her. She thought he was a young hero, inspired by Tony Stark. But things with Iron Lad were not what they seemed.

Iron Lad was actually a teenage version of Kang the Conqueror, only one from decades before he became a villain. Discovering his terrible future fate as a despot, he went back in time to the 21st century. There, he hoped he could become a hero and not a villain. He used advanced future tech to build a suit of armor and became Iron Lad. But the era he arrived in was one after the events of Avengers Disassembled. The iconic team of heroes as he read about them was effectively no more. So using the then-destroyed body of the android hero Vision, he activated protocols in his memory system to find the next generation of Avengers.

Stature and Iron Lad: Star-Crossed Heroes

Believe it or not, Cassie was not among the heroes in the Vision’s protocols, but the team happily accepted her as a member anyway. Cassie and Iron Lad instantly felt an attraction, and the two shared a kiss on their first adventure. But then the adult Kang arrived from the future, and young Iron Lad learned that he must go back to his future time. If he didn’t fulfill his destiny and become a despotic villain, the Avengers’ past would be irrevocably altered. He bid a tearful goodbye to Cassie, just as the two developed real feelings for one another.

But before he left, he integrated the Vision’s programming with his Iron Lad armor, creating a new “teen” version of the synthezoid Avenger. Since this new android hero had all of Iron Lad’s memories and part of his personality, he fell for Cassie Lang just the same. But ultimately, the whole thing was too awkward for Cassie to deal with, and the potential romance with teen Vision never went anywhere. Ultimately, both Cassie’s flirtation with both Iron Lad and Vision were doomed from the very start.

Will We Get an MCU Version of Cassie and Iron Lad’s Romance?

That’s the comics version of things. One thing the MCU has done differently is that Cassie met Kang the Conqueror as an adult first, something that didn’t happen in the comics. For comics Cassie, evil Kang was an abstract, someone her dad’s team once battled. In the MCU, she experienced his malice firsthand. So if and when she meets the Iron Lad version of Nathaniel Richards, if she doesn’t know his ultimate destiny when they fall for each other, we expect it to have a lot of complications. Hopefully, this will all play out whenever Marvel Studios finally gives us a Young Avengers project. That’s got to be any time now, right?

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Ah, a new phase. Feels good to break off a new one. And with the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Five, we get a lot of things to chew on. We meet Kang and M.O.D.O.K. and spend a lot of time in the quantum realm in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. But arguably the most meat occurs in the final moments and the mid-credits and post-credits scenes. So much to discuss! But in order to do that, we’re going to have to spoil the end of the movie. So if you’d like to wait until you see Quantumania, this is your jumping off point. Everyone else, join me below to learn about Quantumania‘s ending and credits scenes!

Ant-Man the Wasp: Quantumania‘s Ending

The movie, which has all of the members of the Lang/Pym/Van Dyne conglomerate in the Quantum Realm, ends with Scott and Hope defeating Kang the Conqueror by sucking him into his exploding/imploding multiversal engine core. The end of Kang, right? Well, no. As Scott narrates the denouement, a mirror to the movie’s opening, he starts to worry they didn’t actually stop Kang. You see, this Exiled Kang kept saying he wanted revenge on those who exiled him. They, it seems, were even worse than he was.

Scott shrugs it off as the credits roll. But the mid-credits scene shows him exactly why he was right to worry.

Ant-Man the Wasp: Quantumania‘s Mid-Credits Scene

The mid-credits scene shows us something I did not expect to see so soon: the Council of Kangs! That’s right, we know Kang has a million variants but I thought Marvel Studios might hold off on showing them. But no. We first see Rama-Tut, the version of Kang who appeared first in Marvel Comics. He cross paths with the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #19. He speaks with two other Kang variants. The most prominent of these is Immortus, who actually first appeared only two issues after Kang Prime, in Avengers #10.

The third of these is less clear. It’s a bald Jonathan Majors with a silver metal body. It’s possible this is a version of Scarlet Centurion (without the red hue, of course). It could also be the MCU’s take on Kid Immortus or Iron Lad, though that’s much less likely.

At any rate, they talk about how outsiders killed the exile variant. The Avengers have started to touch the multiverse and this is potentially very bad for Kang-kind. Immortus has called all the other Kangs together. We then cut to an arena where Kang upon Kang appears and all seem to holler and carouse together, waiting for the meeting to commence.

This final collage of Kangs hearkens back to the first appearance of the Council of Kangs in Avengers #292. We even see a shouting lizard Kang who appeared in that panel.

Pretty good mid-credits, setting up the entire roster of Kangs… almost.

Ant-Man the Wasp: Quantumania‘s Post-Credits Scene

The post-credits scene finds us in the early 1900s with someone showing off some very futuristic tech to the Victorian crowds. We see it’s Jonathan Majors with a wild hairstyle and facial hair and little round glasses. We also see a banner which says he’s Victor Timely.

Victor Timely was a Kang variant who first appeared in Avengers Forever #9. After a humiliating defeat in the comics, he traveled back in time to the early 20th Century, set himself up as a Thomas Edison-esque inventor and created a business and tech empire.

As Timely speaks, we see Loki and Mobius whispering about how this is the man Loki met and was subsequently warned about. He’s terrifying, Loki says. This lets us know this post-credits scene is actually a scene from Loki season two, a fact that director Peyton Reed has now officially confirmed. Thus, we will not have long to wait for more Kang, in any of his many guises. Season two of Loki will air some time mid-2023.

So many Kangs, so little time!

Originally published on February 16, 2023.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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