All posts tagged: MCU

The Concept of the Soul in Current Nerd Fiction

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Let’s get existential for a bit! One particular thing that has stood out to me lately is the emphasis on the concept of the human soul across “nerd” fiction. My first encounter with the idea came with Jonathan Hickman’s House of X/Power of X miniseries, followed by Ernest Cline’s follow-up Ready Player Two, and most recently the latest installment into the Sword Art Online franchise. I wanted to take a look at the three versions and discuss the science fiction approaches to the idea of the soul. X-Men: In this miniseries we learn that mutants have not only struck a deal with the living island of Krakoa to form a new home for their kind, but have also approached innovative uses of their abilities to basically create immortality. By taking five mutants with powers of healing/regeneration, time acceleration, egg creation, reality warping, and snychronization, mutants have learned to hatch identical physical copies of their bodies. Cerebro, the famous mutant detection machine of Xavier, is now used as a psyche backup system to store the thoughts, …

‘WandaVision’ and the Laws of Magic

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We are just one week away from the FINALE of the WandaVision limited series over on Disney+. Yes, as of right now, the show focusing on Wanda Maximoff and Vision is said to be a ‘one and done.’ Thought it is worth noting that when it comes to Kevin Feige we should never say never, it’s also good practice to not get our hopes up either. Regardless, there is a ton to discuss from this weeks episode and I wanted to focus on the magical elements that have been introduced. Before this episode confirmed the presence of magic in Westfield the only presence of real magic in the MCU was in 2016’s Doctor Strange. Episode eight showed us the history of Agatha Harkniss and IMPORTANT retcons(?) to Wanda Maximoff. The new details have built her up not only as one of the most powerful characters in the MCU but one of the most exciting to follow. 1: It was Wanda all along: Age of Ultron provided the background information to the Maximoff twins; we learned …

The X-Men Vote; Ten Candidates Ranked

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As all fans of Krakoa are aware we recently had the opportunity to vote, from a selection of ten mutants, on which lucky character would make the rank of X-Man on Hickman’s upcoming assembled team. Now, this is exciting for many reasons. First, I don’t think fans have gotten to vote on something comic related since deciding if Jason Todd lived or died? No? Second, the Hickman age of the X-books has been great fun and, if he is to continue to work specifically on the X-Men title, I’m excited to see which mutants he brings together and what story he develops in the new ongoing book. Not all of the options excited me! My salty breakdown will depict such, but there were several contestants that made the final decision tough so let’s get started. 10. Srong Guy: No. 9. Banshee: He’s a character that I feel doesn’t get enough credit, especially considering he was there for the original fight against Krakoa, the battle of the M’kraan crystal, and just a prominent member of the …

Evan Peters’ Character on ‘WandaVision’; Who is he Really?

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WandaVision continues to escalate week to week with episode five being no exception. As always, this is going to be filled with a ton of spoilers so, if you haven’t seen the latest episode, you have been warned! A TON went down this week but the biggest reveal would have to be those final seconds where Evan Peters (Pietro from the Fox X-Men movies) steps through the door and Wanda receives him as her brother. In other words, as Darcy so easily put it, Pietro has been recast! Or has he? Sorry folks, but as much as Twitter has been aflame with the idea that this is the first hint of the anticipated multiverse in the MCU there is no doubt it is not the situation. A: The Rules of Wanda’s Powers: Thanks to Monica and team we have been given a better idea as to how Wanda’s reality warping powers seem to operate in the MCU. Monica’s 70’s attire and the truth of Vision’s corpse serve as our best examples; Wanda cannot create anything …

Twenty-Three Upcoming MCU Projects- No Latino Leads; A Perfect IP to Change That

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Some will roll their eyes, but as a first generation latino here in the United States I am still hoping for the superhero representation I didn’t get as a kid! By now, with the arrival of heroes such as Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Miles Morales I think we understand the importance of seeing ourselves reflected on the screen. To be clear, I am well aware that Miles Morales embodies a Puerto Rican experience but that is just ONE latino experience. We are multiple countries with multiple cultures, different nuances, contradictions, histories, and certainly a variety of personalities. One character alone can not encompass nor satisfy the desire for latino representation which is why more is needed. As we received amazing news today about all the upcoming projects I couldn’t help but notice that out of the TWENTY-THREE there wasn’t one with a latino lead. SO I got to brainstorming for a perfect MCU project; The Power Pack Fairly Unknown: Trolls like to complain when gender bending or race bending characters occurs. In …

Disney Confirms Marvel Multiverse Trilogy

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Alright, let’s dive into some Marvel content! On the Marvel side of Disney Investor Day there were some repetitive elements but also some surprises. Though Spider-Man 3, Doctor Strange 2, and the upcoming WandaVision were all projects we knew were underway, I was delightfully surprised to learn that all three are actually apart of one large story; Alright! Yes, WandaVision will serve as the kick-off that will continue with next year’s Spider-Man sequel; a sequel that every day is growing larger with more multiverse characters. With those character confirmations, whatever the events of the new Disney+ series, it’s clear that the end results will have Wanda lose control and unleash the multiverse upon the MCU. Something very clearly omitted from today’s event was any announcement regarding the X-Men (even in animated format!). We know that Feige has let us know such a film/series shouldn’t be expected until phase five which might explain the omission. For now, we will just have to enjoy this multiverse ride which will certainly play a key role in bringing together …

‘X of Swords’ Chapters 9 and 10

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It’s Wednesday so we have new X of Swords chapters! Unlike previous weeks we are only getting two installments this time around; Excalibur and X-Men issues #13 respetively. Excalibur: Ok, so no secret this is not my favorite book in the lineup; something about mutants and magic that have never mixed with me. I’m aware of the irony as this whole event seems to use magic as its base. However, Hickman and company have done a decent job at laying out their characters and plot so I’ve stuck around! The art in this book was superb! I really took my time going through the pages taking in the beautiful panels as well as the new reveals. Starlight Sword: I was correct! In a previous article breaking down the swords for the Krakoa champions I assumed that the Starlight Sword would go to Betsy Braddock. Out of all the blades this one is a close second next to Skybreaker for me. The design is badass and next to the new Captain Britain uniform it’s just- chef’s …

‘X of Swords’ Chapters 6-8 Review

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Another week so another set of X of Swords chapters. Last week felt more straight forward where this time around we had three unique narrative paths. There’s nothing too big from this bulk so let’s just get into it. Hellions: I wasn’t excited for this book in the slightest, but the writing is on point in this thing; a group of murderous mutants written like an HBO comedy is just- chef’s kiss* In this chapter we got sassy Sinister leading the charge. He presents a strategy to the quiet council to sneak into Arrako and steal the enemy swords before they can get to the tournament; this is obviously not going to work. This is indeed a suicide mission and I don’t see how any of these characters are going to get out alive; at least not all of them. It’s curious as to how Sinister is participating in resurrection protocols but at the same time isn’t? There are mutliple copies of himself hidden in his base and has more than one active at the …

Alan Moore Still Hates Comics; What Are Ya Gonna Do?

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Alan Moore, the man who created Watchmen, V for Vendetta, The Killing Joke, and a truly superb run of Swamp Thing did a recent interview with Deadline where he took the steamiest dump on comics and comic book movies. I am a huge comic fan, but even I have to admit this bloody genius made some pretty interesting arguments and ones worth diving into! “They have blighted cinema, and also blighted culture to a degree” Moore opens with addressing how he hasn’t seen a single comic book movie since the release of the first Tim Burton Batman film back in 1989. He mentions how comicbooks themselves are no longer independent of their film interpretations and they’ve completely ruined the industry. Alright, I don’t disagree totally about the state of film in general. There’s no doubt that comic book movies seem to have completely taken over the medium- when it comes to movie theaters. With raising ticket prices, the addition of streaming, and easy access to media on the internet, the thought of investing in a …

‘X of Swords’ Chapters 3-5

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Hello fellow nerds! It’s another week which means another round of X of Swords chapters! Lucky for us we have three installments this time around; Wolverine #6, X-Force #13, and Marauders #13. As predicted, it seems like the first half of chapters (1-11) will focus on laying the groundwork for this ‘mutant mortal kombat;’ The ten champions of Krakoa need to go out and find their swords and return to the enchanted circle made from Rockslide’s remains. Our story continued this week with a focus on two MVP X-Men- Wolverine and Storm. 1: Solem- Wolverine got himself a two-parter! Starting in his solo title we see him begin his aggressive hunt for the unhinged Muramasa and his soul infused katana blades. The hunt takes our hero to, you guessed it, the infernal pits of hell! Seeing the demonic action, the Hand, and all the supernatural elements didn’t really catch my interest. Again, I love magic within fiction but it’s not my main pull when it comes to the X-Men. However, the two-part chapters did provide …