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Author: R.J. Bowman
The Avengers 2 Cameos: Who to Expect?
The Avengers 2 Cameos
Even though “The Avengers 2” is still a long way off, there is nothing wrong with speculating about what characters might make cameos in the movie which will be the icing on the Marvel Phase 2 cake. While the comic book company could place any characters from the collective universe in the movie, there are some cameos which would make more sense than others.
The Avengers 2 is coming soon
Expected “The Avengers 2” Cameos
There are certain cameos which should be expected due to the expansion of the Marvel Universe into movies. The Guardians of the Galaxy will have had a movie before “Avengers 2,” so fans should expect at least nods to these characters in the sequel to the third highest-grossing movie of all time. Ant-Man, or Hank Pym might have an appearance since his first movie as Ant-Man will happen the following November. If Marvel’s “S.H.I.E.L.D.” gets off the ground before the movie, some of the case should be expected to be seen or referenced in the movie as well.
Doctor Stephen Strange
Marvel has been talking about a Doctor Strange movie for a few years and it is time for the character to receive the big screen treatment it deserves. Following suit with the Phase 1 movies, it would make sense to have “Doctor Strange” follow the origin of the character. Since the Sorcerer Supreme’s movie is not scheduled before “Avengers 2,” he would probably still be a medical practitioner at the current Phase 2 continuity so he could perform surgery on a character or lend medical expertise in some way.
Black Panther
T’Challa may have a place in the movie slated for May 1, 2015. Marvel has discussed a movie based on the story of the Wakandan leader since the late 1990s. Since he is one of the Avengers, it makes sense to either introduce him during one of the movies about the superhero squad or give him his own movie. His appearance on film would also increase the number of black superheroes in the movies and would give Marvel a slightly wider audience.
Luke Cage and Iron Fist
“Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Ant-Man” prove Marvel and Disney want to create movies around some of the secondary characters to make stars into superstars. Luke Cage was going to be featured in ABC’s “AKA Jessica Jones” but it got shelved. Both character are featured in “Ultimate Spider-Man,” so there is already a media base for the characters.
Ant-Man
With “Ant-Man” being the first movie in the Phase 3 Marvel movies, I would be very surprised if Hank Pym did not make some type of cameo in “The Avengers 2.” In fact, his appearance should be the most expected “The Avengers 2” cameo. Maybe Agent Coulson could consult with him at the end of the movie in a teaser for “Ant-Man.” It is something to wait for.
Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D.: How Important is It?
Marvel’s “S.H.I.E.L.D.” has gained extra interest in the Phase 2 Marvel movies, ABC, and in Nick Fury’s team. As someone who follows the industry, I can see the show backfiring if it is not done correctly. If the show does not live up to expectations, the House of M could come crashing down like a house of cards. It would bring the industry as a whole down with it.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
There is no arguing the fact that the comic book market is in its best upswing in decades. Superhero movies have been among the top movies each year for a long time, “The Walking Dead” is one of the top shows on TV, more people are inside of comic book stores than over the last generation, and people are buying every piece of comic book merchandise they can. If Marvel’s “S.H.I.E.L.D.” appears to have been thrown together, everyone outside of the die-hard fans might see the superhero industry as inundating every market it can.
Joss Wheadon is leading the Marvel “S.H.I.E.L.D.” project, so we can rest assured that the company wants the show to be as impactful as possible. On the plus side, I cannot see Joss delivering a crappy product, but no matter how good a project is there will be detractors. “The Avengers” was a great movie, but I understand how Hawkeye fans were disappointed by the lack of exploration into his character. I can see how some people might have believed the special effects to have been a bit much.
Similar issues could be brought up about Marvel’s “S.H.I.E.L.D.” Remember, Wheadon has to play God with the project and do everything he can to try to make as many people happy as possible. There will be people who will complain that there should not be many superheroes on the show as they could detract from the human S.H.I.E.L.D. team. Other people will complain that there are not enough superheroes and will stop watching the show because of it. Even Wheadon will not be able to please everyone.
The danger comes in the fickleness of the market at the time. If Marvel can correctly predict the fickleness of the market when “S.H.I.E.L.D.” comes out, the show should be successful. If the company cannot predict the machinations, the show is simply screwed. Marvel only has to be successful in predicting the future. No pressure.
If the show fails for some reason, Marvel will be stuck with egg on its face. The secondary market fans who are only interested in the movies would begin to fall to the wayside. The loss, or decrease, of the movie revenue would send the market back over a decade. Nobody wants that for Marvel’s “S.H.I.E.L.D.”
Comic Book Storage: Long Boxes vs. Short Boxes
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When Will The Walking Dead Jump the Shark
“The Walking Dead” is one of the most popular shows on TV. Almost every show which has lasted more than three seasons, though, has jumped the shark at some point. While most fans of the show would argue the jump has not happened yet, there are particular instances which would cause the show to go over the edge.
The Walking Dead
Dream Sequence
If we ever come to a point where it is suggested that the zombie apocalypse is simply a dream Rick is having in the hospital, “The Walking Dead” will have jumped the shark. While it is possible that this could all be a dream, it would tick off every single fan who spent time watching the show or spent money on the comics or collectibles.
Rick or Carl Dies on “The Walking Dead”
Rick and Carl can never die as the father is the reason the son keeps going and the son is the reason why the father presses on. The pair have lost almost everyone they cared about including Lori and the baby. There is no reason to believe Carl would truly be able to make it on his own without Rick and no reason to believe Rick could do it if he did not have anyone left.
An End to the Apocalypse
Many fans probably hope “The Walking Dead” will end with an occurrence which gives hope to an end of the zombie apocalypse or an actual end. The entire series has focused on Rick and Carl’s ability to survive the “End of the World.” The show has also brought the human need to survive to the forefront. It would make more sense to see Rick, Carl, and other survivors moving on to another safe location as the series credits rolled than to know they will be safe forever. A show which constantly reminds us of our own mortality should always continue to do so.
Animal Walkers
While undead animals have a place in stories by Brian Keene, they do not have any place on “The Walking Dead.” The introduction of walker animals would prove the creators of the show had run out of decent hurdles for the cast and were going to toss out any garbage that made it through a board meeting.
What moments do you believe would cause “The Walking Dead” to jump the shark?
The Red Skull: Symbolism and Significance
The Red Skull has been one of my favorite supervillains since I was a child and will continue to be for many years to come. There are many layers of symbolism surrounding the character which few ever think about.
The Red Skull
Hate as Evil
The easiest layer of the Red Skull’s symbolism to dissect would be that he teaches the lesson that hate is inherently evil. As a member of the Nazi party, and the leader of a new Nazi party, the Agent of 1,000 faces reminds us of how the atrocities of Hitler could come again as hate only needs a strong leader to take hold. It is our job to help Captain America and other freedom fighters to search out messengers of hate and bring them to justice.
A Face of Evil
Have you ever wondered why the Red Skull has a red skull? Of course, I know about the comic book reasoning, but there is a bit of symbolism at work here. You get his face when you mix the red of the Nazi’s (which also symbolizes the blood the group spilled) and a scary skull which is meant to cause fear. Americans need a face to fear. It is easier to fight a target we can see, like Osama bin Laden, then a non-physical war on terror. The human brain works through association, and placing a face on fear helps with that association.
Dangers of the Occult
The Red Skull often dealt with forces which should not be toyed with. Often, the supervillain was overcome by his own attempt at dark knowledge instead of being overcome by Cap. While Marvel was probably not pressing us to avoid the occult, they were trying to teach us about learning what we were messing with before it was too late.
Dangers of Technology
Technology has always been another tool at the hate mongrel’s disposal, but dangerous tech has been his downfall as well. A metaphor could be drawn between some of the technological experiments of the Red Skull and nuclear experiments in Iran. The perception is that Iran is exploring new technology to eventually weaponize it, which is the same with any type of tech that the Red Skull attempts to grasp. An attempt to rush projects before they are ready has bitten the Skull in the past and we worry the same will happen with Iran. Sometimes, the real world can mimic art.
Importance of Marvel Secret Wars
Through my years of comic book reading and collecting, the Marvel Secret Wars series continues to have a special place in my heart. Even though Marvel and DC will pop out “universe-changing events” every year, nothing the big two can do can come close to the impact of Secret Wars.
Secret Wars
In the first part of the mid-1980s, DC was making an impact on the toy world with its license with Kenner. Mattel wanted to make a bigger comic book impact outside of He-Man, so the company partnered with Marvel to create new action figures and other toys. Mattel’s focus groups found that boys identified with words such as “war” and “secret” so Secret Wars was born. The goal of the massive crossover which ran from May of 1984 to April of 1985 was to simply sell the toys, but the series had greater impacts on our favorite form of entertainment.
First off, Secret Wars proved fans were interested in seeing massive crossover storylines. While this happened on a small scale before in crossovers between Batman and Superman or The Defenders and The Avengers, but never with a majority of the top characters in one the comic book company’s universes. Secret Wars paved the way for massive crossover series such as House of M, Fear Itself and Avengers vs. X-Men.
After Secret Wars, Spider-Man was regularly seen in his new black costume. This would lead to symbiote storylines and gave us characters such as Venom and Carnage. Also, She Hulk joined the Fantastic Four through the fallout of the first major universe-changing event. Marvel realized they could make waves in a major crossover and continue those waves for months or even years. Instead of the storyline being mostly contained in the issues of the special series, such as with Contest of Champions, Secret Wars was a seed which grew across a dozen titles.
Secret Wars led to Secret Wars II. While many fans were not as happy with the second major universe-changing event to come from Marvel, the publisher was able to start a ball rolling which would show impacts today. In Civil War, there were multiple references to former crossover series such as Avengers Disassembled and House of M.
Before Secret Wars, we might see a reference to something which happened in the past, but these were usually reserved for previously-connected titles or identical titles. If the Hulk was spending time in New Mexico, this would be referenced in The Incredible Hulk, or The Defenders since he was an occasional member of the team. This would not be referenced in Spider-Man on a regular basis. Secret Wars impressed the idea of a shared universe where the actions of one hero or villain could impact dozens of others.
Don’t forget the toys. The next time you find yourself looking through a rack of Marvel Universe toys for Deadpool or Thanos, think about how the first major universe-changing crossover set the stage for the comic book action figure market. Where there used to be a small rack for superhero action figures, now we find entire aisles at major retailers with new lines coming out every years. At conventions, we see multiple retailers who specialize in action figures born of the idea which created Secret Wars.
The modern revolutions which we take for granted today in comics were proven as possible with Secret Wars. The next time you see an issue of the original series, give it the respect it deserves. While it might not be as flashy as a modern issue of the New 52 or Marvel Now, those old issues are more important than what is coming out today.
