Editorial Freak: Are Movies And TV Series' Overusing Fake Out Death?

 

Warning! This Contains Spoilers For: Sherlock (Seasons 2 and 3's finales, specifically), Supernatural (mainly season 9), The Avengers (and to an extent Agents of SHIELD), Thor: The Dark World, Game of Thrones, and Doctor Who)

 

You know, I kinda did...

 So, the last episode of Sherlock season 3 has aired in America, and revealed the next cliffhanger: Moriarty (or as I've started calling him here: "Scottiarty") is alive as well. I kinda suspected it (Moffat kept insisting he was dead a little too much for me). So, I figured this was a perfect time to discuss something of a trend/trope that seems to be cropping up in the movies and TV shows I like: The Fake Out Death.

 Yes, it seems that a lot of shows are using this. They pretend to kill a character (or in some cases, legitimately kill) a character, only to bring them back. And to be honest, it's gotten kind of old.

 I started feeling this when I saw Thor: The Dark World for the first time. As many who saw that know, somewhere around the third act, Loki is apparently impaled through the chest and killed by Skurge. It's sad (legend says you could hear Tumblr collectively go comatose with shock), but then at the end it's revealed Loki has survived being mortally wounded, and has in fact taken Odin's place (literally).

 Now, besides me wanting more explanation as to how Loki survived, I felt a little bored with this sort of thing. It seemed to me like it came up too much in the last two years.

 Two big offenders of this are Doctor Who and Supernatural.

 I read a very interesting post (that I highly recommend), that brings up how Steven Moffat doesn't really "kill" many characters off in Doctor Who, when you think about it. Heck, the most notable example is Rory. Every time he got killed, he seems to come back. When he finally did bite it, it was that he just died years after being time-displaced (long story). Not being killed (presumably).

It's Rory, Amy. It's 33.3% of his shtick.

  Heck, Moffat's undone THE ENTIRE FRIGGIN' GENOCIDE OF THE GALLFREYANS AND THE DALEKS!

 There was also the recent Christmas Special where The Doctor regenerates, but the whole episode The Doctor goes on and on about Eleven being his last regeneration, and that if he dies at the time of the special, it's forever, yadda yadda. Yeeeah, we already knew about Capaldi being the next Doctor. But that's more an issue of false/failed drama than anything else.

 Supernatural does it worse, though. While the show has an infamously high death toll (at this point, it's easier to count the living characters), there has also been quite a bit of characters un-dying. Especially in season nine, where we not only have Cas briefly die in one episode, but the next bloody episode Charlie freaking dies for a few minutes. While it's nice when a beloved character comes back (especially with the dwindling number of reoccurring characters), I think this is also a flaw with the show. It starts getting harder to accept the legitimate deaths when they arise. Seriously, let Death do his job, writers!

Maybe, Death. Maybe...

 I think this is one of the things I like about Game of Thrones: that when they kill a character, they stick with it. There's not even that "I'm a main character/regular" immunity. Nope, sorry, Ned! Being on the poster won't save you now! And don't get me started on the Red Wedding (there's one way to wrap up a subplot). Heck, the one time they had a "revival" it went bad and ultimately led to that character having to die for good. Death is death.

 Now, am I completely against bringing characters back from the dead? No. I can accept some of them.

What? It's not too soon, anymore!

 Let's take one of the most famous "recent" examples: Sherlock's faked suicide at the end of season 2. We knew he was alive at the end of the episode (heck, anyone who'd read "The Final Problem" knew he'd live...) Besides the inevitability of this, I was fine with it because it had weight to it. There was the aftermath for everyone, the suspense of how everyone would react to seeing him again, the mystery of how he did it... It worked to the story's advantage and had repercussions. (Heck, I'm actually looking forward to seeing what they do with Moriarty's return in season 4. The story opportunities...)

 There's also The Avengers, where Coulson "died"...

XD I love this bit from the gag reel...

 That also had weight. It helped motivate the team to get their crap together. But it also had ambiguity. We couldn't be sure that Coulson was coming back. All we had was confirmation that Fury lied about Coulson's trading cards being on his person when Loki impaled him through the chest (yeah, I'm starting to believe people in the MCU can't be killed by impalement...). It also provides an early mystery in his spin-off, Agents of SHIELD. Heck, even when it's revealed how he's alive, there's the ramifications of Fury playing God and Coulson dealing with this reveal.

 My problem with Loki's "death" in Thor: The Dark World was there was little weight, I felt. He died and it was just: "Welp! On to the next thing!" (The same could be said of Frigga's death, but that's another thing). It doesn't leave much impact.

 I guess what I'm saying is: writers, if you're going to kill a character and bring them back, at least let there be ramifications or some degree of weight to it. Or, if not, at least use Fake Out Deaths sparingly. And please, just cool it on them for a while, okay? Okay. We're good.

Marvel May: Loveable Freak Reviews X2: X-Men United

  And, I'm back for more Marvel May. Yesterday, I discussed the first movie in the original X-Men Trilogy, so it's only logical that I talk about the second in that series: X2: X-Men United!

Sadly not pictured: the best X-Man ever...

  Yeah, I know the movie's like 10 years old, but I'd hate to give it away for someone who hasn't seen it. You know the drill...

  In The White House, the president is attacked by a certain teleporting mutant. Naturally, Xavier and Cyclops go to see if Magneto is somehow behind this. But they are captured by Col. William Stryker. Stryker has been controlling mutants using his son Jason's (a mutant with the power to create illusions, not unlike the comics' Mastermind) brain fluid, and plans to eliminate the mutant population once and for all using his son, Professor Xavier, and a version of Cerebro he made himself. He also kidnaps some students from the school. Now the X-Men (including a newly-returned Wolverine), Iceman, Rogue, and Nightcrawler must team up with Mystique and Magneto (who escaped prison in the coolest way EVER!) to save mutantkind. Cool fight scenes, some flaws in logic, and the ultimate sacrifice that anyone who reads the comics knew the outcome of ensues.

  I'm going to get my biggest source of fangirling out of the way: OHMYGOSH NIGHTCRAWLER IS AWESOME!

  I mean, from the minute he appears on screen, he is brilliant! The costume is awesome! The teleporting effect is fantastic! The actor did a good job! And they kept his faith, which is good, since I like that about the character (that and his being the most genuinely good guy on the team. Why did freakin' Marvel have to replace him in-comics with his chaotic AoA counterpart? (sorry I keep complaining, but it still ticks me off...)). Though I thought the whole "Self-mutilation for every sin/angel symbol "cutter-ish scar-toos"" were a little weird. I don't know what the deal was with those. But they looked cool, too. (Maybe I've answered my own question...) It was worth it to see this movie just for him alone. He was so awesome, they never used him again in the movies for fear he'd overshadow the others! (At least, that's what I think... ;) )

  Okay, that's out now...

  Once again, the cast is really good. I loved Magneto and Wolverine, as usual. And, again, Mystique was cool. It's now apparent to me that that is where Nightcrawler got his awesome. (At least, in-comics, where Mystique's his mother. I'm not sure as far as the movies go yet. I mean, they had his dad in-comics in First Class, so maybe...) Stryker was a good villain. Also, I liked this version of Lady Deathstrike. (Mutants are cooler than cyborgs. Just sayin'...) And they worked in a lot of characters as cameos. Especially during the part where Mystique hacks into Stryker's files. I paused the movie to look at the names, and I was pleased to know all but three. Here were the names and who they were:

• Guthrie (2) (Cannonball and Husk)
• Keniucho Harade (Silver Samurai)
• Remy LeBeau (Gambit)
• Garrison Kane (didn't know this guy, had to look him up)
• Artie Maddiks (again, no idea. Looked him up.)
• Jaime Mardrox (Multiple Man)
• Xi'an Coy Mahn (Karma, but I didn't recognize the name...)
• Maximoff (2) (Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch)
• Kevin McTaggart (Proteus)
• Danielle Moonstar

  Okay, that self-ego-stroking's out of the way...

  The story is really awesome. I enjoyed it. Though, I did find some things I had problems with, logic-wise.

   First, there was the whole, "leaving the kids with Colossus" thing for Wolverine. Seriously, he leaves the kids to fend for themselves with only one guy to protect them from trained military officers (who, evidently, can only capture six mostly sleeping kids)? And he eventually takes the three teenagers who could, in theory, fend for themselves better on their own or help the kids? Obviously, Wolverine is only capable of taking care of small groups of teenagers, especially teenage girls. :P

  But the biggest one was probably Jean's sacrifice in the end. Why did she necessarily have to leave the plane to hold back the water long enough for the plane and give the plane the boost it needed? Seriously! It would have been easier to do that in the plane! And she wouldn't have to waste energy saying goodbye through Xavier and keeping Nightcrawler from teleporting her back. Clearly, if she could do all that, I'm sure she could do it from INSIDE THE PLANE! And another thing, how was she keeping Nightcrawler from teleporting? I know The Phoenix is all-powerful, but I don't think she could screw up powers! Seriously, I know it's Jean's lot in life to die and become the Flame Bird of Psycho, but still, that's ridiculous! They never explain it properly!

  But, despite these flaws, it's still a good movie. And they balance it out with clever things like Magneto's escape. That was cool.

  Alright, final thoughts:

• Favorite scenes were Nightcrawler's opening scene, Magneto's escape, Mystique getting into Stryker's base, and various assorted things.
• Mutantism is totally not used for a metaphor for anything, here.../sarcasm
• Did anyone else get a creepy vibe from the Mystique/Nightcrawler conversation? At least Nightcrawler's reaction afterwards? Or was it just me? Seriously, that's his mom in the comics!
• Cyclops still cannot be discreet. Seriously, couldn't they make him some more casual-looking visor/glasses for sneaky stuff? You can't do that cosplaying as the guy from Star Trek: The Next Generation... And listening to Backstreet Boys proves he can't own a motorcycle...
• The Drakes' Cat is the best cat ever. He don't give a crap about any of the weirdness...

  Overall, I really like this movie. Yeah, it has some logic flaws, but the awesome stuff balances it out. It's as good, if not better than, its predecessor...

  Well, next time I do Marvel May reviews, I'll get to the more... infamous of the X-Men movies. X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. And boy, do I have a controversial opinion on the latter...

Marvel May: Loveable Freak Reviews X-Men (2000)

(Blogger's still being rude and won't let me put up a new profile pic. Meanie...)

 Well, to start off Marvel May, I thought I'd begin with one of the earliest Marvel Comics movies to come out that's in my possession: X-Men!

 I love the X-Men! They're one of my favorite superhero teams. Mostly because their series' produced a lot of characters I love/think are cool: Rogue, Psylocke, Gambit, Deadpool, Wolverine, and of course, Nightcrawler to name a few. So I figured I'd start out with that! Does it hold up, 13 years after it came out? We'll see!

 

 Oh, yeah, for those who haven't seen it, there's likely to be

 

  In "the not too distant future" (Next Sunday AD), humankind fears the rising of mutants: superhuman individuals who claim to be the next step in human evolution. We see one of these mutants, a young girl called Rogue, develop her power to syphon people's life force and powers. She runs away in fear of what she could do, and meets the mysterious Wolverine. After a fight with Sabertooth, they end up at Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, a school for mutants and home of the X-Men. They soon end up involved in the conflict between The X-Men and Magneto and The Brotherhood, who believe mutant supremacy is the only way they'll be accepted. Decent special effects, superhero fights, and science I don't fully understand ensues.

  I think they did a good job at casting three of the major roles in this movie. Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Hugh Jackman all do fantastic as Professor X, Magneto, and Wolverine respectively. The others do good, too, but they're the standouts.

 They showed the dark grey morality of Magneto pretty good. I especially like how with Wolverine, they got to show one of the traits that I adore/find amusing about him: that while he's one of the baddest bad boys of the Marvel Universe, he's also kinda a mentor/surrogate father to almost all the teenage mutant girls! In the movies, it's Rogue, but in the comics he's been one to Kitty Pryde, Jubilee, X-23 (technically, by cloning genetics, he IS her dad, biologically), Armor...

  The effects are pretty good for early 2000s, they still hold up. Like Cerebro is cool, and that computer thingy that looks like those little metal needly things you can stick your hand of face into and it keeps the shape. I especially think they had a good time with Magneto's magnetic stuff, which was really good. I also think they had a lot of fun with how much punishment Wolverine can take. And the story's pretty decent, too.

  Though I do have one problem: how the heck does magnetism generate mutating radiation at all? Especially with Magneto's funky device? I don't think magnetism creates that strong of radiation.... I mean, yeah, I'm questioning comic book science, but I still wanna know! (Also, fun fact: Professor Xavier's mutation was the result of radiation. Maybe it's a nod to that...) But, I did like the idea of Magneto turning Senator Kelly into a mutant. It was awesome karma.

  I feel the need to mention it now: I do NOT like the character of Cyclops. Here or otherwise. I just don't. Most of it might be the recent stuff I've heard about the character (that he's basically becoming Magneto 2.0), though to be fair that could be Wolverine fanboys running things and it basically being "make your fanfiction from when you were 12 where Wolverine was a freaking god and Cyclops was a big jerk canon". And there was the fact he left his wife and son when Jean Grey came back to life. And that in-comics he's dating Emma Frost, who I also despise. But I gotta ask: people who've read more X-Men than me, was Cyclops ever cool? Like, back in the early days of the X-Men? I genuinely want to know. Does he have fans? And why?

 Like, one of the things I don't like about movie Cyclops was when he gets onto Wolverine for accidentally stabbing Rogue in his sleep. I'm sorry he was SUFFERING A PTSD-INDUCED DREAM AND ACCIDENTALLY HURT SOMEONE WHO WAS CHECKING ON HIM! Seriously, he didn't know! >:( Sorry for ranting. I just don't like Cyclops. (Why does half the mutant population now have to be connected to him by blood or other relation again?)

  But, I have realized I like Mystique, now. She's pretty cool. Though, I have to wonder, too: how does she make clothes when she shapeshifts? Is it just skin? (Eww....) I can't be the only one who wonders this... (Also, I don't think she can turn into inanimate objects, movie. Sorry...)

Final Thoughts:

• Favorite parts were a lot of Wolverine's lines and all the Ellis Island stuff at the end (I especially liked Wolverine and Cyclops's banter)
• Cyclops you are not cool enough for a motorcycle. Nor can you stealth when you have your BIG FREAKIN' VISOR ON!
• I won't get into continuity errors with Origins or First Class, here. I might get into them if/when I get to them. (Since it's their fault said errors exist...)
• I'm not as well-versed in DC as I am Marvel, but does movie!Toad look a lot like DC's The Creeper?
• Also, Rogue's hoodie jacket and her scarf/V-neck looks kinda remind me of two of her later looks in comics. Which is weird, seeing as those looks weren't around in 2000, I think...
• I forgot to mention, I really like that they didn't kill off Magneto in this movie. It kinda bugs me when they kill off the villains in superhero movies, especially big ones like The Green Goblin in Spider-Man...

  While the story is decent, it's not exactly the best movie I've ever seen. It's still decent, though. The stuff at Ellis Island's probably the best stuff. And it still does clever things. Like the plastic prison for Magneto, the turning Kelly mutie thing I said earlier... It's a movie I don't mind watching again, but it's not on my top movie lists.

  Tomorrow(?), I review the improved-from-the-original sequel, X2: X-Men United! AKA "The one with my beloved Nightcrawler in it!"

A Brief Announcement

Well, it's May! And I'm excited! So many wonderful things: soon I'll be free of my Unbreakable Vow with myself and finish watching/reviewing Elementary, Iron Man 3 is out this month (and Star Trek: Into Darkness [note to self: WATCH THE FIRST MOVIE!]), and my birthday is on the 25th! (Fun fact: not only do I share a birthday with Sir Ian McKellen (awesome!) but it also falls on Towel Day AND Geek Pride Day.)

So, I decided to do something special this month. In addition to wrapping up the Elementary reviews, I'm going to review some of the Marvel movies. At least the ones I own (Netflix Instant View never ceases to amaze me with what it does and doesn't have…). *So that means I'll be covering:
-The X-Men Trilogy
-X-Men Origins: Wolverine (More in-depth than I did last time, anyway...)
And of course...
-The Marvel Cinematic Universe (Iron Man 1&2, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: The First Avenger (again, more in-depth), and The Avengers!

(*I may get some movies besides them, and I might get to review them, too. And, since I'm planning on seeing Iron Man 3 for my birthday, so that may get a review this month, too...)

So, I'm going to start this project this Saturday, hopefully. Hope this goes well! :D

Oh. My. Gosh...

   So, I was a wanderin' 'round the Internets when I stumbled on THIS! The article is a little old, but still...

  Long story short, rumor has it BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH is being considered for a Marvel movie. This is fantastic to me, since I really want this to happen...

 So, I'm hoping that it becomes true. I know that rumors are, well, rumors. But, I'm also hopeful because I've seen pictures of him and Steven Moffat (co-"creator" of Sherlock/head writer for Doctor Who) at Marvel's offices during their publicising of Sherlock series 2 in the US. There's always the possibility someone offered him a role.

  Also, when I scrolled through the article's comments, I was pleased I wasn't alone in my thinking that Benedict = great Doctor Strange. I still want him to play him.

  That is all. I know return you to your regularly scheduled life...

Things I Would Pay And/Or Kill A Man To See: Benedict Cumberbatch In A Marvel Movie

   Okay, here's my new "segment". Where I pretty much talk about stuff I want to see. (*gasp* Just like the title!)

  Okay, so I love Sherlock, no secret there, am I right? And that has made me a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch, the awesome man that plays him. For example, I admit I actually want to see The Hobbit because he's voicing Smaug. And I heard he's going to be in the next Star Trek movie, so I want to see that movie now, too. I'm not ashamed to fess up to that. Benedict's that awesome.

  Now, one thing that I often do with actors I like is try and think of how they could be in my other favorite things. It's hard to do for some people, though. *sigh* Poor Chris Colfer and Jesse McCartney, they have no roles in my hypothetical Marvel movies yet :(. But Benedict is someone I want to see in a Marvel movie, too. It's a little hard to come up with something for him, but I sort of did.

  I want him to play Doctor Strange.

  Here me out, first of all, that movie is on the table for Marvel, so there's a high possibility that can become a reality. I would be interested to see what he would do as the character. Cumberbatch's a good actor. I know that technically Doctor Strange is physically 40, and Cumberbatch does not look 40.  But there's some good make-up artists, and it would be cool to see him (Benedict) with gray hair at the temples. Or it could be younger Strange.

  Plus, think about it: if Benedict were a character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he could run into Iron Man/Tony Stark AKA Robert Downey Jr. And then, we would have TWO SHERLOCKS IN ONE MOVIE! SHERLOCK SQUARED! DOUBLE SHERLOCK, WHAT DOES IT MEAN!? THE UNIVERSE WOULD EXPLODE FROM THE AWESOME! And it'd be worth it...

  So, that's why I would love to see Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange. Who wants to start a campaign for that?

UPDATE: Just remembered, Cumberbatch has these super-cool eyes. I forget the term, but they change color in different conditions (like more lighting). So, he could, with the right lighting, have the green eyes Doctor Strange has. I'm just sayin'...

My Favorite Wolverine And The X-Men Episodes

  So I've been feeling nostalgic and I watched an episode of Wolverine and the X-Men. I LOVED this show. I really wish it had continued to Season 2. They would've had DEADPOOL in Season 2! *sigh* So I decided to write a list of my favorite episodes in no particular order. Here we go!

 -Thieves' Gambit I really liked Gambit in this episode. And I loved his and Wolverine's interactions. Plus, I'm going through a minor Gambit phase right now. I especially loved this line:

Wolverine: You sold out your own kind for some money?
Gambit: No, I sold my kind out for a whole lot of money, there's a distinction...

-X-Calibre Oh, Nightcrawler. How do I love thee? Anyway, this showcased how awesome he is. So how could I NOT put this up?

-Greetings Form Genosha Another Nightcrawler episode. Plus, it's got Scarlet Witch in it! Highlights include the Nightcrawler/Scarlet Witch pairing (which I love), Magneto removing his helmet in an awesome manner, and the AWESOME SCENE where Nightcrawler teleports across the ENTIRE FREAKIN' OCEAN to the X-Mansion. *sigh* Why did they kill you off in the comics, Mr. Wagner? Why?

-Battle Lines Simple: Rogue was awesome this episode. That is all.

-Hunting Grounds YAY! MORE NIGHTCRAWLER AWESOMENESS! YAY! MORE SCARLET WITCH AWESOMENESS! I love how this show also displays Nightcrawler's epicness. And oh yeah, SCARLET WITCH KISSES NIGHTCRAWLER! Granted it's on the cheek, BUT STILL! Have I mentioned I like that relationship and wish it was in the regular continuity?

-Code of Conduct Four words: "I just learned Bushido." I adore Rogue. Because Rogue + Highly Trained Samurai = awesomest Rogue moment ever.

 Well, those were the episodes that I loved the most. Yes, 50% of them involved Nightcrawler. What can I say, he's just epic. Just watch this Marvel: Ultimate Alliance clip.

 ...You're welcome for the awesomeness.

*UPDATE* Oh, yeah. Almost forgot...

-Time Bomb This was an awesome episode. There was the "Toad in MRD Prison" scene, Wolverine wanting everyone to "quit helpin' me!", and there was the cool scene where Iceman makes a giant ice island. And I have to admit, I thought Emma Frost vs. Psylocke was sweet, too. Emma effortlessly kicked Psylocke's butt in their psychic battle, and it was cool. And this is coming from someone who really dislikes Emma and thinks Psylocke's cool (in the comics,Psylocke's a British Psychic Ninja with Psi-Swords!), so that's saying something.  Too bad we won't have a rematch, since the show got cancelled (PLEASE BRING IT BACK, DISNEY!).

...

 Oh, and whole, "Emma Frost got killed off" thing.

--------------------------------------------------------

 Okay, NOW I've listed 'em all.

The 1st Annual Loveable Freak Flag Awards: Nominees *VOTING CLOSED*

   So, I saw the results of The Golden Globes (I couldn't watch them, NBC kept screwing up >:(...), and was displeased by the results. Mostly because 1) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was not nominated (but maybe it wasn't out in time), 2) Superhero movies are NEVER nominated, 3) I rarely know what half the movies up are (It's usually the first I hear of most of the flicks), and 4) Two of the Animated Movie nominees I saw that I felt should have won (Rango and Puss in Boots) did not.

  And the Oscars are more or less the same.

 That's why I've decided to have my OWN awards! Featuring outstanding and entertaining moments and people/characters in movies, TV shows (read, mostly cartoons), and for the heck of it, video games.

 So, without further ado, the nominees for the 1st Annual Loveable Freak Flag Awards!

*Awards may not have all categories due to the creator of the awards not having any ideas for some "typical" award, :(, and some categories have more nominees than others .*

AWESOME PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR

• Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides)
• Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows)
• Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America (Captain America: The First Avenger)
• Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II)

AWESOME ANIMATED MOVIE

• Rango
• Puss in Boots
• Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension

AWESOME TRAILER- FOR MULTIPLE FORMS OF ENTERTAINMENT

• The Avengers
• The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra
• Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance- Jump Fiesta Trailer

FAVORITE TWO DUDE FRIENDSHIP

• Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows)
• Data-Sora and Data-Riku (Kingdom Hearts: Re:Coded)
• Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr/Magneto (X-Men: First Class)
• Captain America and Bucky  (Captain America: The First Avenger)

AWESOME LIVE-ACTION MOVIE

• Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
• X-Men First Class
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes

AWESOME MOMENT

• "Show Tunes With Sai Swords" (Glee) (2:32)
• "Perry Hangs Christmas Ornaments, Epically!" (Phineas and Ferb) (0:57-1:05)
• "Sherlock Rides A Pony" (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) (0:50)
• "Steve Rogers Captures The Flag" (Captain America: First Avenger)

AWESOME CARTOON

• Phineas and Ferb
• Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
• Young Justice

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 Eh, it's all I got so far. So, if anyone wants to vote on any of these, just go into the Comments and place your votes until 3/8/12. If not, then, well, we'll cross that bridge later...

New Worlds For KH3D (And My Suggestions)

 So, I know two of the new worlds in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. One is a Hunchback of Notre Dame world and apparently Pinocchio is getting a new world, too. Oh, and Traverse Town will have two new districts.

 Anyway, I had some ideas for potential Kingdom Hearts Worlds:

- TANGLED WORLD

World Name: Corona

Why: Well, one of the themes in Tangled is following your dreams. And this is DREAM Drop Distance. Eh? Eh?

Story: *NOTE, I'm assuming the story'll be like Birth By Sleep, with Sora doing one part, and Riku doing the other, so that's sort of what I'm doing here* Sora will help Rapunzel and Flynn get to the Kingdom, and Riku will drop in when Flynn gets arrested, help him bust out of the dungeon, and get to Rapunzel's tower.

- MARVEL WORLD

World Name: ... I got nuthin'

Why: 'Cause it's awesome. 'Nuff said, true believers.

Story: ... Again, I got nuthin', Avengers won't be out in time. :(

- PHINEAS AND FERB WORLD

World Name: Danville or Tri-State Area

Why: Awesomeness/Hey, Neku's the first Non-Final Fantasy Square character in KH, why can't Phineas, Ferb, and the Gang be the first non-movie Disney characters to be in KH?

Story: Mini-Game World. Sora helps the boys with what they're gonna do that day (complete with rhythm game for the necessary musical number!), while Riku helps Agent P thwart Doctor Doofenshimrtz!

---

 So, those are my ideas. Anyone got any ideas? Anyone agree/disagree with mine? Let me know in the handy-dandy comment box!

Loveable Freak Talks About The (Comic) News: Avengers Vs. X-Men

  Alright, so I read that there's going to be an upcoming Marvel event: Avengers Vs. X-Men. From what I read, the Phoenix Force is coming back and something will happen that will pit the Avengers against the X-Men. Sweet. So it'll be like a more condensed Civil War? Well, I kind of liked Civil War, so I'll definitely want to find the trade when it comes out and keep up with what's going on.

 It'll be interesting to see where the X-Men who are ALSO Avengers place their loyalties. And there's the interesting news that in the "prequel" to the event, AVENGERS: X-SANCTION, they're resurrecting Cable.

Cable.

CABLE.

....

 OH COME ON! YOU BRING BACK CABLE AND NOT MY BELOVED NIGHTCRAWLER!? COME ON! I REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT FUTURE BOY! EVEN IF HE WAS TIGHT WITH DEADPOOL! IF YOU AREN'T BRINGING BACK THE ELF, WHY ARE YOU BRINGING BACK CYCLOPS'S SON FROM THE FUTURE WHO DIED IN THE EXACT SAME EVENT!? D:<

*ahem* Sorry. Didn't mean to loose it....

Hey, lookitthat!

 Oh, Cable's got a cool giant sword on one of the covers. Epic.

 I do have a fondness for oversized fantasy swords.... (Buster Sword, anyone?)

 Anyway, one other thing is that the creative team said there will be a new host for the Phoenix with "red hair and green eyes". And this one comment on my favorite site for Comic Info (Comicvine.com) made my day and I loved it:

"The writers also implied that the Phoenix Force will be searching for a new host and that this host will have "red hair and green eyes.""
MJ?

          -DXmagma

Well I loved the idea of Mary Jane being The Phoenix (because it's crazy awesome), so of course, I had to draw art of it...

Yay! Insane cosmic entities endowing classic characters with power!

  That is all.

Thanksgiving Thank You Notes

  Happy Thanksgiving, all! I've decided to make some Thank You Notes Jimmy Fallon Style!

*Que Thank You Note Music*

Thank You, Fantastic Four #600 Creative Team,

For bringing Johnny back. 'Nuff said.

Sincerely,

Loveable Freak

Thank You, Kingdom Hearts Character Designers,

For giving Riku a haircut. The boy was getting a little shaggy...

Sincerely,

Loveable Freak

Thank You, Bryke,

For creating The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra. That is going to be awesome.

Sincerely,

Loveable Freak

Thank You, Operation Head Pidgeons,

For existing. Luv ya, mah Tallests and Control Brains! Stay morpore!

Sincerely,

Loveable Freak

Thank You, Phineas and Ferb,

For being a cool cartoon. CRUSH THE SPONGE AT THE KCAs THIS YEAR! (Yes, I keep track of that)

Sincerely,

Loveable Freak

Thank You, Quinton Flynn,

For being awesome.

Sincerely,

Loveable Freak

Thank You, Richard Horvitz,

For ALSO being awesome.

Sincerely,

Loveable Freak

Thank You, Chris Colfer,

For being the greatest real life bishonen ninja EVER!

Sincerely,

Loveable Freak

Thank You, Jesse McCartney,

For being pretty cool for a former teen heartthrob.

Sincerely,

Loveable Freak

Thank You, Jhonen Vasquez,

For helping to make a freak a freak, with that awesome show of yours...

Sincerely,

Loveable Freak

Thank You, Russia,

For being home of my first Non-US viewers.

Sincerely,

Loveable Freak

Thank You, My Family and Friends,

For being wonderful family and friends. I adore all of you.

Sincerely,

Loveable Freak

And...

Thank You, Readers,

For humoring a freak. I appreciate your viewership, even if you rarely comment...

I still appreciate you looking at my blog.

Sincerely,

Loveable Freak

Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your holiday...

I'm So Happy *Fantastic Four Spoilers*

 So, I was looking at the news over at Comic Vine, and I read the MOST GLORIOUS THING EVER!

*Spoilers Begin*

Johnny.

Storm.

AKA.

Human.

Torch.

Is.

Back!

HE'S BAAAAAACK!

  I'm so happy now. I love the Human Torch. He's my favorite Fantastic Four member. Heck, when I first watched the Fantastic Four movie, it was his character that I loved the most, and that got me into comics. So yes, Human Torch is pretty much the reason I started reading comics.

 I know comic death is temporary, but I was kinda sad when I first heard he died. I didn't know WHEN he would come back. Plus, I was thinking, "Why didn't ya just kill Mr. Fantastic? LEAVE THE FUNNY FIRE GUY WHO ONCE WAS VOICED THE AWESOME QUINTON FLYNN ALLLOOOOOOONE!"

 Now all they need to do is revive Nightcrawler (not replace him with a darker and edgier counterpart) and I'll be REALLY happy....

Please?

 So anyway, thank you, Marvel, for bringing back one of my favorites....

Welcome back, old friend.....

Weekend Artwork #14: X-23 Vs. Xion

  So, you know how I like Marvel and Kingdom Hearts? Well, I WAS going to do a fusion picture of X-23 and Xion, but then I decided: "Naw, let's just make a fight scene!" Then the voices in my head cheered, "YES! FIGHT SCENES! SHE SAYS WHAT WE'RE ALL THINKING!" Thus, this is what was born from my brain-meats.

 It's kinda weird the initial similarities between Xion and Laura. Both are (*358/2 SPOILER*) female clones of a male character (Sora and Wolverine, respectively), both have dark hair, both were created by sinister groups. Heck, said groups even have roman numerals in their names!

 Of course, they have their differences, but I'm just pointing out the minor similarities.

 Behold! A crossover fight caused by trigger scents, missions, and few unkind words.....

Yeah, I'm adding this to my list of "Things I Wannna See In A Marvel/KH Crossover"...

 So, that's about it! PS, if anyone realizes why it's appropriate that THIS is this weekend's Weekend Artwork, you'll win.... imaginary cookies. They have imaginary chocolate chips and sparkly, sugary rainbow sprinklessssssss......

  Oh, and I found this, X-23's Marvel Vs Capcom 3 Theme. Battle Music, anyone? ^^

Infamous Movie Reviews: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

  Okay, as promised, I'm doing reviews on movies with "bad reps". Tonight, I'll review X-Men Origins: Wolverine. To be honest, I didn't totally hate the movie. It was entertaining. Lemme break it down:

 WHAT I LIKED

- I admit it, I liked the Wolverine and Sabertooth being brothers twist the movie had. I'm fine with them not being relatives, don't get me wrong. But I thought the two being brothers was a cool idea. I prefer it more then them being father and son (*cough*X-Men Forever*cough*). Sorry, Chris Claremont and X-Men Forever fans, but that's too "Luke I am your father" for my tastes. Sorry. But I gotta give the edge to Fox...

And the edge goes to Fox....

 - I gotta admit, Sabretooth looks pretty fly in this movie.

Heeeeeere's Victor!

 -Say what you would like about the casting of Ryan Reynolds (a "pretty boy") as Deadpool (who's disfigured in the comics), but he played Deadpool pretty darn good! You know, in the 11 minutes he was Deadpool/Wade Wilson...

THE NEUTRAL PARTS:

- The changing of Agent Zero (AKA "Maverick") and Sliverfox. I don't know these characters well, so I hold no loyalties. I'm indifferent.

- The plot holes it has with X-Men: First Class. First Class wasn't out yet, so I'll let that slide. Besides, I've read some nice hand waves people came up with. Besides, I rarely care about plot holes...

- Cyclops and Emma Frost being in here. They really brought nothing to the plot. You could of had the movie without them. There's not much to complain about. At least they weren't annoying.... (Sorry, Anti-Cyclops and Anti-Emma. Though I'll ease up on Cyke a little 'cause he's been voiced by the dude who voices Luxord (yes, that redeems him a little).)

DISLIKED:

-Weapon XI/"Barakapool". WHY!? WHY DID MARVEL LET THAT HAPPEN!? THAT WAS HORRIBLE TO DO TO DEADPOOL! At least RR wasn't playing him at that point. Please, let him do awesome in Deadpool's movie and make us forget that!


OVERALL:

It was an entertaining movie. I liked it. Disliked the "Barakapool" thing, but it was still an entertaining movie.


 That's all I got for now! Click back next time for either The Lightning Thief or The Last Airbender. Or something else.

Are The X-Books Run By Age of Appocolypse Fanboys?

  I'm noticing a lot of things about recent X-Men stuff. One site (*cough* TV Tropes *cough*) mentions how a lot of X-Men writers are total Wolverine fanboys, thus Wolverine gets to be awesome all the time, while Cyclops gets derailed. (And, no, I'm not a Cyclops fan, I'm more of a Wolverine freak myself....). Anyway, being as (while I'm not a regular reader) I try and keep up with comicdom current events. And what I've been reading, the signs are pointing towards the writers loving AoA. Here is my reasoning (with comics for illustration):

1. Nightcrawler of AoA coming over to The Main Universe

  As I stated WAAAAAYYY long ago in September, they recently moved AoA Nightcrawler to the main universe for X-Force. While, yes, I understand Earth-616 Nightcrawler (regular universe) isn't really suited for a "mutant black-ops team that kills when necessary", but did they really need to take someone from another universe? Couldn't they have added someone from the normal universe? I'm just saying.....

In retrospect, he should have used X-Force's telepath, Psylocke..

2. Magnetogue

  So, since Magneto's gone good (WHAT!?) for now, apparently he and Rogue have a little bit of romantic tension. Excuse me a moment...

*runs and screams "Squicky! Squicky!", then throws up my iced coffee beverage*

...'kay, it's all good! Besides that being kind of gross to me, they were married in Age of Apocalypse. They even had a kid. Hmmm...... Isn't that interesting.....

An Alternate Nightcrawler's Opinion

(And yes, I like putting Scarlet Witch and Nightcrawler together after watching Wolverine and the X-Men, and consider Rogue and Nightcrawler brother and sister (since they're adoptive siblings))

3. X-Force Sure Seems To Keep Going Back To Apocalypse

 So, besides adding Kurt "Darkholme", X-Force seems to go back to Apocalypse quite a bit. Their first mission? Kill resurrected Apocalypse. Second, it's mentioned Apocalypse is still alive. Third? They go to the freakin' AoA reality! Seriously.....

EVEN THE NEW GUY IS TIRED OF THE AGE OF APOCALYPSE! 

-----

 So, it can't be a coincidence. I mean, either A) This is their love of AoA bleeding through, or B) they have some "big master plan involving AoA". Yeah, I'm going with A, and them claiming that it's B.

 But, I guess there's some bright sides. If Jean Grey comes back, there's a chance she and Wolverine get together, like in Age of Apocalypse....

 Anyone who's reading the newer X-Books regularly want to weigh in?

LOL! Old X-Men.....

  So, on Netflix, Ima watchin' ye olde schoole X-Men series from the 90's. It's kinda funny to watch from a modern-day view. I saw this show as a kid and I... didn't really remember much about it honestly, only "snippets" in my head. But I do remember Lil' Freak thought Jubilee was AWESOME! Now, I think the show's unintentionally funny.

 Like, for example, OVERLY-DRAMATIC STORM!!!!!!

 And then there's Wolverine's voice. OH LORD ALMIGHTY WOLVIE'S VOICE!

Eh... Not a good video example, but, anyway..... Steve Blum will always be my favorite Wolverine, because his isn't as ridiculous (Evolution's Wolvie Voice did not compare when I head it). But at least it's not AUSTRAILIAN WOLVIE FROM THE 80'S!!!!

 Rogue... oh Rogue. I luv ya in a non-creepy way, dahlin', but that accent is not an accent/almost offencive, sugah.

 Also, I found Morph in the one episode I saw him as kinda annoying. It's the laugh. THE LAUGH! OH LORD, THE LAUGH! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOOOOOPPPP!!!!! MAKE THE BAD MUTIE STOP! AND STAY DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  I'm sure the show gets better, but it's the voices and the narminess that makes it silly to me. Not "60's Superfriends" silly, but still hard to take serious.

 But there is one bright side. DEADPOOL CAMEOS!

 Yup, totally makes it all worth it.

 And now, I leave on a question: Okay, so I thought Magneto's helmet made him invulnerable to telepathy. So WHY is it that in this series, he can use telepathy on helmeted-Magneto? Why, oh why, why why, why?

UPDATE: I appoligize to any Morph fans that I used the video that calls him "The crappiest X-Men" in the title. It... was the best example I could find with.... THE LAUGH..........

Aww. Yeah.

 The new trailer for The Avengers is out. IT. IS. EPIC. WATCH!

 I. Cannot. Wait. For. This. Can't. You. Tell. By. The. Spacing?

 Robert Downey Jr. (a King of Awesome), Black Widow, AND Hawkeye? This is gonna be awesome.

Weekend Artwork #4 and #5: Lea and Teenpool Shenanigans!

 Sorry I didn't do this Saturday, but I'm doing it today! And I'm posting two today, since they have the same vibe.

 Pop Quiz? Who's Loveable Freak's favorite character from Kingdom Hearts? If you guessed Axel, you're correct! (If you also guessed Roxas, Vanitas, Luxord, and Xion, who are also up there, you are also correct and GET OUT OF MY MIND, TELEPATH!) Now who's one of Loveable Freak's favorite Marvel characters? You guessed Nightcrawler (He's one, if you've read one of my earlier posts I'll give you that..)? Yes, but he's not in this one. Hawkeye? True, but he was in last week's pic, I'm not using him this week. Rogue? Yes, but she's not in the pic either and I TOLD YOU GET OUT OF MY MIND! Human Torch? GAH! TELEPATH, YOU'RE MAKING ME UNCOMFORTABLE! And he's not in this. The answer is Deadpool.

 So, for funsies, I drew my beloved Axel and Deadpool in two pictures. The twist? Axel is in his original teenage persona, Lea, and Wade Wilson has been transformed into a teen, too. Here's the first, with  Teen DP in "civvies", and with zits.


Aw, he hasn't learned to use yellow textboxes... or swear yet.

 

 Between you and me, I think Deadpool and Axel would be awesome working together. Oh, the destruction. Them teaming would be the greatest/most hilarious/most terrifying possible thing to happen in the Kingdom Hearts series. Hey, Disney owns Marvel, it's a possibility. Those Square-Enix guys worked the miracle of fusing Final Fantasy and Disney together, they could find a way to work in Marvel...

Ahem... Sorry about that tangent. Here's the second one. It has two "special" guest stars.

You don't wanna know what "Teenpool's" been up to...

 Yep, "Teenpool" and Lea are antagonizing Teenage!Cyclops and Isa. This one's my favorite of the two pictures today. Who wants to make bets on the manner in which Teen-Cyclops and Isa kill our heroes?

 There we go! Come back Saturday when I (hopefully) post another one!

Weekend Artwork #3: Marksman Fight!

IT'S WEEKEND ARTWORK TIIIIIIMMMEE!!!

 Who's ready for something different?

 That's right, this is the first, non-ZIM/Jhonen Vasquez related WA work! It's a Marvel-related piece. It's in a sorta Feaux-Super-Deformed Anime Style!

Hawkeye: 1, Bullseye: 0

 Yeah, I kinda cheated with Bullseye's head and used the shape-tool on paint. Eh. But yeah, Bullseye just got owned. Hawkeye rules! He is bound to be awesome in The Avengers. So yeah, that's it.

So there.

 Loveable Freak is out! PEACE!

Not Amused, Marvel....

  Okay, since I heard my beloved Nightcrawler died a year ago in the X-Men event Second Coming, I've been less than pleased. I've been anxiously awaiting Mr. Wanger's mandatory revival, which almost all comic book characters go through. Anyway through my beloved Comic Vine, I saw this teaser for Uncanny X-Force, and saw:

 But of course, it's not the REAL Nightcrawler (AKA not the main universe version). This is the Nightcrawler from the Age of Apocalypse.

Here's what Comic Vine's entry on Nightcrawler says on his AoA counterpart....

Nightcrawler of the reality known as Age of Apocalypse has a more pirate-like and vicious style, and is known as Kurt Darkholme instead of Kurt Wagner. An example of his more vicious style is when he teleports Deadpool's head away from his body. In here Kurt is a darker individual. He has two sabers that he uses often. In this version Nightcrawler hates churches, and he also is very close to his mom Mystique.

                                                 -Again, Comic Vine

  It's cool there'll be SOME form of Nightcrawler in the main universe again, but I'd kinda prefer the regular one. I mean, this is not the Nightcrawler I know. Oh well, at least there's a Nightcrawler....

  But hey, on the bright side, there's the chance of an EPIC Main Universe Nightcrawler and AoA Nightcrawler have an epic duel to the pain when regular Kurt returns! Hey, a girl can dream.....

   ....And yes, I copied the pictures and pasted them together for this little poster. And wrote the words. What-cha think? Wouldn't this be awesome?