July 24, 2013

Nerd News: San Diego Comic Con

There has been a good amount of excitement coming out of San Diego after this weekend's convention with some that are even more surprising than the Royal Baby (oh my god, it's a boy, though it could still be a werewolf, if Doctor Who is to be believed.) Since I am out of ideas for blog postings for this week, I want to break down some of that news and add my own two cents into the mix, (which after you take into account the conversion rate from my mind to the Internet, actually amounts to about .08 cents.)

1. Maria Hill on ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This is not exactly earth-shattering news, as Maria Hill is a big part of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division, also you have to remember the actress Cobie Smulders got her break-through role as a TV actress on some show or other I've never really watched (Hey, if I wanted to see a thirty-something year old who continually fails at finding the person who will become the mother of his children, I will just look in the mirror.) What is reassuring about this news is that Whedon and Marvel are really lining up this show to work on all levels. I am very excited for AOSHIELD, (will work on acronym.) Not only will the show help give depth to the Marvel cinematic universe by allowing for the introduction of lesser known and fan favorite heroes (Iron Fist, fingers crossed,) but it will help sustain the universe through those long slogging stretches between movies. This news also means that I would not be surprised to see a cameo or two from Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., or any of the other Avengers.

2. New Captain America Costume Revealed So Cap is getting a new outfit for his next movie, Captain America: Winter Soldier. I am torn on this one to tell the truth. On one hand, in my opinion Captain America is a walking flag for good reason. Its part of who he is and what he represents. When you see the red, white, and blue super soldier you get a sense that everything is going to be alright. That is part of his persona, he stands out and stands proud and his presence is a constant reminder to the other heroes of what they are fighting for and who is leading them. On the other hand, the new costume is based upon the Super Soldier Steve Rogers costume of the comics and admittedly it looks pretty freaking cool, though I would still argue he is giving up the red, white, and blue way too soon... And I am disappointed in the color change of the shield. Regardless of how he looks I am very excited to see this movie. Captain America is my favorite of favorite superheroes, and the Winter Soldier storyline is one of the best (up there with Red, White, and Black, which I would love to see made into a movie, if only done as a one shot.) I am also disappointed we didn't get to see the Falcon costume, but I guess that will be kept under wraps.
3. Days of Future Past Reveals Marvel released a look at some of the characters from their upcoming X-Men movie, Days of Future Past including a look at the sentinels, Trask Industries, and a very impressive-looking Bishop. I have such high hopes for this movie that I might even be running the risk of PMS (Phantom Menace Syndrome). However, not only is Days of Future Past one of the most classic of classic X-Men story lines, but by combining the newest movie with the original X-Men movies there is a potential to not only fix the mistakes of X-Men III but re-energize the entire franchise. I suppose we will just have to wait and see if this latest attempt is going to be First Class or more like X-Men Origins: Wolverine... On the plus side... Patrick Stewart... Need I say more?

4. Warner Brothers Announces Flash and Justice League It's about time, DC started getting their act together. Regardless of my thoughts on some of the choices that the Man of Steel movie made, I do think that as a stepping stone to a larger DC Cinematic Universe, it was a good one. Superman is always the logical place to start when it comes to DC. On the coattails of the success of Man of Steel, Warner Brothers has announced that we can expect to see a Flash movie by 2016 and a Justice League movie by 2017. On the surface, this seems like amazing news, but then I am reminded of 2011's Green Lantern, and somewhere deep down inside I cringe a bit. Also DC has a horrible track record of actually keeping the promises they make about superhero movies, (just ask Joss Whedon about his Wonder Woman project.) For now WB is staying tight lipped about the whole thing, but it seems to be that Man of Steel is set to be the first movie in this larger universe (Because we are forgetting that Green Lantern ever happened, and Nolan's Dark Knight universe will stand alone, but that leads me to my next point...)

5. Man of Steel II: World's Finest Zach Snyder has announced that the second installment of his Superman franchise will be a Superman/Batman storyline. Obviously it will not be Nolan's Batman, because he exists in a different universe all to himself. Also, the title has not yet been confirmed, but going with World Finest would go a long way in restoring my faith in this new Superman franchise and show a glimmer of hope for an expanded DC Cinematic Universe. This, to me, has to be the biggest news to come out of San Diego Comic Con, because let's face it... this is the movie we have all been waiting for since... well, since ever. It also could possibly mean that we are only a few years away from the events of I am Legend. (If you don't get that joke, look it up.) I am possibly worried that the bat symbol resembles Frank Miller's Dark Knight, and I hope this movie will be more original than some kind of gritty rip-off of that classic comic. My only request, (well I have a few, but my top one,) is please put Batman in a costume that is not all armor, foam rubber, and George Clooney nipples. I am really getting sick of that look. For a more realistic costume that would mesh well with the new (*ick*) Superman look refer to any of the Arkham games. The batsuit in those looks, not only comic faithful, but realistic and kick ass.

6. The Age of Ultron Joss Whedon revealed the name for the second Avengers movie, Avengers: The Age of Ultron. As much faith as I have in the Whe-man, I find myself hesitating over this one. Let me start by saying that Ultron is a perfect choice for villain. I have been waiting for Ultron (and by proxy, maybe Vision) to appear since the beginning, and after the semi-sentient armor of Iron Man III it does seem the next logical evolution for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to take. However, Whedon also confirmed that Hank Pym will not be in the movie, and that the origin of Ultron will come about through some other means (probably via Tony Stark.) This news mostly confused me, because I though Ant-Man was scheduled to be part of Marvel's Phase II, but upon further digging I found out that Ant-Man will not be released till Phase III, right after Avengers II. This news doesn't bother me so much as disappoint me. I would not call Ant-Man/Giant-Man/Yellow Jacket/Whatever my favorite superhero, or even top fifteen, but I do think that he and Wasp (his wife) have a vital role to play as an Avenger. Also I was really hoping that the Avenger roster would expand before AII, but that may only be because I am routing for Avengers III: Civil War... Hey it could happen.

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