Tag: Fantastic Four

Marvel’s “What If?” was way ahead of its time

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What If? #10 asked the question “What if Jane Foster found the hammer of Thor?” and that question was answered in 2014 when she picked up the hammer and became the God of Thunder.

Marvel’s “What If?” is a new animated series on Disney+ but it actually began more than 40 years ago in the comics. I have been reading What If? since its inception in 1977 and, to be honest, the writers were way ahead of their time. In fact, they foretold the future of Marvel Comics in more ways than one.

What If? is a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics whose stories explore how the Marvel Universe might have unfolded if key moments in its history had not occurred as they did in mainstream continuity. Since What If? debuted in 1977, the comics have been published in 13 series as well as occasional stand-alone issues. As in the Disney+ animated series, the stories of the inaugural series (1977–1984) feature the alien Uatu, the Watcher as a narrator. From his base on the Moon, Uatu observes both Earth and alternate realities.

These early alternate realities, for the most part, actually came true in the Marvel Universe. In What If? #1, they wondered what would have happened if Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four (an offer made in Amazing Spider-Man #1 in 1963). Years later, Spider-Man (and Wolverine) joined a new Fantastic Four team in Fantastic Four #347, while Spider-Man also joined the roster as part of the Future Foundation in The Amazing-Spider-Man #657. Prophecy becomes reality . . .

In What If? #10, the question was asked about Jane Foster picking up the hammer of Thor, something she did 30 years later and will be portrayed in the upcoming Marvel movie “Thor: Love and Thunder” as well. The early What If? comics were way ahead of their time. What If? #2 wondered if the Hulk still had Bruce Banner’s brain, something we’ve seen both in the comics and in the movies. You can find the complete list of original What If? comics on Wikipedia, and most of them have come to pass in today’s comics or movies.

Captain Carter from What If? Disney+ animated series and cosplay at MetroCon 2021 (cosplayer unknown).

Now, we have a new What If? on Disney+, and I am a fan. Having Jeffery Wright voice the Watcher was a brilliant choice as his stoic voice lends to the character. And, we’re only three episodes in and the changes have been remarkable. We’ve already seen evidence of that as cosplayers are donning the suit and shield of Captain Carter. That’s always a sign of a successful introduction of a character, whether it be anime, comics, television, or movie. I’m waiting patiently for T’Challa (Black Panther) as Star Lord in cosplay, but I know its coming soon. That was a great final scene and tribute to Chadwick Boseman. Every episode seems to have a great sense of both the Marvel Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They honor the legacy of these comics while bringing new life to the MCU.

That’s the great thing about the concept of the multiverse. It brings us a variety of characters that we know and love but in the many different forms and representations. If you thought “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was brilliant, this series keeps getting better and better. I really think Marvel has taken a bold step forward with their Disney+ series, Loki and Wandavision both, and “What If?” is another new chapter.

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Mark Piggott is an independent author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and other fantasy novels and short stories. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible and iTunes. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers. His latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available through Lulu and other booksellers. Get ready for The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series, coming soon, and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates.

Captain Marvel is better than the hype and the bad reviews it’s getting

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WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN CAPTAIN MARVEL YET!

I’ve never been one to rely on reviews, which is kind of weird since I write them on my blog now. Anyway, I go the movies because I want to see it, ignoring the bad reviews or condemnation. I don’t regret going to see 1980’s Flash Gordon but I really regret going to see 1995’s Waterworld. In any case, the same can be said for Marvel movies.

I have seen every Marvel movie in the past 10 years. I do have some regrets there too (i.e. Iron Man III and Thor: Ragnarok) but they still had some good moments in them too. In any case, I saw Captain Marvel this week and, despite the weeks of awkward publicity and bad stories, it was a genuinely good Marvel movie. In fact, I would say it’s one of their better movies.

First and foremost, Brie Larson was great. Although, I think she went for the emotionless route too much. She has Danvers’ grit and determination down pat, and she finally showed some emotion in her reunion with Maria Rambeau near the end, but still… She’ll need a little more than that sly grin to carry her down the road in future movies. She has the look and the attitude, and now she has an origin.

Did they change her origin for the movie? Yes, but they stayed true to it while making her story fit into the MCU. Overall, they did a great job, especially since they did it as a prequel to the current Marvel universe. They changed a few things, like making Mar-Vell a woman (great performance Annette Benning) and turned the Skrulls from villains into a race to feel sorry for. However, Marvel’s been making these adjustments to the MCU since the beginning (i.e. making the villain Ghost a woman, casting Heimdall and Valkyrie with black actors (best decision to date), and making the Mandarin an idiot). Even a comic book purist like myself can appreciate the brilliance behind the casting and creative license.

I loved the fact that you had to sit through the whole movie to understand her complete backstory. It wasn’t difficult for someone like me, who knows her origin like the back of my hand. But for anyone else, it’s a great way to learn about her character. Also, by adding in the younger versions of Agent Phil Coulson and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). I especially loved finding out how Fury got his eye scratched out. There are plenty of “Easter Eggs” in the movie too, from how Fury came up with the Avengers Initiative, how the Tesseract got back into Shield’s hands, the space-pager and plenty more.

The Kree are turning into the true intergalactic villains of the MCU, in both movies and television. The movie left things open for the return on Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) and the Supreme Intelligence, although I’m hoping for the floating green octopus head next time around. As for the Skrulls, who can say. Even though Marvel got back the Fantastic Four from Fox, I doubt we’ll see them terrorizing Earth or the “Super Skrull” anytime soon.

The plot kept me engaged the entire movie and it was fun. It had a good mix of serious and humor. The movie made a big statement about sexism in the 80’s and 90’s, showing the bad side of men in the military (“You know why they call it a cockpit…” Gimme a break!). This was the time of “Tailgate” and other scandals like it, so bringing it into the film showed how far we’ve come with women pilots in the military. You really get the feel for that with the “Women of the Air Force” commercial they showed before the movie.

Captain Marvel got a lot of bad press and internet “trolls” trying to bring it down, but the movie is too good for that. It’s a fun movie that brings together the MCU, heading into Avengers: Endgame. That’s only a month away, and I can’t wait!

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon from Austin Macauley Publishing.

How many more comic book reboots do we have to endure nowadays?

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Why does it seem that comic books don’t know what to do with themselves anymore? We’ve gone through several reboots, character deaths and subsequent rebirths, time travel, alternate realities, etc. Entire books have ended only to restarted under a new brand or idea, with revamped characters. It’s a never ending cycle.

I will admit that sometimes they have good ideas. Crisis on Infinite Earths and Age of Apocalypse are two of my all-time favorites. These multi-issue, cross brand arcs are what the comics need, from time-to-time. But lately, they seem to be doing it more for sales than content.

DC did the “New 52” back in 2011 after the Flashpoint crossover to give the characters a “jump start” into, what I would consider, their DCEU personas for the movie franchises. However, that didn’t last as the DC universe was rebooted again in 2016 with its Rebirth, as they called it.

So let me get this right… The original DC characters, in their first incarnations, lasted more than 60+ years until the New 52, which only last five years? What does that tell you?

Marvel is better at hiding these changes and reboots, but they’re terrible at killing characters off. In DC, three members of the Legion of Superheroes–Invisible Kid, Ferro Lad, and Chemical Kid–died and have stayed dead. Can you say the same for Jean Grey, Nick Fury, or anyone Deadpool killed in a dozen alternate realities? They even revived Scott Lang in the comics just to make the Ant-Man movie!

They’ve tried subtle reboots to invigorate the brand, like during the Onslaught crossover where Rob Liefeld got to create a new universe for the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, but it failed miserably. They tried to create a new “Ultimate” universe with new renditions and origins of classic characters, but then decided to combine them into one in the new Secret Wars (and I’m not talking the one where Spidey got his black suit).

Not all reboots are bad. Some bring fresh characters into the mix. During the Inhumanity crossover, we got a new Ms. Marvel as Carol Danvers finally became Captain Marvel. Two thumbs up for that one! And DC’s Dark Nights: Metal gave us one of the most twisted renditions of Batman ever seen in The Batman Who Laughs. Unreal!

So, let’s review. Reboots can be good at introducing new characters but some consistency please. We don’t need one every couple of years. It’s making “Silver Age” readers like me antsy!

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon from Austin Macauley Publishing.