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masterstrange-closed · 4 years

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 / 616 inspired au.

Please note that while a vast majority of this verse comes straight from the canon 616 biography of Stephen Strange, there are elements and head canons that are strictly my own mixed in. So, do not use this as a source for any other means than interactions with my muse. This is also the default verse I will use for most Marvel characters that are not MCU affiliated, but also open to MCU muses as well as an AU.

Stephen Strange was born November 1st, 1930 to Beverly and Eugene Strange while the pair were on a holiday out of town in Philadelphia, away from their farmhouse in Nebraska. He had three siblings, Donna Strange (1932), April Strange (1934), and Victor Strange (1937). April died before her third birthday due to ailments that medicine at the time were not equipped to handle, nor could the family really afford anything that did exist as the Great Depression was in it’s early days. Stephen has only a fleeting memory of her, but he would have been only six by the time she died. As per their father’s wishes, only a few photos of her remained in the house as the memory of losing her was too painful for their parents to confront day after day.

A couple years later, he began facing terrible nightmares — his parents believed it was caused by the stress and sadness of losing his sister, and being too young to fully understand what was happening. While that might have fed things, what was actually happening was far more sinister. Somewhere far away, a man known as Yao — the current sorcerer supreme, had seen a prophecy. His successor had been chosen, and it was none other than the young Nebraskan child. Of course, it would take years before he was ready to take on this mantle — but the news of this angered one man in particular. For Yao had a disciple, one who believed that the role of Sorcerer Supreme belonged to him. This man was Baron Karl Mordo, and desperate to secure his legacy, he began an assault on the young boy through a psychic connection. Every night, attacking him and plaguing him with night terrors that might push the child to another path. That might make him crazy and unable to take what he believed to be his!

Yao eventually realised what was happening and stopped Mordo, vowing to protect the child. He also decreed that Mordo was too dangerous to be kept unsupervised and also decided to keep him by his side to watch him. To keep his enemies where he could see them. However, the damage was done, and even without Mordo intervening, the night terrors were here to stay. After suffering night after night for what felt like an eternity, Stephen eventually found a solution of sorts. Unfortunately, it came in a bottle — copying what he saw his father do after a long stressful day, he began to drink in secret.

Years passed, and eventually Stephen found his life’s calling (with the aid of Donna and a rollerskating mishap), like his father before him — he wanted to pursue medicine, and he was determined to make it so. Perhaps then, he could gain the approval from his parents he desperately wanted. He graduated school with honors, and awards that were enough to get him into a good pre-med program in New York City. The first year away was a taste of the difficult road ahead, Stephen studied long and hard, but his stress was at an all time high. Luckily for him, he knew far too well how to numb himself to it by now.

Around his nineteenth birthday (1949, second year of college), Stephen came home to visit his family for a long weekend. While home, Donna wanted to show off her ‘cool college brother’ to her friends down by the lake — having missed his sister’s company while away, he agreed. This would become one of his greatest regrets, as the day was fated to end in tragedy. Donna and Stephen decided to race with some friends in the water, but after awhile, Donna suffered a severe leg cramp. She was far from shore, and the time of year made the water colder (even though it was still mild that year, weather wise), and as she tried to make her muscles work, the combination of the cramp, the water temperature, her panic and trying to call for help, tired her to the point where she could no longer keep afloat. Stephen eventually dragged her from the water, but it was too late. His sister was dead.

Stephen grew colder after that day, he blamed himself for not being able to save her — and as she had been the catalyst for his career choice all those years ago, she became the motivation that pushed him to extremes to succeed. He refused to fail, to lose someone because he failed to act in time or properly. It became a matter of pride over the years. A combination that worsened as his mother grew ill and passed away, followed by their father years later. His sister April, had also passed away years ago because of medicine failing her. People kept dying around him, and he couldn’t stop them. This pushed him, motivated him through school and into his career.

His father, he decreed, was the final straw. He couldn’t bring himself to go to the deathbed and bury another person he loved. So, he lied. He told his brother he couldn’t get there, and to drown out the pain and guilt, he went out. Got happily drunk and took someone home to distract him, but the distraction fell short when he found his brother in his apartment. Furious and betrayed, the two of them argued before Victor stormed out. Stephen went to follow him, to try to make amends and make him understand, but he never got the chance to. For Victor had accidentally stumbled into the street as he tried to get away from him and into oncoming traffic. Stephen, unable to cope with another loss, went to extreme measures to save his brother’s life. He knew current medicine was lacking… but he if he could keep him on ice, frozen until a time where perhaps medicine could save him, then he had to try. He failed everyone else, he refused to fail Victor too. How could he let his baby brother down once more?

The final bit of innocence he held had died, Stephen Strange had no more room for lost causes. He only took bets he could win, he only took patience he could save. Of course, he also thrived on a challenge — had that not been what motivate him here in the first place? He took the unusual cases, ones he knew he could win — but would be very difficult and extremely noteworthy. He reasoned, his issues in the past had been emotional. He had let himself be too attached to his work. So he distanced himself, he viewed patience only as medical problems. His original spark for choosing medicine was gone. Only arrogance and dangerous coping methods remained.

His drinking never ceased, he had picked up smoking too. While he was always upfront about what he sought after in relationships with partners, more often what that was were meaningless hookups or dynamics in which they both had something to gain. He was spending his days pioneering medical breakthroughs, earning success and accolades. By night, he was a sad man who needed a distraction, who was never satisfied and tried to numb the ghost that haunted him. He had a few love affairs, but they all ultimately ended. Not to mention, he held certain “urges” (re: non-heterosexual fantasies and feelings) that he couldn’t bring himself to face or admit to, as it was now the 1960′s. Life was becoming increasingly hard for Stephen, but he seemed to have it under a degree of control. As long as he kept himself together when it mattered, who cared if the mask cracked in the off hours? He was heading for disaster, and that was exactly what was going to happen.

February 2nd, 1963: to this day, it’s unclear what the exact cause of the accident was. The initial report, said that the poor weather conditions had made the road unsafe and the accident was entirely just that. An accident beyond anyone’s control. Some people, further into the investigation, once Strange was in medical care realised that the man wasn’t exactly sober behind the wheel, and perhaps this was a perilous example of driving under the influence. Yet, even now, years later a voice still whispers in Stephen’s ear when he’s alone at night; when he’s run through or weak that says: but what if it was on purpose, and the only accident was remaining alive? No matter what the case was, the result was the same. Stephen’s accident had come at the cost of his hands. The bones broken, nerves damaged beyond repair. As a surgeon, as any doctor would have forced to accept, there was no coming back from this. His career, and by extension, his life was over.

Thousands upon thousands of dollars were spent, even ones he didn’t actually have to spend, were poured into Stephen’s quest for some cure that would save his hands, eleven different operations, ones that included untested, and even some illegal, methods and surgeries and substances — all coming up with nothing but a worsening condition. He was in a debt he’d never be free of, and bills were piling up. What happened, was of no surprise to anyone — he was evicted from his home. His belongings seized to repay his loans and bills. With only a small backpack and a limited amount of cash — Stephen Strange was homeless.

He spent a year in and out of shelters, unable to find work (both due to his disability and his pride) before being fully cast out onto the streets. Much of what he had taken with him, was sold or traded for food and warmth. He could often nick a bottle or smoke from workers by the docks, who would sometimes give him dock work when they could find something he could manage. His hopes were dwindling, and Stephen gave up. Winter was coming, and he made peace with the knowledge he would not survive until spring one way or another.

However, that changed when he overheard the dock workers one day. Talking about claims of a Tibetan monk who had the ability to heal the “un-healable”. Something Stephen scoffed at, until he recognized the face of the man making the claims. A man named Pangborn who had once come to his clinic for treatment, but Stephen had turned him away as his paralysis was incurable… but was now standing in front of him and doing athletic feats that were impossible. Stephen used the last of his money, to book cheap passage to Tibet. His hope restored on the promise of what did he have to lose? If it was a lost cause, what did it matter if he died in New York or if he died in Tibet? He was nobody now. It made no difference.

The journey was long and rough, but eventually… haggard and beaten down, Stephen finally found himself on the steps of a large palace. He was admitted inside, and finally came face to face with the man who had saved him long ago, Yao.. or as he was known by everyone, The Ancient One. Stephen pleaded with him to save him, but he offered no medical miracles, only the study of mysticism. Claiming that had been what cured Pangborn. Dejected, furious, Stephen was heartbroken. His final glimpse of hope dashed by a charlatan and some magic tricks. He wanted to leave immediately, planning his final journey… but a blizzard struck unexpectedly, forcing the Ancient One to insist he spend the night until it cleared.

The whole time, he noticed Baron Mordo watching him closely, and couldn’t shake the feeling he had seen him before. Perhaps this was what led Stephen to catch what the other man was plotting, an attempt on his master’s life! Forced to involve himself, Stephen’s doubts about magic subsided quickly as he faced things he believed to be impossible. Once Mordo had been subdued, Stephen’s change of heart made him accept the offer to learn at the Palace, which he learned was actually a sanctum known as Kamar-Taj.

For years, Stephen studied along side Yao. His impressive affinity for magic, and his closeness with the Ancient One, prompted Mordo to officially leave the Sanctums and go rogue. Once he had learned all he could in Tibet, Yao informed him the rest of his studies were back home in New York City. Placing him in charge of the sanctum in Greenwich Village, Stephen was on his way to fulfilling his destiny. Years passed, as his connection with magic grew, he felt changes in his body become more apparent, but for the first time — he had a purpose, one that was noble and fulfilling. One that wasn’t born out of fear or personal desire.

As the years passed, it became clear that Stephen was ready for the final test: facing Death himself. At the end of this, The Ancient One was at peace, knowing his time on the physical plane was at an end and was finally ready to transfer the role of the Sorcerer Supreme to his pupil. Stephen inherited everything, including his ageless life, Stephen Strange was finally Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme and Master of the Mystic Arts.

For the most part, Stephen spends his days battling the mystical and multidimensional to keep the world safe. He became well known as a Mystic in Greenwich, to whom people could turn to when having issues with the mystic world. He has amassed himself a small group of friends, although the nature of his world and his demeanor often strain these relationships at times. He is friendly with the Avengers and other heroes, as well as maintains connections with other sorcerers; but he is not affiliated with the official Avengers at this time. He never knows what’s going to happen, but what he has learned with his infinite life is that not knowing is half the reason to live in the first place.

#𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄 / 616 inspired au.#/ do not reblog.#/ personals don't interact.

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exclusivelyirondad · 5 years

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More Endgame thoughts (and spoilers) ahead. A lot has been said already, but I’ve been adding to this since April 30th, and I needed to express the thoughts and feelings that many others share with me in my own words.

It seems like everyone's just ghosted, like they just saw the movie and peaced-out. Maybe they felt a sense of relief when the ax finally did fall, but the fandom seems to be divided. I'm coping quite well--I'm not an emotional wreck (although I was when leaving the theater, and I’ve cried a few times since), but I also know that this wound hasn't closed; it's all been very slow. Maybe the majority who remain weren't very old at all when the first Iron Man came out, and thus aren't as attached to the Original 6. Maybe Marvel intended their younger audience to experience the Uncle Ben Effect for Peter. I was thinking that they wouldn't need to develop Peter's character down that route; I was thinking they'd have new plans for him, since he already had that under his belt when we were introduced to him. I've written extensively on my beliefs about one’s need for a consistent father figure, and while I am relieved that Happy might be stepping up to that role, Tony's removal is still unnecessary to a lot of us. It's not the only way to develop Peter's character, and certainly not the only way to remove a character from the spotlight. Death rarely has meaning in real life, but in stories it *can* mean something. I think Death should be used sparingly for this reason. Where a character Can Live, Can Thrive, Can Participate, they should be free to do so. Tony’s story wasn't by any stretch Finished, and his next line after Cap's assertion about Tony’s alleged cowardice (which the latter proved wrong in the first Avengers movie after taking that missile through the wormhole) stated that he would rather just "cut the wire." To cut the wire, so that you can go home, so that you don't have to trade lives, is a much more coherent, much more sensible end. To have Tony live up (down) to the sacrificial standard is to step backwards--the opposite of progress, to our informed understanding.

But venting my negativity, and seeing others vent theirs, sort of eases the pain, and in some cases gives me hope. The lack of consistency between timelines and directors' decisions is, ironically, a really big hope-booster. After hearing a couple friends' and family's qualms with the film in-person, I've gotten just a bit of closure, but it's not on the level of actual counsel as we didn't *keep* talking about it. We, very briefly, exchanged a preview-version of our interpretation and then were done with it. I felt I needed to find someone, somewhere, who shares my perspective. It was validating to talk to them about plotholes and such, because (ironically, as terrible as this sounds), it made his death look more, to me, the way in which I was already seeing it: not cheapened, not short of brilliant and beautifully-performed, but *less necessary.*

I began contemplating ways around his death. The writers cannot play the 'Fate'-card at any point because they are in charge of every detail--Carol conveniently getting blasted off-planet, Wanda & Thor being temporarily decomissioned--all the way down to the fact that [A] the burden of the stones could have been shared by everyone on the field (the strongest among them taking hold of the stones first) as they did in GOTG1, and [B] Tony & the others simply did not use the stones independently or in smaller dosages. But, in the end, we have two mortal, human deaths for the price of a restored universe in Earth-199999/616, which isn't ultimately so bad on the surface. They could have transitioned to the next heroes in celebration, the graffiti in commemoration of the retired heroes and a welcome to any who would rise in their place.

While I remain wary of criticizing Endgame just because it didn't go "my way," I also know that we have a lot of well-supported arguments stocked-up to affirm our case that Tony's death was an *overall* less-than-satisfactory decision. Besides, it's just a part of being in a fandom to criticize the media we consume--it helps to develop communication skills and independent thinking. Since Infinity War, I was erring on the hope that "Tony Lives," not so much because I was preparing for the worst but because it just seemed the intuitive way to go. And let's be honest, nobody in the theater who had been following the franchise for more than a few movies was surprised that any number of the Original 6 would be sacrificed. So, Endgame failed even to accomplish any Shock they might have hoped for.

I also feel as if a lot of people are perhaps expressing that they enjoyed Endgame while not acknowledging latent feelings that deeper digging into the plot might produce. Fans are perfectly within their right to enjoy the movie, but our objections to it are less on the level of personal opinions and more on the level of actual critique based in objective standards of narrative and character development.

It almost feels deliberate, doesn't it? Like they *knew* what they had before writing over it with something worse. Like they *knew* the value of Found Family. Like we really were baited, and aren't just imagining a problem. And *this* is why that ending landed us in the Bad Timeline. We were baited with Found Family and it was snatched away from us. If Happy's bond with Peter isn't as satisfying for the audience (trust me when I say that I very much support it, have high hopes for it, trust in Happy's steadfast character, and *do* recognize the progress in having him, May, and the remaining Ironfamily be there for Peter instead of the lesson being, "Grow up and be alone,") it won't be because he isn't an attractive superhero billionaire, it'll be because Peter's bond with Tony is still fresh, and was, indeed, beautiful, and *could have* been complete before it was untimely cut short. He was already dealing with loss when we met him in Civil War. What more can you teach him through that?

There's not really a way for us to "fix" this, being that it's Canon now, and the rest of the MCU henceforth will follow This timeline. This isn't just one movie that they have a chance to fix in the long-run with another, this is the final chapter--the most important one which will be solidified in movies to come. We're essentially cut-off and locked-in from here onward.

If we were to rewrite the world before 2023, we’d certainly be limited. To bring another Tony back wouldn't be a solution--it's not the same Tony (in much the same way that reuniting with an alternate Spider-Man or stranding our Peter in a new universe would feel eerie and unsatisfactory). This isn’t to suggest that any ending with an alternate Tony taking the other’s place cannot be written in a satisfactory way; just that the grief would still be ever-present for *this* Tony. If anything, another time heist where everyone keeps their memories seems more appropriate. Still, to go back in time, by the theory used in Endgame, only creates a new timeline, unless we collapse and merge the one where he died. Even a timeline *very* similar to the one through which we were led is still unique, and has its own Tony Stark. We might be able to salvage the other time-janked plotholes (Loki's escape, Nat and Gamorra's soul releasing Redskull, Thanos & Company departing their original timeline and going a different route, ultimately being destroyed, Steve rewriting the past and possibly erasing an entire generation, just to name a few), but that's still pretty far-fetched. At the end of the day, all that's left is to either Accept or Depart from Canon. RDJ is irreplaceable, after all, and tragically, as far as we know, his rendition of Tony Stark is finished. Although, I suppose any time you take a character into your own hands, it creates a new timeline for them--it's just that minor changes and major changes have different impacts, and the fans who previously felt free to manipulate minor details without having to leave the world altogether will now have a much more difficult time doing so without “becoming a dirty, no-good necromancer” (as my conscience likes to call me any time I even *think* about bringing Tony back in my own way.) The "secretly alive/A.I." theories are an okay solution given our alternatives, but it doesn't seem like that's where the story is going.

But so much happened in that movie, and likely will in future movies, that makes his death "essential," and I'm upset about that, too, because they're sloppily tacking on "purpose" retroactively. They want, so badly, for it to be meaningful, and not useless, but the way that it happened kinda leaves it in a sour limbo, as if the event, itself, were a corpse being strung up and made to dance like a marionette. Like, no matter how many meaningful strings they connect back to it from this point onward, it's still going to register as an unnecessary loss to those of us who were paying attention, to those of us who didn't want him to die, and to those of us who don't put stock in death, itself. Tony Stark *would* have still been a hero if he had learned how to pass on the torch (without dying.) He would have still been *himself.* You can grow, change, shed your flaws, learn new tricks, without losing your identity or role in the world. While his willingness to sacrifice himself was, indeed, a heroic trait, it shouldn’t have been one that ultimately killed him--there was another beautiful lesson just ahead of him, one which would have allowed him to rely on others to take up the mantle so that he could care for the new adventure he’d built with Pepper and the Ironfamily.

When you have a character like this in your hands, you're no longer just writers, you're gods. You have responsibilities. (I'm not used to speaking this freely, saying such extreme things. I know I'm all over the place.) These characters have been with us for so long that they may as well be real. I wouldn't doubt that those involved in Endgame's creation put a lot of planning into it, but even with planning you can still miss out on Perspective. Why didn't these questions win out during the Devil's Advocate phase of the writing process? Was there even a Devil's Advocate phase? What were their aims when creating it? To draw it to a close, to make room for new heroes, perhaps to leave just as big an impact as Infinity War. Far From Home is supposed to close this phase of the MCU (not Endgame), so we still have a bit of a wait. Did they want to appeal only to newer fans? It wouldn't be a problem if the feelings of older fans weren't sacrificed for that. I'm not even sure if Tony's death is what newer fans were interested to see. What if Marvel deliberately Twists the Knife? *What if their role for us is to see that any qualms we have with Tony's death are a reflection of our selfishness toward a man who just wanted peace?* (Of course, what a lot of us wanted for him was the same--peace, but without the insinuation that the only way out for him is by killing him off.) Did they mourn his death when killing him? Did the decision affect them to the point that it was difficult (and not just in terms of knowing there would be people upset by the decision, getting between them and the bottom line)?

I don't think they should put the onus on the fans who loved him--I think, for all the therapy he did not receive, for the lack of a True Happy Ending, and for all the people who became his family, the onus should be on those who gave him pain to take it away. If you are god-enough to impart pain and death, you are god-enough to remove it. We cannot act powerless against Fate when we write a character like this into the world. While some people rail at God for taking their loved ones away, I guess my grief-process is stunted because I have real people to criticize. But, again, that's still me putting the onus on myself. I don't think I'll be here forever; certainly, I do view these characters with a healthy eye, but they're not exactly a Small part of my world, either.

The mention of the Multiverse in the new FFH trailer may even deal with the responsibility on Peter's part not to selfishly venture into alternate realities (Mysterio's illusion tricks in the comics + the False Voice scene from Bambi II, anyone?) It may even be the case that we, the fans, are being pressured to feel similarly, being that Robert has completed his contract with Marvel. Of course, none of us are asking that he stay, merely wishing that his rendition of Tony had a better ending. I think our society has decided that growing up means more than gaining knowledge and skills--it means "getting rid of our vital connections after a certain age." This is not, to any extent, ideal, but it is expected, and it is perceived as "growth" when forced upon a young person in a story. Individualism is a toxic side-effect spurred by various factors in our current system (economic, legal, and religious history, leading to our current ideological climate, at least for those in positions of power).

If any criticisms could hold weight, it might still be worth noting their counterpart: /"Tony created his own enemies, even invited them--it's Peter's turn to make better choices."/ Apart from the complete inaccuracy of the opening phrase (just rewatch the films; I'm not expanding on this one), is that really what his creators were planning from the start, or did they just salvage pieces of past films like a patchy fan theory and write it in after the fact? (Point in case: JKR.) I'm not usually so feisty, but this is Tony Stark I defend.

/"It's heroic to sacrifice oneself for the greater good," "It's time for the young to grow up and face responsibility."/ All of these messages, though, are misplaced to me. They don't have to involve the taking of lives. In our world, they often do, but there is no *intrinsic* value to using death as a vehicle. The Ancient One was wrong. Death has only intrinsic *negative* value--as with any hardship, it can bring about positives but is not, in itself, a positive. When dealing with this philosophy it is important to distinguish chance from purpose. I cannot help but feel that I am alone because I've outgrown the ideology of those who glorify and romanticize struggle and war. A peaceful ending is progress compared with our reality; a bitter ending should remain in the past. Do they think they are bypassing this problem by the ending they chose for Tony? /"Your new heroes can have a better ending than he did,"/ it might be suggested (while still getting their Death in.) I disagree, since that isn't progress For That Character.

/"Death is not always fair, not always reasonable."/ A bit patronizing, that (not hearing it from Tony, of course, as he was merely preparing for the possibility of his own death, but as one of the Ultimate Lessons they needed to tie to it.) What's the target audience, 13 to 46? Somewhere in that range, plus the exceptions older and younger? Not really news to the majority. So what is its purpose? Why close a story like that?

/"Having Tony survive would've taken away a heroic ending from him."/ It's important to acknowledge there are multiple kinds of heroism capable of being expressed--we've known from Iron Man 1 that Tony was willing to sacrifice himself for one cause or another, but for him to finally see the value in allowing others to share the burden would've made for just as powerful and necessary a message. It would have been subtle; not many fans would emotionally pick up on it at first and many would openly criticize it, but those who are paying attention would recognize a new kind of heroism was being performed. This movie wouldn’t have been for those who only jumped in recently, anyway--there’s so much that’s been built up to over the past 21 movies for which there wasn’t time enough to cover. The ending to Captain Marvel had a similar effect--the inner strength which men often overlook is expressed through Danvers' willingness to do what is truly necessary, rather than what has been deemed "heroic," and the creators of superhero movies would do well to follow the trajectory of changes in audience values. "Superhero burnout" may come to pass but not because people will grow weary of superheroes or the hope and sense of victory they bring, but because of the glorification of war and fighting.

It is a comfort to know that Robert and Tom are still friends, and will be making at least one more movie together. It is a comfort to know that a lot of the Tony Stark we saw came straight from RDJ, so a good portion of him lives. Still, I instinctively know this feeling isn't going to leave for a while, especially since, a few weeks after Infinity War, I had a little meltdown. On top of this, we will be brought through Peter's own grief in his next movie--he, too, is fictional but should not be abandoned. I feel as if I cannot move on until I see Far From Home, and maybe that, too, is Marvel's intention.

#endgame spoilers #endgame critique #my post #text post

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rael-rider · 5 years

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So was guardians #9 any good?

It wasn’t awful, I mean some stuff happens in this issue but the story goes at a snail’s pace and that just drives me nuts. You can tell the writer is padding this issue for the trade. The last storyline could have easily been told in three issues and I have the feeling this is going to be the same. I dislike when a writer trade writes and they decompress the hell out of the story because it usually shows that they didn’t plan to make a story that long. A good example of trade writing without excessive padding is the IDW TMNT comic because every issue in that comic has something happening. Even in the issues where the main story line doesn’t advance that much side plots are concluding (or starting) and characters continue developing.

The other thing is that Heather, Phyla, and Beta Ray Bill don’t do much in this issue and haven’t done much in general (Peter, Gamora, and Rocket have been the main focus of these stories and Peter so far is a passive agent for most of it). Heck it’s annoying how much characters get wasted in this title. CGR didn’t do much in the last comic either (now he’s gone and irrelevant), Rich apart from accidentally bringing the Dark Guardians (who were super hyped and now are pretty irrelevant) to Gamora could have immediately left and no one would have noticed. In this story we got Rocket dying and it’s mostly used to keep readers hooked until the very last issue (he most likely won’t die) oh and he’s piloting a giant robot too.

Getting to the issue itself…

We find out this UCT is from a future where Death kills the whole universe which if you read Thanos Quest and Infinity Gauntlet it goes against why Death wanted the universe killed in half. So the UCT are trying to take out Death which if you read Thanos Imperative is a very, very, very bad idea.

Speaking of Thanos Imperative, this UCT is giving me big Cancerverse vibes. They glow purple, hate Death, and have a bunch of tentacles grab people.Also Drax is their UCT’s Messiah that they had in the cocoon (so it’s just him now or multiple Drax’s or are other characters there?). I admit I didn’t expect that but I guess knowing the Church’s motives and again, freaking Thanos Imperative, it’s more obvious. In Thanos Imperative we learn that Drax is the Avatar of Life and the opposite of Thanos who is the Avatar of Death.

He’s even in his old outfit just like he was in Thanos Imperative so now I am more convinced that the Cancerverse might be involved (which I am kind of tired about and I can only accept that universe coming back just so Rich can rescue Worldmind but otherwise they outstayed their welcome and shouldn’t have come back post Thanos Imperative).

Look, Drax had a nice send off in Duggan’s run and I wasn’t expecting it to be permanent but bringing him back this soon just keeps showing me that writers really don’t care much outside the MCU Guardians (just go read Old Man Quill, the writer could introduced so many other Guardians or do a different team and he still chose to do the MCU lineup).

It’s also accentuated more by the fact that Phyla, Heather, and Bill really don’t do much (first subplot was focused on Gamora and Peter, this subplot is mostly about Peter, Rocket, and now Drax. Even Groot gets a lot of moments and scenes focused on him and we get to see his relationship with the other Guardians). Heather moved the plot in this story line but she’s not a central character but hopefully she gets more involved in the story when she meets the resurrected Drax.

Heather and Phyla don’t have that much personality in this other than “we’re cool and we are a couple”. It really bothers me because PAD’s single GotG related Prodigal Sun issue showed a Moondragon with much more personality than all the issues of Cates’ GotG combined. Even in the end we get Phyla and Heather having a discussion about them stopping Prah’d’gul from destroying his people’s sun and we see how they both differ in opinion regarding if they should or not (and you really get to see Heather is all about the “eye for an eye” type of justice and she thinks Prah’d’gul’s actions are justified while Phyla-Vell’s more compassionate and heroic side thinks he needs to be stopped).

I don’t know why Cates is trying to sell me that J’Son is a caring father or that Peter really cares about him. That scene where Peter tells him that J’Son would never kill him, after all that has happened between those two I ain’t buying it. I will never stop saying that they should just retcon J’Son into being Gareth and make it so the actual Jason of Spartax was lost and have him finally meet Peter (and introduce 616 Kip Holm while you’re at it). Bendis’ J’Son was awful and everyone else just made a mess out of it. 616 Peter Quill never needed daddy issues either.

This issue did confirm my theory as to why the Church didn’t brainwash Rich and instead went for Quasar when Peter broke away from J’Son’s brainwashing and J’Son said that the Church had no use for the faithless. Peter and Rich have no faith. Rocket even mentions that he’s hopeless so he might be immune to it.

A lot of people really didn’t pick up why Peter broke the brainwashing but it’s not that very well explained in the story so I don’t blame them. I guess you had to read Ewing’s story in the annual and make the connection but otherwise it isn’t obvious.Rocket, Groot and Moondragon also recruit kid Magus and the most interesting thing about this issue (I don’t expect the writer to do that much with him TBH). I also really want him to meet up with Adam Warlock.

Other than that the Letters pages had some interesting info from the editor like 616 Moondragon being alive (Duggan said she was dead but that was a continuity error) and she might meet regular Moondragon.

There might be plans for Mantis? I hope so.

Also Nova corps confirmed for dead if there was any doubt any of them survived. I guess only Rich and Sam are left for the foreseeable future.

Rosenberg mentioned Rich might even meet with other Novas in Scourge but he could just be hinting at Rich meeting with Sam or something.

All in all still not impressed with this issue but it didn’t bore me as bad as the others. Overall as a story this isn’t that great.

EDIT: I’ll give this issue one huge positive thing though. I like the art and I like the fact that Peter Quill looks tired, older, and more of a mess in this run than in other runs were he’s usually this muscled handsome guy or when they were making him into a pretty boy (which I really disliked because Peter shouldn’t be a pretty boy, he’s should be attractive and somewhere between being ruggedly handsome way and unconventionally attractive? But not pretty). I liked how he looks in this issue.

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masterstrange · 3 years

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 / 616 inspired au.

#𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄 / 616 inspired au.#𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 / alternate universes.

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