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maxwell-grant · 3 years

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Who's your favorite Batman villain?

The Penguin. Was gonna put off this ask for a bit but I got surprised today with an incredible rendition of him, so now the dastardly bumbershoot waddled and squawked his way into my thoughts again and I gotta talk about him.

Penguin's not just my favorite Batman villain, he's my favorite DC character and comic book supervillain, the main reason I even want to write a Batman story someday.

I love the imagery that surrounds him, the trick umbrellas and the birds he so lovely dotes after and the WAKs and the Iceberg Lounge, which has become maligned in recent years as a sign of his downfall, but I very much appreciate as a concept in general still. I love a lot of the performances and actors who've taken him over the years. Burgess Meredith and Danny DeVito are some of my favorite performers of all time, Paul Williams has a wonderful voice and starred in my favorite film of all time. Tom Kenny, David Ogden Stiers, Robin Lord Taylor, Penguin's just had such great, terrific performances and adaptations. Batman Returns is my favorite Batman film by far and it was what got me to start paying more attention to Oswald.

I love the roles he can play in any given Batman story and how he's managed to endure all of his falls from grace by becoming an indispensable part of Batman's worldbuilding. I love his varied dynamics with Batman and Riddler and Catwoman and Gordon and his henchmen and those who get close to him. I love his style and the way he conducts himself when he's allowed to be more than just a generic mob boss. Penguin's design has, by simply staying unchanged over the decades, gone from "common rich person wear draped over a funny cartoon gangster" to "he is so out of touch and desperate for respectability that he dresses like an 1930s capitalist caricature, like a little kid's idea of what a rich and respectable man looks like, and Penguin's still stuck in that mindset". I love how absurd and plausible he is.

I like that Penguin can very easily fit just about any kind of Batman story, from the campy supervillain plots to the gritty urban crime ones. You can tell stories about Penguin falling in love, pretending to be legit because he doesn't want his aunt to learn he's a criminal, and opening up a comedy act with a talking penguin, or stories about Penguin terrorizing the city with giant robots and guided missiles and driving people to suicide. I like that he's a character who both relishes in his lifestyles of supervillain and crimelord alike, and yet is perpetually restless because the minute he acquires what he wants, he immediately starts wanting something else. He could have Batman and the Batfamily and all other supervillains wiped out and have Gotham in his pocket and maybe even become President of the United States, and he'd still want more. Because Oswald is nothing but wants, the wants of a traumatized manchild in a funny costume throwing money and toys and brute force and tantrums at the world until it makes sense, which only makes him far too fitting as a Batman villain.

Everyone forgets that Penguin was canonically the first villain to ever successfully escape Batman at the end of a story, completely bypassing the usual "villain swears revenge behind bars" ending to instead escape scot-free, and went on to establish himself as one of his biggest, most inventive and most cunning villains, second only, if not equal, to Joker. I love that he's ruthless and inventive and classy and cunning and brutal and how his main trick is using the fact that everyone underestimates the short fat man to his advantage. He's taken traits that got many of us in real life relentlessly tormented for them, and he uses them to pull the wool over those who think they are better than him.

It'ss a trick that works because even in real life people can't stop looking at this weird and silly little man and think "that guy's too silly for a Batman villain, he's not a murder clown or musclebound monster, what's he gonna do" and, yeah, that's the point, that's been the point from day one, he doesn't look scary or intimidating or even that evil, and he's the guy who pulls the rug under supergenius fighting machine Batman and becomes the top crimelord of Gotham City, a city ruled by terrors and manias and monsters infinitely bigger and scarier and stronger than he is, and he STILL made it to the top and he STILL maintains it, time and time again even when newer and flashier and scarier villains come and go. Batman is, at it's core, a fundamentally absurd character, and Penguin acts as a reminder of that. Because the minute we accept a man can terraform himself with training and money into a living legend on the level of gods, there's no reason why a tiny fat man with similar drive and resources can't likewise throw his weight with monsters and warriors far above his station.

Despite how ridiculously often he's disrespected by writers and fans alike, how far he's fallen off his former position in Batman's Rogues Gallery, and how often he's used as just a punching bag for assorted Bat-people, Penguin never goes away. He's the biggest survivor of all of Batman's villains, more so than the genuinely immortal ones, because he's the cockroach that won't go away no matter how many times you flush it.

Because once you get past the piles of money and the lounge fortresses and the armies of goons and the piles of cartoony gadget toys not too dissimilar from Batman's own, what the Penguin has is brains, and spite and hatred on a scale no other Batman villain has. He hates Batman, because Batman is nothing but yet another bully who thinks he can push Oswald around just because he's bigger and stronger. He hates the lower class for it's unsophisticated brutes and boors that made his childhood hell. He hates the upper class that's rejected and also tormented him since infancy, that he desperately spent so long trying to be a part of. He hates the monsters and supervillains he works with and has to associate with to stay alive. He hates the city that he fights to rule over tooth and nail.

And although he may never admit it, he hates himself, because he'a short paunchy man with a beakish nose who's brutal and immoral not just because those are the cards life dealt him, but because he likes what it affords him too much to give it away. Because he's never going to have the love and acceptance he desperately craves, he will never be able to accept it or keep it. Because he can never fully be a gentleman, or a monster, but instead a sad mix who belongs in neither of their worlds. Because at the end, he doesn't look like anyone else. He looks like one of him.

And still, I like Penguin because he's a Gentleman Villain. The one Gentleman Villain of Batman's rogues gallery, even if that's faded from a lot of his recent appearences that pushed the crimelord aspects to the forefront. He dresses like a gentleman thief, he's canonically a huge A.J Raffles fan, he's one of the most cunning brains of Gotham, he's got the money, resources, and adventurous spirit. Problem is, he's The Penguin. And suddenly, all that he has becomes overblown, outlandish, theatrical, and out of touch purely because it's him trying to do all those things. He's a gentleman adventurer gone rogue, the Count Fosco of the DCU, and that only makes it amusing, even endearing, when Penguin does engage in the swashbuckling antics he's so fond of.

When all his plans go to hell and so he starts fencing Batman, or when he commands henchmen with superflous fancy language, or even when Oswald gives the whole "hero" thing a shot and we see he's actually not bad at it, maybe he actually could have been one if it wasn't for the bile drowning his heart and the hellscape that warped innocent young Cobblepot into Gotham's Penguin, a name that immediately denotes something silly and ridiculous, and he carries it with pride, because he will make you respect that name.

And that's just a couple of reasons. I really, really love this character to the point of obsession and the main reason why I ever wanted to write stories for DC was to get to write Penguin and at least try to do the character a little more justice. But if nothing else, Penguin endures, regardless of what happens to him, in and out of universe. If nothing else, that's a very admirable quality in a supervillain. Oswald is the best.

#replies tag #comic books #batman #batman villains #the penguin #oswald cobblepot

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wheredidhiseyebrowsgo · 5 years

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Hope you guys are doing well!! Do you have any superhero au fics?

Fuck yeah! This is the tag, but I think it needs a little update. -Letta

what we do is what you wish to do by planetsdance

(1/1 |1,284 | Teen | Sterek)

Stiles does not have time for this right now. He’s trying to dodge a multitude of bullets from trigger happy henchmen while still holding on to the six year old hostage who’s frantically clutching at his shoulders. Stiles whispers soothing words to the child as he swings his body forward, casting another web as they start to fall to the ground. “I hope you realize you’re shooting at a little kid right now!” Stiles shouts at the henchmen, trying to find the kid’s parents. “There’s a special circle of hell for that y’know!”

Or, the Spiderman!AU

The Curious Incident of the Cat in the Night-Time by Saucery

(1/1 | 1,400 | Teen | Sterek)

Stiles is Catwoman.

hoping some ghost would be here still by darthjamtart

(1/1 | 1,602 | Teen | NP)

There’s a poster hanging in the window of the Beacon Hills library: brightly-colored depictions of children at desks, holding books, captioned, KEEP YOUR CHILDREN SAFE. KNOW WHAT’S IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. Smaller text at the bottom reads, Paid for by citizens in support of the Mutant Registration Act.

i'm supergirl (and i'm here to save the world) by iphigenias

(1/1 |1,667 | Teen | Allydia)

“Go on,” Allison says, tilting her head back so she can look Lydia in the eye. “Rescue me.”

Danny, the Champion of Beacon Hills by mirrorkill

(1/1 | 2,094 | Teen | Dethan)

Danny is secretly a superhero and has to hide it from the others whilst they're trying to hide werewolfness from him.

(Wherein dramatic irony isn't kind to anyone, Lydia plans to take over either prom or the world, and Danny's mom is amazing but even she can't take down the Beacon-Hills media.)

Pretending I'm a Superman by VforVitaly

(1/1 | 2,232 | Gen | Stanny)

Stiles spends his nights as a silent, invisible Beacon Hills vigilante, mostly stopping petty crime and helping out where he can, but when Danny becomes the victim of a gay bashing, Stiles rushes to his rescue, even if that means risking the reveal of his secret identity.

the loch ness monster that stole christmas by katiesaygo

(1/1 | 2,460 | Teen | Allisaac)

allison and isaac are both superheroes who’ve been assigned to reign in the loch ness monster the day of christmas eve

Wolfman by eak_a_mouse

(1/1 | 2,520 | Teen | Scanny)

It takes a certain kind of mindset to decide that the best way to protect people is to put on spandex and become a superhero.

That isn’t to say it’s not awesome or heroic or whatever. Just, you know, not running the same software as everyone else.

it bares its teeth like a light by brella

(1/1 | 2,585 | Teen | Sterica)

Erica cocks her head and curls her crimson lips up higher. “Mmm. A badass, huh? Rowr.”

The growl does not make his knees shake. Nope.

“Hey, listen, do you, uh…” Stiles stutters out before his brain can catch up to what he’s about to ask. “Do you… wanna get, um, drinks? Sometime? In the future? I mean, uh, I’m actually a total lightweight, but we could… get peanuts, and, um, root beers, or Cokes, or whatever.”

Scarlet Fox Vol. 1 by static_abyss

(1/1 | 2,826 | Gen | Malira)

Of three things, Malia was certain. First, her college's psychology department contained three of the city's most notorious supervillains. Second, there was a chance—and she knew exactly how large that chance was—that they would get her excellent connections if she took on the city's newest superhero. And third, Malia was, unconditionally and irrevocably, broke and out of luck.

Impact by orphan_account

(1/1 | 4,387 | Teen | Stiles/Steve Rogers)

it’s late and you can’t sleep, because you’re terrified of the future and sad about the situation you’re stuck in. In that 3 AM delirium you decide to send a tweet to the only person who’d never let you down and you open up the official Captain America twitter. So you send a tweet, knowing it’ll get lost in the flood of well-wishers and critics. But then, when you’re at your absolute lowest, something miraculous happens; Steve tweets you back to say he’s proud of you. Proud that you’re doing your best despite the odds, for finding the strength to get up in the morning and surviving the day. Steve telling you to not hurt yourself, because he knows just how fragile bodies can be.Steve asking you not to kill yourself, because life is precious and sometimes the knowledge that he might be able to save one is what gets him up in the morning.Steve Rogers doing his best to protect you, even against the monsters in your head.

You’d Be Saving Mine by pocketmumbles (livelikejack)

(1/1 | 4,543 | General | Scira+Derek)

“Sorry, uh, I just.” Derek scratches at his face and knocks his glasses askew. “I have frames just like yours,” he says quickly, gesturing at the man’s glasses.

The man smiles, ducking his head a little. “Cool. We’re, like, twins.”

“Wow.” Derek laughs and hopes it doesn’t sound too frantic. Judging by the way the man tenses and the woman’s smile goes a little glassy, he isn’t very successful. “I mean, you’re – and I’m just – but you’re, like-” He waves his hands vaguely, trying to get his head back on straight. “Specimen.”

(Or, a superhero AU where Scott and Kira are superhero partners and Derek is a store employee who accidentally interrupts them in the middle of a mission.)

the roof was pretty windy (she didn't say a word) by murphysarc

(1/1 | 4,836 | Teen | Allison/Erica)

Erica Reyes had been a hero all her life, except, until her best friend threw her off a roof. Nothing was the same, but that’s not a surprise.

Or, Erica and the pack are a part of a superhero team. Erica/Allison, Stiles/Lydia undertones, as well as general pack pairings. Title from “End Of The Day” by One Direction.

For the Both of Us by ArgentLives

(1/1 | 6,081 | Gen | Allira)

Allison Argent is used to shooting arrows at criminals and always hitting her targets. When Kira Yukimura comes into the picture, however, she's not prepared for the one aimed straight at her heart.

or: The Silver Archer, masked vigilante and Beacon Hill's long time protector, is going to have to learn to share. There's a new girl in town.

when the blood's run stale by vanessamary

(1/1 | 12,129 | Mature | Scallison)

Scott McCall always knew there had to be more people like him. People who were different. People who were special. It wasn’t until he was contacted by Dr. Deaton from the Beacon Hills Institute that he truly understood.

Superheroes by TruebornAlpha

(15/15 | 45,770 | Explicit | Sciles)

Scott McCall is best known to the world as Rocket Boy, the leader of the superheroes known as the Pack. With his team, they protect Beacon Hills and the world from supervillains bent on taking over. But a traveler from the future calling himself "The Stiles" has showed up on their doorstep claiming to be an ally. What are his true motives and will be be able to save the future if he falls in love?

My Knight by SammyVen

(14/14 | 50,805 | Mature | Sterek)

After his parents deaths, Derek Hale becomes Gotham City's biggest vigilantly, known as the Batman. After Derek saves Stiles during his visit to Gotham City for a piece in his article, the two become closer once again. But what happens when Stiles learns Derek's secret?

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thearabkhaleesi · 6 years

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JUSTICE LEAGUE: EASTER EGGS, TRIVIA, AND THINGS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

Disclaimer: I did not find all of these easter eggs myself. I watched many Youtube videos and read many articles and gathered the best easter eggs or references I could find and I compiled them into one organized post. Also, this post will definitely contain spoilers from the movie. Enjoy!

GREEN LANTERN

Green Lantern is one of the founding members of the Justice League in the comics, and it was widely speculated that he would have a cameo in the film or in the post-credits scenes (especially since there’s a planned film in the DCEU called Green Lantern Corps); even though we didn’t get that in the film, when Diana was explaining to Bruce about Steppenwolf’s origins and the Mother Boxes, we see a Green Lantern get killed in battle. The Green Lantern we see fighting Steppenwolf also wears a cape, which could be an homage to Alan Scott, the first Green lantern in the comics. This easter egg officially confirms the existence of the Green Lanterns in the DCEU films and foreshadows Green Lantern Corps (2020).

STEPPENWOLF AND DARKSEID’S RELATIONSHIP

The villain of Justice League was Steppenwolf, who is minion to the villain Darkseid. In the comics, Steppenwolf is Darkseid’s uncle, wheras in the movie, it’s revealed that Steppenwolf is Darkseid’s nephew.

CLARK AND JONATHAN KENT’S GRAVES

When The Flash and Cyborg are digging up Superman's coffin you can see the tombstone next to his reads Kent, referencing that he was buried next to his father who died in the Man of Steel movie.

JOHN WESLEY SHIPP

When attempting to break into the Kryptonian ship, Barry’s fake credentials show the name Wesley Shipp, which is a reference to John Wesley Shipp, who played the Flash in the tv show from the 1990s.

DO YOU BLEED?

One of the many callbacks to Batman v Superman is the line “Do you bleed?”. In BvS, Batman says it to Superman during their first encounter, and now in Justice League, Superman says it back to Batman during their fight.

AQUAMAN AND SUPERMAN HAVE MET BEFORE

Jason Momoa who plays Aquaman has revealed that in the DCEU, Aquaman and Superman have crossed paths before; in Man of Steel, there’s a scene where Clark almost drowns after saving people from the exploding oil rig, and apparently Aquaman pushed him back to the surface.

RED SKY

In the final battle against Steppenwolf, the Mother Boxes are united and the sky turns red; in the DC Comics universe, a red sky symbolizes a time of crisis - this first happened in “Crisis on Infinite Earths” in 1985.

SCENES STRAIGHT FROM THE COMICS

The plot of the movie draws inspiration from DC’s New 52 Comics, with scenes in the movie taken right from the comics and put into the movie such as “Aquaman talking to fish” and Batman’s first fight with the parademon, which was from the comic story arc “Origin” written by Geoff Johns, who is also the co-head of DC Films.

GAME OF THRONES CONNECTIONS

3 actors from Game of Thrones are in Justice League:

Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo) plays Aquaman

Ciaran Hinds (Mance Rayder) played Steppenwolf through motion capture

Michael McElhatton (Roose Bolton) plays an unnamed criminal fighting against Wonder Woman

BLACK MASK

During the same fight against the parademon, there’s a rooftop with the company name “Janus” on it, which is the name of the company run by the villain Black Mask.

ARES AND ZEUS

The “gods” in Wonder Woman’s storyline and backstory are seen in the flashback battle - including Ares (played by David Thewlis) and Zeus, who zapped the Mother Boxes apart.

THE PENGUIN

During a conversation between Bruce and Alfred, Alfred says he misses the days when their biggest threats were “exploding, wind-up penguins”, which is a reference to the famous Batman villain, the Penguin.

THE SPECTRE

At the Gotham City Police Department, Alfred talks to Crispus Allen, who in the comics goes on to become the cosmic entity “The Spectre”.

ACE CHEMICALS

When Batman talks to Commissioner Gordon on the rooftop, in the background you can spot a sign for “ACE Chemicals” which is where the Joker fell into a vat of chemicals that bleached his skin (in Suicide Squad we see a clip of Harley and Joker in ACE Chemicals).

DOOMSDAY CLOCK

Bruce makes a comment about the “Doomsday clock having a snooze button”, which is a reference to the Watchmen, and “Doomsday Clock” is the title to the sequel of Watchmen, written by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank.

WAYNE MANOR / HALL OF JUSTICE

At the end of the movie, Bruce Wayne returns to his family home, Wayne Manor, and tells Alfred they’ll be needing a table and six chairs around it (or maybe more..) alluding to the fact that it could be the “Hall of Justice” aka the Justice League headquarters.

BARRY & HENRY ALLEN

At the end of the movie, Barry gets a job as a forensic scientist, motivated by the desire to clear his father’s name (when Barry was a child, his mother Nora was murdered and his father Henry was charged with the crime). Henry Allen is held at “Iron Heights Penitentiary”, which is where most of the Flash’s enemies end up in the comics such as Captain Cold and Weather Wizard.

Bonus fact: In Justice League, Henry Allen is played by Billy Crudup, who played Dr. Manhattan in the Watchmen movie, a DC Comics film also directed by Zack Snyder (though not a part of the DCEU).

BARRY’S HOME - BLACKPINK AND RICK AND MORTY

When Bruce goes to recruit Barry to join the League, the song “As If It’s Your Last” by K-POP band BlackPink can be heard, and an episode of Rick and Morty can be seen playing in the background (season 1 episode 9); the scene shows Rick & Summer defeating the Devil, which mirrors the actions of the League in this film, as Steppenwolf is considered an allegory for Lucifer.

GORILLA GRODD

In the same scene, Barry says he known “gorilla sign language” which is a reference to the Flash villain “Gorilla Grodd”, who is an extremely intelligent gorilla with psychic powers.

PRINCE AND DAVID BOWIE

A newspaper article can be seen remembering the deaths of Prince and David Bowie alongside Superman.

THE KRYPTONIAN SHIP

The Kryptonian ship which plays a big role in the film, is the same one that General Zod arrives in in Man of Steel, Lex Luthor created Doomsday in Batman v. Superman; we also understand from the movie that the ship has been taken from LexCorp by STAR Labs.

VICTOR AND GOTHAM CITY UNIVERSITY

Victor got his powers after suffering an accident while he was a student and football player at Gotham City University. A scene was cut from the movie that showed him in a GCU jacket and his days as a football player. Bonus Fact: In Batman v Superman: Ultimate Edition, we see a scene of a football game between Gotham City University and Metropolis, with GCU losing 58-0, and they’re doing so badly because Victor isn’t on their team anymore due to his accident.

BOOYAH

After the fight with Steppenwolf, Cyborg says “Booyah!”, which is his signature catchphrase in the Teen Titans animated series.

JOHN WILLIAMS SCORE

Danny Elfman used a bit of Superman’s classic score by John Williams but “gave it a darker twist” in the film right before Superman fights the League at his monument.

16TH ANNIVERSARY OF ANIMATED SERIES

This film was released in the US on November 17th, the same day the animated series Justice League (2001) first aired sixteen years earlier.

1978 JIMMY OLSEN CAMEO

Marc McClure, who plays Jimmy Olsen in the 1978 Superman movie has a cameo in the movie as the police guard in the jail when Barry visits his dad.

SUPERMAN V. THE FLASH - 1ST POST CREDITS SCENE

The first mid-credits scene shows Superman racing against The Flash to see who is faster; this has been a subject of many comic book stories with the answer never being truly resolved and always being “up in the air”.

LEGION OF DOOM - 2ND POST CREDITS SCENE

The second post credits scene shows Lex Luthor to have broken out of Arkham Asylum and aboard a yacht with Deathstoke (aka Slade Wilson), with Lex telling Slade they should form “a league of their own”. This is a reference to the “Legion of Doom” or the “Injustice League” , a group of supervillains from DC Comics including Lex Luthor, Deathstroke, Riddler, Braniac, Solomon Grundy, Sinestro, Scarecrow, and more. Bonus Fact: Lex Luthor’s look in this scene is more true to how he looks in the comics as opposed to how he looked in Batman v Superman.

CLARK’S FUNERAL OUTFIT

We see that Clark was buried in a navy blue suit, white shirt, and red tie - this is one of Clark’s iconic outfits from the early comics.

THE ICONIC SUPERMAN POSE

Another iconic Clark Kent outfit is the tan trenchcoat, glasses, and hat, and at the very end of the film, the first time in the DCEU, we see Clark wear this outfit and pull open his shirt to reveal his Superman outfit - an iconic Superman scene.

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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The Flash: The Secret Origin of the Original TV Series

https://ift.tt/3mGVF4e

A flash of lightning. An iconic red and gold costume. Weird sci-fi villains and blockbuster special effects. We could only be talking about the beloved The Flash TV series, right?

Ah, but this isn’t Grant Gustin and Team Flash from the CW’s The Flash. No, this is The Flash TV series from 1990, the one starring John Wesley Shipp and boasting a theme song by none other than superhero movie maestro Danny Elfman.

The Flash was an expensive gamble for CBS and ultimately only lasted one season, but its legacy lives on and it remains an important part of superhero TV history. The show has crept back into the pop culture consciousness in recent years, with every major cast member making appearances on the current show, and it was even acknowledged as part of official DC canon thanks to recent TV crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths, a fitting bookend for a series that once seemed destined to only be remembered by die hard fans.

In honor of the show’s 30th anniversary, this is the story of how the 1990 The Flash TV series came to be and its brief, bright run.

UNLIMITED POWERS

The Flash began life as a pitch for a different show entirely. The men who would eventually steer Barry Allen’s network TV destiny, Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo had made a name for themselves in genre circles with their work on films like Zone Troopers and cult classic Trancers, and as big comic book fans, were looking to bring superheroes to the screen. And in 1989, they wrote a feature length pilot script for a series called Unlimited Powers.

But Unlimited Powers wasn’t a Flash show, and instead dealt with an entire team of superheroes. While Barry Allen was a key character, he would have been joined by other DC Comics heroes including Green Arrow, Doctor Occult (a minor creation from Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster), Blok (of Legion of Super-Heroes fame), Wally West, and Oliver Queen’s teenage daughter (three decades before a similar character would become a fixture on Arrow).

The Flash of Unlimited Powers wasn’t a man first coming to terms with his powers, but rather a 40-something Barry Allen recently released from a 15-year prison sentence, in a world where superheroes have been outlawed. Bilson and De Meo drew inspiration for Unlimited Powers from the “adult” takes on the superhero genre in the comics of the moment, an influence that Bilson freely admits.

“We were really into the comics of the ’80s that sort of reinvented comics and wrote them more for adults,” Bilson recalls. “Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, American Flagg!, and The Rocketeer were our favorites… so when we were adapting comic stuff at Warner Brothers, when it came around for us to do something, our sensibility was in those books and in the direction that Tim Burton had taken the Michael Keaton Batman movie in 1989. We wanted to make them as believable for adults as they were when we were 10.”

Bilson describes Unlimited Powers as “one of my favorite scripts that we wrote” but its near dystopian vision of a world secretly run by supervillains and most heroes having been forced into hiding or retirement was a little too much for CBS at the time, though it sounds incredibly timely right now in an era where The Boys and Watchmen are prestige TV darlings.

“One of the things that is proven true over time is that…The stuff that we couldn’t get done, somebody did it later,” Bilson says. “There was this weird thing where we were always a little bit too far ahead of the curve or something, but it is what it is. It was what it was.”

THE STARTING LINE

Bilson doesn’t remember whose idea it was to develop The Flash as a more “traditional” solo superhero show, but work began on a feature length script for The Flash pilot soon after Unlimited Powers fell apart. But while the pair were comic book fans, they weren’t completely beholden to them, either.

“We didn’t study the comics,” Bilson says. “We knew and liked The Flash. We read comics in general. Paul [De Meo] was much more of a comic book head as a kid than I was.”

That devotion might explain why their version of Barry Allen freely borrowed from other eras of the character, notably DC Comics of the era which featured Wally West as the Scarlet Speedster. Elements such as Barry’s upper limit of speed being around the speed of sound, his need to replace caloric energy with vast quantities of food, his close ties to STAR Labs, and even the character of Tina McGee, all came from the Wally West era of the book.

“We didn’t dig through all the lore,” Bilson says. “We looked for the elements that would be good for the show.”

Bilson and De Meo fought hard for their vision of what the series should be, but the guiding principle was to “play it straight.” The pair saw the project as a “descendant” of Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman movie and Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film, the latter of which would be a considerable influence on the look, feel, and even sound of the show.

Like Batman, The Flash took a heightened and “timeless” approach to its production, blending fashion and technology from the 1940s and ‘50s with the modern day. And like its big screen cousin in Gotham City, the series boasted a memorable, heroic theme composed by Danny Elfman. But the rest of the show’s music was composed by Shirley Walker, who went on to do memorable work on Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series soon after.

“She used a 35-piece orchestra every episode,” Bilson says. “It wasn’t synthesizers or faked. We budgeted for it. I think she had 65 pieces in the pilot, and we managed to budget 35 pieces an episode to keep that orchestral score going. Shirley was amazing.”

The pair resisted CBS’ efforts to bring in more experienced TV executive producers, insisting on creative control.

“We were young enough to go ‘Who cares? We don’t care about money. We just care about what we care about,’ which was The Flash at the time,” Bilson says. “So they balked. They backed down, and we ran the show.”

THE ORIGINAL BARRY ALLEN

While Barry Allen was a key piece of Unlimited Powers, the version that would be showcased on CBS wasn’t a seasoned or cynical hero, but one at the very start of his career. The Flash pilot plays like a superhero movie origin story, introducing police scientist Barry Allen and his supporting cast, and detailing every step along the way from the moment he’s struck by lightning to how he earns his iconic red suit. Modern audiences are far more familiar with superhero archetypes than in 1990, so finding the right balance of heroism and humanity for their leading man was essential.

“At that time in our career and our writing maturity, I would say that [Barry] was the model of an empathetic, leading man who was a little bit of Danny and Paul and a lot of every movie hero we’d ever seen,” Bilson says. “It was a little bit of us and a lot of traditional, classic American movie hero stuff, a certain amount of modesty, in over his head, a little romance, a little surprise.”

Those qualities led them to series star, John Wesley Shipp. Shipp had spent the ‘80s as a daytime soap opera mainstay on shows like Guiding Light, As The World Turns, and One Life to Live, a run that earned him two Daytime Emmys. The Flash meant his first shot at primetime. The New York-based Shipp found himself in LA in late 1989, getting ready for an audition in January of 1990.

“There was a lot of talk about this new show that was happening, that was the most expensive show Warner Bros. had ever done,” Shipp recalls. “It was coming on the heels and was in development at the same time as Tim Burton’s Batman. I was very cautious about it, because I fancied myself a serious actor and I didn’t want to run around in a pair of red tights and I didn’t want to spoof. Comedy wasn’t really my thing.”

But Shipp was impressed by Bilson and De Meo’s pilot script, particularly the idea that the police scientist Barry was “the geek son of a cop family where real cops work the streets… this ordinary guy who’s the safe one in the family,” before getting powers and becoming a hero.

Shipp took the audition and eventually landed the role.

“As I understand it, they saw about 60 guys,” Shipp says. “I think I may have been the first guy they saw, as I recall Danny [Bilson] telling it. I auditioned for them… then I had to go in for the suits at Warner Bros. They liked what they saw. They took me and one other actor to the network.”

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The other actor in question was another daytime soap alum looking to make the jump to primetime, Another World’s Richard Burgi.

“It came down to Richard Burgi and John Shipp, and Burgi became our lead later on in The Sentinel,” Bilson says. “The ironic thing about The Sentinel was John Shipp was our first choice and Richard Burgi was our second choice. John knows this, but for The Flash at that moment, Richard Burgi was our first choice and John Shipp was our second choice, and everybody at the network liked John better. Of course, once we started going, you forget about Burgi and it’s all John.”

Ultimately, it was about the trust between Shipp and the producers that helped bring Barry to life properly.

“Danny was very collaborative,” Shipp recalls. “They really trusted me, and went with what I felt emotionally was the most truthful.”

Bilson agrees:

“He looked the part and gave it a hundred percent. I don’t remember ever having to talk to him about interpretation. He nailed it most of the time. It was just like he knew what it was. It was this thing that we all created together, that character.”

STAR Labs

Barry needed a scientific (and possibly romantic) foil and that came in the form of Amanda Pays as STAR Labs scientist Tina McGee, who had actually been cast before Shipp.

“[Amanda Pays] was coming off Max Headroom, which was a cool show,” Bilson says. “It was all about that [and] Amanda seemed perfect for this.”

The particular sci-fi demands of Max Headroom meant Pays was uniquely suited to a key component of the show.

“My god, I couldn’t believe the amount of technobabble here,” Shipp says with a laugh. “If you’re going to listen to technobabble, you need to listen to it being said by Amanda Pays. It’s just that voice.”

And while Tina was a fixture from the pilot, there was the little matter of another character, Barry’s longtime comics love interest and wife, Iris West. Iris was played by Paula Marshall in the pilot episode, and never seen again on the show.

“We realized we wrote ourselves into a corner, and it would be much more interesting if he was single, and then we could do the Moonlighting thing with Tina and bring women in and out of the show,” Bilson says.

But even the Barry/Tina dynamic presented challenges.

“Their template was we’re doing an hour movie a week and didn’t have time to be as careful as the new show is about character arcs and relationship arcs,” Shipp says. “There were times when I was confused. Are we flirting? Are we going to get together? Are we not? We’d flirt one episode and then it would be dropped the next and then there’d be a little flirty something.”

But with the principles in place, along with Alex Désert as Barry’s lab partner and best friend Julio Mendez, The Flash was just about ready for primetime.

“There was so much buzz about the show,” Shipp says.

But there was still another race to be won…

THE SUIT

“They were going to go darker than The Flash really is,” Shipp says. “We had to ground it in some kind of grit to sort of overcompensate for the lightness, the comic bookness, which if not taken seriously might alienate the kind of audience that we would need to draw to stay on the air.”

How much darker? Well, for one thing, the network was initially resistant to the idea of putting their hero in his trademark costume.

“In development, CBS just wanted a tracksuit with LEDs on tennis shoes,” Bilson says.

But The Flash costume is arguably one of the greatest superhero designs in history, and Bilson and De Meo weren’t going to let this opportunity pass them by.

“We were doing The Rocketeer at the time, so we had [comic artist and Rocketeer creator] Dave Stevens draw an illustration of a Flash suit [to convince the network], and then Bob Short built it.”

The Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens created this design sketch to convince CBS executives to give The Flash his iconic suit. (courtesy of Pet Fly Productions)

The result was one of the most impressive live action superhero costumes that had ever been realized on the screen. The primary reds and yellows of the comic were replaced by a striking crimson and gold, with built in muscles that gave the character an unmistakable silhouette.

While The Flash TV suit was a remarkable achievement for its day, and remains a powerful visual, it was quite a process for its star.

“They said ‘you won’t be in red tights,’” Shipp jokes. “I came to regret that later.”

While Shipp was in excellent shape and already sported a superhero-worthy physique, the suit was designed to follow in the footsteps of the recent Batman movie costume, with molded muscles and a hyper-real, enhanced look.

“They wanted it to be larger than life,” Shipp says. “Remember, it was 1990, we were in the post Pumping Iron, Jose Canseco, Mark McGuire, larger than life steroid haze, you know what I mean? Heroes had to be larger than life.”

As a result, Shipp’s first fitting for his Flash suit was perhaps more than he bargained for.

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“It was quite an involved process,” he says. “I stripped down my underwear and they greased me with Vaseline all over, wrapped me in cellophane, and then I put on a spandex suit. They had individually sculpted foam latex muscle pieces, and they would glue them on to this spandex suit. They wrapped me in cellophane because the glue would get really hot while it was setting, and they glued the pieces on the suit with me in it.”

And that was just the fitting! Shipp had to endure long hours in a very physical role in that suit, which was just as hot as you might imagine.

“I was so enthusiastic. It was my first primetime show. I would have done anything that they asked me to at that point,” Shipp says. “They sprayed it with a sealant to keep all the water inside. They’d pull a glove off and it would be full of water up to the wrist and they’d just dump it out. After the pilot, they got a vest like race car drivers wear, with tubing so they could plug me into an ice chest and circulate the water because I started to get fuzzy because it was so hot.”

Ironically, after their initial resistance to putting their title character in a traditional superhero costume, once filming got underway, everyone’s tune changed.

“After the first footage came in, all the people at Warner Bros. and particularly at the network [wanted] to see the suit,” Shipp says. “It’s always the back and forth and a series of compromises.”

But even Bilson and De Meo, despite having fought for a proper superhero suit on the show, had to lay some ground rules for how it should be deployed.

“One of our rules was you never want to see it in the daytime,” Bilson says. “It wasn’t like Batman where he only comes out at night. We just don’t want to see it in the daytime, and the few times we did, it was rough.”

And yet, even in a red and gold superhero costume with enhanced musculature, Shipp was determined to bring as much humanity to the role as possible.

“My absolute commitment was not to be humorless because there was humor in the script, but it was rooted in character,” he says. “It was to play with this guy as truthfully as I could. Once the suit came out, the lights went down, and Shirley Walker’s music and the Danny Elfman theme came up, my work was pretty much done emotionally. Then it was up to Dane Farwell, my very fine stunt man, who I cannot to this day give enough praise to. He was almost as much the Flash as I was. I was Barry Allen.”

“NO SUPERVILLAINS”

With the pilot out of the way, The Flash embarked on its first run of hour-long episodes. And while the series eventually brought familiar Flash rogues like Captain Cold, Mirror Master, and most famously, Mark Hamill’s Trickster to the screen, that wasn’t the case early on.

“The first six episodes, [the network] wouldn’t let us do supervillains, and it was our worst nightmare,” Bilson says. “We grew up with The Adventures of Superman TV show with George Reeves, and we used to make jokes about how he always fought safe crackers, counterfeiters, and bank robbers. We got in there with the first six episodes at CBS, and they kind of wanted safe crackers and bank robbers, and we had to kind of prove our way into supervillains.”

Despite that obstacle, those early Flash episodes still work, thanks to a writing team that included TV veteran Gail Morgan Hickman, and comics stalwarts Howard Chaykin and John Francis Moore, whose work Bilson and De Meo had been admiring on American Flagg!.

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“We didn’t have formulas,” Bilson says. “My thing was every episode is a different movie, so let the director and the creatives go make that movie. Sometimes the movies are good and sometimes they’re not, and if they’re good, we bring them back, and if they’re not, we don’t.”

But even the episodes that didn’t go all in on the comic book elements were still big productions, with some episodes taking nine days to shoot and long hours required of the cast and crew.

“We were there from the third week in August until the second week in May with four days off for Christmas and that was it,” Shipp recalls. “I was there 55 to 80 hours a week. You can imagine how long the crew was there. We didn’t have CGI. We were doing live action practical effects. We were blowing shit up. We were blowing out windows in back alleys in Hollywood … [it was an] enormous undertaking in 1990.”

For his part, Shipp was fine with the show straying from its comic book roots.

“We were CSI before CSI was cool,” he says. “I think what they originally intended and what attracted me to it was it was going to be a cop show with the superhuman element of speed. It wasn’t going to be supervillain of the week.”

ENTER THE SUPERVILLAINS

But of course, the show did soon give audiences three of Flash’s most iconic comic book rogues in the form of some TV-tweaked versions of Captain Cold, Mirror Master, and most famously, the Trickster. Unlike those other two comic book baddies, TV’s Trickster fully embraced the multi-colored weirdness of his comic book counterpart, costume and all, with a wild performance by Mark Hamill.

“It did concern me when we were suddenly having supervillain of the week,” Shipp says. “Of course, when you have the opportunity to have Mark Hamill as the Trickster, you’re going to do it. He really helped me with not shying away from the comic book element because I didn’t want to be a mascot. I wanted to be taken seriously. Mark came roaring onto the set, no holds barred, absolutely committed, and made me look at it from a different perspective.”

Hamill’s Trickster would ultimately appear in two episodes, including the series finale, both directed by Bilson.

“For me, it all came together with the first Trickster episode,” Bilson says. “To me, that’s really the pinnacle of the show of where it was kind of what we wanted it to be. Mark wanted to play the part. We got a call, and then he just took it to that thing that became the Joker later on [in Batman: The Animated Series]. But what he came up with … I was just directing. Directing is just guiding. Mark invented the heck out of that thing. It was amazing. He’s a great actor.”

THE FINISH LINE

“I think we wrapped the season and they made the announcement a week later,” Shipp says. “I know I left LA and was back in New York when the announcement was made. It was kind of like, good news, bad news. You don’t have to go through that again and there’s so much more story to tell.”

The Flash was well reviewed, and its ratings would be considered astronomical by 2020 standards. But it was also one of the most expensive shows ever produced at the time, and one that found itself bounced around the schedule, first because of the 1990 MLB playoffs, then the arrival of the first Gulf War, and then ultimately as it competed with legendary series like Cheers, The Simpsons, and The Cosby Show.

“We finished shooting the last episode, and I think either we found out we were canceled while we were shooting or it was shortly after that,” Bilson says. “So there was no starting down the path for next season. We knew we were on the bubble, I’m sure. I think it was even a close one that we got picked up for the back nine, so we weren’t even close to a sure thing. It didn’t feel like a death march at all. It just felt like you knew what the numbers were, and I guess we knew we weren’t going to make it.”

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But was it really just the ratings?

“There was a lot going on behind the scenes that I think contributed to us not getting a second season,” Shipp says cryptically.

Bilson is more blunt.

“It was network politics,” he says. “I heard the next year that the boss’ bonus was tied to rating share points and that he traded our 16 for a show that had a 17. I remember hearing that the next year, but I’m not naming any names or anything.”

Despite this, Bilson still thinks the best was yet to come.

“We were figuring it out as we went along, and we thought we were hitting our stride there,” he says. The arrival of genuine supervillains seemed to point the way forward, and the hope was to come back for a second season with another two-hour episode teaming up Trickster, Captain Cold, and Mirror Master.

“I really hooked into this ordinary guy caught in extraordinary circumstances,” Shipp says. “This is what I always say to people at conventions, we all have our own vein of gold. We all have that thing that lights us up and draws us out that we do as well or better than anyone else. We’re all extraordinary in our own way.”

Despite being a one season wonder, Shipp looks back fondly on his time in Central City, and of course has remained a part of The Flash legacy with the current CW series, first as the father of Grant Gustin’s Barry, then as original Flash Jay Garrick, and then returning to his version of Barry to give the Flash of Earth-90 a fitting final bow in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

“I certainly feel 30 years later that The Flash has been more of a blessing in my life than I ever expected it to be,” he says. “I have an enormous sense of gratitude towards the people that have kept this show at sort of the forefront of the comic genre. I’m just deeply moved and deeply grateful for that.”

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The Flash is currently available to stream on DC Universe. Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo wrote the screenplay for Da 5 Bloods, which is now on Netflix.

The post The Flash: The Secret Origin of the Original TV Series appeared first on Den of Geek.

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ask-the-phan-site · 4 years

Text

Phan Cam: Phantoms vs Phantoms

>Amity Park, Minnesota, USA. We came here to fulfill a request on a new target in the city most famous for its own phantoms.

Wouldn’t you know? We came here expecting to see ghosts, but everything here just looks like any other town in America.

Give it a second.

>We waited. And sure enough...

BANG!

>Something flew past us and into a wall that collapsed.

Holy shit! You weren’t kiddin’!

>Then, something just phased out of the rubble.

(Art by the original creator of the show, Butch Hartman.)

Well, I guess that’s the end of that truce.

>Then, a ghost emerges forth.

You may have saved the world and the Ghost Zone, kid, but it doesn’t change who or what you are. When I look at you, I still see that punk who wondered into the Ghost Zone and doesn’t know what he’s doing. Someone who needs to be taught a lesson... And I’m the ghost who will teach it.

Danny Phantom: There’s just one problem with that... This punk kid is a man now. And more powerful than ever.

>The fight continues.

That was so cool!

Just try not to forget why we’re here.

Find our target, Vlad Masters, learn his keywords, and take his heart.

Right. So let’s get looking.

Okay. I checked the town directory. I know where we need to go.

>Vlad Masters’ Mansion.

Isn’t this place suppose to be in Wisconsin?

Oracle: As a precaution, if he doesn’t become mayor of Amity Park, Vlad had his mansion moved here to keep an eye on things. Including Axion Labs, the ghost activities, and of course... Maddie Fenton.

I see.

Oracle: I already put his name and this mansion in the Nav. This is definitely where his Palace is. But we still need to know the distortion. What does Vlad see this place as?

Panther: If I had to guess, it must be something that has to do with obsession. Maybe a museum?

Nav: Conditions have not been met.

Fox: I don’t think he’s like that. Perhaps it’s this Ghost Zone everyone speaks of.

Nav: Conditions have not been met.

Skull: This might take some time. I don’t think we’re gonna make it to graduation.

Violet: I don’t think that might be a problem. Our requestor gave us a hint... Valerie Gray.

Do you really think she can help?

Violet: It’s worth a try. I already looked her up. It appears after she finished high school, she moved back to Amity Park. She has an apartment not far from here.

Then let’s get to it!

>A little later, we were now in front of an apartment building. After waiting a while, we managed to see a woman in a red jumpsuit flying by on a hoverboard.

Violet: There she is! Excuse me, Ms. Gray! Excuse me, can I have a word with you?

Hmm. I wonder what she wants.

>Ms. Gray makes a hand motion to us saying that she would like to see us in her apartment. We go up and she lets us in. Inside, it looked a lot like some kind of command center.

Violet: Thank you for inviting us in, Ms. Gray.

Ms. Gray: You’re welcome. Say, haven’t I seen you all in Dream FES?

Violet: (a bit happy) Ah, you saw that?

Ms. Gray: An old friend from high school was watching it online. I got curious and watched it myself.

Joker: And... you’ve been having weird dreams?

Ms. Gray: Well... Yes. Actually, a lot of people have been having dreams since Dream FES... But so far, no problems. So, things are fairly normal... Well, as normal as a town full of ghosts can be.

>I guess that’s a relief.

Ms. Gray: What’s with that look?

No reason.

Ms. Gray: So, what brings all of you here? Doesn’t the school year in Japan end this month?

Panther: We just thought about we’d take a last minute trip before college keeps us busy for a while. And we thought that while we’re here, we would get to know this place a little more.

Ms. Gray: Really? I would think that you could get better info from our town blog or even Mayor Foley.

Panther: We thought we could get info from places no one would think to get it because they might know more.

Ms. Gray: Fair enough. So what do you want to know?

Noir: Well, we know you might find this subject a bit sore, but... What can you tell us about your old boss, Vlad “Plasmius” Masters?

>Ms. Gray suddenly just froze. And then, a look of anger is seen on her face.

Ms. Gray: That creep who tricked me into doing his dirty work? That guy doesn’t deserve to be known about! He uses people and ghosts just to get what he wants. How sick can one man get? Why would you want to know about him?

Queen: (a little nervous) We thought we could look into the mind of a supervillain to know more about them. You know, like last minute school work.

Ms. Gray: But aren’t you already friends with the Wall Crowler? Can’t you ask him to bring one to you?

Queen: I doubt he can get us a villain with ghost powers. We thought of asking you because you used to work for him.

Ms. Gray: (groans) Fine. What do you want to know?

Queen: Well, we know he brought his mansion here from Wisconson. What does he think of it?

Ms. Gray: I don’t know. I’ve never actually been to it. But if I had to guess... It would probably have to do with Maddie Fenton. Seriously, that guy’s obsessed with her. The lady’s already married and has kids! He even named his cat after her. I swear, it’s like... It’s like he worships her day and night.

Worships her day and night? Like, in a temple?

Ms. Gray: Pretty much.

Queen: Thank you, I think that’s all we need to know.

Ms. Gray: That’s it?

Queen: You’d be surprised how much you just helped us.

Ms. Gray: (a little confused) ... Okay. I suppose.

Queen: That’s good to hear. Again, thank you, Ms. Gray.

Ms. Gray: ... You know what? Just call me Valerie. Val for short.

Alright then, Val.

>With that, we leave... Val, however, was curious about what we just said.

>Back at the mansion, we gathered.

Oracle: Okay, let’s see if it works! Temple.

Nav: Results found. Updating guidance system.

We’re in! Are we ready?

>We all nod in agreement.

It’s showtime!

>Behind some bushes.

Val: What on earth?

Nav: Beginning navigation.

>The familiar red wave passes over us. When it was over, the mansion had transformed into a temple version of itself with a large statue of Maddie Fenton wearing northing but a large white cloth and in the same pose as the Birth of Venus.

Oh my! I know Maddie Fenton looks a little perfect for that pose, but this might be a little too much.

Are you nuts!? It’s disgusting! I can’t believe this is how he sees this place! Vlad needs to get a life and leave her alone!

Queen: Panther, keep it down. The Shadows could hear us.

Mona: She right. Look, our clothes haven’t changed yet. That means we haven’t been perceived as a threat yet. So we need to be careful and be alert.

Joker: For now, let’s just see what we can find.

>We nod and go on... Back behind the bushes...

Val: What is going on?

>At the entrance, we look around. We know we can’t go in through the front entrance, so we try to find another way in. After searching for a while, we find what looks like a side door to the servant quarters.

Skull: I’m surprised this place has somethin’ like this.

Queen: It may be a temple, but it’s still a mansion.

Mona: Give me a second, I’ll pick the lock.

>After a couple of attempts, he manages to get the door open. Inside what looks like a kitchen, the staff was busy making meals. What made them a bit disturbing, they all looked the same: A big fat man in an orange jumpsuit with black glove and boots and he had black hair with white high lights.

Skull: What’s with these guys?

Queen: If I had to guess, this is Jack Fenton, Maddie’s husband. Vlad’s been jealous of him ever since the accident that gave Vlad his powers.

Panther: I wonder how did someone like Jack Fenton get her.

Noir: Who knows? Love is blind, but a perfect guide.

You can say that again.

Indeed.

Mona: I know they’re cognitions, but we don’t want to get their attention. Does anyone know a way past them?

>I look around and I see a support beam stretching over the kitchen.

Joker: We can try that.

>We get on the beam and walk over it. We manage to get to the other side and managed to find a way to the foyer. The place was completely decored with all things Maddie Fenton, including a large nude statue of Maddie with a nude Vlad.

How could this be? This isn’t even art anymore.

This is bullshit! Vlad is no different than Kamoshida!

???: I can see that.

>We quickly turn to see we have been followed... No way, it’s...

Val: Care to explain all of this?

Oh no, this could be bad!

Val: It’s about to get worse if you don’t talk. What’s going on? I know this has something to do with Vlad.

Joker: Well... Maybe.

Val: I know you guys are going to do something to him... And I want in.

What!?

Val: You heard me. I want in.

Joker: (whisper) Mona, what do we do?

Mona: (also whispering) I don’t know, Joker. Valerie may be a great fighter, but that’s ghosts, this is Shadows. But we can’t send her off because she might tell someone.

Joker: I guess we have no choice. We have to let her join in. Besides, she knows Vlad and might be able to help us. (out loud) Alright, you can come with us, but stay close to us.

Val: Good. I won’t let you down. Vlad owes me big time for everything he’s done to me.

?????? ????: You think so?

Everyone: !

>We turn up to the balcony at the end of the hall to see a man who looked like he was dressed like some kind of pope in black robes and his pope hat had a picture of Maddie Fenton instead of a cross. He also had blue skin, a black goatee, shart teeth, and his eyes were completely yellow (I think they’re supposed to be red).

Val: (with a look of hatred) Vlad Plasmius.

Panther: That’s him?

Oracle: More like his Shadow.

Val: His what?

Shadow Vlad: Valerie Gray, as clueless as ever. And you brought these thieves over as well? If you are trying to get back into my good graces, I’d rather you bring me Goddess Maddie’s heart... Or Danny Phantom’s head.

Val: Now that sounds a little morbid, even for you. But it doesn’t matter, you’re here, now I can get my revenge!

>Val readies her weapon.

Shadow Vlad: Foolish girl, did you really think I wouldn’t be prepared for this?

>Shadow Vlad snaps his fingers and three Shadows that look like ghosts appear. Val began shooting at each one but they keep dodging it.

Shadow Vlad: You’re out of your league, Gray, these aren’t your average spooks that you’re used to. I rule this sacred place with my beloved Maddie. No one shall defy the rules.

>Suddenly, in a flash of blue energy, our clothes change.

Our clothes.

He must perceive us as a threat now.

Yes, we can fight now. Let’s do it!

Val: You’re going to fight?

It’s what we do.

Shadow Vlad: Fine. If you wish to become ghosts yourself, be my guest.

>With a snap of his fingers, the Shadows change shape.

Here goes! Persona!

>Necronomicon scans the three Shadows.

Oracle: I got it! They’re weak to Nuclear and Gunfire. Queen, Noir, beat ‘em up!

Queen: We won’t fail you. Noir?

I’m with you all the way!

Queen and Noir: Persona!

I’m in, too. Persona!

(Hope we don’t get flagged for this.)

>I change Personas.

Joker: Persona!

>Anzu 1 uses Masukukaja. Anzu 2 uses Garula on me. Anzu 3 also uses Garula on Panther. Johanna uses Marakukaja. Milady uses Triple Down. All the Anzus dodge it. Carmen uses Dekaja. Thoth uses Mafreila. Two of the Anzus were knocked down. I pass the baton to Queen and Johanna uses Freila on the remaining Anzu.

Queen: Let’s wipe ‘em out!

>After the attack, the Anzus were gone.

WARNING

>More Anzus appear.

Oracle: More enemies! Be careful!

>Anzu 1 uses Masukukaja. Anzu 2 uses Garula on me. Anzu 3 uses Garula on Noir, but she dodges it. Johanna uses Mafreila. All the Anzus are gone.

WARNING

>More Anzus appear.

Oracle: More!?

Noir: Don’t worry, we can still take them.

>Milady uses Triple Down and all the Anzus are gone.

WARNING

>Even more Anzus appear this time, with a new Shadow.

Shadow Vlad: Fight all you want, I have more where they came from.

Oracle: He’s right, there’s too many coming!

This looks bad. What are we gonna do?

Oracle: I don’t know. There seems to be too many.

But there has to be something we can do.

Oracle: If only we could find a way out.

Val: I’ll make us a way out.

>Val tries to use blaster, but the Shadows pin her down.

Shadow Vlad: Did you think it would be that easy? After all these years, you still haven’t learned. I am always one step ahead. No matter what you do, I will always win.

Val: (scoffing) And this coming from the guy who got his butt beat by a high schooler.

Shadow Vlad: True, I have had many setbacks, but now I’ve learned. And now that I’ve returned from the void, I can finally take my revenge on the one person other than Jack Fenton who ruined my life. His son. And what of you, Valerie Gray. What have you’ve been up to? You think that now you’re improved on some of your tricks that everyone will treat you better. Come now, girl, in the end, many people still see you as a villain. You tried to destroy the hero who saved Amity Park and the world. I doubt anyone will want to be friends with you now.

Val: I don’t need friends. I only need my approval.

Shadow Vlad: Oh, and what about... Your father?

>Val just became silent.

Shadow Vlad: I see, you haven’t told him, have you? That right after you moved back to Amity Park, you went back to ghost hunting.

Val: I... I was going to tell him. I just... I just...

Shadow Vlad: You just can’t. You’re afraid that if he knew that you went behind his back resuming ghost hunting when he told you to stop for your own safety, he would hate you forever.

Val: That’s... That’s...

Shadow Vlad: Yes. In the end, you’re just Daddy’s girl. You can’t do anything without upsetting someone... But how about you return to work for me? Do this, and I’ll see to it that won’t happen. Ever.

>Val wasn’t sure what to think. What was to be done?

Val: I... I...

>Are you giving up? >Don't do it! >>Find your own answer.

Val: Huh?

Noir: He’s right. I know what it’s like, Valerie chan. I also cared about my father. He was all I had in my life. But I learned that you need to be able to make your own decisions when the time comes. You love your father, that’s why you think of doing this. To protect him. And if your father thinks that what you are doing is wrong, you need to show him that you are doing this for everyone...

Including him.

>Val thought about this.

Joker: Hear her, Valerie, she speaks from experience. You are not alone. You don’t have to do this on your own.

We will help you if you need it most. Believe in us.

>Valerie thought more... She finally knew.

Shadow Vlad: (sarcastic clapping) That’s a fine friendship speech you gave, but you’re just wasting your breath. You are about to become real phantom thieves. So you might as well-

Val: Just can it already!

Shadow Vlad: !

>Val manages to push away all the Shadows pinning her down. We could tell that Vlad’s Shadow was getting nervous.

Val: I know I can’t undo the past. I know everyone despises me for what I tried to do to Danny. Even I’m starting to regret what I did. But I won’t let that stop me from living. I will keep living the way I think I should with no one telling me what to do. Not my father. Not Danny. Not anyone... ESPECIALLY NOT YOU!

>...

Voice in Val’s head: I see you the real you now.

>Val suddenly clutches her head in pain as her eyes turn a gold color.

Voice in Val’s head: The silence has been broken and you will no longer go unspoken... You can gain the power from within if you are willing to take it... From the beyond, you will accomplish many things... I am thou. Thou art I... Care to see just how far you can go? Then our contract is agreed upon... Though you will walk a different path... It will lead you to the light!

>Then, a mask similar to the on Val once wore appears on her face. But they had some black markings on it. Then, Valerie begins painfully pulling the mask off. When she manages to rip it off, a large burst of energy appears behind her and something appears from it. A woman who looked similar to Carmen, however, her clothes looked more like they came from 19th century America. It was yellow with a white cloak with pictures of red flowers on it, blonde hair, and, instead of love-obsessed men, she had pumpkins.

Val: Amazing. I can feel the magic in this. Right, now I know what I can do about this.

>Valerie’s Persona uses Mafreidyne and destroys all the Anzus.

Whoa! Her Persona is powerful.

Val: Alright, Vlad, you’re next. You won’t be a problem for others again. I’ll make sure of that!

Shadow Vlad: If you say so, feel free to die here. I’ll let the Cleaning Jacks do the rest.

>With a snap, Shadow Vlad was gone and three more Anzus appear.

Val: I may prefer to do things alone, but I will count on friends when we need each other. So I will do what I can for others who need it.

Will you be able to do it?

Val: With Van Tassel by my side, nothing can stop us.

Oracle: That Shadow, Norn, has no weaknesses. And you may have to get a bit strong for this.

Noir: And we’ll do it. Queen? Joker?

Queen: We’re ready.

Joker: Let’s do it.

>Noir and Queen both go Ultimate and I change Personas.

Noir, Queen, and Joker: PERSONA!

>Van Tassel uses Mafreidyne. The three Anzus are knocked down. Val uses Masukukaja. Astarte uses One-shot Kill on Norn. It was a critical hit.

Noir: Time to punish them!

>After the attack, the Anzus are gone, but Norn is still here. Anat uses Marakukaja. Asura uses Atomic Flare. Norn uses Garudyne on Val. But thanks to her Persona, she absorbs it. Van Tassel uses Bufudyne. Norn is Frozen. Astarte uses One-shot Kill. It was a technical hit as the ice shatters. Anat uses Flash Bomb. Norn becomes Dizzy. Asura uses Atomic Flare. It was another technical hit. Norn tries to attack Queen, but it misses. Val uses her blaster. Another technical hit. Noir attacks with her ax. Another technical hit. Anat uses Atomic Flare.

Oracle: I think it’s almost finished. Joker, care to land the final blow?

>With that, Norn was down.

Joker: It’s showtime!

>With that, the battle was over.

Way to go, everyone!

Mona: And I think we have someone new on our team.

Val: Seems that way.

Noir: That Persona was very powerful.

Val: Thanks. I didn’t even know I have one.

Mona: Everyone has a Persona. You just have to know how to use it.

Oracle: But right now, we better leave for now. I’m detecting more Shadows coming.

Joker: Right. Let’s retreat.

>With that, we leave. We’ll be back.

>Today, everyone in Amity Park still comes to the Nasty Burger, even though business has been failing due to the unstable condiments.

>We arrived here to explain the situation.

Val: So, you guys are the famous Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

Skull: Pretty much. You surprised?

Val: Only by the fact that I was considered a target.

Noir: True. But we checked the Metaverse Navigator. You don’t have any distorted desires. Besides, there’s no reason to, anymore. You have a Persona. I think it’s clear that you are a good person.

Val: Now why would you think that?

Beats us. But that’s how it is.

Joker: So, now we have to ask, will you join us and help us take Vlad’s heart? If we don’t, Danny and his love ones are doomed. Including you and your father.

Val: A chance to finally get back at Vlad for everything he’s don? ... I’m in.

Then welcome aboard.

Oracle: Now, I managed to get in contact with a fellow computer freak who visits Amity Park a lot from far away. He says that Vlad plans to take his revenge on the 17 of this month.

Queen: So we must establish a route and deliver the calling card two days prior, the 15.

Val: Then we better do it. (takes up her soda) To our new partnership.

>We take up our sodas and tap them together... Some people noticed.

Hey, Val, long time no- Wait a sec... It is! It’s Ryuji Sakamoto of KUROFUNE!

No kidding, Dad, I recognize that bleached hair anywhere.

Val: Ah, the Baxter Family.

And Kwan.

Hi, Val. It’s been a while.

Hey, Aunt Val.

Val: Hi. Actually, Dash is the one who showed me that live stream of Dream FES.

...

Jazz Baxter: We thought about having a family outing and we don’t mind having another join us since Danny, Sam, and their kids couldn’t make it. And your new friends are welcome, too.

Val: Thanks, but we kind of have this night booked.

Dash Baxter: C’mon, this might be mine and Jessie’s chance to get a boy band autograph.

Dwight Baxter: As if you don’t already have enough already.

Jessie: You’re no fun.

(taking out a pen) Oh, boy. This is gonna be a long night.

>So the night wears on. We will take Vlad’s Treasure and make sure the Fenton/Manson/Baxter Family will be safe.

(Some character images were from ScarletGhostX.)

#phantom thieves cam

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daresplaining · 7 years

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I would love to read a post about some Matt\DD interactions with Vanessa Fisk on the comics. :)

Ooh, yes!

Matt and Vanessa have a really interesting dynamic, which spans a huge amount of character development for both of them. Vanessa has almost always been characterized by a sense of innocence– both her surprising possession of it and her eventual loss of it. She was originally a kind, law-abiding person who existed in contrast to her husband’s violence and scheming. Fisk’s devotion to her is written as a tiny testament to his humanity, and her love for him as proof that there is something there to love. This concept– of Vanessa’s role as a good person surrounded and always threatened by corruption– extends into her scant interactions with Matt.

Matt actually meets Vanessa before he meets her husband, back in Daredevil vol. 1 #170. (The Kingpin was primarily a Spider-Man villain before Frank Miller pulled him into the DD franchise, and he and Matt had somehow managed to avoid each other before this.) At this point, Fisk and Vanessa have been living in Japan, where Fisk has “reformed” (as much as such a thing is possible for him), abandoning his supervillaining for the sake of trying to have a peaceful life with Vanessa. Eventually, he agrees to hand all of his information on his old allies in the criminal underworld over to the FBI in exchange for having his own record cleared. However, when the old allies in question find out about this, they go after Fisk, drawing him back to New York. Frightened for her husband, Vanessa approaches the hottest legal team in town to ask for help.

Vanessa: “…And so, my husband requires the finest legal representation available. We are prepared to pay you two hundred thousand dollars.”

Foggy: “Two hundred thousand dollars… Wha– what do you say, Matt?”

Matt: “This explains why the crimelords want the Kingpin killed. The evidence in those files could put them out of business. I’ve been aching to sink my teeth into a case like this. […] Ma’am, I think we can… Look out!”

[Daredevil vol. 1 #170 by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Glynis Wein]

Matt saves Vanessa’s life, but in the resulting chaos, she is kidnapped. Feeling responsible, Matt is pulled deeper into the conflict between Fisk and the other mob bosses– leading to his first encounter with the Kingpin himself and the beginning of their legendary antagonistic relationship. But despite this animosity, Matt retains a soft spot for Vanessa, seeing her as an innocent victim who was dragged into Fisk’s violent world against her will. Her kidnapping leads to her apparent death in an explosion orchestrated by one of Fisk’s henchmen. But when Ben Urich discovers her not long afterward, mentally shattered and living in the sewers, and he and Matt go in to save her.

Matt: “For years, his love for Vanessa was all that held the Kingpin back. But then that building collapsed around her–”

Ben: “–And he’s been upping the crime rate ever since. […] You think if we find her the Kingpin will go straight?”

Matt: “No. But that really doesn’t matter. She was the innocent victim of a deadly power struggle. I have to find her.”

[Daredevil vol. 1 #180 by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson]

There’s also a strategic element that comes into Matt and Vanessa’s early relationship. He is genuinely concerned for her wellbeing, but she is also conveniently placed as a weapon to be wielded against the Kingpin. Having found her and brought her out of the sewers, he then uses his knowledge of her whereabouts to blackmail Fisk. Later, when she is slowly being nursed back to physical and emotional health, Matt helps to get her out of the country and away from her husband– not only for her own good, but also for what this loss will do to him.

Matt: “…There they are, now. It’s almost take off time… Mondat was waiting for me on level sixty-two, with Vanessa. We left without encountering a soul. Mondat’s wallet holds a blank check on a bottomless bank account to pay for Vanessa’s treatment. Another account, and a new identity, await her in Europe. The Kingpin will never see his wife again.”

[Daredevil: Love and War by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz]

Fisk actually calls Matt on stooping to this type of manipulation– which is hilarious, coming from him, but still a valid point. (We also just love this interaction, so we had to include it.)

Matt: “Kingpin, you make me sick. Using a man’s most cherished dream against him… the only thing I’ve ever seen that’s ever made him happy…”

Fisk: “Indeed? And when you found my wife, Vanessa, alive… and used her to blackmail me into doing your bidding… how was that different?”

Matt: 8^(

[Daredevil vol. 1 #192 by Alan Brennert and Klaus Janson]

It’s a long time before Matt and Vanessa encounter each other on-panel again, and by then, a lot has changed. Matt and Fisk take turns tearing each other down over and over again, and Fisk (and thus Vanessa) eventually learns Matt’s secret identity. Early in Volume 2, Fisk’s son Richard becomes involved in a failed assassination plot that leaves the Kingpin injured but alive. Furious about her son’s part in this, Vanessa secrets Fisk out of the country, orders the deaths of most of the collaborators in the plot, and shoots Richard herself. Then, having– as it were– cleaned up the situation and severed the family’s ties to the city, she leaves. She invites Matt to join her for her last meal in Fisk Towers.

Matt: “Vanessa… What is that?”

Vanessa: “That is the name of the man who sold you out to the press. He is one of the FBI agents that Sammy Silke went crying to. Consider it a going away present.”

Matt: “Am I going somewhere, Vanessa?”

Vanessa: “No, I am. This city makes me physically ill. I am leaving it and I shall never return. This is the final meal to be eaten in Fisk Towers and I appreciate you honoring my request that we have it together.”

[Daredevil vol. 2 #36 by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, and Matt Hollingsworth]

Matt strongly suspects Vanessa’s involvement in her son’s death, and his interest in this extreme change in her is likely part of his motivation for accepting her invitation. For Vanessa’s part, Matt is the final connection to the city that needs to be tidied away. She solves all of his current life crises that she has the power to solve, which includes overturning a hit that was placed on him by someone in Fisk’s organization, and giving him the name of the person who recently sold his secret identity to the press. Her motivations in this scene are difficult to read, but all evidence suggests that she just wants out, and thus wants to do Matt the courtesy of formally saying goodbye on behalf of both herself and her husband. They’ve known each other a long time, after all.

This changes. Vanessa moves overseas, but her new brutal tendencies blossom into a fury about her situation that is partially directed at Matt. She comes down with a terminal illness, which she attributes to her decision to kill her own child– which, in turn, she blames on the violent forces in her life. She devotes her last months to turning Matt’s world upside down– hiring Danny Rand under false pretenses to run around as Daredevil while Matt is in jail, engineering Foggy’s “death”, and placing obstacles in his path designed to drive him deeper and deeper into despair. In this way, she hopes to do to his life what he and his vendettas have done to hers. Having emotionally beaten him down to a degree she deems satisfactory, she then engineers a final encounter with him– a chance for her to explain her motivations and cement her victory.

Vanessa: “Then I realized it wasn’t my fault at all… it was yours. And Wilson’s. […] See, I had saved Wilson. We had escaped the cycle of violence that was his life, and I had saved him. And then we went back to New York, and nothing was ever the same. I should have known. I should have stopped his trip… but that’s not how you love someone. So everything went wrong, and then it was too late. He and you were locked in a new cycle of pointlessness… always at each other’s throats… I swear, I think you liked it.”

Matt: “Then you don’t know me at all.”

Vanessa: “No. I know you better than you know yourself… I’ve been playing chess with you, after all.”

[Daredevil vol. 2 #92 by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, and Matt Hollingsworth]

Vanessa’s final checkmate move is to offer to reverse Matt’s fortunes if he will release Fisk from jail. In this way, she hopes to ensure her revenge through allowing Matt and Fisk to continue their cycle of violence and mutual destruction. Sickened, Matt refuses– but then changes his mind when Vanessa fixes his life anyway. He is horrified by what she has become, and furious about everything she has done to him and his loved ones, but he can’t actually hate her. He still sees her as a good person– a victim of her circumstances.

Matt: “I’m sorry, Vanessa… Sorry that your soul has turned this black. But you know what? In all your words, the only thing I hear is– Wilson won. Whatever sick game the two of you started playing, you may be better at it than him… but you aren’t you anymore.”

[Daredevil vol. 2 #92 by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, and Matt Hollingsworth]

In memory of the kind, moral person she once was, Matt obeys her last wish and offers Fisk his legal services. But he waits until after she dies to do so, and ensures that Fisk feels as terrible as possible about the effect he had on her life.

Matt: “I’m here to honor a debt… I’m here because there was a good person that you and I destroyed. […] I was there, Wilson. I felt her disease eating away at her. I heard the hatred that had twisted her soul. That’s our debt. Yours and mine. […] Some part of you needs to destroy everything you touch… but she did make you happy. Do you remember that? Do you remember your life in Japan, and how much you loved her? When just looking at her made your heart break a little? Made you think there was actually some decency in this world.. or even in yourself? She wanted to die knowing you and I would be trying to kill each other for the rest of our lives… but that wasn’t really Vanessa. So this is what we’re going to do… I am going to get you a deal. I am going to get your charges dropped. I am going to get you the freedom that you so richly don’t deserve… and in exchange, you are finally going to honor the woman you love.”

[Daredevil vol. 2 #93 by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, and Matt Hollingsworth]

It’s probably not the way Matt would have chosen to honor her memory… but it’s the only option he has.

#Daredevil #Matt Murdock #Vanessa Fisk #Asks #Commentary

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fic-dreamin · 7 years

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Snyder + Capullo = Amazing! Batman Vol. 5 Zero Year-Dark City collects two of the final story arcs for Zero Year; Dark City (issues 25-27) and Savage City (#29-33). This is the conclusion of the three-part story arc major crossover origin event known as Zero Year. Dark City picks up after the events in the first story arc of Zero Year, Secret City, after Batman has stopped the Red Hood Gang and the Riddler shuts off all the power in Gotham City. We see the reintroduction of the classic GCPD blimps from Batman the Animated Series, which is awesome to see, as they comb the city searching for any sign of Batman. But, Batman has a new case on his hands involving a killer who uses a serum that causes uncontrolled bone growth. Batman discovers the villain, known as Dr. Death (who was Batman’s first major supervillain he fought in DC Comics, the Joker was the first villain Batman faced in his own comic book series) and both Death and the Riddler team up to seize control of Gotham during superstorm Rene which threatens to cause even more problems for the powerless and crippled Gotham City. In Dark City, more is explained about Bruce’s opinions of Lt. Gordon and why he doesn’t trust the police lieutenant. We also see more backstory involving Bruce as a child and his parents leading up to the fateful night in Crime Alley. Dr. Pamela Isley also has a cameo appearance in this arc but her research will later impact the look of Gotham in the next story arc. Savage City takes place several days after the events in Dark City. It is now, Zero Year: the new calendar year according to Edward Nygma. Using Isley’s research Riddler has turned Gotham into an overgrown barren wasteland and his demands for Gotham is quite simple: get smart, or die. Every sunset, the Riddler on a giant screen in Gotham and challenges any brave citizen to ask a riddle that he can’t solve. No one has been successful. Bruce can’t retrieve any of his suits or gadgets from the cave so he must improvise and create a torn and tattered costume and tools to help him mount a counterattack against the Riddler. Batman enlists the help of trustworthy allies who are trying to fight against the Riddler, specifically Lucius Fox and Lt. Gordon. The team is also joined by a special covert military assault force as well. But time becomes the enemy as jets threaten to bomb Gotham, doing exactly what the Riddler intended and sending Gotham crashing down all around. Batman and his team must work together to stop the Riddler and survive Zero Year. Scott Snyder’s writing is still great. The characterization of these characters is both refreshing and still honors the source material, which Snyder is very good at doing. The interaction between Bruce and Alfred is very special and very well written. Bruce’s relationship with Gordon changes drastically in these final arcs and it makes sense why Bruce finally throws off his uncertainty about Gordon and accepts him as an ally going forward. The story appeared to take a lot of inspiration from The Dark Knight Rises and the video game The Last of US (both can be seen in the Savage City story arc). The inclusion of Dr. Death as one of Batman’s first villains, just like in the original comics, was amazing. Snyder really got to show off his horror writing here with gorgeous yet very visceral character design for Dr. Death by Greg Capullo. Speaking of Greg Capullo, he hasn’t lost his touch at all. Gotham is very vibrant and well defined as well as people are all distinctively drawn. Capullo always brings his unique style to many of these characters which I enjoy, it definitely sets his work apart from other artists. We see many new vehicles a Bat-blimp, a proto-Batmobile race car, and the Bat-boat. All of them are beautiful to look at and are drawn with great detail. Danny Miki and FCO Plascencia make Capullo’s art look absolutely gorgeous and very vibrant and colorful as well. Batman Vol. 5 is a great ending to the masterpiece of an origin story retelling. To me, this will be my favorite Batman origin story, not because it’s new and I very much enjoy Snyder and Capullo’s run on the character, but because, like Year One when it was written, Zero Year speaks to us in the 21st Century. Zero Year addresses our anxieties our struggles and places Batman’s emergence in the midst of all of those things to show us how truly great a hero he is. Go to Amazon

Outstanding wrap-up for the Zero Year storyline Following directly on from New 52 Batman Vol.4, Volume 5 brings the Zero Year storyline to a close. With the Red Hood defeated, The Riddler is now the supreme criminal power in Gotham City, holding it in a death grip and making its citizenry dance to his own tune by posing daily riddles for his own amusement. There are shades of Christopher Nolan's third "Dark Knight" movie in the plotting, which portrays a Gotham City cut off from the outside world and lorded over by a megalomaniac. Of course, Batman is the city's only hope, and it's hardly a spoiler to say that he wins the day in the end, but it is not an easy victory and it is not without cost. Seeing exactly how this all plays about is the biggest delight of the program, and writer Scott Snyder does not disappoint. It's a dark and gritty Batman tale that ties up the loose ends of Zero Year rather neatly. I enjoyed it a lot more than the first volume, which was still very good in its own right, and I'm looking forward to Volume 6. Go to Amazon

Well worth it. You will get more out of this book than you would any other comic. Another satisfying home run from Snyder Now, I can't automatically say that this book or these books by this writer and artist team is going to be for everyone. These books can be awfully wordy and dense and that might turn a lot of people off from the stories, but you get the most bang for your buck in these trades. It's masterful. Just the storytelling alone is refreshing, inspiring, and cinematic. Go to Amazon

If You are a BATMAN Fan, BUY THIS BOOK!!! I have to say that this book, and this entire run so far, are some of the Best comics I have read in my life! In my Life!!! I mean really, my review doesn't contain spoilers, just the sincere notion to commend this book as thanks for the chance to have read this Masterpiece. Yes, Masterpiece. ( I don't throw that word around lightly ) Go to Amazon

The best superhero deserves the best comic series and this provides Batman Vol. 5: Zero Year - Dark City Five Stars the artwork is beautiful and the story line is Great read. Batman fan from way back. Worth the money. Loved it Batman Five Stars Five Stars Amazing.

#Greg Capullo: Books

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aion-rsa · 7 years

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Captain America’s Strangest Transformations

When you think about it, right from the very beginning of his first appearance, Captain America has been about transformation. Steve Rogers was a scrawny reject from the United States Army who instead volunteered to become the test subject for a Super Soldier Serum that literally transformed him from a weakling into a superhero.

RELATED: Superman’s Weirdest Transformations

With an origin like that, it is no surprise that writers have consistently re-visited the idea of transforming Captain America over the years, as you have a lot to work with via aging and de-aging the character and messing with the serum in his body. Of course, that does not explain all of Captain America’s transformations over the years. Some of them are so offbeat that you never could have predicted them. Note that we’re not getting into alternate timelines, like “What If…?” comics or “Marvel Zombies.” That would be too easy. Now altered timelines? That’s a whole other story. Here, then, are Captain America’s strangest transformations (in chronological order).

OLD LADY CAP

Joe Simon and Jack Kirby managed to wait for an entire two issues of “Captain America Comics” before having Captain America and Bucky disguise themselves as an old woman and her foppish grandson. It was part of a plan to travel into the heart of Nazi-occupied Europe to rescue a powerful American businessman, who was about to pledge millions to the British war coffers before he was kidnapped by Nazi agents.

Watching Granny Cap walk around Paris and noting that they could have stuck around and fixed the problems in France, had they not been too busy on their mission, was a weird sight to see; as was seeing Cap lounge around in his hotel in his dress. In the end, it turned out that the Nazis had replaced the financier with a doppelganger, who was going to pledge support for the Axis. Luckily, Cap and Bucky travel to Berlin to save the financier. Bucky even gets a chance to kick Adolf Hitler and Herman Goerring’s collective butt along the way.

RED SKULL CAP

For years, one of the biggest thorns in Captain America’s side has been the Cosmic Cube, the reality-altering object created by A.I.M. that has frequently been stolen by the Red Skull and used against the world in general and Captain America in particular. In “Captain America” #115 (by Stan Lee, John Buscema and Sal Buscema), the Red Skull used the cosmic cube to mess with Cap by switching their bodies, so that the Avengers and Sharon Carter both believed that the Skull was Cap and that Cap was the Skull. Cap had to evade both his teammates and the police to keep himself free to stop the Skull’s plans. Meanwhile, in Cap’s body, the Skull severed the recent partnership Steve had formed with Rick Jones (who had become the new Bucky).

The Red Skull then sent Cap (still in Skull’s body) to Exile Island, where the Skull’s former allies, the Exiles, lived. He had betrayed them in their last adventure, so he thought it would be hilarious to see his former friends get their revenge on him while actually killing Captain America! Luckily, Cap used some clay to fashion a brand-new face for himself (yup) and ended up befriending another man on the island, Sam Wilson, to help him take down the Skull. Wilson became Cap’s new partner, the Falcon, who helped get Cap back to his proper body.

WEAKLING CAP

“Captain America” #225 (by Steve Gerber, Sal Buscema, Mike Esposito and John Tartaglione) is perhaps best known for the strange origin that Gerber gave Captain America in the issue. As Nick Fury subjected him to intensive hypno-therapy, Cap recalled his real origins, which included his older brother, who died in the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. This is what drove Steve Rogers to enlist in the Army and then volunteer to become a test subject once he was rejected from the service (this was later explained to be a false set of memories, primarily because Cap debuted before Pearl Harbor). The trauma from the experience, however, left Cap somehow reverted to his weakling status.

Gerber was off the book with this issue, so incoming writer Roger McKenzie quickly abandoned the storyline in the following issue and had Cap return to his normal state by the end of “Captain America” #226. It also turned out that the Nick Fury in the story wasn’t really Nick Fury, but all part of an overly-complex plot by the Red Skull against Captain America. The real Nick Fury had been transformed into the Red Skull in the hopes that Cap would kill the “Skull” while really killing his good friend, Nick.

OLD MAN CAP

John Marc DeMatteis’ classic run on “Captain America” came to a close in “Captain America” #300, although in a much different manner than he initially intended. Originally, he was going to have Cap become a pacifist after the issue and continue writing the adventures of this new take on Cap. Rogers would have ultimately been assassinated due to his new views and replaced by the Native-American hero, Black Crow, who DeMatteis had recently introduced into the title.

Alas, we never found out, as DeMatteis was replaced on the title and his final storyline re-written, with the Red Skull successfully poisoning Captain America and making him age rapidly. The Skull then seemingly killed Cap’s closest friends. This was all to make Cap so angry that he would kill the Skull, who was aging rapidly himself due to the effects of the suspended animation that kept the villain alive after World War II breaking down. The Skull wanted to be killed in battle by his oldest foe, but in the end, Cap wouldn’t do it (that part of DeMatteis’ story remained). The Skull then died in his arms. Cap, too, seemed ready to die, but then Black Crow showed up and cured Cap.

BARBARIAN CAP

In “Uncanny X-Men” #190-191, Chris Claremont, John Romita Jr. and Dan Green put together one of those small little company-wide crossovers that you would often see in 1980s Marvel Comics, where the interconnected nature of the Marvel Universe would be used to great effect (like the Fantastic Four staying in Avengers Mansion or Thor being involved in the “Mutant Massacre”). In the story, the old Conan villain, Kulan Gath (who years earlier had accidentally transformed Mary Jane Watson into Red Sonja) transformed New York City with a powerful spell that threw everything in the city back to the era of Conan.

This included all of the superheroes within the city, including the Avengers. So, Captain America and the other Avengers were now, in effect, barbarian heroes without any memory of their past lives. However, whomever they were, personality-wise, before the spell, they remained. So, being that the Avengers were still heroes, Cap and his crew helped fight back and return things to normal. It was a lot of fun to see characters like Spider-Man and the Avengers given such a prominent focus in an “Uncanny X-Men” story.

TEENAGE CAP

In “Captain America” #355 (by Mark Gruenwald, Rich Buckler and Al Milgrom), Steve Rogers had only just begun to settle back into his life as Captain America (after getting the title back in “Captain America” #350) when he was contacted by his former girlfriend, Bernie Rosenthal, who was desperately trying to find her missing teenage sister. Cap discovered that there was a recent rash of teenagers going missing in the area, so he visited the Eternal known as Sersi (who would soon join the Avengers following this team-up) and had her use her powers to transform Captain America’s body back to what it was like when he was a teenager for 48 hours. Her practically-magical powers did so, but that meant that he no longer had the Super Soldier Serum in his body!

After hanging around New York City, pretending to be a runaway, the undercover teenage Cap was soon kidnapped and taken into a camp designed to turn teenagers into killers. Among the “counselors” was the Red Skull’s own teenage daughter! Luckily for Cap, what Sersi didn’t tell him was that her spell would revert after 48 hours or after the 50th body blow that Cap received, whichever came first (the 50th body blow came first, of course).

LADY CAP

In a six-issue storyline from “Captain America” #387-392 (by Mark Gruenwald, Rik Levins and Danny Bulanadi), Captain America’s girlfriend, Diamondback, and her friends, Black Mamba and Asp, were taken aboard what appeared to be a cruise for female super villains. As it turned out, it was all part of a plan by the villain Superia to essentially sterilize every woman on Earth except the women on her ship, which would both cause stronger future women due to the super-powered breeding, and also allow them to hold the world hostage.

Captain America and Paladin tried to rescue Diamondback, but ended up captured and put into a device that would transform them into women! Luckily for them, Black Mamba and Asp saved them before the process fully kicked in. Still, Cap and Paladin had to go undercover among the female villains as just two new female supervillains… with “underdeveloped chests.”

CAP-WOLF

Captain America’s pilot, John Jameson, had disappeared and Captain America went to go find him in this six-part storyline from “Captain America” #402-407 (by Mark Gruenwald, Rik Levins, Danny Bulanadi and some other fill-in inkers). Enlisting the help of his former Avenger teammate, Doctor Druid, Cap soon ran afoul of a town that seemed to be made up entirely of werewolves! Feral characters from around the Marvel Universe were also being drawn to this town, including Wolverine! Also ,Feral of X-Force showed up, which drew Cable in, as well.

The villainous Nightshade had teamed up with Desmond the Druid to draw in Jameson, who had the Moonstone. Desmond planned to merge with the moonstone to become the ultra-powereful Star-Wolf! First, Nightshade used a mesmerized Wolverine to capture Cap and then use a special serum she was working on to transform Captain America into a werewolf, as well! Cap soon took control of his “pack” and led them in a rebellion against Nightshade and Druid. With the assistance of Cable (who, again, was there to find Feral), they were able to save the day and Cap was turned back into a human.

ROBO CAP

In the year-long storyline, “Fighting Chance,” (by Mark Gruenwald, Dave Hoover and Danny Bulanadi), Captain America discovered that the Super Soldier Serum powering his body was never intended to last forever. It was always meant to eventually break down, but as it turns out, in breaking down, it would also end up killing Captain America! So, Cap decided to devote his last months to finding and training new heroes to take over for him when he died. This story arc introduced two young heroes, Jack Flagg and Free Spirit.

As time went by, Cap’s body began to turn on itself, so he had to eventually turn to his friend, Tony Stark, to build him a special armor so that he could keep up the good fight for as long as he could. Things took a dark turn after “Fighting Chance” ended, though, when Superia managed to find a cure for Captain America’s affliction, but the Red Skull (who was also dying because he was then-currently in a cloned Captain America body, so the same degeneration was happening to him) took it for himself. In the end, Skull decided to share the cure because he needed Cap’s help on a mission.

HEROES REBORN CAP

After being cured by the Red Skull, Captain America had a number of other adventures before he, along with most of the other heroes of New York City (except for Spider-Man, who literally got lost on his way to Central Park for the final battle) sacrificed their lives to stop the evil power of Onslaught, the nearly all-powerful psionic being. They essentially trapped the psionic energy of Onslaught by using their physical bodies to soak up his energy (it had to specifically be non-mutants, as mutant bodies would just enhance Onslaught’s power). Once they anchored Onslaught with their bodies, the remaining X-Men destroyed what was left, killing the heroes and Onslaught.

As it turned out, Franklin Richards (the powerful mutant son of Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman who had been kidnapped by Onslaught to amplify his powers) used his reality-warping powers to create a second Earth and re-created all of the dead heroes into new bodies based on how he remembered them (which is how the Wasp went back to a human body after being horribly mutated, and how Iron Man became an adult again after being replaced by a teenage version of himself). So, Captain America was also put into a new body for his new series, drawn by star artist Rob Liefeld. Eventually, the heroes returned to their Earth.

MEDIEVAL CAP

Once the heroes all returned to Earth, they began to reform the Avengers in “Avengers” #1-3 (by Kurt Busiek, George Perez and Al Vey), but before they could formalize things, they were caught up in a plot by the evil Morgan Le Fey. A variety of powerful mythological objects were up in the air, so all of the available Avengers assembled to collect them. Instead, Le Fey got her hands on both the Twilight Sword and the Norn Stones and used them, along with the Scarlet Witch’s reality-altering powers, to power her Celtic magic to alter Earth into a new medieval era based on Le Fey’s life in the time of King Arthur.

The Avengers were transformed into Le Fey’s personal guard, with Captain America now called Yeoman America. However, the Scarlet Witch (kept captive by Le Fey) kept trying to get her teammates to break free of the spell and eventually managed to release Cap, as his spirit was so strong that he was able to remember who he was. He then recruited other Avengers whose sense of being an Avenger were especially strong (Hawkeye, Wasp, Monica Rambeau and Quasar) and they eventually helped Scarlet Witch turn the tide (along with a resurrected Wonder Man).

HOUSE OF M CAP

The Scarlet Witch was at the center of yet another time that Captain America (and the world) was altered by her reality-shaping powers. Following the events of “Avengers Disassembled,” the Scarlet Witch snapped due to her trauma over losing her children (who were just creations of her own powers) and turned on her own teammates, killing a few of them. Her alleged father, Magneto, showed up and brought her to Genosha to take care of her. The Avengers and the X-Men then got together to debate how to handle the Scarlet Witch situation. Some even suggested that she was too powerful to let live. This sent Scarlet Witch’s brother, Quicksilver, to her side, where he convinced her to alter reality so that mutants were the ruling class.

In this altered reality (as presented in “Captain America”#8 by Ed Brubaker, Lee Weeks and Jesse Delperdang), Captain America was now suddenly an old man, having never entered suspended animation during World War II. Instead, he lived to see the war finish, but also long enough to be ostracized by his willingness to stand up to Senator McCarthy on his anti-mutant hearings. Rogers also was an astronaut. He also spoke out against Magneto when he rose to power. In the end, he was just a lonely old man in a world ruled by a tyrant, which is not how he thought things would work out when he took down a different tyrant back in 1945.

SPIDER-CAP

The main villains of the “Spider-Man” crossover, “Spider Island,” were the Jackal and the Queen. The Queen was a mutant who was experimented on by the United States government to try to find a successor to Captain America. She and Cap grew quite close to each other during this time. However, after he was seemingly killed at the end of the war, the government pretty much forgot about her. She escaped custody, though, and went into hiding.

Her powers could alter anyone with the “spider gene,” and she teamed up with the Jackal to alter the genetics of the people of Manhattan Island in New York City (hence “Spider Island”) and slowly give them first Spider-Man’s powers, before then mutating them into giant spiders loyal to the Queen. However, her old love, Captain America, got special treatment and in “Amazing Spider-Man” #666 (by Dan Slott, Humberto Ramos and Stefano Caselli), he was transformed into a giant spider creature that was forced to obey the Queen’s commands.

SERUM-LESS CAP

Ran Shen was one of the very best agents in the early days of S.H.I.E.L.D., competing with Nick Fury for those honors. However, after a mission against the Soviets and their Winter Soldier went horribly wrong, Shen’s faith was lost in S.H.I.E.L.D. Meanwhile, a female scientist who Shen had fallen in love with lost her faith in her evil cause and the Winter Soldier lost his in his Soviet masters. Shen was going to work out a deal where all three of them could get out of their lives, but then Fury showed up and fulfilled the mission (kill or capture the scientist). Once his new love was tragically killed, Shen fully broke away from S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury’s attack also sent Winter Soldier back to the Soviets, who were able to re-program him and keep him from escaping.

Shen merged with an alien dragon (one of Fin Fang Foom’s people) to become the Iron Nail. He had tentacles that could drain both the effects of the Super Soldier Serum and Nick Fury’s Infinity Formula. The Iron Nail began a plan to take down S.H.I.E.L.D. and though Captain America stopped him, in the process he had the Super Soldier Serum sucked out of him, leaving him just a really fit 90-something-year old man. Serum-less Cap was still a hero, of course, and continued to serve with the Avengers. He just let his friend, Sam Wilson, take over as Captain America.

HYDRA CAP

During a battle against a group of supervillains led by the Red Skull, who had been altered by a S.H.I.E.L.D.-controlled Cosmic Cube to keep them out of the way of the rest of the world, Steve Rogers was returned to his fully-powered self. He returned to the name Captain America, although he insisted that Sam Wilson continue his good work as Cap, even insisting that Sam keep using the famous shield, with Steve getting a new one. Things seemed back to normal… but appearances can be deceiving.

What few people knew was that the now-sentient Cosmic Cube had bonded with Red Skull and she wanted to do whatever she could to please him, looking up to the Skull as a father figure. So, when she transformed Captain America back to his youthful self, she also altered reality so that Captain America was now a life-long follower of the same beliefs as the Red Skull, and a fully-fledge member of HYDRA! That was how the Cube believed things were supposed to be! So, Cap was now a secret agent of Hydra, and has been for his whole life. This series, at the time of this list’s writing, is still ongoing, but it’s definitely one of the most controversial moments in the long history of the character.

What’s your favorite Captain America transformation? Let us know in the comments section!

The post Captain America’s Strangest Transformations appeared first on CBR.com.

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