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giveamadeuschohisownmovie · 3 years

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This is gonna be the hottest take I’ve written in a long while, so here we go:

“Falcon and the Winter Soldier” was the more conservative-leaning show when compared to “The Punisher”

It feels weird writing that out since, at the surface level, it feels like it should be the other way around. Remember back in 2017 when there was a lot of pushback on the Punisher TV series because it was seen as right-wing propaganda? A lot of people just saw “ex-military guy with machine gun” and immediately made the connection to the alt-right movement. It didn’t help that the alt-right loved the Punisher symbolism, especially the military and police.

Meanwhile, there’s “Falcon and the Winter Soldier”, which technically should’ve been the more anti-conservative series. MCU Steve Rogers was set up as being anti-authoritarian and we were getting a black Captain America, something that closed-minded people would classify as “woke-pandering”.

But if you go past that and actually look at both series’ content, it feels like there’s a clear divide between what people are seeing at the surface level versus what actually happens in the shows.

Yes, the Punisher features an ex-military guy who uses guns because he wants to take the law into his own hands. But the show also features:

1) The military industrial complex as the main villain of season 1 and Christian extremism as the main villain of season 2

2) The whole show was centered on criticism of the Iraq War/War on Terror and how the military treats its veterans. In fact, the criticism wasn’t even subtle since the main plot of season 1 was about how the corrupt CIA officer used the Iraq War for his own corrupt goals. Just switch out “drugs” with “oil” in the plot and you’ll get a good chunk of the anti-Bush criticisms during his presidency. (EDIT: I know he served in Afghanistan as well, I just wanted to focus on Iraq)

3) The secondary villain of season 1 was a far-right domestic terrorist (they even called him out as a terrorist). The secondary villain of season 2 was an Aryan Brotherhood white supremacist.

4) When you think about it, the Punisher only exists because he’s anti-U.S. government. He feels that the systems of America have failed the people by letting criminals and corruption run rampant, so he’s taking matters into his own hands. I’m just saying, it’s weird to characterize the Punisher as a conservative-friendly character when the character is basically saying, “Fuck America and all of its corruption”.

Now, let’s take a look at “Falcon and the Winter Soldier”:

1) Very pro-U.S. military. I mean, that’s a given since Sam and Bucky served in the military, but there’s a clear sense of jingoism throughout the series. Especially the opening fight scene.

2) Tried to redeem John Walker at the end (or at least, tried to show that he’s not that bad of a guy). Remember, Walker is supposed to be the dark, far-right version of Captain America. They deliberately changed that for the show for...reasons. It’s like Marvel was skittish to actually portray John like how he is in the comics. Or at least, they were skittish to portray a version of Captain America as a villain.

3) Despite all the bad things America did, the series’ ending message was that we could do better as a nation. That even though our history is unclean, we can do better because that’s what America does. Just saying, the show’s message that America is still awesome even with its flaws and wrongdoing feels like a conservative talking point.

4) The villains are anti-government anarchists that want a world without borders. Unlike Walker, they don’t get a chance at redemption. Out of all the Captain America villains that the series could’ve gone with, they went with the explicitly left-wing one.

5) Probably the most anti-American moment in the series would be Isaiah Bradley’s story since that was a direct criticism of the U.S. military. But everything turns out okay because Sam put Isaiah’s statue in the museum. No one is held accountable because that would mean the U.S. government would have to face accountability and we can’t have that in our patriotic TV series.

Okay, I’ll stop there. Just as a disclaimer, I’m not trying to change anyone’s minds about these shows, nor am I trying to say you should like or hate them. I just wanted to discuss how these shows and characters are perceived by the fandom.

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marvelvsmarvel · 3 years

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Writing the Mandarin for Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

It’s become a trend to write sympathetic villains or to at least try to get the audience to understand their perspective. Marvel has attempted to do this most notably through Loki, Killmonger, and even Thanos whether the audience chose to sympathize or agree with them or not. I expect nothing less for the treatment of Tony Leung’s The Mandarin Wenwu and yet there is an opportunity to write him in a very real and very relevant light.

The Mandarin as it stands as a title is still very derogatory while maintaining the comic history. That part can be remain by most fans since the character’s original “debut” in Iron Man 3 was such a disgrace to the comic counterpart and Marvel fans in general. Tony Leung is a literal icon in China held to the highest regard as an actor and he is being portrayed as a villain. Marvel Studios has a strong business relationship with China through film and would not want to simply paint one of their darlings as a stereotypic “Fu Manchu kung fu villain from the East”. On top of this the Mandarin as suggested for the MCU is the leader of an established terrorist group of called the Ten Rings and is said to be ancient. While part of his individual power stems from these literal Ten Rings (one for each finger, each ring possessing different powers) in the comics his power is also rooted in history, technology, and triumph in which the important one of these is technology. Now consider the context of that. If the original Eastern villain image was not bad enough the “technological threat from the East” gives the Mandarin a real modern twist. So how could Marvel write this delicately to not make these overly specific, to not offend any fans foreign or domestic, and to get fans to either sympathize with him or see his perspective?

Not Overly Specific: It’s all in the history. We definitely know he’ll be getting an origin story that if sticking to the comics will date him back to pre-communist China. Expand his cultural outlook to make him a man of the people. The Ten Rings have been depicted in the MCU by the middle eastern group that abducted Tony Stark, a white man who abducted the imposter Mandarin Trevor Slattery in the Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King, or one of the groups that tried to buy the Darren Cross replicated Pym Particle (suggested as workers for Hydra). So his influence is suggested as international already but it can now be supported through history. Have him and his followers help to end certain wars or stop historic terrorists groups or simply gifted countries in different manners of technology or culture like through the arts or simple humanity like aid through philanthropy. Maybe the Ten Rings never used to even be a terrorist group until Aldrich Killian painted them as one by using their name and Wenwu’s image to hide his acts of terror. You can compare the legacy left behind like in a guy like Tony Stark, not to smear Tony’s story but perhaps the Mandarin could have mass produced helpful technologies used all around the world that he gave to the public... freely?

Not to Offend: Embrace the culture. There’s going to be stereotypes but don’t make them the butts of jokes. Make them proud. The Mandarin may have helped to spread the knowledge of martial arts around the world. Maybe he helped create trade through China in the modern world by his efforts and not just because of imperialism. Use food! A quality tool to use in film but also a very real point that a version of Chinese cuisine is extremely international and maybe that was a gift from the Mandarin and his travels. With the recent success of Crazy Rich Asians give us a look into the Mandarin that is intimate. Give a look at Wenwu as a person in his culture that is rich and historic and beautiful. This touches back on the fact that stereotypes are unavoidable as in a primarily asian cast doing a martial arts film but that beats Cobra Kai anyday! Own it! And show the world how important it is to take pride in native culture and how brilliant it all is.

To Sympathize or See Perspective: History is told by those who write it. This is a concept expressed by the villain Whiplash Ivan Vanko played by Mickey Rourke in Iron Man 2 about the slant on his father’s technology as well as the villain Ghost Ava played by Hannah John-Kamen in Ant Man and The Wasp for the same exact reason. In the MCU we have Cap in the 1940s as the farthest back we go. Within that film there’s a quick scene where the Cap is freeing POWs, one being Dum Dum Dugan played by Neal McDonough and he asks Cap while looking at one of his future Howlin Commando brothers Jim Morita played by Kenneth Choi, “What? Are we bringing everybody?” to which Morita replies “I’m from Fresno, Ace.” It’s a very real scene used for comic relief but for those who don’t know Morita is said to have been created inspired by The Karate Kid’s Mr. Miyagi Pat Morita who did serve in WW2 (speaking of Cobra Kai). So this film Shang-Chi has a real opportunity to share some Asian-American history. Maybe the Mandarin was a cowboy on the Western front. Maybe he struck gold and became a landowner. Maybe the gold and some of the land was taken from him but he still held some of it at a cost. You can compare a legacy of great patriotism like Steve Rogers, not to smear Steve’s story but perhaps the Mandarin was forced to fight in the war or else he and is family would be sent back to China and even while fighting in the war his family was still either deported or held in an internment camp. Then even when returning to home a decorated soldier maybe he had nothing to his own to come back to and his family needed to start over cooking or cleaning to build themselves up in America.

So now how does such a person become a villain? After a lifetime of not only being a great man but a giving man and to never want anything in return but to spread knowledge and culture all of it is taken because some guy painted Wenwu and his followers as terrorists. For the last time many of the things he legitimately claimed and then cultivated from the ground up are being seized and taken by “governing bodies” because they perceived him in a certain way. The MCU history books have already written the Mandarin and the Ten Rings as villains. After a lifetime of seeing the rise and fall of cruel men around the world and failed government structures, but also the rise of heroes, aliens descending from the sky, and the near destruction of Earth, maybe the Mandarin wants to make a change. Unlike Loki who wanted to conquer or Hydra who wanted to control maybe all the Mandarin wants to do is what he’s always done. Be a man of the people: take out those parties that write history the way they see it, fight against evil and for what is right, and give through knowledge and culture and if necessary... the art of war. From a glance this could read like a terrorist motive but from another perspective it could be Captain America. Project Oversight seemed ethically wrong having carriers with such firepower in the sky but the E.D.I.T.H. Satellite seems perfectly fine so long as Peter Parker can be responsible enough to use it. The true villain of the story would be the narration of history, the propaganda of media, and failure to seek knowledge. There is an valuable opportunity to write the Mandarin Wenwu in a very real and very relevant light for this film.

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bravadoseries · 4 years

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Probably weird and hard, so take you time to answer, but if Audrey was canon in the comics, what changes would be made when adapting her character into a MCU? I mean stuff like the fact that Tony built his in Afghanistan in the movie when in the comic he did it in Vietnam.

this was such a fun question thank you so much! i’m gonna separate this into two parts: audrey’s comics storyline and how her mcu adaptation is different. so sorry this is so long!

audrey rogers (later audrey lange and audrey banner) was introduced in the 1950s after captain america’s popularity declined and the war ended. her original aging thing was that she aged pretty fast and then like maxed out when she was physically 18 or 20 (like the baby from twilight). she was originally supposed to speak to teenage girls and other women to encourage them to embrace patriotism and reject communism, and she’s mentored by her father (since peggy’s originally written in the comics as a pretty minor character). audrey is given her batons by howard stark but in the comics they’re much more torchlike (really emphasizing the whole lady liberty moniker).

throughout the 50s and 60s, she’s got a dual-identity thing going on. she’s audrey lange (nee rogers), a teacher married to Joshua Lange, her high school sweetheart and a young, good-hearted, all-american politician. nobody knows about her identity except for her father, howard stark, and howard’s son tony.

during the 60s, lady liberty and black widow are often portrayed as character foils and enemies. lady liberty is sweet as apple pie, she likes to kiss babies and shake hands with senators and say things like God Bless America while the black widow is seductive, brutal, and most importantly—communist. the two are each other’s biggest rivals for the beginning of their respective comics’ histories (ok i just watched killing eve and i am obsessed with it but i think they are usually trying to track each other down similarly to eve and villanelle). idk if you watch glow but it’s like the zoya/liberty belle characters. that’s what’s going on.

in the comics, lady liberty is responsible for helping black widow defect from the red room and join the American cause. their first enemy together is julian bardot, who is selling nuclear tech to the highest bidder, and both of them want to discourage their respective organizations from purchasing nuclear bombs as the comics began to go into more anti-war propaganda. audrey teams up with tony at this point and their comics characters become friends.

during the vietnam war, the whole american propaganda thing was declining in popularity so they sent audrey to vietnam as a spy, where she was known as the angel of mercy. after realizing that the war was a corrupt cause, she abandoned the angel of mercy title and began working as a vigilante with civil rights activist and empire state engineering student lindsey dubois, caroline, a secretary heavily implied to be gay (living with her close female friend and unmarried) who would become the vigilante ace of spades, chinese refugee and nurse claudia liau, and delphine lamontagne, a french exchange student who came to the US looking to find a scientist to help her understand her powers. They specifically target human traffickers.

At this point, Josh Lange becomes mayor of New York City, and the strain of audrey’s vigilantism and her unwillingness to have children leads their marriage to crumble. they divorce and it’s a big comics thing (later, backlash causes marvel to try to retcon their marriage at all and say they were just engaged)

lady liberty is written into the avengers in the 1970s again because she realizes that the vigilantism was too dangerous or something (i feel like realistically it’s just that sales were low for a diverse group of female heroes but whatever). her storylines are based around that for a few years, however, after the marvel comics watergate, captain america abandons his title and becomes nomad and audrey abandons superhero work in favor of working as a lawyer (? i think).

in the 1980s, audrey is written as working as a law professor at culver, where she meets bruce banner. i don’t know a ton about hulk comics but i think he was permanently hulked out for the 70s and started gaining control in the 80s? pretty sure. anyway audrey’s never met bruce before but he’s got a dual identity thing going on and she’s like You Really Seem Familiar. when she figures out his dual identity a) they become romantically involved and b) she tries to get into hero work again.

there was a lack of interest in her character as more than a love interest, though, so from the late 80s to ’91, audrey is kidnapped and brainwashed by hydra. she’s given powers through hydra experimentation but refuses to use them unless forced to because they cause her immense pain. she is activated through trigger words and known by the name Red Scare. During this period, she serves as one of Captain America’s primary antagonists, but he doesn’t realize that Audrey is his daughter, he just thinks she’s dead.

When the Soviet Union falls in 1991, Audrey is returned to the united states and begins working as a shield agent because of the intelligence she’d collected while abroad. Josh Lange, now running for president of the United States, proposes to her in the late 90s and they marry, but Audrey begins to secretly undermine his political agenda once he’s elected due to his staunch anti-gifted stance and preference for order, no matter the cost. Audrey is portrayed as an unsatisfied First Lady until 2005, when Tony Stark starts the New Avengers to help defeat the mass breakout of the Raft, a prison holding many supervillains. Knowing she cannot just stand by, she leaves Joshua and commits to becoming a hero full time.

During the Civil War comics arc, Audrey opposes the mandatory federal registration of super-powered beings due to her experience with politicians. However, many oppose her presence in the movement for that very reason. She and Bruce Banner attempt another romantic relationship, but he favors the registration act and they soon break up. When her father attempts to surrender in order to stop the violence, she does so instead, knowing that she will be less of a loss to the movement.

At the same time, the United States launches Hulk into space (idk this was a real thing with the whole planet hulk arc) and Thor, wanting to help turn Hulk back into banner, breaks Audrey free from prison and brings her to Sakaar. She helps him turn back into Bruce and the two actually begin a romantic relationship, with him seeing where the registration act got him (Launched Into Space). When they return to Earth, Audrey and Bruce both decide to retire from hero work and open a school not for mutants but for other powered people which becomes a rival to charles xavier’s school.

From there, it’s a bunch of sporadic storylines. I think at some point she may become director of SHIELD when Steve is president? Because I know that was like a thing in the 70s. audrey’s powers are connected to thanos in a way that’s spoilery so I won’t go too into detail but when he pops up with the infinity stones arc, she plays a part in that.

anyway!

So there’s a lot of differences between the hypothetical movies and the hypothetical comics but i think obviously the biggest is Audrey’s backstory and aging. Since she ages slowly and was without Steve’s guidance, she grew up isolated and protected from the rest of the world. Audrey’s personality at the beginning is supposed to be reminiscent of her personality as the initial Lady Liberty—very sweet and positive and very much a character foil to Natasha, but instead of Audrey recruiting Natasha to SHIELD and helping her become a hero, it’s the other way around. Obviously Peggy’s role is very different, too, as is Josh’s (he’s a much more minor character in the films than in the comics).

The first Lady Liberty film adapts her transition from more of a hollow, symbolic hero to someone who is directly involved in the fight. There’s also references to her Red Scare arc except it’s the 60s and not the 90s. Here, we also have reference to Natasha and Audrey fighting Julian Bardot and his weapons, but removed from the Cold War context and instead shifted to the post-Chitauri circumstances. Delphine is also introduced, though not as a vigilante at this point or as a student but as a capable DGSE agent. The setup here is for her to have her own adventures eventually I think.

A lot of the changes have to do with the order of things. Because the MCU takes place over a decade and not like 50 years, things get switched around. TWS and AOU are both more modern plotlines that got reinvented and brought into the MCU. I think I’m probably gonna be changing the Civil War conflict to add more of the comics element to it as well.

Audrey’s vigilante team storyline, though unpopular at the time of its original publication, works better now, so it’s brought back for the second Lady Liberty film, which is set after Civil War. Audrey at this point is much more brutal and has lost faith in the system similarly to how she lost faith in the system because of Vietnam. Audrey never becomes a lawyer, but she does have a reunion with Bruce post CW during the MCU equivalent of Planet Hulk because (though unlike the comics he went by choice) he got launched into space. Audrey’s involvement in this storyline is much more accidental in the movies than in the comics.

I think also unlike the comics, Audrey doesn’t use her powers more because she feels unnatural when she does and not because it physically hurts. She also loses control. The movies also more specifically detail how where her powers came from.

The third Lady Liberty film, resurrection, is a movie that covers Audrey, Thanos, and more of her outer space adventures lol. And the next gen TV series, which primarily just features guest appearances from the Avengers, adapts the idea of the Avengers Academy.

thank you so much again for this ask sorry it got so long i had so much fun answering it !!!

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girlactionfigure · 5 years

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Jews in Comic Books

How American Jews created the comic book industry.

Jews built the comic book industry from the ground up, and the influence of Jewish writers, artists, and editors continues to be felt to this day. But how did Jews come to have such a disproportionate influence on an industry most famous for lantern-jawed demigods clad in colorful tights?

First Comic Books

The story begins in 1933. During that year, the world experienced seismic changes in politics and pop culture. An unemployed Jewish novelty salesman named Maxwell Charles “M.C.” Gaines (née Max Ginzberg) had a brilliant idea: if heenjoyed reading old comic strips like Joe Palooka, Mutt and Jeff, and Hairbredth Harry so much, maybe the rest of America would, too. Thus was born the American comic book, which in its earliest days consisted of reprinted newspaper funnies. Gaines and his colleague Harry L. Wildenberg at Eastern Color Printing soon published February 1934’s Famous Funnies #1, Series 1, the first American retail comic book.

Rival comic book publishers sprang up immediately. However, by the mid-1930s publishers were already starting to exhaust the backlog of daily and Sunday strips that could be reprinted. The easiest way to fill the demand for new comic book features was for publishers to tap writers and artists who couldn’t get work anywhere else, either because they were too young, too inexperienced, or Jewish–in most cases, all three. Advertising agencies had anti-Semitic quotas, and newspaper syndicates only occasionally took on a token Jewish cartoonist like Milt Gross or Rube Goldberg. But the comic book companies were mostly run by Jewish publishers like Timely Comics’s Martin Goodman or DC Comics’s Harry Donenfeld. It was a situation similar to that of the early motion picture industry, in which Jewish directors, producers, and studio executives who’d faced anti-Semitism in other industries built an industry of their own.

Because the comic book stories were being written and drawn largely by inexperienced teenagers, they were often crude rip-offs of the popular newspaper strips of the day, such as Tarzan or Buck Rogers. Enter writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman. In 1938, DC Comics published the Man of Steel’s first adventure in the pages of Action Comics #1. Superman was an instant hit. Literally dozens of Superman clones were rushed into production by rival comic book publishers, and suddenly the comic book industry had a future.

According to most comic book historians, Superman’s creation heralded the beginning of the so-called “Golden Age” of comic books, the era during which the visual grammar of the medium was established. It was also a time when many classic characters were created. There was nothing overtly Jewish about the characters created during this era. However, occasionally a comic book character would emerge that had certain Jewish signifiers. After America became involved in World War II, Timely Comics superhero Captain America’s Jewish creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby pitted their star-spangled warrior against the Nazi agent Red Skull. Captain America’s alter ego Steve Rogers could be seen as a symbol for the way Jews were stereotypically depicted as frail and passive. That is, until he took a serum that transformed him into the robust Captain America. The serum was created by “Professor Reinstein,” an obvious nod to famed Jewish physicist Albert Einstein. And Superman gave such a pounding to Nazi agents from 1941-45 that, according to legend, Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels jumped up in the midst of a Reichstag meeting and denounced the Man of Steel as a Jew.

Read More: Here

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birdsofpry · 6 years

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learning curve.

steve rogers x reader

summary: because we all know that there are college courses that are specifically about steve rogers and his howling commandos...

word count: 3.9k

When you were scanning the course list in your advisors office, getting ready to register for classes for the following quarter, you almost laughed when a certain title caught your eye.

“History 436 - The Study, Observation and Impact of World War II: Captain Steve Rogers and the Howling Commandos? Is this really a class?” You asked with a humor that was most likely misinterpreted by your advisor as mocking ignorance.

“Yes, of course. Captain Rogers has contributed so much to our nation's history, not only in the retrospect of World War II, but now as well. Where would New York City be after the battle of 2012 without him? He is a true American hero.” Your advisor defended with vigor.

“In some universities, you can have a specific focus or even major in the history and impact that Captain Rogers has had!”

It took everything you had not to burst into histractics. Yes, of course you knew that Steve was an American hero. He’s helped shape a nation, then and now. But the thought of all these people, in your university and others, looking up to him like some sort of God made you giggle and roll your eyes. Especially knowing how uncomfortable he was going to be when you came traipsing home to tell him of this discovery.

Or, even better…

“Y’know what? You have changed my mind. I have always been skeptical about this Captain America, but I really should learn more about him before I judge him as harshly as I have in the past. I would love to take this class.” You said, laying on your best theatrics to keep from breaking.

God, this was going to be fun.

Later, after a trip to the library to pick up your textbook for your new course, you arrived at the Avengers Compound with a suppressed grin. You held the heavy hard cover book to your your chest, rocking on your heels as you watched the numbers on the elevator grow before your chosen number arrived and the doors opened. When they did, it revealed the common living space in the compound. Knowing it was Steve’s off day, you expected him to be lounged up on the couch, silently reading or watching a movie. And when you walked out of the elevator, that’s exactly where he was, watching a movie while Sam sat in an armchair on his phone. Upon hearing the elevator ding, both men looked up from where they were focused, to you. Steve’s expression lit up with a dopey smile when he saw it was you, it made you feel a little bad for the embarrassment you were about to lay on him.

“Hi baby,” He continued to grin as you walked to him and planted a kiss to his lips, “How was class?”

“Interesting…” You said vaguely, still trying to fight off your shit eating smile.

“Interesting how?” Steve asked with furrowed brows, eyes following you as you walked around the couch.

When you continued to stand instead of falling into his embrace like you usually did after school, his suspicion grew.

“Well, I went to choose my classes for next quarter and encountered a class I think you’re going to love.” The grin was breaking through as you continued to speak.

“Ok…?” Steve said, looking to Sam who just shrugged at your behavior.

“I’ll read you the exact course title, just so I don’t get it wrong,” You fished the course catalog from your back pocket and dramatically cleared your throat, “History 436 - The Study, Observation and Impact of World War II: Captain Steve Rogers and the Howling Commandos.”

Sam was the first to react, bursting into laughter.

“Wait, wait, wait!” He chortled, “You’re telling me there’s a whole study of Steve? The guy who spilled cereal into- not onto- INto his pants last week?!”

“There indeed is, and here is the textbook.” You giggled, handing the heavy bound book to Steve, whose face was still in shock.

“Wait, you bought the book?” Sam asked, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

“Well, duh! How can I take the class without the textbook?” You said smirking, placing your hands on your hips.

“You’re taking the class?” Steve asked, looking up from the book to you.

“Yeah, I want to see what these people think of you. And I mean, it’s an easy A on my part. Who knows you better than me?” You grinned, finally coming to sit next to him and kiss his neck affectionately.

“Maybe Bucky,” Sam chimed in, which earned a glare and eye roll from you and Steve.

“Shut up, Wilson.” Steve grumbled, one hand on you, the other on the book.

“I just, I can’t believe that so many people would care enough about my story to do this…” He said in awe, running his slender fingers over the glossy cover with a picture of his face on it.

“It all just… I, I don't know. It means a lot.” Was murmured under his breath.

Your heart melted. Sure, at first this was all a joke. To see Sam laugh and Steve blush, but now it was different. Over recent years, The Avengers, and Steve, had gone through some rough patches. Not everyone loved him like they had before the ice. So for him, this was that much more meaningful. It was the little kid from Brooklyn having admirers. It was heartbroken and freshly full of serum Captain America with people in his corner. It was Steve Rogers, God's righteous man, with people who wanted to study him, to understand him- a man who at many times, did not understand himself. You could tell by the look on his face how much this was throwing him for a loop, in a good way.

“People love you, as they should. You’re a hero.” You whispered to him with adoration.

“But-” He didnt get time to finish his comment that would diminish his accomplishments.

“No buts. Without you, I honestly don’t know what our world would look like today. People deserve to know, to learn about all that you did, all that you sacrificed.” Your hand smoothed over his cheek, gently moving him to face you.

His eyes were glossy with tears that he wouldn't let fall until he was alone, and he radiated pure love.

“I really love you.” Steve whispered.

“Good, because I really love you.” You cooed, craning your face slightly to slot your lips with his.

“Jesus fucking Christ, you guys! This is our common space! Got it? Get this rom-com bullshit out of here!” Sam gagged as you both broke apart.

“With pleasure!” Steve said, somehow all the intensity of the moment gone.

He quickly, almost without you registering, discarded the book and hopped up, slining you over his shoulder as he headed for your shared bedroom.

You finished out the academic quarter you were in, and in no time, your blissful break filled with Steve Rogers attached to your hip was over, and it was time to get back to the real world. But in this real world came History 436, which you couldn't deny you were extastic for. The introduction to the class was ordinary, attendance policy, number of papers, when the midterm and final would be, the syllabus, etc. As you perused the syllabus, the professor's voice became lost on you, you read over the guidelines of how the term paper that would be written. Below that was a list of topics you could use; How Captain America propaganda changed the war, Was Dr. Erskine a visionary for creating the Super Soldier Serum or a man that created a deadly weapon, Can Steve Rogers ever help the United States like he did in WWII or had too much changed…

Just as you looked over the last prompt, your professor words broke through to you again.

“...The last prompt is to make your own, and if written properly, will get you excused from the final…” You could see all the students around you perk up, “But this only works if you can interview Captain Rogers about any topic covered in this course. So, I would start thinking about what angle to take on the prompts listed above.”

A collective chuckled came from the class as the professor continued, but you stayed silent. You only smirked and turned the page.

As the class went on, it was fascinating to see how the textbook portrayed your stars and stripes wearing boyfriend, compared to how your professor and fellow classmates saw him. Many gave whispers of having seen him in public, or knowing someone who knew someone who knew someone, who had been saved by him.

“He had the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, and when he smiled at her she said it felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest!” A girl whispered behind you one morning as your professor talked about Dr. Erskine and the serum.

The non-jealous part of you wanted to laugh, maybe chime in and say his eyes were dulling with old age. The pouty-green eyed part of you wanted to whip around and announce to those girls that he did indeed have the bluest eyes in the universe, and they should see them blown out in lust! But obviously, you did neither.

You weren't stupid enough to tell anyone of your true reason for taking the class, or your relation to it’s subject. Before you went back to school, Steve had approached the topic timidly.

“Are you gonna say anything to anyone? Y’know when you get in there?” He had asked, your cheek pressed tightly to his chest while both his hands smoothed gently up your body.

Steve didn't have to specify what he was referring to, by the way he started to pick idly at the hem of your t-shirt, and with the date of the end of your break closing in, you just knew.

“I don’t know. Probably not… I think they’d all be so starstruck that I not only know you, but are dating you, that’d it be uncomfortable.” You shifted to set your chin where your cheek once was.

“Yeah, yeah. I think that’d be for the best.” He said unsuridly, his eyes flicking anywhere but your face.

“Hey,” You snuggled closer to him, “What’s up? There’s something else you want to say I can see it.”

After a few false starts- Steve stammering and opening and shutting his mouth like a fish- he found his words and spoke, “I just worry. If people found out about us, it would... not that I’m hiding us or anything! I just, y’know what I mean… it could be dangerous. You never know where HYDRA lies or in who… you never know who could have it out for me… and if something, anything awful happened I would just,”

He was starting to spiral, and you knew you had to nip this in the bug before it became a fullfleged issue with him.

“Hey, hey, hey,” You placed both your hands on his cheeks and gave him a sound kiss before pulling away, “Everything is fine, okay? Nothing is going to happen to me. Everything is ok.”

Steve nodded and let out a shaky breath. He wrapped nimble fingers around your wrists and leaned his forehead to yours, breathing in your scent deeply and steadying himself.

“I’ll even make a big show to everyone about how much I hate you so no one is the wiser!” You whispered playfully, earning a chuckle from Steve.

This was something he always admired about you. In times where his fear closed in on him, you were always there to fight it off tooth and nail with your soft kindness, then make him laugh at some stupid joke. Steve just really fucking loved you.

So he told you.

“I really fucking love you.” He smiled.

“And I really fucking love you. But no one in my class will know that! Not after I call you a big oaf in blue spand-EX!” You squealed the last syllable as Steve flipped you over onto your back, hovering above you with a glint in his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.” He chided you with a grin.

You brought your hands up to card your fingers through his hair, the heels of your hands resting smoothly behind his ears.

“Y’know I’m not hiding us from the world or anything, right baby?” Steve asked after a silent beat, with a kind vulnerability.

You swallowed a giggle and met his gaze. You knew since the second he had made that slip that he was worried that’s what you thought. God, you loved this ridiculously sweet man. You wished, if only for a second, the world could see him like this. But for now, you would happily soak up all his thoughtful moments of intimacy for yourself.

“I know, baby. That worry has never even crossed my mind.” You craned your lips up to meet his in a quick kiss, “I think we are the only two people who are happy we aren't hiding. If Sam catches up making out again, I think he might grow hair just rip it out.”

Steve collapsed at this, hiding his laughter in the crook of your neck, as he brought you as close to him as he could.

As things progressed, you didn't learn much that Steve hadn't already told you. There were times where you wanted to pipe in and correct the professor or when a student would over simplify a situation that you knew there was a lot more too. But your lips stayed sealed. Because how could you possibly know that that picture wasn't a picture of how sickly pre-serum Steve was, but actually a picture of a drunken mess pre-serum Steve after Bucky had plied him with far too much schnapps on his twenty first birthday?

One Wednesday morning, You physically tensed when you came to class to see Sergeant James Barnes written in block text on the projector. You felt your breathing increase, and heat prick uncomfortably on the back of your neck. You had been dreading this day, and now it was finally here. There was no Captain America class without Bucky Barnes, his involvement in the material was inevitable. You just didn't think you would be able to listen your professor, or any student speak ill of your friend. By now, it was common knowledge that Bucky had survived the fall in 1945 and went on to become the fist of HYDRA. Many people were still divided on if he was truly rehabilitated after Steve and Tony had announced he would be joining the Avengers. There was uproar, both good and bad at this decision.

Having witnessed first hand everything Bucky had been through; the horrific nightmares, the panic attacks, the relapses, the transition from brainwashed assassin to regular person; you didn't think you could handle hearing someone speak ill of him. Second to Steve, and maybe even more than him some days, you were vehemently protective of Bucky. You had grown to adore Buck, and considered him one of your closest friends. Having to hear people attack him unecessarly would set you off, and this whole flying under the radar thing was going to go up in smoke.

Though, to your surprise, you heard nothing but praise for the ruthless Sergeant. Your professor highlighted Bucky in such a way that caused an uncontrollable smile to take over your features. Your sure to everyone else you looked a bit insane, just beaming at the talk of what an exceptional shot he was with a rifle. His time as the Winter Soldier was only briefly mentioned, and at this your skin splintered again. You felt your body coil, almost ready to defend your friend at the slightest mention of something distasteful. But nothing was said.

By the end of the class, you were caught up to where Bucky was today, living with Captain Rogers and training to be an Avenger.

“I know we all have our own opinions about whether or not Sergeant Barnes should be joining the Avengers or not. I won’t tell you mine to remain impartial, but what I will say is that having Sergeant Barnes on the Avengers is a high risk. We don’t know how his progress is or even how his mental health is. From all we know, HYDRA could still be inadvertently pulling the string. But, I will also say that if all is fine and good, Sergeant Barnes would be a great addition to the World’s Best Defenders. One more person to keep us all safe.”

There was a thick silence after he was finished speaking before he sighed, “And I’m afraid that’s all the time we have.”

You cried in your car before you drove home that day. For everything Bucky had been through and for what he would fight against now until he died. It was all too much. When you returned to the Compound, you gave him a hug longer than you usually would, but he didn't complain.

As your class was coming to a close, you couldn't say you hadn't enjoy it. You loved coming home every day to Steve, who was doing his best to control his curiosity with a fleeting, “Oh, and how was History?” he’d give you in different variations. You loved to hear him expand on your learning, or scowl when he knew something was wrong. No matter what it was, he would always take time to hear what had happened, not only in that class but in the rest of your day.

Today he had texted you and asked if you could come to his office today instead of meeting him at the Compound. This wasn't unusual, sometimes mission reports and paperwork stacked up too much and he couldn't justify stepping away. So, he’d order in some food and have you come to him. He’d finish up his work, and you’d do homework or play on your phone until he told you it was time to head home. Secretly he liked these days. He liked having you in his space- that being very clear by how early he proposed you two move in together.

“We’ve only been dating two months, Steve.”

“Yes, and I have now been biting my tongue for four weeks about this!”

Steve loved how whenever you spent time with him at work, your scent lingered for a day or two. He knew others couldn't smell it like he could, but he didnt care. It made leaving you for a long day almost worth it.

Steve was lost in a sea of papers when he heard a soft knock and his door slowly open.

“Hi,” You said with a little smile, poking your head into his office.

“Hi baby,” Steve replied, waving you in as he beamed at you.

You did as he motioned, setting your bag down on the sofa diagonal to his desk and walked to your boyfriend.

Steve’s arms were still open, and helped you into his lap as he kiss your cheek.

“How’re ya?” He asked gently, brushing your hair from your eyes as you rested your temple to his shoulder.

“Tired, hungry. The usual.” You shrugged, giving him a lazy smile.

“Good thing sushi should be here in,” a quick glance to his phone, “nine minutes.”

You hummed happily as Steve rocked the chair side to side, “I knew I liked you for a reason.”

“Let’s hope you more than like me.” He smirked, ghosting his lips over your own and let out a chuckle when you let out a breathy moan.

Steve graced your lips with a single kiss, that was over far too soon for your liking, then pulled away all together.

“What’d you learn about me today, baby?” Steve tighten his hold on you so you would fall as he span more forcefully, enticing happy giggles from you.

“Nothing I don’t already know.” You grinned and Steve returned your expression.

“That I’m amazing?”

That just earned him an eye roll before you set your head back on his shoulder.

“Our term papers are coming up…” You asserted with a sigh.

“And that’s bad?” Steve asked as he held you close.

“Yes! I have two other classes to study and stress about! But... y’know, you could make it easier for me.” You perked up in his arms.

“How so?”

“If we get an interview with Captain Rogers himself for our term paper, we don’t have to take the final. One less thing to stress me out.” You smiled wider, honeying your words.

“Ah, I see,” Steve nodded, “You’ve been using me the whole time just to get out of a final exam.”

“You’ve caught me. I’ve been dating you for three years in an anticipation for this moment.” You replied flatly.

“I think they call it the long-con.” This earned Steve a punch to the arm, and he grinned.

“But, really! Please help me, I don't want to do hard work and study.” You pouted, bouncing a little in his lap like a child.

“I should make you write the paper without me and take the exam as a lesson in hard work and perseverance. Be like the Captain Rogers your professor wants me to be…” He pondered, suppressing a smirk.

“No, that’s so boring!” You whined.

“Captain Rogers is boring, my love.”

“Good things I feel in love with Steve Rogers and not the Captain.” You pointed out.

“I can’t keep teasing you if you’re being sweet, y’know?” Steve gaze turned from playful to loving it a matter of seconds.

“I was counting on it.”

Steve groaned before closing the small gap between you two and pressing his lips to yours. Though again it was short lived by a knock on Steve’s office door. Another groan came from him when he broke away from him.

“Stay here.” Steve said as he picked you up and sat you in his chair.

“Only if you help me with my paper!” You called after him as Steve opened the door to get your food.

Bringing back a plastic bag full of styrofoam containers, he set it gently on his desk before placing his hands on his hips and looking at you.

“I will help you,” You pumped your fist in victory, “Under one condition…”

“Which is?”

Steve rounded his desk and placed both his hands on the arms of the chair, trapping you the the leather seat.

“You have to earn it, Miss (Y/L/N).” His eyes darkened.

“I think that can be arranged.” You said breathlessly, wasting no time and attaching your lips to his.

Hunger and the food on Steve’s desk were temporarily forgotten. Steve scooped you into his arms and asked FRIDAY to lock his door while he set you ceremoniously on his plush couch.

“Are you serious?” Your professor asked, eyes wide and mouth gaping as he looked at your paper.

“Yes. After many calls to Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers, he finally agreed to set something up.” You smiled innocently.

“You were able to speak to him? Discuss our material and see what he thought?”

“Yes, he thought it was thoroughly researched and only had a few qualms with some of the facts stated.” You nodded.

“Like what? If you don’t mind me asking?” You could tell he was trying to control his excitement.

“Captain Rogers and I discussed it in my paper. I don’t think it will disappoint.”

“I’m sure it won’t. I am excited to see what both of you have to say. I will tell you now that it was a pleasure to have you in class, Miss (Y/L/N), since I won’t be seeing you for the final.” He smiled, placing your paper on top of his stack of others.

“Well thank you. This class was enlightening and a once and a lifetime experience. Meeting Captain Rogers was a dream, even if it was hard work to get that paper.”

Now you were making innuendos for your own enjoyment, though maybe you shouldn't have. The smiles were hard to contain.

“Well, I’m glad. I hope you enjoy your early release. You certainly earned it.”

And that innuendo was just too good to keep the smile off your face.

feedback is appreciated!!!!!

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers imagines #avengers x reader #avengers imagine #avengers imagines #captain america x reader #captain america imagine #captain america imagines #mavel imagine #marvel imagines #steve rogers headcanon #steve rogers headcanons #steve rogers drabble #steve rogers drabbles #steve rogers fluff #roswrites

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urcadelimabean · 5 years

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the marvel fandom is so exhausting because of how people who want to do “discourse” completely ignore all the ways Steve’s line of thinking sounds a lot like a typical gun owner’s and the fact that he like, runs around in other countries making messes and is like “what, I should be held accountable for this????” which is basically identical to the thinking of Americans who believe the United States is entitled to go wreck places in the name of democracy and then leave.

this is not anti Steve or even anti his fans (I am one lmao) it’s just frustrating how black and white the whole registration conversation got so quickly and how any elements of Captain America as a character that actually fit really well with conservative ideology are just ignored in favor of the argument that registration/regulation of any sort=fascism. (You’re telling me that if we had a bunch of superpowered people running around you wouldn’t even stop to be concerned about your own safety? have you seen the civilian deaths in marvel movies? so much of the idea of superhero movies is just the “helpful gun owner” idea on steroids) And then people are like CAPTAIN MARVEL IS PROPAGANDA, she’s in the air force oh no!!!! And I’m like....1) you’re a little late to the party if you think Marvel has only now started upholding any sort of status quo 2) do you remember Captain America thinking he should have absolutely zero oversight, that is the most quintessentially propagandistic message as it relates to the United States viewing itself as a global power

I watch marvel movies to have fun, and like, see Carol Danvers smash people with her fists and Steve and Sam snark at each other, so this is in no way supposed to even be about what people should or shouldn’t be fans of, I just get really tired of this “perfect” Steve Rogers trope and the way people use it not only to hate other characters but to also fundamentally misunderstand his character. Steve is flawed as well as heroic and that’s what makes him interesting. Yes, he was created as a subversive anti-Nazi character by Jewish writers but that doesn’t mean there can’t be elements of his stories (written by other people!!!) that are not especially progressive.

They didn’t show Steve teaming up with villains in Civil War like he did in the comics because they wanted to get rid of all grey area but whatever. Civil War in the comics was actually about how both sides were right in some ways and wrong in others and horribly compromised their own ideals in the process of pursuing their goals. The theme to me was literally the lengths people will take to do things they believe in only to see their values distorted in the process, leading to the conclusion “it wasn’t worth it”. But Marvel films can’t handle that level of moral complexity.

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thepilgrimgeek · 4 years

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Imperialism and Exceptionalism in the MCU: Major Spoilers for Avengers Endgame

It’s Academy Award season! And once again, the Academy has limited blockbuster movie nominations to visual effects and similar production awards. Never mind the whole of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an unprecedented feat of cinema. In honor of its nomination for visual effects, here is my deep dive into the climax of the third phase of the MCU, Avengers: Endgame. I had a blast watching Avengers: Endgame. Overall, I thought the film delivered, and served up everything that the best of comic book crossovers have to offer. I loved the Iconic stills and panels galore (such as that shot with all the female heroes. I do enjoy pandering in my comic book movies. Sue me). I cheered for the fun character moments (like Cap with Mjonir or Doc Green or anything with Scott Lang). And they went full sci-fi comic-booky goodness with continuity-choking, flimsily-orchestrated time travel. Furthermore, the the original team’s individual character arcs were tied up with varying degrees of tidiness. Not too shabby, Marvel. Not too shabby. However, Marvel Studios did solidify one thematic element that it never fully committed to, and it solidified in the direction I was hoping would not be the case. In Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios definitively illustrated that the ends justify the means, and exceptionalism belongs to the heroes. In Iron Man’s final moments, with an admittedly badass “I am Iron Man,” the hero who started the MCU snaps his Infinity Gauntlet clad fingers, and eradicates Thanos and his time-traveling space army (I warned you about spoilers). Iron Man uses the Infinity Gauntlet, essentially a weapon of mass destruction, to bring about victory. He uses the same weapon used by Thanos to bring unprecedented devastation at the finale of Infinity War. And with that endgame snap, Marvel Studios makes the statement that the problem isn’t the existence of WMDs, it is who uses them. And for that, I am disappointed. Marvel Studios has flirted with the ethics of exceptionalism, feigning to examine the military conduct of empires and the powers they employ. Ultimately, the MCU devolved in its exploration imperial ethics into a flashy violent victory that never calls into question a WMD’s very use. And it is a shame, because the first film had thoughts on that. Let’s journey through the MCU, shall we.

In 2008, Jon Favreau brought us Iron Man. It is the film that begins it all. Tony Stark, the callous billionaire playboy, is kidnapped by a terrorist cell following a demonstration of Stark Industries’ premier artillery, the Jericho. In captivity, Stark realizes that his company’s weapons are the very ones being sold to terrorist groups and used against the innocent. Following his escape, Stark works to move away from Stark Industries involvement in the US Military complex, and strive to focus more resources in the development of the clean energy. The MCU kicks off with a critical eye towards how the United States develops and trades weapons, making the third act’s villain a fitting climatic foe. Who pushes the hardest to build and sell weapons regardless of the outcome? Why Jeff Bridges’ Obadiah Stane, the Iron Monger. Phase 1 of the MCU sticks fairly close to this critical eye. The Incredible Hulk is hunted down by the US military so they can continue to use him for R&D as they develop their machine. Even Captain America is initially used as a propaganda star before being deployed in the fray of WWII. The question of how the US develops and employs its military resources is largely front and center. And then Phase 2 moves forward with hesitancy and reticence.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier was the Russo Brothers’ premier endeavor in the MCU, and it thrilled to no end. A phase and a half later, it still arguably remains the MCU film with the tightest plot and the best cinematography. However, the film sets itself up to be a critique of government surveillance in the name of security which, in 2014, was as timely as ever following the Snowden revelations of the previous year. Then the major plot twist of the film (albeit a fantastic one) shifts that critique on a dime. The reveal that HYDRA had been infiltrating SHEILD for decades and into its top tiers of administration comes the revelation that the expanded surveillance measures being pushed are part of a fanatical Nazi-remnant conspiracy. One could argue the ethical issue presented in Winter Soldier becomes moot because it was never truly a “US initiative” in the first place. Captain America’s suspicion and claims of what is “un-American” are shown to be just that: ploys from outside interests and foreign powers (sorta). Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron is blip on the radar. Stark wants to increase global security. Capt adamantly disagrees. There’s a virus that creates Ultron. Chaos ensues. Stark kind of looks like a failure. It seems in that moment that Stark’s desire for increased surveillance (oddly similar to the HYDRA conspiracy in Winter Soldier) is proven misplaced. The Russo Brothers continue to play with that thread in Captain America: Civil War. The Sokovia Accords place the Avengers under United Nations oversight and require the registration of individuals with enhanced abilities. Stark, who is continually trying to find effective ways to save the world (and protect it from… well… the Avengers) signs without hesitation. Steve Rogers has his ethical qualms, but the story soon forgets the Accords as it becomes far more focused on the capture of Bucky Barnes, as well as the assassination of Tony’s father Howard Stark. The tensions between Captain America and Iron Man coming to a head monopolize the run time. By the film’s final act, the Sokovia Accords are all but forgotten, and with it the ethical question of government control and oversight.

Phase 3 did bring some note worthy films that rub against this trend (a trend arguably strongest in the work of the Russos). Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 and Thor: Ragnarok wrestle with the legacy of colonialism. Starlord learns he is the son of Ego the living planet. Ego took a sexual partner on every world he visited in the interest of planting a literal seed to consume and transform that world. Thor is faced with the reality that Asgard, the kingdom to which he is heir, was built upon the violent conquest of other realms and the exploitation of his older, imprisoned sister Hera. Ragnarok’s final moments are poignant. The only way to save the people of Asgard and defeat Hera is to literally burn down the system and structures that were built by his father Odin. Taika Waititi has crafted a clear opinion on what it takes to remedy the legacy of empire. Destroy the structures and save the people who inhabit them. I think it is particularly brilliant and stands out as shining gem of a movie in the MCU. And, of course, there is Black Panther. While Guardians Vol. 2 and Thor: Ragnarok examine colonialism and empire, they do so in traditional fantasy/sci-fi fashion. With the distance of a world that is galaxies or realms away, the setting never so close to Earth as to make the analogue too obvious. Black Panther has no such distance. This is the film with what may be the most critical eye in the MCU. Woven throughout it are discussions of race and heritage, of violence and oppression, and of the shortcomings of isolationism. There are many far better equipped who have written about these themes in detail, and you should definitely track them down. For the purpose of this piece, it is important that Black Panther takes the questions of legacy, power, and resources, and plays them out on screen. It is fought out in the philosophical battle between Erik Stevens and T’Challa. It is a discussion that T’Challa takes directly to the land of his ancestors to insist “You were wrong!” The themes of resources and empire present in the first Iron Man and in Thor: Ragnarok are turned up to 11 in Black Panther. It is the only film in the MCU where the antagonist’s perspective and philosophy fundamentally shifts those of the protagonist. T’Challa will forever be different kind of king, a king unlike any previous king of Wakanda, solely because of Erik Stevens.

And yet, I can’t help but wonder. Why is the film with the most critical eye the one where the protagonist experiences the most concrete transformation of character, the one that is predominantly concerned with people of color? Why is it an African kingdom that experiences such a radical change in its philosophy of leadership? As previously noted, any conversation of the sort related to the US in the previous films is either made moot or overshadowed by the interpersonal conflict in the Avengers team. Following Black Panther was the much anticipated release of the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Infinity War. I wrote about Infinity War on this blog before, and hoped for the Russos’ to set forth an answer to Thanos’ philosophy of resources and his theology of scarcity. The film ends with the infamous Snap. We watch as half of the life in the universe turns to ash before our eyes. It is tragic and the original Avengers team is left speechless.

It is tragic. And yet, the Russos found it fitting to have the Avengers employ the same tool in their defeat of Thanos. We see the same visual effect as the enemy is turned to ash. While one could argue for this moment of desperation, it is perhaps the one act that Tony Stark shows the most confidence in performing. And the rest of the world praises him for it. The ethics of the decision do not register on the Marvel radar. Once again, Avengers: Endgame was a wild ride I enjoyed watching, but its ethics of war and empire come up short. Apparently it is not the existence of a weapon that is problematic, just the one which uses it. And now the Universe once again faces Thanos’ scarcity question… At least the world is saved I guess. Read the full article

#AvengersEndgame #MCU #Marvel

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spynotebook · 5 years

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Even in an industry that has produced a seemingly endless number of eccentric characters among the ranks of its publishers, Charlton Comics stands out. The Connecticut company was started by two men who had met in jail, after all. Despite that unlikely origin story, the publisher managed to attract an impressive roster of talented staffers and creators throughout its history. Important creators ranging from Steve Ditko, Joe Gill, and Sam Glanzman to Mike Zeck, John Byrne, and Roger Stern made important contributions at Charlton.

Editors including Al Fago, Dick Giordano, and Nicola Cuti oversaw a wide range of memorable titles and characters over the years, including Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, E-Man, Ghost Manor, The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves, Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt, and a long list of of others. Famously, when most of Charlton’s superhero characters were acquired by DC Comics in 1983, they ended up partially inspiring many of the characters in Alan Moore‘s and Dave Gibbons‘s Watchmen.

From the unlikeliest of beginnings, the legacy of Charlton Comics lives on in many ways, with characters like The Question and Captain Atom, the aftermath of Watchmen, and even the current Charlton Neo publishing line.

The original Charlton line contains countless lesser-known comics worth revisiting in the decades since they were published. Reviewing Craig Yoe‘s The Unknown Anti-War Comics recently, I was surprised by a number of memorable tales from the Charlton titles, particularly the Charlton Premiere story Children of Doom by Denny O’Neil and Pat Boyette, which Alan Moore has cited as among the comics that stand out to him from the era.

Browsing through the listings for tonight’s Comic Connect session and admiring that impressive run of high-grade Space Adventures issues they have up for auction, I noticed another Charlton comic that’s worth a closer look in the context of the present day: Space Adventures #7, cover-dated July 1953.

The blurb on the cover makes the theme of the feature story — written and drawn by Dick Giordano — fairly clear:

In this issue… “Transformation”, the Hard-Hitting Story of Scientists’ most Recent Revelation

This is a reference to the procedures which were sometimes called “Sex Transformations” during that era. In particular, the likely inspiration for this story is Christine Jorgensen, a former U.S. Army clerk who was the first American to have a sex change operation, and whose story hit the New York Times on December 2, 1952. Jorgensen’s experiences subsequently created significant mainstream news coverage of transgender issues in the U.S.

I’m certain that sifting through several news stories from that moment provides a far from complete picture of the tenor of the resulting national conversations, but reading through some of these early 1950s newspaper stories about Jorgensen and others on the subject is still downright startling from the perspective of the current day. The 1950s coverage all seems so very… calm, by comparison. Politics didn’t dominate the conversation of the issues during that era. People were curious, experts were found to provide basic explanations. In a few articles, some scientists noted that it would take quite some time for everyone to begin to understand these issues more fully, and that the related mental and physical health care would continue to improve.

As is reflected in Giordano’s Space Adventures story as well, it’s probably worth pointing out that the country and the world had very many other issues on our minds in those early Cold War moments. The Soviet Union was developing its atomic bomb program with haste, Mao had established Communist rule in China, and America’s national security braintrust determined that the surest way out of this situation was to use its domestic propaganda machinery to traumatize us into believing we might all die in nuclear fire unless we built bigger, better, and more weapons than anyone else did.

In the face of freaking out that the events depicted in the comic book World War III #1 that same year might become real at any moment, the notion that transgender healthcare was becoming a topic of national discussion probably didn’t seem like something worth getting mad about.

It’s hard not to wonder if this is why Space Adventures #7 hasn’t drawn much particular notice until recently. The backstory of Giordano’s tale is the impending doom of World War III, and a small group of scientists who decide they’d be better off getting away from Earth by taking a space ship to Mars. The transgender themes here form a subtle but complex undercurrent for most of the story. The main character, who is one of the scientists involved, is said to be in a relationship with his (female) assistant. Except that he’s so indifferent about her that he hadn’t intended to take her to Mars with him until she confronted him about it, having overheard the plan. During the rocket ride to Mars, she attempts to encourage his attention by noting that she’ll be the only woman on Mars. But he responds by thinking that this move is rather presumptuous of her.

Ultimately, the group’s rocket crash lands on Mars, and it initially appears that the main scientist is the only survivor. He thinks to himself how lonely it will be, and decides to fill the time alone by developing and undergoing sex conversion procedures for himself. The unspoken implication seems to be that he could only finally do this when he was the last person left in the world. When there was no one left to judge him for it.

That’s just my interpretation of the story, and there could certainly be others. You can read Space Adventures #7 here and decide for yourself, and see how it all turns out in the end too.

Meanwhile, I’m going to check out this list of Space Adventures issues at Comic Connect again and see what other subjects they might have taken on while trying to write their way towards happily ever after during the Cold War.

The post The Surprising Trans-Themed Story in Space Adventures #7 from 1953 appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

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