Agent Coulson Theory....

Marvel's Agents of Shield has begun on ABC and has been pick up for a full 22 episode season. This is great news for us fan boys (or girls). The series has been meet with some criticism but I like the show fairly well. At least enough to keep watching. I know it will take some time to work some of the kinks out and really get a footing. The rating are still high and the show still has lots of viewers so I hope they can meet everyone's expectation. There are some good things about the show and some things I don't like or need some adjusting but I don't want to talk about that in this blog.

The biggest thing and most intriguing part of the show, and the main reason I want to watch every episode, is to find out more about Agent Phil Coulson. We know that this show is a spin-off from Marvel's Cinematic Universe and that Agent Coulson "died" in The Avengers. Since Agent Coulson was such a loved character in the other Marvel movies it speculated if he would return somehow or not in future movies. Amazingly they decided to bring him back in a TV show first. We wondered how he survived but turns out things aren't what the seem evidently. WARNING.... POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD.....

In the first episode Agent Coulson chalks up his death to making a full medical recovery and taking some time off in Tahiti before getting back to active duty. We quickly found out that something much different must have happened after Maria Hill tell a doctor that "he (Agent Coulson) can never know". We don't know what happened but the internet has exploded with theories. 

There are tons of blogs, articles, videos etc. with people voicing their theories on how Coulson survived and what that means. So I'm joining in with my theory and what this mean moving forward.

Since Agent Coulson's death I wanted Marvel to bring him back somehow. He seemed like the glue of the franchise for some reason. I loved his character since he showed up in Iron Man. So what makes sense for the franchise? To me it makes sense and also would be utterly awesome if he turns out the become The Vision! The fan boy in me wants this so bad. I thought this would be the best way to bring such a popular Avenger into the Cinematic Universe without introducing something brand new. 

Obviously I don't believe that Agent Coulson made a miraculous recovery like he says in the show. At first I thought he was a clone. I have heard a lot of people think that he is or was a life model decoy or LMD . I don't think he is a LMD because that is more a Nick Fury trick. Maybe they can use that later. Other theories are that his death was faked, magic was involved, he's a Skrull, or maybe he got some kind of super soldier serum that brought him back. There are plenty other theories and some arguments are very compelling and some would work well but I don't think any of these theories are correct. I think he is actually an android. I believe he is in a synthetic man made body that is extremely life like and SHIELD or someone was able to take his consciousness and memories and insert in into this fake body and his real body is gone. There have been a few times in the three episode so far that make me believe that he is not as human anymore.

1. Episode one: He dodges a car door flying at him. He seemed to move or "matrix duck" a little to easy and quickly.

2.  Episode three: His "muscle memory" isn't the same. He struggles to disassemble a gun several times.

3. All episodes: He keeps referencing his time in Tahiti during his time off. I believe these memories were inserted in his mind to bridge the gaps in his memory.

If my theory is correct this could be the set up for him to become The Vision. Here is the rest of my theory and what I hope to see happen: I think that he eventually finds out that he is in fact an android. At first he is torn with the idea and feel betrayed and lost. Then he embarrasses the idea and starts upgrading his body slowly gets superpowers one by one as he needs them: strength, durability, stamina, flights, phasing, optic beam etc. 

One thing to keep in mind too is that in the next Avengers movie, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ultron is the main villain in the movie and in the comics Ultron created Vision. If in fact Agent Coulson turns out to be Vision, that could be a used in the movie quite easily. I don't think that Ultron would create him but possible use him or something. 

Also we know that Scarlet Witch will be in Avengers: Age of Ultron and in the comics at one time Scarlet Witch and Vision were a romantic item. Could be another plot point for the movie.

We don't know what will happen or when but Marvel is doing a great job and keeping people guessing and wanting more. Maybe there is a simple answer to what happened to Agent Coulson and how he survived. Or maybe they are planning something big for the beloved character. Either way they have me hooked and I look forward to seeing how this develops. So check out Marvel's Agents of Shield on Tuesdays at 8ET to watch this story unfold. Also tell me what you think. Leave comments and tell me if you agree or disagree with my theory.

My Love for Captain America...

Every comic or superhero fan has one character that they love more than the others. Sometimes it's hard to understand why we love that character but we do. For me, I have been fond of Captain America for awhile now. I've even tried to like other character more than him but I still love the star spangled hero.

My first real experience with Captain America as a character wasn't until I played Marvel's Ultimate Alliance video game. He was the best character on there. He would throw his shield and bash guys and reference the Super Soldier Serum in some of his dialog which was so cool to me. At that time I didn't know much about him or what his story was but the game sparked my interest. Keep in mind that this was before I started reading comics. I knew all the "major" superheroes like Batman, Spider-Man, the X-Men etc. from the cartoons and movies but Cap hadn't hit main stream yet. Don't get me wrong, I knew OF him, I just didn't KNOW him. So, I read a little of his history on the internet and got what I could out of the game but it wasn't until I start reading comics that I really "fell in love" with the Cap. 

Like most new readers, I didn't know where to start reading, what to read or even how to read comics. Like I mentioned in my blog "Comics: Where Do I Start?", I made the choice to read some back issues first and wanted to start with Captain America. I found Ed Brubaker's "Death of Captain America" intriguing enough and started there. I won't talk about it much again but after reading that first arc, I was hooked and kept reading Brubaker's back issues on Captain America. 



Cap has become my number one superhero but why do I love the character so much? His origin story is amazing. A small, wimpy boy from the Bronx who just wanted to fight for his country given the super soldier serum then frozen in time then released into a strange world and yet still fights for freedom. How can you not love his rich history, what he stands for, and the way he carries himself. I love the fact that he doesn't have a superpower too. Cap is just the peak of human physical potential thanks to the serum. He carries a sweet shield around made of an incredible (yet made up) material, vibranium. The fact that it's a defensive weapon he carries around says a lot about his character too. That's very impressive to me. I love the humility he portrays and his strength to stand up for what is right no matter the situation. The leadership qualities he has is unlike any other in comics. And as an American, it's hard not to love the star spangled super soldier. 


I get that Captain America is a little cheesy at times and his uniform is out dated and he's not as dark and gritty and interesting as some other popular characters... cough... cough... Batman but he's my guy. I love character's like Batman and Hulk and Iron Man but Cap is my number one superhero. Everyone is different and has their own reasons to love their favorite hero and that's what I love. I'd love to hear who your favorite hero is. Leave a comment about who you like any why they are your favorite. 

Top 10 Comic Book Movie Castings

There have been a lot of comic book movies in the past and sometimes the success or failure depends on the casting of the characters. These characters are already developed in comics and it is the actors job to portray them on the big screen that is believable and does the character justice. I wanted to look back at all the comic book movies over the past 20 plus years and celebrate the best comic book castings. I've come up with a top ten list of my favorite casting based on not only looks but the acting and their take on the character. We will count it down from 10: 

#10 - Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm/ The Thing

Chiklis played orange stoned bodied hero known as The Thing in 2005's Fantastic Four and 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. I thought the cast of Fantastic Four was done well but Chiklis was a stand out performance. The most interesting part his job as The Thing was the fact that he did his own voice. I originally thought it was done with affects but he did a great job on his own.

#9 - Tom Hiddleston as Loki

Hiddleston played the super villain and trickster god Loki in Thor (2011) and in The Avengers (2012) and will be playing him again in Thor: The Dark World coming out in November this year. Hiddleston took a not so well known character to the non-comic book reader and made him a house hold name. He did an awesome job being an evil and twisted but yet likable villain. He has an accent that you would imagine an Asgarding would have and played the trickster role very well. I've heard that fans are even petitioning to Marvel for a "Loki" solo movie staring Tom Hiddleston. Sounds like I'm not the only one who felt he has done an incredible job.

#8 - Kelsey Grammer as Hank McCoy/ Beast

Kelsey Grammer played the highly intelligent blue X-Man Hank McCoy aka Beast in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). I'll admit, I didn't like the idea of Fox casting Frasier as one of my favorite X-Men but turns out he was the perfect choice. He definitely surprised me with his performance. He sounded like I imagined Beast would and he did a great job during the action scenes. My hat is off to you Kelsey.

#7 - Michael Clarke Duncan as King Pin

The unfortunate late Michael Clarke Duncan played the super villain crime boss King Pin in Daredevil (2003). Regardless of what I think of the movie, I have to give Fox credit for ignoring the fact that in the comics King Pin is white and casting the part to the best actor. I loved Michael Clarke Duncan in anything he was in but his raspy voice, huge frame and his his tough guy "I'm the boss" attitude is exactly what this character needed.  

#6 Tie - Michelle Pfeiffer & Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/ Catwoman 

I could not decide who did a better job portraying the manipulating seductress we love and know as Catwoman, so I had to make it a tie. Michelle Pfeiffer played Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992) and Anne Hathaway played her in The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Although both are different in their own ways, they brought the perfect performance for those styles of movies. Not to mention both are easy on the eyes.

I remember hearing a lot of negativity over Hathaway being cast in The Dark Knight Rises before the movie even began filming. I have always liked her and wanted to give her a fair shot before making a judgment but after her first scene in the film I knew they got it right. I know a lot of people were eating their words after seeing the film.  

I was really young when Batman Returns came out but I remember liking Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. The movie was a little dark for me at the time but watching the movie again not to long ago I think they cast her very well. Pfeiffer has always been a great actress.

#5 - Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier/ Professor X

Stewart plays the wheel chair bound telepathic leader of the X-Men Professor X in the 2000 X-Men trilogy. For starters, he looks the part but he also has the acting skills that made him the perfect choice to play such a key role in the X-Men. Professor X was an important role to get right if the movies were going to be successful.  The worst part of the whole trilogy was when he was killed early in X-Men: The Last Stand. 

#4 - Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/ Iron Man

Downey Jr. plays the billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer we know and love as Tony Stark aka Iron Man in the 2008 Iron Man trilogy plus The Avengers (2012). I think Downey Jr. was made for this role. Sometimes I don't think he has to do much acting. I think my wife thinks he really is Iron Man. But seriously, his style, attitude, and personality made for the perfect casting for Iron Man. He has been the glue that has brought everything Marvel was doing in their cinematic universe together.  

#3 - Hugh Jackman as Wolverine

Jackman has played the iconic, nearly indestructible X-Men Wolverine in five (going on six) films over the past 13 years. He is the most beloved character in the comic book movie genre. I love Hugh Jackman not only as Wolverine but as an actor and person. He maybe one of the most down to earth actors in Hollywood. Despite that, he was a perfect choice to play the animalistic Wolverine. His adaptation to the character on the big screen is a perfect balance of edgy crazed animal and likableness. I know he can not play the character forever and I don't know how they will ever replace him. 

#2 - Heath Ledger as The Joker

Ledger played the notorious supervillain The Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). This is one of the most surprising standout performances not only in comic book movies but all movies in the past ten years at least. It was unbelievable how people hated the idea of Ledger playing the part of The Joker but that hatred turned into praise after seeing his take on the crowned prince of crime. His take on the character and what he brought on screen was everything you hoped to see. I remember watching the movie and not seeing Ledger playing the part but just seeing The Joker on the screen. And that's the way it should be. It's sad that Ledger died before the movie even came out but he will always be remembered, if for nothing else, for his role as The Joker.

#1 - J. C. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson

Simmons plays the humorously obnoxious editor and chief of The Daily Bugle J. Jonah Jameson in the 2002 Spider-Man trilogy. Of all the comic book movie castings this is my favorite. Simmons totally looked and sounded the part and sold the character on every level. He is even doing the voice of Jameson in some current Marvel cartoons. Even though Jameson is more of a supporting character than all the others, it's like they pulled him straight out of the comic books. His role in the Spider-Man trilogy was by far the most consistent part of the films and I don't know how they could ever get a better J. Johah Jameson.

I found a video of the Top 10 J. Jonah Jameson moments to help prove my case: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgL8h_u2PHw

Honorable Mentions:

Jay Choe as Kato in Green Hornet (2011)

Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005)

Fantasy Football Superhero Draft

Well football season is upon us and as usual, fantasy football is a hot topic. This year I ended up in three fantasy football leagues which my wife may not be to thrilled about. But all this fantasy football talk got me thinking "What if we drafted superheroes and what position would they play?" So I've come up with two teams, a Marvel team and a DC team and put them in positions I think they would best in. I'll break it down my position and who I feel would be best in those positions. 

Quarterback
The quarterback position has to have the best leader and the one that can think on his feet the quickest. For my Marvel team I pick Captain America and for DC I pick Batman. Both are exceptional at making quick last second decisions and making changes if they need to. They both would be great at reading defenses and calling audibles if they felt the need. I think Cap would be a better mobile quarterback and be able to allude tacklers better than Batman though. And well, although Batman is good with a batarang, Cap is use to trowing his shield with skill and accuracy. 

Running Back

Most fantasy teams have two running backs. You need to have a big strong tough runner who could break tackles and not go down easy. For my DC team I would definitely pick Superman for his pure power and strength and second could go a few ways but Hawkman would be my choice. Hawkman is a tough dude and will get the job done. 
For my Marvel team, these two picks are easy. The Hulk and Thor. I couldn't imagine anyone trying to stop these two coming out of the back field. If there wasn't a hole to run through they would make one. 


Wide Receiver

Like the running backs, I'll pick two for this position. For my Marvel team I'd first go with Spider-Man first because of his quickness and agility. Plus he could use his webs to catch the ball. And second I'd go with Iron Man. He could propel him self to anywhere on the field rather quickly and if the defender tried to block him at the line of scrimmage he would just take him out. If Iron Man didn't work out I might would go with Nightcrawler or Mr. Fantastic for obvious reasons.

My DC picks are a lot easier. First, I'd for sure pick The Flash. With his speed he would be waiting on the ball to get to him. And my second pick would be Wonder Woman. She would be awesome at slot receiver. She is smart and could run any route and easily make adjustments on the field. She's fast and strong and would fight for those extra yards. 

Tight End
Most fantasy leagues only have one tight end so we'll follow suit with this too. This is a tough one. You can look at this in different ways but I think for my DC pick I would go with Martian Manhunter. He is big and tough and he would would be a big target to throw to. Plus as a blocker he would be unstoppable. 

My Marvel pick would be Wolverine. He might get penalized to much but he's as tough as they come and you know he won't miss a play.

Kicker 
As far as kickers go, this is a no brainier. Marvel would be Hawkeye and DC would be Green Arrow. Now I don't know how good they are with their feet but I know they would have the accuracy. 



Defense
Now in fantasy football you choose a defense for one team and the points are based on how well they do. For my defense teams I'll just choose five heroes that I haven't chosen already to make up the defense. Let's start with my five DC picks. I'll go with Green Lantern, Shazam (or Captain Marvel), Red Tornado, Aquaman, and Power Girl. As far as my Marvel picks I'd go with The Thing, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel, Beast, and She-Hulk.

So that's my fantasy superhero teams. There are a lot of heroes but I tried to stay with the more well known ones. Looking back at each team I think DC may have an edge but maybe not. I know there is an argument for most of the picks but just like fantasy football, it's all for fun. . Tell me what you think. What would you change?

The Team-Up Saga

Team-up comic books are nothing new but I have a few opinions of team-ups I want to get off my chest. There are different types of team up books: On going series, mini-series, or one-shots and can either have a team of several characters, a pair of the same characters or rotating characters in the book. I just want to talk mainly about books that pertain to two characters here though. We've seen team-ups with two heroes, heroes teaming up with villains and even team-ups that cross publishing lines. All these books can be very interesting and fun reads but sometimes it seems very cheesy and predictable. One of the most reoccurring themes in most team-ups is two heroes meeting for the first time and fighting then coming together to fight a common enemy or threat. Some times it seems like writers just throw two random characters together for the intrigue or maybe they are just trying to hard. Some team-ups should never happen. Yes team-ups can be tricky to write but if done correctly, these books can be a huge success. We need team-up comics sometimes to mix things up or draw interest but they have to be done properly.

Now I know that team up books have been going on for a long time but recently there has been some talk on the Internet and social media that have made me want to talk about it. I don't know if it's because of the newly announced Batman/ Superman movie or some of the new team-up books or some of the highly praised one-shots that have caused all the buzz but people have voiced their opinions.  Let's face it, team-ups aren't going away but that's okay, most are really great and fun to read.

There have been some epic team-ups over the years and some that keep reoccurring. Some team-ups we will never get to see again or at least any time soon, for instance, the classic DC/ Marvel team ups. Fans will never forget the Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk or Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man. These were some rare crossovers that we may never see again for many reasons but mostly because of the competitive industry.

But with such amazing team-ups also comes some equally bad team-ups. To see a list of some epic failed attempts at some team-up books then follow the link. You will get a good laugh. The Quick's Bunny and Superman?   http://www.weirdworm.com/10-absurd-comic-book-crossovers/

The comic book industry has tried so many different team-ups and some were, let's say, not so great and some that work and continue to work well. One team-up that will always be popular and sell well is Batman and Superman team-up. They had an ongoing series of 84 books and 5 annuals from 2003-2011 and recently started a new ongoing title. This team-up works in so many ways. One reason is because they are two totally different heroes. Superman has so much power and different abilities and Batman is a "normal man" who has trained his whole life to be who he is. This team-up also works because these two characters are two of the most famous characters in comics and have been around for so long. Also DC has an interesting team-up coming soon, Superman and Wonder Woman. This team-up will be very interesting because of their new relationship and the fact that they both are so powerful they have a hard time relating to most people.

One big reason team-ups have been talked about a lot recently I think is because of one of the best team-up comic I've ever read. (Don't crush me I'm still fairly new to comics) That praise goes out to The Flash Annual #2 written by Brian Buccellato. I've not been reading Brian's work very long but he's been doing a great job with The Flash series but this annual was on a different level. This book was a team-up with The Flash and Green Lantern. What made this so great for me was this started by showing how Barry Allen and Hal Jordan meet for the first time in a flash back. Then it went on showing them working together for a common cause in a more present day setting. I'm not going to talk in detail about it but definitely check it out!! You don't need to be reading The Flash regularly to read this one but I have a feeling you will be wanting to after.
I'm not a big Green Lantern fan but I would love to see a team-up with Green Lantern and The Flash happen in an ongoing series.

Brian proved that this team-up can work very well. You have two heroes with totally different powers, Green Lantern being able to go off into space and create virtually anything with his ring and The Flash has the speed force and all that comes with that. They also both have very different personalities but we know that they are friends and the comradely will be fun to read about. Maybe on reason this may not happen soon is because of where both are in their solo books and would mess up continuity. Hal has been off planet for awhile and not even in the Justice League right now and Barry could probably get away with another ongoing series but we don't need anything messing up what is going on now. I think one thing DC could do is make it a "Chronicles" series that is based on past adventures they had together. Show the building of their friendship and learning to trust each other. Brian Buccellato would write this so well I think and after hearing the praise all over the internet, I think a lot of people would buy a Green Lantern and The Flash team up book. I know I would!!

Another team-up book I would love to see a new take on is Captain America and Iron Man. These guys have had their own team-up series together before but I think a fresh and modern take on these two together would be a very fun read. I like this idea because Captain America is such a leader and everything he does is with purpose and precision and Iron Man more flies by the seat of his pants so to speak. We've seen them beat the mess out of each other and fight on different sides in Civil War so a team-up would be interesting.

Marvel also used to have a Power Man and Iron Fist team-up series that was very popular and I think they should relaunch this series. They would need to change it to Luke Cage and Iron Fist but they could take on some treats that are less main stream and a little more "dirty".
Team-up books are always interesting no matter how successful they are or how much they fail. No matter how odd or predictable a team-up my be it's fun to see what writers come up with. As long as these team-ups are done well, anything is possible. Maybe we won't get some team-ups I want to see but as long as we get other great team-ups I will be happy.