Video Games in the MC2

 

For today’s post, I wanted to try something a little different, by taking a look at video games and how they are referenced in the pages of MC2 comics. Video games, like comics are another often overlooked part of the pop culture landscape which gets little respect so this cross-pollination of media is an interesting lens to look through and get a glimpse of the world as it was at various points in the MC2’s publication history. This is Video Games in the MC2.

 

First up, we have an unidentified (and possibly fictional) video game that J2 aka Zane Yama is seen playing in A-Next #9. J2 tells Mainframe he is playing ‘one of those first person shooters’. Playing the game helped him decide how he would vote when the team were debating whether to make the perilous journey to another universe. Notably, the console’s controller has a retro design with only two face buttons which are contrasted by other elements; it is wireless and has a small screen and works in conjunction with what appears to be either Virtual Reality glasses or 3D glasses.

 

Next up, we have another video game device which Rina Logan aka Wild Thing enjoys playing. This one is a hand-held console that uses a VR headset. If Elektra is to be trusted on matters of up-to-date gaming technology, this unidentified console uses cartridges rather than disks. Rina has hacked and modified the fighting action game, allowing her to customise the main character’s appearance to resemble her costumed alter-ego, Wild Thing. This was apparently for a computer class project for which Rina received an ‘A’ grade. Kuroyama, the villainous assassin of the Hand, now rebuilt as a cyborg with a built-in attack computer that uses a virtual reality matrix is inadvertently defeated with one hit after appearing within Rina’s video game (Wild Thing #2).

Apparently in keeping with the MC2’s tradition of ‘themed months,’ we get another video game reference in another second issue. This time in Fantastic Five (vol. 1) #2 we are introduced to Doctor Lenny Gilcrest, a genius who designed a best-selling video game while still in high school who now works for S.H.I.E.L.D.  Gilcrest’s first project for S.H.I.E.L.D. is a Super Android dubbed Superoid which the Fantastic Five help field test. When Lenny is captured, the Superoid is quickly hijacked by the Wizard’s Warriors thanks to Gilcrest’s habit of using the same programming command structure for all his video games. I am curious if one of Lenny’s video games was among those played by J2 or Wild Thing?

 

Just two months later in the pages of Wild Thing #4 we see J2 playing what is almost certainly a Sega Dreamcast console, judging by the distinct controller. The Dreamcast would have been a very relevant console to reference, given its North American release in September 1999, mere months before this issue was released. Not a lot of lead time for artist Ron Lim, but the Dreamcast had already debuted in Japan the year before making it more plausible. I initially thought Juggie Junior was playing Doom, but having checked online, it appears the title never officially came to the Dreamcast. Suffice it say, the game appears to be another first-person shooter in the same vein as the Doom series.

 

The Wild Thing series is apparently the unlikely focus for this post, because in the very next issue we get a throw away reference to Rina’s school crush Colin Brewster’s father. According to Colin, his dad created a computer game with a giant robot that resembled their crash-site discovery: The Iron Despot. After his initial excitement, Colin soon realizes this is no game and eventually the day is saved when Wild Thing tricks the Iron Despot into a sinkhole (Wild Thing #5).

 

In Avengers Next #1 we glimpse yet another first-person shooter that J2 and Bluestreak are playing together in Avengers Compound. The controllers appear to be Xbox 360 controllers given their shape, design, and wireless status. This suggests they are playing on an Xbox 360 console, which was first released in late 2005 which fits with the Avengers Next mini-series which came out a year later in late 2006 Notably, the game display on the television has three player screens, so presumably Bluestreak is multitasking. We can also see three gamertags listed: 896-T, 569-BStreak and 998-J2.

 

That is it for today’s post but if I scrounge up enough material, I may produce a sequel to this post. I think it is interesting to look at the MC2 through the lens of the video game industry and see what was in the zeitgeist during the imprint’s run. It is fun to think the MC2 saw VR games as the future for the video game industry way back in the late 90’s and I had a blast trying to figure out what consoles were real and which were fictional. Special thanks to arias-98105 and the Video Game Console Library, I could not have produced this post without their help.

 

Until I learn how to mod old video games to add custom Spider-Girl player models, I remain

 

frogoat

 

 

Shang-Chi in the MC2

 

By now you all know the new Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is out and that means it’s time for another of my usual cheap tie-in post about their MC2 counterpart. Without further ado, here is Shang-Chi in the MC2.

 

Shang-Chi makes his solitary appearance in the MC2 in a story written by Tom Defalco and pencilled by Ron Lim from J2 #11. When American Dream of the Avengers turns down an invitation to participate in a martial arts contest, J2 aka Zane Yama takes it upon himself to attend in her place. Travelling via mystical amulet to a small island, J2 meets the (apparently) blind Howard the Duck, the self-proclaimed Master of Quack-Fu.

 

From Howard we learn that a few dozen of the world's greatest martial artists were invited to the contest, but only a few of the previous generation's 'old fogies' showed up. Among these ‘old fogies’ is Shang-Chi, sparring with Shen Kuei aka Cat. Other characters glimpsed include Iron Fist, the Sons of the Tiger and White Tiger.

 

 Suspecting a trap, Howard had hoped to stack the deck in his favour with American Dream, Stuck with J2 instead, Howard attempts to train the big lug to defend himself but has no success. When J2 reverts back to Zane Yama after his powers temporarily wear off, he encounters Blind Al. Concerned for Zane's well-being in the upcoming contest, Al attempts to get past Weasel to talk to the mystery person who organised the contest: Wade Wilson aka Deadpool.

 

 

Having followed Blind Al, Zane learns the contest will have a deadly ending. Encountering Deadpool, Zane turns back into J2 to duke it out with the mercenary. Deadpool reveals he set up the contest to alleviate his boredom. Having overheard his plans, Shang-Chi, Iron Fist, White Tiger, Cat and the Sons of the Tiger proceed to kick Wade’s butt off-panel.

 

While that’s it for Shang-Chi in the MC2, I’d like to quickly cover where this version of the character may branch off from the Main Marvel Universe. My best guess is similar to speculation for the Black Widow, with Shang-Chi making only a few major appearances in the late 1990’s. This leads me to suggest either Journey Into Mystery #514-516 or Elektra #16 as the point of divergence, the latter of which was published in early 1998. Feel free to disagree and leave me a comment!

 

Until I stop finding new excuses to discuss my favourite comic universe, I remain

 

frogoat

 

 

Bullseye in the MC2

Having binge watched almost all of Daredevil Season 3 on Netflix, coupled with my recent post about the character in the MC2, I figured it would be a fun to do a quick little post about one of ol' horn-head's greatest foes: Bullseye.

Making a grand total of one appearance, Bullseye appears in the MC2 in just one panel of a two page story from J2 #7 where he squares off against his former victim Elektra and her daughter Wild Thing. With no context or other clues to suggest any information bout the deadly assassin, I figure it's best to just provide the story here in it's entirety.

There you have it! Bullseye appears to be alive and well and still up to no good in the MC2.

Until I find something of more substance to cover here, I remain

frogoat

The Logan Family Tree

This one was an eye opener. I now understand why X-Men fans tear their hair out. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the combined kin of Natchios and Logan...with a few asterisks.

Wolverine has presented me with a conundrum. For the purposes of these family trees, I accept that MC2 characters share their published history (up to a point) with their 616/Main Marvel Universe counterparts. I make exceptions for any retcons implemented after the point the MC2 diverges from the 616 and in cases where it's explicitly or implicitly different (Aunt May really died) or when a writer later introduces a previously unheard of relative (the Lang family and likely the Pym family) who is never mentioned, seen or heard of in the MC2. With the last exception, I would add them to the family tree in later updates should they be mentioned in MC2 material at any point.

Wolverine presents a new case of a previously unresolved plot point (his true name and origin) being resolved post-MC2 but due to it being a long standing pre-MC2 mystery and it not at face value contradicting elements of the MC2. So, information revealed in the Origin mini-series can be accepted as MC2 canon also. I personally feel I need only list James Howlett as his real name and leave out his family members, at least for now. If later MC2 works utilize these story elements, I'll add them.

As for post-Origin relatives of Wolverine, including potential offspring such as X-23 and Daken and his half-dozen other kids from one storyline who die, I have decided that these are all later retcons not directly affiliated with his MC2 counterpart. Further, the Wolverine: Origins ongoing series apparently revealed that several significant characters throughout Wolverine's past were related to him, specifically by his mother's own extended family. Character's such as the Professor involved with the Weapon X program (Professor Andre Thorton) were retroactively made Wolverine's long lost relatives-the Hudson's- despite some of these characters having established names. I will not be referring to these characters in the family as they were later retconned relatives, not pre-established.

With all of that out of the way, let's start in earnest. Logan aka the mutant known as Wolverine first appeared in the final panel of The Incredible Hulk #180 with his first full appearance the following issue in The Incredible Hulk #181.  For decades, Logan's true name and origin was a mystery. It wasn't until the mini series Origin that we got the answers that had been long teased. We learn that the man we know as Logan was born 'James Howlett' as a result of an affair between Elizabeth Howlett and Thomas Logan, the grounds-keeper on the Howlett's estate. Thomas Logan had another son, 'Dog' Logan, making him James' half-brother. As stated above, I have decided to leave them off this MC2-centric family tree for now.


During an adventure in the Savage Land, seen in Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure, Logan find's spends a period of time with the leader of Tribe of Fire, a woman named Gahck. At the conclusion of the story, she is seen holding an infant. Logan's status as the child's father and the child's name (Erista) were only implied, at least until being confirmed in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: X-Men 2004.

Logan also adopted a young girl named Amiko Kobayashi following her mother's death during a giant monster attack in Tokyo in Uncanny X-Men #181. Amiko was eventually left in the care of a woman named Yukio, which led to an encounter with the assassin Elektra, which is as good a transition as any to the other half of this family tree.


Elektra Natchios is another character with a somewhat convoluted family history. First appearing in Daredevil #168, Elektra was reportedly intended as a one-off character, but proved popular enough to make regular appearances in the series until her first death in Daredevil #181. Elektra returned from the dead soon after and has gone onto be a consistent fan favourite character.

Elektra's first appearance in Daredevil #168 is also her father's first appearance and death, as he is shot to during a terrorist hostage situation. It's not until the Elektra Assassin mini that we learn his name is Hugo Natchios. Through the story, Elektra attempts to recall her past by revisiting memory fragments, some of which seem to be partially imagined, such as her recollection of her own birth during her mother Christina's assassination as depicted in Elektra Assassin #1.

Christina Natchios proves to be an interesting case of multiple characters providing differing accounts of her personality, character and even the events surrounding her death. A later mini-series called Elektra: Root of Evil features Hugo telling a young Elektra his version of the events of Christina's death and Elektra's birth. According to Hugo, his wife openly had affairs, embarrassing the newly appointed ambassador. When Christina became pregnant, Hugo drunkenly shared his shame with his son Orestez (more on him later) who -enraged- organised the assassination which injured his father and killed his mother who gave birth to Elektra as she died (Elektra: Root of Evil #2). When Hugo learned Elektra was in-fact his daughter by blood, he threw himself into raising her.

Alternatively, as recounted in Elektra (vol. 1) #18, we are given an entirely different account of Christina by a man named Stavros who knew the Natchios family well. He tells an adult Elektra that as a teenager Christina used to work for a resistance cell led by Hugo, showing cold determination and kindness. While eight months pregnant Christina was shot during a hostage situation, but managed to disarm the shooter and prevented him from being killed by the angry crowd before she dying as Elektra was born. While it's perhaps possible that parts of Stavros' story could be true (how Hugo and Christina met) it's impossible to reconcile the two different series of events leading to Christina's death. As such, I'm inclined to go with the earlier telling of events given they connect to much of Elektra's family history, including Orestez, who goes completed unmentioned in this new telling.

Orestez Natchios is the older brother of Elektra, and son to Hugo and Christina who first appeared in flashbacks in Elektra: Root of Evil #2. As mentioned above, a drunken and disgraced Hugo tells Orestez of his mother's infidelity and the likelihood of her current pregnancy being to another man. Orestez hires mercenaries to kill his mother as punishment while she vacationed, unaware his father had joined her. When Orestez learns his beloved father was injured during the attack, he left the family out of guilt. Years later, Orestez saved his young sister Elektra from an attack and returned her home to their father, telling him she needed to learn to protect herself, choosing to remain in his self-imposed exile.

Finally, we arrive at the MC2 section of this write-up! Rina Logan aka Wild Thing, daughter to Logan and Elektra first appeared in J2 #5. Seeking out the titular character for information about his father the previous Juggernaut, Rina battled J2 until Wolverine put a stop to the fight. Though young, Rina is frequently depicted as adventuring far and wide, even sending her parents letters from her travels. At some point in her past, Rina was brutally attacked and left to die on a mountain top by her half-brother, Hudson.

The animalistic Hudson aka Sabreclaw first appeared in J2 #8, working alongside the villainous Enthralla against the combined efforts of J2, Magneta and his half-sister Wild Thing. Following his initial appearance, Sabreclaw would join various teams, including The Revengers and The Savage Six before finally seeing the light and joining The Avengers. There is no information on the identity of Sabreclaw's mother.

It's not immediately clear whether Hudson is Sabreclaw's first or last name, nor if he shares the surname 'Logan' with his half-sister. The only name we are given in-story is simply 'Hudson' in his first appearance so that leaves secondary sources, so let's explore those. The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 identifies Sabreclaw as 'Hudson Logan', while the following year's All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #12 Wild Thing profile back-tracks to 'Hudson (surname unrevealed)'. The All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Update #3 (2007) features a Sabreclaw profile entry in which his real name is given as 'Hudson (full name unrevealed)', suggesting the name could be either his given name or surname whereas The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 7 refers to him as Hudson Logan. However, the Wild Thing profile published in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 13 (2010) reverts to 'Hudson (surname unrevealed)'. Personally, I'd assume Hudson is Sabreclaw's first name, based on the context of it's usage in J2 #8 and it's debatable whether Logan is his surname.

This entry took a lot of time and effort to research and I am still uncertain if I've done it justice. Hopefully my rationale regarding the use of family members and names discussed at the top makes sense and holds up to your scrutiny. I've given this a lot of thought.

Until I take up a nice relaxing hobby like bee-keeping, I remain

frogoat

Why do I love the MC2?

It's been another long while and -rather than try to complete the blog I'm currently researching (read: reading comics!)- I figured I take the easy way out and just talk about this imprint that I love so much.

So, why do I love the MC2?

Because Wolverine and Elektra had a kid

Who's have thought those two would knock boots, huh? But I've always wondered why she has those nifty purple psychic claws if Elektra is her mum.Seems more like something Psylocke's kid would inher--oh my gosh!!

Because American Dream kicks butt

Not only in the two Avengers titles, the three Spider-Girl titles, and various other MC2 books, but also in the frankly awesome Roger Stern penned Captain America Corps. Check it out:

Because J2 ran away

Imagine you're in his massive shoes: You're new at the hero game, facing the legendary Defenders- including the Incredible Hulk -and your fellow Avenger Mainframe has just been torn in half. I'd run. Don't tell me you wouldn't at least consider it.Yes, he returned to the fight after he came to his senses, but in that moment J2 was a very real person.

Because Darkdevil beat the Devil 

Okay, I know it's only one of the many Marvel Universe 'Devil' types, but when I read it I was 'blown away' with that encounter in the sewers. Get it?! 'Blown away.' No?

Because the World Still Needs Heroes

It's a phrase I've known Tom Defalco to use on many occasions, and one I wholeheartedly agree with. Why do we need the next generation? Because the world will always need heroes.

Because J2 is oblivious

It seems J2 will never notice the many lovely ladies pining after him. You bonehead!

Because Big Julie is the Bomb

He's a Mob Boss Gorilla. It doesn't get any better than that.

Because it's a Spider-Girl World

Nuff Said.


I'm going to have to do more of these someday.

Until I stop loving this 'verse, I remain

frogoat