Stinger Action Figure Review

As a recent birthday gift, I received the Marvel Legends Ant-Man and Stinger 6-Inch Action Figures 2-Pack which was initially intended as an exclusive release for Toys R Us but apparently saw release through Entertainment Earth after the formers collapse. Not only did I receive the 2-Pack, I also received a loose Stinger figure for display purposes. Today I'll be solely focusing my  review on the Stinger figure.

The Stinger figure comes bundled with a Scott Lang Ant-Man who wears his most recent comic costume. This makes it clear that - despite the MC2 originating the Stinger identity for Cassie Lang and her Main Marvel Universe counterpart recently adopting a version of the MC2 Stinger costume - this particular figure is modelled on the Main Marvel Universe Cassie Lang. This is further supported by one minor difference between Cassie's MMU and MC2 Stinger costume; shoulder pads.

The MC2's Stinger does not wear a costume that feature metallic shoulder pads. In relation to the figure, you'll notice it is barely visible in the picture above, owing to a lack of pain on the shoulder joint. It's a minor issue, but still worth mentioning. More noticeable is the different coloured purple paint on Stinger's legs when compared to the rest of the figure. 

I've checked elsewhere online and this appears to be the case for all Stinger figures, not just mine. It's even visible on the box art. Again, it's not a major issue, but still worth mentioning.

 Much like the Toy Biz Marvel Legends series of old, Hasbro's Marvel Legends are known for their super articulate figures and attention to detail. As for Stinger, the figure boasts amazing articulation, including poseable wings and a head joint that can tilt all the way up, allowing for fun flying poses.

Finishing on a positive note, this figure is a drastic improvement over the Marvel Comics 2 First Appearances set's Stinger figure released in 1999. Not only in size, but in proportions and articulation. The best figures are those that stand under their own power in various poses and that's something the old figure simply cannot do, whereas the new Stinger can be placed in many dramatic poses. The attention to detail is clear, if sometimes unevenly applied. All in all, I'm pleased to see another MC2-related figure following Hasbro's Marvel Legends Spider-Girl figure in 2015.

Until I have another opportunity to talk about a new MC2-related action figure and play like a child again, I remain

frogoat

Why Can't Hope Pym Shrink?

While doing research for my post about the Pym Family Tree in the MC2, I noticed that various sources claimed Hope Pym aka The Red Queen appears to lack the ability to alter her size. At first, I doubted this claim because no references were cited, so I did my own investigation of all of Hope's appearances from A-Next #7 all the way through to her most recent appearances in Spider-Island. Here's a selection:

This is the first time we see Hope with wings but judging by the dialogue, it appears she doesn't possess the ability to shrink down in size like Stinger. In fact, the mention of size changing actually seems to anger her further with her saying 'Stop shrinking on me! That power is rightfully mine--' when Stinger questions why Hope isn't changing size (A-Next #12).

There are a few examples in the Last Planet Standing mini-series where we see Hope at full size in flight or simply using her wrist mounted blasters, but no instances of her shrinking or even growing in size. It's also worth noting Hope is sometimes depicted in flight without her wings.

Another example of (potential) wingless flight from American Dream #3.

And here we have more examples of winged flight with no apparent change in size from Hope. Except for the last page-I just really love the art! (American Dream #5) And last but not least we have Hope's appearances in the Spider-Island mini-series....

...Where I don't think Hope actually does anything super human at all. So, I think it's fair to say Hope lacks the ability to change size in any manner. So what's the deal? Obviously if there was a definitive answer on the page, there wouldn't be a need for all this, but I do have a possible theory.

In A-Next #12 and various other appearances we clearly see Hope's twin brother Henry Pym Jr aka Big Man demonstrating his super human ability to increase in size. Henry even mentions he usually grows to twelve feet in height but can grow significantly larger, similar to his father Hank Pym aka Giant-Man's own abilities. I propose that despite Hope and Henry being twins, only Henry was born with super human abilities from his parents frequent exposure to Pym Particles.

Hope may have developed an inferiority complex growing up in a super powered family. Perhaps Hope's lack of super human powers, coupled with the death of her parents led to her disproportional hatred for the Avengers and her desire to humiliate and kill the next generation of the team.  Hope notably focuses much of her rage on Cassie Lang aka Stinger and  clearly despises the hero's own ability to change size. Presumably this is because Cassie and her father Scott Lang utilize Pym Particles to change their size while Hope either doesn't have access to or does not understand her father's method or formula.

Given the fact that in her civilian identity she oversaw the project that granted Ion Man his abilities and that as Red Queen she maintains a rather sophisticated looking headquarters or laboratory, we can deduce that Hope has both money and intellect. I don't think it's a stretch to assume that what Hope lacked in super powers, she compensated for with high tech gadgets, such as her wrist mounted blasters and artificial wings. Given that we've seen Hope fly both with and without the wings, it's possible they are merely an affectation to honour her mother, and that the ability to fly is achieved through other methods.  

Of course, I could be completely wrong. Let me know what you think! Who knows, maybe one day this will be cleared up and I can move on....

Until I stop dwelling on obscure plot points in 20 year old comics at 3am, I remain

frogoat

   

The Pym Family Tree

Obviously, after having recently watched the Ant-Man and The Wasp movie, I've been doing a little digging into the history of both Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne so that I can present a (hopefully) complete and accurate Pym Family Tree for the MC2 Universe.

Dr Henry 'Hank' Pym first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27, becoming Ant-Man for the first time in Tales to Astonish #35. Over time, Hank's mental health and stability would fluctuate dramatically, causing several issues with his self-esteem, personal life and heroic identity. Through the years Hank would adopt various monikers: Giant-Man (Tales to Astonish #49), Goliath (Avengers #28), Yellowjacket (Avengers #59) and simply Dr Pym. Despite his many successes, Hank is usually only remembered for two things: the creation of Ultron (Avengers #54)and a scene of domestic abuse during a mental breakdown (Avengers #213) which has followed the character to this day. After hitting rock bottom, Hank attempted suicide but was talked out of it by fellow Avenger Firebird (West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #17). In the MC2, Hank is among the Avengers who perished while on the team's final mission (A-Next #7).

Janet Van Dyne became The Wasp when her father, a scientist named Dr Vernon Van Dyne, opened a portal to an extradimensional prison and was murdered by one of it's escaping inhabitants. To avenger her father, Janet sought assistance from Hank Pym, who granted her the ability to shrink in size, shoot bio-electric blasts and fly by means of insect-like wings implanted in her back (Tales to Astonish #44). Janet and Hank worked as crime-fighting partners for sometime before becoming founding members of the Avengers (Avengers #1) and after dating form sometime, were eventually married after Janet agreed to Hank's proposed while he was suffering a schizophrenic episode
(Avengers #60). The two would later divorce in Avengers #213 following the aforementioned spousal abuse. Janet would go on to successfully serve as Chairperson and leader of the Avengers and later joined the West Coast Avengers roster at which time she and Hank resumed a romantic relationship (West Coast Avengers vol.2 #42). In the MC2, Janet was among the few Avengers to returned from the team's final mission but was heart-broken and was later said to have died of a 'broken heart'.

While in university Hank met and fell in love with Maria Trovaya; a Hungarian woman who had immigrated to the United States with her father, Janos. The couple were soon married and Maria convinced Hank to take her back to Hungary for their honeymoon. Sadly, Maria was captured and  killed by some of Janos' political opponents. Hank later learned that Janos Trovaya was also killed in an a suspicious explosion while working in his lab in the United States around the same time. It was at this time that Hank suffered his first mental breakdown, ending up arrested and jailed during his unsuccessful attempts to find his wife. The US embassy negotiated his release and he returned to America as a widow. Upon meeting Janet Van Dyne for the first time, Hank notes she bares a strong resemblance to his deceased wife. (Tales to Astonish #44, Avengers #227).

In the MC2, we learn that Hank and Janet had two children: twins Hope and Henry Pym Jr. As a result of their parents deaths, the two are left orphaned (A-Next #7, A-Next #12). Hope makes her first cameo appearance as a pair of silhouetted legs in A-Next #7 and makes her first full appearance in A-Next #10 where she learns the new team of Avengers have re-activated the portal that led to her parents demise. Hope and Henry Jr under the guise of the Red Queen and Big Man respectively, formed and led the Revengers in an invasion of the Avengers Compound, using their parents old security codes to gain access.  After taking Edwin Jarvis, Tony Stark and Clint Barton hostage, the Revengers launched a surprise attack on the exhausted Avengers team upon their return from the parallel Earth.

Henry began to have major doubts when he witnessed Hope torturing Stinger (Cassie Lang, daughter of the second Ant-Man) and threatening to kill the entire team. While Henry only intended to prove the new Avengers weren't worthy of the title, it became clear Hope had far deadlier plans. Hope blamed the Avengers for the death of her parents, and believed Stinger in particular had tarnished their legacy. Hope was defeated by her own brother Henry, who turned himself over to the Avengers for his crimes (A-Next #12).

Henry Jr was next seen among a gathering of heroes who met to defeat the god Seth (Spider-Girl #58) before joining a government sanctioned team for reformed super villains led by Arthur Weadon to combat threats (Spider-Girl #62, #64-66, #73, #77-78, #93, #95-96 ). As of Amazing Spider-Girl #9, it appears Henry has 'graduated' the program and paid in full for his crimes. Depending on whether you want to count MC2 stories post-Spider-Verse, Big Man also appears in the Spider-Girl story published in Spider-Island #1-5.


Hope next appears in the Last Planet Standing mini series, leading a new incarnation of the Revengers against the Avengers, launching attacks on them despite the ongoing threat to the entire planet posed by Galactus and even resorting to looting during the chaos. The Red Queen returns to menace American Dream, this time only accompanied by Ion Man. The duo monitor American Dream's exploits and team up with the villainous Silikong to defeat the hero but were themselves defeated by American Dream and the Avengers. Depending on whether you want to count MC2 stories post-Spider-Verse, The Red Queen also appears in the Spider-Girl story published in Spider-Island #1-5.

The Pym Twins (that's so much fun to say) appear to be legally adults. For example, Hope's initial appearances suggest she is in charge of the company (Pym Laboratories, perhaps?)  that granted Ion Man his powers and Henry working for Weadon's government sanctioned team. If the twins are, in fact, adults then we must shift the point at which the MC2 diverged from the Main Marvel Universe back even further from the usually cited 15 years. This will be something I'll attempt to address in a later discussion.

Finally, some random bits and pieces I should mention lest I be accused of a mistake: Ultron and his entire kin will be covered in another Family Tree. A reference to Dr Pym's mother being killed is made in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol. 13, though I can't find any specific issue for this mention and it's not present in earlier entries to my knowledge; as such I have left it out. Apart from those seen above in the Pym Family Tree- stories published after the (likely) divergent point for the Avengers of the MC2- have mentioned or depicted other relatives. As these are most likely not relevant to the characters MC2, I will simply list them here for the sake of completeness:

• Hank references an Aunt Sally and Uncle Harry in Ant-Man's Big Christmas #1
• Janet also refers to an Uncle Bertram, an Aunt Ruth and a cousin named Sally in Ant-Man's Big Christmas #1
• Amelia Van Dyne and Blaine Van Dyne are potential relatives mentioned in the special 1939 Daily Bugle #1 special, though may have been mentioned earlier. Let me know.
• Hank mentions that Janet's Mother was left in a vegetative state following a car accident and eventually died (Avengers Academy #7)
• We learn that Hank's paternal grandmother (Angela Pym) encouraged him to pursue wild and creative inventions before her death, that his father and mother (Brad Pym and Doris Pym) tried to push him into more mundane fields such as engineering and medicine (Age of Ultron #10A.I.) 
• Nadia Van Dyne/Pym is the daughter of  Hank Pym and Maria Strovaya, introduced as the Main Marvel Universe's answer to Hope Pym from the MC2 after the release of the first Ant-Man movie (Free Comic Book Day 2016 Civil War II)

Well, I think that's just about it for now! I've attempted to cover everything in brief, but if you feel I've missed a Pym or Van Dyne somewhere along the line, please let me know.

Until I figure out the secret to Pym Particles, I remain

frogoat

Stinger and Spider-Girl

If you don't already know, I am unable to post in my usual style owing to a hardware issue with my laptop. Here's a photo of the Marvel Legends Spider-Girl with the recently released Stinger figure. Hopefully I'll be able to post a more in-depth review soon.

MC2 Family Trees Master Post

My own self-imposed rule of posting at least once a week hasn't gone to plan due to very limited free time. I'd prefer to put out something rather than nothing but with no time to spare, I figure a full list of my MC2 Family Trees would have to suffice for now. There will be more of these family trees in future, including a few updates to previous entries.

The Yama Family Tree

The Mansfield Family Tree

The Kirby Family Tree

The Hardy/Thompson Family Tree

The Xavier-Marko Family Tree

The Duran Family Tree

The DeSantos Family Tree

The Crazy/Face Family Tree

The Jameson Family Tree

The Carter Family Tree

The Masterson Family Tree

The Lang Family Tree

The Drew Family Tree

The Morgan Family Tree

The Robertson Family Tree

The Dillon Family Tree

The Logan Family Tree

The Forest Family Tree

The Wyngarde Family Tree

The Wakandan Royal Family Tree

The Lang Family Tree *Updated*

The Bryce-Jones Family Tree

The Rambeau-Freeman Family Tree

The Harkness Family Tree

The Brady Family Tree

The Lu Family Tree

That's all of the Family Trees to date. If there are any specific MC2 Family Tree's you'd like to see, please don't hesitate to ask. I'd love some feedback. Even if you think I've got something wrong, tell me!

Until I find more time to put out something more consequential, I remain

frogoat

The Lang Family Tree *Updated*

While digging for another family to highlight, I hit upon the Lang Family. Initially, this seemed like a bigger challenge due to the fairly extensive list of relatives I discovered for Scott Lang. As it turned out, the list of relatives pre-MC2 is really quite small.

Obviously, the reason for this entry in the MC2 Family Tree is one Cassandra 'Cassie' Lang aka Stinger of the Avengers. Cassie is the daughter of Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man, who I'm sure most are now at least somewhat aware of thanks to the titular movie. Scott made his first appearance in Avengers (vol. 1) #181 and stole the Ant-Man identity in Marvel Premiere #47. Cassie also makes her first appearance in the latter title, along with her Aunt Ruth and (I'm assuming they're married) Uncle Carl.



There's really only a few tidbits to address. Despite my initial belief that Cassie's mother ( Peggy Rae) was a fairly long-established character, I discovered that she makes her first appearance well after the MC2 branching point in Avengers (vol. 3) #62.


*As a result, Peggy wasn't initially identified by name in the Family Tree above. However, more recently I discovered that Peggy is named in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 1) #1 published back in 1983. As a result, I've corrected the Family Tree above.*

With the increase in audience recognition for the Scott Lang iteration of Ant-Man arising from the recent movie, the character has been the subject of a few solo titles which have introduced several new members to the Lang extended family....all of whom are not included for the same reasons I've mentioned previously. So with all that said, I think that's a wrap, people.


Until I run out of ideas or get something terribly wrong and collapse into a puddle of shame, I remain



frogoat

The Lang Family Tree

While digging for another family to highlight, I hit upon the Lang Family. Initially, this seemed like a bigger challenge due to the fairly extensive list of relatives I discovered for Scott Lang. As it turned out, the list of relatives pre-MC2 is really quite small.

Obviously, the reason for this entry in the MC2 Family Tree is one Cassandra 'Cassie' Lang aka Stinger of the Avengers. Cassie is the daughter of Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man, who I'm sure most are now at least somewhat aware of thanks to the titular movie. Scott made his first appearance in Avengers (vol. 1) #181 and stole the Ant-Man identity in Marvel Premiere #47. Cassie also makes her first appearance in the latter title, along with her Aunt Ruth and (I'm assuming they're married) Uncle Carl.

There's really only a few tidbits to address. Despite my initial belief that Cassie's mother ( Peggy Rae) was a fairly long-established character, I discovered that she makes her first appearance well after the MC2 branching point in Avengers (vol. 3) #62. As a result, Peggy is not identified by name in the Family Tree above.

With the increase in audience recognition for the Scott Lang iteration of Ant-Man arising from the recent movie, the character has been the subject of a few solo titles which have introduced several new members to the Lang extended family....all of whom are not included for the same reasons I've mentioned previously. So with all that said, I think that's a wrap, people.

Until I run out of ideas or get something terribly wrong and collapse into a puddle of shame, I remain

frogoat

My Trivial Problems

I've been more active with this blog lately. I'm not entirely sure what's led to this, but I'd like to assure anyone who's out there reading this (if anyone actually does read this...) that I don't plan on stopping anytime soon either.

A few odds and ends: Since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hit the big screen, I noticed my little Mainframe video received several hundred more views than it had in a very short time. Obviously, this is due to a SPOILER-ific cameo by a certain singing celebrity who voices the Guardians of the Galaxy-related character coincidentally also named Mainframe. For the record, the two characters are not related. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the film for it's wonderful character depth and character exploration. Seriously, go check it out!

I've considered doing more 'Evolution'-style MC2 videos, but presently I feel there is limited material to draw from. What little material I have been able to track down to use in future videos also comes with the extra complication of having unidentified or unverified voice actors. This applies to Stinger's recent appearance in the Marvel Avengers Academy mobile game and various symbiote-related characters featuring currently in the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game. Sadly TinyCo's Avengers game has listed credits and Gameloft's Unlimited has not updated it's in-game credits in sometime. Hopefully, this will improve in the near future.

Speaking of hope....I am conflicted about whether to address Hope Pym in other media. Hope Van Dyne bares very little resemblance to her comic counterpart in the Ant-Man film. In addition, it is the film version who is featured in other media, such as the Lego Marvel's Avengers video game, making them an adaption of an adaption. I highly doubt this version of Hope will turn to villainy, despite my early speculation when the character was announced for the Ant-Man movie. Then again, Tom Defalco and Ron Frenz are given a mention in the films credits. Perhaps I should consider the film version etc when creating a future MC2 video? I am befuddled.

I have a similar conflict with adaptions of Cassie Lang as a character. Until recently, 'Stinger' was the superhero identity of the MC2 character, almost exclusively. Cassie's alias in the main Marvel Universe was Stature but recent developments in the Ant-Man comics have led to her adopting the Stinger nomenclature and costume. Not only is Cassie a character who originates in the regular Marvel Universe, she's quite different. With MC2-related concepts feeding back into the main Marvel Universe, it's muddied the waters when determining which version of the character is being adapted. The obvious exception is the Ant-Man movie's adaptation of Cassie, who is too young to suit up as a hero just yet.


Until I resolve my trivial problems, I remain

frogoat

Stinger in Marvel Avengers Academy

It's only just come to my attention that Cassie Lang, also known as Stinger has been added as a playable character in Marvel Avengers Academy. Developed by mobile game studio TinyCo, Marvel Avengers Academy depicts classic Marvel characters as college students in an academy of the players design wherein the 'Avengers' combat super-villains and master their  super powers. Or so I read. I've never played the game before.

Stinger was introduced to the game during the 'Young Avengers Mini-Event' on the 17th of February along with Hulkling and Wiccan. In-game dialog between Cassie and the Scott Lang version of Ant-Man featured in this game confirm that Cassie is in fact his alternate reality daughter. From what I have been able to discover, Stinger may have been only available for a limited time only.

The classic Stinger costume from the MC2 appears as Cassies third costume, unlocked at Rank 5. It's worth noting she also sports a purple version of her 616-counterpart's Stature identity. Beyond that, I can't really gather much more information. I've been unable to find anywhere that identifies a voice actor for Cassie/Stinger, sadly. I'll keep digging to see if I can turn up anything, but for now, that's all I have to share.

Until I start to see a decline in appearances of MC2 characters in other mediums, I remain

frogoat

Captain America: Civil War Movie Review

Being, as I am, an Australian and not an American (nor a Briton, for that matter) has given me the fortunate opportunity to watch the new Marvel film before many others. Hopefully that doesn't come across elitist because really, I'm just stoked that I got to see it so soon. My partner in life and I suited up appropriately, too. I in her Captain America shirt. She in mine. Don't read into that statement too much. Anywho, shall I give you a review? Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead!

Felicity Hardy Confirmed for Spider-Man Unlimited

Well, after the current Mysterio update for the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game, I think it's safe to confirm Felicity Hardy, aka the MC2's own Scarlet Spider will soon be a playable character. Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself:

The Spider-Man Unlimited facebook page gives her debut event dates:


June 15th – 21st
New Spidey: Scarlet Spider (Felicity Hardy)
Event:  Release Event (Titan)


Well, there ya go then. Who's next, Gameloft? There is a nice trend starting up recently of MC2 characters popping up all over the place in unexpected ways! Mainframe in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. and Hope Pym appearing in some form in the upcoming Ant-Man movie. Spider-Girl and now Felicity Hardy in the Spider-Man Unlimited game. Maybe there is something to that?

Until the world stops throwing MC2 characters into the fray, I remain

frogoat