Is Devil Dinosaur in the MC2?

 

Here’s a fun idea I’ve been chewing over for a while now: What characters could exist in the MC2, but where never seen, referenced or perhaps simply weren’t introduced into Marvel Comics until afterwards? I’ve previously produced a post pondering this proposal when I looked at one of the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy to see if Groot could potentially exist in the MC2. For today, I wanted to take a bite out of another character I’m fond of, to see if Devil Dinosaur could exist in the MC2?

First, we must consider some rules, ironic though it may seem for a thought experiment such as this. Usually the MC2’s point of divergence, ‘cut off point’ or ‘branching point,’ is comics published after 1998, when the MC2 imprint began publication. There have been exceptions to this, with some characters who were created after this point appearing in the MC2, such as Anya Corazón aka Araña. With regards to Devil Dinosaur, we have a very different issue to consider.

 

Created by the king of comics himself, Jack Kirby, Devil first appeared in Devil Dinosaur #1 from 1978. Devil is a mutant tyrannosaurus-like theropod dinosaur of the species known as ‘Devil-Beasts’ (Fallen Angels #4). While Mr Kirby’s intent was for Devil and his ‘Small-Folk’ hominid companion Moon Boy to hail from the distant past of the Main Marvel Universe or Earth-616, it’s now firmly established that they originate from an alternate Earth known as ‘Dinosaur World’, which is officially and in-universe designated as Earth-78411 (The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 1) #3, The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #7, The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update ’89 #2, The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #8,Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone (and the Monster Hunters) and so on). With all that information as support, it’s safe to say Devil Dinosaur is not native to the 616 Universe. So, does that rule him out of the MC2 Universe also?

 

Fortunately, Devil has traversed the multiverse on multiple occasions, in addition to interacting with visitors to his world from the 616 including Godzilla via Doctor Doom’s Time Platform (Godzilla #21-#22). Devil and Moon Boy have also encountered various others including a Skrull (Devil Dinosaur Spring Fling #1),Lockheed (and nearly Shadowcat) of Excalibur (Marvel Comics Present #174), Ghost Rider and Howard the Duck (Ghost Rider (vol. 3) #81-#83), Wolverine, Namor the Sub-Mariner and Ka-Zar (Wolverine: Global Jeopardy #1) and the Fallen Angels group which included members of the New Mutants team (Fallen Angels #4-#8).

 

One significant story came in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man Annual ’98 (aka ‘Annual #31’) written by none other than Spider-Girl co-creator Tom Defalco. This story saw the duo of Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur stranded once again on Earth-616 and this time under the hypnotic influence of the Ringmaster of Crime. After Spider-Man liberated the pair, he suggested their relocation to the Savage Land where they were settled soon after.

 

Not only is this story written by MC2 alumni Tom Defalco, but it was also published in 1998 making it a likely inclusion into our hypothetical pre-MC2-publication cut off point. So, could Devil Dinosaur reside in the MC2? Yes, it is possible Devil and Moon Boy remain secluded in the remote Savage Land of Antarctica. Considering no published MC2 stories have visited the Savage Land, I’d like to think Devil and his friend are still out there…

 

Until we get Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Season 3, I remain

 

frogoat

Spider-Girl Versus Doctor Doom

 

Thank goodness for the Internet Archive! The Wayback Machine is an invaluable source of information on the lost and long gone days of the wild west internet. Today, as a sort of early present, I thought it would be nice to post the promotional comic commonly referred to as ‘Internet Super Heroes Meet Internet Super Villains’ in its entirety.

But what is it, exactly? Well, for starters, it has two names. ‘Internet Super Heroes Meet Internet Super Villains’ is the title that appears on the cover, but the comic’s indicia gives it the title ‘Wired Kids’, along with listing it as ‘No.1, November 2005’. I would argue this latter title should be its official title on places such as the Marvel Wiki, but that’s not important right now.

 

The comic was a custom comic printed under exclusive licence and donated by Marvel to Wired Kids Inc., a charity in the United States which was partly dedicated to promoting internet safety for children and teenagers. It appears Microsoft contributed to the comic’s production, as they are also attributed on the cover and in the indicia, along with their own internet safety program at staysafe.org. And yes, this comic was originally distributed for free. Here’s a few examples of the groups aiming to educate the public about internet safety, courtesy of the internet archive:

 

The comic is written by C.B. Cebulski with pencils by Scott Hepburn, with Cebulski and Nicole Wiley acting as editors. The latter name, Nicole Wiley may be familiar to Spider-Girl readers where she also served as an editor for a time. I have to point out that Mayday does appear visually familiar and similar to her MC2 or Earth-982 counterpart but as will become clear, this is not the MC2 Universe.

‘MayDayOne@internetsuperheroes.org’ is May’s email address, while Queens, New York is her physical address, though the Parker Family Home depicted does not resemble the design we are used to, and in my opinion resembles more the one from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films. May is definitely out of character with her actions in this story, though perhaps it’s forgivable given the purpose of the comic. The less said about this facial hair free Peter Parker the better!

 

The Human Torch is a younger, more immature version, while the Thing…isn’t half covered in metal. So this appears to be an incarnation of the Fantastic *FOUR* closer to the early days of the Main Marvel Universe or Earth-616, albeit with a mature adult Peter Parker who’s a father to a teenage daughter and has an obsession with internet security! Evidently, Mayday is known to Johnny and Ben in her civilian identity. That’s nice.

 

The mysterious secret shadow-dwelling big-bad ‘Mood Dood’ is revealed to be none other than Doctor Doom! Not only does Doctor Doom know Spider-Girl’s secret identity as Mayday, having used her personal email to infect and spread his trojan horse virus, but the story rather uncomfortably suggests Victor Von Doom formed an entire online identity and parasocial relationship to do so. I’ll let that sink in.

Another contact of May’s is targeted, Bruce Banner aka the Incredible Hulk. Bruce’s Xbox gaming session is interrupted by one of Doom’s emails leading to him hulking out. The Human Torch, Thing and Hulk all track down Spider-Girl, three adults knowingly plan to beat up a teenage girl. And keep in mind, they all know her secret identity and therefore know Peter is Spider-Man.

Thankfully Peter shows up in costume and clears things up, shortly before a page stuffed with dialogue balloons that delivers the message the whole story has been laying on thick. Oh, and Victor? Maybe next time don’t use your work email to troll people online? ‘Mooddude@Latveria.com’, I mean come on, really!

As much as I am dunking on this harmless and well-intentioned promotional comic, I will say ‘We’ve beaten him so many times, maybe he feels cyber-crime is the only way he can take us down.’ Is possibly the most savage take down of Doctor Doom I’ve come across. Then again, Doom delivers a rather shocking self-own after he is arrested at the Latverian Embassy by the police (can they actually do that?): ‘I wonder if they have internet access in prison…hmmm…so many kids, so little time.’ I know he’s a villain, but I’m surprised Marvel approved portraying their most high-profile villains in this way.

 

Well this was fun. Happy Holidays! I’m off to update my internet security!

 

Until I decipher what THINKB4UCLICK means, I remain

 

frogoat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patriotic Parallels: A-Next 10 and Captain America Corps 1

Consider today’s post a sequel to a spin-off entry to the Spider-Symmetry series, because I’m looking at the visual parallels between other MC2 comics and their related fellow Marvel titles. I’m calling this particular spin-off Patriotic Parallels because this entry is about both the Captain America Corps and A-Next.

 

The first issue we need to look at today is the MC2’s own A-Next #10 which was first published in May 1999. The new team of Avengers (including Shannon Carter aka American Dream) have journeyed to an alternate universe where the entire world is ruled by Victor Von Doom (designated Earth-9907) and must prevent his use of a Universal Cube to conquer the entire multiverse. Upon arriving, the Avengers find themselves in a very different Times Square, New York.

 

Now, let us look at Captain America Corps #1 which was first published in June 2011. Shannon Carter aka American Dream would later be recruited into the ‘Captain America Corps’ by one of the Elders of the Universe known as That Ki aka The Contemplator. Alongside other time-displaced patriotic heroes including Earth-616’s Captain America aka Steve Rogers from World War II, Earth-616’s James ‘Bucky’ Barnes during his time as Captain America, the 25^th Century’s Kiyoshi Morales aka Commander A, Shannon Carter aka American Dream also works with Earth-616’s John Walker aka U.S. Agent who is taken from a point in time shortly after his brief stint as Captain America.

 

The Corps find themselves on the altered Earth-11418, where the Americommand rule over a dystopian America thanks to the manipulations of the time travelling Deidre Wentworth aka Superia. Where do they first arrive? Why, a dystopian alternative present day Times Square, New York, of course!

 

Have a great day, everyone.

 

Until I find myself suffering déjà vu will journeying across the multiverse, I remain

 

frogoat

 

John Walker in the MC2

Marvel Studios is set to release the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry with the Thunderbolts* movie. What better way to get into the spirit of things than to look at the most patriotic of the film’s protagonist characters through this blog’s usual MC2 lens? Today, we’ll take a brief look at U.S. Agent aka John Walker in the MC2.

 

Johnathan ‘John’ Walker first appeared in the pages of Captain America #323, first as Super-Patriot, assuming the mantle of Captain America in Captain America #333 before taking on his long-standing role as U.S. Agent beginning in Captain America #354.

 

Now that we’ve briefly brushed up on the Main Marvel Universe or Universe-616 John Walker, let’s transition over to John Walker in the MC2…sort of. When the newly reassembled Avengers team’s investigation into the last mission of the original Avengers leads them to an alternate universe ruled by Doom and the threat posed to all universes by his Universal Cube. It is here we learn that many of the Avengers died during their final mission, with Iron Man (among the few to return) declaring there were no other survivors (A-Next #7).

 

However, when the new team of Avengers arrive in the alternate world, they discover the rumours of Captain America's demise were greatly exaggerated. Cap reveals he chose to stay behind and aid the rebel underground, allowing his teammates to add his name to the list of the dead to discourage any would-be rescuers (A-Next #10).

 

Captain America details the history of this alternate world (which the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 designates as Earth-9907) which was roughly identical to their own until World War II. Whereas on the Main Marvel Universe and MC2’s Earth the Red Skull was trapped in suspended animation within a hidden bunker until the modern era, on Earth-9907 he escaped and killed Adolph Hitler and led the Axis Powers to victory, killing Captain America and conquering the entire planet. Many years later, the Red Skull spared a young Victor Von Doom, making him his heir only to be murdered and replaced as ruler by him. Needing new worlds to conquer, Doom spent billions to produce a Universal Cube capable of opening portals to other realities which led to the original Avengers team becoming aware of this universal threat (A-Next #10).

 

The rebel base is attacked by members of Doom's Thunder Guard, including the twisted version of John Walker known on this world as the SS Agent, forcing Cap to order the rebels and Avengers to retreat before he destroys the jump portal to cover their escape. When Steve tries to send the new and inexperienced Avengers team home to save them, believing they are not prepared for the upcoming battle, the heroes refuse, declaring they are staying (A-Next #10).

In A-Next #11, Captain America leads the Avengers in a mission to stop Dr Doom's use of his new Universal Cube. The team separates into groups and combat the various members of the Thunder Guard, with Cap, Thunderstrike and American Dream's aiming to destroy the Cube itself. When American Dream is pinned by Walker, Cap throws her the shield of his deceased counterpart, allowing her to free herself and knockout SS Agent. In the end, Doom is defeated when Crimson Curse sacrifices herself to banish him.

Shannon Carter aka American Dream would later be recruited into the ‘Captain America Corps’ by one of the Elders of the Universe known as That Ki aka The Contemplator. Alongside other time-displaced patriot heroes including Earth-616’s Captain America aka Steve Rogers from World War II, Earth-616’s James ‘Bucky’ Barnes during his time as Captain America, the 25^th Century’s Kiyoshi Morales aka Commander A, the MC2 or Earth-982 Shannon Carter aka American Dream also works with Earth-616’s John Walker aka U.S. Agent who is taken from a point in time shortly after his brief stint as Captain America (Captain America Corps #1).

 

This is notable as this U.S. Agent shares the same history as Shannon’s own John Walker on Earth-982. In fact, Captain America Corps #3 depicts the moment John was recruited by The Contemplator which includes an editors box specifying it occurs ‘circa Captain America #360’. For reference, here are the relevant scenes as depicted in the original story alongside U.S. Agent’s aforementioned ‘recruitment’ by Tath Ki (Captain America #360-#362).

 

The Captain America Corps are tasked with stopping an Entropy Wave from wiping out all of existence. The Entropy Wave is the result of someone excising various Steve Roger’s from across the multiverse before he could join the Avengers, causing unnatural alterations to those realities. The Corps find themselves on the altered Earth-11418, where the Americommand rule over a dystopian America thanks to the manipulation of the time travelling Deidre Wentworth aka Superia. Liberating the incarcerated superhuman population, the Captain America Corps lead an attack against Americommand and with the aid of Tath Ki, the team set reality back on its natural course (Captain America Corps #1-#5).

Following the Captain America Corps return to their respective points in time and space, only Bucky, Shannon and Kiyoshi retain memories of the event, having occurred in the past from their perspectives. Much like the young Steve Rogers returning to April 1941, John Walker is returned to the past, to the instant he left and recalls none of what transpired.

 

And with that, it’s a cap on John Walker in the MC2. Hope you didn’t mind that I cheated somewhat!  Special thanks to my buddy Jesús Arias for the spark that ignited this one, like a thunderbolt from the blue. 😉

 

Until I get my name from an alcoholic drink, I remain

 

frogoat