Doc Magus in the Multiverse of Madness

 

Someday I’ll manage to cover literally every single aspect of the MC2 and wrap up this blog, but today is not that day. No, for today’s entry I wanted to detail a previously unknown (to me) appearance for Doc Magus aka Dormagus in the Marvel Multiverse. Specifically, Doc Magus in the 616 aka the Main Marvel Universe. Sorry about the clickbait-y title, I couldn’t resist!

 

Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme was a series released from 2016 to 2017 following the Main Marvel Universe’s Doctor Strange teaming up with various other characters who have at some point in their time or reality carried the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme, including a young Yao who would later be known as The Ancient One, the mentor of Doctor Strange and many others.

 

At the conclusion of the series (Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme #12), Yao is faced with the seemingly impossible task of by completing the Trials of the Worthy in order to obtain The Cup of Eternity which will extend his life (hence the later title of Ancient One) and is aided in this task by Doctor Strange’s team of Sorcerers Supreme. Meanwhile, guided by a book known as The History of the Supremes, the mysterious Merlin (also apparently at one time a Sorcerer Supreme) disappears to recuit more help.

 

With the aid of his fellow Sorcerers the young Yao makes his way through various obstacles until finding himself unable to pierce the magical barrier preventing him from reaching the Well of Longing within which lay the Cup of Eternity. Fortunately, Merlin returns with a large group of Sorcerers Supreme from across time and realities.

 

 

Nestled among this assemblage of Sorcerers Supreme is the MC2’s very own Doc Magus aka Dormagus, alongside such characters as 2099’s Stranger, the Main Marvel Universe’s Clea and Baron Mordo and the future Guardian of the Galaxy’s Krugarr. Using the groups combined magical might concentrated through Merlin who wielded the last Word of God, the magical barrier was broken allowing Yao to go and fulfil his destiny.

 

Before heading into the cave containing the Well of Longing and ultimately the Cup of Eternity, all the Sorcerers present showed their respect to their future master with a bow. Yao apologized for the fact he would never mention this to any of them when he would later meet them in his future. Merlin shortly afterwards returned the Sorcerers to their rightful places.

 

While this is merely a cameo appearance, I do like that Dormagus is represented here as he is the MC2’s own Sorcerer Supreme. This appearance also suggests that perhaps Merlin has read about Doc Magus’ fate in The History of the Supremes. Furthermore, the way Doctor Strange explains to Yao that he lives long enough to teach all of the Sorcerers Supreme present certainly requires exploring. Doctor Strange is probably speaking metaphorically as Dormagus and others such as Krugarr and the Stranger were born after the lifespan of the Ancient One, with his teachings being passed on to future generations, his legacy.

 

Until I stop digging up, digging into and just plain digging these little MC2 related details, I remain

 

frogoat

Justice in the MC2

As part of my endless delving into the obscure and wonderful characters of the MC2, today I’m going to take a look at the leader of the New Warriors and the Avengers teammate, the long-time love interest of Firestar. Yes, this post is about the telekinetic mutant hero Vance Astrovik aka Justice in the MC2.

While the older alternate reality 30^th century future Guardians of the Galaxy counterpart to Justice known as Major Vance Astro first appeared in Marvel Super Heroes #18, it wasn’t until Giant-Size Defenders #5 that the Main Marvel Universe Vance Astrovik debuted as a teenager. Due to encountering his older time-travelling self (twice!), not only did Vance’s life take a different path, but his telepathic abilities emerged earlier (Marvel Two in One #69).

 

Eventually, Vance becomes his own hero as Marvel Boy and later Justice, joining the New Warriors along the way. But it was his eventual membership as an Avenger that we will be discussing today, particularly as it relates to the History of the MC2 Avengers. As I’ve detailed in previous posts, it appears the events surrounding Heroes Reborn and Heroes Return unfolded in the MC2 just as they had in the Main Marvel Universe. However, with the start of the third volume of the Avengers series, it becomes less clear how closely the two worlds mirror each other after this point. What is likely is that in the MC2, the Avengers team reformed much as they had in Avengers vol. 3 #1-4 with Justice and his fiancé Firestar joining the group officially in Avengers vol. 3 #4.

 

 

 I mention all this to lend context to the limited information we have available regarding Justice in the MC2. In the Main Marvel Universe, Justice (alongside Firestar) received a new costume designed by fellow Avenger Janet Van Dyne aka The Wasp in Avengers (vol. 3) #8.

 

As I’ve discussed previously, we know the original Avengers team’s last mission was nearly 12 years prior to the events of A-Next #1, as mentioned by Jarvis when he recounts the details to the new Avengers. Both Firestar and Justice are seen amongst the assembled Avengers during the flashback where it is decided the team must venture through the portal to the alternate world to halt Doom’s multiversal threat. While it is difficult to discern from this cameo, Justice appears to be wearing the Van Dyne-designed Avengers-era costume mentioned above, so we know he was by that point in time a well-established member, either one who was on the then-current roster or simply returning for this major emergency summons (A-Next #7).

 

 

Justice was among the first who agreed to embark on the grave mission which saw only seven members return through the portal. While we don’t get a 100% confirmation, it’s assumed Vance Astrovik died along with almost all of the Avengers who went on this final mission, including his lover Firestar. Despite the sobering tragedy of such a massive loss, the team did succeed in saving their Earth from the threat of Doom (A-Next #7).

 

While I believe it’s extremely unlikely that either Justice or Firestar are somehow alive on the alternate Earth ruled by Doom, it should be noted that the reports of Captain America’s death were greatly exaggerated as revealed in A-Next #10. It’s such a huge tragedy that both these young heroes gave their lives for the cause, especially as they were engaged or had even married by this point. Sadly, we’ll probably never know.

 

Until I meet my future self who has not only been in suspended animation for centuries but also travelled back in time, I remain

 

frogoat

 

The Collector in the MC2

 

The Collector aka Taneleer Tivan has returned to screens thanks to the new Disney+ series What If following his appearances in films such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Infinity War. So, as usual I’m going to detail the character’s MC2 counterpart: The Collector in the MC2.

 

During the events of Last Planet Standing, with Galactus poised to destroy the entire universe in an attempt to rid himself of his never-ending hunger, a gathering of the Great Powers of the Universe took place to discuss the threat posed to reality. The cosmic forces in attendance included Master Order, Lord Chaos, The In-Betweener, The Shaper of Worlds, The Living Tribunal, The Stranger, The Gardener and of course The Collector. Tivan argues they had failed to destroy Galactus in the past and would place Earth in jeopardy by attempting to again. (Last Planet Standing #2).

 

The Great Powers of the Universe’s attempt to reason with the World-Eater one last time fails. Ultimately deciding they must destroy Galactus using a combined destructive bolt strong enough to wipe out the Earth and the entire Milky Way Galaxy, the Great Powers are halted in their attempt when Reed Richards is forced to use his Transdimensional Cannon's single shot on the cosmic beings (Last Planet Standing #3).

 

That’s all we glimpse of The Collector in the MC2. It’s interesting to see Taneleer appear in his more alien form in Last Planet Standing, as this is apparently a more powerful form which fits with the seriousness of the threat of Galactus’ plot. Perhaps someday future writers will return to the MC2 and play around with the Great Powers of the Universe who reside there?

 

Until I finish my never-ending MC2 collection of posts, comics and products, I remain

 

frogoat

Howard the Duck in the MC2

 

Howard the Duck just keeps showing up on-screen! From his own self-titled film to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 to Avengers: Endgame and most recently the What If animated series, you can’t keep a good duck down! Here is Howard the Duck in the MC2.

 

Marvel’s most famous mallard makes his only appearance in the MC2 in 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. Howard knowingly comments 'Everyone will keep fighting until--at the critical moment--they suddenly discover it's all been a big misunderstanding. Then, we bow... say pithy farewells... and follow our separate paths. Such is the way of the true martial artist!'

While I thought this was the only appearance of the MC2’s Howard the Duck, I recently learned this was incorrect. In the pages of S.H.I.E.L.D. (vol. 3) #10 the Main Marvel Universe’s well known Howard the Duck is sent on a mission with  to repair damage done to the fabric of existence  by the events of Spider-Verse and thus ‘mend the omniversal zipper’ which was causing various anomalies.  Alongside S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Leo Fitz and various alternate reality versions of himself, Howard found the ‘omniversal zipper’ on the being known as The Liverer. As the zip closed, Howard caught a glimpse of various alternate versions of himself, including the MC2’s own Master of Quack-Fu.

 

Well, that’s it for Howard the Duck in the MC2. Never thought he’d show up again, but it was a nice surprise!

 

Until I wind up as beloved as the frustrated fowl, I remain

 

frogoat

 

Let's Play Catch Up

This is going to be real quick, real short and real fun for me to do, because I wont be sat here for hours sorting out the finer details. Why? Because I just want to cover some stuff I've mentioned before along with  recent things I've been doing and also stuff you've probably already heard about. Let's jump in head first, shall we?

Television

Spider-Girl will not be appearing in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon. Wait! Wait! That's not entirely accurate. May 'Mayday' Parker, the Spectacular, Amazing and Stunning Spider-Girl, daughter of the one true Spider-Man will not be appearing in this animated series during the third season, which is being marketed as Web-Warriors. Okay, yes it's called 'Web-Warriors' and not Web of Warriors or whatever the heck it was that I misinterpreted from that tiny pixelated logo from that tiny pixelated image that was slipped onto twitter. I screwed up. Anyway, back on point though, yeah. Mayday is a no-go, folks. Instead, the Spider-Girl appearing in the show will be Petra Parker, a gender-swapped analog of Peter Parker. This is a case of Spider-Man with boobs. Who'd of thought? I'm tempted to reference the Ultimate Universe comics version of the Clone Saga in which one of the teen Peter Parker clones is a female copy of him.

 Yeah. I'm really disappointed in this missed opportunity to represent Spider-Girl in other media. Alas. On the plus side, if things all go horribly wrong, Mayday's good name isn't besmirched for years to come.On a more positive note, I would like to congratulate Donald Glover (from the awesome comedy series Community) for being cast as the voice of the Miles Morales incarnation of Spider-Man. It's wonderful to see a fan ascend to playing their heroes. Next time though, cast him in a live-action film. He'd kick all sorts of butt.

In other, unrelated news I've begun watching Star Trek. Yes, I've finally crossed the threshold  I unconsciously avoided for years. It began sometime last year when a good friend selected what he identified as 'the good movies' to watch with me. It has since escalated. I've reached the forth disc of season one of The Original Series. It's better than I ever thought. It reminds me of classic Doctor Who in some respects, but with more shirt ripping and swagger. I'm gonna enjoy watching the rest of the series and who knows, maybe all the others?

Oh, and hey! Doctor Who is back on television. I'm very happy.

Film

So, Guardians of the Galaxy was a great fun film. My faith in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is completely reaffirmed. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a really wonderful film, Amazing Spider-Man 2 was...it's hard for me to give it a fair judgement. In some regards it was a great Spider-Man film with great characters and awesome quip-age, something I've really enjoyed about the reboot. On the flip side, it was a terribly paced film with multiple plot lines all slapped together to make a movie without a clear focus and a lot of narrative dead ends. Also, nobody cares about Richard and Mary Parker! I both like and dislike it. Garfield and Stone are brilliant (as is Sally Field) but I want a better plot. I love Spider-Man and I really want a great Spidey film. Better still, one with this cast because Andrew Gafield is a really watchable and entertaining Spider-Man.

Comics

I'm going to be cutting back on some titles in the coming months and years. Not because I'm not enjoying the stuff I'm reading (I've already dropped those titles) but because I'm going to attempt to transition further into trade-waiting and trade paperback purchases rather than picking up individual issues which should save some money. For me, this is going to be difficult change. Wish me luck.

Spider-Verse has begun, and so far, so good. Granted I've only read Superior Spider-Man #32 but I really enjoyed seeing SpOck (Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man's body, dontcha know?) being stranded in 2099 -if only for a short time- and voyaging across worlds. I love time travel and dimension hopping stories, so this opening 'Edge of Spider-Verse' tie-in was right up my alley. The one thing I'm really worried about is the willy-nilly death of so many alternate reality Spidey's. Are we going to see the wonton deaths of...oh, I dunno--fan-favorite characters like Spider-Girl or her family?! I'm hopeful but also very nervous. Dan Slott does enjoy teasing the imminent deaths of characters...he's so gleeful about! I'm concerned here, people.

It was announced that Tom Defalco will be returning to write his co-creation Spider-Girl in a 10-page story for the Spider-Verse Team-Up mini series. While his story hasn't been solicited yet, I do wonder if he's going to be teamed up with Ron Frenz or Pat Olliffe on art duties. I'd be kind of offended if either hadn't been approached, as they contributed so much towards developing Mayday throughout her various series. The mini series is only 3-issues so I expect the Spider-Girl story in either December or January. Which, looking at things from a publishing perspective, inclines me to think Mayday herself will be alive through the Spider-Verse event until at least December. Yes, I'm calculating in my head based on nothing more than solicitations, the survivability of my favorite character in all of comics.


Until  Marvel utterly guts me by killing a character who forever changed and influenced my entire life, I remain

frogoat

I Just Wanna Talk

I've not been giving much over to this blog lately. Life. That's my excuse, anyway. This post is gonna be a bunch of smaller topics that have been kicking around in my skull the past few days. Here goes nothing.

Thank you Emma Stone

I know! I know! Amazing Spider-Man 2 wasn't the best movie - or even the best Spider-Man movie - but you can't deny the sheer brilliance, wit and charm of Emma Stone's turn as Gwen Stacy. Gwen Stacy, the girl famous for dying. Really, that seems to be all she's known for, and looking back at her character in the original Lee/Ditko/Romita days, there isn't much to build a character from. In the early days as a character, she's very hell-hath-no-fury and soon after Romita shows up on pencils, Gwen becomes a bit of a crier and to be honest...an emotional wreck. Seriously love Bertone's work, by the way. He does great articles. Anyway, now we have a more well rounded character to refer to with Gwen Stacy. I know! I know! She's not the canon, Marvel 616, original 1960's character. I don't care. She's a better Gwen Stacy. For once, it's not just about how she died, though obviously there is that too. But now, we've got something more fleshed out and real. And that's fantastic! So thanks again, Emma Stone. Now I care about Gwen Stacy.

Guardians of the Galaxy

The second phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been somewhat strong. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's been as strong as I'd hoped, but after Captain America: The Winter Soldier, my confidence in the Studio to turn out quality, assured films his restored. But aside from all the sequels this time around, there's just one new property to test the cinema-goers tastes: Guardians of the Galaxy. This- to me- is the big one. If this film pulls it off and does not only well at the box office, but well in the critical arena then I will be a wholesale convert.This is an unknown property. I'm a big Marvel Comics fan and yet I know next to nothing about this iteration of the Guardians. Think about that. Marvel Studios is being pretty brave trying to make this film in the first place. Outside of a niche fan base, who has heard of these characters? Nobody. That's ballsy. Those trailers look amazing. I sincerely hope this film does exceptionally well and more unknown or risky properties get a chance to shine.

Well, I'd love to continue this post, but my darling partner is instructing me to get out more, so until I return, I remain

frogoat