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

 

 

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

 

Iron Fist in the MC2

I figured with Iron Fist Season 2 hitting Netflix, now was the time to talk about Danny Rand aka The Iron Fist in the MC2 Universe. Unlike Luke Cage and Misty Knight, Daniel Thomas Rand-K'ai actually makes not only one appearance, but a whole handful of appearances across various MC2 titles.

Iron Fist makes his first MC2 appearance in J2 #11, which I've briefly discussed in another post. Seen only briefly, Iron Fist is among many other fellow martial artists who were invited to a small island to participate in a tournament. When it is revealed the tournament was a death trap orchestrated by the mercenary Deadpool, Iron Fist and the other combatants promptly team up to end his plan. It's worth noting that this initial MC2 outing for Danny is seemingly contradicted by his next appearance.

When we next encounter Danny Rand in Spider-Girl #24, we learn a great deal about him. He married his beloved Misty Knight only to later lose her to cancer. When Misty died, Danny ceased using his Iron Fist and withdrew from the public eye. Opening up a dojo to teach a new generation martial arts, Danny trained many students including Spike Yi. 

After a new super villain calling himself Dragonfist begins committing robberies wielding what appears to be the chi of the Iron Fist while adorned in a tattoo resembling Shou-Lao, the legendary dragon of K'un-Lun. Implicated in the crime, Rand is drawn out of his self-imposed isolation. Believing his former pupil Yi - now a major action movie star - is responsible, Danny confronts him only to learn that Spike has instead chosen to squander his martial prowess making movies and selling merchandise.

When Dragonfist attempts another robbery, Spider-Girl confronts him but has no success, finding his entire body impervious to her attacks. Danny finally dons his Iron Fist gi and, believing Dragonfist unworthy to wield the power of the Immortal Iron Fist, battles the criminal in an effort to strip it from him by force.

The effort proves fruitless until Spider-Girl, using her spider-sense, directs Iron Fist to aim for Dragonfist's belt. Doing so, the heroes discover Dragonfist was merely Spike Yi's assistant using a personal force field to simulate the power of the Iron Fist. Safe in this knowledge, Danny returns to his dojo.

After this we get a few more appearances from Iron Fist in the form of cameos in Last Hero Standing #3-5. Danny is among the many heroes captured and corrupted by Loki in a plot to bring about the end of the Age of Heroes. He is eventually freed from Loki's spell by Captain America and witnesses the super soldier's death shortly thereafter.

Iron Fist's last appearances are also cameos in the pages of Avengers Next #4 and #5. When Loki's daughter Sylene attempts to restore the devastated Asgard by recreating it on Earth, she creates energy duplicates of various super humans to serve her purposes. Danny Rand is among those rendered comatose in the process of creating these duplicates. When Sylene is defeated, Iron Fist's duplicate dissipates and Danny is presumable restored.

Sadly that's all we see of Daniel Rand in the MC2. As I mentioned above his first appearance in the MC2 canon seems like a contradiction, with Danny in-costume and wielding his trademark Iron Fist. Perhaps that's a discussion for another day? For now, I'm off to marathon Iron Fist Season 2.




Until I stop pointing out continuity errors like a giant nerd, I remain




frogoat

Misty Knight in the MC2

With Luke Cage Season 2 hitting Netflix, I thought I could take a look at one of the show's best supporting characters (and one of my favourites) and cover their counterpart's non-appearance within the MC2 Universe: Misty Knight.

Fun fact about Mercedes 'Misty' Knight: Despite being first mentioned by her good friend and partner in Nightwing Restorations, Ltd, Colleen Wing in Marvel Premiere #20 and first appearing the following issue in Marvel Premiere #21 both published in 1975, a later retcon in Marvel Team-Up #64 (1977) establishes that an unidentified woman who appeared in Marvel Team-Up #1 was Misty. Due to the retcon being introduced by a completely different creative team, and the woman in question having very little in common with Misty Knight, I think it's best to list Marvel Premiere #21 as her true first appearance. Anyway, back on topic!

As Misty Knight doesn't make an actual appearance within the pages of the MC2, you may be wondering why I'm writing this post at all. Well, it's because much like Luke Cage himself, we know Misty's fate in this Universe despite her lack of appearances.

 In the Main Marvel Universe, Misty Knight had long been romantically linked to fellow crime-fighter, Danny Rand aka Iron Fist. When Danny is drawn out of retirement to face Dragonfist, we learn that Misty has died (Spider-Girl #24).

Furthermore, when Danny confronts a former student in an attempt to stop Dragonfist, we learn that Misty Knight and Danny Rand were, in fact, married and she later died of cancer.

A truly heartbreaking end for such a wonderful character but one that speaks to the mundane and worldly afflictions that claim our own loved ones. Now that I've thoroughly depressed you all, go and enjoy Simone Missick as Misty Knight in Luke Cage Season 2 and pray we get a Daughters of the Dragon spin-off.

Until we learn that Misty isn't really dead in the MC2 and it was just a H'ylthri of K'un-Lun who passed away, I remain


frogoat

Deadpool in the MC2

With the release of Deadpool 2 in theatres, I figured it was the perfect time for a shameless tie-in! Today I'll be looking at the Merc with a Mouth's 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. 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, the other contestants proceed to kick Wade's butt off-panel.

And that's it. We never encounter Deadpool again in the MC2. It's nice to see both Blind Al and Weasel make appearances in this story if old briefly and the cameos by the various iconic Marvel martial artists is a fond nod to the characters, including Iron Fist in his first MC2 appearance (more on him another time). The real show-stealer, however is Howard the Duck playing the role of the old martial arts mentor. I'd love to see these characters make a return someday. In the meantime, I'm off to book tickets to see Deadpool 2...

Until I stop shamelessly releasing tangentially related content around the release of popular movies, I remain

frogoat

Luke Cage in the MC2

With more recent years, Luke Cage has gained a great deal of exposure and recognition, with both his own self-titled Netflix series and the crossover mini-series The Defenders being notable examples. Much of the recent surge in popularity can likely be attributed to the Brian Michael Bendis run on the Avengers, during which Luke first joined the team in 2005 with New Avengers (vol. 1) #3.
Despite his long-time crime-fighting partner and friend Danny Rand aka the Iron Fist appearing on a few occasions, Luke Cage has only had one brief appearance in the MC2 and it's not even really him...let me explain.

In Avengers Next #1 (January 2007) the MC2's current roster of Avengers are unable to stop the theft of various Avengers blood and tissue samples by the teleporter known as Warp. These samples are delivered to Sylene, a sorceress and the daughter of Loki, who uses the samples to create 'magical clones' to attack the Avengers as a diversion.  

Logically, if these were samples from past and present Avengers members and Luke Cage's 'magical clone' appears amongst the shambling monstrosities, Cage was at some point a member of the team in the MC2. This is likely a nod to Cage's longstanding membership over in the Main Marvel Universe. We get the only mention of the real Luke Cage shortly after, when American Dream points out that the monstrosities can't be actual corpses, 'Not with duplicates of Haweye, Cage and the rest of us who are alive.'

And that's about all we know of the Hero for Hire. He's still alive in the MC2 and he was a member of the Avengers prior to the current team founded in A-Next #1. It also seems Luke is known simply as 'Cage', in the same way he was referred to in the 90's. To stray into the world of wild speculation, the most likely placement for Luke's time on the team would be at some point between the (admittedly vague) divergence point between the Main Marvel Universe and the MC2 before the original team was almost entirely wiped out on their last mission. Alternatively, Cage may have served as a member of the interim team that existed for some 18 months afterwards alongside members such as Speedball, Nova, Jolt, Jubilee and the Steel Spider.

Possibly completely irrelevant, but I felt I should point out that Cage's copy is wearing a version of his original costume, complete with tiara. Whether this indicates when the sample was collected from the hero or that he returned to his original costume at some point is unclear. Considering other 'magical clones' aren't wearing their heroic counterparts current costumes, this is probably nothing more than an artistic choice.

If anyone has any insight on this, admittedly very minor point of continuity, please let me know! Until I stop picking apart the very fabric of the MC2-niverse, I remain

frogoat