What to Watch Before Daredevil: Born Again

 

With Marvel Studios latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Daredevil: Born Again Season One fast approaching, I thought it would be fun to take a quick break from my usual content and make a guide for anyone wanting to catch up or refresh before it hits theatres. Here’s What to Watch Before Daredevil: Born Again.

 

The best place to start is with Daredevil’s Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, the first season of Daredevil which was initially produced for Netflix but which can now be seen on Disney+. This first season introduced Charlie Cox as lawyer and vigilante Matt Murdock aka Daredevil, Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin along with Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson and Aylet Zurer as Vanessa Marianna along with numerous other characters who would go on to appear in the various other MCU-related shows from Netflix.

 

Next up, Daredevil Season 2 introduced other key characters including Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle aka The Punisher, Matt’s former mentor Stick, played by Scott Glenn along with his former lover and trained killer Elektra Natchios as portrayed by Élodie Yung as a war with the criminal organisation The Hand escalates. It’s confirmed that Jon Bernthal will reprise his role in Daredevil: Born Again.

 

After this we have the crossover event mini-series The Defenders which sees Matt Murdock meet and team-up with the super strong private investigator Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), bulletproof badass Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Danny Rand aka the Immortal Iron Fist (Finn Jones) to stop the machinations of The Hand, led by Alexandra (the stunning Sigourney Weaver). The series ends with Matt Murdock believed dead in massive building collapse which leads into…

 

Daredevil Season 3 opens with a recovering Matt Murdock and leads to Wilson Fisk being released from prison a free man. Wilson Bethel portrays Special Agent Benjamin Poindexter (known in the comics as Bullseye) who is recruited by Fisk to impersonate Daredevil, framing him for various slayings. The season and series ends with a three-way battle between Murdock, Fisk and Poindexter. Poindexter is left paralysed and undergoing surgery, while Kingpin is beaten and sent back to prison, with he and Daredevil reaching an uneasy agreement that Fisk will leave Karen and Foggy alone in exchange for Daredevil not revealing Fisk’s wife Vanessa’s criminal involvement in events. The Netflix era ends here and we wouldn’t see Charlie Cox in the role for quite some time.

 

Perhaps an expected place for Vincent D’Onofrio to appear as Wilson Fisk and cement the prior series events as ‘canon’ to the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper, the Disney+ Hawkeye series reveals The Kingpin to be the big bad behind the show’s events, having been released from prison once more and using the Tracksuit Mafia to reclaim his former empire. Notably, Fisk is shown to have a close relationship with protégé Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) until it’s revealed he is responsible for her father’s murder, resulting in her shooting him in the face.

 

Released in the same week, Spider-Man: No Way Home featured Charlie Cox reprising his role as Matt Murdock in a cameo appearance as Peter Parker’s lawyer. This moment got gasps and applause in the cinema when I saw it.

 

Matt Murdock returns in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law in Episode 8, even suiting up in a new Daredevil costume inspired by his earliest comic appearances and teaming up with fellow lawyer/superhero Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk before the pair share a one-night stand. Daredevil briefly returns for a cameo in the show’s finale Episode 9.

 

Finally, during a flashback in the Disney+ mini-series Echo, we see Daredevil battle Maya Lopez in Episode One. The show follows Lopez returning to her home town and reveals Wilson Fisk survived being shot before culminating in the two facing off. Ultimately, Fisk returns to New York with his mind set on becoming the Mayor of New York City, leading into Daredevil: Born Again.

 

You may choose to skip some of these entries, but I’m sure watching them all will provide further depth and understanding for Daredevil: Born Again.

 

Until I discover how to fight blind, I remain

 

frogoat

 

  

 

 

 

 

How Vibranium Gave Us The Coal Tiger

 

 

Here’s a question you may not have asked: How does T’Chaka II aka the Coal Tiger transform into a big cat man or ‘were-panther’? That is what we will be exploring today. How Vibranium gave us the Coal Tiger.

 

First, some history for context. Let’s start with the fantastic fictional metallic substance Vibranium. First appearing in Daredevil #13, this form of Vibranium (popularly known as ‘Anti-Metal’ or ‘Antarctic Vibranium’ as codified by the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 1) #15) is found only in the region of Antarctica known as the Savage Land. Antarctic Vibranium emanates vibrations which cause the atomic and molecular bonds of other nearby metals to weaken and liquify.

 

The most well-known form of Vibranium is named Wakandan Vibranium due to it being found almost exclusively in the African nation of Wakanda. First appearing in the pages of Fantastic Four #53, Wakandan Vibranium absorbs and stores vibratory energy such as soundwaves and mechanical energy in its vicinity, growing increasingly more durable as it does so. Should a piece of Vibranium reach its capacity, the Vibranium would explosively release its absorbed energy (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 1) #15).

 

By now, most people are aware of Marvel’s the small African isolationist nation called Wakanda. The Kingdom of Wakanda first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 when Marvel’s First Family the Fantastic Four first meet King T’Challa aka the Black Panther. The nation’s history with Vibranium is further explored in Black Panther #7 where we learn that Vibranium is extraterrestrial in origin, having crashed as a meteor in the region that later became the nation of Wakanda. During early attempts at mining, stories spread of men turning into ‘evil spirits’ and attacking their friends and neighbours, with the radiation from the unprocessed raw Vibranium ore causing mutations among the people. These mutagenic properties were also seen in other species such as the White Gorillas (Avengers #62, Jungle Action (vol. 2) #13, Wakanda #1) and even the plant life within Wakanda, most notably the Heart-Shaped Herb which grants the powers of the Black Panther (Fantastic Four #53, Avengers #87, Jungle Action #8, Black Panther: Panther’s Prey #2, Fantastic Four Unlimited #1, Marvel Atlas #2).

 

Through the decades of published Black Panther stories, the nature, importance and depths of the Right of Ascension and the rituals associated with ruling Wakanda has grown and changed, though the Heart-Shaped Herb and Vibranium remain constant elements. Which brings us to the MC2’s Prince T’Chaka II and the nature of his ability to transform in to a ‘were-panther’. While we don’t get an origin story for the Coal Tiger in published works, fortunately co-creator Ron Frenz appeared on Adam Chapman’s Comic Shenanigans Podcast Episode 744, where he had this to say:

 

 ‘We also were going with the idea that the panther root has started to have more and more of an impact over the generations. The fact that T’Chaka is named after T’Challa’s father but that T’Challa spent most of his life using the panther root and having the powers…that it’s starting to cause a mutation or an evolution of the panther power in the offspring. That’s what we were trying to suggest.’

 

From this we can infer that the intention was that T’Challa’s (and presumably his ancestors) continual exposure to the Heart-Shaped Herb which was itself mutated by the raw Wakandan Vibranium in the region resulted in his son T’Chaka II’s ability to transform into a ‘were-panther’ form. This is a pretty neat and novel expansion on the existing Black Panther mythos which I would love to see explored further.

 

 

Special thanks to Jesús Arias for his indefatigable dedication to assisting me with various posts on this blog through the years. A big shout out to the fantastic Black Panther Blog for being the only accurate, well-researched and referenced source I could find online regarding the Heart-Shaped Herb and its history. Please check them out here: Black Panther Discussion and Appreciation

 

Until I can figure out if this science paper is right about the Heart-Shaped Herb, I remain

 

frogoat

Captain America: Brave New World Review

 

A slight detour from my usual content here, so bear with me. Today I want to talk about my initial thoughts having seen Captain America: Brave New World last night. Marvel Studios latest entry in their Marvel Cinematic Universe offers up a paranoid thriller with the usual customary superhero trappings courtesy of director Julias Onah. Not satisfied to merely deliver a reheated version of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, this film explores themes of growth and change along with challenging perceptions both of ourselves and others.

 

With President Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross’ first 100 days in office coming to a close, he is desperate for his Adamantium Treaty to be finalized so he can cement his legacy and redefine public perception and, more personally, win back the approval of his long-absent daughter, Betty. However, unseen forces are conspiring to ensure the whole world learns the unsettling truth behind the President’s rise to power and tip the world into chaos and war. The new Captain America, Sam Wilson works to uncover the truth and free his framed friend, former solider and unjustly imprisoned Super Soldier Isaiah Bradley. With so much at stake, can Sam prove himself worthy of the shield and save the day with the President of United States against him?

 

Julias Onah evokes political thrillers such as All The President’s Men and Day of the Jackal in tone and the reverence for the genre is on display right from the movie’s earliest scenes. With the future President framed from behind bulletproof glass for his public addresses and the use of gloom and low-lit scenes to remind the audience things are not as positive as we would perhaps like them to be in Washington, this movie slowly builds anticipation for the inevitable. Perhaps it was just my V-Max screening, but the use of softer, grainier lenses which sharply focus the camera on the frame’s central figure really lends itself to the era of Watergate scandals and intrigue.  

 

Anthony Mackie is Captain America. I am not being hyperbolic; he embodies the character perfectly. While Chris Evan’s performance as Steve Rogers was a moral man who was decisive and unwavering in his beliefs, Mackie’s Sam Wilson is a very different man but one equally fit for the role of Captain America. Mackie delivers a Sam who has made peace with assuming the role but still has self-doubt. Where he shines is implementing the character’s compassion and willingness to consider a person’s desire to do better, to be better. This element is partly informed by Sam’s past as a soldier and as a counsellor for veterans and therein lies a key aspect of the film’s narrative that I am sure many will overlook. Sam encourages Isaiah Bradley to take a chance and step out from the trauma of his past, he inspires Joaquin Torres to be a real hero by his actions and he manages to find common ground and empathy for Thadeus Ross despite their own complicated past and differing opinions.

 

Harrison Ford has always been a fantastic actor and his performance in this movie is no exception. He truly assumes the role of the late William Hurt and finds the humanity and vulnerability inherent in the lonely, elderly Thadeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross without making his temperament any less strong. Embodying elements that were already there and delivering what is the culmination of a 17-year character arc across multiple films is a big ask for anyone stepping into another’s role, but Ford handles it with ease and respectable grace. While Ford may be at ease, Ross is most definitely not, with his on-screen political career on the line he is evidently stressed and tense. Previous Ross appearances referred to the character’s heart condition and the movie manages to weave this into the plot in a satisfying way, along with significant elements from 2008’s Incredible Hulk.

 

Carl Lumbly really breaks my heart as Isaiah Bradley, you can really feel his pain when he talks about his past and his justified distrust of the government. His plight, framed for an attempted assassination of President Ross, acts as the central motivation for Sam to investigate the shady plot. This was the right method to make things personal for the character. Sam feels responsible for putting Isaiah in the situation and if he cannot exonerate him, Isaiah will be sentenced to death or face the rest of his life once again unfairly behind bars. Meanwhile Lumbly does not want to pull Sam’s good name down with him, despite his own dire situation. The dynamic between them and that of Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres are some of the most genuine and grounded relationships in the film and it is a shame we did not get more scenes of the three of them together.

 

Giancarlo Esposito, a late addition to the film, works well as the leader of the Serpent Society known as Sidewinder. Esposito is clearly having a great time in the role but his character while a fun element of the movie doesn’t do much more than act as an intermediary for the real mastermind of the piece. I am glad Sidewinder was not killed off, at least, leaving us the potential for a future return. Good to see Giancarlo flex his action muscles, too.

 

I think Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns was one of the elements of the film that received the least media attention in the lead up to its release, neither positive nor negative. Ironically, he is one of the best parts of this movie. A versatile and infinitely changing actor, it is a great shame we have not seen him return before now. Fortunately, the long-dangling plot thread of his character’s absence for 17 years pays off with his performance which is equal parts creepy, manipulative, calculating and cold. I am delighted audiences get to see Nelson deliver on the Incredible Hulk film’s promise, though I am slightly unhappy we did not get as much of him as I had hoped. Nelson was pleased with the implementation of practical make up and prosthetic effects to achieve the character’s appearance and I feel his initial scenes, barely lit in shadow with a chilling voice and glinting green eyes helped enhance this effect.

 

As I write this I am listening to the utterly captivating soundtrack by Laura Karpman. It is no exaggeration to say this is one of my favourite new Marvel scores. Its deeply rooted influences in the bygone spy and espionage thrillers, political dramas and nailbiters of the 1960’s and 70’s are delivered with pitch-perfect attention to detail. The undercurrents of intrigue and mystery rising to a crescendo and crashing like waves as they mix with the more action-laden bombast and soaring superhero elements. My heart was pounding as the music suddenly ramped up and began beating out a breakneck discordant drumming rhythm. Truly an experience to be heard in the surround sound of cinema. I love this soundtrack.

 

Not satisfied with serving up more of the same in terms of the action sequences audiences have come to expect in a Captain America film, Julius Onah has gone for a more grounded, down and dirty approach for the hand-to-hand combat. Not juiced up by a Super Soldier serum, Sam Wilson uses everything at his disposal to take down his opponents, with a more meat and potatoes fighting style whenever he finds himself without wings or a shield. This grittier and dirtier choreography might not play quite as flashy or impressive, but it works to make Sam feel more vulnerable and his wins more hard-earned. The addition of his iconic wings, now made from the sturdy and energy absorbent Vibranium, present new opportunities to deliver never before seen manoeuvres and tricks. An action highpoint would have to be the aerial dogfight over the newly emerged Celestial Island, with both Captain America and the new Falcon, Joaquin desperately trying to stop an international incident breaking out by stopping rogue United States pilots attacking Japanese forces.  

 

The computer-generated effects, particularly on the Red Hulk and during the aerial combat sequences are very well integrated into the frame. For my money, this is the best any Hulk has looked onscreen since 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Harrison Ford’s likeness is faithfully captured in the facial expressions of his crimson counterpart without losing the monstrous aspect of the towering figure, with the physicality and brutality remaining intact. There are a few minor moments in other sections of the film where it is evident the visual effects team had to work on a tight schedule, but nothing that would take you out of the scene.

 

While there’s always room for improvement and a difference of opinion is always expected and even welcomed, I feel the Captain America: Brave New World does a very solid job making a three-course meal out of the various ongoing narrative threads only a long running shared universe like the Marvel Cinematic Universe can provide. Thunderbolt Ross has gone from a decisive, driven military man of action who relentlessly pursuing Bruce Banner aka the Hulk across continents to advance his career at the expensive of his relationship with his daughter Betty, to a lonely man at the height of his political career who wants nothing more than to change how the world sees him and win back the love of his daughter. Ross once saw Banner as a monster and now because of his actions over the decades, becomes a metaphorical, literal and physical monster himself.  

 

Further to this, Sam’s own history with Ross informs and colours his perception of the President, which heightens the tension in their scenes together. While Sam feels he must constantly prove himself and live up to the mantle of Captain America, he is striving to see the good in people and that is the crux of this films theme.  Early on, Ross extends an olive branch to Sam, an example of his desire to move forward and make amends for his past actions. Likewise, Sam takes this as a sign that things can improve between them but following the attempt on his life, Ross quickly reverts to his old self and dismisses Sam. The real meat of this dynamic is a scene where Thadeus Ross discloses is desire to reconnect with Betty, recalling how they used to walk among the cherry blossoms together, which pays off in the films climatic fight between Sam and the Red Hulk. If I had to criticise an element of this final battle, it’s how quickly the tension is resolved, though I feel it’s earned by the previous groundwork the movie has laid between them, with Sam appealing to Ross’ sincere desire to do better.

 

Overall, Captain America: Brave New World is not going to win over any haters, many of whom have risen in recent times to decry nearly every Marvel movie the latest failure if it is not utter perfection. But this just might restore the hope of some Marvel movie fans who still want to hold on to hope, myself included. I may revisit my opinions on movie after further viewings but for now, it is a highly competent film that demonstrates the strengths of Marvel Studios. If you are looking for it to outdo such lauded entries as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the high benchmark for the Studio, you’ll come away disappointed, but if you go in with an open mind and willingness to give it a chance, it might just surprise you.

 

 

Until I find another movie that features a red President trashing the White House, I remain

 

frogoat

 

 

 

 

The Leader in the MC2

 

Marvel Studio’s newest film, Captain America: Brave New World is days away from release and I personally cannot wait to see it. Once again, I’m going to tie today’s MC2-related post into an aspect of Brave New World, with a look at the so-far unseen mastermind behind the film’s plot. This is a brief look at The Leader in the MC2.

 

First appearing in Tales to Astonish #62 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Samuel Sterns aka The Leader is one of the Incredible Hulk’s greatest villains thanks to his gamma-gifted superhuman intelligence. The following issue presents our first full look at the mega-cranial megalomaniac with Tales to Astonish #63 detailing the Leader’s origin as a lowly labourer who was bombarded by gamma rays in an accident which transformed him, turning his skin green and causing his head to enlarge to accommodate his vastly increased brain and intellect.

 

In the MC2, the Leader only made one appearance, in Amazing Spider-Man Family #3 when Alexsei Sytsevich aka The Rhino and Peter Parker aka Spider-Man discuss the expenses of paying for medical treatment and they bond over their common lack of money, both working job to job. Aleksei mentions some of the ‘bad bosses’ he’s worked for including the Beetle, Doctor Octopus and the Leader, the latter of which refers to the events of Incredible Hulk #124 and Incredible Hulk #157-#159.

 

In the Incredible Hulk #124, The Leader revives the unconscious Rhino and subjects him to further gamma treatments to enhance his strength, providing him with a new Rhino suit and sending him to attack Bruce Banner during his wedding to Betty Ross.  During the encounter, the Leader accidentally hits the Rhino with his gamma ray device, causing the Rhino to charge him, resulting in an explosion which seemingly kills them both.

 

The Leader would later control the comatose body of the Rhino in another plot against the Hulk that leaves Jim Wilson (relative of Sam Wilson aka the Falcon) injured and ultimately led to both the Hulk and Rhino on a rocket headed for the High Evolutionary’s Counter-Earth. As a result of the rocket’s shuttle explosion upon their return to Earth, the Rhino would become permanently bonded to his Rhino suit (Incredible Hulk #157-#159). This event, apparently occurred during the Incredible Hulk #159 and was implied in Thing #24 and confirmed in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #10, would become Alexsei’s driving motivation in several stories that followed. No wonder Rhino considers The Leader a bad boss!

That’s it for the Leader in the MC2, but it’s nice to see the connections to Marvel’s past woven throughout the MC2. I’m very soon heading to an early screening of Captain America: Brave New World, so let’s see how that bulbous brain looks on the big screen!

 

Until I leave a huge Russian guy stuck in a Rhino suit after leaving him in a coma because I wanted to ruin my arch-enemy’s wedding, I remain

 

frogoat