This will hopefully be the first instalment in a new occasional
series touching on the various instances of an MC2 character, concept or…whatever
that is later used elsewhere. Basically, a record of the many times the MC2
has influenced the comic’s Main Marvel Universe, the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, a variety of animated series, etc.
But this wasn’t the first time we’d seen Iron Man
himself in a yellow and black armoured suit. The Iron Man: Armored
Adventures episode ‘Fun with Lasers’ which first aired on the 4th
of September 2009 debut’s the teenage Tony
Stark’s ‘Space Armor’ when he uses it to reach a hijacked S.H.I.E.L.D.Orbital
Station.
Some might argue that this is a reference to the ‘Iron
Man Armor Model 42’ which was the first Iron Man Armor to feature
the yellow and black colour scheme. However, the Model 42 didn’t debut
until years later with Iron Man (Vol. 5) #1 in November 2012.
One of the dozens of Iron Man Armors seen in the
climax of the 2013Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Iron
Man 3, the Mark 20 or Mark XX also known by the nickname ‘Python’
is believed to be inspired by the above-mentioned Model 42.
Additionally, it also appears in the official Iron Man 3 mobile tie-in video game
from Gameloft, thus making the leap to yet another medium.
Thus, I’d argue they are all in some way originally inspired
by Ron Frenz and Rich Yanizeski’sfrankly classic Mainframe
designs which debuted all the way back in A-Next #1 from 1998. Here’s
an excerpt of what co-creator and artist extraordinaire Ron Frenz had
to say about the design of Mainframe on episode 744 of Adam
Chapman’s Comic Shenanigan’s podcast:
‘We went through a couple of different designs, the early
designs still had red and yellow in them and everything. I’ll be perfectly
honest with you, what occurred to me about what I like about black and gold is
that I’m from Pittsburgh and that’s the colour of all of our sports teams.’
Until the MC2 stops being the secret inspiration for
the ‘House of Ideas’, I remain
A long time ago in a blog post far, far away there was a look
at the fictional television series ‘Everybody’s
Happy,’ which helped to flesh out the MC2 universe and gave us Melissa
Carsdalewho became the villainous Misery.
Today we are going to look at another television series that exists within the MC2
and its real-world inspiration.
In A-Next #6 we catch up with J2 aka ZaneYama,
the son of the original Juggernaut
relaxing at the Avengers
Headquarters enjoying snacks while watching a television show about ‘Xenette’.
According to the program’s narration ‘she is Xenette, daughter of a Warrior
Princess forged in the heat of battle’. This is a very clear reference to
the character and television series Xena: Warrior Princess who’s opening
narration by Don LaFontaine is ‘In a time of ancient gods, warlords
and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a
mighty princess forged in the heat of battle. The power, the passion, the
danger. Her courage will change the world!’.
For anyone who doesn’t know, the character of Xena
first appeared in the fantasy television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
where she was portrayed by the incredible New Zealand actress Lucy
Lawless. Originally introduced as a villainous foil for Hercules, the
character proved so popular that she received her own spin-off series, the
aforementioned Xena: Warrior Princess produced in part by Sam Raimi,
best known for The Evil Dead franchise and the original Spider-Man
trilogy. Xena has gained a significant fan following as an icon and role
model among the lesbian and bisexual community, partly owing to the dynamic and
relationship between Xena and her companion Gabrielle.
Not only does the MC2 feature a nice second-generation
in-joke with Xenette but we have confirmation that May‘Mayday’Parker
aka Spider-Girl
is probably a fan of Xena: Warrior Princess thanks to a reference to the
character in the ‘Dear Diary’
recap story from Spider-Girl Annual ’99 where May writes that she
‘can do flips higher than Xena’.
The character of Xena has also had several of her own
comic titles through the decades, published by Topps Comics, Dark Horse
Comics and most recently Dynamite Entertainment, so she’s no
stranger to the medium. Fun fact, the Sam Raimi directed Doctor
Stange in the Multiverse of Madness movie’s audio commentary confirms
the statuesque warrior woman statue seen within the Illuminati’sHeadquarters
was intended as a reference to Xena.
Anyway, just a quick one for today. Happy Pride Month,
everybody!
Until I produce a Xena: Warrior Princess Family Tree, I
remain
In my review post, I mentioned that the animated Aftershock
uses the name ‘Ms. Dillon’ while temporarily working as a teacher at LunellaLafayette aka MoonGirl’s school. This seemed to concretely
establish this version of Aftershock was adapting the MC2 iteration
of the character and not the one seen in the Main Marvel Universe, Danielle
Blunt.
Just to further reinforce this notion, an
interview with the animated show’s Executive Producer, Steve
Loter on entertainment site Beautiful Ballard had this to added incite:
The first villain Lunella faces is Aftershock, was that always
the plan?
Steve Loter: “Being that Aftershock is the first villain in the
series, it’s the first real formidable villain that Lunella faces as Moon Girl,
we really did wanna encapsulate a lot about what the mission statement was of
the series is the one girl makes a difference storyline which is super
important. That to have this character coming into the Lower East Side sapping
it of its energy, there’s a lot of proverbial notions there to make statement
about gentrification. It’s a statement about losing community and neighborhood
and connection. It was really important for Aftershock to be the conduit—no pun
intended—for that kind of story. But yeah, it was totally intentional. And it’s
the daughter of Electro, so that’s always fun, too. But that was the reasons why
Aftershock definitely had to be our first villain.”
So, there you have it, the Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
production team even refers to her as ‘the daughter of Electro’.
The matter is settled. Ironically, even though the series borrows a few visuals
and elements from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it does not actually take
place within that continuity. Which means it is free to have a second-generation
villain show up ahead of their parent’s MCU debut.
Before I power down again, I wanted to also give a quick
shout out to this YouTube video
from the channel WhitneyVision which provides a great in-depth look at
the first six episodes of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur with comparisons and
changes from the comics along with easter eggs and references. Check it out.
Some of you may recall that back in November 2014, Sony Pictures were the target of hackers, resulting in a large amount of confidential data being leaked online. Amongst the documents released were several detailing the Amazing Spider-Man film series and correspondence with Marvel Studios. It's fairly well known the backlash to the concepts and opinions leaked resulted in Spider-Man appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Which brings me to today's post. I hadn't given much thought to the exact details of Sony's contracts and agreements to produce films based on Spider-Man, which characters they could and couldn't use or anything like that until I saw this recent video by the YouTube channel Midnight's Edge:
It was while watching that I noticed a familiar name in one of the screenshots of the Sony documents: Meagyn Brady. I'd always figured May 'Mayday' Parker was included in the package of characters for the film rights to the Spider-Man franchise, but it never really occurred to me such minor characters would be mentioned. So I did some digging through the leaked documents.
As it turns out, I found a lot of original MC2 character's names mentioned under various categories. I may have missed a few within this document which appears to be a more finalized version of thesepriordocuments but I've attempted to include even some which may not, just for the sake of completeness. Let me know what I've missed or omitted. Here's the list of the characters quoted as presented under the various sub-headings in the document:
Alternate Versions of Spider-Man include all of the following
Spider-Man (IV)/Gerry Drew
Schedule 6
Named Characters
Black Tarantula (II)/Fabian LaMuerto
Buzz, The/Jack Jameson
Crazy Eight
Daze
Goblin God/Peter Parker
Green Goblin, The (VI)/Norman "Normie" Harry Osborn
Killerwatt
Misery/Melissa Carsdale
Mr. Nobody
Scarlet Spider (VII)/Felicity Hardy
Spider-Girl (I)/ May "Mayday" Parker
Spider-Girl 2020/May Parker
Spider-Man (IV)/Gerry Drew
Spider-Venom
Spider-Woman/ May "Mayday" Parker
Venom/Spider-Girl, May "Mayday" Parker
Teams/Groups/Gangs
Team Spider
Supporting Characters
Aftershock
April (first appearing in Spider-Girl #75)
Babbit, Mr
Barney – agent of Hobgoblin (first appearing in Amazing Spider-Girl #2)
Bitter Frost
Brady, Meagyn
Canis
Carlo, Mona
Claw
Desantos, Simone
Diana - Black Cat's love interest in MC2 Universe
Dragon King/Carlton T. Hackmutter
Drasco, Det. Vinnie
Duran, Courtney-May "Mayday" Parker's friend
Funny Face
Fury the Goblin Queen/ Elan DeJunae
Golden Goblin
Grief Machine
Groote, Leonard
Hardy, Felicity (daughter of Felicia)
Healy, Gus
Healy, Joyce
Healy, Sandra
Hicks, Ralphie
Hingle, Duane
Hingle, Cindy
Hingle, Sarah
Impact
Jade, Dr. Sonja
Kirby, Davida - May "Mayday" Parker's friend
Kodiak
Kurkle, Charlie
La Fantome
Ladyhawk/Regina Morgan
Ladyhawk/Rosetta Morgan
Lieber, Caitlyn
Lu, Nancy - May "Mayday" Parker's friend
Mansfield, Billy
Mansfield, Katy
Mansfield, Moose
Mansfield, Mr. - father of Moose
Miller, Brad
Mr. Abnormal
Parker, April - clone of May Parker
Parker, Benjamin "Benjy" Richard Parker
Phillip, Charlie
Pirouette
Quickwire
Ragone, Theodore "Turtle"
Raptor/Brenda Drago
Reverb / Rudolf
Spyral
Thompson, Gene (son of Eugene "Flash" Thompson and Felicia Hardy)
Tyne, Reilly
Weadon, Arthur
Westin, Wes
Yama, Jimmy
Yi, Spike
Business and Other IP
Café Indigo
Deacon's Den
"EVERYBODY'S HAPPY" - program
Hotel Caprice
Humanity First
Kingsley International
Spider Shoppe
Spidera
St. Andrew's -women's shelter
Zebra Patrol
SCHEDULE 7A
Frozen Characters
Hero or Villain
Spider-Man appearing as a member of the Fantastic Four (e.g., as a member of the Fantastic Five or Fatal Force)
Reilly Tyne as an alias for Darkdevil
Anthropomorphic Variations
Mary Porker
Schedule 8
Marvel Reserved Characters
Hero or Villain
Bluestreak (III) (first appearing in A-Next)
Coal Tiger/T'Chaka
Darkdevil
Dragonfist
Freebooter/Brandon Cross
Mad Dog Rassitano
Magneta
Stinger/Cassandra "Cassie" Lang
Stormtrooper/Eric Masterson
Thunderstrike/Kevin Masterson
Wild Thing
Teams, Groups, and Gangs
Sons of Serpent/Soldiers of the Serpent
There were many, many other characters that appear in the MC2 who I didn't included in the above list because I only transcribed characters who hadn't appeared anywhere prior to their MC2 appearances. So Phil Urich isn't listed above because he debuted beforehand, meanwhile Normie is listed only as a version of the Green Goblin. Make sense? Good. You'll have noticed a few odd spellings and the occasional character that might not be from the MC2, but I've listed some (such as 'Mary Porker') because I believe they may be typos, misreading or similar mistakes.
The most fascinating discovery was that a character named Reilly Tyne could be used by Sony, so long as he wasn't linked to Darkdevil, and Marvel Studios appears to be able to use the design and name of Darkdevil so long as his secret identity isn't Reilly Tyne. This is attributed to the Daredevil-related elements of the character's super hero identity. Being the son of Ben Reilly -a literal clone of Peter Parker- means he's a Spider-Man character while his super hero moniker, appearance and origin link him to Daredevil as well as Ghost Rider who's film rights were previously held by Sony. In early versions, Sony Pictures recommended 'Darkdevil' be frozen, likely due to the aforementioned conflict of rights. The use of 'Reilly Tyne as an alias for Darkdevil' appears on the list of 'frozen' characters while 'Darkdevil' appears under 'Marvel Reserved Characters'. Poor Reilly, even in the real world he gets a raw deal, split between so many 'fathers'.
(This might also explain why The Buzz was licenced for the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game but Darkdevil never appeared, despite actually having spider-powers and being directly related. Not strictly relevant, but I did often wonder!)
It's also worth noting that in earlier versions mentioned above, Meagyn Brady, Magneta and Dragonfist were among the list of characters Sony Pictures wished to have included in their licence agreement, in addition to requesting the spelling of 'Mona Carlo' be corrected. Sony Pictures also felt 'Bluestreak' had 'clear associations with Spider-Man and/or a subsidiary character' enough to request a rationale for exclusion. Regardless, other than Meagyn, all these characters appear on the Schedule 8 list for 'Marvel Reserved Characters'.
It's simple enough to see how and why Stinger, Thunderstrike, Coal Tiger and even Magneta and Dragonfist and other aren't considered a part of the film right for Spider-Man, and are listed as 'Marvel Reserved Characters'. With characters like Hope Van Dyne in the MC2 based on Hope Pym, it's safe to assume the MC2 characters are on the radar for Marvel Studios to mine for future films. My money is on Stinger being the next MC2 character!
I do wonder where a character like Bluestreak falls in the eyes of a legal team. Blue is a former member of the mutant team X-People who first appeared in the Avengers related title A-Next, which is mostly associated with the MC2, primarily known for Spider-Girl, a Spider-Man character. Presumably she counts as either an X-Men character or an Avengers character or both like her predecessor in speed, Quicksilver. This stuff is messy!
The introduction of Spider-Man into Marvel Studios' MCU while Sony Pictures retains several related characters such as Venom for their own 'Sony Marvel Universe' further splits up the available characters within the MC2. For example, would a symbiote character like April Parker aka Mayhem be retained by Sony for their Venom film series or would her clone nature mean she is loaned to MCU?
It would seem that Mayday and her family are all free and clear to appear in a future production (such as a Into The Spider-Verse related movie, for example) but only some of her rogues gallery, supporting cast and fellow heroes are free and clear to make appearances alongside her. Personally, I'd settle for a great Spider-Girl appearance in a future animated film from Sony if it was as well produced as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
I could cover this a bit more in future, if there's any interest. Let me know!
Until I stop being far too excited by legal documents, I remain
Fresh from seeing Ant-Man and the Wasp at the cinema, I've decided to do a few quick posts looking at the MC2 counterparts to some of the films supporting characters. Perhaps, even one central protagonist later on, if time permits...For today, a brief look at Bill Foster, portrayed in the film by Laurence Fishburne.
Dr William 'Bill' Barrett Foster first appeared in Avengers #32 where he worked to help Hank Pym who was stuck at a large size. Bill would eventually replicate and modify Pym Particles to become the heroic... erm… Black Goliath, then the second Giant-Man and eventually just Goliath. That last nom de guerre may not apply to the Doctor Foster of the MC2 as it was only adopted in the mid-2000's, well after his sole MC2 appearance in A-Next #2 which was published in 1998.
In A-Next #2 we learn that Bill works for the Maria Stark Foundation as the leader of a team of scientists working on reforestation techniques in the Washington National Park. When a Kree vessel crashes in two sections in the park, Bill asks the newly formed Avengers team to investigate before the military 'sanitizes' the entire area.
During the investigation, Bill is accompanied by his son John Foster who, along with the Avengers encounter the remains of the crashed Kree ship and it's robotic Sentry 666. John finds the pilot of the vessel has died during the crash with the ship precariously teetering over a precipice. When the ship is disturbed by Sentry 666 colliding with it, a bulkhead door shuts on Bill's leg trapping him as the vessel begins to slide off the cliff top.
In a desperate attempt to save his father, John merges with the ship's systems, becoming part-Kree in the process. As Earth Sentry, John saves his father, destroys Sentry 666 and blows up the Kree vessel. Telling his father he has found direction in his life, John Foster departs, vowing to protect the Earth from the Kree and other threats.
It's a shame we never encounter Bill Foster in the MC2 again. I think the relationship between Bill and his son John was worth exploring further. Come to think of it, we never do find out what the Kree's plans for the Earth were either. Perhaps that's a discussion for another day?
Until I stop plumping the depths of the MC2, I remain
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
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