William 'Wild Will' Fitzpatrick

 

Here is a quick little post about something not directly related to the MC2 at all, just something I wanted to cover and hopefully break me out of my writer’s block. That said, I am hoping to build this and potentially other related posts into a rather large combined entry in the MC2 Family Tree series. Today, we will be looking at the Marvel character William ‘Wild Will’ Fitzpatrick.

 

You are probably wondering why we are looking at William Fitzpatrick and the answer is two-fold: he is the great-grandfather of May ‘Mayday’ Parker aka Spider-Girl and he has an interesting real-world counterpart. Fitzpatrick makes his first appearance in the Untold Tales of Spider-Man #-1, part of Marvel’s ‘Flashback’ month which saw many of their titles switch to a minus issue set in the past. Given that Untold Tales of Spider-Man was already set in the past, this issue goes back to the days of Peter’s parents, Richard and Mary Parker on a fateful mission during which we flashback even further to glimpse Mary as a young girl with her father, William ‘Wild Will’ Fitzpatrick.

 

Not only do we learn a little more about Mary, such as her maiden surname Fitzpatrick and her aptitude for learning, we learn that Mary’s mother died while very young leaving Will as her only parent. We also learn that ‘Wild Will’ was part of the O.S.S. or Office of Strategic Services which was an American intelligence agency during World War II. This organisation was dissolved and shortly after replaced by the Central Intelligence Agency, where later Mary Fitzpatrick would work as a translator and data analyst and, after meeting Richard Parker, a field agent (Untold Tales of Spider-Man #-1).

The Marvel Appendix entry for Mary Parker and ‘Wild Will’ Fitzpatrick notes that the Marvel Sliding Timescale may soon render William’s status as active during WWII as an O.S.S. operative pretty unbelievable if he’s the father of Mary and the grandfather of Peter Parker, if the latter exists in the modern era. As they point out, Will may have been older when Mary was born which, for now, is as good an explanation as any, especially considering he dies while Mary is still relatively young. Regardless, as an MC2-focused blog, we have an additional fourth generation to take into account between the 1940’s and the present day.

 

William ‘Wild Will’ Fitzpatrick is based on the real-world American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat William Joseph “Wild Bill” Donovan who is best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services during World War II and is regarded as the founding father of the Central Intelligence Agency. The minus issue of Untold Tales of Spider-Man was written by Roger Stern and he would re-use ‘Wild Will’ in another story that firmly ties the character to the Second World War.

 

In 1998’s Marvel Universe #1 we have a story set during World War II, specifically 1945 wherein William Fitzpatrick works alongside Robert Frank aka The Whizzer to interview various people about the character and loyalties of members of the superhero team The Invaders including Namor the Sub-Mariner, the original Human Torch and Captain America. Following this, ‘Wild Will’ Fitzpatrick tasks the group with a secret mission involving Hydra.

 

 While it is not confirmed, I would like to suggest that the Intelligence agent seen in Marvel Universe #3 is also intended to be Fitzpatrick, given his appearance (aside from the miscoloured hair) and attire appear similar.

 

There’s not a huge wealth of stories to delve into here but I wanted to do this post because I think what we do get about Fitzpatrick tells us volumes, and by extension we gain a better understanding of Mary Parker. The heroic traits, intelligence, and wherewithal on display from father to daughter mirrors some aspects we see in Peter and his daughter Mayday’s relationship.

 

Until I remember where I left my notes for the next post, I remain

 

frogoat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Namor in the MC2

 

The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in cinemas and with it we mark the big screen debut of Namor the Sub-Mariner. As has now become a tradition for this blog, today we will be taking a look at his MC2 counterpart. This is Namor the Sub-Mariner in the MC2.  

 

The Main Marvel Universe’s Namor McKenzie was created by comics Bill Everett for Motion Picture Funnies Weekly but the character went unpublished until 1939’s Marvel Comics #1. The Sub-Mariner made his MC2 debut in A-Next #3 where we first learn that his Kingdom of Atlantis was long ago destroyed by Doctor Doom and (most of) his people killed. Namor’s actions left him an ‘international criminal after what he did to Latveria’ following the war with Doctor Doom. Found on a small islet off the coast of Molokai, Hawaii, Namor was recruited by Doctor Strange alongside the Incredible Hulk as part of a re-formed Defenders team.

 

Having apparently foreseen a world-threatening tragedy that will unfold in the near future, Doctor Strange takes matters into his own hands in an apparent attempt to save the day using extreme measures. Doc Magus attempts to warn off Strange and when this fails, he takes his mentor Deacon’s advice and approaches the newly formed Avengers team for help. Soon enough the two teams clash in Arizona until Dormagus uses the Eye of Agamotto to uncover Doctor Strange’s true motives were three-fold: to ensure the Hulk is able to fulfill his destiny, provide the team a ‘baptism by fire’ and to make Namor proactive once more (A-Next #3, J2 #3).

 

We next catch glimpses of the war between Namor the Sub-Mariner and Doctor Doom in both A-Next #5 and later Fantastic Five #5 and learn a few details of the events that transpire. More on this later.

The Sub-Mariner appears again when Doc Magus summons Zane Yama aka J2 and informs him he has found his father being held in a small, unexplored pocket dimension for years. Ignoring a warning from Doctor Strange to wait for reinforcements, Dormagus and Zane make their way to the pocket dimension to rescue Cain Marko aka Juggernaut. Despite reuniting Zane with his father, the villainous Nemesus appears and reveals Doc Magus had fallen into his trap and closed the heroes gateway home, trapping them. Fortunately, Doctor Strange appears alongside his fellow Defenders the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner and aid in escaping from Nemesus’ dimension before they are all swarmed by legions of Darklings (J2 #12).

 

Namor does not appear for quite some time, only making a cameo appearance on a screen in Avengers Headquarters which provides a perhaps curious ‘STATUS: UNKNOWN’ (Spider-Girl #71). Following this, the Sub-Mariner is again teamed with the Incredible Hulk against Apox the Omega Skrull, but does not fare well (Spider-Girl #86).

Shortly afterwards, the Sub-Mariner is again glimpsed with the Incredible Hulk, however this time it they are opponents thanks to the latter’s mind-control by the Asgardian Loki (Last Hero Standing #5).

 

Finally, we learn the truth of the end of the war between Namor and Doctor Doom; the latter was not killed but instead held prisoner deep beneath the Mid-Atlantic Ocean within the Great Atlantis Trench. There, Namor makes his monthly journey to the grotto wherein he kept Doom captive, only to this time learn that the dictator has escaped. The Sub-Mariner is knocked out and taken captive by Doctor Doom (Fantastic Five Vol. 2 #1).

 

Having imbued himself with the power cosmic, capturing members of the Fantastic Five and declaring himself Emperor of the Earth, Victor Von Doom continues his torture of Namor the Sub-Mariner (Fantastic Five Vol. 2 #4). When fellow captive Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic challenges Doctor Doom to a mind-duel via the Infinity Device which will send the loser’s mind to the Crossroads of Infinity, Namor warns Reed not to accept the challenge. After Reed and Victor are left apparently comatose, Namor attempts to relay what occurred and comfort Sue Richards aka the Invisible Woman (Fantastic Five Vol. 2 #5).

 

That is the last we see of Namor the Savage Sub-Mariner in the MC2. Who knows, maybe the on-screen attention for the character will mean we see a return of his MC2 counterpart…but I am not exactly hopeful. Still, stranger things have happened. Either way, I may compile all we know about the war with Doctor Doom someday, as it is one of the most interesting elements of the MC2’s history.

 

Until I grow a beard and ponytail as part of my depressive exile, I remain

 

frogoat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doctor Strange in the MC2

 

Now that Spider-Man: No Way Home has come and gone, the most anticipated Marvel Studios movie release is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness so now is an excellent time to take a look at Doctor Strange in the MC2.

 

While Doctor Stephen Strange first appeared in Strange Tales #110, his MC2 counterpart makes his debut in the pages of A-Next #3. Right off the bat, this appearance provides a number of insights into Stephen’s new status quo, starting with the issue’s opening page which pretty well confirms the Sorcerer still resides within the Sanctum Sanctorum located at 177A Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village. We also learn that Doc Magus aka Dormagus has replaced Strange as the new Sorcerer Supreme (as Dormagus puts it) ‘ever since The Vishanti fired [Stephen’s] butt.’

 

Having foreseen a world-threatening tragedy that will unfold in the near future, Doctor Strange takes matters into his own hands and recruits his former Defenders teammates Namor the Sub-Mariner and the Incredible Hulk in an apparent attempt to save the day using extreme measures. Doc Magus attempts to warn off Strange and when this fails, he takes his mentor Deacon’s advice and approaches the newly formed Avengers team for help. Soon enough the two teams clash in Arizona until Dormagus uses the Eye of Agamotto to uncover Doctor Strange’s true motives were three-fold: to make Namor proactive once more, ensure the Hulk is able to fulfill his destiny and provide the new Avengers team a ‘baptism of fire’.

 

While Doctor Strange himself does not appear, he is alluded to in J2 #4 While in an unknown dimension alongside the Avenger J2 battles a Darkling posing as the original Juggernaut, the dark lord Nemesus taunts Dormagus’ about the mystic’s strained and dysfunctional relationship with his own father. When he is thwarted and retreats, Nemesus’ parting words to Dormagus are ‘give my regards to your own dear father!’.

 

Ignoring a warning from Doctor Strange to wait for reinforcements, Dormagus and Zane Yama aka J2 make their way to a pocket dimension to rescue Cain Marko aka Juggernaut. Despite reuniting Zane with his father, Nemesus appears and reveals Doc Magus had fallen into his trap and closed the heroes gateway home, trapping them. Fortunately, Doctor Strange appears alongside his fellow Defenders the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner and aid in escaping from Nemesus’ dimension before they are all swarmed by legions of Darklings. This story makes clear some unexplored history between Nemesus and Strange (J2 #12).

 

Around this time, Doctor Strange made an appearance in Wild Thing #0 where in he is called upon by Wolverine to attempt to remove the cure of the Wendigo from the land around Hudson Bay. Meeting Wild Thing, Stephen makes a knowing comment to Wolverine: ‘Independent children can be such a trial, eh, Wolverine?’ With the aid of the Hulk, Wolverine and Wild Thing, Doctor Strange successfully lifts the curse.

 

When the demonically empowered vigilante Darkdevil is stabbed through the chest by the Venom Symbiote bonded with Normie Osborn, Doc Magus is called upon to save him. Struggling to save the hero, Dormagus admits he is out of his depth and accepts the help of Doctor Strange just as the demon Zarathos appears and warns the two mystics to leave Darkdevil’s body as he claimed it as his own. Unable to perform a conventional exorcism, the two are forced to journey into Darkdevil’s mindscape and restore the balance between the three vying avatars within the hero: the spirit of vengeance Zarathos, the ghostly spirt of the costumed hero Daredevil and the boy Reilly Tyne (Spider-Girl #83-#84).

 

With a string of superheroes going missing, Doc Magus sets out to find them on his own, once again rejecting the aid of Doctor Strange, only to wind up defeated in his astral form by a disguised Loki and fall under the villain’s thrall immediately afterwards when reunited with his mortal form and abducted (Last Hero Standing #2). 

 

While attempting to resolve the mystery of the missing heroes, Doctor Strange is instead attacked by the culprit Loki himself, who mentions Stephen’s ‘fall from grace is well-known to [him]’ before making short work of the Sorcerer. Still enthralled and falsely believing he knows who kidnapped him, Doc Magus leads the other heroes to Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum only to be confronted by a Loki-controlled and enraged Hulk who makes short work of the assembled heroes indiscriminately. Upon finding that Doctor Strange was seemingly in a coma, Dormagus was unable to detect Loki’s handiwork thanks to the dark spell’s effect (Last Hero Standing #4). Asgard’s Grand Vizier reveals the truth to Doc Magus and Doctor Strange is shortly after present to witness the death of Captain America (Last Hero Standing #5).

 

Unless I’ve missed a cameo somewhere, that’s the last time we see Doctor Strange in the MC2. I find the still-unresolved mystery of how and why Doctor Strange lost the position of Sorcerer Supreme to be a most tantalizing plot thread. I sincerely wish we learned the details of this massive development.

 

Until I learn to master the mystic arts and become Sorcerer Supreme only to lose the job under unrevealed circumstances, I remain

 

frogoat