The MC2 and the Ultimate Universe

 

It looks like Marvel Comic’s Ultimate Universe is having something of a resurgence with the release of the Ultimate Invasion mini-series and the upcoming Ultimate Universe relaunch. So, of course, I wanted to see if there were any connections between the MC2 and the Ultimate Universe.

 

There’s a humourous nod to the then-fledgling Ultimate Spider-Man series in the pages of 2002’s Spider-Girl #49 during the flashback to Peter Parker aka Spider-Man’s final battle with Norman Osborn aka The Green Goblin which resulted in Peter losing his right lower leg and Norman’s death. Interrupted during the Gathering of Five ceremony, Osborn declares he ‘was on the verse of ultimate POWER!’ to which Spider-Man quips ‘Sorry about that! I guess you’ll just have to settle for Ultimate Spider-Man—which is a lot more entertaining!’

 

Ironically, while we saw the MC2’s Spider-Man and Green Goblin face off in their final fight, their counterparts were also squaring off in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man.

 

Now here’s a more direct connection from the pages of Ultimate Comics Ultimates #30. When Kang (actually an alternate reality future Susan Storm from Universe-13074) warns the villainous Reed Richards aka The Maker (of the Ultimate Universe-1610) of the coming cataclysm that will destroy everything. Informing him of the Infinity Gems (of which the Ultimate Universe apparently has 8 in total) needed to avert this disaster, The Maker and his team of ‘Dark Ultimates’ battled the Ultimates for their possession.  

 

However, just as Tony Stark aka Iron Man gains control of the Infinity Gems using his armour, everyone is struck down by an energy flux that shows visions of the various characters’ alternate universe counterparts. Among them, Ben Grimm aka The Thing see’s his counterpart from the Fantastic Five of Universe-982 better known as the MC2.

 

As for the cause of the sudden energy flux everyone experienced its origin lies in the pages of the Age of Ultron event wherein the space-time continuum itself is broken as result of it’s abuse in an attempt to stop the reign of Ultron (Age of Ultron #10).

 

Once again, I have to stress just how significant this time-breaking is/was and how useful a piece of continuity it truly is for any *ahem* future MC2 writers who may wish to make use of the fallout from the events of Age of Ultron to ignore certain plot points. As always a huge thank you to arias-98105 for helping me out on this one!

 

Until we get an Ultimate Comics Ultimate MC2 Universe reboot requel relaunch crossover spectacular in 10 years time, I remain

 

frogoat

Who Was Mary MacLeod?

 

I am going far a field for this one! I had trouble justifying my recent little post about William ‘Wild Will’ Fitzpatrick as it wasn’t directly related to the MC2 at all, and was just something I wanted to cover to break me out of my writer’s block. Today is a similar post not directly pertaining to the MC2, but I am hoping to build this and the previously mentioned post along with other related posts into a rather large combined entry in the MC2 Family Tree series. Today, we will be looking at the Marvel character Mary MacLeod.

 

Who is Mary MacLeod? Why am I talking about her? What does she have to do with anything? Well, let us start at the beginning…which is also the end. Confused? Let me explain. In 1990 the long-gestating, gorgeously illustrated graphic novel Spider-Man: Spirits of the Earth by Charles Vess was released. In its pages Peter and Mary Jane take ‘a sort of second honeymoon’ to Scotland when Mary Jane is bequeathed the estate of her relative, Mrs MacLeod.

 

We learn from a letter written and mailed before Mrs MacLeod’s death that her home county of Ross-Shire (which is a real place by the way) is being bought up by business developers with plans to destroy the area’s natural beauty. Travelling to Scotland to untangle legal matters, Peter and Mary Jane rent a room in the village’s local inn for a week. The publican Alan Sinclair correctly identifies the couple as ‘Mr and Mrs Parker’ and informs Mary Jane he has been expecting ‘the niece of Mary MacLeod’ for some time. While the village is not named, we can use context and geography to identify it.

 

The village is near Duncraig Castle (another real place, though greatly fictionalised here) overlooking Lochalsh or Loch Alsh (that’s ‘Lake’ Alsh for those not in the know, yet again a real place) and thanks to the letter Mary MacLeod wrote to her niece, we even have the postcode ‘IV40’. Putting all this together, it appears the village just might be Kyle of Lochalsh which looks out at Loch Alsh and is located a few minutes’ drive from Duncraig Castle. An essay written by Charles Vess’ which was published alongside the story confirms these very real locations he visited on his many travels to Scotland’s Highlands, with an additional point of interest being that Eilean Donan Castle seems to be the visual inspiration for Duncraig Castle, given it resembles a castle unlike Duncraig. Further, Mr Vess begs forgiveness from the people of the Highlands ‘for stretching and rearranging their landscape and villages to suit the requirements of my story.’ A class act.

 

Let us circle back to Mary MacLeod. As mentioned above the barkeep Alan Sinclair refers to Mary Jane Parker as Mary’s niece, but also says ‘A fine lady was our Mary, she spoke of you manys the time. It’s pleased I am to be meetin’ a relation of herself.’ When Mary Jane and Peter visit the church graveyard, Mary Jane reflects ‘the letters she wrote always made me feel so close. I almost felt as if I knew her.’ In the MacLeod Croft, while looking at Mary’s photos, Mary Jane notes ‘look…her whole life is in these pictures and, oh Peter, here she is at my christening.’ Together, these comments paint a picture of a solitary older woman who cherished her niece or grand-niece as she had no family of her own. While the honorific ‘Mrs’ may indicate MacLeod is Mary’s married name, ‘Mrs’ is also used for older women and those who preference it. If MacLeod were the maiden name, it could be argued that Mary Jane’s mother Madeline was also a MacLeod before marriage which would make Mary Jane’s family heritage almost indisputably Scottish.

 

As I’ve touched upon in my Osborn Family Tree and Osborn Name Origins there are some interesting real-world tidbits we can learn from surnames and their origins. Watson is a common Scottish and English with ancient Anglo-Saxon origins. MacLeod as a surname is of Scottish origin, being an anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic surname MacLeòid meaning ‘son of Leòd’ and derived from Old Norse.

 

Finally, we learn that Mary attended the christening of Mary Jane, presumably an infant at the time, which further defines the family’s religion or cultural practices as some form of Christianity, which fits well with a Scottish background with it is the largest religious denomination in the country.

 

This last point is not factual, but worth meditating on. The story of Spirits of the Earth features three Mary’s: Mary MacLeod who’s correspondence and passing brings Peter and Mary Jane to Scotland where the events unfold, Dark Mairi of the Shore, a mysterious and magical old woman who communes with the fairies and spirits, and Mary Jane Parker who becomes heavily involved in events, even aiding Mairi by adding her own youthful spirit and energy to bring down a cavern at the stories climax. Notably, when glimpsed from afar, Mairi appeared as a youthful redheaded woman with a resemblance to Mary Jane. I wonder if Mary MacLeod had red hair too?

 

Despite not even appearing once, Mary MacLeod provides us a rare glimpse into the broader history, culture, religion, and geography surrounding Mary Jane Watson’s family. It is also nice to know that should the Parker Family ever travel to Scotland, they have a nice little cottage with a sublime view waiting for them. A wholehearted special thanks to both maydaymemer and arias-98105 for their help on this one, it’s greatly appreciated.

 

Until I crack the Watson Family Tree and retire to the Isles, I remain

 

frogoat

Venom and Eminem

Today I present for your consideration an old post I wrote back in 2018ish on Tumblr (when it was relevant) following the release of Sony's first Venom movie. It's a bit of a departure from my usual musings but I'm fairly happy with the analysis younger me produced. My hope is that I can preserve some of my older material here for future me to re-discover. Who knows, maybe someone else will find it interesting? Anyway, enjoy!

 Venom and Eminem

I’ve recently had a few people ask me my opinion on the song ‘Venom’ by Eminem for the soundtrack of the titular film. So here we go:

Despite perhaps not being top-tier in terms of his best work, Eminem’s Venom song does hold more merit than might be thought from your first listen. 

For those only familiar with his early hits or present day charting singles, Eminem frequently utilizes more than one persona for his various songs: Eminem (the Rap God), Marshall Mathers (the man behind the facade) and Slim Shady (the dark and offensive Evil Twin). 

Through his early career the artist became mostly associated with his Slim Shady persona, partly because of which songs became hits and which lyrics drew negative media attention and partly because he encouraged it and even enjoyed it. 

Over the years, he’s come out with many songs discussing his meteoric rise to fame, his poor handling of the popularity and the scrutiny of media associated with living in the public eye. His marriage fell apart, he was banned in places and demonstrated against. He was a villain because he gave into his dark impulses and didn’t care who got hurt as a result. Sound familiar?

Venom started out as a villain who gained popularity exceptionally quickly and was later transitioned into an anti-hero as a result. Often described as an evil counterpart to Spider-Man, the combination of the alien symbiote and former journalist turned obsessive Spidey stalker Eddie Brock, Venom never actually corrupted it’s former host Spider-Man. In fact, until Eddie came along the symbiote was merely a glorified tool, an extension of the hosts will. Under Eddie’s influence Venom suddenly became a fearsome malevolence that hurt and killed those in their way without remorse and justified and rationalized their actions so as to never blame themselves. 

'Ever since I came along
From the day the song called “Hi! My Name Is” dropped
Started thinking my name was fault
'Cause anytime things went wrong
I was the one who they would blame it on
The media made me the equivalent of a modern-day Genghis Khan’

–Guts Over Fear

Further into his career, Em tried to transition himself into a more sympathetic light, with more singles and album tracks focusing on his personal struggles and private life, while still maintaining the harder edge and unapologetic attitude that made him famous. In terms of trajectory, this very much mirrors Venom’s repositioning into an anti-hero in the comics. In more recent times we’ve seen Em address his own status as a villain in the industry including attempts to make amends with such songs as 'Headlights’ and 'Bad Husband’ as well as more vulnerable songs like 'Walk on Water’ and ‘In Your Head’. 

‘Hailie, baby, I didn’t mean to make you eighty/Percent of what I rapped about/ Maybe I shoulda did a better job at separating/Shady and entertaining from real life/But this fame thing is still the hardest thing to explain/It’s the craziest shit I/Ever seen, and back then it was like I ain’t even/Bothered taking into consideration/You one day being older and may hear me say things/I didn’t (A) mean and (B) just ain’t me/’

–In Your Head

There’s almost a one to one comparison between the character of Venom and the artist Marshall Mathers. Eddie blames others or deflects responsibility for his behaviour, as Em often dismissed criticism of his foul and offensive lyrics as just his art - the work of his evil other half, Slim Shady- not intended to be taken seriously. Both became overnight hits, both became more sympathetic overtime and both seemingly flit between the role of villain and anti-hero in their respective mediums and in the eyes of fans.

The song Venom itself makes for a microcosm of themes. The song starts by claiming it’s for those who’ve been given a ’raw deal’ and are feeling angry. This can be read as referring to both Eddie Brock and Marshall himself when they were at low points in life. then we are introduced to a few themes with 'When something’s in your mitochondrial/ 'Cause it latched on to you’ conjuring images of the alien symbiote and 'Knock knock, let the devil in, malevolent/ As I’ve ever been, head spinnin’, this medicine’ using the symbiote as a metaphor for his past drug dependence and bad behaviour. These ideas reoccur throughout the song, with shifting meanings as the song progresses. 'shoulda been dead a long time ago’ can also be read as referring to both Em’s near death experience via overdose before going sober and Eddie Brock’s attempted suicide and/or cancer diagnosis before finding the symbiote.

The chorus makes reference to the erratic behaviour of both Eddie and Marshall with ’ Venom, (I got that) adrenaline momentum/ And I’m not knowin’ when I’m/ Ever gonna slow up and I’m/ Ready to snap any moment I’m/ Thinkin’ it’s time to go get 'em/ (W-w-when they get bit with the-)/ Venom’. There’s also not-so-subtle references here to the adrenaline rush a person feels when using certain drugs, which also describes the way Eddie feels when empowered by the alien symbiote. 

Another commonality, Venom and Eminem are known for using descriptions of over the top violent acts, often for humourous effect. The humour is also juxtaposed against the dark themes of the song or the actions taken. This can be seen to address the power fantasy of both Eddie Brock’s newfound abilities and Marshall’s fame and influence, which inevitably results in them abusing their abilities and status. Tell me that doesn’t remind you of anyone else?

'Then I wait to face the demons I’m bonded to/ 'Cause they’re chasin’ me but I’m part of you/ So escapin’ me is impossible/ I latch onto you like a—parasite/ And I probably ruined your parents’ life/ And your childhood too/'Cause if I’m the music that y'all grew up on/I’m responsible for you retarded fools/ I’m the super villain Dad and Mom was losin’ their marbles to/ You marvel that? Eddie Brock is you/ And I’m the suit, so call me—/ Venom’

While the symbiote is initially used as a way to talk about the dark side of Marshall’s personality, fame and former drug addiction, by the song’s conclusion he admits that despite his decade of sobriety and efforts to change, the darkness always resided within him. Unlike Eddie Brock, Marshall is taking responsibility for his actions. However, if Em is the symbiote suit, then he’s granting great power, and it’s up to the audience (’Eddie Brock is you’) to use it responsibly.

Or maybe it’s all just a catchy song to sell records?

Mayday's Eyes

 

With Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse bringing more attention to our favourite MC2-alumni with the introduction of Peter B Parker and Mary Jane Watson-Parker’s adorable baby daughter Mayday Parker, I thought now would be the perfect time to discuss Mayday’s Eyes.

 

One of the most notable talking points in the lead-up to Across the Spider-Verse was baby Mayday’s unique eye colour choice; heterochromia. This was seen in the officially released concept art which coincided with the first trailer’s debut online. With one iris blue and the other brown the design was distinctive, but having viewed the film, it did not appear to have been retained for the character as she appeared on screen. Unless I am mistaken, baby Mayday on the big screen had two blue eyes. Presumably in both cases the intent was to show Mayday inherited her eye colour from her parents, with Peter B having brown eyes and this Mary Jane having blue eyes in her brief appearances.

 

Now, let’s take look at the eye colour of the MC2’s May ‘Mayday’ Parker. While the comics have often been inconsistent with varying eye colours between issues, there is one colour that Mayday appears to have more consistently: blue. This is supported by a rather obscure source for official character information: Spider-Girl Battlebook: Streets of Fire. As I mentioned a very long time ago, with a cover date of November 1998, this was the first published source to provide officially approved physical characteristics for May ‘Mayday’ Parker.

 

However, when the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Women of Marvel 2005 gave us a full profile for Spider-Girl, Mayday was instead listed as having brown eyes. This was corrected to blue once again when the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Hardcover Vol. 11 updated the profile information. It is worth noting that the Main Marvel Universe and MC2 Mary Jane is firmly established to have green eyes and similarly, Peter has hazel eyes.

 

Now, let us look at one other aspect of May ‘Mayday’ Parker’s eyes you may not have considered: poor vision. If we go all the way back to the beginning with What If #105, we do briefly glimpse May rocking glasses, presumably for some kind of vision impairment. Notably, this instance takes place shortly after Mayday’s powers first manifested during a basketball game and she does not continue to wear them in future appearances. As far as I can tell, the only other occasions of May donning eyewear are for the purposes of fashion, disguise, or safety such as Spider-Girl #42, #60, #65 and Amazing Spider-Girl #20.

 

What is interesting is May did not revert to using glasses when she lost her spider-powers following her battle with Killerwatt in Spider-Girl #25. Maybe Mayday only uses glasses in some circumstances or her spider-powers had already ‘healed’ any deficit in her eye-sight? It is not a certainty, though Peter has not returned to using his glasses on the occasions his own spider-powers have been lost.

 

Until I gain some perspective and take a long-sighted view on what I focus on, *eye* remain

 

frogoat

 

 

The Prowler and the Tiger: The Brown Family Tree

 

With Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse making a serious impact at the box office and with Spider-Punk aka Hobie Brown being among its most well-received characters, I figured now is a great time to take look at the family tree of Hobart ‘Hobie’ Brown. Here is the Brown Family Tree.

 

For the purposes of these family trees, I accept that MC2 characters share their published history (up to a point) with their 616/Main Marvel Universe counterparts. I make exceptions for any retcons implemented after the point the MC2 diverges from the 616 and in cases where it's explicitly or implicitly different (Aunt May really died) or when a writer later introduces a previously unheard of relative (the Lang family and the Pym family) who is never mentioned, seen or heard of in the MC2. With the last exception, I would add them to the family tree in later updates should they be mentioned in MC2 material at any point.

 

The Prowler was created by Stan Lee, John Romita Sr and Jim Mooney with the credited help of a 13-year-old John Romita Jr, who had conceived of a character named ‘The Prowler’ and his father encouragingly showed it to Lee who liked the name and used, while Romita Sr utilized an unused design from the cancelled and unfinished Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine #3 for the character’s costume.

 

First appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #78, Hobart ‘Hobie’ Brown was an inventive and gifted young man who worked as a window washer. When he presented his designs for safety equipment to his racist employer after being prompted by his girlfriend Mindy S. McPherson, Hobie was dismissed before his designs were even seen. Following this and more provocations from his boss, Hobie quit his job. Determined to make something of himself, Hobie decides to use his equipment to steal as ‘The Prowler’ and later recover and return the loot as Hobie to become a hero.

 

 Unfortunately, The Prowler’s first mark was the office of J. Jonah Jameson and he was interrupted by Peter Parker who disguised his change into Spider-Man by flinging himself out of a high window of the Daily Bugle building. Traumatised at the thought he had killed someone, The Prowler attempted to flee only to find himself facing Spider-Man. Using one of his gas pellets to disorientate the web-head, Hobie makes his escape and his racked with guilt over his actions. Hoping to make things right, he decides to lure Spider-Man into a trap in order to catch him and salvage the situation. Having prepared for his gas pellets with a gas filter beneath his mask, Spider-Man this time easily defeats Hobie and learns of his situation, and after assuring him Parker was unharmed, the hero lets him go free (Amazing Spider-Man #79).

 

A short time later, after Peter Parker revealed his super hero identity as Spider-Man to his friends while delirious, he enlists the help of Hobie Brown. Using his Prowler equipment, Hobie poses as Spider-Man in front of Peter’s friends including Captain George Stacy which, unbeknownst to Hobie, allays suspicion and protects Peter’s secret identity. This marks the first time an African American wore the webs, making Hobie Brown the first black Spider-Man way back in 1970 (Amazing Spider-Man #87).

 

 

After Captain Stacy is killed during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, Hobie believes he has been used in a murder plot as a result of the prior favour and sets out as The Prowler again to take down Spider-Man. Injured in the clash, Hobie is taken to a hospital by Spider-Man, who disposes of his Prowler equipment to conceal his friend’s identity. It is worth noting that Hobie and Mindy are considering getting married by this point in time (Amazing Spider-Man #93).

 

Showing up next in the black and white Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu #21, we learn that Hobie married Mindy, found a good job where he is treated with respect and for a year had worked with a kid named Manuel Lopez in a ‘Big Brother’ program. When Manuel is killed and the hero White Tiger aka Hector Ayala is initially blamed, Hobie battles him as The Prowler until convinced he is innocent. It is worth noting that within this same story, in an interlude taking place far away, Abe Brown also makes an appearance.

 

After the debacle of ‘Defender for a Day’ Hobie decides to hang up his suit and he and Mindy move to a house in Queens, but when his suit is stolen and his Prowler identity used to commit a robbery and murder, Spider-Man confronts him before tracking down and stopping the real culprit: ‘Red’ aka The Cat Burglar (Defenders #62-#64, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #47).

 

When Mindy’s job as bookkeeper for Transcorp (a front organisation for corrupt industrialist Justin Hammer) leads to her being framed to take the fall for the company’s shady dealings, Hobie follows a trail to Los Angeles where he teams up with Spider-Man to get the necessary evidence back from The Black Fox to exonerate his wife. As an aside, Mindy is here referred to as ‘Mindy S. Brown’ in a news report (Amazing Spider-Man #304-#305).

 

After a failed attempt to save a fellow construction worker from falling to his death, Hobie designs a compact glider in hopes that it could save others. Unaware of their duplicitous nature and hoping to instil some confidence in her husband, Mindy shows the design to Hammer Industries and tells him they are interested in buying. Concerned about a design flaw and aware of Hammer’s prior involvement in framing Mindy, Hobie breaks into their manufacturing plant to take back his designs, only to find himself confronted with another costumed figure using a prototype of his glider design. After disabling the glider and saving the man from the fall, The Prowler instructs him to declare the glider a failure (Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #9).

We learn in Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #10 that Hobie has been receiving martial arts training from Abraham ‘Abe’ Brown, his brother. Unless I am mistaken, this is the first time we learn they are related, with Hobie lashing out at Abe for leaving him and their mother right after their father was killed. Working for Silver Sable after proving himself during a misunderstanding in Web of Spider-Man #50, The Prowler finds himself outmatched against the White Ninja, who is revealed as Abe, also working for Sable to teach Hobie respect, humility and not to rely on his technology.

So, let us take a look back at Abraham ‘Abe’ Brown who first appeared in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1 as a skilled martial artist who was trained by Master Kee alongside Lin Sun and Robert Diamond in San Francisco. When their master is slain, the three set out to avenge him, each wearing one of the three Jade Tiger Amulet pieces (originating from K’un Lun) as the Sons of the Tiger. During a flashback we learn that at age 10, Abe was attacked by the racist Skull gang which led to him seeking self-defence training from Master Kee (Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu #7). Eventually, the Sons would part ways and their Amulet pieces were used by Hector Ayala to become the White Tiger, though the trio would occasionally reunite and work alongside the likes of Luke Cage, Iron Fist and the Daughters of the Dragon, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing.

 

After several appearances working solo and as part of Silver Sable’s Outlaws team, we get more information about Hobie and Abe’s father in Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #12. Encountering a former soldier who served alongside ‘Tiger’ Brown, the brothers learn how their father was killed in Cambodia more than twenty years prior.

In his first mini-series, Hobie mentions to Abe he has managed ‘since dad split when I was just out of diapers and mom turned to a bottle for comfort’ (The Prowler #1). This statement seems somewhat at odds with what we previously learned about Hobie and Abe’s family history but perhaps ‘Tiger’ left the family before later dying oversees. While Mindy was aware that her husband worked with Silver Sable, she learns of his Prowler identity for the first time in The Prowler #2 following a battle with Nightcreeper, Hobie’s  coworker Eric Cross unknowingly utilizing Prowler technology. Confronted with the question of why he wants to be a hero, Hobie recalls childhood memories of being bullied without the protection of his older brother Abe (The Prowler #3). While he manages to stop the Vulture from taking over at his new job with Bestman Electronics, Mindy moves to California to pursue her career while Hobie remains in New York (The Prowler #4).

Hobie is paralysed while participating in ‘The Great Game’ alongside fellow Outlaw teammate Rocket Racer (Spider-Man Unlimited #14). Learning of his accident, Mindy returns to New York to help care for her husband all while attempting to juggle her career. Hobie’s Prowler equipment is again stolen, this time by emergency room orderly Rick Lawson turned criminal who finds himself targeted for revenge by the Vulture. With the detective work of the hospitalised Hobie, Spider-Man finds and saves Lawson from Vulture’s clutches. Hobie and Mindy tell Spider-Man that his nerve trauma is improving with physical therapy. As a side-note Mindy is again identified as ‘Mindy Brown’, not ‘Mindy McPherson’ (Sensational Spider-Man #16-#18).

With a bounty on his head, Spider-Man enlists Hobie’s expertise to adopt a new identity. Utilizing Hobie’s jet pack, which was too heavy for a normal human to carry, Spider-Man suited up as the superhero Hornet until the Vulture recognized him as the web-swinger and blurted it out (Sensational Spider-Man #25-#28).

 

Alright, that is us caught up to the point the MC2 diverges from the Main Marvel Universe. Now let us do some tidying up. Mindy’s surname is McPherson, but she is sometimes referred to by Hobie’s surname, Brown.  Mindy’s full name is revealed in The Prowler’s profile in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update ‘89 #6 where it is also stated she retains her maiden name, a fact supported by more recent Official Handbooks. As an aside, Manuel ‘Manny’ Lopez is also listed as a known relative in the Update ’89 Prowler profile via the ‘Big Brother’ program, which is also reiterated in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #8 but has been removed from The Prowler profile printed in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Harcover Volume 9.

 

You might have noticed that modern Handbooks mention Hobie has ‘seven other unidentified older siblings’ in addition to Abe. For the longest time I could not figure out where this information came from until I realized it mustn’t be from an appearance of Hobie’s, but one of Abe’s. It was evidently an early appearance too, as it is even referenced the Marvel Legacy: The 1970’s Handbook which confines its information to works published before 1980. Fortunately, after some digging, I found it in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #8.

 

As an added bonus, a family member I haven’t seen referred to in any Handbook: a Grandmother Abe mentions flippantly in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #3, probably because it’s unclear if he’s joking. I will add her to the Brown Family Tree regardless for the sake of being comprehensive.

 

Sadly neither Hobie Brown nor his alter ego The Prowler make an actual appearance in the MC2, though if you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know that the only mention we have of Hobie Brown’s alter ego is in Amazing Spider-Girl #4 where the television celebrity Bounty Hunter Julius ‘Mad Dog’ Rassitano notes he is using ‘The Prowler’s steel-tipped claw’ along with various other gadgets formerly belonging to different super villains.

 

However, it should be noted that Julius also admits later that much of his equipment and gadgets come from his television program’s prop department. I say most because he does also appear to possess some genuine articles, such as confiscating the retractable legs of Stilt-Man when he captured the villain or purchasing the suction-grippers of The Beetle on eBay (Amazing Spider-Girl #5).

 

It is unknown what the status of Hobie Brown is in the MC2’s present-day, but the appearance of his alter ego’s gauntlet gadgets does leave the potential for a future appearance someday should the MC2 ever grace the comics world again.

 

Abe Brown along with fellow Sons of the Tiger, Lin Sun and Robert Diamond all appear in the MC2 proper, in the pages of 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 and we glimpse Iron Fist, the three original members of 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.

 

That is it, everyone! Hopefully you learned something new about the Brown Family Tree. I know I learned a lot while researching the history of Hobie and Abe Brown¸ and I have barely scratched the surface. It is my genuine wish that characters like Hobart ‘Hobie’ Brown’s significance to the comic book medium were recognized and acknowledged by more fans.

 

Until I figure out who the rest of Brown siblings are and why they’ve never appeared, I remain

 

frogoat