Spider-Symmetry: The Sinister and Savage Six

 

Today’s post is part of a very occasional series where I like to highlight the visual or narrative symmetry between the Spider-Man and Spider-Girl comics. For this entry, I wanted to demonstrate a great example, this time from MC2 mainstay and Spider-Girl artist extraordinaire Pat Olliffe.

 

Presented for your consideration, Spider-Girl #25, the double-sized anniversary issue which is probably best known for parallelling and referencing the Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1, the first appearance of the villainous team, the Sinister Six. The references include the introduction of a new generation of six (or is it seven?!) super villains who come together as the Savage Six, the Spidey of the day losing their powers, the kidnapping of two supporting characters and the use of gorgeous splash pages to punctuate each battle. Certainly, credit must go to both writer Tom Defalco and artist Pat Olliffe for this loving tribute to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s original work.

 

What’s less a direct reference or parallel to the first Sinister Six story is the cover to Spider-Girl #25, which doesn’t homage Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. Instead, it references the next Sinister Six story. The Return of the Sinister Six is, appropriately, a six-issue story arc spanning from Amazing Spider-Man #334 to Amazing Spider-Man #339. By now, it’s obvious that the cover of Spider-Girl #25 is an homage to Amazing Spider-Man #337.

 

There’s a lot more to breakdown when it comes to this issue, and it’s obviously just a single example of the literally hundreds of references, homages and continuations present throughout the MC2. But that’s it from me for today!

 

Until I lose my powers either before or after fighting a team of six villains whom I’ve faced separately in the past, I remain

 

frogoat

Does Groot Exist in the MC2?

 

Here’s a fun idea I’ve been batting around in my brain for a little while: What characters could exist in the MC2, but where never seen or weren’t introduced until afterwards? I wanted to start by looking at some of the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy to see who could one day appear in the MC2. I’ll focus on one Guardian member per post, with the subject of today’s speculation and examination being Groot.

 

First, we must consider some rules, ironic though it may seem for a thought experiment such as this. Usually the MC2 point of divergence, ‘cut off point’ or ‘branching point’ is comics published after 1998, when the MC2 imprint began publication. There have been exceptions to this, with some characters who were created after this point appearing in the MC2, such as Anya Corazón aka Araña but we’ll stick with some of the individual characters who would go on to form the Guardians of the Galaxy in the Main Marvel Universe. As you’ll see, this itself poses its own challenges.

 

Going in publication order, our first would-be Guardian is everyone’s favourite Flora Colossus from Planet X, Groot. First appearing in the pre-Marvel era Tales to Astonish #13 in 1960, the Groot introduced is of a very different temperament, declaring he is the monarch of Planet X and plans to take an entire town back to his people for study. Proving impervious to fire and weaponry, Groot controlled the nearby forest to ensnare the town, only to be defeated and seemingly killed by specially grown termites.

While this story occurs before the start of the so-called ‘Marvel Age’ (pre-Fantastic Four #1) Groot’s existence in the Main Marvel Universe is confirmed when the Defenders and Hulk foe Xemnu duplicates various monsters that had visited earth in the past and sends them against the Hulk to wear him down. This Groot dupe was destroyed decisively by the Incredible Hulk, but now we can be certain the events of Groot’s first appearance did happen canonically within the history of the Main Marvel Universe (Incredible Hulk Annual #5).

Remaining obscure for decades, we don’t see Groot in print for a long time, and when we do it’s in a very odd publication. In the pages of Marvel Swimsuit Special #2, which believe it or not has a narrative (shallow and sketchy though it may be) that involves the heroes of the Marvel Universe being summoned to Monster Island by way of the Infinity Gems for a party at the behest of Pip the Troll. While there, twin siblings Aurora and Northstar of the Canadian super team Alpha Flight are observed by Groot and various Moloids while the pair…relax in swimwear. So, Groot is now confirmed to be alive and residing on Monster Island, too.

 

Amusingly, Groot makes another pre-MC2 appearance of sorts, in Sensational Spider-Man #-1. Having read various monster comics before bed, a young Peter Parker dreams he and his Uncle Ben are attacked while on a fishing trip by the monsters, including Groot, until awakening and realising it was all a bad dream. Unbeknownst to him, the dream was the work of the being known as Nightmare.

 

It’s worth mentioning that there is some disagreement, retroactively, about whether the Groot who would go on to meet and join other members of the Guardians of the Galaxy is the same as the one that terrorised the town in Tales to Astonish #13. Fortunately, that’s outside the purview of this blog. Thank goodness!

 

There are some later published stories set during the period we are considering but even if they were included, they certainly do not preclude Groot from existing in the MC2. That is about it for appearances that were published before the MC2 saw publication, but it’s enough to confirm that Groot existed and thus has the potential to appear in a future MC2-set story someday. As a favourite of mine, I’d love to see this wooden titan make an appearance in the MC2, in some, shape or form. Probably in the form of a tree, I guess.

 

Until I manage to work ‘I am Groot’ into my daily lexicon, I remain

 

frogoat 

 

The Cameos of Deadpool and Wolverine [SPOILERS]

 [SPOILER WARNING!]

Where to even begin with the Deadpool and Wolverine cameos?

 

How about at the very beginning? A very good place to start. Right off the bat, Deadpool’s first cameo is…Logan….’s skeleton. This being a different version of the character then the one we’ll be following for the majority of the film’s runtime, it definitely counts, Canuckleheads!

 

Next up we rewind to 6 years prior to see just how Wade Winston Wilson got to this point. After Cable’s little time-watch gadget was repaired at the end of Deadpool 2, not only did Wade take the opportunity to ‘clean up the timeline’ but he also hopped over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe circa March 14 2018 (just a few months prior to the events of Avengers: Infinity War) and had a job interview with Jon Favreau’s Harold ‘Happy’ Hogan. This cameo is multifaceted as not only does Favreau portray Tony Stark’s long-suffering bodyguard and forehead of security, but he directed the first two Iron Man movies which kicked off the MCU. But it’s a deeper cut than you might think, as Jon Favreau also portrayed Franklin ‘Foggy’ Nelson in 2003’s Daredevil opposite Ben Affleck’s Matt Murdock and Jennifer Garner’s Elektra Natchios. The film was only 20^th Century Fox’s second superhero movie based on a Marvel Comic property following 2000s X-Men. Needless to say, it was a brilliant move to include one of superhero cinema’s longest contributors in this movie’s cast.  

 

This next cameo was short, sweet and just a little surprising. This time around they actually got Hugh Jackman to portray a comic accurate Wolverine. That’s right, the 6 foot 2 actor finally got it right after 24 years, losing some height for the role and delivering Marvel fans a 5 foot 3 hirsute iteration of everyone’s second-favourite Canadian killer.

 

While the internet has taken to calling this variant Logan ‘Glam Rock Wolverine’ thanks to his fabulous hair, obscure Broadway musical star ‘Huge Action’ plays the one-armed extreme version of Wolverine seen in the pages X-Men: Alpha #1 as part of the Age of Apocalypse event where a new reality emerges when Charles Xavier is killed by his time-travelling son, Legion. Points for comic accuracy again and bonus points for playing ‘The Power of Love’ song from Back to the Future, too.

Appearing in a tailored white suit and eye patch in what looks like a casino in Madripoor, we get a glimpse of a variant Logan using the iconic ‘Patch’ identity which first debuted in the pages of Marvel Comics Presents #9. Despite the internet’s rampant speculation this was going to be revealed as Daniel Radcliffe based solely on a brief shot of the character’s back from the first trailer, this was, in fact, a different actor from different movie about magic; The Prestige star Hugh Jackman who performs the magic trick of pulling brains out of Wade’s skull.

 

 

Some more rapid-fire cameo Wolverine’s next, as an older, more grizzled, rocking-in-a-rocking-chair Logan proceeds to blow Deadpool away (and not in the good way) with a shotgun. This is likely a reference to the ‘Old Man Logan’ storyline which started in Wolverine (Vol. 3) #66, about an alternate future version of the character. Elements of the story have since inspired the 2017 movie Logan and can be seen in Deadpool and Wolverine.

 

Tem-Portaling to a field of bloodied skulls, Deadpool finds a version of Wolverine nailed to an X-shaped cross. No, Jackman wasn’t auditioning for The Passion of the Christ 2, this is a very literally adapted depiction of the iconic cover to Uncanny X-Men #251. Wade tells this poor variant ‘It’s not you, we’re just going in a different direction!’ before making his exit.

 

Deadpool also briefly encounters a variant Wolverine clad in the comic accurate John Byrne created brown and tan costume. Impressed, Wade comments he thought Logan had fought the Hulk in the costume…right before the not-so-Jolly Green Giant himself shows up. There are three clever references jammed into this brief scene: Wolverine first appeared in a cameo in Incredible Hulk #180 before his full appearance in #181, The reflection of the Hulk in Wolverine’s claws is taken directly from the cover of Incredible Hulk #340 where Logan does indeed wear the costume and ‘Marvel Jesus’ himself, Deadpool, begins to blurt out nearly word for word Loki’s rant from Avengers right before being rag-dolled by the Hulk. For anyone wondering, this Hulk resembles Mark Ruffalo’s incarnation, circa 2012’s Avengers, fittingly.

 

After a beWitchering view from behind, Deadpool identifies this next potential Wolverine recruit as ‘the whole package’. Working on his motorcycle, we meet none other than Henry Cavill as Logan, who is not pleased to see the ‘Merc With A Mouth’. Wade promises to treat him ‘so much better than those shitfucks down the street’, but ‘The Cavill-rine’ responds instead by unloading his mighty biceps on Deadpool. 

 

The montage ends by introducing the movie’s main Wolverine, portrayed by fresh-faced, Australian star of stage and screen known for his role in 1999’s Paperback Hero, Hugh Jackman. While he’s called the ‘the worst Wolverine’ he does don the classic yellow and blue comic costume for the first time in the character’s cinematic history.

 

There’s also a brief shot of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor cradling an apparently deathly-unwell Deadpool in what appears to be repurposed and edited footage from Thor: The Dark World. Paradox quickly turns this off as it’s part of Wade’s ‘important future purpose to serve’. Secret Wars teaser, perhaps?

 

In another brilliant example of recycled actors, our next cameo is the surprise return of Chris Evans! Yes, it turns out that actors who leave iconic Marvel roles end up in The Void. From superhero landings, his way with words, to his iconic blue costume, Evans hasn’t missed a beat, effortlessly slipping back into his role as the best member of his team….the Fantastic Four’s Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch. Flame on!

 

Among the villains working for the movie’s antagonist, Cassandra Nova, we have the return of Tyler Mane as Sabretooth from 2000’s first X-Men movie and he’s actually given dialogue this time!

 

We also see a version of Toad that resembles the character as he appeared in 2000’s X-Men portrayed by Ray Park. It’s unclear if this is a returning Park, best known for his performance as Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace, though his response on social media implies it is. Either way, Toad uses his intellect and prehensile tongue to capture Wolvie and DP. Do you know what happens to Wolverine when he’s struck by a magnetised Sentinel leg?

Update: Toad is portrayed by Daniel Medina Ramos, as confirmed in his Instagram.

A standout among Cassandra Nova’s army in the Void is Aaron Stanford, marking his return to the role of Pyro for the first time since X2: X-Men United and X-Men 3: The Last Stand. It’s also nice to see him in a more comic book inspired costume this time around.

 

 

The chunky X-Men villain The Blob returns to our screens, this time portrayed by independent wrestler Mike Waters also known as ‘Bulk’ of the UK Pitbulls, following in the footsteps of Kevin Durand in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Gustav Claude Ouimet in an (ironically) small appearance from X-Men: Apocalypse. Waters said in an interview he got the role because he is ‘naturally fat’. It’s basically the part I was born to play.’

 

We get out second skeletal cameo of the film, with the return of everyman hero and immortal funny man, Paul Rudd….’s dead body. Yes, everyone’s seen from the trailers that Cassandra Nova’s base of operations is, in fact, the massive remains of Giant-Man. Deadpool quips ‘Paul Rudd’s finally aged’ but he still looks gorgeous! This may or may not be the remains of one of the Ant-Men seen expiring in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. A Giant-Man corpse also appears in the original Old Man Logan story, so this is another direct reference.

 

Billy Clements takes on the role of ‘The Russian,’ the red and white striped hitman sent to kill Thomas Jane’s version of Frank Castle in the 2004 movie, The Punisher. The role was originally filled by professional wrestler Kevin Nash. There are various returning minor antagonists portrayed by new actors in this film, including…

 

The red demonic teleporting mutant called Azazel, seen on-screen portrayed by Jason Flemying in X-Men: First Class and stated to have died off-screen in X-Men: Days of Future Past is here apparently played by an uncredited actor, recently identified as Eduardo Gago Muñoz.

 

The same is true for new but visually similar cameo versions of Lady Deathstrike (formerly played by Kelly Hu in X2: X-Men United, here played by Jade Lye), Callisto (previously played by Dania Ramirez in X-Men: The Last Stand, here by Chloe Kibble), Bullseye with forehead markings (played brilliantly by Colin Farrell in the 2003 Daredevil movie, here played by Curtis Rowland Small),and a Psylocke (portrayed here by Ayesha Hussain, previously played by Mei Melançon in X-Men: The Last Stand and later to visual perfection by Olivia Munn in X-Men: Apocalypse-I hope she’s winning her battle with cancer). No jokes here.

 

Sorry, can't find any pictures of Ayesha HussainAyesha Hussain as Psylocke yet.

Finally, there are cameos from new versions of Quill, previously portrayed by Ken Leung in X-Men: The Last Stand with a female version here played by Nilly Cetin, and Archlight once portrayed by Omahyra Mota now brought to the screen by Jessica Walker.  

A new Juggernaut variant appears, now played by Aaron W. Reed wearing a helmet and costume very similar to the version worn by Vinnie Jones in X-Men : The Last Stand. Counting Deadpool 2’s surprise third act reveal of Juggernaut, voiced by Ryan Reynolds and modelled on director David Leitch, Reed is now the third Juggernaut to appear on the big screen. I hope he doesn’t let it go to his head, it could prove to be his Achilles heel. 😉

 

Alioth, the massive smoke monster that devours everyone who gets cast into The Void (as we learned -and Deadpool recalls- from Loki Season One, Episode Five) returns to collect the rent i.e. Logan and Wade. CGI? Yes! Cameo? Yes! Rent? No!

 

Perhaps the greatest and most adorable cameo of any movie ever: Peggy the Dog, winner of the Britain’s Ugliest Dog Award makes her big screen debut as Mary Puppins aka Dogpool. And she’s a good girl, yes she is! Yes she is!

 

irresponsible pet owner and all around negligent nice guy, Nicepool shows up, portrayed by [checks notes] Ryan Reynolds identical twin brother, Gordon Reynolds. Huh. Okay. Looks just like him, aye? Deadpool covets both Nicepool’s twin golden guns and Mary Puppins, though I doubt this subplot will lead to anything. Nicepool does mention Lady Deadpool, who recently had a Babypool and still looks incredible. Moving on!

 

Meeting the resistance members out in the borderlands, Logan and Wade are introduced to some mighty impressive returning actors and one who never got the chance. Making her return as Elektra Natchios and rocking a new costume reminiscent of both her previous on-screen outfits we have Jennifer Garner back for the first time in nearly twenty years!

 

Next up we have the grandaddy of modern comic book movies, Blade himself, Mr Wesley Snipes, looking as sharp as ever. Blade states he doesn’t like Reynold’s Deadpool, who responds ‘You never did’. This is a biting reference to Snipes and Reynolds reported on-set feud during the production of Blade: Trinity where Reynolds portrayed Hannibal King, his first comic book role.

 

Following this, Channing Tatum makes his on-screen debut as Remy LeBeau aka Gambit, a role he has pursued since being unavailable to play the character in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. His dream was seemingly snuffed out when Fox was bought out by Disney, hence some references to the character feeling like he’d always been in The Void and the world never learned about him.

 

Deadpool and Wolverine were brought to the resistance by none other than X-23 now called Laura, the cloned daughter of Wolverine in 2017’s Logan played again by Dafne Keen. I’d make a joke here but it’s just a nice feeling seeing the character again, alive and grown up.

 

Considering the Time Variance Authority play a big part in the plot, it’s nice to see B-15 return and still portrayed by Wunmi Mosaku, who seems to be in a more senior position since the end of Loki Season Two.

We are on the home stretch now, folks! A whole Deadpool Corps shows up led by Lady Deadpool (voiced by Reynolds wife and fellow actor Blake Lively) alongside Headpool (with the disembodied voice of Nathan Fillion), The Deadpool Kid aka Cowboypool (voiced by Mathew McConaughey, alright, alright, alright), Babypool (Reynolds and Lively’s youngest, Ollin Reynolds), Kidpool (Inez Reynolds, making this a whole family affair).

In addition, we also have Reynold’s team Wrexham A.F.C. player Paul Mullin portraying ‘Welshpool’, Ryan Reynolds’ stunt double Alex Kyshkovych plays Canadapool and an unidentified actor portrays Scottishpool. There are several more Deadpool variants amid the Deadpool Corps including Deadpool 2099, Watari aka The Fool, Golden Age Deadpool, Zenpool, a Pirate Deadpool and apparently a Welsh Knightpool. Oh, and according to the credits, dancing Nick Pauley performs Deadpool’s opening dance moves, being billed as ‘Dancepool’.

 

During the ruckus there is a cameo from the late, great Stan ‘The Man’ Lee via a poster on the side of a bus which includes his birth year of 1922. This means all three Deadpool movies have paid tribute to Marvel’s most iconic creator.

 

Saving the best for last, ‘Peterpool’ aka Wade’s friend Peter arrives to save the day, being a constant in all the Deadpool’s realities, they are all happy to see him. With his big dick energy, Peter helps convinces B-15 that Deadpool belongs in this reality.

 

Those were all the cameos we spotted in Deadpool and Wolverine. If there’s any we missed, leave a comment and call us idiots for missing some obscure, blurry figure in the background of a scene. Go on, we dare you, nerds!