This issue contains three stories covering sixty plus years of everybody’s favorite mouse. In the first story, Mikey and Goofy have taken to the high seas trying to rescue Mikey’s archeologist friend Eurasia. This originally appeared in Italy in 2005. The Italians do love their comics. It shows with Giorgio Cavazzano’s art which gorgeous. Mickey, Goofy, and Eurasia take on a mad scientist bent on taken over the world. The scientist has an army of purple goons and a giant robot. The story is fun and filled with adventure. Just not sure how much today’s younger reader would appreciate it. Indeed some of the references like “Goodnight Gracie” will fly over their heads. This might make for a more nostalgic read.
The second story features Goofy and his bird friend Ellsworth. Ellsworth is a fairly forgotten character these days. He’s kind of a tough guy bird with a heart of gold or at least silver. Think Jimmy Cagney as this was written in the 50s. In this filler feature, he is protecting a nest of baby birds from a cat. Once again the art is glorious as this is from back in the days when papers seemed to care about Sunday comics and didn’t shrink them. The story though will appeal more to older readers than younger. Still it’s a sweet, easy read.
The third story, once again stars Mickey and Goofy, this one from Brazilian Mickey in 1981. This is a jungle romp with Mickey’s futuristic friend Eega Beeva and his pet Pflip and a magic fountain of legend. The “bad guys” are a bunch of elves called the Gneezle Gnob who are just trying to protect their land. The story has a quirky “Little Abner” feel. Using phrasing like “Hankering,” “Keen” and “Pardon my Presumption” could be confusing to today’s younger reader but once again an enjoyable look at Mickey for older readers.
Summary: a fun glimpse of Mickey and company through the decades. The character has been drawn remained remarkably constant which says something for the enduring feel and appeal of the world’s most famous mouse.
Publisher: IDW
Story 1: Shadow of the Colossus (2/2)
Writer: Andrea Castellan
Artist: Giorgio Cavazzano
From Italian Topolino 2005
Story 2: Cat Crusader
Writer: Bill Walsh
Artist: Manuel Gonzales
From: Mickey Mouse Sunday comic 1951
Story 3: Second Childhood at Gneezle Gnob
Writer: Ivan Saidenberg
Artist Roberto O. Fukue
From Brazilian Mickey 348, 1981
The MTV Movie Awards are great for one thing… dropping tons of new trailers and clips. And between a super heroes and giant apes, Newt Scamander passed through customs in the new trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The one place you won’t find a lot of fantastic beasts, is in this trailer. But we do learn that Scamander (played by Eddie Redmayne) was expelled from Hogwarts for endangering student lives with one of his animals. We also learn that Albus Dumbledore was in Scamander’s corner trying to keep him from getting the boot.
Outside of that, we get the opportunity to see more of his magical suitcase. As Scamander’s goes through customs he recognizes his beast-carrying trunk needs to be fixed and then with a push of a “muggle button” made the contents look harmless. We also get more of a sense of just how big the suitcase can be when Scamander, not only walks inside of it, but appears to be descending down stairs or a ladder.
After A New Preview, Suicide Squad’s Team Of Bad Guys Is Looking Good
Following the most recent trailer for the second DC films this year, the hype for ‘Suicide Squad‘ continues to grow. The newest preview dives into the story & the characters in the film even more. Characters like El Diablo and Killer Croc finally get some lines while we now see even more of Jared Leto’sJoker. The real centerpiece of this and every other trailer has been Harley Quinn. The face of the film, the sadistic and sarcastic clown really makes these trailers so good.
But who are all these characters? This trailer is jam-packed with more characters than an average Marvel movie; most of them being relatively new for the casual fan. So I’ll break down the important players in the film, giving key points about each.
1. Amanda Waller
-We start with the woman in charge of this entire suicide mission. Amanda Waller in the comic book is often the leader of A.R.G.U.S., a secretive US federal agency known for their shady practices. She is seemingly playing the same role in the film, her shady attitude very apparent. Played by the incredible Viola Davis, the film is lucky to have such a strong actor to lead this insane cast. It’s going to be great to see Davis bring this hated character to life. Let’s hope she make it out of this film alive so we can see her in later movies.
2. Harley Quinn
-Usually the girlfriend of The Joker and always an insane bad-ass, Harley Quinn is one of the most beloved characters in all of the DC franchise. Played in her first movie appearance by Margot Robbie, Quinn will be the centerpiece of this wild film. Though she isn’t the leader like Deadshot or Rick Flag but she is one of the most deadly on the team. You also shouldn’t let her bubbly persona fool you, she is highly intelligent as well. Will the public love her as much the comic fans?
3. Deadshot
-When Will Smith signed on for Deadshot, many people were shocked as the character has never been depicated as a black man. And after Smith’s first “superhero” film ‘Hancock‘, fans were also concerned. After a couple of clips in the trailers, people are finally starting to come around. The costume design for Deadshoot is nearly perfect & his skills with guns have been on display. Everything fans could ask for is here. Smith also brings some much needed humor to the role.
4. Rick Flag
-Even to some big fans of the DC franchise, Rick Flag is a character not many people are familiar with. In the film, he is hired by Amanda Waller to make sure nothing goes wrong on the mission. The third generation military man, Flag was originally supposed to be played by Tom Hardy but Joel Kinnaman ended up with the role. While he isn’t as interesting as some of the more colorful characters, Rick Flag will play an excellent straight-man to all the fun chaos.
5. The Joker
-Having been recently played by Heath Ledger in ‘The Dark Knight‘, no one was ready for another Joker. But you can’t tell a ‘Suicide Squad‘ story without the clown prince looming in the background. This new version of Batman’s most infamous villain is unlike anything we’ve seen before. Covered in tattoos and dressed like a mobster, this Joker garish style stands out among the rest. But Jared Leto still encapsulates the clown with his iconic laugh & utter insanity. Little is known about his role in the film but one can assume it involves his lover Harley.
6. Enchantress
-Completely re-vamped for the big screen, this version of Enchantress is rumored to play a major role in this film. Her comic book self is sometimes known to be possessed by an evil entity and it looks like this story could be playing out here. The ‘Suicide Squad’ needs a mission and this witch, played by Cara Delevingne, could be it. Will this evil entity need to be taken down by the team? We’ve seen a mysterious tree-like creature in the trailers; could this be her magic?
7. Captain Boomerang
-George Harkness, who is more commonly known as Captain Boomerang, is one of The Flash’s many villains. More annoying than dangerous, Boomerang is still someone to not be messed with. Played by Jai Courtney, the character has gotten the most screen time out of the secondary characters. If it’s fighting, drinking a beer, or hitting on Katana, Boomerang might be a “cant-miss” character in the film. Without the Scarlet Speedster around, who will he bother now?
Who are you most excited to see? Does Leto’s Joker interest you? Are you excited to see a live-action Harley? Does this look better than ‘Batman v Superman‘? Let me know in the comments below!
A few weeks ago, the interwebs reported that WB was putting tens of millions of dollars into Suicide Squad reshoots that would give the movie more jokes. This was reportedly in response to criticisms of Batman v. Superman for being humorless. And I wrote an article about it.
Well, as further proof that I fell for an April Fools joke (when I could’ve sworn that this was online the day before), a new Suicide Squad trailer was released during the MTV Awards, with never-before-seen funny parts. And the second Wayne’s World song that they’ve used in these trailers (Bohemian Rhapsody and Ballroom Blitz). My favorite of the new jokes that WB must’ve spent millions on is when the fire guy can’t drink alcohol. Enjoy the trailer while I go drink some myself.
Suicide Squad is coming out August 5th. The film stars Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as The Joker, Will Smith as Deadshot, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. Directed by David Ayer.
Brand new television podcast, Telly Buddies, goes in-depth into lots of television topics, based off new shows and news stories. Episode 1 covers the S06 finale of The Walking Dead, and all the faults that came with it. We also discuss the role of Punisher in Daredevil’s second season, and Louis CK’s move from FX to his new web series, Horace & Pete. To go along with such light-hearted material, we kick off the conversation with deaths we found to be particularly moving.
FAIR WORD OF WARNING: The Telly Buddies Podcast contains spoilers for shows like The Walking Dead, Arrow, and House of Cards. We also discuss deaths from shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Breaking Bad, so while those shows have been out for a while, you’ll want to be wary if you’re hoping to keep those shows a surprise for yourself.
Telly Buddies podcast is hosted by Jon Barr, an avid TV fan and writer on Monkeys Fighting Robots (if you didn’t guess). Guests this week are Josh Corrigan, Andres Osorio, and Emma Layden. Artwork created by Scott Ginsberg, and intro/outro music is “Nevermind the Books,” as performed by Mourning Todds.
Telly Buddies Topics Covered (In Order)
-New Stories: New Netflix series, Powerpuff Girls reboot
-TV Deaths that we found particularly shocking/moving
-Punisher’s role in the Marvel Netflix-verse, and the possibility of a solo series
-Louis CK’s Horace and Pete, and the possible end of Louie
-The season six finale of The Walking Dead, and the recent death on Arrow
Do you have any topics you’d like to hear about? Send any television-related questions to tellybuddiespodcast@gmail.com. Also, follow us on Twitter @TellyBuddies, and subscribe to our SoundCloud feed, which is currently the only platform the podcast is available on (though that is hopefully going to be updated soon).
The second Suicide Squad trailer is here, and this time Batman swings into the action. We get a ton of new footage here, and the tone of the movie – much in question following the failure of Batman v Superman – looks light and breezy. And pretty exciting.
Here it is:
It’ll be interesting seeing Affleck’s Batman here as a supporting player, mere months after stumbling out of the gate in Zack Snyder’s epic misfire. The cast looks game (even Jai Courtney) and the ground-eleven aesthetics of David Ayer should be a breath of fresh air.
CBS’ ‘Supergirl’ has had a good solid freshman year. The show has some kinks but it seems to realize that and has been working on them. All in all, it’s nice to watch another superhero on TV who actually enjoys being a superhero and truly wants to make the world a better place.
Despite Kara’s physical and mental strength she still deals with the angst of being and alien on Earth who unlike her famous cousin remembers her home planet and those she lost. Melissa Benoist does a fantastic job making you love and feel for the character. Hopefully, no matter what the fate of the show, Benoist will be nominated for an Emmy. While ‘Supergirl’ isn’t assured of a second season yet, CBS has hinted on a pickup. Currently, the show is getting around a 1.7 with that cherished 18-48 demographic. That makes ‘Supergirl’ CBS’s second-highest rated new show. The signs look promising for the second season.
Here are a few suggestions for that season:
Figure out what to do with Jimmy Olsen
Is he a love interest for Kara or not? After the now forgotten kiss, he appears to be. Let’s avoid the Cheers “Sam and Diana” will they or won’t they tension. Flash did that with Iris and Barry; it grows old fast. Pick a role and stick with it.
Arrow / Supergirl cross-over
Or dare we ask, bring Flash back? This time, maybe have the girl of steel visit their Earth? Though that might be trickier to do having CW sets on a CBS show. Whatever the case, it would be wonderful to have Kara interact with these characters from this slightly different Earth. Her dynamic with Barry was a joy to watch.
Maxwell Lord has already tried and failed to clone Supergirl once. He’s not the type of guy to accept failure. A more functional clone: i.e. Power Girl would appear to be the next logical step. (Anyone know why Supergirl is one word and Power Girl two?)
Speaking of Maxwell Lord, is he a good guy, a bad guy or something in between? He’s been inconsistent this season. Sometimes he wants to outright stop Supergirl or control a super being. On other occasions, he helps out as only a rich genius can. The writing team needs to figure out his place in the world. This Earth already has Lex Luthor, don’t believe they need another one.
Two words: Green Lantern
Supergirl is constantly dealing with powerful aliens the Green Lantern and the Lantern Corps seem like a logical superhero to add. A much better match than with its sister CW shows. Having Green Lantern, Supergirl and Martian Manhunter flying through the sky would fill many a comic geek’s heart with glee.
With Cadmus in existence, it seems only natural for Lucy Lane to become Superwoman. This could make an interesting twist on Kara and Lucy’s friendly rivalry. Cadmus converting James Harper into the shield wielding Guardian would appear to be something well within their grasp.
For possible foes: Mister Mxyzptik or his wife and better half Ms. Gzptisnz. Either of these two (or perhaps the dual) would be formidable and interesting opponents. Gzptisnz having a crush on Jimmy, perhaps? As powerful as Kara is she is vulnerable to magic. Going up against either of these two would force her to rely on her wits. Since we don’t know what happened to the real Hank Henshaw, in theory, he is alive and could show up in season 2 as Cyborg Superman. Of course in this world, he might be more of a Martian Manhunter hater with J’onn being very responsible for his “death”.
One of the biggest missteps this season was having Cat figure out that Kara is Supergirl and then tricking her into thinking she was wrong. Cat has been in many ways a mentor to Supergirl. She should be a full-fledged member of the team. Actually, it’s quite possible Cat knows but isn’t letting on.
One day, Noriko Sonosaki tells her classmate Katsuhira Agata, “You have been selected to be a Kiznaiver.” The Kizuna System, which allows Katsuhira to share his wounds, connects him to the classmates whose lives and personalities completely differ from his. The Kizuna System is an incomplete system for the implementation of world peace that connects people through wounds. All those who are connected to this system are called Kiznaivers. When one Kiznaiver is wounded, the system divides and transmits the wound among the other Kiznaivers. Sugomori City is built on reclaimed land, but as the years go by, the city’s population is decreasing. The story is set in this town where Katsuhira and the others live.
So I ‘m gonna go into this thing with some prerequisite so people know where I’m coming from. I am a total Gainax/TRIGGER fanboy and love almost everything they make. That being said, I am going into Kiznaiver completely expecting to love it. However that won’t deter me from reviewing it properly. If anything I’ll be more judgmental because I hold TRIGGER’s work in high regards. Just be prepared that there might be some gushing to come.
The series starts off strong with have a unique art style and direction to it. Already you know that this will be a show unlike you have ever seen and its something that will stick in your mind from all the other new shows coming out. Most of this episode is character intro and teases the plot. Of course there is a huge mystery as to why the “Kizuna System” was really invented. I assume it wasn’t the reason that Noriko said it was solely on the account of it being the first episode. Also I don’t really agree with how she sees the world and reason for violence. Personally I think empathy goes longer than people think and sharing pain would do little to weigh in on things that come down to your ideals and choices you make at an individual and personal level. That’s not a fault of the show, but its an ideal that people (myself included) will have to fight with as we let the story play out. I’ll give Kiznaiver the benefit of the doubt solely on pedigree and say that philosophy will blow up in Noriko’s face.
Everything was delivered in a really clean and to the point manner. Never was there really any down time in what was going on, and that’s what I like to see in first episodes. Already were getting to at least know what everyone is like off the bat and don’t have to waste time with things that don’t really matter. Those can come later once we care enough about the characters and want to see them doing pointless things. The directing was incredible, but what can I expect from the man who worked under the pupilage of Hiroyuki Imaishi. That TRIGGER style along with Mari Okada‘s emotional storytelling seem to fit well together and really lets them play with emotions that may seem too cartoony in other shows.
Ultimately I can’t say anything bad about this show just yet except for the fact that it might turn out into a show that preaches a lot. And unless those views are important enough it may end up pushing me way. I’m expecting big things from the main character as well. As he is now I feel I could grow very cold towards him in the next episode if they don’t give me some back story to him. All together the characters are pretty blatant in their typing, which is intentional. But that makes them hard to talk about now. This is going to be a big character piece with a load of interconnecting themes in it, so I’m trying to get as deep as I can. This show won’t necessarily be for everyone, but if it was I think it would lose some of the heart I feel its going for. So I implore all of you to check it out and see if it will be one of those shows that will shake your heart up. It certainly seems like it will be that way for me.
Last weekend WWE’s biggest event of the year, Wrestlemania, entered the history books and brought big moments, big matches and everything else that goes along with the flagship show. This year NXT also staged their big event on the Friday, Takeover: Dallas, to go along with the main roster’s show. While Takeover: Dallas was met with near universal praise, the same couldn’t be said for Wrestlemania 32 which received a distinctly mixed reaction when all was said and done. Inevitably for a show that clocked in at four hours, the show had its positives and negatives with everyone having a different opinion.
After watching both shows as they aired, I wanted to focus on the positives of WWE’s offering for the biggest weekend of the year for pro wrestling. While there was no shortage of highlights, I’ve picked my top five to rise to the top.
Shinsuke Nakamura Vs Sami Zayn from NXT Takeover: Dallas
This match was always going to have a tough time meeting the hype, with the combination of being Nakamura’s WWE debut, Zayn’s likely NXT swansong and the sheer fact that two of wrestling’s best were getting in the ring together at a big show. Fortunately not only did they meet the hype head on, they far surpassed it delivering not only the match of the weekend but I’d argue the match of the year so far.
Nakamura gave a shining example of why he’s known as the king of strong style, along with Zayn delivering a hard-hitting, intense match that pulled the audience in and refused to let go. Helped by a great NXT crowd, the match reached that special place that every pro wrestling match aspires too, making you forget it’s scripted and believing it’s two men who are trying to win the match with every move they made. It’s impossible to do this match justice in a brief description, but I will say if you only watch one match from this weekend make it this one.
American Alpha Vs The Revival
I’ll confess, going into this weekend I badly wanted to see American Alpha win this match and the titles but then again judging from the crowd reaction so did most of Dallas. Their path to a title match has been long, really gaining momentum during the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament with their personality, athleticism and match quality gaining fans as they went. After they began issuing challenges to and beating former NXT Tag Champions it almost became awkward that they weren’t getting, at least, a title match. Well, the wait was worth it as they took the titles on the biggest stage NXT has to offer and did so in an excellent match in front of an electric crowd.
As the match progressed the energy and momentum just kept picking up until it seemed like the roof was going to come off, Jordan and Gable making you believe they wanted to win more than life itself and were leaving it all in the ring. While the Revival will have their detractors, they play a classic heel tag team to perfection which is exactly what’s needed for these set-ups and in this case made American Alpha’s victory mean that much more. Remember it takes two to tango and without The Revival to play the foil I don’t think this would have been as great a match as we got.
The Three Man Dream Team
Wrestlemania just wouldn’t be Wrestlemania without a moment with a few Legends making an appearance. While it seems to now be impossible for WWE to have these appearances without hurting their current talent, and this was no different, this was, at least, a fun way of working with some big names and bringing that sense of nostalgia with Stunners, Beers, vintage Shawn Michaels and a Mr. Socko thrown in for good measure. While I wasn’t a fan of The Rock’s appearance and what he did, this was good and while it was widely predicted there would be appearances from Austin and Michaels with the show being in Texas, their level of involvement was a pleasant surprise and the kind of thing only Wrestlemania delivers.
Women’s Title Triple Threat
As a good a match as this was, and it was a good one, it was almost as much about what it meant for women’s wrestling now and going forward. This was the first match for the new Women’s Title Belt, a departure from the Divas title and it’s Butterfly belt that was a symptom of how women’s wrestling was being perceived in WWE regardless of any “Divas Revolution”. It was also WWE’s three best women wrestlers on the main card of Wrestlemania for the title while the other women, many of whom seem to be focused on the reality show Total Divas occupied the pre-show in a match designed to provide material for said show. While maybe unfair on the likes of Natalya and Emma, for the majority of the Divas in that match the placing was right, and it felt good to finally see things in the right order finally.
As for the match itself while I still believe Sasha Banks should have been walking away Champion and the antics of Ric Flair finally countered, it was a fine match, finally showcasing what these women are capable of given the time and stage to do it. Triple threat matches are a tough match to pull of and can often hurt a situation but not this time, giving all three competitors parts to play. Hopefully, there will be more of this to come now we have a Women’s division and not a Divas division.
Enzo and Big Cass make it to the Big Stage
Raw featured some interesting debuts from NXT talent, but the one that was right on so many levels was the introduction of Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy to the main roster. Enzo and Big Cass delivered one of the best moments and promos of the weekend, while it gave maximum effect if you were familiar with them from NXT it was a great introduction if you weren’t. They’ve been the most popular team on NXT for the longest time now, and the timing was right to make the step up, and it was the right place as when their music hit the “smartest” crowd of the year knew who they were and reacted as you’d hope. The promo was awesome, it established who Enzo and Cass were and what they were about, and it was different to anything seen on the main roster, it felt fresh and that’s exactly how it should be. It was against the right team too as, say what you will about their current run but the Dudley Boyz are one of the best tag teams out there with the, experience and credibility to totally make a team like Enzo and Cass. Hopefully a proper feud comes out of this as that would be the best way for the guys to make their start on the big stage. Now if only Carmella could join them we’d be all set…
That’s not to say there isn’t anything else of note or quality on those shows, and I’d certainly recommend anybody watch Takeover: Dallas from beginning to end as it was just that great a show.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about Wrestlemania 32, the years biggest (and longest) show populated by too many average matches and lack of drama, surprise and anything notable happening storyline or otherwise.
Hopefully, as we go on through the year, we’ll get more moments and matches like the ones above and less of the rest.
Marvel’s Studio’s big boss Kevin Feige recently told Entertainment Weekly that other Marvel Cinematic Universe characters could appear in the new not-yet-named Spider-Man stand alone movie starring Tom Holland.
While this news initially led to some character-overload-induced PTSD (I’m looking at you Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3) the possibilities of Spidey being joined by some amazing friends is pretty intriguing. Chances are this will be more of a “Falcon in Ant-Man” than “Falcon in Winter Soldier” situation. Still, it wasn’t that long ago that we thought we’d never be able to see the Webslinger team up with anyone on the big screen.
So who could it be? Let’s run down some Vegas-style odds.
THE LONG SHOTS
Guardians of the Galaxy
Peter Parker meets Peter Quill? Unless both of them sharing the same first name is a running joke through the movie I just can’t see this team up happening. Also, the Guardians are in SPACE. Marvel isn’t doing Spidey in Space until at least the third sequel. On top of everything else, and this might be the most important reason, Marvel hasn’t seemed keen on the idea of paring the Star Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot with anyone else.
ODDS: 1/100
Anyone From Netflix
When I was a kid my favorite comics were the team ups between Daredevil and Spidey. They made a good team and share a major common enemy: Kingpin. In the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon he teams up with Luke Cage and Iron Fist. However, the Netflix MCU members are already slated to team up with each other. Plus, whether it’s Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage or Punisher the Netflix MCU is so much darker than the movie MCU. Just doesn’t seem like a match.
ODDS: 1/75
The New Guys
Black Panther and Doctor Strange seem unlikely since their stand alone movies haven’t been released yet. Of the two Doctor Strange is the more likely candidate, but even then is Marvel going to take Spidey’s first movie into the mystical realm.
ODDS: 1/50
THE UNDERDOGS
The Sidekicks
Falcon, Winter Soldier, War Machine, Hawkeye and (unfortunately) Black Widow are already playing second fiddle to other heroes (most of them to Captain America). Any of them could make an appearance similar to Falcon in Ant-Man but it seems like that well is drying up. Plus– if Black Widow has to play a sidekick in yet another movie (Iron Man 2 & Captain America: Winter Soldier), Marvel is going to face some serious backlash. Just give Black Widow her own movie already.
ODDS: 1/30
Hulk
Another hero with a history of Spidey team ups. This is your ultimate big buddy/small buddy match up (sort of a super Ren and Stimpy). While I think there is a lot of room for fun here, it doesn’t seem very likely. Hulk is currently MIA, mostly like in space somewhere, and it sounds like the big guy already has a buddy film lined up in Thor: Ragnarock.
ODDS: 1/25
Thor
Maybe Thor is best served to be a team-up guy. His stand alone movies have been among the worst Marvel has made, but is a solid part of the Avengers. Thor’s serious demeanor and the fact that he’s still learning Earth’s culture could make him a fun straight man for Spider-Man. But like Hulk, he’s already had a buddy film coming out so a second seems less than ideal so I gave them the same odds.
ODDS: 1/25
Ant-Man
There aren’t enough jokes and quips to go around for Peter Parker and Scott Lang. While I like the spider/ant connection, this is another that seems unlikely. Besides, Ant-Man is slated for a team-up movie in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
ODDS: 1/20
YOU’RE SAYING THERE’S A CHANCE
Captain America
Apparently on opposite sides of Civil War these two would be awesome to see on the same side. This would set up as a mentor/student sort of setup as Cap could teach Peter Parker what it means to be a hero. While there’s some potential here, I could see a scenario where Captain America’s presence would be too distracting in a movie aiming to establish Spider-Man as cornerstone of the MCU.
ODDS: 1/15
Second-Tier Avengers
We’re talking Vision, Scarlett Witch and Quicksliver. There are two things going for this group. First, they all have a history of team up or against Spidey in the comics, so there’s some source material. Second, they have the least amount of exposure of all the established MCU characters and there are no plans for stand alone movies for them at this point.
Working against them? Quicksilver is most likely dead, so that’s a problem. Vision seems like a weird fit to me. Scarlet Witch seems like the most likely candidate of the three, but does Spidey need another woman in his life?
ODDS: 1/10
THE FOOL’S BET
Iron Man
A lot of reason to think Tony Stark is the most likely to appear. Robert Downey, Jr. has appeared in the most MCU movies (three Iron Man movies, two Avengers, 1 Captain America, and a brief appearance at the end of The Incredible Hulk). We already know that Spider-Man is on Team Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War (at least in the trailer) so it makes since that Tony Stark and “Underoos” would team up here. If it means there’s a chance we get to see Iron Spider I’m all for it.
There’s one big problem here: there’s a chance Tony dies in Civil War. One work around could be to make this movie a prequel to Civil War and explain how the two end up on the same side.
ODDS: If Tony survives Civil War- 1/5. If he dies- 1/100
THE FAVORITE
Nick Fury
We saw last saw Fury at the end of Age of Ultron, but we haven’t seen him mentioned in Civil War. So where does the former leader of Shield stand? I guess only Feige knows. Still, Samuel L. Jackson is my odds-on favorite. Jackson has appeared in more MCU movies than everyone but Downey, Jr. and has even made cameos in Marvel’s Agents of Shield. He’s like the rug in The Dude’s room… he ties the whole universe together.
You could use Fury in one of two ways, either as small presence in the end credits or you could even steal the premise from Ultimate Spider-Man and have Fury come in to train Spider-Man to be a better, more efficient hero. Either works for me.
ODDS: 2/3
Those are my odds. What do you think? Leave a comment and let’s talk.
