10 - The Best Marvel Superhero Part Two

10 - The Best Marvel Superhero Part Two

Counting down my top seven superheroes in this instalment, I get around to answering the question of who my actual favourite superhero.

Honorary Mention - Frogman 

Frogman is truly something different in the world of superheroes and for this list, I thought someone like him should at least rear his head. At this point in time I don't honestly know enough about Frogman to consider him a favourite, but his name popped into my head when writing this so if you want to know more, go research yourself! Or ask and maybe I'll do it for you!

Okay! Back to the list!

7 - Scarlet Spider

Before you get confused, this isn't Spider-Man!!!
This is Kaine Parker, and yes that is Parker like Peter Parker.
That is because Kaine is Peters clone.
Seriously.
CLONE.
Now I like Kaine because he became a hero in his own right. His memories and persona made him one thing, but he stood out and made himself into an individual. Although I may not agree with his anti hero persona at times, I agree that it makes him different to the original Spidey.

6 - Wiccan 

I can't explain what it is, but I really like Wiccan.
He's just one of those heroes I just really like.
For no reason whatsoever.
Wiccan is different, but similar. He's the son of Scarlet Witch (That's a whole other story in itself) and is the equivalent to Thor in the young Avengers team. He's a strong character and stands out as being an openly gay hero, which is nice to be acknowledged in this way by Marvel.

5 - Nico Minoru

Nico Minoru is a member of the very popular Marvel team, Runaways and has a lot on her plate:
She finds out her parents are evil sorcerers
Her parents kill in front of her
She runs away with other super villain kids
Her first boyfriend attempts to kill her friends
So all in all, her life as a "Superhero" pretty much sucks to start with. After this is what interests me.
The complexity of her relationships with the other characters is portrayed really well and you start to empathise with her character. She's down to earth and develops a personality which seems less like fiction and more like a real person

4 - Singularity

Singularity is very new to the marvel universe and she's amazing. She's got an unknown level of power and has the mental state of a child. All that appeals to me in a character, but what stood out is her amazing level of understanding for moral code. In the end of her story arc, she sacrifices herself to save her new friends. This is a character, with a low mental age who knows how to make a sacrifice and does so without even thinking about it, when other heroes would shy away. She was a hero that was unexpected and won me over

3 - Ultimate Spider-man 

Yes, I know there's another spider-man on this list, but I do prefer this Spidey. When Marvel relaunched their series in an Ultimate universe, Peter Parker went back to his roots as a teenager, yet what captivated me was that he didn't get to grow up. This is because he gave the ultimate sacrifice. First, he discovers the Goblin and sinister six have escaped from prison and tracks them down. On his way, he finds captain america being shot at with a sniper and Spidey swoops in and puts himself between a mortally wounding bullet and Cap. After then leaving the fight scene, the sinister six tracks Parker to Aunt Mays house and the Story culminates with a fight on a street in Queens, sinister six defeated, Goblin killed and Peter Parker dead in Mary-Jane's Arms. That is a sacrifice not seen by the classic Spidey.

2 - Butterball

Butterball is amazing, Hes invulnerable and a teenage who is slightly overweight, but that's not all. His ability stops him from being able to change. He is permanently overweight and unfit. But that doesn't stop him. During his training, Butterball is ridiculed constantly because he isn't a "Real hero" and the fact that he keeps going makes him an amazing hero.

1 - Molly Hayes

You may be wondering, how is an eleven year old girl the best Marvel superhero? Well that's because you don't know who she is. Like Nico Minoru, Molly was also a runaway because her parents were mutant supervillains. She realised at this age she was a mutant and developed super strength and almost invulnerability. But the best thing about her is the fact she is an eleven year old. She is a child and is absolutely adorable. Everything she says and does is cute as hell and any marvel fan likes her. For more on Molly, Runaways has been picked up for a tv series on Hulu, so my favourite hero will be hitting the small screen very soon. If you still arent sold on Molly, then how about this pick of her beating up Punisher?

Not even Spidey has the balls for that!

09 - Be Nice To Spidey Campaign

09 - Be Nice To Spidey Campaign

Has anybody else noticed how much crap Spider-man goes through? No? Well maybe it's time you found out then!

So Spider-Man is a pretty big deal in the world of media. His Comics, films, movies, games and anything else he's part of are hugely successful. That being said, he has had it extremely rough in his life. Everyone talks about Batman or superman or iron man have a terrible life, but they've got nothing on Spidey! Let's explore this further!

- His parents lied and died when he was a kid

It's common knowledge that Richard and Mary Parker died when Peter was little. That's how he came to live with Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Going through trauma on that level though is hard enough for a grown adult, but when you're just a kid it must really really suck. I can't relate but just thinking about it makes you feel icky inside

- A lifetime of excessive bullying

Because if losing your parents isn't bad enough, you can always count on being bullied and picked on for emotional pain. 

- Uncle Ben

So after he miraculously gains spider powers, Peter loses his Uncle Ben. That's three of his four major life role models wiped out of his life. His Parker luck really comes through in situations like this. 

- Great Power, No Responsibility

Because when losing your uncle just isn't enough, finding out that you could've stopped his killer is there to really knock you down a few pegs.

These are just the first four events that prove Spidey has had it tough, but considering all these events take place before the end of his first comic book, imagine what the next fifty years and 1000 comics bring to his life? Poor guy.

Stay close for more of what has happened to poor Peter in his life time

08 - The Best Marvel Superhero Part One

08 - The Best Marvel Superhero Part One

Okay, so it's been a while since I last wrote something on here, but that's because I needed something to write about. I believe that this is that post. I'm a huge Marvel nerd and when asked who my favourite hero is, I normally go to my default of Spider-man. I mean, he's definitely up there with my favourites but he's not my overall favourite.
There's a reason for this though; nobody actually knows my favourite hero is real. Nobody I know has even heard of half the people I like so this is the plan I came up with. I chose my favourite fifteen and put them all into one place with a little description and reasoning. That way, the mightiest parts of Marvel will be advertised for all to see:

15 -  Speedball

Robbie Baldwin is such an underrated superhero. He's a long term member of the super team New Warriors and is one of the most cheery and positive heroes out there. This is the reason he made my top fifteen.
Most people know the basics of the Civil War comic story line, thanks to the fantastic adaptation in the recent Captain America film, but one thing that is very different is the lack of involvement from the New Warriors. In the source material, the "Stanford incident" (Which is the equivalent to what happened in sokovia) was the result of the New Warriors being out of their depth in a fight against Nitro, a hero whose power is to literally explode (No points for guessing where this is going).
When Nitro detonates, he destroys a large portion of a children's school, killing hundreds of the pupils in the process and killing all of the New warriors on site, except for Speedball.
Although it could be considered lucky he survived, Baldwin had to live with the guilt of not only watching his entire team die along with almost an entire school, but he feels completely responsible for convincing his team to take part. After this, he adopts the identity of Penance and designs a suit which intentionally causes him pain to remind of what he did.
Why is this important? Because after everything that happened, Speedball pulled through. He went through something harder than most other superheroes ever would and came through to be the same person he was before.

14 - Hawkeye (Kate Bishop)

Kate Bishop is amazing. Enough said. She is every bit the archer the original Hawkeye is, but with a much different personality. Most important of these personality traits is her level of empathy. Now i'm not trying to make the other Hawkeye seem like an Asshole, but he cares less than Kate does. The reason for this is probably to do with the lack of experience she's had, but she always has the best opinion.
When she debuted, Kate was the Hawkeye for the Young Avengers. Although she stays connected to the group, she has shone in the marvel universe as the partner for the original Hawkeye. When the series started, she seemed to be nothing more than a sidekick. When the series developed however, she became what some would argue is the better Hawkeye. But what I think is most important is what she did for Clint Barton. As Hawkeye, Barton had been more of an avenger or a solo hero, there was never middle ground. Even when he was married or in committed relationships with heroes like Mockingbird or Spider-Woman, he still stuck out as a lone wolf who did his own thing. Kate Bishop changed that. She made him a better hero and a better man and for that, she's one of the best heroes Marvel gave us.

13 - Captain America

I know being British gives me less of a reason to appreciate Captain America than actual Americans, but god damn it I can't help having a man crush on the guy. Cap is literally the textbook definition of a loyal and good hero. He's a patriot and a leader and if there was any hero you'd follow into battle, it's this guy.
I'm not going to go into much detail with Cap cause I highly doubt you'll need it, but my reason for him being in the list is that he is a real and true hero in every definition of the world.

12 - Ms Marvel

I was so happy when I first read Ms Marvel comics because she is nothing more than a lucky lucky fan girl. After getting her powers through inhuman means (I'm not going into details about Inhuman's unless someone wants it) she did the best thing in becoming a hero who is protective over her community and is just fun to read about! The best part is when she has her fangirl moments. She will literally stop, mid team-up, to ask other heroes what she wants to know. She embodies every nerd ever and that's what is great about her.

11 - Deadpool

People who know me would be surprised to see him this far down, but he made the list which is what is important! Every Deadpool comic has made me so damn happy and everything about it is fantastic. I don't need details on him because we all know deadpool and we all know that he is one of the best because he is different in a good way. 

10 - Moon Knight

Moon Knight is different. Very different. Which is surprising considering he was based off Batman. This is a guy with the most ridiculous condition of Bipolar you'd ever see. He not only has the identity of Mark Spector and Moon Knight, he has a couple of others just because he can. He's mentally unstable and there are many heroes who don't even want to go near him because they don't know what he's capable of. He was sectioned for psychiatric help because he was found shouting at an imaginary spidey, cap and wolverine.
So what stands out about this guy that makes me like him? Well on top of all that is he worships a Moon God who saved his life. That's just the icing on the cake.

9 - Hawkeye (Clint Barton)

The classic Hawkeye is such a strong character. He's changed and grown up a lot over the years and he's still such a major character who goes unnoticed. His role in the films hasn't been prominent enough for people to learn about him, but his comic history is long and extensive.
The most prominent Hawkeye moment for me is the first issue of the age of Ultron comic event. For the event itself, Ultron has decimated New york and is working his way across the planet, leaving only a handful of heroes left in hiding. Whilst everyone else is looking out for themselves, Hawkeye learns of Spider-man being held captive by some villains in the ruins of the city. Even though everyone tells him not to go, Barton leaves to go find spider-man, knowing full well the rest of the heroes had told him not to come back because they were only looking after those who were left.
This is an important moment because in a city where God's had fallen and Earth's mightiest resorted to hiding, the one hero who is always considered the weakest and most useless did what he could to save someone he could.

8 - Spider-man

Considering he's my default favourite, it shocks me I would place him so far down this list. Peter Parker is a real hero and has put up with more shit than any other hero I can think of. For more details on exactly what, look for the next post which will explain why I believe this guy is so amazing.
As for the moment which stands out for me in his life, it would be during the Avengers Vs X-men event. When what was left of the avengers were trying to infiltrate one of the hideouts for the Phoenix five to free their friends, they are caught by a near omnipotent version of Colossus and Magik. These were mutants who were powerful before, but now with the phoenix force they became one of the toughest fights the Avengers would have to deal with. considering that most of the team were weak already and the heavy hitters like Thor were unconscious, it was clear that they were outnumbered.
That was when Spider-man pulled every hero towards the entrance with his web line, before sealing them out so he would fight the pair on his own. Although he would live to survive this fight, the odds were stacked against him and his sacrifice to save the others was so great, that it stood out as one of his defining moments. What followed was something that was pure Spidey. He was bloodied, beaten, dying and still making jokes. Not only that be he was also able to trick the two enemies into taking each other out, making the entire fight all that easier.
For a character that comes in so low down, he will always be regarded as one of my favourites.
But if you are good at Maths, you'll notice that so far I have only spoken about eight of the heroes and that is it for this entry.
For part two of the list you will have to stick around and find out who I would put above my default favourite

07 - When do we get new films?

07 - When do we get new films?

For years the film industry have been reusing the same ideas again and again, when will they give us something original?

The new film "Pan" has just had it's premier this week and even I can see it's just another retelling of an old story. With films like Cinderella from earlier this year and the new jungle book in the near future, it is giving people the impression that the film industry are out of ideas. There are a few ways in which they do this:

01 - Do a complete restart

This is a constant issue. It's becoming more and more popular to remake a franchise in a whole new way. They did this with films such as total recall and fantastic four. they think that changing tiny details to an idea will make it a lot better. It. Doesn't. Work. Nobody sits there and thinks that the new total recall is amazing compared to the original (to be fair, nobody thinks either of the fantastic four series are amazing). If a film is great, don't redo it. If a film is terrible, it'll probably be terrible next time round.

02 - Add pointless sequels years later

I think the best example of this is Disney. Lets look at the evidence:

Incredibles 2

Cars 3

Finding Dory

Star Wars vii

Star wars viii

Star wars ix

Need I go on? Why add to a franchise which most of your target audience barely know? It sickened me when I heard a child ask what the incredibles was. You missed your window Disney. We all grew up. 

03 - Spin off's based around minor character

Another category Disney is important to mention in. They have done this a few times with results that nobody remember. Do you remember the emperors new groove? Not everyone does, but does anyone remember Kronks new groove? I highly doubt it. Kronk was just a pointless sidekick who didn't deserve a film based around him, but he got one anyway cause disney like every opportunity in which they can gain money.

04 - The change the category of the film

Disney is here as well. They are in the middle of taking their classic animated films and turning them into live action versions. Some stick very similar to the story like Cinderella, but others like Maleficent take a different approach. Either way, people already know how it ends and quite frankly, the animated Cinderella had awesome talking mice

05 - Do what Michael Bay does

I can't stress how ridiculous I find this man. Whether they were his ideas or not, but he manages to attach his names to projects that are based off ideas that are not necessary. He managed to make four films from Transformers! A tv show my parents used to watch!! And now he is trying it with ninja turtles! This technique is something I have nicknamed "Baywolfing" in which Michael bay takes ideas that are practically dead and spins them into a new film franchise! They did the same thing with Alvin and the Chipmunks not that long ago and that went great! For some reason "Baywolfing" is the way to make films

 

So once we get through the rebooting, endless sequels and all the Baywolfing, will we get a new film idea then? I hope so! Just as long as Michael Bay doesn't direct it, I'm sure it will be fine!!

06 - Are Holidays Twisted?

06 - Are Holidays Twisted?

Everybody enjoys celebrating special occasions, however nobody seems to question the things they suggest

Yesterday I realised that summer was truly over. Someone I knew had posted on Facebook it is only 97 days till Christmas! First of all, who cares?! 97 days is a long time! I hadn't even thought about Christmas yet. Although, I started thinking more into the concept of Christmas and other special occasions. Here are some of my favourites

01 - Halloween

Let's start with a pretty obvious one. Halloween is a holiday devoted to pumping kids full of sugar and dressing them in a way which is asking for trouble. Giving kids sweets is like giving a toddler cocaine, the results are unpredictable and probably dangerous for everyone involved. The amount of sweets and chocolate as well are seriously unhealthy. They may as well call it "Day of inflicting heart disease" or "Diabetes day" to be a little catchier. The worst thing is the fact that any random stranger can give sweets to children just because they think they look good! How is that allowed? If its illegal to groom kids every other day of the year, why is acceptable on Halloween? Although, to be fair. Some people do have spectacular pumpkins

02 - Easter

This one gets me a little. Are we really teaching kids a rabbit makes us eggs? If I ever see a child holding a rabbit above their head and looking up, we can blame Easter. The biology lies to use and what happens when kids don't realise that normal eggs and Easter eggs aren't the same? It wont be long before you find some kids trying to eat raw eggs whilst cooking a chocolate egg omelette. Why eggs? They could have made them look like anything they want, but they chose Chicken foetus. Good job marketing companies.

03 - Valentines day

Okay, I think everybody knows that Valentines day is a corporate holiday which is another scam to get couples to show extra affection on days that aren't birthdays, Christmas or anniversaries. This bugs me as it is a waste of time, effort and money. If you love someone you show them all the time (Or not at all, depending on whether or not they want you or if you are a creepy stalker). What I find weird is Cupid and his "Love Arrows." What makes someone think that arrows are romantic? The idea is that if Cupid shoots you with an arrow, you fall in love. That is ridiculous. If Cupid shoots you with an arrow, you bleed and more than likely you will die. Its not hard. Nothing good comes out of being shot with an arrow.

04 - Christmas

It isn't normal. It's just wrong. An old guy. Watches your kids. All year. Decides if they are naughty or not. Breaks into your house. Leaves your kids presents. Then repeats the next year. Someone please explain why we tell our kids this is acceptable? Does this mean any time an old bloke breaks into your house the kids will think its santa? Get a grip parents. Tell kids the truth. It makes life easier.

So with that final image never going to leave your mind, I will end it there!

05 - Discoveries that baffle me

05 - Discoveries that baffle me

Some things we take for granted, but do you ever think about how we got them?

Every day we use/do things that seem completely normal to us. It was never always that way but some things are rather odd when you think about it. Here is a few examples:

01 - Milk

Possibly one of the weirdest things we take for granted, if you stop and think for a second about where milk comes from. Who honestly thought that it was a good idea? I mean, really? Who the heck thought "Hm, you know what? Those six things look like they could use a good pump!" Seriously?! Anybody who has those kind of thoughts is either mad or confused about their sexuality

02 - Eggs

I don't know if this is weirder than milk, but it is certainly pretty weird. I don't know who is hungry enough to sit there and it what comes out the rear end of an animal, although now it is a lot more normal. I think its even worse that they realised it tastes good cooked and in so many different styles! I wouldn't be surprised if its the same guy who discovered milk as it seems like his kind of territory...

03 - Meat (All of it)

Another particularly awkward one to think about, but you don't seem to think it weird to eat animals. Although there must have been a starting point. There must have been a day when someone turned around and saw a cow and thought "Oooh that looks like it would taste nice with chips." I honestly don't see how mad someone must be to even consider that, although I am a frequent meat eater myself.

04 - Sex

Sex is an intriguing one to think about as its something seen as natural, but what made them think that it was the right thing to do? You wouldn't think that a man and a woman would just fit like a jigsaw but it happened! This is something completely insane and if it felt weird the first time, how come it keeps happening with everyone?

What do you guys think? Any other things i missed?

04 - What The Hell Doctor Who???

04 - What The Hell Doctor Who?

Doctor Who returns this weekend for a new series, but what are they doing?

When the show returned in 2005, everybody loved what they had done. It was a phenomenon in 1963 and since has become increasingly popular. We can all agree the first five years were great, but since the loss of David Tennant and head writer Russel T. Davies it's all gone down hill. Who is to blame? That would be Steven Moffat. The new head writer

Yes, i'll admit he was always pretty good with the horror story lines, I still can't learn about world war two without hiding when the gas masks come along and the weeping angels scare the hell out of me, but he has completely ruined it since he took over. Let me give you some examples:

01 - Once you try to make it all scarier, it loses its effect

The one thing Moffat is good at is scary story lines. Everyone was scared by the hit episode "Blink" and many others, but when you write half a series yourself, all your ideas kind of become slightly boring. The angels were scary when you weren't expecting them, but when you use them every other series, they aren't as interesting. Yeah they can still be a little scary, but they aren't as good as they used to be. Why do you think the Reapers were never used again? One time is enough guys. Get new ideas.

02 - What's with all the rubbish monsters?

When I started watching doctor who, you had evil people who were just skin and big green aliens with an vinegar allergy, so where did the creativity go? They now have wooden dolls and snowmen. What made them think this was a good idea? Nothing is scary about snowmen!! It was obvious that they were only there for the Christmas special but seriously? They actually thought that was a good idea? Why? 

This isn't the only issue with their monsters. Everything is being brought back again and again. How many times can they use the Sontarans before we get sick of them? Plus, they screwed up big time with the Master. What happened to the crazy and complicated John Simm version? Michelle Gomez just ruined it (and that's not me being sexist!). If I have to see one more freaking lizard woman I will probably end my viewing of doctor who.

03 - The companions sicken me

Okay, so Amy was hot and Rory was pretty cool, but I can not stand Clara. She is too cheery and happy and it is so annoying. She cries all the time. The big question is she admits to fancying Doctor #11, but does she feel the same about #12? That has kept me up at night since the first time they were together. If she likes that kind of thing, then leave her to it, but everything else really annoys me. Don't even get me started on River Song. I was excited to see what happened when she appeared along side David Tennant, but it bored me towards the end. The whole meeting each other in different orders gets old really quickly and then they get married!? If I have to hear the word "Spoilers" again I will batter her until she "Spoils" in her pants.

04 - Do they not know how to have original ideas?

Its becoming a constant within doctor who to now use mythological creatures as substitutes for real bad guys. The yeti was years ago, but the minotaur and vampires in recent years are absolutely terrible. Why can't they put some thought into their ideas before doing things that have already been done by practically every major tv show in history. If you are really out of ideas then cut your losses and finish it already! Everyone would be so much happier

05 - Everybody misses David Tennant

He is possibly one of the most loved doctors to ever grace the screens. Everyone thought his episodes were spectacular and I don't know a single fan who didn't tear up when he left. His companions were all perfect. His villains were a loveable rogue gallery and he was amazing. I feel bad for Matt Smith for having to follow him, but nobody would ever have been happy with any replacement. His return in the 50th anniversary reminded fans of why he was truly loved.

So do you agree? Is Doctor who as good as ever, or should he possibly try exploring a retirement home for a few years? You decide and post in the comments!