Superhero Media: Ant-Man

After today, the blog will return to the Wednesday and Saturday schedule.

I remember making a post on Facebook about Ant-Man and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice back in 2015 when the trailers for both dropped within about a week of each other. My exact post was "How could you possibly make the trailer for a film entitled "Batman v Superman" less exciting than one for a film called "Ant-Man"? Zach Snyder everyone! Give him a round of applause!" Ok, so that's probably a little mean, but Ant-Man did turn out to be an exciting, effects-driven tour-de-force Superhero Heist film, whilst Dawn of Justice was... not great, but hey, let's not tread old ground. Ant-Man gets pulled out a lot as a stick with which to beat the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is always funny to me, as the film is solid, with a decent cast and excellent production, rather than being an "also-ran". As mentioned above, Ant-Man sets itself apart by being a heist film at heart, complete with "getting the plan going" montage and motley crew each with their own area of expertise. Not really sure why people tend to say that Ant-Man is just a retread of Iron Man. 

When the plot details started to be released for Ant-Man, I was a little disappointed that the MCU was jumping straight to Scott Lang, but I soon saw the wisdom of avoiding a pill-popping, wife-beating superhero and making the protagonist a failed Robin Hood type trying to get his life back together after a stint in prison. Can my American readers answer something for me? Is Scott's ex wife a reasonable representation? Scott just got out of prison and is struggling to find work, but can't visit Cassie until he pays Child Support for several years? Cassie is already living with her mother and has a Police Officer stepfather, is the demand for money just punitive? I'll admit I'm not up on Californian divorce law, but it really jars with me watching it back. Cassie is clearly healthy, happy and well-fed, she just misses her father, which could be resolved with a call to a lawyer. Having Falcon and Agent Carter appear helps round the world of the MCU and tie Ant-Man in to the more veteran franchises. 

Watching Ant-Man again for the first time in a few years, I picked up on some things I hadn't noticed before. For example, the "Ant-Man Theme" (on the soundtrack) is in Minor key, a composing trick usually reserved for villains in cinema (and also Batman), which makes sense as Scott Lang is a criminal and the whole enterprise of the film is criminal activity. The relationship between Hank Pym and David Cross is well done, with the failed father/son dynamic driving both characters and making for some great scenes. And then there's Luis, one of the greatest support characters in the MCU, making up for his (slightly racist) criminal past tropes by having diverse interests in wine and neo-cubist art and some great running comedy bits. Hopefully Marvel gets around to releasing the promised "Luis Recaps the Marvel Universe" segment by the time this article makes it through the backlog, I'd really like to see it.

More Superhero Movies that Never Happened

Did you like the last one of these? Hope so, because here comes some more! Thanks to the huge interest in superhero films at the moment, more information on film ideas that never quite made it are coming to light as studio "leaks" become more common. If this is really your bag, there are many highly-detailed videos discussing the broader topic, as well as specific films, what I'm doing here is more of a "taster". Enough preamble, let's get on with it! 


Batman Unchained/Triumphant

Although the chances of it being made after the backlash against Batman & Robin were slim, work did begin on a fifth film in the 1990s Batman series. Alternatively titled Batman Unchained or Batman Triumphant the intent was to bring the series to a close, ending the narrative threads begun in Batman Forever. Despite what you may read online, George Clooney was not under contract and the studio had actually approached Val Kilmer to return to the role; joining him would be Alicia Silverstone and Chris O'Donnell returning as Batgirl and Robin. Menacing our caped crusader would be Harley Quinn, played by Madonna, and Scarecrow, played by Jeff Goldblum, in this version, Quinn would be the daughter of Joker out for revenge. In an extended fear-gas sequence, every villain faced since the 1989 film would return, with Batman having to overcome each in turn. I'm sure it wouldn't have been great, but that sequence with previous actors returning could have been pretty awesome to see.

X-Men Origins: Magneto

If there's one film on this list I'm genuinely upset didn't get made, it's X-Men Origins: Magneto. The intended follow-up to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, parts of this film became X-Men First Class, which I'm yet to review, but I really don't care for it. Before the first film flopped, the plan was for a film in which a young Eric would grow to adulthood in Auschwitz, fighting to survive and killing his tormentors with his powers, after the war, he would hunt Nazis in South America, eventually encountering Charles Xavier and undertaking the task of collecting mutants to form the first X-Men. The tone would have been pitch-dark, a blend of The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, The Boys From Brazil and Seven Years in Tibet with Magneto in the lead and Ian McKellen narrating the whole thing. Sadly, this was not to be, and we got trimmed down ideas in a disappointing soft-reboot of the franchise. 

Dazzler 

Ok kids, strap yourself in for this one. X-Men hanger-on Dazzler was invented with the intent of tying into a co-production film to break Marvel into Hollywood. It's 1979, Disco is waning, but still enjoying a lot of attention in the media, so the idea of "The Disco Dazzler", a superhero pop star was crafted with a record label to handle the production of the music and Marvel making a tie-in comic to launch the idea to the public. The real meat is in the proposed film, however, which almost made it into production with one of the wildest pitches ever; Dazzler, Spider-Man and the contemporary Avengers roster are transported into an alternate future New York City where society has collapsed into gang warfare and tribalism. Not a big deal until you learn that Cher and Donna Summer were tapped to head the warring factions, commanding soldiers including KISS and The Village People. Robin Williams was to be the love interest for Dazzler, a strange take on Starfox, who would be manipulated by three Rodney Dangerfields into sparking a massive war, because the triplets are actually deep-cut Marvel cosmic character Lord Chaos. The finale would be a big battle between all three factions during a massive Disco number that would finally unite the world in dance. Sure, this film probably would have been garbage, possibly even torpedoing the superhero film genre before it began, but I imagine it would have been a spectacular failure in the vein of Cats or Showgirls; a kind of cinematic train-wreck you simply couldn't turn away from.

Godzilla 2

Another script which parts of were re-adapted at some stage, this time into the Godzilla animated series, this follow-up to the 1998 Godzilla is really more interesting in concept than I feel it may have been if realised. Opening minutes after the ending of the previous film, Matthew Broderik's character would find the last Zilla egg as it hatched, having the monster mistake him for its mother before being chased off by soldiers. The following film would have been more in line with classic Godzilla stories, with more giant monsters and fewer humans running around being annoying. Having Zilla trash Sydney would have been interesting, but I really don't mind that I'll never get to see this film, as Zilla's death in Godzilla Final War is about all the follow-up the garbage 1998 film deserves.

Superhero Media: Miraculous - Season 3

Season one of Miraculous - The Adventures of Ladybug and Chat Noir was a basic twist on the "magical girl" formula of Anime, with a focus on "monster of the week" plots. The second season grew the cast and mythology, giving many of the main cast greater depth and hinting at more to come. Season three is almost wall-to-wall world-building, character developments and lore dumps. Everything escalates in this season on Miraculous, Marinette and Adrien draw closer together romantically, Hawkmoth ups the threat level and Master Wu trains Ladybug to be the new Guardian. I don't know if the writers of Miraculous make a conscious choice to really develop the programme, but I must confessed that I'm pretty hooked. Now I'm not really rooting all that hard for Marinette and Adrien, relationship-wise, but the fact that they have to strive to not learn each other's secret identities makes for some genuine struggle for the pair, and I have some empathy there. In fact, an episode that takes a glimpse into a possible future shows that everything will unravel and an evil Chat Noir (Chat Blanc) will destroy Paris and the Moon if he discovers that Ladybug is Marinette a particular way. 

The "Chat Blanc" episode is a bit of a treat for an number of reasons, not least of which are the many Dragonball Z references, thanks to Toei being involved in the production; but also because it finally answered my question, "what if the heroes found out what Hawkmoth's motivation is?" For my readers that don't watch Miraculous, the villain Hawkmoth is Adrien's father, and he seeks the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous because by combining them, he will be granted a single wish. Hawkmoth's wish? To bring his dead wife back to life and make his family complete again. That's a cool villain motive, not truly selfish, but easily twisted towards bad ends. However, using the Miraculous for a wish is kind of a "Monkey's Paw" deal, with unexpected consequences always coming back to haunt those who make the wish. When Adrien finds out that his father is Hawkmoth and what he wants to do (again, in an alternate future), it is the conflict between his desire to get his mother back and his love for Marinette that drives him over the edge to become Chat Blanc. It should surprise no one that "Chat Blanc" is generally considered one of the best Miraculous episodes by the online fandom. 

As Hawkmoth pushes his powers and that of his new off-sider, Mayura (holder of the Peacock Miraculous), Marinette is forced again and again to hand out Miraculous to her friends to help in the fight. I found most of these pretty disposable (like, why is the power of the Horse Miraculous to teleport?), but the Dragon powers are interesting as are the Monkey powers. Rather than just being monkey-ish powers, the Monkey Miraculous is actually more of a Sun-Wu Kong Miraculous, complete with magical staff and chaos powers; in fact, Master Wu is worried that no one can handle the powers physically until he finds Marinette's friend on the swim team. Hell, wonder why all the powers are given to teenagers in Miraculous? Especially because Season 3 specifically mentions that adults can typically use the powers better? Master Fu wants Marinette and Adrien to use the Miraculous because of their youthful optimism, and it gives them the time to learn their powers as they grow. It's honestly like the writing team were browsing fan forums after season two and wanted to address some stuff, only in a way that's pretty neat, rather than tiresome. 

Speaking of neat, the female/female queer couple get a lot of screen-time in this season, though the male/male couple never really appear and the American dub had a line that tries to downplay the relationship to a friendship, but given that Juleka and Rose are part of Marinette's group of friends and are typically included in the group shots of "couples", not to mention they snuggle and kiss a fair bit on-screen, it's pretty hard to ignore the intended message. I mean, the whole programme is pretty queer, even just for the costumes and focus on fashion. At the time of writing (April 2020), the initial broadcast of Season 4 of Miraculous is still at least six months away, which leaves me probably having to wait a year before I get to see any more. Yes, I'm hooked. Somehow, this 33 year old man is hyped to see more of this strangely compelling French animated series for tween girls. Back after watching the first season, I wasn't keen on finding Ladybug and Chat Noir miniatures, but now, yeah, I'd have them in a second to add to my Ultimate Alliance games.

From the Archives - 12

More supers, running out of "clever" stuff to write here.

Poison Ivy: I went with the all-plant colour scheme for Ivy after seeing someone do their Knight Models version that way and I kind of liked it. Makes the hair contrast more too. Heroclix. 

Wolverine: Originally converted and painted for my SHIELD 40k army, "Lucky Jim" here was going to be my Eversor Assassin. Still a great pose, which is why I've never upgraded him. Heroclix. 

Sabretooth: Went for the Ultimate version of the character to match Wolverine above, I like that his costume is less silly, though I may do a classic version at some stage. Heroclix. 
 

Wonder Woman: It's really hard to find good Wonder Woman heroclix, but this one turned out nicely. Heroclix. 

Hulk: I have many Hulks. In fact, I have something of a Hulk problem, where I just keep buying more that I don't need. This one gets used most often, as Green Hulk tends to be the one people are more familiar with, though technically it's the version from The Avengers motion picture. Heroclix.  

Flash: Do I need different versions for Barry, Wally and Bart? The costume doesn't change much. I need to get a Golden Age version at some stage, though. Heroclix. 
 

Superhero Media: Wu Assassins

I was pretty keen to start Wu Assassins, a Netflix series starring Iko Uwais of The Raid fame, with a big Chinese-American cast and crew, it was an exciting possibility for something pretty unique. Sadly, the final product is pretty poor, though not for lack of trying on the part of the cast and crew. As much as I really appreciate that the Chinese-American characters are portrayed by Chinese-American actors, this did shrink the pool of talent from which the series cast, and sometimes that leads to some dodgy acting. Iko Uwais himself is reasonable, though like many martial arts film actors, his dramatic range is limited; thankfully, he has good chemistry with Byron Mann, who plays Uncle 6, the series foil for the most part. So who are the Wu? The Wu are five semi-immortal beings based on the classical Taoist elements of Fire, Wood, Earth, Water and Metal, and the Wu Assassin (Uwais as Kai Jin) is chosen once per generation to fight the Wu. 

One of the best elements of Wu Assassins is the inclusion of Chinese history and mythology in the story, which I've only normally seen in Wuxia films. I wish more time had been spent on this, as even with my "better than normal for a white guy" grounding in Chinese culture, there were a few elements that I didn't quite get and felt could have been explained better. For example, why are the Wu bad? There's an element of "power corrupting", but that's undercut by Uncle 6 using his powers to save the main cast in flashback and the villain of the series, Alec McCullough, the Wood Wu and previous Wu Assassin from dark ages Scotland, is only really after a way to travel back in time and reunite with his family. McCullough does achieve this in the finale, then Kai kills him, but I'm not sure why, as at that point, all of the Wu are dead or de-powered, so it really just feels like murder. Then there's the ending, in which everything is sorted and the core cast reconcile, before the world starts to shake in the last 30 seconds and Zan Hui, the original Wu Assassin, calls Kai to action once again. 

All-in, Wu Assassins is a bit of a mess, with some great ideas let down by the realities of making television. The mysticism is pretty unique to those not already fans of Chinese Cinema, but the character dynamics are bland and cliched, the mythology is interesting, but not explained well, the cast is unique, but not necessarily good. Even after doing some extra reading online, I'm still not sure how the Wu's powers work; the Fire Wu can control fire, fine, makes sense, as does the Wood Wu being able to heal (if you know your Taoism), but why are some of the Wus immortal and some not? Also, the Metal Wu has mind control powers because of hemoglobin? Yes, that makes sense in a "comic book" kind of way, but it's realised poorly on-screen and is only a point for around one episode before the Metal Wu is dead. Wu Assassins could have been really interesting and unique, but comes across as a mess and is really not worth the investment of time unless you want to see Iko Uwais kick more people.

Team Ideas: Victorian X-Men

I keep thinking I'm done with this concept, but then I come up with more ideas. This one, I'm considering building, as I have most of the minis lying around for other projects. This is probably going to be one of those teams I end up selling on once I've played a few games, unless this idea of Victorian Age superheroes takes off at my local club and/or store. Anyway, you know the idea by now. This time, it's X-Men. 

Moreau's Menagerie 

Exiled and disgraced evolutionist, Doctor Charles Moreau, was once a respected colleague of Charles Darwin, until his own book, "On the Origin of Crypto-Species", was published, attracting derision and outright mockery from his peers. Moreau was obsessed with the idea that as-yet-undiscovered species would provide the "Missing Link" evidence of evolution between man and lower animal forms. To this end, Moreau funded lavish expeditions to the far reaches of the globe in search of creatures of myth and legend. After years of failed exploration and mounting debts, Moreau had exhausted his family fortune and was forced to flee to isolated Muir Island, where he began to collect his "Menagerie" himself, using clues gleaned from the failed expeditions he'd previously only financed. Be it through blind luck or some kind of twisted genius, Moreau found and gathered several "Crypto-Creatures", which he began to train and educate with plans of simultaneously proving his theories and gaining revenge on his enemies.


Doctor Moreau

(Eureka Miniatures Lucifer Hardlove in Steam Chair)

Often called "Professor M" by his collection of creatures, Moreau, despite his obsessive and delusional behaviour, possesses a unique and intuitive genius, not just for zoology, but also engineering and education. Though it seems impossible, Moreau has been able to educate he captured creatures beyond taming and training, even getting some of them to adopt a form of speech. This training has not been without risk, however, with one of Moraeu's failed attempts costing him the use of his legs and forcing him to design a Steam-Powered conveyance to continue his work. There was an unexpected upside to this turn of events however, with the strength and power of Moreau's new conveyance enabling the aging scientist to join his Menagerie on the "missions" he sent them on, leading them from the field, rather than with instructions from afar.


Armadillo

(Reaper Miniatures "Werearmadillo")

Found deep in the Sumatran jungles, this creature, called "Antonio" by Moreau, was thought to be nothing more than a giant species of Armadillo, but the truth was far more shocking. In isolation and away from any major human settlement, another intelligence had emerged from a different evolutionary path, that of Armadillo Sapiens! Although not terribly intelligent by human standards, Antonio was able to learn enough English to make himself understood, quickly becoming a fan of wrestling and other violent sporting pursuits. In a fight, Antonio, much like his less-evolved kin, relies upon his thick hide for protection, though his raking claws are capable of rending many foes asunder with a single swipe.


Sasquatch  

(Heroclix Sasquatch)

In the wilds of Canada's back-country woods, something not-quite human stalks the gloom. Is it a beast in the shape of a man, or a man who has the manner of a beast? None are quite sure as to the true nature of the creature, but Moreau was perhaps the first to capture one and return it to his Muir Island hideaway. Although the Sasquatch is clearly ape-descended, just how close the relationship to man is remains to be confirmed by hard science. In battle, the Sasquatch is a rampaging behemoth, battering aside all foes with swings of its massive arms, unleashing fearsome bellows of rage. Just how under control Moreau has the Sasquatch, which he has quizzically named "Alpha", is debatable, but few are willing to brave Muir Island long enough to find out.


Marrina 

(Studio Miniatures "The Creature") 

 

The trek to the Black Lagoon is so arduous and filled with peril that few survive and return, but Moreau has the devil's own luck, returning not only with his life, but with a living specimen. After some "investigation" Moreau discovered that the creature he had captured was a female, and pregnant, ideal for a captive breeding programme. Making a "nest" in one of the stagnant pools around the island, the creature is fairly territorial of its eggs, not bothering the other inhabitants so much, but viciously attacking anyone else that comes near. Just how long the eggs will take to hatch is unknown, but Moreau is attempting to build trust with the creature so that he can steal a few spawnlings for vivisection.

Wolfsbane 

 

(Westwind Productions Jagerhund Rottweiler) 

The story of Rahne Sinclair, an ordinary girl from a small Scottish village, is a tragedy torn from the pages of a Gothic Penny Dreadful. Walking out on the moors one day, Rahne was attacked by a strange creature, but managed to escape with only minor injuries. A month later, on the night of the full moon, a change came over Rahne, she was transformed into the mythical werewolf, killing anyone who got in her way and escaping into the wilds. When Professor Moreau came to Rahne's village, posing as the headmaster of an exclusive school for special children, her parents were only too happy to hand Rahne over. Stuck on an isolated island with a madman experimenting on her is hardly Rahne's idea of a good life, but she hopes that one day a cure might be found and she can live among people once again. 

Superhero Media: Big Hero 6 The Series - Season 1

Very happy to discover this on Disney+ whilst browsing superhero programmes to watch over breakfast, as I really love Big Hero 6 and was keen to drop back into the world of San Fransokyo. Picking up immediately after the conclusion of the film, Big Hero 6 The Series begins with Fred and Hiro trying to convince Honey Lemon, Go-Go and Wasabi No-ginger to keep being superheroes now that Callaghan is in gaol. Most of the team is reluctant to don costumes again, but circumstances conspire that Big Hero 6 need to go back into action. After stopping a plot by Yama to sell black-market Baymaxes, the team agrees to keep operating in-between classes. Amazingly, most of the cast of the film are retained, with only Fred and Wasabi's actors changing between film and television, even with the switch to a more traditional animation style, the cast coming back really makes the series follow on with barely a missed beat. There are some other small changes in design, like Honey Lemon's hair being red rather than blonde and Go-Go getting more colour on her outfit, but these seem more like choices to match the new style rather than changes for no reason. 

New characters are introduced, most of which are reasonable additions, with supporting cast like Professor Granville (dean of SFIT), Karmi (a classmate of Hiro's) and Minimax (a new robot on the team) and, of course villains for the team to fight. Whereas the film stuck close to a somewhat "hard sci-fi" aesthetic, as the series goes on, individuals with more traditional super-powers, like Globby and Obake, will become regular foils, with Obake being revealed as the overarching villain for the season. Again, this shift in tone doesn't clash all that much once you're in the flow of the series, though some critics seem to take umbrage at this departure from the world of the film. Personally, I'm just happy to spend more time with these characters, to see them grow and develop more than they could in the limited space of the film. Episodes that focus more on civilian activities help grow the core cast even more, like Fred's nemesis, a rival comics collector called Richardson Mole, and Honey Lemon's secret love of fine arts coming to life. What's great about the writing of Big Hero 6 The Series is that the additions tend to stick around and become part of the programme, with only the one antagonist, a teenage girl robot, not being relevant for more than one episode. 

Naturally, I am now keen to add more characters from Big Hero 6 to my Ultimate Alliance project, as I currently only have two versions of Baymax. Sure, the team itself is nothing fancy, with a Speedster (Go-Go), Brawler (Wasabi), Wildcard (Fredzilla), Gadgeteer (Honey Lemon) and whatever Hiro does (seems to be the brains? Hard to tell with a team full of geniuses), but each has a great look and sometimes it's not all about having the most powerful team. A bit of a sad note, Stan Lee returns as the voice of Fred's dad, most often providing advice over video phone to help defeat his old nemesis, Baron Von Steamer. The Stan Lee scenes are well done, with the writing working around his lack of acting talent and some memorable lines and jokes. As of the time of writing (April 2020), only the first season of Big Hero 6 The Series is available on Disney+, but I'm waiting with baited breath for more to hit, I just had so much fun with it. If I can lean on Viv from Knights of Dice a bit, I'd love to take a swing at some San Fransokyo style buildings for my games, landing a setting more grounded than my generic "Hero City". If you enjoyed the film, Big Hero 6 The Series is basically more of the same, but with a slight twist. Highly recommended. 

From the Archives - 11

One day I really need to sort all of my figure cases containing superheroes, so that there's some order to them. Not sure what that order would be, though.

Harley Quinn: What can I say? I'm a sucker for the classic costume, having grown up with Batman the Animated Series. This is a fun sculpt of Harley, who has quite a few nice minis to choose from for your own collection. Heroclix. 

Magnazone: Not sure where this one came from, but it was my first attempt at completely repainting one of these Pokemon toys. Pretty sure it's an Electric/Metal type? Toy. 

Scarecrow: In a world of wargamers where everyone wants a version of Scarecrow from the Arkham Asylum video game, I like mine to look like a lunatic in a bad scarecrow costume. It's an ascetic. Heroclix. 
 

Kraven the Hunter: Got to have a Sinister Six if you have a Spider-Man, right? Not the best sculpt of Kraven available, but the sense of movement is pretty good. Heroclix. 

Joker: I'm really more of a fan of the "Clown Prince of Crime" than the "Smiling Psychopath" persona of the Joker, which I feel this sculpt reflects really well. Heroclix. 

Deadshot: Why go for a guy holding a gun, when he could have two guns on his wrist? Silver Age Deadshot has such an iconic look and I just couldn't pass it up. Heroclix.