Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1770

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Gives Thor a New Weapon – Here’s Its History (Spoilers)

Warning: If you don’t want to know anything about what Thor uses in place of Mjolnir in Avengers: Infinity War, come back when you do. 

Avengers: Infinity War has finally been unleashed to devastating effect, and as we try to survive in the wake of it, the film has definitely left us with some questions. Of course there was a lot of loss in the newest entry to the blockbuster mega franchise, but there were also some really cool new introductions like Thor’s very rad new axe/hammer, Stormbreaker. Fans of the comics might recognize the name or the shape of Odinson’s new weapon, but might be slightly mystified as to where exactly the film got its inspiration as the creators took from two different parts of Thor canon, both contemporary and classic, to bring us Stormbreaker. So I’m going break down the history of both to help you better understand the MCU’s newest creation.

Stormbreaker

Comics in the ’80s were a weird and wonderful place, and one of the most experimental and exciting creators was Walt Simonson. Writer / artist Simonson’s run on Thor is a truly magical one and it introduced us to the first ever non Norse god to wield Mjolnir, Beta Ray Bill. A Korbinite Beta, Bill was introduced as a monstrous foe for Thor with a secret–he’s actually a hero! Stormbreaker was first introduced in 1984’s Thor #339 when, after beating the mighty Avenger at Skartheim, Beta Ray Bill decided that Thor was the truly worthy party amongst them. This led to Odin asking the Dwarves of Nidavellir–the very same from Infinity War–to forge Beta Ray Bill his own hammer: Stormbreaker.

Shaped like an anvil, the hammer is forged from Nidavellir’s indigenous Uru metal just like Mjolnir, and Bill and Stormbreaker had many adventures. In one such escapade the pair were endowed with cosmic powers by the Herald of Galactus himself, the Silver Surfer, and this transformed Stormbreaker into an axe, much more similar to the one that we saw in the film. Stormbreaker shares a lot of similar powers with Mjolnir: flight, the power of recall, and force projection. It also has some very unique magic too, as it allows Bill to return to his mortal form with a simple strike. Possibly the coolest power–and the one that was adapted for Infinity War–is the ability to create interdimensional portals to anywhere in the universe. The addition of Stormbreaker is particularly exciting, as we know Beta Ray Bill does exist in the MCU, because his head was one of the sculptures on the Grandmaster’s arena in Thor: Ragnarok!

Jarnbjorn

When the mold on Nidavellir broke and revealed not an axe but a hammer, most fans likely thought of Jarnbjorn, the Dwarven forged battle axe used by Thor in the years before he could wield Mjolnir. First introduced in Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic’s Thor: God of Thunder #1, this weapon was created by Dwarves as well but made from Asgardian steel, and because of that was one of the sharpest objects on Earth. The blade was also charmed so that the axe was indestructible and could withstand any attack, including the powers of Apocalypse himself! Thor actually blessed Jarnbjorn with his own blood to enable it to cut through the armor of Celestials so that he could beat En Sabah Nur.

Jarnbjorn is probably most notable for all of the people who’ve wielded it. For Fantastic Four conspiracy theorists out there–like me–you’ll be happy to know that when Thor lost it once, Jarnborn was owned by Kang The Conqueror! Yup, the distant relation of Sue, Reed, Franklin, and Valeria rescued the axe from the tomb of Baron Mordo. It was then stolen by the Apocalypse twins. Dang, this axe sure does get around. And when Thor became unworthy in Aaron and Olivier Coipel’s recent run, Thor once again picked up Jarnborn as he could no longer wield Mjolnir. Fun fact: Jarnborn means Iron Bear in Norwegian.

So as you can see, the thunderous Stormbreaker we’re treated to in Infinity War is a melding of both Beta Ray Bill’s iconic tool and the Odinson’s on-again off-again alternative to Mjolnir. We loved the epic creation of this newest addition to the MCU’s lineup of cool super weapons, especially the heartfelt addition of a wooden handle directly from Teen Groot himself.

Did you like Thor’s radical new weapon? Miss Mjolnir already? Think Groot will be resurrected? Let us know all your Infinity War theories below!

Images: Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios

More about Thor!

Tom Hiddleston talks Loki’s role in Infinity War.
A Mjolnir-shaped drone that makes you worthy.
How Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther paved the way for Infinity War.

The 7 Most Essential DEADPOOL Comics

Deadpool was the little superhero movie that could, with 11 years and lots of drama in the making. That (relatively) low budget film smashed all expectations and made over $780 million at the box office, so a sequel was inevitable! That sequel is almost here, and to prepare we’ve picked out seven of the funniest, freakiest, and most notable Deadpool comics for you to catch up on before Deadpool 2 hits our screens in a couple of weeks.

New Mutants #98 (1991) – Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza, Steve Buccellato, and Joe Rosen

Have to start with the classics, and it doesn’t get more classic than Deadpool’s first appearance in New Mutants #98. This issue is a riot as it’s Rob Liefeld at his most Rob Liefeld-est: abstract, colorful, and utterly strange. There are also, of course, lots of superheroes with no feet. It introduces us to Deadpool, though in Rob’s original version he’s essentially just Deathstroke, a serious killer with a mask. Heck, his name is even a play on DC’s famous assassin’s legal name: Slade Wilson… Wade Wilson? Get it. Get it?!?

Deadpool Vol.1 (1997) – Joe Kelly, Ed McGuinness, Norman Lee, Nathan Massengill , Chris Lichtner, Comicraft, and more

If you love the irreverent, fourth-wall breaking, surreally strange and humorous Deadpool that’s now a cultural touchstone, then McGuinness and Kelly’s ’97 Deadpool book is for you. This is where Wade Wilson became the darkly funny anti-hero that so many comic fans know and love. This series also introduced Deadpool’s sidekicks and movie co-stars, Blind Al and Weasel, while the creative team endlessly pushed the boundaries of what was expected from an ongoing superhero series.

Cable & Deadpool (2004) – Fabian Nicieza, Reilly Brown, and many more

Deadpool co-creator Fabian Nicieza returned to his co-creation with this 50 issue series that saw Deadpool team-up with his ex-nemesis Cable for many a wild adventure. The “odd couple of the Marvel Universe” started off strange and never came down after Cable absorbs and throws up Wade in the first arc to save them both from a dangerous virus. For fans of Nathan Summers, this comic gives him a lot of space to try and understand his mutant powers whilst also dealing with the ever-annoying Merc with a Mouth.

Wolverine: Origins #21-25 (2008) – Daniel Way, Steve Dillon, Matt Milla, and Cory Petit

Daniel Way’s debut writing Deadpool in an arc of his Wolverine: Origins run with Punisher artist Steve Dillon introduced Wade’s now-iconic three competing internal monologues. It also included this super-popular Simone Bianchi cover with Wolverine and Deadpool facing off. After years of floundering and waning interest from the fans, this five-issue run is seen as an important moment as it revived interest in the character and led to Way’s beloved Deadpool run, as well as the characterization in 2013’s smash hit Deadpool video game.

Deadpool Vol. 2 (2008) – Daniel Way, Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco, Marte Gracia, Cory Petit, and more

This later-stage Deadpool entry is seen by many as the seminal run, as Way and Medina leaned into the weird and pitted Deadpool against the X-Men in his quest to join them. He also runs into Spider-Man, gets into a battle with a vegas casino and their superpowered enforcer… and is also a pirate. So, you know, the usual comic book stuff. If you’re looking for a slick, funny, and frantic Deadpool book with a lot of cameos, then this is the run for you.

Deadpool Max (2010) – David Lapham, Kyle Baker, and Clayton Cowles

One of Deadpool’s fan-favorite sidekicks became a co-star in this mature imprint comic from Marvel that saw Bob, Agent of Hydra charged with keeping an eye on the Merc with a Mouth as he causes havoc, gets married, makes a family, and tries to stop a marital murder spree. It’s a lot. Kyle Baker’s art is always a joy, so it’s fun to see him get free reign on one of Marvel’s most eclectic characters.

Deadpool Corps (2010) – Victor Gischler, Rob Liefeld, Adelso Corona, Matt Yackey, and Clayton Cowles

Ever wanted to read a Bat-family book but starring a family of Deadpools? Well you’re in luck! Rob Liefeld returned to his footless friend in this outrageous outing. The book that launched 1000 cosplays, this series gave fan-fave Lady Deadpool her first real outing, alongside Headpool (it’s an alternate universe version of Deadpool’s decapitated head), Dogpool (it’s a dog), and Kid Pool (you get it). This is probably the most cosmic and ridiculous of the Deadpool comics, and it’s full of violent family fun.

Do you have a favorite Deadpool comic we missed? Of course you do–there are 1000 Deadpool comics! Let us know which one we didn’t give proper respect to below!

Images: Marvel Comics, Fox

Deadpool is everywhere.

See him troll Hugh Jackman’s Twitter video.
But movie Deadpool can’t be in the comics, exactly.
Deadpool’s Easter April Fool.

DEADPOOL Can’t Stop Trolling Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman may have officially retired from the role of Wolverine, having given him the perfect send-off in Logan and in likely anticipation of an X-Men reboot once the Disney-Fox merger finalizes. But if he thinks a little thing like that is going to stop Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool trying to annoy him, he is vastly mistaken. Even though it wasn’t Jackman’s fault that the thing called Wade Wilson in his X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie was an extreme case of Hollywood ignoring everything that made a popular character great, we all know Deadpool blurs fiction and reality. And in that fiction, Wolverine was responsible for Wilson losing his head.

Deadpool, then, is trying to see to it that he can make the man behind Wolverine crack up and lose his chill as often as he possibly can. In a recent Twitter video, Jackman seems to be trying to record a birthday greeting to somebody, when he’s interrupted by the song “Tomorrow” from Annie. It’s not a spunky little orphan girl’s voice, though it is trying mightily to be.

When you’re trying to record a heartfelt birthday message …. but are interrupted by the least greatest showman. @VancityReynolds pic.twitter.com/RwlE4IXFX1

— Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) April 27, 2018

And then the song becomes something else entirely, followed by a philosophical question.

Could Hugh Jackman be involved in the next Deadpool movie somehow, either as Logan or as Hugh Jackman, Former Sexiest Man Alive? They’ve got too good a chemistry going just to drop this shtick entirely. Tell us what you think the future of Wilson-Howlett relations on the big screen will and should be, in comments below.

Featured image: Ryan Reynolds

A brief history of Deadpool trolls:

Ryan Reynolds crashes a junket to mock Hugh Jackman.
Deadpool invades the Honest Trailer for Logan.
Ryan Reynolds really wants Hugh in his movie.

Theater Accidentally Shows HEREDITARY Trailer Before PETER RABBIT

Peter Rabbit certainly doesn’t seem like the type of movie you’d expect to hear stories about parents freaking out and shielding their kids eyes and ears in the theater, but that’s exactly what happened at a recent showing. Only it had nothing to do with James Corden’s talking, pants-less bunny, and everything to do with the accidental showing of a terrifying horror movie trailer.

In an hilarious story (sorry, it is) we came across at IndieWire, Event Cinemas in Innaloo, Western Australia made an eensy, teensy mistake before an airing of the PG-rated family film Peter Rabbit by including a trailer for the upcoming R-rated movie Hereditary, which had people at this year’s Sundance Film Festival calling it one of the scariest movies ever. And considering the audience in attendance was made up of parents with their young children, it didn’t go over well, since this is what they were shown.



Yikes.

As you’d expect as soon as parents realized what was happening they started yelling for the theater to turn it off while trying to protect their kids from seeing and hearing what was happening, with some even running out to get help. As an apology the theater offered everyone free passes, which we suggest these parents use to see Hereditary.

What? That’s a great trailer. It scared the crap out of us.

But maybe leave the kids at home that night. You can rent Peter Rabbit for them to watch with the babysitter. Because apparently a talking bunny who doesn’t wear pants isn’t scary.

What’s the scariest movie you saw as a kid, on purpose or by accident? Tell us in the comments below.

Featured Image: Sony Pictures/A24

More movie madness (that isn’t Infinity War):

Star Trek 4 may have found its director.
Stephen King’s The Long Walk is getting a movie.
Why did Tom Cruise jump out of a plane 106 times?

How True Is INFINITY WAR’s Thanos to His Comics Origins? (Spoilers)

Warning: This post contains SPOILERS about Thanos’ plan and motives in Avengers: Infinity War.

After years of having Thanos teased as the ultimate cosmic-level big bad, audiences have finally seen him in action in Avengers: Infinity War. And, unlike many of Marvel’s villains, Thanos lives up to expectations. The Mad Titan is the gravest threat the universe has ever faced, but he is also an actual character fighting for a purpose he believes in, even if that purpose is ultimately… mad.

But a few things changed as Thanos made his way from the comic page to the cinema screen, leading one to wonder, is this really the same Thanos at all?

The answer, as with all things Thanos, is complicated and full of nuance.

From Thanos’ earliest comic appearances, he sought power not for his own ends, but because he was in love with Death and wished to serve her better. (Not death as a general concept, but the actual manifestation of Death, one of the Marvel Universe’s cosmic entities.) Initially he did this by causing death on a grand scale through traditional means like putting a team together and murdering a bunch of people.

The problem was that while Death certainly seemed to like having someone commit on those murders on her behalf, she didn’t really reciprocate Thanos’s love. So his ambitions got a bit grander: if he could assemble the right tools, then he could cause death on a truly cosmic scale, and maybe finally become worthy of Death’s love.

And so, Thanos decided to collect the six Infinity Gems (then known collectively as the Soul Gems).

Thanos actually did this twice. The first time, he didn’t really understand what the Gems were, and simply thought they were a cosmic power source he could utilize in his plan to wipe out all stars (and all life) in the Milky Way galaxy. That plan didn’t work out so well, and ended with Thanos himself dead.

But, Thanos was always more useful to Death when he was alive, so she eventually brought him back and gave him a new mission. According to Death, more creatures were alive across the universe than had ever died. This threatened to create massive cosmic imbalance, threatening the existence of life everywhere. And, if life ceased to exist, then so would Death. So Death tasked Thanos with fixing the cosmic imbalance by wiping out half of all life in the universe. Thanos happily agreed, ultimately settling on his plan to assemble the Infinity Stones and ascend to godhood.

The classic take on Thanos is thus someone who certainly revels in death, but is also a man who is trying to fulfill a specific task given him by the woman he loves and of whom he is trying to be worthy. He is a villain, but also a chivalrous knight on a quest for a token for his lady love, which makes him all the more dangerous and unstoppable.

The MCU Thanos, on the other hand, drops entirely the Mad Titan’s love of death, either as an entity or a concept. Instead, he is refigured as a man who watched his home planet burn after he warned its leaders about an impending catastrophe, only for them to ignore him. Not wanting the same thing to repeat on other planets, Thanos becomes a sort of Space Utilitarian, and takes it upon himself to wipe out half of all life on each planet he encounters to ensure that those who remain can live lives of bounty, rather than squalor. Genocide in the name of avoiding the Malthusian trap, if you will.

Instead of his love of Death, Thanos’s most compelling relationship is with his adopted daughter Gamora.

This isn’t a bad change, per se, though it does fundamentally shift who the character is. Thanos’s end goals are more understandable and human—he wants to avoid anyone ever having to go through the specific trauma he went through before—but his methods are, if anything, even more insane. Wiping out half of all life in the universe might solve a specific problem, but at immense cost in trauma and destabilization for those left behind. Imagine how difficult it would be for any government, business, or family to function with half of its members immediately snuffed out of existence, but then multiply that by a universal scale.

Making Thanos a Space Utilitarian also denies him his one non-self-centered emotional connection. Thanos’s love of Death humanized him, while also distancing him in some ways from the decision to wipe out half the universe in the Infinity Gauntlet comic series. It made the plot Death’s and not his, even if he was the one who ultimately snapped his fingers.

Without Death there pushing for, well, death, one wonders why Thanos can’t think of a better, a more utilitarian, use for the Infinity Stones. Instead of clenching his fists and creating a universe of plenty—essentially recreating the industrial revolution that helped humanity escape Thomas Malthus’s doomsday predictions—he goes through with his initial plan. It’s a spectacular lack of vision by Thanos.

It’s also oddly reminiscent of another work by Thanos’s creator, comics legend Jim Starlin. Starlin filtered his disillusionment with the pointlessness of the Vietnam War into his Metamorphosis Odyssey, in which the last member of a dying race decides the only way to stop an evil alien empire from conquering the Milky Way Galaxy is to destroy the galaxy entirely. The story was inspired in part by the remark made by an unnamed US officer about the destruction of the village of Bến Tre during the height of the Vietnam War: “It became necessary to destroy the town to save it.”

In Thanos’s mind, it became necessary to destroy the universe in order to save it. Or, at least half of it.

Do you think the MCU Thanos was true to comics origins? Let us know in the comments!

Images: Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios

A little more Thanos, a lot more action.

, as revealed in the comics.
Movie Thanos is getting an origin novel.
Check out his Hot Toys action figure.

This Taiwanese Baseball Team Will Go Super Saiyan With Their DBZ Inspired Uniforms

All around the world, baseball is known for its “theme days.” From celebrating a specific player with a bobblehead to celebrating the pop-culture mainstays like Star Wars, teams try to make it fun for the fans (one of our personal favorites was when the New York Mets hosted the official wedding of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson back in 1987).

According to Kotaku, Chinatrust Brothers, a baseball team from Taiwan, is joining this tradition by having a “Dragon Ball Z Weekend” May 5-6 when they take on the Uni-Present 7-11 Lions.

For the weekend, Chinatrust will be officially re-naming the team “Brother Z” and their logo will be in the show’s traditional font. Special Dragon Ball themed merchandise will also be on sale.

It’s events like this which show how similar cultures can be. The love of baseball and Dragon Ball Z we have here in the United States is shared by people on the other side of the world. It’s also an opportunity to see some of the differences. For example, here in North America, corporate sponsorship takes over the stadium names (Safeco Field, MetLife Stadium, etc.), whereas overseas the TEAMS are named after their sponsors. Regardless of where you are in the world, weird naming conventions are apparently Universal.

So what do you think? Will these new uniforms help Chinatrust Brothers reach level 9000? What theme days would you like your favorite team to have? Let me know on Twitter @donnielederer or hit a line drive in the comments below.



Image: Chinatrust Brothers

Let’s have ourselves a Dragon ball…

Dragon Ball-inspired soccer hairdos.
A Nicolas Cage mod for Dragon Ball FighterZ
Master Roshi in real life.

Japanese Engineers Make a Working Transformer Car Robot

Have you ever wanted your own Transformer? While many of the Transformers action figures and statues capture the spirit of the franchise, there’s nothing quite like the idea of owning a car that can actually transform into a robot. For the last four years, Takara Tomy – the Japanese company behind the Transformers – has teamed up with Brave Robotics and Asratec to create a working “ridable transforming humanoid robot.” Earlier this month, Asratec unveiled a fully functioning prototype that may be the most “real” Transformer we’ve ever seen.

Via Quartz, Asratec debuted footage of the J-deite Ride, a car that transforms into a 13 foot robot. Or should we say that it very slowly transforms into a robot? It’s somewhat miraculous that it works at all, but it’s not exactly built for speed. In the following video, it takes almost an entire minute for the car to complete its change to robot mode while two riders sit inside of it. But the end result is still very impressive.



The J-deite Ride doesn’t appear to be based on any particular Autobot or Decepticon, but it may soon have a home all over the world. Asratec plans to mass produce the J-deite Ride and integrate it into international theme park attractions. The J-deite could also be an attraction in of itself. After all, who doesn’t want to ride in a real robot car?

According to Asratec, the J-deite has a maximum speed of 37 mph in car mode and 18 mph when rolling on wheels in robot mode. It can also walk in its robot form, but at a much, much slower rate. More specifically, it would take an hour to go 0.06 miles. As a mode of transportation, it needs a lot of work. As a dream given form, it’s almost everything we’ve ever wanted in a toy.

What do you think about the J-deite Ride? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Asratec

More fun with robots!

Will Smith fails to seduce a real robot.
Terrifying giant robo-Pennywise.
Solar-powered robot wolves guard crops in Japan.

THE AVENGERS Theme Is Even More Badass on Bagpipes

There is a lot that makes the Avengers badass. It’s a team-up of our favorite Marvel heroes, and the scope of each Avengers film is far greater than the last. With Infinity War, we’re all about to embark (or already have embarked) on one of the biggest Marvel events to date. And while the MCU gets bigger and more intense with each film, one thing has stayed the same–The Avengers theme. It’s an utterly heroic theme song, and you can’t help but feel excited when you hear that iconic music. And while the song hasn’t changed since the first Avengers film, it was probably due for an upgrade, especially with the MCU about to change as we know it, right?

YouTuber The Snake Charmer thought so, anyway. A musician with some intensely amazing bagpipe skills, and who has covered tons of iconic songs from The Pirates of the Caribbean theme to the Wonder Woman theme, to Ed Sheeran, and everything in between, she decided to give The Avengers theme a bit of a twist, playing it on bagpipes (while in Black Widow cosplay, of course). So if you’re a bit tired from dodging Infinity War spoilers while you wait for your turn to see the flick, or if you already saw it and you just want to recapture the magic from the movie, definitely watch this creative take on The Avengers theme. The results are totally cool.

If you aren’t familiar with music played on the bagpipes, the range of this instrument is pretty surprising. The Snake Charmer manages to capture the iconic nature of the Avengers theme, but adds a really creative twist that is a ton of fun to listen to with her bagpipes. Clearly, a ton of musical skill went into this cover, and we are totally mesmerized and impressed by this performance. We’re definitely gonna have this one on repeat all day.

What do you think of this bagpipe cover of The Avengers theme? What other unexpected songs have you heard covered by bagpipes? Tell us about it in the comments!

Feature Image: The Snake Charmer

Cool bagpipe stories are more common than you think!

The Snake Charmer does The Walking Dead theme.
Batman with a ukelele V Superman with bagpipes.
Charmander plays flaming bagpipes while balanced on a Pokeball.

Who Could Be The MCU’s Next Big Villain After AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR?

After a character like Thanos threatens all existence in the known universe in Avengers: Infinity War, just how the heck do you top that kind of epic villainy as your main threat going forward in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?? Luckily, the pages of Marvel Comics have provided plenty of villains of the years, some larger than Thanos, and others smaller in scale but still Earth-threatening, that could be used by Marvel Studios down the line as we march past Avengers 4. Here are our top seven examples of villains that could carry an MCU Phase IV and beyond…

Kang the Conqueror

If you were to ask who the Avengers’ three biggest villains are, the average Marvel comics fan would say Thanos, Ultron… and Kang, the brutal, totalitarian dictator from the 40th century. Kang has often used time travel as a weapon, one which has constantly brought him into conflict with the Avengers more than any other group of heroes. For years, the rights to Kang were tied up with Fox, as the character first appeared in the pages of Fantastic Four as Rama-ut. But with that all soon no longer being a problem, I think Kang and his temporal manipulations might be the next big, long-term threat the Avengers must face.

Doctor Doom

For decades, Victor Von Doom was Marvel’s most recognizable and infamous bad guy. Primarily a Fantastic Four villain, he nevertheless has bedeviled the Avengers, Spider-Man, and just about every other hero in the Marvel Universe. For years, his rights were restricted to Twentieth Century Fox, but again, with that issue coming off the table, it’s is only a matter of time before the genius, egomaniacal ruler of Latveria comes to the MCU. Although he is a genius, he’s still a mortal man, and not quite a universe-shattering threat like Thanos, but he might be the somewhat “dialed-down” villain the MCU needs next.

Mephisto

But if they do decide to go bigger than Thanos for the post Avengers 4 threat, how much bigger can you possibly go than the Devil himself? Okay, so technically Mephisto isn’t actually the Biblical Satan, but he he comes pretty darn close. Thanos is a mighty threat, but he is ultimately a (more or less) mortal alien being with incredible power. Mephisto, however, brings a supernatural threat on such a mighty level that he would require everyone to come together to fight him.

The High Evolutionary

A human being who has extended his lifespan, the High Evolutionary isn’t as well known as some other Marvel bad guys, but he’s nevertheless been a thorn in the side of the likes of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four for decades. Born in England, Herbert Edgar Wyndham was a scientist who was obsessed with evolution, and evolved animals into humanoid form from his base in the Eastern European mountains. Nowhere near as big a threat as Thanos, he nevertheless could provide a through line for several Marvel films.

Galactus

More a force of nature than a person per se, Galactus has existed since the dawn of time and feeds on the life force of planets for sustenance. Although we sort of saw him in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, he was portrayed as a just a giant cloud, so we’re just not counting it as Galactus, no matter what that movie tells us. Just as with Doctor Doom, Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios need to restore Galactus to his proper place as one of the most dangerous villains in the cosmos, without any of this vapor crap. Phase IV of the MCU could be just the place.

The Beyonder

Maybe the most powerful entity in the known universe, the Beyonder is quite literally beyond all normal conceptions of space and time — which might explain the white leisure suit. His most famous achievement is when he kidnapped various heroes from across the Marvel universe, including the Avengers, X-Men and the Fantastic Four, to fight several Marvel villains on the so-called Battleworld of his own creation. This was the original concept behind the original Secret Wars crossover event, and we could easily see that storyline being a big Avengers/X-Men/FF crossover years down the line. But this feel more like a Phase V thing, once the X-Men and FF are firmly established in the MCU.

Norman Osborn / The Green Goblin

If the MCU wants to go for a more down to Earth, “pulling the strings behind the scenes” kind of threat as an over arching villain, then maybe Norman Osborn, better known as the Green Goblin, could provide that kind of threat. Although he was just a Spider-Man bad guy for decades, comics in the 21st century have elevated him to a higher status in the Marvel Universe. Could the MCU follow suit? It would not be the worst idea in the world after the cosmic stakes of Avengers: Infinity War.

Which major Marvel Comics character would you like to see be the next over-arching MCU big bad? Be sure to let us known down below in the comments.

Images: Marvel Comics

Hungry for more scum and villainy?

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Every Marvel movie villain except Thanos ranked from worst to best.
Does Star Wars have a villain problem?

Tom Hiddleston Discusses Loki’s Allegiance in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

One day you’re invading Earth with an army of aliens, the next you’re bravely seeking vengeance for your mother’s death while also stealing your father’s identity, and before you know it you’re unexpectedly coming to Asgard’s rescue to save everyone from your your even more sinister sister, but not without secretly grabbing a powerful weapon on your way out of town. With a resume like that, it’s not hard to understand why Marvel fans are skeptical of the God of Mischief’s true intentions going into Avengers: Infinity War, especially since he’s seen in the trailer handing the Tesseract over to Thanos. So since the most famous trickster in the MCU could still prove to be a friend or foe, we asked Tom Hiddleston himself to see if we could unravel what Loki might be hiding.

Nerdist News correspondent Markeia McCarty talked with Hiddleston to try and learn which side of the Loki coin will come up in the film, since we’re never sure if he’s going to flip on his brother Thor or not. But even though he (fittingly) wasn’t eager to give up Loki’s real intentions, he did reflect on how the character has changed over time and how that could determine what he does when he comes face-to-face with the Mad Titan.

The fact that this is a legitimate question just goes to show how much Loki has changed from when we first met him, when he was scheming to steal his brother’s throne and trying to exterminate an entire race of Frost Giants. That Loki would have definitely been a foe, but that doesn’t mean he won’t still show up when Thanos does.

What do you think? Is Loki someone you can rely on now, or should you never trust the trickster? Tell us why in the comments below.

Featured Image: Marvel Studios

To Infinity War…and beyond!

The science of Thanos’ moon throw.
Look at how insanely connected the MCU really is in this chart.
Watch Mark Ruffalo read thirst tweets about himself.