Marvel Phase One - Avengers Assembled

Marvel Phase Two is here and Iron Man 3 hits theatres in just over a month but today Marvel releases the Phase One collectors.


The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One - Avengers Assembled box set is the culmination of events leading up to forming the Avengers. Included in this set is the Blu-ray of all six movies since 2008 until current, dossiers,  exclusive movie memorabilia (INCLUDING A TESSERACT!), but also an exclusive bonus disc with an inside look at Iron Man 3 and Marvel's Phase Two.
 


Iron Man (2 May 2008)

Tony Stark is the complete playboy who also happens to be an engineering genius. While in Afghanistan demonstrating a new missile, he's captured and wounded. His captors want him to assemble a missile for them but instead he creates an armored suit and a means to prevent his death from the shrapnel left in his chest by the attack. He uses the armored suit to escape. Back in the U.S. he announces his company will cease making weapons and he begins work on an updated armored suit only to find that Obadiah Stane, his second in command at Stark industries has been selling Stark weapons to the insurgents. He uses his new suit to return to Afghanistan to destroy the arms and then to stop Stane from misusing his research.






The Incredible Hulk (13 June 2008)

Depicting the events after the Gamma Bomb. 'The Incredible Hulk' tells the story of Dr Bruce Banner, who seeks a cure to his unique condition, which causes him to turn into a giant green monster under emotional stress. Whilst on the run from military which seeks his capture, Banner comes close to a cure. But all is lost when a new creature emerges; The Abomination.











Iron Man 2 (7 May 2010)

With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts, and James "Rhodey" Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances - and confront powerful enemies











Thor (6 May 2011)

The warrior Thor (Hemsworth) is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard by his father Odin (Hopkins) for his arrogance and sent to Earth to live among humans. Falling in love with scientist Jane Foster (Portman) teaches Thor much-needed lessons, and his new-found strength comes into play as a villain from his homeland sends dark forces toward Earth.











Captain America: The First Avenger (22 July 2011)

It is 1942, America has entered World War II, and sickly but determined Steve Rogers is frustrated at being rejected yet again for military service. Everything changes when Dr. Erskine recruits him for the secret Project Rebirth. Proving his extraordinary courage, wits and conscience, Rogers undergoes the experiment and his weak body is suddenly enhanced into the maximum human potential. When Dr. Erskine is then immediately assassinated by an agent of Nazi Germany's secret HYDRA research department (headed by Johann Schmidt, a.k.a. the Red Skull), Rogers is left as a unique man who is initially misused as a propaganda mascot; however, when his comrades need him, Rogers goes on a successful adventure that truly makes him Captain America, and his war against Schmidt begins.




Avengers (4 May 2012)

Nick Fury is director of S.H.I.E.L.D, an international peace keeping agency. The agency is a who's who of Marvel Super Heroes, with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When global security is threatened by Loki and his cohorts, Nick Fury and his team will need all their powers to save the world from disaster.










-Nurd!               

Should the Gargoyles Return To The Night?

In today's movies we see a return of pop culture from the past, be it a TMNT reboot, a new G.I. Joe movie and even a new Jurassic Park movie. Even Transformers was successful enough to get a fourth movie. So why have we not seen a Gargoyles movie yet? Is it even still relevant?

The Gargoyles originally aired back on October 24th 1994 and ran for three years. The Gargoyles began back in medieval Scotland where a band of nocturnal creatures known as Gargoyles lived alongside the humans until they were betrayed and those remaining were magically turned to stone. Centuries later the spell would be undone and the remaining 6 gargoyles found themselves in New York, befriended by a NYPD detective by the name of Elisa Maza.


Gargoyles has since gained a cult following of fans and although the cartoon series ended in 1997 the series did not die. In fact the franchise was picked up years later to be adapted into comic books, even by the likes of Marvel Comics. The comic line ended in 2008 by Slave Labor Comics when Disney's licensing fees became too high to renew.

So why have we not seen a Disney's Gargoyles movie yet? Personally I believe that the following is there and that even years later, children and new fans will pick up on it. Disney has generally focused it's movies around princesses; however Disney did announce in 2010 that they will move away from creating princess themed movies to aim for a wider appeal. Since then we have seen Disney make such purchases as Marvel Comics and most recently Lucasfilm.

What I see is that Disney has repositioned themselves to market to young and adolescent boys. Furthermore, Gargoyles does include a strong female protagonist in the form of Elisa Maza to offer a positive female role model for young girls as well.

So while the franchise hasn't seen any new material in the last 5 years, could it still be relevant? In today's pop culture we see movies take a bit of a darker tone, featuring vampire and werewolves (Twilight and Dark Shadows) and even have zombies on tv (The Walking Dead). We are embracing the supernatural and Gargoyles would fit very well into today's standards.

Now that we know that Gargoyles could be accepted today, how would it be done? Live action would just be a dream come true, to watch these massive beasts come to life from stone and fly above New York, but I think that the younger generation would be lost or frightened. The next step would simply be an animated feature to capture the same excitement but also the wonder from the younger crowd. With Disney already owning Pixar it might as well be a green light. Pixar has done wonders with Toy Story, or more fitting for the editorial, Monster's Inc.

Let's take a side step back over into the live action genre. Again, Disney is poised to be able to handle this kind of a movie. I would take that the Gargoyles would have to be done via CGI and motion capture with obvious voice overs. . I would also cast Naya Rivera from Glee. She definitely has the look and notoriety for the role.

So what do you think? Do the Gargoyles have what it takes to make it to the big screen? Or should the forever remain in stone?


-Nurd!

Pepper Pott's to the Rescue

A new Ironman 3 international TV spot showed up online with what some may consider a spoiler. The new spot entitled "Save" doesn't appear to show any new material except for one small clip with Pepper Potts wearing the Iron Man armor. (I'm gonna let that sink in for a moment.)

Yes, Pepper Potts will be showing up in the suit and I can't say that I didn't see it coming. We actually saw this in other trailers but we actually never got to see who was in the suit. What we did see was Tony Stark on the floor as his mansion was in shambles with the suit kneeling over him and no idea of who was inside. We were led to believe that with the mansion destroyed that someone may have hijacked the armor but that is not the case at all.




Even in the posters that were released we get one of Pepper holding Tony's helmet and I got two feelings from this poster; one, as if something bad had happened to Tony and two, desperation. Desperation that would lead her down a path to put on the suit.

There's no doubt in my mind that this is just another nod to our inner fan boys and fan girls as we've already seen the Hulkbuster armor. While we do see Pepper in the Iron Man suit what does remain to be seen is if she will actually get her own and finally become Rescue?

Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Iron Man 3 is set to release on April 26th.


-Nurd!

*Update (3/27/13) The video had to be removed as it is no longer available.

Drax the Destroyer

 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has just gotten a little bit larger.

 

Rumors have been swirling around about who will play Drax in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and it looks like someone has finally been nailed down.

 

Drax the Destroyer will be played by former WWE wrestler Dave Bautista!

 

Bautista looks the part because he's got the build for Drax but when I first read this yesterday afternoon my worry was if he was too built for the part. Let's not make a mistake, Bautista is HUGE and the new look of Drax has a muscular yet slender build about him.

 

Other concerns that I have read online is that Bautista simply can't act.

 

In my over all opinion I do believe Bautista, while I never considered him for a role in the MCU, will make a great Drax the Destroyer. I became a fan of Bautista during his time in the WWE when he became a good guy after exiting Evolution. I also found a recent picture of Bautista where he doesn't look all juiced up and has that muscular yet slender look that Drax has.

 

Overall, Drax has now been drafted into the MCU and with Dave Bautista in the role, Thanos has a fight on his hands.

  

 

 

- "Nurd!"

 

 

 

Amazing Spiderman #700

The Amazing Spider-man comes to the end of it's monumental run with #700 today.

(WARNING: SPOILERS ARE AHEAD. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS ISSUE, AND DO NOT WANT IT SPOILED, NOW IS YOUR TIME TO STOP READING.)

In the issues reading up to Amazing Spider-man #700 we have seen Spider-man take on Dr. Octopus. Peter Parker, as heroic as ever, dies battling Dr. Octopus.

I can't contest to the writing of this issue because I don't have it in hands yet. I only have leaked pages and whats word coming out of Marvel and MTV Geek.

The word is that it's not a quick death and that it is drawn out. I would assume Peter Parker fought to his very last breath.

As for Dr. Octopus, he survives. Peter fell short and in the end Dr. Octopus is triumphant over Spider-man.

Peter Parker was without a doubt one of my top super heroes. Unlike those of Superman who had no weaknesses on this planet, Batman's intelligence and billions, and even Captain America's unwavering ethics and patriotism, Spider-man was your every day hero.

In the last 700 issues we've seen Peter grow from a teenager to a photographer, a teacher, and a scientist and all along the way he's made mistakes, suffered loss, and as a whole, seemed to be the heart of the Marvel Universe. Peter Parker proved that "With great power comes great responsibility" as he seemed to carry the wold on his shoulders sometimes.



"Spider-Man can be anybody."



All of these make Spider-Man relate able. He was the every man's hero. In his inception and as to why he wore mask, unlike other super heroes of his time like Superman, any of the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, etc, Stan Lee said "Because Spider-man can be anybody under that mask."

So where does that Marvel Universe go from here? With Peter Parker gone now in the Ultimate universe and in the normal continuity what happens? Peter Parker, unless tucked away some where, is no longer part of the Marvel Universe.

Spider-Man will go on to a new title called "The Superior Spider-man" with someone else taking on the role of Spider-Man and it also came as a shock to me. Of course I won't spill all those beans just yet and there are plenty of spoilers for that one already.

This day belongs to Peter Parker, the man that showed us anyone can become a hero with just a little tiny spider bite and a lot of heart. Even when you come up a little short, if you give it all you've got, you can still Amazing.

Today the Marvel Universe just got a little smaller. Rest in Peace Peter Parker.

-Nurd!

Happy Anniversary MegaMan!

Happy 25th Anniversary MegaMan!

It's hard to believe that the blue bomber has been around for 25 years now, although I'm pretty sure that's because it will lead to my own admission of age.



Today in honor of MegaMan's Capcom has released what was once a fame made game, Street Fighter X MegaMan. In Street Fighter X MegaMan you play as MegaMan, battling various Street Fighters with levels based upon each character's respective level stages from Street Fighter. Ryu you will fight on the roof tops of Japan and C. Viper you will fight in what appears to be S.I.N. head quarters. Street Fighter X MegaMan is available today via download here.


Also for MegaMan's anniversary X-Box fans will be treated to avatar props that will give you a mega buster prop replica, a full on MegaMan costume or one of seven more costumes of the original master robots. Capcom-Unity says to look for these by the end of the year. For the full Capcom-Unity blog on the Mega Man avatar props you can visit here.




Lastly Cacpom is prepped to release 6 new MegMan themed t-shirts. No matter your preference Capcom has you covered, be it MegaMan and his 8-bit self, Cut-Man for a little master bot love, Serve Bots, and yes, even MegaMan X.










Capcom, more so MegaMan, has seen a lot of turmoil over the past recent years with the cancellations of MegaMan Universe, MegaMan Legends 3, and the apparent snuff from Ultimate Marvel vs Capom 3 outside of just making a costume appearance for Zero. Even when Capcom gave a MegaMan as a PS3 exclusive for Street Fighter X Tekken in what seemed to be a brawl of mascots with Pac-Man Capcom gave us a fat aging MegaMan taken from the original box art, not the blue bomber himself. Capcom, in a recent statement, has come out to say they are not sure how to even proceed with the franchise, be it a continuance, or an all out reboot to the franchise.

Whatever Capcom has planned for MegaMan one thing is for sure, they seem to be on the right track. I, for one, am excited for the return of MegaMan in one form or another, but do you feel this is enough to breath life back into the franchise? Only time will tell.

-Nurd!

Granamyr the Wise

He's big, he's red, and he's expensive. He's Granamyr!

For the first time ever Mattycollector is offering Granamyr for the MOTUC toy line.

"Granamyr™ is one of the oldest and wisest of the Eternian Dragons of Darksmoke, an ancient kingdom in Eternia’s Dark Hemisphere. He greatly distrusts most men after the Great Wars between dragons and humans in ancient times. As one of the most powerful magic users on Eternia® he possesses such extraordinary might that even Skeletor® dares not challenge him. When Man-At-Arms® was turned to glass by an evil spell, Granamyr™ provided He-Man® with healing magic, but only after Eternia’s bravest warrior proved he had not only great strength but great mercy and wisdom as well. The ancient dragon Granamyr™ guards Eternia’s magical secrets and rules all of Darksmoke."

Fans were given the choice at Comic Con 2012 as to what color Granamyr should be. Green like he was in the DC and mini comics, or his Filmation red color. Fan's chose to have Granamyr in red and I can't say that I couldn't agree more.

Granamyr is also the first MOTUC figure that is noted for "assembly required." Granamyr comes packaged in an enclosed box and on the inside, he is actually in 10 pieces. The major portion of his body is poly bagged while the other 9 pieces are included into blister bubbles inside the box. You will need to attach the upper portion of his torso, head, arms, legs, wings, and tail but it's a small feat for this massive beast.

Granamyr is created so huge that he unfortunately will not be able to stand however is created to be posed in his iconic sitting position.

Granamyr is definitely one to add to the collection and I for one can't wait to add him next to the mystical Sorceress.

Granamyr is ONLY available on Mattycollector.com for $80 and goes on sale at 9:00 AM EST on Monday December 17th and is NOT part of the Club Eternia subscription.

Buy Granamyr the Wise here: Mattycollector.com

Visit the Mattycollector store for other MOTUC characters as well as other products: Mattycollector Store

-Nurd!