A recent fan theory about the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been gaining traction over the past week, and it may not be as wacky as it sounds. By all appearances, it seems that after the time skip in Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark settled down with Pepper Potts out in the woods, had a kid and retired.
But what if, the theory proposes, he didn't just have the kid... he built her?
Little Morgan Stark's "I love you 3000" line could be one of the most heartwarming lines in the script, but under this interpretation, it becomes one of the most chilling. The entire fan theory started with the tweet above, in which one fan told her sister of her suspicions as to Morgan's robotic nature from the start of the film. The tweeter even proposed a name for the robot after her most famous line in the film -- the "ILU 3000."
The original theory crafter goes on to read the rest of the Avengers' looks of regret when Tony mentions his daughter as a kind of restrained pity for a dear friend who kind of lost their mind after a traumatic experience. Such a perspective offers an interesting insight into Tony's psyche. When he was first trapped in a cave in the Middle East in Iron Man, he wanted vengeance and safety, so he built a suit of power armor that could give him exactly that. After being trapped adrift in space longing for the family he dreamed of in Endgame, maybe the natural reaction for Tony Stark would be to build himself the perfect family.
Viewing the film through such a lens, all kinds of lines pop out from the dialogue. When Tony travels to the past he has an exchange with his father, Howard Stark about fatherhood. When Howard asks about the subject, he says "Did you feel qualified?Like you had any idea how to successfully operate that thing?" to which Tony responds, "I literally pieced it together as I went along."
The theory also helps address an earlier plot hole that bothered some fans involving Tony's posthumous message. When the hologram of Tony delivers his final words to his friends and family he manages to make direct eye contact with Morgan sitting on the couch, despite it being virtually impossible for Tony to predict where his daughter would be sitting. Of course, if his daughter already knew how to coordinate with the message, or the hologram was set to sense her, the problem would totally vanish.
Those familiar with the franchise know that A.I. has been Tony's forte since before the first MCU film. He created J.A.R.V.I.S. to run his house and armor's systems; Ultron as an attempt to defend the world; Vision as a fusion between the former two; F.R.I.D.A.Y. to serve as a new OS to his armor and Karen for Spider-Man's own suit. If anyone were capable of crafting an A.I. that could pass the Turing test it would be Tony, and Endgame takes place after he has five more years to advance his ideas while away in his lab without the distraction of superheroics.
There's little doubt that Morgan Stark will appear more in future MCU projects, but these very well could be the seeds for a massive twist involving her character. Since Endgame set up the Young Avengers remarkably well with the growth of Hawkeye and Ant-Man's daughters, Kate and Cassie, Morgan Stark could potentially be a new twist on Iron Lad or Victor Mancha that would tie the team more intimately back into the MCU itself.
Call the theory implausible for now all you want, but now that you've heard it, you won't be able to forget it when re-watching Endgame ever again.
In the universe of Dragon Ball, the Saiyan race are some of the most powerful figures in the entire galaxy. These aliens are capable of amazing physical feats, even before they learn the ability to fully unlock their powers and reach Super Saiyan.
Although most of the Saiyans ended up achieving that level of power at some point, not all of them lived long enough to even make an attempt. Notably, Vegeta's original ally Nappa was killed long before he could have ever even seen a Super Saiyan. Now, we're taking a closer look at Nappa and whether or not he could've gone Super Saiyan.
Super Saiyan is a powered-up physical form that only Saiyans have the power to access. The Saiyans are already one of the more fearsome races in the galaxy, and they possess a number of abilities that make them stronger in combat. They are born with monkey tails that transforms them into a giant ape form when there is a full moon. They possess the ability to greatly channel their ki, allowing them to shoot powerful energy blasts and fly. Anytime they are almost killed, they return to health stronger than they were before.
Super Saiyan transformations are when the Saiyan reaches a point of fury that changes them into a newly enhanced form. There are multiple levels of Super Saiyan transformations, each one empowering the Saiyan even more. they can even reach a point where they gain enough power to stand up to gods of destruction and the most powerful figures of the multiverse.
Nappa was one of the few Saiyans who was able to survive the destruction of Planet Vegeta. Since he was off-world and protecting the young Prince Vegeta at the time, the two of them continued to serve under Lord Frieza. What they didn't know was that Frieza had destroyed the planet because he'd learned of the legendary Super Saiyan, and feared that power ever being unleashed. They spent years traveling around the galaxy alongside another young Saiyan soldier, Raditz. As Saiyans, they had a serious advantage in combat around the galaxy, although they weren't the most powerful or respected of Frieza's armies.
Eventually, Raditz went to Earth to find his brother, Kakarot. However, instead of conquering the world as he'd been intended to, the boy had grown up as Goku - completely unaware of his true identity. When Radditz and Goku were killed, the other two Saiyans found out about the existence of the wish-granting Dragon Balls. They went straight to Earth, working their way through the defenders of the planet to make a wish for immortality. Nappa by himself was personally responsible for the deaths of Chiaotzu, Tien and Piccolo. Krillin and Gohan were only saved by the timely arrival of Goku, who'd been resurrected by the Dragon Balls. He was able to easily defeat Nappa one-on-one thanks to his training with King Kai, and Vegeta killed him out of disgust for his defeat.
Nappa has everything he needs to turn Super Saiyan, technically. The ability to go Super Saiyan is dependent on Saiyan geneology, which Nappa has. Even distant descendants of the Saiyans, with far more human DNA in their genes than Saiyan, are shown to possess this ability. Goku Jr. and Vegeta Jr. both transform into Super Saiyans during their brief appearances. Even if Dragon Ball GT hasn't recognized as canon thanks to the continuation of Dragon Ball Super, it's still implied that anyone with Saiyan heritage has the potential to reach that advanced state.
The problem is that Nappa isn't really ready to become a Super Saiyan, physically or mentally. When he's killed, many of the franchise's heroes are far weaker than they would be when they would reach Super Saiyan status. Goku especially would need to be far more power before he reached that point. Between this fight and when he would go Super Saiyan fighting Frieza, Goku was almost killed twice, giving him a massive boost each time. He also trained on his trip to Namek under intense gravity, giving him another power boost. Everyone else, even the younger half-Saiyans, were more powerful than Nappa when they first made the transformation. If Nappa was ever restored, he could potentially train enough to become strong enough to reach that point.
Another major part of becoming a Super Saiyan is feeling extreme anger or loss, transforming a Saiyan's inner rage into external power. This usually is necessary to unlock the transformation.
Like Ki, it's basically an extension of their inner strength amplifying their physical attributes. Nappa has never been shown with the kind of attachment that makes such a transformation possible. Goku had to lose Krillin, Gohan had to lose Android 16, and Future Trunks had to lose his version of Gohan to achieve the kind of fury needed to transform for the first time. Vegeta had to essentially have a breakdown during a meteor storm to achieve Super Saiyan, and both Goten and Kid Trunks got their powers transformations during tough training sessions with their parents. There's no one Nappa seemed to actually care about, since he joked over the death of Radditz with ease. The closest thing he got to that kind of push would have Vegeta murdering him, but even that didn't transform him. Still, it would be fun to see his mustache glow bright gold during a fight.
Fans of the Bad Boys franchise can take home some new swag very soon, as Funko is producing new Pop! vinyl figures ahead of the January release of Bad Boys 4 Life.
Funko is offering figures of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's character, telling fans, "'Put the gun down, and get me a pack of Tropical Fruit Bubblicious.' Fans of comedy, Michael Bay and Will Smith are in for a treat with their favorite Bad Boys characters in Pop! form. Bring home Pop! Detective Sergeant Marcus Burnett and Pop! Detective Sergeant Michael 'Mike' Lowrey."
Although they aren't available just yet, the addition of the Bad Boys 4 Life figures is just another contribution to Pop!'s film collection. You can also grab collectibles from everything to Frozen 2 to Terminator: Dark Fate to a special new line inspired by 2012's The Avengers.
Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah from a script written by Chris Bremner, Bad Boys For Life stars Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Paola Nunez, Kate Del Castillo, Nicky Jam and Joe Pantoliano. The film opens on Jan. 17, 2020.
Over the last 10 years, we have seen quite a few different costume changes from our favorite characters in the Marvel and DC universes. Some of those costume changes were amazing and lasting, and some were thankfully quickly forgotten and reversed.
As we move ever closer to the beginning of a new decade, we wanted to take a look back and highlight a few of the best and worst costume changes we've seen from the last decade. While it would be easy to fill up this list with almost every costume from DC's New 52, we tried to not focus too much on the line-wide redesign except when applicable for their Rebirth fixes.
DC's Rebirth era set about fixing not only some of the problems created by the New 52 reboot but also redesigning some of the troubled costumes by merging them with their classic version for new, updated looks.
Rebirth kicked off with the return of the original Wally West in his classic Kid Flash costume. Using the Speed Force, Wally redesigned his look and perfectly merged his former costumes as Kid Flash and the Flash to create a new look that separated himself from the other related speedster characters in the DC Universe.
9 WORST: JIM GORDON, BATMAN
Batman famously has a number of costumes over the years, from the ridiculous (Zebra Batman) to the rad (Rebirth Batman), but during the New 52, we saw another character take over as the Batman after the disappearance of the Dark Knight during Snyder and Capullo's "Endgame" storyline. Since Gotham City needs a Batman, a new one was created.
Former police commissioner Jim Gordon took over as the new Batman, though he needed a bit of an extra edge so wore a highly advanced robotic exosuit that looked more like a robot bunny than anything we had seen Batman wear over the years. Even Gordon's streamlined Batsuit he wore inside the mecha was not one of the better versions of the iconic suits we had seen over the years.
8 BEST: IRONHEART
When Riri Williams first began her career, she created her armor using the technology of Tony Stark and her first Ironheart designs followed his Iron Man style, giving Riri the same red and gold appearance as her newfound mentor.
Thankfully Rir's newest armor tweaked the designs and added in more of her own style, creating a new Ironheart armor that stood out on its own as a new character instead of just another Iron Man armor. Riri's new armor is visually one of the more impressive armors we've ever seen and definitely takes the lead in the last decade.
7 WORST: QUICKSILVER
Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver has never been known for having the best costume and is often a victim of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Quicksilver's classic white and blue costume has seen a few different variations over the years, but his look has always remained consistently average.
However, in the last few years, Pietro has adopted a new look with a new color scheme that just doesn't really work for the character. This costume first appeared during the Uncanny Avengers run and replaced a sleek high-tech blue and white look with this purple and white generic suit with a fast-forward icon for a symbol that does nothing for his speed profile.
6 BEST: CAPTAIN MARVEL
Carol Danvers has a pretty large collection of costumes to go along with her equally lengthy assortment of superhero identities, starting way back when she first became Ms. Marvel in 1977. She would finally accept the role of her friend and mentor Captain Marvel after years of struggling to find her own identity.
Carol's new costume reflected the same color schemes as her original costume, which was itself based on the designs of Mar-Vell's red and blue costume. However, Carol's new suit would also be inspired by Carol's time with the USAF and take on a more militaristic feel, which we've recently seen brought to the big screen in the MCU.
5 WORST: HAL JORDAN, RENEGADE
It can be hard to introduce costume changes to characters like the Green Lantern Corps, as they are basically a military unit that requires its members to wear a uniform. There have been a few alterations to the basic GLC outfit when new characters like Guy Gardner or Kyle Rayner get a ring, but for someone like Hal Jordan, it often takes a turn to the dark side to get a new costume.
This happened to Hal Jordan during the New 52 when he was forced to become a renegade and adopt a new low-key costume. So Hal channeled his time as the Spectre and wore a white bodysuit with a green overcoat and a glowing GL gauntlet that was not low-key at all. And while an overcoat usually automatically makes anyone cooler, Hal's renegade phase is the exception.
4 BEST: SPIDER-WOMAN
This might be a divisive entry considering that Jessica Drew's original Spider-Woman costume was amazing, and the character has since reverted back to it with her appearance in Strikeforce and her own upcoming solo series.
However, when Spider-Woman first took on the new costume it was an incredible updating of the character that gave her a functional and stylish alternative to her usual superhero style that better fit her non-Avenger lifestyle of a superpowered investigator/mom. We're happy to see her back in her original costume, but we're still sad to see this one go.
3 WORST: PRESTIGE
Rachel Summers has a long history of names and costumes beginning with her initial costumed identity of Phoenix, though when she distanced herself from the cosmic force she continued to follow in her mother's footsteps as the new Marvel Girl.
Rachel's struggle to find her own identity took a step backward when she adopted the name Prestige and a new generic superhero-esque costume during X-Men Gold. This costume would go through a few changes as they tried to make it fit the character, but she thankfully returned to her more Hound-like costume for the "Dawn of X" relaunch.
2 BEST: REBIRTH BATGIRL
Batgirl is another character who hadn't had as much luck in the costume department since Barbara Gordon returned to the role. Her first New 52 costume was tactically sound and followed the same lines as the rest of the Bat-Family, but left Barbara behind, whereas the Burnside costume brought out the Barbara but left the Bat-family behind.
However, Sean Murphy redesigned the character's costume to reflect her original costume while updating it for a new look that perfectly captures the personality of the character while still looking sleek and modern, finally showcasing the best of Barbara and Batgirl.
1 WORST: DRAKE
As fans of Tim Drake/Robin III/Red Robin we fully support his evolution into a new costumed identity, much like the Robins before went on to become Nightwing and Red Hood. We can even support his new name of Drake, even though it obviously causes identity problems, which as someone who discovered the identities of the dynamic duo originally should know.
However, we just can't get behind this costume, which doesn't seem to have much of a theme beyond "Robin mixed with Ronin" and doesn't say much about Tim's new identity as Drake or his abilities. And while we love the bat insignia on his belt buckle, that would give pre-Flashpoint Tim all the clues he needed to discover Batman's secret identity. Way to go, Drake.
When it comes to the hit show Yu-Gi-Oh!, the character of Kaiba is considered an anti-hero of sorts. He's certainly not the standard type of traditionalist hero that audiences have come to recognize as the norm, being motivated by a desire for both money and pride most of the time.
While Yugi can usually count on the help of Kaiba, he's also had his fair share of some pretty downright bad moments that shouldn't just be glossed over when considering their character. Today we'll be examining those moments and looking at the 10 worst things Kaiba has ever done. Let's get into it.
10 Kidnap Yugi's Grandpa
Sometimes you have to just steal a feeble old man and force him to duel you, a young teenager in peak physical condition. It's just a coming of age thing we all have to do once in a while.
This is exactly what Kaiba did to Yugi's Grandpa. After he caught wind that Grandpa might have a Blue-Eyes card, he offered him any amount of money to buy it. After Solomon refused, he forced him to duel for the card. What a great guy.
9 Send Him To The Hospital
So, Kaiba beats Yugi's Grandpa so horribly that it sends him to the hospital? Yeah, you heard that right. This man went and sent a grandfather to the hospital over a duel that he forced him into. That... that just isn't okay.
Kaiba you should have just stolen the card. Everything leading up to this point was pretty bad, but it just got worse. Don't worry though, we aren't done with THE FIRST EPISODE just yet.
8 Tear His Blue-Eyes White Dragon Card
Rather than keeping the card that he just forcibly dueled Grandpa for, he rips it in half so it can never be used against him. Oh, come on dude, seriously?
What's worse, taking the card or ripping it? Either way, it's still awful. It's not like grandpa is out here entering tournaments with his Blue-Eyes. Even if he did, you have three of them Kaiba. What is one going to do? You've already seen that this man passes out after duels, the ripping of the card was just unnecessary. 1/3 of this article was from the first episode. What a man. Don't worry, he got mind crushed after this.
7 The Takedown Of The Big Five
When Kaiba began his secret takeover of KaibaCorp, he employed the help of the Big Five in order to make things go smoothly. After he completed his goal, the Big Five were somewhat tossed to the side.
Sure, they were kind of idiots, but they didn't need to be fired. That's exactly what Kaiba did after he got his use out of them. This course of action led to several non-canon arcs with varying degrees of quality. So, thanks for that Kaiba.
6 His Treatment Of Joey
Kaiba was really a whole trashcan to Joey, wasn't he? Throughout the series, he was incredibly rude toward Joey, and never gave him the respect that he deserved. Whether or not he wanted to admit it, Joey was a powerful duelist.
He knew what he was doing. He even put Kaiba on his toes here and there. Kaiba continually dragged Joey's name through the mud. He wasn't even going to give the poor guy a Duel Disk. He deserves that at the very least.
5 Continuing The Battle City Finals
Remember that one time that like, half of the Battle City finalists just kind of died? Because yeah, Kaiba allowed that. His continual conquest for the God Cards meant that he was willing to sacrifice anyone in order to get them.
His participants were getting sent to the Shadow Realm left and right. Mai, Bakura, Joey, Odion, it was constant. That wasn't enough for Kaiba to stop the competition, showing just how little he cared about people competing in the tournament he created.
4 Allowing Joey To Go To The Shadow Realm
While Mai should have won her duel against Marik, Joey's loss was even more egregious, as he had a clear shot to take Marik out, he just wasn't able to call out the attack. Considering that he was able to take so many hits from Ra and stay standing, it's somewhat of a slap in the face of how Kaiba treated the end of the duel.
He gave Joey only 30 seconds to stand up and declare his attack, which simply wasn't enough time. Joey won that duel fair and square, and Kaiba declaring it as a win for Marik allowed Marik to continue his evil conquest and sent Joey to the Shadow Realm. Even looking at it from Kaiba's viewpoint, he should have called the duel for Joey because he'd be easier to take down in the finals than Marik, and Kaiba could have gotten Ra out of him.
3 Left Everyone To Explode
Remember that one time that Kaiba rigged an entire island to explode, took his brother on a jet modeled after a fictional dragon, didn't check to see if the other escape helicopter was working, and then left? Because that's a thing that Kaiba did.
After setting the Duel Tower to explode, Kaiba took off in the Blue-Eyes Jet with Mokuba, never checking to see if the others would be able to escape, and, spoiler alert, every single one of them almost died. Including Kaiba's own employees. Kaiba is just killing (literally) it, isn't he?
2 Blaming Mikey's Fate On Alister
No one watched the fourth season of Yu-Gi-Oh! and that's completely understandable because it's trash. However, at one point Kaiba blamed Alister for Mikey's "disappearance" (thanks 4kids) because it's the big brother's job to look after the younger one.
Let's just set aside the fact that Alister and Mikey were living in a war-torn country with tanks awaiting them left and right, set up by Dartz (pretending to be Gozaburo). That's just cold Kaiba. God.
1 Attempting To Bring The Pharaoh Back
In The Dark Side of Dimensions, Kaiba attempted to commit the heinous act of bringing The Pharaoh back to life, after he had been laid to rest, finally allowing his spirit to have some peace.
Kaiba gives Atem absolutely no respect when he does this, and shows that he doesn't care at all about him, reducing him to just another duelist that he needs to take down. Besides that fact, he could still easily duel against Yugi, who is just as talented as Atem. The disrespect is just unreal.
In "Reason to be Excited," I spotlight things from modern comics that I think are worth getting excited about. I mean stuff more specific than "this comic is good," ya know? More like a specific bit from a writer or artist that impressed me.
Today, we take a look at how Raina Telgemeier handles therapy in her new graphic novel, Guts.
Now, obviously, Telgemeier is probably THE most successful comic book creator there is right now, so I know it's a bit like, "Oh, wow, Brian, really going boldly here by telling us how Raina Telgemeier is a reason to be excited about comics" and that's a fair point, but at the same time, I thought what Telgemeier did with regards to therapy was so impressive that I felt I should talk about it anyways.
Guts opens up with a typical situation for a little kid, as young Raina gets sick from the stomach flu...
However, the big difference here is that is that young Raina grows so disgusted by vomiting that it becomes a major phobia for her. As a result, it affects her eating habits, as she is freaked out over eating anything different for fear that it will make her vomit again (as here, she associates the artichokes she just had for dinner that night with the vomiting). The problem there, of course, is that the anxiety she feels over vomiting....makes her stomach hurt! So yes, the very thing that she is afraid of, the anxiety over it is causing herself to get sick. It's quite the catch-22.
Naturally, then, Raina's parents eventually realize that she has to get some help and so they turn to a therapist. Raina, naturally, is reticent to open up to an outsider like this...
And obviously, that's not something that she should be worried about, as her therapist is all about making things better for Raina. However, it is clear that fear over being "different" is a strong feeling in kids (and adults) and so seeing a therapist can be seen as a major sign of you being different (or worse, in some people's mind, they believe it means that they are weak).
Telgemeier does a wonderful job explaining that confusion. What does it mean to be sick while not being what you typically think of as "sick?"
Telgemeier does a masterful job depicting the feelings of anxiety in a child (and man, the coloring in these segments is outstanding. Braden Lamb really shines in this book)...
but I think she does an even better job showing how much therapy helps Raina and by the end of the book, Raina realizes that her "shameful" secret really isn't shameful at all. Telgemeier removes the stigma and I can only imagine how much of a great relief that must be for any young children reading this book who are in therapy themselves.
Guts is a good story period, but in this sense, it's also an amazing tool of acceptance.
Okay, this feature is a bit less of a reader-interactive one, as I'm just spotlight stuff in modern comics that specifically impressed ME, but heck, if you'd like to send in some suggestions anyways, maybe you and I have the same taste! It's certainly not improbably that something you found cool would be something that I found cool, too, so feel free to send ideas to me at brianc@cbr.com!
Welcome to Daily Deals, our ongoing look at the best deals and offers for CBR fans to get the best out of their buck when it comes to comics, collectibles, electronics, gear, clothing, and anything else we find that might interest fans for less!
This week we will be wading through the various online specials that come along with Black Friday and Cyber Monday to bring you the best deals available. Comixology is celebrating the shopping season with their daily Doorbuster deal as well as a huge sale on hundreds of DC graphic novels for its "March to Black Friday" sale that only runs until the 28th!
As we previously mentioned, DC Comics has a huge "March to Black Friday" sale going on that covers a huge selection of comics, from solo heroes to team books to event collections. While we highly encourage you to check out the rest of the gigantic digital collection, we picked a few of the biggest events on sale to share with you today.
You can now add the Crisis on Infinite Earths to your library before it's adapted to this year's Arrowverse crossover event. While that was the first Crisis it wasn't the last, and you can follow it up with the twisty Final Crisis or the universe-altering Flashpoint for a taste of modern events.
While we are still mourning the loss of DC's long-lasting Vertigo imprint, we can still thankfully pick up some of the best Vertigo releases on sale thanks to DC Comics and Comixology. We're going to share a few of the more well-recognized titles but again, encourage you to begin exploring Vertigo's huge library of amazing series.
Neil Gaiman's Sandman is an obvious addition to the collection, especially with TV adaptation plans finally moving forward. Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra's Y: The Last Man consistently falls on most must-read lists (and is also being adapted for TV) while Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's 100 Bullets is still one of the best comic series ever created. Get reading!
Every day of the week Comixology will be offering a few Doorbuster deals on one graphic novel a day that they will be selling for a buck, so you don't want to miss out. Fans can pick up the first volume of Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth's Stumptown, which has been adapted into a new TV series starring Cobie Smulders!
Marvel fans can also enjoy some big savings starting today as all Marvel Comics single issues are Buy 1 Get 1 Free until December 2! We'll have more sales and daily mystery doorbuster deals from Comixology every day this week, so be sure to check back daily for your chance to save!
We hope you like the items we recommend! Comic Book Resources has affiliate partnerships, so we receive a share of the revenue from your purchase. This won’t affect the price you pay and helps us offer the best product recommendations.
One Piece is a long-running anime series that's all about pirates. In the series, pirates are hunted down by members of the World Government and their Marines. However, some pirates are too tough for the government or its soldiers to handle on their own. In response, the government will issue a Bounty for the capture, or death, of a particularly powerful pirate.
We're going to talk about the pirates who currently hold the 10 Highest Bounties in the One Piece world. We won't include any characters with unknown Bounties. Instead, we'll focus on the individuals who are currently worth the Highest amount of Berries, the main form of currency in the series.
Updated November 26th, 2019 to reflect the latest additions to the One Piece Universe.
15 Charlotte Snack (600,000,000 Berries)
The fifteenth highest Bounty in the One Piece series belongs to one of the former Sweet Commanders named Charlotte Snack. Snack is a member of the Charlotte Family, a dangerous group of pirates with food-based powers.
Snack is the Minister of Fries. Contrary to what his title and his parentage might imply, Snack doesn't use french fries to do battle. Instead, Charlotte Snack uses a gigantic katana when it's time to throw down. It is likely that Snack doesn't possess any Devil Fruit powers, he still has a bounty that's higher than the likes of Portgas D. Ace, which is fairly impressive, to say the least.
14 Sabo (602,000,000 Berries)
Sabo is the sworn brother of Monkey D. Luffy's and Portgas D. Ace's as well as the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army. Like Ace, Sabo possesses fire-based abilities and an impeccable sense of style. Sabo first officially appeared in Chapter 583 of the One Piece Manga and Episode 494 of the anime.
At the moment, Sabo has the fourteenth highest Bounty in the series. Sabo only manages to edge out Charlotte Snack by 2 million Berries. This is despite the fact that Sabo helps lead a rebellion while Snack hangs out on the One Piece version of Candyland. Funny how things work out sometimes.
13 Charlotte Perospero (700,000,000 Berries)
Yep, we've got another member of the Charlotte Family on the list. Now's probably a pretty good time to mention that multiple members of the Big Mom Pirates hold most of the top spots. In other words, you're going to be reading the word 'Charlotte' quite a bit.
Anyhow, Perospero is the oldest son of the Charlotte Family and the Minister of Candy. Unlike Snack, Perospero possesses the power to control food, thanks to his Pero Pero no Mi. Perospero can control candy to phenomenal effect. He can create super-strong candy constructs on a whim as well as turn people into candy statues. At the moment, Perospero has the thirteenth-highest Bounty in the One Piece series.
12 Charlotte Cracker (860,000,000)
Charlotte Cracker is a man of many titles. The pirate with the twelfth highest Bounty in One Piece is also the Minister of Biscuit as well as the 10th son of the Charlotte Family. However, Cracker's most impressive title might be "Thousand Arms."
Cracker earned the title of "Thousand Arms" thanks to his Devil Fruit, Bisu Bisu no Mi, which allows him to control biscuits at will. As such, Cracker produces thousands of Biscuit-arms at will. Using his blade Pretzel, Cracker has carved down many foes over the years. The man's an artist with a sword, giving multiple members of the Straw Hat Pirates a hard time. Interestingly enough, Cracker hasn't had the chance to cross swords with Roronoa Zoro yet.
11 Charlotte Smoothie (932,000,000 Berries)
Smoothie possesses the sixth-highest Bounty in the entire One Piece series. She also has one of the highest Female Bounties thus far, topping characters like Nami and Robin by a mile. The 14th daughter of the Charlotte Family is also one the Three Sweet Commanders, further adding to her prestige.
Thanks to her Devil Fruit known as the Shibo Shibo no Mi, Charlotte Smoothie can wring liquids out of objects to lethal effect; get into a fight with this girl and she might wring the fluids out of your body like a dirty rag! Smoothie can also increase her strength and stature by absorbing fluids from her surroundings, essentially granting her the powers of a giant. This femme fatale is definitely not to be trifled with.
10 Jack the Drought (1,000,000,000 Berries)
Finally, a break from the Charlotte family! Jack the Drought is a member of the Beasts Pirates—not the Charlotte Family, or the Big Mom Pirates, but the Beasts! To be more specific, one of the Three Disasters. A mountain of a man, Jack uses his phenomenal strength to serve Kaido—the 'Strongest Creature in the World.'
As it stands, Jack the Drought has the tenth Highest Bounty in One Piece. Jack's powers aren't too fancy or flashy; he's able to turn into a giant mammoth thanks to his Ancient Zoan Zou Zou no Mi, Model: Mammoth Devil Fruit. Currently, Jack hasn't fought any of the Straw Hat Pirates.
9 Charlotte Katakuri (1,057,000,000 Berries)
Let's take it back to the Big Mom Pirates. Charlotte Katakuri is the last member of the Charlotte family on our list. Katakuri has a Bounty of 1,057,000,000 Berries on his head—the ninth highest Bounty in One Piece history! Not only does this make him the most dangerous member of his family after his mother, but it makes him one of the most formidable foes in the series. The Minister of Flour can turn parts of his body in Mochi and control all three types of Haki. Katakuri's one of the toughest opponents the Straw Hat Pirates have faced. The man's so strong that even Luffy spent a long time struggling against him!
8 Queen The Plague (1,320,000,000 Berries)
Queen is another member of the Beasts Pirates. Unlike most of the others on this list, we haven't seen Queen fight too much. However, we have seen Queen resist Luffy's Haoshoku Haki/ Conqueror's Haki! Only characters with the strongest of wills can perform such a feat. Other than that, Queen fought Big Mom at Udon Prison and demonstrated great durability in the fight. He also managed to land a hit on her, although it didn't make her budge at all.
The World Government also seems to think he's a threat, as they're willing to pay 1,320,000,000 Berries for his acts of piracy. As of this writing, Queen holds the eighth Highest Bounty in the One Piece series. There are few characters that eclipse him, and they're some of the strongest in anime history.
7 Monkey D. Luffy (1,500,000,000 Berries)
The seventh Highest Bounty in One Piece belongs to the star of the show and the leader of the Straw Hat Pirates! Monkey D. Luffy began as a poor boy with a big dream of becoming the King of the Pirates! That dream continues to drive Luffy and motivates him even when things seem utterly hopeless.
A man with a large appetite and a good heart, Luffy continues to grow stronger and change lives wherever he goes. Paradoxically, Luffy is proof that Bounties aren't true measures of one's strength or worth. Luffy's bounty has gradually risen over time, and he's recently acquired a mammoth bounty of 1.5 billion berries. The good old Straw Hat has defeated and continues to beat, numerous opponents with bounties much larger than his own.
6 Blackbeard (2,247,600,000 Berries)
One of the highest known Bounties in all of One Piece belongs to Marshall D. Teach, aka Blackbeard. Teach's Bounty absolutely dwarfs the likes od Luffy's, totaling to a staggering 2,247,600,000 Berries! Luffy accolades suggest that Bounties aren't total measures of a person's power. However, Black Beard's achievements reiterate that pirates with high Bounties aren't to be taken lightly.
Teach can do it all; he can use Haki, is an expert with multiple weapons, and possesses two Devil Fruit powers! Only a few characters can match Blackbeard's might, such as the current Yonko. But, inevitably, it'll fall to Luffy to eventually beat Blackbeard—if that's even possible.
5 Shanks (4,048,900,000 Berries)
Shanks is the Captain of the Red-Hair Pirates, one of the four Yonko crews who rule the New World in One Piece. Although very little is known about what he is capable of, it was recently revealed that Shanks was made a Yonko six years prior to the current events of the story. Over time, he's accumulated a bounty of 4.048 billion berries, which is a staggering amount!
What's even more impressive is the fact that Shanks has only been one of the Emperors for six years, yet gained a bounty comparable to the likes of Big Mom and Kaido, who aren't all that ahead of him.
4 Charlotte Linlin (4,388,000,000 Berries)
Renowned by the name of Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin leads the Big Mom Pirates who rule over a country comprising of 35 islands, known as Totland. At a very young age, Linlin gained a bounty of 500 million berries, which goes to show how big a threat she posed to the Government right from the beginning. In due time, she would eventually join the Rocks Pirates where she was crewmates with the likes of Whitebeard and even Kaido.
Gaining even more infamy after leaving Rocks, Big Mom rose to the status of a Yonko at an unspecified time and acquired a bounty of 4.38 billion berries. Despite not being as barbaric and violent as Kaido, Big Mom having a bounty this high speaks volumes about her prowess.
3 Kaido (4,611,100,000 Berries)
Kaido is the leader of the Beasts Pirates, a crew solely composed of Zoan type Devil Fruit users. Like Big Mom, Kaido was once on the ship of Rocks D. Xebec, although he was just an apprentice there. After the crew disbanded, Kaido acquired a powerful crew in time by the virtue of his monstrous strength. In the decades following the God Valley incident, he rose to the status of a Yonko as well.
As a pirate, Kaido has tasted defeat 7 times, likely at the hands of other Yonko, and the Marines. He's also been captured and tortured a total of 18 times, yet he's never died. Boasting incredible durability, Kaido is nigh un-killable, and due to his actions of violence, he's earned a bounty of 4.6 billion berries.
2 Edward Newgate (5,046,000,000 Berries)
Edward Newgate, also known as Whitebeard, was renowned as the strongest man in the world of One Piece, and the only person to match Gol D. Roger in battle. Whitebeard was a member of the Rocks Pirates at a certain point, and five years after they split up, he formed the Whitebeard Pirates. In the upcoming years, Whitebeard gained tremendous strength, enough to make him the strongest man even in the age of Gol D. Roger, which speaks volumes about his level of skill.
By the time of his death, Whitebeard had earned recognition as the King of Seas, and was, undeniably, one of the greatest pirates in the world of One Piece. He had earned a bounty slightly over 5 billion berries, which is truly spectacular!
1 Gol D. Roger (5,564,800,000 Berries)
The King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, possessed the highest bounty in the entirety of One Piece, and rightfully so. Roger sailed his Pirate crew to Raftel as no crew had ever done before. There, he found the legendary treasure known as One Piece, along with the secrets of the Void Century as well.
To the World Government, Gol D. Roger was likely the biggest threat that they had ever crossed in their entire existence of several hundred years. In terms of power, Roger was equal to Whitebeard, although his bounty was likely because of the fact that he found the One Piece and knew the real history.
In the Avengers: Endgame featurette, Casting the MCU (out now on Disney+), casting director, Sarah Finn discusses the casting process for the Marvel movie franchise. It turns out that the MCU's Star-Lord himself, Chris Pratt, auditioned for the role of Captain America before Chris Evans got the part.
Finn was initially very much behind Pratt auditioning for the part but later decided that he wasn't quite the right fit. He wasn't the only surprising star that was considered for the role, either; there were a few other interesting choices that might have made for a very different MCU. And, having seen Chris Evans pull off the part so convincingly in multiple movies, most of these choices are pretty hard to picture.
Kellan Lutz is best known for playing one of the sparkly vampires in the Twilight Saga's Cullen family, and the forgettable Hercules in 2014's The Legend of Hercules. But many may not be aware that he once had his eye on a superhero role too -- just like his co-star, Robert Pattinson, who will be appearing as the title character in the upcoming The Batman. But while Lutz was very keen on playing Cap, by his own admission, he was turned down, not only for the Captain America role, but also for Thor.
'90s heartthrob and Reese Witherspoon ex, Ryan Phillippe, was also up for the role, commenting in 2010, "I would have loved it, [Marvel] didn't want me. I met with them and stuff, I was way into it -- especially since I have a six-year-old son -- I just thought it would've been an awesome thing to do... but no it didn't happen."
So, Phillippe, like Kellan Lutz was disappointed that he wasn't cast. And if Chris Evans hadn't been up for it, it's entirely possible that both Lutz and Phillippe could have played a convincing Cap, though they never got the chance.
Comedian and actor Dane Cook announced on social media that he had auditioned for the role in 2010, and got into some serious hot water with the studio, who wanted the information to remain out of the public domain. He even wrote an apology letter to Sarah Finn. But his faux pas obviously didn't do him any favors.
Yes, that's right: Two Jonas brothers wanted to play Steve Rogers. Hollywire reported in 2010 that both brothers had read for the part. Perhaps the fact that the Jonas Brothers actually won a Razzie award for bad acting had something to do with neither Kevin nor Joe getting the part. The choice certainly would have sent fans into a foaming frenzy, so it may not have been a wise choice for the studio in the end.
Like Kellan Lutz, Alexander Skarsgård was reportedly rejected for both Thor and Captain America -- not even making it on the shortlist. Perhaps it was the slight hint of a Swedish accent that put him out of the running for Cap, but that wouldn't have been a problem for Thor. Nonetheless, neither part went his way.
Scott Porter, Mike Vogel, Chace Crawford, Wilson Bethel and Michael Cassidy were among those shortlisted, as well as the more famous choices below.
Hedlund is about as "All-American" as they come, having starred in 2004's Friday Night Lights, 2010's Country Strong, and 2019's Triple Frontier. But he passed on the role due to his involvement with Tron: Legacy.
The Office and Jack Ryan's John Krasinski emerged as a controversial frontrunner. In 2010, he wasn't really regarded as much of an action hero, more a lovable average Joe. According to Krasinski, though, while at the audition, Chris Hemsworth walked past him wearing his full Thor costume. And when Krasinski spotted him, he thought: "I'm good. This is stupid. I shouldn't. It's okay, I'm not Captain America. It's fine."
Bucky Barnes also came close to the Captain America role and, initially, Stan wanted the part. But when he didn't make the cut as Cap, he was offered the role of Cap's friend Bucky, who later became the Winter Soldier. Stan has since admitted that, in hindsight, he's happy with how it all turned out.
Tatum said in 2009 that he would "definitely think about it" if he was in the running for the Cap part. But perhaps fan opinion won in the end, as many believed that Tatum didn't have the acting chops to pull off the role.
Ackles is a long-time fan favorite because of his role as Dean Winchester on Supernatural alongside Jared Padalecki so he would probably have been quite a popular choice had he been cast rather than Chris Evans. It was also reported that Ackles was up for the role of Hawkeye at one stage.
It's hard to imagine anyone other than the Captain America fans have come to know and love after appearances in seven MCU movies. Casting Director, Sarah Finn, attributed Evans' casting to a "moral fiber" that Captain America naturally has. She says, "That really isn't something that you act. It's something you need to possess."
She believed that Chris Evans "inhabited all those qualities" and that's why he got the role. Perhaps that's what MCU fans see shining through. It's the reason Evans has been so convincing as the First Avenger and what must have been the spark that the other actors were missing.
It was in October that Kravitz joined the cast of Matt Reeves' The Batman. Shortly after the news broke, praise began pouring in from the likes of Aquaman star (and Kravitz's stepfather) Jason Momoa and even two former Catwomen in Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry.
Directed and co-written by Matt Reeves, The Batman stars Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro and Jayme Lawson. The film arrives June 25, 2021.
In "Reason to be Excited," I spotlight things from modern comics that I think are worth getting excited about. I mean stuff more specific than "this comic is good," ya know? More like a specific bit from a writer or artist that impressed me.
Today, we look at the brilliantly evocative artwork of Lisandro Estherren in Strange Skies Over East Berlin.
An interesting thing that happens sometimes in pop culture is that a work done in modern times will often become locked into the era where it was created, even though that was not the intent of the original work. For instance, see how many movie versions of The Mummy try to place it in the 1930s, because that's where the original movie was set. But the original movie was only set then because, well, you know, that's when it was made!
That's a similar situation with John Le Carre's brilliant spy novels. He started writing them in the 1960s and 1970s and so that is when the books are set. However, even though he only used those time periods because that was current at the time, he certainly nailed the early 1970s as a particularly compelling time for spy stories and that is what Jeff Loveness, Lisandro Estherren and Patricio Delpeche are certainly aiming for with their excellent series, Strange Skies Over East Berlin for Boom!
The book opens with a double agent trying to help some defectors get over the Berlin Wall. It goes poorly, but in the middle of it, a strange light shows up, as something alien/magical/whatever shoots through the sky and lands in Communist territory...
Thus, our agent Herring, who wants out, is now forced to go FURTHER in and find out what the deal is with whatever landed....
Look how freaking BEAUTIFUL these pages are! Delpeche's colors fit the mood perfectly and Estherren evokes that era beautifully.
I don't want to take anything away from Loveness' strong genre-blending here, but DAMN, PEOPLE, LOOK AT THAT ART!
The book goes in a different direction as Herring is locked up with the man in charge of hunting down guys like Herring, as they are both enlisted to get to the bottom of the alien being, even as the alien beings causes chaos in the bunker they're keeping it locked in.
As you might imagine, an alien with mind control powers that can broadcast your innermost thoughts is PARTICULARLY dangerous for a spy.
The story picks up well and the artwork continues strong throughout the second issue, but I really just wanted to show off just how impressed I was with those early, La Carre-esque parts of the story. Just beautiful work.
Okay, this feature is a bit less of a reader-interactive one, as I'm just spotlight stuff in modern comics that specifically impressed ME, but heck, if you'd like to send in some suggestions anyways, maybe you and I have the same taste! It's certainly not improbably that something you found cool would be something that I found cool, too, so feel free to send ideas to me at brianc@cbr.com!
Artist John Romita Jr. discussed his affinity for the "Marvel Method" of comic book storytelling, which allows the artists a greater opportunity to help shape the narrative as they work in conjuncture with the writer -- a process he used with his Superman: Year One collaborator Frank Miller.
In an interview with CBR, Romita Jr. reflected on how he and Miller were "indoctrinated" into the storytelling business via the Marvel Method, noting how well the two work together in creating engaging stories because of how they leverage their individual talents to great effect. The duo has previously teamed up on numerous titles including a run on Daredevil: Man Without Fear. This work on Daredevil "set a tone," leading Romita Jr. to want to work with Miller on a regular basis as he was given the freedom as an artist to tell the story as opposed to the mindset of "just pencil a story handed to me."
He credits this creative collaboration, and Miller's own artistic background, in helping them to develop a solid working relationship, sharing how Miller could hand him a paragraph scrawled on a napkin and he would be able to deliver 150 pages of art. He also added how it's the process the two have curated that allows them to get along so well on projects.
When asked if this collaborative freedom has helped their work to flourish, often receiving positive critical reception, Romita Jr. said, "Absolutely. And interestingly enough, the reversal of the Marvel and the DC procedure is beyond ironic, because "Marvel's method" is what people like I am at my age, having had experienced learning how to tell stories through Marvel's process, and now it's reversed where DC is interested."
"And we've had meetings, and they've had summits to discuss the need for the input of the artists instead of relying on a concrete script," he continued. "There's nothing wrong with what the writer is giving the artist as long as the artist can adapt and play with what is given to them. And that's why the experience I've garnered over the years allows me to tell a story from a very small amount, or even a script. And I think that it should be set in stone that artists should have their hand in the cookie jar, so to speak, or in the cooking process to be able to help stir the sauce. You need the artist's input. It can't just be the writer, who has visual imagery in their head. The artist has to have writing imagery and storytelling imagery in their head while doing the artwork."
John Constantine was one the most iconic occult figures in the DC Universe before becoming the flagship character from the Vertigo Comics imprint. He has thrilled fans for decades as a world-weary, cynical warlock contending with the supernatural -- often at the expense of those around him -- as part of a lifelong attempt at redemption. After a separate special one-shot introducing the timeless, irascible incarnation of the character to Neil Gaiman's Sandman Universe, the acclaimed creative team of Simon Spurrier and Aaron Campbell have launched a new ongoing series, John Constantine: Hellblazer. In it, they take full advantage of the more mature tone and subject matter long-associated with the character since his creation.
Speaking with CBR, Spurrier and Campbell shed light on the new series, how this version of John Constantine differs from that currently active in the main DCU, how they see the character and what enables him to endure in rapidly changing times.
CBR: With this series, John feels a bit out of place in his old stomping grounds. How would you describe John’s links to London, especially now in 2019?
Simon Spurrier: I wouldn’t say he’s out of place -- quite the opposite; London has always been a critical part of his DNA. It’s more that he’s out of people and out of time. The special one-shot we put out in October was designed to disentangle the character’s knotty continuity and restore him to the real world, but it’s not really vital to your understanding or enjoyment of the ongoing series to have read it. All that matters is: John’s been away. And now here he is, back in London in 2019, discovering just how fucked the world has become in his absence.
More importantly, whereas in the past he’s always had access to a seemingly endless list of old friends, acquaintances and lovers to help him do what he does -- and usually to throw them under the bus in the process -- now he’s got nobody. He’s functionally alone for the first time in a long time, so he does what anybody like him (by which I mean: a guilt-riddled manipulator who needs the validation of friendships to distract him from all the horrible things in his mind) would do under these circumstances: he tries to collect new people.
But this is 2019, and his preferred method of doing so -- standing in a pub and telling off-color jokes until someone laughs -- just won’t work anymore.
Bringing Hellblazer to the Sandman Universe, you’re leaning towards mature readers. What makes the title really excel with that harder edge and grit?
Spurrier: I mean, Hellblazer’s literally always leaned towards mature readers, so that part’s not really new. As I’m sure your readers know, there’s been another version of the character more recently introduced into the mainstream DCU. Whereas he’s been involved in some really cracking stories, and is a great addition to the shared world in his own right, he’s not the same John Constantine I grew up reading in Hellblazer.
On a really simplistic level, our John is a somewhat more complicated character -- riddled with contradictions and unbearable self-knowledge -- and there’s an element of character-excoriation at the center of every story. We don’t just accept John on his own terms. We force him to confront his many flaws and either defeat them (rarely) or find a haunted, guilty, ugly way to live with them.
The payoff one gets from taking a slightly more nuanced approach to a character like this is that you can also access a functionally unlimited spectrum of adult themes and stories to match. In the first few arcs alone, we’ll be touching on (amongst other things) some of the most horrific murders ever committed to comics, a magical analysis of a literary genius, the abysmal state of the world and its greedy venal leaders and a tiny little goblin-monster made out of shit. Oh, there’s also a fallen angel stuck in a cellphone. We cover a lot of ground, and very little of it would be a comfortable fit for the DCU.
I guess what I’m keen to stress is that whereas “mature content” definitely does mean lots of wonderfully creative swearing and R-rated visual horror, that’s not all. It also implies a more adult lexicon of preoccupations and character arcs (ranging from the sophisticated to the provocative) around which we tell stories.
Aaron Campbell: Just from an art perspective, I’m not pulling punches. The world of Hellblazer will not be a place for the faint of heart.
As part of the Sandman Universe, will we see much interplay with the imprint’s other titles? What were the origins bringing it to the imprint?
Spurrier: Not much interplay, to be honest. The Sandman Universe isn’t just some ring-fenced shared world with endless crossovers and interconnections. These stories all stand alone but benefit from the occasional bit of cross-pollination. I think the only measurable entanglement on the table right now appears in Books of Magic #14. As a result of the events in the one-shot special which came out last month -- which restores John to our world -- he has some serious anxieties about the moral character of another SU character, Timothy Hunter (a Neil Gaiman creation from the early '90s; a kid fated to become the greatest magic-user in the world). In [Books of Magic] #14, John confronts the kid to see for himself whether the little brat’s worthy or wicked. I co-wrote that issue with regular series scribe Kat Howard, and it’s a really wonderful one-shot, with a clever narrative gimmick.
But, as always with these titles, it’s not vital that you’ve read any of the others in order to enjoy the ongoing Hellblazer series.
Hellblazer’s move into the Sandman Universe came about simply because Neil provided us with the central conceit (detailed in the special one-shot from October), which gave us the excuse to choose which version of John Constantine we wanted to focus on. Having used that to get him back to where we wanted him, there won’t be much other crossover at all. At least, not at first.
I think those of us working behind the scenes tend to think of the Sandman Universe as a safe space to tell mature-theme stories of every conceivable type, without worrying too much about the vicissitudes of in-world continuity. Paradoxically, when you compare it to (say) the DCU, the Sandman Universe is both far more recognizably akin to our own world, and far more limitless in its scope and possibilities. Weird, that.
Stories, basically. That’s what it all comes down to. It’s a universe where the stories are more important than the joints between them.
Back in his hometown, what makes Hellblazer and John so quintessentially British? As a sort of rite of passage title for British writers, what did you want to say with him, Si?
Spurrier: I think John typifies a peculiarly British problem, which is that we often struggle with anything unadulterated. Earnest expressions of emotion usually must, for instance, be undercut by a muttered insult. We’re uncomfortable around schmaltz, and the greatest folk-hero archetype to emerge from that trend is the Working Class Truthsayer -- the diamond-in-the-rough with a serpent’s eye for detail and a sneer for every injustice. That’s John, of course, but there’s more to him than that. Because when you dig a little deeper you realize John is an unsentimental sentimentalist. For all his cynicism and razor-sharp analysis, he’s a crusty old romantic who craves affection.
It would be disingenuous, and not a little restrictive, to pretend I had One Shining Message that I hope to deploy via John. Instead I see him as a key to access a pretty unlimited range of globally-relevant stories and themes. Love, hope, redemption, acceptance, blame, hate. Given the present state of the world it’s perhaps no great surprise that the first macro-arc (composed of multiple smaller stories) is an attempt to distill some of the injustices and conflicts currently rumbling in our collective cultural and psychic spaces into a bitter little truism for John to face up to -- but it’ll be a long and awesome journey getting to that point. After that? I have ideas.
But the important thing is that even though John is the perfect lens onto whatever themes or thoughts you want to examine, he’s also a ridiculously fascinating individual in his own right. The perfect Hellblazer story, [in my opinion], is a fusion of a) satisfying self-contained horror, b) sophisticated and valuable thematic commentary and c) painful dissection of John Constantine.
What’s great is that, however pompous that formula may sound, it can be applied just as easily to a story about poetic angels tearing the skin off drug dealers as it can to a story about demons made of poop and pun-based magic. Horror is really, really flexible.
Si, to put you on the spot a bit, what made Aaron the perfect artist for the job? What’s your collaborative process like?
Spurrier: Aaron comes with an unparalleled pedigree mixing horror, noir and pulp, but I think the most important thing is that he’s a lifelong fan of the character. You can feel that love -- and, like any Constantine fan, the attendant disappointments and discomforts at John’s many flaws -- in ever line. Aaron invests a creeping hauntological beauty into every shadow, and if you’ve checked out his process video you’ll know there’s more than a little magic afoot in his methodology.
Basically, he gets it. That’s pretty much the most any writer can ever hope for from a collaborator.
Aaron, you’re coming off the acclaimed horror miniseries Infidel and you’ve done pulp titles like Green Hornet and The Shadow before. What did you want to bring visually to Hellblazer, in particular, with your own approach?
Campbell: First and foremost, I am concerned with capturing the full character of John Constantine. There is definitely a certain pulp quality to John not unlike The Shadow or Green Hornet. You can see shades of Lamont Cranston and Britt Reid in his brooding demeanor, crass objectivity and just that slight glimmer of goodness. The trench coat alone has become a fetishized symbol for the mythological hard boiled scion of the stoic man’s man of the Western frontier. They kept everything bottled up and hidden away because men like that didn’t show weakness. They squinted in the face of danger and died early of alcoholism.
That’s not really John though. He’s definitely a bastard but he is not without emotion, humor or tenderness even (read Hellblazer #27 “Hold Me”, by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean). And he definitely can’t just bottle it all the way because he knows that’s all bullshit. Those Sam Spades of the past never really existed. That was all just the posturing of broken men. They just couldn’t admit it the way John can.
So just like an actor in a film I have to be able to capture all of that nuance in his expression, body language and the way he tries to keep everyone just at arm’s length. If you pay close attention you’ll notice that in this first issue John never actually touches or physically interacts with anyone of his own accord. Without getting this stuff just right it’s not John Constantine and it’s definitely not Hellblazer.
The other thing I am very eager to do is continue with my experimentation in technique and media that began with my last book Infidel in which I was combining digital and traditional processes. This is where I hope people really see the influence in my work from the days of artists like Richard Piers Rayner, Dave McKean, Kent Williams, and a host of others who were pushing the boundaries of what comics could look like. And hopefully I can accomplish this in a way that at once feels familiar to the long-term fan while also being contemporary in a way that draws in new readers.
To close it all out, what does John Constantine and the Hellblazer legacy mean to each of you personally? What makes him endure?
Spurrier: He was the first comic book character I ever discovered who felt real. As complicated and fucked-up as any of us. My guess is that “bastard with a conscience” is one of the most compelling recipes in all fiction, because it invites us to both root for and question our protagonist. To me that feels like a far more engaging strategy for giving fiction value -- and a far more useful narrative archetype to be putting before readers -- than propagating the idea that the world can be divided into flawless heroes and irredeemable villains.
Campbell: You know as a kid I was obsessed with this other character, very stoic, very much an outcast, had like these hidden knives in his arms and nobody could hurt him so he was always protected, and no one really knew it but he was the best at what he did. I don’t know, maybe you’re familiar. At any rate he was great wish fulfillment for a nerdy, bullied kid.
But then I discovered Hellblazer early in college and it was a revelation on multiple levels. As an art student, Dave McKean’s and Kent William’s covers reframed my entire outlook on comics and illustration. But then there was Constantine who possessed glimmers of that other character in terms of being an abrasive ass and having the fortitude to endure intense hardship but John felt like a real person. He was deeply flawed and unstable yet still managed to persevere and figure things out. All of the chaotic emotion and conflicting feelings that were dominating 19-year-old me were reflected there in the pages of Hellblazer.
John Constantine: Hellblazer #1 is written by Simon Spurrier and illustrated by Aaron Campbell. It is on sale now from DC.
Box office predictions for the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker are in, and based on the estimates, the final film in the Skywalker Saga might see the lowest opening weekend of the sequel trilogy.
Granted, the film is still estimated to break $200 million in its first weekend, making it only the seventh film to do so. Current tracking has the film coming in at $205 million, which would wedge it between Jurassic World ($209 million) and Black Panther ($202 million).
For comparison, Rian Johnson' s The Last Jedi brought in $220 million in its opening weekend, while J.J. Abrams' other Star Wars film The Force Awakens earned $248 million in its debut.
However, that estimate is subject to change in the coming weeks as the release date draws nearer. Abrams, as well as franchise stars Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver, are already out promoting the film and drumming up more interest, though a big factor in its opening weekend will be how critics receive The Rise of Skywalker. Good word of mouth could push the opening weekend higher, but only time will tell.
Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant. The film arrives on Dec. 20.
There are countless potential futures for the Marvel Universe, ranging from utopias to wastelands. One of the most consistent versions of it is the 2099 timeline, a cyberpunk setting full of dangerous and brutal takes on the established Marvel heroes. But with the recent return of the timeline (and apparently now confirmed to be the defacto future of the Marvel Universe), that raises some questions about the effectiveness of the X-Men in the present day.
Does the new 2099 timeline suggest that despite their best efforts, the X-Men won't be able to protect mutant-kind from the coming future?
In the original 2099 timeline, the fourth incarnation of the X-Men were first formed at the Nuevo Sol Archology. By this point in this reality, mutants had been all but wiped out by the Great Purge, where humanity had turned fully on mutant-kind and executed them in droves. A safe haven for a number of castaways, a number of fleeing mutants were recruited by Cerebra and Desert Ghost. Ghost was a former criminal who'd seen a vision of a potential future paradise for mutantkind, and had dedicated himself to forming a new team of X-Men to make that idea a reality. The team worked with other heroes of the era (such as Doctor Doom, Spider-Man and the Punisher) to save lives, but they often found themselves on the run.
The group went head-to-head with various figures and groups over the years as they tried to reestablish the mutant population. The X-Men were eventually able to make their way to Halo City, a sanctuary built by Doom to act as a refuge for lost souls targeted by the team's enemies, the Theatre of Pain. The X-Men even became the guardians of the city, becoming known as the Protectorate. Cerebra eventually left the group to become the leader of X-Nation, a new alliance of young mutants set up by Doctor Doom. Even at their strongest though, the mutant population couldn't reach the level it once had - eventually ending up in the Savage Land and trying to recreate a new society.
Recently, the newest version of the 2099 Universe has been established as the set in stone future of the core Marvel Universe. This suggests that the future where humanity eventually turned on the mutant population with a Great Purge that wiped out most of their numbers from around the world will come to fruition. If this indeed is the ultimate fate of the Marvel Universe, then it doesn't look very promising for the X-Men in the present day, especially as they try to make a better future for themselves.
Following the events of House of X and Powers of X, Krakoa has been established as the home of all mutants. They've somewhat separated themselves from the rest of humanity, giving them a place to build their own society. These attempts have led to a new base for the heroes, as well as an established place where they can hold their own. But humanity has already turned their attention to the island and the potential threat they see in mutant-kind. They've targeted them with assassins, even killing Charles Xavier during a surprise attack on the island.
With the 2099 reality seemingly confirmed to be the future of the Marvel Universe, it looks like the attempts to make Krakoa a safe-haven for the mutant race might be doomed from the start. The past lives of Moira MacTaggart have shown that there are potential timelines where mutants can flourish and live into the distant future - if not as the dominant species in the universe than at least as a strong piece of it. But if the 2099 future is the final fate of the Marvel Universe, then there's a chance the final life of Moria McTaggart might be in a world where mutants failed to survive.
Writer-artist Adam Warren and colorist Guru eFX are putting their personal stamp on the Lethal Protector for a variant cover to Venom: The End #1.
Marvel Comics provided CBR with an exclusive look at Warren and Guru eFX's cover, which features the Venom symbiote in the center while it unleashes a powerful energy blast from each hand. Surrounding the alien symbiote are presumably images from its future, which includes Iron Man, alien planets, zombie and child hosts and what may be possessed Celestials.
The End one-shots deliver the final stories of your favorite Marvel Heroes, as fan-favorite characters such as Captain America, Doctor Strange, Miles Morales, Venom, Captain Marvel and Deadpool take readers into the far-flung future of the Marvel Universe. Some tales will conclude with a happy ending, while others will take readers to the depths of despair.
You can take a look at Warren and Guru eFX's Venom: The End #1 variant cover below, along with the issue's solicitation.
ADAM WARREN (W) • CHAMBA (A) • Cover by RAHZZAH
Variant cover by ADAM WARREN
THE FINAL VENOM STORY!
The alien symbiote who bonded with Eddie Brock has been through a lot… but not nearly as much as he has coming. In a tale that literally spans over a trillion years, Venom travels the length of space and time as the last defender of life in the universe!
DC has released a preview of Kami Garcia, Mike Mayhew, Mico Suayan and Jason Badower's Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #2, which teases a wildly different take on the Clown Prince of Crime.
Rather than a purple three-piece suit, this version of Joker is decked out in a leather jacket and gloves, with a rough makeup job that evokes memories of Heath Ledger's portrayal of the villain in The Dark Knight.
The preview art and solicitation text for Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #2 are below:
Writer: Kami Garcia
Artists: Mike Mayhew, Mico Suayan and Jason Badower
Cover: Francesco Mattina
Variant Cover: Mike Mayhew
Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity continues as Jim Gordon and the GCPD turn to forensic psychiatrist and criminal profiler Harley Quinn for assistance. Harley's intrigued by the detail this new killer is putting into his crime scenes, but has no idea the investigation will bring her face-to-face with the most notorious serial killer in Gotham’s history—the Joker. The level of meticulous preparation in the murders is unusual, but will that help or hurt her cause?
DC’s Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #2, written by #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author Kami Garcia (Beautiful Creatures, Unbreakable, X-Files: Agents of Chaos) and artists Mike Mayhew (The Star Wars) and Mico Suayan (Bloodshot: Reborn) with Jason Badower, will carry an Ages 17+ content descriptor.
Worlds will collide when Black Lightning enters the Arrowverse for the first time in "Crisis on Infinite Earths." However, while Jefferson Pierce may have to adjust to meeting heroes from other realities, actor Cress Williams revealed there was a small amount of jealousy from the Arrowverse stars regarding the mask he wears for the role.
While speaking with EW, Williams went into detail regarding his "Crisis" costars' costume envy, as well as how his mask works.
"They were pretty envious [of] my mask [and] the way it fits to my face," he jokingly explained. "They glue magnets around my face and there are magnets in the mask, so it’s magnetic. It allows me to peel it off in between takes. I had a moment when Elongated Man [Hartley Sawyer] saw my mask and his mouth dropped and he was like, 'What? Dude, when they put this on my face, they glue it on, and I have to keep it on all day. They said that’s the only way it can be done.'"
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" begins Sunday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Supergirl, then continues in Batwoman on Monday, Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and in The Flash on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. After the winter hiatus, the crossover will conclude on Tuesday, Jan. 14 in Arrow at 8 p.m. ET/PT and in DC's Legends of Tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Airing Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW, Black Lightning stars Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning, China Anne McClain as Jennifer Pierce, Nafessa Williams as Anissa Pierce/Thunder, Christine Adams as Lynn Stewart, Marvin "Krondon" Jones III as Tobias Whale, Damon Gupton as Billy Henderson and James Remar as Peter Gambi.
It's once again great to be a Toys 'R' Us kid. The toy giant unrolled a modest reopening of its first new store Wednesday morning, just in time for the holidays. In a joint venture concerning two franchises, Toys 'R' Us will re-open in malls in Paramus, New Jersey, and Houston, Texas.
The brick and mortar opening took place in the Garden State Plaza, the largest shopping mall in New Jersey, with the mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe presiding over the ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Marc Kalan, a marketing professor at Rutgers Business School, described the strategy to NJ Advance Media, saying, "They’re creating an experiential-type place. A place where they’re inviting their former customers to come and experience toys, which is something that you can’t do with traditional outlets or online."
After filing for bankruptcy in 2017 and shutting its doors in 2018, Toys 'R' Us sold off most of its inventory to Tru Kids Brands, with the promise of a retooled model and retail philosophy. Tru Kids partnered with the software company, b8ta, to reimagine the store's concept, along with a web-partnership with Target and the newly re-launched ToysRUs.com.
The second store will be in Houston and is scheduled to open its doors on Dec. 1st, with an unspecified amount of other stores set to open across the country.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Knives Out, in theaters now.
Of all of Harlan Thrombey’s extended family members introduced in Knives Out, the worst is inarguably Ransom. On top of being the man who ultimately killed his grandfather Harlan, he’s also shown to be just the worst kind of person with status in his life. It almost feels like a purposeful choice by actor Chris Evans to play someone who feels like the exact opposite of Captain America, and it's perfect.
Hugh Ransom Drysdale is the only son of Linda and Richard. He’s the eldest of Harlan’s grandchildren, a fully grown man who should have found his own place in the world. However, he seems to have still not ever actually tried to become better. He’s established as a clever person (he worked with his grandfather and even seemed to be respected by Harlan as perhaps the family member with the most untapped potential), and he’s also quickly shown to be wholly unpleasant. The dogs at the house are alarmed by his arrival. He doesn’t even come for his Grandfather’s funeral, instead arriving at the will reading so he can have front row seats to the rest of his family learning they’ve been cut off from their inheritance.
From his first interactions with the employees who work for his family, it’s obvious that Ransom is a genuinely bad person. He’s dismissive and arrogant, never seeming to take anything close to responsibility for his acts. He forces the staff that works for his family to refer to him as “Hugh,” separating them further from him and his level. The rest of the family (besides his parents) seem to actively dislike him, and even his own parents are getting towards the end of their patience for him. He’s spiteful to a tee, needlessly cruel and petty.
Ransom is also revealed to have been the one who swapped the labels on the medicines in Marta’s bag, all in an attempt to keep his easy and rich lifestyle at it is. He’s proven to be a gifted liar, quickly tricking Marta into thinking he’s the only member of the family actually on her side after Harlan’s will reveals that the whole family has been cut off from their inheritance, not just Ransom. He tried to rationalize his actions, but Detective Blanc is quick to poke holes in his reasoning. Despite his obvious intelligence, he’s outsmarted by Marta and Blanc tricking him into revealing his criminal actions. This prompts him to try and murder Marta in cold blood, which fails when he realizes he grabbed a prop knife instead of an actual weapon.
In almost every sense of the word, Ransom is the polar opposite of Captain America, the other most recent (and most famous) role taken on by Chris Evans. Whereas Captain America is honorable and humble, Ransom is conniving and stuck up. He comes from wealth and doesn’t understand anything about a more pleasant and basic lifestyle, like what Steve Rogers experienced. And while Captain America is reluctant to apply too much force in a fight if he can avoid it, Ransom is quick to fury and even tried to stab Marta in cold blood.
It’s compelling to see Chris Evans, a gifted actor, take on roles that feel completely opposite from the one for which he's most famous. There was no hero he was going to be able to play that would make audiences forget about his time as the leader of the Avengers, so it’s a blast to see him throw himself so readily into being an over the top despicable villain. He feels like the kind of person Captain America would hate most in the world -- entitled and cruel, for no real sake.
Written, produced and directed by Rian Johnson, Knives Out stars Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Lakeith Stanfield, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Ana de Armas, and Jamie Lee Curtis, Jaeden Martell, Katherine Langford, Frank Oz, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer, and Riki Lindhome. It is scheduled to be released on Nov. 27.
