Warner Bros. has been preparing to extensively market the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984. And so far, they are relying heavily upon the film's 1980's setting.
A Twitter user posted images featuring notebook merchandise from the film. The notebooks prominently feature Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman in pristine '80s art, acting as a stylish love letter to the decade while promoting the upcoming sequel.
While these notebooks look like prominent pieces of merchandise, there have also been other leaks of promotional materials. One user on Reddit posted a picture of a shirt that shows Wonder Woman wearing armor inspired by her look from Kingdom Come. The shirt in question is from the upcoming CCXP in Brazil that runs from Dec. 5 to Dec. 8.
Wonder Woman 1984 will see the titular character go up against Pedro Pascal's Maxwell Lord and Kristen Wiig's Cheetah. The film will also see the return of Chris Pine's Steve Trevor, who died at the end of the previous film.
Directed by Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman 1984 stars Gal Gadot as Diana, Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva/Cheetah, Pedro Pascal and Natasha Rothwell. The film opens on June 5, 2020.
Developer CD Projekt Red is working hard to get Cyberpunk 2077 ready for release. After almost a decade since it was first announced, eager gamers are still waiting patiently. To tide those fans over, a new Instagram filter has been made available for people to toy with.
The announcement came via social media, with examples of the kind of virtual modifications users can expect. Each filter brings app users into the world of the upcoming video game and allows them to look as though they just walked out of Night City having upgraded their cyberware.
Night City is the fictional setting of the game, located in the Free State of California. The entire megacity is controlled by corporations and the military. Poverty and crime fill the streets, augmented by the rampant use of cybernetic mods.
The open-world Cyberpunk 2077, follows a mercenary by the name of V as he chases what he believes to be the key to immortality, by way of a unique implant. Players will be able to customize almost everything about their character, beyond just their skillset. That includes body modifications, clothes, voice, body type, background and more.
Cyberpunk 2077 releases April 16, 2020 on PS4, Xbox One and PC. The game stars Keanu Reeves.
Joaquin Phoenix, the star of the Warner Bros. breakout hit Joker, now has the title of PETA's 2019 "Person of the Year."
Phoenix's dedication to animal rights is just one of the many reasons the actor won the prestigious honor, along with his veganism at the age of 3 after seeing a fish caught and killed. Past winners of PETA's "Person of the Year" include Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey and Anjelica Huston.
The last year has seen the Joker star appear on "We Are All Animals" billboards in Times Square and on Sunset Billboard, work with California lawmakers to ban circuses that use wild animals, and lead a memorial service at a National Animal Rights Day March while holding a dead chicken.
"I don't want to cause pain to another living, empathetic creature," Phoenix explained during the press tour for Joker. "I don't want to take [their] babies away from [them]. I don't want to force [them] to be indoors and fattened up just to be slaughtered. It is absurd and barbaric."
"Joaquin Phoenix never misses an opportunity to turn the spotlight away from himself and onto animals' plight and to set a great example of walking the vegan walk," PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement. "PETA is proud to kick off awards season by honoring his dedication to showing everyone that when it comes to feeling fear, pain, and love, a human being is no different from a hen or a hamster."
Phoenix's animal rights work also includes serving as executive producer The Animal People documentary, narrating the Earthlings documentary and producing the pro-vegan documentary, What the Health.
Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais and Shea Whigham. The film is now in theaters.
The current season of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has featured Boruto and Sasuke traveling back in time, allowing Boruto to team with his father Naruto years before his birth. Now, in a new clip, the duo is poised for an epic fight.
Ahead of the season finale, a clip from episode 135, "The Last Battle: Urashiki," has surfaced online, with Naruto and Boruto teaming up to face the time-traveling villain Urashiki for a climactic confrontation. As the battle lines are drawn, the time-displaced father and son pair are joined by the hermit ninja Jiraiya, while Urashiki prepares to unleash his ultimate attack.
Boruto and Sasuke pursued Urashiki after he used his powers to travel to the past to target Naruto while he was still a boy. Arriving several days prior to Urashiki's arrival, Boruto used the opportunity to train with his father in preparation for the villain's time-displaced appearance.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations premiered in 2017 and is a spinoff of the original Naruto franchise. It follows a new generation of ninjas related to the original series' main cast as they fight for their own legacy.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is available to stream, subtitled on Hulu and Crunchyroll.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the Titans Season 2 finale, "Nightwing," streaming now on DC Universe.
Something that comes with discussing live-action adaptations of comic book stories is the constant debate about who portrayed a character "better." Whether it's the revolving door that has become the role of Batman on the big screen or even something as mundane as a preference of Lois Lane actors, fans love to duke it out over their opinions.
Naturally, CBR has decided to kickstart a new discussion as DC Universe closes the book on the second season of Titans. In the newest outing of the streaming service's flagship series, the young group of heroes came face-to-face with an old adversary, Deathstroke, played by Ozark star Esai Morales. The Terminator proved a formidable foe for the Titans, but did this new iteration live up to the gold standard that is Manu Bennett's portrayal of Deathstroke from The CW's Arrow? Let's look at the facts.
Bennett's Slade Wilson started his tenure on the Stephen Amell-led series as an ally of Oliver Queen during his time stranded on Lian Yu. As the duo spent the show's first season trying to evade the villainous Edward Fyers, they crossed paths with Shado, the daughter of Oliver's mentor Yao Fei. Both Slade and Oliver grew to love Shado, but she preferred the reformed playboy. That didn't sit well with Slade, who had recently exposed himself to Mirakuru, a Japanese super-soldier drug. With his judgment skewed, Slade vowed vengeance against his protege.
After a battle that seemingly left Deathstroke dead, Oliver believed he had taken care of his former friend for good. However, the Mirakuru gave Slade healing abilities that helped him survive the ordeal. The villain reappeared during the present-day events of Season 2, looking to make Oliver's life a nightmare, and would go on to kill Oliver's mother and put the rest of his family and friends in grave danger. The finale saw the Arrow face off with Deathstroke in an epic conclusion to the season, with Oliver coming out on top and imprisoning Slade in an A.R.G.U.S. prison on Lian Yu.
Season 2 of Arrow is widely considered the best outing of the series, with Bennett's portrayal of the big bad being one of the reasons why. In the comics, Slade has always been depicted as a cold, calculated mercenary who's always one step ahead of his target. While The CW show played on those traits, it also brought out an emotional side of Deathstroke. He was someone who just wanted to do right by someone he felt was wronged.
Deathstroke would return to Arrow for several guest spots, including a fantastic appearance in the Season 5 finale, where he teams up with Oliver to fight Adrian Chase. Bennett's final run as Deathstroke came in Season 6 as he tried to locate his long-lost son. Following an emotional two-episode run where he learned his boy had become a villain in his own right, Slade left on a personal journey to right his wrongs, completing one of the most incredible villain arcs in superhero television history.
With Titans, DC Universe took a similar approach to Arrow, making Deathstroke a dark figure from the team's past -- someone they would rather forget. Previously, Slade was tasked with killing an Amazonian art dealer who had a close connection to Wonder Girl. As the mercenary attempted to complete his hit, Donna's love interest, Garth, aka Aqualad, stepped into the way and took the bullet. When the Titans discovered the identity of the shooter, they decided to go after Slade using his son Jericho.
The group's plan would eventually lead to Jericho accidentally being killed during a fight between Robin and Slade. Everything was peachy keen until the Titans reformed after their defeat of Trigon, causing Deathstroke to rejoin the fray and began devising a plan to get back at the people that took his son from him. To start, he used his daughter, Rose, to break Doctor Light out of prison to distract the Titans. Rose would then infiltrate the team herself, acting like a wounded duck who needed saving from her evil dad.
Unfortunately for this version of the Terminator, the series decided to wait until the penultimate episode to fully reveal his plan, making it much less clear. From the get-go, Morales' Slade was a stoic adversary. It was almost like he was a caged beast waiting to be set free, but he never really got the opportunity.
When the Season 2 finale rolled around, fans expected to see Deathstroke become unhinged and finally get the revenge he was searching for... except Titans had other plans, as it "killed" the season's big bad within the first 15 minutes of the episode. What came after was a lackluster conclusion to the sophomore outing that didn't include its most crucial figure.
So, while Morales' portrayal of the Terminator laid the groundwork for becoming an all-time villain, he was let down by a disappointing conclusion. Conversely, on the other side, the powers that be at Arrow realized early on that Bennett's iteration of Slade was something special and could become a mainstay in the Arrowverse.
Streaming now on DC Universe, Titans Season 2 stars Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson, Anna Diop as Kory Anders, Teagan Croft as Rachel Roth, Ryan Potter as Garfield Logan, Curran Walters as Jason Todd and Conor Leslie as Donna Troy, with Minka Kelly as Dawn Granger, Alan Ritchson as Hank Hall, Joshua Orpin as Superboy, Chelsea Zhang as Rose Wilson, Chella Man as Jericho, Drew Van Acker as Aqualad, Esai Morales as Deathstroke and Iain Glen as Bruce Wayne.
The universe of The Witcheris vast, spawning several novels and three classic video games. So it makes senes that it would take some time to cover all the stories of the world of The Continent. It turns out, however, that it will take longer than expected.
In an interview with Comicbook.com, executive producer Tomek Bagiński revealed that the first season of the Netflix series only covers a portion of the first book of the series.
"Actually the books were a lot more source material than we could fit into eight episodes," Bagiński said, "so we have to really be very, very careful with choosing which stories we want to tell. And Lauren [S. Hissrich, showrunner,] did a really great job. Not only choosing the right stories to tell the story of Geralt, but also by giving some background both to Yennefer and to Ciri."
Bagiński went on to explain how the show would expand the world and focus on the stories of Yennefer and Ciri.
"The goal was always [to] tell a bigger story. A bigger story comes up first with the saga, and the saga there is not only about Geralt and his friends, it's also about Yennefer, it's also about Ciri, and we knew that we have to build those characters earlier."
The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan as Ciri and Joey Batey as Jaskier. The series will be available to stream on Netflix starting Dec. 20.
GKIDS announced today that fans will soon be able to purchase digital downloads from the Oscar-winning animation house, Studio Ghibli.
The digital download-to-own films will be available to purchase on all major digital transactional platforms (Apple TV, Amazon VOD, Vudu, Google Play, Sony, Microsoft and FandangoNOW) in the United States and Canada on December 17. Buyers can choose to purchase the animated films in both English and Japanese, and it marks the first time the Studio Ghibli library will be made available to own digitally in the world.
Studio Ghibli is famous for its animated films by acclaimed directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, along with producer Toshio Suzuki. A few of these films include 1988's My Neighbor Totoro, 1989's Kiki's Delivery Service, 2001's Spirited Away and 2008's Ponyo.
The full list of Studio Ghibli films released for digital download can be found below:
Castle in the Sky
The Cat Returns
From Up on Poppy Hill
Howl's Moving Castle
Kiki's Delivery Service
My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbors the Yamadas
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Ocean Waves
Only Yesterday
Pom Poko
Ponyo
Porco Rosso
Princess Mononoke
The Secret World of Arrietty
Spirited Away
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
Tales From Earthsea
When Marnie Was There
Whisper of the Heart
The Wind Rises (Available Q3 2020)
HBO Max secured streaming rights for all Studio Ghibli animated films from GKIDS in October, with the streaming service slated to launch in May 2020.
Digital copies of the Studio Ghibli animated films will retail for $19.99 per film starting Dec. 17, with a six-film bundle of its most popular films -- Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away -- offered for $99.99.
Bruce Banner, or at least his gamma irradiated alter ego, is who most people think of when they hear the name Hulk, be it within or outside of the Marvel Universe. Despite that, there had been another creature to hold the title before the not so jolly green giant: a monstrous alien who may have inspired a particularly controversial religion.
That creature is the furious and fuzzy monster Xemnu, who is set to appear in the upcoming Immortal Hulk #30. Here’s a look back at Marvel’s original Hulk, where he’s been, and what the future holds for him.
Xemnu, the Living Titan first appeared in 1960s Journey Into Mystery #62. On the cover of the issue, which read “Here comes… The Hulk”, he is also referred to as a Living Hulk. Despite his somewhat benevolent appearance making him resemble a cross between a yeti and an old man, he was a gigantic alien war criminal who had escaped from prison, crash landing on Earth. Revived by a man named Joe Harper, he inflicted his psychic abilities upon the town, attempting to mind control humanity into repairing his spaceship. The resulting take-off from the craft would have destroyed the Earth itself, forcing Harper to sabotage its launch. The crossed wires in the ship knock Xemnu into a coma, with the drastically weakened launch sending him near the sun.
Unfortunately, he would make his way back to Earth, and though weakened, again tried to enslave humanity with his mental abilities. Harper again foils his plans, beaming his psychic power back at him with a mirror, which seemed to dismantle the creature. Xemnu and other monsters-of-the-week like him were a dime a dozen in the late ‘50s/early ‘60s era of Marvel Comics. An attempt to cash in on the giant monster movie craze of the 1950s, these comics would be abandoned in favor of superheroes once Marvel began publishing Fantastic Four in 1961.
Xemnu himself was supposedly the idea behind intergalactic warlord Xenu (or, also, Xemu) in L. Ron Hubbard’s Scientology beliefs, though that is, of course, unconfirmed. The alien monstrosity would appear intermittently throughout the new era of superhero comics, a relic from the bygone era of monsters.
Given his original subtitle, it’s only fitting that Xemnu’s appearances throughout the years would pit him against the monster that currently goes by he name Hulk. Abducting children to repopulate his planet, Xemnu defeated Hulk’s fellow Defenders Dr. Strange and Namor the Sub-Mariner. He eventually fell to The Hulk himself, leading to a continued vendetta against him. His plans included cloning other classic Marvel monsters to send against The Hulk, but one by one, they each fell, including Xemnu himself.
Xemnu even went on to attack Hulk’s cousin Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk. Falling before his psychic power, the helpless She-Hulk was intended to be turned into a She-Xemnu. She-Hulk, with the help of Ulysses Archer and Razorback, defeated the Living Hulk again, and he was subsequently given over to a powerful alien presence, who saw him merely as a sort of stuffed animal.
Other bouts with other Hulks saw him fight the Red Hulk, only to be beaten again when the reality-warping Impossible Man fused the Green and Red Hulks into the powerful Compound Hulk. This connection to the gamma powered warriors also landed him a role in the cartoon Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
Xemnu briefly reappeared in the recent Monsters Unleashed storyline in 2017, a series which served to bring back many of the pre-superhero monsters that filled Marvel Comics in the Silver Age. His upcoming return in the pages of Immortal Hulk seems to be his biggest push yet, with him waging war fiercer than ever against the Green Hulk. Previews also show him as possibly gaining some control over humanity through the media, finally achieving that which he never could back in the Silver Age comics. Fans will have to read those issues to see what the alien furball has planned for the Immortal Hulk, and the rest of humanity with him.
Titans fans can plan to see a lot more of Damaris Lewis' Blackfire, as the actress was recently confirmed as a series regular for Season 3.
The news of Starfire's sister becoming a main staple of Season 3 came courtesy of TV Line, reporting the news shortly after the Season 2 finale of Titans on Nov. 29.
Blackfire's first appearance in the comics was in New Teen Titans #22, which released in August 1982. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, Blackfire is Starfire's older sister and possesses both the ability to fly and to shoot "starbolts." The character has made appearances on the TV shows Teen Titans, Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls.
Lewis is well-known for her modeling career. She has also had acting roles in 2011's Limitless, 2018's BlacKkKlansman and FX's Pose.
Streaming now on DC Universe, Titans stars Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson, Anna Diop as Kory Anders, Teagan Croft as Rachel Roth, Ryan Potter as Garfield Logan, Curran Walters as Jason Todd and Conor Leslie as Donna Troy, with Minka Kelly as Dawn Granger, Alan Ritchson as Hank Hall, Joshua Orpin as Superboy, Chelsea Zhang as Rose Wilson, Chella Man as Jericho, Drew Van Acker as Aqualad, Esai Morales as Deathstroke and Iain Glen as Bruce Wayne.
The Game of Thrones vet broke the news on his personal Instagram, writing a lengthy and humbling message thanking activists across the world for standing up for their causes.
when i was told i was going to be one of the men of the year i was shocked and surprised but hopefully its because i’m busting my ass trying to stop single use plastics and kicking up dust trying to stop a telescope getting built on our sacred mountain in hawaii. regardless. i look up to a lot of different people and if i have any impact on anyone like they do one me. then it’s to be an activist to do right with our voices follow our hearts. spread aloha. ohana is everything and have a beautiful time on this planet. i got a lot of work to do. we all do all my aloha. so stoked to be GQ Australia’s Man of the Year, thanks to @mojeanaria for presenting my award on the night. i couldn’t be there being it was thanksgiving and i was so thankful to be home with my ohana. Photographs by @Jesse_lizotte interview by @christensenmike and the issue is on newsstands from Dec 2 and on Apple News+ internationally. aloha j. i got one month left to rub this into my wife. she’s still not buying it
Momoa has been quite busy over the last few years. He has starred in two hit TV shows -- Apple TV+'s See and Netflix's Frontier -- and is in the middle of developing DCEU's Aquaman 2. And still, with his schedule packed to the brim with projects, he still finds the time to discuss which mutant he would like to play in the MCU.
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for "An Almost Religious Awe," the latest episode of Watchmen.
In the latest episode of Watchmen, fans were shocked to discover that Doctor Manhattan had been hiding among the HBO series’ cast ever since the premiere. The all-powerful blue god now joins Laurie Blake (the former Silk Spectre) and Adrian Veidt (who still goes by Ozymandias) as the third character from the original Watchmen comic to appear on the series.
Naturally, fans may wonder if other members of the Watchmen superhero team will show up next in the final two chapters. According to series creator Damon Lindelof, there is one name we can cross off the list: Dan Dreiberg, aka Nite Owl II.
When asked by The Hollywood Reporter if there is any chance Dan will show up before the end of Watchmen’s first season, Lindelof answered: “I regret to inform you…and you have my word on this…there will be no Dan in this season of Watchmen. Beyond his hovership and dildo design, there was no natural fit for him in this particular story. By the way, if you're looking for a cool Easter egg, check out what Dan called his gift to Laurie on Peteypedia.”
Both the series, and the Peteypedia backmatter files, have confirmed that the former Nite Owl is currently in prison. Perhaps the character will make an appearance later on, should the HBO series return for a second season.
Watchmen's eighth episode, "A God Walks Into A Bar," airs Dec. 8, with the season finale airing the following Sunday, Dec. 15.
Developed by Damon Lindelof, HBO's Watchmen stars Jeremy Irons, Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Jean Smart, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tom Mison, James Wolk, Adelaide Clemens, Andrew Howard, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, Lily Rose Smith and Adelynn Spoon. The series airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Conan 2099 #1 by Gerry Duggan, Roge Antonio, Erick Arciniega and VC's Travis Lanham, on sale now.
While Conan the Barbarian might be one of the most famous fantasy characters ever created, he's spent the last few months finding his place in the Marvel Universe. In Savage Avengers, Conan has fought alongside present-day Marvel heroes like Elektra, Punisher and Wolverine. Now, Conan 2099 has shown that the Cimmerian might just outlive all of his newfound allies.
As part of Marvel's ongoing 2099 event, this one-shot has given Conan a brand new mission and some new abilities. Thanks to one of the most powerful groups in the Marvel Universe, Conan even sets his sights to cosmic new heights by the end of the issue.
The issue sees an older (but not very aged) King Conan ruling over his decimated people, their fate intertwined with his own. This is due to a curse placed on him by Morgan La Fey after he killed the witch and refused to act against Doctor Doom. In this far future, he finds the potential to escape his own doomed fate after he encounters a dying member of the Nova Corps. Taking the helmet, Conan eventually makes it to the Nova Citadel in California, where he repairs the Nova equipment and leaves Earth on a spaceship, unofficially recognized as a member of the Corps.
This upgrade stands out against the array of wisdom and weaponry that the brutish Cimmerian has used throughout the years. Formerly, he had learned such skills as reciting mantras to ward of hypnosis and magic spells, and he had even managed to perform simple rituals of his own by using archaic runes. Also in his acquired arsenal is a magical sentence that wards off even the most strong-willed Lizard Men.
Even before he found the Nova and his helmet, Conan had already replaced his usual weaponry with a futuristic laser sword. As formidable as these and his other skills are, however, his newfound access to Nova technology makes Conan more formidable and dangerous than ever to all who stand in his way.
While this one-shot issue doesn't reveal what happened to Conan once he stepped into space, it makes Conan another in a long line of Barbarians turned space wanderers. From the kind of trippy cosmic adventures Thor had in Thor: Ragnarok to stories like Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars, these stories throw ancient or primal warriors into the far reaches of space.
Some strains of this "sword and planet" genre are even prevalent in Masters of the Universe, particularly the 1990s animated series, The New Adventures of He-Man, which moved the action of He-Man's adventures from Earth to space. This fusion of barbaric fantasy and hi-tech science fiction is also the basis for the Warhammer franchise.
While it's surprising that this issue marks Conan's first real extraterrestrial journey, he goes into space with a Nova helmet, one of the more powerful tools in the Marvel Universe. Although it's unclear where they might happen, this issue ends with the promise of Conan looking for a new crown as he explores space, and there's no telling where he might end up.
The Seven Deadly Sins is a shonen anime featuring a large and dynamic group of characters. The show stands out for its character growth and interesting storylines. The Sins - Wrath, Envy, Greed, Sloth, Lust, Gluttony, and Pride are a group of Holy Knights sworn to protect the kingdom, until one day they are framed. Cast out as traitors the group disbands and goes their separate ways. The story connects flashbacks and current happenings to weave an intricate narrative.
One character that stands out is Diane, the giant girl of the Seven Deadly Sins. Diane is a complex character. On a surface level, she is a brash and bold girl with incredible fighting skills. Diane struggles with fitting in and sometimes uses magic to shrink herself in size. Deep down, she is a sweet and gentle soul who just wants to belong. She finds her family with the sins. Let's take a look at some things you may not have known about her.
10 She is the Serpent Sin of Envy
Diane's sin is the Serpent Sin of Envy. She joined up with the sins after meeting Meliodas. They first met on a road where some knights were harassing her and he took up for her. Surprised by his kindness she returned to her giant home to inform her friend that they could be accepted somewhere besides their home. Sadly, her friend had been killed on a mission by some mountain bandits and she did not get to share the news of Meliodas' kindness.
The knights accuse Diane of murdering her mentor, Matrona, because she was envious of her. She was also accused of murdering more than 300 other knights. As she is about to be sentenced for her crimes, Meliodas shows up and saves her and takes her with him. He introduces her to the other members of the Seven Deadly Sins and she joins them as Envy.
9 King and Diane's relationship runs deep
Although Diane doesn't remember him at first, King and Diane have a long history together. As a child, Diane runs away from her home with the giants. She finds a hurt King by a creekbank and nurses him back to health, not knowing she has just saved the Fairy King. King, who was struck in the head, lost all of his memories when he woke. Diane and King spent five hundred years living together and playing every day.
Diane and King are playing tag and King teases her, promising to grant her a wish if she can catch him. She does and she uses her wish to make King promise that he will always love her. He agrees to grant her wish. Later that day, King regains his memories of who he is and wipes all of Diane's memories of him away. She returns to her home with the other giants.
8 She lies about her height
Diane is self-conscious when it comes to her size. One of her greatest goals is to become a normal-sized girl. She is often made fun of by knights and other humans for being so large. She and other giants are not treated kindly and are regarded mainly as brutish fighters. The giants are not always well-liked by humans.
When someone asks Diane how tall she is, she answers with 29 feet. Gowther, however, points out that this is a lie and she is in fact, 30 feet.
7 She uses her weapon, Gideon in conjunction with her power - creation
Diane, like the other sins, wields a Sacred Treasure weapon. Her hammer's name is Gideon. The large hammer is almost as big as Diane. It has a sharp pick on one end and a flat hammer on the opposite side. She uses Gideon to assist her in strengthening her power - creation. After the Seven Deadly Sins parted ways, Diane lost Gideon. Luckily, in the Vaizel Fight festival, Gideon is being used as a reward to the winner.
Diane can use Gideon to aid her in manipulating the Earth to her will. The connection to nature is an essential part of growing the power of creation. Diane was born with a special connection to nature and easily manipulates the ground. As a child, she even makes rock golems to keep her company when she is lonely.
6 Her power levels are high.
Diane's power levels differ from human and giant forms. Originally, her power is around 3,500. Gowther assesses that in her human form her power level is 950. After finishing the trials, her power is 8,800. After performing Drole's dance, her human form's power grew to be 15,100 while her giant form grew upwards of 50,000.
5 She appreciates Meliodas.
Meliodas is one of the first people Diane encounters who proves to her that she can live somewhere outside of the giants' home. He finds her on a road being made fun of by some knights. Meliodas takes up for her and scolds them for treating a lady in such a poor manner. He was the first person to ask if she was frightened and treated her like a real lady. An instant attraction to him formed.
After regaining her memories of King, Diane no longer holds affections for Meliodas in a romantic manner. She still has a great amount of respect and gratitude to him for their relationship.
4 The sins are her one true family
Not much is mentioned of Diane's family, other than the Giant Clan. She is often left feeling very alone in the world. Because of her loneliness, she creates the rock golems to keep her company as a child. When she meets King for the first time and they spend time together, she feels a sense of belonging that she never had before.
After meeting Meliodas and becoming part of The Seven Deadly Sins she has finally found her place. They are the true family she longed for and they accept her for who she is in her giant form or her human form.
3 Her mentor wasn’t actually dead
Matrona, Diane's mentor is thought to be dead. After a group of knights hired Diane and Matrona as a rouse to kill them, Matrona was injured almost to the brink of death. The knights struck her with a poisoned arrow and with the last of her strength she killed more than 300 of them. Diane was captured and framed for the death of her mentor.
We later find out that Matrona never actually died. She was saved by a man that Diane spared in a battle. The man, Zalpa, stayed up three nights and days attending to Matrona's wounds meticulously and without rest. He amputated her ankle so the poison could not spread. When Diane and Matrona meet again, Matrona has fallen in love with Zalpa and helps raise his children. Her dream is to have kids with him.
2 At a young age, she has trouble finding her place
Diane always has a hard time fitting in. In the Giant Clan, she does not fit in because she doesn't like to fight, despite her innate ability to do so. She continuously runs away, seeking a new life for herself, but often returns. Even in her home, where she should feel at ease, she feels like an outsider.
In the human world, people do not accept her because of rumors about the giants. They believe she is a barbarian and make fun of her size. Luckily, she finds the Seven Deadly Sins and her place in the world.
1 She can transform into a regular-sized girl
One of Diane's goals was to be able to be a human-sized girl. When she meets Merlin, another member of the Seven Deadly Sins, she makes that a possibility. Merlin can shrink Diane to human form with her magic. She also made magical pills for Diane to use that can shrink her in size for up to seven hours.
Nami is one of the main characters in Eiichiro Oda's One Piece series. As the navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates, Nami is one of the most important people in the entire series, something she doesn't get enough credit for. Nami dreams of drawing a map of the entire world, which is why she's sailing with the Straw Hat Pirates right now.
Over the years, Nami has displayed the ability to hold the entire crew together and lead from the front, and she won't stop doing that anytime soon. Here are 10 weirdly interesting facts that you didn't know about the Straw Hat navigator.
10 The Captain
The Straw Hat Pirate crew is led by none other than Monkey D. Luffy, one of the pirates of the Worst Generation. Luffy has earned the admiration of all those who work under him and just as Mihawk mentioned at Marineford, his biggest power is attracting people towards him and gaining their support.
Despite this, Luffy is rather easy-going at times, which is where Nami steps in. Even though Nami isn't the captain, she acts like one more often than most people might imagine. Arguably, she is the second most important person in the entire crew, after Luffy.
9 Obsession With Money
As seen often in One Piece, Nami is obsessed with money, but there's a good reason for that. Due to her poor quality of childhood, and her the goal of freeing Cocoyashi village from Arlong's grasp, Nami was forced to steal from pirates and her plan was to use the money to buy her village, and in the process, her happiness back.
Even though Luffy freed her from the misery after the events of Arlong Park, Nami's obsession with money hasn't dwindled. A good thing for the crew in more than one way, as she's the one who takes care of their spendings.
8 Nami's Parents
Although Nami is one of the most important members of the Straw Hat crew, and one of its earliest members, her past is largely unknown to the fans. Even though we explored her early life during the Arlong Park arc, much about her remains unknown. She was seen with Nojiko as a baby, but how Nojiko found her is yet to be seen.
Nami's biological parents aren't known either, however, she considers Bell-mère to be her mother because that's what she was to her. Nonetheless, her past might be more interesting than what fans have in mind, and hopefully, we'll get to see it sometime soon.
7 Nami's Shirts
Being a creative artist, Eiichiro Oda doesn't shy away from giving his characters a vast wardrobe, bringing a sense of change with every island the Straw Hat Pirates visit. Nami's shirts, in particular, are very peculiar as most of them feature four-letter words such as 'Evil' or 'GOLD.'
This could simply be how Oda intends to draw her clothes. However, Bell-mère also wore clothes with a four-lettered word, 'MACE,' printed across them, which may be something that inspired Nami to dress in this particular way. Either way, Oda's work on Nami certainly is one of the best we've seen in the series.
6 Nami's Log Book
Despite being the navigator of the crew and the person with arguably the biggest responsibility on the crew, Nami is hardly ever seen writing in her logbook. It is possible that she simply doesn't keep records of her adventures, but with her being a navigator, it is quite hard to believe that she doesn't.
On the contrary, it is likely that Nami does keep a record, but Oda chooses not to show that to fans. In the future, we may get a glimpse of Nami's Log Book, which will surely be something that would be interesting to learn more about.
5 Nami's Cowardice
Being one of the weakest members of the crew, physically speaking, Nami is often perceived as being a coward simply because, at times, she deems a place unfit for travel. This couldn't be further from the truth as Nami is, without a doubt, one of the boldest and smartest members of the crew.
Nami fights when she believes she has to fight, yet knows when to step aside and play smart. Undoubtedly, Nami is a great pirate and definitely not a weak woman, contrary to what many believe her to be.
4 Avoiding Trouble
Unlike the majority of the Straw Hat crew, Nami prefers to live a careful and easygoing life where she doesn't have to fear the Marines chasing her all the time. Although she's more than capable of fighting them off, she'd rather not have them on her back.
In doing so, she's the exact opposite of most of the crew members who like challenges and, at the same time, fighting. When the bounties of the crew go up, Nami is the only person who doesn't seem pleased because it invites unwanted attention from the Marines and bounty hunters.
3 Her Love For Children
By virtue of her compassion, Nami can't help but love children. Among many other things, she considers them to be one of her weaknesses. Evidently, this is why Nami treats Momonosuke with utmost love and care. She also displays this side of her at Punk Hazard, where several children were being experimented on by Caesar.
Since he was responsible for bringing misery to lots of children, Nami swore to never forgive Caesar despite him helping the crew out on several occasions.
2 Nami & The Straw Hat
Being a precious member of the Straw Hat Pirates, Nami is respected by the entire crew, especially Luffy. In fact, she's one of the few crewmates Luffy has placed his hat on. This was seen at Arlong Park, where, after Nami asked for help, Luffy defeated Arlong for all the pain that he caused her.
The only other person who Luffy entrusted with his hat in a similar manner was Usopp during the Davy Back Fight. Thanks to Oda's tremendous writing, Nami is a well-respected character in fandom as well.
1 Nami's Fears
Nami dislikes lots of things such as unnecessary trouble or fighting strong people, but when push comes to shove, she's rather confident in taking on such problems. As such, they don't qualify as hear fears in any way. The only known thing that Nami is known to fear in One Piece are bugs, specifically spiders.
This was confirmed at Jaya when the crew had to look for a South Bird in a nearby forest at night. Interestingly enough, this fear of hers is shared by one of her crewmates, Sanji.
In the name of the moon, Sailor Moon has been righting wrongs and defeating evil for nearly three decades. She started off as the titular hero of Naoko Takeuchi's seminal 1992 manga, which was a spin-off of her series Codename: Sailor V. Then, the manga was adapted as an animated series that has since become one of the most recognized anime today.
In her own series, Sailor Moon is recognized for courage under fire in spite of some ample moments of clumsiness and ineptitude. Something else she's known for is her traditional, introductory pose that she uses to psych out enemies. It's hard to forget. And now, we've ranked ten of Sailor Moon's best poses from the 1990s anime.
10 A Leap in the Dark
In episode 28, Zoisite extracted a Rainbow Crystal from painter Yumemi Yumeno and then turned her into a Super Yōma named Binah. Unable to wait for the other Guardians to show up, Sailor Moon went after the enemies on her own. She appeared above her foes at a construction yard before leaping down and giving them the speech we all know and love.
Zoisite has little patience for anything, much less the Sailor Guardians. As Sailor Moon brings her speech to a close, Zoisite glibly says he does not care who she is. He proceeds to sic Binah on her, who proves to be a nuisance before Sailor Moon can turn her back into a normal human.
9 Curtain Call
When Jadeite's minion, Derella, takes over a talent contest in episode 8, Usagi has to confront her. And she does so with an unforgettable curtain call. As Derella celebrates her victory a bit too early, Sailor Moon dramatically draws the stage curtains. Derella is caught off guard by the sailor-suited Guardian of Love and Justice, who is now braver than she was several minutes ago as she cowardly hid in the restroom.
It's a theatrical entrance, but we would not expect anything less from Sailor Moon. She still in training at this point, but she knew how to strike fear and intrigue into the enemy's heart from day one.
8 Silhouetted Goodbye
This pose actually comes at the end of episode 18 once the battle has ended. Shingo's best friend, Mika Kayama, is a young, famous dollmaker who unwillingly becomes Nephrite's next victim. After he hexes one of her dolls with a yōma, Mika becomes mean towards Shingo and her mother. Her energy level eventually peaks and the yōma, Jumeau, surfaces during Mika's doll show. Luckily, Sailor Moon and her fellow Guardians are in attendance.
As soon as Sailor Moon destroys Jumeau, she goes to check on her brother and Mika inside the gallery building. All they can see is her silhouette in the window, but it's unmistakably their hero, Sailor Moon. The rustling curtains are a nice touch.
7 A Magical Glow-Up
In episode 187, Sailor Aluminum Siren learned the identity of both her pesky enemy and the keeper of a true Star Seed: Usagi. She attacked her during the school's baseball game, which led to Chibi-Chibi having to unlock a new ability within the Eternal Tiare. After accepting Chibi-Chibi's inscrutable yet necessary power boost, Eternal Sailor Moon purified Aluminum Seiren's phage, who was originally Usagi's classmate.
The pose Eternal Sailor Moon makes as she holds her glowing Eternal Tiare is admittedly simple, but it's also evidence of how assertive she had become over the years. She wielded her wand, ready to take on whatever comes next.
6 Fire, Love & Moon
In episode 37, Kunzite's latest scheme to draw out Princess Serenity involved usurping an English aristocrat's princess seminar. Unaware, Usagi enrolls in the class so she can become a better heir of the Legendary Silver Crystal. As we expected, Usagi pretty much fails every test the host, Countess Rose, hands her. Although in this case, her failure is really proof she could be the Moon Princess. Insulting, no?
Makoto and Ami turn out to be princess material after they and Rei and Minako crash the party. Their success, however, leads to Countess Rose, who has since been turned into a yōma named Shakōkai, encasing Makoto and Ami in wax. This leaves Moon, Mars, and Venus to deal with the bad guy. Before things go south battle-wise, Moon gets a pose assist from her two Sailor Guardians on the mansion's balcony.
5 Back in Action
In episode 51, during a picnic to celebrate the blossoming of the local cherry blossoms, Ail and An unleash a vicious cardian. The monster neutralizes Usagi's friends, forcing her to fight alone. This did not end well for her as the cardian, Reci, was formidable.
Sailor Moon's lack of resolve in fighting again as a Sailor Guardian after defeating the Dark Kingdom resulted in her finishing move being useless against enemies. Her low confidence was her downfall as Reci shattered Sailor Moon's transformation brooch, thus de-powering her. Usagi was finally sucked into a portal with Luna, thought to never be seen again.
As luck would have it, Usagi's time in what seemed like purgatory was brief. The spirit of her past-life mother, Queen Serenity, returned the lost Silver Crystal to her daughter, and she upgraded the brooch. Before Sailor Moon saved the day and debuted a new attack, her mystical, cherry blossom-laden ingress was also awe-inducing.
4 Raise Your Wand
In episode 96, Makoto was attacked by Kaolinite's daimon, Scar. Ami and Usagi spotted the ordeal and they hurried over to help after transforming. Against a completely bright white background, Sailor Moon wowed us with her adroit baton-twirling technique. She aimed her latest wand, the Spiral Heart Moon Rod, with ferocity at the monster that had ambushed her best friend. Sailor Mercury had already intervened with an icy blast of water so Scar was taken by surprise.
Outnumbered and possibly a bit scared, Scar understandably escaped without Makoto's Pure Heart Crystal in tow.
3 Double Moon
With SuperS focusing so much on Chibi-Usa and her bond with the mysterious Pegasus, it was no wonder she was more front and center. Sailor Moon's stock speech from the third season was altered for the corresponding film: She's joined by Sailor Chibi-Moon, who mimics her mother's signature pose.
The sequence was reused in episode 128 when the pair first meets Tiger's Eye, one of the Dead Moon's Amazon Trio. He has captured Usagi and Chibi-Usa's friend Unazuki, who he suspects of containing the Dream Mirror that houses the elusive Pegasus. His assumption is wrong, but, nevertheless, he has to contend with the bothersome Sailor Guardians from now on.
2 Spotlit Speech
Usagi, Chibi-Usa, and Mamoru were spending a day at a botanical garden with Hotaru in episode 116 when Mimete showed up in search of her newest target. One thing led to another, and Mimete unboxed her on-the-go monster-of-the-day, U-Baulla. This rose-themed daimon made quick work of Sailor Chibi-Moon until Tuxedo Mask stepped in. He then ushered in the star of the show, Sailor Moon.
Arms crossed and standing confidently, Sailor Moon was basked in a trio of spotlights from an unknown source. It's excessive, but it makes for good drama, too.
1 Double the Trouble
Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi-Moon were a package deal in the fourth season as their powers relied on one another. So, if Sailor Moon was going to show up to a fight, Chibi-Moon was there, too.
In episode 146, Hawk's Eye set his sights on Princess Rubina, a visiting ambassador for the fictional Amethyst Kingdom. She had spurned the enemy's lecherous advances, but Hawk's Eye ultimately caught up with her on a tennis court and took a gander inside her Dream Mirror. This was when Super Double Moon came to the princess' rescue. They stood boldly on a nearby set of umpire chairs as fireworks blasted in the summer night sky.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Green Lantern: Blackstars#1, by Grant Morrison, Xermanico, Steve Oliff and Steve Wands, on sale now.
The cover for Green Lantern: Blackstars #2 gives a glimpse of the action-packed follow-up to the tumultuous events of the previous issue, where an antagonistic Hal Jordan is ordered to take over Earth -- and will, seemingly, have to go through the Justice League to do it.
The series takes place in an alternate timeline in which Hal is reimagined as a member of the Blackstars, an intergalactic police force who seeks to bring galactic peace through their fascistic rule and re-ordering of worlds. Readers will note that this storyline bears a strong resemblance to DC's Injusticeseries, in which a crazed Superman also sought to impose world peace through authoritarian methods.
Both Blackstars and Injustice deal with the aftermath of a villain's conniving plan to manipulate the heroes into drastically changing their moral barometers. In Blackstars, a new antagonist named Controller Mu tricks Hal Jordan into powering the Miracle Machine to rewrite the course of the universe. The cataclysmic event occurs as the conclusion of Grant Morrison's 12-issue run The Green Lantern, in which Mu carefully orchestrates the release of Hal Jordan's Anti-Matter counterpart, Qwa-Man. The ensuing fight leaves Hal on the verge of death and at the mercy of Mu, who seeks to use him as a battery to power the Miracle Machine. On his dying breath, Hal gives in to Mu's wish to reshape reality in order to spare the total destruction of the universe. Now, Hal serves as a militaristic Blackstar and is tasked to bring planet Earth into Mu's newly established regime.
Likewise, Injustice also saw the tragic transformation of a beloved hero at the hands of a villain's conspiratorial plot, although Hal's change is the result of a nobler last resort than Superman's descent into madness. Injustice has Joker play a similar role as Controller Mu does in Blackstars: manipulating Superman into killing Lois Lane and blowing up Metropolis in the process. He murders Jimmy Olsen to bring Superman to the edge of desperation, then laces Scarecrow's fear toxin with Kryptonite in order to make Lois appear as Doomsday to Superman. The final straw is when the bomb hidden in Metropolis detonates at Lois' death, finally convincing Superman that the only way to establish world peace is to impose a totalitarian new world order.
Superman and the Green Lantern, as a result of their perverse motivations, both commit heinous deeds in the name of peace and stability. Injustice follows Superman's increasing rage as he gradually becomes more ruthless in his quest for power. He gravely injures Superboy, incinerates a group of anti-Superman protestors, and breaks Batman's back in retaliation for resisting his rule. In one moment that is especially reminiscent of the events of Blackstars, Superman violently murders Kalibak, the son of famed DC demagogue Darkseid, and ferociously destroys the invading armies of Apokopolis. This ironically highlights the correlation between the fanaticism of Superman and Darkseid. Likewise, Hal Jordan takes aim at another villainous icon in DC comics, Mongul, overthrowing his rule and capturing his despotic planet Warworld for the Blackstars.
Injustice and Blackstars also wrestle with themes of total peace at the cost of freedom. Both storylines attempt to challenge readers' preconceived ideas of what makes a hero's actions morally justified. In order to enunciate this tension, Injustice pits DC's superheroes against each other, with Batman leading the resistance against Superman's government. Green Lantern: Blackstars seems to be headed in the same direction, as Hal Jordan announces an assault against Earth's heroes in the conquest of his home planet.
Writer Grant Morrison has also stated that he plans to debut "the cruelest portrayal of Superman" he's ever put to page, implying that the Blackstars universe's Justice League might not be the righteous heroes fans are used to. Injustice may, therefore, offer a glimpse into what this iteration of the League will be like: a broken and fractured group struggling to deal with a situation spiraling out of control.
It's our yearly Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar! Every day until Christmas Eve, you can click on the current day's Advent Calendar post and it will show the Advent Calendar with the door for that given day opened and you can see what the "treat" for that day will be! You can click here to see the previous Advent Calendar entries. This year, the theme is a Totally Tubular 80s Christmas! Each day will be a Christmas comic book story from the 1980s, possibly ones that have a specific 1980s bent to it (depends on whether I can come up with 24 of them).
The drawing for this year's Advent Calendar, of Miami Vice Santa Claus giving out 80s presents, like a Rubik's Cube and a Sony Walkman, to four superheroes with the most-80s costumes around, is by Nick Perks.
Each day, a door on the calendar will be opened (once opened, the door will feature a panel from the featured story)...
Here's the story for Day 2, Christmas 1988's Amazing Spider-Man #314, "Down And Out in Forest Hills" by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. This issue opens with Peter and Mary Jane getting kicked out of their apartment. Peter spends the whole issue moping about he and MJ have to move back in with Peter's Aunt May back in Forest Hills.
Ultimately, Spidey gets his head out of his ass when people are in danger...
And in the end, he celebrates Christmas at Aunt May's with his friends and family...
Not a WHOLE lot Christmas stuff going on in this issue, but enough to spotlight!
DOES ANYTHING IN THIS COMIC SCREAM 'TOTALLY TUBULAR 80s'?
Well, the name of the story is a reference to a then-current 1980s movie. Plus, the whole plot about Peter and Mary Jane getting kicked out of their expensive condominium was a very 80s plot for the era, as well. The clothes, of course, were also very 80s.
Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff is finished running from her past in the teaser trailer for Marvel Studios' Black Widow.
Clocking in at more than two minutes, it's surprisingly robust for a teaser, providing some context within the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the assassin turned S.H.I.E.L.D. agent turned Avenger, before sending her off to confront her past, and reunite with her "family."
Directed by Cate Shortland (Lore) from a script by Jac Schaeffer (Captain Marvel) and Ned Benson (The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby), the long-anticipated action thriller is set after the events of 2016's Captain America: Civil War, as Natasha heads off to confront her past. That includes the Red Room, the Soviet brainwashing and training facility seen in an illusion in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the "blood in her ledger" from her days as an assassin.
Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha, Florence Pugh stars as Yelena, David Harbour as Alexei aka The Red Guardian and Rachel Weisz as Melina. The film opens May 1, 2020.
Ever since Dragon Ball, Goku and the Z Fighters have met omnipotent beings wielding the power of the gods, with escalating strength. Dragon Ball Super opened with Goku and Vegeta fighting Beerus, their universe's God of Destruction, who -- along with his constant companion Whis -- was the strongest deity they had encountered at that time. Halfway through Dragon Ball Super, however, the characters encountered Grand Zeno, a supreme being that oversees the entire Dragon Ball Multiverse.
Here is a quick overview of Zeno and whether he truly is the most powerful being introduced in the entire Dragon Ball mythos.
Grand Zeno is introduced at the end of the Tournament of Destruction, pitting the best martial artists of Universes 6 and 7 against each other in a friendly competition. Appearing following Universe 7's victory, Zeno is initially annoyed that he hadn't been invited to the proceedings by the Gods of Destruction serving under him but this was tempered by his enjoyment of watching the fighting contest from afar. The Gods of Destruction are seen to be in clear fear of Zeno's vast destructive potential and cower in respect.
According to Whis, Zeno reigns over the Dragon Ball Multiverse as its Omni King and had erased six entire universes when he found himself in "an unpleasant mood." Prior this unseen event, there had been eighteen universes within the Multiverse, now, only twelve remain. Quickly befriending Goku, Zeno makes him promise to meet him in his home outside of the twelve realities to have fun on a playdate, befitting his childlike appearance.
Following the Tournament of Destruction, Goku and the Z Fighters accompany the adult Trunks from his alternate future timeline where they face the rogue, rampaging demigod Zamasu, who has possessed the body of Goku from a parallel world. Initially, Goku and Vegeta are able to overpower the villain after fusing themselves into the composite Saiyan warrior Gogeta and utilizing the Super Saiyan Blue transformation before the fusion wears off and Zamasu grows more monstrously powerful.
As Zamasu begins to spread across the entire timeline's reality, Goku summons this timeline's Zeno who does not recognize him, revealing that each timeline's reality has its own presiding Omni King, suggesting that Zeno does not exist outside of time. Witnessing Zamasu's spread, Zeno erases all of this reality, with Goku and the others barely escaping in Trunks' time machine. Deciding to give his timeline's Zeno a playmate, Goku and Trunks later return to the erased timeline where they find the alternate future Zeno as the only thing remaining and introduce the Omni Kings to one another, with the omnipotent pair becoming fast friends.
The Omni Kings invite the remaining universes to the Tournament of Power, a battle royale between the twelve universes, pitting teams of their greatest warriors against one another. To increase the stakes, the Zeno threaten to erase any universe that is eliminated from the competition. This is steadily made true as the Zeno erase entire universes with the casual wave of a single figure. In the end, the Zeno allow Android 17 to restore the Multiverse with the Super Dragon Balls, announcing that they had foreseen a selfless champion winning the contest and restoring the Multiverse.
The level of awareness and power demonstrated by the Zeno is completely unseen. Kami, the first godly figure seen in Dragon Ball couldn't even defeat Piccolo at the end of the original series while King Kai, the god seen at the start of Dragon Ball Z, was ultimately killed by Cell. Even the Supreme Kai acknowledged that Goku was stronger than him in his Super Saiyan form, conceding to the protagonist when they reached a disagreement. While Beerus has displayed strength outclassing Goku, nothing has the sheer power of the Grand Zeno from either timeline, has been seen. Zeno can completely obliterate an entire reality without any visible degree of visible exertion and appears to be aware of much around him. Commanding the deepest respect from Beerus, Zeno is the most powerful being in the Dragon Ball mythos to date.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Avengers #27 by Jason Aaron, Ed McGuinness, Mark Morales, Jason Keith and Cory Petit, on sale now.
There are numerous invasive alien species in the Marvel Universe. Some of them use force to meet their goals, such as the Kree. Others, like the Skrulls, utilize stealth and infiltration to achieve their ends. But almost none are as frightening as the Brood, a species of insectoid monsters that can turn other species into members of their own genus as a means to overwhelm and swarm the entire universe.
Now, the Brood has been able to infect Thor and turn him into one of their own -- which could be a big problem for the rest of the universe.
Essentially, the Marvel Universe version of the Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise, the Brood are one of the most fearsome and threatening species in the universe. They are an intergalactic race of invasive aliens that spread their number across the galaxy by infecting other organisms with their eggs. Upon hatching inside the other beings, the Brood forcibly change their hosts into a Brood version of themselves, taking their powers for their own.
This process also overwrites the mind of the infected, turning the new hybrid creature into a committed and blood-thirsty member of the Brood Hive. With only a handful of exceptions (such as Broo from Wolverine and the X-Men) the Brood are dedicated to spreading themselves across all of creation until the only thing alive in the universe is the Brood Hive.
In Avengers #27, The Avengers team (sans Black Panther but with Black Widow) have traveled into space to learn more about the mysterious appearance of a new Starbrand in Shi’Ar space. The mission doesn’t go as well as planned, with the team quickly separated and without any real way to reach out for help. While some have found themselves in the back of Ghost Rider’s hell-charger, others have been attacked and remain in the ship they used to take to the stars in the first place. Notably, Captain America and Thor remained behind while their remaining teammates tried to find a way to survive.
Captain America has been creating a captain's log for prosperity. Meanwhile, Thor has essentially cordoned himself off from his longtime ally because he has somehow been infected with a Brood egg and begun the physiological transformation that comes with it. As Thor tries to fight off the infection, his connection with the hammer Mjolnir becomes more and more important. If he can still lift it, it means there's still enough of him left to make him worthy. The moment he can no longer carry the hammer, though, the infection has completely transformed him into a Brood.
Although it’s possible to purge someone of a Brood infection, it can be very difficult. What’s surprising, however, is that there’s apparently a strain of Brood that have the ability to infect a powerful deity like Thor. Other beings with advanced healing abilities -- such as Wolverine -- have proven to be too tough for the Brood infection to spread. This suggests that for one to successfully have infected someone as powerful as Thor, something must be amiss.
It’s even possible that Thor has been infected by a Brood Queen egg, which could explain how it was able to overcome Thor’s typical immunity to most infections or sickness. If that’s true, then Brood-Thor might be one of the single most dangerous beings in the universe.
He could continue to spread the Brood infection, creating more and more members of the Hive around the world. He could even create new Brood, allowing the infection to spread to other groups like the Avengers or the Asgardians. An army of Brood-Gods could potentially wipe out most life in the galaxy. Now, the only thing standing in the way of that potential future is Captain America -- alone and without almost any backup.
