Tag Archives: Avengers

5 Crazy Comic Variants of Loki: We Could See in Disney+’s “Loki”

August 11, 2021 Jason Nichols Leave a comment

Loki’s finale has the MCU audience lauding the story so far and ready for the next season. Kang the Conqueror (He Who Remains) set the expectation for a wide variety of possible character variants across the multiverse. Of course, one of the most anticipated character variants is the Lord of Lies himself, Loki.

While show writer Michael Waldron and director Kate Herron undoubtedly have ideas and variant versions in mind, the fan-favorite comic Loki portrayed in the show by Richard E Grant proved that comic screen appearances work.

Loki God of Stories

Young adult Loki from Agents of Asgard # 13 isn’t above a bit of mischief but also a night and day comparison from what you might expect from the master of manipulation. Here fans see the conscious moral decisions of a Loki that fought to turn away from a truly terrible future. Working as an agent of the Mothers of Asgard, Loki rejected Those Who Sit Above in Shadow—later resisting the manipulations from his future self and becoming a God of Stories rather than God of lies. With newfound purpose, the God of Stories was essential to ending the War of Realms event and later creating a wave of peace between Asgardians and the Frost Giants. Ascending the throne of the Frost Giants following the slaying of his father, Laufey.

Necro God Loki

Undoubtedly one of the most potent and terrifying versions is the self-proclaimed Loki the All Butcher in Jason Aarrons Thor #5 (2018). After centuries of whispering lies and madness to Ego, the former wielder of the Necro Sword All-Black. Loki had finally acquired a weapon capable of bringing all of the cosmos to heel; driven by the overflowing malice of the Necro Sword, set upon a path to kill everything. Disemboweling his brother Thor atop an erupting star before meeting a nearly identical fate by the resurrected Gorr the God Butcherer.

Loki God of Heroism and Truth

After the Scarlet Witch switches the morality’s of the heroes and villain’s in yet another reality-warping series called AXIS. Here Marvel gives us probably the most accurate “good” version of Loki, honor-driven, and worthy of wielding Mjolnir becoming the God of Heroism and Truth. After gaining newfound powers, Loki selflessly endeavored to make things right, to stop Thor and help the Scarlet Witch restore reality. It’s a great look at Loki’s most nuanced and noble version; such a character could undoubtedly inspire some of the show’s more sinister iterations.

Sorcerer Supreme Loki

Preferring to torment enemies with daggers and knives, Loki wields a set of formidable magic powers; seeing writers couple Asgardian magic with a Sorcerer Supreme boost and you start to imagine a universe without Dr. Strange. Appointed by the Vishanti, Loki proved to be a worthy replacement until he decided to seek out the Exile of Singhshoon, a spell that would transfer all the world’s magic to him. Loki would be defeated by a returned Dr. Strange wielding power from Asgard’s Tree of Knowledge.

King Loki

Arguably the most successful version of Loki comes from Loki: Agent of Asgard; fans practically open the page to the climactic height of King Loki seizing the throne, triumphing as the unquestionable king of Asgard and defeating Thor. With absolute power King Loki began working with the All Mothers Asgardia to corrupt his younger self, further ensuring this twisted future came to pass. In the end, King Loki is foiled and even sparred by a younger version of himself; this younger version empathizes and pities King Loki choosing a different future to become the new God of Stories.

There are undoubtedly dozens of other versions/variants of the trickster that deserve an honorable mention like Unicorn Loki, Loki 2099, Loki Dark Reign, Lady Loki and Ikol to name a few. Loki is a long standing pillar for gender and character fluidity in Marvel Comics, whatever alternate versions Disney+ has in store they’re certain to be entertaining and befitting the shows unique comic verse MCU meshing.

Did you have a Loki variant, version or reincarnation in mind that should of been mentioned, put it in the comic section below and dont forget to like, lie and stay mischievous.

Comics, News

Marvel and DC Comics: Imitation or the Highest Form of Flattery

September 11, 2020 Jason Nichols Leave a comment

Marvel and DC are without a doubt the top dogs in the comic game and have been for sometime. Both were quick to dismantle any competitors following the golden age of comics. While Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige has stated in regards to a modern DC Marvel rivalry, “There’s not really a rivalry…”the resulting similarities of some of the two’s biggest icons says otherwise

Character rip offs are nothing comic fans haven’t already dissected and quantified countless times, reflecting on some of the more similar Marvel and DC characters let’s strive to determine who did it better. Leave all deliberation regarding who beats who in a fight to the diligent comic battle vines.

Solomon Grundy is Technically the Original

Created by Alfred Bester, Grundy first appeared in All-American Comics #61 (October 1944). You could argue that at the time of his creation he was a far cry from the monster he is now but sometimes character evolution is unhurried.

Cyrus Gold or better known as Solomon Grundy is the DC’s lumbering gray un dead “hulk” or vice versa, just keep reading. After refusing a blackmail from the pimp of a prostitute he had become romantically involved with, Cyrus was met with an unexpected shovel to the back of the head. Without remorse his body was tossed into the infamous Slaughter Swamp and left to stew in some primordial juices for the next five decades. Through yet unexplained means he emerged a zombie horror that would come to be known as Solomon Grundy. Depending on who is doing the writing Grundy is a nearly unstoppable un dead force that has contested power houses like Superman. Unlike the not so cheery associated nursery rhyme Grundy seems to have no plans on being buried Sunday or on any day of the week for that matter. Grundy can take an insane amount of damage, he has had Superman fly through the middle of his chest and been pretty much unaffected. Not just a punching bag by any means Grundy’s peak incarnations have shown him beating the likes of Wonder Woman in Injustice: Gods Among Us and even the Man of Steel himself in Superman 15 (1976).

Unique in his own right Grundy started off as a villain for the hero known as the Green Lantern Alan Scott but has since squared off with every member of the Justice League and countless others. At least at this point it would seem DC is content with using Grundy as a villainous brick that doesn’t quite go down. Be that as it may he has landed himself in over a dozen separate comic series, animated cartoons and even parts in some notable video games. You might be thinking Grundy takes the cake but when it comes down to selling comics but he is after all a villain and villains usually finish last in terms of popularity. Winning popular contests or not, nothing in the DC universe has put this lumbering monstrosity to rest yet.

“Solomon Grundy, Born on a Monday, Christened on a Tuesday, Wedded on a Wednesday, Took ill on a Thursday, Grew Worse on a Friday Died on a Saturday, Buried on Sunday, that was the end of Solomon Grundy…“

Hulk Came Second but Don’t Count Him Out

Created by the legend himself Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of The Incredible Hulk (May 1962)showing up to the big angry monster game a little he’s just in time to become one of the biggest reluctant heroes at Marvel Comics.

Hulk is everyone’s lovable green ball of infinite childhood induced rage, one of Stan Lee’s greats, joining the ranks of immortal characters thanks to Al Ewings awesome series Immortal Hulk. Hulks duality is what makes him stand out, think Dr Jekyll and Mr Hide; the Hulk is after all a manifestation from the scientist Bruce Banner. Banner meets his lifelong angry contemporary when exposed to an experimental gamma bomb saving the life of fellow scientist Rick Jones. Now whenever Banner is put under physical or emotional stress he is able to transform into the hulk with near limitless strength depending on his level of anger, super speed, durability and regeneration to name a few. Taking it with just a pinch of salt this is of course the classic take on the Hulk and just like Grundy it can vary from writer to writer. Now when it comes to tough, tough ain’t enough for the Hulk. Surviving some of the most awesome attacks in the Marvel universes:he reluctantly tanks some of the hardest blows the Skyfather Zeus had to offer, in one alternate timeline The Incredible Hulk: The End (Vol 11) Hulk lives in a post apocalyptic world where his flesh is devoured everyday by mutant cockroaches.

Apparently everyone really likes to see the Hulk just going mental and just leveling things. There have been a few versions of the hulk that were not all about smashing like Joe Fix It but what sells is an angry Hulk. Permeating through nearly every nook and cranny of western culture you can hardly go to the store or turn on a TV without seeing some reference to the Hulk be it movies, toys, clothing, food, video games or comics the hulk is almost as synonymous with America as Captain America himself. If your thinking this sounds a lot like how popular Grundy is among the fans, sadly that thought might be stretching it at best. While Solomon Grundy has become a staple villain in the DC universe the hulk has since grown out of the comic and media scene and has become somewhat of an icon. Be honest you’ve put on a pair of Hulk hands and tried to smash a wall, but you haven’t done that with Grundy hands. Do they even make those?

““There ain’t many around who can describe what it feels like to get hit by the Hulk… Simple fact bein’ there ain’t many around who can survive to tell the tale. There ain’t no pain at first. It’s like he hits ya so damn hard ya actually leave yer own body. It’s when ya come back that ya feel the pain. An’ ya realize yer goin’ toe-to-toe with a walkin’ earthquake.” – Wolverine

The Outcome

If you stuck around from start to finish to see the results you’re amazing, if you just scrolled to the bottom to see the outcome you are my people and I don’t blame you. Crunching the numbers Grundy came first and the award for originality has to go to DC (Grundy), both characters are eerily similar but have some glaring difference making each unique. Switching gears and comparing the monster level of power they both possess this was a little bit harder to determine, both had astounding feats but the Hulk simply had more and has proven his strength is all but set. Hulk takes the round for Marvel toting a nearly limitless level of physical strength. Lastly who was more popular this is indeed a popularity contest, Hulk wins this one for marvel as well hands down. Both characters sell comics and have had significant character development but apples and oranges. Hulk has had several stand alone movies, animated series etc. proving he doesn’t need a team to garner loyal fans.

Final Results

Winner is the Hulk for his dominating level of power and a fan base that continues to grow, cementing a status as one of the most popular Marvel heroes of all time. Did you see it going differently, are you a DC hard fan that knows for a fact Grundy takes the cake and the Hulk is generic knock off let us know. If your a die hard DC fan or a hard core Marvel reader or if you just enjoyed the piece, post your comments below and shoot a suggestion of what characters are a mirror image of each other.

Comics, News

Absolute Carnage

May 29, 2020 Jason Nichols Leave a comment

Absolute Carnage #5, written by Donny Cates cover artist Ryan Stegman

One of the most enthralling events surrounding the two symbiotes you’ve read about, Cates has done something special here.

While readers are left to explore the complex exposed relationship between Eddie Brock and Kletus Kasady, there is no clues for what we can expect from the symbiote god Knull and Carnage being a byproduct of a much darker sickness in the Marvel universe. Cates choosing issue 5 to highlight the escalating danger that Dark Carnage poses not to just Eddie but the Avengers and earth gives us a sense of overwhelming momentum for this series. You can expect a spectacular fight between the old rivals as the duality of the two symbiotic hosts is poised in a magnificent send off. Ending on a slice of father son closure you’ll be happy you took the time. Unable to contain the joy of soon getting my hands on Venom issue #25 fans of Cates work need only be patient if anticipating the next step in the symbiote god Knulls plan.

The series will leave you wanting more but in the best way, a good read definitely worth the $5.99. You can buy the complete series here on Amazon.

Movies/TV, News

Avengers Endgame: Puts an End to the Hulk You Know

May 8, 2019 Jason Nichols Leave a comment

When you’re watching Endgame it’s easy to see all the things done right. It isn’t until you make your way into your car and drive several minutes down the road that you start to notice some of the things it does very wrong. No one likes to nitpick or be that guy, but we still need to talk about the jolly green giant in the room, Professor Hulk.

“Avengers Endgame” has been out for over a week now, turning to the Russo brothers spoiler ban for guidance we are past the set date for talking about some of the most interesting cinematic events of the year. You have been warned the below may contain spoilers.

For those new to the MCU or Marvel characters, the Hulk has traditionally been an unbridled rage machine whose strength scales exponentially with his anger. Possessing a low-level intelligence, this adaptation of the Hulk is known as Savage Hulk, MCU “Thor Ragnarok” showed the Hulk possessing a young child’s intellect and even capable of communication. This character development meant the Hulk could now work effectively with his fellow Avengers and smash some stuff along the way. Until the recent debuts of Thor wielding Storm Breaker and Captain Marvel making her way on the scene, the Hulk has arguably been the strongest Avenger.

Taking Hulk and Bruce Banner fans down a painful memory trip, the last time audiences saw Banner Hulk out he tried to take on the Mad Titan single-handedly, Thanos quickly put Hulk in a timeout. This defeat was so hard felt it caused the Hulk to refuse stepping into fights for Banner for the rest of the film.

It was leaked before Endgames release that fans would be getting a whole new Hulk, the perfect fusion of brains and brawns. The result is a slightly different one than you would expect, Professor Hulk is definitely contrasting to his previous version but it can be argued his personality is nothing short of Banner if he was coolest kid in highschool.

Professor Hulk is a new take on the Hulk smash aspect , he generally prefers taco sharing to smashing. That’s a literal statement the Banner Hulk fusion has a run in with his former more savage self in 2012, doing a little time jumping. Detesting his more base forms treatment of some Chitauri warriors and a poor car, he soon after resents having to play the part as he casually dented some cars. The Hulk reluctant to smash, say it ain’t so. Shortly before this scene we see him handing two crispy tacos to Antman who just can’t seem to get a break. An observant eye or third time watcher can tell you that Professor Hulk is not just a drastically different character in terms of personality but also a physically puny comparison to his Savage versions height and bulk. Audiences immediately caught on to the imposing differences in the Hulks when side by side. The Hulk is now more akin to the largest human being you’ve ever seen and no so much a monstrous hulk.

The team does a good job creating an accurate potrayal of a laid back professor Hulk, with all the Hulk versions out there (Totally Awesome Hulk anyone) is this the best fit for the continuity of an expanding MCU?

Since the Hulk initially had his tail whipped by Thanos in Avengers Infinity Wars I have waited for one thing, the rematch. It was one of the absolute pinnacles Endgame sold me on “the big rematch” something as grandeur as the upcoming Clegane Bowl in Game of Thrones. Admitting, no previews or trailers leading up to the release of the film appeared to show any sign of a rematch between the Hulk and Thanos. It was something that all MCU fans had come to expect after the big green guy’s no show. Endgame gives nearly the entire roster a shot at Thanos: Spiderman, Ironman, Dr. Strange, Thor, Captain Marvel just to name a few. While all this is happening Professor Hulk is beneath the mansion under an immense pile of rubble absent for most of the ensuing conflict. So we actually never seen an exchange between the two, not so much as a witty remark.

Making expectations clear I never presumed the Hulk or Professor Hulk could overpower Thanos much less be able to defeat him however I did expect some well deserved punches to be dished out from a Hulk who had put his big boy pants on. Being fair Professor Hulk is an invaluable asset to the team in the “big brains” department but is also a real powerhouse who could of been used as more than an infinity battery.

Fans are presented with a hard trade of personality, charisma and nice duds for one of the physically weakest versions of the Hulk (Professor Hulk). Weakest is by no means a slouch Hulk is still able to support the entire weight of the Avengers Mansion when Thanos first attacks. Later on though he Is incapable of any type of quick regeneration after using the Infinity Gauntlet. This is a no no for any Hulk fan who knows the Hulk’s regenerative capabilities are on par with other Marvel self healers like Wolverine and Deadpool. My biggest peeve at the end is Professor Hulk actually wearing an arm cast days after the battle, are the directors trying to tell us something? Could the Hulk be out for future MCU projects?

It’s not that hulk wearing sweats and glasses isn’t cool, its freaking awesome. The problem arises when one of the strongest characters in Marvel being used as a testifiable villain strength punching bag, sacrificed for plot continuity.