FanX Spring 2019: Meeting Our Heroes

I was planning on a much bigger article about this year’s Spring FanX in Salt Lake. However, it turns out that I am struggling with my depression right now and I have other demands on my time, and I just don’t feel terribly inspired to write a blow-by-blow 3000 word essay.

I moved to Arizona last fall, but my mom was willing to drive me up to Utah for a weekend and also give me a lot of financial support for the con. Not to mention that she gave me a lot of help with my Captain Marvel costume a month earlier. 

I will tell you about a few important things. The biggest one is that I got to meet Clark Gregg. Clark Gregg is the actor who plays Phil Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Those of you who have been reading my blog posts might have an idea about what this character means to me.

I told you briefly last fall about my Jedi OC and her living in the Marvel Universe and being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. What I didn’t tell you was that her partner and trainer is Phil Coulson. That was the story I came up with for Coulson when I quit watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.—at least the first part of his story in my fanfic arc.

A Short History of the MCU in Memes

If you’ve been able to see Avengers: Endgame, good on ya. There will be a review post coming soon, I hope. There has been a lot going on on my end. Keeping with the spirit of commemorating the last eleven or so years of Marvel films, here is a walk down memory lane that shows you the funnier side of this universe.

The early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were in the early days of the internet becoming a hub for social media and meme culture. Memes as a form of humor, to my recollection, exploded in 2012, around the time The Avengers came out. You could argue that Marvel fandom invented online fandom and memes. If not, you have to at least agree that this fandom and memes have more or less always gone hand in hand.

The MCU fandom has spawned billions of images with funny captions or screenshots of Twitter and Tumblr text posts.  This saga, that many are now referring to as the Infinity Saga, is the story that the digital generation grew up with. They have celebrated it in countless ways: the examples below are just a few.

1. Iron Man Not Having a Superhero Identity Crisis

*mic drop*

Hela’s Domination Plan (A Theory)

SparkNotes Version/Summary: My headcanon is that the end goal of Hela in Thor: Ragnarok was to turn the universe into a realm of the undead by enslaving the souls of the living in a trance-like state, similar to what Thor saw in his dream in Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

I wanted to do more for Women’s History Month in March. With the time crunch to an upcoming convention and Avengers: Endgame, I had to make some sacrifices. However, I feel this theory of mine is important enough to merit a blog post, and since it’s Marvel-related I can move forward with it. (If this reads like an English paper, please know that it’s how I’ve been trained to present an argument.)

Remember that tangent I went on in my Captain Marvel review about how Carol Danvers should consider the possibility of taking over the universe simply because she is that powerful and she can just blow up anyone who gets in her way?

It was while I was pursuing that line of thought that it occurred to me that the MCU has already featured an overpowered female character who wanted to do just that.

Since then, I’ve rewatched Thor: Ragnarok. The whole movie is great, but the best part for me is Cate Blanchett as Hela, the goddess of Death. Seriously, I can’t take my eyes off her. Especially when she’s got her hair down. She is just soooooo fabulous. And of course, I loved cosplaying her last fall at FanX.

Thor: Ragnarok has been criticized for being too much of a comedy, but then again what could be more dark and depressing than the scenes of Hela just killing…and killing…and killing?  Maybe the critics took home their blu-ray copies and just skipped all of Hela’s scenes.

Hela’s story in the movie is that she wants to conquer the entire universe simply because SHE CAN. She argues that it is Asgard’s responsibility because they are worthy to do so as the most superior people in the universe (not stated but definitely implied).  It’s also because her dad didn’t let her do that before, and now he’s not in the way.

“It’s come to my attention that you don’t know who I am.” (Jason Hsu)

After Ragnarok came out, there was something small about Hela that bothered me for a while. She is the goddess of Death, but how so? In the movie, she conjures weapons, slaughters the innocent, and raises an army of zombies so she can kill even more people. In the comics and in Norse mythology, however, Hel/Hela rules over an actual realm of the dead, which seems more like the trait of a goddess than just being an overpowered warrior and conqueror. What does Hela killing people with magic weapons have to do with her being a Death goddess, besides the obvious?

Captain Marvel Review: The Sleeping Giantess Awakens

I have always wanted and needed female fictional characters in my life. I am drawn to them. Ever since Captain Marvel starring Carol Danvers was announced in fall of 2014 with the Phase 3 Lineup, I have been waiting impatiently for it. The more I have seen of Carol Danvers in online fandom, the more I’ve liked her. The DCEU’s offerings of Wonder Woman and Supergirl were great, but I was still anxious for a Marvel interation of the female lead.

So we finally have it. I’ve seen it twice. I had a lot of expectations. Were they met? Not entirely. But Captain Marvel still manages to be unique and fun. I wouldn’t call it my favorite MCU movie, but it is a worthy installment. I’m dividing this review into two parts: one section with spoilers and one without. If you have not seen the movie, read the top and then go see it. If you have seen Captain Marvel and you want some of my more specific thoughts, then read the whole thing.

The Non-Spoiler Review:

The first time I saw Captain Marvel, I was actually kind of bored for the first twenty minutes, because those segments of the film are actually in the first two big trailers—which, like anyone else madly excited for this film, I watched multiple times. Some parts of the overall plot were simply too predictable. There are a few interesting twists, but I feel like one or two of them were taken too far.

Take away the female lead and replace it with a male one, and it’s probably just another run-of-the-mill superhero movie.  If you’re a pessimist it comes off that stale.

As the action moved to Earth from space, however, the tension gradually increased, and the protagonist’s personality came out more as she bounces off of Nick Fury and reconnected with her former adopted family. She reacted to the reveal of her stolen past and identity with just enough frustration and anger to sell it. Just enough. And the final battle sequence was mind-blowingly epic enough to leave me pumped. Not to mention the mid-credit scene spooked the living daylights out of me. 

The second time I saw it, I enjoyed it all the way through. No surprises there. I’m a lot more critical of movies the first time around. Captain Marvel carries on Marvel’s well-established legacy with gusto.

If you want to compare it to Wonder Woman, there are some things that Captain Marvel honestly doesn’t do as well, notably on depicting the lead as a well-rounded person. Carol Danvers is a lot more serious than Diana of Themascriya, I’ll give you that, but then again she didn’t come from the same idyllic background. She’s a lot less feminine than Wonder Woman period (but the character not being sexualized at all is very gratifying). There are other things that Captain Marvel does better, especially in regards to supporting female characters that help the lead on her mission and stay with her the entire film.

As a girl-power fantasy, Captain Marvel is bigger than Wonder Woman in terms of scale and explosions and odds against the heroine—odds that don’t intimidate her for a moment. I dare say it’s even more satisfying to watch, probably because the ending is happier (is that a spoiler?). Really, though, I am of the party that doesn’t think the two films, or the two heroines, need to compete.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu4PULdjDOI/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1v7uxb707jw2

It is a great thing that we have movies that are written to depict a certain demographic as superheroes. However, Captain Marvel having a female lead does not mean that this is only a movie for women and girls. Like Black Panther before it, Captain Marvel is a movie for everyone, because it is a chance for everyone to see through a different perspective.

A Tribute to Ten Marvel-ous Men

Being single means preparing for marriage by taking care of myself. This takes place in various ways including self-care and developing my character and life skills. Naturally, I am always thinking of what kind of person I hope my future spouse will be. Being a nerd/geek/whatever, I am always looking for wanted and unwanted attributes in fictional characters, including males. As it happens, fiction is a good way to learn about life.

In preparation for Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame, I have been rewatching the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. This has given me a chance to evaluate and re-evaluate the personalities and quirks of the characters, both the superheroes and the not-so-super heroes. If I had had more time, this post would have been written in February in honor of Valentines. I think it’s worth posting even now with the impending arrival of Saint Patrick’s Day and Captain Marvel, and to serve as a comparison and contrast for a possible similar post about female Marvel characters for Women’s History Month (as well as analysis of men who support them).  I also think it’s a good idea before we get too deep into the “Girl’s Rule” celebration this month that we reflect on the fact that not all men suck.

Brace Yourselves for Captain Marvel

*spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War, but it’s been a month and a half*

We might have some fun in store later this summer with Ant-man and the Wasp. But the thing is, the wait between Infinity War and Avengers 4 is going to be long and unbearable.

Just a month or so before Avengers 4 comes out, we’re getting Captain Marvel. And while the film will serve as the appetizer for the main course, what’s great about Captain Marvel is we finally get an epic Marvel superhero story with a female lead.

I’ve been looking forward to it since it was announced with the rest of the Phase 3 films in fall 2014.  I find myself drawn to female superheroes. DC has given us two superb heroines with Wonder Woman and Supergirl. But as you know, I am more of a Marvel fan.