Category / RytheGeek

by WetheGeek

The Soviet Avengers

Black Widow 2020 Part Two

In my last post I talked about the Red Guardian and his ties to the Black Widow and the movie coming out next year. In this post I’m going to talk about his team, the Winter Guard.

The Winter Guard was Soviet Russia’s answer to the Avengers. The team has had a rotating roaster since it’s creation that has mostly been a force for good. The team has been backup and help for the Avengers and other superheroes multiple times over the years.

The team first appeared in Iron Man #9 in October 1998. The team was created by Kurt Busiek and Sean Chen. They created a team that believed in doing good and helping others unlike other soviet superhero teams like Soviet Super-Soldiers or the Supreme Soviets.

The team has a rotating roster but it’s three key players are the Red Guardian (Soviet Captain America), Crimson Dynamo (Soviet Iron Man), and Darkstar (Super Mutant). Every time one of the three heroes dies another citizen is chosen to take up the dead heroes mantle. Thus Russia is never without a hero.

The team has also had members.

Ursa Major who is a mutant who can turn into a bear (a cross between Wolverine and Hulk).

Vostok who is a robot who can control machines (like Vision).

Chernobog who is the Slavic god of chaos and night (a cross between Loki and Cloak)

Perun who is the Slavic god of thunder and lightning (like Thor).

Fantasma who is a sorceress (like Scarlet Witch).

Powersurge who is a nuclear fueled giant (like Hulk).

And Sibercat who is a catlike mutant (like Cheetah from DC comics).

Hopefully we will see the three mainstays of the Winter Guard in Black Widow next year. Maybe if we are lucky we can see more Russian heroes.

-RytheGeek

#blackwidow #redguardian #crimsondynamo #darkstar #russia #sovietunion #marvel #wethegeek #wethegeekry

by WetheGeek

From Soviet Russia with Love

Black Widow 2020

Even with my overall disappointment in the MCU news from Comic Con 2019 we did learn some interesting details about the new Black Widow movie.

First we learned that the time frame will not be in the late 90s as previously thought but probably take place between Captain America Civil War and Avengers Infinity War.

We also learned that David Harbour (Stranger Things and Hellboy 2019) will be not only in this movie but will be playing Alexei Shostakov aka the Red Guardian. This casting is definitely exciting news.

But Ry, who is the Red Guardian?

Glad you asked. The Red Guardian was the USSRs answer to Captain America. He worked as an agent and test pilot for the KGB. While training to be a spy he was inducted into Russia’s Super Solider Program to take up the mantle of the Red Guardian. He would become Russia’s second Guardian and one of the best well known.

The KGB faked his death to keep his identity hidden from everyone, including his wife Natasha Romanova aka the Black Widow. After his “death” he was trained in a very similar way to Captain America. Going so far as to also have a metallic throwing disk on his belt which could return to him. Even after Black Widow defected to the US and SHIELD the Red Guardian stayed loyal to the USSR and Russia. Only after several battle with the Guardian and the Winter Guard (I’ll come back to them) did the Black Widow realize her husband was still alive.

The Guardian goes into hiding after another “death” and becomes a high ranking member of the Bulgarian mafia. Black Widow with help from the Avengers stops and arrests Red Guardian sending him to jail.

Stay tuned in part two for the history of the Russian Avengers, The Winter Guard!

-RytheGeek

#blackwidow #marvel #redguardian #strangerthings #hellboy #winterguard #sovietrussia #wethegeek #wethegeekry

by WetheGeek

Spider-Man a swinging Success

Spider-Man Far From Home

I’m going to split this into two parts. The first will be a spoiler free review, then the ending will be spoilers and talking about what the end credit scenes mean.

It’s the second best movie of the year, so far. I gave it an easy 9/10. Once again Marvel created a very compelling villain out of a nobody in the comics. I was blown away by how thought out the story was. FFH deals astonishingly well with the aftermath of “the snap” and “the blip” as they are commonly referred to in the movies.

The plot follows Peter Parker going on a class trip to Europe. He just wants to be a normal teen and leave the hero life behind. All doesn’t go as planned though because Nick Fury needs Peter’s help in fighting giant elemental monsters. Together the new hero Mysterio and Spider-Man team up to take down the monsters.

**Spoilers**

Mysterio is the villain. I was disappointed he wasn’t a dimension hopping new age hero but they did a fantastic job with him anyway. I was extremely impressed with the character design and arc. It was well thought out. The way he goes from wanna be hero to evil mastermind was great and reminded me of DCs Reverse Flash in many ways.

Spider-Man also was once again well done. I appreciated the friendship he has with Happy Hogan finally. After Homecoming and now the death of Tony Peter needs a friend. The two new suits Peter gets are amazing and I’m excited to see more of them in the future.

My biggest issue with FFH is that Mysterio is another person slighted by Stark that turns to villainy. It’s super overplayed at this point. Ultron, Vulture, Whiplash, Iron Monger, Killian, and now Mysterio. Mysterio was fired for a legitimate reason, he was emotionally unstable and wouldn’t seek help. I think Marvel definitely needs to find a new villain origin story.

-RytheGeek

#spiderman #farfromhome #ironman #happyhogan #moviereview #review #wethegeek #wethegeekry

by WetheGeek

The Death of Comic Book Movies

I’m just going to say it. As a Marvel fanboy this pains me but the truth needs to be said.

The MCU Phase 4 looks stupid.

I don’t care about boring Disney+ shows on how Wanda and Vision could have lived. Nor do I care about Falcon and Bucky telling War stories about Cap. I certainly don’t care about the wicked witch joining the MCU. And most of all I don’t care about who loves who in a comic book movie. We don’t need another boring “Martha” scene or campy phoned in love story like most of the MCU. Just leave that to the romcoms.

I don’t really understand or care where any of this is going. There is t a big bad. The X-men and Fantastic Four aren’t being introduced and the best part looks to be a Blade reboot. Everything else looks unimpressive or just plain dumb (looking at you “Love and Thunder”).

We don’t need a horror superhero movie. No one would have liked New Mutants anyway. So why make Doctor Strange 2 horror?

Give us the X-men, the FF, Sinister 6, Asguardians of the Galaxy! Give us something good. Not pandering and useless throwback movies like Black Widow. Give us the Inhumans like we were promised and not that terrible show. Give us Venom vs Spider-Man! Give us something the comics again. Not senseless pandering.

-RytheGeek

#marvel #phase4 #blackwidow #falconandwintersolider #eternals #thor4 #loveandthunder #wethegeek #wethegeekry

by WetheGeek

Wizards Go?

Wizards Unite

I said I was going to release this review on Monday but due to travels I was delayed until now. Anyway here it goes.

I’ve finally found a new app worth my time. I mean that in the best way possible. I don’t enjoy paying for apps and I really hate adds so for the most part I’m at a loss when it comes to mobile games.

I’ve been playing Pokémon Go since its release and over time I’ve just gotten really bored with it. Not to mention there aren’t gyms or pokestops near where I live. I have to drive to go find them. It’s annoying.

I digress, Wizards Unite is actually what I would argue a better mobile game than Pokémon Go. Both apps were made by Niantic and share many similarities. Both are games you have to walk to your target area and both use the same mapping software. Both expand upon a geek subculture that is rich in story and most importantly both are a lot of fun.

The great thing about Wizards is the creators have learned from the mistakes of Pokémon Go. The app doesn’t crash and has held up pretty well since it launched, there is a ton of content already in it, and there is actually a story to it. I love how they finally brought something more than a mobile land fishing game.

So join me fellow Wizards!

-RytheGeek

#wizardsunite #harrypotter #pokemongo #niantic #wethegeek #wethegeekry

by WetheGeek

The 90s are Back!

Catching Up

This past month has been crazy. We moved Luna out of her apartment, I’m looking for a new place, several of us have started new jobs, and this summer has been crazy chaotic. Not to mention all the geek content E3 dropped on us this year. It’s just been a lot. But I want to catch everyone up on movies. So here we go.

Aladdin 7/10: The updated Disney animated classic wasn’t half bad. For the most part I really enjoyed the movie. I loved Will Smith and his personalization of the Genie. While he is no Robin Williams he definitely made it his own. There were a few part like Jasmines “let it go” song that seemed unnecessary but overall it was pretty good.

Godzilla King of Monsters 8/10 or 2/10: I don’t usually give movies a double score but I felt this one deserved it. If you like action movies and especially big monster fights you’re going to love it. If you want a story with human characters? Don’t go. Simple as that.

Dark Phoenix 5/10: I tried. I really did. I wanted to like this movie. It’s Marvel and superheroes and action. But when it comes down to it, it was pretty bad. I can’t express how disappointed I was, again, with an X-men film.

MIB International: Currently MIB 4 is the second worst movie of 2019. That’s easily subject to change (we still have Star Wars 9). I loved the idea of Thor and Valkyrie in a body cop movie. It seemed like a great idea. It wasn’t. Not a movie I would recommend.

Toy Story 4 7/10: 90s nostalgia is definitely here this summer. Toy Story 4 is one of the few movies this summer that lives up to its hype. It’s a very well done story with all your favorite characters. To be honest the only reason it isn’t scored higher is because I didn’t feel it was entirely necessary after TS 3. It felt more like a way to sell new toys, and not the closing that 3 had. But if you ignore that it was great.

Now we wait for Spider-Man Far from Home

-RytheGeek

#moviereview #movies #aladdin #godzilla #xmen #meninblack #toystory #spiderman #wethegeek #wethegeekry

by WetheGeek

Nintendo pushing Forward

E3 2019 Part 2

Let’s continue our E3 coverage with Nintendo

Breath of the Wild 2: Nintendo is capitalizing on their hit Breath of the Wild by making a sequel. The Legend of Zelda series will have a new game soon with no apparent release date.

Super Smash Bros: Continuing the Nintendo news, is the added characters of Duck Hunt and Banjo-Kazooie coming to Smash Fall 2019.

Luigi’s Mansion 3: Nintendo has dropped a lot this year at E3 including a new Luigi’s mansion. It looks promising and will drop for the Switch later in 2019.

Just Dance 2020: Just Dance 2020 is back to no surprise. This series has been going on for a while and will be available on all consoles, including the Nintendo Wii (talk about flashbacks), November 5, 2019.

Our last article will focus on my favorite parts of E3 2019! Stay tuned!

-RytheGeek

#e3 #link #zelda #smashbros #luigi #wii #switch #nintendo #wethegeek #wethegeekry #restart

by WetheGeek

The Future is Here

E3 2019 Part 1

Where do I even begin? There is so much to cover already having come out of E3. It ranges from new characters in Super Smash, to the Wii, to Halo and Avengers. Not to mention Keanu. I’m going to break down all the important bits over the next few articles without fangirling too much.

Halo Infinite: We have known this has been coming for a while. The Chief is back and ready for action starting Holidays 2020.

Doom Eternal: Go figure the space alien shooting franchise isn’t over. The first real trailer was dropped this past weekend. The game is dropping this year just in time for the holidays with a November 22, 2019 release date.

Fallout 76: Continuing Bethesda’s news we found out they will be adding npcs to 76. So I guess the five people who still play can finally have someone to talk to. There will also be a battle royale mode that no one asked for.

Gears of War 5: While no trailer was dropped we do know you can play as the Terminator and it has a new “survival” mode. We can expect to play Gears 5 after it releases September 10, 2019.

Watch Dogs Legion: Watch Dogs 3 is coming with a story about what could happen to London post Brexit. The dystopian hacker saga continues March 6, 2020.

GhostWire Tokyo: While I know nothing about the game or the series watching Tokyo’s creative director, Ikumi Nakamura, was definitely a highlight of E3. GhostWire currently has no release date.

Our second article of E3 will cover what Nintendo has planned for the coming years!

-RytheGeek

#halo #doom #fallout #gearsofwar #e3 #watchdogs #ghostwire #wethegeek #wethegeekry #restart

by WetheGeek

Monopoly for the Mouse

The Mouse Problem

For a while now we have known Disney has been on a mad dash to buy up as many ips and rights to things as it can. They already took over Fox and all its subsidiaries. Back when Disney bought Fox it was reported that Disney would also buy up Fox’s share of Hulu. This was already going to give Disney a large stake in the streaming service.

Apparently that wasn’t enough.

The great Mouse has now fully bought out the other share holders like Comcast for complete control of Hulu. This means one thing.

Disney wants to destroy Netflix.

It’s pretty clear what the agenda at Disney HQ is. Disney aggressively wants to be part of the streaming war and will do whatever it takes to win. When Disney started dropping hints at its own streaming service late last year no one was really surprised. It seems like the perfect market for Disney to drop all its old shows and movies. Then earlier this year Disney did the unthinkable. They undercut the streaming price of Netflix by several dollars. For just $70 a year or $7 a month one can get crazy amounts of Disney shows and movies all at home. Not to mention the announcement of new Disney programs for only Disney+.

Now that Disney owns all of Hulu one of two things could happen.

First Disney could dissolve Hulu completely. In a lot of ways that would drive those Hulu customers into the open arms of the great mouse. With so many programs ranging from children’s shows to Star Wars it seems like a solid move. Disney would have one less competitor and boost its viewers.

The second option for Disney and Hulu is far more sinister. Disney could keep Hulu and use it to keep a strangle hold on the other studios. Currently a fair number of companies put their shows and programs on Hulu. Channels like NBC, Comedy Central, and others. Disney can effectively charge whatever they want to stream on Hulu, holding many companies hostage because unless they want to try to start their own like DC or CBS they are left with very few options.

Disney’s monopoly is growing quite dangerously and we should all take note.

-RytheGeek

#disney #hulu #streaming #netflix #streamingwars #mickeymouse #monopoly #wethegeek #wethegeekry

by WetheGeek

Theory for the End

My theory and what I was right and what I messed up.

Immediately after Captain Marvel came out I made a theory about how Endgame would go down. It was a little out there for some people and most ignored it. But I have to say something.

I was right. About some major plot points.

While my Captain Marvel Theory was a bit outlandish and far fetched I think my Endgame Theory was much more grounded. The LEGO sets, other toys, IMDb page, and trailers gave me a lot and helped with what I knew.

So without further ado let’s get down to it.

Endgame will focus on two things, avenging the fallen and trying to get them back. For those who have watched infinity war that seems pretty obvious. They are the Avengers after all.

“As we last saw them Tony and Nebula are the only survivors on Titan. They have extremely limited resources being so far from earth. The ship Tony got to Titan on was destroyed. The only ship left is probably what’s left of a battle damaged Benatar. Nebula would be the obvious choice as pilot since this is Tony’s first time being in space (not counting the missile in Avengers 1). In the trailers it appears that the duo get stranded. From loose reports online all the footage we have seen is from the first half hour of a three hour movie.”

That was all pretty much correct. While I didn’t know how they would get back, I did understand that their struggle in space would be over quickly. I didn’t see Captain Marvel rescuing them because quite frankly that seemed too easy.

“While the duo is stuck the rest of the Avengers (Captain America, War Machine, Black Widow, Thor, and Hulk) have returned to Avengers compound in Upstate New York. Rocket is strangely missing from the cast. Having only met Thor before I’m not surprised if he goes off on his own to try to find Groot. We see at the end of Captain Marvel that the remaining Avengers have managed to get their hands on Fury’s PDA. Black Widow seems to have become the de facto leader since the dusting of Fury and Tony’s disappearance. Captain Marvel arrives in search of Fury and probably learns of the dusting. She has been off stopping the Kree/Skrull War for the past 30 years and helping other planets. The Earth team gets word from Tony and help save him and Nebula. Specifically Black Widow, Rocket, Thor, and a very depressed Hawkeye. This information is curtsey of the new LEGO sets. Hawkeye probably loses his entire family to “the snap” and has since become a very dark vigilante in search of revenge and answers.”

I was completely wrong about Thor. Dude got fat. And lazy. And really depressed. It wasn’t Rocket who left the team, but Thor. I also didn’t see the killing of Thanos happening at all. That was new to me. I nailed Black Widow being in charge and running the show. I didn’t know she would run the “new SHIELD” but I still knew she would be important. I also saw the dark Hawkeye plot a mile out. That one was pretty easy.

“After the entire team is finally on earth, Antman escapes the Quantum Realm and meets up with the team. Rocket, Tony, Scott, and Bruce come up with a way to use the Quantum Realm to time travel. The team wants to put together an infinity gauntlet before Thanos does or at the very least try to destroy the infinity stones before they are completely assembled. Captain America, Tony, Scott, and Rocket travel into the past to try to prevent the future.”

While I was wrong about the time travel teams, I nailed the reasoning, they wanted their own gauntlet. I 100% aced that. Even weeks before the movie.

“Why these four? First I think Rocket because of the suit we see him in, in the trailers. It looks very reminiscent of his comic suit which could be before he joined the Guardians. The other three we have seen in early set photos wearing a small device on their hands that could be related to time travel. IMDb further confirms my suspicion of at least Tony and Steve time traveling in having casted Ty Simpkins again as Harley Keener, the kid from Iron Man 3 and Frank Grillo as Crossbones from Civil War and Winter Solider. LEGO goes on to solidify Tony going back to Iron Man 3 with the “Hall or Armors”. We see one specific suit we haven’t seen before or since that movie, the blue heavy lifting suit, Mark 38, (or as I call it HulkBuster Jr). We know Tony goes back in his current suit (Mark 50) because once again LEGO told us.”

All of this was wrong. My bad.

“The time travel goes on because Tilda is set to reprise her role as the Ancient One. We can guess this is sometime in the 70s because of the extras on IMDb. This is well before Doctor Strange but presumably she still has the time stone to make this time travel easier.”

While I was wrong about when they would see Tilda, I was dead on about needing the time stone from her. So some minor credit there.

“We also have rumors of Katherine Langford casted as Scott Lang’s teenage daughter. There is some possibility that Katherine and Ty become heroes in the future and that’s why Antman is part of the time traveling team. We get to go to the past and the future in attempts to stop the snap from ever happening.”

So technically Scott did go into the future. But the entire movie did too. It wasn’t just him. So in a small way I was kind right?

“That’s about where my theory ends. I’m not really sure what act 3 will be. From the LEGOs I surmise that the final battle will be at Avengers compound. We haven’t seen much about it and that makes sense. The Russo Brothers are being very quiet about it.”

Once again I got something right. I saw the final fight being not only on earth but at Avengers Compound. While I didn’t see the Nebula doppelgänger plot happening, I did know where it would all end.

“With Spider-Man 2 coming out in July we also know everyone who was dusted comes back. We see Peter and Fury alive and well post Infinity War. Sadly it appears Tony doesn’t make it out of Endgame. We don’t see him mentoring Peter at all and that is depressing.”

I hate admitting I was right about Tony. I had a bad feeling he wouldn’t make it out and I was dead on. Tough.

And that’s how I was right about some of the biggest Endgame spoilers.

-RytheGeek

#avengersendgame #avengers #endgame #theory #wethegeek #wethegeekry