"foX-Men" Re-Watch: "Deadpool"

 "Deadpool" (2016)

Wade Wilson aka Deadpool aka the Merc with a Mouth made his first appearance in "The New Mutants" #98 which was published in February of 1991. He was created by Fabian Niceiza and Rob Liefeld. It was his second solo series that was written by Joe Kelly and drawn by Ed McGuinness when Deadpool really came into his own and became the character we all know today. It introduced his sidekicks, Weasel and Blind Al. It was the series that gave him the character traits he is best known for and what the movie really pulls from i.e. the wisecracking, breaking the fourth wall, mercenary with a heart of gold. 

Development on a solo "Deadpool" film began in 2010, shortly after his disastrous first appearance in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." Ryan Reynolds has been devoted to this character from the beginning and was heavily involved in the making a more comics faithful version of the character. Director Tim Miller was hired in 2011, but it wasn't until leaked test footage from 2014 earned a rapturous response from fans that the film was finally greenlit. Principal photography began on "Deadpool" in March 2015 and concluded in May 2015. The film starred Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool, Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Ed Skrein as Francis Freeman/Ajax, T.J. Miller as Weasel, Gina Carano as Angel Dust, Brianna Hildebrand as  Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Stefan Kapicic as the voice of Colossus. The film was written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. It was directed by Tim Miller. "Deadpool" was released on February 12, 2016.

"Hated and Feared" Re-Watch: "Whatever It Takes" & "Red Dawn"

 X-Men

The Shadow King is also known as Amahl Farouk. He made his first appearance in "Uncanny X-Men" #117 back in January of 1979. Farouk became a crime lord in Cairo, Egypt where he employed young Ororo Munroe as a pickpocket. When she pickpocketed a young Charles Xavier, Xavier got his wallet back but was hit by a psionic bolt. Farouk and Xavier meet and battle on the astral plane. Xavier defeats him, the first "evil" mutant he's ever encountered. This meet is what inspires Xavier to create the X-Men.

Omega Red also known as Arkady Gregorivich Rossivich made his comics debut in "X-Men" #2 in January 1992. Omega Red has a colored past. There isn't a lot known about it. He was a serial killer who as chosen to undergo experiments to turn him into a Soviet super soldier a la Captain America. The Soviets implanted him with tentacles made of carbonadium, a metal that is similar to adamantium but more malleable. The implants slowly poisoned him but he was able to use them to drain the life force of people. Omega Red needed something called a carbonadium synthesizer to stay alive but it was stolen by Wolverine, Maverick and Sabretooth, which began a lifelong adversarial relationship between Wolverine and Omega Red.

"Shield Bearers" The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Recaps: "Truth" & "One World, One People"

 The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Man, these six episode seasons fly by don't they? We are at the last two episodes of the season and once we are done someone will have taken over the mantle of Captain America from Steve Rogers. Don't know who or hankering for a refresher? Read on.

"Fuck Batman" Titans Recap: "Lady Vic" & "51%"

 Titans

I've decided to utilize this introduction space in the gayest way possible and queen out about the outfits that Kory Anders wears. Costume designer Laura Jean Shannon is killing it. Just look at the short purple dress with the lighter lavender corset like overlay that Kory rocks in "Lady Vic." It's killer. Not to mention the purple faux fur coat that she wears throughout "51%." "Titans" disappoints me pretty regularly but the outfits never do.

A Long Time Ago, During the Clone Wars: "Corruption," "The Academy," "Assassin" & "ARC Troopers"

 Star Wars The Clone Wars

We are back to trying to make some solid Padmé episodes and while they are getting slightly better, they still aren't all the way there. But, we do get some solid Ahsoka action, so plus side? Let's take a look at the FOUR(!) episodes we are looking at in this episode.

"In the Name of the Moon" Re-Watch: "Usagi Abandoned: The Falling-Out of the Sailor Guardians" & "Usagi's Awakening: A Message From the Distant Past"

 Sailor Moon

Oh my gosh, you all. Can you believe that after this we only have two episodes left before we wrap up the classic first season of "Sailor Moon." It all comes down to these last four episodes as the girls gear up for their final confrontation with the Dark Kingdom, but first they learn about their past lives.

"Last Son" Re-Watch: "Fun and Games" & "A Little Piece of Home"

 Superman The Animated Series

One of the many things that "Batman: The Animated Series" excelled at was the music. "Superman: The Animated Series" is following suit. The main theme of the show is a re-interpretation of John Williams' classic score from the 1978 original movie. It is similar enough to the original to give you those same feels, but different enough that it's not a carbon copy. 

"The Truth Is Out There" Re-Watch: "Firewalker" & "Red Museum"

 The X-Files

Scully's back! I know, she's technically been in every episode except for one. But she and Mulder have been so apart that it feels like she's been gone. But now she's back where she belongs, at his side, pointing out the flaws in his logic. Let's see how these episodes fare now that our dynamic duo is back in the saddle.

"foX-Men" Re-Watch: "X-Men: Days of Future Past - The Rogue Cut"

 "X-Men: Days of Future Past -The Rogue Cut" (2014)

"X-Men: First Class" was a new start for Fox and the X-Men. Matthew Vaughn did a great job rebooting the franchise in the swinging Sixties and using the characters rich histories to add new pathos and depth. Vaughn was all set to return for the sequel that would adapt one of the most famous X stories for film, taking place in the early Seventies and in a post apocalyptic future featuring returning cast from the original trilogy. Vaughn ended up jumping ship to direct the first "Kingsman" movie and the "Fantastic Four" reboot. One good choice balanced by a really bad choice. Fox decided to bring back director Bryan Singer who had directed the best X movie up to this point.

Principal photography on "X-Men: Days of Future Past" began in April 2013 and concluded in August 2013. Additional filing took place in November 2013 and February 2014. The film starred Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine, James McAvoy & Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender & Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Raven/Mystique, Halle Berry as Ororo Munroe/Storm, Anna Paquin as Rogue, Eliot Page as Kitty Pryde, Peter Dinklage as Dr. Bolivar Trask, Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy/Beast, Shawn Ashmore as Bobby Drake/Iceman, Omar Sy as Bishop, Evan Peters as Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver, Josh Helman as Major Bill Stryker, Daniel Cudmore as Peter Rasputin/Colossus, Fan Bingbing as Blink, Adan Canto as Roberto DaCosta/Sunspot and Booboo Stewart as James Proudstar/Warpath. The film was written by Simon Kinberg. It was directed by Bryan Singer. "X-Men: Days of Future Past" was released on May 23, 2014. 

"Hated and Feared" Re-Watch: "Til Death Do Us Part" Parts 1 & 2

 X-Men

The season two premiere of "X-Men" was notable because it featured the wedding of Scott Summers and Jean Grey. Scott and Jean had been dating since the '60's but they had never taken that extra step. Their wedding was planned for the comics, but the animated series beat them to it. The second season premiered on October 23, 1993, but the couple's comic counterparts wouldn't tie the knot until "X-Men" #30, which hit stores in March of 1994. 

A little bit of interesting background on where the comic team was at the time. In the '90's, the X-Men were one of the most popular teams in comics. The two main X-books, "Uncanny X-Men" and the adjective less "X-Men," had two distinct teams. Storm led Jean, Iceman, Bishop, Colossus and Archangel as the Gold team in "Uncanny" and Cyclops led Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Psylocke, Beast and Jubilee as the Blue team in adjective less. Mutants were being ravaged by the mutant targeting Legacy Virus, but they found time to come together to celebrate these nuptials. The other main X-teams of the time: X-Force, Excalibur and X-Factor, were all on hand. Just like in the episode, Wolverine skips out on the wedding. The issue was written by Fabian Nicieza and drawn by Andy Kubert. It's not terribly difficult to hunt down a copy and I'd highly recommend a re-read before watching these episodes.

"Shield Bearers" The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Recaps: "Power Broker" & "The Whole World Is Watching"

 The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Let's use this space to talk a little about the comics version of John Walker. Walker was a former soldier who went through a training process with the Power Broker. He eventually becomes the Super Patriot believing he represents the ideals of America more than Steve Rogers. He eventually became a super hero and ended up taking over the mantle of Captain America when Steve abandoned it and became Nomad. Walker eventually became U.S. Agent, briefly joined Force Works and continuously struggles with being a "good guy."

"Fuck Batman" Titans Recap: "Blackfire" & "Lazarus"

 Titans

"Titans" season three is pulling from a lot of Batman lore, so I thought it might be fun to use these intros to give a little background on some of the characters. We will start with Jason Todd aka the Red Hood. Jason Todd was the second Robin. He was a lot different than Dick. His father was a petty criminal who ended up in jail and never returned to the family after he was released. Jason was noticed by Batman when he tried to boost the wheels off the Batmobile. After finding out that Jason's mother had died from an overdose, Bruce took him in. Jason's rage was an issue from the beginning. On his first official mission as Robin, he found out that Two-Face killed his father. 

Jason was not a super popular character when he was introduced. DC decided they were going to let fans decide Jason's fate. There was a toll-free number they could call to decide whether Jason would live or die. Overwhelmingly, they decided he needed to die. That led to Jason being beat with a crowbar by Joker and left for dead in a warehouse. Jason was dead until Infinite Crisis where some inter dimensional punching from a tantrum throwing Superboy brought him back to life and caused Jason to become the Red Hood. Red Hood is now back in pseudo good standing with his Bat brothers and sisters, but he's always ready to cross the line Batman won't if he feels it's needed.

A Long Time Ago, During the Clone Wars: "Death Trap," "R2 Come Home" & "Lethal Trackdown"

 Star Wars: The Clone Wars

This post we are going to be spending some time with the last surviving Fett, young Boba. This is really great, completely unplanned timing since "The Book of Boba Fett," the bounty hunters Disney+ show will be premiering at the end of this month.

"In the Name of the Moon" Re-Watch: "I Won't Run Away From Love Anymore: Ami Vs. Mamoru" & "Sailor Venus' Past: Minako's Tragic Love"

 Sailor Moon

We are getting down to the wire, Moonies. We are almost finished with the inaugural season of "Sailor Moon." After this, we have four episodes left and things are getting real. We have callbacks and a look into a Sailor Guardian's past in today's episodes. Sounds intriguing, doesn't it?