Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 26 May 2022 10:17
(A review of
Loki (Tom Hiddleston))
Appearances: The Marvel Cinematic Universe (2011–)
Creators: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Larry Lieber
Performer: Tom Hiddleston
Defining moment: As fun as the tyrannical posturing is in Avengers, the first Thor reveals the troubled core which makes the character so compelling – and sympathetic. After discovering his frost-giant lineage, Loki stutters at his foster-father Odin, “I am the monster parents tell their children about at night?”
Fascinating fact: Among those who auditioned for the role of Loki was Charlie Cox… who four years later would enter the MCU as Daredevil.
[Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see]
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 26 May 2022 10:12
(A review of
Kingpin / Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio))
No one wears a white suit, or looms over a room of subservient crime lords, like Wilson Fisk. A five-steps-ahead master manipulator, and a tower of strength, Fisk could control any environment he was placed in. Whether he was a mystery player in a syndicate of crooks trying to take over Hell's Kitchen or a convicted felon in Cell Block D, Fisk would soon own everyone around him. Hell, this guy managed to get the FBI in his back pocket while he was on house arrest. But also, within this Kingpin of Crime there was a vulnerable human being with love in his heart. And an impulse control problem that led him to kill anyone who got in the way of that love.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 26 May 2022 10:06
(A review of
Kilgrave (David Tennant))
One of, if not the, vilest villains in all of the MCU was Kilgrave, a sadistic rapist with the ability to make anyone do what he commanded with his words. Even more than forcing people to kill themselves (or others), this purple-clad monster, born Kevin Thompson, enjoyed keeping women as sex slaves. The object of his deepest fixation was Jessica Jones, whom he forced to be his personal servant for months. This was some of the darkest territory ever tackled by the MCU (while on Netflix) and it was enough to rocket Kilgrave up toward the worst of the worst.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 26 May 2022 10:05
(A review of
Johann Schmidt / Red Skull (Hugo Weaving))
On top of all the damn Nazis the Allied Forces were dealing with in World War II, Hitler's science and tech division, HYDRA, went rogue when its leader, Johann Schmidt, decided to launch an attack on America. Having been disfigured by an early version of Abraham Erskine's Super-Solider Serum, which would eventually be perfected for Steve Rogers, Schmidt -- known as Red Skull -- developed deadly weapons that were powered by the Space Stone encased in the Tesseract. Captain America thwarted Red Skull's bid to take over the world and the Space Stone sent Schmidt away, far away, to become the cloaked caretaker of the Soul Stone.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 26 May 2022 10:03
(A review of
Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl))
Though many thought they had what it takes to bring down the Avengers, it took a former Sokovian intelligence officer, acting out of sheer grief, to do the job. After decrypting HYDRA files that had been made public, Helmut Zemo realized Earth's Mightiest Heroes had a hidden pressure point - Bucky Barnes. And Zemo would use Barnes, framing him for a terrorist attack to create a massive rift between Captain America and Iron Man, one that would play out intensely during Zemo's own endgame: the reveal that Bucky, as the Winter Soldier, had assassinated Tony's parents. Zemo later returned in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, where he proved to be one of the most interesting characters on the show. And also a secret dancer!
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 26 May 2022 10:00
(A review of
Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn))
From nosy neighbor to malicious magical momma, Agatha Harkness -- a.k.a. Agnes -- had us wondering about her true nature through most of WandaVision. But then again, who weren't we wondering about with that theory-spawning show? Of course, ultimately we did learn that Agnes was actually the centuries-old witch Agatha, a key player from Wanda's past in the comics (as well as the Fantastic Four's!). And her MCU version also proved to be pivotal in Wanda's evolution into full Scarlet Witch mode. Much of Agatha's appeal as a villain was her cheeky sense of humor, but let's not forget how darned powerful she also proved to be. Plus, she "created" Ralph Bohner. It doesn't get better than that.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 26 May 2022 09:58
(A review of
Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal))
After Tony Stark's death, as Peter Parker felt the weight of possibly carrying on Iron Man's legacy, a cabal of disgraced and discouraged former Stark Industries employees, headed by illusioneer Quentin Beck, decided to manufacture a new "hero" from scratch. He would fill the void left by Tony's passing, trick the world into believing they were under attack by multiverse monsters, and generally run circles around everyone using deep fake footage to control the narrative. As Mysterio, Beck never wanted to protect the world, only make people think they were safe while he killed thousands in his quest to inherit Tony's legacy - and weapons.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 26 May 2022 09:54
(A review of
Ego (Kurt Russell))
Peter Quill's cosmic lineage -- see also: the reason he could handle the Power Stone without painfully exploding -- was unveiled when a Celestial, the living planet Ego, revealed that he was Peter's father. Which made Star-Lord half-almighty alien. Of course, Peter was only created so that Ego could double up on his own power and spread himself, literally, across the entire universe. And while that sounds pretty terrible, it somehow doesn't compare to the cruelty of Ego purposefully giving Peter's mom cancer.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 26 May 2022 09:51
(A review of
Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes (Mahershala Ali))
Cornell Stokes was such a fascinating crime lord that when he exited Marvel's Luke Cage halfway through the first season, the show suffered from the loss. Known as Cottonmouth, Stokes' cool and calculating nature had allowed him to rise up through his own family's dastardly dynasty to become the unofficial king of Harlem. Slick and stubborn, this boss' world started to crumble once Luke Cage arrived in town and decided to wage a one-man war against local evil-doers.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 26 May 2022 09:49
(A review of
Ultron (James Spader))
After the Battle of New York saddled him with severe anxiety, Tony Stark was infused with a mad drive to protect the world. His plan, however, fatally fell off the rails when Wanda Maximoff's powers helped give birth to Ultron - a crazed "peacekeeping" A.I. program, housed in vibranium armor, which had the same idea that most hellbent A.I.'s quickly devise. That would be the old "the only good human is a dead human" philosophy. Ultron ran the Avengers ragged and, in its efforts to extinguish humanity, leveled Sokovia and killed Pietro Maximoff.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Login
Home
189 Lists
2424 Reviews
Collections