Most Notable Canadian Super Heroes

Happy Canada Day! 

A little know fact about me is that I grew up in western Canada. This week was the first time since my mission in Toronto that I spent Canada Day (July 1) in Canada. And it was the first time my daughters visited Canada. In honor of this, I wanted to spotlight a few Canadian-born Marvel. Most are not well known, but they all have their reason to be iconic. 

Credit: UltimateSin78 (DevianArt)

Wolverine 

The most well known Canadian hero is probably Wolverine. Born in Alberta (about seven hours from where I grew up) as James Howlett, he’s the most prominent member of the X-Men. After all, he’s the only one who got multiple spin-off movies with Fox. Though part of the US military at times, he was a proud Canadian (at least before he lost his memories in Origins). I love his iconic response to Stryker calling James to do his patriotic duty: “I’m Canadian.”

Deadpool

Wade Wilson was born in Southern Saskatchewan. He has been known to make jokes and references to his Canadian heritage in comics and movies. Again, he’s well known because of his successful Fox (and now Marvel Studios) movies. Plenty of our readers probably haven’t watched his R-rated movies, but he still worth noting as a Canadian. 

Guardian

Though his powers are very different, Guardian is comparable in terms of a patriotic symbol to Captain America in the United States. He’s the leader of Alpha Flight (Canada’s main superhero team). Initially his “powers” were technology-based like Iron Man. Later alien technology fused with his body giving him cyborg-type superpowers. 

Major Mapleleaf

Louis Sadler is more of a one-to-one comparison with Captain America, when it comes to powers and backstory. In fact, he fought alongside Cap in World War II. He didn’t get the super soldier serum per se but he had super soldier powers from genetic experimentations. After decades of heroing, he retired to raise his family. 

Squirrel Girl’s appearance on Spidey and His Amazing Friends 

Squirrel Girl

While possibly one of the silliest super heroes, Doreen’s powers and squirrelly appearance came from a gene mutation different from the X-gene. She’s been known to use squirrel friends to defeat Doctor Doom. Her birthplace is unclear but maybe the Toronto metroplex (where I served my mission). Regardless, she has dual citizenship, American and Canadian (like me). 

If any Marvel fans in Canada can identify more heroes in the north, let me know. In the meantime, I’ll head to my first Canada Day parade in over fifteen years. 

Pokémon Head-Canon: Typing

Remember how back in the day, the dragon master Lance had three dragon-type Pokemon and two non-dragons? You know how people have always wondered how people have questioned how Goomy is a dragon-type but Charizard still isn’t? There are many examples throughout the 1000+ Pokemon roster whose thing doesn’t seem to make sense. Memes about them consistently spread across social media. 

I don’t remember when this head-canon started but a lightbulb went off when one of those Pokemon type memes came across my feed: Typing as little to do with appearance; it’s about the Pokemon’s characteristics and interactions with the elements. 

If that doesn’t make sense, let me break down what I mean. In the world of Pokemon, it’s not like each creature comes with a label of their type. And as we know, obviously not every Pokemon type is determined by appearance and/or real world animal comparisons. However, what we know objectively is that there have been many Pokemon researchers across various regions and over the course of AT LEAST 10-15 years (that’s just the main series games). We also know that old man Oak has been studying Pokemon his whole life. That’s decades of research. 

I’m postulating that before the first Pokédex was invented to assess Pokemon, researchers used a Pokémon’s environmental adaptations and reactions to categorize their types. If they discovered that a Pokemon was resistant to electricity but susceptible to water, ice, and grass moves, the Pokemon would be categorized as a ground-type.

Example A: Researchers observed that Charizard was weak to water and super weak against rock, that would indicate that it wasn’t a dragon-type but flying-type instead. 

Example B: Lucario is weak to psychic types, indicating fighting type characteristics. That much was obvious to researchers. However, it was not immediately clear why it was weak to fire-type moves and other fighting types. The conclusion: Steel type, even though there’s no prominent steel features on Lucario. 

Example C: Noctowl is known to have some extra sensory abilities. However, it’s not greatly affected by dark-type moves and it’s completely unaffected by ghost-types. Conclusion? Normal and flying. 

As technology improved and the first Pokedex was invented, I expect it was able to analyze new Pokemon and determine their type electronically. What do you think? Is this a plausible head-canon or can you disprove it? I doubt we’ll ever know for sure (which is what makes it head-canon instead of fan theory I suppose).

LDS Geeks Podcast #68: Fourth Doctor Companions (2)

This might be the shortest podcast episode that TJ and I have ever done. Most of the Fourth Doctor's companions in the second half of his tenure weren't in the TARDIS very long before his regeneration. It made for an easy podcast episode at least.

--Spencer

Best Dads of Power Rangers

Many times I've seen the commentary of how, back in the day of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, the Rangers' parents appear oblivious and possibly negligent of what their teenagers with attitude are up to. As the years and generations of Power Rangers went on, we got more diverse portrayal of Ranger families. For Father's Day, I chose to highlight a few of the dads that stood out among the years of Power Rangers.

Kanoi Watanabe - Ninja Storm

Not necessarily the father of the year, but he is the ninja guinea pig of the year. In many ways, he was a father figure to the Wind Rangers more than his son Cam. After what happened in his past, he wanted to protect his son. It wasn't until Cam went back in time and retrieved the samurai powers from his mother that Sensei loosened up and supported him as the Green Ranger. If Sensei had any major faults, it was that he was overprotective of his son. Is there a good parent who hasn't been overprotective at times? (PS: The CGI for guinea pig Sensei is almost comical by today's standards--hard to look back at it)

William Mitchell - Lightspeed Rescue

Haunted by his past and what happened to Ryan, Captain Mitchell dedicated his life to Lightspeed. Unlike Sensei, Captain Mitchell wasn't overprotective of his daughter and invited her to become the Pink Ranger. He knew her capabilities and supported her. His past came back to haunt him when Ryan returned, but conversely Ryan's return was certainly healing, despite the regrets he likely still felt.

Doug Stewart - Turbo

Starting out as a widower and an absentee father, Justin’s dad wasn’t exactly a model father. However, his redeeming factor is that he chose to change and become more involved with Justin. As a father who overthinks every parenting mistake, I’ve been told what matters most is the reconciliation, not the mistakes. Justin’s dad realized he wanted to be better as a parent and he did it.

Ed Jones - Dino Fury

The man adopted a lonely (alien) baby and chose to become her Pop Pop. He wasn’t exactly a man of means, so I can’t imagine he was able to give her everything he wanted. But he was a hard worker and he cared for her. Biological or adoptive, every father matters.

Tommy Oliver - Zeo

Though the most legendary of Power Rangers (see also Wild Force, Dino Thunder, Megaforce, and Ninja Steel), we only got to see Tommy as a father and grandfather in a flash forward during the Christmas episode of Zeo. Despite that limited screen time, we know one thing in particular about his legacy as a father: he passed on the Ranger heritage to his son. Though he and Kat might’ve had more children, their son JJ Oliver was known to be an SPD Ranger in the comics. In addition, Tommy’s grandson (presumably JJ’s son) was established as a Ranger in that Christmas special. All I can say is that I’m grateful they kept that flash forward canon and, despite the passing of Jason David Frank, the legacy of Tommy (and JDF) lives on. 

“When You’re Not Looking”

Let me tell you a story about waiting for my mission call (twice). I’ve written about my missionary experience(s) previously but the short version is that, because of Asperger’s and anxiety, my mission call took a little extra consideration. I longed to serve a mission but had to come home three months in because my mental health struggles made me non-functional. After almost a year of more longing, I went back on my mission for a few months before the Spirit spoke to me about going home again. 

Those years were also the time that I got invested in The Chronicles of Narnia. Words from those books and movies spoke to me and my heart's desire. A few years ago, I wrote about how "The Horse and His Boy" spoke comfort as I waited to go back on my mission. In the "Prince Caspian" movie, Peter and Lucy both expressed longing to return to Narnia and the lessons learned upon their return. The one lesson that's been on my mind recently comes from the movie version of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe":

Lucy: Will we ever go back?

Professor Kirke: Oh, I expect so. But it'll probably happen when you're not looking for it. All the same... best to keep your eyes open.

Heavenly Father hears the longings of our hearts, but in my experience those prayers are rarely answered in the way we expect. Just like with my mission calls, we may have to wait and it might not be exactly what we hoped for. However, I'm learning (again) that acting anxious about these things hasn't helped me in the past and doesn't help me now.

Of course, letting go of that anxiety is easier said than done. It's been sixteen years since my first mission call and I can definitely handle my anxiety better today than it was at the time of that first missionary call (maybe I'd finally be able to handle the anxiety of full-time missionary service). However, there are still plenty of things in my life that I've had to wait for. Some are bigger, like anxiously waiting for a positive pregnancy test. Some are smaller, like waiting for a payday. Most things are somewhere in the middle.

As Professor Kirke said, these things often happen "when you're not looking for it". Like that saying about a watched pot. It's funny how things have changed for me when I've been able to let go of my worries, even partially. Once I've finally learned the lesson at hand, I guess I'm ready to receive the blessings for which I prayed.

The Lord spoke to early saints regarding their temporary dwellings: "And the hour and the day is not given unto them, wherefore let them act upon this land as for years, and this shall turn unto them for their good." (D&C 51:17) I heard that taught in YSA wards (very transient at BYU) and I learned that while waiting to go back on my mission. Live like you'll be there forever (or at least a long time) and do good wherever you are. 

Whatever blessing you're waiting for, "keep your eyes open" but remember to "take no thought for your life" (Matthew 6:25) as God has promised to care for us. It'll probably happen when you're not looking. Live your life as best you know how and "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." (D&C 123:17) He has worked miracles in my life. And He will work miracles in yours.

LDS Geeks Podcast #67: Animorphs Re-Read (12)

We're nearing the end of our Animorphs series! It's hard to stop reading long enough to record. There's no slowing down now!

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 67 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent blog posts: click here

Check out Russell's recent blog posts: click here

Show notes:

00:12 - Introductions
02:38 - Spencer's Recommendation: Ironheart
        Available for streaming on Disney Plus
04:37 - Russell's Recommendation: “Fear is not Welcome” by Brian Courtney Wilson and BYU Vocal Point
        Listen on YouTube
06:34 - Megamorphs 4: Back to Before
17:18 - #42 - The Journey
24:21 - #43 - The Test
        "Creature Feature - Mara" by Spencer
32:23 - #44 - The Unexpected

Friday Creature Feature - Mara

Why is it that snakes often appear as villainous creatures? As Christians, we could take it back to the Garden of Eden. Maybe that's why ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) is among the most common phobias (right behind spiders). So it was no coincidence that the Fifth Doctor faced off against the Mara twice.

Though the physical appearance of the Mara was campy by today's standards, the evil snake was a chilling villain of Peter Davison's tenure. In modern Doctor Who, Sutekh's harbinger cited the Mara as the God of Beasts in the Pantheon of Discord. In addition, Captain Jack called fairies part Mara during the events of Torchwood.

After Tegan Jovanka fell asleep on Kinda, the Mara entered her mind and began possessing her. Though it shortly changed its host to Aris and defeated by a circle of mirrors, Tegan was affected for a long time by the demonic snake. Eventually, the Mara influenced Tegan to guide its return to a physical form. However, an old mystic taught the Doctor who to defeat the Mara by finding the "still point" and he defeated the serpent at the moment of its resurrection. 

Poor Tegan was still tormented by dreams of the Mara. The Doctor said it was her way of processing the trauma (though pseudo-canon featured more appearances of the snake afterwards). It was during the events of "Snakedance" that the nature of the villain really struck me. And what the real villain was: fear.

Behind the scenes sources on the TARDIS Wiki call the Mara a manifestation of temptation. I think you could also call it a manifestation of evil or anxiety. It was the concept of the "still point" that convinced me it could be anxiety or fear. Both on-screen appearances of the Mara play into this idea. During the events of "Kinda", the circle of mirrors turned the snake against itself. Maybe you could apply this to turning fear on its head. Logic doesn't necessarily always help with anxiety, but I have to admit that when I can turn the anxiety (or temptation) around and realize how ridiculous it is. At times, it's so ridiculous that I have to laugh. "Really, Satan, that's how you're going to present this?"

Later, during the events of "Snakedance", the Doctor learned that the only way to get the upper hand on the Mara was to find the still point. Applying that to fear, anxiety, or temptation in real life is a bit trickier for me. It comes down to mindfulness, meditation, and other forms of calming the body and soul. Mindfulness is a hard concept for me when my mind and heart are reeling. It's too abstract for me when I'm in the middle of everything. Life doesn't exactly quiet down amidst a busy schedule and hyperactive children. That being said, the Holy Ghost has taught me a little bit about slowing down. Call it self-care or something else, but I've said many times that you can take care of yourself or God can make you take care of yourself (I told my office manager that after she was out sick for a week after working about a million hours per week).

"Beside Still Waters" by Simon Dewey

"Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10) isn't just a religious platitude. It's an invitation (or maybe even commandment) for me to slow down and trust that Heavenly Father will take care of me and my family. It's hardly ever in the way I expect, but things have always worked out for my family, often even better than I planned. Modern scripture uses that phrase similarly "Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God." (D&C 101:16) I could work to "let" my hear be comforted--Not a shock to anyone who knows me. But Heavenly Father is in control. I take comfort in the phrase from Preach My Gospel: "All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." And it will. Sooner or later. 

Take time to be still. Work to trust God. Practice self-care. That's what I need to work on at least. I trust it'll help keep the Mara at bay, even if it can't ever be destroyed.

"This is, here and now. The dance goes on. It is all the dance, everywhere and always. So, find the still point. Only then can the Mara be defeated.... the still point is within yourself, nowhere else. To destroy the Mara you must find the still point." --Dojjen ("Snakedance")

3 Versions of The Sea of Monsters

I’ve nearly finished re-watching the second season of Percy Jackson and the Okympians, which having already completed a re-read of The Sea of Monsters and a re-watch of the movie adaptation. With how poorly the movies were received, I expect I may get some flack for any positive review of the film. Regardless, I’ve undertaken to compare the three versions of this story, like I did with the first portion of this heroic story. So trigger warning l for anyone who detests the movie, but here we go!

Aboard the Princess Andromeda

Movie Adaptation - While Luke’s yacht wouldn’t have worked in later movie adaptations, since the later books were adapted, I liked the simplicity of boarding the enemy ship. Because Luke’s forces were smaller at this point, a smaller ship was sufficient and made for a straightforward encounter on the boat. 

Encountering Hermes

Original Book Material - Though I love that both on-screen portrayals of Hermes were big names (Nathan Fillian in the movie and Lin-Manuel Miranda in the Disney Plus series) perhaps the actors took away from the serious nature of that scene. However, the book (particularly the audiobook) does a great job portraying the sadness Hermes felt over his son’s allegiance to Kronos. 

The Grey Sisters

Movie Adaptation - For the record, I didn’t love the movie shuffling the scenes and plot points around. However, taking as a movie inspired by the book and not a direct adaptation, this scene works well. The chemistry of the Grey Sisters was perfect. Though I believe Yvette Nicole Brown would have chemistry with just about anyone (see also Community, Endgame, Disenchanted, etc).

Clarisse’s Ship

Disney Plus Show - This is one part where I felt the television adaptation soared. The book showed Ares chastising Clarisse, so we knew there was some insecurity and drive to prove herself. However, by the nature of a first-person perspective, we only got to see so much. On Disney Plus, they gave scenes to Clarisse the book couldn't have shown. Yes, Ares gave her the ship and soldier. But in the show, she earned their respect as a commander, not just because she was a daughter of Ares. That bit of backstory gave Clarisse more depth than the other iterations.

Polyphemus

Original Book Material - I can’t quite place why I didn’t care for the movie version (no one will judge me for that) but the Disney Plus version bugged me. The whole point of “Nobody” stealing the fleece was tricking the cyclops into thinking Annabeth was Odysseus. The television adaptation made him too clever. I’m not sure how smart he was in the original myth, but it was an abrupt and unnecessary change for the show. We also missed the exchange between Percy/Tyson and Polythemes during the escape. Percy began to feel sympathetic towards the cyclops, as a brother of Poseidon. That touching moment (while quickly ruined) expanded Percy’s view of family and monsters, which come back into play in The Battle of the Labyrinth. 

Overall, I was kind of underwhelmed by Disney's adaptation of The Sea of Monsters. To be fair, it wasn't my favorite book of the series to begin with. I'm looking forward to The Titan's Curse though. It was one of my favorites so I hope it's done justice this winter.

LDS Geeks Podcast #66: Doctor Who Throwback

I recently came across a podcast episode that TJ and I recorded back in 2014. Back when I was only a guest geek and when the blog was still Mormon Geeks. The episode is a bit outdated but I thought it would be fun to reuse it for the current podcast.

Listen to Episode 66 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent content: click here

Check out TJ's recent content: click here

Show notes:

00:12 - Preamble
00:47 - Introductions
01:59 - Favorite Supporting Characters:
        Wilfred Mott
        River Song
        Sarah Jane Smith
        Captain Jack Harkness
        Madame Vastra
        Strax
12:55 - Favorite Special Episodes
        The Runaway Bride
        The Time of the Doctor
        The Snowmen
        The Day of the Doctor
24:30 - Favorite Scenes
        Partners in Crime--The Doctor and Donna reunite
        School Reunion--Sarah Jane says goodbye
        The Doctor Dances--Everybody lives
        The Time of the Doctor--Eleventh Doctor regenerates
        The Snowmen--Memory worm
        The Snowmen--One word test
        The Girl in the Fireplace--Demons and angels
        The Day of the Doctor--All thirteen Doctors
        The Day of the Doctor--The Doctor and the Curator

A Case of Mistaken Identity: Buzz Lightyear

We're coming up on the new Toy Story sequel, which might as well be titled "Toys vs. Tech". In honor of this additional sequel (which I hope is really good), I wanted to flashback to the beginning of the toys' adventures when Buzz Lightyear joined the crew. Back when all he had was delusions of grandeur.

Everyone remembers when Buzz Lightyear came out of that birthday present, thinking he was a real space ranger. It drove Woody absolutely crazy, while the other toys laughed at his discomfort. However, after being taken to Sid's house and Buzz's bubble burst, Woody didn't react the way he'd expected. It wasn't "I told you so" but instead it was a chance to be a friend.

Though delusional, Buzz was happy and confident. The unearned confidence was shattered when he learned he was a toy (If he didn't know he was toy, why did he go lifeless like the others when Andy came around?). With his illusion shattered, Buzz thought he was a worthless piece of plastic. It took finally becoming friends with Woody for Buzz to realize his true potential. He thought being Andy's toy was a far cry from being a space ranger, but a change in life perspective isn't always a bad thing. In Buzz's case, he learned that his worth wasn't from being an intergalactic hero, but from bringing joy to a child.

All of us come into this world thinking we're one thing. The natural man. We believe we're the impulses and desires that come so instinctively as we go through life. We think we're the flesh and blood we were born with. However, as prophets since Adam have taught, we are children of God. We have divine identity. Though we think we're "[children] of man" (as the adversary told Moses) we're "[children] of God".

Present Nelson taught there are three labels that ought to define us and direct our lives more than any other: child of God, child of the covenant, and disciple of Jesus Christ. He said, “Labels can be fun and indicate your support for any number of positive things. But if any label replaces your most important identifiers, the results can be spiritually suffocating." I mean, imagine if Buzz still believed he was a space ranger. Even he noted how pathetic he must have been when he met another Buzz at Al's Toy Barn. 

I've come to love the Aaronic Priesthood theme, especially the first line: "I am a beloved son of God, and He has a work for me to do." It's a powerful reminder that my potential isn't limited to who I think I am. While I could learn to be confident as the man I am, my identity as a son of God changes my purpose. As a man, I can grow and become who I want to be and who God wants me to become. I was not preprogramed with backstory. I was born with purpose... even if it isn't being a space ranger. 

PS: If Buzz came into Andy's room with backstory programmed into his plastic little head, why didn't Woody know about his backstory with Jessie and Bullseye?