Best MCU Beards for No-Shave November

Each year when No-Shave November comes around, I think to test my genetics and see if I can grow a beard than last year. My genes are such that it took me into my thirties to test myself long enough to get the goatee that I currently have. But November isn’t just about the face fuzz, but about men’s health. Physical and mental. So while I'm having a bit of fun with the Marvel-lous men (they seriously give me beard envy) men's health is serious. Many of us internalized the message to not ask for help. Don’t forget to check in on your mental and physical health. And don’t isolate yourself in the world of men; find your team of Avengers.

Though in no particular order, naturally I had to start here. Because iconic.

Maybe similar to Tony's, but it showed his transition from doctor to sorcerer.

Probably the closest to the beard I'm able to grow (but I lack sideburns).

Fitz started as a baby-faced nerd, but became a tough stubbly spy.

Without Hydra programming, Bucky needed something to keep looking tough.

Maybe Matt got tired of paying someone else to shave him?

Very polished and regal. A beard fit for a king.

Sometimes you can't care to shave (and sometimes you want to see your capabilities).

I think we all had beard envy for Cap's temporary on-the-run beard.

Fury was trying to look homeless. A beard helps, I guess?

I don’t know that I ever want chops like Hugh Jackman, but it’s iconic now. 

I had to finish off with The Thing’s bolder-y beard. Love it!

A Daredevil Devotional: Being Born Again

(Guest post by Ben)

**Spoiles for Daredevil Born Again Season 1**

“It’s hard to come to terms with a violent nature. Hating the power that it has over us.”

“I was raised to believe in grace. That we can be touched by the divine and transformed into a better person. So, if you say to me that you’re a new man, I say, “Fine.” But you should know, I was also raised to believe in retribution. So, if you step out of line. I will be there.”

This loaded exchange between Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock in the opening episode of Daredevil: Born Again is foreshadowing for the plot of the entire season. Fisk is running for mayor and though he has fooled much of the city into thinking his previous arrests were by corrupt cops and that he is truly innocent, he knows that Matt Murdock knows the truth. He also knows that Matt wrestles with his violent nature while wanting to believe in his goodness. This season of Daredevil asks the question: can we really change? Satan, and Fisk, would have us believe that we can’t, that its only a matter of time before our nature takes over. All we can do is put on a fake mask in an effort to manipulate others. Matt Murdock wants to believe he can change, but isn’t so sure and, throughout this season, wrestles with dramatic versions of what we all wrestle with—the natural man and the desire to become something more. 

Of course, be warned, there will be a few spoilers in this devotional!

Ever since my first year of early morning seminary, Mosiah 3:19 has been one of my favorite scriptures: 

“The natural man is an enemy to God…unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, putteth off the natural man, and becometh a Saint through the Atonement of Christ the Lord.” 

I have always found comfort in the belief that who I can be is not limited strictly to my natural, genetic, biological self. There is divinity within me and I can become more than my nature through the enabling grace of Jesus Christ. There’s a word that describes “more than nature”—supernatural. The word King Benjamin uses is “saints”.  But how do we become “supernatural saints”, or as Matt Murdock put it, how can we be “touched by the divine and transformed into a better person”? Like the Daredevil, we have to be born again. 

The character arc for Matt is his efforts to fight evil in a new way. The season starts with his best friend being killed by Bullseye, the man he sent to prison at the end of the previous series. This death is absolutely devastating for Matt; it is transformative for his view of the world and how to make a difference. He retires the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and commits to changing the city through the legal system (Matt is an attorney).  However, he watches helplessly as his efforts to defend the innocent and prosecute the evil feel like a toy hammer against a mountain. 

At the end of episode two he is attacked by two dirty cops and by instinct defends himself violently. After defeating them, he screams in frustration. Is this all he is? Is this what it will always come back to? The vigilante self that he resists is a profound metaphor for the messaging we all receive from Satan. It is as if the Devil himself, Satan, is in his ear, “you can’t change who you are! THIS is who you are! Give in!”. 

Later in episode four, he seeks out the Punisher because one of the dirty cops is using bullet casings with punisher logos on them. This interaction is a powerfully introspective experience for Matt. The Punisher challenges why he is really there and what he really wants. As if he were voice of the devil inside him, Punisher pushes, 

“I don’t think you came here for my help. I think you want my permission…you’re guilty. That guilt that shame, that’s my home, and I can see it on you, I can smell it on you, its all over you.” 

Just like Satan, who wants everyone to be as miserable as himself, he tries to make Matt lean into his carnal, basic, natural self. He wants him to embrace his inability to change who he is. He continues to antagonize Matt until Matt loses his temper and punches him in the face—the devil inside him briefly coming out. Matt immediately apologizes, gripping his fists and breathing deeply trying to shove that side of him back deep down. “Sorry, I apologize.” To which the Punisher responds, “What are you sorry for? First honest thing you did, Red.” 

There are many more scenes that further illustrate Matt’s struggle with the devil—his struggle with the world around him and the means to his worthy ends. But in the end, the series finishes as you would expect. The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen returns—he finally “gives in” when a young woman has been taken by a serial killer and Matt knows the police won’t be fast enough to save her. In dramatic parallel fashion, the scenes of Daredevil saving this victim are interwoven with scenes of Kingpin violently beating a man he has a personal vendetta against.  The message seems to be that Kingpin was right, no one can resist their violent nature, neither of them have changed.

But Kingpin, and Satan, are wrong. Matt has become something new—just not the new that he thought he was becoming. In the climactic conclusion to the season (which ends on a cliffhanger, things aren’t even a little bit resolved here!), Daredevil realizes he can’t do this alone, and the change he needed to make was one of working together with the system—not abandoning his unique strengths and abilities, but embracing the help of others and forming a team. Fisk has declared martial law in New York City, and is now brutally killing those who won’t follow, but the final scene is Daredevil walking into a room filled with citizens who want to stand up to this regime. Daredevil has changed, and he isn’t just a manifestation of a violent natural self. In saving the girl from the serial killer, he was motivated to protect, not to hurt, and in working with others he is not serving himself.

This is how we become supernatural saints. It is through our baptismal and confirmation covenants. First, we must be born again by water—through the covenant of baptism (John 3:5). In this ordinance we covenant to mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, to take upon us the name of Christ and serve one another—to work together as a team (Mosiah 18:9). Then, we can become sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 27:20). I served a mission in Albania, and in the Albanian language, the phrase “to be sanctified” from that verse was literally translated as “to be made a saint”.  In other words, to be “saint-ified” means to receive the Holy Ghost by listening to Him—to yield unto the enticings of the Holy Spirit (Mosiah 3:19), and that is how we become supernatural saints through the grace of Jesus Christ.  As we follow His direction, and allow the Holy Ghost to change our choices and behaviors, the Savior strengthens us and we come more than our base, natural selves.  We are born again as saints, but saints are not completely different beings—we are still ourselves, we are still the same person, just better versions of us. The Daredevil didn’t need to disappear, he just needed to change. 

The change he goes through is the one we all go through—embracing interdependence and working together to change ourselves and the world around us. Just as Matt couldn’t change New York City himself, we don’t build Zion alone. It starts, first, with a partnership with our Savior, and second, a partnership with those around us (Matthew 22:37-40).

LDS Geeks Podcast #34: Future of Marvel

If I need an insight to existing or upcoming Marvel content, one of my go-to people for questions is Joe. With so many Marvel projects coming down the line this year, I figured I needed to grab him for a podcast episode to discuss what's what with the first few. Enjoy!

--Spencer

What to Know About Daredevil

One month until Disney Plus releases all episodes of Echo. The titular character Maya Lopez was introduced in Hawkeye, but never under her comic book alias. Since she has a history with Wilson Fisk/Kingpin and both Kingpin and his nemesis Daredevil/Matt Murdock are set to appear in Echo, I wanted to do a little run down on Daredevil’s MCU history. At Dallas Fan Expo 2023, Charlie Cox said you don't need to watch Netflix's Daredevil for the new stuff, but still it's sorta canon. But instead of doing a binge list for this hero, I’m just going to highlight his history, since plenty of our readers won’t want to watch Netflix’s TV-MA Daredevil series. Without further ado, here’s the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

The Origin Story (Pre-2015)

As a young boy, Matt Murdock was blinded and given enhanced senses due to a chemical spill. He grew up a devout Catholic, even after his father died. A blind man named Stick taught him to fight in preparation for the war with the Hand… but Matt wasn’t into a war.

In college, he became friends with Foggy and later they started a pro bono practice. Near the beginning of the series, Karen begins working for them after they save her. And that’s the beginning of their law firm: Nelson and Murdock. And the beginning of our story. 

Daredevil Season 1 (early 2015)

In secret, Matt chased down criminals (child/sex trafficking-type criminals to be exact) until he chanced upon Fisk’s name. Over the course of the first season, Matt keeps taking down parts of Fisk’s criminal empire. Even once Fisk is in the open, he can’t be taken down. With the help of a crooked cop saved from Fisk’s kill list, they’re able to put Fisk away legally… until Fisk escapes. But the newly armored Daredevil is able to take him down and send him to jail!

Daredevil Season 2 (late 2015)

When the second season opened, Nelson and Murdock took on a client from the Irish mob. But that’s just the beginning. After being set up the DA, their client is killed by Frank Castle (aka The Punisher). In turn, Castle becomes their next client (despite Foggy’s protests) and he almost cooperated… until Fisk’s men got to him. But I’ll talk more about the Punisher’s story at a future time. Meanwhile Matt’s college girlfriend Elektra joined his vigilante crusade against “the Hand”… until she was killed by their ninjas. And then the Hand brings her back. What?!

The Defenders (Spring 2016)

So, as Matt is trying to leave Daredevil behind him, he’s practicing all by himself and trying to do that every day good guy thing. But the Hand makes its move and the earth starts to shake. He’s thrown together with the likes of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Danny Rand, trying to stop the Hand and a resurrected Elektra. As the Hand’s plans literally blow up in their faces, Daredevil dies in the rubble… oh so we’re led to believe. 

Daredevil Season 3 (Late 2017)

Just as Matt’s friends finish mourning his death, he shows up, having been nursed back to health by nuns (one in particular who turns out to be his mother). In his soul-searching, he tries to leave Matt Murdock behind and only be a vigilante. Take a wild guess how that worked out. Especially with Fisk working his way out of prison and a copy-cat Daredevil on his payroll. In the end, using evidence collected by Matt Murdock and friends, Daredevil gets Fisk to agree to go back to prison, to keep his new wife safe. (And yet he’s at large in Hawkeye, so maybe he changed his mind after the Snap?)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Late 2024)

It’s left unclear, as of yet, whether Matt Murdock/Daredevil survived the Snap. But after the Blip, he’s able to get working again obviously. By the time Spider-Man’s identity was revealed to be Peter Parker, Matt has enough success to be the Parkers’ lawyer (unless that’s part of his pro bono work?). He only appears for one scene in No Way Home (two scenes in the extended version) just long enough to demonstrate his abilities. Just enough to raise some eyebrows if you never watched Daredevil.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Summer 2025)

By this point, business is apparently pretty good. While still doing pro bono work, Matt admits to having some higher profile clients, including Luke Jacobson who, by that time, had made Matt a new superhero suit. In defending Luke in court (and subsequently from kidnapping) Matt meets and hooks up with Jen Walters/She-Hulk. He was headed back to New York, but that was before Jen did her little fourth-wall break. 

So that’s where that leaves us leading into Echo. There’s a distinct chance this Disney Plus series will show once and for all if the Netflix series are in continuity with the rest of the MCU. But even if this Matt Murdock isn’t the same as the Netflix Matt, that just puts the Netflix/Hulu series in a separate branch of the multiverse (I wonder what their nexus event was). For more about the multiverse, you can check out episode 5 of the LDS Geeks Podcast. Or you can just stay tuned for Echo in January. Between her being deaf and Native American, it should be an interesting story.

LDS Geeks Podcast #2: First Doctor Adventures

Enjoy our first of a three-part series as TJ and I discuss our journey through Classic Doctor Who, starting with the First Doctor and our favorite adventures.

--Spencer

People Will Argue About This She-Hulk Review

The internet will argue over anything. How many times have I seen arguments on Facebook or Reddit about Star Wars, Fantastic Beasts, Rings of Power, or MCU movies? Don’t get me wrong, you can dislike the Star Wars sequels, Thor: Love and Thunder, or whatever you want. But when I see comments come up like “This show is trash” or “I’d never watch garbage like this” I want to scroll right past. Let’s have some articulate discussion, instead of toxic insults.

All of this came to mind repeatedly with the first season of She-Hulk, which recently concluded. Let’s be clear, She-Hulk isn’t for everyone. That’s fine. But I enjoyed it. If it isn’t for you, I respect that and I’d love to discuss what you think it lacks. In my opinion, She-Hulk’s nature as a legal comedy diverged from Marvel’s norm in a way that many fans didn’t like. And that’s okay. That’s the great thing about all the content Marvel is putting out! There’s something for everyone!

Now to get into actually talking about She-Hulk:

I mentioned before in my review of Love and Thunder that Marvel is trying out many different genres these days, horrors (like Multiverse of Madness and Werewolf at Night), romcom (like Love and Thunder), animated shorts (like I Am Groot), and teen drama (like Ms. Marvel) to name a few. She-Hulk is just the latest in their experiments. That’s great! Marvel has a long history at this point of making superhero action movies with comedic timing. That format (which was called out in the She-Hulk finale) served the MCU for a time. Now they have the ability and the money to take some risks and try new stuff. Again, this is great! Superhero action movies don’t strike everyone the same way. Now with a variety of mediums, Marvel Studios can attract a wider variety of fans. Put that in your algorithm, K.E.V.I.N.

Jen Walters has the wit, sass, and comedic timing to strike my funny bone almost every time. And her fourth-wall-breaking has given her the opportunity to say things fans have been saying for years. You know what that means? It means Marvel is listening to us! How wonderful is it to have a studio that cares about its fans!

With its tone, and with Jen’s job as a superhero lawyer, we were given the opportunity to glimpse heroes new and old. Despite what Jen said early in the season, it kind of was THAT kind of show that embraced a cameo-of-the-week gimmick. Returning we got to see Bruce/Hulk, Emil/Abomination, Wong, and the long-awaited Matt/Daredevil. After seeing Doctor Strange and Daredevil, it was refreshing to see Wong and Matt in less serious settings. And despite what some haters think, I loved seeing the chemistry between Jen with Matt; they’re a cute couple.

Now this wouldn’t be a very thorough review if I didn’t address some issues I had with the show. Let’s start with the end. What was up with that finale? I have no issue with She-Hulk smashing her way through Disney Plus and confronting K.E.V.I.N. Actually, I thought it was a creative way to progress the story. And it really did fit Jen’s character more than smashing through a superhero smackdown. However, I’ll take issue with how the story progressed after Jen visited Marvel Studios. I expected the show to “rewind” and start the lodge scene again with Jen’s changes. Instead, it just cut away and left the scenes disjointed. I felt like I'd missed a scene. I honestly wasn’t sure how to process the story with the sudden adjustments. That being said, I liked having Daredevil and Hulk back for a moment. (Also, Hulk has a kid?!?!?!)

My other complaint: the bad guys were vastly underutilized. Todd as the big bad? I get that he wanted to steal Jen’s powers, but it just seemed like a complete 180 from him being a She-Hulk superfan. And then there was Josh. Honestly, with how tricky and manipulative he ended up being, I think he would have fit better as the big bad. It would have even given Jen the chance for justice when she ended up suing Intelligencia in the finale. Finally, there was Titania. She was teased as if she were going to be the big bad, but obviously that was a red herring. That being said, I loved her rival-chemistry with Jen/She-Hulk. I just have one annoying question: what was she doing at Emil’s lodge in the finale? How did she end up in the mountains (where she should have had minimal cell coverage by the way) crashing into the lodge and then livestreaming the arrest of Todd and Intelligencia? Just more questions I have about the finale, I suppose.

Overall, I liked She-Hulk, but it’s okay if you didn’t. Invitation still stands, let’s have a discussion about the show so I can understand better why it disappointed you. And to those who just want to trash the show, She-Hulk already lawyered her way to calling you out in the finale.

Who is Kingpin?

The first time I remember seeing Kingpin was when watching a Spider-Man cartoon growing up. I didn’t know until recent years that he was also an archenemy of Daredevil and Hawkeye. But as he was revealed to be the head of the Tracksuits in Hawkeye episode 5, I wanted to flashback to when we last saw him in Daredevil. No spoilers for the Hawkeye season finale, just in case you haven’t seen it yet.

Now we don’t have any distinct confirmation that this Kingpin is the same as the Wilson Fisk in Netflix’s Daredevil series. It could be the same actor, but different version of the character. We are about to delve into a multiverse of madness after all. But until otherwise proven wrong, I’m going to assume this is the same MCU version of Fisk that Matt Murdock fought for three seasons. And since Daredevil was rated TV-MA, many of our readers might not know who he is leading into Hawkeye. So here’s what you need to know about Kingpin. 

Once upon a time, Wilson Fisk may have actually been a sweet kid. But his abusive father taught him to gain respect through violence. As this abuse involved beating Wilson’s mother, it was during one of her beatings that WIlson finally stood up for himself and his mother… and killed his dad. And then his mom helped him hide the body… in pieces… yeah, dark.

All this taught him that you have to make hard decisions to make the world a better place. So in wanting to rebuild New York after the Avengers fought the Chitauri… even if he has to hurt countless people to make it happen. Meanwhile, Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil) has taken the case of Karen Page, who was framed for murder. And as he digs into her case… he finds Fisk. After Kingpin kills Karen’s reporter friend, Daredevil takes on Fisk in the season finale battle (both figuratively in court and literally in blood).

While a power vacuum has gangs in a frenzy in Hell’s Kitchen, Fisk ascends into powerful positions in the prison. Once Frank Castle (who was fighting those gangs as the Punisher) is sent to prison, a temporary alliance is made between Punisher and Kingpin. And that’s the last of Kingpin… until after the Defenders fight the Hand.

After that point, Kingpin makes a deal to get out of prison (and finds out Daredevil’s secret identity along the way). Naturally, Fisk uses this to his advantage and frames Matt, while he himself goes free. In the end, things come to fists again as Daredevil fights Kingpin (in front of Fisk’s new wife). After this fight, and as new evidence comes to light, Kingpin is taken into custody again. With that taken care of, Matt is finally able to be Daredevil again and a friendly neighborhood lawyer-man.

As I mentioned before, we don't know exactly how or if Daredevil's Kingpin connects with what we saw in the Hawkeye episode 5 cliffhanger. However, we can assume he survived Thanos's Snap. And if he's the same Kingpin, we can also assume he got out of prison sometime after Daredevil and before the snap. But to explain why would go into some episode 6 spoilers.

With no particular superpowers in the comics (just some great strength and kevlar armor), his powers come from being a mob lord. Working his criminal connections and betraying those who might betray him first, he’s able to keep the upper hand. Even when he was an unknown man in season 1, he’s always one step ahead. 

If you want to learn more in depth about Kingpin’s MCU history, check out the YouTube videos at the bottom of this post, They’re the ones I used to refresh my memory for this post. Honestly, I’m just excited we’ve started reintroducing Netflix characters. This opens the door for more heroes to return. Maybe a Heroes for Hire Disney Plus show? Or Chloe Bennet returning as Quake in Secret Invasion? Or inhumans coming up in Ms. Marvel? Honestly, with the multiverse, anything is possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3auTZEC8VE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPzuK3rsK54

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOfsvf4o1z4

Rosario Dawson is a Queen

Can we all just agree that Rosario Dawson is a queen? I mean, besides literally playing the Queen of the Underworld, she's the Jedi Ahsoka Tano, she's Claire Temple, she's Wonder Woman, she's Batgirl, she's Jane the Virgin, and she's Josie (without the Pussycats). This is an actress who has been in SpongeBob, Men In Black, Sin City, Zombieland, and my favorite, Rent. I saw Daphne Rubin-Vega as Mimi in the original cast of Rent on Broadway; I was so glad that Rosario Dawson replaced her for the film. What an improvement!

Disney recently announced that Queen Rosario will be starring in a limited spinoff series that's being developed by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni (thank goodness!) and set to air possibly by Christmas 2021. Rosario made a huge impression when she first appeared, cloaked, and lit by lightsabers, in the incredible second season of The Mandalorian. She was covered with makeup and prosthetics, and many of her scenes were done by a stunt double. But it didn't matter. Queen Rosario had made her entrance, and she secured herself a firm place in a galaxy far, far away.

But Dawson is so much more than just a well cast actress in a highly anticipated role in a wildly popular series with a rabid fanbase. She's fun and silly in LEGO Batman. She shows her acting chops in Jane the Virgin. She is flirty and has great musical chops in Rent. She hams it up in Percy Jackson. She lends stability and consistency to the Marvel Netflix series. This is a woman who can really do it all. Even while talking to an animatronic Baby Yoda. 

Unpopular Opinions: MCU

I started off this week with a countdown on Facebook to Black Widow and the launch of MCU Phase 4. I feel it's only appropriate to pair that countdown with a reflection of sorts to the history of the MCU. Phases 1-3 had movies, shorts, Netflix, Hulu, and network shows. Now we're moving into an area consolidated to movies and Disney+. So as part of my reflections, here are a few of some unpopular opinions about the MCU thus far.

Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk weren’t so bad
They are two of the lesser loved MCU movies. They’re not fantastic blockbusters, but they aren’t as bad as people make them out to be. The big problem with Iron Man 2 is that they bit off more than they could chew (Black Widow’s introduction, Whiplash, Justin Hammer, etc.) but it didn’t make the movie bad. On the other hand, I think the big problem with The Incredible Hulk is how it kind of came out of nowhere and became irrelevant afterwards. It assumed you knew the backstory of The Hulk and it kind of just threw us in there. Also, especially since they re-cast Bruce Banner, the movie kind of became inconsequential. We’ve seen Ross since then, but the Abomination and Betty just disappeared (although the Abomination was mentioned in Agents of SHIELD).

Iron Fist was good
I think the biggest issue people have with Iron Fist is how it’s so different from the comic book character. So to be fair, I’ve never read the comics. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed Iron Fist. Danny Rand was a refreshingly chill character compared to Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage being so angsty. Also, as far as Season 2 is concerned, it was one of the shorter seasons of any Netflix MCU show, so I think that helped keep the pacing up. The 13-episode Netflix seasons made them feel like 13-hour long Marvel movies. And that got kind of exhausting. So even shaving off three hours made it more manageable.

Daredevil Season 1 wasn't so great
Before I watched Daredevil, I heard how great it was. But I was disappointed. Matt Murdock was cool and I liked Daredevil as a character and a concept. However, as the season went on, it felt drawn out. Like I said with Iron Fist, the 13-episode seasons often felt like a super long movie. I much preferred the shows where each episode felt like a self-contained story with an over-arching plot. In my opinion, Jessica Jones, Runaways, and even Cloak & Dagger did a better job at that.

Agents of SHIELD Season 1 was good

I've heard a lot of complaints over the years about Agents of SHIELD's bumpy start. As the series started in the post-Avengers/MCU Phase 2 era, they took some time figuring out their footing. Until the Winter Soldier tie-in episodes, the series didn't have an over-arching story per se. It kind of just seemed like an MCU cop show, where each episode was its own story. Maybe it's just because I had lower expectations that I liked it? I don't know. But it's still my favorite MCU TV show thus far, ever since I started binging seasons 1-2 during grave shifts.

Captain Marvel is good
I don't know what it was about Captain Marvel that got people up in arms last year, but I liked it. Granted, the 90s nostalgia helped, but it added a story into an era of the MCU that we'd never seen before. Also we got some backstory with Nick Fury and Phil Coulson (though I'm still kind of bitter that we didn't get as much Coulson as I wanted). Maybe the details of Fury's eye injury wasn't important, but it was a fun addition. In addition, the plot twist was unprecedented. Everything I'd read had the Skrulls as bad guys, so we were set up for the Kree to be the good guys. But we'd also only seen the Kree as the bad guys (in Guardians, in SHIELD, etc.) so I didn't know what to expect. All that made the experience more fun for me. Honestly, my biggest disappointment with Captain Marvel is that she didn't have a bigger role to play in Endgame, after all that buildup.

Black Widow isn't necessary
Don't get me wrong; I'm looking forward to seeing Black Widow. However, I'm skeptical about it. My worry is that the whole movie will be pure fan-service for the people who've wanted a female-led Avengers movie. Representation matters (as Joe explained this week), but it has to be done right. If Black Widow is done right, it'll be great. My fear is that it's just a cash-grab and it won't matter after it's done. We've had lots of standalone MCU movies over the years (Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, etc.), but none of them have been filler; they've all been relevant to the universe. But since Natasha is dead... how is her standalone movie going to relate to the future of the MCU? I'm skeptically optimistic, but mostly skeptical.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Part 7

So it’s been a year since my last Marvel Cinematic Universe post, so here’s back to it, especially with all the MCU stuff we got this year. Guardians of the Galaxy 2, more Agents of SHIELD, the Defenders, the Inhumans, Thor Ragnarok, and still more to come. So here’s another installment of what Marvel’s done for us.

Agents of SHIELD: Season 2 (Episodes 12-16)

I enjoyed having Lady Sif return for another episode.

• 12. Who You Really Are: A Kree comes to Earth to investigate the diviner. SHIELD teams up with amnesiac Lady Sif to find him. He explains the connection between the Kree and the Inhumans. Fitz lies to Simmons about Skye’s bloodwork. Skye accidentally reveals her powers to her team. After Sif and the Kree leave, in a moment of panic Mack abducts Hunter.
• 13. One of Us: Mack keeps an eye on Hunter while Coulson puts Skye on the Index, with the help of Dr. Garner, May’s ex-husband. Meanwhile, Cal recruits a group of people from the Index to fight SHILED. Cal’s team faces off against Coulson and his team. Cal is taken by a teleporter named Gordon. Mack introduces Hunter to the “real SHIELD”.
• 14. Love in the Time of HYDRA: At Garner’s recommendation, Skye is taken from active duty. Ward and Agent 33 look for the man who can fix her mask. He fixes it so she can mimic people again. They retrieve Bakshi. Hunter meets Gonzales, the SHIELD faction leader.
• 15. One Door Closes: The day SHIELD fell, SHIELD agents including Gonzales, Bobbi, and Mack begin to form a separate faction of SHIELD from Coulsen. In the present, Coulsen and May confront Mack and Bobbi respectively. An EMP enables them to escape. Gordon visits Skye at the safehouse. He later saves her from Bobbi’s team. Coulsen and Hunter team up.
• 16. Afterlife: The Inhumans of the settlement Afterlife treat Skye. Mike Peterson teams up with Coulsen and Hunter to fight Gonzales’s faction. Fitz and Simmons steal back Fury’s toolbox. Skye confronts Raina, but is stopped by Jiaying. Coulsen looks to Ward to help take back SHIELD.

Skye gets introduced to Afterlife in order to control her powers

Random Trivia/Connections:

• In “Who You Really Are”, Lady Sif mentions that Odin sent her on a mission. As seen in “Thor: The Dark World”, it’s not really Odin, but Loki instead.
• Coulson’s huge gun that he used on Loki in “The Avengers” reappears in “Who You Really Are”.
• The flashbacks of “One Door Closes” take place concurrently with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and the SHIELD episode “Turn, Turn, Turn”.
• It was noted that the safehouse that Skye stays in was previously utilized by Bruce Banner (The Hulk) and Steve Rogers (Captain America).

Thoughts:

To be fair: this part of SHIELD is still where I was watching it on grave shifts, so I through the fluff fast. In the middle of it, I enjoyed this small chunk of SHIELD. However, I also don’t care for it, looking back. Other than being the part where Skye began to learn to control her powers, it was inconsequential. A few episodes later, when season 3 begins, I hardly even remember there being two factions of SHIELD. I guess it had to happen though to lead the season to where it ended.

Daredevil: Season 1 (Episodes 1-13)

So it’s unclear where Daredevil and the other Netflix series fall in the MCU timeline, so I’m just going to place them where they aired. All we really know is that they happened after “The Avengers”, since they mention the Battle of New York at times. Also, since the Netflix shows are a bit edgier and since many of our readers may be conservative Christians, I’ll be giving some “parental guidance” notes for each episode. IMDB typically has a REALLY good parent guide, for details more specific than mine. It’s kind of sparse on these episodes, so add to it if you’ve watched the season.

The "Devil of Hell's Kitchen" started out basically in PJs.

• 1.  Into the Ring: Nine-year-old Matt Murdock loses his vision in an accident but gets super senses. In the present day (some time the Battle of New York) a masked Matt fights crime. In the daylight, Matt and his partner/best friend Foggy take on the case of Karen Page. That night, the masked Matt saves Karen from a thug. Karen becomes Foggy and Matt’s secretary to pay them back. (Parental Guidance: References to sex trafficking; Side-breast/bare back woman; blood and profanity)
• 2. Cut Man: In flashbacks, we see that Matt looked up to his boxer dad Jack. In the present day, Matt gets injured saving a boy and is helped by Claire Temple. Meanwhile, Foggy helps Karen adjust to New York City. Later, Matt hunts down Russian thugs to save a young boy. (Parental Guidance: blood and profanity; references to human traficking)
• 3. Rabbit in a Snow Storm: A vicious fight happens at the bowling alley. Matt lies about his scars to Foggy and Karen. Matt takes the case of the man from the bowling alley (Healey). Union Allied bribes Karen. After getting him free in court, Matt takes on Healey to learn he’s working for Wilson Fisk. Fisk meets Vanessa. Karen goes to Urich for help against Union Allied. (Parental Guidance: lots of violence and blood in the bowling scene)
• 4. In the Blood: Eight years ago, the Ranskahov brothers escape Russia and come to NYC. Claire helps Matt again. Urich reluctantly agrees to help Karen. Fisk goes on a date with Vanessa. The Ranskahov brothers take a job to find the masked Matt, using Claire as bait. Fisk kills one of the brothers for interrupting his date. (Parental Guidance: blood and gore when Fisk kills the Ranskahov brother)
• 5. World on Fire: Fisk and Gao meet with their crime organization. Matt helps stitch up Claire. Matt and Foggy take on the case of Elena Cardenas. Masked Matt looks for intelligence on Fisk. Vanessa goes on another date with Fisk. After a couple explosions, the police find the Masked Matt.
• 6. Condemned: Matt escapes from the police. One of the Russian brothers gets tortured. Matt tends to his wounds. Matt interrogates Ranskahov. Fisk contact Matt. SWAT officers get fought off by Matt as he and Ranskahov escape. (Parental Guidance: blood during torture)
• 7. Stick: As a kid, after his father’s death, Matt gets trained by Stick. In the present, after an unfortunate encounter, Matt reunites with Stick. Karen touches base with Urich. Stick asks for Matt’s help to stop the Black Sky. Matt rescues a young child from the Japanese. Karen recruits Foggy to help Urich. (Parental Guidance: references to child trafficking with the Japanese)
• 8. Shadows in the Glass: In the past, as Fisk’s father loses the local election, he beats his wife. Fisk ends up killing his father. Karen and Foggy let Matt know about their investigation. Gao confronts Fisk. Before Urich can out Fisk’s actions, Fisk appears on TV calling the masked man (Matt) a terrorist. (Parental Guidance: Violence and blood)
• 9. Speak of the Devil: Karen, Foggy, and Urich meet about Fisk’s press conference. After Elena’s death, Matt decides to kill Fisk, but Fisk beats him. Matt escapes and is found out as the masked man by Foggy.
• 10. Nelson v. Murdock: Years before the series, Foggy and Matt become friends at Columbia University. In the present, Foggy confronts Matt about being the masked man. Urich gets a promotion. Karen takes Urich to see Fisk’s mother. The guests at Fisk’s fundraiser get poisoned.
• 11. The Path of the Righteous: Fisk gets help for Vanessa. Matt gets Potter to make a suit for him. Fisk finds out that Urich and Karen visited his mother. Karen gets kidnapped, but ends up escaping by killing her attacker. (Parental Guidance: violence)
• 12. The Ones We Leave Behind: Karen suffers from nightmares after her kidnapping. Foggy gives Marci evidence against Fisk. Matt finds Gao’s warehouse. Matt comforts Karen. Ellison fires Urich. Fisk kills Urich for visiting his mother. (Parental Guidance: violence)
• 13. Daredevil: Matt and Karen attend Urich’s funeral. Gao leaves town. Foggy and Matt get Fisk’s men arrested. He escapes. Matt gets his new suit and faces off against Fisk and he’s taken into custody. Matt, in his new armor, is dubbed Daredevil by the press.

It wasn't until after Fisk was beaten that Matt officially became "Daredevil".

Random Trivia/Connections:

• Multiple times, beginning in the premiere, the Battle of New York gets mentioned, placing the events of Daredevil after “The Avengers”.
• Carl Creel is mentioned in “Into the Ring”, “Cut Man”, and “Stick”. He first appeared in “Shadows” on Agents of SHIELD.
• The truck whose chemicals blinded Matt was a “Rand Oil and Chemicals” vehicle. We’ll see more of Rand in “Iron Fist”.
• The Steel Serpent logo first appeared in “Into the Ring” which later appears on “Iron Fist”.
• The battle between Hulk and Abomination is referenced in an article in “Rabbit in a Snow Storm”, “Stick”, and “Nelson v. Murdock”.
• “In the Blood” briefly mentions Thor’s hammer as “magic hammer” and Iron Man’s armor as an “iron suit”. Tony Stark is also alluded to in “World on Fire” as “one of those billionaire playboys”.
• In “Nelson v. Murdock”, Matt’s Greek girlfriend is mentioned. She later appears in Season 2 as Elektra.
• Cybertek, a company that features prominently in Agents of SHIELD Season 1, is shown in a clipping in “The Ones We Leave Behind”.

Thoughts:

As of the end of “The Defenders”, this season of Daredevil isn’t in my top three seasons of Marvel Netflix. As far as plot, it was well paced. I had a difficult time getting into it, but I enjoyed “Jessica Jones” and “Iron Fist” more (we’ll get to those later). I didn’t particularly care for the violence. I feel like I could have gotten just as much out of the show without seeing the gore. That being said, obviously something went well with this series, since we have so many more Marvel Netflix shows now.

That's all the MCU stuff for now. By next week I'll be done the Seventh Doctor, so be looking forward to the last of the Classic Doctors (unless you count the Eighth Doctor, but we'll get to that later). 

What You Missed-Daredevil Season 1

Matt starts out as the Masked Man

I thought it might be time to start a new series I'll be calling What You Missed, where we'll go into explaining some of the parts of geekdom that doesn't keep to the PG rating. Basically, think of this as Clean Flicks, the blog.

Let's start with Daredevil

The Dark Marvel

The Marvel Universe isn't always family friendly. Some of these characters though have fan followings of their own and the characters are part of the same universe as the family friendly Captain Marvel and Iron Man. Disney has taken to telling the darker stories as episodic series on Netflix and tend to keep them separate from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe-at least for now. Rumor has it that the Netflix heroes will make a cameo in the upcoming Infinity War movies, so its best to get familiar with the characters just in case.

The Man Without Fear


Most of Daredevil's story lines take place in New York's Hell's Kitchen, a small district in New York City. I won't bother explaining what they changed from the comics or not because with all the ret-cons and alternate tellings it's just a waste of time.

Matt and Foggy-BFFs

Once upon a time a young Matt Murdock lived with his dad, a professional boxer because when you're Irish and in New York it's either that or mob boss according to popular fiction. One day while walking down the street Matt pushed an old man out of the way of an out of control truck and accidentally fell into the trucks cargo of toxic chemicals. This resulted in Matt becoming blind, but since it was toxic waste it also gave him super senses because that's how comic books work. Matt's father is killed around a year later because he wouldn't take a fall during a boxing match for the mafia, and Matt is left orphaned.

Matt meets another blind man, named Stick, who teaches him martial arts for about a week before disappearing mysteriously. We find out later that Stick is in some sort of war that comes up more in the second season.

Years later Matt graduates top of his class and becomes a lawyer with his buddy Foggy and starts a law firm called Nelson and Murdock in Hell's Kitchen in order to help their former neighbors, all the while Matt is running around the streets at night wearing black Under Armor and a mask. Foggy is the comic relief of the show, except for an episode where he finds out Matt's secret and he's shown to be one of the emotional cores of the piece, representing the damage Matt's secret life and the lies he has to tell to maintain it causes to the people he loves.

Enter Kingpin

Bad guys are scarier when they're bald. 

The villain of the first season is Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin to comic fans. He's working with the Chinese and Russian mafias as well as the Yakuza to take over Hell's Kitchen (Okay what is in this town that is worth fighting for exactly?). Wilson is a fearsome business man with a cool calm demeanor that hides a massive temper that leads him to eliminate anyone in his way. He's an effective villain not for his vague motivation but for his intimidating presence and the actor's skill with the character. Throughout the season he courts the beautiful art dealer Vanessa, who despite showing trepidation at first to dating a crime lord, eventually warms up to the idea and even becomes his fiance by the end.

Law and Order: Super Heroes

The first season has Matt and Wilson butting heads indirectly through a series of superhero fights and court cases that crosses Matt's desk. The first case gets us Karen Page, a sweet young lady who finds out the company she's working for is secretly corrupt...somehow... and she exposes them to the press which puts her in danger. If this part gets a little vague it's because, to be honest, a lot of the story line in the first season is about Matt and his buddies trying to stop Wilson through the legal system and Matt putting on his mask and beating up his goons. A lot of the lawsuits are about trying to force people out of their homes and trying to trace money back to Wilson, but it's honestly just an annoying complicated mess. Suffice it to say that the series emphasizes the need for both the legal system and vigilante justice.

Claire- The Hero Doctor

Claire-one of the best characters in the Marvel
Cinematic Universe. 

At one point Matt finds himself unconscious in a dumpster and bleeding to death (something Batman has probably had to do early in his career) and is rescued by Claire, a nurse from a local hospital. Claire becomes Matt's on-call doctor whenever a battle has left him particularly injured, and they try to start up a romantic fling for an episode only for Claire to decide that she's better off not becoming someone else's Lois Lane.

Claire is an interesting character to bring up because she appears in all the other Marvel Netflix shows, tying all the shows together. She becomes an audience surrogate character since she is just a normal person in a normal person job.

And The Winner...

Daredevil gets a snazzy new suit-complete with horns. 

After all the fighting and legal maneuvering, by the end of the season Matt gets Wilson arrested, but not before finding Wilson's secret tailor who makes him his snazzy red Daredevil suit. I called him Matt through the piece because it's not till the end that he actually becomes Daredevil by name and outfit, which is a nice touch since few self-respecting human beings would try to go around town calling himself something from an Evil Kanevil ad. In the process Matt also managed to drive the Chinese, Russians and Yakuza out of Hell's Kitchen, keeping it safe for all the crack heads and purse thieves already living there.

While being the first attempt at bringing the cinematic universe into a darker world, the show isn't that bad considering how bad it could've been. The violence is over the top which keeps it out of the kid friendly zone, but despite that and the long courtroom drama stuff, the show is a good start to the Marvel Netflix series.

-JOE