Agony, Misery, and Identity in WandaVision

Warning: spoilers contained for WandaVision.

For the past year and a half or so, I have struggled with my own identity. I've had a lot of turmoil and grief in my life, and at 43 years old, I'm just now starting to grapple with who I am. It's not an easy road, and it never is for anybody who is trying to figure out where they fit in the world. Trying to juggle all the parts of your identity (like your job, family, spirituality, social connections, values, and self worth) can be painful at times. 

After the first few episodes of the excellent WandaVision, we saw a show that was about something incredible, but it was hard to identify exactly what direction the story was taking us. But now that the entire season is complete, it's clear that WandaVision is about one thing: a woman dealing with grief and pain, and trying to figure out who she is, and how she fits in the world. I relate to Wanda's agony. She has lost so much, she is figuring out how to relate to society, and she just wants to live the impossibly simple life depicted in her childhood sitcoms. 

Identity has always been a question in the MCU. From the get-go in Iron Man, Tony bucks the system and announces that "I am Iron Man" (cue Black Sabbath). Steve asks Tony, "Take away that suit of armor and what are you?" Peter tells Tony, "I'm nothing without the suit." And Tony comes full circle, in his ultimate sacrifice, and counters Thanos's "I am inevitable" with "I am Iron Man". Heck, even that tree guy has been known to say "I am Groot" every once in awhile. 

But this question of identity is never brought more to the forefront than in WandaVision. Vision asks "What AM I?" and then summarizes beautifully, "I have been a voice with no body. A body, but not human. And now a memory made real. Who knows what I might be next?" The two Visions debate the Ship of Theseus thought experiment. And Vision ultimately concludes that “Perhaps the rot is the memories. The wear and tear of the voyages. The wood touched by Theseus himself.”

This ultimately mirrors the identity crisis that Wanda has. She rejects that she is grieving. She rejects things that go wonky in her world. She rejects that she is a witch at all. But, but, but ... but when Wanda finally accepts who she is, finally embraces her power, finally admits to her grief and pain and trauma, that's when the real healing begins. Afterall, Wanda couldn't really move forward until she was allowed to process her misery and loss. And that is why it was so powerful when Wanda finally becomes the Scarlet Witch and says, "I don't need you to tell me who I am." We see her journey, we have experienced her mourning and her loss, we know what she has been through. 

Listening to Double Vision go through an identity crisis helps me frame my own "who am I?" question. Watching Wanda deal with her sorrow helps me deal with my own. I know nobody can tell me who I am or what I can become. Nobody can overcome my pain and grief for me. After all, what is grief, if not love persevering? It's the rot of my life that makes me who I am: the hardships and the sludge and the rotted wood that turns me into the man I am becoming. Every step I take to embrace my own heartache, I am one step closer to loving myself, to embracing my true power, and to know who I really am. 

And then I can finally say, "Okie dokie artichokie!"

Who are the Young Avengers?

(Guest Post by Jared)

**SPOILERS ahead for WandaVision finale**

It seems that Marvel is setting up a brand new Avengers team in the form of a fan favorite long running comic. This team was formed by a kid named Iron Lad from the future who came back in time to have the Avengers help him fight a time travelling Kang the Conqueror. When Iron Lad arrived he found that the Avengers had been disbanded after the Scarlet Witch lost her mind and killed several team members. Without the Avengers to aid him Iron Lad went through the Avengers files to find and build a new team, the next generation of Avengers.

Stature

Cassie Lang is our first Young Avenger to be introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She appeared as daughter of Scott Lang in both Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp. She again appeared, but now as a teenager in Endgame reunited with her missing father. We’ll see a re-casted Cassie in Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania next year in 2022 portrayed by Kathryn Newton.

In the comics Stature was not one of the original Young Avengers, but joined the team shortly after. She has the same powers as her father, however she doesn’t need a suit to grow and shrink in size. She confesses to her teammates that she repeatedly stolen Pym particles from her father for years, but only had recently begun to experience any effects.

Wiccan and Speed

The comic versions of Vision and Wanda’s twins is very convoluted, but now that they’re official in the MCU after appearing in several episodes of WandaVision, we can be confident they’ll join the Young Avengers team, but the biggest question mark is how since by the finale of WandaVision the kids have been erased and Wanda is off isolating and searching for a way to return them to reality. We hear them screaming as she’s searching the darkhold in the finale after credits scene. Are they in pain or in danger somewhere? This tease would only exist if Marvel planned for their return.

In the comics the twins are created by Wanda, and then removed from reality by Doctor Strange. Later when Iron Lad comes from the future to form the Young Avengers he finds two teenagers who mysteriously look alike, but have never met. Turns out that these two are the long lost twins whose souls had been merged with teenagers.

Their comic characters share the same powers as their MCU counterparts, magic and super-speed. Only time will tell how these will emerge on screen when their fully grown. Assuming that they age up again to teenagers and are recast, which would line up with their story in the comics.

Hawkeye

Kate Bishop first appeared alongside the original Young Avengers team after Clint Barton’s Hawkeye had been killed by the Scarlet Witch. The Young Avengers accidently ran into Bishop during a fight where she jumped in as a highly skilled archer and swordswoman. She later followed the team and insisted she join permanently. 

There’s a common misunderstanding that Barton’s daughter in the MCU will be joining the Young Avengers after her quick appearance with the bow in Endgame before she was snapped out of existence. However Bishop has no biological connection to Clint Barton’s Hawkeye in the comics. Will it be the same for the MCU? Only time will tell, but we know she is not the daughter we’ve seen several times already. 

Bishop will take on the codename Hawkeye in the upcoming Hawkeye series where she’ll costar with Jeremy Renner. Hailee Steinfeld has been cast to portray her in the upcoming series slated for late 2021.

Patriot

In the comics Eli Bradley was actually the second hero to go by the name of Patriot, the first was his grandfather who was a test subject for a super soldier serum project. When approached to join the team by Iron Lad, Bradley claimed he gamed powers through an emergency blood transfusion from his grandfather, but this was untrue. He had gained his abilities by using a street enhancement drug called Mutant Growth Hormone and later left the team.

While his future in the MCU is uncertain it’s heavily rumored that he’ll be appearing soon in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier played by Elijah Richardson. The story revolves around the US government demanding that the Captain America codename belongs to the military and can’t simply be handed over to Falcon. Since the story revolves around the super soldier serum and a new government created Captain America it seems likely we could be introduced to others who have been experimented on.

Miss America

Although she wasn’t an original member of the Young Avengers she’s become one of the most popular. America Chavez is an inter-dimensional traveler with superhuman strength and speed.

With her reality hopping powers it’s no surprise she’s rumored to be in Doctor Strange the Multiverse of Madness, this rumor has gained speed since it was announced that Xochitl Gomez has been confirmed for the cast of the film in an unknown role.

Ms. Marvel

Even though she’s never appeared as a Young Avenger in the comics it seems very likely that she’ll be joining the team in the MCU. We already have an upcoming television series starring Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, Ms Marvel slated to premiere in late 2021. She is also confirmed to be co-starring alongside Brie Larson in Captain Marvel 2 in November of 2022.

In the comics Khan was an American Muslim from New Jersey who idolized Captain Marvel, and taking a previous codename from her now that Danvers was solely going by "Captain". Khan was introduced and then later revealed to be an Inhuman, so with the cancelled (and seemingly non-canon) television show Inhumans it’s unknown how they’ll introduce her powers for Disney+, but her powers will be unique to see as we haven’t had a elastic powers appear in the MCU yet so Khan will premiere these before even Mr. Fantastic!

Hulkling

We met both the Skrulls and the Kree in first Captain Marvel film, and the story did a 180 from the comics making the Skrulls the lesser of the two evils. We’ll see how this plays out for Hulkling as he is actually half Skrull and half Kree and destined to be the ruler of both and finally bring peace to the races.

In the comics he has absolutely no connection to the Hulk but takes on his persona for public relations as the shapeshifting Skrulls are very much hated across Earth. He typically appears as a large green man with giant gargoyle wings.

We do not have any rumors on casting, and nothing is confirmed for an MCU story as of the ending of WandaVision but there are a few places he could easily pop up that make the most sense. We have an upcoming Secret Invasion TV show with Nick Fury in production and an estimated early 2022 release. The comics Secret Invasion story revolves around several key Avengers, X-Men and world leaders that are replaced by shapeshifting Skrulls in hopes of taking over Earth. Fury finds out and goes into hiding not knowing who to trust. Since we saw Fury at the end of Far From Home and he’s working with the Skrulls we can guess as to what the story will turn out to be, but with the Skrulls being a huge player it seems like the most likely place for Hulkling to pop up! 

Hulkling is the only member of this lineup that is not announced or rumored, however with his romantic relationship to Wiccan and his status as an original Young Avenger it seems unlikely they’d leave him out of the team’s first teamup!

There are other members of the team such as a newly rebooted Vision, Kid Loki from an alternate timeline, Prodigy a former student at Xavier’s School for the Gifted, and Iron Lad who turns out to be a younger Kang the Conqueror from the future. These kids could show up down the line, but with these previous mentioned eight other Young Avengers already all but confirmed or rumored (aside from Hulkling) it seems like the lineup is pretty large as it is. 

10 New Cosplays We Look Forward To Seeing

With the world on temporary pause, new cosplay has been hard to find. Without conventions or even Halloween, the most wonderful day of the year, happening at their regular capacity, the cosplay community just doesn't have the chance to strut their stuff. That hasn't stopped new media from coming out, some of which we can't wait to see at the next Comic Con, whenever that may be. 

Here's a few. 

10: Live-Action Mulan

Say what you will about Disney's Mulan, the costuming was on point. From Mulan's red combat uniform accented with armor to the villain Xian Lang's incredible makeup, this film gives a lot to the cosplay community. Seeing someone bring one of the film's outfits to life will be a true sight to see, plus all the costumes are modest so there's no worry about having to compromise standards to be the warrior you were truly meant to be. 

9: Netflix's The Witcher

While Henry Cavill's Geralt of Rivia looks torn straight from the video game, the rest of the cast have unique costuming for this live action take on the beloved book and game series. His traveling minstrel Jasker alone has enough outfits to keep any seamstress busy for weeks, and Yennafer is perfect for any cosplaying lady who wants something elegant but doesn't want to go back to Disney princess. 

8: Doctor Who

Now Comic Con has never been lacking for Doctor. Who cosplays, from versions of the Doctor himself to his wide cast of villains right down to the TARDIS itself. However recent years gave us the first female Doctor and the Fugitive Doctor, and both are ripe for cosplay. Given the popularity of the series, it won't be surprising at all to see plenty of these versions of the Doctor running around the panels at the next convention. 

7: The Mandalorian

Remember how The Mandalorian was all anyone could talk about? Just wait for the resurgence once we can get our geek on and start dressing as our favorite Star Wars show. Mando and Grogu aside, as epic as their cosplays will certainly be especially with daddy/baby matching cosplays, let's not forget the wide range of other characters the show gave us. This includes a sand-beaten Boba Fett, grown up Asoka and the poor longsuffering Frog Lady. 

Bonus points will be given if Frog Lady cosplays include edible eggs. 

6: Justice League Snyder Cut Joker

That's a long title. 

Joker cosplay is never thin on the ground but with the new uber dark Joker from the Snyder Cut trailers of Justice League, you can bet that we're going to see more Jared Lito impersonators running around. The butcher's apron and gloves hints that he's going to do something messy, and the bulletproof vest, reminiscent of the opening cut scene in DC Universe Online means that there's going to be danger. You know someone's already chomping at the bit to find the perfect wig to make this Joker come to life. 

5: Onward

This film does not get it's just due in my humblest of opinions. Debuting at the unfortunate start of the pandemic, its theatrical run was hampered by it no longer being safe to go out. That being said, those who did see it and loved it can't wait to cosplay as one of the blue elves from the film, becoming the true Dungeons and Dragons/Disney nerds they've always wanted to be. Even if it's just Barley's cool ripped jean vest covered in D&D-esque pins, we want to see this on the convention floor. 

4: Pokemon Sword and Shield Gym Leaders

Released late 2019 we didn't get a chance to see these characters shine. With the game's graphics and characterizations of each gym leader, I won't be surprised to see a few of them pop up in the cosplay list. At the very least, someone needs to show up in a giant cape with Pokemon related sponsors sewn into it like some cross between a NASCAR driver and Liberace.

3: Wonder Woman 1984

Another derisive release, nobody can argue that once again the costuming was done right. Cosplayers can go with the 80's looks, to Cheetah's terrifying transformation, all the way to Wonder Woman's golden eagle armor. The wings might be a bit of a pain to deal with in crowds, but let's face it, that's never stopped cosplayers before. 

2: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Can we just take a minute to thank Animal Crossing: New Horizons for getting us through parts of this last year? It's a major contributing factor to why yours truly didn't go into a depressive spiral sooner than I eventually did. To honor this game, let's see some people dressed up as their favorite townsfolk. They could even set aside a space in the convention where they can wander around aimlessly and talk to people as though they were player characters. I know I'd love to give Ozzie the Koala and Raymond the Cat big hugs for being there for me. 

1: WandaVision

You know this would end up on the list. 

What is there to say? Each episode had a pile of period costume choices plus superhero outfits PLUS Agatha. It's a cosplayers goldmine, and we still won't see the true depth of this deposit until Friday when the last episode is released and supposedly Scarlet Witch's final form is revealed. I can't wait to see adorable couples dressed as Wanda and the Vision, posing for photos and breaking our hearts all over again. 

What cosplays do you want to see? 

-JOE

Pokemon Nicknames: Friends

It was an exciting weekend for Pokémon fans, with the announcement of new long-awaited games. So in honor of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, I have another set of Pokémon nicknames. Since Friends is basically on a loop at our home, I thought I'd try some of these out here. So enjoy some names that Phoebe, Monica, and Chandler might use.

Rattata as Bob

Psyduck (or Ducklett) as Duck

Torchic as Chick

Hitmonchan as Pete

Poochyena as Clunkers

Shiny Medicham as Ichiban

Banette as Gladys

Chimchar (or Aipom) as Marcel

Piplup as Hugsy

Purugly as Smelly Cat

Litten (or Alolan Meowth) as Whiskerson

My Favorite Community Episodes Each Season

(Guest Post by TJ)

I feel like most fans of TV shows have a favorite episode of each season their beloved TV show was on. If not, you should, it will make me look less weird. Regardless, because I’ve watched so much Community in the last year (and re-watched), I’m sharing my episodes from each of its six seasons (still waiting for the movie). 

Season 1: Episode 23: Modern Warfare

The paintball episode that first made people sorry for the cleaning crew. Seriously, how much destruction could one episode of a TV comedy have? Apparently, a lot. One of the things about this episode that makes it what it is, is that it shows the cartoon nature of Community in its strongest sense. 

It also shows one of the biggest character changes. Back in episode 9 of the first season, Annie and Jeff did debate where they won an argument on good vs evil by proving that mankind is inherently selfish. But this episode with its fun and humor has a touching moment that almost goes unnoticed: Jeff gives his priority registration to the person in his group that he deems most deserving of it. Jeff’s reason for the priority registration is extremely selfish (and smart). But in this moment, he decides to give it to Shirley so she can spend more time with her kids. (Still confused as to who’s watching them, but whatever.) 

Jeff, who is doing his best to skate through college, makes his life just that much more difficult by helping out Shirley. It goes to show that deep down inside, he’s not the arrogant selfish jerk that he thinks he is. The act even surprises himself. And while the rest of this episode is lighthearted and fun, this moment is simply wonderful. 

Season 2: Episode 11: Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas

After 35 episodes of complete randomness from this show, you get what has got to be the most random one yet. The entire episode is in Claymation, with the exception of a single shot of the cast in the reflection from the TV they’re watching. If you don’t catch it, it’s not a surprise. But what makes this Christmas episode isn’t it’s play on 1970s Claymation, but rather its message that sometimes your friends are your most important family. 

One of the best scenes is near the end, when Abed is frozen and the Christmas Wizard—er—Duncan is mad at the rest of the study group. But they are able to let him know the true meaning of Christmas….kind of. 

Jeff: The delusion you’re trying to cure is called Christmas, Duncan.

Annie: It’s the crazy notion that the longest, coldest, darkest nights can be the warmest and brightest.

Britta: Yeah, and when we all agree to support each other in that insanity, something even crazier happens.

Annie: It becomes true. 

Troy: Works every year. Like clockwork.

Christmas in the northern hemisphere is just a few days after the shortest day of the year. Christmas is cold and full of snow…in some places. But regardless, Christmas is made bright with its cheer. That’s what makes this episode so great. 

Season 3: Episode 4: Remedial Chaos Theory

I became a Community fan during the early stages of this wonderful pandemic….So, unfortunately I didn’t watch it whilst it was airing. But that’s what binging is for. I really had no clue about the various dynamics in the show whilst watching it. But when I saw this episode full of alternate timelines, which is one of my favorite plot points, it immediately became my favorite. 

This episode likes to continually ask “what if” with a simple roll of the die. There’s an episode of Friends that asks “what if” that shows that sometimes, our different choices may still lead to similar outcomes. But with Community, we get seven different outcomes that really probably wouldn’t end up the same way. You’ve got a moment with Britta and Troy hinting at being a couple as well as a moment between Jeff and Annie, both of which have already been hinted at. While I feel like Britta and Troy didn’t have that great of chemistry, I always feel like Annie and Jeff worked well together. They balanced each other out. 

Of course, this is the episode that brings us the darkest timeline, something brought back at the end of season 4, basically the Community equivalent to Star Trek’s mirror universe. The sad thing is, as I pointed out that different choices lead to similar outcomes, it’s technically two years later when Pierce has unfortunately passed on, something similar to the Darkest Timeline.  

Season 4: Episode 12: Heroic Origins

It’s difficult to pick a favorite in a season that isn’t all that great. Even though "Heroic Origins" is a prequel, it goes to show that sometimes the negative things in our lives can lead to some great things. Abed’s great moment of inviting Chang to join them goes to show who Abed is as a character. While there’s the robotic aspect to Abed, this is a moment that makes him truly human and shows how forgiving of a person he is.

Let’s go to Shirley for a moment. Her husband cheated on her because of…well…we can go with Jeff and Abed. Combined, one person’s robotic negativity and another’s active distain led to an awful circumstance for Shirley. However, even those both those men did something that hurt Shirley’s life, by the end of season four, she has to admit that her life wouldn’t be the same without them.

While Britta’s storyline isn’t all that great in this story, the Troy/Annie dynamic is quite interesting. While she had a huge crush on Troy to start off, Annie is no longer shy to him. And definitely doesn’t have a problem standing up to him at this point. But she knows that her life is better off with her study group than without it.

This episode really focuses on Abed, Shirley, and Jeff, which doesn’t really happen very often. But what makes this episode one of my favorites is the fun the story has at looking a step back at everyone’s past.

Season 5: Episode 5: Geothermal Escapism

Troy’s final episode is a fun bummer. Yeah, it’s sad that Troy’s leaving. But this episode has a lot of fun going on in it. Abed’s mind creates this full-on game of the floor is lava. This episode shows something that may not have been noticed in the previous games on the show: it really doesn’t celebrate who wins. It celebrates the stories of the rest. 

I mean, there’s a simple question to ask here: Why does Britta win? Simple, because she just wants to help Abed. She recognizes that Abed is trying to hide his pain in Troy leaving. But you’ve got some great moments like Hickey driving a floor cleaner. Britta Britta-ing a joke which leads to Jeff on his back on the floor. Shirley Island with the orb (because apparently the cafeteria is some sort of safe haven in most of these types of games). The “cloning” of Abed and Troy so that they can deal with the absence of their constant friendship. And of course, the return of LeVar Burton in what has to be great closure to a joke started in season 2 about Troy’s inability to be around Mr. Burton.

Season 6: Episode 13: Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television

I love a good a series finale. (Would’ve been better without a few choice swear words.) This one is all about change. Technically, at the end, the only members of the original study group to remain are Jeff and Britta as Abed and Annie leave for their futures. 

The writers seemed to know that the audience preferred Jeff and Annie. That kiss at the end (I forget everything after that) just goes to show that in the end, Jeff and Annie became the main couple. 

The fun thing about this episode is that it asks a “what can happen.” But the problem is that we don’t know. If I were to ignore the seventh season idea but rather say “and a movie” and come up with my thoughts for what I’d see in a movie. First, Annie would return from FBI, now working for the Colorado branch. Troy will have returned with LeVar Burton (Abed having somehow rescued them.) Jeff finally decides what he wants, and that’s Annie (which I’m sure he realized but he just couldn’t find the words.) 

However, one thing about this episode that’s important is that it shows Jeff never really grew as a character. Britta never really grew. Abed kind of grew. It really goes to show that this show did its best to maintain its cartoon persona. However, one thing we really get is that Annie grew. 

She started off as this girl who really became a woman throughout the show. She’s gone from one major to another to another. And then ends up with a job with the FBI. Annie goes from the girl that everyone worries about being taken care of to the girl that can not only take care of herself, but she can take care of others. 

So yeah, not a good discussion about the episode, but really, the episode is just full of randomness just like the good six seasons of Community. 

Anyway, thanks for reading. Alien abductions are involuntary, but probings are scheduled.

Why Legend of Korra is Still Significant

 After my "Why Avatar the Last Airbender is Still Significant" post, you know I had to do a follow up on the Legend of Korra. 

As usual, there be spoilers ahead. 

The Heroes Journey

Where Aang had one overall goal, stop the Fire Nation, Korra's goals are more inward focused, namely what does it mean to be the Avatar. Yes she still has to stop the bad guys, of whom includes some terrifying individuals that make Firelord Ozai look like a baby turtle-duck, but her main focus is one of self discovery. 

Throughout the series we see her doubt herself, question her motivations, trust the wrong people, make mistakes and at one point even run away from her Avatar responsibilities (Luckily not to somewhere she could get trapped in ice, we know what kind of mess that makes). Like Aang Korra is learning to be the Avatar, but unlike Aang it goes far beyond her learning to master all four elements and learning what it means to bring balance to the world. 

A Changing World

Legend of Korra takes place over 50 years after the end of Aang's adventures, and the world has changed significantly since. A new nation, the United Republic, has sprung up and technology has reached the level of around the 1920's. After season two, the world goes through another drastic change when Korra opens the portals to the spirit world, allowing spirits to live in the physical world alongside humans. This causes the entire world to change overnight, with encroaching vines invading metropolitan areas and the return of airbenders. 

Sound familiar? 

Our world has been changing dramatically over the last year, from the ongoing pandemic to riots to natural disasters, and we have had to learn how to adapt the best we can. While we don't get adorable Studio Ghibli spirits to play with (Except we got Baby Yoda, which let's face it, has been the saving grace of the last year, that and Animal Crossing), our world still looks vastly different from what it used to. Legend of Korra is about learning to adapt to change, knowing that change is a natural part of life and to make the best of whatever situation you find yourself in. 

Trauma 

Season three gives Korra her most significant story arch. She begins in hiding from literally everyone, fighting the demons of her past. By this point she's already had her bending taken away by Amon, had her connection with Rava the spirit of peace severed and with it her connection to the past Avatars, and been poisoned by Zaheer which put her in a wheelchair for nearly a year. She has lost the connection to her spiritual self and is seeing visions of an angry Avatar state Korra who wants her dead. 

While she defeated each villain, the battles have taken their tole on her physically and mentally. To the mind time isn't really a concept it can process, and with severe trauma it can tend to become stuck in moments, not realizing that the danger has passed. Korra was experiencing this as she fought her memories of her past enemies. She was told by Toph that some of Zaheer's poison lingered in her body, which creates the perfect metaphor for the trauma still swirling inside Korra's head. 

Most narratives the hero beats the bad guy, sometimes by the skin of their teeth, and the next day they shrug off just having been in mortal danger as just part of the job. Legend of Korra doesn't do that, instead giving our hero actual consequences to her fighting and showing the emotional tole that having to repeatedly fight for your life can have on a person. This is a lesson that needs to be taught in far more settings, remembering that not every hero always bounces back. 

Power of Mentorship

Korra has her team of friends to create the new Team Avatar, which are all as helpful as they are fun to watch, but the truly significant relationship throughout the course of the show is the one Korra has with Tenzin, the airbending master and son of Aang. At first the two clash on almost everything, since Korra's temper and energy clash with Tenzin's reflective calm. But eventually both learn from each other as Tenzin mentors Korra first in airbending then in how to be the Avatar in general. Again in most media this would either be glossed over or relegated to a single training montage with the hero needing to be shown to be strong enough to figure everything out on their own. 

The truning point in Korra and Tenzin's relationship comes in season one, when the dangerous cult leader Amon confronts Korra at Avatar Aang Memorial Island. Amon has demonstrated the ability to permanently take away someone's bending ability, and Korra is terrified to face him but does so anyway. During the confrontation, Amon has Korra helpless and lets Korra believe that he's going to take her bending only to instead threaten her before disappearing into the night. Moments later Tenzin finds her, bending in tact, only for her to collapse into his arms while she sobbs about how terrified she was of Amon. Tenzin gives her the space to cry and lets her know that it's okay to be afraid. The strong independent hero teaches the greatest lesson of all in this moment: That it's okay to not be the strong independent hero and to ask for help. 

-JOE

“I hate good wizards in fairy tales; they always turn out to be him.”

During “The Pandorica Opens”, upon hearing the story of the Pandorica, River Song makes one of her off-handed snarky comments about the Doctor. “I hate good wizards in fairy tales; they always turn out to be him.” We never got a clear answer as to whether the Doctor was ever a “wizard” who locked a “feared being” in the Pandorica. Maybe River’s assumption was right and the Doctor locked an enemy in there? But so far, we don’t know. However, it did make me wonder if there are any other wizards we’ve heard of who could secretly be the Doctor. Here are a few I thought of.

Seventh Doctor - Radagast the Brown

Indulge me in some headcanon for a second. After the Seventh Doctor said goodbye to Ace (sometime after “Survival”), the Doctor went to another world. Future? Past? Who’s to say? But let’s call this world “Middle Earth”. Here he learned about “magic” and became known as Radagast and enjoyed isolating with forest animals. This is what Sylvester McCoy plays both the Seventh Doctor and Radagast in The Hobbit. It’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s a fun thought.

Post-Seventh Doctor - Merlin

This theory isn’t unique to me. If you’ve watched the Seventh Doctor era of Classic Doctor Who, you may recall the Doctor being called Merlin in “Battlefield”. The Doctor didn’t remember being Merlin, so we can safely assume “Merlin” was an incarnation of the Doctor after the Seventh. Based on different versions of the wizard Merlin, you can see aspects of the Doctor. For example, in Disney’s Sword in the Stone, Merlin appears to time travel and he has a bag that’s bigger on the inside. And in BBC’s Merlin, the young wizard appears to live unaged for thousands of years, much like the Doctor. Maybe someday we’ll get a Merlin story?

Future Doctor - Newt Scamander

This idea will be even more amazing if BBC decides at a future date to cast Eddie Redmayne as the Doctor. My first time watching Fantastic Beasts I got definite Doctor vibes from him. Maybe it was the bigger-on-the-inside suitcase. Maybe it was the running down the hall with Tina in hand (just like a companion). Either way, a British guy with a fantastically out-there outfit… he could be the Doctor. He even licked the ground in Crimes of Grindewald. Although if we’re talking Harry Potter world, maybe the War Doctor as Ollivander would work.

Any Doctor - Wizard of Oz

It doesn’t necessarily fit into the 1930s Wizard of Oz, but let’s think for a second. His clothes are super flamboyant (worse than the Sixth Doctor’s clothes) and his hot air balloon could definitely be the TARDIS (chameleon circuit fixed in the future, of course--it’s been done before). Oz could be an alien world that people visit in their dreams. Maybe the Wicked Witch was Missy in face paint? 

Falcon and the Winter Soldier Binge List

We're officially less than a month from the premiere of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. So if you've forgotten your Marvel history during all the delays, check out our binge list to catch the high points for Sam and Bucky and get your fix in while waiting for the release. Lots of these were on the WandaVision list, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy them again.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2 hours 4 min)

Obviously First Avenger introduces the Captain America mantle. And of course the movie also introduces Bucky Barnes, one of the title characters of this new Disney Plus series. He doesn’t become the Winter Soldier until after the events of this movie, but he has his start here. Gotta include that backstory.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2 hours 16 min)

So since neither Sam nor Bucky appear in Avengers, we’re skipping right past that one. It includes Captain America, but that’s not important here. But in Winter Soldier, we get introduced to several characters who are set to appear in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. We meet Sam, the Falcon, of course. In addition, we also meet Sharon Carter (Agent 13) and we see Bucky’s alter ego (Winter Soldier) for the first time.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2 hours 22 min)

We may have skipped the first Avengers movie, but since Sam appears in Age of Ultron, we’re picking this one up. We see him working alongside the original Avengers. In addition, at the end of the movie, we get a glimpse of the Falcon working with the Avengers as a new-ish team is formed.

Ant-Man (1 hour 58 min)

This would be more optional viewing in preparation for Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The movie obviously focuses most on Ant-Man. However, at one point he breaks into the Avengers compound and fights Sam. So if you want a little extra Falcon, make sure to include this one in your binge. Also, a Civil War scene/preview appears in the credits.

Captain America: Civil War (2 hours 28 min)

It’s been said that Civil War is less a Captain America movie and more an Avengers movie. That may be the case, but we still get a good focus on Cap’s people. We see Sharon Carter again, Bucky returns to action, and Falcon and Cap team up off screen as they take off at the end. We also get introduced to Zemo, who is set to return as a major villain. In a credits scene, we also see Bucky getting put into stasis in Wakanda.

Black Panther (2 hours 15 min)

Like Ant-Man, the movie as a whole isn’t so important for this watch-through. However, one of the credit scene is an important part of Bucky’s transformation. It’s short, but it shows how the Wakandans have been able to presumably take away Bucky’s brainwashing and take him out of stasis. It’s a short scene, but worth it.

Avengers: Infinity War (2 hours 40 min)

We’re getting the band back together. While Tony is off into space, on Earth we’ve got Cap getting an army together. Of course Falcon and the Winter Soldier are included. Things don’t exactly work out in the end for the Avengers, but that’s why we’re going straight into Endgame.

Avengers: Endgame (3 hours 2 min)

Obviously Endgame is short on Falcon and Winter Soldier scenes, but it’s also equally obvious how important this movie is for the overall storytelling. After the original Avengers and their comrades bring everyone back, we get set up for whatever this next phase of Marvel has to bring us. Cap is gone. Tony is dead. And who knows what else happened during the Blip. I guess we’ll find out in Falcon and the Winter Soldier.