Marvel Archives - On the Go in MCO

D23 Expo 2022: Marvel Panels Announced

With just over a month until Disney’s highly anticipated D23 Expo 2022 presented by Visa in Anaheim, California, kicking off September 9, Marvel is unveiling a can’t-miss lineup of panels, stage events, guest appearances, exclusive merchandise, giveaways, and more!

Fans can explore the Marvel Studios Pavilion on the show floor to experience an awesome costume display, exclusive giveaways, a photo activation, and other surprises. Elsewhere on the show floor, the shopDisney booth will spotlight exciting Marvel merchandise featuring the Avengers, Spider-Man, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, along with various other products at retailer booths during the show.

Throughout the weekend at D23 Expo, fans won’t want to miss Marvel’s panels and stage events diving into what’s next for Marvel Studios, a celebration of 60 “Beyond Amazing” years of Spider-Man, an exciting current look at Marvel Games, and more! These include:

Marvel DRAW Live!
Friday, September 9, 2–2:30 p.m. PT and Saturday, September 10, 1:30–2 p.m. PT | D23 Expo Live! Stage
Join Brian Crosby, Marvel’s Director of Themed Entertainment, for a real-time, step-by-step tutorial session on how to draw some of Marvel’s most iconic heroes and villains!

Hall D23 Presentation
Saturday, September 10, 10 a.m. PT | Hall D23
As previously announced, filmmakers, celebrity talent, and surprise guests from Marvel Studios will join Lucasfilm and others onstage in Hall D23 to showcase theatrical and Disney+ titles. Going behind the scenes of these studios’ highly anticipated films, specials, and series, attendees will see exclusive footage and be among the first to learn what’s in the works.

Marvel Comics: Celebrating 60 Years of the Amazing Spider-Man
Saturday, September 10, 2–3 p.m. PT | Backlot stage
Celebrate sixty spectacular, sensational, web-slinging years of Spider-Man! From his humble debut in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15, he wall-crawled his way to international super-stardom. Now, join Marvel’s Executive Spider-Editor Nick Lowe and Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski as they team up to trace the comics history of the web-head across six decades—and BEYOND! Tantalizing trivia about the webbed wonder will be shared in this can’t-miss panel, so be sure to swing by! Fans attending will also receive a special exclusive giveaway (while supplies last), to be revealed in the coming weeks!

Signings with Marvel Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski and Executive Editor Nick Lowe
Saturday, September 10, 5:30–6:30 p.m. PT | Talent Central
Swing by Talent Central to meet Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski and Executive Spider-Editor Nick Lowe for a signing opportunity!

D23 Expo is sold out. Select presentations will be streamed for guests at D23 Expo Live! For more information, visit D23Expo.com.

A Subatomic Spoiler-Free Look At Ant-Man

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Big things come in small packages, and that’s something that’s always been true for the hero Ant-Man. The movie adaptation of the hero’s origin, Ant-Man, opens in theaters today, is a definite treat for the Marvel Cinematic Universe fans who might not have been as impressed with Avengers: Age of Ultron, but were huge fans of Guardians of the Galaxy. It is the final film in “Phase 2” and as staunch fans will catch on this is with good reason, as Ant-Man will be heavily connected to many aspects of the MCU going forward – some that might not come to any fruition, and others that are going to take us to DEFCON 1.

This is a story about Scott Lang, who in comic books was the 2nd Ant-Man, and the movie sticks with that theme. He is a self proclaimed “cat burglar” who has just gotten out of prison, and through a series of events ends up breaking into a home where he comes into possession of a suit that he can use to shrink down to a size where he can ride an ant like it is a horse. Hence his name… get it… Ant-Man. In a way similar to the comic book also, he is doing this for his daughter… though the circumstances are a bit different.

Comic book fans like myself, those who are familiar with the history of the Avengers have been wondering just how Ant-Man would fit into the MCU. After all in comic books, the original Ant-Man was Hank Pym, and he was one of the founding members of the Avengers, before Captain America, Hawkeye, or Black Widow were ever members. In comics he is the guy who created Ultron, not Stark. He has also been several superheroes including Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, Wasp, etc. So the big question for this group was just how were you going to fit this diverse a character back into the mix?

In short, this is handled extremely well. The pieces of Pym’s story are brought in piece by piece and at just the right times. In this way you can see the parallels between the growth of both Lang and Pym in the movie. One thing that this movie helped me with is the Ultron that was presented in Age of Ultron – as I struggled with that interpretation. Missing was the psycho-drama element of the Pym vs. Ultron struggle – and Ultron was turned into all the worst elements of Tony Stark instead. Here, in place of Ultron, we have Yellowjacket – who unlike comics is NOT Pym (no spoiler here, this was all over the trailers), and as is true to the MCU is different yet analogous to his Earth-616 (soon to be zero?) counterpart. As a result he takes on many of the personality traits of Ultron from the comic books.

There is the contingent of people who have been wondering why they should care about a dude who can shrink and talk to ants. Well because when a dude with a bow and arrow or a gal with a guns and martial arts can stand tall against the likes of a Hulk, everything else in between can work, and a tiny dude can stand tall too. However, in case that’s not enough there are elements added to this movie that are there to help you through this particular issue. Each a piece of the puzzle to set up so much of what will be “Phase 3” of the MCU.

While I’m sure you’ve already been taking your kids to see the MCU movies, I wanted to say that for younger, even Pre-Teen audiences, this might be the most approachable of all the films to date. Cassie Lang being the differentiating factor there. Because there are a lot of elements of the story that are there to make a young girl work within its context younger kids may relate better and understand more of the story. That said, there are still guns, stuff gets blown up, crimes occur, and people die. Overall this is a super fun movie, full of a lot of what makes comic book drama great. MCU fans are going to want to see this.

In addition to doing the web design and programming for the On the Go in MCO website, Todd Perlmutter is a host for the Disney Film Project Podcast.Follow us for more updates:

A Vision of Avengers: Age of Ultron

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Welcome to a new age, a new rage, a child’s cry in the darkness – welcome to the Age of Ultron, the latest Avengers movie to come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While on it’s surface the story of Ultron, which has been going on in comics since 1968, appears simple tale of Artificial Intelligence gone awry, in actuality it is so much more. There are so many aspects to the story, many not even covered in the movie: life, death, rebirth, hate, rage, a child lashing out against it’s father, passion, desire, love, loss, oedipal complexes, jealousy. But most of all it’s about a story about how life, despite being broken at times, can persevere. These are the aspects that have brought to life this mad-crazed machine, Ultron, over the years.

There are several aspects of this movie that change the story, and some with very good reason. Some I’m actually happy to see go because they are actually more violent and invasive than any supervillain rampaging through a city will ever be. And others… well I now have concerns that we’ll never see two of my favorite heroes, Wonder Man and Adam Warlock, ever appear on screen. Don’t worry, it isn’t as sad as it may sound, and it doesn’t mean they won’t exist, it just means their tales will have to be different. That sacrifice leads to a great adaptation of what I imagine was a difficult character to envision, The Vision. One of the five most central characters to any Ultron story, his portrayal by Paul Bettany is remarkable, and it serves to properly portray the morality of the story.

You may just think you’re going to watch a group of ten, yes 10, superheroes on the screen battling a bad guy, saving the day. And yes, there is much action you shall see because roughly 80% of this movie is action, and that is huge. However, despite that you will want to see The Avengers fight and win, you will probably find yourself rooting a bit for the quirky, genocidal Ultron. Voiced by James Spader who is well known for playing both crazy dudes and evil doers, a new aspect of Ultron comes, one not provided in comic books, humor. And I don’t mean irony. Ultron himself has a sense of humor, and it’s both amazing and terrifying at the same time.

What about “The Twins”? In comic books you might know them as Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, the Mutant children of the master of magnetism himself, Magneto. However, even when this movie closes its unclear if they’ll ever be known by their superhero names. And we already know that due to business dealings they won’t ever be Mutants, and Magneto won’t be a part of their story. Overall, I think their story as told in the movie is done well enough because it requires less foreknowledge, which is important for audiences who many only ever know these characters from the movies.

War Machine fans will be happy as there is a lot of Rhodey in this film, and his look is now closer to comic books than it has been before. And fans will love that. The biggest win though is Hawkeye, as fans of both the character and Jeremy Renner will get a lot of great character development as he is one of the driving forces in this story. In other words, fans wanted more of both of these characters, and now they’ve got it. Oh yeah, and a certain love story starts to take a lot of strides forward, even though it seems to go the same way as Captain America: The First Avenger at the end – that last statement is both vague and intentionally misleading so as to remain spoiler free.

My feelings about this movie are a little mixed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s was utterly amazing to watch and made me shudder with joy at times. But I’m about one of the biggest comic book geeks on the planet. This story is all for folks like me. It’s a lot more like reading a comic book than any other Marvel movie ever. And I can therefore see where it won’t appeal to many who are not comic book fans. The story is hard to follow, the motivations of the villain are not well defined without taking into account foreknowledge. That won’t stop people from going to see this movie, it’s projected to cap $2 billion dollars when all is said and done, and it’s already made more than $250 million dollars before it’s official US opening.

There are a lot of questions left on the table with this movie. The face of the Avengers changes a lot more than was expected even by a fan like myself. But that’s in sticking with comic books, an Ultron story is always a game changer. You don’t have to stay past the credits for this one folks as there is no post-credits scene, but don’t think that you’re being stiffed. If you count carefully enough you’ll notice there are 4 equivalent scenes at the end of the movie.

Comic book fans, especially long time Avengers fans like myself will love this movie. Marvel movie fans, will love this movie as well, though likely not as much as the first Avengers film. It’s important to note there’s very little backstory here, it is expected that you know what’s gone before to watch this one – it is not self standing film. It’d be like starting a 30 chapter book at chapter 16. Go back watch at least some of the others, including the first Avengers if you haven’t. Parents might have to explain some things to children, as there is a lot of graphic violence and scary events in this film. This one will end up being the second biggest movie event of the year, and only because this year we get a new Star Wars film.

In addition to doing the web design and programming for the On the Go in MCO website, Todd Perlmutter is a host for the Disney Film Project Podcast.Follow us for more updates:

A Heroic Look At Big Hero 6

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It’s become evidently clear that the purchase of Marvel by Disney has turned out to be a huge win for the company, especially when it comes to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One of the tasks set by Bob Iger upon purchase was to search through the Marvel catalog to find out what else might be available for adaptation. Don Hall discovered Big Hero 6 and ended up pitching it to John Lasseter. Some of the characters had to be dropped due to their movie rights being owned by Fox, and many aspects of the characters were adjusted, but the focus remained on the relationship between Hiro and Baymax.

Due to some contention about live action vs. animation it was decided that Big Hero 6 would be set in its own universe rather than be part of the MCU and thus was born the amalgam city of San Fransokyo. It’s nice to see creativity on this level and a step toward taking ownership of characters that, while interesting, never really integrated well into the Marvel Universe in the first place. Each of the characters was reborn as something rooted in their original version, yet they were all now joined together with a common origin instead of having the diverse backgrounds they have in comics. And they’re all better for it.

The movie itself is a really interesting and enjoyable take on the superhero origin story. It has a flair to it, much the same way that Wreck-It Ralph did 2 years ago. Disney is showing a very gratifying trend that takes them away from their “safe zone” of animated movies and starts to etch out new and exciting concepts and creations. And that’s a good thing – diversity of design shows an ability to grow and adapt that once once thought lost to the company. One thing to look for is that at least 2 of the characters, Aunt Cass and Honey Lemon, look like modified models of prior characters Helen Parr and Lucille Krunklehorn.

I will say that while really great and enjoyable mind candy to a huge superhero fan like myself that Big Hero 6 does not have quite the “Wow!” Factor that Wreck-It Ralph did. But it does make up for that with a very solid and well engineered story. So instead of the wild ride that was Wreck-It Ralph at times, what you get is something a bit more grounded. And that serves the story well, and makes the movie better for it.

The characters in the movie are really strong. Hiro is a stereotypical teenager – sassy, smart mouthed, quippy, mopey, angsty, etc. It’s all in there. He suffers a lot of classic “superhero origin story loss” both on and off screen. And when he loses his footing in the world he lashes out, and his super friends (see what I did there?) have re-ground him. The story itself is very procedural, much like any TV crime drama where, and thus it has an endgame that very easy to piece together. But that doesn’t make it bad, because the intricacies of getting to that point aren’t as obvious as the point itself. So the fun is the journey in between.

So when you head out to see Big Hero 6, prepare yourself for a little slice of awesome. Your entire family is very likely to find something to make them both laugh and cry in this movie. The same can be said for it’s opening short Feast which every dog lover on the planet will “totally get”. Vinyl is in again. Fah-la-la-la-la.

In addition to doing the web design and programming for the On the Go in MCO website, Todd Perlmutter is a host for the Disney Film Project Podcast.Follow us for more updates:

Guardians Of The Galaxy Is An Awesome Mix #SpoilerFree #YoureWelcome

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I want to welcome you to the end of Act 2 and beginning of Act 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Guardians of the Galaxy (yeah I know technically Age of Ultron ends Phase 2, but this one is an Act change). Having just seen the movie for a third time, I want to let you know that it holds up very well across multiple viewings. My only real regret at the moment is that these were all previews. That means there was no not-so-secret end credits teaser scene, and that I’ll have to see Guardians again just to catch that part. Sorry, that’s a lie, I don’t regret having to see this movie again at all.

Know that Guardians of the Galaxy is a movie that is designed to appeal to a much wider audience than prior Marvel films. Why? Because it’s not a movie about Superheroes, it’s a movie about heroism forged through sacrifice. It’s also about murderers, thieves, bounty hunters, assassins – and that’s just the stars and heroes of the movie. Don’t worry though you can’t always judge a book by it’s cover. In comics, the desire and ability to do good often comes with missteps. You’re just going to see the worst of them, become the best of them and save the universe.

Wrong minded people might not want to see a movie where 2 of the stars are a vocabulary challenged floral colossus named Groot and a bipedal, gun-toting procyon lotor with anger management issues named Rocket. It’s a shame really because what they’d see on the screen are creatures that are so well engineered (more-so in Rocket’s case) that it’s almost hard to believe they are not living things. That and Groot is in so many ways one of the most beautiful things you’ll have seen on screen in a very long time that you will cry. And if that still doesn’t convince them about this movie then, to quote said racoon, “They’re d’ast idiots!”

From everything I saw on the screen, I can only say that despite all the changes from the comic books this is actually superb bit of silver screen magic packaged in a way to keep even the staunchest of comic book fans happy. There are a number of things I’m pretty sure I saw with my only regret so far being no sign of a mane of red, white, and blue. I can’t wait to get this film home in a few months so I can pause and study to my heart’s content. And note there’s a Hidden Mickey that I didn’t see until my third viewing.

Right minded people will notice that this movie is far less like Avengers, and far more like Star Wars or even Firefly. As I indicated above that gives us a movie that more people can in a lot of ways more easily consume. It’s a strong showing for Marvel as they push to keep this freight train moving ever forward (at least through 2019), and Guardians of the Galaxy is going to be in theaters for many months to come.

* Now read the first word of each paragraph

In addition to doing the web design and programming for the On the Go in MCO website, Todd Perlmutter is a host for the Disney Film Project Podcast.Follow us for more updates:

Guardians of the Galaxy – A Disney Parks Blog Meet-Up

On Sunday, July 27, I was lucky enough to attend a Guardians of the Galaxy movie screening hosted by the Disney Parks Blog.

When this meet-up was first announced I wasn’t completely sold on the movie, but I’ve enjoyed all other Marvel movies a lot so I figured I’d give it a shot. Plus blog meets are always a lot of fun. To begin with, I have to apologize for the lack of photos in this post. Our phones were confiscated (more on that further down) so the only pictures I have are one from before we went in and afterwards.

We were told that check in would begin at 10:00 at the AMC Theatre at Downtown Disney. Knowing how crazy parking is at Downtown Disney these days, we planned to arrive by 9:30. When we arrived, there was already a pretty good sized line forming by Bongos across from the theater. Unfortunately, most of the line was in the blazing sun.

The balloon occasionally did a good job of blocking the sun for us.

Finally, they began leading small groups of people over to the theater to check in. They checked our names off on the list, we got one of four different color wristband (we would later find out what those were for) and vouchers for popcorn and a drink. We were also handed 3D glasses, very very cool 3D glasses which were themed to the main characters.

Then the first surprise of the day – we had to check our phones! We were instructed to turn over all our electronic devices. They put them in a baggie and gave us a raffle ticket to use to pick them back up after the movie. They also had a really strict bag check at the entrance to the theater. Disney definitely did everything they could to prevent piracy for this screening.

Once we got to our seats (which were saved for us by our awesome friends), we passed the time by comparing/trading 3D glasses and lamenting on the fact that we couldn’t take selfies. Soon, people from the Parks Blog came out to speak to us. They started out by introducing some of the attendees that came dressed as their favorite superhero. Of course, the Guardians, Star-Lord in particular, were popular choices. We were then told that the wristbands that we received at the entrance would allow us to pick up a toy from the official Hasbro line once the movie was over! There were four different toys and each wristband corresponded to one of them.

Then the movie started. Watching a movie at one of these meet-ups is always a fun experience. The entire crowd is into it with clapping and laughing, and in the case of this movie a little singing and dancing in our seats. Seriously, this soundtrack is killer. The movie is so fun and I love the characters! I won’t go into a full review because that will be covered in another post. I will say, as someone who knew nothing about the story or characters going into it, if you are on the fence about seeing it – go for it! I don’t think you’ll regret it. I can’t wait to see it again.

Once the movie was over (no bonus scene after the credits for the screenings – boo), we lined up to retrieve our phones and toys. Everyone seemed really excited over the toys – they are pretty awesome! There was some trading going on, but we were happy with the ones we got.

Another fun Disney Parks Blog Meet-up was in the books and I think a good time was had by all. Are you looking forward to seeing Guardians on the Galaxy or have you been lucky enough to see it already? Do you have a favorite Guardian?

Team Building 101 With Guardians Of The Galaxy

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With the 10th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Guardians of the Galaxy, being released in less than a month (August 1, 2014) it’s no surprise to see that the marketing push for the movie is in full force. There have been several trailers and featurettes released that give you a glimpse of characters that probably leave many who are not too familiar with the Marvel Universe wondering how this clearly science fiction film has any connection to superheroes in general. For that I’m sure many will have to wait until the movie is released, but what about these characters themselves? How does a team of a “thief”, two “thugs”, and two assassins come to be a team that is capable of doing anything together, let alone saving the universe?

That’s where the movie scene shown during the Guardians of the Galaxy IMAX Sneak Peek comes in. Not all friendships and bonds are simply found. Often, at times of dire circumstance, they are thrust upon you in unexpected ways. Without specifics, what we saw on screen was a demonstration of that. Five individuals placed into an unfamiliar location and circumstance working together to achieve a common and mutually beneficial goal… saving their own keisters.

As a comic book fan, and someone who is familiar with the Guardians of the Galaxy, here’s what I felt I saw. Four out of five characters amazingly on point for how they are in comic books, and one I’m not too sure of yet as I’m trying to figure out how much of his past has been changed for the movie. It’s a scene central to the formation of this team and to do that it harkened back to an event and location in comic books that pre-dates their formation during Annihilation: Conquest. There are quite a few “name drops”, and references to things that will also make fans quite happy. All this plus lots of gunfire and some awesome mayhem in the span of 17 minutes. Sadly though, no new songs from the Star-Lord’s Mix Tape were in this preview.

What does this mean for moviegoers? Simply put, only good things. From what I saw this movie could quite possibly exceed the high bar set by The Avengers 2 years ago. These characters are removed enough (though integral to) the whole of the Marvel Universe that this movie will be an excellent jumping in point for someone who has not yet seen any or all of the other MCU movies. And it will be well received by existing fans. The only downside may be that this movie may be a lot for some viewers to absorb and understand clocking in at only 122 minutes (according to IMDb). Or to quote Peter “Star-Lord” Quill, “Something good. Something bad. A little bit of both.”

In addition to doing the web design and programming for the On the Go in MCO website, Todd Perlmutter is a host for the Disney Film Project Podcast.Follow us for more updates:

A Non-Spoilery Look At Captain America: The Winter Soldier

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When it comes to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, there are two types of people who will be watching over the coming months. Those that are comic book fans and those that are not. This is an important point, because what many believe to be the big reveal is, in fact, not the big reveal for many who will watch it. Either way, that reveal is to me, an avid (rabid?) comic book fan, is about the fourth most important thing you should have picked up from watching this movie. My point being this, when you’re watching keep an eye out for some of the smaller things because in a movie about subterfuge, subtlety is often key.

As I mentioned in Disney Film Project’s 2014 Preview Episode, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a movie drawing on a number of key things. To start with you have to remember that S.H.I.E.L.D. is a spy agency, and in modern culture due to certain events, such things aren’t looked at favorably or heroically. So it became necessary for the creators of the film to roll with that in order to create a story that will, I promise, lead to a better, stronger, and more heroic organization then what you’ve already seen. To be more specific would be spoiling this movie and a bit of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Winter Soldier was a character introduced to comics in 2005 by Ed Brubaker as part of what was considered to be another revival of Captain America himself. Pretty much right off fans were excited despite that they knew the “big secret”, because the journey was about Cap discovering it for himself and then working to track down The Winter Soldier and help him to regain his self and sanity by regaining his memories. In comic books, this involves a Cosmic Cube (movie fans will call this the Tesseract), and is going to be the basis for Captain America 3: The Hunt For The Red Skull (okay I made that title up, but that’s what I want it to be). By the time you get up from your seat, you’ll know what related device will be the Chekhov’s Gun for that film when it happens.

Also in 2005, as part of the Ultimate Universe from which much of the Marvel Cinematic Universe derives, came a story called Ultimate Nightmare created by Warren Ellis. In it Nick Fury pulls together a strike team including himself and three superheroes: Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon. Sound familiar? It should, this is the same team that was picked for this movie. This team is one of my absolute favorites to come from the Ultimate Universe, and it made me extremely excited to know they would be at the core of this movie. Seeing them on screen, the buildup of absolute trust that they accrue toward each other throughout, and watching their character growth in this movie is one of the major reasons this movie is enjoyable.

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Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falon, is done fantastically in the film. He’s always been a hard character to present well, but also since 2005 he’s really come into his own as a solid character who no longer feels like a tag along / second fiddle. He is after all the second most important Captain America partner (the term “sidekick” doesn’t fit him. Keep in mind too that in comic books he’s not only teamed with Cap, he’s actually put on the uniform and been Captain America, and is actually an Avenger. He also got awesome mechanical wings and guns which make for some of the best action moments in this film.

After you get up from the film you’ll probably want to look up these names as they most likely play into future Captain America movies based on the way things are going (hint: you’ll already have seen 3 of them):

This movie is just extremely solid for the first part of a storyline that took more than 5 years to tell in comic books. It is designed in the same magical way that Marvel has created all their movies from Iron Man forward: appealing to movie fans, and appeasing the comic book fan at the same time. It’s a mix that other movie and comic companies simply haven’t yet, and may never, figure out how to deliver on. Will everyone like this movie? No, overall a lot of Avengers fans didn’t like Captain America: The First Avenger. But plenty will love this movie and it is going to rock a lot of socks, and the box office.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k0kkSHiiPEFollow us for more updates:

Marvel Review: Wolverine: Old Man Logan

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This time around I thought I’d discuss a story a little bit outside the mainstream norm, yet still using some of the more familiar characters. The story Wolverine: Old Man Logan is just such a story. Written by Mark Millar who moviegoers might not know specifically but may recognize some of his works that have been turned into movies like Wanted and Kick-Ass. His stories are a bit more dystopian in nature. Borrowing a theme from Wanted, he places Wolverine 50 years into the future where the villains have defeated all the heroes, and divided up the United States of America into controlled territories.

The introduction to the story is a brief and not very fact filled introduction to just what happened to all the heroes. It tells us that Wolverine still survives, but unlike many of his friends who were outright killed, “they hurt him like no one ever hurt before”. Now he lives on a farm in what was once Sacramento, CA with his wife and children in a territory that is now controlled by the Hulk. When he can’t pay his rent, descendents of the Hulk come by and beat him up for it. He doesn’t fight back, we learn that he’s become a pacifist. He no longer goes by Wolverine, just Logan.

At this point an old and blind Hawkeye shows up at his home to offer him a job. Not of a “legal” nature, but it will pay his rent for a long time to come. He accepts the offer and the two head off in the Spider-Mobile, only Hawkeye is driving. Remember that he’s blind. Wolverine is there to help him stay on course and for protection. After heading through some devastated areas, they end up in Hammer Falls, a place where people come to pray for the return of the Heroes – also formerly Las Vegas. It happens to be where Thor died. There we find out the daughter of Hawkeye and his third wife, who happens to be the youngest daughter of Spider-Man has assumed the role of Spider-Girl.

They set off to rescue her, but things don’t go very well as we learn she didn’t need rescuing, and they end up inadvertently helping her overthrown the current Kingpin (not the one you’re used to), making her the new Kingpin. At this point we learn that being blind is barely a handicap for Hawkeye who can still hit any target that he can hear. And again some reminders about Wolverine now being a pacifist with slowly more and more reveal into just what happened to Wolverine. The two stop in a bar, and Wolverine tells the full story to Hawkeye. Revealing a gruesome about how the villains broke Wolverine’s will.

From there we get to see his transformation from Logan back into Wolverine. The pair try to complete their task, which doesn’t end well, and Wolverine is brought before President Red Skull as a trophy. He eventually wakes up, and the two face off in the Red Skull’s trophy room that contains all the various gadgets, gizmos, weapons, and costumes of various familiar heroes who were defeated long ago. Eventually Logan makes it back home only to find that the Hulk Gang got bored and killed his family anyway. This leads to the story culminating with a battle between Hulk and Wolverine, which is always a good show.

This story is really strong on plot, even though it feels a little too loosely stitched together at times. This is more because there’s 50 years of story here crammed into 8 issues of comic book. I’d love to see a one-shot some day of the “Fall of the Heroes” story that is hinted at where we can see things like the Baxter Building being used as a weapon. The reveal of just what happened to Wolverine is extremely tragic, and entirely plausible. Overall I really liked it, but I can’t say that it’s something everyone will enjoy. It is extremely graphic at points, and not a typical superhero tale. But is is a solid story about a morphed dystopian landscape that is both creepy and intriguing with lots of nifty elements for comic fans to consume.

Reading List:

Wolverine (vol 3) #66 – 72
Wolverine: Old Man Logan: Giant-Size (vol 1) #1

Marvel Review: World War Hulk

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World War Hulk is one of those mega-crossover events that Marvel puts out regularly. As such, it jumps through a number of titles – many old, some new – to tell it’s story. On at least one occasion you’re bound to see your favorite heroes helping out. This story continues where we left off after reading Planet Hulk. The big green machine is madder and therefore stronger than he’s ever been. His planet has been torn, his capital city destroyed, his wife killed, and his unborn child along with her. Along with his Warbound he sets off in his stone spaceship for Earth. His goal is simple: revenge on those who sent him into space.

The series starts off telling us about what’s been going on since the Hulk left Earth. The answer is “a lot”. Civil War broke out in the United States over the Superhuman Registration Act and Captain America was shot and killed (not really, but at this point everyone thought so). Tony Stark, is now the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and he’s working behind the scenes to create a nanovirus that is able to shut down the powers of physiologically enhanced post-humans. In simpler terms, he has already predicted that the Hulk will return and he’ll need a way to “shut him off”.

To that end we learn that he’s listed the aid of the Hulk’s cousin, She-Hulk. Of course, she has no clue what she’s doing – he has her thinking that she’s just taking care of problems that the Hulk would have had he not been missing. Yup, she doesn’t know that he’s been rocketed by Stark and the others – in fact, outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. no one seems to know. What we learn is that her targets matter, and she becomes a test subject for the nanovirus when she learns of what they did. That’s when she meets up with Amadeus Cho (who we are repeatedly reminded is the 7th smartest person on Earth). He has a cure for her, but wishes to exchange it for her help. He’s a friend of the Hulk (not Banner), and he knows about the Hulk, and his return. She declines, but the Renegades are born.

What happens next is the Hulk first battles Black Bolt, outside their city of Attilan in the Blue Area of the Moon. Why? He’s considered the most powerful of Hulk’s enemies as he has previously bested Hulk. We don’t get to see the outcome of the battle, just it’s after effects. The moon shifts a little, and the tides are affected. Then the Hulk parks his stone spaceship over Manhattan and tells the entire world what was done to him. He shows the defeated Black Bolt as proof that he means business, and then declares that in 24 hours he’ll destroy Manhattan if Mister Fantastic, Iron Man, and Doctor Strange don’t surrender themselves.

Then a lot happens (as if it didn’t already). The Hulk pays a visit to the X-Men only to discover the ravaged remains of the Mutant community (another thing that happened while he was gone). He sees that Xavier – who admits that had he been there he would have voted to launch Hulk into space – is already suffering greatly and leaves him to continue doing so. There are also some very good battles where the Hulk and his Warbound take down and capture just about every hero on Earth. Though a lot of it occurs out of panel.

There is a subplot where the Heroes for Hire end up having to stop No-Name of the Brood from hatching her children and having them take over the Earth. If you read all the connected issues this one has a lot of play, and eventually ends with the teams dissolution. Though they do succeed. The other relatively interesting subplot involves the creation of a team of gamma enhanced individuals called The Gamma Corps who actually do manage to take down the Hulk during all of this, but only for a brief period of time.

A lot continues to happen, but the gist of it is this – it all comes down Sentry. A character who was retrofitted into the Marvel Universe back in the early 2000s. He didn’t exist before then, and that’s sort of his story in a nutshell (perhaps another time). Basically he’s the Hulk’s best friend – the Hulk calls him “Golden Man” and his power has a calming influence on the Hulk. He’s got some problems of his own including Schizophrenia and Agoraphobia. Bottom line, eventually he steps outside, and they fight, and it’s the Hulk who has to stop him.

Then Rick Jones, the Hulk’s first friend, is stabbed with a spear, and Hulk goes beserk. But he learns that he’s been mislead, and that while the Illuminati did fire him into space, they were not responsible for much of what happened after that point. He basically at this point allows for Stark, Richards, and the others to defeat him. And is placed into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.

This series is basically the story for which Planet Hulk is the prologue. It has a serious amount of characterization that you might not otherwise have expected. It does draw long at some points, but the battles are good payoffs for each of those periods. Perhaps the most interesting takeaway is this, the Hulk has a secret power. In all his rampages, in all his wanton destruction, he has never once killed anyone he didn’t mean to, and even then only for self defense. Of course, that’s really the point. Never judge a book by it’s cover. Even if that book is a giant green man in purple pants whose favorite words are… wait for it… “Hulk Smash!”

Marvel Review: Planet Hulk

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Whether you look at him as being a superhero or a monster, the Hulk is quite a compelling character to read about. In modern culture, the comic book portrayal of the Hulk tends to take a back seat to either fond memories of Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby and the never forgotten phrase of, “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” Or the more recent portrayal in The Avengers movie and the defining phrase of, “That’s my secret, Captain. I’m always angry.” Suddenly many realized, hey there’s a lot more to this character than simply, “Hulk Smash!”

That’s where reading about him in comic books is so much different. The character is constantly changing, constantly evolving, but always breaks down into a question of what makes a man a hero or a monster. When written well, it truly makes you wonder is it Bruce Banner who turns into the Hulk, or is it the Hulk who turns into Bruce Banner. But one simple thing about the Hulk always carries the story, the madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets. What if his anger became so focused that there became no stopping him. That’s where Planet Hulk comes in, it is a story about pushing the Hulk to that brink.

It all starts with the Fantastic Four stopping a rampaging Hulk and calming him down for umpteenth time. The Thing makes an offhand, joking remark to Mister Fantastic about rocketing the Hulk into space that sets the wheels in motion. At this time in the Marvel Universe a group had formed behind the scenes calling themselves the Illuminati. Comprised of Iron Man, Mister Fantastic, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, Namor, and Professor X, this team voted to send launch the Hulk into space to land on a deserted planet to protect the Earth. (note: Professor X was absent, and Namor voted against the plan and quit the group) And they go through with it launching the Hulk into space.

From there their plan both works and fails. The Hulk is off Earth, with S.H.I.E.L.D. training the She-Hulk as a stand in, though with an ulterior motive. However the ship they sent him in is thrown off course by a wormhole and the Hulk ends up not on a deserted planet, but rather the planet Sakaar, a planet that has a society that is a conglomeration of other races that have been pulled through the same wormhole. He is weakened from the journey, able to be injured, and easily subjugated by the natives with an obedience disc and made to become a Gladiator for the Red King. One thing drives him through the storyline, his anger.

After all his friends have betrayed him, and stranded him in a place where he could be killed. He has no knowledge that they did not intend for him to be on Sakaar, and thus his driving motivation throughout the story becomes a quest for revenge. Along the way he makes a pact with other fellow gladiators, and together over the slain body of one of their fallen they make a pact to become Warbound to each other. Each is in their own way as strong as the Hulk himself prior to departing Earth.

The Red King takes an immediate dislike to Hulk and the Warbound are sent off to die multiple times. Eventually this all leads to a rebellion, led by the Hulk to defeat the Red King, free the slaves and free Sakaar. Now that really leaves out a lot of details I know, but to find those out I’ll suggest that you take the time to read the story. Though I promise there’s at least one cosmic surprise inside.

When all is said and done the Hulk – having defeated the Red King, and brought peace to the planet by uniting it’s cornucopia of inhabitants – is made the king of Sakaar. And throughout the story as he’s constantly challenged throughout he becomes steadily stronger and more angry. Then he takes a wife and she becomes pregnant. He starts to calm down and accept his new home and his new position as its leader. That is until the ship he crash landed in is paraded through the capital city of Sakaar where it has a warp core breach.

The ship explodes killing everyone in the city, including his wife and unborn child, and damaging much of Sakaar. At this point the Hulk becomes pure rage and anger and all he wants is revenge. A revenge that is targeted against the four members of the Illuminati that were responsible for sending him into space. Together with his Warbound they take their stone starship and head for Earth.

It’d been a very long time since I’d read a comic book from a Hulk title. It’s hard when one of your fondest comic reading memories looking back is that of Doc Sampson breaking his hand and arm to knock out the Hulk. But really it was like riding a bicycle to read, and a great way to jump back into the standard character from a comic book perspective (with prior recent experiences being the Ultimate Hulk and Zombie Hulk). Hulk fans who maybe don’t have as much comic book experience may struggle some with this story, but the payoff is grand for what it leads to later (see below). This is pure raw, raging Hulk, and it’s a great story that delivers.

Reading List (approximate reading order):

Fantastic Four: 533 to 535
Amazing Fantasy (vol 2): 15
New Avengers Illuminati Special
The Incredible Hulk (vol 3): 88 to 105
Additional: Planet Hulk Gladiator Guidebook

Next time: World War Hulk

MARVEL ous Movie Adventures

So, I just came home from watching Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World, and I wanted to take this opportunity to take a look back at my adventure through the Marvel movies released to date. Just to be clear, this is going to focus primarily on the Marvel Cinematic Universe put out by Marvel Studios, but will also cover other Marvel movies. First off, I have never once in my life picked up a comic book or graphic novel, so everything I am basing my opinions on came from my impressions from films. I’ll try to keep it spoiler free, but there may be some included, so if you haven’t seen any of these films and wish to, you’ve been warned.

I’ve never really been a huge fan of the superhero genre generally speaking, and if asked, I’d probably say my favorite superhero was Batman (of the Adam West variety of course), but that’s DC, however I have seen all those movies. I think my introduction to Marvel films came by way of the first X-Men film. I didn’t see any of the first three in the theater, but own all three after discovering my affinity for the characters through renting the movies. My love of Logan/Wolverine is deep seeded, and probably isn’t hindered by the fact he is played by the gorgeous Hugh Jackman. Having said that, the only X-Men film I had the misfortune to choose to see in the theater was X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I rebounded from that catching the far superior First Class on tv, and still haven’t seen what I’ve heard is decent in the new The Wolverine film. I prefer the first film, then the second, then First Class, and I’d forget about Last Stand and Origins. I’ll be interested to see where The Wolverine falls within these.

Between the X-Men films I watched the first two of the Spiderman films with Tobey Maguire. I wasn’t all that into it and haven’t to this day seen the third film or the reboot with Andrew Garfield. Also falling in the category of I really wasn’t impressed with it so I didn’t see the sequel is Daredevil (loosely referring to Elektra as the follow up). I vaguely recollect the highlight of Daredevil for me being the appearance of Colin Farrell as a baddie, Bullseye. Not much else about the movie stuck in my memory. Just this year did I get around to watching the Fantastic Four movie, partially because I heard Chris Evans was in it. Are you sensing a trend here? Hot guys are sometimes enough to get me to watch a movie. There, I said it. Feel free to judge away.

Along with these movies, there are several others that I didn’t even realize were Marvel until I did a little research for this post. Among these include the Ghost Rider series starring Nicolas Cage, Blade series with Wesley Snipes, the Punisher (two movies?), the Man-Thing (never heard of it), and Howard the Duck?!?!?!? I have not seen any of these films, but as I do tend to be a completionist, I may have to go back and watch them along with Elektra, the two Spiderman movies, the second Fantastic Four, and the new Wolverine movie.

Now we come to the beginning of what is referred to as the Marvel Cinematic Universe; the first film to be released in this series was Iron Man. For whatever reason, I must have been living under a rock for a bit, or maybe I still wasn’t sold on this superhero business, I didn’t see Iron Man in the theater. I caught it on dvd through Netflix in the following months and really enjoyed it. I don’t know why, but I didn’t rush out and buy it right away. Much like my feelings for Tony Stark himself, it is a love/hate slow burn to a crescendo kind of feeling. He is a bad boy, an antihero, but like a moth to a flame, you are drawn to him eventually. Part of his charm is his snarkiness, but also his superior intelligence, oh, and being played by Robert Downey, Jr. doesn’t hurt either. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist indeed.

I found myself enjoying Iron Man enough to catch the second installation in the theater. Again, I pick the wrong times to catch on to thing (much like computer operating systems) and this was no exception. Although Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury does deliver one of my favorite lines (re: donut), and I like the introduction of the Black Widow, this film was lacking the energy and cohesiveness of the first one. I liked the flashbacks to Howard Stark, but I didn’t connect with this as much as I had the previous movie.

Next up in my Marvel movie adventure came the discovery of Thor. Like Iron Man, I found a lot of humor in this movie, much more than I expected from something directed by Kenneth Branagh. This brought in more of a sci-fi/fantasy element than Iron Man, which was more Earth-based. Sure, Chris Hemsworth is all muscle-y and such. Despite science fiction not being one of my favorite genres of film, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, but not as much as Iron Man.

And then came Cap. Ah, Captain America, Steve Rogers, my favorite Avenger (albeit after some deliberation). I do like bad boys, a habit I think I’ve broken now in my mid 30s, but I can appreciate the chivalry and boy next door charm and gentility of Cap. He is the quintessential good guy, maybe why he’s been given the nickname boy scout? A man displaced in time, who has experienced so much, but is still so innocent. Part of what I love from the film is the WWII era setting. The rest is all about the man and his journey, and Chris Evans. 🙂

After this, I forced myself to watch the Incredible Hulk in preparation for the Avengers. My knowledge of the Hulk came from growing up watching Lou Ferrigno in the early 80s. This was a very different, darker monster than what we had seen on tv previously. I thought Edward Norton did a passable job as Bruce Banner, but I struggled to get through this one.

May 4th, 2012. A day emblazoned in my memory by the fine folks at the Disney Film Project Podcast. It became a mantra. The day arrived. I had to wait since I was working until a couple of days later, but caught a matinee at Downtown Disney by myself and absolutely loved it! I could not wait to see it again. This is the film that brought them all together, with the introduction of Mark Ruffalo now as Dr. Banner/Hulk. Before this movie, I had never paid to see a movie more than once in the theater. This one got my money three weekends in a row. I could not get enough. There was action, adventure, humor, and it was larger than life!

This year introduced us to the second round of Marvel films since Disney acquired the Marvel Studios. Loving Iron Man as I do, I had really high hopes for Iron Man 3, and I wasn’t disappointed. The film falls between 1 and 2 for me, but is definitely closer in quality to the first film than the second. I liked the humor and the action and Tony’s reaction to the events of the Avengers film. It is nice to know the man inside the machine is still human and has feelings.

That brings us to tonight’s viewing, Thor: The Dark World. I didn’t realize there was going to be as much sci-fi/fantasy (I feel there was way more than the first one), but still really liked it. I laughed out loud (literally) at several points in the movie, but, like Captain America and the Avengers, it also made me cry. I saw some things telegraphed before they occurred, others, not so much. As a whole, it was a very enjoyable film, which I will definitely be adding to my collection. Plus, Tom Hiddleston as Loki is hilarious, and there is a cameo that had me clapping and laughing so hard, I was glad the theater was almost empty.

From here, what’s next you ask? The next date to remember is 4/4/14 when Captain America: The Winter Soldier is released and man does it look good. It will be interesting to see more introspection from Cap on the happenings of the Avengers and also being displaced in time. This reminds me I also need to watch the short on the Iron Man 3 Blu Ray of Agent Carter. Speaking of agents, I would be remiss to not mention the wonderful Son of Coul, Agent Phil Coulson (his first name is not Agent despite Tony Stark’s insistence). I am really liking the new Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tv series on ABC. It is a nice combination of superhero/sci-fi/spy genres.

So, as far as my collection of movies goes at this point in time, I currently own the first three X-Men films, all three Iron Man movies, Thor, Captain America, and the Avengers. I will definitely be adding Thor 2 to that list when it comes out ostensibly in the spring. I am already counting down the days til we get the next Captain America film, but in the meantime, make sure you check out the latest trailer.

httpv://youtu.be/NLWsK1ZFunA

Have you seen any or all of the Marvel films I mentioned? What are your favorites so far? Who is your favorite character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Who would you like to be? I wouldn’t mind growing up to be a kick ass babe like Sith from Thor, or Agent Romanov aka Black Widow.

Phineas And Ferb: Mission Marvel Review

Two worlds collide as Phineas and Ferb team up with Marvel Super Heroes in Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel

Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel is the first animated Marvel Crossover created between the Disney Channel and Marvel, and it is sure to please fans of both franchises

The fate of the Tri-State area – and the world – hangs in the balance as Agent P and Danville’s most dynamic duo team up with four of Marvel’s greatest Super Heroes- Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Spider-Man – in one awesome full-length adventure.

After Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s latest “-inator” scheme accidentally removes the powers of some very well-known Marvel Super Heroes (Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk), the heroes enter the world of Danville and team up with Phineas and Ferb to relocate their powers, defeat the Marvel Super Villains (Red Skull, MODOK, Whiplash and Venom) – who have also shown up to steal Doofenshmirtz’s power-draining technology – and save Danville from ultimate destruction!

httpv://youtu.be/lngO85cJdP4

The episode is full of great nods to each Marvel character and their backstory, shout-outs to several sci-fi shows and movies (I’m looking at you Dr. Who and Howard the Duck), and even a required cameo by Stan Lee!

Helping Super Heroes bust Super Villains is what they’re going to do today!

In addition to the Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel full length adventure, there are six other full episodes of Phineas and Ferb on this DVD that make up 145 minutes of fun sure to keep big and little ones hooked!

Another fun feature of Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel is that inside each DVD is a Collectible Comic Book featuring characters from the episode, as well as one of three distinct and exclusive Marvel Posters. For collectors this is a huge bonus!!!

Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel is available now on Disney DVD, and if you are a fan of Phineas and Ferb or Marvel you are going to want to grab this song filled, action packed DVD for your collection!!!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel to review for this post. All opinions and fandom are my own!

Iron Man 3 Available Starting September 3, 2013

ALL-NEW “MARVEL ONE-SHOT: AGENT CARTER” FEATURED ON

THIS YEAR’S #1 WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE HIT

ON 2-DISC BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK

MARVEL’S IRON MAN 3

Other bonus features include an exclusive look into Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World,” behind-the-scenes featurette “Iron Man 3 Unmasked,” in which the film’s cast and crew offer a crash course in epic movie-making, Marvel-style, and much more!

This fall, the highest-grossing movie of the year, Marvel’s “Iron Man 3,” launches on HD Digital 3D and HD Digital September 3, 2013, and on 3-Disc 3D Blu-ray Super Set, 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack with Digital Copy, 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, SD Digital and On-Demand platforms September 24, 2013, featuring top-flight bonus features, including the all-new “Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter”. Called “bold” (Reelz), “brilliant” (moviefanatic.com), and “the best ‘Iron Man’ yet” (Access Hollywood), this blockbuster third chapter in the Iron Man series pits the brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against his ultimate enemy, The Mandarin, for the year’s most spectacular action adventure!

Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” has earned a record-breaking $1.2 billion dollars in theaters worldwide, making it the biggest hit in the Iron Man series and the fifth highest grossing feature film of all time. Now, viewers everywhere can experience the action-packed excitement on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy, featuring “Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter,” the fourth entry in the fan-favorite “One-Shot” series. Starring Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter of Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Agent Carter” takes place after the events of “The First Avenger” and offers the latest exciting expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Other bonus features include an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World,” which shows off the spectacular new worlds, unforgettable characters, and pulse-pounding thrills of the upcoming blockbuster movie, and two behind-the-scenes featurettes “Iron Man 3 Unmasked,” in which the film’s cast and crew offer a crash course in epic movie-making, Marvel-style, and “Deconstructing The Scene: Attack On Air Force One,” which allows viewers to jump right into the excitement of creating one of the film’s most memorable action sequences.

Additional extras include a Gag Reel, Deleted & Extended Scenes, and Audio Commentary with Screenwriter Drew Pearce & Screeenwriter/Director Shane Black.

The full range of Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” home entertainment offerings and bonus features are as follows:

PACKAGING & BONUS FEATURES:

3-Disc 3D Super Set (Blu-ray 3D+Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy+Music Download)

Bonus Includes:

· Marvel One Shot: Agent Carter

· Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Look Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World”

· Marvel’s Iron Man 3 Unmasked

· Deconstructing The Scene: Attack On Air Force One

· Gag Reel

· Deleted/Extended Scenes

· Audio Commentary With Drew Pearce & Shane Black

· And more!

2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack with Digital Copy (Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy)

Bonus Includes:

· Same as the 3-Disc 3D Blu-ray Super Set above

2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray+DVD)

Bonus Includes:

· Same as the 3-Disc 3D Blu-ray Super Set above

1-Disc DVD + Digital Copy

Bonus Includes:

· Deconstructing The Scene: Attack On Air Force One

· Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Look Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World”

High-Definition & Standard Definition Digital

· Bonus offerings vary per select digital retailers

DISC SPECIFICATIONS:

Street Date: September 24, 2013 (Direct Prebook: 7/30; Distrib. Prebook: 8/13)

Digital & On-Demand = please check with your television provider or favorite digital retailer for pricing

Feature Run Time: 130 Minutes

Ratings: U.S.: PG-13 For Sequences Of Intense Sci-Fi Action and Violence Throughout, and Brief Suggestive Content (bonus features not rated)

Aspect Ratio: Blu-ray & DVD = 2.40:1

Audio: Blu-ray 3D & Blu-ray 2D = English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, French-Canadian 7.1 DTS-HDHR, Latin Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital

DVD = English/Latin Spanish/French Canadian 5.1 Dolby, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital

Languages/Subtitles: English, French & Spanish

Social Media:

Stay connected with the latest news and information about “Marvel’s Iron Man 3”:

· “Like” us on Facebook

· Follow us on Twitter

· Website and Mobile Site

ABOUT MARVEL’S IRON MAN 3

Synopsis: Marvel Studios’ “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: Does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, “Iron Man 3” is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce & Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of “Tales of Suspense” (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with “The Invincible Iron Man” (#1) in May of 1968.
“Iron Man 3” is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures and DMG Entertainment. Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing and Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard, Alan Fine, Stan Lee and Dan Mintz are executive producers.
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the film earned the second biggest domestic opening of all time with $174.1M, crossed the $1 billion global box office threshold in 23 days of release, and currently stands as the #5 worldwide release of all time.

ABOUT MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT, LLC

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit marvel.com.

ABOUT THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS:

For more than 85 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel Studios; and Touchstone Pictures, the banner under which live-action films from DreamWorks Studios are distributed. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!

Disney Consumer Products At Disney’s D23 Expo 2013

Disney Consumer Products Takes Fans On Journey From Sketch to Shelf At Disney’s D23 Expo 2013

Disney’s Ultimate Fans to Enjoy Access to Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Content and Merchandise

Disney Consumer Products (DCP) will give Disney’s most loyal fans an up close look at an extensive collection of interactive experiences and merchandise that celebrate Disney, Marvel and Star Wars timeless characters during the bi-annual D23 Expo, the ultimate Disney fan event. Held at the Anaheim Convention Center from Aug. 9-11, 2013, Disney fans will have the chance to follow their favorite products from “sketch to shelf” and learn how Disney Consumer Products extends storytelling from character and content extension to product development through featured discussions, art and sculptures and final product displays.

While at the D23 Expo fans will also be able to immerse themselves in exhibits, hands-on demonstrations, special signing opportunities and exclusive product offerings at the Disney Consumer Products Pavilion.

Disney Consumer Products’ exciting lineup of events and attractions includes:

Celebrating Disney, Marvel and Star Wars

Disney Junior Fun Spot – Get a sneak peek of brand-new toys before they hit store shelves this fall and enjoy special giveaways while supplies last.

Disney Princess Ariel-Themed Sephora Pop-up Shop – Sephora Pro artists and manicurists will give attendees the royal treatment with products from the Disney Ariel Collection by Sephora. The collection will be available for purchase along with an exclusive-to-D23 Expo-only Swarovski crystal-encrusted Ariel compact mirror. Attendees will receive starfish hair clips with every complimentary beauty service each day, while supplies last.

The Mystical World of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Frozen – See feature animation art concepts, storyboards, unreleased film clips, and products from the mystical world of Frozen, the daring comedy-adventure from Walt Disney Animation Studios releasing in November 2013.

Steamboat Willie Redux – Celebrate the history and timelessness of the most cherished Disney character through this graphically re-interpreted mash-up of the pioneering 1928 cartoon short, Steamboat Willie.

Spider-Man’s Ultimate Innovation – Come check out products on the cutting edge of product innovation and design featuring one of the most popular Super Heroes in the world, Spider-Man, in Marvel’s first-ever appearance in the DCP showcase at the D23 Expo.

Star Wars at D23 Expo! – For the first time at the D23 Expo Star Wars fans can have access to experiences created for them by Lucasfilm and Disney. Darth Vader: The Evolution of a Villain, located in the DCP pavilion, showcases the development of the iconic villain from early concepts to striking realization. Crash Course in the Force: Star Wars Saga 101, presented by Lucasfilm’s resident authority Pablo Hidalgo at Stage 23, will give Star Wars newbies and experts alike a thorough grounding in all matters of the Force and the Star Wars legacy.

Fans will have the opportunity to participate in other immersive experiences, including: Find Your Voice with The Little Mermaid, a karaoke experience celebrating the music from the film; Journey through the Art of Tink, a gallery where Disney artists, designers, illustrators, and animators from around the world have re-imagined our magical, sassy and feisty fairy, Tinker Bell; What Makes a Puppet a Muppet?, which will help fans learn what it takes to create a Muppets “plush” and then create your own; Take a Ride with Disney•Pixar’s World of Cars and Disney’s Planes, which explains how the highly collectible diecast vehicles are made; Assembling The Avengers Franchise, an exclusive tour through the history of The Avengers and the chance to see the latest The Avengers products; and I heart Mickey & Minnie, a rarely seen collection of beloved Mickey Mouse toys, apparel, and accessories from past decades, along with a showcase of Minnie Mouse-inspired fashions from around the globe.

Disney Store

D23 Members attending the Expo are invited to attend the Disney Store signature store opening ceremony to “Unlock Imagination”, each morning at 9 a.m. at the Convention Center, when the D23 Expo floor opens for members. The 1,800-square-foot Disney Store retail space will be packed with the latest D23 Expo merchandise created by Disney Store and will feature guest artist signings. In addition, guests will find an array of products not yet available to the public, including a Disney∙Pixar capsule collection, which will bring together multiple characters from Disney∙Pixar’s cherished portfolio of films for the first time ever.

Presentations from Disney Store on the Disney Consumer Products Workshop Stage include:

Disney Fairytale Designer Collection – Guest artist signing with Gerald Mendez and Jessica Fuchs (Friday, Aug. 9 – 10:15-11:15 a.m.)

The Art of Ariel – Special guest artist signing with Gerald Mendez, Enrique Pita, Quincy Sutton, and Steve Thompson (Saturday, Aug. 10 – 10:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)

Artist Series Two – On Sunday, Disney Store will launch Artist Series Two, a collection of merchandise with artwork created by Disney Store artists and will host a guest artist signing on stage with Robert Farrell, John T. Quinn III, Jeff Shelly, and Becky Wong (Saturday, Aug. 10 – 2 p.m.-3 p.m.)

Disney Publishing
Disney Publishing will take fans into the world of books, apps and everything in between by showcasing how artists, storytelling and innovative content combined creates stories full of magic and adventure. Guests can participate in live readings with Fairy Godmother on Friday, watch artists behind popular Disney stories sketch live on Saturday and get their hair styled like a Disney Princess by Sephora on Sunday with the help of the Disney Princess Royal Salon app. New books and never-before-seen lithographs featuring Peter Pan, Mickey Mouse and Sleeping Beauty will be available for sale inside the booth.

Disney Publishing’s Stage 28 presentations and signings include:

Ridley Pearson and The Kingdom Keepers Insider App Quest – New York Times best-selling author Ridley Pearson embarks on a journey to write the seventh and final book in the Kingdom Keepers series—only this time, his readers are helping him write it! Join the author as he reveals how deception and betrayal rock the Kingdom Keepers’ world as the merciless group of Overtakers (Disney villains) stage an unexpected comeback (Presentation: Friday, Aug. 9 – 12 p.m.-1 p.m. Signing: 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m., Talent Round Up).

Dave Bossert Remembers Roy E. Disney with special guest Roy P. Disney – Dave Bossert and Roy P. Disney will share stories, drawings and candid photos found in Bossert’s new book Remembering Roy E. Disney: Memories and Photos of a Storied Life (Presentation: Friday, Aug. 9 – 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Signing: 2:45 – 3:45, The Dream Store).

Disney Imagineering Legend Marty Sklar Presents…Dream It! Do It!: My Half-Century Creating Disney’s Magic Kingdoms – Disney Legend Marty Sklar will take guests through a presentation based on his new memoir—one that recounts his epic Disney adventure, including working as Walt’s literary right-hand man for the Disney Parks, writing a film expressing Walt’s philosophy for the Walt Disney World project and Epcot and opening nine of the 11 Disney parks around the world (Presentation: Friday, Aug. 9 – 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Signing: 4:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Talent Round Up).

Tickets and pricing information for D23 Expo 2013 are available at D23Expo.com Admission includes access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 Expo and can be purchased for single days or for the full three days of festivities. Members of D23: The Official Community for Disney Fans will receive a discount on admission, as well as early entry to each day of the D23 Expo for themselves and their guests. More details about D23 Expo entertainment, events, and special guests will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans can keep up with all the news by visiting D23Expo.com or by following “DisneyD23” on Twitter and Facebook.

About D23 Expo 2013
The D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings the entire world of Disney under one roof, providing attendees with unprecedented access to Disney films, television, and theme parks. For the latest D23 Expo 2013 news, visit www.D23Expo.com. To be part of the D23 Expo conversation, make sure to follow @DisneyD23 and tag your tweets with #D23Expo.

About D23
The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his fledgling studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official club for fans in Disney’s nearly 90-year history. D23 gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication Disney twenty-three; a rich website at D23.com; and member-exclusive discounts and special events for D23 Members throughout the year, highlighted by the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, August 9–11, 2013.

Fans can join D23 at www.D23.com and at www.DisneyStore.com/D23. To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow us @DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.

About Disney Consumer Products
Disney Consumer Products (DCP) is the business segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) that delivers innovative and engaging product experiences across thousands of categories from toys and apparel to books and fine art. As the world’s largest licensor, DCP inspires the imaginations of people around the world by bringing the magic of Disney into consumers’ homes with products they can enjoy year-round. DCP is comprised of three business units: Licensing, Publishing and Disney Store. The Licensing business is aligned around five strategic brand priorities: Disney Media, Classics & Entertainment, Disney & Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Princess & Disney Fairies, Lucasfilm and Marvel. Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) is the world’s largest publisher of children’s books, magazines, and digital products and also includes an English language learning business, consisting of more than 40 Disney English learning centers across China and a supplemental learning book program. DPW’s growing library of digital products includes best-selling eBook titles and original apps that leverage Disney content in innovative ways. The Disney Store retail chain operates across North America, Europe, and Japan with more than 350 stores worldwide and is known for providing consumers with high-quality, unique products. Disney’s official shopping portals online are www.DisneyStore.com and www.DisneyStore.co.uk. For more information, please visit Disney Consumer Products www.DisneyConsumerProducts.com or follow us at www.YouTube.com/DisneyLiving, www.Facebook.com/DisneyLiving, www.Twitter.com/DisneyLiving and http://www.Pinterest.com/DisneyLiving.Follow us for more updates: