15- Chris Evans as Captain America: When director Joe Johnston and Marvel Studios set out to cast the iconic and coveted role of Steve Rodgers/Captain America, they knew they had a difficult task in front of them. Fans were throwing all sorts of names out in hopes they would land the part: Mark Valley, Jenson Ackles, Armie Hammer, Aaron Eckhart and numerous others. After months of speculation and rumors, Chris Evans had landed the part. Some were skeptical, others were on board from the get-go. Either way, Evans surprised us all when the film came out and fully embodied the look and characteristics of Cap to the extreme. He carried this over into his portrayal of the character in the massive blockbuster, Teh Avengers as wellhe I look forward to seeing the character and Evans in more films and watch them soar to even higher levels of awesome.

14- Chris Hemsworth as Thor: This movie had a lot of folks asking a lot of questions: How will they handle Asgard? Will it be on Earth or Asgard? What about the Rainbow Bridge?  Who Will play Thor? That last question had a lot of folks stumped. One name that kept coming up was Triple H of the WWE and praise Odin that never happened! But when it came time to pick and actor, they looked to a little known Australian actor who had recently had a part in JJ Abram’s hit Star Trek as Captain Kirk’s father that met his demise very early in the film. After some serious bulking up and donning the costume, fans were in awe of how well he fit the role. As the character went from his solo movie into the Avengers, he only go better. Looking forward to seeing the upcoming sequel Thor: The Dark World this fall.

13- Hugo Weaving as Red Skull: In all honestly, I think there were really only two people who could have played this role well: Mads Mikkelsen and Hugo Weaving, who ended up playing the part. Weaving is notorious for his voice and his ability to sound like the most evil thing on the planet, so it only seemed natural for him to bring Red Skull to life. Needless to say, it worked. I could go on and on about the talent of Weaving, but I think we all know how awesome the guy is and no matter what role he is playing, he brings it all with him and this was no exception. At this point, we don’t know if Red Skull will be back for The Winter Soldier, but we do know that Weaving didn’t sound too interested in reprising his role. Shame.

12-Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner: When I was younger and used to tag along with my parents to their weekly bowling league, I spent most of that time playing the classic X-Men video game and the character I always chose was Nightcrawler. So when I learned that Bryan Singer would be adding the character to the X2: X-Men United line up, I was elated. But who would play the part? I had no suggestions to be honest but Singer brought in Alan Cumming, who I had only seen in Golden Eye, or at least paid attention enough to know him from that film. It was a perfect choice. Cumming embraced the role wholly and brought an emotional aspect to the character that you wouldn’t expect. Not to mention, he gave us one of the best scenes ever captured in a comic book movie.

11- Ron Perlman as HellBoy: When the first Hellboy film released, I really didn’t know that much about the character; still don’t for that matter. Regardless, I knew that visionary director Guillermo Del Toro was the man behind the camera, so I knew that the film would be worth watching. What little I know of the character still doesn’t keep me from knowing that Perlman was the ideal actor for the part. As the Devil’s offspring, the role is not one that many people can embrace and actually make work, but Perlman does it and brings with him the humor and the strength needed for the role. Sadly, it doesn’t look like we will get to see Perlman and Del Toro back for a third round, as the film

10- Hugo Weaving as V: The only actor to appear on this list twice, Weaving took a character that never has his face shown and made it one of the more memorable performances in a comic book film. James Purefoy was originally cast in the role, some of which made it into the film, but was forced to drop out and director James McTeigue brought in Weaving as a replacement. Weaving gives life to V without ever seeing his face and he became one of my favorite characters on film. Not to mention he gave one of the most tongue-twisting speeches I’ve ever heard. Teamed with other incredible actors like Natalie Portman, Stephen Frye and John Hurt only made the performance that much better.

9- Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr/Magneto: Feelings of the film’s direction aside, it’s hard to deny that Michael Fassbender gave an absolutely stunning performance as the Master of Magnetism in X-Men: First Class. Bringing an almost James Bond feel to the character was a unique, but daring spin that worked quite well. Fassbender brought the intensity and emotion needed to portray Magneto, something that Sir Ian McKellen did as well, but not to this extent. In the film, Lensherr is hell-bent on getting revenge for his and his family’s treatment in the camps and Fassbender takes that to heart, which you can see in the numerous scenes where he does get pay back. Throughout the film, you can see his frustration with humans growing and in the final moment of him going over to the other side is wrought with pain and anger. Oh! And that helmet! Brilliant!

 8- Jackie Earl Haley as Rorschach: Considered to be one of the most faithful comic book to movie adaptations, Watchmen also stunned viewers with fantastic visual effects, superb character portrayals and slow-motion sex scenes. Director Zack Snyder did an amazing job in casting actors for his roles, including a relatively unknown Jackie Early Haley in a pivotal role in the film. The harsh, yet troubled Rorschach needed an actor who wasn’t afraid to spread their wings and take on a bit darker role. Easily one of the better performances in the film, Haley’s added raspy voice was exactly how I imagined it to be while reading the graphic novel. Couldn’t think of a better person for the part.

7-Mickey Rourke as Marv: Quite possibly one of the most unique films to hit theaters in recent years, Sin City brought together an incredible cast that included Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Powers Boothe, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood and the late Britney Murphy. But one person stood out in the crowd: Mickey Rourke, who played the hard-hitting love-stung Marv, who was dead-set on finding out who killed his love Goldie. His voice over work was superb and his on-screen presence was just that, a presence; you couldn’t take your eyes off him. It’s not easy to stand out in a crowd of actors of this quality, but Rourke makes it look easy and I look forward to seeing him again in A Dame to Kill For.

6- Mark Strong as Sinestro: Green Lantern was supposed to be the Star Wars of a new generation; with its spectacular images of space and incredible use of CGI. Needless to say, it fell a bit short. OK, a lot short. I could go on for a while about the lack of awesomeness that Green Lantern had, but I want to focus on the one shining star in the film: Mark Strong as Sinestro. We barely got to know this mentor turned foe and that’s a real shame, because Strong was a perfect selection for the role. A confident, almost arrogant mentor that is tasked to bring Hal Jordan to a higher level. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see nearly enough of him, and due to the lack of box office performance, we might not ever get to see Strong really get going in a sequel. Here’s to hoping things can get worked out for a better sequel.

5- Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier: One of the things that really got me interested in comics was the popular 1990′s X-Men cartoon series. That, coupled with my occasional viewing of Star Trek: The Next Generation lead me to believe that Patrick Stewart would be the perfect choice to play Professor X if a movie was ever made. I’m sure I’m not the only person to think that, but I’m glad I wasn’t because having seen him portray the role in three films and a cameo (so far), I still think it was fantastic casting. The look, the voice, the persona, all of it was perfect. While Patrick Stewart will be reprising his role in Days of Future Past, we don’t know of any future films he could be involved with. Hopefully more will come along.

4- Tom Hiddleston as Loki: When they announced who would be playing Thor‘s half-brother in the film, a lot of people, myself included, had to look the guy up to see if we’d seen him in another movie. Although he was a rather obscure choice, it was a match made in Asgard, as Hiddleston portrays Loki near perfectly. The arrogant and the sniveling aura that surrounds Loki in the comics is brought to life with a talent that is hard to come by these days. The role required that those features be amplified in The Avengers and Hiddleston answered the call with ease, once again being one of the highlights of the film; the scene with Johannsen’s Black Widow comes to mind. Truly a stunning scene for both of them.

3- Heath Ledger as The Joker: As with several of the characters/actors listed today, this casting came out of nowhere and it wasn’t until people actually saw his performance did they see the genius behind Christopher Nolan’s choice. While his portrayal may not be the most accurate and true to the comics, Ledger brought a whole new version of the character to the big screen. He was dark, creepy and at times, down right frightening. Ledger was known for immersing himself into a role, and sadly, as some believe, this may have led to his demise. Being one of only a few who have been awarded a posthumous Oscar Award, Ledger took the Joker to a new level, and I feel bad for whoever attempts to take on the role in the future, as he will always be compared to Ledger’s incredible portrayal.

2- Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man: Notorious for being a bit of a play boy and all around fun-having person, RDJ seems the obvious choice for the role of billionaire Tony Stark and his alter-ego Iron Man. But at the time of the casting, it really came as a surprise. For a while, it was thought that Tom Cruise was actually going to play the part, but luckily, things changed and RDJ got the part. What makes this work so well is that RDJ doesn’t really have to act in order for him to play the role. If you’ve seen him in actual interviews, he is almost the same as Tony Stark, so the role pretty much comes naturally to him. The sly, yet compassionate Stark isn’t far from the fan-loving Downey that we see so often when he interacts with the public.

1- JK Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson: So, after all those awesome actors, you were wondering who would land on top. Well, it’s none other that Mr. State Farm himself, JK Simmons. One of my favorite things about Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films was actually this character. He was hilariously ruthless towards Peter Parker, dead -set on making the teen’s life a living hell at work and Simmons played the role perfectly. JJJ is  a loud, pompous and sarcastic man, and few people would be able to duplicate the portrayal that Simmons gave us. We have yet to see JJJ in the new rebooted series, but it is likely that we will see him pop up in the planned sequel. Will Simmons be asked to come back  or will Webb (assuming he returns for the sequel) go a different route? Being that production recently started and no word has been given on whether or not JJJ has joined the cast, I’d suspect we’ll have to wait a while to see.

There are obviously numerous other actors and characters I could add to this list, as there have been some incredible castings in comic book movies. Jeffery Dean Morgan as the Comedian in Watchmen, who played a troubled and washed-up hero. Christopher Reeve as Superman, the role that got many people interested in comic book characters and movies. Wesley Snipes as Blade, a movie that started the current movement of comic book films that is still going strong. More recently, Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, who gave us a much more accurate version of the web-slinger, in this geek’s opinion. I could go on for a while on the honorable mentions, but these 15 roles really stand out to me as the best of the best. As more and more movies are adapted from our beloved comic books, I look forward to seeing many more great actors cast as our favorite characters.

Josh "ecksmanfan" Johnson, The Best of Comic Book Movie Casting

We also have some details on characters who are very likely to show up in the game. The list includes: The Thing, Juggernaut, Sandman, Green Goblin in a OsCorp Tower level, and Magneto.

Traveller’s Tale took on the DC universe in Lego Batman 2: Dc Super Heroes, a result of the studio being purchased by Warner Bros. in 2007. Because WB owns DC and the gaming company, many thought a Lego Marvel videogame was all but impossible. The fact TT is working on a new Lego game featuring over 100 Marvel characters came as quite the surprise to fans and the game’s developers alike.  In a recent write-up in the newest issue of Game Informer, thanks to our friend Llama for some scans, the company talked on the new project and teased new details for the upcoming game.

Jonathan Smith, TT Games head of production, touched on the seemingly impossible task of WB making a Marvel game:

The experience we’ve had with massive media organizations is that they’re not entirely stocked by bad people. This may come as a shock to people on the internet, but it turns out that big media organizations are capable of making really good decisions with players’ best interests at heart.

The article reveals that the game will feature The Avengers as an important part of the game, but it will work in other characters, factions, and groups inside the Marvel universe. The game’s story will be written by Mark Hoffmeier. The writer is no stranger to big franchises having written some for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and Marvel Super Hero Squad.  The story is still under wraps but it appears Loki will reach out to an unnamed villain to create a “bad-guy alliance to defeat the heroes who stand in their way.”

Two of the game’s most unique characters will be Spider-Man and Hulk. The city of New York will be destroyed in part and rebuilt by players, but gamers can cause destruction of their own with Hulk. The game developers had to work a lot of things around the green behemoth who will be a major focus of the game. Objects have to be destroyable and react to Hulk’s hyperstrength. While the Lego game will have the skillset characters of the previous game, Spider-Man seems to be in a class of his own. Instead of having isolated areas for web use like Batman’s grappling hook, the web slinger can use his webs to stick to any surface and swing wherever players want. Spider-Man’s webs can also be used to tie up bad guys and grab/pull objects. The trademark Spider sense is also in the game. According to one developer “Spider-Man is quite possibly the most difficult of the characters we’ve worked on, but he’s becoming the most satisfying from a design perspective.”

You can learn even more about the upcoming Marvel Lego game by picking up the newest issue of Game Informer. It sounds like this will be going well beyond the usually superhero Lego game fare. With the level of detail and free playing ability to Hulk and Spider-Man, it will be exciting to see what they bring for the other 100+ characters. What do you think? Will you be picking this game up?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, UPDATE: New Details For The Lego Marvel Super Heroes Game

Fans of the recent Avengers film, bear in mind that while this game is targeted as a tie in to the movie, it otherwise bears no concrete relationship (there was however an Avengers game in the works for a short while before it was canned). Instead, it follows the Secret Invasion plotline from the comic books. Still, many of the characters will be more than familiar.

‘Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth’ will be available for X-BOX 360-with its added Kinect motion capture, as well as for the new Nintendo Wii U.

The game ‘Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth “is based on the series Secret Invasion. Includes 20 Marvel characters, among which are Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Spider-man, Storm and Magneto.

Visit the Official Website for more info: http://www.AvengersBattleForEarth.com

The Skrulls have landed and now it is up to you to embody your favorite Marvel super heroes and defeat epic enemies during the Secret Invasion. Unleash your inner superhero in Marvel Avengers™: Battle for Earth!

wolverinept, SDCC ’12: Second Trailer For Marvel’s Avengers: Battle for Earth

NOTE: If you have not read the first part, click the link: Part 1

In 2000, began the hegemony of the Marvel heroes in movies with the premiere of X-Men, already famous as a result of the comics and cartoons, the film was an absolute success with audience, becoming a profitable film franchise, with four films, a prequel, and another on the way. But it took Hollywood quite some time to realize just how profitable this partnership of the seventh to the ninth art would be .

Blade, 1998

Blade (Wesley Snipes) was born as a hybrid of human and vampire because he was contaminated in the womb of his pregnant mother when she was bitten by the vampire Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff). With that, he became powerful and immortal but with his human side intact. With the help of his mentor, Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), he takes upon himself to fight the vampires in order to avenge the death of his mother. One enemy in particular appears in his path, and it is precisely his vampire “father” Deacon Frost, who aims to become the leader of the vampires and guide them in a major attack against humanity.

Trivia: Blade is a Daywalker, half vampire and half human, this gives him vampire abilities like rapid regeneration, strength, reflexes, speed and superhuman agility. Blade has none of the vampires weakness and can walk by day and do everything that a vampire can. But he still fells the need to drink blood. He is a master of martial arts and disguises, great swordsman and thanks to his vampire abilities he can feel the presence of supernatural creatures. Created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, his first appearance was in Tomb of Dracula # 10 in 1973.

Original Title: Blade Director: Stephen Norrington Cast: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N’Bushe Wright, Donal Logue, Sanaa Lathan Producer: Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes, Robert Engelman, Andrew J. Horne, Avi Arad Written by: David S. Goyer Soundtrack: Mark Isham Running time: 120 min. Year: 1998 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Horror

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Blade II, 2002

Blade (Wesley Snipes) finds his friend Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) who apparently survived a suicide attempt. He know counts with the help of a young man, Scud, who develops devices and weapons for him to use in their constant battle against the beings of the night. A new threat emerges, a more powerful race of vampires called Reapers created from genetic breeding between humans and vampires, and it endangers both races. So, Blade joins forces with his greatest enemies so that, together, they can tackle this new race of bloodsuckers.

Trivia: Mike Mignola and Tim Bradstreet, both artists from the comics, worked on Blade 2 in the ​​the visual concepts of the film. The filming of Blade 2 occurred in the city of Prague, capital of the Czech Republic.

Original Title: Blade II Director: Guillermo del Toro Cast: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Tchéky Karyo, Norman Reedus, Leonor Varela, Ron Perlman, Luke Gross Production: Wesley Snipes, Peter Frankfurt Patrick Palmer, Avi Arad Written by: David S. Goyer Soundtrack: Marco Beltrami Duration: 117 min. Year: 2002 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Horror

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Blade: Trinity, 2004

In an unknown location in the desert the vampires resurrect Dracula (Dominic Purcell), who gave birth to the vampire race and has powers that allows it to survive in daylight. The creatures of the night start a smear campaign against Blade (Wesley Snipes), putting the FBI on his tail. After a few meetings with agents, Blade and Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) realize they need help. After being attacked and captured, Blade is saved by the Nighthawks, a group of humans dedicated to hunt vampires led by Abigail (Jessica Biel), who is also the daughter of Whistler. Along with Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds) and scientist Sommerfield (Natasha Lyonne), who has a visual impairment, Blade and the Nighthawks start a series of battles against Dranica Talos (Parker Posey), the current leader of the vampires, not knowing that they will have to confront Dracula himself.

Trivia: Guillermo del Toro, director of Blade 2 was invited to direct the 3rd film, but he choose to direct Hellboy (2004) instead.

Original Title: Blade Trinity Director: David S. Goyer Cast: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Jessica Biel, Ryan Reynolds, Parker Posey, Dominic Purcell, Triple H Production: Wesley Snipes, Avi Arad, Cale Boyter, Toby Emmerich Screenplay: David S. Goyer Music: Ramin Djawadi Duration: 113 min. Year: 2004 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Horror

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X-Men , 2000

The mutants are the next step in the human evolutionary ladder, but suffer a lot of prejudice because humans in general do not understand their powers and fear that in the future they may come after normal humans. Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), advocates a peaceful existence between humans and mutants, and with his X-Men fights against the evil Brotherhood of Mutants, led by Magneto (Ian McKellen), who declared war on humans, he is weary of so much persecution and humiliation of their race. Two mutants in particular will be involved in this fight: the first is Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), which has a healing factor and unbreakable adamantium skeleton and retractable claws, and the second is Rogue (Anna Paquim), a young woman who absorbs all the vital force and powers of anyone she touches. These two mutants are sought after by the Brotherhood of Mutants and the X-Men, as each faction wants to strengthen their side. The difference is that Xavier wants the two mutants to help them control their powers, while the mutant Magneto needs to carry out his plan of killing all the worldwide nation leaders that are meeting in Ellis Island  to decide the future of mutants.

Trivia: The film grossed $ 55 million in its weekend debut in the United States. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, their first appearance was in X-Men No. 1, 1963.

Original Title: X-Men – The Movie Director: Bryan Singer Cast: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Bruce Davison, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Ray Park, Anna Paquin Producer: Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter, Avi Arad Screenplay: Tom DeSanto and David Hayter Soundtrack: Michael Kamen Duration: 104 min. Year: 2000 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy

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X2: X-Men United, 2003

Still living in a world that hates them, the mutants are discriminated against even greater when a new mutant stages an attack on the President of the United States, nearly killing him. This causes society to manifest even more against the mutants, causing the mutant registration project to gain strength. William Stryker (Brian Cox), a soldier who has experience in dealing with mutants and a link with Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) past, becomes one of the spokesmen of this project and becomes responsible for a plan that is aimed at eradicating all mutants. With the permission of the President, Stryker launches a major offensive against the mutants and invades Professor Xavier’s mansion forcing Magneto (Ian McKellen), who escaped from prison, to join the X-Men to fight against Stryker.

Trivia: X2 was released in the U.S. on May 2, 2003 and became a critical and commercial success, earning eight nominations for Saturn Awards and grossing nearly 407 million dollars worldwide.

Original Title: X-Men 2 Director: Bryan Singer Cast: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Anna Paquin Production: Tom DeSanto, Avi Arad, Ralph Winter, Lauren Shuler Donner Screenplay: Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris, David Hayter Music: John Ottman Duration: 134 min. Year: 2003 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy

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X-Men: The Last Stand, 2006

A vaccine is created to suppress the X gene that gives mutants their powers, offering a cure for the homo superior. Magneto raises an army and says that the cure will be used to exterminate the mutant race. He finds out that Jean Grey has enormous power and that she is willing to use it. Magneto and Xavier meet in order to dispute Jean’s loyalty, until Phoenix awakens and releases all her fury killing Xavier. The X-Men regroup to face Magneto’s army who is attacking the pharmaceutical company that created the mutant cure. After the battle, Phoenix emerges and begins to destroy everything around them. Momentarily lucid Jean asks Wolverine to save her. Angry about it, but leaving him with no choice, he kills her, it was the only way to save Jean’s Phoenix.

Trivia: Bryan Singer, director of the two previous films, was going to direct X-Men – The Last Stand but decided to direct Superman Returns (2006) stating that he would be available to direct the 3rd X-Men movie after it. However, because Fox wanted to launch the 3rd film in 2006, they decided to replace him with another director. The film is loosely based on two arcs of the comic books: X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga from writers Chris Claremont and John Byrne, and Gifted written by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday.

Original Title: X-Men – The Last Stand Director: Brett Ratner Cast: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Shawn Ashmore, Patrick Stewart Producer: Avi Arad, Lauren Shuler Donner Ralph Winter Screenplay: Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn Soundtrack: John Powell Duration: 104 min. Year: 2006 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy

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X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 2009

1845 Canada, young James Howlett sees his father John Howlett being murdered by the caretaker of the house where he lived Thomas Logan, father of Victor Creed. Terrified, James develops his mutation: bone claws grow between the joints of his hands and he kills Thomas, who before dying reveals that he was in fact his real father. James Howlett and Victor Creed flee for several years and across different historical moments of the United States until they are discovered by William Stryker looking for mutants to join his division. After a quarrel, James leaves the group and goes to live in the mountains with a new identity, Logan. His girlfriend is killed by Creed. Logan asks Stryker to join the “Weapon X” project which reinforces his skeleton with Adamantium, an indestructible metal alloy. Becoming a deadly weapon and equipped with claws that cut through almost anything, using the codename Wolverine, he goes in search of Victor Creed seeking revenge, only to discover that his life was an eternal lie.

Trivia: The movie was not well received by critics, who considered it uninspired and poorly written. Despite this, Wolverine earned $ 364 million worldwide. The director chair was offered to Zack Snyder who refused because he wanted the movie to be rated R. Created by Len Wein and Herb Trimpe, his first appearance was in The Incredible Hulk No. 180 of 1974.

Original Title: X-Men Origins: Wolverine Director: Gavin Hood Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Will.i.am, Lynn Collins, Taylor Kitsch, Kevin Durand, Ryan Reynolds Production: Hugh Jackman, Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter Screenplay: David Benioff, Skip Woods Soundtrack: Harry Gregson-Williams Duration: 107 min. Year: 2009 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy

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X-Men: First Class, 2011

In 1944 Poland the young Erik Lensherr develops his mutant powers in the concentration camp while seeing his mother being executed by the Nazis. Later he embarks on a continuous search for the killers of his family. Meanwhile, Xavier (James McAvoy) is formed at Oxford University and becomes a genetic specialist. In Las Vegas, a CIA spy Moira McTaggert (Rose Byrne) infiltrates the Hellfire Club while in pursuit of Colonel Hendry. Erick Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) discovers the whereabouts of his main enemy, now going by the name of Sebastian Shaw, a powerful mutant who has a plan to provoke a nuclear war and obtain world domination. The fates of Erick, Charles and Moira McTaggert will interconnect to try to stop the menace of the Hellfire Club and its evil mutants.

Trivia: A new beginning of the mutant franchise, the film connects true historical facts with the plot. Well received, with excellent reviews and the box office was good. A direct sequel is already in development.

Original Title: X-Men: First Class Director: Matthew Vaughn Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Oliver Platt, Kevin Bacon Producer: Gregory Goodman, Simon Kinberg, Lauren Shuler Donne Writers: Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn Music: Henry Jackman Duration: 131 min. Year: 2011 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy

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Fantastic Four, 2005

A disaster strikes a spacecraft, causing its five crew members to undergo changes in their body and to gain special powers. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), the leader of the group, gains the ability to stretch his body now made of rubber. Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), his girlfriend, gains powers that allow her to turn invisible and create force fields. Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), Sue’s brother, can increase the heat from his body and turn into flames, while Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) has his body turned to stone and gains superhuman strength. Upon returning to Earth after the accident, the new powers begin to manifest themselves, so that everyone has to adapt to them and also to the status of celebrities. The fifth member of the group that was on the ship was Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), who also undergoes a transformation and gains the power to shoot and manipulate energy. The new team of heroes known as the Fantastic Four as to stop  the powerful villain Victor Von Doom, who is now known as Doctor Doom.

Trivia: The film had a largely negative reception, but earned a worldwide box office of $ 330 million worldwide. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, their first appearance was in The Fantastic Four No. 1, 1961.

Original Title: Fantastic Four Director: Tim Story Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, Julian McMahon Producer: Avi Arad, Bernd Eichinger, Ralph Winter Screenplay: Michael France and Mark Frost Music: John Ottman Length: 106 min. Year: 2005 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy

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Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, 2007

The Fantastic Four face their greatest challenge yet when an enigmatic and intergalactic herald called the Silver Surfer comes to Earth to prepare the planet for destruction by his master, Galactus. As he crosses the globe causing panic, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben must unravel the mystery of the Surfer’s arrival, as they face the return of their mortal enemy, Dr. Doom, before all hope disappears.

Trivia: Budget of the movie was of $ 130 million. The film received two Golden Raspberry nominations in the categories of Worst Actress (Jessica Alba) and Worst Screen Couple (Jessica Alba and Ioan Gruffudd).

Original Title: Fantastic Four – The Rise of the Silver Surfer Director: Tim Story Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, Julian McMahon Producer: Avi Arad, Bernd Eichinger, Ralph Winter Screenplay: Don Payne and Mark Frost Trail Music: John Ottman Duration: 91 min. Year: 2007 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy

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Tune in next week for part 3 where we will take a look at movie blockbusters such as the Spider-Man trilogy and reboot but also at such “incredible” things as Daredevil, Elektra and much more!

wolverinept, Marvel Studios: A Difficult Start But A Fantastic Movie History Part 2

Which team will reign supreme? Join the conversation on Twitter with #AvX!

For more on Avengers VS X-Men, please visit http://avx.marvel.com

AVX: VERSUS #1 (FEB120531)
AVX: VERSUS #1 IMMONEN VARIANT (FEB120532)
Written by JASON AARON & KATHRYN IMMONEN
Art by ADAM KUBERT & STUART IMMONEN
Cover by ADAM KUBERT
Variant Cover by STUART IMMONEN
Rated T+…$3.99
FOC – 4/02/12, ON SALE –4/25/12

Agent Burgos, Marvel Unveils Stuart Immonen’s AVX: VS #1 Variant Cover – An AVENGERS VS. X-MEN Tie-In!

Marvel is proud to present your first look at, AVX VS #1, the explosive, high-octane action packed tie-in to the hotly-anticipated blockbuster event of the year – Avengers VS. X-Men! From acclaimed creative teams, Jason Aaron & Adam Kubert and Kathryn & Stuart Immonen; catch the cover to cover battles – featuring pulse-pounding action as Iron Man faces off against Magneto & Thing takes on Namor! Don’t miss out on all the action in AVX VS #1, available in comic shops worldwide and on the Marvel Comics app this April!

Which team will reign supreme? Join the conversation on Twitter with #AvX!

For more on Avengers VS X-Men, please visit http://avx.marvel.com

Agent Burgos, Your First Look At AVX: VS #1– An AVENGERS VS. X-MEN Tie-In!

The Biggest Comic Book Event In History Begins In April 2012

New York, NY—December 7, 2011— Marvel is proud to announce Avengers VS X-Men, a landmark twelve-issue pop culture event bringing together the world’s greatest super heroes—Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Magneto and more—for an unforgettable battle beginning in April 2012.

Avengers VS X-Men is written by a team of the top-selling authors in the comic book industry today: Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man); Jason Aaron (Wolverine & The X-Men, Wolverine); Jonathan Hickman (Fantastic Four, Ultimate Comics Ultimates); Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Winter Soldier); Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man, The Mighty Thor). This unprecedented assembly of acclaimed writers is joined by a trio of the industry’s superstar artists: John Romita Jr (Avengers); Olivier Coipel (The Mighty Thor); Adam Kubert (X-Men: Schism).

The Avengers and X-Men have learned that the all-powerful embodiment of both death and rebirth known as the Phoenix Force is on a crash course for Earth…and it needs a new host to unleash its immeasurable power. But what is the shocking decision tied to the Phoenix’s return that will pit the Avengers against the X-Men? And when good friends become bitter enemies, what does this mean for the future of the Marvel Universe? .

Shipping twice monthly, this epic twelve-issue limited series will be available in comic stores and on the Marvel Comics app on the same day—additionally, each print issue of Avengers VS X-Men includes a code for a FREE digital copy of the issue on the Marvel Comics app at no additional cost to fans or retailers.

“Avengers VS X-Men brings together the most powerful forces in comics for a super hero war like you’ve never seen before and will never see again. We all want to see the best of the best go against each other—Lakers & Celtics; Ali & Frazier; Yankees & Red Sox; and in comics it’s the Avengers fighting the X-Men, ”

said Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief, Marvel Entertainment.

“We’ve brought together the biggest writers, biggest artists and biggest characters for the biggest story we’ve ever told. This is the kind of high-octane action-packed story that fans demand while also having a profound effect on every character involved—and reshaping the Marvel Universe in its wake.”

You’ve heard It’s Coming—and this April The War Is Here in Avengers VS X-Men #1! All your favorite super heroes enter—and only one team will emerge victorious!

For more on Avengers VS X-Men, please visit http://avx.marvel.com

Agent Burgos, Marvel Announces AVENGERS VS X-MEN!

Our hollow hero choices range from a Flash Thompson clone-shell, a buzz-cut bro tattooed feller, and a recently imported Japanese goth chick who’s accent fell off in transit.  Naturally I chose the Asian chick and gave her super strength, because what’s more fun than controlling a brutish Asian girl who snaps off enemies necks and sucks out their bone marrow for sustenance. Eh hem…. upon further gameplay, my heroine’s only requirement to live is to mash the square button and triangle buttons (X and Y button for you Xbox’ers at home) for several seconds until her enemies kneel over and pop out floaty orbs that either replenish her health or enhance her skills in her skill tree, well, more like skill branch, there isn’t a plethora of choices to choose from.

There are a few rewards for those willing to explore drab environment such as collectables, which aren’t really too collectable, (stock character artwork and a mini bio) and X-Genes.  X-Genes are an interesting touch that allow you to equip up to 3 powers that mirror other mutants powers to enhance your character a tad bit, but if you happen to find a complete match from the same mutant you can activate their X-Mode.  X-Modes range from Gambit’s Kinetic overdrive, which essential makes enemies eXplode, to Toad’s Epidemic that deals out toXic damage.

Combat and mutant powers are extremely boring to wield and power variation is hardly even noticeable after upgrades. Several powers are downright broken and are nearly impossible to wield.  Force field of obsidian, I’m talking to you.  Whenever I was fighting alongside other mutants all I ever wanted to do was wield their powers!  It was more a more enjoyable experience watching other mutant NPCs fight then for me to join in.

The fan service is somewhat present in the game’s character designs, not your character, but the supporting cast of mutants that aid you.  Every mutant is voice acted surprisingly well, Cyclops sounds as pompous and proud as he should, and Pyro sounds as if he’s crisping a dingo in the outback.

At first glance X-Men Destiny tantalizes you with the option to join either the X-Men or the Brotherhood of bad dudes.  I’m always a sucker for this sort of morality split and usually ends up going good guy in the end anyways, but as I tinkered with going to the dark side I didn’t notice any shift in story. Both factions essentially had the same thoughts regarding the purifiers and very similar goals. Neither side truly hated me, everyone was always more than happy to bore me with constant beat em’ up, protect this person, and save the civilian missions. On a side note, developers, nobody ever enjoys save the stupid civilian missions! I’ve never met a single soul who finds saving stock characters, that are meaningless to the story, an enjoyable act.

Visually, this game is the equivalent of the result of several optic blasts to the corneas.  As a system launch title these visuals would have sufficed but after being spoiled by other super hero games, that revolve around a certain bat crazed gentleman, I feel for the sake of comic fans and gamers alike we deserve better.  The game could have greatly benefited from a cel-shaded effect that Ultimate Spider-Man proved gorgeous in 2005.  Pixels often loaded incorrectly to the point where my lady scarf looked like a symbiotic tentacle eating my Asian goth face.  At least civilians were more than happy to be running endlessly into walls during cinematics, I do believe that is a plus.

I am a deeply sorry fellow X-Men fans, save yourself the time and avoid X-Men Destiny because all you will find here is form of mutation that even Professor Xavier himself would deem unacceptable to live.  Excuse me scholars of Comic Book Therapy, but I do believe I have a date with a certain Dark Knight in his returning video game sequel.

Ryan Rodriguez, Review: X-Men Destiny