Why Do You Care That Robert Downey Jr is Back in the MCU?

It was recently announced that The Russo Brothers and Robert Downey Jr will be returning to the MCU. The Russo's are going to direct some of the new movies and RDJ is going to be playing Dr Doom. Let’s discuss.

I saw this news, thought to myself that it was a cool and smart idea and then kind of forgot about it. That was until the internet exploded with people appearing to be very upset with this news. I guess, because RDJ played Ironman, this new role of his will mess with the lore of the entire MCU. This rip in the space time continuum of these superhero movies has upset nerds and non nerds alike. They are mad and they are letting the world know how mad they are.

Again, I saw the news and kind of left it where it was. I don't go too hard on news like this. It doesn't affect my day to day, so why should I care? RDJ is a very good, very accomplished actor and the Russo Brothers have made some of the better superhero movies. On paper, this all seems like a solid idea and the best shot to make better movies and make the "Fantastic Four" finally work on screen. They are putting a lot behind this movie. They got RDJ, they cast good, solid actors in the four lead roles and they have good writers attached. That is good considering how bad the last couple of iterations of these movies turned out to be. But, to the super fans, they are up in arms.

When I think about it, I don't really care because this is all make believe. Superheroes and supervillains do not exist. This is all a fantasy world. None of this affects our day to day lives. We have way, way bigger fish to fry than who plays who in a make believe world. We live in a time, where no matter what, some group of people are going to be mad about something. We all have far too much access on the internet, and we all feel like we have to put it out there. I'm doing it right now. But my gripe is with the people acting like this news has ruined their day, or in some cases, their lives. We have far too many Comic Book Guys living among us now, and they are letting their opinion be known. They want to fuss and complain about every little thing that doesn't fit what they want out of these movies. The people who whine are the same people, sorry RD, that complain about "Star Wars". Again, I go to "The Simpsons" when airing my grievances. When Comic Book Guy complained about Poochie, Bart asked him a great question. That question, "what do they owe you after giving you years of great tv and free entertainment", or something like that. That is the exact question I want to ask everyone that is so up in arms about RDJ playing Dr Doom. Who cares? He is an actor. His job is to make the unreal come to life, and RDJ is damn good at doing just that. He seems like a great fit to play this role. I'm kind of interested to see what he does with a villain role as opposed to being a hero. I want to see his take on being the bad guy. And I could care less if it messes with the MCU time frame, or whatever. They have already messed everything up with multiple universes and bringing the dead back to life. No one was this upset when the supposed deceased Avengers returned in "Infinity War", at least I think that was the movie where they came back. No one seemed to care when Dr Strange messed with all the stuff that happened to Scarlet Witch. We all just accepted it as the MCU reality. But, for some reason this news has made the masses very mad.

Get over it. It doesn't affect us at all. Try to control the things you can control. Don't let a movie casting disrupt your whole day. Just look forward to what they are going to do with the movie and go watch it when it comes out in theaters. Then form an opinion. That is going to be my plan moving forward. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"

I think we have reached the point of too many superhero movies. I still go to see them, but there’s a lot. When my wife and I went to the movies yesterday we got a preview for yet another “Thor” movie. It looks great, Taika Waititi is directing and I will see it. But damn, it feels like, at the very least, half the movies coming out are superhero based.

I say all this because my wife and I went to see “Doctor Strange 2”. We both wanted to see it, we like multiverse stuff and she took the day off for our anniversary. So we went to the movie before heading to a nice dinner, just the two of us. The movie was fine. It was very down the middle Marvel stuff. It was an interesting story with cool characters and solid actors. But it’s just too much to follow right now, for me at least. As I said, I found the movie enjoyable, but I also have some criticisms of it as well. I was stoked when I saw Sam Raimi was directing. He has made some of my favorite horror/comedy movies. He also did “Spider-Man 2”. But this movie felt old. It kind of looked old too. Raimi is a genius, but this movie felt like he was working in a different decade. There was a bit too much CGI. It felt like they were going to do as much as possible. It was overwhelming at times. The makeup also felt old. That could have been purposefully, but it looked rough to me. The direction also felt rushed at times. Almost like they were pushing to get this movie done. I also enjoy Benedict Cumberbatch. He’s a solid actor. He’s doing really cool stuff. I even like his interpretation of Stephen Strange. But he doesn’t seem like he can, or maybe doesn’t want, to be the star of a MCU movie. My wife made the point at dinner that Dr Strange is much better as an add on character. I couldn’t agree more. It’s great when he shows up in movies, but when he’s the star it is kind of dull and boring. I don’t think Dr Strange is a leading MCU guy. He was much more fun in the latest “Spider-Man” movie. Elizabeth Olsen was dynamite. I have no problem with any choice she made. I just didn’t buy her as the villain. I agreed with every choice she made as Wanda/Scarlet Witch. I was on her side and I don’t think that’s what they were going for. The actor who played America Chavez was good too, but I have zero idea how she’s involved in the MCU. I know nothing about her character, and they didn’t do the best job of explaining who she is and why she matters. The cameos were cool, no spoilers, but this is another case of too much too soon. It is almost as if Marvel is just throwing darts at a board and choosing what fits based on where the dart lands. It’s a bit slap dash. I also found the writing to be very cliche. There were lots of closeups and the actors saying cliche superhero lines. I half expected someone to say something about power and responsibility. Or bring up how it’s a curse to be a hero. It was truly that predictable. I did like the look of the movie. It reminded me of “Inception”. There was a neat fight scene between two Dr Strange’s where they used music notes. I already mentioned my love for Elizabeth Olsen. And Chiwetel Ejiofor chewed scenery in the best possible way. But this was a lower tier Marvel movie for me. I think my wife would agree. It is better than “Thor 2” and “Ironman 2”. I haven’t seen “Morbius”, but I’m sure this movie looks like “The Godfather” next to it. But “Thor 3”, “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “Winter Soldier” and “Black Panther” are far, far superior movies.

Again, “Doctor Strange 2” was okay, but nowhere near what I was hoping or expecting. There’s just too much in that MCU right now. They need to slow the hell down and focus on making a few good movies as opposed to making a million movies all at once.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "The Eternals"

Last Friday for date night my wife picked "Eternals". It was finally streaming, we both wanted to watch it, we are both Marvel fans and we figured if we started it early enough, we could watch it all in one sitting. We started it at 6:30pm our time, sent the kids downstairs and we were able to finish it in one sitting.

As I have been saying since 2022 started, I am being more hopeful this year, but man did I not like this movie much at all. It definitely had some solid parts. There was stuff that made me laugh. My son had to explain a few things, and when he did, I liked some of what I was seeing. I thoroughly enjoyed, spoiler alert, the mid credits scene with Harry Styles. I thought Kumail, the deaf lady and Brian Tyree Henry did a very good job in their roles. And it was visually beautiful. But this movie was boring. Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek are barely in it. And Jolie's character had this cool glitch, but it was seemingly resolved with no real reason. I like the idea of giving no names, or up and coming names a shot, but when you throw Jolie and Hayek on posters, I was under the notion that they would be in the movie much more.

This movie did not feel like a Marvel movie. My wife and I almost simultaneously said it felt like a DC movie. Marvel movies are bright and fun and funny, even when they are bad. DC movies, even when they are good, are dour, sad affairs. That was what "Eternals" felt like to me. It was almost exclusively at night. And when it wasn't, the fight scenes were in the woods or in the clouds. Even the final battle was surrounded by erupting volcanoes which obscured a lot of my viewing experience. The villain was weird. There were absurd guitar riffs that seemed out of place. All of that stuff, the darkness and the crummy 80's esque hair metal music was so akin to what DC does. I mentioned a few times to my wife that this was more boring than "Thor 2", which is saying something when talking about Marvel movies.

What made me most annoyed, not even annoyed just kind of bummed out, the actors, minus the three I mentioned did not do great with the source material. The leading actors, Sersi and Ikaris, were way to melodramatic for these roles. I get they are supposed to be gods, but they were far too doom and gloom. They never seemed to have fun. Jon Snow, I do not know the actors names, sorry, was also barely in the movie, and he just seemed stuffed in for future "Eternals" movies. Everyone else treated the movie like it was a hard drama. I wanted so badly to have more Kumail in the movie because he was the only one that felt like he knew he was in a Marvel movie. He and Tyree Henry as well. They both had a good time with their roles. But not everyone else. And while I really enjoy Chloe Zao, "Nomadland" is amazing, she just does not seem to be a superhero movie director. And that is fine. She just took the material way, way, way too seriously. Superhero movies, for me, need to be like "Thor 3" or "Black Panther". Those movies are simply having a good time, with some little elements of drama. "Eternals" just took itself way too seriously and it made for a convoluted and dull movie. It simply wasn't for me.

Maybe I am not smart enough or I do not get what they were trying to do, but I did not like "Eternals". Oh well, maybe the second one will be more fun. I will be sitting here being hopeful.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Loki" Episode One

Last week my wife and I sat down and watched "Loki". I read some headlines that talked about how good the premiere was, that it was one of the better shows on TV, that the actors were all very committed to the material and that it is going to change the way Marvel does TV. I thought Marvel had already done that with "WandaVision", but hey, pretty much everything Marvel does, I like. I am a fan. There are very few Marvel properties that I do not like. I even think the second "Thor" movie gets too much hate. So all these headlines just made me want to watch "Loki" more. I have grown to enjoy his character in every iteration since "Infinity War". He has gotten more fun, he's funnier, he's wittier and Tom Hiddleston has made him a likeable villain.

When we watched the first episode we made sure we had it nice and quiet so we could really focus on what was happening. I really enjoyed how they premiered this show. They did so many things that I like. They gave us flashback scenes. When the episode opened with the scene from "Endgame" where they are trying to return the tesseract, that was rad. I liked seeing all of that go down through Loki's eyes. And he was every bit as mischievous as I hoped. He stole the tesseract, he used it and he traveled in time. From there the show takes quite a turn. Loki gets caught, he cannot use his powers and he is in what looks like a jail. We then meet Owen Wilson's character, who is some kind of time traveling detective. We find him in 16th century France investigating a crime. He then comes back to TVA, the jail-like facility and sits in on Loki's trial. It was pretty wild to see Loki continually trying to use his powers. He couldn't get them to work because this TVA place has stuff to stop people who have powers from using them. He is sentenced to be put to death, but Owen Wilson gets him out of it. They have a chat and this is where we learn what this season of this show is going to be about. Loki is shown images of his crimes. He clearly has some regrets. He is then told that his whole life is planned out for him by the people at TVA. They even show him how his loved ones die, either because of him or outside sources. He gets to a point where he gets away from the people controlling his powers only to see how he died in "Infinity War". At this moment he realizes there is not much he can do to change anything. He has pretty much accepted his fate. Wilson finds him and tells him why he kept him alive, what he needs from him. Spoiler alert, he needs Loki to capture other Loki's. There is what seems like an army of Loki's through time messing things up and trying to become king. It was pretty dope to see that final scene where the TVA police travel to Oklahoma in the 19th century, get caught by this timeline's Loki and to see a Loki in a cape walk away with one of their time traveling devices.

I'm pretty pumped to see where the show goes from here. Marvel has aced the whole TV thing with "WandaVision" and "Falcon and the Winter Soldier", and I am sure they will with "Loki" if the first episode is any indication of how the rest of the season will go. I have high hopes, but I am sure they will surpass them all. "Loki" is great. If you have Disney + I highly recommend checking it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "WandaVision"

"WandaVision" might be one the best new shows to ever be on TV. I was going to watch this show no matter what. I am a Marvel fan, I like most of the movies, I fully believe that Marvel is better than DC and they have done some interesting stuff these past couple years. I like the direction they have gone with the "Thor" movies, "Guardians of the Galaxy" is super cool and most of the "X-Men" movies, especially "Logan", are pretty awesome. So I just assumed that "WandaVision" was going to be, at the very least, watchable.

It is so much more than that. This show is one of the coolest, most unique and interesting things that TV has ever produced. I will not spoil anything, at least not try to, moving forward. When I read about the show I was intrigued. Then I saw some trailers, very short trailers, I was even more on board. Then this past weekend, me, my wife and our son decided we were going to watch all four episodes that have been released. These four episodes are amazing. I love the concept of the show. My son was confused as to why the first episode was in black and white. We explained to him that TV back in the 50's was all black and white. Oh, by the way, the show is done like old school TV sitcoms. The first episode was the 50's, then the 60's, then the 70's. The fourth was where they shifted, to modern times, and that was one of the best, and most essential, episodes in modern TV. Wanda and Vision are barely in it, but we get a look at what is going on in the outside world, the real world.

Prior to the fourth episode though, we have been given three very cool, very eye opening stuff. I also think there have been plenty of easter eggs dropped in so far. I am not totally up on all the stuff I am sure I am missing, but knowing Marvel, they are dropping stuff in left and right. Anyway, in that first episode, we have the 50's set. Wanda and Vision live in a town called Westfield, and they are just trying to be everyday citizens. They still have their powers, but otherwise, Vision has a job, Wanda makes friends around the neighborhood, and they are trying to live a "normal" life. But weird things start to come up. There are moments when you can hear people talking to Wanda. There are splashes of color in the premiere. There are things that come up that make it seem like this world may not be real. That continues into the second and third. More and more things happen, but it is all underscored by some wild things that are happening. Wanda keeps hearing these voices. She keeps seeing things that make her snap. She suddenly gets pregnant out of nowhere. Vision is starting to ask questions. He wants to understand what is going on. The people in the town seem to be in on some weird plotline that we haven't been cued into yet. Speaking of the neighbors, Kathryn Hahn is really, really good on this show, and I am stoked to see where they take this character. I'm also very interested in what is going to happen next, after the fourth episode. A bunch of stuff came to light in that one, and it is going to make for a very interesting close to the first season.

I do hope they continue to make more and more because this, as I have said before, is one of the coolest TV shows ever created. This is showing how smart and interesting and willing to take chances the Marvel company is right now with the properties they have. I like this show more than the last two "Avengers" movies, which I love. I am more interested in the outcome of this season than I was for the season one finale of "The Good Place". which is one of the best finales ever. "WandaVision" has so, so much potential, they are realizing it early, which is great, and I am just so pumped to watch from here on out. Check out this show, you will not be disappointed. This show is truly, truly amazing.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Coppola and Scorsese Don't Know What Modern Film Is

This is not modern film

So now that I have done all my preseason basketball stuff, I will still write a ton about basketball, don't worry, I do want to focus on some news I read recently that has me kind of annoyed.

I like Marvel movies. I think they are fun popcorn movies, they let me escape for a few hours, sometimes three hours and most of them are well made. I cried like a baby at "Avengers: Endgame", I laughed a ton at "Ragnarok", I saw the first "Ironman" when it was in theaters. Needless to say, I have watched and liked many Marvel movies. So, I do not understand why famous directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have come out so hard against them. I read that they call them "jokes" and "not film" and a waste of time. They have said stuff akin to how pointless and mindless the movies are.

This is odd, and annoying, to me. I am a big time fan of both Scorsese and Coppola. I have enjoyed many of their movies. "Raging Bull" is a masterpiece in my opinion. "The Godfather" is a must watch in my family, even the third movie. Even Scorsese movies, the mafia ones especially, are must watch. They are some of my mom's favorite movies. But, sometimes I can find their movies to be a bit long, and kind of preachy. In fact, outside of "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now", Coppola's movies are boring and preachy. And while I adore "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas" and even "The King of Comedy", I have found his newer stuff kind of dull. I am not a fan of "The Departed", I have zero interest in seeing "The Irishman" and what in the hell was up with "Hugo"? Those are not very solid movies. So, why did the 2 of these guys decide to come out and trash Marvel movies?

I don't quite know. Are they mad at the amount of money they are making? I'm sure they are. Are they upset that "Black Panther" got a ton of Oscar notice? I can assure you they are. Are they upset that my generation and younger really has no interest in watching their old, or new, stuff? Most definitely.

Look, Scorsese and Coppola have made timeless classics that will always be remembered, but so will Marvel movies. I can guarantee that I will tell my great grandkids about "Black Panther", "Endgame" and "Thor: Ragnarok", oh and both "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies, when I am older. I will also, most likely forget about the Scorsese and Coppola movies I mentioned. Everyone has different tastes, and everything hits people in different ways.

I wish that Scorsese and Coppola would just accept that fact. They have their fans, Marvel has their fans, hell, there are even people that like both, like me. Also, there are people that could care less about Scorsese and Coppola movies and Marvel movies. I know some people that only like independent movies or broad comedies or romantic comedies or documentaries. That is the good thing about movies, there is literally something for everyone. Coppola and Scorsese give off the "get off my lawn" vibes with these recent statements, and I wish they would just get over it. It is sad that they feel like they need to criticize something so popular just to keep their names out there.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. In a few years he will be saying that the movies of the 2040’s are not film. Ty is not into letting robots do all the acting.

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Ty Watches "Avengers: Endgame"

I was finally able to see "Endgame" yesterday. My parents took our kids overnight, and my wife and I went to the movie early in the day so we could get home at a decent hour. I have been rather hesitant about this movie, I voiced as much on a recent podcast. I wasn't crazy about the running time, I was bored by "Infinity War", I feel a bit overwhelmed by all the superheroes in the movie and I said it felt like "homework" having to see this movie. But, I had to see it. My OCD wouldn't allow me to skip it.

Now, before I go into my review, I need to say that this is going to be spoiler free. I know the movie has been out for 2 weeks, and people are starting to spoil stuff online. But, I also know that there are people like me out there, or people that cannot go immediately to see movies anymore. I want those people to be as surprised by this movie as I was. Now lets get into it.

I want to say right off the bat, I LOVED this movie. It was immediately better, to me, than "Infinity War". What I disliked about "Infinity War", all the backstory and each and every hero getting some kind of grand intro, "Endgame" didn't do that. It didn't have to do that. There was such a short amount of time between the 2 movies, the viewer didn't need to get everyone's backstory. I will say, if you haven't seen all, or most, of the MCU movies, "Endgame" may be confusing at first, but after an hour, you get the gist. And even for those that said the first hour may be boring, or a slog, I did not find it that way at all. They gave you the pertinent info, let you know who was still around and went from there. From there, it was so awesome. I mean, it had everything in it that I wanted "Infinity War" to have. And the last 2 to 2 and a half hours were, pretty much, all action or fighting. This is what I crave when it comes to comic book or super hero movies. It was straight up action and adventure. There was some wild and baller fights.

I do have to say, I enjoyed the story that was written for "Endgame". It was so much more cohesive and just better written than "Infinity War". I also liked some of the character choices. Thor's "arc" was amazing, and hilarious. The stuff with Cap actually made me kind of, sort of, like him. Again, this movie made me appreciate Hawkeye. Hulk was great. Captain Marvel is a true badass. She is the best hero of them all, by far. My Wakandan folk ruled as always. Black Widow got a poor rap, but she was great. All of them were just great. But the one that stood out most to me, and it was like this in the beginning, was Ironman. He was tremendous, and man oh man did his story make me weep. I was legit sobbing. I cried so hard that the child next to me asked me if I was okay. I did not expect this movie to move me the way it did. But that is just another feather in its cap.

Finally, what made "Endgame" so good, was the finality of it. This felt like an ending to something humongous. I know they won't ever stop making super hero movies, it is a goldmine, but for some, this was clearly the end. And that was awesome. It was a great sendoff, for most, to some awesome heroes that we have grown to adore.

"Endgame" is more than worth your time. It may be over three hours long, but it never felt that way. I didn't even get up to use the restroom because I didn't want to miss a thing. This washed a bad taste out of my mouth, and made me realize how, and why, I love/loved these movies. It was a total delight.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is a bit disappointed that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman did not make an appearance. He feels like those characters deserve a good team up movie and not the crap they have been doing these last few years.

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Ty Watches "Avengers: Infinity War"

There are minor spoilers for "Avengers: Infinity War" in this piece. You have been warned.

My wife and I saw "Avengers: Infinity War" on Saturday, and I have some thoughts.

First off, I thought the movie was pretty good. A little long, but other than some nit picks here and there, I found myself enjoying what I saw. Also, someone brought a 10 month old to this movie and nonsense like that needs to stop. If you cannot get a babysitter, go another night, or wait until it comes out on video. My wife and I were very perplexed by the fact that someone brought their child to this 2 and a half hour movie. What the hell. Anyway, I want to get the nit picks out of the way first, then explain why I liked this movie. Also, I am going to try and be as spoiler free as I can be, but come on, if you like comic book movies, you have most likely already seen "A:IW", and I'm sure you've already made up your own minds about it.

So, my problems. As I said at the top, this is a long, long movie. At first I didn't really notice because it was just one fight scene after another. The first hour seemed to breeze by. Then, we started to get some back stories on some of the characters, and that was when the movie really started to grind to a halt. It was nice to see how Thanos ended up with Gamora, but I didn't need a 5 minute scene explaining it. Also, kind of cool to see what Thanos was like before, and that he had a shred of dignity, but I could have done without the flashback stuff. Also, it took almost too long for Wakanda and Black Panther to show up. My wife and I both kept saying, "when is Black Panther coming", "when are they going to Wakanda", and so on and so forth. Oh, and why did Scarlet Witch's accent come and go. I swear she was speaking with her regular voice, remembered she was supposed to be Russian, and slipped back into the accent and the directors were like, no big deal. And Paul Bettany, who plays Vision, is way, way too old for Elizabeth Olsen. But, that is Hollywood for you.

Other than those minor issue, I had no real problem with the movie. Even though it was long, I thought it flowed pretty smoothly. I liked the different groups of superheroes that teamed up. I liked the scenery. I enjoyed the banter. I LOVED the battle scenes. I thought it was a cool movie. My favorite pairing in the movie was Thor and the Guardians. They do split in the middle, and when it is Thor, Groot and Rocket, that was my favorite pairing of all. I love what Marvel has done with Thor, making him funnier and, just in general, more fun. Rocket was one of my favorite superheroes already, and I adore Groot. This was the perfect group. When Ironman, Spiderman, Dr. Strange, Mantis, Drax and Starlord teamed up, I was fine with it, but I wanted more Rocket and Thor.

I will say, for those hating on Starlord now for what he did, when they could have defeated Thanos, stop it. This is a comic book movie. This isn't real life. And, if I were in Peter Quill's situation, after finding out what he found out, I would do the exact same thing. Love makes you nuts, and Peter Quill is a selfish person. All that was established in both "Guardians" movies.

Teaming up Cap, Black Widow, Vison, Falcon and Scarlet Witch was pretty cool. When Cap was revealed, I did get goosebumps, and I am not a Captain America guy. When he, Black Widow and Falcon help out Vision and Scarlet Witch, I really enjoyed that scene. When the 6 of them head to Wakanda and team up with Winter Soldier and Black Panther's crew, I thought that was very cool. It just took too long. But, when they did get together, I loved it. I loved that they were in Wakanda fighting too. It was a bummer to see Wakanda, the most beautiful place that has, possibly, ever existed in movies, get destroyed the way it did. But, that fight scene, where Thanos' lackeys bring on millions of those alien/dog hybrid things to fight, that was cool. When Black Panther had them open the shield protecting Wakanda, I was disappointed, but also understood, and it led to an amazing battle scene. When Thor, Groot and Rocket show up, the scene went from an 8 to a 10 for me. That final scene too, with Thanos showing up to Wakanda, it had a bit of everything. It was dark, sad, kick ass and brutal. To see all these heroes fighting the most badass villain ever, I thought it was pretty cool.

I know people have different ideas about what happened at the very end of that movie. I am in the camp that thinks they wouldn't get rid of that many people, especially newer people, but I still don't know. Another part of me thinks that the people at Marvel would kill that amount of people off because they have a seemingly endless supply of other heroes that they can make movies out of. I do believe my wife when she says that she thinks Loki, Gamora and Vision are for sure dead. But, she doesn't think pretty much any of the other people that looked to have died are actually dead. She doesn't think Marvel would do that. Three days later and I still don't know. I knew they were going to go dark, and they did, but I just cannot sully commit to that many heroes being gone.

All in all I would give "A:IW" a solid B. I have seen 3 Marvel movies so far this year, "Black Panther", "Thor; Ragnarok" and now "A:IW", and I liked "Thor" and "Black Panther" much more. But, I did think "A:IW" was a good movie. If you haven't seen it yet, please do, if you like Marvel But also know, you have to be pretty well versed to get everything they are talking about in this new movie. I am very curious to see where they take the franchise from here. But, for now, I will just be left trying to figure out who is still here, and who isn't. Only one more year until we all find out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has not been this anxious for action since he saw the first "Itchy and Scratchy, and Poochie Show" When are they gonna get to the fireworks factory?

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"Captain America: Civil War" is Another Home Run from Marvel

It may all look alike, but some film is better than others.

I was finally able to see "Captain America: Civil War" this past weekend. Now, before I get into my review, I just wanted everyone to know that it is going to be filled with spoilers. So, if you haven't seen the movie yet, and you plan on seeing it, DO NOT READ PAST THIS SENTENCE, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

Let's get to it.

I loved this movie. Once again, Marvel absolutely hit it out of the park. They are in a wonderful, amazing, creative movie making groove right now. They do action, drama, comedy and anything else you expect to see in a superhero movie absolutely perfectly. "Captain America: Civil War" starts out with a flashback to 1991, with Winter Soldier executing an assassin he was assigned to. He does his job and he leaves no physical evidence, or so he thinks. We then flash to present day and Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Falcon and Captain America in another country, trying to stop a crime from happening. They are doing their job very well, as they always do, but when the fight nears the end, Captain America is fighting Crossbones, they hit a big hiccup. Crossbones is willing to blow himself up because it will also kill Captain America. Right before the bomb goes off, Scarlet Witch uses her powers to put Crossbones in a bubble so the bomb only affects him. Her plan works until she starts to float Crossbones in the air. While mid air, Scarlet Witch throws Crossbones into a hospital, and the whole wing of the hospital blows up.

Many people are now upset with the Avengers. People on the news are bringing up all the destruction that happens when they come in to save the day. I have to say, it's a justifiable complaint. Sure, they defeated Loki in "The Avengers", but they also destroyed New York City, killing thousands of innocent people in the process. Yeah, they stopped Ultron in the next movie, but they also destroyed an entire town in Russia. Basically, they do as much damage compared to the good they do. The US government wants the Avengers to register. They are, technically, weapons, so the government wants to make sure that they are only used for good and in a controlled environment. Iron Man, Vision and Black Widow are immediately on board. Captain America, Scarlet Witch and Falcon are hesitant.

During their discussion, Captain receives a message that his former girlfriend, Agent Carter has passed. He rushes away to the funeral in London, with Falcon by his side. Black Widow goes to an African country to sign the bill and give her rights to the government, but while there, the building where they are holding the event gets blown up by what everyone assumes is the Winter Soldier. They have pictures of him and his face is plastered all over the papers. Also, he wouldn't remember if he did it or not because his mind is controlled by Hydra. He's an easy target. Captain doesn't think he did it because he has always believed that the Winter Soldier is not his old friend, Bucky Barnes. Bucky is a good guy, so he thinks that he can make the Winter Soldier realize that he is his old friend. This is where my distaste for Captain America reappeared. He is so blinded by his friendship, he doesn't care who he takes down or hurts, as long as he can convince Bucky that they are old friends. Captain America is a selfish asshole.

In the aftermath of the bombing, Iron Man is on a crusade to get all the Avengers to sign because it is the right thing to do. I totally agree with Iron Man. But, Captain, once again blinded by his friendship, refuses to sign and decides he is going to go against his government, if you'll remember, the government created him, and go off the reservation to find out who really bombed the embassy.

This is where we meet Helmut Zemo. He is a bad dude. He is a manipulator. He can pull strings. And he is obsessed with finding out why the Winter Soldier does what he does. He also wants to destroy the Avengers. Zemo is a very, very bad guy. Captain believes that Zemo is the one behind the bombing and he starts to assemble a team to stop him.

Iron Man also starts to assemble a team to stop Captain from making a careless and stupid mistake. Captain gets Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and Ant Man to fight on his side. Iron Man gets War Machine, Black Widow, the awesome and super cool Black Panther, there will be more on him in a minute, and Spiderman. Black Panther shows up earlier in a chase scene between him, Captain and the Winter Soldier. Black Panther's dad was killed in the bombing and he is out for vengeance, mainly after Winter Soldier. Black Panther is kick ass. Iron Man also goes to Queens to recruit a very young Peter Parker and their back and forth is great. Almost like a father son relationship.

When the two sides meet at an airport hangar to fight, it was breathtaking. To see that many superheroes, in one spot, using their specific powers against each other, it is so awesome. The fights are so even and so incredibly shot. When Ant Man turns into Giant Man, I lost my shit. It was so cool. Eventually, they all realize that they are too even, so Captain and Winter Soldier retreat to a plane to go after Zemo. They look to be stopped when Black Widow appears and Black Panther is attacking from the back, but black Widow stuns Black Panther enough to let Captain fly away. Black Widow and Captain will always be friends, no matter what. Once Captain and Winter Soldier get away, Iron Man and War Machine go after them. Iron Man notices Falcon is about to attack them and he calls on Vision to get rid of him. Vision shoots a ray at Falcon, but he side steps in and it hits War Machine, making him tumble to the ground. He is hit and paralyzed. Iron Man is crushed and pissed.

When the big battle is over everyone that was on Captain's side, except for Captain and Winter Soldier, are put in jail. Ant Man is used to it, so it doesn't bother him. Hawkeye is pissed at Iron Man because he just retired, but Captain needed him, so he came to help out and ended up in jail. Iron Man lets him know that he made the choice to side with Captain and he knew the consequences. I agree with Iron Man. Falcon is really pissed at Iron Man, but he also tells him everything he knows about Zemo and where Captain is headed. Iron Man takes this new found knowledge and looks into Zemo. He realizes that Captain is right and goes to Siberia to help Captain and Winter Soldier. It seems like everything is back to normal. Iron Man shows up and says that Falcon told him everything and that he wants to help. The three of them enter a building filled with other "Winter Soldiers". Black Panther is also seen lurking quietly in the shadows. It appears that Zemo is looking to build a super army of Winter Soldiers, and when they finally find him, he has shot and killed all the soldiers and is hiding behind thick glass. Zemo explains that he does not wish to hurt the Avengers himself, he wants them to hurt each other. Here he reveals a video from 1991. It's the video of the Winter Soldier executing his hit. We come to realize that he was told to kill Iron Man's parents and he did it with no regard or change of expression on his face. Winter Soldier is a stone cold killer. We also come to realize that Captain knew this all along and did not tell Iron Man. Captain, once again is being a selfish asshole. He chose to keep this horrible secret from Iron Man because he knew that Iron Man would be, rightfully so, pissed and want to get revenge.

This is the start of one of the best fight scenes, possibly the best, in any superhero movie ever. Iron Man, Winter Soldier and Captain trading blows is absolutely wonderful and must see. It is a tremendous piece of film making. Iron Man eventually is able to rip Winter Soldier's metal arm off, but Captain is able to lodge his shield into Iron Man's chest piece that helps him live. Iron Man stops fighting and Captain takes winter Soldier away to help fix his arm. Meanwhile, Black Panther finds Zemo and we get to hear why Zemo is doing what he's done the whole movie. Zemo lost his entire family when the Avengers defeated Ultron. it happened in his hometown and he lost everything. Throughout the movie he is listening to a phone message because it is the last thing he has from family. It's his last memory. After explaining all this to Black Panther, he tries to shoot himself, but Black Panther stops him and says that the world is not done punishing him. Near the end we see Zemo is in a very high security prison, but has a smile on his face, he clearly has something planned. Iron Man is helping War Machine walk again with prosthetic legs he created for him. Vision is hanging out at the Avenger complex with his sweater vest combo on. and the people on Captain's side are still locked up. Captain sends some bullshit letter to Iron Man "explaining" why he did what he did and we see Falcon smiling while the letter is being read because Captain has shown up at the prison to get his friends out. End credits.

As I said, I loved, loved, loved this movie. I thoroughly hate Captain America now. He is a selfish prick that only cares about his one friend, who is a brutal murderer. He is way too single minded and he is nuisance. I fully side with Iron Man, He did what was best and right for the people he cared most about. He didn't just single out one person, he wants everyone to be safe. "Captain America: Civil War" is a tremendous movie that everyone should go see. It is a masterpiece.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was trying to get in and see Batman v Superman, but since it was sold out he settled for Captain America: Civil War. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Marvel v DC part 2: I disagree with Ty

This is a rebuttal to Ty's article from yesterday where he talks about the greatness of Marvel heroes over DC

Well Ty thinks the current new hot Marvel heroes are better than the dependable characters established in DC.  The word wrong is not strong enough to express my thoughts on Ty's opinions.  Let us begin to take apart is non-reasoned argument.

Marvel may be hot and sexy right now, but it is just a passing fad.  Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic 4, the X-men - they are all just flashes in the pan compared to the influence and excitement of the DC pantheon.  Superman is supreme.  His list of powers is so extensive that the weakest ones would bring any middle of the road Marvel hero (super ventriloquism could easily knock out most of S.H.E.I.L.D).  Superman is not only powerful, he has the most heroic soul.  The idea of goodness, along with greatness, separates Superman from all other comic book heroes. The truth that Superman can own anyone, and still chooses to be the protector of humanity, is unique to his story alone. Look at a book like Red Son or read the story from the Injustice video game. When Superman wants to take control, it takes all the heroes (plus some luck) to take big blue down. In terms of secret identities, Clark Kent is the best (I will admit that Peter Parker is a close second).

Moving away from power and heroism, and transitioning to straight up badassitude, DC has Batman.  I personally enjoy Superman stories more, but Batman is the granddaddy of all modern superhero stories.  He has the best outfit, vehicles, and bad guys.  In addition to the richness of Batman's world, he is a non super powered being.  Marvel has many Batman clones, but none of them could beat up Superman.  Batman can, and has done it.  There is very little emo feelings on why Batman put on the costume, he is just pissed.

Marvel has some ok women super heroes, but they have nothing on Wonder Woman. She is the equal third part of the DC holy trinity.  Wonder Woman does not cry out for help when she is in trouble, she is the trouble.  Take a look at the graphic novel Kingdom Come. Batman and Superman spend most of the book in a petty macho argument while Wonder Women whips everyone into shape and takes on the conflict like a boss.  There is no woman (or many men) in the Marvel universe that can compete with Wonder Woman's independence or toughness.

Looking at the lesser DC heroes, I believe you still find them to be better than their Marvel counterparts. The Flash and Green Arrow have great outfits, and tend to lighter in tone than the big time heroes. The teen titans created incredible characters who can easily carry on their fore bearers adventures. The world of Green Lantern reflects a cosmic scale more interesting than that of Marvel's Thanos and Galactus. Hawkman, Nightwing, Power Girl, and more add to a world more robust and interesting than the one Marvel has cultivated.

The one area people say Marvel is better than DC is film, I do not agree. The Marvel movies are fun and a nice diversion, the DC movies change cinema. The Avengers  was cool, The Dark Knight was the greatest comic book movie ever.  Casting a Marvel hero makes a little news, casting a DC hero dominates the news cycle. Marvel actors get some praise, DC actors win Academy Awards. On television DC is far outrunning Marvel. Arrow and The Flash are critically acclaimed and create cool worlds for lesser properties. Marvel has a couple of shows a few people watch because ABC owns the property.  Batman the Animated Series is listed as one of the greatest cartoons ever, Marvel has cartoons that are mocked in their own comic books.

Ty did not talk about villains.  Good thing because DC has the best ones, outside of classic Darth Vader of course.

Do you choose to disagree? Bring it.

Thanks to Cracked.com for the knowledge of Super Ventriloquism and Marvel comics making fun of Marvel cartoons.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head editor for Seed Sing. While he does not agree with Ty, he knows Superman defends all peoples right to be wrong. He did see Man of Steel and choose to keep its name out of his DC defense.

Marvel v DC: Ty has his favorite

I'm by no means an expert when it comes to comic books and super heroes.

My knowledge has recently been expanded since I've met and married my wife. Our three year old son has only made me more knowledgeable. So, I've had a good nine year crash course in all things super heroes. I'm here to tell you today why Marvel super heroes are so much better than DC super heroes. They each have some great heroes, but, when it comes down to it, Marvel is leap years ahead. Sure, you have what many people consider to be the best and strongest hero on team DC in Superman. Superman is cool, but compared to any one of the Avengers, I don't think he stacks up all that well. I mean, first you have Ironman. He's a super smart, rich inventor that creates all of his own gear. He created a suit that flies and shoots repulsor blasts. How awesome is that. I'd take that over X Ray vision any day. Next, we have Thor, who's a God. He's the only one that can lift his mighty hammer, save for Vision, and he's an awesome fighter. Superman may be an alien, but a God he's not. Then there's Captain America. He was created in a lab to be a super soldier and his shield is made of the strongest medal in the world, vibranium. He's also the greatest team player of all time and the world's best leader. He may be, for all intents and purposes, as strong as Superman. The final, main Avenger, just happens to be the best, in my opinion, the Incredible Hulk. This is a guy that, when he gets angry, turns into a huge, "hulk" of a man that can beat the hell out of almost anybody. He's super strong and the Avengers count on him to take on their toughest competition. He is stronger than Superman and he looks way cooler. Like I said, Superman is cool, but compared to the four main Avengers, it's not even close.

I like Batman a lot. I love all the movies, except for the horrible "Batman and Robin", and think he's really cool. But, when I want dark, dangerous superheroes, give me the X Men and, especially, Wolverine. Wolverine is just as dark, if not darker than Batman. Where Batman is a rich orphan who creates his own equipment, Wolverine is a mutant that can heal himself and never dies. He also has claws made of adamantium. Claws that, literally retract from his hands when a fight is about to happen. I will take Wolverine 100 times out of 100 if the question is, Would you rather be Batman or Wolverine? I'd even go as far to ask if it's a rhetorical question. That's how much more I like Wolverine.

Even when you get to the lower, some might say lamer, super heroes, Marvel is so much better than DC. DC has the Flash, Aquaman and Robin. The Flash can run really fast, pretty boring if you ask me. Aquaman lives in the sea and fights from the water. Yawn. And Robin, he's just a sidekick to Batman that's kind of good at karate. Big deal. Marvel on the other hand has the Fantastic Four. They may not be as cool as the Avengers or X Men, but they are much cooler than the three DC characters I just named. You have Mr. Incredible who can stretch his body to help save victims that may be falling or can't get out of a bad situation. He's a super genius too. Sue Richards, aka the Invisible Women, can turn invisible and also makes force fields. That's pretty dope. The Human Torch's body turns to fire when his powers are activated and the fire power also helps him to fly. Pretty cool, right? Then there's The Thing, a huge man made out of rock that can destroy the bad guys, while also protecting your everyday citizen. He's almost as cool as the Hulk. Almost.

There are many more super heroes in both the DC and Marvel world's, but I wanted to focus on the most popular, in my opinion, ones out there right now. There's also some pretty cool bad guys on both sides, but I say again, I only wanted to focus on the good guys and why I like Marvel more than DC. Please, let me know why, in your opinion's, that I'm wrong in the comment section, but Marvel is so much cooler.

I'm sorry, but it's true

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for Seed Sing.  The head editor strongly disagrees with this post and will send a rebuttal soon. Follow him on twitter @tykulik