X-iting The Stage (My Final X-Men Spin-Off Pitch)

Following the decimation of the mutant population and the rise and fall of The X-Men's brightest star, how will the rest of the MCU X-Men react?

(Decimation Happens)

The New Mutants Season Four

After the deaths of mutants across the East Coast, many parents are pulling their children out of The Xavier School for Gifted Youths. Many companies across the country are also trying to turn the remaining Legacy Virus samples into a new cure to mutation, while some corporations simply want to weaponize it. There's only one person on Earth who can destroy The Legacy Virus for good, and Emma Frost needs to find him fast. Taking what's left of The New Mutants, Frost sets out on a road trip to find a mutant named Elixir before her former Hellfire Club members get him first and sell him to the highest bidder. However, due to The Hellfire Club's telepaths Emma cannot tell anyone of her true intentions, otherwise the whole school could be destroyed by The Hellfire Club. Emma's team consists of Shadowcat, Hellion, Jubilee, Blink, Rockslide, Mercury, and Deadgirl (who can communicate with Magik). So, yeah, don't believe the photo. Can her students trust her, or will Emma's cold attitude be her downfall?

(Ashes Happens)

X-Factor Investigations Season Two

Havok, Polaris, Strong Guy, Boom-Boom, and Multiple Man are back with a new employee and a new case to solve; the protection of Layla Miller. Layla is a mutant with perfect memory, the ability to recollect any memory-even memories that don't belong to her, and to experience flashes of the future. Due to her ability she was kept prisoner by a crime organization called The Maggia, led by The Slug. The Slug is a mutant crime boss with enhanced intellect, but weak physical strength. Slug used Layla for bank information, dates and times for money transfers, and the secrets of the some of the most dangerous and politically respected men in the country, but with Layla gone Slug's business begins to crash. She finally escaped and is under the protection of Multiple Man and Strong Guy, while the rest of the team-plus their new werewolf/mutant teammate Wolfsbane-investigate Slug's business. This brings them into conflict with a mysterious new mutant named Dr. N, who will do anything to keep his involvement a secret.

X-Force: Genesis

En Sabah Nur, the first mutant, and the world's Apocalypse. For millennia he has walked the Earth in search of four mutants powerful enough to be his minions, but weak hearted enough to fall slave to his mind control. With the mutant population shaken by "Decimation" and "Ashes", he begins his collection of worthy mutants. Then there is the time-traveling mutant known as Cable who comes from a future already enslaved by Apocalypse. He comes back in time to meet up with X-Force and he tells them of the four mutants who will become The Horseman of Apocalypse. However, as the story progresses we see the timeline shift and Cable's predictions become false. X-23 becomes War, Colossus becomes Famine, Archangel becomes Death, and Cyclops becomes Pestilence. Cable, Deadpool, Domino, Psylocke, Wolverine, and Warpath must defeat this world-ending mutant, even if it means hurting their friends in the process.

Psylocke Season Three

Following "X-Force: Genesis", Psylocke has a lot on her plate. With the minds of Cyclops, Archangel, Colossus, and X-23 damaged, Betsy Braddock will need to gather the strongest telepaths in the world to save them. And so her search for ex-teacher Emma Frost, fortune teller Blindfold, Genoshan leader Professor X, troublemaker Quinten Quire, and Celeste, the last of the Stepford Cuckoos Sisters. However, throughout her journey she will come to blows with the returning Revanche and The Hand, Fantomex the assassin, and an enemy from Betsy past known as The Shadow King. Her mission may be to save the minds of her friends, but maybe it's her mind that needs the help.

X-Force Investigations Season Three

X-Factor enters the big time when Angel shows up and asks for the detective agency to look into the abduction of Jono Starsmore/Chamber. The X-Men believed he was unaffected by The Legacy Virus and they were forced to let the boy's parents in London take him home. When Jono's powers of energy expulsion through his mouth vanished and he fell unconscious, he was taken to a hospital and went missing. So, the team go international and learn Chamber was taken by The Clan Akkaba, worshipers of Apocalypse who want to revive their destroyed king inside the body of Chamber. The Clan's leader is William Rolfson, The Son of Apocalypse, The First Horseman, and the self-appointed Holocaust. With a heavier mission ahead of them, Havok, Polaris and their friends will be pushed to their absolute limits, and with the help of M13 agent Pete Wisdom, they may have a chance.

X-Men vs X-Force

Just when you thought the worst was over. Apocalypse lives on in the heart of Professor X and both The X-Men and X-Force know it. If they don't do something Professor X could end up completing Apocalypse's mission of wiping out the weaklings of the world. The X-Men believe he can be converted back to normal, but X-Force knowns the truth. In order for the world to live, Professor X must die. Despite Professor X's wishes to be put down, Cyclops won't allow someone else he loves to be killed because of the power possessing them. As the battle between both teams wages on, Professor X/Apocalypse transports his corrupted mind into Magneto's, and Magneto uses his powers to build indestructible armor. By the time The X-Men and X-Force get their acts together, the combination of minds Apocalypse has gathered has formed themselves into a new tyrant, Onslaught. It'll take all Charles' students got to defeat this powerhouse and save the world
The End.
Hope you enjoyed my pitch for how The X-Men could tie-into The MCU! Thanks for reading!

Hall Facts

Are you a fan ethical birds? Me neither. Anyway, here are One Dozen Hawk & Dove Facts!

1. Hawk and Dove were created by the late Steve Ditko in "Showcase #75" in 1968. Ditko is also responsible for the co-creation of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, the creation of The Creeper, as well as reinventions of Charlton Comics' characters Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, and The Question.

2. The original Hawk and Dove were Hank and Don Hall, two brothers who had very different belief systems. Hank was quite violent and temperamental, while Don was well-read and polite. During 1985's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" Don died saving a little boy. After his death, a statue of him was place in Titans Tower.

3. While being a prominent duo in the DCU, Hawk and Dove were also members of The Teen Titans. They were also founding members of The Titan's secondary team Titans West. Hawk and Dove II were also members of The Birds of Prey for a short time, surprising as The Birds didn't usually have male members like Hawk.

4. Dawn was replaced by Dawn Granger, who remained Hank's partner for the rest of his superhero career. While being defensive of Dawn, Hank never pursued a romantic relationship with her. During a time when Hawk and Dove were presumed dead, a five-issue miniseries by Mike Baron debuted a short-lived version of Hawk and Dove created by advanced experiments. Military brat Sasha Martens became Hawk, and slacker Wiley Wolverman became Dove. Dawn returned from her hoaxed death and received a new partner-her estranged sister Holly Granger.

5. In the 90's, it was established Hawk and Dove were initially given superpowers by spellcasters named T'Charr and Terataya, one of whom was a Lord of Chaos, and the other being a Lord of Order respectively. T'Charr and Terataya had apparently fallen in love. They revealed to Hawk and Dove that they were given powers to prove to The Lords of Order and Chaos that two conflicting forces could work together to accomplish their goals. After the death of Don Hall, his powers were sent to Dawn Granger due to her pure heart. Hawk and Dove II absorbed T"Charr and Terataya and became more powerful.

6. Prominent Lords of Order include Doctor Fate, The Wizard Shazam, Captain Marvel/Shazam, and Amethyst. Lords of Chaos include Mordru, and Klarion The Witch Boy.

7. On Earth 2, Carter and Shiera Hall (Hawkman and Hawkwoman) had a son named Hector Hall who became known as The Silver Scarab. After his death, his mind had been found in The Dreaming and he eventually became a new version of Sandman. Hector had a son with Lyta Trevor/Fury-daughter of Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor-named Daniel who became later replaced The Lord of Dreams. Hector Hall was reborn as the son of the Earth 2 versions of Hawk and Dove, and in adulthood became the new Doctor Fate.

8. Dawn Granger has an on-and-off romantic relationship with the undead superhero Deadman. The two met during "Brightest Day" when he had come back to life. However, he has to return to being a ghost at the end of the event, and tried to maintain a relationship with Dawn. He tried possessing the bodies of other men to facilitate the romance, but Dawn was turned away by this idea.

9. When Hawk and Dove fully discovered their connection to The Lords of Order and Chaos, they temporarily became their "true selves". Hawk became a gun-and-sword-totting hunter, and Dove became a shining, golden goddess.

10. In the event "Armageddon 2001", a psychotic time-traveling super villain called Monarch appeared in the DCU. It was left a mystery who Monarch actually was, and the time-travelling hero Waverider even investigated the futures of heroes like Hawk. However, DC editorial unintentionally leaked the twist that Monarch was Captain Atom's future self. In an effort to keep a twist ending and drum up sales for "Hawk and Dove", editorial changed the ending and revealed Monarch to be Hawk from the future. Monarch murdered Dawn, causing Hawk to murder his future self and have a psychological breakdown. Hawk than assumed the mantle of Monarch and became a villain of Captain Atom, later he absorbed Waverider's time-traveling powers and became known as Extant. Hank/Hawk/Monarch/Extant was murdered when Atom Smasher sent him back in time to get killed by an exploding plane. Hank received a statue in Titans Tower.

11. During "Blackest Night" the corpses of Hank and Don Hall were sought out by Black Lantern Rings. Due to his connection to The Lords of Order, Don was able to reject his resurrection. Hawk, though, accepted the Black Lantern Ring and became a zombie. Hank kills and converts Holly Granger and the two Black Lanterns stalk Dawn. Dove's powers become consequential in both this story and it's sequel "Brightest Day".

12. Hawk and Dove's archenemies are Condor and Swan. Condor is an unnamed old man who had recruited Swan-real name Rachel Felps-into becoming his partner. The two of them are connected to the Lords of Chaos and Order just like Hawk and Dove. By killing other avatars Condor and Swan are able to grow stronger. Condor has Hawk's powers, as well as shapeshifting. He also eats his opponents. Swan has Dove's powers and is able to project fire. The two have some sort of romantic relationship, as well.
Thanks for reading.
Which do you like more? Hawk or Dove?

The Panel Biter 7/26/18

The Weekly Flip Vol. 2 #16

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GC6436hagOdvFxyGxS7EIVWaP6d-L3hb

Comic Buffet "The Punisher #48"

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NLOpZ7NjZOwj5is6wBrltQuOlZMsgx35

One More Try (Spider-Man & Mary Jane Reunited)

Why is this image such a big deal? I know the art isn't great, but it's just Spider-Man and Mary Jane, right? They're kissing, being together, why is this important. Especially when it's something we've before. Well, if you're a big fan of Spider-Man you'll probably know why this image from "Amazing Spider-Man #802" from last week is important. And why it's the best Spider-Man thing ever.

So, let me set the stage for you guys. So for like twenty-five years Peter Parker-The Amazing Spider-Man-had a pretty active love life. Gwen Stacy, Black Cat, Betty Brant, Liz Allen, and, of course, Mary Jane Watson. Then in 1987 Peter and MJ got married and the character of Peter Parker continued his adventures in adulthood. But ever since then, Marvel writers and editors who wanted to write about Spider-Man hooking up with girls and not dragging this chick around made every attempt at making readers hate MJ. Making Spider-Man a character unburdened by MJ. Until their final solution twenty years later when they forced Spider-Man's current writer to write a story in which Peter made a deal with the devil to save the life of his aunt, but in return his wedding would be wiped from history. This element of Spider-Man's life that had stood the test of time for two decades, this characteristic of Spider-Man stories that people grew up with and were comfortable with. And it was ripped away by grown men who hated MJ and made Peter make a choice he would never make.
And then Nick Spencer-this guy who triggered the entire world when he made Captain America a member of Hydra-writes the first issue of his Spider-Man run and ends with Peter and MJ getting back together. Spencer pissed people off with his Captain America story "Secret Empire". People were offended, they thought it was in bad taste, that it was a discredit to the character and the men who made him. And Spencer took all that. Now look, I think "Secret Empire" was a decent story. Not good, not bad, just decent. It was an interesting premise. The ending was awful. But in terms of the initial idea and direction for Cap, I support it because I know it is only a story. This flash-in-the-pan status quo that will go away in a year. And it was and it did. I am not hurt, or ashamed, or emotionally tormented by this fictional character being a nazi for a few months because I knew it would go away and we'd go back to old Cap. Just like when Cap was a werewolf, just like when he was an old man, it would go away.
However, to reassemble a marriage so iconic in the first issue of his run, Spencer surely is trying to win readers back. And this is a sure fire thing. No matter how pissed Captain America fans might be, knowing Spencer is going to be undoing the past ten years of MJ-hate from other writers is fantastic. Even if part of me had some spite towards Spencer, it would be wiped away by this. Granted, this could all be some kind of trick. MJ could be Chameleon or a robot or a clone. Spencer likes to play the long game with this stuff. But I think between the possible romance between MJ and Peter in the MCU and MJ's relationship with Peter in that upcoming PS4 game and the sheer numbers that "Spider-Man Renew Your Vows" comic was making is indicative of Marvel returning to form with Peter and MJ. In June we're getting an event called "Spidergeddon" which seems to involve the Spiderverse, and two characters involved are going to be Spinneret-Mary Jane from the Renew Your Vows Universe-and Spider-Man from the PS4 game. They're highlighting versions of Peter and MJ who are with their universe's counterpart. This story decision could be Spencer playing the long con, or it could be Marvel Editorial eating their hat, growing up, and acknowledging that now Dan Slott is off Spider-Man they can capitalize on the nostalgia of Peter and MJ being together. Either way, it's a good play to make after years of Spider-Man not feeling like Spider-Man. And Spider-Man can't be Spider-Man without his Mary Jane.
Thanks for reading.
Damn if Spider-Man and MJ got their daughter in this universe, Spider-Man and Superman would officially trade spaces.

Sony Bologna (Helping Sony Pictures)

Sony Pictures are doing their damnedest to stay relevant in the superhero movie genre. After being forced to share the movie rights for Spider-Man with their incredibly successful competitor Marvel Studios/Disney, Sony decided to give themselves one more chance at competing when they announced a "Venom" movie. Following that came claims of films based off of Silk, Morbius The Living Vampire, and Black Cat/Silver Sable. As well as an animated Spiderverse film disguised as a Miles Morales movie . I have made it no secret that I hate Sony Pictures, I want them to fail, I want all of Spider-Man's rights to belong to Marvel, and I want Sony to make movies about characters I don't have strong emotional connections to. However, I will be fair. I have already suggested films for both Marvel Studios and DC Entertainment, so here are some ideas for Sony Pictures.

The Sinister Six

I really think going the animated, action-comedy route with "Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse" is a smart move for Sony. After years of failed attempts at launching a serious Spider-Man Cinematic Universe, taking a step back and doing something fun instead is a great pallet cleanser and convinces people you're not entirely stupid. If Sony wants to dust off the old plans for a "Sinister Six" movie, I think they're better off going with a comedic, animated take on the characters. Nobody wants to watch a two-hour movie where six dangerous grown men hunt down Marvel's poster boy. Especially if it's going to end with them getting arrested. You know, because they're bad guys.

My idea was doing an animated film that opens with Spider-Man (Peter or Miles, you're choice) fighting The Sinister Six (Doc Ock, Vulture, Sandman, Electro, Rhino, and Shocker) and defeating them, but Shocker gets away. With his team locked up, he takes it upon himself to assemble a new Sinister Six, but because Shocker kind of sucks he gets a sucky team. Beetle is only in it for the Instagram followers, Boomerang is infamously labelled "the Australian Bullseye knockoff", Overdrive's only power is hijacking vehicles, and The Spot who is a former scientist, but everyone is more interested in his teleportation powers and they ignore his brilliance. Also Man-Wolf, a former astronaut who became bonded with a stone that turned him into a werewolf, he also spent the past year in an alternate dimension as it's champion. Man-Wolf is actually John Jameson, the son of J. Jonah Jameson and a side plot of the movie would be John trying to reconnect with his father, but his dad is too busy slandering Spider-Man and his foes.

Another side plot is The Hypno Hustler, an old African-American man who's music can hypnotize people. However, his music doesn't effect the Six thanks to Shocker's vibrations and he is upset the Six won't accept him. He would end up kidnapping Jameson and The Six would go to save him. This, however, tips Spider-Man off to the new team and the villains would battle The Web-Slinger. The Six would actually come close to killing Peter, but Man-Wolf is the one who convinces them not to kill him. The Six are then defeated, but Shocker escapes again. End credit sequence would be Shocker with a new team of D-Listers (Grizzly, Big Wheel, Swarm, Cyclone, and Vermin), but The Sinister Ten burst in and ask to join them.

There. Fun animated romp about a bunch of losers who just want to be taken seriously. There's sequel potential, you can get some big names to voice the cast, and you get plenty of chances to take pot-shots at Spider-Man and his characters. That sounds like a lot more fun than a group of grown men ganging up on a teenage boy.

The Scarlet Spider

You know Sony, just because Marvel Studios basically took Spider-Man back from you doesn't mean you can't make Spider-Man movies. All you have to do is use another Peter Parker. Another Spider-Man. Like Ben Reilly, The Scarlet Spider. Do a live action movie about this clone of Spider-Man as he escapes the clutches of Professor Miles Warren and travels the countryside trying to build a life independent of Peter Parker. But when Warren returns as The Jackal and tries to ruin the life Ben's built with an assassin-for-hire named Tarantula, Ben hastily puts together a costume, replicates some web shooters, and becomes The Scarlet Spider. But he has to be careful not to cause too much noise, otherwise the real Spider-Man or one of his Avenger buddies could come after him.

You could do sequels tying in Kaine, Spidercide, The Spider Doppleganger, Kraven The Hunter, Chameleon, and other characters who could mess up Ben's life. Do a film where Peter Parker does find Ben and teams up with him. Maybe cast Andrew Garfield as Ben Reilly and just say he got plastic surgery so he wouldn't look like Tom Holland. Oh, and cast Tobey Maguire as Kaine! And cast Nicholas Hammond as Miles Warren! That would be awesome. But this would be an opportunity to do something different with Spider-Man, like putting him in different locations, giving him a different supporting cast, portraying him differently from the Tom Holland version. You can effectively do whatever you want with Spider-Man by not using the real Spider-Man. Plus, you can make bank off of those blue sleeveless hoodies.

Spider-Man 2099

This would make a dope live-action movie. It's the future of 2099, the US is run by corporations, and Miguel O'Hara is a cold, egotistical scientist who is betrayed by his own assistant. When he is given spider-powers it begins to destroy his normal life. He has fangs and claws and his own company is tracking him down. Miguel is joined by his AI Lyla as he tackles villains like Venture who hunts Miguel down for the company Alchamex, The Samurai who works for Stark Industries, and The Vulture, a cannibalistic crime-boss. And he has to deal with the security cooperation known as The Public Eye.
A movie like this would create a very different depiction of Spider-Man, as well as open the world of 2099 to new fans. There are a group of people called Thorites who know Thor once existed and worship him with the hopes he'll return and fix this future, Doctor Doom is still alive, and mutants still populate the world. Spider-Man and his future are vastly different from the MCU we've seen and could breath some fresh air into Sony's dying franchise.
Thanks for reading.
Which of these films do you wanna see!?

Mera Facts

Are you a fan of The Queen of Atlantis? Cuz we got One Dozen Mera Facts!

1. Mera appeared in "Aquaman #11" in 1963. In her first appearance she becomes Aquaman's wife and Queen of Atlantis by the end of the issue, and later gave birth to their son Arthur Jr./Aquababy. 

2. Mera is one of the few love interests in DC Comics to rival her significant other in strength. Like Arthur, Mera has super strength, super speed, durability, and the ability to maneuver in the deep sea. However, due to her heritage, Mera is also a Hydrokinetic (meaning she can manipulate water on any scale). She uses this power to create solid water constructs, manipulate vapor and ice, and drain liquids from the human body.

3. After The New 52, Mera had been made a reserve member of The Justice League and substituted Aquaman as a JL member and as ruler of Atlantis when Aquaman had to leave the throne to clear his name. She also briefly used the name "Aquawoman" with a costume similar to Arthur's.

4. Following the death of Aquaman and the event "Blackest Night", Mera had become a deputy of The Red Lantern Corps. Her Red Ring was fueled by the anger of seeing her dead husband revived as a Black Lantern zombie. After he was fully revived, Mera's rage ceased and she was released from the Red Lantern Corps.

5. The aforementioned son of Aquaman and Mera sadly died after he had been kidnapped and suffocated by Black Manta. This sent Mera into an unstable phase were she had to be locked up in an asylum in Atlantis. She later beat up Aquaman and blamed him fore the death of their son. During her battle against the Black Lantern Aquaman and Aquababy, Mera shockingly reveals she never wanted children.

6. Mera comes the kingdom of Xebel, within "The Dimension Aqua" and located in The Bermuda Triangle. Xebel Atlanteans have the ability to manipulate water and they all share the trait of red hair. Jackson Hyde/Aqualad can also manipulate water like a Xebel, but he is only half Atlantean. He uses special Water Bearers to better focus his powers.

7. Other Xebel Atlanteans of note are Leron who was an Atlantean criminal and Mera's sister Hila. Hila became the villain Siren and attempted to kill Aquaman multiple times, even going so far as to kidnap her sister and disguise herself as her to get close to Arthur and command the army of Atlantis to capture him for treason. After the New 52, the character of Nereus was created as the King of Xebel and Mera's betrothed.

8. In the 1990's Mera had been kidnapped and sent to a dimension called Netherworld by the Aquaman villain Thanatos. There, Mera is brainwashed by Thanatos. Mera also has a second child named AJ and, due to time moving differently in this dimension, he appears to be ten when the two of them break free from Netherworld. The two of them cannot stay on Earth as it would accelerate AJ's aging, so they leave to the planet Oceanid. The planet is all water-based and is being drained of it's resources by other aliens. So Aquaman helps Mera and AJ defeat the aliens. Mera chooses to be with Aquaman again, but AJ stays behind and becomes the Aquaman of Oceanid. It is never revealed whether AJ's father is Aquaman or Thanatos.

9. Mera didn't receive her own series in 2018, when Dan Abnett wrote a six-issue miniseries starring her.

10. In the world of "Flashpoint", Arthur Curry was raised in Atlantis as a teenager after his father was assassinated by Atlanteans. Due to this, he and Princess Diana of Themyscira were to be married as adults to union both races. However, this was sabotaged when Diana's mother was killed by an Atlantean, this turned out to be a plan formulated by Arthur's brother Ocean Master and Diana's aunt Penthesleia. Atlantis went to war with The Amazons with mankind as the battleground. After Diana learned Aquaman married Mera, Diana killed Mera and wore her crown to mock Arthur.

11. In the animated adaptation of "Flashpoint" titled "Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox", the catalyst behind the Atlantean/Amazonian War was changed. This time, Queen Mera discovered her husband Arthur having an affair with Princess Diana. Mera confronted Diana later, leading to Mera being beheaded, waved in front of Arthur, and having her crown taken by Diana. Leading to their war.

12. During the time in which Mera was stuck in Netherworld, Aquaman formed a romance with a character named Dolphin. Dolphin was a young woman who had been experimented on by aliens and became a water-dwelling superhero. She teamed up with Aquaman and Aqualad numerous times and became Arthur's lover. When Mera returned, Aquaman and Dolphin broke things off just as Aqualad returned from studying magic. Aqualad now called himself Tempest and won Dolphin's heart. Taken aback, but otherwise happy for them Aquaman blessed their wedding and he and Mera were present for the birth of Tempest and Dolphin's son.

Thanks for reading.

Are you #TeamArthur or #TeamMera?

The Panel Biter Podcasts 7/19/18

The Comic Buffet Sex Special #1 "Sex Criminals"

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KSyKnqw-JkWsiK8Y7ta6uJ05I1R5GSuk

The Weekly Flip Vol. 2 #15

https://drive.google.com/open?id=11QakxUwBVp7gbY1l4ch0yO80jb5w2Yqj

The Comic Buffet "JLA/Avengers"

https://drive.google.com/open?id=11N8ZKcpZVek3Hl9FS1F549coU5YIX8ZH

Rise From The Rafshes (My Final X-Men Pitch)

From the ashes of "X-Men: Decimation" rises a new mutant superpower that could change the world. However, can all that power be contained by one mortal? Or will fire always envelop it's stage? This is "X-Men: Ashes".

In the last X-Men Pitch I told you I was taking the plots of "X-Men: The Last Stand" and cutting them into two films. This film focuses on the Phoenix portion, taking notes from the "Dark Phoenix Saga", and probably being more entertaining than "Last Stand" or the next Dark Phoenix movie.
Since "Decimation" Jean Grey-now The Phoenix-has been using her enhanced psychic powers to help the world in new ways. She is freeing enslaved mutants from foreign countries, speaking at mutant rights rallies, preventing natural disasters and saving lives. However, Jean has become so preoccupied helping the Earth she has become distant with The X-Men. Things come to a standstill when Jean is enraged and nearly murders a foreign dictator. Jean seemingly disappears.
When Jean returns, she seems like her old self again and The X-Men are happy to see her. But as soon as things settle down The X-Men are attacked by the Shi'ar Imperial Guard. After their battle, The Shi'ar's commanding officer Kallark The Gladiator reveals that Jean Grey destroyed a planet. She is to be judged by a galactic council for her crimes. In the spirit of fairness, Gladiator allows The X-Men to come along as her defense, as Gladiator is aware of the legends of The Phoenix Force. He further explains that The Phoenix Force was a deity of The Shi'ar, a God of Recreation. When Jean came to the Shi'ar Planet her latent psychic potential must have intrigued The Phoenix Force and it chose to live within her. The council finds it appalling that Jean misused the powers of a God to destroy a civilization.
On The Shi'ar Imperium, a council of races from across the galaxy are present. Among the audience are The Guardians of The Galaxy, who witnessed Jean's crime. Also, I dunno how the whole Gamora thing or Adam Warlock stuff is gonna pan out so I took the safe route and did the basic Guardians team sans Gamora. Anyway, they aren't really keen on The X-Men, but Mantis can feel Jean's guilt and confusion. If they could find someone who knows more about The Phoenix Force, maybe Jean could be cleared. He hates to admit it, but Drax knows someone.
While The X-Men and Guardians attend the trail, Drax, Nightcrawler, Psylocke, and Rocket break into a high-security space prison where Thanos is being held. This would require Thanos to alive after "Avengers 4", Assuming he isn't dead, Psylocke tries to pry Thanos' mind for the history of The Phoenix Force, but he straight up tells them the truth. The Phoenix Force was dubbed a God of Recreation, because it destroyed everything. Before Thanos knew of The Infinity Stones, he sought out The Phoenix Force as his goals aligned with the deity's nature. However, he learned The Phoenix Force doesn't attach itself to beings, it possesses them.
When The X-Men and The Guardians bring this up in court they are quickly dismissed. Information given to them by Thanos? Who they broke into a prison to talk to? They're lucky they are not put on trail. Jean accepts her guilt, but just as she is about to be killed for her crimes Cyclops reminds the Shi'ar that The Phoenix Force is a God and if they kill it's vessel it could be blasphemous. In the riots of debate and uncertainty, Jean is corrupted and sneaks away. Psylocke detects she is heading for Earth and the heroes give chase, with Gladiator and his forces behind them.
On Earth's moon, The X-Men and Guardians drop off and go looking for Jean, each of them having an oxygen field around them. They are quickly attacked by The Shi'ar Imperial Guard, but Wolverine sends Cyclops to find Jean. When he finds her, Jean is looking at Earth one last time, knowing The Phoenix Force won't let her live a normal life. She will only cause destruction. Cyclops tries to appeal to her, but she only freaks out and The Dark Phoenix emerges, she attacks The X-Men, The Guardians, and The Imperial Guard. She almost burns Gladiator to a crisp until Scott snaps her out of it. Jean and Scott embrace one last time before Jean uses the Phoenix Force to destroy herself. Leaving only ashes in Scott's arms.
As the funeral of Jean Grey comes to a close, and only Scott and Logan remain, Scott tells Logan to go away. That he wants to be alone. But Logan has been alone for most of his life, and being together suits them all far better. The two men, who loved this woman, stand there and recount the adventures they've had. And Scott asks if their lives are crazy enough for Jean to come back. "Well, slim" Logan says, "you know how a phoenix works".
The end.
I have one more spin-off pitch for you, but aside from that, thank you very much for reading my X-Men MCU pitch series!

Laura Facts

Are you fan of Wolverine's successor? Well, we got One Dozen X-23 Facts for you! Snikt!

1. X-23 was created for the animated series "X-Men: Evolution". First appearing in episode eleven of season three. Craig Kyle created X-23 as an attempt to better link Wolverine with the kids of the school. He also described X-23 as "the Pinchhio of Marvel Comics, a samurai sword trying to be real girl".

2. Laura is an obvious clone of Wolverine, retaining many of his powers and subject to the same Weapon Plus training he experienced. It is speculated that her two claws and single feet claws are a result of her gender differing from Logan's. Her codename, X-23, also indicates she was the twenty-third attempt at recreating Logan, who was labeled Weapon X. Weapon X later became the new name of Weapon Plus.

3. While her first appearance was in a cartoon, Laura's first comic book appearance was in the miniseries "NYX" a series about teenage mutants in New York and how their powers effected their personal lives. Due to the nature and maturity of the book, it was shortened to seven issues and had many delays. It featured a mutant who was autistic and sexually abused, a character who attempted to kill herself, and X-23. This depiction of X-23 acknowledged her connection to Wolverine, but was a teenaged prostitute who was under the ownership of a pimp named Zebra Daddy.

4. Following "NYX" the character received a six-issue miniseries called "X-23: Innocence Lost" written by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, detailing her origin story. Following that Kyle and Yost wrote another six-issue mini called "X-23: Target X" which filled in the blanks between "NYX" and "Innocence Lost".

5. Laura has been a trainee under The X-Men, a member of Wolverine's covert operations X-Force, and has been a student at Avengers Academy.

6. While most mutant's abilities spawn during puberty, Laura's bone claws were forced out of her using radiation poisoning when she was seven. Her claws were then removed from her body, coated in Adamantium, and then reinserted into her body. This means unlike her "father", Laura's skeleton is not coated in Adamantium.

7. While being held by Weapon X, X-23's handler was a mutant named Kimura. Kimura had indestructible skin meaning Laura couldn't cut her and she constantly bullied X-23 just as she had been bullied as a young girl. Kimura is later killed by Laura years later when she pins her down and drowns her.

8. After Wolverine died, Laura saw fit to take up the mantle of Wolverine. As Wolverine she became a main member of The X-Men, teamed up with heroes like Silk, The Totally Awesome Hulk, The All-New Ghost Rider, Deadpool, and others. She also happened upon the company Alchamex creating four clones of X-23. Of these four "sisters", the eldest became a villain named Bellona, and the youngest Gabrielle became Laura's sidekick.

9. In October of 2016, the first teaser trailer for the movie "Logan" premiered and later details about the film came to light. One of the main characters of "Logan" was Laura/X-23, a clone of Logan no older than twelve. Later that year in January, Gabrielle Kinney appeared in the opening arc of "All-New Wolverine" written by Tom Taylor. Gabby was very similar to the "Logan" movie's depiction of Laura and is thought to reference that version of the character, only appropriate since Gabby is a clone of Laura. Gabby takes the name Honey Badger and adopts an actual Wolverine she names James.

10. Laura's upbringing has given her a grammatically correct vocabulary, she rarely uses slang. This upbringing also caused her to cut herself early in her life, knowing the cuts would heal away. 

11. Laura's first crush was the X-Men-in-Training known as Hellion, who's powers were telekinesis. Their relationship was reminiscent of Wolverine and Jean Grey's. Laura no longer has feelings towards him. She also had a relationship with Warren Worthington/Angel from the past, as he and the rest of the original X-Men became displaced into the present. Their relationship ended when Angel became fed up with Laura's recklessness and brutality. She also shared a few kisses with Young Cyclops as well.

12. In an issue of "Marvel Team-Up" from 2005 featured a four-issue story arc in which X-23 forms "The League of Losers" to help stop a time-traveling villain from wiping out all of Earth's heroes. This team consisted of X-23, Darkhawk, Arana, Gravity, Dagger, Sleepwalker, Speedball, and Terror. However, the group becomes stuck in the future of 2099 and become a superhero team known as The Fantastic Nine. This was established to be an alternate timeline so the characters could continue to exist in the main universe. Interestingly, this version of X-23 sparked a romance with Gravity.

Thanks for reading.

Who's your favorite Wolverine? Comment below!

The Panel Biter Podcasts 7/11/18

The Weekly Flip Vol. 2 #14

https://drive.google.com/open?id=153uZE4tduFylSsThQNZVHKWWi3BD41e_

The Comic Buffet "Spider-Man: Dead No More; The Clone Conspiracy"

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_yVpNe3-Vp7Dkm1lR-7E8VHZBhCOua17

Raffi Review's "Ant-Man & The Wasp"

https://drive.google.com/open?id=11eTHzx5VOjWA_qHpBciVsIndh6m5Rcaz

Amalgems (Combining Marvel & DC Characters)

Marvel Comic's "Infinity Warps" event will see the amalgamation of several Marvel characters into new identities like Scarlet Witch and X-23 becoming Weapon Hex and Black Panther and Ghost Rider becoming Ghost Panther. But before Marvel started shoving their own heroes together, Marvel played ball with DC Comics back in the 1990's to create the short-lived Amalgam Comics. Featuring Captain America plus Superman creating Super-Soldier and Batman plus Wolverine creating Darkclaw. I've seen a lot of online comic book fans pitch their amalgamated characters, so I thought it would be fun to throw my hat into the ring! Here are five Marvel and DC characters I think should be combined!

The Martian (J'ohn Ban'ner/John Banner)

The Hulk + Martian Manhunter

They're both green. Nah, I always thought this would be a fun combination because when you really think about The Hulk, he's a character with two sets of skills. As Bruce Banner he is an intelligent scientist and experienced survivor. As The Hulk he is a world-breaking embodiment of rage. Martian Manhunter can be summed up in two categories too. One half of his powers are passive and mental and used to fight without fighting. The other half of his powers rival him to Superman and allow him to take the form of whatever giant monster he wants. So what if you took Martian Manhunter's origin of being sent to Earth after the death of the Martian race and established he took the identity of an Earth scientist. However, due to the trauma of his people being killed John Banner accidentally created an alternate personality based off his rage simply called The Martian. As Dr. Banner, John is a brilliant scientist with telepathy, telekinesis, the ability to turn invisible and phase through walls. And as The Martian, he can alter his size, transform parts of his body into weapons and animals, and had the strength to rival Gods? He'd be as much an asset to justice as a danger to humanity.

Aquabolt (Arthur Boltagon)

Black Bolt + Aquaman

Both are kings, both are plagued by their own heritage, and both are low-key powerhouses of their respective universes. Let's say Arthur Boltagon is the son of a human and an Inlantean (Atlantean + Inhumans) who becomes King of Inlantas and an under appreciated superhero. He is super strong, durable, and he can use his uncontrollable sonar scream to destroy his enemies and command the creatures of the sea. His wife is Queen Meradusa (Mera + Medusa), his evil brother is Ormax The Mad Master (Maximus + Ocean Master), his archenemy is Black Shark (Black Manta + Tiger Shark), his advisor is Vulgon (Vulko + Gorgon) and his strategist is Garnak (Tempest + Karnak). Both of them even have dogs! 

John Hellstrom
Daimon Hellstrom + John Constantine

Here's a fun one. Daimon Hellstrom is the Son of Satan, John Constantine is a practitioner of the dark mystic arts. Their both untrustworthy bastards who ultimately want to do good. So John Hellstrom is a seemingly normal human who made a bet with a demon and lost. John gained demonic powers, but it cost him his soul. He know tries to redeem his sinful deal by using his skills as a magician to help people. Not out of kindness, but out of his desire to be free of corruption. He goes by "The Son of Satan", "The Hellblazer", and "The Flaming Magician", and the person who should be the most wary of him, is himself.

Freebird (Sam Grayson)
Falcon + Nightwing

So I really liked the idea of combining Captain America and Superman. And I also like the idea of Jason Todd/Red Hood combing with Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier. So I figured I just give the Robins to the Super-Soldier series and combine The Falcon and Nightwing. Sam Grayson was still a circus kid who's community-supporting parents were murdered by organized crime, but he wasn't taken under the wing of some billionaire, but instead was adopted by the living legend Super-Soldier. As Eagle The Boy Wonder, Sam's acrobatic skills were put to work helping Super-Soldier fight crime. However, when Sam reached his late teens and saw his mentor bend more and more to the orders of the government, he decided to strike out on his own and be the people's hero and not some government tool. So he designed a wing-suit, his own acrobatic style of fighting, and became Freebird, hero of the people. The Falcon's story is heavily connected to the American people and their response to a hero like him, and Nightwing is regarded as the friendliest of heroes with how many connections he's made, so I thought they'd work perfectly for each other.

Black Jewel (Dinah Jones)

Jessica Jones + Black Canary

Ending off with a more down-to-Earth combination, we have Jessica Jones combined with Black Canary. I really think these two characters share a lot of personality qualities, and I think you build upon the already interesting Jessica Jones stuff with Black Canary's characteristics. Basically, Dinah Jones is initially a superpowered hero known as Black Jewel and she fights crime with her super strength and flight, but she soon comes in contact with Johnny Purple, a suave man with a magical wish-granting genie. Using his genie, Johnny hypnotizes Dinah into becoming his girlfriend. Together they commit crimes and attack heroes and have uncomfortable romantic relations. However, after Johnny wishes for Dinah to have a super-scream power to give her some ranged abilities, she manages to deafen Johnny and escape his spell. After Johnny is locked up and Dinah is free, she never finds that superhero drive again. Now Dinah Jones she runs Canary Investigations, wears leather and fishnets, and uses her powers to catch people at their worst.
Thanks for reading.
What Marvel and DC characters do you want to see combined?

Cat Facts

Are you a fan of Selina Kyle? Well, we got One Dozen Catwoman Facts!

1. Selina Kyle was a predominant female character in Batman's series. In fact, her first appearance was in 1940's "Batman #1", the first time The Dark Knight got a series outside of Detective Comics.

2. Selina Kyle remained in a love/hate relationship with Batman throughout the 40's and early 50's, however when The Comics Code of Authority was put in place in 1954 Catwoman made less and less appearances due to the portrayal of female characters being censored and lessened.

3. The Comics Code hit Selina so hard that in the 1970's when Earth-2 was created as a universe home to the 30's-50's versions of DC characters, Selina was revealed to have eventually married Bruce Wayne and give birth to their daughter Helena Wayne/The Huntress. In the New 52, this was carried over into a new version of Earth 2 where Batman and Catwoman were a superhero husband/wife team and Helena-as Robin-was their sidekick.

4. Catwoman would also take a role akin to Robin in a story called "Gothtopia". Gothtopia was a city-wide brainwash that fooled the people of Gotham into believing Gotham was a cleaner, friendlier place. While Batman and Batgirl donned white costumes, Selina Kyle was Bruce's lover and partner Catbird.

5. Catwoman was later reinvented as a former prostitute/dominatrix in Frank Millar's "Batman: Year One". In recent stories, Batman and Catwoman remember their first meeting differently. Selina remembers meeting Bruce on the streets of Gotham when she was a prostitute, but Bruce remembers The Golden Age story where she was disguised as an old woman on a cruise line trying to steal jewels.

6. When Catwoman got her own self-titled series in 1993, her origin was changed to establish her as an orphaned thief, taught to fight by Ted Grant/Wildcat and spending some time in prison.

7. Selina's father was suspected to be crime boss Carmine Falcone, but many years later she learned she was the daughter of Rex Calebrese. After learning this Selina became the crime boss of The Celebrese Family, returning to being a foe of Batman.

8. The title of Catwoman has been used by two other women in the DCU. First, Holly Robinson took the mantle after Selina became pregnant and was trying to be a hero at the time. So Holly took over her hero duties, leading to many confrontations with the police and Batman. Eiko Hasigawa became Catwoman while Selina was a mob boss as The Hasigawa Family was a rival crime family. Eiko's position did not last long, she and Selina even shared a kiss as Selina always found herself attractive in the Catwoman costume and was more kissing her image than another woman. Additionally, Selina took on Katrina Falcone of the Falcone Family as her sidekick, Catgirl. Kat was an escape artist that impressed Selina.

9. Catwoman discovered her reformation from crime and her love for Batman were solidified by a mind-wipe by Zatanna Zatara. Zee doesn't give Selina a real reason for doing this, but secretly The Justice League had her mind wipe several villains who happened to know the identities of JLA members, against the wishes of Batman himself. In retaliation, Selina duct-taped Zatanna's mouth shut and threw her out a window. She lated asked Zatanna to mind-wipe Film Freak and Angle Man so that they wouldn't remember Selina's identity and the existence of her daughter. Selina eventually leans Bruce's secret again. In the first issue of "Gotham City Sirens" Selina is captured by Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, when they demand Batman's identity we learn Selina was psychologically prevented from revealing Batman's identity by the magic of Talia al Ghul.

10. Selina has a sister who had become a nun named Sister Maggie. Maggie has a multiple personality disorder and has tried to murder Selina multiple times. She later renamed herself Sister Zero and believed her hatred of Selina is because of a "cat demon" within Selina.

11. Despite their romantic relationship with each other, Batman and Catwoman weren't shown having sex in a comic until 2011. Additionally, the idea of marrying the two off was not reused until 2018 in Tom King's run on Batman, however this wedding was cancelled at the last minute.

12. In "The Dark Knight Returns" Selina is an overweight madam who desperately tries to reconnect with old Bruce Wayne. In "Kingdom Come" she runs a cosmetics company, is married to The Riddler, and wears the same dress she wore in "Batman #1" in 1940. In "Catwoman: Guardian of Gotham" she is a billionaire crimefighter and protector of Gotham. In "JLA: The Nail" Catwoman becomes Batwoman after The Joker kills Batgirl and Robin and left Batman traumatized. Selina becomes Star Sapphire in "Batman: In Darkest Knight", she becomes a werewolf in "Batman: Bloodstorm", and in "Batman: Leatherwing" she is a Spanish Contessa turned pirate in the 18th Century.
Thanks for reading.
Should Catwoman and Batman end up together?

The Rafst Stand (My Third X-Men Pitch)

The X-Men have battled racism, they've battled foreign nations, and now they're looking down the barrel of their own extinction. This is "X-Men: Decimation".

So I'm basically taking "X-Men: The Last Stand" and cutting it in half for the next two movies. This film would take inspiration from Joss Whedon's run on "Astonishing X-Men". A charity concert would be interrupted by Unus The Untouchable, so The X-Men would spring into action (Cyclops, Jean, Beast, Nightcrawler, Iceman, Storm, Wolverine, and Colossus). Joining Colossus would be his younger sister Illyana/Magik who has graduated from the "New Mutants" TV show. After defeating the villain the X-Men are questioned by the media about "the cure". The X-Men visit Worthington Pharmaceuticals where groups of Pro-Cure and Anti-Cure protestors are arguing over the cure to mutation being tested. The X-Men meet Calsyee of The Shi'ar alien race who had come to Earth and given her alien biological technology to Archangel's father to help create a cure to the X-Gene. Against The X-Men wishes, Archangel undergoes the cure procedure. However, it only cures him of his blue skin and red eyes. Enraged, Archangel threatens to tell the public about the alien involvement. But this new information only makes the riot grow in anger.
As the next couple days go by more and more mutants and families of mutants are trying to get their hands on the newly distributed cure. Rogue takes the cure, but it only erases her Captain Marvel powers, much to her despair. Soon though, people who took the cure start weakening and some even die. The X-Men try to contact Calsyee, but she's escaped back to her home planet of Shi'ar. The X-Men split up: Cyclops, Beast, Wolverine, Jean, and Nightcrawler go to Genosha to get the help of Professor X and Magneto. Why Magneto? By this point Erik and Charles have come to an truce, neither of them will directly effect the mutant population and instead focus on  making Genosha a haven for all people. Using his powers, Magneto transforms the Blackbird into a space-faring craft and joins The X-Men on their voyage.
Meanwhile, Iceman, Archangel, Colossus and Magik try to calm down the riots, which grow worse when Pyro sets fire to the neighborhood. Pyro would have an earlier confrontation with Mystique, Blob, and Toad. Blob and Toad want the cure because they hate their powers, and Mystique is just out for herself at this point, leading Pyro to go postal. The X-Men get to Shi'ar and meet their empress Lilandra. The Shi'ar also had a mutant epidemic decades ago, which was fixed by using a poison targeted at all mutants. They believe that since Earth has the same issue, they would be doing a service by killing off their mutants. Lilandra triggers the cure's next form: The Legacy Virus. All mutants who took the cure will release an airborne poison that kills other mutants. This means Rogue poisons the school, Archangel poisons the riot, and the toxin is spreading throughout the East Coast. Calysee and her flock of Shi'ar Deathbirds try to stop The X-Men from leaving. Beast gets his hands on the Legacy Virus' schematics and works on creating an anti-virus while the X-Men fly back to Earth. But the Shi'ar shoot down their ship. With Magneto unconscious, Jean has to pilot the ship. As the ship plummets into the ocean, some Shi'ar entity imbues Jean with a strange new power. The ship rises from the ocean as Jean becomes The Phoenix.
Using Jean's upgraded powers, The X-Men quickly apply the cure to The Legacy Virus to mutants across the East side. But there are many casualties, including "New Mutants" characters, members of The Brotherhood, and even Colossus' sister Magik. Her death hits Colossus harder than anyone can understand. From there, many students are pulled from the Xavier School, Colossus leaves The X-Men to live in Genosha with Professor X and Magneto. Jean's new Phoenix powers allow her to help the world in better ways. In a sad, twisted way, this whole event helped mutants. People sympathize with their decimation, they see Jean as a mutant success story, and the debate of the cure's existence convinces the public that mutants should be allowed to be themselves.
This film fully focuses on the idea of an injection that takes away the thing that makes you special. There would be moments where Beast muses on how he once tried to cure himself, only be turned into a blue, furry monster. It would really be his perspective that drives the film. The X-Men coming in contact with alien life would lead to future adventures, we get to see where Charles and Erik are in their lives, and the ramifications of The Legacy Virus make echos across the X-Men franchise.
Hope you enjoyed. One more X-Men film on the horizon.
Thanks for reading.

The Panel Biter Podcasts 7/5/18

The Weekly Flip Vol. 2 #13

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HuaC7yGFLC2vM4wPTyL5_qeGGXteGLEe

The Comic Buffet "Spider-Man: The Clone Saga"

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NtTGi_AOqRc2TJe04Fjv-sHQKSwlANU8

Oh My Stars and Garters! (Top 10 American Heroes)

Grodd bless America! The Greatest Country on Earth...if you don't watch the news. Or TV in general. And you don't go online or on social media. Or live here. Or read the papers. Pound of pound I'd say we're pretty good. Top 3. Maybe. Anyway, here are The Panel Biter's Top 10 Patriotic Superheroes!

10. Commander Steel

This guy is one of many attempts by DC Comics to catch the lighting-in-a-bottle that was Marvel's Captain America. Steel was even a soldier who was experimented on! Granted he was given an exoskeleton that gave him his powers, and not some super steroid. Though it's probably easier to remove a skeleton than a biological enhancement serum. He's such an inferior Captain America even his rank is lower than Cap's! Despite that he's still a soldier, a member of the JLA and JSA, and looks damn good when Alex Ross draws him.

9. Spider-Man

Peter Parker isn't the most patriotic guy in New York, but there's a reason the guy is always seen hanging around flag poles. The Sam Raimi "Spider-Man" movies painted a pretty clear depiction of Spider-Man being the average, hard-working, ladder-climbing American. Straight out of High School, Peter is expected to get a job, go to college, and juggle his responsibilities. Peter's story is one of Coming of Age in a modern America where the job market is tough even on the strongest of heroes.

8. Stargirl & Stripe

You think Hawkman's legacy is complicated? Don't get me started on the Starman legacy. The shining star of which is definitely Stargirl and STRIPE. Stargirl is a teenager who modeled her identity after The Star Spangled Kid and she uses Starman's Star Rod to save lives. STRIPE is her step-father in a metal suit, helping her pursue her superhero career. These two are obviously patriotic, but you also have to admire their respect for their elder superheroes and their uncommonly represented step-father/daughter relationship.

7. Wonder Woman

Diana may be a child of Themyscira, but she wears our colors! Wonder Woman probably helped out in WWII more than most DC Comics characters, she absolutely agreed with our concepts of freedom and truth and righteousness. But she doesn't always agree with America or it's government, she simply agrees with our better ideals. And-if your reading a loyal version of the character-she also believes in peace before violence, an initiative the US tries to follow. Tries anyway.

6. The Force of July

Yeah, these guys were the reason I wanted to do a list. Major Victory is a Cap-clone, Lady Liberty is dressed like The Statue of Liberty, Mayflower is named after one of the two famous boats in history,  The Silent Majority is a cleverly named, human Xerox, and Sparkler is a walking sparkler. These guys are ridiculously modeled after historical landmarks and traditions and references and they've never really been anything more than a silly joke. Hey, I'd bring em back! Maybe with a superhero can alter reality by holding a Twitter poll online. 

5. Captain Marvel

Carol used to be a member the US Air Force, but that's not her only qualifier. Otherwise Hal Jordan would be here too. Carol is a patient soldier, operating as Ms. Marvel for so many years, playing leader on Iron Man's US commissioned Mighty Avengers, and finally taking the USA into space with Alpha Flight. She does this by hiring Canadian superheroes. Again, she's rocking the colors, she's got the military background. And Marvel really wants to push her as their Superman. That'll be relevant soon.

4. James Rhodes

I've always liked this guy more than Tony. Rhodey was Iron Man when a black man wearing a white dude's super-suit was dangerous, he was War Machine when the world needed an Iron Man who could do more than shoot lasers, and he was Iron Patriot when a movie came out and Marvel Comics decided-I mean when the country needed him to be. Rhodey is another soldier who became a superhero, he's also a great middle ground between a cocky weapons manufacturer and a all-American war hero. Rhodey manages to walk that line between being an agent and a rogue, a man of the people and a man of his country. And it's balance of commitment and humanity that makes him a great patriotic character. Also he's a US military base rolled into one metal suit.

3. Superman

Truth, justice, and The American Way. No matter what side of the political fence you're on, you have had to have seen Superman as DC's Captain America at some point. He follows all our traditional American values, he was raised on a farm surrounded by hard working county folk and raised by good moral people. He moved on to live in one of many New York allegories and wrote for a newspaper-the most old-school of publications. He treats everyone with respect and gives people the chances they need to turn their lives around. Superman isn't a bully, he isn't a weapon, he's an opportunity. An inspiration to treat other people like neighbors, to allow people to show their better side, and for all of us to better every day. Superman is the ultimate immigrant success story. This humble, simple man who comes from another world grew up in a land of opportunities, he not only benefited from our land's openings, but he uses his history and his blessings to remind us why America is great. And why being human is the best thing you can be. Superman isn't just an American icon, he's every aspiring American's endgame. And no, he won't let border-jumpers die.

2. Uncle Sam

I mean, how do you get more American? Excluding the obvious. Uncle Sam is more like a force of nature than a person. As it turns out, he was created from the image of the poster character and the swell of patriotism in America during WWII. Uncle Sam is powerful, immortal, and can alter his own size. However, Sam's strength and vitality depends on the belief of his country. When America is proud, he is strong. When America is divided, he is weak. So while Uncle Sam isn't subtle in the metaphor department, he's like a glass cannon. Super useful, but his weakness can be Fox News or the last election. One little post about how America is actually terrible and Sam is down for the count. Still, in a perfect world, this guy is a pretty wholesome idea.

1. Captain America

Duh. He wears it, he believes in it, and he took it's damn name. Whether he's across the planet or across the galaxy, Steve Rogers never lets go of the values he became accustomed to in the 1940's. Captain America is a soldier, a leader, a tactician, an artist, and a superhero icon both in the Marvel Universe and even here in the real world. Something I always loved about Cap is the fact that he came from a time of racism, sexism, misunderstood health factors like fatty foods and cigarettes, xenophobic propaganda, and the public's ignorant views on science, and he didn't bring ANY of that shit with him when he melted out of the ice. He brought loyalty, humility, pride, trust, freedom, and the rights of all people, American or otherwise. He should really be called Captain People because he's more about the liberty of human beings than a single country. But he is trying to remind current America what used to be sacred about it. Steve Roger's arch nemesis isn't The Red Skull or Nick Spencer, it's time. It's change. It's the ever-distancing values of his time. And the other Captain Americas struggled with similar issues. When Bucky was Captain America he struggled with the idea of an ex-murderer being the symbol of country, but he had unknowingly created the idea that anyone-no matter how bad, with whatever kind of criminal past-could be redeemed and serve as a functional member of American society. Sam Wilson had to deal with people pointing him out as The Black Captain America, but on the surface he was representing all minorities who have tried to stick their feet in American soil and make a name for themselves. Captain America represents so many different kinds of people while also being a voice of the yesteryear. A voice that reminds us that for as crappy as things used to be, people still had values and beliefs and they didn't have to worry about their own neighbor gunning them down. Captain America makes people believe in those foregone ways, believe they still have a place in the modern world. If a man who rubs elbows with Gods and monsters still believes in the heart of a country, than maybe it's worth believing in.

Thank you for reading and have a happy 4th of July.

Daughters Facts

Are you a fan of Misty Knight and Colleen Wing? Well, we got One Dozen Daughters of The Dragons Facts for you!

1. Both Mercedes Knight and Colleen Wing appeared in issues of Marvel's anthology series "Marvel Premiere". Colleen in issue #19 in 1974, and Misty in issue #21 in 1975. The first instance of the characters teaming up was in "Marvel Team-Up #64" in 1977, they appeared as leading characters in "Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #32" later in 1977. The Daughters did not receive a self-titled series until 2006.

2. The Daughters also starred in 8-page stories in issues of "Marvel Comics Presents" in the years 1990, 1991, and 1994. They were added to the supporting cast of "Power Man & Iron Fist" when they ran Knightwing Restorations Inc. Their company was akin to Luke Cage's Heroes For Hire, and combined both women's last names.

3. A Daughters of The Dragon TV show was in developed in 2001, and would have starred Colleen Wing and two other female characters, but neither would have been Misty Knight. The show was never in produced.

4. The name of their team is a reference to Iron Fist's backstory. When Misty and Colleen first teamed up they fought a villain named The Steel Serpent, who learned the ways of The Iron Fist, but was stripped of his title. When Steel Serpent fled the women, he called them "daughters of the dragon" in reference to Shou-Lao. Shou-Lao is a dragon that lived in K'un L'un that all potential Iron Fists must fight if they wish to gain their powers.

5. Misty Knight shortly roomed with Jean Grey/Marvel Girl during Jean's time away from The X-Men. Ironically, years later, when Jean was thought to be dead, Colleen Wing attempted to romance Cyclops.

6. Misty Knight was part of two primarily black superhero teams. One being Black Panther's "Crew" with Storm, Luke Cage, and Manifold. The other was a secret "Black Avengers" group with Black Panther, Luke Cage, Nick Fury Jr., Spectrum, Storm, and Sam Wilson (formally Falcon, than Captain America). She also had a sexual relationship with Sam Wilson on the low.

7. During "Civil War" Iron Man hired Misty and Colleen to form a new Heroes For Hire to track down all superheroes who didn't sign The Superhuman Registration Act. This team included Marvel's deadliest martial artist Shang-Chi and Spider-Man foe/lover Black Cat to name a few. Misty's siding with Iron Man put a splint in her relationship with Danny, but they recovered.

8. Misty's most obvious tool is her bionic arm, designed by Tony Stark. This arm can crush steel, create repulser blasts, form ice beams, control technology, create a magnetic wave, and is made from a form of Vibranium that can vibrate at a frequency fast enough to melt other metals, such as adamantium.

9. Colleen's father was a university professor, her grandfather taught her the ways of the samurai, and while she initially believed her mother to be dead, it was later revealed she ran a splinter group called The Nail. The Nail broke off from The Hand ninja clan and when Daredevil took over The Hand he had Colleen's mother and all Nail ninjas assassinated so Colleen could lead a new version of The Nail. Which she briefly did.

10. Colleen Wing remained an ally of Iron Fist throughout her early years, once even melding minds with Iron Fist. Due to that, she learned Danny's martial arts style and the ability to focus her chi. She could not produce The Iron Fist, but could heal herself rapidly through meditation like Danny.

11. Misty and Colleen's romantic lives are quite different from their Netflix's counterparts. For example, Misty Knight never slept with Luke Cage like she does in the MCU, but she does work with him occasionally. In the universe of "House of M" she was romantically involved with Luke Cage. Colleen Wing worked with Iron Fist, but never had a relationship with him. However, in the "Ultimate Universe" she is married to Danny Rand. Ironically, Misty Knight and Iron Fist have had a very serious relationship in the comics.

12. "Heroes For Hire Vol. 2 #13" featured the Civil War-era team featuring Misty, Colleen and Black Cat. The cover of this issue was not only tied-in to the event "World War Hulk", but also sparked some controversy as the cover depicts the three women strung up by their wrists over a pit. Rising from the pit are a series of tentacles. The cover invoked an infamous trope in certain Japanese anime (more specifically hentai) called "Tentacle Rape". Despite the backlash, the cover was still published.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/a/a3/Heroes_for_Hire_Vol_2_13.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180307004828

Thanks for reading!

Samurai sword or robot arm!? Comment below.