ABC Unveils S.H.I.E.L.D’s Newest Character Deathlok

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  20 March  2014.

Way back when Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiered we met a troubled, frustrated guy named Mike Petersen. Sixteen episodes later, Mike has made quite a transformation. Into Deathlok.

The new images released by ABC show Petersen’s (J. August Richards) Deathlok costume in full.

Petersen was first introduced as a part of the Centipede super solider program. He later switched sides and effectively joined up with Agent Coulson’s team before being blackmailed into handing Coulson over to the baddies. In a last act of heroism, Petersen tried to save the agent but was caught in an explosion, kidnapped by The Clairvoyant and converted into Deathlok via a robotic leg and an eye implant.

Personally, I’m thrilled that S.H.I.E.L.D. has kept Richards coming back as Petersen. I was disappointed to see him exit at the end of the pilot and this is a great role for the actor who is best known for his other Whedonverse character, Charles Gunn on Angel.

As for the state of the Deathlok costume, comic book fans may be dismayed to see a distinct lay of tech with IO9 saying, “He looks like an evil bounty hunter from a cheap sci-fi show from the ’70s.” Comics Alliance adds, “his costume looks a little bit like some leftover wardrobe from the Dune movie or a really fancied up seatbelt buckle,” but also points out, and I agree, that the costume is a step closer to the comics’ undead cyborg. Let’s remember that Petersen still has three of his four original limbs at this point. There’s plenty of time for the evolution to full cyborg, complete with a menacing red eye, later.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Deathlok episode will air April 1 on ABC. In addition to Richards’ return, the episode brings back Agents John Garrett (Bill Paxton), Antoine Triplett (B.J. Britt), Victoria Hand (Safron Burrows), Jasper Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernández) and Felix Blake (Titus Welliver).

Marvel Looks To The Past And Into The Future In Assembling a Universe

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  19 March  2014.

Greetings Agents and Marvel fans! In lieu of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tonight we got to enjoyAssembling a Universe. This mini documentary tracked the progression of Marvel Studios from its inception in 2006 to its present day status as a geek and box office juggernaut. If you missed this featurette, shame on you. Check out the recap here but then go see this awesome timeline of Marvel’s rise to cinematic greatness for yourself.

Clark Gregg described Marvel’s films best saying, “These are all chapters in a giant pop culture mythology, and I love that.” Let’s take a look at some of those chapters (minor spoilers ahead!):

Big Independent Studio: Back in 2006, the still-new Marvel Studios decided to try to create its own cinematic universe. They chose heroes Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk as their starting points. Though Hulk was well known, Iron Man was almost immediately lampooned by the media and critics as a second-rate character. At the time, bigger Marvel names like Spider-Man and the X-Men were tied up with other studios. After struggling to find a writer for the Iron Manfilm, Jon Favreau finally stepped up with a passion for the project. He cast Robert Downey Jr. because he saw the film as though it were any other independent movie and he wanted the best actors possible. Downey Jr.’s casting came as a surprise to many but also solidified Marvel’s intent: to make great movies with exceptional stories, characters and actors. The studio even reached out to let fans know, via a Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury cameo, that Iron Man was the start of an Avengers universe.

Captain America To Take On Batman And Superman In The Ultimate Box Office Clash

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  14 March  2014.

Proving that they really just don’t care about whatever DC is doing, Marvel has decided to keep their Captain America 3 release date despite DC planning to release their Batman/Superman film on the same day. Fanboys and girls, get ready for a throw down on May 6, 2016.

In January, DC issued a clear challenge to the Disney-owned Marvel when they moved up their Man of Steel sequel from July to May. Marvel had already staked out May 6 for an untitled film, and this week we learned that film is Captain America 3, which means it’s time for DC to rethink their strategy.

The truth is Marvel has been hammering DC in the cinematic world. With Avengers 2 underway and Captain America: The Winter Soldier due out on April 4, Marvel is on a definite high. DC, on the other hand, is putting together some mash-up movie with Ben Affleck taking over Batman’s cape and cowl and Henry Cavill returning as Superman.

As Scott Mendelson at Forbes notes, “Warner Bros. has little choice but to pick a new release date. It has officially lost this game of chicken and will lose any showdown with Captain America 3 by default…Batman/Superman must unequivocally succeed in order for Warner Bros. to do whatever Justice League plans they have up their sleeve.”

Interestingly, The Hollywood Reporter, which first broke the Captain America 3 news, cites industry experts who believe it is highly unlikely the two superhero films will actually open the same weekend. Really what this means is, we’re all waiting to see who blinks first: Marvel or DC?

Adrian Pasdar To Bring Major Glenn Talbot To Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  14 March  2014.

Adrian Pasdar is bringing Major Glenn Talbot and his glorious moustache to Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The studio recently announced the addition of Pasdar as a new thorn in the side of Agent Coulson and his team.

The famously mustachioed Talbot is Hulk-hater General Ross’ right hand man. Talbot frequently appears in the Hulk comics hunting the green rage monster and his Bruce Banner alter ego. On Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., he won’t be engaging in his favorite pastime but he will remain, as Pasdar says, a “sanctimonious jerk.” The character is slated for one episode on the ABC show and Pasdar hinted there might be more.

“As willing as I am to jump when Jeph (Loeb, Marvel TV president) calls, there had to be a little bit more in it than just an episode for me,” he said to The Hollywood Reporter. “I can’t say much more but the mustache is in a locker and it’s being taken out and prepped as we speak for next week.”

Pasdar certainly knows a little something about supernatural powers. He played Nathan Petrelli on NBC’s Heroes and S.H.I.E.L.D. will hardly be Pasdar’s first outing with Marvel. He’s voiced Iron Man in several of the studio’s animated features.

His turn as Talbot on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will air in April on ABC.

Patrick Wilson Confirmed As Playing An Important Role In Marvel’s Antman

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  12 March  2014.


Patrick Wilson will most definitely be involved in Ant-Man. Screen Rant received confirmation from the actor at SXSW that he is playing an “important” role in the Marvel film, though he declined to elaborate beyond that.

Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas have already been cast as leads Scott Lang and an older Hank Pym, respectively. The web is buzzing that perhaps Wilson will be Darren Cross, CEO of a technology company who seeks the advice of surgeon Erica Sondheim. This would make particular sense because in the comics Lang also consults Dr. Sondheim and Cross later becomes a nemesis to Lang’s Ant-Man.

However, Screen Rant speculates that Wilson could instead be stepping in as a young iteration of Pym since the film is purported to include flashbacks.

Either role would work well for the handsome and charismatic Wilson. Hopefully we won’t have to wait until Ant-Man release on July 17, 2015 to find out.

Fans Treated To Brand New Captain America Footage

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  27 February  2014.

It seems I was once again not in the right audience at the right time. Fans that turned up to see Marvel’s latest one-shot, All Hail the King, Monday night were treated to the first ten minutes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

All Hail the King stars Ben Kingsley, reprising his Trevor Slattery role from Iron Man 3. A special screening of the 13-minute short as well as a Q&A with Kingsley, producer Kevin Feige and screenwriter Drew Pearce was held at Hollywood’s Arclight theater. The short will also appear on the Thor: The Dark World blu-ray and digital download.

About the short films, which, like after credits scenes, have become an expectation from Marvel fans, Pearce said simply, “The Marvel one-shots are honestly just a labor of love.”

As for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as Entertainment Weekly says, “it definitely packs a punch.”

Warning: minor spoilers to follow.

The film begins with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) training in Washington, D.C. where he repeatedly laps Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). The two strike up a conversation when their respective workouts are finished and Rogers jots down a record that Wilson suggests he listen to. Cap is keeping a lengthy list of pop culture bits to catch up on, everything from Steve Jobs to Star Wars, which he’s already watched (it’s crossed off the list). Their chat is cut short when Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) pulls up in a sleek black Corvette and then she and Rogers are off on a covert mission.

The footage now picks up where audiences at the D23 Expo saw it, with Romanoff and Rogers on a plane above the Indian Ocean. They joke about Cap’s nonexistent love/social life and he shuts the conversation down by jumping out of the plane. Without a parachute. He lands in the water and climbs aboard a ship where he begins their rescue op by taking out every guard in sight in increasingly badass ways. Eventually, Romanoff and their team join Rogers on the ship and head off to rescue some hostages.

Co-director Joe Russo described the action sequence this way on Slash Film, “This is a more brutal Captain America — a one-man black ops squad. There’s no dialogue in this sequence; just fighting. Cap’s fighting techniques are way more modern than the last time we saw him. He’s learned new moves; the action in general is much more hard-hitting and intense.”

By all accounts, this footage points toward the Captain America sequel being a strong addition to Marvel’s continuing line of Avengers films. The Winter Soldier hits theaters April 4.

Filming on Avengers Sequel Delayed By Flooding

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  16 February  2014.

Thor may be the God of Thunder but he can’t do anything about rain. Thus The Avengers: Age of Ultron shooting schedule has been delayed by flooding in the UK.

Actors were supposed to head in to Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England for camera tests and costume fittings, Hollywood.com reported. Due to the particularly heavy rain, the day was cancelled. The town of Shepperton has been one of many places in the U.K. devastated by the past two days of strong rainfall throughout the country.

As for the Avengers sequel, filming has already started in South Africa. The delay due to flooding in the U.K. is not expected to cause any major issues with the rest of the shoot. Set to hit theaters in 2015, The Avengers: Age of Ultron features the heroes from the first film reprising their roles. Joining them as the titular villain is James Spader, along with Paul Bettany (who also voices Iron Man’s J.A.R.V.I.S.) as Ultron’s henchman, The Vision.

For Your Love, SHIELD Style: Why We Ship Coulson And May

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  14 February  2014.

It’s Valentine’s Day and that means everyone deserves a little love, even tough as nails S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is one of those shows that doesn’t need a main “ship” to make it function. It gets along more than fine without two characters’ will they/won’t they at the center. But! If we were to play some speculation ball, the ship to get on board with is CoulMay aka Phil Coulson and Melinda May. Here’s why.

They have a history. Maybe they were just partners. Or maybe they had a secret relationship that was torn apart by the intensity of their work and S.H.I.E.L.D. regulations. May’s cheeky offer to “lay out the mats” and “go a few rounds with him” in “The Girl in the Flower Dress” could indicate either. This is for sure, knowing each other’s past makes it easier to build a future. Together.

Skye and Ward. We know that on some level S.H.I.E.L.D. is driving us toward this pairing. While this doesn’t work for me on a number of levels and mostly because I think they have no chemistry, what it means is Ward and May is doomed to fail (for many reasons). This leaves plenty of time for Coulson and May to happen.

The Team Takes A Tumultuous Train Ride On This Week’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Originally published on PopWrapped.  5 February 2014.

Hello Agents! Long time no see. When we left our favorite Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. peeps last we had learned some horrifying and heartbreaking details about Coulson’s death and resurrection. Also, Skye was revealed to be an 0-8-4 when she was a baby and Mike Peterson was kidnapped and given an eye implant to do the Clairvoyant’s bidding. Lastly, Ian Quinn is a big baddie funding evil technology. All set? Wheels up! 

The team is en route to intercept a package Quinn is transporting by train and under guard from private security team, Cybertek. Going undercover to get close to the goods, everyone is paired up, most adorably, Simmons and Coulson. She immediately labels him as her dad and it is perfection. Alone with May, Ward notes that Skye is more focused than before and wonders what changed. He’s concerned something personal might get in the way of her work. “We both know that personal urges can affect tactical decisions,” he says. May agrees, replying, “That’s why I don’t have any.” Heh. 

In their compartment, Skye and Fitz pickpocket the conductor’s keys in order to gain access to the luggage area. Elsewhere, Simmons has created an entire backstory for her character and her absentee father. Just as she goes into hysterics about how daddy Coulson was never there for her mother because he was busy with his work and prostitutes, Stan Lee pops up for a great cameo to chastise Coulson. Following behind Stan and his ladies are the Cybertek men. Simmons spills her “mom’s” ashes all over them to distract them. Coulson takes the opportunity to get in this line: “Prostitutes? Plural?” 

Are Your Spidey Senses Tingling? Amazing Spider-Man 2 Adds BJ Novak as Another Villain

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  4 February  2014.

B.J. Novak’s role in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has finally been revealed thanks to an offhand tweet from director Marc Webb. Novak is Alistair Smythe, owner of the deadly Spider-Slayers.

For those of you who do not have an encyclopedic knowledge of Spider-Man canon or, more importantly (and sadly), Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Alistair inherited his robots and hatred for the Webslinger from his father, Spencer. The Spider-Slayers are made specifically to hunt, capture and kill Spider-Man, solidifying Smythe’s villain role.

But with three baddies (Electro, Rhino and Green Goblin) already in the film, how much with Smythe figure in? A viral Daily Bugle article that mentions Smythe’s invention seems to hint that Alistair will be more central to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 than we thought.

The number of villains in the sequel is reaching extravagant terms but this may all be set up for the rumored Sinister Six film that is coming. Adding fuel to this fire are the appearances of Doc Octopus’ arms and Vulture’s wings in the film’s first trailer.

Coming back to Smythe though, Novak looks like a great choice to play the young corporate evildoer. If the film series decides to follow Smythe’s transformation into the Ultimate Spider-Slayer (where he encases himself in armor), that could pit the supervillain directly against our hero in future installments. The third and fourth films already have release dates in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

First up though is The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which hits theaters May 2, 2014.

“Seeds” Are Planted This Week On Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Originally published on PopWrapped.  15 January 2014.

Previously on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Coulson’s sad story got even sadder and we learned to love him all the more. Skye is forever obsessed with figuring out her past but none of us really care. She just might get some answers this week if she’s lucky. Let’s dive in, shall we?

A trio of college students’ after hours pool time is interrupted when the pool starts icing over. Seth’s leg is caught as he hauls himself out and he’s only saved thanks to the quick thinking of a pool skimmer-wielding fellow student who looks remarkably like a younger Fitz. Seth’s friends then drape a S.H.I.E.L.D. towel around his shivering shoulders.

On board the Bus, FitzSimmons explains that they are being asked to consult on the investigation into the frozen pool. They designed the device used to do the freezing, after all. Ward and Skye are tagging along but Coulson and May are headed off on their own. In The Cavalry’s words, “Coulson and I have other matters to attend to.” Anyone else thinks this is some subtle shipperbait?

At S.H.I.E.L.D.’s sci-tech academy, Agent Weaver greets the foursome. She explains that someone within the Academy set off the device and it was targeted at the cadets who were attacked. While FitzSimmons goes off with Weaver to do a guest lecture, Ward and Skye have yet another heart-to-heart where he assures her that she belongs on the team with everyone else. You’d think for a hacker who broke into a government agency’s files, Skye would have more confidence in herself.

Ben Kingsley Returns As Mandarin In Marvel One Shot

Originally published on PopWrapped.  12 January 2014.

Marvel Studios’ latest One Shot will star Ben Kingsley and not everyone’s favorite God of Mischief.

There was widespread fan speculation that Tom Hiddleston’s Loki would be the central figure in the short film, “All Hail the King,” which appears on the Thor: The Dark World Blu-ray. Considering the ending of that film, a Loki One Shot would be logical.

However, Digital Spy reports that Marvel has brought back Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery, who played an important role in the Mandarin twist in Iron Man 3. Considering “All Hail the King” is written and directed by Iron Man 3 writer, Drew Pearce, Kingsley’s casting makes sense. Rumors are buzzing that the short film may even reintroduce the character of the Mandarin.

Previous Marvel One Shots have focused on Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Captain America’s Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell).

The Blu-ray for Thor: The Dark World releases on February 24th in the UK and a day later in the U.S.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Full Length Trailer Released

Originally published on PopWrapped.  5 December 2013.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s full length trailer is here and it is packed with action, intrigue and villains.

In the follow-up to the hit 2012 film, Andrew Garfield’s Spidey is showing his more melancholy side as he struggles with protecting those he loves and the city when evil is all around. “It’s just a matter of time before I face those with more power than I can overcome,” he says in the trailer. Well, he’ll certainly have no shortage of bad guys to contend with.

The trailer reveals not only Electro (Jaime Foxx, looking incredible in CGI) and Rhino (Paul Giamatti), who we already knew about, but also Green Goblin. Yes, this is not much of a surprise since we knew Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) would be appearing in the sequel. But announcing such a major Spider-Man villain so casually has Forbes and fans questioning how Osborn, his father, and their shared signature alter ego will feature in to the film series’ arc.

Still, the trailer delivers plenty in the anticipation department. The full-on battle between Electro and Spider-Man looks as thrilling (or even moreso) than anything we saw in the first installment. Also, did you catch the glimpse of Doctor Octopus’ arms and Vulture’s wings? Amazing Spider-Man 3 anyone?

Just in case you haven’t seen the trailer or you just want to watch it again, check it out here:

What Needs “Repairs” On This Weeks Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D

Originally published on PopWrapped.  27 November 2013.

Greetings Agents! So last week we saw the human side of Ward, the slightly damaged but still awesome side of May and the always adorable and tightlipped side of Coulson. But most importantly we saw that Coulson’s magical place aka Tahiti may be just a dream or a vision implanted in his mind after his “death” at the hand of Loki. Sadly, we get no further development on this storyline but do get more details about May and a great twist on the people with powers set-up of the show.

In Utah a young woman buys some essentials at a gas station and gets harassed by the clerk for being the cause some guy named Jack’s death. When the clerk pushes the woman a little too far she inadvertently uses her psychic powers to throw cans and then a whole shelving unit at him. As he runs out, gasoline and fire create one heck of an explosion, even as the woman prays “not again.”

In May’s room, the Cavalry is getting dressed after a night of fun with, you guessed it, Agent Ward. Lover boy himself saunters out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel McSteamy-style and reminds us all that he has some wonderful, um, assets. No time for ogling though because there’s a mission at hand. As Coulson explains to Skye, they’ll be heading out to check in with the telekinetic. He wants Skye to pay attention to how this is done properly. He’s referring of course to her laughable awful attempt with Mike back in the Pilot episode.

This asset retrieval process can be touchy because their telekinetic, Hannah, is probably in denial, like most of the assets Coulson has encountered. FitzSimmons spout off their trademark science/techy lingo, this time in regards to how they’ll confirm Hannah’s powers. I may have a simple BA but I’m pretty sure if things start flying at you when she’s around, it’s a solid indicator of telekinesis.

Which Avenger Almost Got Their Own Marvel TV Series?

Originally published on PopWrapped.  6 November 2013.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is one of the biggest shows of the Fall, but we almost got an entirely different Marvel TV series. That’s right, Agents; instead of our beloved Coulson leading a team of spies, we were nearly given a Hulk TV show.

Jeph Loeb, Marvel’s head of television, revealed in an interview with Ain’t It Cool News that initially they were looking to adapt the green rage monster into a new show. “Guillermo Del Toro came in and talked to us about doing a Hulk show and when Guillermo Del Toro comes and wants to do a show about your pinkie, you are going to want to do it. But it was just a case that once we saw what Joss Whedon and Mark Ruffalo were creating in The Avengers, that was a better solution.”

Loeb went on to say that Marvel’s relationship with Whedon, built on the strength of The Avengers, enabled them to look in a different direction of a Marvel television series: S.H.I.E.L.D.. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. became a perfect fit in terms of what Marvel wanted to do creatively and what might work on both ABC television and television in general.” Loeb said.

For his part, Del Toro was disappointed but understanding about the decision to shelve the Hulk series, acknowledging in an interview with The Global Dispatch that “Avengers is a game-changer for Marvel.”

As for the future of Marvel on the small screen, Loeb said, “For us in television, it always comes down to finding the right show runner. The answer is always going to be that when the right person is matched with the right property that is when we will make the next exciting announcement from Marvel Television.”

Meet The Girl In The Flower Dress On This Weeks Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Originally published on PopWrapped.  23 October 2013.

Greetings agents! Are you ready to check in with our favorite smorgasbord S.H.I.E.L.D. team and have your burning questions answered? Is Skye any less annoying? Did May finally cave and punch someone on her team? Can FitzSimmons get any more nerdy cute? Let’s find out!

A man performs street magic for a crowd in Hong Kong. They’re underwhelmed until he throws in some hands free pyrotechnics. When a woman in a flower dress approaches him afterward, asking for more, he creates fire in his palm. She’s in awe.

The woman, known as Raina, and Chan the magician go back to his place to talk about his hot body, er, fire powers. He’s a fan of the greats, like Houdini, but he discovered, “There’s no real magic there; just tricks.” He again demonstrates his power and tells Raina it just started happening a few years ago.  “You have a gift,” she whispers reverently.

She thinks he’s been chosen for something special and repeatedly tells him he has a gift. He agrees, so when she asks him to close his eyes, he does. Only instead of getting lucky, Chan gets nabbed by some guys in HAZMAT suits.

On board the Magic S.H.I.E.L.D. Bus, Skye and Ward play Battleship, supposedly to help the S.O. evaluate Skye’s thought processes. Ward is complimenting Skye for being a quick study at everything and she is astounded to hear the compliment. But she’s more delighted to be beating him at Battleship. Off a ways, Coulson and May also quietly compliment Skye. Boy I hope their trust in the newest team member isn’t called into question later this episode.

The two agents also discuss Coulson’s sleeping habits, or lack thereof. She offers to “lay out the mats” and “go a few rounds with him.” It sounds saucy but she means combat training (I’m mostly sure). They’re interrupted by an alert telling them Chan has been taken. A Hong Kong agent named Kwan fills them in and says they were hacked again…by Rising Tide. All eyes train on Skye. Huh, that was quick.

First Look: Funnyman Chris O’Dowd Makes His Moves On Natalie Portman In Thor: The Dark World

Originally published on PopWrapped.  9 October 2013.

Every day we get one step closer to seeing Thor: The Dark World on the big screen and every day we seem to learn something new about Marvel’s upcoming film. Case in point: pictures of the IT Crowd’s Chris O’Dowd in his cameo scene.

The British funnyman, who is also known for his work on Girls and in This is 40, plays Richard inThor 2, a man out on a date with Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster in the scenes pictured.

They are apparently interrupted or at least joined by Darcy (Kat Dennings), which is probably a bit awkward. Even more uncomfortable? Based on what I’ve seen in the trailer it looks like this may be about the time that a certain gorgeous demi-god reappears on Earth. Guess we’ll have to wait until November 8^th (or October 30^th if you’re in the UK) to find out.

O’Dowd, who is primarily known for his turns in more comedic films and TV, said back in March to IndieWire that he was not interested in doing action movies because he doesn’t think he can keep a straight face. Marvel is definitely an exception to that as he revealed in that same interview.

“Actually, you know what I’ve done, just for fun because I didn’t think there was any way that I could be in a superhero movie, so I’ve done a scene in the new Thor movie, just for that,” O’Dowd said at the time. “I just do like one scene, which was quite fun.”

Check out a few more pictures below:

Photo courtesy of Marvel via Digital Spy

Photo courtesy of Marvel via Digital Spy

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Uncovers The Meaning Of 0-8-4 This Week

Originally published on PopWrapped.  2 October 2013.

Hello Agents! Let’s dive into this week’s mission, I mean, episode.

We begin with the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet soaring peacefully through the air. A woman’s voice comes on to ask if everything is a-okay. Just as Agent Coulson says it’s going to be “blue skies from here on out” the side of the plane bursts open. Inside, our favorite agent is hanging on for dear life while the blue sky tries to pull him out of the plane. Oh please. If Loki can’t kill Coulson, what makes the air think it stands a chance?

Flashback to before the plane problems. Skye is unloading her precious van and boarding said plane. She looks skeptical but Agent Ward just looks pissed. He’s whining to Coulson about Skye joining the team but Coulson is defending his decision. He points out that she did break into their database. Twice.

“She doesn’t think like us,” Ward counters. “Exactly,” Coulson replies.

FitzSimmons is also on the fence about Skye but they’re at least more cheerful about it as they show her to her bunk. There she encounters a grouchy Ward who pushes the plane’s emergency preparedness pamphlet at her. Then Coulson slides up to talk once more about the magical place known as Tahiti and how he got the plane as a gift for almost dying before the Battle of New York. Also, he’s still adorable, asking Skye to use a coaster for her water bottle on his fancy plane.

But back to the mission. Coulson explains that a 0-8-4 means that they don’t know what it means. “An object of unknown origin.” The last one was…Thor’s hammer. And we all know what happened on the way to that.

Superheroes Are Taking Over Sky Movies: Channel To Pay Homage

Originally published on PopWrapped.tumblr.com.  17 August 2013.

Sky Movies wants to fill the rest of your August with superheroes. Beginning August 17th, the Sky Movies Superheroes HD pop-up channel will bring the audience animations, films and documentaries all about their favorite heroes.

Replacing Sky Movies Greats HD from August 17 – September 1, the channel includes themed days of content such as Marvel and DC days. August 18th is “Super Teams” with recent favorites X-Men: First Class and The Avengers as well as Pixar’s The Incredibles scheduled to air.

The following day, August 19th, is “Dynamic Duos,” with films such as Batman & Robin (of course), the Men in Black trilogy, and Dredd. 

To end the channel’s run are Marvel Day on August 31st and DC Day on September 1st. The Marvel movies scheduled for their namesake day include The Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and Spider-Man 2. A documentary on Marvel’s legendary Stan Lee, With Great Power: the Stan Lee Story, will also air on August 31st.

When DC gets their turn, viewers can look forward to The Dark Knight Rises, Batman Begins, and Green Lantern.

“From iconic comic book heroes including Batman, Spider-Man and He-Man to cult heroes including Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Men In Black, we’ve assembled an unbeatable line-up to keep Sky Movies customers entertained this summer on Sky Movies Superheroes HD, all ready to spring in to action,” said Director of Sky Movies, Ian Lewis.

Sky Movies Superheroes HD, available on Sky TV, Sky Go and On-Demand, could be the perfect way to end your summer. Check out the trailer for the channel here.

D23 Expo 2013: Reviewing New Thor and Captain America Footage

Originally published on TheFlickcast.com.  12 August 2013.

This could be the end for Jane Foster. Exclusive footage from Thor: The Dark World shown at the D23 Expo revealed Thor’s lady love is infected with a mystical disease that leaves even the Asgardians baffled. In addition to replaying the trailers and first looks from San Diego Comic-Con last month, Marvel unveiled new clips from both the upcoming Thor sequel and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Neither scenes are available online yet so here is what you missed.

Jane Foster’s (Natalie Portman) fate remains uncertain as a team of Asgardian healers examined her. Knowing that Earth’s doctors would be unable to help her, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) brought Jane to his home world. But his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), does not like having the human in Asgard so he sends guards to remove her.

Jane’s infection is not going to go lightly though and it pulses out a wave of energy that knocks the guards back. What could the infection be? Thor and Odin are as clueless and we are.