Metal Men Vs. Godzilla

It has recently been announced that the Godzilla Vs. Kong movie has been delayed by several  months.  That's OK with me, I'd rather the time betaken to get the film just right. Godzilla: King of All Monsters corrected the main flaw from the first film in the series - not enough monster battles - but still had humans that were hard to care about and some very silly plotting.  If they can get the story up to the same quality as the special effects, they'll really have something special and go out in a high note.

Beta Ray Bill Vs. Mongul

Thor: Love and Thunder seems that it will be a busy move with a lot going in it.  I had been hoping there would be room to fit Beta Ray Bill into the mix, but so far, I have not read anything about his inclusion.  He can't just have a small part, we need to find out how he will come to possess Stormbreaker, which Thor currently wields.  Will we have to hope for a Thor 5 to bring his saga to the big screen?

Power Pack and Power Rangers

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was a little too old to get into them, but I do remember being surprised at the popularity of The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers when they first hit the scene.  I recently watched an episode about the property on Netflix' awesome series The Toys That Made Us, and it shed a lot of light on how they were developed.  Why Marvel never tried to market Power Pack with toys or a cartoon show I do not know.

Bug vs. Annihilus

I was glad to see Forager the Bug get some time in the spotlight in the character's recent Mike Allred-Illustrated mini-series. I remember his role in Cosmic Odyssey decades ago, and I always wondered why more was not done with the New God.  Let's hope its not another 30 years before he gets an opportunity to shine again.

Space Cabbie and Doctor Who

One of the best parts of Justice League Action was that I could really tell that the creators were true fans of DC comics history.  There were some great references to classic stories.  The fact that they would do deep dives and include characters like Space Cabbie in the mix made the show really rewarding to watch for a ling time comics fan.  I was hoping the series would have more episodes, but I think it has unfortunately run its course.

Spider-Man and The Suicide Squad

I am interested to see what James Gunn has in store for The Suicide Squad.  The large cast consisting of lots of C and D-list DC villains indicates to me that there's going to be a high mortality rate, yet comments from the actors point to a more comedic take than the David Ayer film. Set photos also show that Gunn will not be shying away from giving colorful costumes to the characters.  I just hope that Amanda Waller is given better material this time around.

Xena and Hercules

There are so many places that Hercules could show up in the MCU and add to the fun and action.  His rivalry with Thor was always enjoyable, I'd love to see the two of them together.  He'd be great with She-Hulk as well, once her show gets off the ground.  He would fit in with The Eternals or Guardians of the Galaxy as well.  Heck, stick him with Howard The Duck and let them loose on the big screen!

Captain America and Sandman in: "A Debt to Yesterday!"

I like the concept art that I am seeing for Falcon & The Winter Soldier.  The Falcon's new costume looks great, the most comic accurate so far.  It should  be even more impressive when he has the wings and shield out.  Baron Zemo apparently will be donning his famous purple head mask at some point in the series as well. 

Starfire and Thundercats

Thank you to Mike Shirley, a patron of this blog, for suggesting this team-up! I had forgotten that Starfire's people were said to have evolved from a feline race.  That actually explains a lot about her personality.  She has a very affectionate side, but is also ready to switch into attack mode at a moments notice.  That certainly reminds me of some cats that I have known!

Darth Vader Vs. Brainiac

After The Last Jedi, I lost a lot of enthusiasm for Star Wars.  I am hoping that JJ Abrams can redeem it somewhat with The Rise of Skywalker, but he's got his work cut out for him.  The Mandalorian on Disney+, however, has been a lot of fun so far.  I really enjoyed the first two episodes, the story is relatively simple while expanding the Star Wars world in enjoyable ways.  The special effects have had a few dodgy moments, but pretty impressive for TV so far.  Let's hope the show can maintain its quality for a nice long run.

Geo-Force and Black Panther in: "Return of the Kings!"

Our Five -Part Epic concludes!  Don't forget to check out Part One ,  Part Two... , Part Three and Part Four to get the complete story!

It will be interesting to see who is eventually cast as Doctor Doom in the MCU.  This is one character that can't get away with removing his mask every other scene, so they are going to need someone with a great vocal presence that doesn't mind having their face obscured. Let's hope we get the most comics-accurate screen Doom yet!

Geo Force Vs. Black Panther in: "Regal Rumble"

It's the clash that this Five-Part saga has been building to from the beginning! Don't forget to check out Part One ,  Part Two... and Part Three... and make sure you come back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion to our story!

Where is Geo-Force in the DCU these days?  I don't see him in the latest iteration of The Outsiders.  Has he made through the last few rounds of reboots, or is he another victim of the DC Ginger Curse? I'm guessing that between Doomsday Clock and the Superman identity reveal, another reboot is on the way, so maybe then he'll get another chance (Halo, too).

Black Panther Vs. Deathstroke in: "Regicide Play!"

Sometimes when a villain gets really popular, attempts are made to make them more sympathetic and turn them into more of an anti-hero.  Sometimes that works for me, but I've never really gotten into seeing Slade Wilson try and be redeemed.  I viewed him as downright evil when he first appeared in New Teen Titans, and that's the way I prefer he stays. 

As we reach the mid-way point of out Five-Part Epic, the connections are starting to become clear, don't forget to check out Part One and Part Two... and make sure you come back tomorrow for the next thrilling installment in our story!

Black Panther Vs. Deathstroke in: "Contract on a King!"

Will we see a caped Black Panther when he next appears on the big screen?  I'm sure that Shuri could design one with a tactical ability that he can use to give it a purpose beyond looking cool.

T'Challa first tangled with Deathstroke in STF #2357...

I hope you checked out Part One... Now, wait a minute - how is this story related to yesterday's tale?  Make sure you come back tomorrow for Part Three of our Five-Part story, and the connection will become clearer...

Geo-Force Vs. Dr. Doom

With all the mentions of Markovia on Black Lightning, I really hope that an appearance by Geo-Force is in the works for that series (Not to mention Halo, Katana and Metamorpho!)

Geo-Force first ran afoul of Doctor Doom along with Batman and the Outsiders in STF #1535...

As the cover states, this is only Part One of a Five-Part Tale - make sure you come back tomorrow for the next exciting chapter!

Space Ghost and Moon Knight

This was a team-up that I decided to feature for one simple reason - I just think that they would look cool together!  I have always found their predominantly white costumes to be striking in animation or on the comics' page.  These same outfits are part of the challenge in faithfully bringing them to live action.  At least we'll get to see how Marvel handles Moon Knight's look when his show begins on Disney Plus.

Martian Manhunter and White Tiger

Here's another street-level hero that would be great to seen in the MCU.  Maybe it would be cool to have an earthbound Endgame type story - once characters like White Tiger, Moon Knight, Daredevil, Power Man & Iron Fist, Shang-Chi, Blade, Daughters of the Dragon and others are introduced, bring them all together for one big Marvel Knights movie.

Dark Matter in: "Shadow Play!"

With the Debut of Disney+ and its new programming, Marvel is getting serious about keeping its cinematic universe cohesive.  The Freeform Cloak and Dagger series is the latest casualty of this decision.  I quite liked the show, and hope the characters show up in the MCU proper one of these days.  I was introduced to them as guest stars of Spider-Man, so it would be cool to see them with the web slinger down the line (Spidey rights permitting).

Dark Matter first appeared in STF #1530...

Doom Patrol and The Phoenix

I was interested to hear that in addition to a Green Lantern series on HBO Max, future seasons of Doom Patrol will be appearing on the new streaming service as well.  There have been a lot of rumors that the DC Comics streaming service is going away, with its programming being moved over to another Warner Brothers based platform, and this move seems to indicate that is indeed is what is happening.  We'll see what else is announced as the debut of HBO Max grows closer.

Magnus: Robot Fighter meets C-3PO and R2D2

The latest trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker features an ominous moment where it appears that C-3PO is saying goodbye to his allies for the last time.  If they must kill of the beloved droid, I hope that he at least sacrifices himself in a heroic manner.  I'm still mad at the way they had Admiral Ackbar go out like a punk in The Last Jedi.

The Addams Family in The House of Mystery

I have not seen the most recent Addams Family theatrical release, but I am interested to check it out.  It looks like it was made to appeal to a younger audience, which is fine.  The draw for me is that I really appreciate the designs of the animated characters.  They look very close to the cartoons of Chas Addams, where the creepy and kooky family got their start.  I appreciate it when adaptations stick so close to the source material.

All-Star Squadron and Thunderbolts

Here are two teams perfect for a streaming series treatment.  Sure, I'd love to see both on the big screen, but they probably aren't considered high profile enough to get that chance.  The stories of second string heroes having to protect the home front during wartime or a group of villains masquerading as heroes and the effect that has on them have a lot of potential.  I can see both having success in a long form serial format.

Tarzan and Jonny Quest

These two properties were among my favorite non-superhero cartoons when I was a kid.  Both had limited production values, with heavy re-use of stock footage and music cues.  Still, the strength of the characters and the exotic locations and situations were enough to keep me coming back.  It would have been great to see their animated worlds collide.

Daredevil and Blue Beetle in: "Upgrading the Underworld!"

I got a kick out of seeing Stilt-Man's stilts in The Gladiator's workshop in an episode of Netflix' Daredevil.  He's one of those great comic villains that have a cool look and gimmick, but would be very hard to pull off seriously in live action.  Still, they found a way to bring Arnim Zola to the screen, so maybe we'll get an honest to goodness Stilt Man appearance on the big screen one day.

These two had a Silver Age adventure in STF #1947...

Daredevil met the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle (though they were in new identities) in STF #2461...

The Avengers Vs. The Secret Society of Super-Villains in: "The One That Got Away!"

I loved team comics when I was a kid, and Justice League of America was my favorite.  My favorite issues of those were the yearly JLA/JSA team-ups, and my favorites of those was the three part tale where both teams tackle a Secret Society made up of Super-Villains from Earth One and Earth Two.  I was the perfect age for it and George Perez made everyone look great (I'm sure most will recognize his part of this cover).  It made me a fan of villains that I had never paid much attention to before like Ragdoll, Signal Man and especially the Psycho-Pirate.

These two teams first clashed back in STF #312...

Tintin and Captain America

The original plans for the Tintin movies was that Steven Spielberg would direct one, Peter Jackson would direct the second, and they would collaborate on a third.  Unfortunately , I have not heard much since the first one was released.  I personally loved the movie and am eager to see more.  I don't know that the box office was very impressive for it though - perhaps that's why the sequels are on hold (hopefully not for good).

Phantom Stranger enters The Twilight Zone

I have always considered The Phantom Stranger to be the Rod Serling of the DC Universe, with his tendency to show up at moments of crisis or pivotal decisions for various characters.  Rather than being an overly proactive presence, he prefers to steer heroes in the right direction, but ultimately they still have to be the masters of their own destinies.

Thank you to Marc Tyler Nobleman, comics' historian and Patron of this blog, for suggesting this team-up!

Black Widow and Mademoiselle Marie

I was surprised to learn that the upcoming Black Widow solo film is tentatively planned to be the first of a trilogy.  It looks like having her character killed off has not slowed her down much!  I can see it working, as there's plenty of stories to explore in her past. How cool would it be to use one of the sequels to introduce Daredevil into the MCU proper?  I used to love him and Black Widow as a team and couple.

Iron Man and Red Tornado (Part Two)

Continued from yesterday's cover, we see the thrilling conclusion to our story...

Between the various MCU movies, audiences have been able to see many iterations of Iron Man's armor on the big screen.  The suit he wore in Avengers: Endgame came close, but I still wish we had gotten a version of his classic 70's-80's look (the one right below his logo on the above cover) at some point.  Maybe if we get a Secret Wars movie down the road, Rhodey can don that particular suit, just as he did in the comic book version of that crossover story.

Iron Man and Red Tornado (Part One)

I was hoping that we would get more appearances from Red Tornado after his introduction on Supergirl during that show's first season.  Alas, apart from a cameo of an Elseworlds version of Reddy, he has not been seen since.  Hopefully he will show up in the Crisis on Infinite Earths event (and if so, hopefully he fares better than in the comic book version of that tale!)

This is only Part One of a Two-Part Epic, so make sure you come back for the thrilling conclusion tomorrow!