The Falcon and Metamorpho "In the Lair of the Leader!"

 

This is the fourth meeting between these two heroes on the blog.  The Falcon and Metamorpho had a showdown with the Secret Empire in STF #4943, they fought the Trojan Horde in STF #3054... and they first met in STF #2641...

Guy Gardner and U.S.Agent

 

Oh boy, something tells me that these two hotheads would not get along.  Let's hope that they can find a common enemy that will get them fighting on the same side.

The Totalitarians (Vs. Mr. Universe!)

 

It was only a matter of time before STF's greatest villain went up against STF's most powerful villain team.  Is this incarnation of the cosmos infused menace strong enough to take them down?  It would be fun to find out!

Savage Dragon Vs. Despero

 

Despero's deadly return in the pages of Justice League America was a shock to read, given his new, more brutal depiction juxtaposed against the League's bwa-ha-ha era. Even his fin seemed to have changed position on his head, coming straight for you instead of side to side as it was in the Silver Age.  A showdown with the Savage Dragon was destined to heppen.

Plastic Man and She-Hulk

 

I can see an ex-con like Eel O'Brien having a few encounters with a superhero lawyer.  It would be cool to see these two in action together.

Captain Marvel and Howard the Duck

Captain Marvel is no stranger to talking animals as allies, and has his own roster of bizarre villains, so a team up with Howard The Duck wouldn't seem all that out of place for him.  I think that a writer could have a lot of fun telling this tale.

 

X-Factor Vs. The Outsiders

 

This is the First time that The Outsiders have met X-Factor, but as the X-Men, these groups have a bit of history on the blog - The Outsiders first tried to tame The Phoenix in STF #3454 and first met her in STF #112, and the one hero able to withstand The Phoenix Force was revealed in STF #2526... The X-Men came to The Outsiders assistance in STF #2595... and both teams had an adventure at The Statue of Liberty in STF #2675...

Power Man and Doctor Fate

 Not a pairing that immediately comes to mind, but now that I see them together, I like it.  The similar color schemes look good side by side and the differences in power sets and personalities would make for an interesting dynamic. I'd pick up this issue.

The Thing and Bronze Tiger

 

We've had two versions of the Suicide Squad in the movies, but still no Bronze Tiger.  Maybe he can be a supporting character whenever the DCU finally gets the Batman side of things underway?  I did like the live action appearances by Michael Jai White in the Arrowverse, but I thought that he could have been used better there.

Superman and Warlock

Often in comics, when two heroes first meet there is a misunderstanding that leads them to battle each other before joining forces against a common foe. For this story, I thought the could beat the bad guy before fighting each other for once. You have to mix things up once in a while, right?

Firestorm Vs. Marvel Villains

There was a bit of background removal and replacement required before I could and Ronnie Raymond and Professor Stein to this cover.  Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:

 

The Guardian and Adam Strange

 

Just like happened to Captain Marvel and Black Panther a week or so ago in STF #4559, it would seem that two disparate heroes have found themselves working together to thwart a gigantic monster. Yikes, just how many of these big guys are lying in wait?

Legion of Super-Heroes and Warlock

 

My only real nitpick with Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 was the portrayal of Adam Warlock.  The man-child thing is a bit overdone in the movies, and he didn't really remind me of the character I read in the comics.  Hopefully he will be depicted a bit more faithfully if he should appear un the future.

Crusaders of Camelot

 

This is a team concept that I have had rattling around in my brain for a while, and I am glad that I finally got around to putting it together.  It would be cool to see the adventures of a superhero team from the Middle Ages.

Groo The Wanderer and The Supreme Intelligence

 

I felt like going for a truly oddball pairing this time around, and this would be a true meeting of opposites.  It could make for quite an amusing tale, though! 

Batman and Agatha Harkness

 

The Agatha Harkness Disney+ series, which has gone through so many name changes that I'm not sure what has been settled on, seems to be in a state of flux.  Like many of their recent projects, Marvel has pushed back its airdate and are reportedly doing extensive reshoots.  I really did enjoy Katherine Hahn in the role, so I hope that the final product is up to Marvels' standards - well, their standards from about four or five years ago, that is.  

Vision & Scarlet Witch and Brainiac

 Brainiac is heavily rumored to be appearing in Superman: Legacy, although I haven't seen any actual confirmation about that yet.  I would be surprised if he was not, though.  My main question is what design of the villain  will they go with, as he has had a few different looks over the years.  Whatever they decide, I hope they at least use the cool skull ship from the cover above.  It's one  of the coolest villain lairs/vehicles ever designed, and I'd love to finally see it on the big screen.

Nick Fury and The Elongated Man

 

No word yet on whether Ralph Dibny will show up anywhere in James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU.  Metamorpho has already been cast and I'm guessing Plastic Man will be appearing early on as well since The Terrifics has been teased - so I don't know if Gunn will want to bring a third stretchy hero so soon.  Hopefully I am wrong about that, Elongated Man never gets the respect he deserves.

The Inhumans Vs. Sinestro

 

Sinestro was perfectly cast with Mark Strong and looked great in Green Lantern.  It's too bad the movie's various shortcomings meant there would be no sequel to explore his turn to evil.  The Inhumans TV show was ill-conceived on many levels, leaving Marvel to shift their big screen focus to The Eternals (which had issues of its own).  Let's hope that everyone on this cover gets another chance to shine in their respective cinematic universes.

Supergirl and Spider-Woman in: "Deathplunge!"

 

Supergirl and Spider-Woman are about to hit the big screen, although as variants in each case. Issa Rae will be voicing Spider-Woman Jessica Drew from another universe in Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse, and then a couple of weeks later Sasha Calle will star as an other dimensional Supergirl in The Flash.  From what I have seen, both look to be impressive.  Still, I hope we will get to see the versions we know from the comics in the theaters at some point down the line.

Supergirl and Spider-Woman previously met trying to avoid becoming super-villain brides in STF #2555...