Scarlet Witch and The Metal Men

 

They would probably be wise to follow Wanda here.  She's proven herself a close friend to a Synthezoid, why not a team of robots on the run? 

Metal Men and Ultron in: "Indecent Restoration!"

 

This is The Metal Men's third run-in with Ultron.  He was last seen trying to make them his slaves in STF #3466, and they first met when he was after Doc magnus in STF #1836. Can they dare to trust him now?

Fantastic Four Vs. The Metal Men

 

For this Anniversary Issue, I knew The Fantastic Four would have to be involved.  I figured this would be a good opportunity to present a match-up that I have wanted to get to for a while now and have them share an adventure with The Metal Men. Here's a closer look at the individual stories:

Thor and The Metal Men

 

Every so often a creative team tries to update and modernize the Metal Men, sometimes giving them edgy, extreme redesigns.  They always seem to return to their original attitudes and appearances, and for me that is a good thing.  Those nutty robots were perfectly realized right from their first appearance.

Human Torch and The Metal Men

 

It's crazy how many rumors have come and gone regarding the casting of the new Fantastic Four. Joseph Quinn from the latest season of Stranger Things seems to be the current frontrunner to play Johnny Storm.  While I really enjoyed his performance, it might be a little jarring to see him as Johnny, since many have pointed out that he looks a lot like a young Robert Downey Jr.

The Metal Men and Ultraman

 

The Metal Men are at the top of my list of characters that I want to see in James Gunn's DCU.  There had been talk of an animated film in years past, and I always thought that was a good idea.   Computer generated special effects have reached a level where I think they could be done well in live action also.  Whatever path he takes, I hope Gunn has plans for them.

Metal Men and Big Guy & Rusty (And More!)

 

For this Anniversary Issue, I thought I would go for an all-robotic theme. Looking at all of these match-ups, I'm not sure which one I would want to read first. Probably the lead feature, especially if it sported George Perez or Geoff Darrow art like the cover image. But, any story with a robot in it is entertaining to me, as they often offer some keen insights into the human condition.

Let the march to STF #4000 begin!

Beta Ray Bill and The Metal Men

 

I was laughing to see yesterday's comments lead to a conversation about Beta Ray Bill, knowing that he was scheduled to show up today.  Hey, have you guys been peeking?

Sub-Mariner Vs. The Metal Men

 

There was mention of a Metal Men movie in the works a while back, but I would be shocked if that was not one of the many DC in-development projects scrapped as a result of the change in leadership at Warner Bros./Discovery.  Still, I hope they do eventually make it to the big screen.  Perhaps a Pixar-type CGI movie would be the way to go with Doc Magnus' team of robots.

Tin, Tintin and Rin Tin Tin

 

Here's another idea from the mind of Blog Patron Bob Greenwade. I get lots of suggestions for character pairings where the only connection is a similar sounding name, and they don't always seem to make a lot of sense to me.  Sometimes the incongruity is what makes a cover fun though, so I thought I would finally give this one a try. I hope Bob approves of my choice of villain for this tale!

Metal Men and ROM in: "Building a Better Spaceknight!"

The Metal Men should have had action figures all their own, just like ROM did.  Well, maybe at least Stretch-Armstrong type toys to go along with each member of the team.  I know I would have loved to see such an offering on the toy shelves when I was a kid - but I'm guessing there weren't enough fans of the wacky robots to make it a profitable venture.

The Metal Men first encountered ROM in STF #2340...

Metal Men Vs. The U-Foes in: "Reverse Engineering!"

 

The Metal Men first clashed with the U-Foes in STF #3101... and I liked the match up enough that I felt that it warranted a re-match.  I am once again reading rumors of a Metal Men movie in the works, but this time it looks like the plan is for an animated film rather than live action, as previously announced.  I have a little more confidence that the feature will actually be made if that is the case.

The Metal Men vs. Ultron in: "Downloading Depravity!"

 

The Metal Men previously clashed with Ultron in STF #1836...

I enjoyed seeing the ultimate Ultron in the last couple of episodes of What If on Disney+, but one moment had me scratching my head.  SPOILERS for the final episode follow:

When Thanos arrives with the Infinity Stones to collect the final one from Ultron, Ultron uses the mind stone to immediately slice him in half, instantly killing him.  A cool and shocking moment to be sure - but why couldn't The Vision do the same in Avengers: Infinity War with his Mind Stone, instead of trying to destroy it?  I know there was a comment about how the Stones have slightly different properties in different realities, so I suppose that's a loophole.  Still, The Vision could have at least tried to use it in that way against Thanos.

The Metal Men meet Giant Man & The Wasp

 

I was happy to see Michelle Pfeiffer posting a workout video in preparation for return as Janet Van Dyne in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.  I was hoping that the original Wasp would see some more action this time around and it looks like I may get my wish.  If Pfeiffer also returns as Selina Kyle in The Flash, it will be even better!

The Metal Men Vs. The U-Foes

 

I have always thought that The U-Foes were very cool and formidable, and it was always a treat to see them face off against The Hulk or other Marvel Heroes.  Still, I think they may somehow have ended up in the wrong universe, because to me they seem like the perfect adversaries for The Metal Men!  How fun would it be to see these two groups clash?

The Metal Men and Magneto

Every once in a while we will see a new updated version of the Metal Men, with their appearances redesigned to look more modern or "bad ass".  Usually that means more bulky looks, with sharper edges and extraneous parts.  Those changes never seem to last and they return to their classic streamlined designs.  Sometimes the original look is the best, and this is one of those cases.

A big thank you to David Welsh, a Patron of this Blog, for suggesting this team up!

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.

The Hulk Vs. the Metal Men

It will be interesting to she how Shazam! fares at the theaters.  If it is a success, hopefully more of DC's lighter characters will get a chance at the movies.  Properties like The Metal Men, Plastic Man or Blue Beetle/Booster Gold have all been teased as potential films, but nothing ever seems to move past the announcements phase.  A successful outing for (the original) Captain Marvel could get them in motion again.

Metal Men and Moon Knight

Iron was my favorite Metal Man when I was a kid, mainly because I thought he looked really cool.  A close second was Mercury, though.  I liked his appearance as well - he was pretty distinct facially.  I also got a kick out of his hot temper and snotty attitude, which hid a fierce loyalty to his team.

Fin Fang Foom Vs. The Metal Men

The Metal Men always had an eclectic rogues gallery, and I think that Fin Fang Foom would fit right in with them. He is giant and menacing, and likes to make grand speeches.  Plus,  his big purple gym shorts make him just goofy enough to work in a story with Doc Magnus' amazing robots.