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? 

Zatanna and Medusa

 

Medusa has log been a favorite of mine.  She had a unique power set which presents a great visual and she was not simple a female version of an exisitng male character.  I also liked how she was at first presented as a villain, then a hero and finally a regal ruler - it was a cool progression.  She's not used enough in the comics and her live action treatment was insultingly bad.  Let's hope she sees a higher profile on and off the comics' page in the future.

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 Rocketeer and Hawkman

 

There's been talk of sequels or reboots of The Rocketeer for years now, but nothing has seemed to really come of them.  Maybe it's for the  best - the original film is a classic and would be pretty hard to improve upon, in my opinion.  I'd prefer to see that version get a polish though - a nice high quality transfer with maybe some tweaks to the few flying sequences that don't quite hold up to today's visual effects standards.

X-Men and the Justice Society in: "The Swap!"

 

This weekend, Black Adam will bring the JSA to the big screen, though I'm not sure how closely they will follow the comics.  This seems to be a new group, under the direction of Amanda Waller - so sort of a more heroic version of Task Force X, I guess.  Will there be any mention of an original team?  Will there be any ties to the Justice League?  I guess we will find out soon.

The JSA and X-Men have met a few times before.  They faced a crisis in Westchester in STF #2404, They were manipulated by Apocalypse in STF #1675, and first crossed paths in STF #1400...

The Avengers Vs. The Crime Syndicate in: "Assembled... and Assaulted!"

 

This is the third meeting between these two teams, and this time around, I figured that I would opt for a Silver Age era match up.  They've previously had a Bronze Age style clash in STF #738, and entered into a Modern Age uneasy alliance in STF #3744...

Wonder Woman and Black Fury

 

When, Mr. V, a patron of this blog, suggested this team up, I had to look up Black Fury - then I saw the connection.  He was known as The Wonder Horse, a wild stallion that traveled around and got into adventures.  Sounds like a fun idea for a series. Thanks, Mr. V!

Justice League of America and Photon

 

When I watched the theatrical release of Justice League, I was very unimpressed with what I saw.  So, I was not sure what to expect with the 4-hour Snyder Cut on HBO Max.  Wow, what a difference!  It is really a crime what was done with the movie.  This version had a much better story that really held together, with an overall epic feel and much improved  action and effects sequences.  Cyborg finally had a proper role and was great to watch.  Steppenwolf looked miles better and his interactions with Darkseid were a highlight.  I'm still not crazy about Ezra Miller as The Flash, but he was far more tolerable here, with a couple of really great action beats.  It's not perfect - it's at least a half hour too long (I would not have included the future stuff at the end) and Mera's British accent was not convincing.  Still, I've watched it twice now and quite enjoyed it both times.  What an example of ow studio interference can torpedo a movie! 

X-Men Vs. Solomon Grundy / Daredevil and Dr. Fate

 

It will be interesting to see if Solomon Grundy gets a larger role in the second season of Stargirl.  I do remember one of his less lethal rebirths led him to assisting Infinity, Inc. in the comics for a while, maybe they could go that route.  I guess it all depends on the CGI budget!

Solomon Grundy previously tormented the X-Men in STF #2997...

The Light Brigade in: "Illuminating Evil!"

I'm hoping that we get a full trailer soon for WandaVision.  Despite delays, the series is still set to debut on Disney+ before the end of the year.  I mostly want to see how Monica Rambeau looks, and if they manage to give her a costume close to her classic appearance from the comics.

This is the Third Appearance of The Light Brigade - they previously battled Blackheart in STF #2690, and first appeared in STF #2170...

Metamorpho and Machine Man

I have always loved these offbeat heroes and their great visuals.  They are two that I never even considered for a live action treatment, but these days, who knows?  With Kirby characters like The Eternals coming to the theaters and DC taking chances with shows like Doom Patrol, anything seems possible.  Lets hope one or both makes the leap to movies or TV soon.

Justice League of America and Darkwing Duck

When I was a kid, I thought it very odd that the JLA's original headquarters was located in a cave.  It seemed very low tech for a team that included such powerful characters (not to mention a billionaire).  I loved The JLA Satellite though, a much more suitable meeting place.  I really hope to see a live action version someday, based on the original Bronze Age design.

Galactus Vs. Starro

Picking up from the story just a few days ago in STF #2337, we see that the Devourer of Worlds is not too pleased with the fact that his herald has been poached. Hmmm, I don't think that any of his drones would have much effect on Galactus, but maybe Starro could affix himself to the big guy and make a slave of him? Not without a fight of course, and it would be a corker to see, just as Cavilier1970 and Bob Greenwade suggested in the comments for the earlier cover.

Star Wars and The Justice League of America

Concluding our 4-part tale, we see that The League finally gets to meet the main players in the Rebellion.  I was the perfect age when the original Star Wars was first released - 8 years old.  I remember our parents packing all 7 of us kids plus three of our cousins into the van and going to see it while we were on vacation.  I hadn't even seen an advertisement for it so I had no idea what I was in for.  The most special effects I had seen on the big screen up to that point was Freaky Friday, so my little head just about exploded with excitement from what I was watching on screen.  in those pre-video days, it would be many years before I saw the movie again, but it was already embedded into my subconscious, I was an instant fan of the world George Lucas created.

Darth Vader Vs. The Justice League of America

Presenting another two-part adventure - well, actually, this is part three of a four-part adventure since it picks off of events that began in STF #1103 and then continued into STF #1104... so stay tuned tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!

The more I watch Justice League, the more I am disappointed by the decisions made on that film.  For a movie that cost so much money, it looks really cheap - the entire third act appears as if it takes place on a big empty soundstage, with CGI elements added in later, making it look a lot more like a video game than a movie... and who are are the League saving anyway?  As far as I can tell, there was only a single family of civilians. I kind of wish there was a shot at the end of Avengers: Infinity War with the League fading away, so we can just start over with the DCEU (OK they can keep the actors for WW and Superman maybe).

Fantastic Four Vs. The Crime Syndicate

Given his interest in alternate realities, this is a match-up that could easily be initiated by Mr. Fantastic. I can see Reed Richards being fascinated by the reverse nature of Earth Three and getting mixed up with this evil JLA doppleganger team.

Wonder Woman and The Scarlet Witch

After the critical misfires of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, a lot is riding on the success of Wonder Woman.  Lets hope that director Patty Jenkins finds the right mix of action, humor, heart and spectacle that the character deserves and can set the DCEU back on the proper track.  I liked Jenkins's work on Breaking Bad, but that is such a different property than Wonder Woman, I remain cautiously optimistic.

The Fantastic Four Vs. The Inferior Five

I took my super heroes very seriously as a kid so I never checked out The Inferior Five, which looked to me like it was mocking them.  Of course, I can now see that it was a title that was actually ahead of its time, having fun with the conventions of the genre many years before the likes of Damage Control, Ambush Bug, Great Lakes Avengers or Sensational She-Hulk hit the stands.

This cover comes about from a suggestion by David Welsh, a Patron of the blog - thanks David!

Iron Man and Green Arrow

The latest shake up for Iron Man is that he will be replaced in the role by a 15 year old girl that was recently introduced - Riri Williams.  I guess I am supposed to be surprised by this move, but Marvel has done the same thing (place new character in the role of established hero as a "shocking twist", usually ending up with two heroes of the same name operating simultaneously) so many times over the past few years that it's beginning to get a little repetitive.  I'm not sure is this is to have a new hero in place by the time Robert Downey Jr. retires from the cinematic version or not - I guess it will all depend on the popularity of the new Riri Williams Iron Man.  It has also been announced that Victor Von Doom with be operating as Iron Man as well - but that looks to be for a shorter story line.

Justice League of America and Star Wars

This week saw new trailers for The Fantastic Four, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Star Wars: The Force Rises.  Closer looks at The Thing and Doctor Doom do not impress me, and the origin rehash doesn't excite me much, but maybe the new FF reboot will surprise me.  We are 11 months away from Batman v Superman so I didn't expect the trailer to show much, but I liked what I saw.  The Batman costumes especially looked great.  The Star Wars trailer was my favorite.  That quick shot of Han and Chewie brought a huge smile to my face, as did the Mark Hamill voice over. Heck, I loved the whole thing!

This story continues tomorrow, so make sure to tune in for the epic conclusion!