The Spectre Vs. Thanos

Avengers Endgame is fantastic!  I was so glad to be able to catch it on opening day, and not have anything spoiled for me... and how refreshing to have a movie that didn't give too much away in the trailers.  The three hour run time flew by, and most everybody got a chance to shine, especially the original roster of Avengers from the first film.  I was also glad to see Ant-Man provide a pivotal role and some much needed comic relief (Still laughing at "Not it").  The final battle was epic in all of the right ways, with several cheer out loud moments.  While there was a fitting wrap up to many character arcs and story lines from the past decade, there are some tantalizing set ups for where the MCU will go next.  I'm keeping this vague because I want everyone to enjoy it unspoiled the way I did... so if you haven't already, make sure you go and check it out on a nice big screen!

The Bi-Beast and Two-Face

  One of the reasons that's it's too bad The Hulk's rights to star in a solo film are tangled up is that we haven't gotten to see enough of his rogues gallery on screen.  The Bi-Beast,  Zzzaxx, Wendigo, Moonstone, The Leader (who already has had an origin in the MCU), and more are ready for their close-up!

Although they aren't the main stars of this cover, Batman and The Hulk have crossed paths a few other times in The Lost Issues:

They first met in my first attempt at a 100-Page Giant...

I later presented them in a Golden-Age team-up...

They met during The Hulk's gray phase...

They butted heads in my 900th Issue...

And last were seen starring in a TV Movie.

Captain America and The Manhattan Guardian

I quite liked this more modern take on The Guardian by Grant Morrison in DC's Seven Soldiers event several years back, and it's too bad we haven't seen very much of him since then.  Like the new Shining Knight and The Bulleteer from that same events, there have been a few cameos but nobody has really continued upon the groundwork that Morrison laid down with these new characters, and I think that's a missed opportunity.

Cap crossed paths with the original Guardian back in STF #69 , STF #790... and STF #2336...

Rival Robo Force

I liked the roster of this all-new Robo Force team so much that I decided to give them their own cover.

This is Robo Force's seventh appearance on the blog - This rival group was introduced in STF #2450... they battled Magnus: Robot Fighter in STF #2090... they faced off against Brainiac in STF #1850... they almost lost one of their own in STF #1450... they battled Ultron in STF #202 and first became a team back in STF #150...

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.

Valkyrie and The Shining Knight

Morgaine le Fey (or Morgan le Fay, among other spellings) is one of those public domain characters that have made their presence known in various types of literature, including both Marvel and DC Comics.  I like to think that it's the same character appearing in both, creating an unofficial crossover between the superhero universes.

Mighty Mouse and Captain Marvel

Shazam! was a lot of fun and pretty much what it was advertised to be - Big crossed with Superman.  I liked the emphasis on family (and positive depiction of foster parents, something not seen often enough in films), and the cast was very good overall, including the kids. Zachary Levi was great as Captain Marvel (even if they never settle on a name in the film), and clearly had a lot of fun with the role.  The scene where Sivana gives his villain speech in mid air to him had me cracking up.  Sivana was suitably evil, though I prefer the classic hunched over short version of the villain rather than the new one that just looks like Lex Luthor with a scar on his eye.  A minor complaint is that Billy acted a lot more mature in child form than he did as an adult, it didn't always seem like the same character.  I still think they should have cast younger for the role of Billy, Asher Angel will be pushing 20 years old by the time a third installment is released if they want to keep making these. I loved that the advertising didn't spoil all the surprises, and that mid-credits scene featuring one of my all-time favorite villains has me hoping for a sequel.

The Watcher and Guardians of the Universe

The most intriguing show that I have heard being prepared for the Disney+ streaming service is a What If? animated series.  It is said to tell alternate versions of tales that we have seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they will try to get the actors from the movies to provide the voices.  The First will be "What if Agent Carter became Captain America.  I'll be interested to see what type of animation style is used, and most importantly, if Uatu the Watcher will serve as host like he does in the comics.

The Watcher and The Guardians first met in STF #199...

I... Vampire Vs. Blade

There was talk for a little while about Blade perhaps joining the Marvel Netflix shows, but that clearly is not going to happen.  Still, he would be a great candidate to show up on a show for the Marvel/Disney streaming service.  A Midnight Sons shows that includes supernatural characters like Blade, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing and Son of Satan could be very cool.

The Invaders and Sgt. Rock in: "A Timely Intervention"

Now that Marvel has access to all of its characters for future movies, most of the talk has been about new versions of The X-Men and Fantastic Four appearing on the big screen.  While I'd like to see those as well, another property that they can finally give audiences is The Invaders.  Even if Captain America is taken off the table after Avengers: Endgame, there's no reason that we can't see an adventure out of his past with Namor and the original Human Torch.

Sgt. Rock first met the Invaders in STF #1348...

Elasti-Girl and Giant Man

Bruno Premiani doesn't get as much recognition ans some other Silver Age artists, and that's a shame because he is one of my favorites.  He had a great mastery of storytelling and character design.  While he worked on some other characters, I feel he really got a chance to shine with his depiction of the Doom Patrol's adventures.  He's another artist that I really began to appreciate more once I saw his work in black and whit in the DC Showcase reprints.

Iceman Joins the Justice League of America

There are no shortage of ice-based villains in comics, so there are plenty of suspects for Bobby to investigate!  I wonder why ice powers are such a common theme between heroes and villains alike.  Maybe it's something simple like many of them being developed in the winter months and the inspiration being right outside the windows of their creators.  I know that Iceman was one of the heroes that it was fun to play as in the winter months on a frozen lake.

Booster Gold Vs. Mojo

Hey, whatever happened to the Booster Gold movie?  I've heard plans for either a solo film or a buddy film with Blue Beetle in the past, but nothing for a few years.  DC is known for announcing movie projects that ultimately go nowhere, so I shouldn't be surprised (still waiting for Justice League Dark, for instance).  Still, DC seems to be having more success showing off its less grim and gritty side, so maybe they'll give Booster another look.

Hawk & Dove and The Hulk

One thing that I liked about the original Hawk and Dove was that they were a brother team.  Usually when a hero had a brother in the comics one was good and one was evil and they would be at odds.  While Hank and Don hall had very different viewpoints, they still fought side by side as a team.  I had four big brothers, so this dynamic appealed to me as a kid.

Spider-Man and Catwoman

It will be interesting to see how Aunt May is handled in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home, now that she knows that her nephew is the wall-crawler.  Will she want to keep Peter out of the suit and the danger that comes with it, or will her rumored relationship with Happy Hogan help to ease her worries about his super-heroics?  Hmmm... are we ready for an Aunt May that acts more like Alfred Pennyworth?

Robotman and The Human Torch

I have yet to catch The Doom Patrol, but I have to say I like the casting of Brendan Fraser as Robotman.  I also like how comics-accurate his design is, but I have a question for those who have seen full episodes.  To me it looks like there is almost no facial movement, except for the eyes which can blink. Does this work or do you find it jarring?  Is the character able to effectively emote?

Manhunter and Captain Kirk

It's too bad that talks have broken down between Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth to appear as Kirk and Kirk's father in the next cinematic Star Trek film, putting it on indefinite hold.  I have liked the new timeline crew quite a bit (yes, the second movie was way to derivative of Wrath of Khan, but that's on the writers and director, not the cast).  I hope that the behind the scenes finances can work out, because I'd like to see more installments of the franchise.

Lex Luthor Vs. The Kingpin

I have been surprised by Jon Cryer's performance as Lex Luthor on Supergirl.  Despite the actor's comedy roots, he plays the malevolent mogul deadly serious.  Plus, the battle armor suit looks pretty cool on him as well (even though it's one of those magic Iron Man/Black Panther  armors that seem to magically appear out of nowhere).  I'm not crazy the he kept his goatee for the role, but otherwise he is a huge improvement over Jesse Eisenberg.

Spider-Woman and Supergirl

Does Marvel have the rights to use Spider-Woman independently in their movies, or is she included in the partnership deal like Spider-Man and his villains?  Either way, I'd love to see her show up on  the big screen.  I would of course prefer her classic look depicted here, rather than the more movie-friendly outfit she has been sporting in the comics for the past few years.  If they can't use her, maybe we'll at  least see her show up in an animated Spider-Verse sequel?

Gargoyle and Martian Manhunter

It is being reported that Idris Elba will not be playing Deadshot in the new Suicide Squad movie from James Gunn after all, but rather an all new character.  While I am interested to see who that will be, I think that DC is missing out on a perfect opportunity to cast him as the Martian Manhunter at some point.  Hes got the physicality, acting ability, gravitas and voice to really bring J'Onn J'Onzz to life.