Coming to Disney XD this Sunday is the newest of the new Marvel Universe animated series – “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” Now I don’t know what S.M.A.S.H. stands for, but I did get a chance to see the first episode, the first part of a story called “Doorway to Destruction” which airs on Disney XD this Sunday. Check out my review, right after the jump.

As Many Hulks as There Are Colors

I’m not going to comment about how this happened right about the time we learned that over at DC Comics there were not just Green Lanterns but also Blue, Yellow, Orange etc., but it does seem odd. Marvel Comics started to diversify in the Hulk department. Having so many Hulks just makes the real one less special, right? I have the same problem over in Avengers. To paraphrase Syndrome in The Incredibles, if everyone is an Avenger, no one will be special any more.

Too Many Hulks?

Anyway, besides Bruce Banner, the original, his cousin Jennifer, She-Hulk since the 1970s, we got new Hulks. General Ross, constant foe of the green goliath, became the Red Hulk. His daughter, and tragic love interest of Banner, Betty Ross became the Red She-Hulk (nowhere to be seen in the show btw). They turned everybody’s favorite sidekick, Rick Jones into the gamma-powered blue-hued A-Bomb, and also threw in Skaar, the Hulk’s son from Planet Hulk as well.

If they wanted to, they could have thrown a number of other gamma-powered and/or green characters into the mix as well. They could have even added Xemnu the Titan, who was Marvel’s first Hulk back in the Atlas Comics days. Personally I think it’s just too many Hulks, and honestly I think that the Rosses and Rick Jones work much better as human supporting cast, but apparently that’s just me.

The Show

Written by Paul Dini, who had a hand in perhaps one of the best comic book adaptations ever – “Batman The Animated Series” – and creating the DC Animated Universe, this series has a chance beyond its initially silly premise. Adding to that potential is a terrific voice cast that includes Clancy Brown, Seth Green, and Eliza Dushku. Returning as the Hulk is Fred Tatasciore, and I hope this doesn’t mean that he and his character will be leaving the animated Avengers.

The premise of the series is subtextually that of family, because the Hulks are a family of sorts, but overtly, Rick Jones is making a reality show about them, essentially to prove the Hulk is a hero, not a monster. Actually, I thought that’s what the Avengers were doing, but I digress. The reality show format allows the characters to do confessionals, which are some of the best bits in the show.

Continuity Continuity Continuity

As we open in the pilot episode, “Doorway to Destruction” (Part 1), we are introduced to a slightly smarter, slightly better dressed Hulk who lives under the abandoned, but still powered, Gamma Base, with pre-A-Bomb Rick Jones, near the town where he became the Hulk and is beloved. There is no mention of the Avengers, yet Hulk knows Annihilus, Kang, Doctor Doom… what’s up with that? I thought the whole reason behind jettisoning “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” was to have consistent cohesive continuity between all the Marvel TV series?

Home Sweet Home

A dimensional gate opens up over Hulk’s hometown. It’s Annihilus looking for a way to Earth from the Negative Zone. He and the Hulk exchange greetings like old frenemies then the bug man sends the jade giant a present, an opponent to fight – Skaar. Hulk doesn’t seem to know him, yet Rick notices right away they look like each other. He says it, but the visuals don’t quite make it so.

Hulk’s hometown of Vista Verde, New Mexico is kinda fun. In the battle we see the town taken apart in a background slugfest tour. Everything is about the Hulk. There are statues, giant props, businesses, even a car lot named Smilin’ Stan’s with Stan Lee’s voice and a Hulk face that could have been drawn by Herb Trimpe.

It’s Not All Rainbows

Red Hulk shows up to help with Skaar, who of course escapes, allowing Annihilus access to Earth. I find that Red Hulk is just as annoying in animation as he is in the comics. And I always liked General Ross, misguided bad guy that he was – but this Guy Gardner wannabe has got to go. It’s also curious how Red Hulk and Skaar both have Hs on their belts before any type of team is formed.

As with all Marvel’s recent animated series, including my much loved “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” this show has so many washed out colors. Everything is faded. No, scratch that, the heroes’ colors are faded, while the villains are so bright. Why is this? Let superheroes be superheroes, they wear colorful costumes!

To Be Continued

I of course have only seen Part 1 of “Doorway to Destruction,” with Part 2 to be aired right after the premier of Part 1 Sunday on Disney XD. We have yet to see Rick become A-Bomb, any indication that Hulk and Skaar are related, and no sign of She-Hulk yet.

The show isn’t bad. I’m glad to have Paul Dini back in animation, Seth Green is a lot of fun, and this is despite the continuity vacuum, a refreshing look at the Hulk. I look forward to more of “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.”

Change just for the sake of change. I hate it. I’ll counter it with another cliché. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This is why “Avengers Assemble” irritates me so much. The source material is terrific. The source material produced a bestselling comic book franchise, and a billion dollar movie blockbuster – why muck with it? Those were my very thoughts when I first saw the teenaged Molecule Man in this newest episode of “Avengers Assemble,” but things are not always what they seem, as you’ll see in my review of “Molecule Kid,” after the jump.

The Molecule Man

In the comics, the Molecule Man (a Fantastic Four foe, don’t get me started on how the creators of this show hate the Avengers rogues gallery) was a walking example of how the meek shall inherit the Earth. Owen Reece was bathed in weird radiation and gained the ability to control and transform all matter. In theory he was the most powerful being ever, and therefore dangerous enough for The Watcher to sic the Fantastic Four on him.

Over the years, the Molecule Man has wavered between being all-powerful and having mental blocks of needing a wand to use his powers, from being romantic to being megalomaniac, from being an arch-super-villain to being a reluctant hero. It all depends on what the story required. As many writers have found in writing Superman, near omnipotence is hard to write.

Flashback

Here in the “Avengers Assemble” Marvel Animated Universe, the Molecule Man is a foe fought long ago by the Avengers, proof of a past not really referenced until now. We had been promised that “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” was still in continuity, and that “Avengers Assemble” was a sequel, but really, this is the first proof we have really been provided.

So the Avengers have fought the Molecule Man before, and the best part of the flashback? Hawkeye is in his purple togs. I’m pretty sure Iron Man might’ve had different armor as well, but it was the purple costume that rocked my world. Please, can we have it back? And as long as we’re in a giving mood, maybe the costume with the skirt as well? That was always my favorite.

Son of the Molecule Man

In tracking down MM’s tech, specifically his power-giving wand, Hawkeye and the Black Widow come across a kid who looks suspiciously like their quarry. He has not only got an outfit and a wand like his Dad’s, he’s on the run from AIM. And he seems as fond of AIM’s company as he is the Avengers’. Aaron Reece doesn’t want anyone’s ‘help.’

The arrivals of Captain America and the Super-Adaptoid do little to calm the kid, and the Avengers (all notably non-super-powered) are in a bit of a fix. SHIELD has given Widow orders that Iron Man not be involved – they don’t want that tech in Stark’s hands. Talk about paranoid.

Super-Villain Team-Up

There are of course worse things than Stark having that technology – MODOK having that technology. Chills all around when MODOK’s face sprouts from the chest of the Super-Adaptoid. Brrrr…

And even though Iron Man says, “All’s well that ends well,” we’re still not sure what the real status of MODOK and the Super-Adaptoid are at the end. It does look like the powers that be are consolidating the MAU a bit as it seems ‘Molecule Kid’ is headed for the SHIELD training program from “Ultimate Spider-Man.” See, barely any Molecule Man in this episode and things turned out all right anyway, very little change.

Odds and Ends

Good interaction between Hawkeye and the Black Widow, so nice to see her being used as something more than the token female. Lets face it, Natasha has never been Sue Storm or the Wasp, especially the 1960s versions.

I also liked the animation redesigns of the AIM scientists/terrorists. It’s hard to make beekeeper suits look cool or menacing, but they do it here. I still wish the colors weren’t so muted, and it would be nice if the Widow was a redhead.

There was also no sign of Thor or Hulk in this episode. One could assume Thor is busy promoting his new movie and Hulk is busy with the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., but I just hope the latter doesn’t mean the Avengers have lost the Hulk.

Next week – there doesn’t seem to be a preview for the Avengers, but it looks like Iron Man will be visiting “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.”

There was no new episode of “Avengers Assemble” this week, just a rerun of the clash with the Space Phantoms in the “Ghost of a Chance” episode, but that doesn’t mean that Disney XD and The Disney Channel had a lack of animated Avengers this weekend. Join me after the jump for my reviews of “Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel” and this week’s “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” guest-starring Iron Man.

Graboids from the Negative Zone

On “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.,” the SMASHers are on their way to NYC to intercept an incursion from the Negative Zone before the Avengers get there. Why these guys are dealing with stuff from the Negative Zone rather that the expert, Reed Richards, is beyond me but the show has been slow on explanation but high on fun and character, so I can let it ride.

It’s Blastaar the Living Bomb-Burst. You can tell because they blasted the name at you in case you didn’t know. And like Annihilus before him, Hulk seems to know exactly who he is. Blastaar also has apparently got the Graboids from Tremors working for him. Iron Man shows up to help.

Hulk Busted

Long story short, the baddie, a very big-headed Leader, gets control over Iron Man’s Hulkbuster armors and send them after the SMASHers. Yeah, I said armors, plural, for the sake of the show, Stark built a set to oppose each of the SMASHers. There’s a lot of smashing and, of course, the Stan Lee brand of misunderstanding that always accompanied such slugfests back in the day.

As I said in my initial review of the pilot for this series, the voice cast is impressive, and continues to be so. And after so many episodes of seeing the Black Widow being treated as a second-class citizen and team member in “Avengers Assemble,” it was refreshing to see the more progressive way She-Hulk was presented here. Maybe when “Smash” is over, the Avengers can have She-Hulk?

The Set Up

I’m a latecomer to Phineas and Ferb, mostly because I don’t have kids, but through the nephew, I have absorbed quite a bit. Phineas and Ferb are just two kids, with irregularly shaped heads, nerdy dispositions, and incredible tinkering skills to match their imaginations, who just want to have fun over the summer. Like most good cartoons, this comedy musical works on two different levels – humor for the kids, and humor for the adults. It’s always fun and never takes itself seriously.

The kids usually run across their pet platypus Perry, who is also a crime fighting secret agent, fighting his arch-nemesis, Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, Doof for short. If you think about it, the set up for a crossover with the Marvel superheroes is almost staring us in the face. Who wouldn’t want to see Perry team with Nick Fury to take on Doof and the Red Skull?

Crossing the Streams

Remember when Marvel Comics were fun? When every other day wasn’t about the destruction of all time and space and another superhero death? The folks at Phineas and Ferb do. And they present it wonderfully, and without breaking character on anyone’s part. This is what crossovers are supposed to be like.

The story has a Doof weapon gone awry stealing the powers of Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, and the Hulk. They go to Phineas and Ferb to get them back. Meanwhile, the Red Skull, Venom, MODOK, and decidedly cinematic version of Whiplash go to Doof for the device with the powers. Hilarity ensues, but never at the sacrifice of character.

Highlights

There are so many good things to see here. When first see the heroes and villains in action it’s a great slice of what I always imagined Marvel New York to be like when I was a kid. I loved the song where Doof and the villains go out on the town. We also get “The Lonely Man Theme” from the old “Incredible Hulk” show, and a Howard the Duck reference. There’s even a Stan Lee cameo.

My favorite part however is the color. I have complained before about the faded hues used in the “Hulk” and “Avengers Assemble” cartoons, but here, the colors are bright and vibrant. It is so nice to see Spider-Man in blue and red instead of grey and maroon. This show was a lot of fun, I loved it.

What’s Next?

Up next, Phineas and Ferb will be invading the Star Wars universe, while Hulk’s new series, only three episodes in, is dead in the water, already canceled. After thirteen episodes, “Hulk and Agents of Smash” are kaput. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is up to you.

Industrialist Tony Stark, besides being the invincible Iron Man, is a man of technology. So what happens on today’s episode of “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble” when Tony is challenged to swear off technology for a day? Think he can handle it? Maybe. But what if the rest of the team takes the bet and that day involves a visit to the Savage Land? Find out after the jump in my review of “Savages.”

The Bet

The old argument between Captain America and Iron Man about talent and ability vs. technology rears its head in this episode. After being a Richard while trying to get Cap to try using jet boots, Tony agrees to a bet. He has to go a full day without technology, not counting the arc reactor in his chest of course. There’s the set up, can you see the punchline coming?

Tony loses the bet far too easily. But in doing so convinces stereotype drill sergeant Captain America that all the Avengers (sans Black Widow who’s never around, is there a ‘No Girls Allowed’ sign on the door to the Tower?) need a day without technology. So as a ‘team-building exercise,’ Tony, Cap, Hawkeye, and the Falcon go camping in the Savage Land.

The Savage Land

For the newbies out there, the Savage Land is a hidden tropical land in Antarctica that was first glimpsed in early X-Men comics before becoming a Marvel Universe staple. It’s the home of Ka-Zar and Shanna the She-Devil, it’s where dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures still live, and of course, there are mutants and super-villains around every corner, as well as a whole lot of vibranium too.

Here, it’s little more than a backdrop for more jokes, an excuse for the powerless Avengers to fight dinosaurs, and oh yeah, there’s Justin Hammer too. He’s there to mine the vibranium (which surprisingly the Avengers don’t know about) and buy his way into The Cabal. At least he’s not one of the regular crew of villains expected in the Savage Land.

Forced Comic Relief

While the boys are in the Savage Land pretending they’re on “Survivor,” Thor and Hulk are left behind, just in case the world needs the Avengers. Right. Here they are reduced to the one note clowns they were in the first few episodes, spoiled children who only want to play and fight.

I am sooo missing “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” right now. Where is the noble god of thunder who speaks in beautiful if incorrect Shakespearean wannabe? Where is the Hulk that in this animated continuity also responsibly lead his own super-team, the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.? Reduced to idiots for cheap laughs.

Odds and Ends

It’s not all bad. There are raptors with lasers, Tony wearing stone armor, as well as the Rock People and quite possibly an oblique reference to Garokk. I was a bit puzzled why the Red Skull was more concerned with Stark than Cap, but what can you do?

They keep showing the Wasp (from “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”) in the Disney XD intro. Why must they tease us so? Will we ever see the Wasp again? Either remove her, introduce her (because the team doesn’t seem to have any female members), or start showing “EMH” again.

There’s a nice shout out to Wakanda as being the only place on Earth where there’s vibranium. Perhaps we have a Black Panther appearance in the future? Eh, probably not, but I can hope. And hopefully the next episode will be better…

Battle lines have been drawn. SHIELD has fallen, and now pockets of the different sides of the good and evil coin, SHIELD and Hydra, are scrambling for what’s left. Agent Coulson’s crew are headed underground, but little do they know, one of their own – Agent Grant Ward – is a Hydra agent. Brace yourselves as things get even worse for our team, as they’re on the run, and Colonel Glenn Talbot is in pursuit… Meet me after the jump for my review of “Providence.”

The Ratings Problem

First things first, tonight’s episode was preceded by a rerun of last week’s “Turn, Turn, Turn.” Not only is it a good lead-in, but it’s also a last ditch effort to get folks to watch. Last week should have had amazing ratings considering that the show bookended the theatrical release of Captain America The Winter Soldier, but it did not.

ABC expressed the thought that folks were afraid to watch in case there were spoilers for the movie, and that they had not seen the movie yet. Maybe in replaying the episode this week, the viewers may have caught up with the film and be ready to watch what happens next. I don’t know about that. I love this show, and even though it had a weak start, I am loving it more every week, but I think the folks who aren’t watching, and who quit watching, may be terribly prejudiced against it based on initial impressions. They’re not coming back. I think this might be it, folks. If you’re still on board, brace yourself for a cancellation of “Firefly” proportions. Sadly, too little, too late.

Agent Carter

As ratings talk simmer in the background, and a renewal of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” becoming a very iffy thing, there is also the possibility being bandied about of a spin-off called “Agent Carter.” This would not be a spin-off of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” mind you, but a spin-off of the two Captain America films, and a one-shot short film on the Iron Man 3 Blu-ray, believe it or not.

Peggy Carter, as played by Hayley Atwill, is the title character, World War II romantic interest of Captain America, special agent, and one of the founders of SHIELD, along with Iron Man’s dad, Howard Stark, among others. This period piece would be sold to ABC as a 13-part limited series, and would skip over the pilot process. A female lead in an action series, albeit a period piece, might be more to ABC’s liking. Their claim to fame of late seems to be female fueled, with “Scandal,” “Revenge,” and “Once Upon a Time” being prime examples. Time will tell.

A Gift from The Clairvoyant

We opened on Raina, our Girl in the Flowered Dress, in prison making origami flowers. There’s shooting outside her cell, then Ward comes in with a gift-wrapped present. He says “It’s a gift from The Clairvoyant.” It’s a flowered dress. Now I have to wonder if she’s metahuman, or has powers that come from the dress?

Next we move to Cuba where Ward introduces Raina to Garrett AKA The Clairvoyant. She’s not impressed, is disappointed Garrett isn’t psychic, and more than a bit scared of him. Welcome to Hydra. They meet in a barber shop – with a secret HQ beneath. I can’t think of it, but isn’t this a reference to some other spy bit? Bueller?

The Lay of the Land

We then move to The Hub where Coulson watches footage from Captain America The Winter Soldier, ahem, I mean news coverage of the end of SHIELD. It’s the helicarrier crashing into The Triskelion, and it’s brutal. As noted in the last episode, it seems as if Coulson and the late Victoria Hand are the highest ranking SHIELD Agents left.

As Fitz, Simmons, and Triplett work on getting The Bus repaired, Skye reports on what SHIELD still has – four facilities including The Hub and The Cube (do we know what that is?). That’s when the Air Force in the person of Glenn Talbot calls. They’re coming to ask questions, and maybe knock on doors with bombs. Time to bail.

Glenn Talbot

Adrian Pasdar, former star of NBC’s “Heroes” and the voice of Iron Man both in the anime series, in “Avengers Assemble” on Disney X D, and other animated projects, is and will be playing Colonel Glenn Talbot in “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Pasdar will be the second live action actor to play Talbot, after Josh Lucas in Ang Lee’s Hulk. Here in this series he’s much the same thing, the bad government military man, well meaning, but essentially bad news.

Glenn Talbot has a long history in the Marvel Universe dating back to early Hulk stories in the comics. In the early days, Bruce Banner and Betty Ross were an almost item, but her dad, General Thunderbolt Ross, in command of hunting the Hulk, did not approve. Glenn Talbot worked under General Ross, and kept tabs on Banner, whom Ross suspected of being the Hulk – and he was also smitten with Betty. On what a tangled web we weave. You can imagine that all hell broke loose when folks found out Banner was the Hulk. And I’m giving you long story short, it was much much more complicated than that.

Patriot

With their new status as on the run, Coulson is taking no chances and has Skye erase their identities, including Ward, who they still think is one of them. Triplett also comes on board under Simmons’s responsibility. With Ward away, they need another specialist, so he’s in. It’s all good until Skye calls Ward to check in. Was I the only one screaming at the TV set at that point? Even the good Ward isn’t a good guy for her, the Hydra agent is definitely a no-no.

Besides telling him all the dirt that the enemy shouldn’t know, they are still flirting and playing verbal footsie. Without an identity he tells her he’d like to be Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. I’m not sure what’s creepier – that, Ward’s bordering on more than friends relationship with Garrett, or how Raina sells out so quick. Garrett provides her with drugs stolen from T.A.H.I.T.I., hmmm… I wonder what she’ll do with Kree DNA?

Psychology

After receiving coordinates that may have come from Nick Fury, things heat up a bit on The Bus. Coulson and May confront each other on her mission. She thinks Hydra may have had a hand in the T.A.H.I.T.I. program, and that maybe Hydra sent those coordinates. In the end she stands down, which to me, seems a bit out of character. Is May losing her edge?

On the other team as Hydra prepares to raid The Fridge, similar discussion is taking place between Ward and Raina. He spills the beans on his he could work Coulson’s team so well. What a bastard. I gotta give it to Brett Dalton. His expressions, voice, and gestures are chameleonic, making his betrayal believable. But now it seems this bad side might be the real one. He’s a good villain. Shame.

The Fridge

Garrett and Ward and the forces of Hydra break into The Fridge pretty easily, scary easy. There they raid what Garrett calls ‘the toy store.’ All those dangerous 0-8-4s and alien tech that SHIELD was supposed to be launching into space? Nope, didn’t happen. They kept it, and this us where they kept it. I really would have liked a better look at the stuff in this room.

Garrett tells his people to help themselves. I’m guessing we’ll see a slew of Hydra super-villains soon. Rumor has it that Blackout is coming. Notably we see Ward looking closely at the Asgardian Berserker staff that took him over back in “The Well.” I wonder what other goodies are here. And then, before they leave… I think Ward finds the gravitonium, and possibly, do they also release… Graviton?

Providence

A former Nazi turned Howling Commando turned SHIELD Agent in the comics, Patton Oswalt plays Eric Koenig in the TV show, where it seems he is just a SHIELD Agent, and yes, a real one, as opposed to Hydra posing as SHIELD. He’s a bit of a geek in this environment, guarding a hidden base in the Canadian wilderness called Providence. That’s where Coulson’s coordinates led the team.

Also, besides trusting no one, Koenig knows Fury is alive, but he won’t tell anyone other than Coulson. He may be a bit of a nut, having been cooped up in this base since the Chitauri attack on New York. Sadly, Skye immediately calls Ward who makes his way to Providence. Bad things are gonna happen. Either way, I’m looking forward to more of Patton Oswalt.

Deathlok Animated

On a side note, a major player in the “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” continuity got an animated highlight this past Sunday on the similarly titled “Marvel’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” No relation, but this week’s episode featured Deathlok. If you read my review of Sunday’s “Avengers Assemble,” its companion series, you know that in the Marvel Animated Universe, SHIELD is still intact, and Hydra is a separate entity. Despite being based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they kept things simple there.

This Deathlok is based more on the designs from the comics, but the episode, aptly titled “Deathlok,” has his motivation following more along Secret Invasion meets Terminator lines than anything else. It was a fairly entertaining episode in a series I’ve never been very fond of. And it was not the character’s first foray into animation, as an army of Deathloks attacked Wakanda in the excellent Black Panther animated series.  I’m sure we’ll see more of Deathlok soon on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Next

Betrayal, gravitonium, more Patton Oswalt, and maybe a super-villain or two…

There seem to be two types of people in this world – folks who think Spider-Man should be in the Avengers, and folks who think the wall crawler should not be an Avenger. Where do you stand on the issue? In the comics, the web-slinger has been one of Earth’s Mightiest for some time now, but it took decades to happen. Now, Marvel’s latest animated version of Spider-Man joins the team in this weekend’s new episode of “Ultimate Spider-Man.” Meet me after the jump for my thoughts on “The Avenging Spider-Man.”

Long Time Coming

In comics, Spider-Man was always a candidate for Avengers membership and was actively sought by the team. Stan Lee seemed to have a standing policy that Spider-Man was a loner, and worked best that way – and he was right. For storytelling purposes, in a perfect world, Spidey works best as a solo act. If he has help, he basically no longer what he was created to be – someone with problems that we, the readers, can relate to. As an Avenger, many of his problems – money, friends, enemies – are solved. He becomes no longer interesting.

In the 1980s, after decades of swinging by with a helping hand, Spider-Man finally joined the Avengers as a provisional member. He hung out for almost a year, but eventually it didn’t work out. The stories by Roger Stern were more of an exercise in why Spidey shouldn’t be an Avenger if nothing else. Brian Michael Bendis recruited the web-slinger to the rebuilt Avengers team after the “Disassembled” event, and made it work. And some of what I talked about above happened. Peter Parker’s life was made much happier with a weekly Avengers stipend, and their headquarters provided sanctuary for his loved ones when his identity was exposed in “Civil War.”

Web-Warriors

And now that change in Spidey’s life, his membership in Earth’s Mightiest comes to the Marvel Animated Universe. At the end of the second season, Peter Parker’s S.H.I.E.L.D. training had finally culminated in an invitation to join the Avengers. This is perhaps both a way to make the Marvel Disney XD universe more cohesive, but also boost ratings of both series, “Ultimate Spider-Man” and “Avengers Assemble.”

That’s not all that is changing with the third season of the animated Spidey, the title is going through an overhaul as well. Now called “Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors,” it turns out that this Avengers adventure is composed of episodes one and two of the third season, and the special “Return of the Guardians of the Galaxy” episode we saw (and I reviewed) early last month is actually episode thirteen of this third season. So much for continuity and showing things in chronological order.

Ch-ch-changes

We open on the Avengers (even Black Widow! but surprisingly missing Falcon) observing Spider-Man lead his SHIELD team against a barely recognizable Doctor Octopus. They have given him a more octopus-like form, long hair and weirder goggles. I don’t get it. If it’s not broke, why ‘fix’ it? Seriously, if they hadn’t named him, I doubt I would’ve connected this character to Doc Ock, and it’s not like he’s that hard to miss in a crowd.

But it should be noted that the “Ultimate Spider-Man” series has been all about changes. Spider-Man works and trains with SHIELD. He leads a team of teenaged superheroes. Iron Fist is one of them, de-aged and partnered with the new Power Man rather than Luke Cage (or is he supposed to be a teen Luke? I can never tell). And the Daily Bugle is strictly background fluff, because Peter doesn’t work there.

Games

As Spidey joins the Avengers, we’re shown video game fighting style matches with Fin Fang Foom, Attuma, and Batroc. Normally I can’t stand this crap when it’s done on this show usually, but here it’s done well, probably because Paul Dini wrote this two-parter. In his “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” there is a bit of silliness as well, but it’s usually blended with seriousness and of course a good knowledge of the characters and the universe. Sometimes I think the folks behind “Ultimate Spider-Man” and “Avengers Assemble” don’t even read comics.

Videogames aren’t the only games going on here though. Loki is skulking about and he frees the just captured Doc Ock. His plan is take revenge on the Avengers, Spider-Man, and of course his half-brother Thor by sheathing monsters in Venom and sending them after Earth’s Mightiest. He’ll also be doubling up on vengeance by switching bodies with Spider-Man, so their newest member will be leading the Venom monsters. Weird plan honestly, but I did like the shout outs to Superior Spider-Man and Spider-Ham, nice.

Body Snatchin’ Hijinks

Now folks who know me know that I am not a fan of this show, or “Avengers Assemble” for that matter, but I will give props when deserved. The hijinks that ensue when Spider-man and Loki switch bodies are hilarious. Spider-Loki tries fervently to convince the Avengers that he’s really Spider-Man and that Loki is n his body. Then when the Avengers figure out finally that it’s true, Loki switches them back… so the good guys are after the guy who looks like Spider-Man, who now, really is Spider-Man. Awesome.

It’s almost as awesome as when the two are fighting and begin to hurt themselves, so it will hurt the other when they switch back. Imagine Loki in Spider-Man’s body letting Spider-Man in Loki’s body beat him up, because it will hurt Spidey for weeks once the body switch is back to normal. It’s gives ‘stop hitting yourself’ a whole new meaning. And poor Spidey, while in Loki’s nigh-invulnerable Asgardian body, there’s not much he can do to fight back.

Fights

There’s a nice little skirmish between the Avengers and Spidey’s teen SHIELD squad that doesn’t last nearly long enough to be satisfying. Slugfests between superheroes are tradition in the Marvel Universe, and considering the length some of them go, over in the “Avengers Assemble” series, this was a real disappointment. We do however get an extended battle between all the good guys and the bad guys toward the end of the second episode.

All in all, this was not bad. We got lots of cameos and nods to comics Easter eggs, and in the end, as would be expected, Spider-Man returns to his SHIELD squad. It’s back to status quo, so no damage done if “Avengers Assemble” comes back. Granted I would have rather had more Fin Fang Foom than another Loki episode, and I really wish they could find a captioner who knew how to spell Spider-Man, but what can you do, right? So much for Spider-Man joining the Avengers, in animation… for now.

This week on “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble,” we have a spotlight on Hawkeye and the Black Widow. If you’ve read my reviews here at Biff Bam Pop!, you know how I feel about how criminally neglected I think the Black Widow has been in this series. This espionage outing into Atlantis is a nice change of pace. Meet me after the jump for my thoughts on “Beneath the Surface.”

Hawkeye and the Black Widow

For those not familiar with the comics, and only know the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or perhaps only the Avengers movie, you still know that Hawkeye and the Black Widow have a past, but do you know what that past is? They were romantically linked, but not as SHIELD agents… as enemies of Iron Man. That’s right, they both started as Iron Man villains.

Hawkeye went straight first and became an Avenger. While he was dating Natasha he tried to get her to reform as well. She spent a lot of time with Hawkeye at Avengers Mansion during a time when Iron Man was not an Avenger, there so often in the sixties, she may well have been a member. The Widow finally joined for a day and a half in the early seventies then left, not becoming an actual active member until the late seventies. Now you know.

The Serpent Crown

On a reconnaissance mission against Hydra, Hawkeye and the Black Widow discover the unnecessarily and hideously redesigned Serpent Crown. They go undercover on a cruise ship to make contact with Hydra’s buyer for the object. Like most mysterious artifacts in the Marvel Universe, the Crown is very powerful, bestowing mind control, illusion casting, energy manipulation and other perks upon the wearer. Of course, it’s also a gateway to the lost Egyptian god Set, and possesses the wearer, but that’s beside the point.

Hydra had planned to sell the Crown to Lady Xartha (that’s the online spelling, my closed captioning says Zartra, your guess is as good as mine), former advisor to Attuma, and when she gets it, she uses it to sic giant whale monster Giganto on Hawkeye and the Widow. Hawkeye’s wishing for something real to fight (as the Avengers are busy fighting the Wrecking Crew and giant robots), has come out to bite him on the ass. Widow holds her own against Xartha but still calls in the Avengers just in case. I hated that they had to save her from Giganto.

The Sub-Mariner

It’s nice to see old fashioned Silver Age goodness like Giganto animated but this does raise a question. We’re seeing Giganto, we’re seeing Atlantis, and we’ve been seeing a whole lot of Attuma. Where’s Namor? Does Universal’s film rights ownership of the character extend to animation as well? It just seems very curious that the Sub-Mariner is not even mentioned.

I am reminded of the 1966 Hanna-Barbera “Fantastic Four” animated series. Remember that odd episode called “Danger in the Depths,” that on the surface seems to be a Sub-Mariner story, with Attuma and Lady Dorma, yet taking place in the undersea city of Pacifica. In Namor’s place there is a weird knock off called Prince Triton, because the company that was making the “Marvel Super Heroes” (barely) animated series owned the rights to Subby. Hmmm, yeah, I think I’d rather have no Namor than Prince Triton again…

Not Attuma… Again

Man, that joke never gets old. Every time The Bride and I see Attuma on TV, we do that Arnold Schwarzenegger line from “Kindergarten Cop” over and over again, laughing ourselves silly. Speaking of silly, we now know why Attuma wears that helmet, he’s bald, and without it, he actually looks a little bit like Thanos, conspicuously unmentioned this week. Wish I could say the same for Arsenal.

As expected, Attuma takes control of the Serpent Crown, and takes control of Giganto. Hilarity, I mean battle ensues. More slugfest, thankfully well executed, an improvement over last season. I liked that both Hawkeye and the Black Widow save the day, and especially by thinking as opposed to punching or blasting. I liked this episode quite a bit. It’s kicking and screaming, but “Avengers Assemble” is improving.

Hulk and the Guardians of the Galaxy

On a sidenote the Avengers have an appearance, strictly speaking, in this week’s episode of “Marvel’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.,” along with the Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s an appearance in that they appear to be the Avengers, but they’re really and obviously Skrulls. The Hulks have been lost in space for the first few episodes of their second season, encountering all the usual suspects, like the Silver Surfer, Ego, Galactus, Ronan the Accuser, and of course, the Guardians of the Galaxy.

When the Guardians show up after the Hulks have routed the Skrull Avengers they naturally think they’re Skrulls too. A little game of Secret Invasion brand ‘Who Do You Trust?’ follows. This marks the second appearance of the Guardians on “Agents” and along with their other guest shots, it seems Disney XD is getting primed for the confirmed animated series next year.

Next on “Avengers Assemble” – Nighthawk, yeah, that’s right, Nighthawk!

One of the dumbest conceits about superhero comics is the concept of keeping dangerous items and weapons confiscated from super-villains in the headquarters of the superheroes. How nice of the heroes to keep all the goodies in one place, right? Here’s what happens when Thanos comes calling for the Infinity Stones. Meet me after the jump for my thoughts on the newest episode of “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble” – “Widow’s Run.”

Safe?

We open on a Skype call between the Avengers a and the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Avengers are currently holding four of the Infinity Stones in a vault in their headquarters. The Guardians think it’s a dumb idea and they’d like to take them… presumably so they can make a target of their own headquarters, I suppose. Their logic is good but their solution is faulty. What will they do when Thanos comes?

“Hmmm… one of these is missing…”

The rational thing to do would be to split them up. There are four in possession? Keep one at Avengers Tower, give another to the Guardians, give one to S.H.I.E.L.D., and one to Asgard. That seems fair, right? And it seems to me that having them together is just an all around bad idea anyway. Are those voices Tony is hearing coming from the Stones themselves?

The Black Widow

Often in this forum I have talked about the “Avengers Assemble” series’ criminal underuse and misguided interpretation of the team’s only female member, the Black Widow. Sometimes they make up for it. The ease with which she breaks into the vault where the Stones are held is wonderful, and how the character should be used more often.

The Widow has so much potential if used properly. We’re going by the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity so much of her past as Iron Man’s former enemy, partner to both Hawkeye and Daredevil, Avengers leader, and the like are all out the window, but her past as both a S.H.I.E.L.D. and double agent are intact, as are her knowledge and skills – use them!

Seduction

The Stones as I mentioned do have a seductive charm, voices that reach out to those in their proximity, offering power and wealth. Stark was victim to it, as was Heimdall, when Widow and Thor took them to Asgard, as I suggested. Widow claims her S.H.I.E.L.D. training can temporarily hold the voices, but what about Thor? As he is often shown as the dimmest of the Avengers in this animated version, shouldn’t he be easy prey?

And honestly I am starting to wonder about Black Widow. She has the Stones in her backpack the whole time, yet Heimdall, an Asgardian is corrupted at first touch? If this is S.H.I.E.L.D. training at work with the Widow, then hells yes, give the Stones to S.H.I.E.L.D. Obviously they can handle them.

Over-Promotion

The Guardians of the Galaxy arrive on Earth, to get the Stones, already apparently in their thrall from a distance, but it’s obvious that the point is yet another confrontation with the Avengers. Seriously, how many times have we seen these two teams fight on “Avengers Assemble”? Once? Twice? Three times? And how many times on sister series “Ultimate Spider-Man” and “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.“?

Yes, we all know there’s a Guardians of the Galaxy animated series coming, and yes, we see the new designs here that are closer to what we saw in their movie, but come on, isn’t the movie itself, one of the biggest of the last year, enough promotion?? We have reached the saturation point, folks, by the time the animated series does come around we will all be sick of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Doc and Dormammu

Speaking of a coherent Marvel Animated Universe. I was surprised when the Avengers came to Doctor Strange’s door, that they knew him, and that they also know Dormammu. I was disappointed that it was long hair hipster Strange however. Perhaps when Benedict Cumberbatch portrays the Sorcerer Supreme he will bring some dignity back to the character.

The skirmish of Doc and the Avengers against Dormammu and the Mindless Ones was fun. I did dislike Falcon fighting like Wolverine with his wing tips and Doctor Strange pulling a Ghost Rider swinging that chain around however. And I really really disliked Black Widow doing her Dark Phoenix thing. I think I might even have hated it more than Thanos dropping by with his Infinity Gauntlet.

Good Stuff

While I didn’t dig how some of the fighting was done, I did like the group of heroes ganging up on the giant foe, like with Galactus and Terminus back in the 1980s. The best lines of the entire episode are easily the following. Thor to Hulk: “Don’t make me hurt you.” Hulk in reply: “Don’t make me laugh.” I also liked Hawkeye’s mention of Dimension Z from recent Captain America comics. At last, is someone working on this show who has actually read a Marvel comic?

Next: Thanos Triumphant!

Finally it’s here, the moment we have all been dreading and waiting for with anxious anticipation all this second season of “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble” – Thanos is on Earth with the Infinity Gauntlet, and only the Avengers stand in his way. As Stan ‘The Man’ Lee used to say in situations like this, “‘Nuff said!” Be prepared for the battle of the century, or based on this series’ track record, the disappointment of the century… Either way, meet me after the jump for my review of “Thanos Triumphant!”

Titan Toys

We open on Thanos doing voiceover, a parody of the wonderful quote that began every issue of Avengers when I was growing up, you know, the “And there came a day…” * quote, that all true Avengers fans know by heart. Thanos is above the Earth, building a throne with the Infinity Gauntlet. Along with the narration, it’s a nice trick, too bad what follows is almost embarrassing… for all involved…

The Avengers throw an Avenjet at him, then they follow, wearing something that just made me groan – the Titan suits from “Thanos Rising.” Now I admit, I dug the 1999 “Avengers: United They Stand” animated series, everything except the annoying Power Rangers costume changes. These Titan armors make that look good. What I wouldn’t do for one of those costume changes right now. Stupid toy tie-in attempt, made even more stupid by the lack of toys.

Playtime

The armored suits, weirdly customized to each Avenger, are useless unless they’re used to survive in space, and that point may be moot as there seems to be an oxygen pocket around Thanos’ throne platform. The suits are just dumb. Why would Hulk or Thor need them, and isn’t the concept of Iron Man wearing armor on top of his armor silly? And why use holographic versions of Mjolnir or Cap’s shield when you have the real thing??

As Thanos starts to destroy the Earth slowly with major environmental disasters, done well with animated special effects (I’ll give them that, nice use of real fire on computer generated water), the fight continues to little effect. Thanos breaks Widow’s armor quickly and shatters the moon’s surface with Thor, the latter almost as cool as hitting the hammer with Thor. For the most part, the Avengers are fleas to Thanos. Our heroes need to start thinking outside the box.

Outside the Box

Why not recruit Doctor Strange for this mission? He was with them last episode, right? Perhaps they could release Dormammu, have him fight Thanos for possession of the Stones – it wouldn’t matter who won, because the Avengers could beat a weakened Thanos, and they’ve already proven they can beat Dormammu, right? That’s how they used to do it in the old kaiju eiga, make the giant monsters fight, and then it’s easy to dispatch the victor who is usually weary from the battle. This old Godzilla fan knows.

The Avengers might have also recruited the Guardians of the Galaxy (they do show up at the end, where were they before that?), Spider-Man or Ant-Man, or the Fantastic Four, the New Warriors, or even the television only Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Jeph Loeb canceled the good Avengers animated series, “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” so he could have a more cohesive continuity among its Marvel Animated Universe. Wouldn’t now, with the entire world at stake, be the time to mine that continuity? Where did the Guardians go after last week anyway. They obviously weren’t that concerned about the Infinity Stones.

Stark the Genius

Tony Stark the genius (a word used to mock him by Thanos) thinks if they can get the mad Titan to use each gem one at a time he can get readings on them. Readings for what, I’m not sure. Stark wants Thanos to attack the Avengers with the Infinity Stones, and they go along with it. Wait, what? Maybe Stark is exactly the kind of genius Thanos thinks he is.

From the same episode that that silly armor first appeared in, “Thanos Rising,” Arsenal, Tony’s robotic big brother had the Power Stone. Shouldn’t Tony have gotten readings from the Power Stone while Arsenal was in possession of it? For that matter, why didn’t he get ‘readings’ when had the other four Stones last episode? Regardless, it’s not the Power Stone that Thanos uses when he finally does go for it – it’s the Time Stone.

Time Out

The Time Stone ages the Avengers. At first they keep going, Captain America making a comment along the lines that he’s beaten time before – I liked that – but eventually they turn to dust one by one. Before he goes, we get a sneak peek of The Maestro, Hulk’s possible future self, who will be appearing in next week’s episode of “Agents of S.M.A.S.H.”

Thor is the only one left standing, as an Asgardian, he is hundreds of years old with hundreds of years left in his lifespan. Thanos is going to have to try harder with him. Taking on an appearance close to that of his father, Thor continues to hammer (sorry) at Thanos, saying that “passage of time only makes Asgardians more powerful.” Wait, what, really? Is that a thing? Whatever. Thanos conveniently puts everything back the way it was. How nice of the mad Titan. Couldn’t he have just used another Stone to dispatch old Thor?

Mind and Space

Next Thanos almost predictably uses another Stone alone, the Mind Stone, turning the Avengers against each other. They say things that most of us viewers have been saying all through the episode so far. Mostly though it’s emotion, mainly paranoia and anger, but Tony, thinking for once, uses the Hulk’s rage to the team’s advantage. Realizing this tact is not working for him, Thanos switches to another Stone.

The Space Stone, which surely must do more than simply this, allows Thanos to teleport and surprise attack each Avenger. The Black Widow figures out a pattern to the teleport, and with Hawkeye and the rest of the team, take the mad Titan down. It’s too easy, far too easy, and had I just been judging this series on this episode alone, I would have guessed what happened immediately, but as I’ve noted, “Avengers Assemble” is all too often full of disappointment.

Reality Check

The above said, they got me, and I have to apologize. The defeat of Thanos, and the world coming together as one to help in the aftermath of his attack worked for me. I believed that Hydra and A.I.M. were aiding survivors, that the Squadron Supreme wanted to join S.H.I.E.L.D., but they couldn’t get past me the same thing they couldn’t get past Cap. The Red Skull turned himself in? I said it out loud watching. Reality Stone. Well, actually I said, “Reality Gem,” but that’s a whole ‘nother chicken to fry.

And speaking of reality checks, once Thanos is stripped of his Infinity Gauntlet, he is ridiculously easy to beat. Maybe the writers were eager to get to the shock and big big bad at the end (just wait), so they fudged it but Thanos is no lightweight, even without his Infinity Gauntlet. When I first met the mad Titan waaaay back in 1974’s Avengers #125, he was already a heavy hitter, a major big bad, quite possibly a threat our heroes could not handle alone – and this was quite a bit before he obtained his preferred accessories. One does not dispatch Thanos that easily.

Machine Menaces

Tony’s dues ex machina plan is to resurrect the aforementioned Arsenal and have him absorb the power of the Infinity Gauntlet, after which the Avengers took down Thanos. Yes, I booed out loud at the TV. I am not a fan of outside forces beating the bad guys or saving the world. I want to see the heroes do it – that’s why they are the heroes. That’s what happens here, Arsenal takes the Gauntlet, though it doesn’t end well.

There’s a glitch in the robot’s programming, an opening that allowed Ultron to get in. Didn’t I call this quite soon time ago? What really surprised me was that everyone knew who Ultron was. Someone better nail down exactly what the history and continuity of this animated version of the Avengers actually is, and pretty quick. If this is Ultron that the Avengers have fought before – who built him (Stark or Hank Pym?), where has he been, and how can he be stopped with the power of the Infinity Gauntlet at his disposal? Things can only get worse from here…

Quite frankly, I did not like this episode until the very end, at which point I had nothing but questions. Is this Pym’s Ultron from the comics, or Stark’s Ultron from the movies? Is there a Vision in this continuity? So many questions, and so few that I believe we’ll get answers to. Either way, I am psyched for the next new episode of “Avengers Assemble.”

* for the newbies: “And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth’s mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born – to fight the foes no single super hero could withstand! Through the years, their roster has prospered, changing many times, their glory has never been denied! Heed the call, then – for now, the Avengers Assemble!”

Just because “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble” appears to be on a momentary hiatus, it doesn’t mean that Disney X-D isn’t producing new Avengers animation. My favorite animated heroes drop by “Marvel’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” this week to show us why Hulk is so different in each series. Meet me after the gamma-powered jump for my thoughts.

The Leader and the Accuser

Here’s the set-up in “Planet Monster: Part 1″ (yeah, it’ll be to be continued). In some past episode of the series that features the Hulk leading a team of similarly gamma-irradiated heroes, they fought and captured Ronan the Accuser. Now as I’ve mentioned before, in the comics, Ronan is not always a villain -always a jerk- but not always a villain. However Lee Pace’s performance as the character in Guardians of the Galaxy has cemented Ronan as a bad guy in the Marvel Cinematic and Animated Universes.

The Supreme Intelligence, giant creepy head floating in fluid, and the ruling entity of the Kree Empire, has come to Earth to free his citizen, and punish Hulk and the rest of the planet. The Leader, constant foe of the Hulk in almost all of his animated endeavors, comes along for the ride. He also teases Ronan into fighting the Avengers, one of whom has a better hammer than he does.

The Other Side of the Hulk

Anyone who’s seen at least one episode of both “Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” and “Avengers Assemble” knows all too well that the Hulk’s behavior and personality is much different in each one. In the Avengers, the Hulk is a literal smasher, a dumb brick. He is co-comic relief with Thor and eats whatever he can find in Stark Tower. His only depth can be found in his fondness for his glass menagerie.

On the other hand, in “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.,” the green goliath is a leader in the Captain America mold. He is much smarter and his team looks up to him, he inspires them. Hulk is guidance and guardian, and in many ways, he is a father figure and savior. And it’s much more than his name being in the title of the show. It really is as if he’s two different people.

Torn Between Two Teams

When a force of Kree soldiers liberate Ronan, along with The Leader from S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. and the Avengers must work together to beat the bad guys, the battle leading our heroes into space in pursuit of their cosmic foes. The Hulk finds himself at odds with the needs of his two teams, and the stated differences between them.

The whole thing comes down to how the Hulk views each gig. The Avengers is a job, while the Smashers are a family. I can see it, as an Avenger, he’s just following orders. The Smashers include his cousin (She-Hulk), his father-in-law (Red Hulk), his son (Skaar), and his old kid sidekick (A-Bomb). They are Hulk’s family, and he has to look out for their welfare.

Two Big Heads

I liked the sarcastic conversation between the Leader and the Supreme Intelligence, both mocking the other’s respective names. I didn’t really dig the Supreme Intelligence’s altered appearance for animation. Some change is not for the better. He kinda looks more now like M.O.D.O.K. crossed with Doc Ock and broccoli, and much less threatening. Of course it could be worse.

After some commentary on teamwork, sacrifice, and order and chaos, the Avengers and the Smashers figure out how to stop the Supreme Intelligence’s plan. Unfortunately the Hulk pays the price, becoming one with their enemy. If I thought his original look was unappetizing, the Hulked out Supreme Intelligence is even less attractive. It’s almost as if a Herb Trimpe Hulk face has been superimposed over a Sal Buscema Supreme Intelligence – unique but scary. The story is, of course, to be continued…

Wish List

In the end of this crossover, it might be nice if She-Hulk joined the Avengers – because she is an Avenger in the comics, and this team sorely needs another female member. She’d be replacing her cousin on the roster, and Red She-Hulk (that’s still a thing, right?) could replace her on the Smashers, providing good character interaction ammo for both Hulk and Red Hulk. Maybe as an Avenger, She-Hulk will get to do more than smash and drive the plane…

We’ll have to wait and see what happens, and what the two teams will make of the Supreme Hulk Intelligence. See you next time.

When last we left the “Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” and the “Avengers Assemble” teams, they were confronted by a Kree Supreme Intelligence who had absorbed the mind of the Hulk. Can the heroes stop a Kree invasion and save their friend too? Find out after the gamma-irradiated jump.

Is This The End?

Despite the episodes being run apparently out of order (most sites list two previously broadcast episodes as the final ones), the “Planet Monster” two-parter is the season finale of “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” And what better way to end a season than a team-up with the Avengers, and a lot of the rest of the Marvel Animated Universe too, right?

Whether the series will return for a third season is up in the air. I am hearing that it has been canceled, but it should be remembered that this is the show that was canceled before it even aired, and yet we got a second season, so who really knows, right? I disliked this series quite a bit at first, but it’s grown on me, and has certainly featured more of the Marvel Universe than my regular go-to, “Avengers Assemble.”

The Beast Within

As we open, the Avengers and the Smashers have to deal with a raging Supreme Intelligence, unable to keep the Hulk contained, he savagely attacks our heroes. These are heroes, who working together finally, have a new respect for each other. In a desperate attempt to save the Hulk, A-Bomb enters the mind of the Supreme Intelligence, while the assembled Avengers and Smashers attack from outside.

It should be remembered that before his gamma transformation, A-Bomb was Rick Jones, sidekick to both the Hulk and Captain America, alternate identity to Captain Marvel, and an honorary Avenger. The boy has been around. During the classic Kree/Skrull War, Rick encountered the Supreme Intelligence under similar circumstances, and he created an army of Golden Age superheroes from his youth to stop the Kree.

The Kree/Skrull War, Sans Skrulls

As I said, a lot of what we’re seeing here in this episode is homage to perhaps one of the greatest Avengers stories ever, the Kree/Skrull War. A freeze frame in the what-has-gone-before opening is even a direct restaging of the cover of Avengers #92. There are even echoes of the story’s sequels here as well, including “Operation: Galactic Storm.” Clearly, creator/writer Paul Dini wanted to go out with a bang.

And bang it is, as Hulk goes into battle against Ronan personally with Captain America’s shield. As the Supreme Intelligence takes matters into his own hands, erm, um, tentacles, the Smashers call upon Earth’s other heroes for help. Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange, the Inhumans, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Hercules, the Howling Commandos, Devil Dinosaur, and the monsters of Monster Island among others, are all there to join the fight. Not Golden Age heroes, but still good.

In Conclusion

I was very resistant to this show at first, thinking the concept juvenile, the characters unlikable, and the situations out of continuity, but I have to admit that “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” has grown on me. While the concept might not be from the comics, the adventures of the team and the characters encountered certainly are. It has become the travelogue of the Marvel Universe that by all rights its companion series “Avengers Assemble” should have been.

Again, I don’t know if it will be back, but we should have the reruns for a little bit at least, check it out. And don’t forget to tune into Disney X-D this coming US holiday weekend for Marvel’s Super Hero Slam Marathon, featuring episodes from “Ultimate Spider-Man,” “Avengers Assemble,” and the mini-sodes of “Marvel Maximum Overload.”

This past year of television has seen the rise of “The Flash,” in my opinion, the best comic book superhero series yet, now the “Avengers Assemble” team face the Marvel Animated Universe’s closest approximation of the Flash, a member of that ersatz evil Justice League – the Squadron Supreme – the Speed Demon. This sinister speedster’s invasion of Avengers Tower has turned the Hulk into a gamma bomb, can he be stopped? Meet me after the super speed jump to find out.

The Whizzer

Now I’ve talked about the Squadron Supreme before here, and Hyperion, and Nighthawk. They’re all alternate Marvel Comics versions of the Justice League, and Speed Demon, originally and unfortunately called the Whizzer, is the Flash template. Like most Squad members, there have been multiple versions of the character on parallel Earths. The Squadron Supreme Whizzer/Speed Demon is Stanley Stewart, whose origin story actually approximates that of the Golden Age Flash.

Speaking of the Golden Age, the original Whizzer, Robert Frank, whose powers were gained from a transfusion of mongoose blood (I kid you not, because… comics), has close ties to the Avengers. Besides being a contemporary of Captain America, and fellow Invader and All-Winner in World War II, the Whizzer was also suspected of fathering Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, and later even served as an Avenger for a short time.

The Speed Demon

As I mentioned, there have been several parallel Earth versions of the Squadron Supreme. Besides the evil Squadron Sinister of the Avengers’ home Earth in the 616 universe, there’s also the Supreme Power team, and a Hyperion from yet another world was an Avenger during the recent Jonathan Hickman run in the Avengers comics. The “Avengers Assemble” TV series aside, only one of them is called Speed Demon.

Eventually the Squadron Sinister broke up and went their separate ways. Evil chemist James Sanders, tiring of jokes about his super-powered identity’s name, changed his costume and his name to Speed Demon. From there he became primarily a Spider-Man foe (and not a very good one, see image above), eventually ending up back with the Squadron Sinister, after stints with the Sinister Six and Thunderbolts. The “Avengers Assemble” Speed Demon is actually an amalgam however of all these versions, and the Flash, as we’ll see later.

Hyperion

The Squadron Supreme, still on our Earth and in hiding, has been doing a bit of hit and run as of late, like in “Secret Avengers,” biding their time until they can attack the Avengers full force. After the Hulk and Thor, not the most delicate of messengers, retrieve a sabotaged (by Nighthawk) Stark communications satellite, Hyperion launches an attack on Avengers Tower.

Color me impressed. Often I have talked here about the lack of teamwork the “Avengers Assemble” version of Earth’s mightiest heroes demonstrate, but the battle against Hyperion in this episode is probably the best I’ve ever seen on this show. The heroes are working together and separately, against a formidable foe who us essentially Superman with an attitude. This was awesome, and I even got some Giant-Man in there. Loved the ant puns.

The Agent-less Hulk

While not specifically linked to events in the “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” series finale which I reviewed here and here in the last two weeks, this episode does address its themes indirectly. In allowing the Hulk to retrieve the satellite, Iron Man is giving the jade giant a chance to do more than smash. Notably the Hulk is more intelligent and canny in that other series.

Here he is more bestial, inarticulate, and I wish he’d trade his torn purples for his Agents of SMASH pants. Even on “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” the Hulk got a shorts upgrade in the second season. In this episode he’s taking the brunt for his clumsiness, but it’s not his fault, as the Tower has a super speed visitor. The Hulk gets wise to Speed Demon’s presence pretty quickly.

Speed Time

Nighthawk has been tampering with Speed Demon’s powers, and when he taps the Hulk, it allows him to see things as the villain does, in slow motion. The visual effect of time-stood-still is much like how Quicksilver sees the world in X-Men: Days of Future Past, or the falling tray of food in the Flash’s 1956 comic book origin story in Showcase #4.

Speaking of the Flash, this new power of Speed Demon’s is actually an old power of the Flash’s. When the Flash taps into the Speed Force, he can boost the speed of others by touching them. It’s how other speedsters not as fast as the Flash could keep up with him while with him. He’s literally lending speed to them. For example, Jay Garrick was never as fast as Barry Allen – but he was when they were together. Cool, huh? Flash fact.

Crunch Time

Speed Demon’s speed time accelerates the Hulk to such a point that he becomes a gamma bomb, which apparently was the Squadron Supreme’s plan to begin with. This seems a bit unlikely as this effect seems to be a bonus and surprise to Speed Demon. The villain did get a hold of the Avengers files however. I loved Speed Demon waiting for the download. It looks like the upcoming season finale will be a fight to the finish with the Squadron Supreme.

In this Hulk-centric episode we get the same message as in the Hulk’s own series. He doesn’t just smash, Hulk thinks and strategizes, and Stark and the other Avengers should stop taking him from granted. Maybe a change of pants might help.

And… vortex breath??? Really? Vortex breath? Come on, the only things worse than that are super-ventriloquism and amnesiac kisses…

Next: Green Lantern… um, I mean… Doctor Spectrum!

It’s Halloween (yes, in April) on “Avengers: Ultron Revolution,” and Doctor Strange drops by to ask Earth’s mightiest heroes for help against his archenemy the dread Dormammu. Get ready for sorcery supreme and meet me after the jump for my thoughts on “Into the Dark Dimension.”

Avengers vs. Defenders

Now any time the dread Dormammu shows up in an Avengers story I am filled with nostalgia. It takes me right back to the summer of 1973 and the Avengers/Defenders clash, one of my favorites. Dormammu and Loki manipulated the two teams into combat over the magical weapon called the Evil Eye.

Avengers vs. Defenders… crossover event… old school…

Once the Eye was in Dormammu’s possession he sought to merge his Dark Dimension with Earth’s plane. Monsters and demons ravaged the world as heroes united to fight them. Only two comics crossed over and there was no press blitz months before it, but it was amazing, and still stands as one of the best crossover events ever as far as I’m concerned.

Halloween

It’s Halloween in this episode. This kinda threw me at first, but I rolled with it. If nothing else it puts Doctor Strange at the forefront of our minds while we wait for the movie and/or next trailer. What better time for magic, demons, and Mindless Ones than Halloween, right?

We begin with a Scooby-Doo-like bat fluttering opening followed by trick-or-treaters knocking on the door to Avengers Tower. They’re the same kids from the season’s first episode dressed as Iron Man, Hulk, Doctor Strange, and maybe Red Wolf, Black Knight, and the Living Mummy – or could be I’m just being hopeful. Was anyone else disturbed that Hulk was giving out candy canes from Christmas??

The Doctor Is In

Next thing you know, Doctor Strange shows up, looking a bit ragged. He apologizes for his appearance, which made me laugh out loud as this is the hipster hippie version of the Doctor from the Brian Michael Bendis New Avengers days. As seen in this week’s sneak preview, Strange is followed by Mindless Ones and flying demons.

Still following along Bendis lines, Iron Man gets snarky about magic and makes rude comments about Strange needing his help. Sometimes I have to wonder who is more full of regret and the inability to learn from his mistakes – the animated Tony Stark or Barry Allen from “The Flash“? The magic vs. science thing gets more annoying when Strange starts quipping back.

Mindless

The Mindless Ones keep coming, so our heroic four (Stark, Strange, Hulk, and Thor) keep mindlessly fighting. In the midst of this, the Avengers are keeping a running tally of how many trick-or-treaters are dressed as them. As a few of her go by, Captain Marvel gets a name drop. It would absolutely rock to see her in this series.

I’m not quite sure of the exact logic of Dormammu’s plot, but when the Mindless Ones attack Stark’s main arc reactor, Dormammu pops through and steals Doctor Strange’s Eye of Agamotto. The Avengers must retrieve it from the Dark Dimension or Dormammu will rule all the universes. Don’t think about it too hard. Now I know why Tony doesn’t like magic…

Not So Mindless

The Hulk is surprisingly cognitive and thoughtful in this episode. It makes me harken back to the Avengers/Agents of SMASH team-up, here and here, where the Hulk talks about being what is needed when it’s needed. It was noteworthy that Stark actually asked Hulk’s opinion as a scientist once in this episode. Like Captain Marvel, I wouldn’t mind seeing Banner either.

I was stopped at one point when the Hulk referred to Doctor Strange as ‘the strange man.’ This was a lost opportunity for writer Danielle Wolff. The Hulk should have called Strange ‘stupid magician’ like back in the Defenders days. That would have made my day.

Conclusion

This was actually a pretty cool, if flawed, episode, highlighted by the trick-or-treated contest, and the Captain Marvel name drop. I also loved Thor at the end bragging he’d fought both the Midgard Serpent and Mangog on the same day. More Easter eggs! Hey, if they can do Halloween in April, I can do Easter late. And remember, kids, watch out for those ten month old candy canes…

Next: Dehulked!

The Inhumans have by and large replaced mutants in the Marvel Universe. From being major plot points in comics events like Infinity and Civil War II to propelling the last two seasons of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Inhumans are the big new thing, and now the animated Avengers have got them. Meet me after the jump for my thoughts on “Inhumans Among Us.”

Secret Wars

First things first, we should probably talk about the Avengers Assemble news coming out of the San Diego Comic-Con this weekend. The upcoming fourth season of this series will be subtitled “Secret Wars,” just as this season has been subtitled “Ultron Revolution.” Bleeding Cool had the news first here, and it may make many folks happy.

Breaking with tradition, Avengers: Secret Wars will feature several new members in the team while most of the original team has gone missing. Among these new Avengers will be the returning Ant-Man, favorites from the comics Captain Marvel, the Vision, the Wasp, and the Black Panther, and also Ms. Marvel and Jane Foster as Thor. A few of these newbies might be making their first appearances this season as well. And despite my questions in my review of the season finale of Guardians of the Galaxy, the Avengers may be crossing paths with that team in the future as well.

Inhumans Everywhere

We’ve talked about this before, but the fact still stands, and the rift has gotten wider. Because Fox owns the film rights to the X-Men and thereby, believe it or not, the word “mutant,” a mainstay of the Marvel Comics Universe cannot be used in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even though the battle lines have been mended with Sony over the rights to Spider-Man, allowing the character’s use in Captain America: Civil War, the war for the X-Men with Fox has only become more vicious.

Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are no longer mutants in the comics or the MCU, and there is nearly no mention of the X-Men and mutants in the Marvel Animated Universe, and as noted in this review’s intro, they are being replaced by Inhumans. They are all over the place in the comics, in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., even the aforementioned Guardians of the Galaxy animated series, and now they have come to the Avengers. They’re everywhere. To paraphrase The Who, meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Small Town Terror

We open on Thor being pulled away from a sparring match with Volstagg the Voluminous by an Avengers mission. It’s always a treat to see Asgard, and especially any of the Warriors Three. The mission, attended by all the team sans Hawkeye and the Black Widow, is in the small town of Maple Falls, which at first reminded me of Pleasant Hill from Standoff. It’s enshrouded in a mist, which Thor dispels easily, but we know simply by the title of the episode what this mist is – the terrigen mist that transforms humans into Inhumans.

Indeed, when the mist clears, the Avengers are set upon by Alpha Primitives. They are the politically incorrect sub-human working class of the Inhumans, most often used as pawns by Maximus the Mad, the black sheep of the Inhumans Royal Family. I was impressed how their animated forms were so close to Jack Kirby’s original concept. Battle ensues, but only briefly before the Inhumans arrive.

Paul Dini, the Hulk, and the Inhumans

One of the first things I noticed about this episode was how canny and intelligent the Hulk seemed, as the credits roll at the beginning I found out why – it was written by Paul Dini. He was not only one of the masterminds behind Batman The Animated Series, but Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. was one of his, too, where the Hulk was much smarter. When the Inhumans arrive, Hulk even acknowledges that he knows them, from when he had met them before on Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Nice continuity bit, Paul.

In attendance are Black Bolt, Medusa, Karnak, Gorgon, Seeker, and Lockjaw. Seeker is an odd choice, an old school Inhuman who has served Maximus in the past… my spider-sense is tingling. Speaking of which, Triton is missing, perhaps still training with S.H.I.E.L.D. over on Ultimate Spider-Man. After the out of continuity Guardians of the Galaxy, this is a breath of fresh air. The Hulk describes the Inhumans as “super people with attitude, they don’t play well with others.” With an introduction like that, you just know they’re going to fight, right? Right.

Fight for Your Right

Hulk goes off to Attilan (still floating above the Earth) with Lockjaw to retrieve some terrigen crystals to calm the Alpha Primitives, so with their negotiator gone, suspicion and antagonism grows between the Avengers and the Inhumans in Maple Falls. When the Inhumans fudge on what the mist actually does, and find a cocoon in the town, things get dicey, and blows are exchanged. Can’t we all just get along?

Yes, even cooler than this…

While I wished that the Avengers showed the kind of teamwork that the Inhumans did, the one-on-one battles were quite impressive, especially Thor vs. Black Bolt. This was so much better than when the Inhumans fought the Guardians. This fight is not a time-eater, it’s an entertainer. And I loved the cameo by Don Knotts.

Birth of an Inhuman

As the two teams fight, the cocoon hatches releasing a new Inhuman, a giant living inferno that can only be stopped by the Inhumans and Avengers working together. This new Inhuman is actually Inferno, a Charles Soule creation and result of the events of Infinity. The mistrust continues as the Avengers find the Inhumans have not been completely truthful about the terrigen mists and what they do. Nevertheless, the Hulk returns and they are able to calm the new Inhuman and the Alpha Primitives.

Nice as it was to see the two groups make friends and suggest that Inferno would make a good liaison between Inhumans and humans, it was even nicer to see Thor portrayed well in this series. Thank you once again, Paul Dini. All too often Thor is the drunken and stupid frat boy rather than the regal prince of Asgard and god of thunder. I applaud the change of pace. More Dini please?

As I suspected, Seeker is not above board and not to be trusted. At the end of the episode we see him reporting to someone in a crimson cowl, and old school Avengers fans know what that means before I even say it. It’s not the villain one usually suspects in an Inhumans story – Maximus the Mad, but the Avengers’ deadliest foe… Ultron!

Next: “The Inhuman Condition!”

Save

When last we left the Avengers, after a skirmish with the Inhumans, the two teams made friends, and witnessed the birth of a new Inhuman, Inferno. But behind the scenes, one of the Inhumans, Seeker, reported to Ultron, not good news. Meet me after the jump for my thoughts on “The Inhuman Condition.”

The Dance Begins

The opening is one of those animation moments that make me smile. The Black Widow is training, and listening to a generic Russian ballet as she is Danger Room dancing. It is a wonderful sequence that can only be done in animation as opposed to the comics page. I liked this callback to her heritage and background, even when interrupted by the Hulk and his indirect profession of love for heavy metal (good for smashing).

Writer Tim Pugsley is no Paul Dini like we got last episode, but he’s good, picking up the pieces of “Inhumans Among Us” like a pro. The Avengers discuss those events and how the Inhumans weren’t exactly straight with them, and continue to be secretive. As if on cue, Lockjaw teleports in, and whisks the team away to Attilan.

Divide and Conquer

Upon arrival, the Avengers don’t have long to take in the sights of the Inhuman city, as they are immediately set upon by strangely familiar robot spiders. They’re everywhere, and the team is overrun until Black Bolt saves them and pulls them into the palace. Safety doesn’t last long before Ultron attacks, claiming to have conquered the Inhumans.

Escaping once again via Lockjaw’s teleportation powers, the Avengers get a lesson in Inhumanity and the terrigen mists. We as viewers know Seeker’s disloyalty and it begins to dawn that he’s playing a game of divide and conquer with the Avengers. By the time Ultron shows up and Seeker is revealed as his pawn, it’s too late.

Choice

Hulk’s familiarity with the Inhumans was established last time, referencing his Agents of S.M.A.S.H. adventures, but this time there’s something else that keeps bubbling to the surface. As the Avengers learn about the terrigen mists and how it might turn some humans into Inhumans as it did Inferno, the Hulk makes a comment here and there about not having a choice of having change thrust upon you.

Obviously this story is moving toward a global terrigenesis as occurred in the Infinity comics mini-series, with a whole new generation of Inhumans walking the Earth, but are we also looking at the possible revolt of the Hulk? Might he turn against the Avengers to defend (as he did with the Defenders) the Inhumans, beings he has much more in common with?

The Long Way There

Although it takes a while to get there, terrigenesis happens across the world. At first the weapon Ultron wants from Seeker is designed to do just that, but later altered to destroy humanity, powered by both Black Bolt’s voice and Iron Man’s arc reactor. Later, choosing a chance to survive over Ultron’s choice of complete genocide, the Black Widow and the Hulk change it back. Terrigenesis happens.

As the mists sweep the planet we see several people affected, among them is the newest Ms. Marvel, matching her comics origin. This is obviously the forerunner of this character appearing in the series. I’m looking forward to the other newbs as well. Perhaps even Inferno might take a stab at being an Avenger.

Conclusion

More the start of many new adventures than the end of one, this wasn’t a bad episode. I was a bit disappointed with the ease by which Thor was dispatched early on, but pleased by his surprise rescues later. I should have expected it but was pleasantly surprised.

Highlights this episode included Black Bolt kicking ass and taking names, silently of course, and the brief but exhilarating battle between Lockjaw and Ultron. Seriously, Black Bolt and Lockjaw get all the good moments here. If the Inhumans are Marvel’s new mutants, when do they get their own animated series?

Next: The Avengers and Inferno team with Ms. Marvel against the Ghost in “The Kids Are Alright.”

Save

In the face of the new super-villain team, the U-Foes, the animated Avengers also must contend with a new government liaison, who seems to have it in for the Hulk. Trouble and terror abound in this new episode of Avengers: Ultron Revolution, meet me after the jump for my thoughts on “U-Foes.”

The U-Foes

After the team has battled so many enemies of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, I have to say it’s a nice change of pace to see the team up against Hulk villains. Perhaps Black Widow and Hawkeye foes won’t be far behind… or how about something really novel, like an Avengers foe or two? Still I shouldn’t complain, the U-Foes have actually battled the Avengers quite a number of times in the comics – but they started with the Hulk.

The U-Foes originally were scientists motivated by power and fame to replicate the space flight experiment that transformed the Fantastic Four. They weren’t nice folks, and they got more dangerous powers. There was Vector with telekinesis, Vapor could turn gaseous, Ironclad with strength and metal skin, and X-Ray who was living energy. You can see the parallels to the Fantastic Four a la big-brained Mr. Fantastic, see-through Invisible Woman, super-strong rocky Thing, and the fiery Human Torch.

Return to Vista Verde

We open the episode with the space flight described above, four astronauts, for less than noble reasons, duplicating the cosmic storm incident that created the Fantastic Four. I kinda dug the Enterprise-like ship with a saucer section that will later be identified as a UFO. However once through the cosmic storm, their saucer is headed for a crash landing in Vista Verde.

Does that name sound familiar? Vista Verde is the closest town to where Bruce Banner first became the Hulk. A bit of a tourist trap making money off that fact, it’s also near where Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. set up their headquarters in Gamma Base. Hulk is there now, getting nostalgic, I suppose, when the ship comes down. I like this callback to a smarter Hulk after last time‘s portrayal.

Déjà Vu

Also in the opening, we have the other six Avengers at Stark Tower playing pinochle. Don’t ask me how six people can play the game, but there it is. I guess somebody behind the scenes doesn’t know all that much about pinochle. The reference is that Cap picked the game, so it’s an ‘old’ joke, but it doesn’t really work because Thor, the oldest one there, doesn’t understand the game. It’s thankfully interrupted by an intruder that bypasses Friday’s security.

The older gentleman introduces himself as Truman Marsh, their new boss. In the comics, Marsh was the less-than-cooperative warden of The Vault, here he’s a government stooge. This entrance is reminiscent of when Henry Peter Gyrich walked into the battle-damaged Avengers Mansion and tried to shut the team down, resulting in the government-sanctioned membership line-up in legendary Avengers #181. After allowing the terrigen wave to happen, the New Powers Act was signed, and now the government has control over the Avengers. Sounds like the Marvel Animated Universe is aligning with the Cinematic and Television Universes.

The Fearsome Four

Meanwhile the Hulk witnesses the origin story of this evil Fantastic Four, mirroring the beginnings of the real thing only through a crooked mirror. Vector makes the mistake of mentioning their experiment was Hydra-funded and the Hulk attacks – and is put down fairly easily. Something many folks forget is exactly how truly powerful and dangerous the U-Foes are, despite the silly name.

When the Avengers are sent to investigate a Hydra base in Arizona, under Marsh’s orders, they find not only a Hydra that is rudderless without Von Strucker‘s leadership, but being usurped by the new U-Foes. Combat ensues, and while I was happy the Avengers were working as a team (contrary to earlier seasons) I was startled to see the tight cooperation of the U-Foes as a team. The U-Foes victory, even though they retreated, is decisive.

Round Two

After Marsh blames the defeat on the Hulk, possibly setting up the future episode entitled “World War Hulk,” the Avengers again encounter the U-Foes at an old S.H.I.E.L.D. base where the villains steal an old helicarrier. The continual references to S.H.I.E.L.D. as old made me wonder if the organization is defunct in this continuity, seems to still be around in Ultimate Spider-Man, am I missing something?

The fight to win back the helicarrier is tense but well done with the Avengers on top, and the U-Foes again running but eventually captured. I shivered at the threat level made by the U-Foes, destroying a town with a nuclear explosion? They’re hardcore. I have to wonder why they run when they’re so powerful. Back at Stark Tower, Marsh again blames Hulk, but this time fires him. As quickly as Hulk leaves, his replacement arrives… the Red Hulk. Not good, this does not bode well.

Pictures and Words

I liked the simple if disturbing redesign of the U-Foes from page to screen. Their visuals in the comics, created by the great Sal Buscema, are best suited for the comics page, and the animated versions, while simplistic, work well. I have to give pause to X-Ray’s skull face and especially Vector’s Cenobite flesh grooves. *shudder* It beats his cosmic tapestry costume though.

Written by Mairghread Scott, who also wrote the great “Saving Captain Rogers” episode, this was one of the better stories of the season, with good characterization, villains used to their potential, and a sense of internal continuity. Yeah, I dug this episode a lot. More please.

Next: Building the Perfect Weapon!

At the close of the last episode of Avengers: Ultron Revolution, government stooge Truman Marsh fired the Hulk from the team, and replaced him with the Red Hulk. Not fitting in is only the beginning of the Red Hulk’s problems. Meet me after the jump for my thoughts on “Building the Perfect Weapon.”

The Red Hulk

Believe it or not, the Red Hulk character dates back to the first appearance of the Incredible Hulk in his first eponymous issue back in 1962. General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross was the series’ perennial antagonist, Banner’s boss, and romantic interest Betty’s dad, and head of the military hunting the Hulk. Ross’ obsession with destroying the Hulk was the status quo for decades.

As a way to combat the Hulk, General Ross allowed himself to be transformed into the monstrous creature known as the Red Hulk, or Rulk, while not only maintaining his intelligence but also gaining the additional powers of energy absorption and heat generation. The Red Hulk has also proven to be irrational and uncontrollable, not a good combination for an Avenger.

In the Marvel Animated Universe, the Rulk is more like, and even dresses like, Rambo, depending more on guns than fists. As Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. has proven, he’s a good strategist, but low on stealth, intelligence, and self-control. Even the Leader calls him ‘Mr. Impulsive,’ acting first and thinking later.

Hulk of Different Color

As we open on trolls attacking a comic con – featuring promotion for the Human-Ant and the Revengers movie – the Avengers seem to be business as usual until the Hulk, I mean the Red Hulk enters the fray. He doesn’t smash, he shoots. He’s all about the guns and the firepower, and to say the least, he’s in overkill mode. Rule is certainly a Hulk of different color.

To make the situation worse, the Hulk – the real Hulk, our Hulk – is still staying at Avengers Tower, but forced to wear a power inhibitor collar that won’t even allow him to change back into Banner. Rulk’s attitude and Marsh’s dislike for our Hulk don’t help the situation. The Avengers’ reluctance to accept the Red Hulk does make me wonder how it will go with all the new members coming next season.

The Leader and Ultimo

Even though the enemies may seem to be Truman Marsh and the Red Hulk, the Avengers are dispatched to confront A.I.M., only to find they are being led ironically by the Hulk’s archenemy the Leader. The Leader is another gamma-irradiated menace, who gained super-intellect instead of strength. The first time I saw him in the comics, he was trying replace Nixon and Agnew with android duplicates. Wow. Does that date myself more or say how evil (or good, depending on your perspective) the Leader was?

If I was a conspiracy theorist I might connect the dots and say there’s something weird about two major Hulk villains in two consecutive episodes. It’s too much of a coincidence. Good thing the next guy up to bat is Ultimo, an Iron Man villain. I have always loved Ultimo since I first saw him as a bonus baddie in the first Avengers Annual, and he challenges the Avengers well here. Sans Red Hulk, the Avengers show great teamwork against him.

Casper the Friendly Hulk

As the Avengers and Red Hulk track the Leader to his island base, the real Hulk, still restrained by that collar, goes walkabout. Wandering the city, he tries to help people, but still gets that oh-no-it’s-a-monster reaction, sort of like when folks realize that Casper the Friendly Ghost is actually a ghost (a go-go-go-ghost!). It’s sad when even the homeless don’t want to chill with the friendly Hulk.

Hulk’s whole act here, in the hat and trench coat, reminds me of the Thing when he’s in one of his poor-me moods. Walking the streets thinking that nobody loves him is sooo Ben Grimm. Even with the power restraints he manages to save folks from a crashing train, even though when the episode ends, the collar is shown broken with no Hulk. Hopefully one of those he saved freed him. It looks like we’ll need a Hulk next episode.

Hot and Bothered

The Leader’s island base seems more approachable for the Red Hulk than for the Avengers. As he goes charging in, the Avengers are stopped at several points along the way, almost as if it’s a trap, and of course it is. Had the team been operating normally as a unit, no one would have rushed in as Rulk did, but then again, that was the Leader’s plan all along. He was building the perfect weapon as suggested quite literally in the title of the episode.

The Leader traps Rulk alone in a particle accelerator with a gamma bomb, a trap designed to put all that energy into the Red Hulk, turning him into that perfect weapon. When the Avengers get there, it’s too late, the Red Hulk is revealed by the Leader to be monstrous and under his control, exhibiting the energy absorption and heat generation powers so far unseen in the Animated Universe. Things are about to get very bad, to be continued…

Conclusion

You can probably tell from my tone that the Red Hulk is not a favorite of mine. I have not waivered in my opinion in seeing his animated form here and in Agents of S.M.A.S.H., although I think he may be an interesting antagonist – putting him back in the role he had for decades as General Ross. I doubt he cared for the Avengers any more than he did the Hulk, if memory serves.

Furthermore the whole plot stinks of set-up. Truman Marsh is another character from the comics who was less than likable, and could easily be a villain, or a pawn. Could it be that the leader planned this whole operation from the start? Master manipulator is pretty high on his resume. Where did the Hulk go? And can the Avengers stop this new savage and hot Red Hulk? We’ll find out next time in “World War Hulk!”

With the Red Hulk turned into a “perfect weapon” by the Leader last episode, the Avengers, without their own Hulk, have to stop the bigger, badder, and hotter Rulk by themselves. Meet me after the jump for my thoughts on the latest episode of Avengers: Ultron Revolution – “World War Hulk!”

World War Hulk

In the comics, World War Hulk was a big crossover event. I’ll try to keep this simple and short because it’s pretty complicated. After the events of the Kree/Skrull War, the Illuminati (Tony Stark, Doctor Strange, Namor, Mr. Fantastic, Black Bolt, Professor X, and the Black Panther) was formed, a loose gathering of heroes designed to coordinate such happenings. One proactive mission of the Illuminati was to stop the menace of the Hulk.

Shortly before the first Civil War, the Illuminati tricked the Hulk and launched him into space. Meant to land him on a deserted but livable planet, it instead crashed on an extremely inhospitable world, killing his then-wife (don’t ask). Enslaved into gladiatorial games (some of which it’s rumored we’ll see on the big screen in Thor: Ragnarok), Hulk slowly began to take over this planet.

The planet, Sakaar, had a radiation that made the Hulk stronger and smarter. Once the planet belonged to him, enraged by vengeance, he made plans to return to Earth with an army. One by one the Hulk defeated those who had wronged him before Stark depowered him, using that energy coincidentally to create the Red Hulk. At least in the comics.

Baptism of Fire

We open seconds after the last episode ended with the Red Hulk empowered by the gamma explosion in the particle accelerator on the Leader’s island base. Grown to giant size and exhibiting heat generation powers, this new savage Red Hulk follows the Leader’s orders to destroy the Avengers. He’s so hot that he’s able to melt Thor’s Asgardian helmet.

Captain America thinks that the Red Hulk they knew is still in there somewhere, and that may well be for two reasons. He was still fighting the Avengers strategically, and he turned on the Leader. In fact, he pounds the Leader into unconsciousness before taking off. Who’s going to stop him now?

A Moment of Therapy

Rulk isn’t the only Hulk in trouble at the moment though. As the real Hulk wanders away from saving that train last episode, collarless and possibly with head trauma, he’s hallucinating. He sees Banner sitting by his hospital bedside in a partial room with no ceiling so they’re beneath the stars. The sequence reminded me of similar internal sessions the Hulk had during the Peter David era.

After banishing Banner, Hulk heads back to Avengers Tower where a suspicious chat with Marsh seems to indicate whose side the government stooge is on. Not the Hulk’s or the Avengers’ side, that’s for sure. Maybe he’s being manipulated by the Leader? Either way, Marsh verifies Rulk is on his way to Vista Verde. The Hulk goes there to confront him.

Armor Up

Meanwhile the battle continues between the Red Hulk and the Avengers. Thor has discarded his cape and without his helm, it makes for an interesting look. Iron Man has donned his Hulkbuster armor. They’ve modified Hulk’s collar to eight times its original power, but it melts right off. Nothing seems to be able to stop Red Hulk, but Stark has a plan.

Similar to that awesome kaiju fighter armor Iron Man wore in “Avengers World,” but also reminding me of the armors the Avengers wore in What If? #3 (but not the terrible ones used in “Thanos Triumphant“), Stark gives the team Hulkbuster armors. All except Thor who’s already a Hulkbuster all by himself, Iron Man says. Hmmm, sounds like Stark is getting cheap in his old age, ’cause it also seems like Hawkeye’s armor is made of tin foil…

Where Monsters Dwell

In Vista Verde, the Red Hulk, the Hulk, and the Hulkbuster armored Avengers all converge. I love the name of the film on the theater marquee, Where Monsters Dwell, named after the old Marvel comic that reprinted older Atlas monster comics, and also a recent animated feature that teamed Hulk with Doctor Strange and the Howling Commandos against Nightmare.

Again, Stark has a plan, hopefully this one will work. Let’s not even get into the logistics of flying from the southwest to the east coast, but Stark wants to power up the real Hulk like Rulk. Yeah, that’s the plan, and hoping our Hulk can keep in control. In the mad scientist field, what really makes Tony Stark any different from Victor Von Doom?

A New Hulk

A new Hulk emerges from Stark’s experiment, bigger, more savage, with a Frankenstein-like haircut reminiscent of the Kirby days. When Black Widow touches his hand, we also see the Marvel Cinematic Hulk from Avengers: Age of Ultron. Even before the fight begins, I’m worried we may be losing the Hulk. Now that he’s almost status quo with the movies and the comics, maybe he really can’t be an Avenger any longer?

In New York now, its Hulk vs. Hulk, and as fun as that might be, happily the showrunners keep it short, so it doesn’t go on and on like a Hulk/Thing fight. The second part of Stark’s, and Banner’s, plan is for Hulk to absorb all the power from Red Hulk, then siphon it off with his self-control. Yeah, it’s wonky science, but more than made up for with characterization. With Red Hulk down, we get our Hulk back.

Too Easy

Just like last week’s episode of The Flash, things get wrapped up too easily. This flaw cheapens what might have been a better episode. Red Hulk is taken into custody, no words of regret or anything from Hulk on that, let alone any mention of the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. in the last three Hulk-centric episodes. Hulk is reinstated as an Avenger and Truman Marsh leaves.

So we are left with the idea that Marsh is simply a bad man, and had nothing to do with the Leader? How did the Leader know about the Red Hulk being with the Avengers, or was the trap originally intended for the green Hulk? There’s a lot here that doesn’t make sense, and has been not-so-cleverly swept under the rug. Just when this season was getting good, oh well. I suppose we will be getting more episodes, but if not, this was a bad way to end it…

When an idea is successful, you recycle it as much as possible. Take Marvel Comics’ Civil War, the great maxi-series that pitted Iron Man against Captain America over civil rights issues. The story was a bit different but still roughly the same and just as successful with the last Captain America film of the same name. They tried again this past year with Civil War II with less than satisfactory results. Now the name Civil War comes to Avengers: Ultron Revolution. Meet me after the jump to see how it works out, with my review of “Civil War, Part One: The Fall of Attilan.”

An Avengers Movie

Just so you all know, I will be reviewing these episodes as I watch, as I usually do here at Biff Bam Pop!, but please be aware all four parts of this adventure aired all at once this weekend, almost like an Avengers movie, and serving as the season three finale. It builds on everything we’ve seen so far this season – Ultron, the Inhumans, and all those ‘new’ Avengers – to create a grand finale to the Ultron Revolution season.

Some of it has been a slow build. Some of it has been annoying, as in the beating of dead horses like Ultron and the Inhumans, and some has been a waiting game, as I think we all can’t wait to see characters like Captain Marvel, the Vision, and the Black Panther again. Let’s hope this mini-movie lives up to the hype, and now on to part one of the animated Civil War.

Maximus in Vegas

As we open the episode, the Avengers have tracked the exiled Inhuman Maximus the Mad to Las Vegas where he’s currently raising hell. Maximus has got henchmen and a giant robot hydra, that immediately conjures the question of where did he get them, and was Hydra having a garage sale. He’s also set a terrigen bomb to go off that will level the city rather than change DNA.

This is an interesting Las Vegas, by the way, the Marvel Universe Las Vegas, one that includes a Stark casino, and a hotel in the shape of a Celestial. Only in the Marvel Universe! Thor throws the robot hydra into space, which as in the comics, always makes me wonder how smart that is. What if someone bad finds it? What if it hits a friendly spaceship? Nevertheless Maximus is captured.

The Inhuman Registration Act

Yeah, you read that title right. Just like the Superhuman Registration Act that sparked the Civil War in the comics, or the Sokovia Accords in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is exactly what you think it is. Right from the start, something stinks here. We learn it was Truman Marsh who sent the Avengers to Vegas after Maximus, not Black Bolt. I smell set-up.

If they are any two people who would delight in causing unrest between the humans and the Inhumans, it’s Truman Marsh and Maximus the Mad. Maybe they did raid a Hydra yard sale to make the attack in Vegas seem more than it was. An attack against the Inhumans makes Maximus happy, and controlling the powered community is Marsh’s thing – they are a perfect team.

The New Attilan

In the time since the terrigen mist was released across the Earth, the Inhuman city of Attilan has become a refuge and sanctuary for those new Inhumans to live without fear and learn about their powers. The city has become almost what Genosha was at one time for mutants. During a tour of the city, Hulk and Falcon run into Inferno, who seems happy and in control of his powers.

A word from the prisoner Maximus however, “Monster,” whispered like The Doctor saying the Prime Minster looks tired, and Inferno loses control. He burns the palace and as the escaping Maximus informs the Avengers, he will ignite the bombs placed around Attilan and bring the city down. This is a lot of planning for Maximus alone. Hmmm…

While Attilan Burns

The Hulk goes into the fire to save Inferno, while the Avengers and the Inhuman Royal Family help with the evacuation. They seemingly forget about the Hulk for a while before Widow goes in, with Iron Man in tow. It’s too hot for Widow so Tony gives her armor protection, which brings up an interesting question – are Tony’s armors one size fits all?

When the Hulk does find Inferno, he no longer burning nor out of control. As a matter of fact, he easily helps put out the fire and help people once saved. The fire bleeds on the mainland damaging the human town. We’re building an incident, for those familiar with the original superhero Civil War, we’re building a Stamford incident.

Surrender

Did Maximus manipulate Inferno’s powers? This seems planned, structured, like something coordinated by more than mad Maximus or racist and vindictive Marsh – someone bigger. Let me guess now, it’s Ultron. This would validate the series season title at least, and nicely tie the season together.

Marsh shows up to arrest both Maximus and Inferno. Almost predictably, to ensure peace for his people and with the humans, Black Bolt agrees to Marsh’s demands. This is where we’re left, with the population of Attilan, Inhumans old and new, homeless, and at the mercy of Marsh’s Inhuman Registration Act. Sign it or go to prison, with Iron Man’s Hulkbuster armored guards standing over you. To be continued, obviously…

There’s not much to this episode other than set-up, so yes, the powers that be were smart to air it in a block with the other three parts. I liked that the Hulk is once again treated as an intelligent working part of the team, acknowledging that he did in fact run his own super-team in the Marvel Animated Universe, as opposed to the dumb punching machine he is sometimes portrayed as. And knowing what is probably coming, it was nice to see the Avengers working as a solid team. I liked it, for what it was, I’ll have to see more to give a more informed review.

Next: Bring on the Mighty Avengers!