Check Out The "Marvel-Us" Women

This week we have selected to take a look into some of the most pivotal characters of the Marvel universe.  These are the extraordinary female characters that make huge contributions to the team.  Some people like to say that behind every male Avenger is a female who is twice as deadly.  Who are your favorites?

Can you guess which female we are going to look at first?

• studied as a ballerina to cover her real occupation
• Deadly
• Russian Descent
• Alias Natasha Romanova

Also known as......THE BLACK WIDOW!!!!!!

One of the coolest things about the Black widow is that she has undergone government treatments which have slowed her aging, augmented her immune system and have enhanced her physical durability.  This is one reason why we see her so agile and mobile on the movie screen.  Her official occupation is a licensed super hero, intelligence operative, former school-teacher, fashion designer, and ballerina.  She has a long inter-twined past among several different Marvel characters including Ironman, Daredevil, Hawkeye, Logan.  

This is one bad chick!  Check out the following link to see a cool clip!

Click Here!

Can you guess who is the next female that deserves a moment under the spot-light?!

• capable of mentally breaking wavelengths of light
• modest experience and skill in the field of acting
• known for changing her hairstyles constantly

Thats right.......Its the Invisible Woman!!!!!!!

Also known as Susan Storm Richards, this strong female lead is a founding member of the Fantastic Four.  What makes her so dangerous is her ability to fully render herself invisible at will.  Not only that, she can also render other people or objects as invisible.  She also has the ability to manipulate/create force-fields.  Needless to say, this is not one woman that you would want to double-cross.  She is idoled by several men from the Marvel universe, such as Doctor Doom or Namor the Sub-Mariner.  She recieved her powers from being exposed to radiation from a cosmic storm.  She is the sister to the Human-Torch, and is married to Reed Richards who also happens to be Mr. Fantastic.

Check out the following clip!

Click Here!

As Always, Stay Marvel-Us!!!!!

Marvel-Us Character Spotlight

Recent additions to Netflix have prompted this weeks' selection.  Can anyone identify who will sit on the throne for this weeks' analysis?  If not.....we have a few helpful hints for you as always!

• First appeared in a Marvel Comic April of 1964
• HIS nickname is "The man without fear."
• Was blinded at young age due to radio-active substance.

That's Right........ It's The Marvel-Us.........

DAREDEVIL

Otherwise known as Matthew Murdock, this Marvel character has been striking fear into the heart of the common-street criminal for over forty years.  What exactly makes this character so special you ask?  Well, first off he was blinded at a very early age which involved a car-accident and leaking of radioactive substances, over time Murdocks' other senses are heightened from the exposure.  But that's not it, he is also noted as being an excellent athelete, gymnast, master acrobat, expert marksman.  It also helps that his father was a professional fighter.  But at a point, his father refuses to throw a fight that had been set up by one of the notorious gangs of Hells Kitchen in New York, so he is killed for his defiance.  This is one of the elements that drives Matthew Murdock into the DareDevil persona, in order to avenge his fathers' death the vigilante will stomp-out the unhindered crime.  



What other abilities does the DareDevil have?!

• skilled detective
• tracker/interrogator
• hand-to-hand combatan
• martial artist and gymnast
• superhuman senses
• radar sense
• use of specifically-designed billy club.

Check out the following link for a cool clip of DareDevil!

Click Here!

One of the most "marvel-us" things to take note on DareDevil is that he is not overly extraordinary in comparison to other members of the Marvel Universe.  Matthew Murdock is the definition of someone that rolls' with the punches despite the cards that he has been dealt.  He had no control over the freak-accident that rendered him blind, but he took the new heightened senses from this accident and ran with them. Before long, Murdock was climbing on roof-tops and fighting crime.  Instead of living life simply blind and helpless, he found a way to still contribute to society.  Everyone can take a lesson from the DareDevil.  If he can contribute to society while being blind, then none of society has a valid excuse (fictionally speaking of course).  So the next time that life hands us lemons, remember to shut your eyes and make lemonade!  Check out the following clip to see more of an origin story on the DareDevil!

Click Here

To wrap up today, check out the following list of villains that DareDevil has fought!

• King-pin
• Gladiator
• Bullseye
• Man-Bull
• The Jester

Thanks for tuning-in and remember..................STAY MARVEL-US!!!!!

Mr. "Marvel-Us"

Who is Max Eisenhardt?!

Know which Marvel character also goes by the name of Max Eisenhardt?  

Magneto

Magneto, arch-nemesis to the X-men, but what else do you know about this world-renowned super-villain?  

Did you Know?-

• Magneto was born to a middle-class German-Jewish Family
• Max switched his name to Magnus upon fleeing Germany
• Later adopts the name "Erik Lehnsherr."
• Nazi-Germany shaped his outlook on life for years to come
• Best-friend with Professor X, aka Charles Xavier.

For a quick origin story on Magneto, check out the following link!

Click Here

One of the most "Marvel-Us" things about Magneto is that he is extremely misunderstood.  In an interview with Stan Lee (creator) he admitted that he never fully intended for Magneto to be a super-villain, he was aiming to strike at those bigoted and racist.  His harsh child-hood during the holocaust gave him a brutal look at what could possibly happen to the mutants down the road.  This shapes his entire perspective on life, when the government begins to seek mutant-registration, Magneto cannot sit idly knowing that registration was how the holocaust had previously began.

Check out the following link to see a chilling-scene from one Magnetos' child-hood.

Click Here!

What are Magnetos' abilities?!

• Genius-Level Intellect
• Magnetism Manipulation
• Magnetic force-fields and Flight
• Skilled Leader and Strategist
• Helmet grants immunity to Telepathic Attacks

Another thing that everyone loves about this "Marvel-Us" character is that he is perceived as a villain, but his best friend is Charles Xavier, who just so happens to be the other co-founder of the X-Men, and currently sits at the head of the opposition-group for Magneto.  That is something that we can all take from this Marvel moment and apply into our daily-routine.  It is astonishing that amidst a mutant-revolution both Magneto and Professor X can sustain their friendship.  Despite both having very drastic views on how to help their own kind (mutants), they are able to see past these differences and do not let it fully destruct their friendship.  Although Magneto eventually left working with Charles due to different opinions, down the road this was not a grudge that kept the two from continuing their friendship.  We can all be a little bit more-"marvel-us" by cutting our friends some slack in areas where we do not see eye-to-eye.  Another reason for the success in this friendship is that the two have a very good understanding of each other.  Being able to understand your friends emotions is crucial in order to maintaining a mutually-beneficial friendship.  Although we cannot do this on a telepathic level like Professor X, we can all do a little bit more in order to understand our differences with others.

Today we will end by checking out the following link to learn 10 facts about Magneto!

Click Here!

Thanks for stopping by....but most of all...."STAY MARVEL-US!"

Who is under this weeks' spotlight?!

After a week off to digest the change of seasons, we are pleased to release our most recent Marvel-Us spotlight of SEVERAL members from the Marvel Universe.

Here are the hints for this week!

• One member of this TEAM was originally a real-estate agent.
• None of the movie characters were originally apart of this TEAM.
• One member ironically began his working-career as a Prison-Guard.

These hints are more difficult than usual, so we will help you out.....IT....IS....THE.....

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY!!!!!!!!!

Check out these cool facts about the Guardians!!!!

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Who are the Guardians of the Galaxy? (on the big screen)

• Peter Quill (Star-Lord)
• Gamora (Adopted daughter of Thanos)
• Groot  (from Planet X)
• Rocket Raccoon     (originally worked at a prison)
• Drax the Destroyer (originally a real-estate agent

This team first made their publication appearance in the comic-book "Marvel Super-Heroes" issue #18.  Unlike many characters from this universe, Stan Lee was not the main mind who came up with this idea.  The guardians concept was written by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan.  It is interesting to see how the Guardians have evolved over the course of time.  The current guardians that we see on the big-screen are actually more recent characters as none of them originally appeared in the original comic strips.  The guardians frequently make appearances in Thor, The Avengers, and often are aided by heroes like Captain America and the Thing (from the Fantastic Four.) 

Star-Lord

Peter Quill is the leader of the space-based superhero team:  "Guardians of the Galaxy," but Peter is no ordinary superhero.  He has skewed values and morals which cause him to perceive himself as a "notorious outlaw." He is also different from most of our marvel superhero's because he is born to a human mother, but his father was alien-royalty. 

Star-Lord has some pretty cool special abilities, how many can our Marvel-Us audience guess?!

• Master strategist/problem solver
• Skilled marksman and fencer
• Use of element-gun

Via his suit: 

• Strength, durability, flight, ability to travel through space.

Check out this link to see some more cool information about Star-Lord

Click Here!

Gamora




This character is the adopted daughter of the super villain Thanos.  She is also the last of her species, and is known for her occasional love-interests with superheroes Adam Warlock and Nova.  Do not let this fool us, as she is also known as the Most Dangerous Woman in the Universe.  Thanos raised and trained Gamora to be a deadly, skilled assassin.  These abilities are why she is an important member to the team:

• Skilled Assassin and gymnast
• Skilled martial-artist
• Superhuman strength, speed, agility
• Durability
• Accelerated Healing Factor

Groot


Many people were introduced to this character after the recent movie release "Guardians of the Galaxy."  Numerous viewers thought that Groot was a delicate and simple being, although at times he can really bring the house down.  Groot originally appeared as an invader that intended to capture humans for experimentation.  But Marvel reintroduced him as more of a heroic, noble sentient tree-like being.  Originally in the comics this character was able to speak, but more recently Marvel has capitalized off of his newly limited-vocabulary in order to insert humorous moments into their scenes.  Known as one of the most intriguing characters, Groot has the following abilities:

• Absorb wood to feed, rebuild self
• Enhance strength and control trees
• Regeneration
• Resistance to fire
• Genius level intellect

Rocket Raccoon



This character originally was inspired by the song "Rocky Raccoon," by the Beatles.  In the comics he hails from "Halfworld," where he was experimented on in order to increase his strength, speed and intelligence.  This place was an abandoned colony for the mentally-ill where the animal companions were manipulated in order for many to become caretakers of the inmates.  He is known for his excessively numbered prison-escapes, which makes sense knowing now that he originally was a prison-guard.  He has several really cool super abilities:

• Master tactician and field commander
• Normal attributes of an "Earth" raccoon
• Accomplished starship pilot
• Expert marksman

Drax The Destroyer



Originally known as Arthur Douglas, this humans' family was attached and killed by Thanos.  The being known as Kronos took Douglas' spirit and placed it in a powerful new body, thus Drax the Destroyer.  He is constantly looking to avenge the death of his family, so his sole purpose is to destroy Thanos.  Among his super abilities, this vigilante hero has the power to constantly sense the presence of Thanos.  But what other abilities does he have?

• Strength
• Stamina
• Resistance to injury
• High-speed flight
• Energy Blasts
• Use of knives
• Psychic detection of others.

What do they all have in common?

After analyzing all of the members of this titanic-team, our Marvel-Us viewers can draw several conclusions.  The first is that all of these heroes didn't start out as heroes, far from it actually.  Star-Lord lived life as a notorious out-law, Rocket Raccoon was an experiment at an insane-asylum, and Drax the Destroyer was a human real-estate agent.  These heroes all share the same skeptical origin.  All of these characters had the opportunity to go down the darker path, just as we all have that same opportunity in real-life.  But when it came down to it, these former-vigilantes made the correct decision and were able to help the greater good by using abilities that were unique to their individual skillsets.  The second conclusion to draw from this is that we can all be Marvel-Us.  It is as simple as flicking a light-switch.  Despite what we have done in our past, it is never to late to flip a page and start a new chapter.  We must remember that no one is perfect, and we must accept our short-comings in order to better ourselves in the future. 

To close today, check out the link below to see a funny scene from the Guardians' movie. 

Click Here!

But most of all.....remember......."STAY MARVEL-US!"

The Ultimate-Marvel Spotlight

This week we are pleased to present our Marvel-Us viewers with a spotlight focusing on a Marvel character that is known to everyone within the comic-book world, and among the rest of society.  Few characters have made such a drastic impact on as wide a segment of followers.

But who is it?

• Recognized as the "unluckiest superhero."
• Parents were Agents of Shield
• Began superhero career while in high-school

That's right!.....

It's The Amazing Spiderman!

Spiderman first appeared in Marvel's "Amazing Fantasy #15." in 1962.  Like many other characters, he was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.  Known as Peter Parker, this member of the Marvel world was raised in an area of Queens, New York.  He is an orphan living with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May.  What brought Peter Parker to the next level was an accident where he was bitten by a radioactive spider.  This bite causes him to experience a physical restructure in his DNA.  This instance gives him above-normal qualities that are usually possessed by the members of the arachnid family. 

What exactly are Spiderman's abilities?

• Super-Human
• speed, agility, stamina
• reflexes, endurance
• genius-level intellect                                           
• healing factor
• pre-cognitive spider-sense
• Ability to cling to most surfaces

Check out the following link to see 10 Interesting Facts about Spiderman!

HERE!

What Golden Rule of Marvel did we learn from Spiderman?

Click the following link to find out!

HERE!

"With great power comes great responsibility."

.....what a powerful line.  This is one of the most memorable lines for myself from any movie.  The story of Spiderman unravels and the fans can take away many positive attributes that can be applicable in daily life.  This quote plays off of the idea that those in society who have the ability and resources to help, should feel obligated to perform above a bare minimum level.  By doing this, we can all be like Spiderman. Helping those who are less fortunate than ourselves, whether it be poverty or materialism, there is always someone who needs a helping hand.  Those of us with the will-power and the means to do so, need too in order to maintain societal progress.  From this story we can also learn how to handle criticism.  Spiderman is under constant scrutiny for his actions, as are all of us.  But newspaper publisher J. Jonah Jameson is constantly criticizing our webbed' icon.  Peter Parker stays his course, and continues to do what is necessary in order to protect the unfortunate.  This is because he knew that doing so was the right thing to do.  A lot of times in life people are met with obstacles in attempts of doing what is right.  Although in situations like these, we all must stay the course, as Peter does, in our attempts to benefit society.

Until Next Time....... STAY "MARVEL-US."


MARVEL-US CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT!

Here's several clues as to who is on our throne!

• First appeared in a Marvel Comic May of 1962!

• Possesses a very slim range of vocabulary

• Genius-level intellect with an impressive alter-ego

• Notable alias include Joe Fixit, and World-Breaker

Thats Right!  It is Bruce Banner, aka "The Incredible Hulk."

Some fans of Marvel say that the Incredible Hulk is the ultimate Avenger who cannot be beaten.  But what exactly causes this to hold true amongst most marvel-related conversations?  In order to answer that, we must first take a look at the origin of this unnatural-being.  The Hulk first appeared in "The Incredible Hulk," may of 1962.  Shortly after this series began, the Hulk was cancelled.  Most people speculate that this was due to the lack of enthusiasm that readers seemed to hold for the new character.  The original comics display a constant-battle for the character struggling between being an intelligent-genius and at other times a criminal.  The Hulk slowly started making cameos in other comic books, this gave the green monster the necessary push into the iconic hero we see today.

Below you can check out this video from YouTube that shows Banner make the transformation into Hulk right before he smashes his entire laboratory!

Click Here!

How did Bruce Banner come across this horrific fate?

This all aspired from Bruce Banner absorbed massive amounts of gamma radiation in attempts to discover the super-soldier serum that attributed Steve Rogers (Captain America) to his abilities.  Banner is always portrayed as a sarcastic physicist, who is emotionally withdrawn.  This could be due to the ironic twist that his exposure to gamma radiation happened at his own expense.  This accident left Bruce Banner living as a "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," sort of theme as the character is always struggling for control over the beast.  The Hulk has several arch-enemies, among these are "The Abomination," who is more monstrous than the Hulk and wreaks havoc for fun and pleasure.

The Incredible Hulk was originally grey, the authors (Stan Lee and Jack Kirby) wanted the character to not affiliate with any others.  But problems with Xerox machines at the time led to an inconsistency in the "grey-ness" of Hulk, which ultimately led to the change into our Green Avenger known today.

Check out this link from Listverse!  Here are 10 cool lesser-known facts about the Incredible Hulk

Click Here!

What super-powers does the Hulk possess?

• Genius-Level Intellect (when Bruce Banner)
• Skilled Hand-to-Hand combat
• Superhuman Strength
• Speed, Jumping, Endurance
• Immortality
• Adrenal activation
• Anger empowerment
• Accelerated healing
• Resistance to mind control
• Ability to sense astral forms
• Hold breath for long periods of time
• Reflexes, Durability, Immunity to disease/virus

To wrap things up today, we have a video showing various "Smash-Scenes" for the Hulk dating between 2003 and 2012.  This is a ten-minute video, so make sure to grab some popcorn, and as always.....STAY MARVEL-US!

Click Here!

Who is the Most "Super-Villain?"

We have spent time analyzing some of the most heroic and pivotal characters of the Marvel-Universe, but can our viewers guess who we rank in our "Marvel-Us" Top 5 Super-villains!

One positive thing that all Marvel-fans have in common is our loving-hatred for the characters we see as the villains throughout the numerous story-lines and comics brought to us by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee.  Each and every villain has their own personality, all perfectly contrasting their super-hero counter parts.  Every fan can choose a villain that is most-closely related to him/her.  A villain that captures both their AND our sense of humor.  After taking some time to consider the options, "Marvel-Us" has decided to list our archive of evil starting from the #5 spot!

 

 5.  Doctor Octopus (Doc-Ock)

This iconic super-villain is most known for his menacing electronic appendages that are exposed from his back.  These are so large that he uses them in order to move around.  Fueled by his hatred for Spiderman, this villain first made his appearance was in The Amazing-Spiderman #3.  Upon their first encounter, the doctor threw Spiderman out of a window, nearly stopping his heroic career short.  One Marvel-Us thing that we would like to point out is that this villain was created out of unfortunate circumstances.  But once Otto Octavius chose to go down the dark path, there was no coming back.  Good people can do terrible things, we see this as throughout the Marvel storyline we see Doc' coming ever so close to self-destruction.  But will his hatred for our webbed-friend ultimately lead to his doom?  You guys will have to do your research to find out!  But Check out this cool video clip showing the moment Doc wakes up!

Click Here!

4.  Thanos 

This fictional character from the Marvel Universe strikes fear into the heart of everyone across the galaxy.  He was born on Saturns' moon Titan, but shortly after his birth his mother attempted to kill him.  Maybe she had a serious case of mothers' intuition that prompted her actions.  Could she have known what chaos was to follow from her failure?   This character is first seen in "Ironman" #55, and since introduction, has been wreaking havoc all across the universe.  What is scary about Thanos is his obsession for the female embodiment of death.  On multiple occasions, Thanos slaughters many people attempting to catch the eye of his "fair-maiden."  Not quite the most beautiful romance story, but it will do!  This villain will play a big part in several of the Marvel Motion Pictures to come!
Here is an awesome video of Thanos!  Check it out!

Click Here!

3.  Mystique

The only female character to make the Marvel-Us Top 5, but do not let that cause you to underestimate this highly-skilled mutant for one second!  A character who possesses a super-human ability caused by a genetic-mutation, we see Mystique (formerly Raven) a shape-shifter who is able to mimic voice and appearance of any person with exquisite precision.  So with that specific ability, it is easy to see how someone could be corrupted by this type of ability.  She first appeared in the comic-world featuring in Ms. Marvel #16 from 1978!  Most recently, Jennifer Lawrence has re-ignited the role of Mystique, attracting more females to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Involved in plenty of drama, this mutant also happens to be the mother of "Kurt Wagner" who is also known by the alias Nightcrawler.

 Below you can click on this Marvel-Us Youtube video that shows some of this villains' best shape-shifting scenes!

Click Here



2.  Red-Skull

This villains' common-name is Johann Schmidt.  Born to a drunken-German man and his soft-spoken spouse, we first see him appear in 'Captain America Comics #7.'  He was working at as a bell-hop for a hotel in Germany during the rise of the Third Reich.  But fate would align Schmidt with Adolf Hitler, taking the young "Red-Skull" under his wing.  The German dictator noticed a distinct darkness that he could see within Schmidt, and he was right.  Known for his history with Captain America, The Red-Skull was placed in charge of the Nazi terrorist activities with a large role in external espionage and sabotage.  The Red-skull becomes the leader of the terrorist organization HYDRA, The only thing worse about this character than his values or morals are the grotesque features of his face!

Check out this video from Captain America:  The First Avenger, where we see the Red-Skull expose himself to the world for the first time!!!

Click Here!

1.  Magneto

Yes!  The number one villain for our Marvel-Us viewers is the one and only Magneto!  This villain first made his appearance in 'X-Men #1' from 1963.  Longtime friend of mutant Charles Xavier (Professor X) Magneto is most known for his ability to manipulate anything with metal to his desire.  This makes him a very powerful nemesis for the Marvel Characters.  But there have been several times where Magneto has put aside his short-sighted desire for power in order to help save the world.  At one point throughout the Marvel storyline, Magneto actually fights against the Red-Skull.  This is closely tied with the information that Magneto was a holocaust survivor, and his passion to further the rights for mutants are driven by his fear of facing a similar fate.  After working together for many years, Magneto parts' ways with his friend Charles Xavier because they cannot come to an agreement on their beliefs for how to help mutants.  

This video shows the extent and magnitude of this colossal villains' power!

Click Here!

That's our Top-5 villains from the Marvel Universe!  

We will see you next week!