Fanboys Anonymous

For the forseeable future, Joss Whedon is done with making Marvel movies. He said so himself, increasingly, through the production and press tour for Avengers: Age of Ultron. He has said he wants some time away from big movies to focus on other, smaller projects for a while, more personal stuff. I don't think anyone begrudges him that, especially after some of the conflicts he came into with Marvel Studios during production on Age of Ultron. He may not be done entirely, but he's done for now.

With Marvel, at least.

A little while ago, during an interview with IGN, Whedon was asked if he would ever want to direct a movie based on a DC Comics property. He said he absolutely would, given the chance, just not immediately. (His actual answer was that while he was a Marvel boy growing up, he was always "DC-curious." I love this guy.) This got my brain a-thinkin' about what properties Whedon would be best for, so let's list-icle. This will go from five to one, in terms of this writer's gauge of feasibility and preferences for what project our Geek God could helm.


5. Wonder Woman

This is maybe a too-easy answer and a nonsensical one given that Patty Jenkins has already been tapped to direct WB/DC's Wonder Woman movie after Michelle McLaren's departure, but let me explain. And anyway, it's number five. Hush.

Years ago, back in the innocent days of the mid-2000s when no one knew exactly what kind of box-office juggernautery lay ahead in the new millennium, Joss Whedon wrote a script for a WB adaptation of Wonder Woman. This was post Spider-Man and Batman Begins, which should tell you what kind of superhero stories were in vogue at the time. Needless to say, it never happened, and Whedon went to work for the Other Guys.

I've read some of Whedon's script. Pieces of it suffer from the tropes of the time, and some of it is Whedon silliness. Some of it is Whedon brilliance. It might have worked, but it was a little ahead of its time in terms of how to treat this literally mythical character. The point is, Whedon is the go-to guy for kickass female characters, and Wonder Woman is chief among them. At this point, he has proven beyond any doubt that he can handle his big-budget epics with larger-than-life characters.

I'm glad a woman is directing Diana's film. That's just as it should be. However, if it couldn't be a woman, I'd want Joss Whedon. There will be a sequel to Wonder Woman, if it makes even the slightest profit, and Patty Jenkins may wish to return, but if she doesn't, maybe WB will eat some humble pie and make room for a Marvel defector.


4. Batman

The first answer Whedon gave when presented with the "would you direct a DC movie" question was that of course he'd love to get his hands on the Bat. Who wouldn't? The fear here is that Whedon would bring his particular brand of snark to the shadow-drenched world of Gotham. While DC's supposed "no jokes" mandate is absurd, it bears some weight with reference to the Dark Knight. Batman doesn't crack wise; his sidekicks or his butler or his villains do. He's the ultimate straight man, with occasional glimpses of dark or sardonic humor.

Whedon was a writer first, and one who is more than good enough to temper these tendencies. Honestly, my hope for a Whedon-directed Batman film would be what he could do with Batman's incredible supporting cast. Robin gets a lot of hate, but we haven't seen the character in live-action since Joel Schumacher and Akiva Goldsman ruined the character two decades ago—and then ruined some more, 18 years ago.

Whedon could make Robin cool. He could make Nightwing happen. He could really make Selina Kyle/Catwoman complex, more than just a romantic foil for Batman. Just imagine the insanity of the Joker under Whedon's direction. There's so much here that could work.

This one might be slightly more possible than WW, but still unlikely, for a couple of reasons. The biggest is that WB/DC is probably unwilling to let Whedon play with their biggest and best superhero property. Besides the fact that they dissed him with Wonder Woman—after which he made beaucoup bucks for the competition, proving that he was capable and his ideas feasible, and I don't think WB is big enough to admit they might have been wrong—they already have a director they like, playing Batman. I wrote about this before, but the eventual solo Batman film could very well be directed by the Caped Crusader himself, Ben Affleck. It's an idea I don't hate, but one I'll be unsure of until I see Affleck's take on the character in Batman v Superman.


3. The Legion of Super-Heroes

Huh? You've never heard of these guys? They sound stupid? So did Guardians of the Galaxy.

This one intrigues me, because it is a property that would need serious trimming to be a feasible adaptation, so there is room for a creator to really put a stamp on the property like James Gunn did with Marvel's aforementioned version of Star Wars. The Legion of Super-Heroes could be DC's Star Trek answer to that.

The short version of the Legion's storied history is that they are a future galactic Justice League. Inspired by tales of Superman's heroics, a host of young people with powers come together to help protect, well, everything (even if a lot of their action centers around future Earth). It has been a long-running and generally popular title for DC, with a massive cast of characters from which to draw, but something like 80% of them have names ending in "Boy," "Girl," "Lad," or equally innocent and defunct titles.

Apologies to comic purists, but audiences are not going to flock to the theatres to see Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl team up with Star Boy and the Invisible Kid. Just ain't gonna happen. Guardians had help mitigating this problem because some of the source names were unique and interesting (Gamorra, Drax, Groot) alongside the sillier names that they either shortened ("Rocket," instead of "Rocket Raccoon") or poked fun at in the movie. Star-Lord was just Peter Quill until the running joke became an earned moment, when during the climax Djimon Honsou's character recognizes Quill from the beginning and snarls "Star-Lord." Apply some of that logic to handling your characters in a Legion of Super-Heroes movie, and you're on the right track. Similarly, I bet they'd just trim the title to be "The Legion," or perhaps "Legionnaires." More generic, perhaps, but less Saturday-morning-cartoon than "The Legion of Super-Heroes."

Whedon would fit into this world almost perfectly. His Firefly was a mix of the best parts of Trek and Wars, and there is plenty of room for his banter in this property. Because it's less well known outside of comic circles, he has more latitude to bend and play with the story to make it more palatable. If they keep the story set in the future, there's less constraint on continuity between DC movies, so again there is more freedom. This bears mentioning too: the Legion has enjoyed a substantial gay following for much of its publication. It was a mixed and inclusive group of characters, and readers responded to that. Whedon is a big supporter of the LGBTQ community and has featured same-sex couples in several of his works. That Star Trek-ian ideal of universal inclusion, whether you're gay, straight, male, female, alien, transgender, asexual, pansexual, hermaphroditic, Klingon or Wookie, would be a new angle for superhero filmmaking, which thus far is populated more or less entirely by straight white men. Anyway, this would be a good chance for Whedon to make another ensemble movie in space, and maybe this time he won't kill Wash. (Spoilers!)

I admit, too, that any adaptation of this property is a long shot unless WB/DC shatter all expectations with their attempts at a DC Cinematic Universe, but hey, this whole thing is a what-if scenario.


2. Green Lantern

This is similar to the previous entry, but better known and with unique opportunities. I know, the first Green Lantern movie sucked. That's not the character's fault.

I don't know if Whedon even cares about GL, but that could be an asset. It barely matters which of the six or seven Earth-based GLs he uses, though it's likely WB would want either to continue with Hal Jordan or use someone like John Stewart or Kyle Rayner. In addition to being another fun space-based adventure, more action-packed than cerebral, Green Lantern should be a human story about imagination and our potential, and Joss Whedon excels at humanism.

Think about it. A Green Lantern ring allows the bearer to create whatever he or she or it can imagine. That's pure creation, kind of like a storyteller, no? Furthermore, the energy that allows for this power is derived from emotion, from basic feelings—in this case, willpower, a drive to do more, be better, to keep moving. I can't think of a more primal human trait than our will. The point is, even if Whedon doesn't currently care about the character, he can relate to him, and I would love to see what imagination Whedon could bring to the Green Lantern Corps. That's the thing: it's such a recognizable story. The Corps are just a galactic police force. They have precincts, beats they walk, partners. There is corruption. People get fired. It's a space cop story.

That very recognizable and human grounding is the perfect launchpad for Whedon's imagination. How far can you bend the clichés of police stories when they're set in deep space? What's a run-of-the-mill assignment for them? Reigniting a dying sun? Deflecting asteroids from inhabited planets? If that's the boring stuff, imagine what Whedon's imagination could unleash on these celestial guardians. Green Lantern will be in the ranks of the Justice League when they debut, and he has a solo feature slated for release on June 19, 2020. What he doesn't have is a director, and Whedon could make a very human, action-packed space adventure that might erase the stigma of the character's first live-action appearance.


1. Earth-2

This is the biggest stretch, because it relies on a number of things falling into place, but for the sake of this piece I'll assume a best-case scenario because I think this could be stellar. Bear with me.

One of DC's longest-running narrative devices is the concept of the Multiverse. First introduced in the pages of The Flash #123 in 1961, it posits that our universe is one of an infinite number of others, all occupying the same space but vibrating at a different frequency, so each occupies a separate dimensional space. Flash can slip between these worlds because of his super-speed; he made it to another Earth, by accident the first time, by moving fast enough to slip between worlds.

Now, more and more, we're hearing that our actual universe may be one of many. There is mounting evidence that the multiverse is fact, not fiction (though probably not this kind of fiction). DC has been using their multiverse to tell stories for over 50 years now, and it's still going strong. No less than two big events are currently underway in DC's comics that deal directly with the multiverse.

So what is Earth-2? Imagine again, if you will, that WB/DC creates a successful cinematic universe. It works on its own and as a counterpart to Marvel. We know Marvel is building toward Infinity War, when Thanos tries to claim all six Infinity Stones to presumably rule over everything. Maybe he'll just be content with destroying Earth, but it's not likely. Like an arms race, DC will have to provide a viable counter to the Marvel superplot. They have universal despot Darkseid (who, its worth mentioning, predates and inspired Thanos) who probably will show up at some point, but what if existence was threatened by something else?

The "main" DCU takes place on Earth-1. Earth-2 belongs to a universe of older counterparts. Earth-3 belongs to evil versions of the characters, and is protected by Earth's greatest hero, Alexander Luthor. Each one of the Earths is different, either slightly or in a big way. On Earth-X, the Nazis won World War II, and a small band of heroes fought a longstanding guerilla war against the Reich. Get it? Patterns repeat across the multiverse, like a song played in different keys or sung with different lyrics.

An Earth-2 adaptation could go one of two ways, as I see it. Originally, Earth-2 was the home of the earliest DC heroes, the first versions of the Flash, Green Lantern, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. They are referred to as belonging to the Golden Age. You can think of these as the pre-and-post-WWII heroes. In the collapse of the superhero comic boom after the war ended, a few major characters survived (like the Big Three), but within a few years came a resurgent interest in heroes and DC revived trademarks like Flash and GL, only as different characters with different stories and new designs. This was the start of what's termed the Silver Age. When the Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen, crossed between universes, he met his earlier counterpart, the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick. Basically, all of the older DC stories had actually taken place on Earth-2, and the modern DC stories were on Earth-1. Modern comics have played out Earth-2 as being populated with alternate versions of the characters, not older or younger—just different.

So where does Joss Whedon come into this? If you imagine the successful first run of these DC movies as Earth-1—Henry Cavill's Superman, Ben Affleck's Batman, Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, and the rest—Earth-2 could be a totally fresh look at the DCU, a way to reinvigorate the second wave of the DC films. It could perhaps introduce new characters or twist those that we've seen, free of the shackles of continuity and solo-film plot threads. Since they're not the "actual" versions, Whedon could do what he does and kill off two or three or six. This could sell just by capitalizing on new science and awareness of our universe.

This could be a substantial building block in the DC Cinematic Universe, setting up a future Justice League movie that pits the heroes against their Earth-3 doppelgangers. Once they know of the existence of the multiverse, they could explore it, or perhaps their reality gets invaded by said evil doubles. Either way, the multiverse is one of DC's stronger ideas that has been used to great effect in their stories, and while I'm aware that what works on the page does not always work onscreen, I'm also confident that a filmmaker with vision can make it work. Whedon could play in the DC sandbox he's curious about and add to it without worrying if he's muddying the waters.

One final note, because this just occurred to me and while it's the most improbable thing in this article, it's a really fun thought: What if an Earth-2 movie brought back actors like Christian Bale, Ryan Reynolds and Brandon Routh as "alternate" or "earlier" versions of Batman, Green Lantern and Superman? Maybe they could even find a way to bring the TV versions of Flash and Green Arrow into that "alternates" fold. Impossible, I know, but fun to think about.

Do you think Whedon will ever get his shot at a DC movie? What would you want to see him direct? Explore this multiverse of possibility with each other in the comments below!

Ant-Man #5 cover by Mark Brooks

"What is this, a center for ants?"

I have been waiting for the infamous line from the movie Zoolander during this entire series. It is an obvious gag, but like so much in Ant-Man, it is delivered with great comic timing.

Writer Nick Spencer delivers a story with his usual panache and style, while Roman Rosanas and Jordan Boyd provide superb artwork. The melding of these talented creators is a supreme coup for editor Wil Moss. When editors get it so right like this, it is magic to behold. This issue brings to close a fantastic arc and makes me hope for much more to come from this team.

Spencer's Ant-Man is Scott Lang, an every-man sort of guy, the type you want to root for and be in his corner when the chips are down, yelling "get back in there and finish this off!" It shows how infectious and how much fun this comic can be.

Issue #5 is a little more serious than the previous, but given that it is the concluding issue of this arc, that is understandabe. As Scott races to stop his first real antagonist as a Marvel character—Darren Cross, who has been resurrected from a cryo-stasis death—Cassie, Scott's daughter, remains on the operating table and directly in harm's way.

There are some really good action pieces in this issue, but the best part of all is the way Spencer ties everything off nicely. It is satisfying to see resolution at this stage of the series. While I acknowledge some cliffhanger plot points are well placed for the writer to pursue at a later date, it is also crucial that, should the series not pick up again after "Secret Wars," the story achieves some level of completion that fans can appreciate.

Ant-Man is stuck in a Toe-Jam!

You could do a lot worse than this comic. It ticks all the boxes. While this may not be the funniest issue of the arc, it does achieve exactly what the capping issue of a first arc should do. The emotional strings that have been hung by the creative team for the character of Ant-Man are pulled with great effect. The end has at least a few "awww" moments. The story is engaging, balanced with a serious nature and outcome but pitted with the humorous points that are so characteristic of the series' voice.

Rosanas and Boyd are responsible for a good deal of emotionalism in this issue. They bring the characters to life in a way that makes readers give a real damn. I hate the fact that we get interrupted here by "Secret Wars" (which was a good read also, by the way). I want to see more of what Scott Lang will be up to, but I guess that will have to wait a couple of months at least.

Its the final show-down...

The artistic team's continued focus on characterizations and not the flash and bang of big company comics has paid off dividends. As an audience we get a richer tale rather than just pretty pictures, though that isn't to say the art is lacking in any way. Far from it—the art matches the book's style extremely well, it is spot on. It could even be argued as a more relatable style than Marvel has pushed with the likes of Superior Foes of Spider Man or Hawkeye and is asserting a unique niche all of its own in the publisher's line up. Long may it stay.

If you haven't been keeping a pace with the series so far, I highly recommend getting the trade paperback once it hits shelves. This has been so much fun to read and a definite highlight of my month to read and review. Seriously, go and get it, you won't regret this one.

Cassie Lang's plight...

As this arc draws to a close, what did you think of the start of this series? Did you like the way it rounded off? Do you hope to see more of this series after "Secret Wars"? Make sure you tell us what you thought of the book by leaving a comment below or on our Facebook or Twitter and make sure you come back next time for the next installment in the Ant-Man Annual in July.

The Adventures of Rock and Punk #2 cover by Twells and Wheller

They're back, baby!

That's right, the team from Hamblin Comics has put together a follow-up issue to the self-published The Adventures of Punk and Rock.

Part Deux, or The Tag Team Tale of Rock and Punk, courtesy of writer Austin Hamblin, artist Scott Twells, and letterer Dario Reyes, brings back the space-ranging team of Punk, Rock, and the narrator Snarky for another round of mischief.

The second issue picks up from the last, beginning with the same dynamic of breaking down the fourth wall. The narrator is the part of the main characters, bringing together a triumvirate instead of just of the titular duo. However, in order to inject themselves more into the story (quite literally), the use of this storytelling tool is taken a step further as the creators join in on the antics for a few pages. This is all in good fun and even a little self-deprecating on the creative team's part.

Overall, this unique approach is resplendent of the cheeky fun that this comic aims to provide. The audience for this title hasn't changed, though: it's geared toward a mature teen male readership. The story follows a fairly linear style as Punk and Rock set about becoming tag-team wrestling champions. There are some cliché moments and a series of obligatory montage training panels to accompany the quest. As the heroes start their ascent into the ring, the foolhardiness of their venture quickly becomes apparent.

The creators show a passion for wrestling.

The art has a rough-hewn, fun aspect to it. It appears to have a sharper edge than the first issue, perhaps wanting to reflect the story content in a balanced manner. The layouts are very reader friendly, making for a quick and easy story to follow. The creators show a passion for their craft that can continue to be refined. There are clear signs of improvement from the first issue last year; however, I am perplexed by the additional story added at the back of the issue. It wasn't clear if that was added as "bonus" content or was somehow linked to the main story.

Overall, this comic takes another step forward; make sure you continue to keep an eye out for further work from Hamblin Comics on their website (http://hamblincomics.com/). Check them out and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below or head on over to the Fanboys Anonymous Facebook or Twitter to make your mark, and keep on coming back to Fanboys for more comic reviews and news.

J.J. Abrams and the production team on Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens are still remaining as hush as possible with details on the upcoming film, but as time goes on, more information is being released.

Just recently, Vanity Fair did a piece on the film, and in that process, we got confirmation that Adam Driver will be the villain Kylo Ren, Gwendoline Christie is definitely Captain Phasma, and Lupito Nyong'o will be playing a character named Maz Kanata.

Who the hell is Maz Kanata? At first, we just knew the name, that it would involve motion capture, and that she was described as some kind of "space pirate" in some fashion. Now, to go along with those details, we have our first visual look at the character:

My first reaction was to laugh at green E.T. in a do-rag. To be fair, that imagery still hasn't left my brain, and I'm not exactly loving it. I have a feeling this is going to be the sort of character that I look back on and wish they hadn't spent so much time dealing with. What I love about the Star Wars franchise isn't the different-looking aliens or the spaceships and blasters, but the Jedi. If this goes back to the original trilogy where it has much more of a Star Trek feel to it, I'll be disappointed. The idea of a space pirate is dumb to me, and when it looks ridiculous like this, it doesn't exactly win me over.

I'm still pumped for the movie, but I'm starting to get a little worried that while the tone might be great and the visual effects should be fantastic, I might not like the plot itself. If they announce that Domhnall Gleeson is Ben Skywalker, it'll make up for this, but right now, this image did more to damage the hype for the movie for me than make me excited.

What do you think of Maz Kanata? Are you looking forward to Lupita Nyong'o bringing this alien to life? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Android 5.0 Lollipop is officially here—well, technically it's been here since November of last year—and that means phone manufacturers have been clamoring to get the update onto their existing phones. It was eagerly sought after by many Android fans because it was supposed to be better than ever, a big leap from Android 4.4 (KitKat). Like any other operating system (OS), however, Android Lollipop has its positives and its negatives.

So what should Android Samsung Galaxy Phone users like me be expecting?

For one, the OS updates are coming in batch by batch. If you're really knowledgeable about these things, you could push it by force onto your phone or tablet, but if not, it's best wait for the official release for your particular device. So while some of you Android Samsung Galaxy Phone users (S4, Note 3) are waiting for the update, here are a few things you should be expecting to see:

Interface & Design

This is one of the best interfaces I have ever seen. It's not J.A.R.V.I.S., but it's a start. It's cleaner and simpler with some embellishments that are really useful and not just mere add-ons. This goes hand-in-hand with a newly refreshed notification system. Individual notifications are now displayed on cards that adhere to the material design language, and sets of notifications can be lumped together by the app that produced them (this is most important for mobile gamers). A do-not-disturb function has also been added under notifications. With regard to design, everything looks more polished (even if the same grid of icons is used) and is still as customizable as before, so you can arrange it just how you want it.

Project Volta

Because of the big changes in the material UI for Android Lollipop, Project Volta was created to improve battery usage through a series of optimizations. Among its changes is a new battery saver mode, job-scheduling APIs that can restrict certain tasks to only occur over Wi-Fi, and grouping of tasks to reduce the overall amount of time that internal radios are active.

Notifications Everywhere

This is where I'm on the fence. Although I like the new notifications update, which gives me the ability to view detailed notifications on my locked phone, this also seems like a security issue. If you're the type of person who leaves their phone unattended, anyone can have a glance at your notifications even though your device is locked. This issue may get more even aggravating if you use a security pattern, password, or PIN for your device, because you now have to swipe away the initial lock screen with the pesky notification before inputting your code. It's an unavoidable extra step that might annoy some Android Samsung Galaxy Phone users.

App Switcher & Merged Tab Notes

The recent updates with the app switcher makes closing it more of a hassle and a real job, since it shows all of your recent apps in one spot. The same goes with the merged tabs for Chrome. Although it looks nice to see all of your tabs in a stacked way, it can be bothersome to have some of the sites you've searched a couple of days ago still there. In a way, it cuts down on the clutter, but in another way, it contributes to it.

App Crashes

Not all applications have been moved to support the new OS, hence there are some applications I use that close down on me. However, this occurs for maybe 1 out of every 10 applications, so it's more of an annoyance. One that has had a few more glitches than normal is the WInput remote mouse control app, but this isn't a constant.

Are you happy with the changes made with this latest update? What kind of problems and errors have you experienced? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Greetings, Fanboys and Fangirls! This is Sam Lascio, bringing you the latest Marvel news concerning their 2016 film Captain America: Civil War!

Now, just in the name, there was stuff we already assumed. The Civil War storyline in the comics was very basically this: Captain America and Iron Man find themselves on opposing sides after the U.S. government passes a Superhero Registration Act. This Act regulates superhumans and forces them to act as government agents, thus revealing their secret identities, but also allows them to be paid for their skills, so hey, not too bad, right? Iron Man is swayed to the side of the S.R.A. after meeting a grieving mother who lost her son in a hero/villain battle. When Maria Hill tells Cap that he'll have to hunt down anti-Registration heroes and villains alike, however, this doesn't sit well with him, and he goes on the run. This culminates into a final battle between a government-sanctioned Avengers team (led by Iron Man) and a Secret Avengers team (led by Captain America). All I'll say is, people die. It gets extreme.

So based simply on the title, we can assume that the flow of the movie will at least be similar to this. Maybe not identical, but similar.

The official Marvel plot synopsis for Captain America: Civil War is as follows:

Captain America: Civil War picks up where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.

This sounds epic. And pretty damn close to the source material. While the comics dealt with heroes and their secret identities, the film version seems to deal with who the Avengers answer to when things go wrong. After having Stark "birth" Ultron, Hulk destroy an African city, and the devastating final battle in Sokovia in Age of Ultron, as Vanko famously said in Iron Man 2:

If you could make God bleed, people will cease to believe in Him. And there will be blood in the water, and the sharks will come. All I have to do is sit here and watch as the world will consume you.

Now the important question: Who is confirmed for this movie? Well, the lineup is pretty extreme, so let's hammer it out:

• Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America
  —Obvious.
• Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
  —Again, obvious.
• Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
  —Was anyone shocked?
• Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier
  —We knew it, but it's awesome to have it confirmed.
• Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon
  —And now with red in his suit!
• Paul Bettany as The Vision
  —Yes! This one should have been obvious, but I don't care. Vision rocks.
• Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
  —Never thought I'd be excited to see Hawkeye back, but I am!
• Don Cheadle as Jim Rhodes/War Machine
  —Jim? Yeah, that's how Marvel announced it. Just sounds wrong.
• Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
  —She sold me in Age of Ultron. I want to see how she furthers the character.
• Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man
  —YES! The movie isn't even out yet, but I'm happy to see him included in this.
• Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther
  —We knew this already, but I'm still glad to see Black Panther appear.
• Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter/Agent 13
  —They only called her "Sharon" in Winter Soldier, so I'm glad to see them owning it, even though everyone already knew this. Cap deserves a lady.
• Daniel Brühl in an undisclosed role.
  —Everyone is saying he confirmed he'll be Baron Helmut Zemo (the WWII Baron Zemo's son), but Marvel didn't confirm it. Here's the original source interview though.
• Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow/Crossbones
  —Grillo has been teasing the hell out of this on his social media outlets. It's being heavily hinted that he'll even wear a version of the mask from the comics!
• William Hurt as General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross
  —Cue us fanboys LOSING OUR COLLECTIVE MINDS!!
• Martin Freeman in an undisclosed role.
  —We have our own speculation on who he might be playing.

Although it is officially being declared the third Captain America film, the upcoming Captain America: Civil War is definitely feeling more like a third Avengers due to how many people are involved.

So far, we know that Robert Downey Jr. will return to the series as Tony Stark, which by itself is huge enough news to be excited about, but he's not alone. We will see characters such as Falcon, Sharon Carter, Crossbones, and Winter Soldier, picking back up after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. We also will see some of the Avengers themselves, including Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, and Black Widow, with newcomers Black Panther and even Spider-Man joining the fray.

You can now add two more names to that list as William Hurt will be reprising his role as General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross from The Incredible Hulk and Martin Freeman has joined the cast in an as-yet unspecified role.

At the moment, a lot of fans are speculating that Freeman's character is Everett K. Ross—an American ambassador to Wakanda, the African nation referenced several times in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Is Martin Freeman playing Everett Ross in Captain America: Civil War?

There's definitely going to be a presence of Wakanda in the film, considering Black Panther's involvement, which ties directly to his homeland. You can't have T'Challa without Wakanda, and if Andy Serkis returns for another round of portraying Ulysses Klaue, he'll undoubtedly be tied to the region as well. The guy needs a new hand, and we all know where he'll get the Vibranium to make it.

While I believe there isn't a definitive connection between General Ross and Everett Ross in the comics, the films haven't shied away from changing things up. Maybe Freeman's character is the son of General Ross, and that's given him the political connections to attain such an important position. There must be a particular reason to include General Ross in the movie to begin with; we haven't seen him for several films now despite his initially being approached about The Avengers Initiative. Ross could be there to oversee what Everett is doing or could just be brought on board to start an alternative team to The Avengers: The Thunderbolts. Hell, both could end up happening.

Keep in mind that this is all pure speculation at this point; for all we know, Marvel has cast Martin Freeman as someone far more exciting. Still, as good as Freeman is, I can't imagine him being the choice actor for the leader of the Serpent Squad or taking on the U.S. Agent role, can you?

What character do you think Freeman is going to be? How does General Ross come into play for the film? Tell us your predictions and theories in the comments below!

Another member of the original USS Enterprise crew has passed away. Grace Lee Whitney, who played Yeoman Janice Rand on the original Star Trek series, died of natural causes on May 1 at age 85.

Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Whitney first garnered attention in her teens as a singer on Detroit radio. After a few years, she began appearing onstage, opening in nightclubs and on Broadway, and shortly thereafter on film and television. From the early '50s through to the '70s, she landed guest roles on shows like Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, Bewitched, Batman, and The Outer Limits. Billy Wilder featured her in Some Like it Hot and Irma la Douce. It was her limited run on Star Trek, however, in 1966, by which fans tend to remember her.

For eight episodes of the original series' first season, Whitney appeared as Yeoman Janice Rand, an assistant to Captain Kirk. While much of her role consisted of handing pre-iPad computer briefings to the captain, episodes like "The Enemy Within" and "Charlie X" folded her in as part of the main action. Despite this, she was summarily released from her contract after the first half of the season.

Whitney's relationship with Star Trek was initially tumultuous. Trek was always staring down budget constraints, and in an interview with The Sun Whitney stated she felt her contract was released for two reasons: one, that her evolving and increasingly romantic relationship with Captain Kirk was limiting and two, because the bridge was getting a little crowded.

"They wanted Captain Kirk to have romances in each episode with a different person," she said, referring to the show's producers. She claimed to have been written out of the show because they believed audiences didn't want to see a settled-down captain. Additionally, Majel Barrett, who would later become Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, was cast as Nurse Christine Chapel, and as Whitney put it, "One of the blondes had to go." Whitney also alleged she was sexually assaulted during this time by an executive at Desilu, the production company responsible for Star Trek. She refused to name him in her biography, claiming that it was "her story, not his."

After Trek, Whitney struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction, a recovery from which shaped the bulk of her post-Trek work. Her family has stated that she would prefer to be remembered as a "successful survivor of addiction." Whitney credited late castmate Leonard Nimoy as her sole advocate during her most difficult times and the one who brought her back into the Trek fold for minor roles in some of the original cast's Star Trek films. She also reprised her role as Rand in a guest appearance on Star Trek: Voyager and in a few fan films.

Mary Ann Chase was named Grace Lee Whitney by her adoptive family, and if names have meaning, there is some to be found in hers. Whitney turned her struggle with substance abuse into something positive, working locally as an advocate for others after 35 years of sobriety. Though she was part of one of the biggest cultural phenomenons of our time, her family says it is her work with drug addiction she would want as her legacy.

Still... we are a geek website. Think Star Trek would have been different had she remained on the show? Share your thoughts about her life, or leave condolences, in the comments below.

Director David Ayer has released the first official look at the cast for the upcoming Suicide Squad film by tweeting out the following picture:

The cast of Suicide Squad's Task Force X

My first reaction is a mixed bag sort of deal. Yes, it could be worse, but it could also be so much better. Harley Quinn alone has gone through so many different versions for her attire, and this is the best they could come up with? It seems more like a half-assed cosplay than something worthy of a film that has commandeered so much attention from Warner Bros. Our other lead, Deadshot, is missing his headgear, and if they eliminate that element just to keep Will Smith's face on screen the entire film, I'll be disappointed.

While I'm very glad they're going with the more humanoid version of Killer Croc with the skin ailment rather than the literal giant crocodile creature, he looks incredibly fake. Immediately after noticing him in the picture, I had flashbacks to the two incarnations of The Thing from the Fantastic Four movies.

As far as the rest go? Katana is awesome and as perfect as she can be. Slipknot, Enchantress, and El Diablo are utterly pointless and there to be killed, so I couldn't care less about them. Rick Flagg looks more badass than I had expected, but I'm down with Joel Kinnaman bringing him to life. Captain Boomerang is perfectly okay, and I have more reservations about Jai Courtney's acting than the look of Digger Harkness.

Not featured in the picture are Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, and Jared Leto as The Joker (hopefully without tattoos and false teeth). It has also been revealed that Ben Affleck will appear as Batman in at least some form of cameo, but it makes perfect sense why he's missing from this cast photo. Scott Eastwood, Common, Ike Barinholtz, Jim Parrack, and Raymond Olubawale are among the actors also cast as yet-unconfirmed characters, but rumors abound that Deathstroke, Plastique, Hugo Strange, King Shark, and Steve Trevor could be in the film.

It seems as though this movie is really hitting hard on DC's and Warner Bros.' mentality that things need to be as dark, gritty, and as separate as possible from their comic book roots—the opposite viewpoint from how Marvel operates. Avengers: Age of Ultron is making incredible bank in theaters right now, and Marvel's films are universally recognized as awesome, whereas Man of Steel has more than its fair share of critics. Is DC making the right judgmental call by doing something different so as to not look like they are copying Marvel's formula, or is that a mistake, considering Marvel's success? Is this strategy going to pay off, or does it just bring back too many memories of the superhero films of the 2000s that strayed too far from the source material and didn't quite resonate with audiences?

What do you think of Task Force X? Do they look impressive, cool, and interesting? Do they look underwhelming and kind of ridiculous? Tell us what you're thinking in the comments below!

A secret government agency recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency.

Episode 10 of the Fanboys Anonymous Reviewpoint podcast reviews the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise: Avengers: Age of Ultron.

You can check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe!

On episode 13 of the 4 Reel Movie Club podcast, Fanboys Anonymous members give their thoughts on the four films that compose Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, leading up to Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Welcome to the latest edition of Making the Grade—a review format segment here on Fanboys Anonymous where we break down the five major components of something and give it a score based on the standard report card lineup: A, B, C, D, and F for a total failure.

The next report card is for the newest installment of Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and sequel to one of the most successful films in box office history, entitled Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Avengers: Age of Ultron—directed by Joss Whedon; written by Joss Whedon (written by), Stan Lee (comic book) and Jack Kirby (comic book); starring Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark / Iron Man), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers / Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner / Hulk), Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton / Hawkeye), James Spader (Ultron), Don Cheadle (James Rhodes / War Machine), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Pietro Maximoff / Quicksilver), Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch), Paul Bettany (Jarvis / Vision), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury).

CHARACTERS: A+

Not much needs to be explained for the majority of the characters we've been experiencing for several films. Every single one is just as entertaining as they previously were and true to themselves, whether it be their viewpoint on the world, fighting styles, or dialogue. They've hit the nail on the head with these characters time and time again, and that doesn't waver here whatsoever.

As far as our new introductions go, they follow the same pattern. Ultron is beyond damaged when it comes to his outlook on the human race and is as threatening as they come. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are minor, but their stories are simplistic enough in this incarnation (thankfully, because they are far too confusing in the comics) that the film is able to get away with it. Even without a ton of backstory, they are able to be stretched rather far and serve as worthwhile characters. Even Helen Cho—who is admittedly a bit shoehorned in here—still functions in some fashion so she isn't completely useless. One of the best things about this film in general is the use of characters because it is jam-packed and every single one of them escapes being superfluous. We see War Machine and Hawkeye's family andeveryonedoes nothing but enhance the film, provide a wider scope, strengthen the bond of the characters, and drive home themes that the movie deals with. This is a world inhabited by interesting people and you get to truly see that come to life.

ACTING: A

Of course, the acting and the characters go hand in hand. As often mentioned during this section of these segments, acting is graded based on whether they are believable more so than if they will be given awards for their performances. There is no doubt in my mind that not a single soul will be nominated for an Oscar, but that's okay. Everyone hits it out of the park. I still am not the biggest fan of Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner, but that's the weakest part of the whole acting side of things.

VISUALS (FX, MAKEUP, COSTUMES, SETS): A

Every character has upgraded as far as their appearances go, so that's an obvious top score. Everything looks believable as well in terms of CGI and practical effects. My only problem with the film's look is that it is quite repetitive. Virtually every set is identical because the locations are all so similar. Essentially, there are only two types of sets you see: the cold, blue, metallic industrial setting (such as the party room in Avengers Tower and the laboratories) or the dusty, dirty, grungy yellows and browns of Wakanda and Sokovia. The opening scene has snow, and then it's pretty much the dust storm city for the rest of the film. That, of course, doesn't hurt this rating all too much, but it's what prevents it from being an A+.

MUSIC & SOUND: A+

I was nervous that Alan Silvestri's main theme from the previous film would be scrapped, as Marvel has done that before and nowadays it's almost more likely for a sequel to ignore the score before it than to build upon it. For instance, just look at the sharp contrast between the first and secondAmazing Spider-Manmovies. [Side note: the main theme from the second is significantly better, despite how it's accompanied by the crazy dubstep that is justifiably hated.]

The main theme fromThe Avengerswas such a smash hit, though, that it justhadto come back, and with Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman working on it instead of Silvestri, I was worried. Thankfully, there was more than a fair share of that theme, but there were also moments where other recurring themes shined, too. It was very cool to hear the theme fromIron Man 3and the one fromThor: The Dark Worldact as little stamps for the characters during action sequences featuring them. That's one of the benefits of the James Bond films when that main theme accents a scene and that's exactly what they were right in doing here.

As far as sound goes, I doubt anybody will have any complaints, right?

TONE (ACTION, ROMANCE, COMEDY): A+

This movie was such a great balance among every category below.

ACTION: Joss Whedon has said numerous times while working on this film that he wasn't intending to just "go bigger" with the action as a sort of mandate, but he was still able to accomplish that. From the onset, this squadron shows that they are a well-oiled machine and have all become seasoned enough at what they do that bigger challenges can be faced. As stated in the first film, this does in fact show that humans are ready for "a higher form of war" and will kick ass in the process.

COMEDY: Sometimes, Marvel can go a little overboard with the comedy and it can get in the way of a scene, but coming out of the theater I don't remember a single humorous line that rubbed me the wrong way. I at least chuckled and smirked at every one of them, if I didn't actually laugh out loud. It's hard not to have fun watching this movie, even though it is darker in a lot of ways than its predecessor.

ROMANCE: At first, the romantic subplot between Bruce and Natasha wasn't exactly banging on all cylinders for me, but that changed drastically with the revelation that Natasha is sterile, and in retrospect I think this was an interesting exercise in the study of those two. I don't want to see it return in the future, though, as Betty is the one for Bruce to me. Since Jane Foster and Pepper Potts were absent, it was cute to have that exchange between Thor and Tony where they were basically in a dick-measuring contest based on who has the better significant other. Lastly, if you had told me that Hawkeye would have a family in this beforehand, I would have gone into the film assuming that was a mistake, but I genuinely liked Linda Cardellini and I think that the addition of the family element to Clint Barton's character is an upgrade because it makes him stand out from the other team members.

FINAL GRADE: A+

I absolutely loved this film, and I don't understand why there are quite a few critics out there who say it falls short of what it could have been. This was damn near perfect as far as what I was hoping it would be. Yes, I can think of some tweaks that I would have liked them to do in retrospect to make it even better, such as not killing off two particular characters, but that would be nitpicking. I've been having an incredibly stressful week and this was the absolute perfect escapism and fanboy satiation that I needed. SO. F'IN. GOOD.

Recent reports have been surfacing on Reddit and Twitter that the Apple Watch has been malfunctioning for those with tattoos, leaving inked users unable to receive notifications, place calls, and use Apple Pay and other apps.

The issue, now dubbed "Tattoogate," stems from the interference of the ink pigmentation with the sensor's ability to read your heart rate. The high-end watch needs this sensor to assess if the user is wearing the watch; according to Apple, the Watch's green and infrared light is either absorbed or reflected through your skin, allowing it to read your heart rate.

"So I thought my shiny new 42mm SS watch had a bad wrist detector sensor," wrote Reddit user guinne55fan on Tuesday, receiving over 700 upvotes and 300 comments. "The watch would lock up every time the screen went dark and prompted me for my password. I wouldn't receive notifications. I couldn't figure out why especially since the watch was definitely not losing contact with my skin."

With a full sleeve tattoo on his left arm, he tried holding the Watch against his hand and it began to work. However, once he put it back on the area that is tattooed with black ink, the watch automatically locked.

YouTube user Michael Lovell also experienced similar issues, which he demonstrated on both his tattooed and non-tattooed arms.


The Apple blog iMore followed up with a report confirming the issue, and after conducting their own series of tests, they found that dark, solid colors are responsible for the most heart rate misreadings (196 BPM before failing to read entirely). Lighter tattoo colors produced slightly elevated heart rate misreads but did not appear to interfere with the Watch's ability to register skin contact.

For those with issues with the Watch's sensors, you can turn off the Wrist Detection on the Apple Watch app to avoid auto-locking, although this will also disable Apple Pay.

It is important to note that the Apple Watch works fine with dark-colored skin and scars, and Apple offers a 14-day return policy.

Amazing X-Men #19 cover by Jorge Fornes and Rachelle Rosenberg

"The Once and Future Juggernaut" (Epilogue)

Cain Marko is once more the Unstoppable Juggernaut. It is time to test the mettle of the X-Men again, as Juggernaut lines up a showdown with Colossus while holding the rest of the X-Men responsible for the death of his brother, Charles Xavier.

This is a great final issue for the series. We get some humor, some fighting, and nice character-entered writing to cap the arc off. To match this, the art brings a feeling of completeness.

Jorge Forne's art in the opening pages is a brilliant and succinct summary of the sordid story of the Juggernaut. In just a few pages, it helps to bring new or long-time readers up to speed with what has happened between the X-Men and this nemesis over the past few decades. The page detail here and the layout work are worth particular note, as they intertwine four different story points of view at the beginning into one by the summary page's end.

The stylized layout is also very effective at making the pages stand out from the rest of the issue. Following the outcome from the previous issue, we see a great transition in the final page of this opening; we see a page ripped to shreds and are brought back into the present struggle between the Juggernaut and Colossus.

The art from Fornes has matured so much in the course of this story arc. While it is was a definitive contrast from the issues prior to his run, it has really sat well in the pages of Amazing X-Men. Fornes has provided a playful edge to his character depictions, using a not-so-subtle range of facial expressions to bring the story out of the characters. I wasn't familiar with Fornes's work prior to this series but will keep an eye out for it in the future. This has been a good platform for him to flex his artistic talent.

And so the story begins...	Meet the main players.

Rachelle Rosenberg's colors have been consistent and thorough from the first issue to the last. During the colorist's time with this series, a dazzling sense of adventure has permeated each issue. Rosenberg has also adapted well to the different artists who have worked on the series and brought an emotional weight to the various stories presented each month.

Rosenberg's talent was extremely apparent in her work with Ed McGuinnes and Jason Aaron on the return of Nightcrawler. Her colors on the scenes of the afterlife were brilliant. This was again evident on the Anole-focused issue #13, which was one of the series' best standalone stories. I dare to say that if not for Rosenberg's colors the series would not have been as much fun and would have lost a good sense of artistic representation.

Death and destruction follow the Ruby of Cyttorak.	Fornes' great art brings readers up to speed on Juggernaut's story.

Christopher Yost brings the "Once and Future Juggernaut" story arc to a pleasant close in this issue. With much of the action and suspense unleashed in the previous issue, Yost takes his time bringing the series to an end. We get some nice resolution for Colossus in this issue; he offers sentiments in the closing pages concerning the X-Men's plight of always facing certain evil and a tide neverending bad guys that can be translated in a wider sense to Marvel's mutant lineup. Rather than lose hope, Colossus comes to realize that he must make the best of the situation and just keep going.

Over the two arcs that Yost has been involved with, we have seen a distinct change in style in the series. This has helped fill a lack of cross-audience appeal that may have been an issue in some of the other X-Men titles. There was a good deal of fun and silliness that was always a welcome experience each month, and hopefully this can be retained in some of the upcoming books slated for the upcoming "Secret Wars" titles involving the X-Men.

The Juggernaut is back for revenge on the X-Men

This is the last of the Amazing X-Men as "Secret Wars" makes its presence felt throughout the Marvel publishing line. The series started strong with a top-tier creative team and has continued in very capable hands. The experience has been mostly smooth from start to finish, and the series fulfilled its mission statement. These were amazing stories that didn't fit into any other X-Men franchise books; we have seen characters not normally attributed much of the limelight come to the fore and get to have some fun along the way, and we were certainly entertained in the process!

Just like that, we are all done with what has been a neat story in Amazing X-Men #19, but we would like to hear what you thought about this issue and arc or the series as a whole. Make sure you leave a comment below or on our Facebook or Twitter and come back to Fanboys for more comic reviews and news.

All-New X-Men #40 cover by Sorrentino and Beredo

With the recent announcement of Marvel's lead X-Men writer leaving the titles around the time that "Secret Wars" hits the shelves, it seems Brian Michael Bendis is going to go out in style and leave a lasting impression.

With issue #40 of All-New X-Men, we get to see the team of time-displaced original X-Men back to together on Earth. They are curious about what has happened while they have been away, but that is not a focus of this issue. It is nice to see Cyclops back among the team, and this issue aims to quickly move forward the development of the main characters.

The story came across has heartfelt, with endearing moments throughout. Any criticism of Bendis regarding the outing of Bobby Drake, a.k.a Iceman, is ridiculous. As far as fictional characters go that was a tender moment, well executed and sure to have lasting consequences. This mirrored the pages dealing with Angel and his newfound lease on life. The honesty from the story as the young time-displaced X-Men feel the need to assert not only control but also meaning over their lives has a genuineness that is rare to feel in comics.

The issue is full of twists and turns. It was a great read start to finish. The usual humor, with little quips among the team coming in a free-flowing manner, was ever present. Although Bendis brings the characters' usual voices to the piece, controversy has arisen as some fans feel that Iceman is being forced to come out. Despite this, the ultimate judge of character rests on one individual: you, dear reader. If you don't like something, don't buy it.

Surely this is a good idea...

The best thing to do is check it out for yourself and let your opinion be formed by what you see with your own two eyes. This review or any other on the Internet's various forms of social media cannot tell you what to like or how to react, only you can decide what you feel. Bendis has been striving to get this message across throughout his narrative in the All-New X-Men—that we are responsible for our own actions and behavior.

Moving to the end of the issue, we begin to see a group of mutants still residing on the former island refuge of Utopia. They quickly dispatch any potential threat to their home and safety, though it is clear as we end the issue that there is much more story to be told about this group. Reflecting on the cover, the art by Andrea Sorrentino and Rain Beredo is wonderful. The color is dazzling, making the whole image feel special.

The Utopians mean business.

Internally, the art is just as on point. Mahmud Asrar continues to show why he was chosen one of Marvel's "Young Guns" last year. Asrar's depiction of the world of the All-New X- Men has a great sense of cohesiveness with the artists who worked on the title prior to him but also exhibits a distinction all its own. It was great to see the tender moments mentioned above play out so well under Asrar's hand. The depth of storytelling penned by Bendis is given emotional life in the panels from Asrar.

The gang are back together!

With the end of the series imminent, there is a sense of sadness about it, but this issue brings so a dynamic approach that it also feels like an exciting time to be reading the series. There is a good deal of continuity necessary to help readers understand what is happening around this issue, but it is a great read to see just how characterization can take place in comics.

As we near the end of the series, we want to know what you think about All-New X-Men #40 or the series at large. Did you like Bendis's approach to Iceman and Angel in this issue? What do you hope to see in the final issues? What are your thoughts about the Utopians? Tell us below or head over to the Fanboys Anonymous Facebook or Twitter and leave a comment.