My concerns with Batman vs. Superman (The Movie)

At Comic-Con 2013, DC announced what many believe would be the sequel to Zack Snyder's controversial Man of Steel Superman movie. They instead dropped a major bombshell and announced that the next movie would be not only a Man of Steel sequel but also Batman vs. Superman(Working title). They announced it by reading aloud a section of The Dark Knight Returns, written by Frank Miller and arguably one of the best and most beloved Batman graphic novel ever released. In it an aging Batman takes on not only crime, but Superman himself as Superman has been ordered to take out Batman by the US government. It is here that Batman utters one of the most iconic statements in the DC multiverse:

• You're beginning to get the idea, Clark. We could have changed the world…now…look at us…I've become a political liability…and…you…you're a joke. I want you to remember, Clark…in all the years to come…in your most private moments…I want you to remember…my hand…at your throat…I want…you to remember…the one man who beat you.

 

DC also unveiled the logo for the new movie, featuring a brand new Bat-symbol. Initial excitement over the sequel has waned in recent months however after some interesting casting choices by DC. Ben Afleck being cast as Batman and Jesse Eisenberg cast as Lex Luthor have caused the DC faithful to have a minor heart attack. The newest casting announcements have added Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Ray Fisher as Cyborg which makes the project seem less like a Man of Steel sequel or even a Batman vs. Superman movie, but more like a full fledged Justice League movie.

My concerns are not with these casting choices but however with the story arc choices. DC in my opinion seems to be trying to catch up to the powerhouse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Marvel was laying the framework for their now impressive Cinematic Universe, DC was throwing all of their chips behind Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. Christopher Nolan's vision for Batman included clauses which blocked DC from creating any other live action film or TV project which included major Batman characters. This is what stopped the creation of the Flying Grayson's TV series which would have explored Dick Grayson's(Robin/Nightwing) origin story. DC did have two live action shows during the Trilogy time with Smallville and Arrow to help bring Superman and Green Arrow to live action. They also released a movie version of the Hal Jordan Green Lantern. Any other visual media concerning their superheroes were animated to include Teen Titans and Young Justice. DC threw everything behind Nolan's grounded and dark take on Batman. The Dark Knight Trilogy paid off immensely for DC by being three of the highest grossing and critically acclaimed superhero movies of all time. However, that time has past. Christopher Nolan stated that The Dark Knight Rises was his last chapter in his Batman Saga, which left DC with only one major motion picture, Man of Steel, and one TV show, Arrow, to contend against Marvel and their tidal waves of projects to include the Avengers, The Wolverine, The Amazing Spiderman, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Amazing Spiderman 2, Agents of SHIELD, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America 3, and X-Men: Apocalypse. All of these Marvel projects have either been released or will be released in between Man of Steel in 2013 and Batman Vs. Superman in 2016 with Arrow, the Flash, and Gotham TV series left to contend against Marvel's numerous TV projects. In short, DC is fighting an uphill battle.

However, the correct strategy here is not to try to go toe to toe with Marvel in terms of churning movies out, DC doesn't have the same mainstream brand recognition as Marvel in terms of their B list superheroes. Thus DC is resorting to the only way they know how to compete with Marvel. They are trying to build a shared cinematic universe which will lead up to a Justice League movie. The Justice League is DC's version of the Avengers with heroes such as Superman, Batman, the Flash, Aquaman, the Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Hawk Girl, Martain Manhunter, and Green Arrow making up the most permanent roster.  Here is where I believe DC is making a slight error. They have only announced Batman vs. Superman and the Justice League as their two upcoming movies in 2016 and 2017 respectively. This means that there are only two movies to introduce possibly up to 10 superheroes to a mainstream audience. They have already introduced us to this Cinematic Universe's Superman with Henry Cavil, but that has been it. The new Batman is a completely new take on Batman completely separate from the Batman audiences came to know in the Dark Knight Trilogy.  It has also been stated that Ben Afleck will play an older more experienced Batman, possibly even older than Christian Bale's Batman at the end of Dark Knight Rises. Introducing audiences to a brand new, older Batman is going to be a tough ordeal. Audiences are going to expect him to act as they remember from the trilogy, which only ended in 2012. The truth is that this Batman has nothing to do with the past Trilogy so his fight for Gotham could have taken different turns. Comic book enthusiasts will understand this as a common trick by DC explained by their Multiverse, multiple different Earths which contain similar but slightly different versions of their heroes. However, the mainstream audiences will not understand this. Therefore Ben Afleck has to make this feel like an established Batman from scene one, and hope that audiences don't expect him to act like Christian Bale.  The upside to an experienced, older Batman is that this is the only Batman who can help to form the Justice League. It is after many years of crime fighting in which Batman gains the wisdom and experience necessary to be a leader amongst the league. So DC's decision to pit a young Superman against an older Batman is the safest of their gambles with their attempt at a shared universe.

The bigger problem comes by including Wonder Woman and Cyborg, amongst rumors that Robin/Nightwing could also be in the movie. Thus now we have a movie where we have to get to know not only a new Batman, but Wonder Woman and Cyborg as well. These are two characters who have never seen Big or Small screen live action time in the modern superhero movie market (Post X-Men 1). They both have been represented in the Justice League and Teen Titan animated series however, so DC may be counting on fans of these TV shows to see the movie and already be familiar with the characters. The inclusion of these two extra heroes into the movie could cause the plot to fall into the same traps as Spider-Man 3, Batman Forever, Batman and Robin, and possibly the Amazing Spiderman 2. There are just too many brand new high profile characters on screen for any significant character growth and attachment to be seen. Wonder Woman and Cyborg are not big enough characters for non comic book readers to instantly know who they are and in a movie where Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Lex Luthor are running around we could not get the amount of screen time needed with each character to actually care about them and feel any sort of connection to them. X-men movies have circumvented this trap by focusing the bulk of their movies on core mutants such as Mystique, Wolverine, Magneto, and Professor X and left the lesser mutants to glorified cameos. This way the audience got to feel attached and got to really know a core group who had most of the screen time, but also got to see other mutants at work. The Avengers also pulled this one off by giving Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor and Loki their own standalone movies with Nick Fury, Hawkeye, and the Black Widow getting cameos so that we would see all of the characters before their big team up in the Avengers. DC cannot do what X-Men did because the members of the Justice League especially Wonder Woman are too big to just introduce with a cameo and they have not allotted enough standalone movies to give each League member their fifteen minutes(Probably a result of a lackluster Green Lantern). Thus Batman vs. Superman has the potential to become a crowed mess where we don't give each character the amount of time they need to set up for an even bigger team up in a Justice League movie.

This sets up another potential problem, unless you have watched the TV shows or read the comics, you have no idea who are Hawk girl, Hawkman, Martain Manhunter, or Green Arrow. This is assuming DC sticks to a core Justice League roster and leaves out characters such as Shazam, Red Tornado, Icon, Zatarra, Black Canary, and Dr. Fate amongst other League members. DC now only has one movie to make people care about characters with very little brand recognition outside of Comic book fans. This equates to smaller origin stories or even no origin stories at all. Thus adding to another problem whereby DC has spent considerable onscreen time attempting to ground the DC universe in reality. Try to throw in people with hawk wings or green telepathic aliens into that mix and it could throw off the tone DC has established amongst their live action media. DC could stick to characters with external brand recognition such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Flash, hoping that people will generally understand who they are and not search for backstories to characters where there is no screen time to give it. Then again people have very little respect for Aquaman as a hero, mainly only thinking of his Super Friends portrayal where he could only talk to sea creatures. One way to take the pressure off would be if DC joined Arrow and The Flash TV shows into their cinematic universe. This would grant them access to established versions of Green Arrow, Black Canary, the Flash and the villains they have fought. Although this seems unlikely as Arrow seems very self contained with its own version of the League of Assassins and Deathstroke. However since Arrow and Flash will be linked TV series, throwing them into the Justice League makes a great deal of sense as it will make DC's universe that much wider pretty quickly. This would grant DC a wider audience with knowledge of their characters. However, it is entirely possible that DC is making Batman vs. Superman and Justice League for fanboys only and could simply stick the characters on screen and make you believe them. This is however unlikely as DC would want to replicate their success with the Dark Knight Trilogy and eat up some of Marvel's market share with movies that are tailored to the widest possible audience, such as Joss Whedon's Avengers.

Thus I am very concerned and interested to see how DC will pull off this new cinematic universe. Batman vs. Superman has a tall order to fill and the pressure is on now that it is opening on the same day as Captain America 3. Let us see then whether or not The Justice League can stand toe to toe with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. As a personal huge fan of Batman I would love to see Batman vs. Superman done right, but only if DC can avoid several major pitfalls. We will get more clues as Comic Con 2014 approaches and see where these colossal projects stand. Personally I am still hoping for a Live Action Batman Beyond movie, but one can only dream!

Character Profile: Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch

Two of the newest members to join the Avengers in Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron are The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Quicksilver is also a new mutant appearing in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Warning, spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier follow!

If you stayed to see the mid-credits scene after Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Then you saw your first look at Baron von Struker in control of a secret HYDRA lab which previously belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D. He mentions how spies are now of no use to HYDRA calling S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA two sides of a coin which has no use. He then stops in front of two reinforced glass cells containing a man and woman. Struker refers to them as his "miracles" and says that they will now come for "The twins". It is here where we are treated to the first look at Joss Whedon's versions of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen respectively. I assume by Struker saying "they" will come for the twins, he means the now underground Nick Fury and the remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. who knew the twins existed.



The first look at Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch from Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Who exactly are The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver and how will they factor into Age of Ultron? Let us explore:

In the Marvel Comics, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, brother and sister mutants and the children of the X-Men anti-hero Magneto. They first appeared in X-Men #4 in March of 1964, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They were introduced as members of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, with Quicksilver possessing super speed(similar to DC's The Flash) and the Scarlet Witch being able to control probability. Pietro and Wanda remained villains of the X-Men through issues #5, #6, #7, and #16. The twins then debuted as members of the superhero team, the Avengers, in Avengers #16 in May of 1965 also written by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.



The debut of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in X-Men #4 (March 1964)
and in Avengers #16 (May 1965). The two are villains in X-Men while heroes in the Avengers.

Pietro and Wanda were reluctant members of The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, only joining because of their bond to Magneto as he saved them from an angry crowd after they revealed their powers in public. At this point Magneto does not realize that they are his children nor do the twins realize Magneto is their father, but they join his cause out of debt for him saving their lives. They battle the X-Men until Magneto is abducted by the Stranger and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is disbanded.

With Magneto gone and their debt repaid, the twins set off to find a new place in the world. Iron Man then recruits them to join the Avengers along with Captain America and Hawkeye. The two are members of the Avengers until they leave with Magneto after Wanda is injured in a battle against him, being accidentally shot by a member of the Avengers. They rejoin Magneto until they see the depth of Magneto's villainy after helping him battle the X-Men and Spider-Man.  They attempt to escape but are captured by Sentinels and are subsequently freed by the X-Men. Wanda and Pietro then rejoin the Avengers permanently. It is after this that Magneto learns that he is the twin's biological father.

Even with the knowledge that they are the children of Magneto, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch remain a part of the Avengers. Later on the Scarlet Witch ends up marrying the Vision, a robot member of the Avengers who was originally created by Ultron (More on this later). The Scarlet Witch's mutant powers evolve to allow her to produce different types of magic known as "hexes" which are her manipulation of Chaos Magic. For Scarlet Witch to use her power, it requires great concentration on her part. Her hexes have had a pattern of sometimes being accidentally cast when she makes a gesture. She gains better control of these powers as she trains and grows older. If she tries to cast a hex that is too powerful, complex, or dangerous, it has been known to backfire causing her harm or producing a wildly different result than what she intended. Thus her hexes often simply involve manipulating objects or causing physical harm. Quicksilver's powers also enhance over time giving him the ability to reach speeds up to Mach 10. He also gains the ability to create cyclones, run over water, and even resists the effects of friction, low oxygen, and kinetic impact. He also gains the ability to teleport by actually moving so fast that he displaces himself out of time.

The twins are valuable members of both the X-Men and Avengers universes. This is apparent by Quicksilver appearing in both X-Men: Days of Future Past and Avengers: Age of Ultron movies. This will be two separate incarnations of the characters however with Evan Peters portraying Pietro in X-men and Aaron Taylor-Johnson portraying him in Avengers. Since Fox owns the movie rights to the X-Men and "Mutants", Quicksilver will be a mutant and possibly be revealed to be the child of Magneto in Days of Future Past. Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch will not be mutants and their origin will be altered so that they are not the children of Magneto in Age of Ultron. As evidence, they were referred to as "miracles" instead of mutants by Baron von Struker in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This was the deal Marvel struck with Fox to allow the characters to appear in both film universes.

Evan Peters as Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past

Quicksilver's role in Days of Future Past has not manifested itself as of yet, but it is likely that they will tie him to Magneto and could possibly be one of the reasons why Magneto helps Charles defeat the Sentinels. Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch seem to be integral to Baron von Struker's work with Loki's staff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They will possibly be linked to the creation of Ultron and are likely the reason that Nick Fury is traveling to Europe after going underground at the end of Winter Soldier. They could be rescued and become new members of the Avengers to combat Ultron. It will be interesting to see how the twins' abilities factor into a now fully stocked Avenger team. Needless to say, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch will be integral parts to both the X-Men and Marvel Cinematic Universes.

More information about the characters can be found on Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch's Wikipedia Pages.

Arrow: The Man Under The Hood

The CW's Arrow has been getting better and better as Season Two has progressed. The episode Man Under the Hood was a solid episode which continued to set up the season finale showdown between The Arrow and Deathstroke.

In the aftermath of Isabel Rochev's hostile takeover of Queen Consolidated, Oliver and Company (couldn't resist) start taking out Queen Consolodated's applied science facilities in order to prevent Slade from mass producing the Mirakuru. Their offensive however seems to only slightly slow down Slade as he still seems to outwit Oliver at every turn. Slade finds Oliver's hideout and steals the Skeleton Key in order to procure new equipment and lab spaces. The fact that Slade now knows where the Arrow's home base is makes it very hard for an already strung out Oliver to find any peace while trying to save the city and his family. Slade once again plays intricate mind games with Oliver by attacking and then vanishing instantly, leaving Oliver and the audience dumbfounded as to how Slade broke in and bypassed all their defenses. How Slade found their hideout is most likely a result from the acquisition of Queen Consolidated, as Felicity or Oliver could have left plans for the Verdant club somewhere on the company's intranet.

The Queens going broke from the acquisition of their company is believable since in this day and age most wealth is measured in stock instead of physical money. If Oliver indeed does lose his playboy status, this would move his character more in line with the DC comics where the Green Arrow gives up his playboy lifestyle and fortune in order to become a more Robin Hood-esque vigilante instead of a Bruce Wane clone as the comic character started. This would however mean that Oliver would be back to using basic arrows instead of the fancy ones he has been developing with his new no killing mantra. This will be an important plot point if the company is not regained by the Queens.

When Slade told Laurel the identity of the Arrow, I expected her to rant and annoy Oliver has her character has done on screen all season. Laurel has been the singular low point in the series this season with her screen time amounting to nothing more than self-destructive behavior which consistently gets in the way and inconveniences the other characters on the show. However, she showed growth as with her admission of alcoholism and came to view and appreciate Oliver as her family's guardian angel. It seems she is now finally ready to let go of Tommy's death and once again sees the Arrow as the savior the city needs. What she does with her knowledge of Oliver and Sarah's secret identities remains a mystery but I am relieved to know that she will at least not be getting in their way as they try to bring down Deathstroke and Brother Blood.

The twist of Roy being the donor of the Mirakuru was interesting but it was hard to believe that Roy would willingly help Slade when he still holds a grudge for Slade kidnapping Thea. His anger at Oliver being enhanced by the Mirakuru must have allowed Slade and Isabel to trick him into helping them, it will be interesting how Roy interacts with Oliver after he wakes up. It seems like the Arrow's sidekick Speedy will not be ready for duty anytime soon.

This weeks flashbacks were great for the simple fact that we now know there is a cure for the Mirakuru. The ability to kill Slade and possibly heal Roy will serve Oliver well in his battle for the city. We do also see the start of Oliver's descent into the merciless killer Oliver from the beginning of Season One. Its clear that while we see a constantly redeemed Oliver through the rest of Season Two, the flashbacks will start showing an increasingly darker Oliver.

The references to Barry Allen and Central City are a great reminder that the Flash TV series is on the way and crossovers between the two would certainly be fan favorites. My hope is that the mention of Bludhaven throughout the season will eventually turn into a Nightwing cameo, though that is probably wishful thinking. This episode was missing Sebastian Blood who usually provides great wit and interesting storyline additions with his double life. Since the season is closing in on its end I am sure that we will finally see some resolution to Brother Blood even though the focus has clearly shifted to Deathstroke. On the subject of Slade Wilson, he is honestly one of my favorite characters in Arrow and my hope is that he is involved in more of the show as he has proven to be the show's greatest and most complex anti-hero. Since he has his army, to include a Mirakuru fueled Isabel Rochev, Slade will most likely come out of the shadows and start giving Olvier the suffering he has been promising.

Overall a great episode, with great focus on Oliver and his family relationships as we head into the final act of the season.

Character Profile: Brock Rumlow a.k.a. Crossbones

If you have seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier then you have met and are possibly very curious about Frank Grillo's character Brock Rumlow.

Spoiler Alert follows if you haven't seen the movie!!!!

Brock Rumlow in the movie is an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who is the leader of the S.T.R.I.K.E. team within S.H.I.E.L.D. His team helps out Captain America execute his missions for Nick Fury. Rumlow and his team later revealed to be HYDRA agents and Rumlow is badly injured in a fight against Falcon.

Fans of the Captain America comics probably saw this reveal coming however because in the comics Brock Rumlow is known as Crossbones, a HYDRA assassin and a regular enemy of Captain America. So who exactly is Crossbones and how might Marvel use him in their Cinematic Universe? Let us explore:

Crossbones first appeared as a part of the Bloodstone Hunt storyline and his first appearances were in #359 as a cameo and the full reveal in #360 both in October of 1989.


 Here is the first cover image of Crossbones in #362, he is on the bottom left with the crossbow.
His first feature on the comic came in #363. Both of these comics debuted in November 1989

In the comics, Brock Rumlow was the leader of the Savage Crims gang in New York. Brock fled New york and entered the Taskmaster's school for criminals. Taskmaster was a known enemy of the Avengers. After honing his skills for three years, he became a mercenary and entered HYDRA  and it was the Red Skull Johann Schmidt who gave him the codename Crossbones.  After this he became a regular enemy of Captain America until the Red Skull's disappearance at the hands of Magneto.

Crossbones then formed the Skeleton Crew from the Red Skull's remaining followers and they became a band of mercenaries who served the Red Skull.  It was in this capacity that Crossbones battled many Marvel Heroes including Daredevil, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Wolverine and other various Avengers. He has also been a member of the Thunderbolts which is a team of reformed super villains similar to DC's Suicide Squad, though he is later discharged from the Thunderbolts after he gained the ability to shoot fire at his enemies and used it against Captain America.

He is a deadly assassin who's skills rival that of Captain America. He has even been credited with the death of Captain America in the Marvel Civil War storyline.

His future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe seems likely as after suffering heavy injuries from his fight against Falcon at the Triskelion, he is seen being rushed into surgery. Also since the Winter Soldier went rogue at the end of the movie, HYDRA is going to need a new top assassin. His injuries would probably lead him to wear his usual Skull mask. Since Captain America 3 is already slated for 2016, I believe it highly likely that Crossbones will be a part of Captain America's continuing fight against HYDRA. It is entirely possible that they have Crossbones put Steve Rogers out of commission for a while and have Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier take up the mantle of Captain America similar to the events of Marvel's Civil War storyline. Crossbones would be a formidable enemy for Cap to face on screen, but would probably be missing his flame breath.

More information on Crossbones available on Wikipedia.

Another Marvel easter egg is that the S.T.R.I.K.E. team that Rumlow led was a nod to the S.T.R.I.K.E. counter-terrorism agency as the British version of S.H.I.E.L.D. and was first introduced in Captain Britain Weekly #17. More information on S.T.R.I.K.E. can be found on Wikipedia.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D : Providence

Tonight's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was the second to follow the events after Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The episode starts with the recently revealed HYDRA sleeper agent Grant Ward freeing Raina from a prison and finally confirming that Agent Garrett is the true Clairvoyant.

I had trouble last week buying that Ward was a true HYDRA agent and thought that he was trying to infiltrate HYDRA to take them out. This week my theory suffered some setbacks as Ward seems to be playing full time for the HYDRA team. At Garrett's secret base in Cuba, he tells Raina about how Garrett recruited him and saved him from his old life. Ward has often referenced how tough his childhood was, so it is easy to believe that he would view anyone who could rescue him from those situations as a savior. Ward admitted to being a mole sent by Garrett to spy on Coulson much the same as Nick Fury had Melinda May spying on Coulson. However he did state that Sky joining the team threw a wrench into the plans. Now the question remains whether or not Ward's feelings for Sky are real or if they were a part of his act. Given the fight he had with Garrett about Sky being shot, it is likely that his feelings for her are real. Raina did hint at a conflict Ward is going to face which the showrunners are probably saving for the season finale, his loyalty to Garrett versus his loyalty to Coulson. Now if my theory still holds that Ward is only trying to gain Garrett's trust to take down more of HYDRA, then it will likely be that Ward will at the last minute choose to help Coulson. However, since it was revealed that Garrett had Ward planted in the team, it is likely to come down to whether his feelings for Sky outweigh his loyalty to Garrett. Since both Garrett and Ward seem to have a loyalty to HYDRA simply for power and domination and they are not true believers in HYDRA's mission, Ward only cares to follow what Garrett wants done. Therefore Ward will have to inevitably choose between loyalty to Garrett and his feelings for Sky. I believe Ward's feelings for Sky to be real since Loreli saw into his heart that it was true. So now that Ward is being placed back into Coulson's team his interactions with Sky will have huge impact on the finale of the season. 
   
  Phil Coulson remains the tentpole of the show. He is all but ready to lose hope and go into survival mode until he receives secret coordinates through his badge which he believes were sent by Nick Fury. He is willing to follow blindly just for a shred that Fury might be alive and that S.H.I.E.L.D. has a chance to survive. His emotional breakdown upon finding nothing at the coordinates was moving, a man who had given his life to Nick Fury couldn't accept that the organization he vowed to serve was destroyed. He did breathe a sigh of relief once he found out that Fury was alive from Agent Koening but seemed hesitant to keep it a secret. Given Coulson's newfound hatred of secrets, it is unlikely that he will keep that hidden from his team for very long. His relationship with May also continues to be on the rocks as he no longer trusts her. She will probably try to regain his trust and may have already started the process by revealing that someone other than Nick Fury headed up the T.A.H.I.T.I. project. Coulson will undoubtedly want to search for this new mystery person but that will probably be saved for season 2 as the battle with HYDRA should likely take up the bulk of the remaining two episodes.

  A leading theory is that Agent Simmons is also a HYDRA traitor, and I am a huge skeptic of this one. To me she has never seemed like the type that would betray Coulson let alone Fitz. However, she does now seem like a person to watch out for after her behavior in this episode. She is relentless in trying to figure out the secrets of the drug used to save Coulson and Sky. She also told Fitz that things cannot be the same anymore and seems to have lost a great deal of faith in Coulson. Now it remains to be seen if she can be turned to HYDRA now that Raina is also searching for the answer. Once again this seems to be a point which could potentially divide the team in the next two episodes. It would however be a shame to break up "FitzSimmons" as Fitz seems completely unlikely to ever betray Coulson.

Garrett and Ward cleaning out the fridge in a "Dark Knight Rises" fashion should provide them the necessary distractions to Coulson that they need to continue amassing their army. Garrett seems keen on finishing Centipede phase 3 so these prisoners freed are likely to be given the Centipede treatment. In the weapons locker, Ward grabbed the "Rage Staff" which we saw himself and May wield earlier in the season. He might have to end up using this against Coulson and his team in order for his emotions to not deter his mission. The bigger reveal however is Ward grabbing the Gravitonium. In addition to guaranteeing Ian Quinn's service, it also potentially means the return of Dr. Franklin Hall a.k.a Gravitron in the comics. If Gravitron is to make an appearance on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. it could mean a cameo by an MCU superhero to help bring him down. It seems unlikely that Coulson and his team could bring down Gravitron by themselves unless they decide to reveal that Sky has some sort of powers as being an 0-8-4, an area they have left virtually untouched since they revealed it. In any event, the Gravitonium cannot spell good things for Coulson and his team.

   It is going to be interesting to see how the events of the next two episodes end the season and the impacts that these events will have on Avengers: Age of Ultron and even further, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2.

All in all a good episode which sets up the chess board for the final act of this season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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Greetings true believers!

I have started this blog to share thoughts and insight on the Marvel and DC universe, mainly sticking to the Cinematic and TV universes and also providing comic book backgrounds for characters appearing in films. I hope you enjoy!