Tag: DC

The Most Iconic Supervillains Of All Time

With the upcoming release of Justice League Dark: Apokolips War now would be a great time to look at some of most iconic supervillains of all time. I have a feeling that once Justice League Dark: Apokolips is released on DVD and Blu-Ray™ on May 18 Darkseid will only grow in popularity and will further solidify his status as one of the greatest supervillains of all time. In this article we will be looking at how Darkseid stacks up against other iconic supervillains which you have seen appear in movies, comics and on TV.

Darkseid

“Bow before me.” (Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, 2020)

Appearing in the new Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is Darkseid, the Dark Lord of the hellish world of Apokolips. Darkseid is a sadistic, aggressive tyrant seeking to control all sentient life throughout the universe and beyond. In his quest for ultimate power, Darkseid seeks out the AntiLife Equation, a mysterious formula that would allow him to remove all free will from every sentient life form in the known universe and replace with his own will. With an army of mindless Parademons
who obey his every order, Darkseid can be weakened, but never truly destroyed making him a pretty good supervillain!

Darth Vader

“No… I am your father…” (The Empire Strikes Back, 1980)

One of the most iconic villains of all time is Darth Vader, aka Anakin Skywalker, the main antagonist from the Star Wars franchise. Originally a slave on Tatooine, Darth Vader is a Jedi prophesied to bring balance to the Force. Eventually, he is lured to the dark side of the Force and becomes a Sith Lord. After being scarred in a lightsaber battle with his former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader dressed himself in the iconic headwear viewers have come to know over the years. He then serves the Galactic Empire as its chief enforcer and tragically redeems himself by saving his son, Luke
Skywalker, sacrificing his own life in the process.

Poison Ivy

“So many people to kill…So little time.” (Batman & Robin, 1997)

Poison Ivy, aka Dr Pamela Lillian Isley, serves as one of DCEU’s most captivating, intriguing supervillain, who has a twisted love- hate relationship with Batman. Evil has never been so attractive as it is through the character of Poison Ivy who is Gotham City’s ecoterrorist on a mission to control the world. Poison Ivy makes use of plant toxins and mind-controlling pheromones against anyone who gets in her way. Whilst it could be debated that Poison Ivy is now an anti-heroine, she has a reputable history of a villainous nature who will do anything to achieve her goals.

Hela

“Asgard is dead and it will be reborn in my image.”(Thor: Ragnarok, 2017)

Hela Odinsdottir, the Asgardian Goddess of Death, is well known for unleashing fury and chaos within the Asgardian kingdom. The eldest daughter of Odin was once banished to Hela due to her ambitious plans and formidable powers. After the death of her father, Hela returns to Asgard with full vengeance, taking back full control and fulfilling her mission of creating an Asgardian empire. When the Asgardian kingdom refuse to bow to her hellish and fearful leadership, Hela orders a
massacre and enslavement of the Asgardian people. Fortunately, she is stopped in her path of destruction by her younger brother Thor, but at the cost of destroying Asgard.

Lord Voldemort

“There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it” (Harry Potter and the
Philosopher’s Stone, 2001)

No list would be complete without a mention of one of the most powerful and dangerous Dark Wizards of all time. Born as Tom Riddle, Voldemort is a half- blood orphan with an obsession for blood purity. Voldemort’s main aim in the Harry Potter franchise is to eradicate the Wizarding World of Muggle (non-magical) heritage and to achieve pure-blood dominance. Lord Voldemort is the archenemy and nemesis of Harry Potter, who holds the power to vanquish him of all his power.

It will be interesting to revisit this discussion with Darkseid in particular once Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is released.

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War will be available on DVD, Blu-Ray™, Blu-Ray™ Steelbook & Blu-Ray™ Minifig on May 18 and is available on digital download NOW.

Everything You Need To Know Going Into Justice League Dark: Apokolips War

One of the biggest comic book related events of the year is here! No, it’s not another Avengers movie. This one, although takes place on a much smaller screen rivals the build up we have seen in the ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’. All good things must eventually come to an end. And now this is the case with this DC Animated Universe. That’s not to say that we won’t be getting anymore DC Animated movies. It’s just that Justice League Dark: Apokolips War will bring an end to the current storyline/universe which has been taking place for up to a decade now. So just before the arrival of the upcoming Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (available on digital now) this article is here to provide you with a recap of the story so far.

*This article will contain mild spoilers*

Chaos Ensues

At the start of Justice League Dark we see the world descending into chaos, as numerous violent incidents are committed all around the world. People live in fear that their fellow humans are in fact horrifying demonic creatures. The Justice League is called into action to bring order and peace back to civilisation. Under the impression that these are magical threats from a supernatural entity, the
league come to the conclusion they are not the best equipped to deal with it, forcing them to call in the help of some mystical heroes.

Constantine and Blood

Batman is highly sceptical that the threat actually originates from a supernatural entity and on his return to Wayne Manor, suffers a temporary blackout. When he wakes up, he sees the message ‘Constantine’ smeared on the walls. During a flashback, we find out that John Constantine is an exorcist and con man, who engaged the Demons Three in a poker game for high-end stakes, along with Jason Blood. During the game, Constantine offers his home in exchange for a box of artifacts, including a Dreamstone. When both parties are caught cheating, Constantine summons Blood’s demon alter ego Etrigan to dispatch demons. It’s safe to say, Blood wasn’t too happy with Constantine for making him summon Etrigan, and the two part ways.

After his blackout, Batman sets out to visit Zatanna at one of her shows to ask about John. Constantine, whom she once shared a fractured romantic history with. Zatanna agrees to bring Batman to meet with Constantine, but the trio are faced with a rush of magic summoned by an unknown sorcerer. The trio narrowly manage to escape to the House of Mystery for shelter where they are joined by Black Orchid, the spiritual embodiment of the House. The group gathers to share information, and after a quick disagreement between John and Zatanna the group agree to team up to investigate the cause and reason for these supernatural circumstances.

The Keshanti Key

Embarking on their investigation, the Justice League first pay a visit to Ritchie Simpson, an old friend of Constantine who is suffering from cancer and awaiting his fate of death. Simpson reluctantly agrees to hand over the powerful Keshanti Key, which can be used to unlock and search through a victim’s memories. Constantine and Zatanna do so on one of the victims, leading them to discover the victim had been possessed by an unknown entity wearing a strange and unique ring. All of a
sudden the supernatural creature manages to escape the body of the victim, but is quickly subdued by Zatanna.

The Dreamstone

On return to Ritchie’s home they find Ritchie close to death, as well as Blood who is on a mission to find the Dreamstone. In an attempt to save Ritchie’s life, Batman revives Ritchie with an adrenaline shot to the chest, leaving him in a coma. Blood then reflects on his past life and explains the significance of the Dreamstone, which was created during the era of King Arthur by a sinister, scheming magician named Destiny.

In order to defeat the power Destiny possessed though the stone, King Arthur ordered Blood to destroy Destiny who managed to cleave the stone into two, successfully banishing the sorcerer but leaving himself mortally injured. In anticipation that Destiny was only temporarily defeated and eventually would return, Merlin fused Blood with his demonic servant Etrigan so he could battle the
evil magician, once the Dreamstone resurfaced.

Destiny

When Ritchie awakens, he reveals he is the holder to the other piece of the Dreamstone, which he has been using it to keep his cancer in remission. Ritchie is then seemingly killed when the Dreamstone resurrects the powerful historic sorcerer, Destiny. Destiny destroys Constantine’s House of Mystery and is on mission to create further chaos and destruction. Zatanna comes to the rescue to save the group from the war path of Destiny but passes out from the attempt.

The Big Battle

We then see the Justice League enter an all-out battle with Destiny, which leaves Jason Blood separated from Etrigan once again. Constantine summons Swamp Thing/ Alec Holland, a humanoid plant elemental superhero to fight Destiny while Batman and the recovered Zatanna disable the Justice League. Swamp Thing surrenders as we witnessed Destiny ripping Alec Holland’s corpse from Swamp Thing, weakening him against Destiny’s strength.

Eventually, Constantine pulls Destiny into his protective shield leaving him powerless against a second attack from Blood. This gives Constantine, Batman, and Blood enough time to destroy the Dreamstone and Destiny’s body, which also results in Ritchie’s soul being dragged to Hell. After the battle, Blood succumbs to his mortal wounds from centuries before and is buried by Constantine, Batman and Zatanna near Blood’s old village. Etrigan now separated entirely from the body of Jason
Blood sets off for the unknown.

Zatanna eventually agrees to join the Justice League, with Constantine also being offered a position of which he declines conscious that Batman wouldn’t approve. Zatanna is quick however to state it was Batman’s initial idea. The two return to the newly-rebuilt House of Mystery, taking the first step to rebuild their rocky relationship.

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is available on digital download now and on DVD, Blu-Ray™, Blu-Ray™ Steelbook & Blu-Ray™ Minifig release on May 18.

Superman: Red Son – Review (Spoiler Free)

Superman: Red Son which is directed by Sam Liu adapts the famous work of Mark Millar and is the latest entry into the DC Animated Universe. Being a fan of Liu’s previous DC work with titles such as Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay and The Death and Return of Superman I was going into this with high expectations. Not only due to Sam Liu’s involvement, but because Superman: Red Son just happens to be one of my favourite graphic novels ever. And I’m happy to report that for the most part Superman: Red Son met those expectations. Is it perfect? No, it definitely has its issues which I will get into later on. But throughout the 80+ minute runtime, even though I knew what was going to happen I found myself invested every step of the way until the climax.

For this review I will not be going into details about the comic itself or what happens in the movie because I want to try keep this as spoiler-free as possible. If you haven’t read the comic I would highly recommend you pick it up either before or after watching this adaptation.

Story

Superman: Red Son can only be described as the ultimate ‘what if?’ story. Instead of superman’s pod landing in a farm in Kanas. This time it lands on the other side of the world…in Russia. So not only is this Superman raised by different parents, he’s also raised up in a totally different environment and this helps shape him as an entirely different Superman than the one we’re so used to seeing. This is why I love the comic so much. I find twists like these to iconic characters so fascinating and Superman: Red Son is no different.

Seeing how Superman operates in 1950s Russia is refreshing when it comes to the character because part of what makes this setting so different is the political climate of the country at the time. And while he tries his best to help the people judging by what side of the fence you’re on you can actually see this Superman as either the hero or villain of the story. What I liked about this adaption of the story is how it tries to humanise Superman more than in the comic. I could still sense the essence of Superman in version of the character with how he dealt with issues. Whether you agree with him or not you could always see that he was trying his best to better the lives of others.

Action

The action in Superman: Red Son is definitely its strongest aspect. Fight scenes are shot well and are straight up brutal at times. This is certainly the case when Batman gets involved. Batman is another depiction of a character which I love when it comes to this movie. Plus, I don’t care how many times it happens or what iterations of the characters they are. I will never get tired of watching Superman and Batman go toe-to-toe for a couple of minutes. The inclusion of the Green Lantern Corps was much needed too as with their Lantern Rings they bring an entirely different dynamic which helped bring some variety to the fight scenes.

Animation

One of the major complaints when it comes to the DC Animated movies is the quality of the animation. Now, usually it doesn’t bother me that much. But with Superman: Red Son it actually did. For a story that was set in the 1950s of Russia it sure didn’t look or feel like it. It’s kind of hard to explain, but it felt like I was just watching another DC Animated movie and a lot of that has to do with the animation style. This might be because I’ve spent the last week watching all of the DC Animated movies in preparation for Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. But those movies should look and feel the same because they are part of the same universe. I just wish the studio changed up their animation style when it came to the Elseworlds movies to further help differentiate them from the current timeline.

Ending

I haven’t gone into much detail about the changes and similarities from the source materials. Going into the movie like with previous adaptions I wasn’t expecting a full adaption. I knew there was going to be a few changes. And for the most part I was happy with those changes. However, when it comes to the ending of the movie this is where I have my biggest issue. Not that anything was changed, something was left out. A major twist in the final panels of the comic which I love. Honestly, it’s my favourite part of the story. I still remember that jaw-dropping moment as I was turning those final pages. I just don’t see what was gained by leaving out that final twist from the comic. Once again, if you haven’t picked up the comic I highly recommend you do for that twist alone.

Closing thoughts

Overall, while Superman: Red Son is far from perfect I still believe that it is a solid and warranted adaptation of the source material. Regardless of my issues with the ending and some other changes from the source material there is still enough here that should keep you entertained especially, when it comes to the story and the action. I would also say that there are parts of the movie which are done better here than in the comic itself. That’s why I’m always open to adaptations like this. I love to see a creators take on a fellow creators work and with Superman: Red Son Sam Liu does a solid job at adapting one of the greatest comics stories ever made while adding his own touch to it.

Superman: Red Son – 4/5

Superman: Red Son is available on Digital Download now, and Blu-ray™& DVD on March 16, 2020.

Click here for a chance to win a copy of Superman: Red Son on Blu-ray™

WIN SUPERMAN: RED SON ON BLU-RAY™

As stated in my previous post I would be running a giveaway for you to possibly win your own copy of Superman: Red Son on Blu-ray™, thanks to the people at Warner Bros. All you have to do is answer the question in the comment section down below:

Which of the following characters has Jason Isaacs, the voice of Superman in Superman: Red
Son, voiced for DC Universe Movies?
a) Sinestro
b) Ra’s al Ghul
c) Lex Luthor
d) All of the above
Superman: Red Son is available on Digital Download now, and Blu-ray™ & DVD on March

*You must be located in the UK to qualify for the giveaway*

Good luck!

This competition will close on the 16th March, 2020

Superman: Red Son

What if the Man of Steel was raised behind the Iron Curtain? So begins DC’s acclaimed Elseworlds story, Superman: Red Son, now the next entry in the popular series of DC Universe Movies. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC, the feature-length animated film arrives – along with a new DC Showcase animated short, Phantom Stranger – from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital Download from February 25, 2020, and on Blu-ray, Blu-ray Mini Fig, Blu-ray Steelbook and DVD on March 16, 2020.

Superman: Red Son – Out Now!

The latest instalment into the DC Animated Universe is here! With the huge event of Justice League: Dark Apokolips War on the horizon. It’s time for another Elseworlds story in the meantime to hold us over until then. Superman: Red Son (by Mark Millar) has been given the animated treatment by the ever present Sam Liu. If that name doesn’t ring a bell to you, it certainly should. Liu has made a huge contribution towards the DC Animated Universe with his previous works such as All Star Superman, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract and most recently, last year’s Wonder Woman: Bloodlines.

I have been looking forward to this movie so much because not only is Superman my favourite comic book character, but this is also one of my favourite storylines ever. I’ve always loved the Elseworlds approach on certain characters and Superman is one of them. Because while he is rooted in Metropolis seeing him grow up and operate in an entirely different environment was fascinating when I first picked up the comic.

If you’re new to Superman: Red Son, here’s a brief summary of the story:

“In Red Son, Superman‘s rocket ship lands on a Ukrainian collective farm rather than in Kansas, an implied reason being a small time difference (a handful of hours) from the original timeline, meaning Earth’s rotation placed Ukraine in the ship’s path instead of Kansas. Instead of fighting for “… truth, justice, and the American Way,” Superman is described in Soviet radio broadcasts “… as the Champion of the common worker who fights a never-ending battle for Stalin, socialism, and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact.”

Via. Fandom

Superman: Red Son is already available to purchase on Digital download as you read this. But if you’re like me and you love your physical media, you’re going to have to wait until 16 March, 2020 to purchase it on Blu-ray™/DVD.

You might be tempted to purchase the limited-edition gift set which comes with your very own figure of the Soviet Superman himself.

(see pictures below)

Be sure to keep a look out for my review of course, and for a chance to win a copy of Superman: Red Son (courtesy of Warner Bros.)

Superman: Red Son is available on Digital Download now, and Blu-ray™& DVD on March 16, 2020.

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines – Review

This review will contain mild spoilers

The DC Animated universe is back with its latest installment, Wonder Woman: Bloodlines. It’s about time the Amazon warrior got the attention she deserves. Wonder Woman: Bloodlines marks the second animated movie based on Wonder Woman since 2009. And while Wonder Woman: Bloodlines retreads a lot of the steps seen in both the 2009 animated movie and most recently Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman (2017) it does it with a fresh twist leeaving you wanting more at the end.

Story

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines is described as an origin story, but I honestly don’t see it as that. The origin aspect of the story only takes up the first 10 minutes of the movie. After that you get a time jump where Wonder Woman has become accustomed to life outside of Themyscira. But she eventually finds herself having to go back home to fight against potential world ending invasion. So the origin aspect of the movie isn’t as bad as some people have been making it out to be. As someone who considers themselves as a casual Wonder Woman fan I didn’t mind the retelling of her origin. After all, when it comes to characters like Batman I feel like I’ve seen his origin over a hundred times. With Wonder Woman: Bloodlines I like the way her origin is handled. Not much is changed about it making her story easy to follow. It’s great for people who are new to the character and once the story moves along it feels like its own separate graphic novel/arc which should appease most fans who love the character.

Voice acting

The movie is well-acted throughout as Rosario Dawson plays a kind, but powerful Diana Prince at the same time. Her chemistry with Jeffrey Donovan who plays Steve Trevor was one of my favourite aspects of the movie. You get a sense that their relationship is genuine and it’s one where you actually want to see them together because they play-off each other so well. Every one else is the movie is fine, but these two as to be expected, do most of the heavy lifting. In general, the voice acting is something I find myself always praising when it comes to these DC Animated movies, it’s become one of their staples. They have yet to disappoint me when it comes to this department in their movies.

Great action

The action in Wonder Woman: Bloodlines was one of the strongest elements of the movies. As it should be with a character like Wonder Woman. It shows just how powerful and brutal she can be in combat compared to her male counterparts such as Batman and Superman. It caught me off-guard in certain situations, especially during the final act. It definitely pushes the boundaries of the ’12’ rating and it’s refreshing to see. Although it was short, I really liked the fight between Diana and Cheetah. It just made me more excited about what their showdown is going to look like in live-action next year in Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 1984.

One issue I did find during the fight scenes (especially the ones in the city) is that they kind of felt lifeless. This wasn’t the fault of the action itself, but more to do with how the environment was portrayed. The cities for the most part outside of the scenes in Themyscira are empty. You don’t see any civilians or cars driving past while Wonder Woman is fighting on the streets. It would have been nice to have seen a populated city in potential danger as Wonder Woman was fighting. I think it would have added a lot more stakes to the fights.

Overall, Wonder Woman: Bloodlines is another solid entry into the DC Animated universe. Not only is it a great standalone movie but it just shows how much potential this character has. Rather than see her team up with the rest of the Justice League in future animated movies I would love to see Wonder Woman receive her own trilogy of animated movies instead. As for Wonder Woman: Bloodlines being an origin story it’s a great reintroduction for both new and old fans. But they only scratched the surface here. There are so many more stories that they can tell and I cannot wait to see where they go next with Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines 8/10

Huge thank you to amazing people at Warner Bros UK for providing me with an early copy to review.

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines is out on both digital and Blu-ray today

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Joker Spoilers Review/Discussion

So after I uploaded my spoiler free review for joker last week I decided to make a spoiler version too since I love the move so much. Feel free to check it out my review below. I would love to hear any feedback whether it be positive or negative. I’m still learning (I think the audio should be a lot better this time)

🙂

Joker: Review (video)

If you haven’t noticed I haven’t been posting that much on here lately. Writing has kind of taken a back seat for me. However, I still love talking about comic books/comic book movies. So I decided to start my own YouTube channel and talk about what I love over there. I started with my review of Joker! It took a lot of personal courage to upload this (I hate the sound of my own voice lol) But I had to give it a try. If I make a fool of myself then so what? At least I tried. So please feel free to check out my first review down below. If you do ending up checking it out please feel free to give me any feedback wether it be positive or negative. I would love to hear your thoughts on it and the movie in general.

Thanks again! 🙂

Official: Robert Pattinson to Play Batman

FINALLY! After months on speculation we finally have our new Batman. Earlier this month Deadline reported that the search for the new Caped Crusader had dwindled down to Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult. Yesterday, it was reported by The Wrap that both actors were doing screen tests for the role. And today, it looks like we got the results of those screen tests with Pattinson winning the role. This is amazing news, but the thing that got me most excited about this story is how Deadline in their report confirmed Pattinson will be the face of Matt Reeves’ trilogy. What a time to be a Batman fan! To have a trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan and Matt Reeves is truly a blessing. I also want to spare a thought for Nicholas Hoult for missing out because this is a role of a lifetime. However, since he done screen tests I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up playing a different role in the movie. Clearly Matt Reeves and the studio think highly of him. Either way I’m finally happy we got confirmation. It was also reported the project is set to start filming at the start of next year. So keep your eyes peeled this summer. I think we’re going to be hearing a lot more casting news for The Batman

The Batman is set to be released on 25 June, 2021

Robert Pattinson to Play Batman in Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’?

Just an hour ago social media exploded when Variety dropped a bombshell on us. They finally gave us what we have been waiting for. Who will be taking over the mantle from Ben Affleck as the caped crusader? Variety are pretty confident Robert Pattinson will be stepping into the iconic role. They claim a deal hasn’t been made yet, but Matt Reeves had him in mind while writing the script. While I was just taking in this news Deadline also released their own report on the potential casting. Both outlets agree that a deal hasn’t been made final yet. But where they differ is Deadline claiming that Robert Pattinson isn’t the only person in contention for the role. Deadline states that both Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult are at the top of Warner Bros. list. However, Deadline’s report does seem to imply that Pattinson is the favourite for the role by claiming “the bat suit isn’t filled yet and that they like both guys, with Pattinson holding the edge”. This is a bit frustrating isn’t it? We finally get the news we wanted, but nothing has been confirmed yet. I guess we gotta sit tight and be patient, as if we haven’t already been doing that for several months. I have a feeling it will end up Robert Pattinson taking the role. But you never know with Hollywood.

Let me know what you think of these potential castings