Episode 196: Why-Men (Lesser-Known X-Men; Lady Mastermind & Omega Sentinel)

After an illness-driven break, I return with a new installment in the “Lesser-Known X-Men” series. Rogue (herself a former villain) recruited two villainous ladies (plus Sabretooth) to her team in 2006: Lady Mastermind and Omega Sentinel.  How did that end up working out? Take a listen and find out!

Lady Mastermind is a true believer in double-sided tape.

Omega Sentinel in her early “big hair” period.

And in her more recent “No hair” period.

Episode 195: Why-Men (Lesser-Known X-Men; Husk and Warpath)

Returning again to the “Lesser Known X-Men” feature (or “Why-Men” as I’m affectionately referring to it), we hit the mid-2000s with a pair of siblings, not to each other, but each one to a previously covered X-Man in this series. If you haven’t already done so, meet Husk and Warpath!

Is skin recyclable?

Again I will point out…the woman walking away: Paige’s mom. Inappropriate to say the least…

He joined the X-Men in the 2000s, but there’s a lot of 90s to Warpath…

Episode 194: Agatha All Along Deep Dive (Ep 9 and Final Thoughts)

Anne (who helped me discuss both seasons of Loki) fills in for Joel on this final Deep Dive on Agatha All Along.  We discuss the final episode, which fills in quite a bit of the past, and discuss what it means for the future; of these characters and their place in the MCU.

You couldn’t have had her say she’s been “Agatha All Along”?

Episode 193: Agatha All Along Deep Dive (Ep 8)

The final two episodes of Agatha All Along were released at once, but my conversation with Anne (filling in for Joel) was too long to put out in one go, so this is the penultimate discussion. Secrets galore are uncovered and we get a fight to the death…with Death.

Hey Rio…

Last episode I mentioned the “half-skull/half-flesh” face look for Death. Here’s one example.

Episode 192: Agatha All Along Deep Dive (Ep 7)

It’s Episode 7 of 9, but the Voyage is All Along the Witches Road!  Joel and I continue our Deep Dive on the latest MCU show, with quite a bit of discussion on Tarot thanks to some extra expertise from friend of the show Johnnie Breen.

Of course, after the podcast was recorded, they announced an official Tarot deck that you can pre-order now.

Episode 191: Agatha All Along Deep Dive (Ep 6)

Well, hello there, Billy!  It’s (mostly) a flashback episode, where we fill in a lot of the gaps of how we got to where we are with Teen (aka William Kaplan, aka Billy Maximoff, aka Wiccan). Some questions get answered, though others are asked, as Joel and I continue our Agatha All Along Deep Dive.

This makes sense as a related image if you’ve seen the episode. Trust me…

Episode 190: Agatha All Along Deep Dive (Ep 5)

We’ve reached the halfway point of Agatha All Along, with some major reveals, and Joel and I have plenty to say about it, as well as a fairly long conversation at the end about our feelings on the MCU in general, post-Endgame.  Take a listen and let us know what you think!

Don’t scroll down until you’ve watched the show, otherwise you’ll learn that this Teen…

…is this guy in the comics…

…who we all previously saw in Wandavision.

Episode 189: Agatha All Along Deep Dive (Ep 4)

We may have lost Mrs. Hart (Sharon!), but we’re continuing to talk about the rest of the coven in our Deep Dive of Agatha All Along. Hear Joel and Kurt’s theories about who Teen and Rio really are, and their relationships to the title character, plus some musical talk from a recurring contributor.

Some of the people we think inspired their second trial outfits, including Agatha’s…

…Alice…

…Jen’s…

and Teen.

Episode 188: Agatha All Along Deep Dive (Ep 3)

We’re moving on down the road in Episode 3 of Agatha All Along. As the coven faces their first trial, Joel and Kurt are surprised to discover an old name get mentioned that they had relegated to the dead theory pile at the end of WandaVision.

Speak of the Devil…

Episode 187: Agatha All Along Deep Dive (Ep 1 & 2)

We begin the Agatha All Along Deep Dive with a double episode dose of witchy goodness. There are many questions raised to theorize on, and tons of new characters to discuss and compare to their Marvel Comics counterparts.  Take a listen, and then let us know your thoughts!

I mentioned it on the show twice, so I figured I should link it as well.

The comic versions of our new coven: Lilia Calderu…

Jennifer Kale (on right)…

and Alice Wu-Gulliver (or Alice Gulliver, whose title is “The Wu”)

Episode 186: Who Has Agatha Been All Along? (Deep Dive Prequel)

Since the next few weeks will be devoted to a Deep Dive of the Agatha All Along show, I thought it would be a good idea to edit together some of the thoughts Joel and I had about Agnes/Agatha as she appeared in WandaVision, along with a comparison to her comic book counterpart, edited together from the WandaVision Deep Dive.

Wait, it was who?

Episode 185: Why-Men (Lesser-Known X-Men; Stacy X, Lifeguard, Slipstream, and Northstar)

Continuing to work towards completing the “Lesser Known X-Men” feature, we cover four characters this time; three short-term members, and one who is possibly well-known enough to not qualify, but is important enough to merit inclusion to make sure as many learn about him as possible.

That’s Iceman she’s talking to, before he came out of the closet.

Her New Warriors look.

Lifeguard as her powers originally manifested.

And her look after the Shi’ar DNA kicked in.

And this is how her brother reacted when he saw the “difference.” Um, overreact much?

Northstar in his John Byrne-y goodness.

Can you guess in what decade this issue came out (pun intended)?

Congrats, guys! You only get the wraparound cover for very special occasions!

Episode 184: Why-Men (Lesser Known X-Men; Xorn, Zorn, and Chamber)

Returning to my Lesser Known X-Men feature (affectionately dubbed the “Why-Men”), we break from chronological joining to cover twins who were recruited at different times, but are so close that they may as well be one character, as well as a mutant mentioned briefly in the “New Warriors Vol 4” episode of the show.

“Make me one with everything…”

As someone reading the books at the time, this was a big twist!

Zorn, as opposed to Xorn. (Babylon 5 fans, insert “Zathras” joke here)

Does he have to get his shirts custom made, or do they just do that when he puts them on?

So, apparently the lines on the face are built into Apocalypse’s DNA.

Jono as Decibel. Although at the volume he could produce, he probably should have been called Bel.

Episode 183: Iron Man & Doom; What’s the Connection?

Thanks to some recent big news announced at San Diego Comic-Con, I was inspired to discuss the connections between Iron Man and Doctor Doom.  Sure, they’re both guys in armor, but what else connects them, and how will the MCU handle this? I’ve got a theory…

I believe this imagery inspired the dance in Pulp Fiction.

They’re probably not going this literal, but who knows?

Doom was not trying to hide who he was, just trying to live up to someone else.

Trust me, the helmet does work in some images…but not many.

Episode 182: Welcome to the Superbig House (Prisons in Comics)

With so many super criminals in comics, it only makes sense that they’d have their own prison, and thanks to a question from listener Scott P., we’ll be discussing those, from the real life locations, to the made up super-prisons, then to the dark halls of the asylums.

Welcome to The Rock! (Even real life prisons can get a superhero like name)

Nice Raft you’ve got there. Shame if something were to happen to it.

Somehow, wherever you look, the moon will always be rising over Arkham.

As the co-host of Gothamites, I am contractually obligated to include this version of Arkham Asylum in the images.

“We have Arkham Asylum at home!”

Episode 181: Why-Men (Lesser Known X-Men; Thunderbird, Mirage, and Sage)

Continuing once again with the Lesser Known X-Men feature, we’ve reached the “aughts” or the first decade of the 2000s, where we find an Indian with a Native American codename, a Native American who gets tangled up with Norse Mythology, and a spy with a computer for a brain that wants to be a superhero.

There’s not even any bird symbology to his powers. I just don’t get it.

Mirage in one of her earliest appearances.

When she became a Valkyrie, she grew up!

An early Tessa appearance (yes, all the women in the Hellfire Club basically dressed like that).

Sage as the “Woman in the Chair” mode. (Did Jubilee say it was okay to borrow her jacket?)

Episode 180: LGBT Characters in Marvel (with JennytheGeek)

Back in Episode 89, we discussed LGBT characters in DC with JennytheGeek.  Well, after three years, she’s back to discuss LGBT characters in Marvel.  From Northstar’s coming out story to the recent “Pride” issues, we touch on some of the characters we feel the most strongly about, and what Marvel is getting right and wrong in their representation.

So…much…crosshatching! Yes, this came out in the 90s.

Ah yes, waving your arms around. The universal symbol for “You’re gay.”

Deadpool and his Valentine (no really, their name is Valentine)

No subtext allowed. (And yes, there’s a reason Nightcrawler is in a modified Spider-Man costume, but you have to read the story for that explanation…)

Episode 179: Why-Men (Lesser Known X-Men; Joseph, Cecilia Reyes, Maggott and Marrow)

Wrapping up the 90s era of “Lesser Known X-Men,” we have the clone, the doctor, the sentient slugs, and the bone-wielding Morlock all joining the team, though few of them stay on the team for too long. What happened to them after? I discuss that and many other details of their lives in this episode.

You can tell he’s not the real Magneto. Erik would never look that surprised.

Welcome to the X-Men. Hope you…ow! Ow! Stop hitting me!

He’s eating for three. Actually, two are eating for him…

A little taste of Maggott’s South African accent.

Marrow’s first appearance.

And a more recent appearance. You can tell she’s the same, right?

Episode 178: Why-Men (Lesser Known X-Men; Bishop, Kwannon & Cannonball)

The 1990s was one of the best-selling eras for the X-Men comics.  But, if you didn’t read them, you might not know who Bishop, Kwannon, or Cannonball are.  Take a listen here to find out what makes each of those characters unique and what they brought to the team.

I think you might be overstating it there…A lot will be the same, trust me.

It’s not Betsy, I swear!

Revanche is a dish best served…confusingly.

Little Sam Guthrie. Not his best look…

Good idea. Cover the forehead with goggles.

Episode 177: Non-Powered Superheroes

Inspired by a new listener question, Kurt goes through his definition of a “Non-Powered Superhero” (or Supervillain in one case), to see who qualifies in the Big 2 comic book universes.  The answer may or may not surprise you, but you’ll have to listen to find out!

Well, he definitely doesn’t count…

but what about him?

Just a bow and arrow. No powers here…right?

Well, that’s got to hurt.

Being able to fight in something that skintight has to be a superpower, doesn’t it?

Doctor Octopus’s final days (well, sort of…).