Cracked's 'The 6 Most Pointless Supervillain Schemes Ever Hatched'

Something you should know about me. I'm a huge fan of the worst things. Bad movies, in particular. Sometimes the most terrible movies are my pride and joy, and most of my friends refuse to watch movies with me anymore for fear of a horrible movie viewing where I spend most of it guffawing and making fun. So why should comics be any different? Anything that's run for 50+ years is not going to produce gold all the time, so Cracked.com has a look at the '6 Most Pointless Supervillain Schemes Ever Hatched', which I will no doubt love and re-read at my earliest convenience. 


Anyway, here are a couple of the storylines covered, you can go read about them at the link:

Defeat Superman by ... Bringing Back the Beard

Becoming Spider-Man's Uncle

Making Milk Expensive to Weaken America

That's just a taste of the article, so expect hilarity and bewilderment to ensue.

BuzzFeed's 'Hot Chicks In Spider-Man Costumes'

Yea, the title pretty much says it all... 'Hot Chicks in Spider-Man Costumes'. I kinda like just saying that. I wont waste time with useless words and junk. Here's a few of my favorites and you can check out the rest at the link.

Very cool. And hot. But mainly cool. And hot...

First Look: Garfield's Spider-Man and Evans' Captain America

I know that you want to get right to it and see the costume for Marc Webb's upcoming Spider-Man reboot, but I think I'll make you wait a little bit. But don't worry, I won't make you wait listening to crappy muzak or anything. I have another first look for you.


So we already saw the cover to EW that featured Evans kind of in costume, and we've seen him in what I'm calling his USO uniform, you can check both of those in the link above. But we finally have a pic (from Collider.com) of not only Evans in full costume, but the one thing that makes Captain America...well... Captain America:

BAM!!! Captain America with his shield in full costume. And I gotta say, I like it. It's a little '90's pouch ridden, but effective nonetheless. I like the Ultimates style helmet, and that shield is dynamite. Electric dynamite. The robot... Nemesis reject looking things are kind of lame, but whatever, it's Cap with his frickin shield.


And now that I've built up some suspense let's take a look at the moment we've all been waiting for! Our first look at Andrew Garfield in his Spider-Man costume, and it's not quite what everyone expected. Check it out:

Okay, now when I first saw that a few thoughts popped into my head... SACRILEGE!!! POPPYCOCK!!! And then I looked at it some more, and calmed the die hard comic nerd inside me down, and then laughed cause I had thought POPPYCOCK!!! But that's besides the point. 


I wasn't surprised that the costume ended up to be different from the comics, even though they perfectly retained the original throughout the first Spider-Man trilogy. I'm not surprised because although this movie was touted as more than likely drawing from the Ultimate Spider-Man series, from certain casting and possible story ideas that have come out it looks to be more than a little non-canon.


But that's conjecture, as we just haven't seen enough from the film to make any certain predictions. So let's talk costume. Actually, I'll let Splashpage tell you the "Five Key Changes in Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man Costume", because they quite aptly sum it up:

1. The WEB-SHOOTERS

See those metal discs on Peter Parker's wrists? If they're mechanical web-shooters, the new franchise could be planning a major reboot of the character's history, as longtime fans know that Peter Parker's web-shooting ability originally stemmed from a pair of mechanical bracelet-like contraptions that he wore under his gloves. In the comics universe, the "webs" he shot were composed of a chemical he invented, and not a product of the radioactive spider-bite that gave him his other powers. Recent storylines in Spidey's comics universe have gone back and forth on the "organic vs. mechanical webbing" debate, with the prior movie franchise going full organic for this plot point.

Could the new films be veering back to mechanical web-shooters, or are the discs just a new element that facilitates Spidey's organic web-shooting abilities?

2. THE SYMBOL

Every iteration of Spider-Man's costume in the comic book, television, and movie worlds have always added their own unique tweak to the spider symbol on Peter Parker's chest. Sometimes it's been a wide, shoulder-to-shoulder look, other times it's been reduced to a small badge centered on the character's chest. In some cases, the symbol has stretched vertically from Peter's shoulders to his waist — which appears to be the direction they're going with this new costume.

3. THE GLOVES

Given his web-shooting requirements, Spider-Man's gloves have always been an important part of the costume. In this new iteration of the iconic red-and-blues, we not only get some silver, possibly web-shootery discs, but we also get a gauntlet that wraps around Spidey's upper forearm. I'm not sure what to think about the spiral style of the new gloves, but it definitely puts a new spin (sorry, I couldn't help it) on the old favorite.

4. THE PROFILE

I mentioned earlier that the new spider symbol on the costume accentuates the leaner, lankier actor underneath it, but that isn't the only element of the costume that seems designed to reinvent our impression of the ol' web-head. The new costume seems to give significantly more space to the slimming blue sections of the rib area and pants, and offers a narrower red vertical on the chest than we've seen on most of Spidey's movie costumes — or many of his animated incarnations, for that matter.

The new costume also seems to have eliminated the horizontal, red "belt" portion of the uniform, which only adds to the aforementioned slimming effect. This version of Peter Parker is bringing the skinny back, it seems.

5. THE MATERIAL

While past iterations of Spider-Man's costume seemed to opt for a more spandex look (with occasional ribbing on the webs), this new costume seems to be composed of a more mesh-like material. The webs no longer seemed to be glued on after the fact, and instead seem to be a part of the same material that makes up the rest of the costume. It's a small change, but a noticeable one. Here's hoping we get some explanation of where he got the costume this time around!

Well said. So there's our First Look at both Chris Evans/Captain America and Andrew Garfield/Spider-Man. What do you think? Be sure to comment below!

Conan's The Flaming C on 'Young Justice'!!!

Okay, so not too long ago we featured the first look at the Conan/Bruce Timm created superhero The Flaming C, and hilarity ensued. Well, things just got a whole lot better. WB Animation sent something over to Conan, and like he says, it pretty much speaks for itself:

Wow, so can I just say how much more amazing Young Justice would be if The Flaming C permanently replaced Superman? With Conan voicing of course. Not that YJ isn't already amazing, cuz it is. And you should watch it.


Now if you are wondering this footage wasn't aired in the actual episode or anything, merely spliced in for Conan's benefit, but hot damn that would be great. The steaming oven mitt cracks me up.

Pics from Bleeding Cool

The Urban 30 Weekly Update!!! Season 4 - Week 15

Happy New Year!!! The first week of 2011 is off and the resolutions have been stated and attempted. So that means it's Weekly Update time, and I really have a blast doing these, so I hope you enjoy reading them.


This week Elemental and Gehenna continue to piece their lives back together since the mind wipe, Terra questioning her reality and Sarina rediscovering hers. Sonus and Hitman go after the signal sent by Spire's suit, only to find... Drifter and Dr. Grimm?!?


Here's the weekly rundown:

Elemental - A Little Misdirection

Terra is still plagued by visions of the man from the Carnival, and is surprised to find out that there is almost no news coverage of the superhero threat that she finds herself so interested in. She finds out her husband, Mayor Winters, is encouraging not only the public to go for counseling in the wake of the events at the Carnival, but Terra as well.

Gehenna - Don't trouble trouble 'til trouble trouble you

Gehenna continues on her quest to find a way to de-Fusion the rest of her friends, and the search takes her back to Wonderland, where she encounters both Marcus and the immortal Desmond. Will he know of a way to help her or will she get the same answer she got from Mena?

Drifter - The Cavalry Arrives

Drifter's attempt to escape from Dr. Grimm's laboratory has hit a few snags, and he's left fighting for his life against Grimm's genebeasts. The events of the last few days have left him weakened, and there's no way he's getting out of this one alone... Good thing he isn't alone anymore...

Hitman - A New Challenger Appears!

Hitman and Sonus head to the source of the emergency signal and find an abandoned cat food factory, but appearances can be deceiving. Heading inside, they encounter an armed resistance, and Sonus heads into the midst of battle. Hitman finds his own, taking care of things as usual. He then comes face to face with Sonus and their new "friend"...

Sonus- When Life Deals You A Bad Hand, Get New Cards!

Sonus finds himself distracted by thoughts of his family during the mission that rescues Drifter, and they head back to Sonus's apartment building. While Drifter rests under supervision, Leroy has another encounter with Dispatch, where he finds him in an odd situation, and which leads to a new mission for Sonus.


This is the end of one story, and definitely the beginning of the next, so be sure to check out urban3zero.com daily for what happens next.

First Look At The Cosmic Cube!

The Cosmic Cube is well known in the Marvel U. as being a major pain in the ass. It's a "cosmic containment device capable of altering reality", so basically you don't want this thing getting into the wrong hands. Well, SuperHeroHype has a pic released from Captain America: The First Avenger, and yea, that just happened:

Now, in the comics, pretty much everybody and their grandmother has had access to one or more Cosmic Cubes, and a few of them have even evolved into sentient beings. In the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) The Cube (or Tesseract) is a Norse mythological device that Johann Schmidt/Red Skull (played by Hugo Weaving, natch) is searching for, and apparently finds. A nice tie in to Thor to really drive home the point that all of these movies and characters exist in the same universe.

That being said, expect the Cube to pop up somewhere in Thor as another easter egg, like Cap's shield in Iron Man.

SupaScoot's Rumor Report: 'The Dark Knight Rises' Script Leak

This edition of the Rumor Report is dedicated completely to the recent script "leak" of The Dark Knight Rises, because everybody seems to think it's big news. And it would be, however Nolan has been known to keep things pretty close to the vest with all of his movies, and I do find it highly unlikely that this leak would be possible. But we are going to talk about the script anyway, because it does have some promising ideas. 


Possible Spoilers Ahead...


Here's the report from Comic Book Movie:

A while ago a "leaked" script for TDKR popped up online but was quickly debunked as a fake. Well here we go again. Only this time scriptflags have details of a 165 page draft dated 2010. They say that if it is a fake it's the best fake they have ever come across, and they would see a lot! Anyway, here are the details.. 


Deadshot is featured being broken out of prison by The Society, headed by The Black Mask. 

In Gotham, Batman has become a "myth". Crime is down so he keeps a low profile. He has a new aerial vehicle called The Wraith, a military prototype with a 40 foot wingspan.

Wayne Manor has been rebuilt, with a new Batcave.

Deadshot meets with Black Mask(who wears an "ebony skull"). He is also an associate of Roland Dagget, CEO of Dagget Industries. 

Apparently Nolan has merged the characters of Hugo Strange and Edward Nashton. Nashton, like Strange in the comics, figures out Batman's identity and toys with him. Despite Nashton's appearance, no mention is made of The Riddler. He would appear to be a completely different character.

Jim Gordon is said to play out his role almost identically as he does in Prey, hunting Batman with the aid of a Detective Adams.

Talia Al Ghul makes a brief appearance, but no mention is made of a primary female villain, or indeed of the secondary female character Nolan is said to be currently casting. This suggests that if this is on the level, its a very early draft. 


Now we talk. We already heard that report a while ago that TDKR will draw heavily from the Prey storyline, which features Hugo Strange, and a lot of this script backs that up. But a few things don't add up.


Like I said, Nolan does not let this stuff out. It just doesn't happen. Nobody had the faintest idea what Inception was even about until he let the info out when he was ready. So the chances that one of the most highly anticipated movies EVER manages to get a script leaked are pretty slim. But the website that got the script has been known to weed out the bad and find the real ones a good percentage of the time.


The fact that it's an early draft may account for the lack of the two lead female roles allegedly up for casting that we heard a couple of weeks ago, but I kind of doubt that Talia Al Ghul would be included for such a minor role, especially with rumors of Catwoman playing a part in the film.

With the real world aesthetic of Nolan's Bat-world, I kind of doubt the inclusion of a bat plane, especially one called the Wraith. If Bats is lying low then why does he have a jet with a 40- foot wing span? And when did he become a pilot? These things matter in Nolan's world.


Nolan himself has made a point to acknowledge his own love of the Bat comics, and I find it hard to believe he would merge the characters of Hugo Strange and Edward Nashton/ The Riddler. Especially when he already stated that Riddler will definitely not be in the movie. And it would be a totally unnecessary action to take, Hugo doesn't need to be reduced to that. Not with Tom Hardy rumored to be playing that role.

What I like from the script is the inclusion of Black Mask and Deadshot, two very possible additions to the cast. Maybe not in the context the script describes, but it could work. Again, Nolan has already stated he won't bog the movie down with extra villains. The script also mentions Roland Daggett, a character created for Batman: The Animated Series, so I doubt his involvement in a movie now already overloaded with villains as the script implies.


Here's the main reason I don't think this script is real. The small parts of it I was able to read just doesn't feel like Nolan's work. The wording's not right, the pacing doesn't match, I just don't buy it. I'm no expert, but while this script is very well done, I don't think it's The Dark Knight Rises. 


And that's a good thing. I want to stay in wonderment of this movie throughout the whole process. I want to be excited by the first trailer I see, be in awe during opening night. 


Well, that's your latest edition of the Rumor Report. Clearly, TDKR news is going to be hitting fast over the next few months, and we'll help you find the truth amongst the bull... most of the time.

New 'Green Lantern' Corps Members Revealed

If you haven't seen the trailer yet then you should probably go watch that first. That's where we got our first look at a lot of the members of the GL Corps, most notably Kilawog and Tomar Re. They weren't the best quality screen shots so /Film has brought us a better look at Tomar Re:

Then a couple more reveals in the form of the Mattel toy line being released with the movie. Here is G'hu, a more recent addition to the comics Corps:

And here's Rot Lop Fan, a blind Corps member who wields the ring using sound:

Pretty cool, but I really need to see more footage before I can fully make up my mind over this movie. What do you think? Do you have high hopes for Green Lantern?


Martin Campbell's Green Lantern comes out June 17, 2011.

Spoiler Time!!! 'Captain America: The First Avenger'

There's been a lot of possible spoilers lately about all the upcoming Marvel films, so why should Captain America: The First Avenger be any different. This report has quite a few revealing details, so once again, don't read if you don't want to know.

It's Spoiler Time!!!


So this report comes to us from The Daily Blam, who got it from French mag L'Ecran Fantastique. It's an interview with production designer Rick Heinrichs, and he drops quite a few previously unreleased details:


- 90% of the film takes place during the period 1939-1945, but the beginning and end of the feature film takes place today ...



Pretty much knew that one already, moving on...


- As an introduction, we see an exploration team discovered the remains of a giant bomber under the snows of the Arctic. Flashback (true beginning of the film): attack on a village in Norway (Hansberg) by troops from Hydra. Johann Scmidt is present (Skull), who has a passion for Nordic mythology. He looks for an object, the Cube [as seen in the Comic Con footage]


Logical beginning, and the Cube will also be known as the Tesseract in the movie.


- The Skull is a former Nazi party member who left to found the organization Hydra. His vehicle is a car which is nine feet long, shielded and armed ... Hydra's secret base is located in the Alps, and he worked on controlling the energy of the Cube. The Cube is able to open a portal to "other dimensions of space-time. His "human" face is just a mask hiding his true appearance: Red Skull.


Cool...


- Steve Rogers is a young man puny victim of mockery by thugs in Brooklyn. The body of actor Chris Evans will be digitally processed to give it that look. Steve is already friends with Bucky Barnes [his sidekick in the film]. Unlike Steve, he was accepted into the army and he was preparing to leave.


- The two friends visit an exhibition in New York, "The world of tomorrow." Among the exhibitors? Howard Stark [Tony's father]. There is a showcasing of anti-gravity boots, which only have a fraction of the energy of the cube. Stark Sr. will create the shield of Cap.


- After his transformation, Steve Rogers is used as a mascot in cinema, theater and performing in a music hall. During a performance (at Radio City Music Hall in New York) Rogers ended his show by hitting an actor dressed as Hitler (reenacting the cover of Captain America comic issue #1).


- He became a celebrity, while remaining down to earth, once sent to Europe, where he learns that Bucky was captured in a weapons factory in the Hydra. During this first mission, he frees a group that will become the Invaders.

- There will be a quick montage with several missions of Captain America: for example the sabotage of a train of Hydra. Cap and his crew rappel down a mountain and atterrisent on the roof of the train.


So that's a lot of info that was previously rumored on, such as Stark Sr.'s involvement, and Cap in a USO show. I like the reenactment of Cap punching Hitler, that's classic.


- The final scene: The Red Skull's purpose is to build a carrier style bomber, containing planes carrying bombs, which are destined for London and U.S. cities. The armament and machinery will be important. Red Skull uses the cube to power these machines (huge tank, bomber). There will be a great battle between the Red Skull and Captain America in the plane which eventually crashed in the Arctic.


- Captain America 2: Heinrichs evokes the possibility of a film blending the past and the present [as the current Ed Brubaker stories show]. Especially at a time of the interview, he speaks of the Hydra as an organization still in existence, and Nick Fury is fighting still fighting against it.


There we go, we now have pretty much seen the movie, as well as a vague teaser for the sequel. I like the direction the movie seems to be taking, and am still looking forward to it. I don't know which I'm looking forward to more, Cap or Thor, but Thor comes out first so at least we won't have to wait long.


Captain America: The First Avenger comes out on July 22, 2011.

The Urban 30 Weekly Update!!! Season 4 - Week 14

Did you enjoy the last week of The Urban 30 in 2010? It was packed full of great stuff, and it's only gonna get better. You don't really need me to tell you to read daily at urban3zero.com anymore do you? Because I will , that's what I do...

Anyways, this week the Urban 30 deals with the team's failure at the Carnival, Sonus and Hitman deal with the reappearance of an old villain turned ally (turned villain?) and some troubling personal issues with the rest of the team. What kind of personal issues you ask? How about the disappearance of Engels, Elemental's marriage problems, Gehenna's need to reconnect with her past, and Drifter's discovery of his.

Here's the weekly rundown:

Gehenna - Battle of Wills

Gehenna's rattled after the events of the Carnival. With the disappearance of Engel's, she needs to find a new plan to unlock her friends. Gehenna tries to get her bearings with a visit to the immortal Mena, but things don't quite go the way she planned...

Elemental - Something's Not Making Sense...

After her rescue by the masked hero, Terra is left with a lot of questions and concerns about the hero problem. And when her husband, Mayor Winter's, loses his cool, Terra realizes there's a lot that doesn't quite add up in her "perfect" life.

Drifter - You Are Different, Like The Other...

After extensive testing by Dr. Grimm, Drifter learns how he came to be in DC, and whether or not he came alone. Drifter outlives his usefulness to Grimm, and tries to escape, looking for help from an outside source.

Sonus - The Unprofessionals

The Carnival revealed a lot of mysteries, with the reappearance of most of the remaining brainwashed members of the U30 and Vaidan's assassination attempt. After the failed mission, a power struggle breaks out between Sonus and Dispatch, until yet another problem surfaces.

Hitman - First Word, Cluster... Last Word...

During the U30's debriefing, Hitman recieves an emergency beacon from Spire's suit. Before he and Sonus can leave, Hitman confronts Vaidan. Following a hunch, Hitman reconnects with the Resistance, the super powered fighter's from the underground fight club Wonderland, and learns of a mysterious connection.

Boom... That was a pretty big week. And I know I say this every week but it just keeps getting better! And I don't want to give anything away... But I'm going too, because it's exciting. Get ready for it... 


Next week... Drifter Meets The Urban 30!!!


Don't miss it!

'Spider-Man' Set Photos Featuring Our First Look At Garfield In Costume!!!

Woah now, don't get too excited... I don't mean the Spider-Man costume, unfortunately. We get our first look at Andrew Garfield in Peter Parker's wardrobe, and it looks like... Andrew Garfield in his regular clothing. So why am I still geeking out about it? I'll show you the pics first, from over at SuperHeroHype:

Man, Emma Stone is just so dynamite. Anyways, after recently watching The Social Network, I have a bit more confidence in Garfield as Spidey, and while these pics are a nice little tease, there's only one thing I really want to see... well, besides more of Emma Stone... and that's Garfield in the Spider-Man costume. Or a confirmed villain. Or the inclusion of a sexy Black Cat. 


Okay, so there are lots of things I still want to see. Whatever... Check out a lot more of the same kind of shots over at Gossip Center.

'X-Men: First Class' News, Spoilers, and Rumors?

Oh My...

'Captain America' Behind The Scenes Pics And Teaser Footage!

About 4 seconds of footage... but you still want to watch it, don't you?

SupaScoot's Rumor Report!!!

Welcome to yet another new feature here on Action News, where I'm gonna field all the crazy rumors we hear in the entertainment world. Rarely do these pan out, but sometimes, just sometimes, we learn a nugget of truth. So let's get started.

This is apparently the all Avengers Edition as we get hit from casting rumors to plot rumors to cameo rumors. That's a lot of rumors.


This one comes from the Albuquerque Journal, and it was a doozy. SuperHeroHype reports:

Ain't It Cool News points out that the print version of this article from the Albuquerque Journal includes a possible hint at the storyline for The Avengers. The article says:

"The Avengers" script will blend "Iron Man," "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" story lines as the Avengers battle with two alien races, the Skrulls and the Kree.

While the article features quotes from people involved with bringing the production to New Mexico, there is no confirmation that the Albuquerque Journal got this story information from Marvel Studios or Disney.

So while that seems like it would be awesome, it's a little bit too big for the first flick. however this rumor was already disproved:

SuperHeroHype has confirmed that the information published in the Albuquerque Journal was not officially released through Marvel Studios and can instead be attributed to a research error on the part of the newspaper. 


While this does not preclude the film from featuring the Kree or the Skrull, there is no hard evidence to date to suggest their inclusion. 

Next up is a possible new addition to the cast of The Avengers over at Splashpage:


The rumor comes from a Radar Online report centering on Lovato's recent holiday break from rehab. The report concludes with a matter of fact declaration: "RadarOnline.com has learned Demi is up for a role in the new 'Avengers' movie that will start shooting April 1."

Of course, without confirmation from Marvel Studios officials or someone from Lovato's corner, it's best to break out the salt shaker when approaching this latest rumor. That said, Radar Online reports the rumor with such conviction that it's worth wondering whether or not there's some truth to Lovato's involvement.

But even in our attempts to look at Lovato's casting as a legitimate possibility, we're still scratching our heads wondering who she might play. Easy money says Wasp — after all, who hasn't been rumored for Janet Van Dyne at this point? — but perhaps she'd have a role as Stature, Kate Bishop or one of the other Young Avengers.

Another possibility — and again, we're in pure speculation mode — is that Lovato may have snagged a role in "Runaways," delivering a cameo turn before going on to star in the teen superhero flick. We could see her playing Karolina Dean, even if she isn't our first pick for the part. But really, at this point, it's anybody's guess as to who Lovato would be starring as, if she's starring as anybody at all.

This was however, disproved as well:

Now, sources close to Lovato and Marvel are both completely denying the actress' involvement. The Hollywood Reporter reports that "part of the problem in hiring the actress is that she's currently in rehab 'for emotional and physical issues.'"

And now a rumored cameo coming to us from SuperHeroHype:

Despite Jeremy Renner denying rumors that he would make a cameo appearance in Thor as as Hawkeye, The Wrap is now reporting that the character does indeed have a scene in the film.

Renner has long since been confirmed to be playing the character in The Avengers, but, if the rumor plans out, aThor cameo would mean that fans would get to see Clint Barton on the big screen a year in advance of that film's May 4, 2012 release.

More Jeremy Renner is good news as far as I'm concerned. Perfect choice for Hawkeye, no question.

Finally moving over the pond to a DC rumor about a possible casting choice for Wonder Woman in Mad Men's Christina Hendricks:

Spinoff Online reports that during an appearance on the Rachael Ray Show last week, Hendricks was asked about rumors that she's a possible contender to play Wonder Woman — and while it's only a rumor for now, it's a rumor that the redhead likes very much.

"I just heard that rumor, too," she said. "I don't know where it got started, but I love it."

"I've been wanting to wear that outfit my whole life," she added. "I had Underoos — I had Wonder Woman Underoos."

"Oh, I'd love to," she said when asked about her interest in playing Wonder Woman. "That would be so much fun."

There's bound to be some debate over whether or not Hendricks has what it takes to play the character — her signature red locks and her mid-30s age range might take her off the playing field for some fans — but anyone who knows her work as Joan Holloway on "Mad Men" can attest to her sheer ferocity and her ability to cripple a man with the simplest of looks.

She's got my vote...

Well, a hearty batch of interesting rumors, and that's just the beginning! This stuff happens everyday, sometimes ridiculous, sometimes foreshadowing? Wait until April Fool's if you want to see some crazy rumor action. But until then, we'll keep bringing it to you here at Action News!!!