Right. Here are all my spoilery thought about Avengers: Endgame, I highly recommend not reading this if you haven’t seen the film. My spoiler-free review is here.
I probably haven’t mentioned everything I noticed or wanted to say because there was so much and I see new things every time I see it. I’ve seen Endgame three times now and still think it’s an incredible end to a series of 22 films. My comments are a mixture of stuff that happened in order, and character focussed stuff. This post is probably a mess so you’ve been warned. (more…)
X is always a difficult one for the A-Z in April Challenge. In previous years I’ve written about the X-Men or Charles Xavier but as they are not a part of the MCU (yet anyway) I’ve had to cheat a bit this year. These are all the extra characters who I love that got pipped to the post by a different favourite.
Clint Barton
Now some of you who have been following my blog for a while might’ve been surprised not to see Clint featured in my A-Z of favourites this year, because Clint Barton is my ultimate favourite whether that’s in the MCU, comics or animated TV shows. But I had featured him in my Favourite Characters A-Z in April in 2016 so I thought I’d give some other favourites the time to shine. I do still love him a lot though. He’s funny and highly skilled but he’s still a very breakable human on a team of superhumans and I love that about him.
Michelle “MJ” Jones
There’s a lot of cool characters in Spider-Man: Homecoming but I did have a soft spot for Michelle even before it was revealed that she’s going to be the MCU’s version of MJ. She’s weird, smart and funny. I like how she’s a bit of a social outcast who likes her own company, but she still finds friends. I’m looking forward to seeing more of her personality come through in future films.
Nick Fury
Fury is the ultimate spy and I love that about him. Having Samuel L. Jackson in the role was one of the best decisions ever made in regard to the MCU. He brings all these layers to Fury. Fury can be funny (loved seeing more of that side of him in Captain Marvel), cutting, secretive and very smart. His secrets have secrets! One of my favourite sequences in the entire MCU is when Fury’s car is attacked in Winter Soldier, I just love seeing Fury being the action hero/spy that he is even though he’s climbed the ranks of SHIELD.
Hela
You got to love a female villain that causes death and destruction with style. I like how Hela’s back story doesn’t excuse what she is. Yes, her father used her to take over different worlds and defeat their enemies, but that death and destruction was still in her nature. She wants to rule Asgard and get what she thinks she deserves and uses her intelligence and magic to do it.
Rocket
Rocket is probably my favourite out of the original Guardians of the Galaxy crew. He’s sarcastic and mean and pushes people away because he’s not used to being cared about. But when he does get close to his friends, his family, he loves them deeply. I think the animation that brings Rocket alive is incredible as I’ve often found myself getting teary eyed over that damn raccoon.
There’s me thinking, “Oh dear I haven’t got a post for blogmas planned for today, will have to write something when I get home from work.” And what do you know, the first trailer for the next Avengers film was released earlier today and I have a lot to say about it.
First of all, beware spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp and my thoughts and predictions on what might happen in Endgame – which probably won’t be in any real order and I’ll have probably forgotten some stuff. I loved this trailer, and to be honest I think it’s going to be the only trailer for the film I watch. I want to know as little as possible before seeing this film.
I loved the way it started with Tony seemingly alone in space (I say seemingly as he’s going to be with Nebula and my hopes that they will bond in space and become besties haven’t been dashed yet) leaving a farewell message for Pepper. His message makes me so sad, he’s one of my favourite characters and he’s been through so much. He had nightmares and suffers from PTSD from his first trip into space, and now he’s stuck floating through space, running out of oxygen. There’s a sort of symmetry with the trailer starting with Tony as he is the character that started the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I predict either Carol, aka Captain Marvel, will find and save Tony and Nebula as she’s on her way to Earth to answer Fury’s message, or Pepper is going to come to Tony’s rescue. I think it could be Pepper mainly because of Tony’s use of the word “Rescue” as that’s the name of the armour Pepper has worn in the comics.
I love that Clint is shown in the trailer, especially as I spent so long trying to spot him in the Infinity Ware trailer and he was never there! It looks like he’s taken up the role of Ronin which means that his family has almost certainly turned to dust. I predict a very different Clint Barton to what we’ve seen before, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he fits in with the rest of the Avengers that are left.
When Bruce looked at the wall of missing heroes, aka people who may have turned to dust, Shuri was on there! That was a surprise and then leaves me wondering if she has turned to dust, or is generally MIA, who’s now leading Wakanda. Okoye and M’Baku both survived Infinity War so maybe between them they’re trying to keep the country together?
Also, because none of the heroes on Earth know what happen to Tony, does that mean his face is going to be on that wall of missing people? Because if it is I’ll probably cry. But then it makes me think about how all those who are still alive, Thor, Steve, Natasha, Bruce and Rhodey, will react when Tony does get back to Earth presumably with Nebula and Carol in tow.
Then there’s the ending with Scott! I have so many questions right now about him. How the hell did he get out of the quantum realm if everyone who knew where he was turned to dust? Does he know what’s happened to the rest of the world? Because he’s quite cheerful if he does! What about his daughter?
I really liked the vibe this trailer gave off. Here’s a bunch of heroes, the original Avengers, all at their lowest point, but they’re still going to try and find a way to fight. I love that it doesn’t show that much, mainly just shots of the characters, and that there’s no real scenes of action. I don’t need that. I know I’m going to see Endgame as soon as it’s out and I know there’s a good chance I’m going to love it. These characters have been a part of my life for 10 years now. I’ve written two dissertations on Marvel Studios. My love for these characters and this whole universe is a big part of me. And while I know there’s a good chance that some of these characters will die – the most likely of them being Steve and/or Tony – I don’t want them to. Even if at the same time I think that narratively speaking it might be kind of poetic if they do die, especially Tony because as I said, he started it all.
There’re rumours that there’s going to be a trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home released soon, but I’m not going to watch it and do my best to avoid everything to do with it. Like, I know that everyone who turned to dust is going to come back somehow, so it’s the how that’s interesting to me, but I still don’t want to see a trailer of Peter Parker swinging around all OK.
If you’ve watched the trailer for Avengers: End Game, do let me know what you think. I definitely feel the MCU won’t be the same after this film. After this, it’ll be the start of a new roster of “Avengers” and the older ones take a step back, in whatever shape or form that may be.
Top Ten Tuesday is a feature run by BrokeAndBookish each week – I’m thinking I might not take part every week but just see if a week takes my fancy. This week it’s a bit of a freebie, basically you can write about anything you love whether it’s a character, a book, an author, a fandom, a movie, ANTHING! So naturally I’m going to give you ten reasons why I love Clint Barton because I do love him a ridiculous amount.
10. He’s a loser.
OK so I say loser with affection. He’s a bit of a walking disaster and he hasn’t had the best life but he tries his best. Clint Barton loves his arrows, his dog and his friends but he doesn’t function well without coffee and his love for his arrows and their random tricks could possibly be seen as an unhealthy attachment.
9. His costume is often ridiculous.
So in the MCU it is pretty practical and isn’t ridiculously purple but in the comics and the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes cartoon (great show, go watch it) he looks pretty stupid.
8. He downplays his intelligence.
Clint Barton counts on the fact you’ll think of him as just a loser who can shoot well, he is actually super smart but doesn’t like to big up the fact.
7. He is loyal
Clint Barton will stand by anyone of his friends or loved ones, even if that sometimes means he gets hurt in the process.
6. He had a messed up childhood but doesn’t let it define him.
Clint Barton’s childhood was rough. His dad used to beat him, his older brother and his mother before he went and killed himself and his wife in a car accident. After being in an orphanage for a while Clint and his brother literally ran away to join the circus and then his brother abandoned him and Clint was trained and used by some bad men at the circus. It’s a miracle Clint Barton is as kind and caring as he is.
5. He is a dating disaster.
No matter what comics universe you’re reading Clint Barton is usually a dating disaster. That’s especially clear in the Matt Fraction run where he really doesn’t understand any of the women in his life.
4. He believes in people.
In the MCU, he is the reason that the Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, is alive and now fighting for the good guys. He can read and understand people more than anyone gives him credit for, he always see’s the good in people. It’s basically cannon in the MCU that he adopts strays, first Natasha and then he practically adopts Wanda Maximoff.
3. He’s got a sarcastic sense of humour.
Clint Barton is sometimes what one might call “a little shit” and he knows it. He can be sarcastic and sassy and kind of rude but he does have a wicked sense of humour.
2. He never misses.
The whole thing with Hawkeye is that he is the best and he never misses. He can shoot arrows and hit targets without even looking and if you think he’s missed, it probably means he meant to and he’s distracting you from something else.
1. He’s a hero.
The number one reason I love Clint Barton? He is a squishy, breakable human fighting with a weapon from the Palaeolithic era and he still fights for what is right. He is a hero and a valuable member of any team he’s on whether that’s SHILED, the Avengers or even teaming up with Deadpool. I will fight you if you say Clint Barton is useless!
Top 5 Wednesday is a feature created by GingerReadsLainey and hosted by ThoughtsonTomes. To find out more about Top 5 Wednesday and the upcoming topics, check out its Goodreads page. This week it’s all about the characters you are most like, whether it’s just one element of their personality that’s similar to your own or all of it.
Clint Barton/Hawkeye – Marvel
I have a lot of personality traits similar to Clint Barton, I’m often underestimated and have a weird sense of humour. But the main is, like Clint Barton, I often don’t make it obvious that I’m smart. While other people would be showing off I, like Clint, am happy to get on with things and if I surprise people with how much I know on a certain subject then OK.
Hermione Granger – Harry Potter
Just like Hermione, I love to read. Whether it’s huge non-fiction books about something completely different to what I’d normally read, or some fun chick-lit or a comic book, I love discovering new books.
Edmund Pevensie – The Chronicles of Narnia
Edmund is a bit of a black sheep in his family and he doesn’t always feel like he fits in. I know that feeling, though mine is more when it comes to friends and groups of people than my family, and I guess we all do sometimes.
Mia Thermopolis – The Princess Diaries
The only way Mia can really explain how she feels or what’s going on in her head is in writing, that’s very much like me. I always find it easier to get my feelings down in writing rather than saying them to someone’s face.
Elizabeth Bennet – Pride & Prejudice
Elizabeth is fiercely independent and likes to speak her mind. While I might not always feel confident to speak my mind all the time, I do sometimes and I definitely am an independent person.
I posted my spoiler-free review of Captain America: Civil War a few days ago and you can read that here. This my spoiler review and it’s kind of ended up in any old order where I mostly talk about each character and what I liked about them. Be warned this is a long post – it’s over 1,800 words! Now below is all my spoiler-filled thoughts on the movie so once again you have been warned! I really advise you not to read any further if you haven’t seen the film. (more…)
I have a lot of emotions about Clint Barton aka Hawkeye. If you’ve been on my blog before or follow me on Twitter you probably already know that because I have semi-frequent freak outs about Clint Barton and how much I relate to him.
Obviously there’s a lot of different interpretations of Clint Barton in media, there’s animated TV shows, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and of course the comics. The first time I came across Clint Barton was in the awesome Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes TV series and I immediately fell in love. I’ve now gone on to read Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye comic run and various runs of Secret Avengers that feature Clint and of course the movies and I just love him a ridiculous amount.
There are many reasons I love Clint Barton but really it’s because he’s just a normal human who is very skilled at what he does and is a hero but he also makes mistakes and is sometimes a bit of a walking disaster. Clint always tries his best but sometimes life gets him down, he is after all just a normal guy running around with the Avengers. Clint is loyal, funny, self-deprecating and he is also a lot smarter than he appears to be. He sometimes keeps himself closed off but when he does trust and care about you he’ll do anything to protect them.
I think one of the reasons I will always want to protect Clint Barton when someone says he’s the most useless or boring Avenger, is because I see a lot of my personality in him and relate to him a lot – seriously, I always get Clint Barton in “Which Avenger are you?” quizzes. Clint Barton is just a guy with a bow with a terrible past, who tries to do the right thing but doesn’t always succeed – because he’s human – and he’ll always be one of my favourite characters.
I’ve seen this meme a bit around Tumblr and I fancied doing it. As it says you just list nine characters that you identify with, you can explain why if you can or just list the characters. I’m just going to have a line about an aspect of each character that I identify with because when it comes to some of the characters I could talk for ages about how I identify with them and with some I identify with them in more than one way.
Clint Barton/Hawkeye – Marvel
– Pretends to be not as smart as he really is
Hermione Granger – Harry Potter
– A love of books
Evelyn Carnahan – The Mummy
– Has a thirst for knowledge and wants to be the best in her field
Jonathan Carnahan – The Mummy
– Doesn’t quite know how to be a proper adult
Riley Poole – National Treasure
– The loyal friend
Edmund Pevensie – The Chronicles of Narnia
– Doesn’t always feel like they fit in.
Mia Thermopolis – The Princess Diaries
– Can only really explain how she feels in writing
Darcy Lewis – Thor
– Has humour in the face of adversity
Aaron Livesy – Emmerdale
– Bottles things up till they explode in one way or another
The first four in this list came to me straight away while some of the others I had to think about for a bit. What characters do you identify with? Please let me know if you do this meme/tag thing, I think it’s a great insight into people’s personalities and how they see themselves.
This review is full of spoilers. It’s all my thoughts about the characters and the plot, and all the things I loved and the stuff I wasn’t over keen on. You can read my spoiler-free review here. I wasn’t sure of the best way to go about this – it turned into a weird episodic structure where I talked about each character in turn and the things I liked/disliked about what they did. It also ended up being rather long, seriously it’s over 1,800 words! Last warning for SPOILERS! (more…)
Elena Square Eyes 