The Iron Age of Comics: Jim Shooter's Return to Marvel

However, Tom Cruise accepted the role despite serious reservations from Jim Shooter and creators like Chris Claremont. It became a family affair when Cruise’s then-wife, Nicole Kidman, signed on as Jean Grey and rounding the famous love triangle was Ethan Hawke as Cyclops.

Whoa boy, I don't like the sound of this...
 
A weird personal opinion, but this is where some serious butterflies for X-Men's "meta" will start cropping up. Hear me out.

The X-Men, for all their many, many popular individual characters, always went back to a "core" or "distilled" team of the O5 X-Men (excepting Angel whenever I see one cut) and the "Big Four" of Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus of the All-New X-Men. Seriously! Look at the X-Men of the 70s and 80s and who their most major characters were - it was Cyclops, Jean Grey, and the Big Four All-New ones in those classic storylines. Beast, meanwhile, was keeping up himself in importance as an Avenger and would return to being the much-needed Smart Guy of the team and extra muscle complimenting Colossus, and even Iceman continued to bounce around teams and be a young humorous guy to relate to in those days before everyone (almost) reunited for the insane popularity of the 90s. Those eight always pop up first or very early on in adaptions as core or charter members of the X-Men.

But speaking of the various adaptions, in addition to the Core Eight as I'll call them, there's usually popular extras of the decade to round the team out. In the 90s it was, for example, Jubilee and Gambit in the cartoon and Capcom Vs games... and Rogue in the 00s movie series. As such Jubilee being part of this world's MCU that will likely be a major impact on comics culture like the OTL one was may very well make HER a permanent "Core" member and inescapable as one of the main team members in the public eye. Think of how Black Widow and Hawkeye are now charter Avengers in many adaptions since the MCU despite Ant-Man and Wasp being the two other founders besides the "solo book" founders of Cap/Iron Man/Thor/Hulk and you'll get exactly what I'm trying to say.
Indeed. Jubilee never transferred to Generation X because "Phalanx Covenant" was butterflied by Lobdell's departure to DC and the Cataclysm crossover so she will be staying with the core X-Men for a while yet.

Whoa boy, I don't like the sound of this...
I never said it was going to be all sunshine and rainbows. ;) But I do think the strength of the rest of the cast may carry the film.
 
Several other actors were in consideration for the role of Xavier. Patrick Stewart had been a fan-favorite due to his likeness to the character, however, he had commitments to the Star Trek films and declined. Marvel threw a curveball when they announced that the role went to musician David Bowie. While Bowie had starred in films before--notably in Labyrinth--the news bewildered the unsuspecting fanbase who largely took a “wait and see” approach.
What The F@#!? Bowie! I’m not even complaining.
 
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I sent you my casting thought @Pyro by PM but for the record here, I think you have a mostly decent cast. As long as the script is strong and the SFX holds up then you could be onto a 1995 Blockbuster.

An X-Men movie that is part of an MCU is going to change how the mutant discrimination works in the universe too- with other 'spandex types' running around why are Mutants so feared- esp those that work as obvious Heroes? Does not need much, but some scenes, or exposition as to why these folks are singled out OR a public reaction that is hostile to all 'Supers' would be needed to make the world 'work' imho.
 
with other 'spandex types' running around why are Mutants so feared- esp those that work as obvious Heroes?
This has always been my issue with X-Men being in continuity with other Marvel heroes, it's really hard to square issues of discrimination against mutants when you've got open heroes like the Avengers and Fantastic Four running around.

As for the casting, I love the visual of Tom Cruise with muttonchop sideburns. He's also going to have to do some serious bulking up but it's going to be neat seeing him in a film where no effort is made to disguise his height.

Can Reeves pull of a Cajun accent?
 

Ficboy

Banned
Jim Shooter's Marvel Comics has resulted in not just the titular Iron Age of Comics but also an earlier Marvel Cinematic Universe with all of it's heroes (including big names), DC doing a Superman remake and an earlier superhero movie golden age coming into existence.

I like it.
 
I don't understand why people keep saying prejudice against mutants doesn't make sense. THAT'S THE POINT. PREJUDICE DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, PERIOD!

Although, I guess if you had to make the argument, the fear is due to the fact that characters like Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, these are aberrations. Mutants are a separate species from humans, Homo Superior, and are believed to be the next stage in evolution. To certain people, every mutant is a living, breathing, walking reminder that Mankind will one day be extinct.
 
I don't understand why people keep saying prejudice against mutants doesn't make sense. THAT'S THE POINT. PREJUDICE DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, PERIOD!

Although, I guess if you had to make the argument, the fear is due to the fact that characters like Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, these are aberrations. Mutants are a separate species from humans, Homo Superior, and are believed to be the next stage in evolution. To certain people, every mutant is a living, breathing, walking reminder that Mankind will one day be extinct.

But how do you know Spider-Man, Thor etc isn't a Mutant? Either the prejudice should be against anyone in a costume without an obvious and verifiable 'lab accident/gamma bomb' type backstory or the finger pointing makes less sense. If the X-Men never mentioned they where Mutants and just saved everyone how do you know they are different to the next Superteam?

It's why the X-Men metaphor for folk being different is more poignant in a universe without other Supers like the Fox/MCU split now.
 
Mutants are a separate species from humans
Okay, but how can you tell? Would any person with extraordinary abilities who's origins aren't public knowledge be considered a mutant by default? Unless you 'came out' as a mutant (deliberate wording) would you be assumed to be an aberration?
 
OH MAN. Time for another weird "meta" opinion again! :D I'm going to need to make a comparison in meta terms to a DC franchise it was once seen as a parallel to: the Teen Titans.

Imagine if the Teen Titans never really STOPPED being the A-list DC franchise after the 80s but instead exploded in the 90s. Imagine if the majority of new heroes created were teens and/or Titans to cash in on that big reputation and attraction. Imagine if Young Justice in general, Tim Drake, Kon-El, etc. were tied 100% into the Titans. And that the DC universe had become "Titans and friends", more or less, like the Marvel U was "X-Men and friends (and Spidey still huge but hey)". Feels... weird at best, and more likely wrong in general, right? This in SPITE of the Titans are supposed to be a major team in-universe, yes, but the concept of "teen" or "offbeat" heroes themselves very rare and most of them within the Titans team itself. Such heroes were meant to be rare versus the typical DC adult and stable hero.

Marvel's mutants were like that. They were meant to be more off-kilter and with weirder powers than your typical handsome Avenger or FF - even Spidey, Hulk, and Thing were more well-received via association with the Avengers/FF and still having (mostly) 'typical' expected superpowers like super-strength. And mutants were supposed to be RARE. RARE. The mutants were supposed to be almost all entirely based in the X-book (no plural at the time, natch) and a harbringer of powers to come, versus, again, your typical good-looking adult hero with "cool" or "typical" powers in the Avengers and FF. They weren't supposed to become the most numerous kind of origin in the Marvel universe at all and certainly not numerous enough to become a subculture or nation.

When you basically flay down "mutants" as a concept to the core X-Men heroes, villains, and supporting cast and almost not much else, they fit in MUCH more with a "typical Marvel U" because they're actually that off-kilter, and youthful, and soap-opera-y, to the more straight-laced heroics (so to speak) of the Avengers and its "solo book" heroes and the contrasting ensemble book of the FF. Don't think of the huge expansion of the X-books from the 80s-00s, just try to imagine their core and nothing else and then remember the warning of "Homo Superior" makes much more sense when it's a blip that barely exists, but could potentially explode, instead of the ironically-meta way it actually did in OTL. I will ALWAYS, ALWAYS defend the X-Men make sense in-universe when they're not numerous because they weren't MEANT to be, and in meta terms as the "teen" or "soap opera" team book versus sci-fi FF and straight-laced "solo heroes band together" heroics of the Avengers. As long as you keep the X-Men and mutants small in numbers they work very, even extremely, fine for their book themes.

I'd even be willing to argue the X-Men themselves SHOULD BE fairly beloved by the public, being obvious superheroes, and them versus your typical not-heroic mutant but normal-schlub living life who may be shot or lynched and having an even more screwy "power" or look versus an X-Man... much as say a racial minority like African-Americans suffer extreme prejudice even though many black celebrities are beloved even by those otherwise indisputably racist and evil to the minority. You'd get a lot of mileage out of that frustrating Professor X and Magneto alike.
 
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Chapter 31 - An End of an Era, The Beginning of a New Crisis
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DC’s Legion of Super-Heroes had become a continuity quagmire after eight years of rampant retcons and editorial in-fighting. Much of it stemmed from the decision to reboot Superman in 1986, which eliminated the Man of Steel’s career as Superboy and thus eliminated the inspiration for the team and made Mon-El’s existence paradoxical. Paul Levitz created a “continuity patch” with the Pocket Universe saga that created a copy of the Silver Age Superboy, but Superman editor Mike Carlin wanted all references to Man of Steel removed from the Legion. The final straw came with the appearance of the SW6 Legionnaires--teenage “clones” of the Adventure Comics-era Legion, who may or may not have been the real Legion.

After thirty-six years of continuity, DC Comics decided to pull the plug on the 30th century. With the company’s 60th anniversary looming, the company decided to make the demise of the Legion an event to tie into their big crossover for 1995. Thus the editorial offices of Legion, Superman, and The Flash would coordinate to bring out what would be called “End of an Era” overseen by writer, Mark Waid.

It began in Valor where the time manipulator Glorith unintentionally killed the titular character after he refused her advances. This caused a fatal paradox as Valor (formerly Mon-El) became the Legion’s inspiration in Superboy’s place, which caused the fabric of time to slowly unravel. Characters slowly began to fade into oblivion only for matters to get worse as Glorith and Mordru seize upon the temporal chaos in a bid to combine their powers and control of time.

Superman gets drawn into the conflict as their manipulations reach into the 20th Century and paradoxes appear in Metropolis--most notably the arrival of the Pre-Crisis Superboy. After a brief battle between the two Superboys, the Man of Steel surmises that something corrupted that timestream. An assumption Waverider and the Linear Men confirm when they arrive to take Superman and the Pre-Crisis Superboy to the source of the disruption.

Meanwhile, the disruptions continue in Flash #94 with Barry Allen pulled out of his “last race” from Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 to come face to face with his successor, Wally West, and grandson, Bart Allen. Naturally, Wally is skeptical as Eobard Thawne impersonated Barry in “The Return of Barry Allen,” but must put them aside when the temporal upheaval pulls the three into the conflict raging in the 30th century.

The alliance between Mordru and Glorith ultimately proves too much for both Legions, Superman, and the Flash family to defeat. After their failure to unleash the Infinite Man on them, both Brainiac Fives grimly come to the conclusion that it’s too late to save the 30th century and that they must stop Mordru and Glorith from corrupting all of time and space. To this end, they build an “entropy bomb” that will completely collapse all of spacetime and thus stop the villains.

Though Pre-Crisis Superboy and Barry Allen volunteer to deliver to Entropy Bomb, the Linear Men whisk the 20th century heroes away as they will be needed for the battle ahead. So it comes down to the three founding members of the Legion (Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad) and their SW6 counterparts after the rest of the Legion fades away. After a tearful good-bye, they plunge into the rift and detonate the Entropy Bomb that collapses the 30th century and end the threat of Mordru and Glorith forever. Or so it seems…

The epilogue of the arc reveals that the event was orchestrated by Monarch [1], who manipulated Glorith into killing Valor and allying with Mordru. Their destabilization of the timeline was only the first step in a plan to to reshape reality as he sees fit to which he says, “There shall come a reckoning, A CRISIS.”

Indeed as DC would begin their promotion of Countdown: A Crisis in Time beginning in 1995.

[1]Formerly the hero, Captain Atom, who curiously takes on an appearance similar to Doctor Manhattan.
 
Chapter 32 - Groundhog Day
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Development on Sonic the Hedgehog 3 would prove to be an ambitious undertaking after the massive success of its predecessor. Perhaps too ambitious as space/cost concerns and time constraints forced Sega to split the game into two to make its February 2, 1994 release date. However, many critics praised its visuals and sound as well as new gameplay elements such as the elemental shields (which would become a series staple) despite its short length compared to Sonic 2. The game would introduce Knuckles the Echidna as an antagonist and rival to Sonic to hinder the player’s progress as Dr. Eggman rushes to complete repairs on the Death Egg.

The levels included are as follows: Angel Island, Hydrocity, Marble Gardens, Neon Carnival [1], Flying Battery, Ice Cap, and Launch Base.

The other half of the game would see release on November 18, 1994, which featured Knuckles as a playable character and Lock-On technology that allowed it to make the character playable in Sonics 2 & 3. Moreover, it made Sonic 3 a more complete gaming experience. The levels added were Mushroom Valley, Sandopolis, Lava Reef, Sacred Temple [2], Sky Sanctuary, Death Egg, and Doomsday [3].

Both games proved to be a success, allowing Sega to hold its own against Nintendo’s Super Metroid and Donkey Kong Country. Knuckles proved to be such a popular character after his introduction in both the comic and Fox Kids animated series that Sega decided to feature the echidna in his own game for the launch of the Sega Saturn in September 1995 while the Sega Technical Institute worked on the Blue Blur’s 32-bit debut scheduled for 1996.

[1] The only discernible difference between Neon Carnival and its OTL counterpart is the name and some aesthetic elements.

[2] Essentially the same as OTL Hidden Palace, but fleshed out into a full “two act” (though more 1.5 act) zone with Knuckles serving as the Act One boss. Act Two is shorter and focuses on Eggman’s siege of the temple (introducing the Egg Robos) and theft of the Master Emerald. There is no true “boss” for narrative reasons.

[3] Provided you are playing as Sonic and collect the seven Chaos Emeralds.
 
Sonic 3 and Knuckles is one of my favorite games ever. I would love to try this version of it somehow someway. If only because I liked Hidden Palace for the sweet-looking emerald shrine. :D
 
Knuckles gets his own game on the Saturn? Neat!
His particular style of climb/glide/punch gameplay will let Sega use a totally different design language for levels, probably something that will end up being compared favourably to Metroid and Castlevania in its combination of exploration and action (and yes, some speed sections in keeping with the franchise as a whole). The addition of the glide (and faster run speed) can allow for more open levels than the dungeon-crawls of other Metroidvania games, which would let Knuckles: Chaos Control (or whatever the game's title is) stand out from the others. The bright colour pallet of the Sonic franchise also helps.

[edit] Do you think Dr. Eggman should still be the antagonist after the Chaos Emeralds or would a Knuckles solo game warrant a new antagonist character?
 
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