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

[Pyro]

The challenge UPN posed to the Fox Kids programming block with Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers had Fox scrambling for the “next big thing.” For that they would turn to the origin of MMPR’s antecedent: Japan. While Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Metal Heroes proved tempting to Americanize, the network did not want to merely imitate their competition. For that they looked at the popularity of Dragon Ball Z in the land of the rising sun and commissioned Saban Entertainment (who worked with them on the X-Men animated series) to handle the dub. Using voice actors from the Ocean Group out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Dragon Ball Z debuted on Fox Kids in Fall 1994 to high ratings.

Indeed competition from DBZ caused Power Rangers’ ratings to dip slightly, its influence extended beyond television screens and into comic shop shelves. Carol Kalish [1], who was instrumental in bringing an English translation of Akira to Marvel’s Epic imprint, worked to bring not only a translation of the DBZ manga to North America, but the entirety of Shonen Jump as well. By working with retailers she helped pull in a new audience and thus a new audience who saw Marvel’s heroes sharing shelf space with Goku.

The larger impact of Dragon Ball Z would be a wider embrace of manga and anime in western pop culture to the point where Marvel’s competitors: DC, Malibu, and Dark Horse tirelessly worked to import manga to find the next DBZ. Indeed, Warner Bros. would find a surprising addition from Japan for its prime time line-up.

[1] Who survives ITTL due to the flap of a butterfly’s wings.

 

[Pyro]

(A big thank you to @Nivek and @Electric Monk for their input on the Nintendo 64)

1994 saw the first fruits of the Capcom/DC Comics partnership with the release of Superman: Shadow of Apokolips on the Super Nintendo Entertainment system. The game, produced by Tokuro Fujiwara, is a beat-em-up/platformer with some shoot-em-up elements similar to the 1988 Taito arcade game. It loosely follows the storyline of both Doomsday and Apokolips Now featuring the Man of Steel, Booster Gold, Superboy, and Steel as playable characters (curiously with Captain Marvel/Shazam as Player Two) fighting Cyborg Superman and Darkseid. Reviews of the are generally positive, if not average, and Capcom’s other big DC release ultimately overshadows it.

Justice League: Galactic Guardians hit arcades in the waning days of the year. Modelled after Super Street Fighter II and roughly inspired by both the The Challenge of the Superfriends animated series and the comics, the features Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Black Canary battling the Legion of Doom (Lex Luthor, Joker, Cheetah, Gorilla Grodd, Black Manta, and Count Vertigo [1].) The game features such locales like the Hall of Justice, the Legion’s Headquarters, the Batcave as well as voice samples from Beau Weaver, BJ Ward [2], and Kevin Conroy. The game is a smash hit and heavily promoted in the lead-up to Superman 95’ and becomes a launch title for the Sega Saturn in North America come September 1995.

Speaking of which…

Nintendo is hard at work on Project Reality with Silicon Graphics. The success of Donkey Kong Country led the couple to delay their fifth-generation console to 1996 although strong holiday sales of Sega and Sony’s Saturn in Japan due to Virtua Fighter [3] and its anticipated release in the United States have caused some concern. Hiroshi Yamauchi insists that the new system stick with the cartridge format despite its competitor(s) using compact disc, however, SGI would use a more generalized SDRAM anticipating a price collapse while Nintendo would collaborate with Phillips on a sound chip for the new system.

The company would unveil the rechristened Nintendo 64 at Space World in late 1995, but the question on many minds was: would it slow Sega/Sony’s momentum?

[1] With Brainiac as the final boss. Interestingly, Capcom uses his 1983 design.

[2] Who voiced Superman and Wonder Woman in the 1988 animated series.

[3] Approximately 650,000 units at launch.

 

[Pyro]

Cross promotion with James Cameron’s Spider-Man increased the web-slinger’s sales to where they outsold the X-Men titles, but Tom DeFalco and Spider-Man’s editorial wanted to do something big to bring more attention to the comic. “Doomsday” and “Knightfall” were big sellers for Marvel’s distinguished competition and “Emerald Twilight” brought in a new audience for the languishing Green Lantern, and thus Spider-Man would see a seismic shift in his status quo come 1995. A suggestion came from writer Terry Kavanaugh to bring back the Spider-Man clone from the original 1975 storyline. Shooter himself was not pleased with the idea, but was more focused on Marvel’s endeavours in film and television to vocally object.

The clone Spider-Man, who now called himself “Ben Reilly”, reappeared in Web of Spider-Man #120 [1] for the “Power and Responsibility” storyline. This revelation angers and confuses Spider-Man, who is still emotionally reeling from his parents’ “return” and “deaths” who attacks Ben, but is later forced to partner with him to save the Ravencroft Institute from Judas Traveller and his host. Peter learns to trust Ben at the story’s conclusion, and the latter begins his vigilante career as the Scarlet Spider.

Tom DeFalco and editor Danny Fingeroth’s plan for the storyline was to last six months and reach its emotional climax with the death of May Parker’s passing in Amazing Spider-Man #400. Along the way, Mary-Jane Watson would reveal her pregnancy to Peter, who would then question his where his responsibilities lie. As Ben establishes a new life himself, Peter eventually asks him to take up the mantle as his main responsibility was to his growing family and would thus retire from vigilantism.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was where the storyline crossed over with Fantastic Four when Spider-Man revealed his identity to Johnny Storm to give him the news. Naturally, Johnny is both shocked and furious, but comes around when Peter introduces MJ to the Fantastic Four to explain his reasons for retiring. One of the more interesting aspects of the crossover is where Reed Richard remarks that Peter’s job as a freelance photographer was insufficient for a growing family and offers him a position on the team as an assistant, which solidified Peter as a part of the Four’s supporting cast [2].

However, Peter would have one last great adventure as Spider-Man when Nick Fury presents him with information that his mother is still alive and in captivity in Eastern Europe. Wolverine would accompany Peter on the mission as he reveals that the Parkers saved his life while he was still an agent for Canadian intelligence [3]. The pair rescue Mary Parker who would take May’s position as parental figure, albeit struggling to find a place in her son’s life as he missed most of his upbringing.

Fan reaction to the change in status quo was mixed, though generally positive with considerable media attention. Many on nascent Internet forums and newsgroups vented about how Peter Parker was the one, true Spider-Man. Meanwhile, others (including Shooter) remarked that Marvel was supposed to represent the real world where people grow and mature. Ben represented Spider-Man as he always was--the hard luck everyman--and Peter would still prominently feature in both Fantastic Four and the Spider-Man titles. Despite the initial outcry, Marvel was committed to stay the course as further changes loomed on the horizon.

[1] Three months later then OTL due to Cataclysm.

[2] Indeed, Peter’s decision to retire as Spider-Man to focus on his family may have... interesting ripple effects on the Fantastic Four in the coming months.

[3] Similar to the OTL 1997 “Flashback” issue, Wolverine was the first to congratulate Richard and Mary Parker on the pregnancy.

 

[Pyro]

Malibu’s sales saw a noticeable decline in 1994 as events like Cataclysm and Knightfall overshadowed their line and failed ventures like their Ultraforce [1] and Dinosaurs For Hire animated series only caused their fortunes to sink lower. The final straw came with the launch of Marvel’s Defiant imprint, particularly Starbrand, which bore some similarities to their 1993 comic Solar: Man of the Atom. So Malibu filed a copyright infringement suit against Marvel, which depleted the company’s finances further.

Meanwhile, the Walt Disney company was looking to expand into other media and the smash success of 1994’s Spider-Man and its effect on comic book sales did not go unnoticed by the mouse. Eisner wanted a piece of the action by getting Mickey, Donald, and other Disney characters into American comic shops. There was a wealth of material to import from Europe and there were other properties that lent well to the medium--notably Gargoyles, whose showrunner (Greg Weisman) worked in the industry. The problem was infrastructure.

Malibu president Scott Mitchell Rosenberg operated his own distribution company, which made Malibu all the more enticing for Eisner. Thus Disney bought Malibu Comics on January 15, 1995 for a reported $20 million. Disney would later purchase the Gold Key characters from Western Publishing (who licensed the characters to Malibu) for a further $6 million. Malibu abruptly cancelled all of its titles save for the popular Prime, Mantra, and Turok in anticipation of the company’s relaunch in June of that year.

While the Ultraverse would continue under the new Malibu, it was Disney’s properties that would take center stage with the relaunch, starting with a line of comic books based on the Disney Afternoon block (Ducktales, Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, and Darkwing Duck) that now existed within a shared universe. Additionally, Gargoyles received a comic book spinoff that was canon to the original show and itself would spin off into other titles. This change in direction benefited Malibu, whose market share incrementally increased though still dwarfed by the Big Two.

However, the Malibu acquisition also gifted Disney with a wealth of intellectual properties. Disney put an animated Prime film into production with a tentative release date of Summer 1998 [2] and even saw potential in a property from one of Malibu’s early acquisitions for Touchstone Pictures: Men in Black.

[1] Slightly different than OTL with the Moore characters featured in it as well.

[2] Butterflies flapped 1997’s Hercules, with Mulan taking its place in the production schedule.

 

[Pyro]

There were no shortage of animated programs adapted from video games throughout the 1990s, which ran the gamut from Nintendo’s Mario to Sega’s Sonic to Techno’s Double Dragon. All varied in quality with Sonic the Hedgehog considered the best of them, but Capcom’s blue bomber, Mega Man, deserves special recognition. The character had been featured in Captain N on NBC from 1989 to 1991 [1], but it was a far-from-faithful adaptation of the character. Instead of the iconic blue armour, he was green and his raspy smoker’s voice grated on fans. When it came time for Mega Man to star in his own cartoon--Capcom of Japan decided on moving production back to the Land of the Rising Sun in a partnership with Toei Animation. Rockman would air on Japanese television in the fall of 1994.

However, Capcom of America would be heavily involved in the production with translation and working with an English voice cast. Indeed, UPN was looking for something anime-esque to compete with Fox Kids’ Dragon Ball Z and picked up Mega Man to air in February 1995. In practice, Mega Man competed more with Sonic the Hedgehog than DBZ. The first five episodes roughly adapted the events of the first game with the rest of the season taking a more episodic approach with a featured “Robot Master of the Week” to challenge Mega Man [2]. Break Man/Blues would appear in the latter part of the season aiding Dr. Wily, but holding back in his confrontations with Rock.

Mega Man boasted excellent ratings to become the network’s second most-watched program behind Power Rangers. Fans were also pleased with the show’s faithfulness to the games and even had a noticeable effect on sales of Mega Man X and X2 [3]. UPN quickly ordered a second season for their fall line-up, thus ensuring the Blue Bomber a place in their Saturday morning pantheon.

[1] Which never had a comic adaptation ITTL without Valiant Comics.

[2] The Dr. Light line would later appear as part of Mega Man/Rock’s supporting cast. Quick Man and Wood Man from Mega Man 2 would take Cut Man and Guts Man’s place as henchmen with Reggae as comic relief.

[3] Which were slightly higher ITTL.

 

[Pyro]

Mega Man
Network: UPN
Airdates: February 11, 1995 - February 28, 1997
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 78

CAST [1]
Mona Marshall as Rock/Mega Man
Katie Leigh as Roll
Andre Stojka as Dr. Thomas Light, Bomb Man
Cam Clarke as Blues/Break Man/Proto Man, Zero [2]
Pat Fraley as Dr. Albert Wily, Ice Man
Richard Epcar as Fire Man, Wood Man
Townsend Coleman as Elec Man [3], Quick Man
Tony Oliver as Cut Man, X
Frank Welker as Rush, Treble, Beat, Reggae, various Robot Masters
Quinton Flynn as Bass [4], Blast Hornet
Peter Cullen as Guts Man, Vile​

[1] The voice cast for the show returned to reprise their roles for Mega Man 8 and Mega Man X4, respectively, thus avoiding the issues of the OTL dub.

[2] Both X and Zero appear in the second season via time travel to promote the release of Mega Man X3 (hence the inclusion of Blast Hornet). Imagine Oliver and Clarke reprising their roles as Rick Hunter and Max Sterling from Robotech.

[3] With the same voice as the Tick, which was butterflied ITTL.

[4] Introduced in the second season ahead of Mega Man 7.

 

[Pyro]

After months of speculation, Sega and Sony finally unveiled their new console the Saturn at Winter CES 1995 in Las Vegas. The new console would boast a CPU and GPU developed by Sony, although the system would use a different VDP for 2D games, as well as a staggering 4 megabytes of RAM. Of particular interest was Virtua Fighter, a game that boasted the next-generation console’s 3D capabilities was playable and attracted much attention from the media. Sega and Sony Computer Entertainment of America included non-playable demos of other games in development such as Panzer Dragoon (which would see release in Japan that March) and Tomy's Battle Arena Toshinden (published by SCEA.)

Fans were particularly interested in the early build of Knuckles: Relic Hunters, a spin-off of Sega’s highly popular Sonic the Hedgehog series. The would be an action/adventure platformer [1] that would emphasize exploration over speed with the Rad Red echidna teaming up with Bill the Platypus, Thrash the Tasmanian Devil, Kicks the Kangaroo, and Ray the Flying Squirrel [2] against a dingo tomb raider called Relic, who is obsessed with the ancient echidna civilization that once inhabited Angel Island.

Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske confirmed that the game would be a launch title for the system. The newly-unveiled characters would soon appear in the Marvel comic and the upcoming fourth season of the animated series airing on Fox. What Kalinske would be coy on was the price of the system. Many industry insiders speculated a price tag of at least $399, but Sega would make an announcement that would rock the gaming world come the inaugural Electronics Entertainment Expo that May.

[1] With some brawler elements to further differentiate it from the mainline Sonic the Hedgehog series.

[2] In a twist of fate it is Mighty the Armadillo who becomes the more obscure character ITTL.

 

[Pyro]

(OOC: Two updates in one day? I'm on fire, but hopefully no one will be out for my blood after this one.)

Marvel’s Avengers had been a house divided for two years, split between Captain America’s idealism and Iron Man’s increasingly brutal pragmatism. However, it would take a murder and a shocking betrayal to bring both factions together. The story began shortly after Cataclysm’s end where Natasha Romanov, better known as Black Widow of Force Works, is fleeing from an industrial complex with her pursuer on her heels. The reader only sees a shadow, but it’s implied that she is familiar with them before said pursuer murders her in cold blood.

The murder draws the attention of both the Avengers and Force Works, who agree to put old animosities aside to solve the Widow’s murder. However, Tony Stark soon comes forth with new evidence that the murderer is the Widow’s former partner and longtime Avenger: Hawkeye. What follows is a massive manhunt for the archer, which turns into a race as Iron Man is unusually obsessed with bringing him to justice. Cap ultimately confronts and corners Hawkeye, who claims his innocence but cannot account for his whereabouts. Captain America believes him, but Iron Man arrives to arrest Hawkeye before he could escape.

It is during Hawkeye’s trial that Tony Stark reveals footage of Hawkeye killing Black Widow, ensuring a guilty verdict. However, Captain America brings in Professor Charles Xavier to an imprisoned Hawkeye before sentencing. Professor X confirms that Hawkeye’s mind had been tampered with, suggesting that he had been brainwashed. A mysterious figure soon approaches Cap with evidence that could exonerate him: Rita DeMara AKA the second Yellowjacket, who returned from Earth-691.

DeMara reveals the true murderer of Black Widow: Tony Stark himself, who had brainwashed Hawkeye to kill her because she discovered a horrifying secret and was defecting to the Avengers. That secret is that the armored avenger had been (apparently) working with Kang to destroy the Avengers for an unknown length of time. Stark flees, but leaves both the Avengers and Force Works in disarray. This gives Kang an opportunity to crush the hated Avengers while the team is at its weakest, starting the Forever War.

Some fans deemed Forever War convoluted, even by comic book standards, as it was not Kang but his future counterpart Immortus that was responsible for Iron Man’s fall (he had been disguised as Kang.) He had been controlling Iron Man via the microchip that had allowed him to walk after Kathy Dare had shot him [1]. Then he manipulated his younger self into attacking the Avengers, which incenses Kang, whose armies attack Immortus’ with the 20th century and the Avengers trapped in the middle.

However, Tony Stark regains control of his actions and is horrified by the atrocities Immortus manipulated him into committing. He chooses to sacrifice himself to send Kang and Immortus’ armies back as penance and hopefully earn a degree of redemption. While successful, the broken remains of the Avengers and Force Works come together as one team, but it’s a bittersweet reunion as two of their own are dead.

Forever War was a controversial storyline to say the least, but controversy sold in this instance as the Avengers titles and the tie-in issues shot to the top of sales charts. Many fans were vocal in their displeasure of how they turned one of the company’s most iconic characters outright villainous. Yet a smaller, but equally vocal contingent liked it because it shook up the calcified status quo. Indeed, the storyline renewed interest in Marvel’s Avengers line--particularly Iron Man, which Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning jumped on with the story arc, “Singularity.”

[1] Iron Man (vol. 1) #242

 

[Pyro]

Superman (1995)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Story by Bob Gale
Produced by Warner Bros.

Cast

Brendan Fraser as Clark Kent/Superman
Jennifer Connelly as Lois Lane
Bruce Willis as Lex Luthor
Howie Long as Major John Corben/Metallo
Peter Falk as Jonathan Kent
Olympia Dukakis as Martha Kent
Ernie Hudson as Perry White
Will Friedle as Jimmy Olsen
Matt Dillion as Steve Lombard
Lisa Edelstein as Hope
Tony Todd as ???
Michael Dorn as ???

Released: June 9, 1995

Budget: $175 Million
Box Office Gross: $1.054 Billion​

Fans looked to Steven Spielberg’s Superman with great anticipation as the public memory of 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace had largely faded. Indeed, James Cameron’s Spider-Man helped boost expectations from fans, who expected the Man of Steel to match Marvel’s Web-slinger tit for tat. Audiences had reacted well to the trailers and test screenings had been largely positive. Expectations were high, especially for Brendan Fraser, who had succeeded Christopher Reeve in the role. “It was hard not to feel a degree of imposter syndrome,” Fraser himself would recall a few years later, “I went from playing a reanimated caveman to having my face on action figures and a mountain of other merchandise.”

Steven Spielberg likewise dealt with high expectations coming off the highly successful Jurassic Park. He and Bob Gale of Back to the Future fame sought to draw from every aspect of the Man of Steel’s sixty year long history from Action Comics #1 to present day. That became evident to audiences on June 9, 1995 when the film began with an animated introduction directed by Bruce Timm (of Batman: The Animated Series fame) in the style of the Fleischer Studios shorts from the forties.

V.O. (Provided by Corey Burton)
Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! This amazing stranger from the planet Krypton! The Man of Steel… SUPERMAN! Empowered with x-ray vision and possessing great physical strength, Superman fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way [1].

The camera zooms in on the symbol emblazoned on his chest as John Williams’ score begins for the opening credits reminiscent of Richard Donner’s 1978 film.

It begins with NASA’s experimental space plane prototype making its approach on Metropolis International Airport for the city’s annual air show with Daily Planet reporter, Lois Lane, on board. Everything appears to be going well until one of its engines explodes. Spectators on the ground panic as a crash appears imminent until a nameless stranger flies into action to stabilize the plane’s flight and allow it to land safely and Lois confronts the stranger. Both appear infatuated on the spot, but onlookers mob them both and force him to fly off before he can reveal any information.

The appearance of this “Superman” excites the citizens of Metropolis, but their reaction at the air show troubles Clark who returned to Smallville to talk to his parents. Jonathan and Martha Kent encourage him to continue helping people, but suggest that he take up a costumed identity and even help him with creating his costume [2]. He eventually returns to the city in his civilian guise to take up a position as the Daily Planet’s new staff writer. The dynamic between Lois and Clark changes somewhat. While Clark is smitten with Lois, she sees him as more of a rival after Perry White tells the rest of the staff that they could “learn a thing or two from Kent.” Complicating matters is the arrival of Lois’ fiance, Major John Corben, when he makes a visit to the Planet’s offices. Introductions are cut short when Perry announces that a militia is holding the Metropolis Museum of Natural History hostage. Clark mysteriously disappears, to which Lois, assuming that he is trying to scoop her, mutters, “Not today, Smallville.”

Little does she release that Clark ducked into a supply closet to fly into action in his first official outing as SUPERMAN. However, he finds himself briefly exposed to kryptonite when one of the militiamen threatens a student on a field trip, but ultimately overcomes the criminals. Lex Luthor later arrives on the scene to privately reveal that he was responsible for the situation and gives Superman a “job offer” that the Man of Steel coldly rebuffs by flying away. A response that visibly angers Luthor, who then remarks to his bodyguard/chauffeur, Hope, that he will have to “remove” Superman from the equation if he cannot control him.

Bruce Willis’ Lex Luthor is a completely different animal from Gene Hackman’s portrayal twenty years prior. While capable of some well-timed quips--he plays Luthor with surprising intensity and reveals himself to be both manipulative and ruthless. This is particularly evident in his exploitation of Major Corben’s jealousy of Lois’ infatuation with Superman by sabotaging a demonstration of the Lexo-Suit (which Corben is piloting) so that the major is gravely wounded despite Superman’s intervention. He convinces Corben that Superman was going to let him die so that he can have Lois to himself--even showing him footage of a clearly infatuated Lois interviewing the Man of Steel.

Luthor tells Corben that he can give him the power to destroy Superman by transferring his consciousness to an invincible metallic body powered by the piece of Kryptonite from the museum. A heartbroken and enraged Corben agrees to undergo the procedure to be reborn as METALLO. Corben even manages to defeat and humiliate Superman in their first encounter, but soon learns the price that came with his power. He eventually learns that he completely lost his sense of touch when he tries to kiss Lois. This revelation begins his descent into madness where he unintentionally throws Lois off her balcony only for Superman to rescue her and stoke the flames of anger and jealousy.

Concerned with her fiance’s erratic behaviour, Lois begins her own investigation into what truly happened at the Lexo-Suit demonstration with Clark’s assistance. The pair uncover evidence of sabotage, but no concrete proof that Luthor was directly responsible. Meanwhile, Corben himself confronts the doctor that performed the procedure that turned him into Metallo to demand that he be returned to his old body and crushes the man’s skull when he tells him that it is impossible. Corben then sets his sights on Luthor and begins his rampage through Metropolis.

While hectic in pace, Metallo’s rampage reveals some hidden character depths. Steve Lombard, who had played a comedic, crude, and overly macho foil to Clark, takes charge in one scene to move the injured away and even distracts Corben himself long enough for Superman to continue the battle. With some assistance from Lois he lures Corben to one of LexCorp’s steel mills though the homicidal cyborg holds the advantage. He weakens Superman with the Kryptonite, but Lois uses the mill’s machinery to knock her ex-fiance into a vat of molten steel that the Last Son of Krypton freezes with his arctic breath and traps him long enough for Lois to shatter the Kryptonite and end Corben’s threat for good.

While Superman neutralized the threat of Metallo, he still confronts Luthor in his office atop LexCorp Tower. Lex taunts Superman over the lack of evidence of his involvement in the Lexo-Suit sabotage and gloats that most of the city is in his pocket. He asks Superman what he plans to do, to which Superman curtly replies, “I’ll be watching.”

Similar to the 1978’s Superman, the 1995 incarnation ends with Superman flying high above the Earth and smiling into the camera before flying off into the horizon--or so audiences thought. Those that stayed through the credits would be treated to a mid-credits scene taking place in the hellscape familiar to readers of the comic book. Darkseid watches Superman from his throne room with Desaad and Kalibak at his side. Kalibak pleads to his father for the right to battle Superman, only for Darkseid to sharply rebuke him and mention that he has plans for the Kryptonian before the screen fades to black.

The scene itself would lend to much speculation over the following years, but the most persistent rumour was that it was not Spielberg, but George Lucas who directed this scene as a favor to his friends. It would persist for the better part of a decade until confirmed by Lucas himself at the 2004 premiere of Star Wars - Episode IX: Duel of the Fates. Many fans speculated that the scene was part of a larger narrative, which was not always the case. Spielberg and Lucas had originally intended it to be an Easter Egg for the fans that grew beyond its original intention.

Superman ‘95 successfully rode the wave Spider-Man started to become the first film in history to break the billion dollar mark. Reviews were generally favorable, with the Los Angeles Times proclaiming that Superman soars again. Most appreciated that this film incarnation dispensed with the slapstick humour that plagued the Reeve films from Superman II onwards. Most fans and industry observers would mark this film as the true start of DC’s shared cinematic universe (although some considered the Burton Batman films canon.) Warner Bros. immediately greenlit a sequel with a tentative June 1998 release. Spielberg quickly dispelled any notions that he would return for it, but cryptically mentioned, “Why settle for the Man of Steel when you can also have the Dark Knight?”

[1] “The American way” is omitted in some markets.

[2] Which resembles his first OTL Rebirth costume from 2016. The loss of his “briefs” earns a great deal of media attention and creates a minor controversy.

 

[Pyro]

If the inaugural E3 were a high school homecoming, then Sega and Sony would have been the king and queen respectively as it showcased the Saturn with more playable demos than Winter CES earlier that year. Among the games showcased for the platform were Knuckles: Relic Hunters, Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA, Clockwork Knight, Marvel Super Heroes: Contest of Champions, and Panzer Dragoon from Sega while Sony showed off Ridge Racer, War Hawk, and Twisted Metal. Third party developers like Capcom showcased Darkstalkers, Resident Evil, and Justice League: Super Powers and Mortal Kombat 3 from Williams.

Most attendees were enthralled by Knuckles: Relic Hunters as it demonstrated the gameplay of all its characters. Knuckles was the jack of all trades, but the only one in the game who could upgrade his abilities with relics that gave elemental punches and other as of yet undisclosed abilities. Bill the Platypus was (naturally) an adept swimmer that could navigate treacherous waterways without fear of drowning. Thrash the Tasmanian Devil was the mighty glacier with low speed and jumping height, but strong enough to smash barriers with his “Tornado Spin” that even Knuckles could not. He was also the most durable, only losing ten rings when hit. Meanwhile, Kicks the Kangaroo could “wall jump” on terrain that Knuckles could not climb and Ray had similar flight mechanics to Cape Mario from Super Mario World [1] albeit with higher recoil when hit. The game was meant to showcase the Saturn’s 2D capabilities, with much more fluid animation and a brighter colour palette than what the Genesis or SNES were capable of.

Another notable appearance was the newly-formed Marvel Interactive’s [2] Spider-Man as their, which utilized the console’s 3D capabilities. While blocky by present standards, the early demo showed the web slinger navigating the concrete canyons of New York City before facing off against Venom. Marvel pulled out the stops and brought in Christopher Daniel Barnes (who voiced the character from the Fox animated series) and “The Man” himself, Stan Lee for publicity. It had a tentative release date for Q2 1996, but time would tell if Marvel’s maiden voyage in the world of video games would be a successful one.

Fans would be dismayed when Steve Race announced the launch day price of $349.99 come September 9, 1995 at a press conference. Race was coy on the subject of a price drop, but wowed audiences when he announced Sonic the Hedgehog 4: The Rings of Order for the system for the 1996 holiday season. There were some tech demos of the Blue Blur and his sidekick, Tails, but Sega was careful not to let it overshadow Knuckles: Relic Hunters. Information was likewise scarce though it would be confirmed that Hirokazu Yasuhara would be heading the project with the Sega Technical Institute while Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima would be working on another project [3].

Nintendo would not let its rivals steal its thunder as they had their upcoming Nintendo 64 on display with demos of Super Mario 64 and Kirby’s Air Ride on display. The former appeared to be a platformer similar to Marvel’s Spider-Man where Mario and Luigi [4] explored a three-dimensional world while the latter was a racing game. Big N’s presence at E3 1995 was limited otherwise with only demos of Donkey Kong Country 2, Earthbound [5], and Killer Instinct for the SNES on display with a smattering of Game Boy releases.

3DO and Atari had a presence at the exposition, but most commentators saw the two as on their way out. Atari was in especially dire straits after the failure of their Jaguar console, which they had touted as the first 64-bit system. Hasbro, which had recently bought out a minor company named Bungie, was now eyeing the once-venerable Atari as its next acquisition. What this meant for the video games as a whole would not be seen until a new competitor entered the arena.

[1] Much like Sonic Mania Plus from OTL.

[2] Marvel Interactive’s arrangement with Sega is as a second party similar to Rare and Nintendo.

[3] Do I really need to say which one?

[4] A minor butterfly inspired by recent OTL leaks.

[5] Which gets a better advertising campaign and ends up considerably more successful, but not significantly.

 

[Pyro]

As with most corporate mergers, Malibu Comics saw many “casualties” in the months following the acquisition. Of the existing editorial staff, only editor-in-chief Chris Ulm remained as did the existing creative teams on its titles though major changes were on the way. Gargoyles proved to be a success in syndication, which led to some executives at Disney wanting to tie the Malibu properties into a shared animation universe as Marvel had done on Fox and UPN. Both Ulm and Gargoyles showrunner, Greg Weisman, resisted the idea as it felt forced. Thankfully it helped that most of Malibu’s characters were based in southern California while the Manhattan clan rarely ventured past the New York City area so there was a degree of separation.

There were some minor appearances by the Pack in Prime and a Macbeth cameo in Mantra along with some Easter eggs in the form of advertisements for the Xanatos and CyberBiobotics corporations. Malibu soon drew in veteran talent like Cary Bates, Len Wein, and Gerry Conway as well as established screenwriters like Jeph Loeb to act as architects for their “new” universe. Bates, who had worked with Weisman on DC’s Captain Atom and as writer on Gargoyles, convinced that Malibu’s properties were compatible with the world he created and work started on unifying the properties.

Some properties like Turok and Magnus, Robot Fighter [1] either took place in another dimension or in a divergent future so no effort was made to integrate them into the “unified” Malibu universe. Bates relaunched Solar and set in motion the seeds for the next company event that would establish the new status quo. Meanwhile, Horus made an appearance during the “World Tour” arc of Gargoyles’ second season--however the big push came after the finale, “Hunter’s Moon” that tied into the Unity mini-series.

With the Manhattan clan’s existence exposed to the public, several government agencies, the military, and corporations either hunt down or confront the clan with the Illuminati pulling the strings. Meanwhile, Demona also conspires to twist the situation to her advantage by convincing the other clans worldwide to war against the humans and uses her magic to turn Solar into her personal trump to use to rewrite reality should her scheme fail. However, it all amounts to naught as the Clan and the other Malibu heroes confront her.

While successful in stopping her plan, the event left Solar drained of most of his power and no longer omnipotent [2]. Gargoyles would become the backbone of the new Malibu universe with various characters like Manowar appearing in the third season on ABC’s Disney Adventures block [3] while comic spin-offs like Time Dancer would chronicle Brooklyn’s travels through time and Redeemers would chronicle the Redemption Squad’s missions.

Slowly, but surely, Malibu was moving into a solid third place in the comic book scene with a growing presence on television and Prime animated feature on the horizon.

[1] The former would see development into an animated series by Walt Disney animation.

[2] His powers are now comparable to Captain Atom before his heel-turn.

[3] Replacing OTL’s One Saturday Morning.

 

[Pyro]

Crossovers between Marvel’s two biggest properties, Spider-Man and X-Men, in the comics had been surprisingly scarce though that changed with the upcoming release of the X-Men feature film. Thankfully both properties had shared a common theme at the time: genetics. There was an ongoing mystery surrounding the Jackal’s machinations in the Spider-Man titles while Mister Sinister was a lingering presence in Cyclops’ and Jean Grey’s lives in X-Men, and thus the two threads would converge in a three-part crossover spanning Web of Spider-Man, X-Men, and X-Factor.

Several characters thought dead (including Norman and Harry Osborn) returned to haunt both Peter Parker and Ben Reilly, but quickly degenerated before they could give any concrete answers behind their origins. However, the only man they knew that could create such convincing clones, Dr. Miles Warren (AKA the Jackal), died years ago. Fearing that one of their most vicious and personal enemies may have returned through cloning, the pair investigate by retrieving one of Warren’s journals where they learn that he was an assistant to a Dr. Nathaniel Essex.

Meanwhile, Sinister mentioned the existence of a third Summers brother to Cyclops, which prompted the X-Men to search for him with Havok. They learn from hospital records that Katherine Summers had given birth to another boy, Christopher Summers Jr., but doctors believed it to be a miscarriage. However, they confront the nurse that delivered him and learn that a man named “Essex” hired her to replace the child with a stillborn. They track “Essex” to an abandoned lab where they fall into a trap by Sinister’s Nasty Boys who nearly overpower until the intervention of the Spider-Men.

The High Evolutionary’s New Men then inexplicably intervene in the battle, which exclusively turns into a brawl with the Nasty Boys, allowing the heroes to escape undetected. Unfortunately, the lab turns out to be a dead end for both parties as the computer’s hard drives were scrubbed. Ultimately, the battle between the New Men and the Nasty Boys ends in a draw with the former promising to rid the world of genetic "heresies." However, the epilogue reveals that the Jackal had returned in a clone body and that he alerted the High Evolutionary to Sinister’s activities for as-of-yet unknown purposes. While brief in length, “The Sinister Agenda” did plant the seeds for Marvel’s largest event since Cataclysm--The Gene Wars.

 

[Pyro]

X-Men (1995)
Directed by Joe Johnson
Story by Joss Whedon
Produced by Marvel/Lightstorm Entertainment/Tri-Star Pictures

Cast

Tom Cruise as Logan/Wolverine
Patricia Ja Lee as Jubilation Lee/Jubilee
David Bowie as Charles Xavier/Professor X
David Hemblen as Erik Lensherr/Magneto
Ethan Hawke as Scott Summers/Cyclops
Nicole Kidman as Jean Grey
Angela Basset as Ororo Munroe/Storm
Alfred Molina as Henry McCoy/Beast
Leonardo DiCaprio as Bobby Drake/Iceman
Kevin Nash as Victor Creed/Sabretooth
Angelina Jolie as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
Mark Ruffalo as Pietro Maximoff/Quick Silver
Nicholas Brendan as John Allerdyce/Pyro
Jon Voight as the President of the United States
Ron Perlman as Nick Fury
Geena Davis as ???


Released: July 14, 1995

Budget: $200 Million
Box Office Gross: $767.7 Million
​

1994’s Spider-Man set a high standard for Marvel’s merry mutants, which fans already had lofty expectations. Uncanny X-Men and X-Men were the highest selling titles in the comic book industry and the animated series still pulled in high ratings for Fox. In fact, Marvel and Sony (Tri-Star’s parent company) invested $200 million into the production, making it the most expensive film at the time of its release. Given how special effects-heavy the production would be, producer James Cameron brought on director Joe Johnson whose career credits included Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark as a visual artist.

The film begins newsreel-style with fictitious network news clips reporting on mutant “supremacist” attacks on the capitol, the introduction Mutant Registration Act, and even a news magazine segment asking if the mysterious “Spider-Man” is himself a mutant. It then transitions to a scene with the American president (played by Jon Voight) unveiling the Sentinel Initiative to “protect American citizens and deter mutant aggression,” a move Professor Charles Xavier criticizes as damaging to human/mutant relations.

Magneto outright condemns the moves, describing it as “barbaric as the Nazi atrocities fifty years ago,” and thus offers mutants of the world sanctuary in the Savage Land [1]. However, the film truly starts with Sabretooth chasing a teenage runaway, Jubilation Lee, through the back alleys of New York City [2]. He soon corners her; malevolently smirking as he reveals his claws and fangs. Logan intervenes, unsheathing his claws for the first time before he growls, “Hey Bub. If you want to pick on someone, pick on me!”

(Patricia Ja Lee as seen in Power Rangers in Space OTL)​

His brawl with Sabretooth spills out on the street where Jubilee reveals that she too is a mutant, but her “fireworks” powers are too out of control and cause more property damage. This unfortunately attracts the Sentinels’ attention with only the timely intervention of the X-Men preventing Logan and Jubilee’s capture while Sabretooth escapes during the battle. The X-Men take Jubilee to the Xavier School for Gifted Children where Professor X explains the purpose of the school and the X-Men.

Meanwhile, Magneto and his Brotherhood invade a former Soviet Republic to steal several dozen nuclear warheads. The scene acts largely as a showcase of the Brotherhood’s various powers: Quicksilver’s speed, Scarlet Witch’s probability manipulation, and Pyro’s pyrokinesis. However, the grandest display is Magneto’s mastery over magnetism, which he uses to effortlessly dispatch the soldiers. An important detail to note is that Magneto is aware that the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are his children, but acts cold and distant towards them. Particularly to the latter as he is quite cruel in his criticisms of the speedster.

News of the theft alarms both the United Nations, but Magneto addresses the general assembly to inform them that the warheads are a deterrent. He also uses the platform to announce to the world that he is ready to transport the mutants of the world to their new homeland, which visibly upsets Xavier. The professor explains Magneto’s history through a series of flashbacks detailing how he survived the holocaust and continued persecution in communist eastern Europe shaped him into the man he is today.

Xavier decides to confront Magneto with the X-Men at one of his refugee receiving sites. Jubilee sneaks on board the Blackbird and looks on as Xavier and Magneto argue with the former critical of the latter’s nuclear deterrent. Magneto scornfully chastises Xavier for being so soft and foolish to believe that mutantkind and humans can peacefully coexist when humans cannot even coexist with themselves. Xavier warns that the humans will not allow this, but Magneto ignores him and departs with Jubilee hiding among the refugees.

Unfortunately, the United States found Magneto’s sanctuary in the Savage Land (Antarctica) Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. sits in on the President’s meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss their next course of action. None of them believe that any of the stolen nuclear weapons are yet operational and the chiefs push for an all-out assault with the Sentinels. Fury warns that they will be “kicking one hell of a hornet’s nest” if they anger Magneto, to which the chairman of the Chief scornfully remarks, “Do you want us to send that green monster after him?”

The President ultimately decides to authorize the strike, with the chairman cracking a smirk as his eyes briefly change to a yellow color.

While visually impressive from a technical standpoint, the Sentinel Assault on Magneto’s sanctuary drew some criticism from parents groups for its brief depictions of helpless bystanders getting vaporized by Sentinel fire [3]. Magneto even cradles the lifeless body of a mutant child in his arms. With an anguished expression and tears flowing from his eyes, he whispers, “Never again.” He then rises high into the air and rearranging the Sentinels’ electronic components so that they will hunt down and destroy those without the X-gene. The Master of Magnetism promises that America will pay for their crimes against mutantkind and leads the Sentinels on a retaliatory strike on Washington.

Meanwhile, Logan realizes that Jubilee is missing and gets in an argument with Cyclops over how to deal with it when she warns the team of Magneto’s incoming assault. She is also instrumental in convincing Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch to stand up to their father, insisting that his attack will only make things worse for mutants across the world. The Battle of Washington is yet another visual treat where the X-Men battle the Sentinels. Of particular note are Storm and Iceman’s demonstrations of their power, but fans were more excited about the rematch between Wolverine and Sabretooth.

What is particularly curious is that there is no tangible connection between Sabretooth and Magneto in the film, although it would be explained in due time. Wolverine dispatches his hated rival with an improvised lobotomy [4] and rushes to Xavier’s aid when he confronts Magneto a second time. Wolverine grievously wounds Magneto, but he refuses to admit defeat and instead arms and launches the sole operational warhead with a magnetic pulse. None of the X-Men have the power to stop the incoming warhead and Magneto’s helmet blocks Xavier’s telepathy. At least until Quicksilver arrives and removes it.

Xavier reluctantly comprises his morals to hijack Magneto’s to force him into destroying the last of the Sentinels and disabling the warhead, seemingly killing his former friend in the process. The X-Men save Washington and reunite with Jubilee, who they formally induct into the team for her bravery. Meanwhile, U.S. special forces infiltrate Magneto’s sanctuary to find it abandoned. In the end, Xavier confides with Jean Grey that the X-Men’s actions may have helped repair relations between the species, they still have a long way to go before peaceful coexistence is possible. He reveals to her in that same conversation that Magneto is still alive, but refuses to elaborate on the matter.

The mid-credits scene begins with Sabretooth meeting with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the backwoods of Virginia. However, the chairman changes form into the blue-skinned shapeshifter Mystique. Sabretooth complains of his “headache,” but Mystique tells him that she has something that will make him feel better. She opens up the trunk of her car to reveal the real chairman and tosses him at Sabretooth. He malevolently chuckles as the camera pans up to the Moon while the chairman’s muffled screams fill the air.

X-Men was the hit Marvel expected it to be, though not as big as Superman or Spider-Man before it. Tom Cruise’s star power brought in the casual audience, while its relative faithfulness to the comics and animated series (down to the costumes) made it a hit with fans. Critics generally praised the visual effects, which earned the film an Oscar, but also lambasted it for being too crowded. Indeed, even fans remarked how favorites like Storm and Beast were underutilized to focus on Wolverine and his budding mentorship of Jubilee and Xavier’s relationship with Magneto.

Perhaps the greatest impact the film had was that Marvel and DC were three for three when it came to cinematic hits. Now that Disney owned Malibu, the third largest comic book company, the other studios were in a feeding frenzy for whatever comic book-related property they could get their hands on.

[1] Original drafts of the screenplay used Magneto’s asteroid base, Avalon, but had to be cut for budgetary reasons.

[2] Her comic book counterpart hailed from Los Angeles, but the film takes liberties with

[3] The film still received a PG-13 rating, albeit a “hard” one

[4] He gets better as his healing factor even repairs brain damage.

 

[Pyro]

Rob Liefeld’s career had stalled by 1995. His very feud with Jim Shooter and subsequent departure from Marvel had made him persona non grata as far as the company was concerned. Stints on DC titles had become fewer and farther between due to his chronic lateness and his inability to get his own independent publisher, Maximum Press, only frustrated him further. Salvation would come in the form of Dave Olbrich and Tom Mason who started Spotlight Comics following their dismissal from Malibu. The pair had received funding from a variety of sources including John Hyde and former Malibu president Scott Mitchell Rosenberg for their new venture.

What the new company needed was a flagship title and turned to an obscure 50s Simon and Kirby character for the role: The Fighting American. Once they secured the permission from Joe Simon and Kirby’s estate, they offered the title to Liefeld and heavily promoted the title as his “second coming.” The character’s fifties origins stayed relatively intact, however, it would be revealed that the government “deactivated” F.A. after a failed mission in 1962 that resulted in the death of his partner/sidekick, Speedboy [1].

F.A. is reactivated with his old enemies, Iron Cross and Red Menace, resurface to menace the post-Cold War United States and he is given a new partner, the cyborg S.P.I.C.E. [2]. While successful at the outset, the revived Fighting American received criticism for being highly derivative as the character was a copy of Marvel’s Captain America and highly exploitive. Of particular note were the myriad scenes where explosions or other mishaps shredded S.P.I.C.E.’s uniform for cheesecake appeal. Liefeld’s tardiness also did not help either, but Spotlight had gathered a stable of artists including Ian Churchill, Mike McKone, and newcomer Ed McGuiness for fill-in duty.

Meanwhile, Jim Lee was Marvel’s golden boy following his highly successful runs on X-Men and Fantastic Four with many asking where he would go from there. His first major work upon his departure would be the X-Men spinoff, Gen-X, with writer Brandon Choi. Gen-X revolves around a group of young mutants led by Catlin Fairchild who escape from the Hellfire Club to Los Angeles where they would be mentored by Archangel and Psylocke of the X-Men. The membership included the gravity-manipulating Freefall, the hyperactive speedster Whiz-Kid, the surfer rat Grunge, and water elemental Typhoon [3]. Early drafts placed Jubilee, which X-Editor Bob Harras vetoed given the character’s prominence in the film.

Gen-X is very a product of its time and inspired by the MTV generation, particularly shows like The Real World, which would rapidly date the team. Lee himself stayed on for the first four issues before handing the artistic reins to J. Scott Capmbell, whose career-defining run helped the team stay at the top of sales charts throughout 1996 and ‘97. Lee himself would follow his fellow artists to Epic where he launch the most talked-about title of 1996: WildC.A.T.s

[1] Implied to have happened during the Cuba Missile Crisis.

[2] Super Prototype Intelligent Cyborg Entity. Previously an eighteen year old girl before her transformation.

[3] Whiz-Kid and Typhoon replace Burnout and Rainmaker, respectively.

 

[Pyro]

September 9, or Saturn-day as the fans called it, represented the dawn of the fifth generation of video games with the release of Sega and Sony’s joint console: the Saturn. The latter threw their weight behind the new console with an exorbitant marketing budget--at least compared to Sega’s marketing campaigns with the Genesis--that included product placement in Marvel’s box office hit, X-Men, where a group of students were playing Panzer Dragoon in the background. While the $349.99 price tag was a little too steep, there were still long lines of dedicated fans at various retailers looking to get their hands on the coveted console.

Sega had learned from the competition that the Saturn would need a killer app and while Sonic’s next adventure was still in development, his rival Knuckles would steal the spotlight. Knuckles: Relic Hunters was an action/platformer that deviated from the series’ speed formula that focused on exploration. Some fans would draw comparisons between it and Nintendo’s Super Metroid that would define the spinoff series going forward.

Virtua Fighter was the other big release that was an upgraded version of the arcade original with a higher polygon count and texture mapping [1]. It far outshone Sony/Tamsoft’s offering: Battle Arena Toshiden, which critics gave largely lukewarm reviews. Marvel Super Heroes: Contest of Champions brought the arcade experience home as well the great Marvel/DC rivalry with Justice League: Galactic Guardians releasing later that fall.

The race between Daytona USA and Ridge Racer [2] was a closer one. Sports games were a bit sparse with the only notable release being NBA JAM Tournament Edition along with the thoroughly mediocre Pebble Beach Links and Worldwide Soccer: Sega International Victory Goal Edition. Other titles included Rayman, which Knuckles: Relic Hunters slightly overshadowed, the largely-ignored Clockwork Knight, Panzer Dragoon, and Ace Combat.

Fall would bring even more offerings with Sony’s release of Jumping Flash, Warhawk and Twisted Metal--the latter of whom satiated players’ desire for chaos and destruction. Williams’ Mortal Kombat 3 saw a near-perfect port as did id Software’s Final Doom. Sega and Sony’s joint venture would sell slightly over one million units by year’s end, giving it a commanding head start in the next phase of the Console Wars.

However, that wasn’t the only front Sega would fight on. Rumours had swirled around the industry press that the company was working on a new project after the cancellation of Project Venus. Its name was Project Titan, but confirmation of its existence would not come until 1996.

[1] Basically TTL’s version of Virtua Fighter Remix.

[2] Namco is in Sony’s camp, and not Sega’s.

 

[Pyro]

Knuckles: Relic Hunters was the Saturn’s premier launch title (alongside with the updated Virtua Fighter) that represented the first true expansion of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, both in terms of gameplay and narrative. Sonic’s rival kept the abilities from Sonic 3 & Knuckles along with a basic punch for a melee attack to use against enemies. Another important aspect of the game is its “tag team” where the player can switch out characters using the shoulder buttons. Artist Takumi Miyake based the design of Knuckles’ new allies and archnemesis after Australian fauna to give the game a greater sense of believability.

Bill the Platypus is adept at navigating through water while being more awkward on land. His spin attack is more similar to a drill where he charged at enemies underwater. Much like his real-world counter counterpart, he can find hidden items and dig them up.

Thrash the Tasmanian Devil is the largest of the group. So much so that he can’t fit through narrow passages, though he can smash through walls that Knuckles is unable to. His size makes him slower than the others, but he can sustain more hits and even has a projectile attack in the form of a sonic howl [1].

Kicks the Kangaroo has the greatest jump height of all the characters with a wall kick ability to help him traverse unscalable walls. As name (and species) suggests, he uses kicks for his main method of attack.

Ray the Flying Squirrel [2] returns from the obscure arcade game SegaSonic the Hedgehog with the standard spinning abilities. Unlike Knuckles he can fly across large gaps the echidna cannot glide across.

In addition to the new characters, Knuckles himself can gain new attacks like the Drill Dive, melee combos, and relics that give him elemental elemental powers (Fire, Ice, Electricity) that open new paths or are more effective on certain bosses/enemies. While the game doesn’t include cutscenes due to time constraints, Marvel published a mini-series to fill in the narrative gaps. A tomb raider/mercenary named Relic the Dingo invades Angel Island with an army composed of his own unit and Eggman’s robots in search of a doomsday weapon. They manage to overwhelm Knuckles and force him to retreat to Hidden Oasis at the edge of the island. It is there where he meets Bill and must overcome his loner instincts and seek help from the island’s other residents.

Meanwhile, Relic has sealed off the Sacred Temple to dig for the weapon that Eggman commissioned him to find. One advantage he has over the Guardian is that he has an extensive knowledge of the Echidna civilization that existed on the island since antiquity. Thus he sends his armies to guard the keys that allow access to the temple. Many of the locales from Sonic 3 & Knuckles include Marble Garden, Ice Cap, the ruins of Flying Battery, and Lava Reef return along with new levels: Savannah Steppe and Mount Thunder. All of which are connected by a series of caves, though some routes only open after the player meets certain conditions. Once the player defeats the “guardians” of the six regions, Knuckles and his new allies storm the heavily-guard Sacred Temple (that includes a boss rush) to drive off Relic.

While there is a linear path through the game, it does reward players for exploration by awarding player upgrades. However, the player must locate the seven murals (on for each world) to gain the good ending. Discovering the hidden murals opens up another level, which becomes a race to the ultimate “treasure”: the Forbidden Onyx. From there you will have to battle Relic who is piloting a massive mech suit. However, Metal Sonic shows up in a twist to interrupt the battle to take the Onyx and dispose of Relic in a double-cross. Metal Sonic is two-part where you fight him in his regular form and a “super” form given to him by the Onyx.

Yet destroying Metal Sonic is a hollow victory as Eggman appears to steal the Onyx from the exhausted “Relic Hunters” for his own schemes. While not explicitly stated in the games, the comic reveals that the Onyx was responsible for the destruction of the Echidna civilization and Knuckles (with his allies) vow to stop his scheme.

While a departure from the main series, Knuckles: Relic Hunters received glowing reviews from fans and critics alike. Its graphics were far ahead of what the Genesis and Super Nintendo could produce. The soundtrack by Junko Shiratsu and Mariko Nanba likewise garnered much praise--especially the haunting, mournful remix of Flying Battery and “Door Into Summer” (the theme of Hidden Oasis.) Those in the gaming press clamored for a sequel because of the cliffhanger ending, but that would have to until after Sonic the Hedgehog 4: The Rings of Order released for the 1996 holiday season.

[1] Early design notes originally gave him a “tornado spin” attack, but Sega decided against it to avoid litigation from Warner Bros.

[2] Not an Australian animal, but was similar enough to a sugar glider to use without having to design another character.

 

[Pyro]

Warner Bros. wanted to take the Batman franchise in a different direction after the violence and dark tone of Batman Returns drew ire from both parent groups and promotional partners. As such, WB let Tim Burton go and the incumbent Dark Knight, Michael Keaton, departed with him. The studio gave new director, Sam Raimi, two directives: lighten the tone and introduce Robin. Raimi needed a Batman first and though Johnny Depp was rumoured to be the frontrunner for the mantle, he ultimately declined. While many actors such as Val Kilmer and even ER’s George Clooney auditioned for the role, Robert Downey Jr. landed it and WB signed him on for an unprecedented five-film deal. However, Downey’s struggles with addiction would complicate the production.

The search for Dick Grayson AKA Robin was a long and deliberate one. Some executives and many Hollywood agencies pushed for a teenage heartthrob like Jonathan Taylor Thomas or The All-New Mickey Mouse Club’s Justin Timberlake. Raimi ultimately decided on Jonathan Brandis who was fresh off television’s SeaQuest DSV and came highly recommended by Steven Spielberg.

Fan expectations for Billy Dee Williams to reprise the role of Harvey Dent, the district attorney who would later become Two-Face, would be dashed as Raimi wanted as much of a clean slate as possible [1]. Instead, he decided on the Riddler for the film’s central villain. Robin Williams would draw on both Frank Gorshin’s performance from the 1966 television series as well the Fox Kids animated series. Unfortunately, issues from Downey Jr.’s drug addiction would be a source of tension between the two on set because of William’s past struggles with addiction.

Raimi would also cast friend and Evil Dead actor, Bruce Campbell, for a cameo as Matt Hagen who fans would recognize as Clayface. Whether this was foreshadowing for Batman 4 would remain a mystery for the time being, however. He also cast his brother, Ted Raimi, as Detective Harvey Bullock (despite having no resemblance to the comic book or animated depictions of the character) who would serve as a comic foil to Commissioner Gordon with Pat Hingle reprising the role.

Hingle would not be the only actor from the Burton films to return as Michael Gough reprised the role of Alfred Pennyworth to keep a sense of continuity. Though some hoped that Michelle Phiefer would return as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, WB reserved the character for her own solo film [2] and Raimi was uninterested in exploring the Caped Crusader’s romantic life and instead wanted to focus on the Batman/Robin partnership. However, Keri Russell would appear as Barbera Gordon as perhaps more foreshadowing of things to come.

Batman: The Dynamic Duo would see completion of principal photography without incident, but controversy came when Los Angeles sheriffs pulled Downey Jr. over for driving under the influence. It garnered attention as reports said that he screamed, “Are you (expletive) retarded? I'm the goddamn Batman!” to the arresting officer. Executives at Warner Bros. were getting nervous as the Donners, producer Michael Uslan, Steven Spielberg, and Sam Raimi were assembling a roundtable of talent for the burgeoning DC Cinematic Universe. If the Warners could not control their Batman, then their long-term plans would be in serious jeopardy.

[1] The Burton films would have an ambiguous place in the DC film canon until their 2001 confirmation by the studio.

[2] That never materialized like OTL.

 

[Pyro]

Many Marvel fans and industry observers were surprised when Marvel announced Iron Man as their 1996 release as the armored avenger had a lower public profile compared to the Incredible Hulk or Captain America. However, James Cameron showed a keen interest in the character concept and its potential for pushing special effects forward. He would not direct the film as he was already committed to Spider-Man 2 [1]. Instead, directorial duties would go to Andrew Davis who had made his name on action thrillers, namely 1993’s The Fugitive.

Marvel scooped up Pierce Brosnan for the role of Tony Stark after negotiations for Goldeneye collapsed in 1994. Brosnan did note some of the similarities between billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark and superspy James Bond, but found himself gravitating towards Stark after reading the “reading material” Marvel sent him, particularly “Demon in a Bottle.” While early audition footage showed Brosnan using an American accent, Davis and the producers decided on letting Brosnan use his own native accent.

Charlton Heston returned to reprise the role of Justin Hammer as many expected following his sizable role as secondary antagonist in Spider-Man. However, the character’s modus operandi was always behind the scenes as a manipulator using agents to carry out his plans. One such agent was the Ghost played by Gary Busey as an infiltrator and corporate spy while Dolph Lundgren would channel Ivan Drago again as the Russian mercenary Boris Bullski, otherwise known as the Titanium Man.

Of course, no superhero film would be complete without a supporting cast. Marvel tapped up-and-coming actor Cuba Gooding Jr. to play Lt. Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes with the multi-picture contract appearing to indicate that he would take on the mantle of War Machine in the future. Mr. Miyagi himself, Pat Morita, would play Ho Yinsen, the man who would help Stark build his first armour while the role Pepper Potts would prove to be trickier to cast.

Big names like Julia Roberts and Jodie Foster passed on the role while others like Sandra Bullock had other commitments. Marvel ultimately settled on Holly Hunter to play Stark’s second-in-command as potential love interest.

Despite the character’s lack of public recognition, test screenings of Iron Man were generally positive. Both Marvel and Sony (Tri-Star’s marketing parent) leaned hard into action thriller angle to attract casual audiences. Meanwhile, Marvel was ramping up production on Spider-Man 2 and Fantastic Four (with Paramount) for release in 1997, which would said the two-films-a-year standard that both it and DC/Warner Bros. would soon follow.

[1] Titanic is butterflied away TTL as all of the major studios believe that it is too expensive for a “historical romance” and are more interested in superhero films.

 

[Pyro]

DC had intended for 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths to streamline its continuity, but had exacerbated the problem in many respects with some characters (notably Superman and Wonder Woman) having their histories rebooted while others (the Legion of Super-Heroes and Donna Troy) still had theirs intact. Further retcons like the Silver Age Hawkman’s 1989 reboot necessitated more retcons to explain the character’s post-Crisis/pre-Hawkworld appearances. Publisher Jeanette Khan and Paul Levitz had finally said “enough” and ordered a streamlining of the DCU’s timeline and to fix these paradoxes once and for all. While they had intended to launch Countdown in the fall of 1994, Levitz decided to delay the series until 1995 to better prepare its editors for the coming changes to coincide with the tenth anniversary of Crisis.

Such an undertaking would require a writer with an intimate knowledge of DC history and lore to make the seven issue mini-series work, which the incumbent writer of The Flash, Mark Waid possessed. Having been an editor Waid was able to coordinate with other creative teams and heavily consulted with Animal Man’s Grant Morrison [1] and original Crisis scribe on the project. DC Comics billed Countdown: A Crisis in Time as the sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths with many characters from the original series returning. However, what made the series most notable at the time was reversed numbering that counted down to issue zero.

The series begins with Monarch, formerly the hero Captain Atom, arriving in Limbo where he encounters the Psycho Pirate, the original Earth-3 Crime Syndicate, and other characters erased from existence by the Crisis. Upon learning of the original multiverse from the Library of Limbo and the instability of the timeline, Monarch sets out to recreate the multiverse before time unravels completely. He then recruits the inhabitants of Limbo for a siege on the Vanishing Point where the Linear Men operate from.

However, the Linear Men are alarmed by the fraying timestream with not only the 30th century vanishing from existence, but other future eras like Abra Kadabra’s (64th century) and Eobard Thawne’s (25th). Chronal “storms” are already beginning to appear in the 20th century particularly around the planet Thanagar, Daxam, and Earth. Harbinger arrives to extract the Linear Men before Monarch’s forces can capture them uttering that, “the Crisis never ended. It is just beginning.”

Meanwhile, the Justice League is fighting on two fronts with Superman’s half of the League tending to the Crisis on Thanagar while Wonder Woman’s team handles the storms on Earth. Pariah appears before Superman’s team during the evacuation of Thanagar warning of the impending catastrophe before pinning the blame on Hawkman and Hawkwoman, who are the storm’s focal point. Hawkman and Hawkwoman suddenly fade from existence due to the chronal storm, which then intensifies and destroys the planet.

Wonder Woman similarly disappears only for her Golden Age counterpart to take her place along with her version of Paradise Island. She insists that she is a member of the Justice Society and that they are all her old friends, which confuses the JSA as she was never a member from their perspective. Indeed many characters that had died--including Doctor Midnight and the second Wildcat--reappear as the various eras of DC history [2] bleed into each other.

Harbinger and the Linear Men reveal that the history the heroes remember is not the same as the one she had recorded years earlier [3]. The “time fluctuations” that afflict Wonder Woman and other characters as well as pulling Barry Allen and pre-Crisis Superboy into the current DCU are the result of the imperfect merger of the remaining Earths. While it appears to be a self-correction cascading backwards through time to the Big Bang as a cosmic reset, Monarch plans to use it to bring back the multiverse and pervert into his own image.

Meanwhile, unscrupulous time travellers like Per Degaton and the revived Time Trapper exploit the chaos of the crisis, forcing the heroes to fight on three fronts. The Justice Society stages a valiant last stand against Per Degaton, which ends in the deaths of the Dr. Mid-Nite, Hourman, Wildcat, as well as the Golden Age Hawks and Atom. However, their sacrifice allows their slain successors to live again.

Superboy (pre-Crisis) and every Teen Titans, past and present, confront the Time Trapper who has his own designs for recreating the timeline. The battle sees the deaths of many Titans, notably Aqualad, Duela Dent, and the entire roster of Team Titans who the Trapper ages to dust. Seeing that he is an anomaly, Pre-Crisis Superboy ultimately chooses to sacrifice himself to destroy the Time Trapper once and for all to rid the timeline of his influence.

The bulk of DC heroes travel with Harbinger, Pariah, and the Linear Men to the Vanishing Point to confront Monarch. What follows is a massive battle between the assembled heroes and Monarch’s forces, which serves as a distraction for the former hero to go back in time to the Big Bang pursued by the Flashes. Barry gives Wally a heartfelt goodbye and blessing before pulling ahead to forcibly take Monarch with him to his “final race” in the original Crisis, destroying the both of them along with the Anti-Monitor’s antimatter cannon.

Everything fades to black and the time realigns itself in Countdown #0, which is released the same month as zero issues of DC’s titles. Most of these issues tweak the origins of their characters in certain ways. For example George Perez’s run on Wonder Woman is still canon, but shunted back on the timeline to make her origin contemporaneous with Superman and Batman’s. Thus she is once again a founding member of the Justice League. Similarly, the Silver Age Hawkman and Hawkwoman have their histories restored with Tim Truman’s Hawkworld taking place before 1961’s The Brave and the Bold #34 and their Silver Age adventures restored [4].

Perhaps, most significant is the reinsertion of Mon-El into the Superman mythos in Superboy #0 where a terminally Lar Gand crashes into Smallville [5] and finds himself a prisoner of Dabney Donovan. Superboy is able to save Lar, but has to send him to the Phantom Zone to keep him alive. This issue acted as foreshadowing of the rebooted Legion of Super-Heroes series that would launch later that year and it would not be the only team whose title would return.

Marv Wolfman would leave New Titans after a sixteen year run and hand the reins to Scott Lobdell who would revitalize the team by bringing in older Titans like Arsenal and Donna Troy to see the training of the next generation of young heroes. This included Robin [Tim Drake], Superboy, Impulse, in addition to Arrowette, a new Wonder Girl [6], and Aqualad. Indeed, the “junior Justice League” gave the Teen Titans franchise a much-needed shot in the arm that saw it re-enter the Top 25 best-selling titles.

While Countdown saw the deaths of many of its prominent members, the Justice Society of America received a new title after DC unceremoniously cancelled the 1992-3 series. However, the hook was that the JSA had merged with Infinity Inc. with many of the latter’s members taking the place of their predecessor’s place. The title penned by James Robinson proved to be quite successful due to the emphasis on legacy, which would grow into a larger theme within the DCU.

Ultimately, Countdown was an unqualified success for the company by capitalizing on the tenth anniversary of Crisis on Infinite Earths. While it did not completely rectify the continuity “glitches” in the DCU, it did provide a clean slate for many of its franchises that were either stagnant or mired in continuity problems. Its greater ramifications would be explored later as writers like Waid and Morrison would introduce introduce the concept of Hypertime.

[1] Who earned the credit of co-plotter of the event.

[2] This includes Anthro, DC’s Wild West/World War II characters, Kamandi, among others.

[3] In 1987’s History of the DC Universe.

[4] Though the early 90s Hawkworld/Hawkman ongoing series are apocryphal.

[5] TTL’s Superboy series is different in that Superman and Lois send Kon-El/Conner to the Kent in Smallville. Unfortunately, Dabney Donovan starts up a brand of Cadmus there to keep an eye on his creation and experiment on the locals.

[6] Cassie Sandsmark is butterflied due the John Byrne never taking the reins of Wonder Woman. Wonder Girl ITTL is Vanessa Kapatelis from the George Perez run.

 

[Pyro]

The latter half of 1995 saw the continuations of both Capcom and Sega’s highly popular fighting games based on DC and Marvel hit the arcades within a week of each other. However, both series would diverge into wildly different directions. DC Universe: Super Powers followed in the footsteps of its predecessor by continuing the fluid, sprite-based animations of Justice League: Galactic Guardians. This time it would draw on other DC-based properties like Teen Titans and Legion of Super-Heroes while (very loosely) adapting 1991’s Armageddon 2001 crossover featuring Monarch as the final boss [1].

Capcom jettisoned most of the previous game’s roster to make way for the new characters like Green Lantern (John Stewart) and Martian Manhunter from the Justice League, Changeling and Starfire from the Teen Titans, and Triplicate Girl/Bouncing Boy [2] and Timberwolf from the Legion of Super-Heroes. They would join Batman and the Flash from the previous game while the villain half of the roster was almost completely replaced with Bane, Captain Cold, Star Sapphire, Deathstroke, Scarecrow, Validus, and Lord Havoc with only Brainiac returning.

DC Universe: Super Powers was a hit with both the fans and critics for its stellar graphics and roster of characters. Sega would take a complete departure from 1992’s Contest of Champions. With the popularity of the Virtua Fighter series on both sides of the Pacific, Sega handed the reins of Marvel Super Heroes: Infinity War to its AM2 division with the famed Yu Suzuki producing. Unlike its distinguished competition, Infinity War largely dispensed with story in favour of spectacle of fighting in three-dimensions.

Its playable roster included luminaries such as Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Daredevil, Iron Man, Black Cat, Doctor Doom, and She-Hulk while Thanos served as final boss. While mildly popular at the time, it would later receive criticism as more barebones compared to other fighters of the time and more of a novelty for Marvel fans. However, both games would receive Saturn ports later in 1996 as well as set the foundation for their crossover series with Street Fighter and Virtua Fighter/Fighting Vipers.

[1] And it’s just fortuitous timing that the Countdown event starring the character was ongoing at the time of its release.

[2] Designers of the game thought that TG would be a more visually interesting character, and threw in Bouncing Boy for her combos.