Ask a Geek: 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'

Hey kids!
So you've seen the amazing Captain America: The Winter Soldier and you enjoyed it! (If you didn't, you're brain dead.)
Now, maybe you're filled with all sorts of crazy questions about what you saw, and the direction of the Marvel Universe. Have no fear, True Believer! You know me! ...or maybe you don't. But you know someone who told you to come here where all your questions will be answered and your geeky curiousity can be tamed!

If you haven't seen the movie, then you may wanna stop here. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Leggo!

1. Why the hell was it/he called 'The Winter Soldier'?

Good question. First off, he wasn't called The Winter Soldier because he got 'killed/separated' from Cap in the snow. (See: Captain America: The First Avenger) The explanation for Bucky's new title as 'The Winter Soldier' was implied in the movie via Black Widow's dialog and the fact that she was aware of who
he was. Don't forget before she worked for the Americans and S.H.I.E.L.D., she was a KGB agent. In the comics, after Bucky was blown up on a mission with Cap he was assumed dead because Cap could not find any remains of his body. The explosion that claimed his life in the comics was over an ocean, while in the movie he succumbed to a vast mountain gorge that Cap couldn't double back and search. Regardless, in both situations his cold preserved body was discovered  by Russian military on a routine training exercise, missing one arm. It was the Russians who fitted him with a new bionic arm, and took advantage of the brain damage induced amnesia he suffered. The star you may or may not have noticed on the shoulder of the bionic arm alludes to his Russian ties. During Cap's cryo stasis, The Winter Soldier was experimented on, and utilized in several black ops wet works missions over the years, and placed in cryo-sleep when not needed. Which is why it appears he's only aged a couple years since WW II. He was vital during the cold war, (probably why he's nicknamed 'The Winter Soldier') and an expert in unexplained political assassinations such as President Kennedy. The knowledge of The Winter Soldier's existence was confirmed in several intelligence agencies across the globe, but his identity remained a big hush hush, wink wink until his run-in with Captain America many years later. You may be a little skeptical how this was all even remotely conceivable, but you have to remember, in the comic Bucky Barnes wasn't the strapping young adult and big bro to Steve Rogers as he was in the first movie. Bucky Barnes was a teenager, a covert American child soldier. So even if it was possible that he survived that explosion, not many would've recognized him as a grown man. After Captain America restored Bucky's memories using the cosmic cube (a  near ultimate device very similar to the Tesseract from Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers films) Bucky would eventually come back to the side of good, and even replace Cap when he assassinated after the Superhero Civil War.

2. NOBODY knew Bucky was still alive? ...C'mon. Really??
Yeah. It was a heavily guarded secret. And in both scenarios, Captain America witnessed his death.

(He just failed to confirm it, in both situations) Like I said in the first answer, Bucky was vital to the rise of Russia becoming a super-power, so he was a need to know secret. Similar to nuclear launch codes. Think of him as a covert Captain Russia. ...or Captain Soviet Union. (Whatever helps you sleep better at night.) Black Widow had a brief relationship with him in the 90's but since she wasn't alive during World War 2, how would she know that he was Bucky, the SAME Bucky from 'Captain America and Bucky'??

3. Ok. Why did everybody in the theater laugh when the traitor Sitwell mentioned the name 'Stephen Strange'? Who the hell is he?
Well, yeah the turncoat Agent Sitwell did mention a couple names that would be a threat to Hydra's world domination- Bruce Banner (The Hulk), Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Stephen Strange who in the Marvel Universe is none other than the Sorcerer Supreme himself, DR. STRANGE! So, I believe it's safe to say, this is Marvel Studios way of acknowledging that Dr. Strange exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we're likely to see him pop up...maybe in Phase 3? (Go HERE to be taught the phases)

4. How the hell did Nick Fury not know Hydra was growing within S.H.I.E.L.D.?
We can chalk this up to a number of explanations. One, he was too distracted with several other things on his plate. He's super secret and bad ass like that. Two, Hydra is just as powerful and covert as S.H.I.E.L.D. is. If you really want me to shit in your cereal, I can tell you with confidence that A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics- they were introduced in Iron Man 3) are on the same page. But don't feel bad. There's a strong chance that there are several sleeper agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. within Hydra as well. Espionage just plays out like that.

5. What was that staff surrounded in blue light in the post-credits scene?
Okay this answer is a little tricky. So bear with me. Short answer: It's Loki's staff from The Avengers.

Now here's the long explanation. You may be confused because you're wondering how the hell did Hydra get their hands on it? This is where owning the movies comes into play. On the DVD/Blu-Ray of certain Marvel Studios films are bonus short films that bridge the films together even further. (The list is HERE.) There's The Consultant (found on Thor - It bridges Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk together. Showing how Tony Stark was played by S.H.I.E.L.D. to get Banner on The Avengers- it also foreshadows that Sitwell is a double agent.) then A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer (found on Captain America: The First Avenger - it takes place before Thor and right after Coulson calls Tony Stark in Iron Man 2 explaining his absence) and then there's Item 47 (found on The Avengers) it shows how S.H.I.E.L.D. confiscated all evidence from the alien invasion, including weapons and crafts, for research and 'security' The agent in charge was Sitwell, who as you saw was a Hydra agent all along. Since Hydra had many members within S.H.I.E.L.D., that's how Hydra got Loki's staff. Now, as far as the Tesseract (the blue light on the staff) goes, that's up for speculation. Here's MY explanation. Yes, Thor took the Tesseract back to Asgard in The Avengers however, also in that film Captain America discovered a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. cache of weaponry they were developing to duplicate and combat the type of power Asgardians were capable of. My guess is that whatever that is that is now powering Loki's staff, it's a duplicate.

6. WHO THE HELL ARE THOSE PEOPLE IN THE POST CREDITS SCENE??
Well. The guy with the monocle doing all the talk of Hydra world domination would be Baron Von Strucker he's another one of those crazy Nazi turned Hydra leaders that probably deserve a bullet in the brain.

The 'twins' he referred to in the cage however, are none other than Scarlet Witch, and her brother, Quicksilver. This is very important if you aren't familiar with these characters. Here's why.
(Now granted. What I'm about to give you is their comic background) BOTH of these characters are mutants. Mutants as in X-Men, mutants. Quicksilver, or Pietro Maximoff, has the mutant ability of superhuman speed/reaction/physiology. It hasn't been said how fast he is currently, but he can run half the Earth in 92 seconds. His twin sister, Scarlet Witch, or Wanda Maximoff, has the (slightly confusing) ability to alter probability or warp reality by controlling chaos magics. Let's just say she's a pretty big damn deal. Both are active members of The Avengers, but they were first introduced in the comics as villains, working with their father until they changed their ways. Here's where it gets REALLY FUN. Their father is Magneto. THE Magneto, bad ass from the X-Men. Look at the happy family

Now. Here's where the fun kinda ends. Unfortunately due to Marvel being broke years ago and selling certain characters to other film studios back in the early 2000's -Magneto (and probably the word 'mutant') are properties of Fox. (as far as films are concerned.) That means when Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch pop up in Avengers 2: Age of Ultron they probably won't be mutants, (especially since Quicksilver will also appear in X-Men: Days of Future Past) and they definitely won't mention their daddy. Also, since they are mutants, Fox kinda has rights to them too- so expect something REALLY STUPID like the two popping up in one of those ridiculous X-Men films in the future. And while we're on the topic of movie rights- if you're confused why some of these Marvel comics films are amazing, and some aren't- here's a fun Venn diagram that should set you straight. 

Well that's it for now kids! If you have any more questions or concerns feel free to leave it in the comment section and I'll hop on it as soon as I get a moment!

UPDATE!! (More questions! - April 9)

7. What was written on Nick Fury's tombstone? Everyone laughed, I didn't get it.

That particular visual joke was a bit of a breach of the fourth wall. It was a play on the whole, Samuel Jackson is a bad motherfucker.' thing he's owned for years. The tombstone read, "The Path of the Righteous Man..." a  portion of the bible verse Ezekiel 25:17, which is the line that Sam Jack repeated constantly in Pulp Fiction particularly to people before administering some type of firearmed justice.

8. Why did that traitorous Strike Force S.H.I.E.L.D. agent get saved in the end?

Well, even though they didn't show his comic book alter ego, the special agent that appeared to be second in command to Alexander Pierce, Rumlow is also known in the comics as Crossbones a ruthless mercenary. Crossbones in the comics is a ruthless combatant, weapons expert, and has gone toe to toe with Captain America numerous times. Although he isn't known as Crossbones in the film, the numerous camera shots of his chest showing his cargo straps in the form of an 'X' clearly are homage to his comic uniform.

9. Was the guy Captain America fought in the beginning important? He seemed like it.
He's another character that is actually in the comics, Batroc the Leaper a French mercenary, olympic level athlete and weightlifter, master of the French form of kickboxing, called Savate. He has focused an developed leg muscles which allows him to leap impressive distances, and is why he's nicknamed 'The Leaper' although he's typically labeled a villain because of the jobs he takes, he has been known to have a strong sense of morals and won't cross certain lines. This aspect was played in the movie when he requested Captain America fight him fairly. Side note, besides casting French-Canadian MMA champion Georges St. Pierre as Batroc, Batroc's real name is Georges Batroc. Which makes him double perfect to play the role! Good job, casting director!


Keep the questions coming!!

BONUS FEATURES: 6 Retorts Why 616 Captain America demands salutes from Ultimate Captain America.

Hey guys!
In preparation for the bad ass return of Captain America to return to the silver screen tomorrow, (how excited are we?!) I'm more than excited to open up this playful dialogue with my good friend and all-around comic and pop culture junkie +Troy-Jeffrey Allen, who actually has some great things cooking with his own comic, BAMN and over at Action A Go Go.

It is actually his really good (and I mean really good if you're interested in getting into comics and are going to go see the new Captain America movie and you want break into comics and all that) blog he wrote recently that this particular blog is responding to.
Without further ado, you should probably go read it if you haven't here: TROY LOVES ULTIMATE CAP.

Done? Good. Now let's just state that playful dialogues about comics are always great because it promotes thinking and imagination and appreciation for writing and artwork and respect for the medium. So if you're going to comment with futile attempts to piss either one of us off, just know the auto response will be 'go fuck yourself'

Go it? Good. Leggo.

WHEN: Too many times to count. (Pictured- Captain America, Vol. 5 #25)

Captain America is the poster child for sacrifice. The only other superhero that can even enter the conversation about sacrifice is Spidey. (Strong honorable mention to Daredevil)

Whether he's taking a teammate, or as the first movie portrayed, jumping on the grenade when everyone else took cover, this guy always places himself directly in harm's way to protect others. 

When he was 'assassinated' in 2007, following Civil War he deliberately took a sniper's bullet to the neck to prevent the U.S. Marshall escorting him to court from getting fired upon. Point is, this guy always has the safety of others in mind. 

I don't care what you say, that's bad ass.

WHEN: Seriously. Too many times. (Pictured-  Amazing Spider-Man #537)

Sure, we can applaud Ultimate Cap for taking Hank Pym outside for a little street justice over beating his wife, Janet Van Dyne. But we have to also remember two things. 1. Hank Pym was certifiably bananas in both instances. 2. In the 616 universe, he lashed out and backhanded his wife ONCE. He has never forgiven himself for it, and has made numerous strides to atone for it. In the Ultimate universe, crazy Pym was a serial abuser. So yeah, I believe Ultimate Cap responded as ALL versions of Cap would've. See, Captain America doesn't fight against evil, or shoddy clones of himself hellbent on evil, he fights for a common good, against intolerance, cynicism and injustice. There's a reason why he's always called to lead when gatherings of far stronger heroes band together. Even Superman had to take a back seat to Cap's leadership once. Superman. The ultimate boy scout. Captain America's sense of morals over the years have very rarely come into question. He's loyal to no selfish ideas, or personal ambitions, just a dream. And when his morals are questionable...

WHEN: Seriously, stop asking me when.

It's easy to forget that the 616 Captain is an actual battle hardened bad ass soldier of the 'big war' especially with that deceptive image he's been parading about since his creation. See everyone knows Cap was fighting in the war sure, but more importantly he was fighting for war bonds- similar to how the marines on Iwo Jima were paraded around the U.S. in reality. Every one knows about how he knocked out Cartoon Hitler. What many don't know though, is that the Captain not only trained dozens of soldiers and marines for black ops, but he personally carried out several missions with various elite American ally forces including a pre X-Men Wolverine. And if you think that isn't crazy- he even escorted around America's dirty secret- Bucky, a child soldier and an expert in wet work. Even though he expressed his discontent with a child doing the actual wet work, he went along with it nevertheless. Even after his cryogenic stasis, he went back to doing what he does best. Teaching the dark arts of soldiering and combat. Don't believe me? Ask spec ops Marine black operative, Frank Castle.

...and we all know how that eventually turned out, right?

Maybe this also applies to the Ultimate Cap, but I never seem to pick up on it. Sure I get both are brilliant strategists in their own fashions, but the 616 has a knack for taking down gigantic threats with simple solutions, MacGyver style. Take for example the major fight from Civil War, Iron Man was feeling pretty sure of himself since the last time they squared up, Stark simply over powered him. The second time, Cap simply had Vision shut Iron Man down. For all Tony Stark's ego maniacal genius he simply didn't forsee the most basic threat. Who's the genius now?

2. HE'S GOT BALLS THE SIZE OF GRAPEFRUITS

Captain America does NOT compromise. He does not falter. He will stand up to unwinnable odds, alone. He did it with Onslaught. He did it with Galactus... and he did it the omnipotent Thanos. When everyone else fell right before his eyes, he simply walked up to Thanos and told him he hadn't won yet. Jeez.

and finally...

1. HE'S WEAPON I

He was the first successful result of the shady and infamous Weapon Plus program, a program that eventually spit out folk like Cyber, (Weapon VII) the overly used Wolverine, (Weapon X) Fantomex, (Weapon XIII) and inadvertently Deadpool, and the super shady Tuskegee Project-like Black Captain America, Isaiah Bradley. Cap has demonstrated his supremacy over the most popular of the weapons, Wolverine, numerous times. The most hilarious of those run-ins has to be when Cap crushed the tendons in Wolvies's forearms to prevent him from popping his claws... with his bare hands.

Now, I'm not saying Ultimate Cap sucks, or that he will lose in a fight with his 616 counterpart. I'm just saying the history that the 616 Steve Rogers is applicable for allows him to be a better character in my opinion. The Ultimate Cap is pretty bad ass, but he comes across as bad ass in the same laconic worshipping sense that turned Miller's idea of Spartans into household names. In conclusion, I see Ultimate Cap as Jason Statham...or Arnold, or any of the biggest names in action. Kicking ass and taking names. I see 616 Cap as John McClane before Die Hard 4 and 5. Just an everyday guy with big guts.

Hate me.

The World is Filled... (We'll just talk about those I know.)

Somewhere in the mid-90's, men got stupid.

Hi. Warning: I defended the ladies HERE and HERE... so forgive me.

You guys have let all sorts of things in this digital age fuck you royally. What the fuck is your problem? I know what it is, since 'fatherhood' is a rare concept nowadays, no one taught you how to praise your 'pancakes woman' and curve your 'pussy woman' Constantly tripping over 'thirst traps' and letting your dick do the piloting, while expecting to never be caught up is plain ridiculous.

I've NEVER been caught up. When I was in a committed relationship and I stepped out on my lady, I never got caught up. Never. My women never found out my other women, unless I told them about them. (Which I have a habit of doing, because I really don't have the patience for cheating.) Regardless, you know why I've never been caught?Because I'm kinda smart. I also know the cardinal focus:
NO ASS IS THAT FAT, NO TITTY IS SO ROUND, FOR ANY AMOUNT OF STRESS.

The difference with me and you guys though, I don't manipulate a woman's heart to increase the notches on my bedpost. And that's really one of two reasons two cheat. The other is selfishness. I tell all my conquests from the beginning. ...Kinda like side effects. (I like that.)

As my soul brother, and spiritual representative said it best:

"I warned them all from the beginning. I always said something along the lines of… I must advise you, I am stamped with an invisible warning: “will not commit”, “will never marry”

So without further ado, I will share with you the rules that I employ to avoid being caught up, or any situation similar to it. It's not complicated, most of it is common sense.

1.) STOP PUTTING YOUR JUMPOFF ON A PEDESTAL.

What part of the game is this? When did sidechicks get the authority to have an audience? By being a jumpoff, you give up all rights to have a fucking opinion. They know it. Everyone knows it. But for some odd reason, you gave her a voice, and now she's using that voice to stress you the fuck out. If you're talking to your jumpoff with the same endearing terms as your main girl, you're wrong. If you're arguing with your side joint, you're wrong. To argue with someone means you care. Period. A sidechick shouldn't mean that much to you that you're arguing with her. If your side joint threatens to leave, LET HER! Who the hell is she? You shouldn't be sending her texts or falling for bait traps where she gets you to admit anything ya'll did over text or voicemail. Never record anything that you don't want to be caught for later.
Why she can get you so angry that you're arguing with her, and ruining your mood is bananas and I see the shit all the time. It's ri-gotdamn-diculous. You should be talking to side joints on YOUR time, not hers, and definitely not late night giggling in the dark like a little bitch; you're doing too much.
Speaking of phones...

2.) STOP LETTING THESE WOMEN IN YOUR PHONE.

In the age of digital footprints everywhere, it surprises me that guys are still just handing their phone over to non-spouses so easily. Phones can arguably be equated to bank accounts and identity information. You know why? Because phones ACTUALLY have that information streaming through them constantly. Does your woman allow you to go through her purse? (If she does, you shouldn't be doing it- I'll come back to that) So why are you letting these women into your phone? I never allow anyone in my phone. For any reason. And the funny thing is, I don't have any damning information readily available in the usual folders. It's just the principle. Furthermore, if you need to go through my phone, you obviously don't trust me- or you have trust issues. Either way- we need to fix that or break up.

Lock your phone, bro.
...and if you're getting stressed about your phone security, quit worrying about social media apps and get yourself a privacy app like Secret Box (android) or Lockbox (iOS)
and speaking of social media...

3.) STOP BEING A TARGET FOR THE PUBLIC

I'm just going to assume you're not out in public with your side joint. (Unless she lives another area code away from your main joint.)
You should NOT be following your sidechick on Twitter.      
You should NOT be following your sidechick on Instagram.
You should NOT be following your sidechick on Tumblr.
You shouldn't be sharing little dumbass memes and jokes on Facebook with your sidejoint.
You should not be writing anything incriminating in ANYONE's direct messages.
You should not be liking pictures of some girl's ass on Instagram.
You should not be IN your sidechick's pictures. Especially her selfies.

Also your sidechick should not know who your main girl is on social media. Some of you allow that, and it's beyond me, but if that's the case your worlds are colliding and that's not good. Sidechicks will without a doubt always take that information and use it to your displeasure ON social media. If you know your sidechick is addicted to social media, then you need to be cautious about allowing her over your house. Or having your belongings in the target of her lens. (Actually, your sidechick should never be over your house, but we'll get to that)
In addition, stop being so fucking thirsty. And not even thirsty for individuals. Thirsty to be seen. If you like a picture do you really have to publicly like it? Ya'll are out here cartwheeling in some girl's notifications for attention. Professing love, dropping phone numbers in comment boxes. Sending dick pictures on metro trains just to get a girl to think about you for a millisecond, and it's never worth it.
It's surprising how eager we are for someone- anyone's validation that to like something, you must actually tell the world that you like it. This girl got mad at me the other day because I didn't 'like' her Instagram photos. Ridiculous. (Even more ridiculous is some of you reading this will deny you've participated in this foolishness, or never heard of it) There's a guy I follow on Twitter that will daily tweet a request to women to tweet him back a picture of themselves doing the most 'cry for attention' activities.
And they do it. By the hundreds. It's not him at fault here. It's not the girls that do it. They're doing what they do- and will continue on as long as you thirsty fucks keep faithfully validating it. They got the goods, and they know you have absolutely NO problem looking like a fool to get them. You ever see the majority of the women doing the same for men?
I rest my case here:

(Not really sure if my man was serious, but...y'know. Still) Continuing on...

4.) STOP LEADING WOMEN ON/BE CONSISTENT
Ya'll gotta learn the basics of lying.
Understand that every- EVERY time you lie, it's the truth to the person who hears it.
Meaning- you need to maintain that lie, because it's the truth.
I'm not really going to go into this because the long and short of it is this:
If you don't have the brain capacity to maintain and nurture several lies, don't. If you don't really love a girl, don't tell her you do. If you haven't been thinking about her all day, don't say that you have. Quit calling chicks 'wifey' if she ain't your wife. Catch what I'm throwing? There are plenty of ways to get a girl to open up for you, literally and figuratively, without manipulating her feelings. Hell, the way we're living nowadays a lot of women will gladly give you a sexual NSA relationship. You just need to try being honest with what you really want.
And with that said, don't be that guy that can't trust your girl if you got dirt all up in your closet. You can't be sneaking to look in her phone, and her purse if you ain't doing right yourself.
You shouldn't be asking her where she been all day, and getting mad over her male friends if you got several boppers on your line. It's bass ackwards, and it's gonna play out as a failed attempt to be 'pimpin' (and I say failed, because if you were, she wouldn't be confronting you about your bitches anyway.)

5. LEAVE THE GUN, TAKE THE CANNOLI

One of my favorite scenes in The Godfather is when Clemenza has to ensure some random guy's death. He rides with the target and another guy out to some deserted road. Now, before he begins this journey, his wife tells him to pick up the cannoli before returning home. On the road, Clemenza tells the driver to stop because he has to pee. While depleting his bladder, the guy in the backseat fires three shots into the driver's skull. Clemenza zips his pants walks back to the car, and nonchalantly tells the killer, "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli"
The grotesque murder of an unloyal peer is all in a day's work. But his overall responsibility is to his family. He took a second out the madness to rememeber that he promised his wife her dessert. A life manifesto crammed into six little words. I say this to you to remind you, that if you want to have your cake and eat it too, you need to remember you have a girl at home.
You can't be giving yourself, and your thoughts to this side joint and expect to come home and do the same with the main one. It won't work. Despite what you do out in town, remember to take the cannoli home. Give the main girl the sweet stuff. Give the side joint the dirty work.


now that we got the cardinal rules out the way here's some protips:

• Fun Times Cost: Invest a creep phone. It's like $15 dollars at any 7-11. That's the number your side pieces should have. Your side joints should never be calling your main line interrupting your bliss. Never answer the creep phone unless you are absolutely by yourself. I don't mean your main joint is sleep upstairs, or she is in the garage. No, fool. Alone! The creep phone should NEVER not be on silent. It lives on silent. Not on vibrate. SILENT. The creep phone lives in a ridiculous place too, like a toolbox, or inside a shoe, inside a shoebox. Be creative, and random. If you invest in this, now you can start doing that text thing again. 
• Your home is your Sanctuary: Stop letting these side joints come over. You let a girl over your house, because you trying to smash and show you're independent and blah blah, but there's also something going on from her side of this. You're letting her know where you live. And once you let someone know where you live- you open yourself up to pop up visits, angry tantrums on your doorstep, and private detective ass prowling whenever it's suspected you're stepping out.
• Invest in a spreadsheet/calendar/dry erase board to keep up with your lies:  If you're gonna be out there lying, cheating, and juggling, take your recreational habits seriously and do it right. 
• Stop spending the night You go over your side joint house, do what you do- then BOUNCE. Don't be that guy passed out sleep in her bed in that photo. 
  

Later.

P.S. the girl in that twitter pic is my ace Moo. Stalk her HERE. She's fucking beautiful. And sassy.
P.P.S. All the women followers I gained with my last male bashing blogs now hate me.

Love,
Stay curvin' 'em all day, Tony

30 Days of Marvel - Day 1: Your Favorite Character

Spider-Man

I feel like this one is obvious. If you knew me- then you probably stopped reading after that first sentence. Peter Benjamin Parker has meant a lot to me since day one.
He's the most relatable comic book character ever created. He toils day in and day out saving a city that has the most bi-polar, love-hate relationship for his costumed alter-ego, which he very stressfully fights to keep hidden. He's constantly broke, because he can't keep a  full time job. (See previous sentence) The part-time job he can manage to freelance at is owned and managed by a guy who hates him religiously. Oh, and that job?
Take front page news photos of himself being a selfless hero, only for his boss to certainly spin the images into lies and slander of criminal activity.

And money isn't the only thing being Spider-Man negatively affects...
His love life is constantly in jeopardy- when his enemies aren't flat out killing the love of his life, then he simply can't keep a date with women because he's consistently fighting for the sake of the city. In fact, it's that latter reason that screws up most of his social obligations. Hell, despite being a bit of a scientific genius under the mask, it's that latter reason that earned him failing grades in college.

But why does he put up with the mask?
Even the answer to that is miles far superior to many of his fictional brethren.
Additionally, his origin makes a lot of sense. You've heard it before. I'm sure.

His CIA parents, Richard and Mary Parker, leave him with his paternal uncle Ben, and his wife May, before departing on a secret mission only to be mysteriously killed in action. (but not before rescuing a pre-Weapon Plus Program Wolverine from the KGB) The young Peter grew into a skinny glasses wearing academic, a social outcast, a walking bullseye for bullies, jocks and the such. Surprisingly optimistic with sporadic sparks of self-esteem, which was no doubt a reflection of his uncle. Like his brother, Uncle Ben may have been much older than his brother Richard, but both showed signs of being athletically blessed and charming to women, in ways that Peter did not inherit outright. It was Uncle Ben that encouraged him that one day things would be different, that one day he would leave high school, and bullies and he would be the one signing their paychecks one day.

But that day never came.
What came was a radioactive spider bite at an after school science exhibit. A spider bite that granted him the ability to climb walls, the proportionate strength of a spider, and other amazing talents-but it also gave him an escape.

He could finally be the guy he always wanted to be. So what did he do? He invented webs in honor of the arachnid that blessed him with his powers, created a mask to hide behind and took his new self to the entertainment industry, wrestling and performing feats for money.
Because that's what happens when you're selfish, tired of being pushed around, and finally catch a big break.
Content with lining his pockets every night he never once thought to use these talents for the greater good.

Which, in my opinion is exactly what we'd all do in that position.
But when it comes to Peter Parker, things don't stay good for long, and the biggest teacher in his life would come in the form of his uncles' murder... but you already know about that. The most timeless of all superhero origins. All the other big names have been tweaked, adjusted, updated- but not Spidey because his has been perfect since its inception.

Spidey didn't grow up rich, nor was he trained by anyone. He just learned from the roughest teacher in existence. Life.
Although it was first written in the Bible, his mantra- "With great power, comes great responsibility" (Luke 12:48- For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required) It is the single most powerful phrase in comics history.
It's a phrase that will always be understandable to everyone, unlike the idea that just because you were raised in Kansas by farmers you have to do right by humanity.

Spider-Man is just a normal, everyday guy like all of us. His greatest strengths resonate with his many weaknesses, and it's hard not to care about him so- because a lot of what's in him, can be seen in you.


First Appearance: Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962)

Most Memorable Spider-Man Story: 'Kraven's Last Hunt' (Masterpiece!)

This was one of the first Spidey stories I ever read, and by far one of the most cryptic mainstream tales I've ever ingested.
Longtime Spidey foe Kraven the Hunter is fed up with Spidey and decides to put Spider-Man down for good. Before he can do that however, he has to prove that he is indeed better than Spider-Man, and the only way to do that is to beat him physically, mentally, and become him.
Not going to spoil it for you, but the surprise ending must've been on the mind of a certain grunge rock star.


Just some weird, maniacal things going on here.

Marvel's Cinematic Roadmap so far- or... The explanation of Thor's teaser ending.

OK! So you've seen 'Thor: The Dark World' and you're stumped at the teaser trailer at the end of the film. I'm fairly certain that Marvel will eventually make the exact meaning of it all more 'accessible' to the non-comic fans as the films are released but, if you can't wait that long and the mystery is killing you, here's a general idea:

First, let's cover an extremely powerful object called The Infinity Gauntlet.
The Gauntlet itself is exactly what it is- a gauntlet (a glove- if you ain't got a dictionary handy.) The gauntlet can be armed with 6 gems that when combined grants the holder of all six unmeasurable power on a universal scale. The 6 gems represent 6 different aspects of existence- meaning that even holding one gem gave the holder massive control over that respective element. The more gems in control by one user grants the user more power.

Space: Allows user omnipresence, to move any object throughout reality, to warp or rearrange space.
Mind: Allows user to great mental and psionic power and access the thoughts and dreams of other beings. 
Soul: Allows user to steal, control, manipulate and alter souls, living or dead.
Reality: Allows user to fulfill wishes, even if the wish is in direct contradiction with scientific laws.
Time: Allows user total control over past, present & future. Time travel, can age & de-age beings/matter.
Power: Accesses all power and energy that ever has or will exist, and boosts the other gems' effects.

In Thor, the Infinity Gauntlet- without the gems- was shown very briefly in Odin's vault. See here:


Still here? Cool! Little bit to go.
Let's skip ahead to Avengers. If you were one of the smart ones that stayed behind after the credits for the teaser epilogue, then maybe you saw this:

That purple smiling guy with the hard on at the mere mention of death, is Thanos. The Mad Titan has always been a major threat to Marvel Universe pretty much every time he pops up, what he is most known for however, is The Infinity Gauntlet. A major storyline in 1991, where Thanos actually got his hands on all 6 Infinity Gems, and in a futile attempt to impress Death, (a female entity in the Marvel Universe) destroys most of the Universe.

Finally, at the end of Thor: The Dark World what essentially went down was, the Asgardians, Lady Sif and Volstagg visit The Collector, an ancient, immortal, powerful being with a knack for 'collecting' things, people, whatever he wants simply to maintain his sanity. Sif and Volstagg entrust the Aether to his care, commenting that, with the Tesseract (from Captain America: The First Avenger and Avengers) already in Asgard, having two Infinity Stones so close together would be dangerous. (Meaning that the Aether and the Tesseract are the Infinity Gems of Power, and Space, respectively) When Sif and Volstagg leave, the Collector remarks, "One down, five to go." Clearly implying that the Infinity Gems are being gathered. In the Infinity Gauntlet comic, the Collector was essential to Thanos gaining all six gems. Now, I can't call what the movies, have in store- but it's already been revealed the Collector in Marvel's cinematic universe will be one of Thanos' generals.

The trailer as a whole, is a lead in to next summer's Guardians of the Galaxy. The GotG are another Marvel superhero group which is another story, but think of them as the Avengers of space and duh, the galaxy. They have encountered Thanos on numerous occasions.

...and that's it!
So sit tight kids, things are about to get really interesting!