Tag: X-Men

With “The Avengers,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and more sci-fi and fantasy films, 2012 was a landmark, record-breaking year for spectacle entertainment. But 2013 looks just as promising with a host of big, anticipated sequels — including “Iron Man 3″ and “Star Trek Into Darkness” — and such smart new offerings as “Pacific Rim” and “Elysium” on the calendar. With that in mind, here’s a look at Hero Complex’s 13 must-see movies in 2013. “Oz: The Great and Powerful” (March 8) Sam Raimi’s upcoming “Oz: The Great and Powerful” promises viewers a journey down the yellow brick road that will include a breathtaking array of dazzling visual effects. The Disney film stars James Franco as the man who will become the Wizard of Oz, and takes place well before Dorothy arrives in the faraway fantasy ...

Just before the USS Enterprise embarked on a new mission with “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in 1987, an article in the Los Angeles Times referred to the distinguished Englishman portraying the ship’s captain as an “unknown British Shakespearean actor.” The description stuck with Patrick Stewart, who refers to the unintentional jibe during the supplemental cast reunion video included on the newly remastered Blu-ray edition of the second season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” It’s no surprise he remembers it — his costar Brent Spiner made a point of hanging a sign on Stewart’s trailer door reading, “Beware unknown British Shakespearean actor.” Today, Stewart remains beloved for his turn as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard on “Next Generation,” though he’s got another fantastic elder statesman on his résumé too: Professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” films (James McAvoy played the younger ...

It was 20 years ago that “X-Men,” the animated series, launched on Fox. Over the course of 76 episodes, the show, which stands as the longest-running Marvel Comics animated series, packed in a multitude of mutants, even adopting key story lines from the pages of the comic book. To commemorate the anniversary, Kyle Roberts and the crew at Reckless Abandonment Pictures used their unique stop-motion skills, and great action figures, to re-create the show’s introduction. Roberts, who also appeared on Syfy’s “Viral Video Showdown,” has produced many stop-motion tributes to great moments of fandom past, with subjects including “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and a 007 spoof. With “X-Men,” Roberts and his team added a bit of extra fun with a little live-action humor. Enjoy! – Jevon Phillips RECENT AND RELATED Hero Complex holiday gift guide Marvel heroes visit a Disney ...

Ask writer Simon Spurrier and he’ll give you a litany of reasons why David Haller, the unstable mutant son of Professor Charles Xavier, is the perfect character to anchor “X-Men Legacy.” “He literally couldn’t be a more exciting and fascinating proposition,” Spurrier said. “He’s the son of one of the – if not the – most recognizable mutants in the Marvel canon. He’s riddled with interesting insecurities and familial neuroses; he’s got enough power tucked-away in that brain of his to squish the universe like a lorry-diving rabbit and — the writer’s dream come true — he’s about as flawed, unreliable and tortured as it’s possible to be.” In the wake of his father’s tragic death, the character who once killed gods and reshaped the face of the universe is at the center of the “X-Men Legacy” narrative Spurrier is ...

“Avengers vs. X-Men” is Marvel Comics’ big crossover event of the year — and by the time it reaches its conclusion, one major figure will be no more. Professor Charles Xavier formed the X-Men after the mutant population exploded around the world, with an eye toward teaching his followers to use their abilities for the common good. The book itself dates back to 1963, and with its 50-year anniversary approaching, the fact that the character is reaching the end of his narrative journey speaks to the new environment in which superhero comics reside — his departure allows Marvel to creatively shake up the storyline as the X-Men are forced to grapple with the weight of his death. Hero Complex contributor Jevon Phillips caught up with Jason Aaron, the writer tasked with scripting the final issue of the AvX series, and ...

Caped crusaders are out and proud this year at Comic-Con International. Even Superman and Batman at the Prism Comics booth wear snug Underoos, capes and chef’s aprons — but not much else — as they entertain passersby. T-shirts featuring “Glamazonia: The Uncanny Super-Tranny,” “Wuvable Oaf,” a hairy-chested wrestler-type in pink shorts. and other less-famous characters line the walls of Prism’s booth — the unofficial hub of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community at this week’s convention. “It feels revolutionary,” says Scott Covert, decked out as Batman’s sidekick, Robin, at one of the convention’s many panels about gay culture and the comic book world. He flips the lip of his cape as he adds, “There’s more tolerance this year.” Gay Geekdom celebrated last month when Marvel’s mutant superhero, Northstar, married his longtime partner, Kyle, in “Astonishing X-Men No. 51.” The ...

For Marvel fans, it’s the wedding event of the season: The X-Men’s North Star, a high-flying mutant, and Kyle Jinadu, his “normal” publicist boyfriend, are getting married in issue No. 51 of the popular series. To celebrate that groundbreaking ceremony (which is being billed as the first same-sex marriage in a major mainstream comic series), New York City’s Midtown Comics is going for some real-world nuptials synergy Wednesday by hosting the hitching of Scott Everhart, 39, and Jason Welker, 33, both of Ohio. “It’s the perfect, geeky way to do it,” said Everhart, who saw Midtown Comic’s call-out post on Out.com and applied for the opportunity. “Our first date was in a comic book store. This is us.” Nearly two weeks ago, Everhart proposed to Welker in the pair’s Columbus home, right before the final interview with the store’s co-owner, Gerry Gladston. Welker, ...

Northstar, Marvel’s first openly gay hero, is going to tie the knot with his boyfriend in mainstream superhero comics’ first same-sex wedding in an upcoming issue of “Astonishing X-Men.” The announcement comes on the heels of DC co-publisher Dan DiDio’s revelation that an iconic DC character will reveal he is gay in a June issue, joining prominent lesbian character Batwoman beneath the rainbow banner. Northstar, whose real name is Jean-Paul Beaubier, is a Canadian mutant whose superhuman abilities allow him to move and fly at supersonic speeds. He’s also a professional skier, Olympian, novelist and businessman who made his debut in “Alpha Flight” #10 in 1984. He openly revealed his sexuality eight years later, in 1992′s issue #106, and officially joined the X-Men in 2002. In “Astonishing X-Men” #50, set to hit comic shop shelves Wednesday, Northstar proposes to his ...

This story contains spoilers about “The Avengers.” “The Avengers” passed the $1-billion mark in worldwide ticket sales this weekend, and a sequel is already in the works. Does that mean writer-director Joss Whedon will be back at the helm of the franchise that unites Marvel’s box-office heavyweights, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the Hulk? “You know, I’m very torn,” Whedon said in a sit-down interview in Beverly Hills before the film’s U.S. opening. “It’s an enormous amount of work telling what is ultimately somebody else’s story, even though I feel like I did get to put myself into it. But at the same time, I have a bunch of ideas, and they all seem really cool.” Whether he gets his hands on the sequel, Whedon’s fingerprints are all over “The Avengers,” which echoes some tropes found in his ...

Stan Lee, the living Marvel himself, will close out the 2012 Hero Complex Film Festival – and he’ll get some on-screen backup from Wolverine, Magneto and the other uncanny mutants in the landmark 2000 film “X-Men.”‘ “An Evening with Stan Lee” will bring the 89-year-old dynamo of pop culture and co-creator of Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the X-Men and hundreds of other characters onstage for an in-depth conversation. You could say that Lee is the most famous name in comic books who isn’t a comic-book character — but at this point he he’s appeared in so many Marvel stories — both on the page and on the screen in his movie cameos — that it’s difficult to know where Lee the creator stops and Lee the character begins. Stanley Lieber was born in New York City on Dec. 28, 1922, but when he got ...