My Infinity War Prediction...

Here's the deal:

In the comics, Infinity Gauntlet began when Thanos used said device to kill half of the Earth's population (in an effort to "court Death". Get it?)

So it makes sense to me that this will take place in the final minutes of the film.

So who gets the cut? Here's my list:

• Pepper 
• Rhodey
• Bruce Banner
• Jane Foster
• Dr. Selvig
• Sif 
• Wanda 
• Hawkeye
• Coulson
• Mack
• Fitz
• Cap
• Sharon Carter
• Aunt May
• Scorpion
• Gamora
• Rocket, and
• Cassie Lang

Now, I don't think these are the only people to disappear. I'm sure a list will appear with names of characters"yet to be seen" - like Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm - but all the characters on my list have a legitimate reason to vanish from the MCU. Here are my reasons:

Pepper and Rhodey have to go so Tony has a personal reason to go toe-to-toe with Thanos. Tony's seen the future, and it rattled him immensely. But something has to make him take control of that fear as that future comes into existence. Pepper and Rhodey's absences would do it. It would also allow for another person to don some Iron Man Armor. No, not Happy, I'm talking about the kid from Iron Man 3...

Bruce Banner will go for no other reason than to reduce SFX costs. Plus, it would allow another character to be brought into the MCU - Bruce's cousin. Jennifer Walters.

Jane Foster, Dr. Selvig and Sif will go in order to give Thor a personal interest in the war. Plus, it keeps Sif in the story without actually needing to bring Jaimie Alexander back. This could lead to the introduction of the Olympians. And their champion. What was his name? Oh yeah. Hercules.

Wanda and Hawkeye's disappearances would mean personal interests for both Vision and Black Widow, respectively. Also, with Wanda "dead" there's the possibility she could bring her brother back. As for Hawkeye, we'd get to see his family again and the price the families of these heroes pay (more on that in a bit).

Wouldn't it be cool to have Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tie-in with the movies more directly again? It would be SO cool to see Yo-yo save Mack, Simmons save Fitz, and EVERYONE save Coulson. It would also allow Coulson's "return to life" explain his continued existence to the rest of the Avengers.

Why Steve Rogers? How else could Bucky Barnes become the new Captain America? 

Why Sharon Carter? So she can bring Peggy back with her.

Peter would freak the s#!t out if he lost Aunt May on top of Uncle Ben. (I just hope Ben stays dead!)

As for Scorpion, when he returns, he'd come back a free man. Making him the villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming 2.

Gamora has to go because Nebula was a major factor in Thanos' defeat in the comics. For the film, that would mean she'd have to betray her father (whom she supposedly supports) to save her adopted sister (whom she supposedly hates). Talk about a cool dynamic.

Rocket's absence would force the remaining Guardians to make sure everyone carries tape. Even Groot Jr.

And finally, Cassie Lang. She was one of, if not the only, driving forces that helped Scott become Ant-Man in the first place in the comics and the biggest reasons he wants to stay out of trouble in the MCU. But, since the events of Captain America: Civil War made him a prisoner at The Raft, his chances of ever seeing Cassie again are pretty damn slim. Maggie would keep Scott away from her if he ever got out...unless she was one of the vanished. If she lost Cassie, and found out that Scott was fighting to bring her back, that would open up their whole relationship. (And I've heard about what eventually happens to Cassie in the comics. I don't care. That was a dick move Marvel.)

So there you have it. Quite a rant after such an absence I know.

In Marvel Studios I Trust

WTF? Friday...4/7/2017

Hey Joe...

...you've seen this. Right?

So I was wondering. What could possibly get these guys together to form a team in the first place? I mean yeah, they're fighting The Hand, but The Hand is a "new" villain to both Luke and Jessica. So why would they get involved? How would they get involved? What do they have in common? What would they be Defending? How are they all connected?

 Here's my brilliant theory:

Claire gets captured by The Hand. Don't know why. Can't even begin to fathom the circumstances. But something happens, and Claire (or something she feels passionate about) needs Defending. She truly is their Coulson.

August 18th can't come soon enough.

Let's talk Super Bowl...

I'll say it: I shut off the game midway though the 3rd quarter.

Say what you want. Don't care.

I got up Monday morning prepared to wear my Patriots shirt when I went out and about. Simply to show my support. (Which is a true sign of a fan. At work, I've seen people walk around in their Brady jerseys during the Playoffs and I'd laugh. Where the hell were they after the Pats lost to Seattle in Week 10?) Then, just for punishment, I watched the highlights over coffee.

Wait...WHAT?

Holy, Good God, DAMN!

Needless to say, I've spent a lot of time watching reaction and commentary videos on YouTube all week. And one of the biggest topics online is this...

 ...is he? Or isn't he?

First of all, prior to this game Brady had won 3 Super Bowl MVP awards, and I've never believed he should have gotten any of them. He didn't win those Super Bowls. 

Secondly, prior to Superbowl 51, every Patriots Super Bowl win was by less than 5 points.

Then came this game.

Looking at his performance, under such circumstances, there is NO doubt that he absolutely deserved the Super Bowl 51 MVP award. There's also no doubt that he is the best clutch quarterback to have ever played the game.

But GOAT? I would say yes, but with an asterisk.

Hang on and hear me out...

Rich Eisen made a very good point on his 2/6/17 broadcast of The Rich Eisen Show, which I will paraphrase:

Tom Brady is the Greatest Quarterback in the history of the NFL, but not necessarily the Greatest FOOTBALL Player of all time. 

Eisen went on to say that Jerry Rice is the Greatest Wide Receiver in football history and Jim Brown is the Greatest Running Back in football history. Since Eisen knows a hell of a lot more about football (and sports in general) than I ever will, I bow to his wisdom. 

But that got me thinking about what GOAT really means.

Can there truly be a GOAT in all of sports? Is Brady a better athlete than Serena Williams? Lebron James? Muhammad Ali? Yeah, Brady has five rings, but he's never won Olympic Gold. 

I think Eisen's point goes beyond football. Every sport has it's own expectations from those athletes who choose to pursue that sport, and a person who is great (or even good for that matter) in one sport doesn't automatically mean that s/he would excel in a different one. 

Can you see him throwing a baseball? Boxing? Swimming? Ice Skating? 'Cause I sure an hell can't.

So what is he? Tom Brady is THE GREATEST QUARTERBACK OF ALL TIME. 

You can call him the GOAT Quarterbacks, or the GQBOAT, or the GOATQB. Take your pick, but there is no debate.

The FINAL Suicide Squad trailer...with extras

Please note: both Adorkette and Mrs. Adorkification are itchin' to see this one.

You know what's comin'...

• I'm betting at least half of the Joker stuff is flashback as part of Harley's character development.
• The entire third act will be the Squad taking down whatever it is they were set up for...with Batman and Joker along for the ride.
• Every single one of those character bits following the trailer were genius. Every. One. Harley likes Puddin? Joker's favorite joke is Batman? Enchantress (making it Amora in Thor: Ragnarok I'm guessing?) is 6313 years young? F**king brilliant. And you can't keep me from buying "The Balloom Blitz" by Sweet (The Sweet?). No f**king way.

However...having said that...

Every single one of those bits can be explained it two words: 

DEAD. 

POOL. 

There's no f**king way these things weren't influenced by the success of that movie. You wanted to know what those post-production re-shoots were about? You're looking at them. Well, at least some of them...

The Doctor Strange trailer...

DAMN!

I'm pissed about the accent though. With all the changes they're making for this film, why Strange couldn't be British and just working in America I have no idea.

Thoughts:

• Having Baron Mordo a good guy? Okay, but I beg you Marvel Studios, let him say "burgundy..." just once. Okay, twice.
• Having Wi-Fi in Tibet or wherever makes my eye twitch.
• I have no problem with The Ancient One being played by Tilda Swinton.
• The Eye of Agamotto is f**king beautiful. 
• The Cloak of Levitation is f**king gorgeous.
• The music is f**king sick!
• I get the feeling Rachel McAdams' character will return as Clea, and Mads Mikkelsen's character will become the corporeal host of Dormammu. 
• My one problem is that the "alternate reality" visuals look too much like Inception for me.

So. The Justice League trailer...

HOLY. F**KING. S#!T

First of all, I have yet to see Batman v Superman: The Director's Cut (or whatever it's called). Second, Ben's Batman was awesome. Even in the theatrical release. Third, this trailer alone has more humor in it than the entirety of the theatrical release. I'll even say that if this teaser was released in theaters...and people had to buy a ticket to see it...it would make more coin worldwide than BvS did. This is the s#!t. This is what I've always wanted the DCEU to be.

However...

...I just wish the DC/WB/DCEU would commit.

Just commit.

COMMIT DAMMIT!

If they just explained on Grant Gustin's Flash that his actions opened the portals to 51 other universes, and the DCEU was in fact one of them, that would be FINE! 

Until then, we're gonna have fans argue and debate over which Flash is the true Flash...or the real one...or whatever. And while healthy debate among fans is great advertising,

do they really wanna risk a rift in their fan base?

'Cause we all know what could happen when dealing with divided supporters.

Just sayin'...

Transforming the Transformer - Part 1: Securing the Name

For the first part of what I hope will be an ongoing saga as I acquire my very own transformer, 

I decided to talk about the first thing I've actually acquired: the license plates.

Hey - if you're gonna get a vehicle, and make it look like a Transformer (in vehicle mode), then the character's name should be the license plates. Right? 

So as I drove around to work and stuff I started thinking about that, and looked at the license plates around me. Most of them had only six letters or numbers, so I started playing with the name: RLLBAR? ROLLBR? ROLBAR? No one variation stood out, but they all said the same thing and I figured I'd just pick whatever was available when the time came.

Then I noticed that some plates had a seventh space. ROLLBAR could be had!

Then I went to the state DMV site to look at vanity plates and was surprised at the variety. Besides the Veteran, Handicapped and Breast Cancer Supporter plates, others are available that support such things as the local university, agriculture, the military and Native American Tribes. They even have plates for antique and street rod cars. 

And while most of those have a maximum of six spaces, some have as little as four.

I know! WTF?

But there were indeed a few versions offering a full seven spaces. I took a shot, and the bar started to roll.

When I told Mrs. Adorkification that I wanted to get them right away, she was understandably confused: "Why get vanity plates for a future red Jeep Wrangler, when it would just be put on a blue Chevy Silverado now?"

Which is a valid question. The answer...

...is time.

Not that I expect the price of vanity plates to go up anytime soon, and $27 a year is nothing. It's that vanity plates are "first-come, first-served". We can get by with the truck we have now until we find a good deal for what we're looking for, even if it takes a year or more. But I didn't want to spend all that time stressing about the possibility of not getting the plates I really want, and settling for a second (albeit workable) choice. Then she asked if I expected a big demand for "Transformer Plates" between now and then.

(sigh)

But she agreed that the cost wasn't an issue, and as long as they were going on my vehicle and not hers, I could get them now.

So - $27 and a confirmation email later, the plates have been approved.

Now I just have to wait six weeks for delivery...

WTF? Friday...1/29/2016

At first, I wasn't sure what to talk about today, but then I read this.

Unfortunately, I don't have $90,000 at my disposal.

And that got me thinking...

I'm never going to join the Rebel Alliance.

I'm never gonna be a member of G. I. Joe either.

But, even as a "grown-up", I can own a Transformer.

No. Really...

This is Rollbar. An Autobot who transforms into a Jeep Wrangler - a vehicle I've wanted to own ever since they were introduced back in 1986...when I was too young to drive.

 Yeah...

But now I'm an adult who will (eventually) be looking for another vehicle. I know I can't have an actual robot that transforms into a Wrangler, but a Jeep Wrangler identical to a Transformer? Right down to the paint job and Autobot logos? Why not? Even cooler - Mrs. Adorkification okay'd it.

Nice!

About these Netflix Marvel shows...

I'm a huge fan of both shows, and I look forward to the rest of them, but this new trend has me thinking:

Why don't the comics run the same way?

Why get bogged down with ongoing monthlies? Why not have ongoing mini-series instead? My understanding is that comic book publishers must feature a specific character within a certain time frame in order to keep the publishing rights for legal reasons, but that time frame isn't a mere 30 days. It isn't 90 days. In fact, I think it's somewhere in the 3-5 year range.

Regardless, I'd rather read a really good 7-month long story featuring Moon Knight (for example) than deal with five issues of less-than-spectacular "filler" crap in a monthly ongoing series. Having said that...

the same could be said for television shows.