WTF? Friday 12/19/2014...Phase Three Part Six

I'm a huge fan of Carol Danvers.

The first issue I read about her was, surprisingly enough,

Uncanny X-Men #182.

It wasn't about Carol directly, more like Carol's past told through Rogue - since she's got both Carol's powers and memories. A really good story if you haven't read it. Girl from Boston grows up with at least one brother, joins the Air Force and eventually S.H.I.E.L.D. Winds up with Kree physiology, and eventually - 

becomes Binary and hangs out with the Starjammers.

I don't know anything about this interpretation of her though.

Chances are the film will be about this version, which is fine. I'll be able to compare the MCU Danvers to the 1980's (my) version. 

She's a great character that deserves her own film, but who to cast..?

One popular pick is Katee Sackhoff.

I've never seen Battlestar Galactica (the newer one) based on principle.

'Cause you don't mess with a classic.

I have seen her in Longmire. where she plays a deputy working with the main character's sheriff in Wyoming. Sackhoff's not a bad choice, just not mine.

I'd go with Yvonne Strahovski, of Chuck fame.

I know. She was my first pick for Black Canary on Arrow, and then Mockingbird on AoS. 

Yeah, I was wrong.

But Strahovski should be some major character somewhere at some point. She's too good.

At any rate, Marvel Studios is dragging their feet with casting news.

W...T...F...?

Why can they tell us already?

Okay. Maybe they're waiting until we get closer to A: IW P1, which comes out before Captain Marvel. Maybe they plan on introducing the character there first. Who knows. And that's part of my WTF? When will they tell us? 

(sigh)...waiting sucks.

Captain Marvel is out...Shazam is in

I recently learned that one of the new changes in the DCnU involved a name...

The Big Red Cheese that was Captain Marvel is now Shazam.

A significant change surely, but necessary...?

This is really DC's fault. They bought up the character after suing the original Fawcett Comics in the 1950's for copyright infringement saying he was too much like Superman. That's why he's been called The World's Mightiest Mortal since the character's re-introduction and inclusion in the DCU in 1972.

But Marvel Comics came out with Captain Mar-Vell in 1967.

Because of that, DC hasn't been able to publish their Captain Marvel under that name. They resorted to calling the comic Shazam starting in 1973. Even the live-action television show went by that name.

So now, to (re-)re-introduce the character in the DCnU, they're calling the character Shazam outright.

In other words, if DC Comics (then National Comics Publications) let it slide in the first place and worked harder to make Superman a better character, or changed the character's name when they first brought him into the DCU back in 1972, this would be a non-headache inducing issue.

Stupid DC...

I do think the name change is a good idea, just 40 years too late.

And that DC was built by money-hungry bean counters who cared more about sales than characters...but that's another story.