The Batman Family: Cassandra Cain, The Black Bat

The Batman Family:
Cassandra Cain, The Black Bat

Origins:
Just as there are many Robins in the Batman family, there are multiple Batgirls to keep note of. This post is dedicated to Cassandra Cain who is the second incarnation of the Batgirl. Cassandra Cain was raised in the League of Assassins. Her sole purpose from when she was born was to be the perfect body guard for Ra's Al Ghul. Her father, David Cain looked for the perfect mother in order to have the perfect ninja baby. He found this in Lady Shiva. From birth Cassandra was trained to be the ultimate martial artists. She wasn't even taught how to speak, but the areas in her brain responsible for speaking were trained instead to map out other opponents movements and anticipate their actions, an extra sense in place of speaking.

Oracle's Ward:
When she was 7 years old her father took her to murder a businessman in order to complete her training, though he disguised it as a game. When she killed the man she was scarred emotionally and abandoned her father realizing that it was wrong to kill after "reading" the businessman's final moments in life. She went to Gotham where she became an agent of Oracle, (the original Batgirl). When Cassandra saved Commissioner Gordon's life, Oracle and Batman contemplated letting the young girl in on their secrets. However, Batman feared she would meet the same fate as Jason Todd. He would not let her become the Batgirl until she could adequately defend herself. During this time a telepath helped her rewire her brain to understand English easier and begin to speak. She was soon ready to become Batgirl.

Batgirl:
She became Batgirl but wished that she could relearn how to read people's movements, like she had before the telepath "fixed" her. She met up with Lady Shiva in order to relearn her old talents. Lady Shiva agreed to help, only if they could duel to the death in a year. Cassandra willingly went along with it, knowing full well that she could not kill and would rather be "Perfect for a year" rather than "mediocre for a lifetime". When the fight came Cassandra was killed in minutes, Lady Shiva realized she wanted to die rather than actually fight. So Lady Shiva revived her and Cassandra found out that she was indeed her mother. She continued to be Batgirl.

Batman R.I.P:
Batman had become a father figure in Cassandra's life. When he was found out to be dead, (seemingly), she became disillusioned with her alter ego as the Batgirl and left the Wayne Manor leaving Tim Drake and Dick Grayson to run the operations in Gotham.

The Black Bat:
However, Tim Drake stayed in contact with Cassandra even after Bruce returned to create Batman Incorporated. The mantle of Batgirl had been passed on. Tim tries to persuade Cassandra to return to Gotham who had become an anonymous vigilante in Hong Kong. She refuses saying that Batgirl has moved on from her. So Tim gives Cassandra a copy of her old suit and tells her to keep the logo and join the corps of Batmen across the globe. So with that, Cassandra altered her costume and now fights crime in Hong Kong.

Star Wars Spin Offs

Star Wars Spin Offs:
With the massively successful release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens today, I have decided rather than spoil everything and talk about the movie, I would give you a post full of what may come next in the Star Wars universe regarding the very promising spin offs that have been confirmed and what we'd like to see. Now obviously we have Episode VII, and we will for sure get episodes VIII and IX. But in addition to these Disney has confirmed three spin off films in addition to the new trilogy. They have even given one of the spin offs a name. So lets talk about that.

Now you may be wondering, "Star Wars doesn't count as comics! Why are you writing about it on a comic book nerd blog?" There are Star Wars comics, and the majority of them are really good, so all this is still relevant, and I needed something topical for this week.

A Note Regarding Continuity:
So the Star Wars continuity has become a little complicated in order to make it a lot more simpler. When the original trilogy was released it wasn't long before the expanded universe began. The expanded universe is a large collection of books, comics and video games telling more stories and detailing the background of the Star Wars Universe. As it continued to grow Star Wars become exponentially more popular. However, the expanded universe is often mocked for containing too much backstory, (For instance, you can find a character bio on Wookiepedia.com for almost any alien in the Cantina scene from A New Hope). In order for Disney to wipe the slate clean they branded all the books and comics as "Legends", meaning that they are just stories, not actual canon.

So what is canon nowadays? The stories that are officially considered canon and will be recognized in the movies are:
 The prequel trilogy (despite how awful it is).
The Clone Wars TV Series.
The Rebels TV Series
and of course, The Original trilogy.

There have been some comics that have been made since they cut down the canon but all you really need to remember are the big movies. Now, on to the actual spin offs.

Rogue One:
Star Wars: Rogue One is the only officially announced Star Wars spin off at the moment. It chronicles the adventure of an X-wing fighter squadron called Rogue One. Their mission is to steal the plans to the Death Star in order for the Rebel Alliance to destroy it. It is set before A New Hope and will be released in December of 2016. This is promising because it's set alternately to the original trilogy and may give us a good look some old faces, (*cough cough, Darth Vader). Disney has also confirmed that there are two other spin offs that have not been announced, but they will show one between Episode VIII and IX and one after. So let's speculate what these other spin offs should be about.

Official Promotional Photo of Rogue One.

Obi Wan Kenobi Solo Movie:
There have been rumors floating around about this, and I'm one hundred percent on board. Just imagine this, Obi Wan Kenobi has  "killed" Anakin, he is in hiding, the Jedi order is disbanded and he's forced to live in hiding until Luke is ready to become a Jedi. We see a fairly stark contrast between Episode III Obi Wan Kenobi and the Ben Kenobi of Episode IV. He goes from a very disciplined and focused warrior to a grizzled old man who will cut your arm off when he's had enough of your crap. I want to see that transformation. I want to see what years of isolation and solo adventuring would be like for him. We could see a re-return of Darth Maul and how Obi Wan has to deal with that. Maybe he searches for other Jedi. Or maybe he literally just farms moisture on Tatooine. Regardless, I want to see it. Ewan Mcgregor has even expressed interest in reprising the role.

Boba Fett Solo Movie:
There have been rumors and I think this one is as good as confirmed. Here's why a Boba Fett movie would be cool. In the expanded universe Boba Fett is like the Batman of the Star Wars Universe. He's got a gadget for everything, a flamethrower, a sweet jetpack that he actually can control, and some really great stories revolving around him. But since everything but the movies have been retconned, he is actually just an idiotic Stormtrooper who was given a jetpack. And what would you expect a Stormtrooper to do if you gave him a jetpack? Fall into a Sarlacc pit because he didn't know how to work it. Lets see what led him from a rage filled boy who's father was decapitated to a bounty hunter who for some reason, hasn't ended up like all the other clones and knows how to aim. Lets see him either crawl out of that Sarlacc pit, or somebody else fishes his armor out of it and takes up the mantle. Do the character some justice.

Han and Lando:
There has been lots of speculation and interest towards a Han Solo film. It would most likely tell the story of him growing up, becoming a smuggler, doing something that makes Chewbacca owe him a life dept and obtaining the Millennium Falcoln from Lando. Or maybe just make a Han Solo/Lando Calrissian buddy movie. How great would that be? The Adventures of Han and Lando, with intermittent flashbacks to their childhoods. Is this a good idea? I don't know, there just so much potential for anything.

Darth Vader and the Empire:
There is a particularly good comic book called Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison. It tells of Darth Vader and his quest to save a mortally wounded Emperor Palpatine. In his plight to save him he will seek out the Ghost Prison in order to save him. This is just one story that is very promising but a movie focused around Vader and the Empire would be really cool to see. Maybe a Force Unleashed movie rendition, (The Force Unleashed being a video game about Darth Vader's secret Sith apprentice). I think there is some good material here and it isn't based in the unnecessarily convoluted prequel trilogy.

In conclusion, there are a lot of ideas to go with and honestly, I'm fine if we keep getting Star Wars movies forever. Here's how it works, if a garbage Star Wars movie is made, it will only increase the fandom's love for the originals, but if there is a new addition that is good, then hooray for everyone. But really in the end.....it's all just to sell more toys.

The 5 Smartest People in the Marvel Universe

Top 5 Smartest People in the Marvel Universe:

Due to the slight popularity of my "Top 5 Smartest People in the DC Universe" post, here is one detailing the brilliant heroes found within the Marvel Universe. Again, it takes a certain level of intelligence to become a super hero that doesn't horribly fail at everything, but these are those that stand out. So from smart to smarter here are the five outstandingly heroes in the Marvel Universe.

5.) Tony Stark
Little known fact, Anthony "Tony" Edward Stark was in fact adopted by Howard and Maria Stark. His actual biological parentage is unknown. Tony was enrolled in boarding school at the age of 6. He would grow up to be the valedictorian of his high school and majored in physics and electrical engineering, receiving masters degrees in both. When he was twenty one his parents were killed in a car crash and he was forced to inherit the company his father had built. He furthered the company into a multi-billion dollar organization that primarily supplied the U.S. with advanced weapons and munitions. Until he was supervising a field test for a weapon of his in Afghanistan. During the demonstration he tripped on a landmine, shrapnel pierced his heart and he was captured by revolutionaries in Afghanistan. To save his life, Tony built a metal suit in order to escape and keep the shrapnel out of his heart. After escaping he changed the direction of his company and upgraded his suit and continues to battle evil with his updated "Ironman" armor. He has become a philanthropist in that he betters the world with his technology and what he cannot buy he buries with his suit. Truly a nice, smart guy.

4.) Victor Von Doom

Victor Von Doom was born in a Romani camp in Latveria. His mother was killed when a bargain with Mephisto, a demon from a hellish realm, went wrong. His father fled the camp with little Victor into the cold night. His father died of the chilling weather but Victor lived on. He decided to make learning about science and magic a priority in order to better understand the deal that killed his mother and possibly save her. During his studies he received a scholarship to the State University in Hegeman, New York. There he met Reed Richards and Ben Grimm. Victor was focusing on building an inter-dimensional portal into other realms. Reed pointed out a flaw in Victor's design but Victor, thinking Reed just wanted to upstage him, went on with the experiment. The machine indeed was flawed. It exploded, scarring Victors face and he was soon expelled from the university. He blames Reed Richard for the catastrophe. So Victor left America and traveled back to Latveria in a suit of armor built by himself and overthrew the government, declaring himself King of the land. He uses the country to further his plans for world domination. He is a formidable foe of everybody from the Avengers, to the X-men to Asgard. He is a master of Techno-magic and frequently ushers destruction to the world.

3.) Bruce Banner

Robert Bruce Banner was born to Brian and Rebecca Banner. Rebecca loved Bruce but Brian hated him. Brian was an alcoholic who was very angry at Bruce for being the object of Rebecca's love. Brian, who was an atomic physicist, believed that his exposure to radiation had given him a mutant child, (remember, in this world mutants are perceived as bad). Brian abused Bruce and murdered Rebecca. Brian was then sent to a mental institution with Bruce now raised by his aunt Susan Banner. Bruce was so enraged by his cruel father but Susan taught him love and compassion as she would her own child. Bruce would grow up as a highly intellectual and withdrawn child prodigy. Bruce would graduate high school and study nuclear physics at Navapo, New Mexico. He also studied at Pennsylvania State University and Harvard. He would end his studies after obtaining a doctorate degree from the California Institute of Technology. Wanting to turn to philanthropy but not having the funds to do so, Bruce turned to the U.S. Defense department where he designed and built the G-Bomb, a bomb using gamma radiation. During it's first underground detonation a civilian wandered on sight. Bruce found the civilian but the bomb went off. Bruce threw the civilian into a safety trench but failed to shield himself. The gamma radiation did not kill Bruce, but it turned him into a large green monster later called the Hulk. From then on Bruce would turn into the mindless and bash monster when he was angry, (though he keeps his intelligence even when we turns into the Hulk, though he cannot focus it correctly). He remains a constant force for good, be it through philanthropy or smashing whatever gets in the way of what is right.

2.) Hank Pym

Henry Jonathan Pym was born to Brad and Doris Pym in Nebraska. His father being a factory foreman and his mother a librarian, they realized he was quite the smart little boy. Tested at the age of 3, the doctors found out that he was more intelligent than both of his parents. When his grandmother fell terminally ill, Hank tried to invent a contraption to save her. His grandma recognized it was her time and told Hank never to stop inventing. When she passed away, he angrily smashed his contraption on the floor. But he still went on to graduate college earning a doctorate while his friends were still undergrads. Hank then married a Hungarian immigrant named Maria. He was working on shrinking technology but could not find the funding. Maria convinced him to return to her country but when they arrived a political enemy shot her and killed her. Hank went on a rampage trying to find the killer but was sent back to America for his arrest. After this he eventually became worlds hardest working biologist but due to the lack of imaginative freedom at his current job he quit and began working on his shrink technology where he discovered a new particle that he termed "Pym Particles" These particles allowed him to shrink, grow, and fight crime with his second wife, Janet Van Dyne. Hank was the Antman/Giantman and Janet was the Wasp. He channeled his shrink technology to fight injustice and keep the world safe. Hank would also help form the Avengers and later become Yellow Jacket with the Antman suit passed onto Scott Lang. He also created Ultron, the super A.I. turned against the Avengers and the bane of their existence. During an encounter Hank confronted Ultron as a distraction for the Vision to phase into Ulton and kill him once and for all. Ultron told Hank that he had all of Hank's memories and subconscious hate for humanity. As the Vision tried to kill Ultron, the A.I. faked utter pain, Hank held the "dying" robot, but as Vision phased out, Ultron caused Hank to phase into himself. Currently Ultron possesses the consciousness of Hank Pym and is a force not to be reckoned with.

1.) Reed Richards:

Reed Richards was the only son of Nathaniel and Evelyn Richards. Evelyn died when Reed was only seven but his father guided him into using his intelligence for good and enrolling him in the courses he need to take to benefit Reed. By age fourteen he was taking college level classes. He had a natural aptitude for mathematics, mechanics, and physics. It was at the State University in Hegeman, New York where Reed met Ben Grimm and Victor Von Doom. His room mates, Victor who took an immediate dislike to Reed, moved out. Reed and Ben became best friends, Reed telling him of his plans to create interstellar travel in a spaceship. Ben jokingly told Reed he would pilot this vehicle if it ever happened. (In the early days of the Fantastic Four comics, Reed and Ben Grimm fought in World War 2 were they met Nick Fury). Three years before Reed's starship was tested, his father disappeared when his attempt to create a time machine actually transported him to an alternate universe. However, Reed's father left him left two billion dollars to him and with that Reed built his starship in Central City, California. With further funding from the federal government Reed finished his starship and tested it out with Ben as the pilot, his girlfriend Susan Storm and her brother Johnny. However, the shielding on the starship did not hold up and the cabin was blasted with cosmic radiation from a solar flare giving the gang different powers, with Reed being able to control every atom in his body and form anything, (though usually just sticks to stretching about). After this Reed, as Mister Fantastic, and the rest of the Fantastic Four would save the earth multiple times. Reed would marry Sue Storm and start a family and continue to aid the Avengers, X-men and Guardians of the Galaxy in his ultimate quest to save the universe with his wits and intelligence. He is so smart in fact, that in every dimension and alternate universe, Reed has become the smartest man, sometimes wielding the Infinity Gauntlet, sometimes an evil dictator, but always the most powerful and intellectual man in the universe.

Why Batman v. Superman is a Good Idea. (and a call-to-action).

Why Batman v. Superman is a Good Idea (in Theory).

So the latest trailer for Dawn of Justice landed this week and we got a look at some pretty sweet things: Doomsday, more Lex Luthor, fun exchanges between Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, also Wonder Woman looks like she kicks butt. All fun stuff, and maybe it revealed a bit too much about the movie. We know now that Batman and Superman will fight a bit, but then they'll be friends. But this post is not even about the trailer, (though it may reference it to further my point). That point being, that this movie is doing something that comic book movies haven't done yet: give us a movie without an origin. Batman, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman just turn up in this movie, with no origins. Lets talk about that.

 Here's why this is cool. It's never happened in the movies before. Think about your favorite stand alone comic books, they did not include the origin of the title hero, (Unless it's Batman: Year One). I'm saying that in this movie, we will be dropped into a universe that has all of it's heroes well established. Joker is running about, Aquaman has been King of the ocean and Wonder Woman looks as if she's been doing this for a while already. Robin has been killed. Even Batman has faded into urban obscurity. We know everyone's origin already, Batman got his parents killed, Superman is the last son of Krypton, Aquaman is half human, half Atlantean, Wonder Woman is an Amazon, now make a movie. In a sense it's easier than making an origin story we have to sit through (again) and we can cut to the good stories in the DC universe.

Why watch this movie? Let me put it this way, if I had to choose between this movie and Captain America: Civil War, I would choose Dawn of Justice. We have never seen Batman and Superman on screen in live action before. These are the two most recognizable superheroes in the history of comic books. The fact that they are in a movie together should have audiences already in the seats of the theatre. Granted, I cannot wait for Civil War , but we already know the characters in Civil War, and if you chose to miss it you would find out enough about what happened through context in the other Marvel movies. But Dawn of Justice is new, it's never been done before and it's kicking off an entire expansive universe for us to enjoy. All you Marvel Supremacists out there are saying, "But it's too late to do a movie like this." "Marvel already has a monopoly on comic book movies." "DC's TV shows are better than this movie."

To that I say, Shutup!!! Quit criticizing everything that isn't Marvel. So what if Marvel is killing it in the movies? DC sells more original comic book stories, has better animated movies, and more great TV shows than Marvel does, but that doesn't make DC fans hate Marvel, (at least I'd hope not)! And it's not like Marvel has never had a bad movie, (2003's Daredevil, Fan4stic, Hulk). All I'm saying is that this is a great time to be a fan of comic books altogether as a whole. Coexist people! You will miss out on so much other good content if you live such a close minded life of hating one. Loving one doesn't mean hating the other, that's what this blog is all about. So let's optimistically look forward to every comic book movie that is put out, be it DC, Marvel, or even an Image comic movie, (even though Spawn wasn't the best). Let the comic book movies and superheroes come, we'll be waiting, ready for something good.