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It's not news that, for the most part, superhero movies haven't made audiences into regular comic book readers despite publisher efforts. If anything, it feels like the problems that have plagued the superhero comic duopoly are seeping over into Marvel Studios' blockbuster behemoth.

Some critics have gone so far as to say comics will never be the primary medium for superheroes again. Ritesh Babu writes, "To entire generations of children, the superhero is an entity of the screen, not the comics page." I'll admit, I'm proof positive of this hypothesis. I first met superheroes through movies, cartoons, and franchise encyclopedias with years of comic story bullet points and trivia all contained in one binding. (Such tomes are useful at convincing young fans that superhero stories are a historied mythology to be revered.)

I was never opposed to reading comics — in middle school, I gradually collected a handful of '80s...

After seven movies, eight TV shows, and two specials, Phase Four of the MCU has come to a close. While it grappled with the multiversal ramifications of the Avengers: Endgame event, it also pushed the franchise forward exponentially with a new generation of heroes. From the passing of the mantles to the deluge of newcomers, Phase Four saw many sidekicks rise up the ranks from their relegated roles in the comics. The best example of this is Wong, who was revealed to be the new Sorcerer Supreme and provided a strong connective tissue across many projects - hence the fan-made code name “Phase Wong.”

While the MCU has been highly consistent in incorporating sidekicks and prominent supporting characters early on, many are still waiting for their shot at the spotlight. Whether they’ve been hinted at already or are simply linked to existing and upcoming characters, some sidekicks stand...

The character 'U.S. Agent' portrayed by actor Wyatt Russell in the Marvel Studios TV series "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" streaming on Disney+, debuted in Marvel Comics "Captain America" #323 (November 1986) as the 'Super-Patriot', before becoming the new 'Captain America':

"...'John Walker', whose older brother, 'Mike', a helicopter pilot who died in the Vietnam War, inspired John to live up to Mike's memory, and he enlisted in the military.

"But John never saw action and after an honorable discharge from the US Army, he received special treatments...

"...granting him superhuman abilities courtesy the mysterious 'Power Broker'.

"Now in Marvel Studios "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" TV series directed by Kari Skogland , a new 'Captain America', aka 'John Walker, U.S. Agent'...

"...fights a gang of attackers, while the 'Winter Soldier' (Sebastian Stan), aka 'Bucky Barnes' frees a group of locked-up hostages.

"It all starts when a dramatic attempt...

While Marvel Studios continue shooting "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier" for Disney+, introducing 'Us Agent', a darker 'super-soldier' version of 'Captain America', take another look at Marvel Comics' ruthless 'Commie Smasher Cap' from the publisher's 'cold war' comic books of the 1950's :

"...in 1953, 'William Burnside' discovers the lost formula for the 'Super-Soldier Serum' in Third Reich files stashed in a German warehouse.

"He immediately tells the government about the formula in consideration of becoming the next 'Captain America'...

"...even undergoing plastic surgery to look like 'Steve Rogers', but the government is unconvinced they need another 'Cap'.

"Becoming a disgruntled teacher, the new Rogers befriends rebellious student 'Jack Monroe' and together they access the formula, injecting the chemicals into each other, to become the new Captain America and 'Bucky'.

"The duo fight as 'Commie Smashers', unaware of a 'Vita-Ray' process required to stabilize the recipient taking the formula.

What if Marvel Studios considered a different take on "Captain America", adapting Marvel Comics' crazy 'Commie Smasher Cap' from the publisher's 'cold war' Atlas comic books of the 1950's ? :

"...in 1953, 'William Burnside' discovers the lost formula for the 'Super-Soldier Serum' in Third Reich files stashed in a German warehouse.

"He immediately tells the government about the formula in consideration of becoming the next 'Captain America'...

"...even undergoing plastic surgery to look like 'Steve Rogers', but the government is unconvinced they need another 'Cap'.

"Becoming a disgruntled teacher, the new Rogers befriends rebellious student 'Jack Monroe' and together they access the formula, injecting the chemicals into each other, to become the new Captain America and 'Bucky'.

"The duo fight as 'Commie Smashers', unaware of a 'Vita-Ray' process required to stabilize the recipient taking the formula. 

"Ultimately the formula affects their minds, creating psychotic hallucinations...

"...as they go on a rampage.

Palisades Pool Party is a conundrum in the best sense of the word, at once pathos, hysterical, terrible and oddly wonderful, it’s not quite Glee, nor Gossip Girl, but somewhere awkwardly sandwiched between. A show about the twenty four hours surrounding a teen pool party, there is something compelling about it, like a well-orchestrated trainwreck. We are either in the deftest of hands with creators Tai Fauci and Jack Monroe, or they are getting very very lucky with a bad show. The unevenness of tone leads me to believe it’s a collision of the two. Just take Mischa, played by Danny Zaccagnino, as he gazes morose into the bathroom mirror, shirtless, fingering his hair while some very depressing ‘I might want to kill myself’ music plays in the background in episode one (song is, Overreacting by Brad Sucks – real name – and isn’t a bad tune in and...