DC Digital Service Orders HARLEY QUINN Adult Animated Series

The DC Comics digital service is getting a bit more animated.

Deadline reported that the still-unnamed DC Comics digital service has given a straight-to-series order for 26 episodes of a half-hour adult animated series based on popular DC Comics character Harley Quinn.  The series is the third DC Comics adaptation to receive a greenlight from the upcoming digital service, after the revived animated series Young Justice: Outsiders and the live-action series Titans.

According to the article, Harley Quinn will "also feature Poison Ivy and a cast of heroes and villains — old and new — from the DC universe."  The animated series follows Harley, who "finally has broken things off with the Joker once and for all and attempts to make it on her own as the criminal Queenpin of Gotham City."

The article also mentions that Australian actress Margot Robbie, who portrayed the character in the 2016 film Suicide Squad, is "at the top of Warner Bros.’ wish list for actresses to voice the title character in the animated series, and she is expected to be approached for the gig."

Harley Quinn will be from Powerless executive producers Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker, and Dean Lorey via Warner Bros. Animation.  Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Digital Series, will also serve as executive producer. Jennifer Coyle (DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year) will be a producer with Halpern and Schumacker’s Ehsugadee Productions in association with Warner Bros. Animation.

The project is still in development, so the above artwork from Harley Quinn comic book artist Amanda Conner may not be representative of the series' final design.

DAMN Good Movies -- JUSTICE LEAGUE

That's right, I'm back once again with another movie take, this time on the movie Justice League, the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe.  As always, if you haven't seen the movie yet and you don't want it spoiled for you, then please step back from your computer or whatever electronic device you're reading this on and stop reading now.  If, however, you're wise enough to know that movie reviews with spoilers are always more interesting than the ones without them...well...come together, right now.

It's been ten long years to bring Justice League to the big screen.  In 2007, Warner Bros. cancelled Joss Whedon's proposed Wonder Woman film and David S. Goyer's adaptation of The Flash, both of which gave way for a project called Justice League: Mortal.  The film would've branched out into separate sequels and spinoff films and even had Mad Max: Fury Road's George Miller slated to direct.  The project even made it all the way to the casting stage, with D.J. Cotrona as Superman, Armie Hammer as Batman, Megan Gale as Wonder Woman, Adam Brody as The Flash, Common as Green Lantern/John Stewart, Teresa Palmer as Talia al Ghul, and Jay Baruchel as the film's villain, Maxwell Lord.  Yeah, that almost happened.

However, the 2007 writers strike and various production delays doomed Justice League: Mortal, with Warner Bros. deciding to focus on developing individual films instead.  The first was 2011's disappointing Green Lantern movie starring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, followed a year later by the less disappointing but still disappointing The Dark Knight Rises, the final film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.  In 2013, Zack Snyder's Superman reboot film Man of Steel, became a financial success, bringing in over $668 million worldwide, despite mixed reviews from both critics and fans.  The decision to make a sequel was obvious, which resulted in Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016 as the second film of Warner Bros. new DC Extended Universe, intended as the DC Comics equivalent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, Batman v Superman was widely panned, giving fans serious concern about Snyder's ability to direct the announced Justice League film as his next project.  Snyder ended up stepping down during post-production as a result of his daughter's tragic suicide, but Joss Whedon (remember him from 2007?) took over as director to oversee two months of reshoots, as well as write some additional scenes.

The movie opens with a kid's cellphone video of Superman, which unfortunately features some really bad CGI covering up Henry Cavill's mustache that he was contractually obligated to keep during Whedon's reshoots.  A terrible and depressing cover Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows" follows, as we see a world without Superman following his death at the end of Batman v Superman.  Things have become rather bleak, with racism, crime and a sense of hopelessness permeating everything.  And if things aren't bad enough, Superman's death somehow activated three dormant Mother Boxes, powerful supercomputers familiar to fans of Jack Kirby's Fourth World saga and the New Gods.

It turns out that thousands of years ago, Earth was invaded by Steppenwolf, a member of Darkseid's elite who attempted to conquer and remake Earth with the help of an army of winged zombie creatures known as Parademons.  (Yes, for those paying attention, these are the same creatures featured in the nightmare sequence in Batman v Superman.)  Thanks to a unified resistance comprised of humans, Olympian gods, Amazons, Atlanteans, and even alien Green Lanterns, Steppenwolf and the Parademons were repelled back to Apokolips through a very cool-looking Boom Tube, and the Mother Boxes were hidden across the globe.  Why didn't the Green Lanterns just take the Mother Boxes with them when they headed back into space, you ask?  Great question, if only we were given an answer.

Attempting to regain favor with Darkseid, Steppenwolf decides to make a second invasion attempt and retrieves the first box from Themyscira, home of the Amazons.  Queen Hippolyta warns her daughter Diana, better known as Wonder Woman, and Diana looks up her flirting buddy Batman for help.  As we learned from Batman v Superman, Bruce Wayne and Diana have been researching/stalking a number of superpowered metahumans for just such an emergency, so they set off on a recruiting drive.  Bruce finds Barry Allen, The Flash, in Central City, who eagerly signs up because he needs friends, but his attempt to bring in the brotastic Aquaman fails in epic fashion.  Wonder Woman, meanwhile, tracks down Victor Stone, better known as Cyborg, but also has trouble convincing him to help out until Cyborg's father Silas and some other S.T.A.R. Labs employees are kidnapped by Steppenwolf.

As we head into the Second Act, Steppenwolf makes a side trip to Atlantis to retrieve the Atlantean Mother Box, giving us our first good look at what the Aquaman solo movie is going to be like.  Now that Atlantis has been attacked, Aquaman finally decides that maybe Steppenwolf is something that needs dealt with, so he hooks up with the other four heroes and together, they rescue Silas and the other employees.  It's a solid geek moment to see the five Justice Leaguers in full action, although The Flash is uncomfortably hesitant and of little use for someone who moves faster than everyone else.

In an expected addition to the team's "To Do" list, Batman (who has spent most of the movie so far feeling guilty about his part in Superman's death) decides hey, let's resurrect Superman from the dead using the remaining Mother Box that Cyborg tucked away for safekeeping.  Even though Wonder Woman and Aquaman point out this might not be a good idea, Batman plows ahead and gets The Flash to charge up the Mother Box, which will do something sciency-wiency to the incubation waters aboard the Kryptonian ship that Lex Luthor used to create Doomsday in Batman v Superman.  Superman returns (See what I did there?), but isn't exactly himself until Batman brings in Lois Lane to help him regain his memories.  And while everyone's so preoccupied with the resurrected Superman, Steppenwolf just casually walks in and nicks the final Mother Box.

Wait...What?

The Third Act has our team (minus Superman) heading to a Russian village that happens to have a nuclear reactor to help Steppenwolf with his plan.  Here, we see another jarring contrast between Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon's directing styles, with the League battling Parademons left and right in pure Snyderian battleporn mayhem.  They eventually reach Steppenwolf, distracting him long enough for Cyborg to separate the Mother Boxes.  Superman finally joins the team during a great moment, with Henry Cavill finally being allowed to play a Superman who's more colorful and smiling.  Steppenwolf suddenly becomes fearful at the thought of being defeated by the League, or perhaps is more fearful of Darkseid's wrath, and his fear rings the dinner bell for the Parademons, who end up turning on Steppenwolf just as all of them are Boom Tubed back to Apokolips.

In the aftermath, Batman donates the ruined and not-so-stately Wayne Manor to the League to serve as their headquarters, with Wonder Woman teasing that there's "room for more".  Wonder Woman decides to finally step from the shadows as a public hero, while The Flash lands a job at the Central City Police Department that may prove useful if The Flash solo movie ever happens.  Aquaman returns to Atlantis because he knows he's getting his solo movie, and Cyborg goes off to explore his new abilities with his father and hope that he can someday get some decent character development.  The film brings us full circle with Superman, as Clark Kent rips open his shirt and flies off, presenting a much more hopeful and optimistic tone for the DC Extended Universe.  As Superman soars into the air, Lois tells us, rather fittingly, to look...up in the sky...

You can tell there was a lot going on here, with various DC Comics characters finally making it to the big screen.  Here are some of the things that stood out:

BATMAN/BRUCE WAYNE -- In his third movie as Batman (counting his Suicide Squad appearance), Ben Affleck doesn't seem any happier to be doing what he's doing.  Despite being paired with Wonder Woman, The Flash and Aquaman in some lighthearted scenes, Affleck feels like he's just going through the motions.  He's not a horrible Batman, certainly not in the George Clooney sense, but he's still not great.

WONDER WOMAN/DIANA PRINCE -- Gal Gadot, meanwhile, shines once again as Wonder Woman.  With her solo film being the strongest and most successful DCEU film to date, the decision to emphasize Wonder Woman was a no-brainer.  Diana finally gets to step up and be a leader, although maybe someday she can do that without the other Leaguers (except Cyborg) commenting on her appearance.

THE FLASH/BARRY ALLEN -- Like many Flash fans, I had some serious misgivings about Ezra Miller as The Flash and I'm sad to say I still have them.  Relegated to the Comic Relief role, Miller's Flash deviates far too much from his traditional depiction in the comics.  Initially introduced as squatting introvert for some inexplicable reason, we soon learn this Barry Allen is fearful and hesitant of just about everything and his only real contribution as a League member seems to be that he can relocate innocent bystanders from one place to another.  No rapid punching, no cyclone winds, no running on water...just awkward reactions to everything going on around him.  At least we still have the TV show with Grant Gustin...

AQUAMAN/ARTHUR CURRY -- Unlike Ben Affleck, Jason Momoa genuinely seems to be enjoying himself as Aquaman.  His laid-back "bro" version of the character also deviates from the comics, but Momoa's imposing frame and bad-boy look make Aquaman seem a lot cooler to people that simply dismiss him as "the guy who talks to fish."  Naturally, his underwater scenes are a particular highlight, but Momoa also has decent comedic timing as well, such as the scene where Aquaman unwittingly sits on Wonder Woman's lasso and unloads his true feelings to everyone.

CYBORG/VICTOR STONE -- Ray Fisher makes his full debut as Cyborg, but the character doesn't quite click enough to make you stop wondering where Green Lantern or the Martian Manhunter are.  I think it's mainly due to Cyborg being underwritten as a character, making viewers not as emotionally invested in him, along with too much of a reliance on CGI to depict him.  Fisher's Cyborg looks like a leftover overdesigned Michael Bay Transformer, with Fisher's face poorly animated by CGI to make even his human face come off as fake.

SUPERMAN/CLARK KENT -- In his best appearance as Superman since Man of Steel, Henry Cavill makes the most of what little screen time he actually has.  When not forced by Zack Snyder to portray Superman as a scowling sourpuss hovering above everyone, Cavill proves he's a worthy successor to Christopher Reeve.  The mid-credits Superman/Flash race scene is great showcase for Cavill, and a great geek moment for DC Comics fans.  

STEPPENWOLF -- Ciarán Hinds of Rome and Game of Thrones fame provides the voice of Steppenwolf, a rather underwhelming villain for the Justice League's first film.  Presumably, Warner Bros.' plan was to save Darkseid for the sequel, but with the way the studio keeps second-guessing itself, who knows if we'll ever see him.  Being a pure CGI character, Steppenwolf's face looks odd when he speaks, which makes him feel even less like a villain of substance.

LOIS LANE -- In her third outing as Lois, Amy Adams primarily serves as Batman's contingency plan to bring Superman around following his resurrection.  A great deleted scene shown in the trailers that was cut from the final film had Clark noticing that Lois was wearing his engagement ring, so I have to wonder what other great Lois and Clark moments were cut as well.  At least Lois is given the final narration as Superman flies off into the Metropolis sky.

MARTHA KENT -- Diane Lane returns as Martha, who became a popular meme following the derided moment in Batman v Superman when Superman and Batman both realize their moms have the same first name.  Martha is shown having fallen on hard times after losing both her husband Jonathan and son Clark, then losing the Kent farm to foreclosure.  She gets a nice scene meeting with Lois and considering Lois family, but I think the scene where Martha is reunited with Clark could've been a bit more emotional.

ALFRED PENNYWORTH -- Jeremy Irons' second appearance as Alfred comes off considerably better than his first.  With Joss Whedon lightening Terrio's script, Alfred feels more like Alfred this time and gets off a couple of good digs at Bruce while serving in his usual role as tech support.  

COMMISSIONER JAMES GORDON -- No longer at the Daily Bugle, J.K. Simmons gives us the most traditional take of Commissioner Gordon we've ever seen on screen so far.  He gets a rooftop scene where Batman (and the other Leaguers except for The Flash) abruptly disappear when Gordon's back is turned, then praises Batman for playing with others again.  

HIPPOLYTA -- Fresh from the Wonder Woman solo movie, Connie Nielsen reprises Queen Hippolyta and gets a solid action sequence where the Amazons are playing "Mother Box Keepaway" with Steppenwolf and the Parademons.  It was good to see her as the warrior queen this time, although I did wonder if Steppenwolf was going to kill her at one point.

HENRY ALLEN -- Billy Crudup, who played Dr. Manhattan in Snyder's underrated Watchmen adaptation, is the big screen Henry Allen, framed and imprisoned once again for the murder of his wife Nora by the Reverse-Flash.  Henry's role is to help set up the Flash solo movie and encourage Barry to do more with his life, something that wouldn't be needed if Barry was depicted as he should've been.

MERA -- Amber Heard makes her debut as Mera, the future wife of Aquaman and Queen of Atlantis.  In addition to help set up the Aquaman solo movie, Mera is the one who successfully goads Aquaman into stepping up and taking Steppenwolf's threat seriously.  Interestingly, Mera and Aquaman seem to have a rocky relationship, so it may be a while before these two make it to the altar.  And if you're an Aquafan, you had to really enjoy seeing Mera use her powers of water manipulation.

SILAS STONE -- Best known as the creator of Skynet, Joe Morton serves as Cyborg's supporting character and also provides necessary exposition about the Mother Boxes.  There are hints of the distance between him and his son Victor, but Silas' best moment is probably when he defiantly refuses to tell Steppenwolf where the final Mother Box is, impressing Cyborg as he watches from the shadows.

DEATHSTROKE AND LEX LUTHOR CAMEO -- Joe Manganiello and Jesse Eisenberg turn up in the post-credits scene, with Luthor having escaped from prison somehow with no one noticing.  Luthor mentions to Deathstroke that hey, maybe it's a good idea to form their own League, presumably teasing the Injustice League for a potential sequel.

All in all, Justice League is the film we've been wanting but not quite the film we deserve.  Warner Bros. made another misstep with its DC Extended Universe by inexplicably giving Zack Snyder a third attempt to destroy it along with screenwriter Chris Terrio.  Joss Whedon's efforts to lighten things up and salvage the film are successful enough to make it watchable and occasionally even enjoyable, but you have to wonder how much better it could've been without Snyder and Terrio mucking things up once again.  Unfortunately, with the movie's opening weekend being something of a disappointment considering the amount of money that went into making it, a Justice League sequel is anything but a given right now.  

And for those who may be wondering, here's the updated list of my Top 20 Comic Book Films:

1. Superman (1978)
2. The Dark Knight (2008)
3. The Avengers (2012)

4. Batman Begins (2005)

5. Logan (2017)

6. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

7. Man of Steel (2013)

8. Doctor Strange (2016)

9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

10. Wonder Woman (2017)

11. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

12. Spider-Man (2002)

13. Iron Man (2008)

14. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
15. Watchmen (2009)
16. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

17. Justice League (2017)
18. Thor (2011)
19. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

20. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

THE FANDOM ZONE 121: "Girls Night Out" is Up!

"You're a Doctor Who fan, Joanie?"
"Well, ever since he became a lady, I am.  Hashtag Feminism."

– Joe West and Joanie Horton,The Flash: "Girls Night Out"

That's right, Karen's back to join me for a HUGE new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  So huge, in fact, we're splitting it up into two parts!  This week's reviews of comics on television include:

The Walking Dead 8x03: "Monsters"

Lucifer 3x06: "Vegas with Some Radish"

The Gifted 1x06: "got your siX"

Supergirl 3x05: "Damage"

The Flash 4x05: "Girls Night Out"

Legends of Tomorrow 3x05: "Return of the Mack"

Arrow 6x05: "Deathstroke Returns"

Gotham 4x08: "Stop Hitting Yourself"

In this episode, Karen and I talk about things like Karen's trip to Florida to visit her hubs' side of the family, Gregory being the weaseliest of weasels, me getting some Twitter love from Enid, Eric getting a better exit on TV than he did in the Walking Dead comics, trying to brace everyone for Shiva's death, Rick making a scrapbook for Negan, Lucifer giving Chloe the bullet she shot him with in Season 1, Ella ditching her CSI clothes for a hot dress, Ella hiring a stripper cop for Chloe's birthday, Lucifer's wall safe access code, Jace not feeling the usual Sentinel Services bureaucracy, Caitlin's character backslide into Helicopter Mom, figuring out the Strucker family tree, the importance of X-Men comics writer Chris Claremont, Alex and Maggie's big breakup, Karen's Drunk Lena Luthor impression, paying attention to the physics of Supergirl holding up an airplane, fun with lenticular comics covers, Iris' bachelorette party and Barry's bachelor party, Katee Sackhoff as Blacksmith, Elongated Man being given Plastic Man's personality, Rip Hunter: Vampire Hunter, Damien Darhk's resurrection, Zari not being able to use her superhero name anymore, the big nothing burger of the Vigilante's identity, wondering why Oliver is overlooking that Deathstroke killed Oliver's mom and a whole bunch of people, Harvey Bullock sliding into the darker shade of grey, Tabitha's reunion with Solomon Grundy, that awkward moment when Solomon Grundy beats you to death with your own arm, some new Justina feedback, Karen trolling Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor costume, and more!

You can now check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

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And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week as Karen and I review the series premiere of Netflix's The Punisher, along with new episodes of AMC's The Walking Dead, The CW's The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and Arrow, and Fox's The Gifted, Lucifer and Gotham, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

Fox Developing X-Men's MULTIPLE MAN with James Franco

Multiple Man, Multiple Man, doing the things that a multiple can...

Deadline has revealed that Fox is developing a film based on the Marvel Comics mutant superhero Multiple Man, with James Franco starring in the title role.  

According to the article, Wonder Woman scribe Allan Heinberg will write the script.  Simon Kinberg and his Genre Films will produce along with Franco and Ramona Films, which Franco runs with brother Dave Franco and Vincent Jolivette.

Franco, 39, is best known for the film 127 Hours and as Harry Osborn in the movies Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, and Spider-Man 3.  His other films include Alien: Covenant, Why Him?, Sausage Party, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Oz the Great and Powerful, This is the End, Milk, Flyboys, Tristan & Isolde, and Never Been Kissed.  He's also appeared in various episodes of the television series The X-Files, Freaks and Geeks, General Hospital, 11.22.63, and 30 Rock.

Created in 1975 by Len Wein, Chris Claremont and John Buscema, Multiple Man first appeared in Giant-Size Fantastic Four #4 as James "Jamie" Madrox, who was born to a family living near the Los Alamos research facility in New Mexico.  The background radiation presumably caused his mutation at birth, when the doctor's slap caused him to multiply into two identical babies.  Professor Charles Xavier, a friend of the Madrox family, suggested that they move to Kansas to raise the boy in privacy.  Dr. Daniel Madrox, Jamie's father, created a suit for him to wear which was designed to absorb kinetic energy, the source of the duplication.  When Jamie was fifteen years old, his parents were killed by a tornado alleged to have been caused by Damian Tryp, and Jamie began to run the family farm by himself along with his duplicates, or "dupes", until his suit was damaged.

Jamie went to New York City for help where he met Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four, who contacted Professor Xavier for assistance.  Xavier sent Jamie to Muir Island to work with Moira MacTaggert in her laboratory and help her with mutant research.  He soon helped Moira and fellow mutants Havok and Polaris in searching for the escaped mutant Proteus. Proteus hijacked one of Madrox's duplicates as his own body, although this did not harm Jamie.  Following the X-Men's battle with Proteus on Muir Island, Madrox was invited to join the X-Men, but he declined.  One of Jamie's renegade duplicates later searched with Siryn for the runaway New Mutants Sunspot and Warlock.  Siryn and Jamie briefly joined the mutant group known as the Fallen Angels.

Jamie was one of the residents of Muir Island who fell under the mental control of the Shadow King.  Following the destruction of Muir Island and the defeat of the Shadow King, Madroz became a member of the second incarnation of the X-Factor team, which was assembled by Val Cooper as a U.S. government response team.  Here, he developed a reputation as a prankster, forming a friendship with teammate Strong Guy.  Also on the team was former New Mutant Wolfsbane, who later joined his X-Factor Investigations.  During this time, Jamie and Siryn had sex, with Siryn becoming pregnant as a result.  Siryn gave birth to a boy named Sean, after her own father.  Just hours after Sean's birth, however, he was absorbed into Jamie's body as Jamie held the boy, completely against Jamie's will.  Jamie realized that the baby must have been fathered by a dupe rather than by him, and that "the offspring of a dupe isn't really anything more than a dupe". 

Jamie eventually fell in love with another X-Factor teammate, Layla Miller, with the two later marrying in Las Vegas.  During the Death of X storyline, however, Jamie transmitted a message to Cyclops and his X-Men requesting aid.  Arriving on Muir Island, where Jamie  had been stationed on his own, the X-Men found him dying after succumbing to the Terrigen Mist cloud that had affected him.  Because of his death, the X-Men realized how dangerous the Terrigen Mists are to mutants.

Franco will be the second actor to portray Multiple Man in live action, after Eric Dane in the movie X-Men: The Last Stand.  The character has also appeared in various animated projects, including X-Men, X-Men: Evolution (voiced by David A. Kaye) and Wolverine and the X-Men (voiced by Crispin Freeman).

Sony Developing Spider-Man Spinoff Movie MORBIUS

The Living Vampire may be living on the big screen.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Sony Pictures is developing Morbius, a feature film based on Marvel Comics character Morbius, the Living Vampire.

According to the article, Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama, who worked on the recent Power Rangers movie, wrote the script, which was just submitted to Sony after a secret development process.  The two previously wrote the screenplay for the vampire movie Dracula Untold, as well as the movies Gods of Egypt and The Last Witch Hunter

The article also states that Sony is "furiously developing its stable of Marvel-licensed characters that are mostly based off the heroes and villains that are connected to Spider-Man.  The studio, however, is being coy as to whether or not these new movies will be connected to Sony’s Tom Holland movies or connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that is being produced by Marvel Studios."

Created in 1971 by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Morbius first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man (vol.1) #101 as Dr. Michael Morbius, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist, who had attempted to cure himself of a rare blood disease with an experimental treatment involving vampire bats and electroshock therapy.  However, he instead became afflicted with a far worse condition, "pseudo-vampirism," that mimicked the powers and bloodthirst of legendary vampirism.  Morbius had to digest blood in order to survive and had a strong aversion to light.  He gained the ability to fly, as well as superhuman strength, speed, and healing abilities. His appearance became hideous, with his canine teeth extended into fangs, his nose flattened more like a bat's, and his skin became chalk-white.

He later sought a cure for his condition, but battled Spider-Man, the Human Torch, and the original X-Men.  In another battle with Spider-Man, Morbius was hit by a lightning strike, which cured him of his pseudo-vampirism while retaining a thirst for blood.  While cured, he was charged with the crimes he had committed as a vampire and was represented by Jennifer Walters, whose dual identity as the She-Hulk was not yet publicly known.  Morbius selflessly saved Walter's life and stabilized her erratic transformations into the She-Hulk with a serum that he had created to cure the remnants of his own transformation.  He eventually resumed his pseudo-vampire state, and first met Doctor Strange.  Alongside Doctor Strange and Brother Voodoo, he battled Marie Leveau, and witnessed the resurgence of true vampires.

During the events of Spider-Island, Morbius was revealed to be the mysterious Number Six working at Horizon Labs.  When Peter Parker tried to investigate the identity of "Number Six," he accidentally provoked Morbius, who had been using the cure to try to develop a basis for his own condition, prompting the staff at Horizon to step up building security.  This drove Morbius to leave, where it was revealed that he had been working with the Lizard, presumably trying to find a cure for both of their conditions.  It was also revealed that Michael Morbius was a college friend of Horizon Labs founder Max Modell.  Using DNA samples from the corpse of Billy Connors, the Lizard's son, Morbius was able to create a cure that would restore the Lizard to human form, but he failed to recognize that the Lizard had fully destroyed Curt Connors' human persona.  They left the Lizard alone in Morbius' lab, allowing the Lizard to release blood into the lab's air supply to provoke the injured Morbius into attacking the other Horizon scientists.  This prompted Morbius to flee the lab with Spider-Man in pursuit.  Morbius was captured by Spider-Man and locked up in a cell in the Raft.  While Peter Parker was trapped in Doctor Octopus' dying body, Morbius offered to help capture Doctor Octopus, who was using Peter's body as Spider-Man, but was turned down.  Morbius eventually escaped from the Raft and fled to Brownsville.

Amazon Lands THE LORD OF THE RINGS Prequel TV Series

Start getting ready to journey back to Middle-earth.

Deadline is reporting that Amazon closed the deal for a new television series based on The Lord of the Rings, the classic fantasy novel series by J.R.R. Tolkien.  

According to the article, Amazon is giving the series a multi-season commitment.  The TV series will be produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which produced the hugely successful Lord of the Rings film series.

Set in Middle-earth, the television adaptation "will explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring.  The deal includes a potential additional spin-off series."

"The Lord of the Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen," said Sharon Tal Yguado, Head of Scripted Series, Amazon Studios.  "We are honored to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord of the Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle-earth.”

"We are delighted that Amazon, with its longstanding commitment to literature, is the home of the first-ever multi-season television series for The Lord of the Rings," said Matt Galsor, a representative for the Tolkien Estate and Trust and HarperCollins.  "Sharon and the team at Amazon Studios have exceptional ideas to bring to the screen previously unexplored stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writings."

The article also claims that the deal came with an upfront payment in the $200 to $250 million range, just for the rights, before any costs for development, talent and production.  On top of that, they claim, the budget is likely to be $100 to $150 million per season.

Rian Johnson to Write & Direct First Film of All-New STAR WARS Trilogy

The Force is strong with Rian Johnson.

The official Star Wars site announced that Rian Johnson will return to write and direct the first film in an all-new Star Wars trilogy.  Johnson recently finished directing Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the eighth film in the Skywalker saga.

According to the announcement, the new trilogy will be separate from the Skywalker saga, with Johnson introducing "new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored."  Ram Bergman, his longtime collaborator, will serve as producer.

Johnson, 43, previously wrote and directed the films Looper, The Brothers Bloom, and Brick.  He also directed episodes of Breaking Bad and Terriers, and even had a cameo in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as a Death Star technician.

Johnson commented on the news using his official Twitter account...

Obviously I hope you like The Last Jedi. But man now I REALLY hope you like The Last Jedi.

— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) November 9, 2017

"We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi," said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm.  "He’s a creative force, and watching him craft The Last Jedi from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career.  Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy."

"We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on The Last Jedi," said Johnson and Bergman in a joint statement.  "Star Wars is the greatest modern mythology and we feel very lucky to have contributed to it.  We can’t wait to continue with this new series of films."

Johnson's film Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrives in theaters on December 15, 2017.

DAMN Good Movies -- THOR: RAGNAROK

Yes, I'm back with another of my infamous movie takes, this time with the film Thor: Ragnarok, the sequel to 2011's Thor and 2013's Thor: The Dark World.  As always, if you haven't seen the movie yet and you don't want it spoiled for you, then please step back from your computer or whatever electronic device you're reading this on and stop reading now.  If, however, you're wise enough to know that movie reviews with spoilers are always more interesting than the ones without them...well...you are worthy to hold the hammer of Thor...

With Thor: The Dark World bringing in almost $200 million more worldwide than the first Thor movie, it's no surprise to see the film series continue.  The Dark World director Alan Taylor decided that he wasn't coming back after having creative problems with Marvel during the post-production process, so the search was on for his replacement.  New Zealand director Taika Waititi ended up with the gig, after creating a "sizzle reel" with clips from other movies like Big Trouble in Little China to present his take to Marvel Studios.  He also scored the sizzle reel with, you guessed it, Led Zepplin's "Immigrant Song", which was so well liked it became part of Thor: Ragnarok (twice!) and used in the movie's marketing.

Writer Christopher Yost returned to provide the screenplay, along with Craig Kyle and Eric Pearson, which is based loosely on two storylines from Marvel Comics -- "Ragnarok" by Michael Oeming and Andrea Di Vito, from Thor (vol.2) #80-85, and "Planet Hulk" by Greg Pak, Carlo Pagulayan and Aaron Lopresti, from Incredible Hulk (vol.2) #92-105.  And yes, that's right, a Hulk story was used to make a Thor movie.

The film starts off two years after the Battle of Sokovia, which was featured in Avengers: Age of Ultron.  It seems Thor's been searching for the Infinity Stones, rather unsuccessfully, and is now imprisoned by Surtur, a ginormous fire demon from Muspelheim, another of the nine worlds from Norse mythology.  Now more glib than ever, Thor gets Surtur to start monologuing and he reveals that Thor's father Odin is no longer on Asgard.  In addition, the realm will soon be destroyed in the prophesied Ragnarök, once Surtur unites his crown with the Eternal Flame that burns beneath the city.  After a fight that's over far too quickly for fans of Walt Simonson's Thor run, Thor defeats Surtur and claims his crown, thinking he managed to prevent Ragnarök.

Thor returns to Asgard and finds Skurge filling in for Heimdall, who's been declared an enemy of the people.  Not really down with that, Thor goes to find Odin, even though Surtur just told him he wasn't on Asgard.  He sees Odin watching a play about the valiant death of Loki while being pampered by women. Thor eventually sees through the deception and exposes Loki, still posing as Odin since the events of The Dark World.  Thor forces Loki to help him find their father, so they head to Earth and learn that the retirement home Loki dumped Odin in has been demolished.  Thor gets some help from none other than Doctor Strange, who is all too happy to get rid of the Asgardian gods and sends Thor and Loki to Norway, where Odin is hanging out admiring the view.  Odin explains that he's dying, and that his passing will allow his firstborn child, Hela, to escape from a prison she was placed in long ago after she started power tripping..  

Sure enough, Odin presumably dies and Hela appears for a brief family reunion.  She destroys Thor's hammer Mjolnir, a major game changer, and when Thor and Loki attempt to  escape using the Bifröst Bridge, she pursues them and forces them out into space to die. Hela arrives in Asgard and quickly goes through her "To Do" list.  She destroys the Asgardian army, murders the Warriors Three one by one, resurrects the ancient dead who once fought with her, brings back her giant wolf Fenris, and designates Skurge as her Executioner.  She plans to use the Bifröst to expand Asgard's empire, but Heimdall steals the sword that controls the Bridge, and hides away with the rest of Asgard's citizens to form a resistance.  #Resist

The second act has the hammerless Thor landing on Sakaar, a garbage planet surrounded by wormholes.  He's quickly captured by a drunk and sassy bounty hunter named Scrapper 142, then hauled in to serve as a gladiator for the planet's ruler, the Grandmaster, another Elder of the Universe and occasional brother of the Collector.  Thor soon realizes that Scrapper 142 is one of the Valkyrior, a legendary force of female fighters who were killed defending Asgard from Hela long ago.  Forced to compete in the Grandmaster's Contest of Champions, Thor encounters other captive gladiators named Korg and Miek, gets his hair chopped short (presumably so Chris Hemsworth can stop wearing a long wig), and is sent into the arena to face off against his old friend the Hulk.  Summoning lightning, Thor is about to defeat the Hulk until the Grandmaster rigs the fight to make sure the Hulk wins.  Still enslaved, Thor attempts to convince Hulk and Valkyrie to help him save Asgard, but neither wants to go.  After managing to escape the palace, Thor finds the Quinjet that brought Hulk to Sakaar.  Hulk follows Thor to the Quinjet, where a recording of Black Widow calms him down and transforms him back into Bruce Banner for the first time since Sokovia.

Everybody got that?

Okay, so the Grandmaster orders Valkyrie and Loki to find Thor and the Hulk, which they do, and Loki forces Valkyrie to relive the deaths of her fellow Valkyrior at the hands of Hela.  Deciding that maybe Thor has something going on, she takes Loki captive to prove her goodwill.  Not wanting to be stuck on Sakaar, Loki provides the group with the security codes to steal one of the Grandmaster's ships.  They liberate the other gladiators who, led by Korg and Miek, stage a rebellion.  To the surprise of no one, Loki attempts to betray his brother to the Grandmaster, but Thor anticipates this and leaves him behind, where Korg and the gladiators soon find him.  Time for the Third Act!

Escaping through a wormhole called "The Devil's Anus" (Let's see that get turned into a Lego playset), Thor, Bruce and Valkyrie arrive on Asgard, where Hela's forces are attacking Heimdall and Asgard's citizens.  Bruce becomes the Hulk again, after an awkward faceplant on the Rainbow Bridge and smashes Fenris, while Thor and Valkyrie battle Skurge and the Warriors Dead.  Loki and the gladiators arrive to help, with the surviving Asgardians swarming onto their large ship for refuge.  Skurge rethinks the whole serving Hela thing and  sacrifices himself to allow the Asgardian refguees to escape.  

Remembering this is supposed to be his movie, after all, Thor has a final showdown with Hela, which costs him the same eye that his dad Odin lost back in the Asgardian day.  (Maybe Nick Fury can help Thor find a discount eyepatch retailer?)   Suddenly, Thor has a vision of Odin, who reminds him that he's the God of Thunder, not the God of Hammers, and oh, by the way, did I mention that you're more powerful than me?  Realizing that he possesses the power of The Glow thunder and lightning, Thor cranks "Immigrant Song" back up and throws down with Hela, until he and Loki decide that only Ragnarök can stop her.  While Hela is distracted, Loki locates Surtur's crown in the trophy room and places it in the Eternal Flame.  Surtur is resurrected to his ginormous state and destroys Asgard, seemingly killing Hela.  Thor and the others escape with Asgard's survivors aboard the Grandmaster's vessel.  Thor, crowned king, decides to take his people to Earth, which should annoy the hell out of Doctor Strange.

Waititi's film is pretty much nonstop one-liners, a noticeable upswing from the first two Thor movies, and it's certainly not dull.  Mark Mothersbaugh from the classic new-wave band Devo provides an interesting synth-punk score, which combined with Waititi's love of neon, gives this flick a serious '80s vibe when not blasting Led Zepplin.  And of course, there are a lot of great character moments, so here's some of what I noticed...

THOR ODINSON -- In his fifth film as Thor, Chris Hemsworth looks like he's having the best time ever as Thor.  Anyone that's watched Hemsworth on Saturday Night Live or in the Ghostbusters remake knows he has good comedic timing, which he uses here in spades.  He also does a nice job with the weight of responsibility Thor feels concerning the Asgardian refugees and it would've been nice to see more of that.  Maybe in Avengers: The Infinity War?

LOKI LAUFEYSON -- Tom Hiddleston, rather shockingly, finally avoids stealing a Thor movie.  For once, Loki doesn't end up being the central focus, which was probably a letdown to the Hiddlestoners on Tumblr, but I think the film is better off for it.  Don't worry, Loki still gets his moments here and there, with a particular favorite of mine being when he stands up and cheers the Hulk thrashing Thor about like the Hulk did to him in the first Avengers movie.  And hey, did Loki nick the Tesseract back from Odin's trophy room?  It certainly seems that way, doesn't it?

HELA -- Swapping Middle-earth for Asgard, Cate Blanchett has a solid outing as Hela, the film's Big Bad.  She's a big deal here, mainly because the Marvel Cinematic Universe finally gave us a formidable female supervillain.  In order to stop her, Hela costs Thor his hammer, his right eye and his home, all significant ramifications that aren't given a quick reset button.  And even better, Blanchett gets to sport Hela's large, branching headpiece from the comics, which I have to think will make Jack Kirby proud up in Comic Book Heaven.

VALKYRIE -- So, if Tom Hiddleston doesn't steal the third Thor movie, who does?  Tessa Thompson, that's who.  Completely drunk, Valkyrie makes her big-screen debut falling off the landing ramp to her own ship, but still manages to make Thor her captive.  From there, Valkyrie easily shows she's Thor equal (if not superior), charming the God of Thunder (and the audience) with her sassy Asgardian attitude.  Thompson first hit my personal radar during the first season of HBO's Westworld and her strong performance here is going to make her a star, just you watch.

THE HULK/BRUCE BANNER -- With no solo Hulk movie in his foreseeable future, Mark Ruffalo reprises his role of Bruce Banner once again here.  This time though, his Banner seems unusually unsure of himself, possibly a result of being only the Hulk for two years.  While the "Planet Hulk" arena battle finally gives us the Thor vs. Hulk throwdown we've always wanted, the Hulk ends up relegated to little more than an afterthought during the climactic showdown on Asgard.  And yes, I'm still wincing at Bruce's epic Rainbow Bridge faceplant.

THE GRANDMASTER/EN DWI GAST -- Once again, Jeff Goldblum reminds us how good he is at being Jeff Goldblum as someone else -- Jurassic Park, Independence Day, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, you name it.  Instead of the cold, manipulative Elder of the Universe from the comics, Goldblum's Grandmaster is a quirky ruler of Sakaar who craves public adulation.  He also gets a fun post-credits scene, where the Grandmaster turns up alive on Sakaar after the revolution and tries to dismiss it as a tie.

THE EXECUTIONER/SKURGE -- Continuing to build upon his already impressive geek movie cred, Karl Urban gets to play classic Thor bad guy The Executioner.  Unfortunately, his would-be girlfriend The Enchantress was nowhere in sight, so Skruge ends up becoming the Substitute Heimdall and Hela's main henchman to help move the story along.  At least Urban gets his character's defining moment, where he flips the script and becomes a good guy, defending the Asgardian refugees against Hela's Warrior Dead with a pair of M-16 rifles from Earth, in a great homage to Walt Simonson's Thor (vol.1) #362.

SURTUR -- Clancy Brown is another Buckaroo Banzai vet to make an appearance, voicing the fire demon that dominated Simonson's biggest saga during his Thor run.  Sadly, the Surtur depicted here doesn't even come close to Simonson's epic monster, in a completely wasted opportunity.  Surtur is taken out far too easily in the early moments of the film, only to be resurrected at the end as a deus ex machina to deal with Hela.  

KORG -- In addition to directing the movie, Taika Waititi provides the voice of Korg in the "Planet Hulk" storyline.  The decision to give a big rock alien a polite New Zealand accent was definitely an interesting one, but it obviously helped to make the character much more accessible and likable.  Korg's best moment is probably the scene with the Asgardian refugees in space, watching the destruction of Asgard and awkwardly trying (and failing) to be helpful.

ODIN BORSON -- Sir Anthony Hopkins reprises his role as the All-Father, presumably for the last time.  Odin essentially becomes Obi-Wan Kenobi, offering advice to Thor right before dying and disappearing, only to offer some crucial piece of advice to the hero at just the right moment.  

HEIMDALL -- Reportedly, Idris Elba considers Thor: Ragnarok to be his favorite because it was "fun" to make.  I have to think it's simply because for once, Heimdall isn't just standing around in big clunky armor at the Bifröst Bridge gate.  Apart from swiping the Bifröst sword and overseeing the refugees, he doesn't get that much to do here.

DOCTOR STRANGE CAMEO -- If you saw the mid-credits scene at the end of Doctor Strange, you've already watched some of Benedict Cumberbatch's sequence where he helps Thor and Loki find Odin.  In this expanded "uncut" version of that mid-credits scene, we also see the events leading up to that scene and get a much better understanding of what actually took place.

BLACK WIDOW CAMEO -- Scarlett Johansson turns up briefly as a recording inside Bruce Banner's Quinjet, back from when she attempted to get him to turn the Quinjet around and come home in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

VOLSTAGG THE VOLUMINOUS AND FANDRAL THE DASHING CAMEOS -- In two "blink and you miss them" cameos, Ray Stevenson and Zachary Levi are quickly and unceremoniously killed off the moment Hela arrives on Asgard.  Quite simply, these characters deserved a far better exit.

HOGUN THE GRIM CAMEO -- As the last surviving member of the Warriors Three, Tadanobu Asano's Hogun is also killed off by Hela, but only as the last remaining member of the Asgardian army.  At least Hogun got to speak a few words of defiance before he was canceled.

ASGARDIAN ACTOR CAMEOS -- During a sequence where Asgardian actors perform a play based on the events of Thor: The Dark World, Sam Neill portrays Odin, Matt Damon plays Loki, and Luke Hemsworth (Chris' other brother) is Thor.  #TheMoreYouKnow

OBLIGATORY STAN LEE CAMEO -- Stan "The Man" turns up as a barber on Sakaar tasked with cutting ol' Goldilocks'...um...locks before his arena battle with the Hulk.  Hey, at least he didn't give Thor a perm.

Overall, Thor: Ragnarok is a fun film that ends up just a bit too goofy to be worthy of its game-changing climax.  While Ragnarok was a significant improvement on the previous film, the mostly lifeless Thor: The Dark World, it tries way too hard to be a Guardians of the Galaxy clone instead of something closer to the epic tale that Thor fans deserved with Ragnarök in play.  We'll see where Avengers: Infinity War takes our one-eyed God of Thunder and the surviving Asgardians next...Broxton, Oklahoma, perhaps?

And for those who may be wondering, here's the updated list of my Top 20 Comic Book Films:

1. Superman (1978)
2. The Dark Knight (2008)
3. The Avengers (2012)

4. Batman Begins (2005)

5. Logan (2017)

6. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

7. Man of Steel (2013)

8. Doctor Strange (2016)

9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

10. Wonder Woman (2017)

11. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

12. Spider-Man (2002)

13. Iron Man (2008)

14. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
15. Watchmen (2009)
16. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

17. Thor (2011)

18. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

19. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

20. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

DOCTOR WHO Reveals Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor Costume

"Ah, thank goodness in this regeneration I've regained my impeccable sense of haute couture."

-- The Seventh Doctor, Doctor Who: "Time and the Rani"

It's been almost four months since Doctor Who officially announced Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, with aspiring Thirteenth Doctor cosplayers waiting anxiously to find out what they're going to be rocking at the next convention.

Well, wait no longer.  Here's the full Thirteenth Doctor costume...

Sporting a long hooded overcoat, teal culottes, suspenders/braces and a striped shirt, the Thirteenth Doctor makes her debut at the end of this year's Christmas special, "Twice Upon a Time."  She'll return sometime in Fall 2018 for Series Eleven with brand-new companions Bradley Walsh as Graham, Tosin Cole as Ryan, and Mandip Gill as Yasmin.

Previously, Whittaker remarked, "I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change.  The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one."

THE BOYS TV Drama Gets Series Order from Amazon

Simon Pegg for Wee Hughie or we riot.

Deadline has revealed that Amazon has officially greenlighted the drama series based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's superviolent superhero comic The Boys.  The series received an order of eight episodes after getting a script order back in September.

The Boys is described in the article as "In a world where superheroes embrace the darker side of their massive celebrity and fame, The Boys revolves around a group of vigilantes known informally as 'the boys,' who set out to take down corrupt superheroes with no more than blue-collar grit and a willingness to fight dirty."

Supernatural creator Eric Kripke will serve as showrunner and writer.  Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who helmed the Preacher pilot, are set to direct.  Serving as executive producers are Original Film’s Neal Moritz, Pavun Shetty and Ori Marmur; Point Grey’s Rogen, Goldberg and James Weaver; Kripke; as well as Ken Levin and Kickstart’s Jason Netter (Preacher).  Ennis and Robertson will serve as co-executive producers.

"In a landscape saturated with superhero shows, The Boys is the next evolution in this popular genre," said Sharon Tal Yguado, Amazon's Head of Event Series.  "With Eric, Evan, Seth and Original Film all behind this series, we are excited to adapt this popular comic, from the visionary minds of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, for television."

"We are very happy to have the unique opportunity to produce a second series based on the subversive and innovative world of Garth Ennis," added Chris Parnell, Co-President of Sony Pictures Television Studios.  "And we are thankful to Sharon and her team at Amazon for their vision, partnership, and support."

The Boys, which ran for 72 issues and three 6-issue limited series from 2006-2012, was published initially by Wildstorm (#1-6) and then by Dynamite Entertainment.  Filled with extreme violence, sexual situations and dark humor, the series began with an Englishman named Billy Butcher who learns of a presidential directive charging the CIA with monitoring all superheroes.  He uses the directive to get the backing required to reform "The Boys," a black ops team designed to police the superhero community.  Butcher brings together Mother's Milk, the Frenchman, and the Female (of the Species), but the Boys' fifth member, Mallory, refuses to return as his grandkids were murdered due to his involvement with the group.  Requiring five in the team, Butcher recruits a Scottish conspiracy theorist named "Wee Hughie" Campbell, whose girlfriend was accidentally killed by A-Train, a reckless member of major superhero team The Seven.

The Boys is slated to begin filming in the spring of 2018 for a 2019 release.

SHAZAM! Casts Asher Angel as Billy Batson

The World's Mightiest Mortal finally has a secret identity.

The Hollywood Reporter has word that the upcoming film Shazam! has cast Asher Angel as DC Comics character William "Billy" Batson, who becomes the adult superhero Shazam.

The film centers on a boy named Billy Batson, who can transform into an adult superhero by uttering the magic word "Shazam!"  The name is an acronym of the ancient world gods and historical figures Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury, from which the adult Batson obtains his heroic abilities.

Asher, 15, is probably best known as Jonah Beck on the Disney TV series Andi Mack.  His other television appearances include episodes of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders and Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn.

David F. Sandberg will direct Shazam! from a screenplay by Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke.  Annabelle: Creation producer Peter Safran is reuniting with Sandberg for the film, and is also producing DC's Aquaman for Warner Bros.  The film is currently looking at a February 2018 start date in Toronto.

Shazam! will be the next DC Cinematic Universe movie to begin shooting, ahead of Flashpoint, the Joss Whedon-directed Batgirl, and the sequels to Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman.  DC and Warner Bros. are also currently developing a standalone film about Black Adam, Shazam’s arch nemesis, with Dwayne Johnson is attached to play Black Adam.

Created in 1940 by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck, Shazam first appeared as the Fawcett Comics superhero Captain Marvel in Whiz Comics #2.  Billy Batson, a homeless 12-year-old newsboy slept in a subway station until a mysterious man in a green trenchcoat and hat asked Billy to follow him, where a magic subway car painted in unusual shapes and colors escorted them to an underground throne room, inhabited by a very old man with a long beard and a white robe.  As the man in green disappeared, the old man on the throne explained to Billy that he was the wizard Shazam, and used the powers of the gods Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury to fight evil for over 3,000 years. However, he grew too old to continue and was in need of a successor.  The wizard explained that Billy was chosen due to his misfortune, after he had been thrown out by a greedy uncle who stole his inheritance following the deaths of his parents.  

Ordered by the wizard to speak the name "Shazam," Billy was struck by a sudden bolt of lightning and transformed into a superpowered adult in a red costume with gold trim.  The wizard Shazam declared the new hero "Captain Marvel" and ordered Billy to carry on his work, just before a stone block suspended above Shazam's throne fell on him, killing him as prophesied.  The wizard later returned as a spirit to serve as a mentor to Billy and Captain Marvel, summoned by lighting a torch on the wall of his lair.  As a spirit, the wizard Shazam lived at the Rock of Eternity, a bicone-shaped rock formation situated at the nexus of time and space.  Saying the word "Shazam" allowed Billy to summon the magic lightning and become Captain Marvel, while Captain Marvel could say the magic word to become Billy once again.

In the current DC Comics continuity known as The New 52, the character was renamed Shazam in 2011 to avoid legal conflicts with Marvel Comics' characters using the name Captain Marvel, even though those characters were created decades after DC's Captain Marvel.  Shazam made his debut in Justice League (vol.2) #7, with Billy Batson now a terrible foster child who became cold and cruel to most people following the death of his parents and his treatment thereafter.  Growing selfish and heartless, he went from foster home to foster home until he landed in an orphanage in Philadelphia and was partially forced to live with a new family, the Vasquezes.

After being adopted, he moved into the Vazquezes' home where he met Mary, Freddy, Eugene, Pedro, and Darla, who were also adopted.  Annoyed by his new family, Billy decided to leave as he's done countless times before, but he was whisked away to the Rock of Eternity where he met the Wizard.  There, the Wizard searched the boy's soul and saw that he was not perfectly good.  Billy was instantly enraged, telling the wizard off for thinking that perfect good exists.  The Wizard, seeing the boy's point, witnessed all the good that Billy had done and accepted that the world had changed and now perfection has been exchanged for the hope of becoming good.  The Wizard granted Billy the ability to wield the Living Lightning, turning him into the champion, Shazam.  As Shazam, Billy defeated the threat of Black Adam and eventually joined the Justice League for a brief time.

Asher will be the third actor to portray Billy Batson in live action, after Frank Coghlan, Jr. in the 1941 film serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel, and Michael Gray in the 1974-77 CBS series Shazam!  The character has also appeared in various animated projects, including Justice League Unlimited (voiced by Shane Haboucha), Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (voiced by Rachael MacFarlane), Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam and Justice League: War (voiced by Zach Callison), Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (voiced by Jennifer Hale), Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Tara Strong), Young Justice (voiced by Robert Ochoa), and Justice League Action (voiced by Sean Astin).

Shazam! is currently expected to arrive in theaters sometime in 2019.

SUPERGIRL Casts Jesse Rath as Brainiac 5

Another Legionnaire is coming to National City.

TVLine has revealed that the CW series Supergirl has cast Jesse Rath as Querl Dox, better known to DC Comics fans as the 31st Century superhero Brainiac 5.  

The role of Brainiac 5 will be recurring and Rath will first appear in the tenth episode of the show's third season, "Legion of Super-Heroes."  Brainiac 5 will be the third member of the Legion of Super-Heroes to appear on the series, after Chris Wood as Mon-El and Amy Jackson as Saturn Girl.

Brainiac 5 is described in the article as "Half computer, half organic life and boasting a 12-level intellect, Brainiac 5 is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes who travels to National City from the 31st Century to help Supergirl and the DEO battle Reign, the villain that L-Corp CEO Samantha Arias (played by Odette Annable) is on track to becoming."

Rath, 28, is a Canadian actor probably best known as Alak Tarr on the Syfy series Defiance.  In addition, he's appeared on episodes of No Tomorrow, Being Human (U.S.), Code Black, My Babysitter's a Vampire, Mudpit, and 18 to Life.  He's also appeared in the films The Howling: Reborn and The Greatest Game Ever Played.

Created in 1961 by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney, Brainiac 5 first appeared in Action Comics (vol.1) #276 as a green-skinned, blond-haired teenage native of the planet Colu, who claimed to be descended from the original Brainiac, one of Superman's deadliest enemies. He wished to join the Legion as atonement for his great-great-grandfather's misdeeds. When Brainiac 1 was revealed to be an android created by the Computer Tyrants, Brainiac 5 "discovered" he was actually descended from Brainiac 2, the leader of the rebellion against the tyrants, as well as being the clone of the original Brainiac. 

As a member of the Legion, Brainiac 5's ingenuity led to the invention of the Legion flight ring, the anti-lead serum that allowed Mon-El to leave the Phantom Zone and the force field belt which became the signature device of the character.  Another of Brainiac 5's creations, the super computer Computo, attempted to take over the world, killing one of Triplicate Girl's three selves in the process.

A few years the Legion encountered Pulsar Stargrave, a villain who convinced Brainiac 5 that he was the Coluan's long-lost father.  Brainiac 5 joined Stargrave to battle the sorcerer Mordru, but the android's influence would haunt him as Brainiac 5 became increasingly unstable.  When Stargrave murdered Ultra Boy's ex-girlfriend An Ryd, Brainiac 5 framed Ultra Boy for the murder.  Chameleon Boy, who suspected Brainiac 5 from the beginning, found proof when Brainiac's madness resulted in an attempt to destroy the universe using the Miracle Machine, a device that turns thoughts into reality.  He was stopped by Matter-Eater Lad, who ate the machine, and both were committed to a mental institution after the energies of the Machine drove Matter-Eater Lad insane.  Brainiac 5 eventually recovered his sanity and rejoined the Legion.  Shortly afterward, however, he was accused of having murdered Ultra Boy's ex-girlfriend himself.  To prove his innocence, he found Stargrave and defeated him.  He later managed to cure Matter-Eater Lad's insanity and soon corrected another of his mistakes by finding a way to control Computo.

Brainiac 5 entered a state of deep melancholy upon the thousand-year anniversary of Supergirl's death at the hands of the Anti-Monitor during the event known as Crisis on Infinite Earths.  However, the Crisis eliminated Supergirl from existence, so Brainiac 5 (as well as everyone else) eventually had no recollection of her.

Rath will be the second actor to portray the character in live action, after James Marsters on the CW series Smallville.  In addition, Brainiac 5 has appeared in a number of animated projects, including Justice League Unlimited (voiced by Matt Czuchry) and Legion of Super-Heroes (voiced by Adam Wylie).

Supergirl airs Monday nights on The CW at 8 p.m. EST.