Going Through Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Part Two

Wait, something that isn’t Star Trek on a Sunday at Gabbing Geek?  How did that happen?  Oh, simple:  I was on vacation with my nephews last week.  All of my posts were written in advance, and I didn’t even get the chance to do my usual pre-posting proofread.  But I was able to chat a bit with Jimmy while that was going on, and we did finish chat on two more episodes of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.  I have special stuff scheduled for the next two weeks at the time slot I usually use for these chats, so to make sure this doesn’t go up long after the chat finished, so here it is:  Jimmy and I talk “Hulk vs the World” and “Meet Captain America”.

“Hulk vs the World”

Bruce Banner is the most wanted man in America if not the world.

jimmy:  Black Widow is an agent of Hydra eh?  I didn’t see that coming.  Captain America?  Sure.  But Natasha?

tomk:  What?  You didn’t think there was a reason the Widow isn’t seen in that team shot at the end of the opening credits?

jimmy:  I figured it was just to piss off Jenny.

tomk:  You mean the Widow would be stupid enough to contact Hydra using SHIELD communications tech that someone like Hawkeye could find?

jimmy:  I wouldn’t think so, no.

tomk:  So it was all a set-up…to murder those two Hydra agents!

In fact, you wouldn’t believe who was under those helmets.

jimmy:  I knew they sounded familiar.

tomk:  Hydra is everywhere.

jimmy:  Et tu, Spidey?

tomk:  Spidey might be looking for Hydra there.

jimmy:  Right.  Phew!

tomk:  You know. To stop them.

Not to join them. That would be silly.

There are enough treacherous spiders around right now.

jimmy:  Is that a SpiderWatson joke?  (He intentionally leaves out the hyphen.)

tomk:  Um, no. Black Widow?

jimmy:  Ok, good.  Well, not good, cause she’s bad.  But good because, suck it Watson!

tomk:  Watson might be Hawkeye’s cellmate.

jimmy:  Poor Hawkeye.

So, at this point, I think we’re one Iron Man and a Hulk film into the MCU.  Which means anything Black Widow is more like the comic version who plays in a bigger grey area than the movie version, making this twist more expected?

tomk:  You got it. Have a cupcake and a gold star.

jimmy:  Is it vanilla?

tomk:  Do you like vanilla?

jimmy:  No.

tomk:  Then no. But it does have green frosting.

jimmy:  And the lining is purple?

tomk:  Of course.

jimmy:  Well done.

tomk:  I’m no dummy, like that cop who tried to arrest Banner on foot.

jimmy:  And he was one day away from retirement too.

tomk:  That guy probably roots for Brian Dennehy’s sheriff in the original Rambo movie.

A movie that, like this episode, teaches you to be nice to drifters.

jimmy:  Or you’re gonna need more body bags.

tomk:  Hulk doesn’t kill.

If you need more body bags, you got a Tucker and Dale vs Evil sort of situation.

jimmy:  It was a First Blood reference. And pretty sure a non cartoon Hulk would cause plenty of death, even if not intentionally.

tomk:  I dunno. This show doesn’t seem averse to killing.

jimmy:  Those Hydra guys were just resting their eyes.

tomk:  And the SHIELD agents Strucker and the Grim Reaper took on?

jimmy:  Umm. They got better?

tomk:  And the real Pepper Potts?

jimmy:  Ah. Saved by candle wax?

tomk:  You aren’t questioning me about the LMD in the first episode?

jimmy:  Should I?

tomk:  I might have made that up.

jimmy:  I knew that. Of course. Just like I knew how talkative this Hulk would be.

tomk:  The Hulk here is voiced by an actor named Fred Tatasciore. He’s the go-to guy for big monsters.  In fact, he’s one of the few voice actors Marvel always seems to rehire to play the same character. When this show ended after two seasons and a new Avengers cartoon with the movie’s line up started, Tatasciore was the only cast hold over.

I think the only other guy Marvel keeps rehiring is a fellow named Steve Blum who usually voices Wolverine.

jimmy:  I’ll have to take your word for it.

tomk:  You brought up the talkative Hulk.

Then again, you also had more to say about Hawkeye than the Hulk.

jimmy:  So did this episode I think, which certainly pivoted.

tomk:  Well, like the others we’ve seen so far, it started as a series of mini-episodes.  The other two pivoted the same way.  Iron Man’s episode became about Nick Fury and Thor just went to Asgard.

jimmy:  I guess you’re right.  They just didn’t seem as obvious.

tomk:  I dunno.  For an episode called “Iron Man is Born,” they sure did spend a lot of time in the last third on Nick Fury.

jimmy:  You’re right!  What are they trying to pull here!?!

tomk:  They are trying to introduce you to as many characters as possible and there’s no way the arrow guy or the spy chief could merit a full episode of their own?

jimmy:  You win this round, Tom.

tomk:  But Jimmy, aren’t we all winners deep down?

jimmy:  My mom says I’m a winner.

Or is it weiner?

tomk:  Your mom says I am cool.

jimmy:  Winner, I’ll go with winner.

tomk:  And Watson said you were a whiner.

jimmy:  Oh, he’s one to talk.

tomk:  He only gets that way on the subject of Geoff Johns.  Or the multiverse.  Or the DCEU.  Or Hello Kitty facts.  Or…huh, this list is longer than I thought.

jimmy:  Funny, Geoff Johns and multiverse would have been my first two examples.

tomk:  You say “Doomsday Clock” and you get a two-for-one.

jimmy:  Heh…I was just going to make the same joke about Flashpoint, but “Doomsday Clock” is certainly better.  You win again!

tomk:  But you, Jimmy, you are the real winner.  Your mom said so.

jimmy:  Moms are great.

tomk:  Yours certainly is.

jimmy:  Natasha’s, not so much. Hence, evil.

tomk:  Or deep cover.

Really deep cover.

jimmy:  A double agent that’s like a double double agent?

tomk:  We may have to wait and see. Like how Banner gets Wi-Fi on that computer he carries with him, there’s a lot we haven’t been told.

jimmy:  Maybe he uses his phone as a hotspot?

tomk:  See?  Now you win a round.

jimmy:  Wahoo!

tomk:  For that, you get pie.

jimmy:  Is it humble?

tomk:  Apple with a scoop of ice cream. Not vanilla.

jimmy:  Hold the ice cream and we got a deal.

tomk:  I’ll save it for later unless the Absorbing Man orders some from the diner downstairs.

jimmy:  Absorbing Man. Speaking of characters who aren’t very bright…

tomk:  He should be brighter.  He sounds a lot like Lex Luthor.

jimmy:  May sound like, and look like (on steroids), but certainly not as smart as.

tomk:  Well, he tried to take the properties of all kinds of things.  How was he supposed to know the Hulk can break all those substances without trying very hard?

jimmy:  Has he seen the Hulk before?

tomk:  Well, he recognized him.

Maybe he remembered how poorly it went in the Ang Lee Hulk movie.

jimmy:  Maybe. He missed the Ed Norton Hulk.

tomk:  Oh, I am sure the Abomination is hanging out somewhere.

jimmy:  Begs the question, can the Absorbing Man put himself back together again?

tomk:  He looked fine on the gurney when SHIELD came to take him away.

jimmy:  So, yes.

tomk:  Maybe next time he can swipe some properties from something the Hulk can break.  Like, uh, water or silly putty or something.

jimmy:  Silly Putty Man!

tomk:  Probably works better than Rock Man or Silverware Man.

jimmy:  And he can copy newspaper cartoons.

tomk:  And then stretch them out and amuse the Hulk enough to keep from getting punched.

jimmy:  Heh. Better plan than turning to gravel.

tomk:  He didn’t intend to turn into gravel.  The Hulk just hit him that hard…and then two normal humans with some acrobatic skills and a bow took the Hulk down.

jimmy:  Only makes sense after the army and a high powered supervillain couldn’t take him down.

tomk:  It’s like the time you and Ryan took down that belligerent drunk in the Gabbing Geek corporate parking lot.

jimmy:  Are we not using Watson’s name now?

tomk:  No, the other belligerent drunk who said Watson owed him money.

jimmy:  Oh right. That guy.

tomk:  I mean, you called the cops while Ryan asked him a lot of questions.  Good teamwork.

jimmy:  Ryan is the talkative one. And then I tailed him and found out he was selling secrets to Nosey Nerds.

tomk:

Man, even the Judges chime in on Nosey Nerds.

jimmy:  That’s why we were so disappointed Ryan was a traitor.

tomk:  You are really making sure Ryan reads these chats this time.

jimmy:  If you say his name three times he appears with latkes.

tomk:  What happens if I say the Moose’s name three times?

jimmy:  He raids your fridge and sits on the couch in your den.

tomk:  Good thing I don’t know his name then.

jimmy:  Good thing.  Though Hawkeye could use his help right about now.

tomk:  You know whose help he really needs?  Captain America’s.

jimmy:  Is it 11 minutes of help?

tomk:  I don’t know. If it takes more than 30, it’s free.

jimmy:  Lol

tomk:  You think capitalist Tony Stark is giving out free help?  I don’t.

jimmy:  Cap would. And he makes excellent old fashioned pizza.

tomk:  See, everyone likes pizza. Tony just tries to razzle dazzle you with beautiful shuffle girls or something.

https://youtu.be/FuiMQPc5aKA

jimmy:  I’m thoroughly distracted.

tomk:  I can’t imagine why.

jimmy:  Don’t bring me down, Tom.

tomk:  Who me?  No no no no no. Ooh-eee-who.

That’s Watson’s job.

jimmy:  Will we see who tries to bring Cap down?

tomk:  Eh, probably the Red Skull.

But sure. Might be a surprise appearance or two in there.

jimmy:  I like surprises.

tomk:  What about the surprise when Jenny found your replacement donut stash?

jimmy:  I like good surprises.

tomk:  Like when Watson found your laxative-filled donut stash?

jimmy:  Exactly.

tomk:  Interested in seeing what kind of surprises Cap will bring?

jimmy:  Indeed.

tomk:  Then let’s see how World War II went.

“Meet Captain America”

Steve Rogers and his allies attack a Hydra stronghold in the middle of World War II.

jimmy:  The Hugh Jackman cameo was a surprise.

tomk:  Are you sure it wasn’t…you?

jimmy:  It was 2012. I could have forgotten. So…maybe?

tomk:  Well, I would think you would remember that cartoon you appeared in.

And of course, in an episode to introduce Captain America, we spend time focusing on that one Canadian dude.

jimmy:  Kang is Canadian?

tomk:  Now I am confused.

I meant that Logan guy.

jimmy:  My fault. When you said we spend time focusing on, I took it as the show spending time focusing on and it did do that weird shift where half the episode was related, but was about Kang and not Cap.

tomk:  Except Kang said it was Cap’s fault and watched the first part of the episode again.  That makes this one a lot more coherent and clear than, well, most of the other episodes so far.

jimmy:  Fair, but it still became a Kang episode.

tomk:  He opened the episode too.

Maybe the title should have been “Meet Kang!”

jimmy:  That’s all I’m saying.

tomk:  I think you were suggesting Hugh Jackman was playing Kang.

jimmy:  No. Let’s start again…

Hey, there’s Captain America throwing his mighty shield!

tomk:  His many enemies better yield.

jimmy:  Good line. That’s catchy!

tomk:  Don’t catch a shield with your face.

jimmy:  I’ll leave that to the Hydra minions.

tomk:  Maybe the occasional Asgardian monster.

jimmy:  Those guys were jerks.

tomk:  Oh, like you never behaved poorly in a place where you didn’t know the customs or language.

jimmy:  Look, everything those guys from the Netherlands told you is a lie!

tomk:  That you were a polite if confused fellow that called the cops on the red light district?

jimmy:  More like they called the cops on me!

tomk:  I heard a very different story.

jimmy:  None of them are true.  Except the ones that are.

tomk:  That clears everything up then.

jimmy:  About as clear as letting a non super powered teenager be a sidekick in the middle of a war?

tomk:  Hey, Bucky has the same voice actor as Robin on Teen Titans. That means he was trained by Batman.

jimmy:  I figured you would make a Batman comment, but that was well done.

tomk:  I gotta keep you on your toes. What if Ryan started bringing over monsters from myth for Nosey Nerds?

jimmy:  We’d end up frozen or blown up?

tomk:  Maybe you would.

I’d just remind them myths aren’t real, and they would cease to exist.

jimmy:  Or, since it’s Ryan we’d end up Frozen or Tick, Tick…Boom!

tomk:  That does sound worse.

The call him Aaron Burr for the way he drops Hamilton…references.

jimmy:  Mr Pibb + Red Vines = Crazy Delicious.

tomk:

But hey, you met Captain America.

jimmy:  I did!  And Bucky. And Logan. And the Howling Commandos.

tomk:  And Jack Fury. And the Red Skull. And Romana. And Kang. And that one Frost Giant Thor knocked some teeth out of.

jimmy:  Jack Fury, eh?

tomk:  Yeah. His name wasn’t Nick.

jimmy:  That name was already taken.

tomk:  Probably a relative.

jimmy:  A distant relation by the looks of things.

tomk:  Like a grandson or something?

jimmy:  Or something.

tomk:  You seem to be up on the Fury Family Tree.

jimmy:  Sure.  Why not?

tomk:  Then what do you think Captain America did to destroy the future?  Was he replaced by The Captain Who Laughs?

jimmy:  I don’t know.  Nothing intentional I’m sure.

tomk:  Captain America never does bad things.

Unless he’s a zombie.

Or head of Hydra.

Or maybe Ultimate Cap.

Or he owes Captain Canada money…

jimmy:  Or Ultimate Hydra Zombie Cap.

tomk:  He’s the worst Cap.

Even worse than U.S.Agent.

jimmy:  I don’t know about that…

tomk:  What do you know about?

jimmy:  Bucky’s died onscreen almost as much as the Waynes or Uncle Ben?

tomk:  Judges?

jimmy:  Phew!

tomk:  Unless he’s not dead.  Bucky likes to play that game sometimes.

jimmy:  I doubt Winter Soldier shows up in this show.

tomk:  We’ll see.

jimmy:  Duh duh dahhhh!

tomk:  I mean, otherwise this show just killed a kid.

jimmy:  I was going to make a “kids get blown up by rockets every day” joke, but sadly, they probably do.

tomk: Now you’ve made everyone sad, Jimmy.  Is that what you wanted?

jimmy:  No.  I’m sorry, everyone.

tomk:  Well, I hope you learned your lesson.

jimmy:  I have. From now on I’ll only joke about blowing up red-faced Hydra leaders.

tomk:  Just the red-faced ones?

jimmy:   …no?

tomk:  Ok. Good. For that, you get a party.

jimmy:  Wow. A party?  That’s impressive.

tomk:  It’s a sedate cocktail party full of polite chat and no shenanigans.

jimmy:  I’ll take it after World War 2 and ChronoWar.

tomk:  That’s good. The insurance won’t cover another kegger after what happened at the last one.

jimmy:  I didn’t know Captain Jake would show. Uh oh, we’re crossing the streams.

tomk:  Do we need to move on?  We might have overlooked an original Avenger.

jimmy:  Maybe.

I will say though, it’s interesting how easy it is for a show like this to casually introduce a big bad like Kang. Compared to the MCU for example.

tomk:  They only have about 22 minutes per episode. They need to cut to the chase.

jimmy:  Sure, but I mean more that they don’t have to build up to it with post credit scenes, or multiple movies/shows laying the groundwork, it’s just “here’s Kang, no big deal”.

tomk:  Yeah, but we also got Loki, Hydra, and a whole lot of other things in the air.

jimmy:  That’s a lot of green.

tomk:  Hulk green or money green?

jimmy:  As long as it’s not Soylent Green.

tomk:  It’s not as bad as you’ve heard.

It’s worse.

jimmy:

tomk:  …

This is why you don’t get invited to more cocktail parties.

jimmy:  So that’s why!

tomk:  That and Jenny keeps bringing your donut stash so it looks like you have nothing to offer.

jimmy:  Jenny!  Sometimes I wish I could just grow to the size of a giant and squash that donut stealer like a bug!

tomk:  Would you settle for shrinking down to the size of an ant and still retaining normal human strength?

jimmy:  Ugh.  Fine.

tomk:  There may be more unexpected turns from there.

jimmy:  A left instead of a right?

tomk:  Or just avoid the highway circle.

jimmy:  Or that.  Ready?

tomk:  Sure.

NEXT:  Tom and Jimmy finish off the introductory episodes with “The Man in the Ant Hill” before moving on to the two part “Breakout”.