Creator Credits for Thunderbolts* (2025)

In short: This was better than I assumed it would be; it had precious little to do with the comics, but it took itself more seriously than most Marvel Cinematic Films.

My full list of Marvel Cinematic Universe creator credits is here. Let me know what I missed!

Jack Kirby: co-creator of the Avengers, a team of super heroes including Thor, Hulk and Iron Man, banded together as "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" (Avengers #1, 1963); of Captain America as one of the Avengers (Avengers #4, 1964); of Hawkeye as one of the Avengers (Avengers #16, 1965); of Captain America, Steve Rogers, who received the Super-Soldier Serum that made him a perfect specimen of humanity; of Captain America's red, white and blue costume with 'A' on forehead and stars and stripes on his chest; of James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, Steve's friend and partner who joins him in battle (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); of Captain America's mask being fastened to his costume; of Captain America's round, red and white shield with star in its center (Captain America Comics #2, 1941); of the Fantastic Four, adventurers (Fantastic Four #1, 1961); of the Hulk, large green monstrous hero; of Thaddeus Ross, an official (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of Thor, Norse god of thunder (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of S.H.I.E.L.D., an espionage agency; of Hydra, a terrorist army (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of Iron Man, armored hero (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963)

Stan Lee: co-creator of the Black Widow's red hair, black bodysuit, Widow's Bite wrist weapon and carrying explosives (Amazing Spider-Man #86, 1970); of the Avengers, a team of super heroes including Thor, Hulk and Iron Man, banded together as "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" (Avengers #1, 1963); of Captain America as one of the Avengers (Avengers #4, 1964); of Hawkeye as one of the Avengers (Avengers #16, 1965); of Sam Wilson, hero and ally of Captain America (Captain America #117, 1969); of the Fantastic Four, adventurers (Fantastic Four #1, 1961); of the Hulk, large green monstrous hero; of Thaddeus Ross, an official (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of Thor, Norse god of thunder (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of S.H.I.E.L.D., an espionage agency; of Hydra, a terrorist army (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of Iron Man, armored hero (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); of the Black Widow, a Russian spy (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); of Hawkeye, an archer hero (Tales of Suspense #57, 1964); of the Black Widow's Widow's Line device (Tales of Suspense #64, 1965)

Mark Gruenwald: co-creator of John Walker, a blond-haired patriot with superhuman strength who likens himself to Captain America (Captain America #323, 1986); of the US government assigning the identity of Captain America to John Walker; of John Walker background in the military (Captain America #333, 1987); of a variant Captain America costume in black and red with red stripes across the chest (Captain America #337, 1988); of John Walker's identity as Captain America as public knowledge (Captain America #341, 1988); of a variant Captain America shield with black and red stripes (Captain America #342, 1988); of John Walker losing control as Captain America and murdering his opponents (Captain America #345, 1988); of John Walker falling out of favor with the US government after committing murders as Captain America, leading to him losing the identity and shield (Captain America #350, 1989); of the U.S. Agent, John Walker's new costumed identity after losing the Captain America alias; of Walker wearing the variant Captain America costume and shield in black and red; of the U.S. Agent working for US intelligence (Captain America #354, 1989)

Kieron Dwyer: co-creator of John Walker's identity as Captain America as public knowledge (Captain America #341, 1988); of a variant Captain America shield with black and red stripes (Captain America #342, 1988); of John Walker losing control as Captain America and murdering his opponents (Captain America #345, 1988); of John Walker falling out of favor with the US government after committing murders as Captain America, leading to him losing the identity and shield (Captain America #350, 1989); of the U.S. Agent, John Walker's new costumed identity after losing the Captain America alias; of Walker wearing the variant Captain America costume and shield in black and red; of the U.S. Agent working for US intelligence (Captain America #354, 1989)

Paul Jenkins: co-creator of the Sentry, Bob Reynolds, a costumed hero with blond hair, yellow bodysuit and blue cape with large 'S' on belt; of the Sentry's massive power; of the Sentry's arch-foe the Void; of the Sentry called "the Golden Guardian of Good" and having the "power of a million exploding suns"; of Bob receiving his powers through a secret formula; of Bob forgetting about his career as the Sentry after his enemy the Void was bested (Sentry #1, 2000); of the Watchtower, the Sentry's skyscraper base (Sentry #5, 2001); of the Void revealed to be Bob's alternate personality (Sentry vs. the Void #1, 2001); of the Sentry's formula based on the Super-Soldier Serum and made by Project: Sentry (Sentry #8, 2006)

Jae Lee: co-creator of the Sentry, Bob Reynolds, a costumed hero with blond hair, yellow bodysuit and blue cape with large 'S' on belt; of the Sentry's massive power; of the Sentry's arch-foe the Void; of the Sentry called "the Golden Guardian of Good" and having the "power of a million exploding suns"; of Bob receiving his powers through a secret formula; of Bob forgetting about his career as the Sentry after his enemy the Void was bested (Sentry #1, 2000); of the Watchtower, the Sentry's skyscraper base (Sentry #5, 2001); of the Void revealed to be Bob's alternate personality (Sentry vs. the Void #1, 2001)

Joe Simon: co-creator of Captain America, Steve Rogers, who received the Super-Soldier Serum that made him a perfect specimen of humanity; of Captain America's red, white and blue costume with 'A' on forehead and stars and stripes on his chest; of James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, Steve's friend and partner who joins him in battle (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); of Captain America's mask being fastened to his costume; of Captain America's round, red and white shield with star in its center (Captain America Comics #2, 1941)

Brian Michael Bendis: co-creator of Bob Reynolds as a meth addict (Dark Avengers #13, 2010); of a revived Avengers team called the "New Avengers" (New Avengers #1, 2005); of Avengers Tower, the Avengers downtown Manhattan skyscraper base (New Avengers #3, 2005); of the Sentry as one of the Avengers; of Sentry's Watchtower perched atop Avengers Tower (New Avengers #10, 2005); of the Avengers forming two factions, one approved by the government, one not (New Avengers #27, 2007); of Bucky as one of the Avengers (New Avengers #48, 2009)

David Michelinie: co-creator of Sam Wilson as an Avenger (Avengers #183, 1979); of Taskmaster, a villain who wields a variety of weapons including a shield and sword, wears a skull mask (Avengers #195, 1980); of the Ghost, an anti-corporate industrial saboteur garbed in white and a hood with the power to phase through solid matter and appear invisible (Iron Man #219, 1987)

Don Heck: co-creator of the Black Widow as an Avenger (Avengers #111, 1973); of Iron Man, armored hero (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); of the Black Widow, a Russian spy (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); of Hawkeye, an archer hero (Tales of Suspense #57, 1964); of the Black Widow's Widow's Line device (Tales of Suspense #64, 1965)

Paul Neary: co-creator of John Walker, a blond-haired patriot with superhuman strength who likens himself to Captain America (Captain America #323, 1986); of the US government assigning the identity of Captain America to John Walker; of John Walker background in the military (Captain America #333, 1987)

Tom Morgan: co-creator of the US government assigning the identity of Captain America to John Walker; of John Walker background in the military (Captain America #333, 1987); of a variant Captain America costume in black and red with red stripes across the chest (Captain America #337, 1988)

Devin Grayson: co-creator of Yelena Belova, a blonde-haired Russian graduate of the same program as Natasha Romanoff who also serves as the Black Widow (Black Widow #1, 1999); of the Red Room, the spy program which created the Black Widow (Black Widow #2, 1999)

J. G. Jones: co-creator of of Yelena Belova, a blonde-haired Russian graduate of the same program as Natasha Romanoff who also serves as the Black Widow (Black Widow #1, 1999); the Red Room, the spy program which created the Black Widow (Black Widow #2, 1999)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of the Red Guardian, Alexei Shostakov, a Russian Cold War operative from the Black Widow's family, wears a red costume with a star in imitation of Captain America's costume (Avengers #43, 1967)

John Buscema: co-creator of the Red Guardian, Alexei Shostakov, a Russian Cold War operative from the Black Widow's family, wears a red costume with a star in imitation of Captain America's costume (Avengers #43, 1967)

Steve Epting: co-creator of the Winter Soldier, a legendary Russian assassin, has a cybernetic arm (Captain America #1, 2005); of Bucky losing his arm from an injury in World War 2 (Captain America #11, 2005)

Ed Brubaker: co-creator of the Winter Soldier, a legendary Russian assassin, has a cybernetic arm (Captain America #1, 2005); of Bucky losing his arm from an injury in World War 2 (Captain America #11, 2005)

Bob Layton: co-creator of the Ghost, an anti-corporate industrial saboteur garbed in white and a hood with the power to phase through solid matter and appear invisible (Iron Man #219, 1987)

David Finch: co-creator of a revived Avengers team called the "New Avengers" (New Avengers #1, 2005); of Avengers Tower, the Avengers downtown Manhattan skyscraper base (New Avengers #3, 2005)

Andy Diggle: co-creator of Yelena Belova and the Ghost as members of the Thunderbolts; of the Ghost wearing a round helmet (Thunderbolts #128, 2009)

Roberto de la Torre: co-creator of Yelena Belova and the Ghost as members of the Thunderbolts; of the Ghost wearing a round helmet (Thunderbolts #128, 2009)

Kurt Busiek: co-creator of the Thunderbolts, a team comprised mainly of villains who emerge after the Avengers disband (Thunderbolts #1, 1997)

Mark Bagley: co-creator of the Thunderbolts, a team comprised mainly of villains who emerge after the Avengers disband (Thunderbolts #1, 1997)

George Perez: co-creator of Taskmaster, a villain who wields a variety of weapons including a shield and sword, wears a skull mask (Avengers #195, 1980)

Steve Englehart: co-creator of the Black Widow as an Avenger (Avengers #111, 1973); of the Vault, a secure government holding facility (Avengers Annual #15, 1986)

Larry Lieber: co-creator of Thor, Norse god of thunder (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Iron Man, armored hero (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963)

John Romita: co-creator of the Black Widow's red hair, black bodysuit, Widow's Bite wrist weapon and carrying explosives (Amazing Spider-Man #86, 1970)

Jeph Loeb: co-creator of the Red Hulk, a red-skinned version of the Hulk (Hulk #1, 2008); of the Red Hulk revealed to be Thaddeus Ross (Hulk #23, 2010)

Ed McGuinness: co-creator of the Red Hulk, a red-skinned version of the Hulk (Hulk #1, 2008); of the Red Hulk revealed to be Thaddeus Ross (Hulk #23, 2010)

Leinil Francis Yu: co-creator of the Avengers forming two factions, one approved by the government, one not (New Avengers #27, 2007)

Steve McNiven: co-creator of the Sentry as one of the Avengers; of Sentry's Watchtower perched atop Avengers Tower (New Avengers #10, 2005)

John Romita Jr.: co-creator of the Sentry's formula based on the Super-Soldier Serum and made by Project: Sentry (Sentry #8, 2006)

Jim Steranko: creator of Contessa Valentina Allegro de la Fontaine, a government agent (Strange Tales #159, 1967)

Bob Harras: co-creator of Valentina de Fonatine serving in the C.I.A. (Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, 1989)

Bob Hall: co-creator of Valentina de Fonatine serving in the C.I.A. (Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, 1989)

Bryan Hitch: co-creator of the Chitauri, an extraterrestrial army who battle the Avengers (Ultimates #8, 2002)

Mark Millar: co-creator of the Chitauri, an extraterrestrial army who battle the Avengers (Ultimates #8, 2002)

Nick Spencer: co-creator of the Winter Soldier as leader of the Thunderbolts (Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Omega #1, 2016)

Daniel Acuna: co-creator of the Winter Soldier as leader of the Thunderbolts (Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Omega #1, 2016)

Angel Garcia: co-creator of the Winter Soldier as leader of the Thunderbolts (Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Omega #1, 2016)

Gaspar Saladino: creator of the Avengers logo with enlarged letter "A" (Avengers #96, 1972)

Steve Ditko: co-creator of the Vault, a secure government holding facility (Avengers Annual #15, 1986)

Danny Fingeroth: co-creator of the Vault, a secure government holding facility (Avengers Annual #15, 1986)

Gene Colan: co-creator of Sam Wilson, hero and ally of Captain America (Captain America #117, 1969)

Mark Waid: co-creator of Sam Wilson as Captain America (Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #8, 1999)

Cully Hamner: co-creator of Sam Wilson as Captain America (Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #8, 1999)

Billy Tan: co-creator of Bucky as one of the Avengers (New Avengers #48, 2009)

John Byrne: co-creator of Sam Wilson as an Avenger (Avengers #183, 1979)

Mike Deodato Jr.: co-creator of Bob Reynolds as a meth addict (Dark Avengers #13, 2010)

2025 in Media

A brief look back at the best films, comics and books I encountered in 2025.

Films of 2025: I made it out to the theatre for just 3 new films in 2025: Captain America: Brave New World, Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning and Superman. I shared some thoughts about Superman here. For me, the latest Mission: Impossible was the best cinematic experience of the year, which would have surprised me years ago since I started out hating the franchise; I've really come around to it (it helps that the films have shown more respect for the TV series over time) and it's a great experience on a big screen. I also went to the theatre for a 100th anniversary re-release of the Phantom of the Opera which featured live organ music (especially composed for the event) and used an edit of the film assembled by the Calgary Cinematheque to more closely resemble the original theatrical release; it was a unique experience and the edit was the best version I've seen of the 1925 film. I also saw the 2025 films Sinners and Fantastic Four: First Steps at home; Sinners was a good time, I enjoyed its take on vampire mythos - though, frankly, the slaughter of the KKK at the climax of the film surpassed any of the previous action scenes.

Other films that I especially enjoyed were the horror film the Mist, the Holocaust drama Denial, the excellent retro action film Godzilla Minus One and the thriller the Falcon and the Snowman.

Comics of 2025: I continued following Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo, which released the mini-series Ten Thousand Plums last year; I reviewed it here. I also reviewed the anthology comic Fantastic Four Fanfare. I'm still reading Larry Hama's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and I'm really enjoy Al Ewing's take on Thor, which is heavy on continuity and cosmic horror. I also read Al Ewing and Steve Lieber's Metamorpho, which was good fun. I'm also reading (and yet to finish) the mini-series Death of the Silver Surfer by Greg Pak and Sumit Kumar and Marvel Knights: The World to Come by Christopher Priest and Joe Quesada.

The only other comic book of note that I read in 2025 was Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum and Scott Hepburn's Minor Threats, which I reviewed here.

Books of 2025: The only 2025 book I read was Future Boy by Michael J. Fox, his personal account of the making of the original Back to the Future film. The most interesting part of Fox's story were his personal memories of what it was like to be a struggling young actor - it was especially striking to hear about when he owned only three shirts.

I read an awful lot of other books in 2025 - the best works of fiction were the Magic Skin by Honore de Balzac, about a man whose life is mystically bound to a piece of leather; the Secret History by Donna Tartt, which I sought out because I saw it favorably compared to Columbo - I wouldn't make the comparison myself but it was an excellent thriller; I read the science fiction novel Existence by David K. Brin; Cornell Woolrich's Waltz into Darkness was an interesting piece about a man who falls in love with a criminal and tries to make their relationship work; The Three Impostors by Arthur Machen was an engaging mystery read; I read A. P. Herbert's the House by the River, which I'd seen in film form and enjoyed; finally, I started reading Stephen R. Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle, starting with Taliesin and Merlin.

Early on, I read Banned Books by Elizabeth Blakemore and sought out many of the titles listed there; many of them were books about Black people's existence. Those I enjoyed the most were Black Boy, Richard Wright's autobiography about how Communists are intolerable people to be around, even when you're a fellow Communist; Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas; and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds.

Having become interested in Dr. Seuss' early cartooning work in publications like Judge, I read Brian Jay Jones' biography of Seuss, Becoming Dr. Seuss. I read Tim Roby's Box Office Poison about movie flops. i read Gideon Defoe's An Atlas of Extinct Countries, which focused on the various reasons why certain nations ceased to exist. And I read about the conservatism of science fiction in Jordan S. Carroll's Speculative Whiteness.

I also read a few books about the present state of Christianity in the US, including The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory by Tim Alberta and The Exvangelicals by Sarah McCammon.

I also read a great book about Angola - Jess Auerbach's From Water to Wine, her perspective of what Angola's emerging middle class are like. Although she lived in a different part of Angola than where I lived, I appreciated and understood many of her insights.

Creator Credits for Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

In brief: We seem to have reached a state where, between this and Superman, super hero filmmakers are tired of retelling origin stories and would rather hit the ground running. Which, the film certainly does have a steady pace.

As always, this represents my attempt at providing credit to those comic book creators whose works were seen in a Marvel Cinematic Universe property. If you recognize something I missed, tell me in the comments. My master list of Marvel Cinematic Universe credits is right here.

Jack Kirby: creator of H.E.R.B.I.E., robot companion of the Fantastic Four; co-creator of the Fantastic Four, a team of four adventurers who attempted a space launch that ended disastrously when cosmic radiation granted them superhuman powers; of Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, scientist and leader of the Fantastic Four with the ability to stretch his body to incredible lengths; of the Invisible Girl, Susan Storm, girlfriend of Reed Richards with the ability to render herself invisible; of the Thing, Ben Grimm, Reed's best friend and pilot, body mutated into orange, rocky form granting him superhuman strength; of the Human Torch, Johnny Storm, Susan's brother, with the ability surround himself in flames and fly, generating heat and flame as an offensive attack; of Johnny's love of high-speed racing; of the Mole Man, enemy of the Fantastic Four who considers himself an outcast, lives underground, wears protective goggles; of Giganto, an enormous green monster who serves the Mole Man (Fantastic Four #1, 1961); of the Fantastic Four wearing blue uniforms with a '4' on their chest; of the Fantasticar, flying vehicle used by the Fantastic Four; of the Thing and Human Torch having a squabbling relationship; of the Baxter Building, the Manhattan skyscraper which serves as the Fantastic Four's home; of the Human Torch shouting "Flame on!" and "Flame off!" as he uses his powers; of the Human Torch using the trails of his flame to create a giant '4' in the sky (Fantastic Four #3, 1962); of Dr. Doom, armored scientist garbed in green (Fantastic Four #5, 1962); of Dr. Doom wearing a green cloak; of the Thing visiting Yancy Street (Fantastic Four #6, 1962); of the Puppet Master, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #8, 1962); of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby being present within the Fantastic Four's adventures (Fantastic Four #10, 1963); of the Red Ghost and his Super Apes, a Russian spy with superhuman powers who battles the Fantastic Four with his superhuman ape companions; of the Fantastic Four visiting Earth's moon (Fantastic Four #13, 1963); of the Fantastic Four as celebrities with their own fan club (Fantastic Four #14, 1963); of the Mad Thinker, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #15, 1963); of the Invisible Girl gaining the ability to generate a force field; of the Thing going into battle yelling, "It's clobbering time!"; of Subterranea, the underground kingdom ruled by the Mole Man (Fantastic Four #22, 1964); of Diablo, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #30, 1964); of Susan and Johnny's mother dying in a car accident when they were teenagers, the incident traumatizing their father (Fantastic Four #32, 1964); of Galactus, immense cosmic being who devours planets, opposes the Fantastic Four when he attempts to devour Earth; of Galactus' spherical spaceship used for consuming planets; of the Silver Surfer, herald of Galactus, wields the Power Cosmic, flies through space upon a surfboard (Fantastic Four #48, 1966); of the Silver Surfer turning against Galactus and helping the Fantastic Four save their planet from being devoured (Fantastic Four #50, 1966); of Galactus' blue bodysuit (Fantastic Four #74, 1968); of Susan and Reed's son named as Franklin Richards (Fantastic Four #94, 1970); of Latveria, European nation (Fantastic Four Annual #2, 1964); of Reed Richards and Susan Storm being married (Fantastic Four Annual #3, 1965); of Susan announcing her pregnancy to her family (Fantastic Four Annual #5, 1967); of Susan giving birth to she and Reed's son (Fantastic Four Annual #6, 1968); of a female version of the Silver Surfer (Silver Surfer, 1978); of the Wizard, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Strange Tales #102, 1962); of Galactus being the last survivor of the previous universe's existence (Thor #162, 1969)

Stan Lee: co-creator of the Fantastic Four, a team of four adventurers who attempted a space launch that ended disastrously when cosmic radiation granted them superhuman powers; of Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, scientist and leader of the Fantastic Four with the ability to stretch his body to incredible lengths; of the Invisible Girl, Susan Storm, girlfriend of Reed Richards with the ability to render herself invisible; of the Thing, Ben Grimm, Reed's best friend and pilot, body mutated into orange, rocky form granting him superhuman strength; of the Human Torch, Johnny Storm, Susan's brother, with the ability surround himself in flames and fly, generating heat and flame as an offensive attack; of Johnny's love of high-speed racing; of the Mole Man, enemy of the Fantastic Four who considers himself an outcast, lives underground, wears protective goggles; of Giganto, an enormous green monster who serves the Mole Man (Fantastic Four #1, 1961); of the Fantastic Four wearing blue uniforms with a '4' on their chest; of the Fantasticar, flying vehicle used by the Fantastic Four; of the Thing and Human Torch having a squabbling relationship; of the Baxter Building, the Manhattan skyscraper which serves as the Fantastic Four's home; of the Human Torch shouting "Flame on!" and "Flame off!" as he uses his powers; of the Human Torch using the trails of his flame to create a giant '4' in the sky (Fantastic Four #3, 1962); of Dr. Doom, armored scientist garbed in green (Fantastic Four #5, 1962); of Dr. Doom wearing a green cloak; of the Thing visiting Yancy Street (Fantastic Four #6, 1962); of the Puppet Master, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #8, 1962); of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby being present within the Fantastic Four's adventures (Fantastic Four #10, 1963); of the Red Ghost and his Super Apes, a Russian spy with superhuman powers who battles the Fantastic Four with his superhuman ape companions; of the Fantastic Four visiting Earth's moon (Fantastic Four #13, 1963); of the Fantastic Four as celebrities with their own fan club (Fantastic Four #14, 1963); of the Mad Thinker, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #15, 1963); of the Invisible Girl gaining the ability to generate a force field; of the Thing going into battle yelling, "It's clobbering time!"; of Subterranea, the underground kingdom ruled by the Mole Man (Fantastic Four #22, 1964); of Diablo, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #30, 1964); of Susan and Johnny's mother dying in a car accident when they were teenagers, the incident traumatizing their father (Fantastic Four #32, 1964); of Galactus, immense cosmic being who devours planets, opposes the Fantastic Four when he attempts to devour Earth; of Galactus' spherical spaceship used for consuming planets; of the Silver Surfer, herald of Galactus, wields the Power Cosmic, flies through space upon a surfboard (Fantastic Four #48, 1966); of the Silver Surfer turning against Galactus and helping the Fantastic Four save their planet from being devoured (Fantastic Four #50, 1966); of Galactus' blue bodysuit (Fantastic Four #74, 1968); of Susan and Reed's son named as Franklin Richards (Fantastic Four #94, 1970); of Latveria, European nation (Fantastic Four Annual #2, 1964); of Reed Richards and Susan Storm being married (Fantastic Four Annual #3, 1965); of Susan announcing her pregnancy to her family (Fantastic Four Annual #5, 1967); of Susan giving birth to she and Reed's son (Fantastic Four Annual #6, 1968); of Shalla-Bal, an extraterrestrial woman whose world Zenn-La was threatened by Galactus, connected to the Silver Surfer; of the Silver Surfer's world Zenn-La threatened by Galactus, choosing to become Galactus' herald in order to spare the planet (Silver Surfer #1, 1968); of a female version of the Silver Surfer (Silver Surfer, 1978); of the Wizard, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Strange Tales #102, 1962); of Galactus being the last survivor of the previous universe's existence (Thor #162, 1969)

John Buscema: co-creator of Franklin Richards having vast cosmic powers (Fantastic Four #130, 1973); of Shalla-Bal, an extraterrestrial woman whose world Zenn-La was threatened by Galactus, connected to the Silver Surfer; of the Silver Surfer's world Zenn-La threatened by Galactus, choosing to become Galactus' herald in order to spare the planet (Silver Surfer #1, 1968)

John Byrne: creator of the Fantastic Four wearing costumes with a white neck (Fantastic Four #256, 1983); of Susan Storm calling herself the Invisible Woman (Fantastic Four #283, 1985); co-creator of Yancy Street as Ben Grimm's original borough (the Thing #1, 1983)

Carl Burgos: creator of the Human Torch, a man with the ability to surround himself in a sheathe of flame, generating heat and flame and with the power of flight (Marvel Comics #1, 1939)

Jim Krueger: co-creator of Franklin Richards seen as a successor to Galactus (Earth X #10, 2000); of Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer (Earth X #12, 2000)

Alex Ross: co-creator of Franklin Richards seen as a successor to Galactus (Earth X #10, 2000); of Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer (Earth X #12, 2000)

John Paul Leon: co-creator of Franklin Richards seen as a successor to Galactus (Earth X #10, 2000); of Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer (Earth X #12, 2000)

Jonathan Hickman: co-creator of the Future Foundation, an organization run by the Fantastic Four to better the world (Fantastic Four #576, 2010)

Dale Eaglesham: co-creator of the Future Foundation, an organization run by the Fantastic Four to better the world (Fantastic Four #576, 2010)

Tom DeFalco: co-creator of the Invisible Woman's force field being so powerful it can repel cosmic beings (Fantastic Four #400, 1995)

Paul Ryan: co-creator of the Invisible Woman's force field being so powerful it can repel cosmic beings (Fantastic Four #400, 1995)

Brandon Choi: co-creator of the Excelsior as the name of the Fantastic Four's spacecraft (Fantastic Four #1, 1996)

Jim Lee: co-creator of the Excelsior as the name of the Fantastic Four's spacecraft (Fantastic Four #1, 1996)

Roger Stern: co-creator of the Mole Man's real name as Harvey Elder (Marvel Universe #4, 1998)

Mike Manley: co-creator of the Mole Man's real name as Harvey Elder (Marvel Universe #4, 1998)

Ron Wilson: co-creator of Yancy Street as Ben Grimm's original borough (the Thing #1, 1983)

Larry Lieber: co-creator of the Wizard, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Strange Tales #102, 1962)

Karl Kesel: co-creator of the Thing being Jewish (Fantastic Four #56, 2002)

Stuart Immonen: co-creator of the Thing being Jewish (Fantastic Four #56, 2002)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of Franklin Richards having vast cosmic powers (Fantastic Four #130, 1973)

"We are also of the cloth." Superman (2025) thoughts

The last attempt to create a cinematic universe from DC Comics properties resulted in the pretty good film Wonder Woman in 2017 and, uh, a whole lot of forgettable detritus.

At this stage, having seen DC twice attempt to roll out a slow-burn universe that attempts to ground itself in realism, I'm definitely ready for a change. James Gunn's Superman (2025) is certainly a change; I knew from his Guardians of the Galaxy films that he had a unique take on super hero properties, but is he really the kind of creative person to help build up an entire interconnected universe of films? That answer is, thankfully, 'yes.' And can he front a super hero story around an old-school stolid property like Superman, the very character who started the genre? There the answer is, 'no,' which is why the film is peppered with people like Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl, Metamorpho and Guy Gardner.

At this point, I think - as Grant Morrison did with All-Star Superman - that the story of Superman is well-trod and well-known so there's no need to repeat his origin story - which is Gunn's take. The harder part is to get his character correct; it's hard for me to pin down how well Gunn did in that aspect since Clark Kent is barely in the film (maybe that's because films usually spend more time on Clark than Superman) but he's absolutely the Superman of the comics, especially by the standard of All-Star Superman - that he's powerful enough to handle most problems but doesn't always know the best path for applying his power. And, of course, he cares deeply for people. David Corenswet has the right mix of earnestness and toughness.

As a launching point for DC's latest attempt at a shared universe of films, I like the idea of coming in with the universe already well-inhabited and with a rich history of existing super heroes and villains, to say nothing of the tropes particular to Superman (his folks are still alive; he has his Fortress of Solitude, Krypto and Supergirl; and, in a very rare development, the Daily Planet not only has Lois Lane and Perry White but also Jimmy Olsen, Cat Grant, Steve Lombard and Ron Troupe, characters who are usually slighted by the films).

The film's version of Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is a bit over-the-top - great for this film, but already possessing so many resources and such power that it's hard to see where he could go in any future films - it might actually be better to not revisit the character in this franchise. It's not the best interpretation of Luthor (Clancy Brown remains the standard) but again, it's recognizable as a version from the comics (All-Star Superman once more) and he has all the hubris of the best versions of Luthor; plus, he's loathsome, which creators sometimes forget is an important part in writing a villain.

I remain skeptical about the guest-starring heroes - they're fun and tell you something about how this time, the world is over-populated with heroes rather than totalling maybe a half-dozen guys. They distract from Superman, but they filled in some of the most enjoyable parts of the film. I am enough of a Mr. Terrific fanboy that I actually got excited when he donned a comics-accurate version of his leather jacket. And Nathan Fillion could probably make reading the telephone book entertaining, to say nothing of giving him one of comicdom's biggest jerks (Guy Gardner) to play around with.

I don't know if I'm interested in more stories set in this universe but I do know I like what I saw in this film and not against seeing more.

RIP: Lalo Schifrin

There aren't many composers working in film today whose credits date back to the 1960s - and now there's one fewer. Argentinian composer Lalo Schifrin passed away last week, aged 93.

Lalo Schifrin composed the scores for a number of Steve McQueen's movies - including the phenomenal music in Bullitt (1968). But the whole reason I know his name - and I'm sure the same is true for many - is that he composed the original television score for Mission: Impossible.

He composed a few other television scores like Mannix, but that supremely cool Mission: Impossible theme tune was something special and it's proven resilient thanks to the feature films, ensuring Schirfin has a legacy; he will be remembered.

Rest in peace, Mr. Schifrin.

RIP: Val Kilmer

Actor Val Kilmer passed away this week, aged only 65.

I'm sure every film buff out there has a favourite Val Kilmer movie, but mine is his first film - Top Secret! (1984), the ridiculous comedy film in which he portrayed the Elvis-like singing sensation Nick Rivers, who journeys behind the Iron Curtain and gets involved in a spy plot that is very much like the 1944 movie the Conspirators. As Kilmer himself noted, being that he was a young actor, it was a huge challenge to take on such a wacky comedy role; Kilmer succeeded because he portrayed Nick earnestly, a straight man in a very, very wacky movie.

But I'm sure most film buffs are going to point to Tombstone (1993). And yes, even I - a man who does not especially like westerns - point to Kilmer's performance as Doc Holliday as a terrific piece of acting. Perhaps Tombstone is the western movie for people who don't like westerns? Anyway, go watch Tombstone if you haven't already.

Obviously, there's much more I could mention; I have one friend who loves the Ghost and the Darkness (1996); my sister loved Willow (1988); my wife really likes the Saint (1997).

Rest in peace, Mr. Kilmer.

Creator Credits for Captain America: Brave New World

It's been a while since I generated a list of creator credits for a Marvel Cinematic Universe project; 2024 saw fewer productions than usual, and of those that did appear, I was barely interested in any of them. But heck, here's a new Captain America movie and in spite of it all, I have a lot love for Cap.

Below are the comic book creators whose work is represented in the film Captain America: Brave New World. If you see an omission, tell me in the comments!

Stan Lee (writer/editor): co-creator of the Avengers, a team of super heroes (Avengers #1, 1963); of Captain America as one of the Avengers (Avengers #4, 1964); of Captain America throwing his shield so that it ricochets and returns to his hand (Avengers #5, 1964); of the Falcon, Sam Wilson, a black super hero and ally of Captain America; the Falcon wearing green; of Redwing, Sam's winged ally (Captain America #117, 1969); of Leila Taylor, a woman involved with Sam Wilson (Captain America #139, 1971); of Wakanda, an African nation with incredible scientific resources (Fantastic Four #52, 1966); of Vibranium, a rare metal found in Wakanda with unusual properties (Fantastic Four #53, 1966); of Bruce Banner, a famous scientist who transformed into the Hulk, an enormous brute with superhuman strength; of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, a mustache-wearing Air Force officer who used military resources to combat the Hulk; of Betty Ross, the general's daughter, who loves Banner (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of the Hulk having green skin (Incredible Hulk #2, 1962); of the Hulk leaping vast distances (Incredible Hulk #3, 1962); of the Black Widow, an espionage agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); of Ant-Man, a costumed hero who can alter his size (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962); of the Hulk's transformations caused by anger (Tales to Astonish #60, 1964); of the Leader, a super-intelligent man (Tales to Astonish #62, 1964); of the Hulk creating shockwaves by clapping his hands together (Tales to Astonish #65, 1965); of the Abomination, a Russian transformed by gamma radiation into a huge green scaly monster who fights the Hulk (Tales to Astonish #90, 1967)

Jack Kirby (artist/writer): creator of the Celestials, immense cosmic beings who visit Earth (Eternals #1, 1976); co-creator of the Avengers, a team of super heroes (Avengers #1, 1963); of Captain America as one of the Avengers (Avengers #4, 1964); of Captain America throwing his shield so that it ricochets and returns to his hand (Avengers #5, 1964); of Bucky Barnes, a costumed hero and best friend of Steve Rogers; of Captain America, Steve Rogers, super hero from World War II who gained his peak human abilities from the Super-Soldier Serum; of Captain America wearing a red, white and blue costume with 'A' on forehead and star on chest (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); of Captain America's round shield with red and white stripes (Captain America Comics #2, 1941); of Wakanda, an African nation with incredible scientific resources (Fantastic Four #52, 1966); of Vibranium, a rare metal found in Wakanda with unusual properties (Fantastic Four #53, 1966); of Bruce Banner, a famous scientist who transformed into the Hulk, an enormous brute with superhuman strength; of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, a mustache-wearing Air Force officer who used military resources to combat the Hulk; of Betty Ross, the general's daughter, who loves Banner (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of the Hulk having green skin (Incredible Hulk #2, 1962); of the Hulk leaping vast distances (Incredible Hulk #3, 1962); of the Black Widow, an espionage agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); of Ant-Man, a costumed hero who can alter his size (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962)

Mark Gruenwald (writer/editor): creator of Sidewinder's real name Seth Voelker (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #10, 1983); co-creator of Sidewinder as an enemy of Captain America; of Sidewinder's ease at escaping prison (Captain America #315, 1986); of Dennis Dunphy as an ally of Captain America (Captain America #328, 1987); of Dennis Dunphy suffering a heart attack (Captain America #330, 1987); of Dennis Dunphy as an ally of Sam Wilson (Captain America #336, 1987); of Copperhead, a serpent-themed mercenary who battles Captain America (Captain America #337, 1988); of Sidewinder, a serpent-themed mercenary (Marvel Two-in-One #64, 1980)

Sal Buscema (artist): co-creator of a team of serpent-themed mercenaries who battle Captain America (Captain America #157, 1973); of the Falcon utilizing mechanical wings built for him by the Wakandans (Captain America #170, 1974); of Ruth Bat-Seraph, an Israeli agent and expert fighter (Incredible Hulk #250, 1980); of Ruth Bat-Seraph's name (Incredible Hulk #256, 1981); of Betty and General Ross having a falling out because of his actions against the Hulk (Incredible Hulk #277, 1982); of Karen Ross, Thaddeus Ross' wife, who died from cancer (Incredible Hulk #291, 1984)

Robert Morales (writer): co-creator of Isaiah Bradley, a black soldier who was subjected to a variant of the Super-Soldier Serum in an attempt to duplicate Captain America's origin; of Faith, Isaiah's lover (The Truth: Red, White & Black #1, 2003); of Isaiah Bradley undergoing missions for the US government but then becoming a prisoner and subjected to horrifying experiments over decades; of Isaiah attempting to keep a low profile after his release (Truth: Red, White & Black #7, 2003)

Kyle Baker (artist): co-creator of Isaiah Bradley, a black soldier who was subjected to a variant of the Super-Soldier Serum in an attempt to duplicate Captain America's origin; of Faith, Isaiah's lover (The Truth: Red, White & Black #1, 2003); of Isaiah Bradley undergoing missions for the US government but then becoming a prisoner and subjected to horrifying experiments over decades; of Isaiah attempting to keep a low profile after his release (Truth: Red, White & Black #7, 2003)

Joe Simon (writer/artist): co-creator of Bucky Barnes, a costumed hero and best friend of Steve Rogers; of Captain America, Steve Rogers, super hero from World War II who gained his peak human abilities from the Super-Soldier Serum; of Captain America wearing a red, white and blue costume with 'A' on forehead and star on chest (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); of Captain America's round shield with red and white stripes (Captain America Comics #2, 1941)

Jeph Loeb (writer): co-creator of the Red Hulk, a red-skinned version of the Hulk who wearing black shorts and generates intense heat from his body (Hulk #1, 2008); of the Red Hulk and the Leader manipulating each other for their own benefit; of the Leader being responsible for transforming Thaddeus Ross into the Red Hulk, basing his transformation on that of Bruce Banner's (Hulk #23, 2010)

Ed McGuinness (artist): co-creator of the Red Hulk, a red-skinned version of the Hulk who wearing black shorts and generates intense heat from his body (Hulk #1, 2008); of the Red Hulk and the Leader manipulating each other for their own benefit; of the Leader being responsible for transforming Thaddeus Ross into the Red Hulk, basing his transformation on that of Bruce Banner's (Hulk #23, 2010)

Bill Mantlo (writer): co-creator of Ruth Bat-Seraph, an Israeli agent and expert fighter (Incredible Hulk #250, 1980); of Ruth Bat-Seraph's name (Incredible Hulk #256, 1981); of Betty and General Ross having a falling out because of his actions against the Hulk (Incredible Hulk #277, 1982); of Karen Ross, Thaddeus Ross' wife, who died from cancer (Incredible Hulk #291, 1984)

Nick Spencer (writer): co-creator of Joaquin Torres, a Latino man who is an ally of Sam Wilson (Captain America: Sam Wilson #1, 2015); of Joaquin Torres inheriting the mantle of the Falcon from Sam Wilson, wearing a modified version of the Falcon's green costume with a helmet and working as sidekick to Sam Wilson's Captain America (Captain America: Sam Wilson #6, 2016)

Rick Remender (writer): co-creator of Sam Wilson wearing a Captain America costume which incorporates his Falcon technology, becoming a hybrid of the two costume styles (All-New Captain America #1, 2015); of Steve Rogers asking the Falcon to become the new Captain America (Captain America #25, 2014)

Ed Brubaker (writer): co-creator of the Winter Soldier, a legendary assassin whose left arm is cybernetic (Captain America #1, 2005); of the Winter Soldier revealed to be Bucky Barnes having been brainwashed and kept in stasis except when sent on missions (Captain America #8, 2005)

Steve Epting (artist): co-creator of the Winter Soldier, a legendary assassin whose left arm is cybernetic (Captain America #1, 2005); of the Winter Soldier revealed to be Bucky Barnes having been brainwashed and kept in stasis except when sent on missions (Captain America #8, 2005)

Steve Ditko (artist): co-creator of the Hulk's transformations caused by anger (Tales to Astonish #60, 1964); of the Leader, a super-intelligent man (Tales to Astonish #62, 1964); of the Hulk creating shockwaves by clapping his hands together (Tales to Astonish #65, 1965)

Joe Bennett (artist): co-creator of Joaquin Torres inheriting the mantle of the Falcon from Sam Wilson, wearing a modified version of the Falcon's green costume with a helmet and working as sidekick to Sam Wilson's Captain America (Captain America: Sam Wilson #6, 2016)

Tom Morgan (artist): co-creator of Dennis Dunphy suffering a heart attack (Captain America #330, 1987); of Dennis Dunphy as an ally of Sam Wilson (Captain America #336, 1987); of Copperhead, a serpent-themed mercenary who battles Captain America (Captain America #337, 1988)

Jim Krueger (writer): co-creator of the Celestials seeding the Earth with a new Celestial and seeking to bring it to life which would result in the destruction of Earth (Earth X #10, 2000); of the Celestial prevented from destroying the Earth (Earth X: X, 2000)

Alex Ross (artist/writer): co-creator of the Celestials seeding the Earth with a new Celestial and seeking to bring it to life which would result in the destruction of Earth (Earth X #10, 2000); of the Celestial prevented from destroying the Earth (Earth X: X, 2000)

John Paul Leon (artist): co-creator of the Celestials seeding the Earth with a new Celestial and seeking to bring it to life which would result in the destruction of Earth (Earth X #10, 2000); of the Celestial prevented from destroying the Earth (Earth X: X, 2000)

Steve Englehart (writer): co-creator of a team of serpent-themed mercenaries who battle Captain America (Captain America #157, 1973); of the Falcon utilizing mechanical wings built for him by the Wakandans (Captain America #170, 1974)

Gene Colan (artist): co-creator of the Falcon, Sam Wilson, a black super hero and ally of Captain America; the Falcon wearing green; of Redwing, Sam's winged ally (Captain America #117, 1969)

Stuart Immonen (artist): co-creator of Sam Wilson wearing a Captain America costume which incorporates his Falcon technology, becoming a hybrid of the two costume styles (All-New Captain America #1, 2015)

Bruce Jones (writer): co-creator of the mysterious figure "Mr. Blue" (Incredible Hulk #34, 2002); of Samuel Sterns trying to obtain Banner's blood for his experiments (Incredible Hulk #36, 2002)

John Romita Jr. (artist): co-creator of the mysterious figure "Mr. Blue" (Incredible Hulk #34, 2002); of Samuel Sterns trying to obtain Banner's blood for his experiments (Incredible Hulk #36, 2002)

George Perez (artist): co-creator of half the universe's population being eliminated (Infinity Gauntlet #1, 1991); of Sidewinder, a serpent-themed mercenary (Marvel Two-in-One #64, 1980)

Gil Kane (artist): co-creator of the Abomination, a Russian transformed by gamma radiation into a huge green scaly monster who fights the Hulk (Tales to Astonish #90, 1967)

Roy Thomas (writer): co-creator of Adamantium, a metal which is virtually indestructible (Avengers #66, 1969); of the Leader's name Samuel Sterns (Incredible Hulk #129, 1970)

Paul Neary (artist): co-creator of Sidewinder as an enemy of Captain America; of Sidewinder's ease at escaping prison (Captain America #315, 1986)

Ralph Macchio (writer): co-creator of Sidewinder, a serpent-themed mercenary (Marvel Two-in-One #64, 1980)

Don Heck (artist): co-creator of the Black Widow, an espionage agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964)

Don Rico (writer): co-creator of the Black Widow, an espionage agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964)

Mark Waid (writer): co-creator of the Falcon wearing Captain America's costume as his replacement (Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #8, 1999)

Christopher Priest (writer): co-creator of the Falcon wearing a beard (Captain America & the Falcon #1, 2004)

Steve Gerber (writer): co-creator of a team of serpent-themed mercenaries who battle Captain America (Captain America #157, 1973)

David Michelinie (writer): co-creator of the Falcon as one of the Avengers (Avengers #183, 1979)

Brian Michael Bendis (writer): co-creator of the Raft, a high-security prison used by the US government for superhuman adversaries (New Avengers #1, 2005)

John Romita (artist): co-creator of Leila Taylor, a woman involved with Sam Wilson (Captain America #139, 1971)

David Finch (artist): co-creator of the Raft, a high-security prison used by the US government for superhuman adversaries (New Avengers #1, 2005)

Cully Hamner (artist): co-creator of the Falcon wearing Captain America's costume as his replacement (Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #8, 1999)

Daniel Acuña (artist): co-creator of Joaquin Torres, a Latino man who is an ally of Sam Wilson (Captain America: Sam Wilson #1, 2015)

Carlos Pacheco (artist): co-creator of Steve Rogers asking the Falcon to become the new Captain America (Captain America #25, 2014)

Bart Sears (artist): co-creator of the Falcon wearing a beard (Captain America & the Falcon #1, 2004)

John Byrne (artist): co-creator of the Falcon as one of the Avengers (Avengers #183, 1979)

Mark Millar (writer): co-creator of the Abomination being massive and partially armored (Ultimates 2 #9, 2006)

Bryan Hitch (artist): co-creator of the Abomination being massive and partially armored (Ultimates 2 #9, 2006)

Jim Starlin (writer): co-creator of half the universe's population being eliminated (Infinity Gauntlet #1, 1991)

Todd McFarlane (artist): co-creator of the Leader's head being round to indicate a larger brain (Incredible Hulk #342, 1988)

Peter David (writer): co-creator of the Leader's head being round to indicate a larger brain (Incredible Hulk #342, 1988)

Herb Trimpe (artist): co-creator of the Leader's name Samuel Sterns (Incredible Hulk #129, 1970)

Jeff Parker (writer): co-creator of Thaddeus Ross being imprisoned after being identified as the Red Hulk (Hulk #25, 2010)

Gabriel Hardman (artist): co-creator of Thaddeus Ross being imprisoned after being identified as the Red Hulk (Hulk #25, 2010)

Barry Windsor-Smith (artist): co-creator of Adamantium, a metal which is virtually indestructible (Avengers #66, 1969)

Christos Gage (writer): co-creator of Ruth Bat-Seraph wearing a black costume with blue trim (Union Jack #1, 2006)

Mike Perkins (artist): co-creator of Ruth Bat-Seraph wearing a black costume with blue trim (Union Jack #1, 2006)

Belinda Glass (writer): co-creator of Ruth Bat-Seraph, an Israeli agent and expert fighter (Incredible Hulk #250, 1980)

Brian Patchett (writer): co-creator of Dennis Dunphy serving in the U.S. military (Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular #1, 2009)

Xurxo G. Penalta (artist): co-creator of Dennis Dunphy serving in the U.S. military (Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular #1, 2009)

Mike Carlin (writer): co-creator of Dennis Dunphy, a red-haired man (The Thing #28, 1985)

Ron Wilson (artist): co-creator of Dennis Dunphy, a red-haired man (The Thing #28, 1985)

Larry Lieber: co-creator of Ant-Man, a costumed hero who can alter his size (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962)

Ta-Nehisi Coates (writer): co-creator of the Red Hulk battling Captain America but ultimately standing down (Captain America #26, 2021)

Leonard Kirk (artist): co-creator of the Red Hulk battling Captain America but ultimately standing down (Captain America #26, 2021)

J. G. Jones (artist): co-creator of the Red Room, the spy program which created the Black Widow (Black Widow #2, 1999)

Devin Grayson (writer): co-creator of the Red Room, the spy program which created the Black Widow (Black Widow #2, 1999)

White Christmas, the Musical That Feared the Future

During the holidays I was re-watching the 1954 musical-comedy White Christmas. I remember watching that film with my family in the 1990s and it became a family tradition to watch it every year around Christmas-time. The funny thing is, the contents of the film are only loosely tied to Christmas. Although the entire film is set around Christmas and features the titular song "White Christmas" near the beginning of the picture and again at the climax, the rest of the film is a series of songs and comic situations that could have been told at any time of the year.

But the most recent time I watched the film, I noticed an odd connection between two of the Irving Berlin songs: "Minstrel Number" and "Choreography." The entire "Minstrel Number" is a nostlagic piece about how much fun minstrel shows were (thankfully, unlike the film Holiday Inn where "White Christmas" debuted, there's no blackface to accompany this number). "Choreography" is some kind of diatribe against avant-garde theater, with Danny Kaye as a satirical choregraphed dancer contrasted against Vera-Ellen's traditional stage dancing; wouldn't you rather watch Vera-Ellen tap dance than see Danny Kaye spin his arms around like a clock? (if you would, then I don't get you)

Now, I like both of those numbers - they're both very silly and Danny Kaye is top-notch in both productions. What I find interesting is that "Minstrel Number" is pining for the past - for a mode of entertainment that hadn't been in vogue for, at the time, decades. And also, you have "Choreography," which is suspicious and disdainful of what was popular on stage at the time. Irving Berlin's heyday began in the 1920s; perhaps his tastes calcified then and never really kept hep with changing tastes.

For another instance, you could look to the film the Band Wagon, which went to cinemas a year before White Christmas. That one features Fred Astaire as a performer who's enlisted into a deep re-interpretation of Faust that ultimately flops on the stage. The performers then rally together ("Gosh, with all this raw talent around, why can't us kids get together and put on ourselves a show! Maybe, we could find ourselves a barn or something.") and put on a production that's what audiences really want to see... another big song and dance show.

Now, the Band Wagon is really elevated by "the Girl Hunt Ballet," an impressionistic dance number based on Mickey Spillane's pulp fiction. But taken together, White Christmas and the Band Wagon give me the sense that musical producers in the 1950s were a bit worried about how to continue appealing to audiences. They knew what worked in the past - and those movies both succeeded at the box office - but perhaps they knew the writing was on the wall? The 1950s are remembered as the last really great decade of movie musicals, as the 1960s would be littered with so many high-profile musical flops that it seemed to taint the entire genre of films.

Knowing what lay ahead of musical films, I kind of want to reach into White Christmas, slap Irving Berlin in the face and tell him to stop pining for those ancient minstrel shows. Those creative decisions are so much of their time that I had no clue what "Minstrel Number" was pining for when I first saw it (answer: really racist old-timey humour) and I'm still unclear as to what exactly was being spoofed in "Choreography." The singing and dancing that accompanies those numbers overcomes their lack of relevance.

2024 Review: Movies

Although my wife and I had a few free movie passes, it took us a while to find reasons to visit the cinema - 2024 just wasn't a great year for titles that were good enough to draw us out. In fact, when we did go to see Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes I was extremely irritated that two people in the row in front of me repeatedly pulled out their phones throughout the entire running time of the movie; movies are expensive, yet viewers don't seem too engaged, I guess?

That makes the best cinema experience of 2024 Furiosa, directed by George Miller. I reviewed the movie here and while I enjoyed it, it does suffer in comparison to Mad Max: Fury Road and unfortunately constantly wants the audience to compare the two films.

We also went to see Gladiator II directed by Ridley Scott, which was kind of trashy and dumb but we did have a good time with it (also, no one was checking their phones!).

From older films, I watched It's in the Bag (1945) directed by Richard Wallace, a Fred Allen movie. I've never been that interested in Allen's comedy but this was a very witty film with terrific dialogue and fun interactions between Allen and a multitude of guest stars (including Jack Benny himself!).

Another older one I checked out was No Man of Her Own (1950) directed by Mitchell Leisen, an adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's terrific crime novel I Married a Dead Man, with Barbara Stanwyck in the lead role as a woman who allows a grieving family to believe she's a dead man's fiancee.

In more recent films, I enjoyed the courtroom drama The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (2023) directed by William Friedkin. I reviewed the film (with some other movies) in this post.

My wife and I also checked out Les Miserables (2012) directed by Tom Hooper, which is the first time I've ever actually experienced the musical version of Victor Hugo's novel, having previously read the book and watched two non-musical film adaptations.

And I checked out some very good documentaries too - Helvetica (2007) directed by Gary Hustwit is easily the best documentary I've seen about design (a subject dear to my wife). The Line King (1996) directed by Susan W. Dryfoos is a documentary about artist Al Hirschfeld and was a very good biographical picture. I also enjoyed the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine documentary What We Left Behind (2019) directed by Ira Steven Behr and the biography film Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024) directed by Ron Howard.

2024 was also the year that directorNorman Jewison passed away.

Tomorrow: 2024 in television.

"Remember me?" Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga review

Recently I was able to celebrate my birthday by watching the film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga in the cinema. I nearly missed seeing this film on the big screen as it didn't do very well at the box office and so was shuffled off to the second-run theatres very quickly. And I certainly knew that this would be a film worth seeing in the theatre.

I'm very fond of Mad Max: Fury Road - I think it was one of the best filmgoing experiences I've ever had because the film itself is such pure cinema - visual storytelling with an unyielding pace and sense of momentum. Even though I had seen all of the previous Mad Max films and thought they were okay (Road Warrior was the best, I thought), I didn't have strong opinions on them. Heck, I didn't have strong opinions on filmmaker George Miller, even though I had seen virtually all of his movies.

The success of Mad Max: Fury Road apparently gave us Miller's 2022 film Three Thousand Years of Longing, an adaptation of an obscure piece of literature that deconstructed fairy tales. That movie came and went with barely anyone other than me paying attention to it, but I suppose it was an indulgence Miller was permitted. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga seems more like the kind of movie a studio would request - something that should definitely bring back those who enjoyed Mad Max: Fury Road. But that movie came out in 2015, so whatever 'heat' surrounded Mad Max at the time has surely cooled; I'm afraid the lukewarm response to Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is to be expected.

And that's a shame, because Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a pretty good film. It's not inventive in the way that Mad Max: Fury Road was. In that film, we learned how the world worked as the film unfolded. Immortan Joe, the War Boys, the Citadel, the Green Place, the Vuvalini... Furiosa doesn't only revisit the titular Furiosa, as a prequel it has to -- by necessity -- revisit the people and places we saw in Mad Max: Fury Road. Some of the places we only glimpsed (Gastown, Bullet Farm) are embellished further. But the visuals of the world are kept faithful between the two films and it suffers from that problem with prequels - everything in the film has to end up in a place consistent with where the story begins in the chronologically subsequent picture.

Furiosa has a different feel in part because it doesn't cover a short span of time (Mad Max: Fury Road covered, what, 48 hours in the characters' lives?), instead transpiring over a decade's worth of history. The way the story is broken up with 'chapter' breaks contributes to the different feeling, but it means that although there's plenty of peril and thrills, it lacks the unrelenting momentum of Mad Max: Fury Road. We do eventually get to scenes on a War Rig with the occupants fending off invaders (several of them air-based invaders, lending a welcome variety from the previous film) but the emphasis is on Furiosa's life and struggles. Ultimately it's a story of vengeance directed by Furiosa at the man who killed her mother, but it takes a very long time for her to find the opportunity to claim her vengeance.

It's never boring; it's frequently amazing. If you enjoyed Mad Max: Fury Road you'll enjoy seeing more of that film's world and explanations for the characters' backgrounds. Heck, Furiosa's line in Fury Road - "Remember me?" - uttered to Immortan Joe, now has a context and it's not what I imagined when I saw the earlier film.

I Watched Movies; I Have Opinions.

Airline travelling is the great opportunity for each of us to discover... what's been in the cinemas recently?

It seems just about every major film takes it turn as an offering presented on the tiny viewscreen located on the back of your neighbour's headrest. On my recent travels I watched four films; three were pretty good, one was rather forgettable.

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023) is an adaptation of a play I hadn't heard of, which was itself adapted from a novel by Herman Wouk. I haven't read the novel either, but I knew the story from the 1954 film (The Caine Mutiny) that starred Humphrey Bogart as the commanding officer of the USS Caine, who is persecuted by his subordinates and finally driven into a breakdown during a military court martial. The 2023 version stars Kiefer Sutherland as the officer; it was directed by William Friedkin, his last before his death; sadly it was also the final film appearance of actor Lance Reddick.

As I wrote above, I wasn't aware the book had also been designed to serve as a stage play. I assumed this movie would be a full dramatization of the events leading to the mutiny; instead, it's a courtroom drama with characters discussing their versions of the events in question but with no flashbacks to them. I wonder if Friedkin took an interest in adapting the play because during the pandemic it wouldn't have been too risky to film. I should also note that the story is set in contemporary times, rather than the World War II setting of the original book, play and film.

The film has all of three sets and zero action scenes - it's carried entirely by performances and the performances are very good. This was easily the best of the films I watched; how nice that Friedkin's final picture was such a good one!

American Fiction (2023) was not quite what I was expecting; it's an adaptation of Erasure by Percival Everett and stars Jeffrey Wright as a frustrated literary professor who writes a novel he intends to use as a satire of the works he sees written about black lives and is then shocked when his satire is accepted as a worthy novel by the people whose respect he'd been unable to earn.

I thought American Fiction would be a pretty biting film, but while it is concerned with satire it's not particularly funny. There is a funny sequence where Wright imagines a scene from his book (Keith David turns up as one of the characters), but this is not Spike Lee's Bamboozled, it seldom tries to be funny. It's ultimately about Wright's character and his family and all their personal baggage, with the sensationalized novel creating a plot for the character scenes to hang from. I liked it but it's difficult to recommend.

The Beekeeper (2024) is a Jason Staham action film directed by David Ayer. Surely I've been disappointed by enough Statham movies in the past that I would avoid this, right? And given how vulgar I've found Ayer's films this surely wouldn's be for me, right? Yet I heard a bit of talk about this film on the internet indicating that it was a very satisfying revenge film because Statham's character is being pit against online scammers who cheat people out of their money. And yes, all of that does feel very cathartic to watch.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) is a horror film derived from the sequence in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula where the vessel Demeter ferries Dracula to England while he picks off the crew one by one. I thought isolating that sequence from the novel was a pretty choice for a horror film, but this film doesn't so much adapt the novel as obtain inspiration from it; they don't follow the events as recorded in the ship's log from the novel. Also, the film's rules about vampires are fairly typical Hollywood rules, such as sunlight causing them to burst into flames (which isn't in the Stoker novel). Surprisingly, the movie depicts Dracula as an inhuman creature inspired by Nosferatu even though it's a Universal movie - meaning they could draw from Universal's own history of visuals. It gets pretty ridiculous at times but I suppose I wanted a more restrained movie, faithful to the original text; this film, which features a CGI Dracula with immense bat wings who comes swooping down upon people is many things, but not restrained.

Cinema, meet entropy

There are any number of editorials on the internet - particularly the entertainment pages of news sites - on the troubles of the cinemas. Why have so many big budget movies recently failed in their theatrical releases? What do audiences really want to see? What will bring numbers back up to their more predictable pre-pandemic tallies?

And every author has their theories. I'm certain there is no single reason why movies have been struggling recently. Is it competition from other venues? Foreknowledge that the films will be easily available online? Studios out of step with what audiences are interested in? Sure, all of that.

But last weekend I went to the cinema for the first time since last December and I have to say, it wasn't a great experience. I can accept a certain amount of discomfort in the cinema; if the theatre is dirty or the seats are uncomfortable, I'll bear it for the sake of watching the film. Where I draw the line is when the cinematic experience is ruined by the presence of other cinema-goers.

I'm sure we all have examples of fellow cinema-goers who've been a real detriment to our enjoyment of a film, but when I see opinions from cinephiles who, with mist-laden eyes and quivering lips contemplate the tragic possibility of cinema chains going out of business, I don't ever see them comment on this.

I had a guy in the row in front of me who apparently had a very important conversation that could not wait -- because about every three minutes he pulled out his phone to text. And my wife informed me that the person seated in front of her was constantly talking during the film. We enjoyed the film, but we did not enjoy the experience of going to the cinema.

And ultimately, you can't dismiss this - moviegoers are most interested in their own comfort. Some of them want an environment where they can take out their phones any time they like or talk over the movie. Others want just the opposite! My wife and I like going to the cinema, but ultimately when we want to see a movie we enjoy it just fine no matter what screen it's presented on.

I've had some great experiences watching movies that were heightened by the presence of other people in the cinema and how they reacted to what was on the screen. But, generally speaking, I'm just as happy to watch films in my home and avoid having to endure the behaviour of strangers.

Creator Credits: The Marvels (2023)

There's been a lot of discussions online as to why this film failed to earn a profit at the box office as it is the lowest-earning Marvel Cinematic Universe film yet. I saw many suggested it was because the film required viewers to be familiar with the Disney+ shows WandaVision and Ms. Marvel but heck, my wife hadn't seen either of those programs or Captain Marvel and she followed the plot just fine.

I suppose the viewpoint I'm most convinced by is that filmgoers are less interested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe overall - that Avengers: Endgame has been widely viewed as a jumping-off point and now we're seeing which properties are the ones viewers are most interested in.

As ever, I appreciate any corrections to this list. My full list of creators whose works have been adapted to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is right here.

Stan Lee: co-creator of the Avengers, a super hero team (Avengers #1, 1963); of the Skrulls, an extraterrestrial race with green skin, ridged chins and the power to shapeshift (Fantastic Four #2, 1962); of the Kree, an extraterrestrial race of conquerors widespread throughout the universe; of the Supreme Intelligence, the artificial intelligence which rules the Kree, manifests as a large green face (Fantastic Four #64, 1967); of the Accusers, Kree officials who wield the hammer-like Universal Weapon (Fantastic Four #65, 1967); of the hero Captain Marvel, initially a Kree warrior; of Mar-Vell, a pink Kree who defected to Earth; of Yon-Rogg, a pink Kree officer and enemy of Earth; of Kree uniforms with white and teal colors, pointed shoulder pads, half-mask and pointed helmet (Marvel Super-Heroes #12, 1967); of Nick Fury, a heroic soldier (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #1, 1963); of Nick Fury wearing an eyepatch; of Nick Fury as an intelligence agent (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of Hawkeye, a costumed archer (Tales of Suspense #57, 1964); of the Cosmic Cube, a massively powerful artifact (Tales of Suspense #79, 1966); of the Beast, a mutant hero with ape-like agility and a large vocabulary; of Charles Xavier, the Beast's superior (X-Men #1, 1963); of the Scarlet Witch, a woman with hex powers (X-Men #4, 1964); of the Beast as a scientist (X-Men #8, 1964)

Jack Kirby: co-creator of the Avengers, a super hero team (Avengers #1, 1963); of the Skrulls, an extraterrestrial race with green skin, ridged chins and the power to shapeshift (Fantastic Four #2, 1962); of the Kree, an extraterrestrial race of conquerors widespread throughout the universe; of the Supreme Intelligence, the artificial intelligence which rules the Kree, manifests as a large green face (Fantastic Four #64, 1967); of the Accusers, Kree officials who wield the hammer-like Universal Weapon (Fantastic Four #65, 1967); of a hero named the Vision (Marvel Mystery Comics #13, 1940); of Nick Fury, a heroic soldier (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #1, 1963); of Nick Fury wearing an eyepatch; of Nick Fury as an intelligence agent (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of the Cosmic Cube, a massively powerful artifact (Tales of Suspense #79, 1966); of the Beast, a mutant hero with ape-like agility and a large vocabulary; of Charles Xavier, the Beast's superior (X-Men #1, 1963); of the Scarlet Witch, a woman with hex powers (X-Men #4, 1964); of the Beast as a scientist (X-Men #8, 1964)

G. Willow Wilson: co-creator of Ms. Marvel, alias Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager who lives in Jersey City; of Kamala wearing a costume in imitation of Carol Danvers consisting of a mask, blue smock with yellow 'M', red burkini and golden bangle; of Kamala using her powers to create a giant hand; of Yusuf and Muneeba Khan, Kamala's over-protective parents (All-New Marvel Now! Point One #1, 2014); of Kamala writing fan fiction about super heroes; of Kamala's adoration for the hero Captain Marvel; of Aamir Khan, Kamala's older brother, a devout Muslim (Ms. Marvel #1, 2014); of Kamala's bedroom decorated with posters of Captain Marvel (Ms. Marvel #2, 2014); of Kamala meeting her hero Captain Marvel (Ms. Marvel #16, 2015); of Muneeba knowing Kamala's double identity (Ms. Marvel #18, 2015); of Kamala's hero worship of Captain Marvel being tempered due to Carol's pragmatism (Ms. Marvel #11, 2016); of Kamala's powers tied to temporal energy (Ms. Marvel #34, 2018)

Adrian Alphona: co-creator of Ms. Marvel, alias Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager who lives in Jersey City; of Kamala wearing a costume in imitation of Carol Danvers consisting of a mask, blue smock with yellow 'M', red burkini and golden bangle; of Kamala using her powers to create a giant hand; of Yusuf and Muneeba Khan, Kamala's over-protective parents (All-New Marvel Now! Point One #1, 2014); of Kamala writing fan fiction about super heroes; of Kamala's adoration for the hero Captain Marvel; of Aamir Khan, Kamala's older brother, a devout Muslim (Ms. Marvel #1, 2014); of Kamala's bedroom decorated with posters of Captain Marvel (Ms. Marvel #2, 2014); of Kamala meeting her hero Captain Marvel (Ms. Marvel #16, 2015); of Muneeba knowing Kamala's double identity (Ms. Marvel #18, 2015); of Kamala's hero worship of Captain Marvel being tempered due to Carol's pragmatism (Ms. Marvel #11, 2016)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of the Kree being depicted with blue skin (Captain Marvel #1, 1968); of the enmity between the Kree and Skrull races (Captain Marvel #2, 1968); of the Skrulls using an interrogation device to probe memories (Captain Marvel #3, 1968); of Captain Marvel's ability to generate photon blasts from the hands; of Captain Marvel switching places with another person due to extraterrestrial wristbands (Captain Marvel #17, 1969); of Carol Danvers receiving powers from the explosion of a Kree device due to Yon-Rogg (Captain Marvel #18, 1969); of Valkyrie, an Asgardian warrior woman (Incredible Hulk #142, 1971); of Carol Danvers, a blonde woman connected to Captain Marvel (Marvel Super-Heroes #13, 1968)

Gene Colan: co-creator of the Kree being depicted with blue skin (Captain Marvel #1, 1968); of the enmity between the Kree and Skrull races (Captain Marvel #2, 1968); of the Skrulls using an interrogation device to probe memories (Captain Marvel #3, 1968); of the hero Captain Marvel, initially a warrior for the Kree; of Mar-Vell, a pink Kree who defected to Earth; of Yon-Rogg, a pink Kree officer and enemy of Earth; of Kree uniforms with white and teal colors, pointed shoulder pads, half-mask and pointed helmet (Marvel Super-Heroes #12, 1967); of Carol Danvers, a blonde woman connected to Captain Marvel (Marvel Super-Heroes #13, 1968)

Kelly Sue DeConnick: creator of Captain Marvel's motto "Higher, Further, Faster, More." (Captain Marvel #1, 2014); co-creator of Carol Danvers' red and blue costume with yellow highlights and red gloves; of Carol's helmet which shapes her hair into a mohawk; of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel (Captain Marvel #1, 2012); of Carol Danvers' cat turning out to be an extraterrestrial Flerken whose mouth opens up into a host of tentacles which can swallow up enormous amounts of matter (Captain Marvel #2, 2014); of Carol's Flerken cat laying eggs that hatch into a multitude of Flerken offspring (Captain Marvel #7, 2014)

Chris Claremont: co-creator of Carol Danvers traumatized from losing her memories (Avengers Annual #10, 1981); of Carol Danvers as a US Air Force pilot (Ms. Marvel #9, 1977); of Nick Fury and Carol Danvers as allies since the early period of Fury's career (Uncanny X-Men #158, 1982); of Carol Danvers receiving massively powerful energy manipulation powers, surrounding herself with swirls of cosmic energy; of Carol Danvers having the power of a star; of the heroine Binary who has energy manipulation powers and wears and red and white costume (Uncanny X-Men #164, 1982)

Roger Stern: co-creator of Monica Rambeau, a black woman from Louisiana with the rank of captain who is exposed to energies which permit her to transform her body into any form of energy she imagines; of Monica able to fly while in her energy form; of Monica wearing a costume with black leggings and a white top with black starburst on chest and white streamers from her arms; of Monica connected to Captain Marvel (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16, 1982); of Maria Rambeau, Monica's mother (Avengers #246, 1984)

Jamie McKelvie: co-creator of Ms. Marvel, alias Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager who lives in Jersey City; of Kamala wearing a costume in imitation of Carol Danvers consisting of a mask, blue smock with yellow 'M', red burkini and golden bangle (All-New Marvel Now! Point One #1, 2014); of Carol Danvers' red and blue costume with yellow highlights and red gloves; of Carol's helmet which shapes her hair into a mohawk (Captain Marvel #1, 2012)

John Romita Jr.: co-creator of Monica Rambeau, a black woman from Louisiana with the rank of captain who is exposed to energies which permit her to transform her body into any form of energy she imagines; of Monica able to fly while in her energy form; of Monica wearing a costume with black leggings and a white top with black starburst on chest and white streamers from her arms; of Monica connected to Captain Marvel (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16, 1982)

Dave Cockrum: co-creator of Nick Fury and Carol Danvers as allies since the early period of Fury's career (Uncanny X-Men #158, 1982); of Carol Danvers receiving massively powerful energy manipulation powers, surrounding herself with swirls of cosmic energy; of Carol Danvers having the power of a star; of the heroine Binary who has energy manipulation powers and wears and red and white costume (Uncanny X-Men #164, 1982)

Don Heck: co-creator of the Kree planet Hala (Captain Marvel #8, 1968); of Hala as the Kree homeworld; of Captain Marvel's red and blue costume with starburst design on the chest; of the Supreme Intelligence manipulating Captain Marvel; of Captain Marvel wearing wrist bands (Captain Marvel #16, 1969); of Hawkeye, a costumed archer (Tales of Suspense #57, 1964)

Jim Cheung: co-creator of Dro'ge, a Skrull (New Avengers #40, 2008); of Kate Bishop, a spoiled rich girl with a love for adventure (Young Avengers #1, 2005); of Kate Bishop being an adept archer and wielding Hawkeye's bow (Young Avengers #4, 2005); of Kate Bishop adopting the moniker of 'Hawkeye' for herself to honor him (Young Avengers #12, 2006)

Gil Kane: co-creator of of Captain Marvel's ability to generate photon blasts from the hands; of Captain Marvel switching places with another person due to extraterrestrial wristbands (Captain Marvel #17, 1969); of Carol Danvers receiving powers from the explosion of a Kree device due to Yon-Rogg (Captain Marvel #18, 1969)

Allan Heinberg: co-creator of Kate Bishop, a spoiled rich girl with a love for adventure (Young Avengers #1, 2005); of Kate Bishop being an adept archer and wielding Hawkeye's bow (Young Avengers #4, 2005); of Kate Bishop adopting the moniker of 'Hawkeye' for herself to honor him (Young Avengers #12, 2006)

Gerry Conway: co-creator of the Beast developing a furry body (Amazing Adventures #11, 1972); of the super hero Ms. Marvel, connected to Carol Danvers; of red Ms. Marvel costume with mask; of Carol Danvers' power of flight, wearing a blue and red costume with a starburst on the chest (Ms. Marvel #1, 1977)

Sana Amanat: co-creator of Ms. Marvel, alias Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager who lives in Jersey City; of Kamala wearing a costume in imitation of Carol Danvers consisting of a mask, blue smock with yellow 'M', red burkini and golden bangle (All-New Marvel Now! Point One #1, 2014)

Stephen Wacker: co-creator of Ms. Marvel, alias Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager who lives in Jersey City; of Kamala wearing a costume in imitation of Carol Danvers consisting of a mask, blue smock with yellow 'M', red burkini and golden bangle (All-New Marvel Now! Point One #1, 2014)

Archie Goodwin: co-creator of Hala as the Kree homeworld; of Captain Marvel's red and blue costume with starburst design on the chest; of the Supreme Intelligence manipulating Captain Marvel; of Captain Marvel wearing wrist bands (Captain Marvel #16, 1969)

Carla Conway: co-creator of the super hero Ms. Marvel, connected to Carol Danvers; of red Ms. Marvel costume with mask; of Carol Danvers' power of flight, wearing a blue and red costume with a starburst on the chest (Ms. Marvel #1, 1977)

John Romita: co-creator of the super hero Ms. Marvel, connected to Carol Danvers; of red Ms. Marvel costume with mask; of Carol Danvers' power of flight, wearing a blue and red costume with a starburst on the chest (Ms. Marvel #1, 1977)

John Buscema: co-creator of the super hero Ms. Marvel, connected to Carol Danvers; of red Ms. Marvel costume with mask; of Carol Danvers' power of flight, wearing a blue and red costume with a starburst on the chest (Ms. Marvel #1, 1977)

Brian Michael Bendis: co-creator of Dro'ge, a Skrull (New Avengers #40, 2008); of the Skrulls becoming refugees (Secret Invasion #1, 2008); of Nick Fury as an African-American man (Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #5, 2001)

David Lopez: co-creator of Carol Danvers' cat turning out to be an extraterrestrial Flerken whose mouth opens up into a host of tentacles which can swallow up enormous amounts of matter (Captain Marvel #2, 2014)

Ron Lim: co-creator of the eliminated people returning (Infinity Gauntlet #6, 1991); of Dar-Benn, a Kree leader who rose to power after the Supreme Intelligence's removal (Silver Surfer #53, 1991)

Mark Gruenwald: creator of Tarnax, a Skrull planet (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #10, 1983); co-creator of the Quantum Bands, extremely powerful energy bracelets that can open portals (Quasar #2, 1989)

Matt Fraction: co-creator of Lucky, a stray dog adopted by Hawkeye who loves pizza (Hawkeye #1, 2012); of Kate Bishop wearing a light purple bodysuit as Hawkeye (Hawkeye #3, 2012)

David Aja: co-creator of Lucky, a stray dog adopted by Hawkeye who loves pizza (Hawkeye #1, 2012); of Kate Bishop wearing a light purple bodysuit as Hawkeye (Hawkeye #3, 2012)

Nico Leon: co-creator of Kamala's powers tied to temporal energy (Ms. Marvel #34, 2018)

Takeshi Miyazawa: of Kamala's hero worship of Captain Marvel being tempered due to Carol's pragmatism (Ms. Marvel #11, 2016)

Joe Simon: co-creator of a hero named the Vision (Marvel Mystery Comics #13, 1940)

Arnold Drake: co-creator of the Kree planet Hala (Captain Marvel #8, 1968)

Marcio Takara: co-creator of Carol's Flerken cat laying eggs that hatch into a multitude of Flerken offspring (Captain Marvel #7, 2014)

Michael Golden: co-creator of Carol Danvers traumatized from losing her memories (Avengers Annual #10, 1981)

Tom Sutton: co-creator of the Beast developing a furry body (Amazing Adventures #11, 1972); of the Beast' fur being blue (Amazing Adventures #15, 1972)

Herb Trimpe: co-creator of Valkyrie, an Asgardian warrior woman (Incredible Hulk #142, 1971)

Al Milgrom: co-creator of Maria Rambeau, Monica's mother (Avengers #246, 1984)

Jim Starlin: co-creator of 50% of all life in the universe ceasing to exist (Infinity Gauntlet #1, 1991); of the eliminated people returning (Infinity Gauntlet #6, 1991)

George Perez: co-creator of 50% of all life in the universe ceasing to exist (Infinity Gauntlet #1, 1991)

Glenn Herdling: co-creator of Photon, an alias used by Monica Rambeau (Avengers Unplugged #5, 1996)

M. C. Wyman: co-creator of Photon, an alias connected to Monica Rambeau (Avengers Unplugged #5, 1996)

Dexter Soy: co-creator of Carol Danvers serving as Captain Marvel (Captain Marvel #1, 2012)

John Byrne: creator of the Skrulls as a band of refugees with no homeworld (Fantastic Four #262, 1984); co-creator of Carol Danvers as an Avenger (Avengers #181, 1979)

Keith Pollard: co-creator of Carol Danvers as a US Air Force pilot (Ms. Marvel #9, 1977)

Mark Millar: co-creator of Nick Fury depicted as Samuel L. Jackson (Ultimates #2, 2002)

Bryan Hitch: co-creator of Nick Fury depicted as Samuel L. Jackson (Ultimates #2, 2002)

Roberto de la Torre: co-creator of Carol Danvers' mysterious ginger cat (Ms. Marvel #4, 2006)

Brian Reed: co-creator of Carol Danvers' mysterious ginger cat (Ms. Marvel #4, 2006)

Leinil Francis Yu: co-creator of the Skrulls becoming refugees (Secret Invasion #1, 2008)

Mike Allred: co-creator of Nick Fury as an African-American man (Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #5, 2001)

David Michelinie: co-creator of Carol Danvers as an Avenger (Avengers #181, 1979)

Russ Heath: co-creator of extraterrestrial wrist weapons that generate energy (Marvel Boy #1, 1950)

Paul Ryan: co-creator of the Quantum Bands, extremely powerful energy bracelets that can open portals (Quasar #2, 1989)

Ron Marz: co-creator of Dar-Benn, a Kree leader who rose to power after the Supreme Intelligence's removal (Silver Surfer #53, 1991)

Steve Englehart: co-creator of the Beast' fur being blue (Amazing Adventures #15, 1972)

Tara Butters: co-creator of Captain Marvel assisting a space station above Earth (Captain Marvel #1, 2016)

Michele Fazekas: co-creator of Captain Marvel assisting a space station above Earth (Captain Marvel #1, 2016)

Kris Anka: co-creator of Captain Marvel assisting a space station above Earth (Captain Marvel #1, 2016)

Fabian Niceiza: co-creator of Pulsar, codename used by Monica Rambeau (New Thunderbolts #9, 2005)

Cliff Richards: co-creator of Pulsar, codename used by Monica Rambeau (New Thunderbolts #9, 2005)

Al Ewing: co-creator of Spectrum, codename used by Monica Rambeau (Mighty Avengers #1, 2013)

Greg Land: co-creator of Spectrum, codename used by Monica Rambeau (Mighty Avengers #1, 2013)

Joss Whedon: co-creator of Earth space station connected to Nick Fury (Astonishing X-Men #10, 2005)

John Cassaday: co-creator of Earth space station connected to Nick Fury (Astonishing X-Men #10, 2005)

Donny Cates: co-creator of the Kree succumbing to civil war (Death of the Inhumans #1, 2018)

Ariel Olivetti: co-creator of the Kree succumbing to civil war (Death of the Inhumans #1, 2018)

Bob Harras: co-creator of Hala suffering a cataclysmic event (Avengers #347, 1992)

Steve Epting: co-creator of Hala suffering a cataclysmic event (Avengers #347, 1992)