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Tag: Iron Man
The End of the Marvel Universe – Part 3: Whatever It Takes
For a while, everything was good. The world was at peace. But it didn’t last long. It never does.
Part 3 of The End of the Marvel Universe answers the question that I’m sure has been on the minds of Face Front viewers since 2019: What happened after Falcon snapped? You’ve all seen the scene a million times: “Sam, stop, please! We’re sorry! I’m sorry! Do you hear me Sam? I am sorry!” followed by “And I… am… the Falcon.” SNAP!
Of course we know what happened to some characters after that. Spider-Man was transported to another reality. The Midnight Suns had to deal with rifts opening up through space. And we now know that Loki was shot 5 years forward in time. But we never figured out what happened to Sam himself. Well, now we know.
Inspired by Doctor Strange looking into the future, Tony Stark observed the timeline to see when the Infinity Gauntlet would be used next instead of waiting for it to happen. The answer: The year 2099. Figuring that’s where Sam ended up after he snapped, Tony and Bruce Banner, with the help of Hank Pym’s research into the Quantum Realm, created the time travel device we saw used in the (not canon in the Face Front Universe) movie Avengers: Endgame.
Last time Tony saw Fury, he’d assured him that he was fighting the Secret War from a different angle (see Secret Wars Season 9). This was it. Recruiting Captain America, the only one not wrapped up in a Secret War battle (wonder what happened with Bucky…), Tony blasts to 2099 to get Sam and the Infinity Gauntlet. Only when Bruce tries to bring them back, it doesn’t work. Which means, as Tony said, they’re stuck in the future and now someone has to go get them!
Hm. Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange… Busy. Missing. Trapped. Lost. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are scattered. Which leaves the world vulnerable to attack. And paves the way… for the end of the Marvel Universe!
This leads us into the finale of this series, Part 4, which will finally answer the question: How did the Marvel Universe end? Alas, Marvelites, you’ll have to wait until 2024 to have that answer. But that’s right around the corner, so fret not! I can’t wait until you guys finally witness the epic conclusion to this thrilling adventure! Until then, Face Front True Believers, and I’ll see you in the Multiverse!
Iron Man vs. Captain America | Marvel Vs.
Iron Man comes face to face with Captain America in the midst of the superhuman Civil War! Who will emerge victorious? Find out now!
Who should fight next? Let me know below! Face Front True Believers, and I’ll see you in the Multiverse!
Secret Wars Season 9
Sorry for the late post, but you all know the drill by now! Secret Wars is coming to an end, and in these last few months, the Secret is Out! Remember last year in December when I posted several teases across social media? You don’t? Well take a look at this Tweet from December 13!
“Heroes. There is no such thing.”
— Face Front (@FaceFrontBlog) December 13, 2019
Can you keep a secret? Follow Face Front to catch our big 2020 announcement, coming soon.#Marvel #IronMan pic.twitter.com/5uR958t2XzLook familiar? Like, the poster for Season 9 familiar? Secret Wars is coming to a head, so if ever there was a time to jump in, it’s now! This season, choose to join the Invincible Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D., or the combined might of the Ten Rings and HYDRA, run by The Mandarin!
Once again, the War Zones have been redesigned to reflect the new alliances the factions have both formed!
And let’s not forget the new awesome trend of tie-in motion comics! Check out the prelude motion comic to Season 9 below! Nick Fury finally recruits the Invincible Iron Man to fight on the front lines of the Secret Wars! But HYDRA makes a move S.H.I.E.L.D. will never see coming… The Mandarin!
And on top of all of that, we’ve got new Avatars in the Token Shop to celebrate the final months of the Secret Wars! Check it out now, and snag one of these snazzy new profile pics for your Face Front account! Only 10 Face Front Tokens a piece!
So what are you waiting for? Go help solidify S.H.I.E.L.D.’s lead, or claim some territory for HYDRA! The Secret Wars are almost over!
Click Here to play now!
Or, in case you don’t know how, Click Here for instructions!
That’s all for now! Face Front True Believers, and I’ll see you in the Secret Wars!
In Defense of MCU Spider-Man
No disrespect to Tobey, I grew up with those Sam Raimi films. In fact, the first Spider-Man movie is the reason I love Marvel today, the reason Face Front exists! But I have to say I agree with the common consensus: Tobey is a great Peter Parker and a love letter to the Stan and Steve era of comics. Andrew was a great Spider-Man and more in line with the Ultimate comics. Tom Holland, however, is an excellent balance of both Peter Parker and Spider-Man, merging the best of the 616 and 1610 universes. But the problem I often come across is people believing that since Tobey is their favorite, Tom’s version of Spider-Man doesn’t count. Or, as some put it, “Not my Spider-Man”.
I’ve been quiet on this matter for a while, but I think I finally have to address the hate Tom’s Spidey gets. I feel it’s completely baseless and unwarranted. People who complain usually flock to the same argument; they say he’s the ‘Iron-Boy’ and doesn’t do anything independently for himself. That Tony holds his hand and it takes away from him being Spider-Man. Well news flash: Tony’s dead. And whoever still holds this mindset clearly wasn’t paying attention to Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Let me pitch this at you: You’re a 10-year-old science nerd, and everyone makes fun of you for it. You don’t fit in with the other kids, and it gets kind of lonely. To cheer you up, your Uncle Ben tells you about Tony Stark, the most successful man on the planet, because he’s a science nerd, like you. Then, in 2008, that rich and successful science nerd you looked up to as your idol becomes a superhero. So wouldn’t your first instinct if you suddenly became a superhero as well be to become the man you’ve idolized for years? Hence the line in Spider-Man: Homecoming “I just wanted to be like you.”
Were any of the Tom-haters actually watching the Tobey Maguire movies? Remember when Peter introduced himself to Norman Osborn? He spoke admiringly of his research in the now heavily parodied “Something of a scientist myself” scene. So imagine if Norman hadn’t become the Green Goblin, but figured out Peter was Spider-Man. Don’t you think we’d have the same situation on our hands? Norman using Oscorp resources to help Peter be the best Spider-Man he can be? If Norman was good guy, then Spider-Man probably would have ended up looking more like this:
What about Spider-Man 2? Peter stated that Octavius was an idol of his, a scientific genius he looked up to. So let’s say Otto didn’t become Doc Ock, and he figured out Peter was Spider-Man. Don’t you think he would have helped Peter become… wait for it… a Superior Spider-Man? Like in the Marvel’s Spider-Man PS4 game? Octavius would have taken Peter under his wing, then Spider-Man would probably have looked something like this:
Even in The Amazing Spider-Man. Peter admired Dr. Connors, he read his book, he helped him with the cross-species genetics. So, let’s pretend Curt didn’t become the Lizard. Don’t you think the Tony/Peter relationship would play out with Connors and Peter? Then how would Spider-Man look? You guessed it, like this:
So the only difference between Tony and Norman, Otto, and Curt is that he didn’t become a super villain! So, Peter’s science genius idol in the MCU who figured out he was Spider-Man hooked him up with his best gear to help him become the best Spider-Man he can be. So what did he look like? Like this:
But now, with Tony gone, Peter is forced into the situation he was in the previous movies. Now he’s on his own, and you can tell even from his physicality alone in Far From Home that he’s already grown into a fully functional and independent superhero. So what if he used Stark tech to make his suit? He used Oscorp tech to make his web-shooters in Amazing Spider-Man. And so what if he gets help from some Avengers from time to time? Did he not go to Harry in Spider-Man 3 to get help fighting Mega-Sandman and Venom? Spider-Man in the MCU is just as much Spider-Man as the other two franchises. The thing is he now lives in a world where the Avengers exist, so those circumstances alone are bound to change the fundamentals of his heroics. But at the end of the day, it’s indisputable that whether you like Tobey, Tom, or Andrew, they all have one thing in common. They are all Spider-Man.
Marvel Problems #011
Look at the 10 rings in that picture, and think of what could have been. Watch the trailer below, and imagine what we were promised. The Mandarin. The Iron Man villain we had been waiting for since Iron Man 1. They were going to tie it together so perfectly, with the Ten Rings terrorist organization that kidnapped Tony coming full circle, their leader finally showing his face. With quotes like “Heroes, there is no such thing”, “Some people call me a terrorist, I consider myself a teacher”, and “You’ll neverrrrr seeeee me coming”. We were terrified. We were excited. We were ready. And what did we get? Trevor. Trevor Slattery. Oh, and Aldrich Killian wailing “I am the Mandarin!” Well, at least we’ve got All Hail the King…
Welcome to Marvel City
Hasbro, eat your heart out! Welcome to the future! Welcome, to Marvel City! I had time, I was bored, so why not?
Looks like All-New, All-Different Spider-Man has a bird’s eye of the entire scene below!
A city of heroes…
Bound by honor…
To protect it at all costs!
Captain America, Sentinel of Liberty and the First Avenger, never relents in the fight against the forces of HYDRA!
Black Bolt has something to say, and when he talks, people listen!
Wasp patrols the skies, while Thor summons strength from Odin in Asgard above! And Star-Lord’s always ready for action! But where’d his tunes go?
Of course, no one stands a chance when Iron Man and War Machine team up to take down the bad guys!
Lifelong friends Spider-Woman and Captain Marvel are two women you DO NOT want to mess with! Unless you want a venom blast and a cosmic punch to the face! And is that Vision phasing through the ground behind them?
Speaking of Venom, what rock did this Sinister Symbiote crawl from under?
Falcon soars high, but a particularly sneaky Black Cat gets away with some pilfered goods! Oh Felicia, will you ever learn?
By the Ruby Rings of the Crimson Bands of the Hoary Hosts… Whatever! Doctor Strange is here to make with the hocus pocus!
Black Widow gives Hawkeye a lift on her sweet ride, they always worked better as a team! Let’s just hope that Ms. Marvel can stop fangirling long enough to Embiggen!
‘Ol J. Jonah Jameson isn’t too happy with all these superheroes tearing things up outside of Bugle offices! It doesn’t help that Giant-Man is mocking him either…
There are tales… legends of a Spirit of Vengeance… The Ghost Rider, making the best of a deal with the devil!
What did Deadpool get himself into this time? Maybe a certain Infinity Gauntlet-wielding Mad Titan wasn’t too fond of Lady Death’s fascination with this clown…
Looks like the newest Spider-Man on the block, Miles Morales, snagged a classic Spidey baddy, the Shocker! Great job Miles!
Meanwhile, the Immortal Iron Fist has engaged the terrible Taskmaster in combat! Don’t use your best moves Danny, you know he can copy them!
Storm and Silk watch over the city, a valiant long-time member of the X-Men, and a Spider trying to find her place in the world after 10 years away…
Bravery is not measured in size, and Rocket and Baby Groot prove that throwing down with one of the biggest Marvel villains out there, the Rhino!
But there are always bigger Marvel villains, lurking in the distance…
But here to protect his city is none other than Daredevil! Keeping a watchful… ear, from above! And Spider-Gwen aka Ghost Spider doesn’t look stressed, she’s listening to the latest hit from her band the Mary Janes! Wait… there’s Star-Lord’s tunes! Dang it Gwen!
But down below, titans clash, as Hulk pins down one of his worst foes, the Abomination!
This Marvel power couple knows no bounds, Cyclops and Phoenix are always here to save the day, and mutant-kind!
And bow down (wait, they don’t do that there…) for the King of Wakanda, Black Panther! With Okoye by his side, nothing’s getting past him! Wakanda forever!
So there you have it. Heroes…
That swore to fight.
To stand for justice.
To Assemble. In our darkest hours.
And to let us know, that they will always be here.
A Flick and a Wave: Spider-Man Homecoming
So this is a new segment I’m doing called a flick and a wave! Both hand gestures, yes, but in this case, I mean a flick as in a movie and a wave as in a wave of action figures pertaining to said movie. First up is Spider-Man: Homecoming! So check them out and let me know what you think!
Group Shot
Focus on Tony and Mask-less Peter
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
The Vulture and Homemade Suit
A New Angle
The Final Shot
Iron Man is Not a Hero
WARNING! THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!
“You may not be a threat, but you’d better stop pretending to be a hero.”
-Captain Steve Rogers to Tony Stark, The Avengers, 2012
Cap called it in The Avengers. Tony Stark is not a hero. And, while he may not have been a threat at that point, he certainly went on to become one. Tony is a billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist that got in way over his head and tried to solve problems he was never meant to. Since escaping the cave, Tony made three crucial mistakes that make Iron Man the most tragic Avenger. He revealed his identity, he lost focus of his mission, and he never stopped trying to fix his own mistakes.
“It is one thing to question the official story and another thing entirely to make wild accusations or insinuate that I’m a superhero […] because that would be outlandish and… fantastic. I-I’m just not the hero type, clearly, with this, uh, laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I’ve made, largely public… The truth is… I am Iron Man.”
-Tony Stark, Iron Man, 2008
Tony’s speech at the end of Iron Man reveals all. He stated, clearly, in his own words, that he’s not a hero. He wasn’t trying to hide the fact that he was throwing down with Stane the night before, he was telling the truth! He’s got a long list of character defects that immediately disqualify him from being a superhero, let alone trying to lead a team of them. As per Black Widow’s report in Iron Man 2, where it states that he’s compulsive, prone to self-destructive tendencies, and narcissistic, it then proceeds to say that Tony Stark is not recommended for the Avengers Initiative. In that movie alone, he used the Unibeam to blow up a watermelon in an ill-timed house party where he peed the armor and ended up throwing hands with Rhodey! Not very heroic. The only reason Nick Fury came to Stark in The Avengers is because, as Coulson stated, “This isn’t about personality profiles anymore”, and Loki had made him very desperate. So why keep suiting up? Why put on the armor? Because he told the world who he is, and the pressure to be Iron Man will never go away.
Because he revealed himself, Tony now has no choice but to be Iron Man. Iron Man 2 is basically one big consequence to that decision. Whiplash came after him because he knew who he was. The senate came after him because they wanted the suit and knew who he was (or at least Senator Stern wanted it because he’s HYDRA). Hammer spent the entire movie trying to one up Tony because Iron Man was revealed to be his number one competitor in the weapons industry, and there was no way he could outdo that! Even in Iron Man 3, Tony was dragged into the Mandarin scheme by the media, who expected him to do something after Happy got hurt, as displayed by the “When is somebody gonna kill this guy?” comment from the one reporter. Because everyone knew he was Iron Man. And everyone expected him to fight back.
The next big mistake Tony made was losing focus of his mission. At one point in Iron Man, he tells Pepper that he finally knows what he has to do. Yinsen told him not to waste his life, and he decided to scrap the weapons development department of Stark Industries, and then use the Iron Man armor to hunt down and destroy his weapons. So here’s what should have happened. After defeating Iron Monger, the Mk III should have been melted down for scrap, and Tony should have read Coulson’s cover story to the press. He fulfilled his promise to Yinsen, and changed for the better. Stark Industries would go on to use the Arc Reactor technology to give the world clean, free energy, and Tony would go down in history a beacon of our time. The end.
But no, he made the Mark IV. Because Iron Man has to settle East-West relations. Then he’s got to stop Whiplash. Then he’s fighting aliens, which scars him mentally for life. Next thing you know, he’s got 42 suits, and he’s going after the Mandarin, who Rhodey explicitly states is not superhero business. So then he’s tired of being Iron Man. Why? Because he didn’t stop when he should have, so he builds Ultron, to “end the mission, and go home”. But uh-oh, Ultron is a homicidal maniac who can’t tell difference between saving the world and destroying it (where does he get that again?) so he has to go stop him. It’s over right? No, because he didn’t want to stop, as he told Cap in Civil War. Which gets us to Infinity War, where Tony decides to remain aboard Ebony Maw’s ship, headed on a crash course for Titan, despite Pepper begging him to stay, because now he wants to stop Thanos. Wait, he wants to stop a giant purple alien from destroying the universe with Infinity Stones? But his mission was to rid the world of Stark weapons. So how did it go from stopping weapon distribution in his company to fighting freaking THANOS! Because he lost sight of his original mission.
The last thing Tony did wrong was try, and try, and try, to fix his mistakes. Because he’s a genius, everything he builds works. He’s a ‘mechanic’, he solves problems, he makes everything better. But he feels responsible for Whiplash getting the Arc Reactor technology. Heck, he told him how to improve it by doubling the rotations! So that’s a mistake he has to fix. And leaving Killian on the roof. Whoops, created the Mandarin, fix that mistake. Good. Done. Nope, Ultron literally destroyed a city, which was a mega fail! So okay, stop Ultron. But wait, Charles Spencer died in that fight, so okay, sign the Accords, maybe with some government oversight, so many things won’t go wrong. And… Cap doesn’t agree. Let the government handle him? Nah, go to war with him!
The biggest atonement for his sins, however, is through his self-appointed role as mentor to Peter Parker. Because in Peter, he sees a young Tony. Bright eyed, brilliant minded kid with so much potential, and he has super powers! So Tony literally intercepts this kid, who’s on his own hero’s journey, and says ‘I don’t want you to screw up as many times as I did, so I’m gonna teach you how to be a superhero, and then maybe you’ll be better than me!’ Which was a mistake, because as revealed in the ferry scene, Peter was trying to imitate him! Tony had no business being Iron Man in the first place, and he’s reached the point where he’s inserted himself into this impressionable young boy’s life, and tried to teach him things he himself has yet to discover. And how did that end? With Peter apologizing, as he faded to dust in Tony’s arms.
Iron Man is not a hero. He never should have been. Now, Thanos knows who he is, probably because he revealed himself. He’s stuck on an alien planet with nothing but Nebula and a vague hint from Doctor Strange, because he’s ventured so far from his original mission. And now he’s probably going to do something drastic in Avengers 4, because half the universe, including his protégé Spider-Man, is gone, and he has to try and fix his mistakes. This is where his path has led him. A literal worst-case scenario. So if you still think Tony being Iron Man is justified, then that’s your prerogative. But I am wholly unconvinced that, after defeating Iron Monger, he ever should have put that armor on again.
Infinity War Super Bowl Spot!
First, this:
And now bullet points! Don’t act like you don’t know me by now!
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Well, Peter is clearly comfortable with Dr. Strange knowing his identity.
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I wish Wanda would stop messing with the dang Mind Stone.
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Guardians are rolling like straight up G’s.
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“It’s all been leading to this.” A little on the nose there, Tony, but that’s fine.
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Pretty confined space for Rocket, Groot, and Thor! And is Groot on a cellphone? Or is that his video game from the end of Vol. 2?
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Dang Loki…
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Peter’s going to space!?! And he’s in the Homecoming suit, not the Iron Spider, look closely!
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Cap and Widow are ready for battle, but maybe not Vision… Look, he’s holding his side! I guess he got hurt.
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Yes Thor, we’ve been ready since 2008. Again, on the nose, but that’s fine.
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Well, it’s not red, white and blue… or even a circle… but Cap’s new shield is at least still made of Vibranium, so… yay! Good to know they got that man a shield.
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A little Superior Iron Man tech in there…
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Teen Groot ready to fight!
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Oh, good to see Nebula… And still not Hawkeye…
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Outrider Invasion!
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Black Widow hitching a ride with Okoye and some other Wakandans, no big.
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Heeeeeere’s Bucky!
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Science/Magic combo attack!
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And the money shot again!
And for that last shot of Thanos, well, I’ll just leave this here…
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Avengers: Infinity War Trailer Breakdown
So I’m sure we’ve all seen the Avengers: Infinity War trailer (over, and over again). Now let’s go over what exactly we saw (over, and over again)! Bullet point time! You know I love my bullet points! Also, if for some weird reason you haven’t seen it, SPOILERS for Thor: Ragnarok ahead!
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We open with Nick Fury’s “There was an idea…” speech from The Avengers, with everyone tagging in, and a slow piano riff of the Avengers theme… Yeah, immediate shot for the feels.
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We see a sad, distraught Tony. Maybe his Age of Ultron nightmare coming true? That’s exactly what I think of when I see him like this.
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Strange and Wong found Bruce in a hole!
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Well, no more speculation on that Vision/Scarlet Witch romance. He even made himself a real boy and everything! You know, aside from that glaring Infinity Stone in his forehead. He probably has to wear a hat when they go on dates… And I have officially put too much thought into this. Moving on.
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What is Thor looking at? Are those windows on the Milano? Or a condensed version of Yggdrasil? We know Asgard is a spaceship now, so they had to take the World Tree with them, right? I know they didn’t necessarily have a lot of time to pack…
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So that whole “Bruce Banner may never come back” thing was a false alarm. Good, we need Bruce, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to design Hulkbuster 2.0! Just wait, Hasbro Build-A-Figure in development now.
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How can we change Natasha’s hair this time? Make it blonde! Sold!
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Okay, well if we direct our attention towards the Sanctum’s staircase, we can find the hole Bruce fell through, more likely as the Hulk. Probably explains why Tony’s there too. People have also pointed out he’s holding the phone Cap gave him, so good eye!
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Spider-Sense! Yes!!!!!
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People have pointed out that it looks like Strange, Banner, and Wong are all frozen in time, which at second glance it does look like that. They also stated that Tony’s immune because of the Arc Reactor, which we’ve seen defends against Infinity stones in the past (aka Loki’s performance issues). I mean, the Arc Reactor was based on Howard Stark’s research into the Tesseract, so that’s all well and good. My only problem with this theory is that this scene seems to take place moments after the scene in the Sanctum, where Strange is wearing the Eye of Agamotto, and the only way you can freeze time is with the Eye of Agamotto, so technically he shouldn’t be frozen, right? Curious, guess we’ll have to wait and see.
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This is why I hate Loki! They just went through all that trouble saving all those Asgardians in Thor: Ragnarok, and because stupid Loki had to grab the stupid Tesseract, now they’re all dead. Way to go. As I said in my Ragnarok review, Thanos is just making good on his promise. The whole “No crevasse, no barren moon we can’t find you” deal. I can only imagine that if Ronan had made off with the Power Stone then we’d be seeing some star ways bathed in his blood.
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Don’t know why people keep saying Thanos looks like Bruce Willis merged with a purple Homer Simpson, I think he looks cool.
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Iron Spider! With light up eyes! OMG!!!! Some All-New, All-Different influence in there, I see you Marvel!
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My friend suggested that looks like a giant forge, and Thor is rebuilding Mjolnir. I don’t think Thor should be going off on side quests in Avengers movies (again), but hey, if Thanos just wrecked what’s left of Asgard and threw me and Hulk across space, I’d want my all powerful magic hammer back too.
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That’s Proxima Midnight. Hard to see, but it’s her. Throwing her stupid spear.
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Yeah! Get Captain “Bum-Beard” America a shield!
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Okay, that thing Black Panther is fighting is that four-armed creepy alien thing from the 2013 Infinity storyline, the one that creeped in on Black Bolt while he was sleeping. Don’t know why I specifically remember that, but I do. I think it’s called an Outrider. Aka Chitauri 2.0.
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Poor Spider-Man!
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That’s the foot, tattered cloak, and spear of Corvus Glaive. The one violently tearing the Mind Stone from Vision’s forehead. Poor Vison.
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So, he’s already been to Xandar and Asgard. At least that’s what I gather from the Power and Space Stones in his gauntlet there.
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Poor Iron Man. Homeboy just got flat laid out.
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Sam says: Pew, pew all the Outriders!
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Cap! Black Panther! War Machine (back on his feet)! Falcon! Black Widow! Winter Soldier! Okoye! The Hulk! And the full might of Wakanda! CHARGE!
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If you didn’t cry when they played the Avengers theme at literally the perfect moment, it’s confirmed, you have no soul.
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Hey! There’s the Guardians of the Galaxy!
So that’s a lot to unpack! Kind of justifies why it took me this long, right? Right? Oh whatever, you try running a blog and living a life! Anyways, I’m excited, I can only assume you guys are excited, so let me know in the comments! Theories, Easter eggs, references, callbacks, anything! We’re all super fans here, so let’s talk. Alright guys, I’ll see in the multiverse!
Avengers: Infinity War comes out May 4, 2018
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