10 years of Assembling Marvel Superheroes to battle Thanos in Avengers

Just over a decade ago, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was launched with the release of Iron Man. It was Marvel Studios first direct foray into film production using what was perceived at that time a second-tier comic book superhero; the first-tier titles like Spider-man and X-men were  licensed out to other film studios. Financed as a blockbuster movie with a budget of USD140 million (almost RM550 million), Iron Man in 2008 would either make or break the new studio. As history would tell, Iron Man won over the cinema audience across the world, in no small part owing to Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark. Watch to this featurette where Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, Director Joe Russo, and the stars of the MCU reflect on their 10-years of the MCU:

After eighteen movies in three phases setting up this shared universe of superheroes, everything (and everyone) comes together in Avengers Infinity War opening in Malaysian cinemas today. Directed by Anthony & Joe Russo (Captain America: Winter Soldier and Civil War), Avenger Infinity War looks to be the ultimate superhero team-up movie against a supervillain so powerful that no single hero, or even a team of heroes like the Avengers, could hope to challenge.

Official Synopsis

As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment - the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain. 

Featuring an all-star cast (which probably cost half the movie's purportedly USD300 million / RM1.173 billion!), our attempt at a headcount racked almost forty Marvel characters, of which around thirty-five have previously featured in at least one of the preceding movies. Here is our attempt at the featured cast list grouped according to "factions" of some relevance:

Avengers post-civil war, Team Iron Man (7):

• Iron Man / Tony Star, Robert Downey Jr
• Pepper Potts, Gwyneth Paltrow
• War Machine / Rhodey, Don Cheadle
• Black Widow / Natasha Ramanov, Scarlett Johansson
• Vision, Paul Bettany
• Spider-man / Peter Parker, Tom Holland
• Happy Hogan, Jon Favreau

Avengers post-civil war, Team Captain America (4):

• Captain America / Steve Rogers, Chris Evans
• Scarlet Witch / Wanda Maximoff, Elizabeth Olsen
• Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier / White Wolf, Sebastian Stan
• Falcon / Sam Wilson, Anthony Mackie

“Lost” in Space (4):

• Hulk / Bruce Banner, Mark Ruffalo
• Thor, Chris Hemsworth
• Heimdall, Idris Elba
• Loki, Tom Hiddleston

Guardians of the Galaxy (8):

• Star-lord / Peter Quill, Chris Pratt
• Gamora, Zoe Saldana
• Nebula, Karen Gillan
• Groot (voice), Vin Diesel
• Rocket (voice), Bradley Cooper
• Drax, Dave Bautista
• Mantis, Pom Klementieff*
• The Collector / Taneleer Tivan, Benicio Del Toro

Wakanda (5):

• Black Panther / T'Challa, Chadwick Boseman
• Okoye, Danai Gurira
• Shuri, Letitia Wright
• M'Baku, Winston Duke
• Ramonda, Angela Bassett

Others (4):

• Dr. Stephen Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch
• Benedict Wong, Wong
• Maria Hill, Cobie Smulders
• Stan Lee!

Villains, The Black Order (5):

• Thanos, Josh Brolin
• Proxima Midnight, Carrie Coon
• Ebony Maw, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor
• Cull Obsidian, Terry Notary
• Corvus Glaive, Michael James Shaw

Plus Peter Dinklage in undisclosed role.

Surely it would be a monumental challenge to fit all these characters together in the same scene, so we expect much of the movie to comprise grouping of our heroes on separate adventures to stop Thanos. For anyone who has watched the movie trailers and many promos, it would be non-spoilery to expect the following team-ups hinted by these exclusive posters from Odeon Cinemas of UK:

No more "science bros", Tony Stark is now teaming up with Dr. Strange. "Facial hair bros"?

Thor teams up with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Steve Rogers ever loyal to Bucky was in Wakanda at the end of Civil War.

Black Panther with many of the former Avengers.

All banding together to save the universe from this BIG BAD, Thanos.

A decade of movies is way to much to recap, so let's just simplify to major events of the Avengers relevant to Infinity War as summarised by the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki:

The Avengers, also known as the Heroes of New York, were a team of extraordinary individuals, either with superpowers or other special characteristics. Its purpose is to protect world stability from inner or extraterrestrial threats, and to work with the peaceful interests of the whole world rather than a specific country or organization. The Avengers were first assembled by S.H.I.E.L.D. when Loki invaded Earth with his Chitauri army to conquer the planet. The team defeated him and went to their separate ways.

After S.H.I.E.L.D. became a defunct agency, Stark Industries remodeled Stark Tower into Avengers Tower and the team joined the fight against HYDRA. After they finished the war, Tony Stark built Ultron hoping that the AI would be able to defend the world from any threats necessary. The plan backfired and Ultron started a war against humanity, ending with Ultron's defeat. When Ultron was defeated, the team gained new recruits and relocated to the New Avengers Facility.

Under Captain America's leadership, the team successfully completed some missions, though the collateral damage caused during their conflicts made the United Nations pass a document, known as the Sokovia Accords, to regulate their actions. The different opinions regarding this oversight made the Avengers disband as a team, and it split into two different factions, with its members and other heroes gathering around Iron Man and Captain America, respectively. After Captain America stopped Helmut Zemo, the instigator of their fight, the team disbanded.

Behind-the-scenes of Avengers Infinity War

The major binding element between many of the MCU movies has been the Infinity Stones, featuring since the Captain America: The First Avenger (2001). So before stepping in the Infinity War, it is worthwhile relook into what are these powerful artifacts. As explained by Taneleer Tivan, The Collector in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), "Before creation itself, there were six singularities. Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated ingots... Infinity Stones."

The six Infinity Stones as seen on Thanos Gauntlet, although he has yet to possess the stones at the onset of Avengers Infinity War. Photo: Replica Infinity Gauntlet by Hot Toys.

Here's our intel on the six Infinity Stones:

Space (blue): During World War 2, the Tesseract was obtained by the Red Skull used its unlimited energy as a power source for Hydra weapons. When Captain America defeated Red Skull, the Tesseract was retrieved by Howard Stark and kept by SHIELD. In 2012 it was used by Loki to allow the Chitauri invasion but was repelled by the Avengers. The Tesseract has since be stored in the Asgard Vault until destruction of this world from the events of Ragnarok.

Loki with the Tesseract housing the Infinity Space Stone retrieved form Asgard Vault.

Mind (yellow): Formerly part of Loki's Spectre used in the Chitauri invasion, it was kept by SHIELD until it's collapse fell into the hands of Hydra. In addition to mind control, it granted super powers to the Maximoff twins, Pietro and Wanda, during experiments by Hydra. Ultron obtained the stone intended for its nefarious rebirth but was thwarted by the Avengers leading to the creation of the andriod Vision. It now resides on Vision's forehead.

The Infinity Mind Stone is embedded in Vision's forehead like a fashion accessory.

Reality (red): As the Aether, the dark elf Malekith attempted to use its reality bending powers to bring the Nine Realms into darkness. Foiled by Thor, the Aether has since been handed to The Collector by the Asgardians for safekeeping.

The Asgardians left the Infinity Reality Stone with The Collector for safekeeping (seriously why him lah?)

Power (purple): Sought by the Ronan the Accuser on behalf of Thanos, the Power stone grants its user the destructive power to obliterate planets. Ronan was stopped by the combined resilence of the Guardians of the Galaxy using the stone to obliterate him. The stone is present safeguarded by the Nova Corps on Xander.

The orb containing the Infinity Power Stone stored by the Nova Corps.

Time (green): The time stone is able to control the flow of time. In is contained in the Eye of Agamotto, an mystic necklace used by with Dr. Strange to fend out Dormammu's  invasion from the Dark Dimension. Dr. Strange remains current bearer of the Eye of Agamotto.

Dr Strange wields the Eye of Agamotto which houses the Infinity Time Stone.

Soul (orange): Abilities and whereabouts unknown, although Director Joe Russo hinted it is in Singapore during the Marvel Avengers Infinity War Red Carpet event!?

Alright so now that we are all up to speed with the MCU, let's get going to Avengers Infinity War! And remember this is a Marvel movie so stay back for post-credit scene(s); at least one confirmed so far.

Leading up to this movie release, Marvelites in Southeast-Asia were treated to a special Avengers Infinity War Red Carpet event at Marina Bay Sands Singapore attended by stars of the MCU: Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark / Iron Man), Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Stephen Strange), and Karen Gillan (Nebula). Also present were Director Joe Russo and Executive Producer Trinh Tran, offering autographs and selfies with some of the most ardent fans of the region. Watch this video of the highlights from this special event on 16 April 2018:

Thanks to Petron Malaysia, the largest contingent of fans outside Singapore were sixty Malaysians selected from an online contest. Our Commander was lucky to be chosen for this roadtrip and provided coverage from ground zero at the red carpet fan box:

Some of the Malaysian Marvel cosplayers in front of the red carpet stage at Marina Bay Sands.
Don't mind the "intruder" into the MCU.

Benedict Cumberbatch / Dr. Strange offers a selfie on the red carpet.

The human form of Nebula as Karen Gillan.

Director Joe Russo on the red (actually purple) carpet.

Marvelites on a roadtrip of a lifetime!

Find more photos on Outpost Productions Facebook Photo Album as well as videos from the Red Carpet event. Thanks Petron! #PoweredbyPetron #JourneytoInfinity

When Robert Downey Jr makes an entrance like his alter ego Tony Stark at last night's Avengers Infinity War Red Carpet. #Marvel #IronMan #TonyStark #RobertDowneyJr #PetronFuelHappy #PoweredByPetron #AvengersMY #InfinityWar
Posted by Outpost Productions on Tuesday, 17 April 2018

Whilst the Avengers themselves are not coming to our local shores, it does seem that Earth's Mightiest Heroes might have setup a branch in Menara TM, Kuala Lumpur.

Secretly, Menara TM is Stark Tower 😎 Marvel #MenaraTM #InfinityWar #WeAreAllSuperheroes
Posted by unifi on Tuesday, 24 April 2018

Our intel did not find any shopping mall concourse events promoting Avengers Infinity War, although retail product promos are plenty. For a bit of local thrill, the iconic Petronas Twin Towers at KLCC is having thematic Avengers light show projections onto its shopping mall walls every night until 29 April 2018 at 8.15pm, 8.45pm, 9.15pm and 9.45pm.

As a special treat for Marvel fans, TGV Cinemas is conducting their Heroes Homecoming Fan Party on Saturday 28 April from 6pm to 8pm simultaneously at four of their cineplexes across the country: Sunway Velocity in Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Indah in Johor Bahru, Gurney Paragon in Penang, and Vivacity Megamall in Kuching.

The event is FREE to attend with goodies bags offered to the first 100 fans to register on-site. Follow what's happening on TGV's Facebook Page and Event Listing for Heroes Homecoming.

Reviews are out for Avengers Infinity War though whatever they say good or bad it does not matter... fans will still flock to see the movie! The movie scored 10 out of 10 in review by Star2.com. For those curious about the comic book origins of the Infinity War (or need a brief recap for older fans), Star2.com also has a handy article about the first appearances of Thanos upto the Infinity Gauntlet mini-series event in the early-1990s.

So as the legendary Stan Lee would say...

EXCELSIOR!

#AvengersMY #InfinityWar #Marvel

In cinemas NOW!

Disclaimer: Avengers and associated trademarks are copyright to Marvel Entertainment, referenced here for fan service purposes only without intent to infringe.

Geek-gasm at the Avenue K Collectors Festival

Attention fellow Geek guys & gals!

Avenue K shopping mall in downtown Kuala Lumpur is now hosting a Collectors Festival on their ground floor concourse until 10 May 2017. The Avenue K Collectors Festival (AKCF) is showcasing premium collectibles by Prime 1 Studio. This Japanese company founded in 2012 manufacturers limited edition statues from pop culture franchises such as DC, Marvel, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more. Products by Prime 1 Studio is distributed locally by Shioktoys Collectibles who have brought out some of their best works to showcase at AKCF.

AK Collectors Festival on now at the ground floor concourse of Avenue K shopping mall.

Here's a sampling of the awesome statues to be seen at AKCF:

DC Comics superhero Trinity: Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman altogether in last year's BvS.

Prime 1 Studio statue of Batman The Dark Knight Returns version 

Prime 1 Studio Limited Edition Venom statue.

Marvel's Anti-Venom by Prime 1 Studio.

Prime 1 Studio's licenses includes Transformers with this Optimus Prime statue.

Decepticon leader Megatron looks ready to bring the pain.

1:6 scale figurines in custom environments also showcased. 

 Geeky loot available to bring home instantly (since Prime 1 Studio products are generally by pre-order only)

  Marvel apparel also on sale by Superheroes United.

Here's a walkthrough video of AKCF:

Here's a lil walk-through of AK Collectors Festival at Avenue K! Remember to drop by and snap photos with your favorite pop cultures characters from now till 10 May 2017. #AvenueKMY #makefriendscreatetrends #AKCollectorsFest
Posted by Avenue K on Friday, 28 April 2017

AKCF also offers activities for mall shoppers with the Super-Agent Challenge. Shoppers with minimum spend of RM50 from any shops in Avenue K will be entitled to take the NERF blaster test in attempt to qualify. The top 8 high scorers from these qualifying attempts will be invited to compete at the Super-Agent Challenge this Sunday 7 May, 1pm. Those with the best skills with NERF and the Injustice video game stand a chance to win these prizes:

• 1st Prize: Limited Edition Batman bust by Prime1 Studio & other prizes worth RM3,000
• 2nd Prize: Limited Edition Jor-El figurine by Hot Toys & other prizes worth RM2,000
• 3rd Prize: Iron Make Mk42 collectible figurine by Egg Attack and other prizes worth RM1,000
• Consolation prizes (5): Superheroes United Marvel t-shirt & other prizes worth RM400 each

It may be just worth your while practicing in advance at the NERF blaster range!

Other more geek-oriented activities include toy sculpting and demo by local artist Blackz GBC plus talks on Customised Costumes & Props by Jon Dei Goon of Helios E.

Especially for cosplayers, AKCF's Cosplay Competition will take place this Sunday 7 May from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. The competition is open for ALL cosplay, be it superhero, anime, video games, etc. These are the prizes up for grabs:

• 1st Prize: AK Cash Voucher worth RM800 & Hot Toys 1:6 scale ELECTRO & other prizes worth RM2, 000
• 2nd Prize: AK Cash Voucher worth RM500 & Mafex die-cast BATMOBILE & other prizes worth RM1, 500
• 3rd Prize: AK Cash Voucher worth RM300 & Autographed artworks by comic artist Jimbo Salgado & other prizes worth RM1, 000
• Consolation Prizes (5): Superheroes United MARVEL apparel & other prizes worth RM400

Online Pre-Registration is now open until this Friday 5 May 2017, 11.59pm. Submit your details online here: https://goo.gl/ZuVSyM

Then email self-photo in full costume and reference visuals of origin character to avenuekmarketing@gmail.com.

The first 10 qualified online pre-registrations will receive a goodie bag with Marvel T-shirts and vouchers!

If competition slots are still available, on-site registration will open on event day until from 11am to 1pm at the Information Counter, Ground Floor.

Terms and Conditions for participation available for download from Avenue K's official website.

As Outpost Productions will be assisting with the Cosplay Competition, we wish to highlight on the following participation criteria:

• Each contestant will be required to showcase themselves in 3 cosplay poses and offered up to 2 minutes to perform a skit. Each contestant may be assisted by up to 2 helpers in their skit. The skits should not contain elements potentially offensive to local society and refrain from issues relating to race, religion or politics.
• Judges will score contestants based on costume quality and cosplay performance (not skit, no score. Cosplay representative of any character displayed by Prime 1 Studio at AKCF may be awarded bonus score.
• Props resembling weapons need to be submitted for inspection during check-in. Real-world guns are not encouraged and if used nozzle must be capped off.
• No cosplayer changing rooms are provided by the venue. Kindly prepare to be in costume before arriving at the mall or make use of the public restrooms as necessary (upper levels less trafficked).

Please feel welcome to address questions at Avenue K's official Facebook Page post.

Excellent view of KLCC Twin Towers from Avenue K's rooftop terrace.

Shoppers who frequent Avenue K may also be aware there is a rooftop terrace with spectacular view of KLCC Twin Towers. Specially for cosplayers this Sunday 7 May, the rooftop terrace will be open between 12pm noon to 6pm for photo shoot opportunities with these icons of Kuala Lumpur. Great of heroic posing but no superhero landings please!

Great photo shoot locations for cosplayers at level 4 roof of Avenue K.

Here's a summary of this coming weekend's activities at AKCF:

Saturday 6 May

3pm  Sculpting Talks by Blackz GBC

5pm  Customized Costume and Props Talks by Jon Dei Goon of Helios E

Sunday 7 May

12-6pm Rooftop open for cosplay photo shoots

1pm         AK Super-Agent Challenge Finals

2pm         Talk on "Tips for Competitive Cosplay" by Jon Dei Goon of Helios E

2.30pm Cosplay Competition

3pm         Sculpting Demo by Blackz GBC

4pm         Panel discussion "Statues & Collectibles: Why We Collect"

5pm         Customized Costume and Props Talks by Jon Dei Goon of Helios E

As well as NERF Blaster Corner and Injustice video game all day from 10am to 10pm.

Note: Schedule based on information at time of posting and may vary without prior notice (don't blame us for changes!)

See you this weekend at AK Collector's Festival!

Disclaimer: Trademarks named in this article are copyright to their respective owners, referenced here for fan service purposes only without intent to infringe.

The Next Generation takes on the Aliens in Independence Day: Resurgence

by contributing writer Michelle Chee

When the first Independence Day movie came out in 1996, it drew crowds upon crowds to the cinemas, not just because of the stellar cast that included Will Smith and Bill Pullman, but also because of its feel-good, can-do spirit of global unity. Yup, ID4 reflected those were the good old days when all films ended on a high note and the President gives an inspirational “We’ve made it” type of speech.

Twenty years on and the bigwigs in Hollywood have finally decided that the epic sci-fi deserves a sequel and have given us Independence Day : Resurgence. This time, it appears that instead of just American landmarks that are blown up spectacularly , the destruction of key landmarks around the world will take place too (in the movie, that is). This includes the Big Ben in London and Malaysia’s very own Petronas Twin Towers, KLCC. Yes, very trademark of returning Director Roland Emmerich (The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, Godzilla 1998).

In a nostalgic turn of events, many of the original characters return for this movie, including Jeff Goldblum  as David Levinson, the tech expert and Bill Pullman as  Thomas Whitmore, ex-president of the United States. Will Smith was supposed to return too as fighter pilot Steven Hiller, but at the last minute, production executives announced that they couldn’t get him on board as he had become too expensive to include on their payroll. Apparently, there were some scheduling conflicts with his other filming projects as well (Suicide Squad?). This is a real pity, since fans of the original movie would have been looking forward to his presence.

Jeff Goldblum returns as David Levinson, Director of Earth Space Defense.

Unfortunately Agent Smith won't be punching aliens this time round.

Interestingly enough, Will Smith’s absence in the film is explained by the fact that he died testing a prototype hybrid fighter about 11 years after the invasion. We do however, get to see the grown up version of his step son, Dylan, who is now part of the fighter pilot team trained to fight the aliens together with the daughter of ex-President Whitmore, Patricia.

War hero Colonel Steven Hiller's kid has now grown up to fight aliens like his father.
Dylan Hiller is played by Jessie T. Usher (not the kid actor in ID4).

The President's daughter in 1996, Patricia Whitmore (Maika Monroe) now follows after her fight-pilot father.

This brings us to what we know about the current movie so far. It appears that the aliens have returned bigger and better than before, but the earthlings are equally prepared as they have harnessed some of the alien technology from the previous attack and have now trained a whole Next Generation of pilots and defense personnel called  the Earth Space Defense  or ESD. 

Eye candy for the ladies is hotshot pilot Jake Morrison played by Liam Hemsworth.

One of the key faces that have joined the cast is Liam Hemsworth , best known for his role as Gale Hawthorne in the Hunger games, and being the younger brother of the equally steamy Chris Hemsworth ( a.k.a Thor, for all you Marvel fans out there). He plays Jake Morrison, the best pilot ESD has and a man who harbors a sense of vengeance as both his parents were killed during the first invasion.

Some of the things we note is that Pullman and Jeff Goldblum are allowed to age gracefully here, while allowing some of the younger cast members to carry major parts of the plotline.  To see what has been happening in the 20 years since the first war, this faux news report will cover everything:

Other members of the cast  for this new film include William Fichtner, Judd Hirsch, Sela Ward, Charlotte Gainsbourgh and Angelababy who plays Rain Lao, a pilot representing China.  Vivica A. Fox returns as the mother of Dylan Hiller and the widow of Hiller senior.

The one thing to look out for this time is the appearance of the alien Queen, which from the brief shots of her in the trailers, promises to be a large and formidable foe for our heroes.

All hail the Queen!

For those of you fans out there looking for the best promos and deals relating this new Independence Day movie, look no further as the Outpost Movie Recon Team (M.R.T.) has banded together and have compiled the following recon report:

At a series of locations, Golden Screen Cinemas will be holding interactive activities and contests for fans to win various limited edition prizes, and the event is called Earth Invasion! Independence Day Resurgence movie premiums are up for grabs as well as a Huawei smartphone everyday. Join the invasion in Kedah and Penang this weekend.

GSC Independence Day Invasion Highlight

Did you missed the fun we had for GSC's Independence Day Invasion last week? Watch this video and join us this weekend!! 18 June (Satuday) • GSC Dataran Pahlawan, Melaka 2PM • GSC Palm Mall, Negeri Sembilan 8PM 19 June (Sunday) • GSC Sunway Carnival, Penang 2PM • GSC Ipoh Parade, Perak 8PM See you guys there!! For more info: http://bit.ly/GSCIDRInvasion

Posted by Golden Screen Cinemas on Thursday, 16 June 2016

Additionally, everyone that purchases a GSC Combo 3 or Signature Large Combo 1 of popcorn and drinks will get a complimentary mini moon tug.

Pop culture licensee Funko have released a line of figurines that include characters like David Levinson and Alien fighters from the original ID4 and the new Independence Day Resurgence.

Some blogs have reported that there are other toys like blasters and both alien and ESD jets  but we no not yet whether these will be brought into Malaysia.

Independence Day : Resurgence hits cinemas on June 23rd and you wouldn’t want to miss out this epic sequel to science fiction phenomenon which marked your younger days. A bit of nostalgia, mixed in with space drama.

Disclaimer: Independence Day and other trademarks are copyright to 20th Century Fox, referenced here for fan service announcements without intent to infringe.