Avengers cartoon - Part 4

[Scarecrow_King]

I liked getting to see Cassie Lang. And her excitement at being shrunk was a good indicator of her "stealing" the Ant Man costume herself some day and being Stature.

Danny and Luke were fantastic. Their interactions were written perfectly.

[Panthro]

Originally Posted by THUNDERSTRIKE

was a pretty good ep, as usual, but Luke Cage's angry black man attitude that was projected here was pretty annoying...

and Henry Pym's whinings were even MORE annoying...

Well if the world had almost been destroyed based on something you invented you'd whine & have a guilt complex too.

[The Caped Knight]

"To steal an Ant-Man" was a good episode that introduced us to the second Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Iron fist and Luke Cage. While the episode itself was just a mini-sub plot to bring Ant-Man back into the fold of The Avengers, It was nice to see Hank Pym back, even though he still blames himself for the creation of Ultron and the damage he had done. I enjoyed seeing Pym the scientist return in some form (also their was a foreshadowing of Yellow jacket) and despite his issues he still had the heart of a hero and when the time is right he'll return.

I loved the into of Scott Lang, and I can't wait to see him with the rest of the Avengers.

The Heroes for hire with Luke & Danny made this episode worth watching and it was nice to see a more serious version of Powerman & Iron First in action (Although I do like their counterparts in Ultimate Spider-Man especially Danny)

[Superhero 101]

thought the episode was okay kind of slower then the rest of the episodes we have gotten from this season

[Gamma Goliath]

i liked this episode a lot, i loved the smaller focus.

[steintym]

I really enjoy the episode and thought it was cool to see Cage and Iron Fist (although Cage seemed a little off to me). I just glad that hey're expanding the universe and characters that exist n it.

[Gamma Ra]

Holy crap...The Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes may really be getting cancelled...but

"To that end, Marvel is introducing digital initiatives, new print and comic book titles, and The Avengers animated TV series on the Cartoon Network in 2013. Iron Man 3 hits theaters next year, and Captain America and Thor sequels are in the works. Although the Black Widow isn’t yet scheduled for her own stand-alone movie, the character’s lifestyle will inspire a collection of athletic gear and beauty products."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larissaf...ue-the-movies/

[Chewy]

Well the next Avengers show will certainly not be on CN but the writing's been on the wall for EMH for a while now

[Gamma Ra]

Yeah...more likely Disney HD.

[Savage]

Finally caught this episode aaand I'm biased so it is my favorite of the season (which I felt has been meh with the exception of the Kree episode and maybe the Doom episode). I loved watching Heroes For Hire and I'll probably watch this episode a few more times just for them. The Ant-men were great as well and I really liked the writing in this episode. It was a very well told story of a smaller, more intimate scale and a great introduction to Scott Lang.

Also NEED MORE HEROES FOR HIRE!

[Sebastos]

Agreed Savage, this episode left me wanting more Heroes for Hire.

[TheCorpulent1]

Originally Posted by Panthro

Well if the world had almost been destroyed based on something you invented you'd whine & have a guilt complex too.

I understand and appreciate Hank's guilt, but I kind of wish he could've gotten over it in this episode and recommitted to superheroics. I miss him, plus I love his current characterization in the comics where he balances science with superheroics and is 100% onboard with the Avengers' mission and ideals.

Originally Posted by Superhero 101

thought the episode was okay kind of slower then the rest of the episodes we have gotten from this season

Originally Posted by Gamma Goliath

i liked this episode a lot, i loved the smaller focus.

Yeah, I thought it was great. It reminded me a lot of JLU, where they were comfortable enough with the overall status quo and team dynamics to move the focus over to less well known characters. Luke and Danny could've easily been the Question or Booster Gold from the JLU seasons--lower-tier characters who become breakout hits when people actually give them a chance and realize how great they can be.

[Dread]

This was HEROES FOR HIRE weekend at Disney XD, as both "ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN" and now "AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES" featured the classic 1970's buddy team of Power Man and Iron Fist. Only while the versions in "USM" are juveniles forced to endure a train of terrible jokes and uneven placing and plotting, this version are adults handled with the sort of care that Chris Yost and Josh Fine could provide. Thus, "TO STEAL AN ANT-MAN" was an episode that featured a slew of guest characters and cameos, even while focusing on Hank Pym (one of the founding Avengers) and even introducing some new ones. This second season has been a mixture of focusing on the established cast while continuing to have multiple guest characters appear. While the guest characters from previous episodes were all introduced previously, this episode introduces characters for the first time. How does it fare? Better than one would think; reminding me of "JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED" 's ability to introduce a slew of characters around one long term one and still manage to wrest a very good yarn out of it.

As the recaps show,

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

Hank Pym has been one of two Avengers from last season who has been largely absent until now. While the other - Thor - has been busy dealing with the fallout to Asgard from the end of the last season, Pym's sabbatical is for more personal reasons. A self described pacifist, Pym has always been a somewhat ambiguous member of the team. His heart more in experiments and research than fighting crime or being a superhero, he often operated as Ant-Man (and Giant-Man) to either respond to a crisis that enveloped him (such as "The Breakout") or to defend someone close to him - namely Janet/The Wasp. The incident with Ultron shook him to the core, and while he did aid the Avengers in saving Asgard and the nine realms from Loki, he was virtually on his way out when that happened. As this season shows, he's stuck to his guns in that regard. A return to his lab at Avengers Mansion to clear out the rest of his gear has him confront the Wasp, who has eagerly embraced her role as superhero. While Janet doesn't appear after the first act of the episode, I did think she was portrayed strongly. Her zeal for being an Avenger ties in with the comics, as she was arguably one of the team's longest term leaders after Iron Man and Capt. America. She tries to reason with Hank and convince him he can still aid the team without having to ride into battle (a fair point), but once it seems obvious Hank isn't having it, Jan dishes out some of her trademark snark at him. Unfortunately, Pym's distracted from that drama by a crisis which hits close to home - someone has stolen his Ant-Man gear from his old college laboratory from before they joined the Avengers, and is using it to rob banks. Naturally, Pym feels he has nobody to turn to, and this feeds into the anxiety he already feels over the Ultron incident. In a way, he and Stark are very similar; they are motivated by the desire to keep their technology from being used to hurt people. Only while Iron Man does this to make up for past mistakes and arguably does it half-heartedly (especially since SHIELD has duplicated his armor anyway), Pym eats himself up with guilt over it and wants to avoid any association with the Avengers, feeling it's "a house of cards". I am curious how that statement will be received once it is revealed which one of them is a Skrull. At any rate, Pym is reduced to answering an ad in a newspaper for aid, and he gets it from the "heroes for hire" on the mean streets themselves - Luke Cage (don't call him "Power Man") and Iron Fist!

Luke Cage is voiced by Christopher B. Duncan ("THE JAMIE FOXX SHOW", "THE DISTRICT", "VERONICA MARS") while Iron Fist is voiced by Loren Lester, who most comic animation fans will remember as the original voice of Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing from "BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" in the 90's. Whenever people rattle off their classic voice actors for long term DC characters, I always wonder why Lester's name never gets thrown around when people talk about Grayson, because for me his voice is still the one I always hear whenever I read Grayson's dialogue in a comic. A part of me was always a little bitter that his final performance as Nightwing wasn't in an episode of "JLU", but in a video game for the PS2 from 2003. According to IMDB, he was cast as Iron Fist for the ULTIMATE MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 3 video game and naturally continues the role here. I'll admit he's not the first voice actor that I would have considered were it my job to cast the part, but once he gets rolling it seems very organic. Danny Rand's an adult but he doesn't have to be an old man; and while he's naturally very "zen" he still has a flair for adventure. At any rate, Luke and Danny all but steal the episode away from the Avengers here, and it's executed so well that such a thing hardly seems like a demerit. There's a scene which was circulated as a preview where the two just talk in an alley about their case for a minute and half which is very low key, but also effective. In fact, this entire episode was a bit low key compared to others. There's no plot about aliens or gods or evil robots, and HYDRA is only mentioned as a bit of obligation to avoid concern about the banks being knocked over. In fairness, it makes sense that HYDRA would employ banks as fronts to launder money, same as other organized crime rackets do. Instead this is a caper about organized crime, and a conflicted father forced to break the law to save his daughter.

We learn that Ant-Man's gear has been stolen by Steve Lang (voiced by Crispin Freeman, who gives his least angry performance I have ever heard), who was a gifted electrician who was forced to turn to crime once his daughter Cassie got sick and needed medical attention. While she was ultimately cured, Lang's career was in shambles and he now had shady characters demanding more cash from him. He's being blackmailed into robbing banks for "Mr. Cross" to ensure the safety of Cassie, who has been kidnapped. It all climaxes in a battle royal against our heroes as well as Mr. Cross and a half dozen characters yanked right from a Marvel Handbook. Part of the dilemma when it comes to figuring out who the cameos are is that some characters have been redesigned; a large thug with an "M" on his chest that Luke manhandles in an alley is probably Man Mountain Marko, although he looks little like the version from the comics. And who is that thug's associate; Kogar? However, other villains are easier to spot, and many are old POWER MAN & IRON FIST villains such as Spear, Cockroach Hamilton, Gideon Mace, and even Big Ben Donovan. Two others may be Shockwave and even Piranha Jones, although they also may have been redesigned drastically. Naturally, "Mr. Cross" himself is William Cross, a.k.a. Crossfire, one of Hawkeye's main villains. I liked that rather than give him a cheesy name and have him wear that "Red Cross" costume, this show re-imagined him as a more subtle crime boss of eccentric crooks. Crossfire's voiced by Neil Ross, another veteran voice actor who Marvel Animation fans may know best as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin from "SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" of the 90's. The final battle is probably one of the best of the season to me, and even the ending bit where the "heroes for hire" offer Lang a job as Ant-Man is a nod to their series in the 90's when Lang really was a part of their team. At any rate, it looks like Pym capitalizes on Lang taking over as Ant-Man to quietly retire from the role, although another nod in his lab hints at his next identity to come - Yellowjacket, which is probably my least favorite, even if it was hinted by his gear from the last season finale.

The episode does a great job of showcasing how Cage and Iron Fist operate, and how they both work together and are also drastically different. Fist is naturally the one who has all the mystical martial arts powers while Cage is the one grounded in the real world. That's naturally obvious from their dress as Danny wears the garb of K'un L'un (ballet slippers, collar and all) and Cage prefers his street wear, although the chain as a belt was a nice way to pay tribute to his past. Fist is very "zen" while Cage is a hot-head. I found Cage's retort to being called an Avenger laugh-out-loud hilarious the first time. Both of them are allowed to showcase their powers and kick butt without it being a cheesy, pun-filled spectacle that is "ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN". Cage's bullet proof skin is showcased simply, while I liked how Iron Fist often had to meditate or assume a stance for his trademark attack. Cage even utters his "Sweet Christmas!" catch phrase and it manages to work! Wally Wingert naturally returns as Hank Pym and has a lot of pathos to work with here.

Bottom line? If any episode served as a potential back door pilot for a "HEROES FOR HIRE" TV show, it's this. It did a solid job of focusing on the absent Pym while introducing a slew of new characters including another B-List Avenger in Lang and even Pym's next costumed identity. It is ironic that in this cartoon Pym will have three identities while Janet has remained consistent with her costume due to the cost of character models. I've always liked the HEROES FOR HIRE and feel they're hardly the most difficult franchise to make work in some media format, especially since unlike a lot of teams, there isn't a struggle to insert more ethnically diverse characters - especially if one throws in the Daughters Of The Dragon. I didn't expect an episode focusing on Pym's turmoil to result in a street crime caper, but it all manages to work out especially well. Given the sheer volume of characters in this season of Avengers, anyone new has to really dazzle to eke out a reputation here; a lot of care was done to introduce Cage & Fist and it showed. While I am biased as I adore the characters fondly, I probably haven't enjoyed an episode of "A:EMH" since the first season finale.

It can sometimes be a problem when guest characters steal a show, but it isn't when the end result is this satisfying. It isn't easy throwing in characters from the 70's, 80's, and 90's atop of references to all those eras while also focusing on a member of the regular cast and making it all work, but this episode pulls it off and makes it look easy. If any episode showcased how this show deserves that title of being the Marvel Animation answer to "JLU", it's this one. With "YOUNG JUSTICE" doing a time jump and "ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN" proving its peak is mediocrity, not only did "A:EMH" rule the weekend for me, it shattered my lofty expectations.

[Dread]

Also, as a visual aid to the cameos, some pics from Toonzone's Marvel Animation Age:

http://marvel.toonzone.net/avengerse...antman/115.jpg

I presume this is Man Mountain Marko, drastically redesigned. He could also be Mangler, Spear's brother (?)

http://marvel.toonzone.net/avengerse...antman/133.jpg

From left to right: Gideon Mace, William Cross/Crossfire, Cassie Lang, and Big Ben Donovan.

http://marvel.toonzone.net/avengerse...antman/132.jpg

From left to right: Spear, Cockroach Hamilton, Scott Lang, and whom I presume are Piranha Jones and Shockwave.

[BigThor]

Originally Posted by TheCorpulent1

Yeah, I thought it was great. It reminded me a lot of JLU, where they were comfortable enough with the overall status quo and team dynamics to move the focus over to less well known characters. Luke and Danny could've easily been the Question or Booster Gold from the JLU seasons--lower-tier characters who become breakout hits when people actually give them a chance and realize how great they can be.

The other day I showed my friend a few scenes of the Question on JLU, man that guy really was awesome in that series.

[SaF]

I really enjoyed this week's episode, and was pleasently suprised because I'm not really a fan of antman, in season 1 he just got progressively more whiney, which I understand makes him a good character to have in contrast to the rest of the team but did make him more and more annoying to me =)

BUT I thought this episode was really good, although I still don't like him as he is such an arse to the wasp at the start =(
It was great fun seeing 'what being antman is like' to someone not used to it, hehe ants are mean!
The best thing about the episode was the two new characters, the hero's for hire. I've never encountered them before, but they were great fun to watch! I really liked the contrast between them, and the banter. The line Cage says that Dread mentions in his reveiw also genuinely cracked me up too! They are an ace, entertaining pair that can take care of business when needed, so it was great to see them in the show.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Dread

Also, as a visual aid to the cameos, some pics from Toonzone's Marvel Animation Age:

http://marvel.toonzone.net/avengerse...antman/115.jpg

I presume this is Man Mountain Marko, drastically redesigned. He could also be Mangler, Spear's brother (?)

http://marvel.toonzone.net/avengerse...antman/133.jpg

From left to right: Gideon Mace, William Cross/Crossfire, Cassie Lang, and Big Ben Donovan.

http://marvel.toonzone.net/avengerse...antman/132.jpg

From left to right: Spear, Cockroach Hamilton, Scott Lang, and whom I presume are Piranha Jones and Shockwave.

Niiice. I had an inkling about Big Ben Donovan but he looked quite different. They all do but I still should have recognized them. The dude with Marko was also the same guy Iron Fist fought in his first appearance.

[Sebastos]

Yes, I just realized that was the Scythe.

[Anubis]

As evidenced by the Scythes.

[Sebastos]

I was absorbed in the moment.

[Colossal Spoons]

Damn I loved that episode. I squealed when I saw Cage and Rand.

Loved the wasp on Hank's window

[TheCorpulent1]

I wonder when Yellowjacket shows up. I thought Hank might've suited up with the Heroes for Hire as YJ toward the end, but he walked in wearing his same old lab coat.

[MarvelKnight]

Originally Posted by TheCorpulent1

I wonder when Yellowjacket shows up. I thought Hank might've suited up with the Heroes for Hire as YJ toward the end, but he walked in wearing his same old lab coat.

I thought Yellowjacket would show up as well. Maybe he's waiting until the kree-skrull conflict hits high gear.

Solid episode overall.. It was neat how IF tracked down the shrunken money. LC getting punked by Scott Lang in the alley was pretty humerous, too. Wasn't the most action packed or epic, but it gave us 3 new characters and some solid action towards the end. EMH continues to deliver, as usual

[TheCorpulent1]

Maybe YJ is the Skrull all along and Pym gets captured sometime between this episode and his next appearance.

[MarvelKnight]

Originally Posted by TheCorpulent1

Maybe YJ is the Skrull all along and Pym gets captured sometime between this episode and his next appearance.

But yellow-jacket hasn't been introduced yet. To me, I would think the Skrulls only have info on Ant-Man. Maybe they abduct Lang (thinking its Pym) Skrull Ant-Man shows up and then when the **** hits the fan, Pym comes in YJ gear to 'save the day' or at least expose his alien imposter.

Either way, should be fun to watch.