PWN3R RANGER said:
Yeah I notice the bullet thing too Dread?
And what was up with Black Panther's face when he got angry? I dont know to much about the character, but I am pretty sure that hasnt happened right?
Black Panther never appeared in Ultimate before. In the comics, no, he can't grow a "panther head" when he gets angry. That was something invented for the cartoon, which probably was done so he'd be more than "Capt. America with claws instead of a shield". Which is perfectly fine if only they explained it. The only mention was that T'Challa was part of the "bloodline", which I took to mean that he was royal family as a prince. But if we wanted to get technical, maybe that power is something passed on from generation to generation, like an inherited mutant trait?
But I'm reaching. They needed at least one line explaining it. That wouldn't have taken much time. A few seconds, maybe.
And while Wakanda was kept sort of accurate to 616, it STILL doesn't seem to work that they have access to all this technology, but their soldiers still dress in rags and they throw spears. They're Vibranium spears (which seemed obvious to me, explaining why they could cut into Iron Man's armor), but it still looks awkward. The attempt is to claim that Wakanda, as an isolated nation, wouldn't have allowed outside influences and so would have kept their traditions strong. But it still seems awkward.
Red X said:
As always great review Dread, what are your thoughts on the Iron Man subplot?
I liked that they got into Iron Man more and showed him LITERALLY dependant on his technology for his life. Granted, some of the writers/producers of UA 2 also worked on the 90's IRON MAN series (which was good in its second season), so its not surprising. Much like Giant-Man, he redeemed himself in the end, willing to go for selfless heroism rather than glory.
As for why Thor didn't "revive" Giant-Man, that seemed obvious to me (others have questioned this). Iron Man's life support systems are powered by electrocity, and he was out of power, hence why he flatlined. It seemed clear to me that Thor was fulling his tech with juice to bring him back online. Remember Iron Man is a psuedo-cyborg in some ways. Whereas Pym was all organic and already dead.
Black Panther seemed to be a double edged sword. I liked how the aliens were connected to the planet by wanting Vibranium, and that meant including Wakanda and the history. Playing him off Cap worked because both are heroes who represent an entire nation, only T'Challa is a monarch while Cap is just a "super-soldier". However, much as with the X-MEN films, any new character seems to make older supporting characters look like they're struggling to be in their own film (just look at Movie Cyclops, reduced to near thankless cameos in both sequals). Thor DID play a more vital role as last time, half of his time was setting him up in the intro; his only contribution to the core plot was aiding in the final battle. This time, all his scenes were plot-centered.
Upon review, I did notice quite a few more "repeated scenes" or animation goof-ups, not very long or as notorious as the later seasons of 90's SPIDER-MAN, but noticeable enough that one could argue that this one seemed more rushed.
I would like to see a third, and according to an interview at Toonzone.net, at least some of the writers/directors want to bring in Hawkeye, but time constraints always prevented it. In a third, the loss of Giant-Man leaves a place to fill.
