#darkhold redeemers

[vintagegeekculture]

Marvel's 1992 Darkhold Redeemers

“Darkhold Redeemers” was a comic created in 1992 about a group of supernatural investigators in possession of the Darkhold, an evil book of dark sorcery that has evil pages scattered over the world. In Marvel lore, the Darkhold is the book that created the first vampires. The comic was created by 90s Marvel journeyman Chris Cooper (also known for creating Starfleet Academy, a comic about the adventures of Cadet Nog that tied in to the events of Deep Space 9). 

The book is notable for three reasons. 

The first is that the premise is shockingly and coincidentally similar to the later Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with occult investigations carried out by a group that is led by a beautiful, tight outfit wearing vampire killer from a lineage of vampire hunters (Victoria Montesi, the Montesi Formula being the way vampires are destroyed in Marvel Comics), and also includes a mouthy scrappy everyman, an occult expert and archeologist who’s knowledge of the supernatural and collection of books leads to the secret of beating the creature of the week, a tough as nails government agent out of his depth when fighting the supernatural, and finally, a tremendously powerful and immortal dark antihero who joins the side of good despite his dark past (Mordred the Mystic is both Willow and Angel together, I suppose). 

The second detail is that it was the first Marvel Comic with an openly gay lead character. You might have heard it was Northstar, but this is not true. Chris Cooper is openly gay himself and always fought for inclusion of this nature. Victoria Montesi’s debut predates Northstar coming out of the closet (a comic, incidentally, that Chris Cooper wrote as associate editor on Alpha Flight, so he worked on both).

There are, likewise, many candidates for who the first gay character in Star Trek is, but one of the characters with the strongest claim to this title is Chris Cooper’s Yoshi Mishima in his Starfleet Academy series. 

Chris Cooper eventually left Marvel Comics after the 90s. Nothing happened. Most people in a freelance job like comic editing and writing are not Chris Claremont, who are there for decades. Careers in the arts don’t last forever, and they have to come to an end sometime, where you go and get a real job.

But Chris Cooper came up again decades later in the news, was the subject of an incident in 2020 when birdwatching in Central Park (he’d been a member of a birdwatching society at Harvard), where he was threatened by a female jogger, who said she would call the police as he threatened her, when we can see he did no such thing. The incident was known as either “the Central Park Birdwatching Incident” or the “Central Park Karen.” 

Looking at the footage now, it’s easy to see why it was national news and viral on the internet. Apart from the obvious racial angle, it is a chilling reminder of how a woman’s vulnerability can become a weapon, and how man’s strength can turn into a vulnerability. 

All the while watching the incident, I was like "...the Darkhold Redeemers guy? No, it couldn't be...it's probably a coincidence, Chris Cooper is a very common name." But nope, it really was the Starfleet Academy guy from the 90s.

Chris Cooper received a birdwatching show on National Geographic, and inspired many black people to go into birdwatching, but I could care less about birdwatching. I would like to see what happened next with Darkhold Redeemers and Starfleet Academy, which ended at a cliffhanger with a lot of unresolved plot points.

#darkhold redeemers #90s marvel #starfleet academy

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Concept for an episode of What If…?: What if Nick Fury’s roster for the original Avengers was completely different?

* This would at least be a two-parter

* This would be one of the most divergent timelines in the MCU since pretty much the entire flow of events would be different compared to the main timeline. Not just different Avengers, but different threats.

* Keep in mind, this timeline is completely different, so the characters that appear will have altered personalities and motivations.

* The line-up, for me, would be -

Alexei Shostakov (Red Guardian) replaces Steve Rogers (Captain America) as the Avenger who is the pride of their respective nation

Xu Wenwu replaces Thor as the Avenger whose powers come from a mystical item(s)

Robbie Reyes (Ghost Rider) replaces Bruce Banner (Hulk) as the Avenger who transforms into a powerful monster

Hope van Dyne (Wasp) replaces Tony Stark (Iron Man) as the Avenger who is a brilliant inventor and an executive of a powerful corporation

Gamora replaces Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) as the Avenger who is a femme fatale spy seeking to redeem themselves

Frank Castle (The Punisher) replaces Clint Barton (Hawkeye) as the Avenger who is a regular guy and a combat veteran

/

/

/

Despite the changes, there are parallels to the original timeline, such as -

1) The main villain is an evil Shang-Chi. In this timeline, he wants to usurp his father as the leader of the Ten Rings (paralleling Loki’s actions).

2) Gamora feels guilty about abandoning her sister, Nebula (paralleling Natasha and Yelena)

3) Frank Castle is a depressed loner since he lost his family (paralleling Clint’s love for his family)

4) Hope van Dyne requires a constant use of Quantum Realm energy due to an incident in Afghanistan (paralleling Tony’s injury)

5) Alexei Shostakov hopes to see his wife, Melina, once again and is depressed over the loss of his daughter Natasha, unaware that Natasha had actually been transferred to the Winter Soldier program (paralleling Peggy and Bucky)

6) Robbie Reyes is on the run from the Ancient One and the Sanctum Sanctorum due to him keeping the Darkhold away from anyone to use (paralleling Bruce running away from General Ross)

#what if...? #nick fury #mcu #marvel #the avengers #avengers #alexei shostakov #Xu Wenwu #robbie reyes #hope van dyne #Gamora #frank castle #steve rogers #thor odinson #bruce banner #tony stark #natasha romanoff #clint barton #shang chi #loki laufeyson #red guardian #captain america #the wasp #iron man #black widow #hawkeye #the punisher #ghost rider

[scarlet--wiccan]

If you were to write a What If? story with Wanda and/or any of the Maximoffs what would the premise be? And what kind of cool stuff would you do for her?

I've got a few ideas. Some of these are kind of basic...

What if Wanda and Pietro had joined the X-Men? It's been done before, but I'm mostly interested in bringing Wanda closer to Illyana and Madelyne. They have a lot of common experiences and similar trauma, and they all tend to be polarizing figures. What would it look like if the three of them were striving together for liberation and freedom-- what lengths would they go to, and who would oppose them?

What if Natalya had saved Wanda and Pietro from the High Evolutionary? Growing up as the Scarlet Witch's successors, they would have been prepared to confront Chthon much earlier. What if they took back Mount Wundagore and turned it into a magical sanctuary, with Pietro leading the Knights? Would that bring them into conflict with Agatha, or would she be their ally?

What if Wanda had joined forces with Victoria Montessi and the Darkhold Redeemers? Kind of the opposite of the last one, I imagine Wanda sacrificing her chaos magic abilities to banish Chthon. Where does she go from there?

What if Billy and Tommy had never died and were raised by Wanda and the Vision? House of M wouldn't have happened, for one thing, and the Young Avengers probably wouldn't exist. I imagine the twins striking out as young superheroes with their cousin Luna, who would be sort of older sister figure since she was born first, and there's no retro-reincarnation...

What if Billy and Tommy were synthezoids? How would you translate their canon powers and personalities in that setting? I think Tommy would be better at flight and density manipulation while Billy would excel at holograms and solar energy projection.

... but I've got a couple that are more fleshed out.

What if Wanda had gone through with marrying Doctor Doom? The basis of their canon relationship is not really healthy or consensual, but I do think these characters have a lot in common, and we've seen that Wanda, with her memories and agency, is more than capable of keeping Victor in line. Introducing Wanda to Latveria's political sphere would be super interesting, and I think that Victor would be very earnest in protecting her and her family. Billy and Tommy would be made princes, and I like to imagine Pietro becoming Doom's Herald and receiving the Power Cosmic instead of Zora. Maybe he and Zora could have a little fling? I feel like they actually have really compatible personalities.

On a more serious note, what would it look like if Victor and Wanda had worked together to uncover the true Darkhold and bind Chthon? Imagine how powerful Latveria would become with an emancipated Wanda as its queen-- and all of the personal and moral challenges that would present to her. But with Latveria becoming such a major power, Billy's marriage to Teddy would unite Latveria with the Kree and Skrull peoples, which could get all kinds of complicated. A lot of people have done the political space-marriage thing with HoM AUs, so it's not a new concept, but it is a fresh angle.

What if Wanda had channelled the Phoenix to resurrect her sons? Walk with me here-- let's assume for this AU that the Maximoffs are mutants. This idea originated as a way to streamline the events of the late 2000s and early 2010s, and end the Decimation saga with Wanda's name cleared and the mutants in a more stable position.

Wanda is immediately overwhelmed and goes Dark Phoenix-- and in the ensuing battle, Pietro is killed trying to protect her. Wanda resurrects him, and, in a state of rage, unleashes the Decimation before disappearing. The events of Young Avengers and Son of M follow as they did in canon, but this time, Billy, Tommy, and Pietro are all harboring a shard of the Phoenix Force. When they eventually find Wanda in Latveria, she regains her memories, and they become the Phoenix Four. The events of Children's Crusade lead directly an AvX scenario, with the Avengers and X-Men vying to either eliminate or control the Maximoff family, who only want to use their power the fix the damage Wanda caused in the first place. Eventually, Hope steps up and helps Wanda dispel the Phoenix for good, and in doing so, reverses the Decimation completely. Then everything gets to be, like, relatively normal until Krakoa.

#wanda maximoff #scarlet witch #pietro maximoff #quicksilver #billy kaplan #wiccan #speed #tommy shepherd #what if #story pitch

[unhingedmarvelandclassicwhobuff]

The Darkhold and its influence (or potential lack thereof)

I recently had a troubling thought about Wanda's future. The number one defense for her in Multiverse of Madness is that Michael Waldron the Darkhold was corrupting her and dictating her actions. I fully buy into that, even though the movie is enragingly vague about it.

The only other people we see with the Darkhold are Sinister Strange and Agatha Harkness. The problem is, we have no idea what either of them were like without it. Maybe Sinister Strange was always a sadistic incel and Agatha was always a psychotic witch.

Since Agatha is getting her own show, I'm both hopeful and worried. I'm hopeful that she will be shown to be a better person now that she is free of the Darkhold's influence, but I'm worried that if the opposite happens and she is more or less the same then a lot of people will take it as definitive proof that the book didn't actually do anything to Wanda and she became a mass-murdering psychopath of her own accord.

As of now it could technically go either way, and that concerns me. Just let my girl redeem herself!

#wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff defense squad #pro wanda maximoff #agatha harkness #sinister strange #anti michael waldron #anti dsmom #wanda maximoff concerns

[oops-all-stephen]

I think it would be interesting if we started to see Stephen Strange helping his foes instead of fighting them. (I know that, realistically, that wouldn’t always work but hey.) Taking their problems seriously and listening without judgement. Helping them find solutions to their many woes…

He treats them warmly and with understanding and does everything in his power to redeem them and heal their hurt. And if they should ask him why he’s doing all this, he’ll tell them, rather defensively, that well, he’s a doctor and it’s literally his job to try to help others when they’re in pain.

In reality, the corruption from the Darkhold spreads more and more and the Souls of the Damned get louder and louder in Stephen’s mind. He knows he’s almost out of time. But, as….tired as Stephen is, fighting the urge to just give in day after agonizing day, he refuses to give in and still chooses to fight them until he no longer is able. And when the day comes that they’ve finally worn him down, he’ll amputate the disease before it can spread to anyone else. (Maybe he’ll do it back home. In that same lake. So that he and Donna can be together for eternity.)

While he waits for that day to come, Stephen has made it his mission to help as many people as he can. Even the worst of his foes. Because Stephen knows that while he may be beyond saving, nobody else has to be. He knows that he can do better than he did as a surgeon. Even without his hands. Because Stephen is a healer at his core, and he won’t allow anyone to suffer alone as long as he lives. As long as he’s still him.

I just

If Stephen HAS to die….

Then I just want Stephen to die as the selfless hero that Marvel seems to forget he is.

#my post #stephen strange #doctor strange #mcu #sighhh. I’m scared about Stephen’s futureeee #also I love thinking about what the souls of the damned use against stephen to torture him…. sorry stephen <3 ily

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

Ok i love wanda i really do but in MoM i just couldn't sympathise with her at all like i did in wandavision her problems in Wandavision seemed i guess more real that i can understand why she created the hex unlike MoM that uses that exact reason of 'well she lost everybody' except now what she lost is not real at all her children were never there and idk using the same reason twice to justify her actions just doesn't work her problems now feel artificial to make her seem sympathetic but instead she comes off as the villian in both MoM and wandavision

That's Waldron for you.

They could have fixed her character in MoM by showing her corruption on-screen + a few scenes where she fights against the hold the book has on her. Think, Loki in The Avengers: Whedon gave us a few moments where Loki doesn't seem to be alright (The Other accessing his mind, the sceptre messing with the team, etc) so that we can understand there's something else going on.

But Waldron had Wanda go evil off-screen and she tells Stephen the worst part of Westview was "lying", as if she had been in control and aware of the whole thing the entire time - he basically retconned everything that happened in her series with that line (and he did that because he never saw it, he and Raimi only watched the post-credit scene).

And at the end of the movie she's not redeemed, no matter what the writer or the director claim. She only changes her mind once she sees her kids afraid of her. What of the power the Darkhold had on her? Do we ever see her breaking free from that? We don't.

Waldron just wanted his evil witch in the story and he ruined Wanda in the process. Frankly, the only one to blame here is Feige, he should be the one protecting these characters... but instead of that he hires Waldron to write the next Avengers movie 🤦‍♀️

The Wanda in MoM is not Wanda, it's a heavily ooc woman who looks like her. The real Wanda is in WandaVision.

#wanda my beloved #wanda maximoff #anti michael waldron #multiverse of madness

[justdealingwithsomeissues]

Next is a Darkhold Redeemers story which is also mostly just ok, but has some pretty great art...

#Marvel #Midnight Sons Unlimited

[simonshepherd]

The ideal path for Scarlet Witch forward in MCU is a quick and definitive arc.

Let’s just acknowledge the fact that Wanda as a character is kinda cursed, and I don’t say that lightly. In the comics she got nuked out of the orbit by House of M and suffered 7 years of straight up absence from comics and spend even more time doing half-assed redemption arcs to get back on her feet.

Ironically it’s probably the popularity boost from MCU that fished her out of the sewer(she barely got comic appearance when WandaVision is actually running, that’s how little Marvel cared about her.) And when her fans saw the new dawn and seemingly bright future, sike, she got nuked again by Multiverse of Madness.

The way I see it, there aren’t many paths that won’t further waste her time or condemn her character even further.(AKA being Kang/Doom’s living plot device for Secret War, at least that’s what the fandom wants for her, before that they want her as the brooding mare for MCU mutants, did I mention this character is cursed?)

 There is one storyline that could maybe both redeem her and develop her character further and maybe lead to a satisfying end though, that is a Darkhold Redeemer project based on the 90s Darhold: Pages from the Book of Sins comic series. She will be perfectly for Modred the Mystic’s role, a former victim of Darkhold who holds tremendous power, and wanting to help others who are affected by the remnants of Chthon’s power, the exact plot of course needs to be changed but Wanda helping Victoria Montesi avoiding her own prophecy and fate would be a very sympathetic premise, and of course it would naturally explore more Elder Gods lore and lead Wanda on the path of finding a way to defeat/contain Chthon, it could probably be finished in a show and a movie, then she can hopefully just peace out and never come back. A somewhat complete legacy not to be disturbed.

Also please just avoid the Billy/Tommy(and Children’s Crusade) in any actual capacity, I don’t hate those characters(and I am a YA fan), but I am going to amputate parts of her if it means I don’t have to be reminded how braindead she is during MoM yelling “muh kids” and that godawful icecream song. (Yes, that includes the none-existent Dadneto) But of course she will more likely be a spectacle generator down the line, have we learned nothing from being a fan of hers since 2005?

#wanda maximoff #scarlet witch #darkhold #house of m sucks #Multiverse of Madness also sucks #Victoria Montesi #just wishful thinking #MCU was useful #Until it wasn't

[purplepanda-marvel-leaks]

MARCH Q&A

Q:Will the crowns certain witches have be addressed in Agatha's show?

A: No crown lore in AGATHA I'm afraid! IIRC someone official said that Wanda gets a crown bc of her Creation magic or something.

Q: Can you share any information about the Wonder Man series?

A: Sorry, sources have been eerily quiet on Wonderman.

I'll share whenever I hear anything though.🙃

Q: any update on spiderman 4? (tom) Marvel v. Sony is still the last I heard on it. It'll take some time before they hash this out

Got some interesting info coming soon for that R-rated animated project Sony is cooking though 👀

Q: Any other F4 villains/ antagonists besides Galactus and Silver Surfer?

A: Too early to tell currently. (Is Galactus and SS even confirmed??) Last I heard is that the script was still being touched up.

Q: How big is Bullseye's role in Born Again?

A: It's substantial but not a HUGE role.

Q: Can you tell us if anything has been cancelled? (Disney+ shows, future movies)

A: I haven't heard of anything getting canned from any of my sources 🤷🏽‍♀️

Q: What do you think will be the best upcoming what if season 3 episode

A: Nice try Imao. The mech episode will be a lot of fun though

Q: Any more exciting Agatha news soon? 👀

A: Actually got quite a bit of Agatha news coming VERY soon 👀🤔

Q: Will the darkhold make an appearance in Agatha?

A: It can't make an "appearance" since Wanda destroyed them all, but it's certainly mentioned.

Q: Any update on when Eternals characters will return?

A: Check recent posts.

Q: Any details on what if…? Season 3 release? Spring? Summer?

A: it's been reported that it was planned for release this year, but it's unclear if that's still the case.

The lot of you will be the first to hear if I get any word on it

Q: What was your favorite movie from 2023?

A:

2023 was killer. Besides the obvious answers like Barbie and Oppenheimer, I thought these two films were amazing.

Q: Is Mysterios what if return as a cameo or a main focus?

A: More than a cameo forsure.

Q: Will we see more of Joe Locke in mcu after Agatha 👀👀

A: 100%. Billy has a lot to do

Q: niche question lol but do you know anything about John Walker's arc in Thunderbolts?

A: My sources have said that he's been doing his best to redeem himself.

If his best is the "right" way is to be determined…

Q: Will we ever get a strange academy? I just got done reading the comics!

A: I've heard whispers of something inspired by Strange Academy, AND Zelma Stanton is appearing in Ironheart

Q: X-Men

A:

Q: Is there any updates with Ironheart dates?? I swear I read they finished filming a while bak

A: They finished filming ages ago but I heard they're reworking things and will reshoot soon if they haven't started already.

Q: Is there any validity to the Plastic Man movie rumours?

A: I've been told no, but I want them to be true 😭

Q: Do you think part 2 of Born Again will happen?

A: Yes I do.

Q: What marvel character would your ideal film, series, or special presentation be about?

A: Specifically Joe Fixit 👀👀👀👀

Q: Should we worry about Captain America 4?!

A: I wouldn't be worried. Marvel is doing to Cap 4 what they did to DDBA:

They saw what they had, and are putting in the time and money to make it better.

Q: Will Thunderbolts be Rated R?

A: Nah I would highly doubt that.

Q: will we ever see daredevil in a comic accurate costume

A: Yes. He was supposed to get a new suit in the old finale (classic Marvel TV fashion, I know). Not sure about the new finale tho. Might be saved for part 2.

Q: Will DD:BA have a mature tone, and show the religious side of Matt like the Netflix show?

A: Yes. It was reworked to bring more of that mature tone back, especially in the action.

Q: Any future plans for Zemo in Thunderbolts or the MCU moving forward?

A: In Thunderbolts? No. In the MCU moving forward? Yes.

Q: Do we know who is on the table with the tag on the toe in Agatha?

A: The toe tag says W. MAXIMOFF 👀

Q: Do you know if we will see Mephisto in the MCU soon?

A: Mephisto will appear in Ironheart

Q: Is Wonder Man among the cancelled projects Bob Iger is referring to?

A: No. Don't expect anything that is already filming to get cancelled.

Q: will the survivors from the what if zombie episode be in marvel zombies?

A: Yes.

Q: Is Vision Quest still in the works?

A: The last i heard it was still in the works.

Q: Will we see blade in live action before his movie?

A: Unlikely. But we'll see him in animation at least 😭

Q: DDBA is releasing this year so what time of this year should we be expecting it to release

A: DDBA is NOT releasing this year

Q: Will Agatha and Rio have an stable romantic relationship in the series?

A: More like the opposite of stable 👀 💜

Q: Why did you lie about the Agatha series being titled Agatha All Along? D+ reveals its just Agatha

A: That's like asking Disney why they lied when they originally announced the series to be Agatha: House of Harkness 😭😭

My source was certain so I reported it Imao

#Echo #Kingpin #Marvel #Daredevil #IronFist #LukeCage #JessicaJones #TheDefenders #MarvelNetflix #AlaquaCox #CharlieCox #VincentDonofrio #WilsonFisk #MayaLopez #MattMurdock #MarvelStudios #MarvelComics #DaredevilBornAgain #MarvelSpotlight #MCU #ScarletWitch #wandamaximoff #elizabetholsen #lizzieolsen #WandaVision #WhatIf #whatifseason2 #marvelzombies #marvelstudios #mcu

[eveenstar]

𝔒𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔶𝔬𝔲, 𝔪𝔢, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔲𝔰 || 𝔖𝔦𝔫𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔖𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢 𝔵 𝔣𝔢𝔪!𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔢𝔯||

𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝑖𝑣: 𝑀𝑌 𝑃𝐴𝑆𝑇 𝐼𝑆 𝑌𝑂𝑈𝑅 𝐹𝑈𝑇𝑈𝑅𝐸

𝔖𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: Doctor Strange's fears have come true, and Stephen's true motives reveal themselves. Desperate for a love he thought he had lost, the sinister doctor tries to kill Stephen in an attempt to keep (Y/N) to himself.

𝔗𝔞𝔤𝔰/𝔚𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰: Mentions of blood and someone being wounded.

𝔗𝔞𝔤𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱: (Comment/Reblog/Use my inbox if you wish to be tagged!) @paola-carter @levitationcloak @heartwoundd @ghost-lantern @dopeqff @dragonqueen89 @cereneciderr @weirdhorrorenthusiast @fadedeuphoria @yuugenmomo @slut-for-eddie-munson @catherinewind05 @kiahthehuffinpuff12 @severuined @singhfae @justsomecreaturewandering @lovecleastrange @queenofspades6 @sherlux @marcelin3 @fire-treasure-iii @freshmoneyalmondathlete @sweet0pia-uwu @sanctumsanctorumshenanigans @nancy-thompsons @kuboshu1 @mylovelyreblogs @uncle-eggy @dishwasher666 @andrewswifes-blog @darealbellabelleoftheball @jekyllhydetrash @sonnensplitter @isasv @d0ct0rstrangewife @strangelockd @evelynrosestuff

ɑ/ɳ: This took way too long and it's short, my apologies! My mental and physical health got in my way and I lost track of time. This is the end of the story, however, there is still the epilogue, so we're not quite down yet! Keep following to know how Sinister Strange and (Y/N)'s story ends. :) (I also hate tumblr's tagging system)

Tick tock

tick tock

Falling, it can be a quiet thing. Falling from who you are. It can go unnoticed like a needle falling to the ground - have you wondered why people only open their eyes when someone's sorrow transforms into anger?

"I would caution you, Stephen. The Darkhold is no trick."

The Sinister Doctor tightened his fists as he stared at an old, dusty picture of his young and deceased protégé. So beautiful and taken before her time. There was a war happening, not one of magic or technology, but one of love and grief. True wars are those that occur within one's soul - and Strange felt like he was losing. He was someone's hero once, just like his protégé was, and look where that had taken them.

Everyone wages war with the past, it's just a matter of who will win. Was (Y/N) a face of the future or the past? Was she the one who would redeem this fallen sorcerer, this hero, from all of his sins?

Or was she here to push him more into the delirium that is love?

"I won't do it Stephen," (Y/N) whispered, "He's a broken man, I won't pretend to be someone I'm not because you want the darkhold. We will find another way."

"It's our only option." The good doctor replied with a heavy sight.

"Killing him would be preferable to torture him even further." It was more of an accusation, she knew Stephen was capable of killing one life for the greater good.

A loud, thunderous laughter echoed through the front hall. Sinister Strange descended in all mystical grace, wearing a very much destroyed cloak. (Y/N)'s Stephen prepared a defense as he summoned his powers with his hands, and of course, so did the young woman. The Sinister Doctor mimicked a false pout as he tilted his head slightly - red strings of veins surrounding his eyes' iris.

"She will die if she goes with you," (Y/N) furrowed her eyebrows in discontent, Strange looked at her as if she was the most bright star in the sky. "My past is your future."

The first blow was by Stephen, not wanting to take any chances, and it sent a unprepared Strange flying across the room. (Y/N) took a second glance - books were sent flying against the two sorcerers, managing to separate them to two corners of the hall.

This, on opposition to the first battle, was not a dance of equals. This was a bloody, venomous hunt of beasts fighting for control.

A wind whirl of books and furniture - almost as if it had life of its own - uncontrollably began to cause havoc on the Sanctum. Stephen shouted for his protégé, attacked by monstrous books, and was quickly thrown to the ground and against a wall after he tried to reach out for her.

It was all too quick - after (Y/N) reacted and used a spell to make the invisible musical notes fly out of the piano and attack the Sinister Sorcerer, Stephen could only see a few flashes of their brief duel of music - the sinister twin was pulling back his magic and redirecting it to Stephen while (Y/N) tried to redirect them back to the original - until one of the notes slashed her back in a straight line and she fell back.

The music stopped and everything fell, like Strange's heart did when he saw what he had done. A painful shout from the top of his lungs caused the sacred building to shake and tremble and he grabbed fists of his hair in panic - allowing Stephen to get close to (Y/N), who was lucky the wound wasn't deep enough to be life or death, but it still had to be treated soon before it became one.

The sorcerers looked back at Strange and watched in horror as shadows, seemingly growing from inside him, spreaded out in limbs and began to lash out at everything - almost by coincidence, it was around this moment that a star portal opened at the top of the stairs.

"Stephen?! (Y/N)!" A familiar and concerned girl emerged from the other side.

"We must go," Stephen called out, "(Y/N)!"

The sorceress watched as Sinister Strange fell to his knees, a mix of anguished wails and pleas drowned out by the collapsing building.

"I'm not leaving him." Skidding down the stairs, the sorceress ignored Chavez's pleas from the other side of the open portal. "I can save him!"

Doctor Strange grabbed her hand, not to push her back, not this time. Their eyes met, a storm of emotions behind each, one that would never see the light of day again - and it was like a thousand choirs weep from the skies.

"Are you sure?" No explanation, or further dialogue, was needed for both parties to know what that question meant. Are you sure you want to stay? To live like this? (Y/N) was certain - not one hundred percent certain, she had taken better choices before, but her heart told her this was the right choice for this story.

She had no place with the good doctor - as silly as it sounds, all (Y/N) wanted was to be loved by someone - without the fear of impending doom upon them, or having her partner doubt their relationship. This universe was by no means a cozy apartment in New York, or a warmth cottage in the countryside - but it would have to work, for now.

(Y/N) nodded and quickly let go of his hand - but to Stephen it all moved in slow motion. Chavez pulling him back to his - their - universe, (Y/N) using her powers to create a barrier between her and Sinister Strange and the collapsing Sanctum, but most of all, the sensation of her hand before he let her go.

Doctor Strange watched as the love of his life disappeared in a cloud of smoke and rocks.

Meanwhile, Sinister Strange groaned and coughed as he felt a body on top of his - he could have swore he had died and this was heaven, but once he saw the glowing barrier around him, and the familiar sweet face on top, he knew this was just the beginning of his heaven.

"Hey, I got you, I got you," (Y/N) hushed quietly, face contorting in discomfort - Strange reached out with his hand to cup her face as unconscious tears descended from his eyes and down to the sides of his face.

His harsh voice let out a breathy sigh and a forced smirk painted his lips, "My angel of music."

If only he could thank the Scarlet Witch for giving him this opportunity...

#marvel #sinister strange x reader #dark!doctor strange #dark!doctor strange x reader #dark!marvel #marvel fanfic series

[xgoddessoffandomsx]

Hi.

I've noticed you've liked a few of my posts, and since you're clearly a fellow Wanda fan, I'd like your opinion on WandaVision. How much do you think Wanda knew about what she was doing? Is/was she still redeemable? Could she ever make up for what she has done?

I have a whole slew of opinions on WV, and I'd like to know your thoughts.

Hi!

No I don't think Wanda truly realized what she was doing, she was so caught up in her grief she refuses to accept Vision was dead and her sons not "real" we see at the end of WandaVision, Wanda looks around Westview and sees all the people she hurt, finally allowing herself to heal

And then the Darkhold corrupted her to the point her healing was undone

I do think Wanda can be redeemed, I don't think she died at the end of the Multiverse of Madness, rather she wants to be thought of as dead so she can go into hiding and heal from her trauma.

When her parents died she had Pietro, when Pietro died she had Vision, when she had to kill Vision she had no one and had to see him brought back and killed again right in front of her. I'm surprised it took a tv show and a movie for her to snap.

I do think Wanda has to prove and work to be forgiven, by Westview, by America Chavez, by the Avengers etc

[cblgblog]

Hi there.

We've never spoken before, but as you can see from my username, we have at least two common interests.

Anyway, I'd like to talk to you about Wanda Maximoff. I've made it no secret that I am an avid defender of hers, despite the many, many bad things she has done.

I suppose my first question is, do you think MCU Wanda is still redeemable after everything she has done, especially recently? Personally I really want to believe that she is.

My second question is a lot more heavy: since you seem to be a fan of Elizabeth Olsen and her Wanda, you have doubtlessly heard people say that she is whitewashed. I've seen numerous people say that, and these are just a few examples:

There's also this one YouTube video that I've been trying to get help analyzing, but apparently video links aren't allowed in asks. Sad.

At any rate, what do you think? Do these accusations hold water? Is MCU Wanda whitewashed? Is Elizabeth Olsen a racist? Is it wrong to be a fan of the character like these people seem to think?

To be absolutely clear, I don't want to believe any of the questions I just asked, but the cynic in me is forced to consider all the arguments.

Hey there, fellow Wanda apologist, pleased to meet you.

Is she redeemable? That’s gonna be a your mileage may vary thing. Everyone has different thresholds of what they’re willing to forgive, and it depends on the writing. To me, the telling thing is Professor X, and them very blatantly stealing his line from Days of Future Past. “Just because someone stumbles and loses their way, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.” That line is very telling that they’re at least leaving open the possibility of a redemption arc. To me, personally, yes, she is. The comics redeemed her after similarly catastrophic events, or they at least tried to. Some people bought it, some people didn’t, and that’s what I see with MCU Wanda’s future.

I will say that MoM majorly fucked over Wanda’s character development. Apparently the original pitch for the movie was the bits we see in the trailer: her teaming up with Strange to make up for Westview, and not having her bad turn until later. Then 2020 happened, stuff got delayed, Wandavision blew up, and, according to the commentary track on the flick, the creatives on that movie decided that they wanted to be the ones who got to shoot all the fun, scary, Wanda goes evil stuff, so they reworked the script. And while I get that theoretically, on a selfish level, I get the impulse….you idiots went and broke all her character development from Wandavision.

The whole point of Wandavision was that she messed up, she did the bad thing, then she undid the bad thing. It doesn’t undo the trauma she caused, but at least she was—supposedly—aware that this path she was on wasn’t sustainable. The thing would’ve made so much more sense if Wanda starts MoM on a path of helping Strange and America Chavez, then sees all these different universes where she’s happy with her kids, and that sets her backward. Because who wouldn’t see that and want that happiness? She’s still recovering from like…her entire damn life, it would make sense for her to backslide there. But having her start out the movie in evil mode just kinda…undid Wandavision’s whole finale, thanks guys.

But anyway.

They wrote themselves into a corner there. Do I think they’re gonna try to write themselves out of it and give her a redemption arc at some point? Yeah, I think we’ll get it down the line, and it’ll be too little too late for some people no matter what happens, and that’s fine. I will personally still love the character, while acknowledging that she did some absolutely terrible thing. Or, in the words of a friend who says stuff much more concisely than me: "If we can forgive Tony 'sold WMDS for funsies for years' Stark we can forgive Wanda "The darkhold took over my mind along with grief" Maximoff"

And now, the hornet’s nest.

Is she whitewashed? Yes, absolutely. Does that mean that you, or anyone else who likes the character is trash? No. You are allowed to acknowledge that something is flawed/has issues, and still enjoy it. Tumblr will tell you otherwise, but you are never going to find the perfect, Unproblematic Thing, that was written by the perfect, unproblematic person, and has no questionable aspects to it, or the people behind it. It isn’t happening, sorry guys.

As to Elizabeth Olsen being a racist: She didn't know who she was cast as until she'd signed a contract, so even if she wanted to back out that's a no-go.  You sign on these things for multiple movies, for millions of dollars. But I’m sure everyone who’s yelling at her for daring to work on these films is an expert in contract law.

The slurs: to my knowledge: Reportedly she's said gypsy twice, once in 2015 in an interview and once very recently in interview. Gypsy instead of Romani. The comics have been calling her gypsy for years, and we know Olsen’s read some of the comics, at least. Bad word choice all around. My personal feeling is that people slip up. I don’t know the woman, she might be an evil racist sociopath. Outside looking in? I think she’s used inappropriate terms before, without the intent to do harm, but she fucked up. I think the powers that be at Marvel—comics and movies—say gypsy in reference to her, so Olsen does the same thing at times.  

Again, every human being has problematic aspects. Celebrities are included in that. It’s your business to decide what’s forgivable and what’s not to you personally. All I know for sure is that every single person who shames strangers on the Internet has said or done something cancel-worthy, and every single one of us would look like terrible people if the Internet was able to put a microscope to everything we’ve ever done or said.

So anyway. It’s okay to like Wanda and want good things for her, while acknowledging that she’s done awful things. It’s okay to engage with the MCU’s take, while acknowledging that whitewashing absolutely happened. Tumblr will tell you otherwise, but you asked my opinion, this is my opinion.  It’s okay to like the character and not the actress. It’s okay to still like the actress and acknowledge that she’s done problematic things. It’s. Okay.

You aren’t poisoning the world by engaging with what you like in a way that you like, and anyone telling you otherwise isn’t saving it either.

#pro wanda maximoff #wanda maximilf #elizabeth olsen

[prettywitchiusaka]

What do you think Wanda Maximoff needs to do to redeem herself post-DSMOM?

That's a very good question.

I have some ideas, but I think the big things Wanda needs is to forgive herself!

She needs to figure out how she feels and what she can do to mitigate any damage going forward. Because, honestly? The only thing she can do is take responsibility for her actions to ensure it never happens again.

I think one thing that might help is giving Wanda a monolouge where she describes the horror the Darkhold had over her mind. How she didn't stop to think about what she was doing, and then when the spell broke the absolute horror she came to. Maybe even doubt she can ever be a force for good, as she only seems to hurt people through her actions.

This could then lead into a character arc for her to redeem herself and fully accept that yes, she can't get everything she wants and no, not everyone will understand or forgive her, but she can always get up and try again because it's what she wants to do.

Something like that.

#Prettywitch Responds #scarlet witch #marvel cinematic universe #doctor strange in the multiverse of madness

[scarlet--wiccan]

If Wanda were to lead a team (I know she has in the past but that felt really brief) and you were in charge of it, what would you call it and who would be on it?

I've got a few ideas.

A Fantastic Four lineup composed of Wanda, Pietro, Billy and Tommy. There's four of them, they're a family, and they have beef with Doctor Doom-- it's perfect! Obviously, this isn't a serious idea-- I'm thinking they could pop up as multiverse variants, or be featured in one of those short, gimmick arcs where a group of other characters takes over for the FF. Luna could be the baby Franklin of the group!

I previously mentioned bringing back the Lady Liberators, which I admit is a very goofy name. Maybe just shorten it to Liberators? A lot of these women have leadership experience, but putting Wanda in charge could be a fun spin. She's kind of at the top of her game right now, whereas I think Monica, Carol, and Jan have all been working through more baggage recently. Letting them step back and rely on Wanda would be cool change of pace, since she's been the one who needs their support for most of the last decade.

A Midnight Sons/Darkhold Redeemers crew, co-led with Vicky Montessi. Wanda is the Darkhold's master now, and I imagine she'd feel responsible to help anybody whose life has been impacted by it. I'm particularly interested in Wanda becoming a sort of ambassador to the werewolf and vampire communities, who both have historical ties to the Darkhold and its magics-- to that end, I'd also include Moon Knight, who I think she'd really get along with.

A revival of the Coven that was introduced in Midnight Suns (2022). I'm super interested in the history of witches and witchcraft in the Marvel world, which is something we usually only see when we get glimpses of Agatha's past. It seems like this type of magic is typically passed family lines, and Agatha has spent the last several hundred years watching those families and manipulating them as she sees fit. There's a lot to unpack there, especially when it comes to the representation of cultural practices. I think Contest of Chaos is going to shake things up for Agatha, and I'd love to see Wanda banding together with some of the other members of those magic lineages-- Billy, Nico, Zoe, Alice, even Jericho, Talisman, and Shaman-- to unify the Coven more equitably, and hopefully, usher in some more authentic storytelling.

The Mom Squad. Wanda, Mantis, Tigra, the Jessicas. Jean and Jubilee, if they're not busy. Madelyne and Amora, to keep everyone on their toes. Motherhood in superhero comics can get really messy, and kinda like I was saying with possession stories, I think getting a bunch of those characters in a room together would helpful for writers to begin addressing those patterns of sexist writing on the page.

#team ideas #story pitch #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch

[kitausuret]

5-12 marvel asks

5. Favorite team: the easy answer here is, the Avengers! And there have been some really good lineups. I'm particularly fond of this West Coast Avengers lineup:

...and later on there's also a lineup with US Agent and Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter) that I totally adore.

The more complicated answer is, if they'd had time to develop, I'm pretty sure Flash's ragtag Space Knight crew would've ended up being an absolute favorite of mine. The Space Knights combined with the few folks he and Venom picked up galivanting across the galaxy would have been incredible all together but we'll never get to see it and I'll ALWAYS be upset about that.

6. Favorite run of your favorite team? ...well, uh, the Space Knight crew literally only appeared in Venom: Space Knight so. Yeah. That run. The only one in existence.

For the sake of keeping things interesting though, I also really like the Excalibur team, and Chris Claremont's run with them (Excalibur v1 #1-19, and then intermittently after that) is amazing. Claremont is far from a perfect writer but this series was SO much fun.

7. Favorite Silver Age comic: Ooooo, tough one - Avengers and Amazing Spider-Man are both really good, but honestly, I have to give this one to Spidey. Lee/Romita Sr. is absolutely unparalleled amazing-ness. Romita's pencils are so beautiful to look at and I think everyone should do themselves a favor and read some silver age Spidey. Just do it. GO. NOW.

Just. Just behold this unparalleled excellence.

8. Favorite solo hero: is it a cop-out if I say Spider-Man again? I loved Scarlet Witch's solo series, but ultimately I like her to be on a team, too. Peter Parker though? That man is a solo act if I ever saw one. And frankly I prefer it that way. I don't really like him being an Avenger, though I suppose I can accept him as a reservist, and occasional team-ups are fine but like. He's just so good on his own. Even his team-ups with Felicia, who he works well with, seem to always end in abject disaster. So yeah, let him stay on his own. (Panels from Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #89)

9. Favorite character introduced in the last ten years: this one's easy, it's Andrea Benton! I absolutely adore Jubulile van Scotter as well though. Both? Both.

10. Best development was answered right here!

11. Favorite ship? You mean I have to pick one? Well, why don't I go with a canon one, for once? PeterMJ will always be endgame. But they both have two hands, and Peter can have up to six. Ultimately though I don't think I could ever keep them apart. They will ALWAYS be soulmates of some kind or another. They're just amazing.

12. Favorite underrated character? Hmmm... probably Sam Buchanan, from Darkhold: Pages From the Book of Sins. He was one of the Darkhold Redeemers and Victoria Montesi's first emotional support blond himbo. (Her second was Eddie Brock (Toxin).) I love him.

#asked and answered #so many questions!!! all of them fun! #thank you for giving me an excuse to write about darkhold though #sam truly is so much to me #west coast avengers #excalibur #andi benton #jubulile von scotter #peter parker #sam buchanan #mj watson #petermj

[yetanothercomicbook]

Black Letter

Darkhold #1

Something different (for Marvel).

In Rome, Vicki Montesi is under attack, because of her family’s connection to the Darkhold. In New York, she works with Ghost Rider to fight a villain who has been affected by one of the Darkhold pages.

This comic does an adequate job of setting up the series. We meet Vicki and get an okay sense of who she is. We also see the formation of her team, the Darkhold Redeemers, who will be around for the next couple of years. In some ways, the book is reminiscent of TOMB OF DRACULA because none of these people have powers. At first, Vicki doesn’t even believe in all this supernatural stuff. While far from perfect, this inaugural outing makes me want to come back and see what the Redeemers do next.

On Sale Date: August 11, 1992.

Wizard Top 100: #13.

Chris Cooper (1 of 19).

Richard Case (1 of 4).

6/10

#October 1992 #Darkhold