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Rolling over to grab her ringing phone, she blindly slides her finger across her screen and groggily says hello.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Leon chuckles on the other end, making her join in with her own tired laugh.
“Shut up,” she mumbles back. “Always been a morning person.”
“I thought it woulda rubbed off on you by now!”
“Maybe one day, but not today!” She quips.
“Happy Valentine's Day, anyway babe. I was gonna wait until you were already up, but I couldn't wait anymore.” He says, and she can see his smile from where she was laying.
“Aww, you are so cute! Happy Valentine's Day, baby. I can't wait to see you later and give you your gifts.” She gushes.
“Aw, you got me something??”
“Of course I did! One of them you can wear on our date tonight– but the rest are surprises!”
“Oh shit, there's more!” He exclaims, making her laugh. “Well, your first gift is sitting on your kitchen counter, when you do get outta bed.”
“Alright, I'm getting up now.” She says, sliding from underneath the covers to head out of her room, into her kitchen. A big orange bag sits, awaiting her.
“Aw, it's orange!” She frowns, walking over to it and looking inside, gasping at the potted plant— her very own poppy plant! It was also orange.
“A poppy plant?! Wait, I'm gonna cry!”
“Oh, don't cry!”
“No, no it's okay! They're happy tears!” She laughs, wiping her face, as she puts him on speaker, sitting her phone on the counter.
“Okay… you okay?” He asks.
“Yeah,” she whimpers. “Ugh, there's a card! More tears!”
Pulling that and the pot from the bag, she giggles at the bright bubble-lettered Zora that's painted on both sides.
“Aw, did you paint this??”
“Of course I did, baby. You like it?”
“It's the cutest thing I've ever seen, Leon. I love it. Nobody's ever bought me a plant before.”
“Well, I've never bought anybody one before, either. Look at us, being each other's firsts.” He exclaims, making her laugh and wipe away another tear.
“Shut up,”
“Ah— open your card, please dear.”
“Okay,” she grabs it off the counter, pulling it from its envelope, “you have to go soon?”
“Yeah, it's been nonstop since I got here, but the moment my supervisor gave me a break, I came straight back to call you. He’ll be looking for me soon.”
“Okay, I won't hold you up too much longer.” She says, looking at the pretty pink card with the holiday name emblazoned on the front in gold calligraphy, opening it up to read what's inside.
“Happy Valentine's Day to the sweetest woman in the world, I love you and cannot wait to see you later tonight.
In the meanwhile, I've decided to send you on a scavenger hunt— what?! That's so cool!!” She yells.
“I thought you'd say that!” He yells back.
“Once you get to work, there'll be three things for you to find; something big, something tall and something small— all orange, of course.”
“Linda let you hide presents in her restaurant?? Wow, she must love me for real.” She snorts.
“She loves me too, ya know? Told you, we're besties.”
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The first gift she found was her “something tall”– a lava lamp. Not just any lava lamp, the specific one she had been eyeing from one of her favorite online shops.
Orange and black. A curvy designed frame that stands at about two feet. She was in love, already having a place to put it in her mind.
Putting it in her car for safe keeping, she begins looking around for the other two.
“Hmm..” She roams around the dining area, until she sees an orange piece of paper sticking out of a napkin dispenser.
Pulling it out, she begins to read it before squealing. She quickly covers her mouth and looks around, thankfully going unnoticed.
“I'm gonna kick his ass,” she laughs to herself, before reading the card once more. “Happy love day, angel face. There is a certificate attached for a one of a kind bouquet from your favorite flower shoppe. I know you jumped for joy cause you love your flowers! I love you and I cannot wait to see the look on your face. I worked so hard on this. My fingers hurt. I love you, again. Bye.”
She giggles again, loving the neon orange paper clip that's holding the certificate to the card, how the certificate has poppies and cosmos on it, also wishing her a very happy Valentine's day.
“Goodness, there's one more thing! I might just die in here.”
A small group of customers coming in had her stuffing the card into the front of her apron and moving back behind the counter.
Once everyone was settled, she started to move away from the counter, until something told her to look to her left.
A flat black box is tucked by some papers. She pulls it out and stares at it, her brain mulling over what it could be.
“Hm. It's a lil heavy,” she playfully shakes it, before reading the note taped to the right corner, telling her to open it after work.
Which was a great idea, cause once she pulled the top off the box and found the burnt orange scrapbook Leon made her, all types of screams and expletives flew from her lips.
“Is he fucking serious?!” She screams, again, flipping through the pictures he'd candidly taken over the course of their relationship, so far. The food, the flowers, the dates, many moons and sunsets, baby ducks in ponds, the two of them in their element, and so many more special moments.
“He is so cute,” she tearfully laughs, wiping her face as she hears a knock at her door.
Opening it up to reveal her man, she jumps up in his arms as he laughs and walks inside, closing the door behind himself.
“Heyyy, baby!”
“Damn, girl! You missed me?”
Many kisses are exchanged.
“Absolutely! Been waiting to see you all day!” She exclaims, looking up at him with doe eyes as he pecks her nose.
“Why you think I got here so fast?! Did the mad dash for ya.” He says with a wink.
“I'll let it slide, today,” she snickers as he lets her down. “But, this right here! Best gift I've gotten today, so far.”
“Really? I had so much fun putting it together, too!”
“It looks like it, babe. And yes, you had me in here ugly crying! The pictures of the ducks took me outta here!”
“They were good models that day, for sure,” he laughs, running his hand over her hair, pulling her back to him.
“You're so cute,” she frowns.
“I'm about to get cuter, I fear.”
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Soon, they're at her favorite place on earth, getting ready to unveil the bouquet Leon handcrafted for her.
“Okay, close your eyes, sweet girl!” The owner, Inara, says.
“Okay, they're closed!” Zora squeals back.
“Hold out your hands.” Leon says, placing the bouquet in her trembling hands.
“Okay, open!”
Her wide eyes land on the most beautiful bouquet she'd ever seen.
“Wow, you love me a whole lot!” She whispers, watching as her vision gets super blurry with tears. He's right there to wipe them away.
Oranges and pinks and purples. Peonies, cosmos, poppies, a couple white roses in the mix. It was beautiful!
“I love you so much.” He says, wiping her wet eyes, once more.
“He's such a sweetheart,” the owner exclaims. “Made sure he got your favorites and some extras— lord, you taught him well about these flowers!”
Zora giggles, wiping her own eyes, this time.
“He did such an amazing job,” she frowns up at him, those sweet kisses he places on her makes her frown deeper.
“Anything for you, baby.” He cheeses. “Speaking of, I got one more thing for ya.”
She looks up at him in disbelief. “Really??”
He chuckles, an mhm leaving him before they wave to Inara and head towards the exit.
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She gasps. “You got me a kitty???”
“I sure did, baby. Meet Coco.” He says, carefully handing over the tiny orange kitty, smiling at the way she immediately curled up in Zora’s arms.
“Oh, this is what love feels like.” She frowns, rocking herself as she pets her head, snickering at the way her ears flicker.
“Hey sweet baby angel!” She coos.
He smiles, taking a picture with his phone. “Nothing but love, baby.”
“Nah, this is a new level! I don't think we've had too many conversations about cats or dogs, or any of that type of stuff.”
“Cause we're not that kind of couple. I trust my gut when it comes to you. I pay attention to you, and you've never struck me as a dog person.”
“I'm not, no.” She shakes her head, nuzzling her face against Coco's, making Leon laugh at the sight.
“I mean don't get me wrong, dogs are cool! But cats are so independent and I like that. Plus, look at this face!”
She turns her around to face him, those big green eyes looking up at him. He frowns and reaches out to pet her.
“She's adorable! The cutest out of the litter, too. Had to scoop ‘er up.”
“Aw, the cutest of the bunch?! Go you!” She coos, earning tiny squeaks back that make her heart swell.
“How old is she?”
“About a month old? I've got her papers back at the crib.” He says.
“Aw, can we take her home now?!” She asks excitedly.
“Yeah, let's get her signed out and she's all yours, babe.”
With her free hand, she pulls him into a hug, thank you falling from her lips about a thousand times. He kisses her hair, a smile stuck on his face.
“Anything for you, my love.”
Back in her apartment now, she sits Coco down in the fluffy cat bed she'd bought on their way back, loving the way she curls up in it.
“Ugh, she's so cute! I can't believe she's mine.”
“Imagine if I had missed the mark on this,” he snorts, making her laugh too.
“Nah, you nailed it without me even having to say it! I also wanna rename her.”
“To what?”
“Okay, now don't think I'm corny.. but, Valentine.”
“Aw! That's actually really precious.”
“Right?! The sweetest valentine present I've ever gotten from the sweetest valentine I've ever had!”
She squeals as they share a sweet kiss.
“You think she'll respond to it well?”
“Well, let's see..” She looks over at her, her little tail wagging slowly as she looks up at them.
“C'mere Valentine.. c'mere baby girl!” She coos, cupping her hands as she slowly moves away from the fluffy bed.
“Look at her trottin’ over,” he comments, “takin’ her sweet time.”
“It's okay, I'm new!” She whispers, still cooing and calling her by her new name, getting more and more excited as she gets closer to her fingertips.
The minute she hopped into her palms, she had to stop herself from screaming for joy all over again, as the baby kitten peers up at her.
“She's so cute, I cannot take it!” She squeals, watching her roll around and lay on her back, inside her palms. Leon pokes her exposed belly, earning squeaks that resemble laughter.
“Awww!” They coo in unison.
“I've heard that orange cats are sassy,” he notes, and she nods.
“Yeah, one of my aunts used to have one. She was something else. Jumped out the window one day and never came back.” She sighs, looking down at Valentine.
“You are not jumping out of windows okay? No jumping off walls and up onto high surfaces. Mama don't play that, mmkay?” She scoots her into one palm and holds the other up, snickering as her paw connects.
“Like she understands you, for real.”
“Just you wait, we're gonna have our little system up and runnin’ in no time!”
Soon having to get ready for their date, Zora drops Valentine off at auntie Nique’s, who might've been a tinge more excited than Zora once she saw those big green eyes.
“Oh my goodness, look at this sweet baby!” She coos, scooping her up.
“Right?! The most precious kitten I've ever seen!”
“I'm almost shocked she's not gray,” Nique laughs.
“Or black! I love the witchy kitties, too! Maybe she can get a sister later on.”
“Aw, not a slew of em! Lean on me is so in love with you, it's crazy!”
Zora's face scrunches up at the nickname she'd given Leon.
“Lean on me?”
“When you're not strong, yes.” Nique nods, before snickering.
“Anyway, dawg. I'm glad you could watch her for me tonight. God knows I won't be any good after he gets through with me.” She whispers the last part.
“Daaamn, you gettin’ strung up by the ceiling or sumn??”
“Girl, no! I just know ima get put through the mattress once I put this new lingerie on, though!” She whispers again, cackling as they slap hands.
“Just freaky frogs! I love it!”
“So do I! Now, tell Darnell we said hey and he better put his whole foot in whatever he's making you tonight!”
“Either that or my foot's goin’ up his a—” her sentence cuts off as he comes around the corner with a spatula in hand, squinting at her with a sly grin.
“You talkin’ shit, huh? You know I gets down in here for you.”
“I was just playing, babe.”
“Mmmmhm. Hey Zora.” He flashes a smile.
“Hey, boyfriend!” She mocks, making him laugh, before cutting his eyes back at Nique.
Zora snorts, looking between the two of them.
“Should I take Valentine to ma’s?” She jokingly asks.
“Bye, Zora Jean!” Nique laughs, pushing her towards the door.
“Okay, okay! You girls, be good, tonight! Don't give uncle Darnell too much trouble, okay?”
“We gon’ give him hell, girl!” Nique looks at Valentine, before smiling at Zora.
“If you find Nique strung over the balcony, I didn't do it!” He yells from the kitchen, making them laugh.
“And that's my cue!”
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Reservations at the Mimosa Grill were made in advance, which gave the couple ample time to get all dolled up for love day.
Smoothing her hands over her black, floor length dress, Zora gives herself a once over in the mirror. Nude lip. Smokey eye. Minimal jewelry besides the citrine earrings Leon had also gifted her. And nothing goes with a dress like that, but big hair!
Voluminous curls sit pretty on her head as she tousles them, loving each way they fall.
She felt so pretty.
Leon is across the hall in her bathroom, fastening the belt to his pants and cuffing the jacket of his all black ensemble, making sure the world sees the icy chain she'd gifted him. The light reflecting off the diamonds had him periodically letting out a “woo!”, making her giggle.
Low fade Leon had come out tonight, and Zora was more than a happy camper. Those waves were a dangerous tide pulling her under, and she already knew neither her nor her panties would survive the night.
Crossing the threshold, they both let out a whistle of appreciation, sizing each other up.
“Damn girl, this is sexy,” Leon says, running his finger along the curved and plunging neckline of her dress, watching the smirk on Zora’s face grow.
“Anifa does it again, I fear.” She laughs, touching the diamonds of his chain. “You iced out!”
“Thanks to my stylist and stunna girl,” he compliments, twirling her about, unable to resist smacking her on the ass.
“Ooh! You better be glad we've got reservations, sir.” She playfully warns as he dips down to kiss her, making her giggle.
“Don't tempt me, girl, I'll bend you ov—” she presses her finger to his lips, shushing him.
“Before you seriously get me started, we better go.”
“Yeah, you right,” he chuckles, releasing his hold on her to grab his keys and lead the way.
Clink!
For the occasion of love, the restaurant was decorated to the nines! Strings of pink and red hearts swayed from the ceiling between the open spaces, vanilla candles sat in the center of each table, along with a single rose wrapped away from the silverware.
“Did you pull strings and make sure this rose was orange?” Zora asks, a smirk covering her lips at his sly smile.
“You know I do my best for ya, poppy.” He winks, making her duck her head down and giggle. He laughs, taking a sip of his drink.
“I knew that was the right moment to use that on ya,” he adds.
“You are ridiculous, Leon. And I love it.” She says with a grin, reaching for his hand across the table.
“And, I love you, Jean.” He uses his height to his advantage and leans across the table for a kiss.
Taking a sip of her own drink, she briefly squeezes her eyes shut at the bite from the moonshine.
“What did you order again?”
“The mooshine sangria,” she laughs to herself. “I knew it would be strong but damn.”
“Is it good, though?”
“Yeah, yeah it's delicious! Just strong,” she smiles, skimming over the menu.
He stares at her a second longer, before doing the same.
Soon their waitress returns to put their orders in, and they're alone again, twiddling each other's fingers.
“Happy love day, as you call it,” Leon says, clinking their glasses together for the second time.
“Yes, happy love day! It's been so overwhelming in the best ways possible.” Zora sighs, chin in palm, staring at her man.
“Had to make our first one memorable, ya know?”
“In true Leon fashion, indeed!”
Their sweet conversation turns from the special occasion to Zora wanting to finally get back into her art world, Leon couldn't be more ecstatic. Even more so as their food finally arrived at the table.
“That's great, babe! When does all of this get set into motion?”
“Well, I still have to talk to Linda about quitting, hopefully she understands. I mean, either way, I'm leaving, but ya know what I mean.”
“Yeah, totally. If she tries anything funny, I'll be on standby.” He says with a couple pats to his chest.
“Stand down, please,” she laughs, continuing to sip her drink. “I'm sure it'll all be fine.”
“Yeah, you heard what I said, though.”
“Yes, father. I'll call if I need ya,” she salutes, as they both laugh.
“But, seriously. What's the next step after that?” He asks, chin in palm like she.
“That's actually a surprise,” she sweetly smiles, “but it'll be so worth it, I promise!”
“Aw, no fair!” He playfully whines as she laughs.
“Aw, come on! Be a good sport!”
“Fine, fine.” He playfully sighs. “But, I will let you know that I'm quitting my job soon, too.”
“Really??” She asks. “And doing what??”
“It's a surprise,” he mocks with a smile.
“You better be glad it's a lovely evening, Leon.” She snorts, sipping her drink as he snickers at her expression.
“Not so funny when the shoe’s on the other foot, huh?”
“Keep it up,” she nods, unable to stop the laugh from coming out.
“Okay, okay! But, I do have one more surprise I can share with you.”
“What is it?”
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Zora stomps excitedly in her heels as Leon guides her into their hotel room.
“This blindfold is killing me!” She squeals, making him laugh.
“Okay, okay,” he fiddles with the knot, making her stomp again, her giggles filling his ears.
“Happy Valentine's Day!”
Her wide eyes stare at every girl's dream. The decorated hotel room. And boy was it decked out for his favorite lady.
Oranges of every hue in the room, from the arrangement of cosmos and poppies, many balloons littering the ceiling, homemade cake all the way down to champagne flutes.
“Oh my god…” is all she's able to get out as she takes it all in.
“You l-like it?” He asks, feeling his nerves kick in.
“I love it, babe!” She throws her hands up, turning to face him with glossy eyes, to which he smiles brightly.
“Oh, come here, my big baby,” he chuckles, pulling her into his arms, careful not to smear her makeup.
“I'm glad I didn't do a full face now!” She laughs, the sound muffled by his chest. He joins in the laughter.
Pulling away a bit, they stare back at each other, bursting into more laughter.
“You're goofy,” he pokes fun at her.
“You're goofy,” she pokes back, actually poking him in his side.
“You started it,”
“What are we, fifteen?” She laughs, again.
“No, of course not. We're newly legal, apparently.” He playfully scoffs. “Haven't had that many shots since my college days, honestly.”
“Me, either. I'm praying we don't have hangovers in the morning.”
“You know I'm stocked up on aspirin and water, don't worry your pretty little head!” He places a kiss on the crown of her curly mane.
She felt precious all day long. Those butterflies just kept on multiplying, and now she felt like she was gonna explode.
Unwrapping her arms from him, she grabs his face to pull him down to her level, kissing him deeply.
His long arms completely cage her in, holding her up as he slightly dips them, getting drunk on her lips now, too.
Tongues tangling together, the promise of a night of bliss being spoken between them.
Pulling away, Zora’s chest heaves up and down as she stares up at Leon, who's just as breathless.
“I've got a surprise for you,” she lowly speaks, trailing a finger down the middle of his button-up shirt.
“Yeah? I must need to sit down for this.”
“Unless you wanna fall to your knees.” She quips, making him raise his eyebrows.
With that, she grabs her bag from the counter by the door and disappears into the room to change.
Carefully stepping out of the prettiest dress ever, she shimmies into the orange lingerie she'd fallen in love with, fighting the urge to squeal at how sexy she felt and looked!
Leon was gonna freak!
Adjusting her garters, she grabs the matching satin robe to hide such a set, and heads back out to where her beau is patiently waiting.
His smirk makes her insides clench. She strides over to him, stopping right in front, reaching out to rest her shaky hands on his broad shoulders.
“What's up under here, huh?” He asks, his long fingers fiddling with the knot on her robe.
“Untie it and find out.” She winks.
Doing just that and letting it fall open, he blows out a breath that makes her clench all over again.
“Mmm… all this for me?” He asks, reaching out to touch her anyway, gripping her thick hips, his sweet lips peck her belly and make her giggle.
“Yes, all for you, baby.”
“What a lucky man I am.”
Reaching up to push the silk away from her body, his hands roam back over her curves, kneading and groping as she bites into her lip.
“All for me.”
Standing to his feet, he picks her up and carries her into her their room, kicking the door closed. He drops her on the bed before climbing on top of her.
Her laughter fills his ears as he kisses all over her face, big hands tickling her sides.
“Stop” at different octaves came out of her as she flailed underneath him, slapping at his hands.
“Babe!” She squeals as he finally lets up the tickling, but not the kissing.
Laughter melts into moans, his kisses getting wetter the lower they get, traveling over to her thighs for a nibble in between.
Her garters are pulled at with his teeth before he spreads her legs wider, running a finger over her damp panties.
He watches as she bites her lip in anticipation. He smirks, continuing to tease her.
“You look so good like this,” his finger presses harder, earning a moan from her, “there it is, baby. Don't be shy.”
Her head falls back against the bed, and his free hand finds her neck, another moan leaving her.
Pulling her panties to the side, he whistles at the string of arousal clinging to them. Her head lifts back up and the look on his face makes her clench.
“So fucking wet,” his tongue swipes up her slit, sending her eyes back, her hands coming up to cradle his face as he continues the action.
“Oh my.. oh— oh my,”
His teasing humming puts a smile on her stuttering lips as he starts pulling that first nut to the surface.
“I'm gonna cum!” She pulls his hair, smushing his face against her, losing her mind when he wags it.
Not letting her recover, he makes her cum once again, her thighs beginning to shake in his hold.
“Baby, please..” she moans, softly rolling her hips against his face.
“Mmmm,” his humming sends shocks through her, his hands rubbing her sides.
In a flash, he's right where she needs him, deep inside, rocking against that spot so nicely.
“Look at that,” he mumbles, making their heavy gazes move down to where they join and rejoin again, those gushy noises are music to their ears.
“Feels so good,” she whispers.
His eyes dance back up her face and stay, as his heavy strokes land right into her spot.
“Say it again,” he says.
Like clockwork, she looks up at him, further melting and quaking as his brown eyes stare back.
“Mmmm, so fucking good!” She moans a little louder, earning a smirk from him.
Her pouty lips mouthing such sweet filth, as the man of her very dreams rocks her world.
“Fuck, baby,” her grip on him was beginning to loosen as he continued to fuck her into the mattress.
“Mmhm,” he moans, placing his hand at her chin and his thumb right at her bottom lip.
A faded smile appears on their faces as his thumb makes its way between her lips, coming in contact with her warm tongue and making his eyes roll like they did when he first slid inside.
“Mmmfuhh,” she whimpers around his thumb, feeling her thighs begin to burn.
“You cummin’,” he mumbles, removing his thumb to rub her clit, “let it out, baby.”
Her hands find his face, cupping his cheeks as her mouth drops open at the feeling brewing in her gut.
“Oh my god,” she gasps harshly, losing the rest of her oxygen as he swallows it in a kiss.
Pulling away, their lips retouch as he gets closer and closer to tossing her off the deep end.
“Just like that,” she nods fervently, “don’t stop.. don’t fucking stop.”
“Gimme that shit, babe..”
His hand slides to her throat, gripping tight. His other gripping into the sheets, as he’s close to the edge himself.
“Oh shit,” she moans, immediately feeling the air get sucked out of her lungs as her orgasm rocks through her like a heavy wave.
“I love you,” he groans, his own peak crashing toward him, sending him collapsing on top of her. Her giggles tickle his skin.
“I love you too, baby,” she sighs, her body twitching underneath his own.
“Catch your breath, cause I'm not done.” She whispers, kissing every inch of skin in her reach.
@ghostfacekill-monger @honestpreference @harmshake @henneseyhoe @blackerthings @soufcakmistress @megamindsecretlair @motheroffae @abeautifulmindexposed @thegifstories @starcrossedxwriter @mauvecherie-writes @twistedcharismaaa
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It's a well worn topic at this point but the imminent release of The Marvels has me thinking about how militaristic the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, with Monica Rambeau aka Photon, a habour patrol member in the comics, reimagined as a captain in the US Air Force.
She follows Hawkeye, who was changed from an argumentative former circus performer with a heart of gold (a character so staunchly against lethal force he once revoked his own wife's Avengers membership because she sort of, maybe, subconsciously allowed a villain to fall to his death) into a hard-nosed black ops assassin.
Sam Wilson/ Falcon made his celluloid debut as an army man with twin submachine guns attached to his wrists. It’s a far cry from his print counterpart’s introduction as a social worker by day who uses his skill at falconry to protect his neighbourhood.
If we allow the argument that modern cinema goers are accustomed to a sprinkling of realism to make their superheroes palatable (and it’s a strange argument really- why should realism be a desirable quality in summer blockbuster escapism?) then what actually constitutes “realism”.
Sure, a man who learnt uncanny skill with a bow and arrow growing up with a travelling show couldn’t possibly hold his own alongside Hulk or Thor in the real world (and, yes, there isn’t a Hulk or Thor in the real world; as I say, this is a strange argument), but if he learned those exact same skills in some kind of military context then that somehow passes the bar for realism? The sinister upshot is that these children’s heroes become more warlike just as, globally, they reach more children than ever before.
Increasing the realism of superhero stories only serves to make them problematic. DC Comics' Batman, who is the frequently subjected to “realistic” treatments, is the prime example. If, in real life, a billionaire tooled himself up with the best weapons and body armour money can buy and began dispensing violent “justice” with no accountability, then of course that wouldn’t be a good thing. If they wore a costume with pointy ears and started calling themselves “Batman” then of course we would question their sanity. But Batman isn’t real; it’s a story. Nobody thinks The Muppet Show advocates animal cruelty. Quite the opposite, if anything. ("Not unless they're watching it", as Waldolf once heckled) Yet if a filmmaker decides they’re going to make a “grounded and realistic” remake where Fozzy is played by a real live bear wearing a pork pie hat and spotty necktie, then that's a whole other story. Suspend your disbelief and superheroes are less like the police or army and more akin to volunteers and activists, doing what they can with what they have to improve the lives of those around them. Their actions take the form of crime fighting only because that’s what makes for exciting colourful adventure stories for children.
In the MCU, even Marvel’s poster boy, Spider-Man (another champion of non-lethal solutions, known for his compassion even to his enemies and who possesses an enduring appeal to young children) is given a literal sheen of the military-industrial complex in the form of “Stark Tech” armour, replete with military grade strike drones. Tony Stark even thought to equip his 15 year old protégé-cum-child soldier with an “Instant Kill Mode”. In a moment played for laughs in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man rejects his on-board AI's attempt to activate this feature but seems untroubled that such an option exists and, indeed, come Avengers: Infinity War, he voluntarily deploys it. It’s not clear if Spidey actually does kill any of his alien adversaries, but it seems reasonable to assume that one doesn’t say “Activate Instant Kill Mode” without the intention of ending lives. Fans are expected to smile or applaud as Spider-Man says these words, recognising the call-back to Homecoming, rather than find it a gross misrepresentation of Marvel’s most beloved character or an alarming depiction of a children’s favourite.
The MCU Avengers as a whole are a US government “initiative “. The reluctant superheroes need to be cajoled into putting their differences aside for the greater good by army top brass Nick Fury. In a tweak from the source material, the ‘H' in Fury's organisation, SHIELD, stands for ‘Homeland’, making SHIELD as explicitly American venture as opposed to it being ostensibly intergovernmental in the comics.
There is a comic book precedent for this military take on Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the form of The Ultimates, a 2002 series by the British team of writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch. The Ultimates ,however, was satire. Millar was an unreformed lefty of the old school – someone who has boasted of voting Brexit for left-wing reasons, someone who once appeared on Russia Today as a guest of George Galloway. The Ultimates took swings at the gung ho jingoism of post 9/11 America. Captain America's “Surrender!!?? You think this letter on my head stands for France?“ is not supposed to be a badass one-liner, but rather a parody of the kind of things US media outlets were saying as Jacques Chirac proved less keen than Tony Blair to follow George Bush in bringing gunboat diplomacy to the Middle East. As Millar commentated at the time:
“The Ultimates is completely different because it's a character-driven piece and (something only a few people have noticed) my attempt as a left-wing writer to tell stories about an essentially right-wing concept and cast. It's very much the Anti-Authority, if you will. Captain America and so on are fully-paid members of the US military machine and this means a very different book and approach from a gang of slightly arrogrant, left-wing, superhuman utopians like The Authority ".
Wildstorm Comics' The Authority, which both Millar and Hitch worked on (although not together), was a precursor to Ultimates, featuring a team of similarly “any means necessary” heroes, albeit with a left-wing bent. The Ultimates does have something of The Authority’s utopian streak; Nick Fury and Tony Stark genuinely want to make the world a better place for everyone. It’s very idealistic – what if the head of the military and the biggest tech billionaire actually had the people’s best interests at heart? – and arguably closer to true superhero ethos (basically “with great power there must also come great responsibility “) than those characters more pragmatic MCU equivalents.
Yet, as Millar's one time writing partner Grant Morrison (who actually ghost-wrote at least one issue of The Authority under Miller’s name) observed in Morrison’s major nonfiction work, Supergods, the likes of The Authority, The Ultimates and, by extension, the MCU represent a “capitulation” to the view “that it was really only force and violence that got things done and not patient diplomacy, and that only soldiers and very rich people had the world figured out”. If the MCU is realistic, then it’s a sad indictment of the real world where the heroes are the ones with the best tech, the best guns and no compunction about using them.
Regardless of intent, The Ultimates left a door at Marvel’s “House of Ideas” just enough ajar to allow a malign notion to creep in: “These soldier superheroes are pretty cool. What If they were like that all the time? Wouldn’t they be more popular then”?
Certainly the navy SEAL aesthetic Bryan Hitch brought to the costumes (replacing the colourful tights and capes with pouches, straps and body armour) was soon adopted by superhero tv and film productions even pre-MCU. In fact, Hawkeye's journey from carny to commando mirrors the changes in superhero attire. Most famously, Superman's appearance with the red “overpants” derives from that of circus strongmen, but seeing any photography of early to mid 20th century carnival and circus performers makes it clear the early superhero creators had them in mind when they first put pencil to paper.
In an interview (found in Marvel Spotlight: Captain America, published in 2009) Hitch related how he showed an initial Ultimates drawing of Captain America with a machine gun to Grant Morrison, which Morrison then “described as the most obscene Captain America image [they’d] ever seen”. (NB: Morrison has since adopted gender neutral pronouns). Perhaps Morrison said this with glee, in on the joke with their friends, but in the years since, Cap with a gun became a common sight, even in family-friendly movies (where it was divorced from the irony of The Ultimates).
By a 2015 interview, Morrison lamented the fact that “the Avengers work for the government, and it's been like that since Mark [Millar] did The Ultimates” and said they were “bored with the idea that the best superheroes can represent is some aggressive version of the military. [...] They're supposed to be champions of the oppressed, they help ordinary people, they make things better for people. They don't prop up our grotesque, doddering culture of war and aggression”.
That same year Morrison introduced a new comic book superteam in the pages of The Multiversity. Pointedly the text likens this group, named “Justice Incarnate”, to a “cosmic neighbourhood watch” rather than any formal military or law-enforcement institution.
Millar himself reunited with his Authority collaborator Frank Quitely to create the comic Jupiter’s Legacy, which comes across in part as an apology for The Ultimates and all it begat. It concludes with the protagonists, Chloe Sampson and Eddie "Hutch" Hutchence taking up superhero mantles and promising not to make the moral compromises of their predecessors:
“No more bowing to authority and insitutions. No more deference to people in power”.
“There's a dignity in public service we mistook for old-fashioned, and a humility in having a secret identity, living among the people we protect.“
The Avengers, Marvel’s breakthrough billion dollar box office 2012 movie, by contrast, concludes with Iron Man dropping a nuclear bomb on the “Chitari”, an invading alien army and it seems likely this influenced Morrison’s comments on modern superhero stories.
In Supergods, Morrison
describes their childhood dread of nuclear weapons. The child of “ban the bomb” activists, the “gruesome hand-drawn images of how the world might look after a spirited thermonuclear missile exchange” which illustrated their parents anti-nuclear literature struck terror into the young Morrison. Therefore they seized upon superheroes as being an idea powerful enough to counteract – and overcome – the idea of the bomb.
“It’s not that I needed Superman to be “real,” I just needed him to be more real than the Idea of the Bomb that ravaged my dreams”.
Within the narrative of the movie, Iron Man takes the only option available to him to save New York. Destroying thousands of alien lives to save thousands of human ones. But The Avengers isn’t a documentary; the scriptwriters could have written a satisfying denouement which didn’t involve mass murder. They could at least have included some words of regret by the heroes over what it took to win, acknowledging that killing is not the ideal solution. Instead the Avengers trade banter and eat shawarma, collective conscious clear.
There is a moment in another Grant Morrison work, Final Crisis, which always brings the MCU to mind. In Final Crisis #3, drawn by JG Jones, (published in 2008, the same year the MCU began) “evil gods” from a higher plain of existence have been reincarnated on Earth. In order for the Justice League to counter this threat, a “draft for Superheroes” is implemented. Green Arrow (a Batman-a-like character who was subsequently reinvented to embody the countercultural sentiment of the late 1960s and has since served as the social conscious of the superhero set) responds to receiving his draft notice thusly:
“If anybody falls for this authoritarian, militaristic crap, it’ll prove I’m absolutely right about absolutely everything!... “
Cue the next page, where the drafted heroes have gathered en mass (including Green Arrow, impotently shaking his fist.)
Such an assemblage of characters in usually a triumphant moment in a summer "event" story, but here is framed as a sign that evil already has it’s hooks into reality. This world has fallen to the darkness and the superheroes who inhabit it are too morally compromised to realise it.
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