Wednesday, December 27, 2006

The Effects Of Alcoholism On Memory

Well, it's been awhile, but it's time once again to mock Tony Stark for Civil War-related comments. This offering is from that delightful Civil War:Casualties of War dealie Marvel provided while they gently prod Millar and McNiven, and ask them to please try to work a little faster, if it isn't too much trouble? After all, how can Marvel begin their next big event, if this one hasn't ended yet?

But I digress.

Stark and Cap are trying to hash things out, and the conversation inevitably turns to Stamford. Cap points out that Nitro was to blame, not the New Warriors (thank you Captain America). Stark rebuts that they were doing it for ratings. Cap counters that they were still doing good, even if not in the most noble way possible. Then Stark says they were reckless, that they shouldn't have engaged Nitro so near a school, and that Captain America would never have attacked in such a populated area.

Sigh. First off, Stark's right; Cap would never fight a super-villain in a populated area - except for all the times he's fought a super-villain in a populated area before. As Tom at the store pointed out 'Criminals like to rob banks. Banks tend to be in populated areas.' I'd disagree only because criminals at Marvel no longer commit crimes, they only attempt to gain bloody revenge on the heroes, but that's small potatoes. Secondly, did it occur to Tony that the reason Nitro and his cronies were hiding in Stamford was because there were lots of people around? They want the heroes to be cautious and worried about bystanders, so that their chances of victory improve. Thirdly, you're going to tell me the Avengers have never just barged into a situation without totally understanding everything? Yes, the Warriors didn't know Nitro was on the Mutant Growth Hormone, which amplified his powers to the city-destroying levels he demonstrated. Now would Mr. Stark like to explain to the rest of the class how he would have known that, had it been the New Avengers there?

For the record, I'm pretty sure Cap brings up the last point - that it could just as easily have been them - or maybe Stark does it himself. Anything's possible. Still, Tony's being a bit of an idiot to argue that "good" heroes never fight in populated areas. Sure, if he has a chance, Spidey tends to try and draw his enemies to abandoned buildings, or empty construction sites, but that isn't always an option. And it's not a terribly good idea to wait for the villains to move, because by then they're usually causing mayhem.

I feel better.

One last thing. Tony Stark originally kicked off his Armor Wars because his technology had been stolen and sold to any number of villains. And so he ran around, trashing all the armors, and making a big stink of things. What's going to happen when the government demands Iron Man armors for SHIELD troops? I'd say Stark's in too deep to back out, given the portrayal of the government in Civil War, he'd probably be thrown in the Negative Zone if he disobeyed. So when the time comes, and an armored-up SHIELD agent kills the Falcon (or Daredevil, or Luke Cage, or Dagger), is Tony going to go on another rampage? Or is he just going to sigh, and die a little bit more inside?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

dude you are so right on!!!
any issue of avengers...bystanders are getting hurt.....but for the sake of this all lets not go back to far....because i can recall those early issues not even mentioning any bystanders...unless someone attacked them directly..like when the seperent crown dude tried to take over ny in those early issues...any whooo

have you seen the latest previews for mighty avengers?? irons mans team? the previews where it shows iron man and gang fighting a mole man creture...in the middle of ny streets..the same ones tourist walk..the same ones we see on tv always packed with wayy to many pepole?i dont see any of them worrying about bystanders..heck even black widow who shouldnt be fighting cretures(due to low power leves not skill) why isnt she helping to protect them??
or have you seen issues of civil war where tony and his gang are blowing up buildings (with by standers in them) to get to the non-reg heroes??? oh ok lets look way before that...avengers anual the one where luke and jessica get married...hmm isnt that tonys heroes fighting the adaptoid on the streets?? im sure i seen a few buildings getting destroyed?noo lets go back more...rember when kang showed up at the un and hey thiers tony again fighting....
ohhhhh
do they mean that the new warriors prevoked it?
is that what they mean..the villians were not harming anyone but because the new warriors attacked then it caused the loss of lives? is that what hes trying to say??? because thats way difrent then when tony was blowing up companies filled with pepole during iron wars...thats way diffrent from when tonys own armor went and killed whiplash.thats so diffrent from the time avengers set up the network to be more proactive after kang was beat.




tony would never endanger any "normal humans" *rolls eyes*
i think its wierd tony would bring up the new warriors..when he himself dosent concern himself with bystanders..... hes got to be back on the sauce.
and tony is a tool if he trully belives that the goverment wouldnt want any of his inventions or armor...that the same goverment that had savage land residents illegaly mining vibranium breaking all sorts of treaties and laws...the same goverment that tried to shut them down and destroy them durring "red zone" the same goverment that turned on them when they went "dissassembled"...the same goverment that had a secret war just recently..the goverment that tossed 198 of its citizens in a mutant concentration camp... hahah thats to funny...the goverment is trust worthy hahaha them futurist are so cute with thier view on the world.
gabesummers

Jake said...

On one hand, Casualties of War was the Civil War book I've wanted to see since June. All along the biggest question to me is how can Cap and Iron Man, who have been close friends and trusting allies for decades, not just sit down and discuss their differences before they resort to cloning Thor and blasting holes in D-list characters?

On the other hand, this book further illustrated--for all the reasons you pointed out--why the registration side is so poorly thought out.

Millar (and others) keep trying to make the point that the public would likely support the registration act, but they make that point in exposition rather than by showing it happen naturally as the story develops.

Marc Burkhardt said...

I vote for die a little more inside.

Pretty soon he's going to be the Invincible Hollow Man.c

CalvinPitt said...

gabe: Exactly. And the thing is, i get that heroes have to fight villains when innocent bystanders are around. Villains like to cause trouble in places like that, and I (and Stark) wouldn't want the heroes to just sit around and wait for the bad guys to get out into the countryside. So why is he getting on the New Warriors for doing it? I really hope his heart isn't in that argument.

jake: Yes, it was good to see these old buddies sit down and talk. But this is comics, and so nothing can be resolved with talk, not even between old friends.

fortress: Hollow Man. Heh. And it might get Tony back on the sauce, and when he's hammered anything is possible.

SallyP said...

Well, it does sort of give an explanation for why Tony and Reed are acting so strangely. Tony is obviously drunk as a lemur, while Reed is suffering from exposure to all the chemicals that he's been playing with all these years.

Yes, that's it.

CalvinPitt said...

sallyp: I still like the Elastic Brain Theory Niles Caulder said was affecting Elasti-Girl to explain Reed.

But Tony is definitely back in the booze. He's just using that regenrative abilities of that Extremis nonsense to hide it better.