Movie Poll Results

The winner is, Iron Man! (I was kind of expecting that.) And by no surprise, no one voted Elektra or Ghost Rider as their top 4 favorite Marvel Movies. But, it was interesting to see who came in 2nd...X2: X-Men United. And there is a tie for 3rd with The Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man 2. It sure looks like the the second movie in a series, for Marvel movies, do better most of the time. The exception, which I was a little surprised with, was the Fantastic Four movies. I was expecting that Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer would have done better than the Fantastic Four. And for how much bad talk the third X-Men movie gets, X-Men: The Last Stand, I was surprised that it got 4 votes as some people's top 4 Marvel movies.

I would love to hear some of the reasons why you guys voted a certain way, what movies you were surprised to see receive such high or low votes, and maybe some of your theories of why people liked certain movies and why they didn't like others. So, please leave your comments concerning this discussion in the "Comments" section below.

Storm

Real Name
Ororo Munroe

Occupation
Queen of Wakanda, adventurer; former gladiator, student, thief, tribal patron

Citizenship
Dual U.S./Wakandan citizenship

Place of Birth
New York City, New York

Known Relatives
Ashake (ancestor, deceased), unidentified paternal grandfather, Harriet Munroe (paternal grandmother), unidentified maternal grandmother, David Munroe (father, deceased), N’dare Munroe (mother, deceased), unidentified paternal aunt (deceased), Colonel Shetani (maternal uncle), David Munroe Jr. (nephew), T'Challa (Black Panther, husband), extended in-law family via marriage

Group Affiliation
X-Men; formerly Fantastic Four, X-Treme Sanctions Executive, X-Treme X-Men, Tokyo Arena, Twelve, Brides of Set, Hellfire Club (Inner Circle), Morlocks (leader)

Education
College-level courses at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Westchester, New York

Height
5'11"

Weight
127 lbs.

Eyes
Blue, glowing white when using powers

Hair
White

Powers
Storm is a mutant who possesses the psionic ability to manipulate weather patterns over limited areas. She can stimulate the creation of any form of precipitation such as rain or fog, generate winds in varying degrees of intensity up to and including hurricane force, raise or lower the humidity and temperature in her immediate vicinity, induce lightning and other electrical atmospheric phenomena, and disperse natural storms so as to create clear change. Storm can direct the path of certain atmospheric effects, such as bolts of lightning, with her hands. She has also demonstrated the ability to manipulate ocean currents, though the extent of this ability is still unclear.

Storm’s control over the atmosphere is such that she can create certain effects over a specific area while shielding smaller areas within that region. For example, she can create a rainstorm around herself but prevent the raindrops from touching her. Storm can also create atmospheric phenomena over very small areas, such as creating a rainstorm small enough to water a single potted plant.

Storm can only manipulate weather patterns as they exist in nature. For example, she can end a drought in one area by creating torrential rains there, but that would necessitate robbing all available moisture from the surrounding areas. Storm is not able to create atmospheric conditions that do not exist naturally on the planet she is on. For example, Storm is unable to lower temperatures as far as absolute zero or raise them to solar intensities on Earth.

The limit to the size of the area over which Storm can manipulate the weather is not yet known. However, she once diverted the jet stream so as to create storms over the entire East Coast of the United States. She can create weather effects within indoor areas or within artificially maintained environments. Storm is limited by the force of her will and the strength of her body. It once took her several hours to stop a savage blizzard sweeping over much of Canada, and she nearly died from exhaustion in the process.

Storm is able to fly by creating winds strong enough to support her weight, the weight of others, and to propel her forward through the air. Storm can thus travel as fast as any wind can, and has reached speeds up to 300 miles per hour. Her powers over the atmosphere enable her to breathe at any speed, protect her from air friction, and grant her limited immunity to extreme heat and cold.

Storm is also able to alter her visual perception so as to perceive electrical energy patterns as well as those factors responsible for existing meteorological phenomena in her surrounding environment.

Storm's ability to manipulate the weather in her immediate vicinity is affected by her emotions; hence, if she does not maintain control, a fit of rage might induce a destructive storm. Storm also suffers from severe claustrophobia.

Abilities
Storm is extraordinarily skilled at picking both locks and pockets. Storm is also a gifted hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained extensively by her fellow X-Man Wolverine, and is also an excellent marksman with handguns.

Other Info
So, I posted a picture of Halle Berry from all three X-Men movies. If you haven't noticed, her hair starts out really long and then gradually from movie to movie gets shorter. I thought that was kind of funny, but then I read about Storm and saw many pictures of her. I don't know if this is why the director's had her hair so different in all the movies, but Storm's hair and costumes change so much in the comics. The haircut that I thought was the most intersting, it's the fourth picture posted, was when Storm went into a more rebellious stage and cut her hair into a mohawk. (I would like to see Halle Berry try to pull that one off!)

If you want to read the reason why Storm cut her hair into a mohawk or if you would just like to learn more about her, you can read Storm's bio on the Marvel.com link below. (Note: I must warn you that they have a very risque cartoon picture posted on the Marvel.com bio page of Storm right when you enter the web site. So if you decide to check out Storm's bio, try to do it with the pictures blocked. I HATE how people have to draw comic book women so scandalous!) http://www.marvel.com/universe/Storm.

Iron Man

Real Name
Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark

Occupation
Adventurer, president emeritus of Stark Industries, founder of Maria Stark Foundation; former CEO of Stark Enterprises, Stark Solutions, Stark Enterprises, Circuits Maximus & Stark International; former US Secretary of Defense, former technician for Askew Electronics, former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Long Island, New York

Known Relatives
Howard Anthony Stark (father, deceased), Maria Collins Carbonell Stark (mother, deceased), Morgan Stark (cousin), Edward Stark (uncle, deceased), Isaac Stark, Sr., Isaac Stark, Jr. (ancestors, deceased)

Group Affiliation
Avengers, Initiative, Hellfire Club (outer circle); formerly S.H.I.E.L.D., Illuminati, Thunderbolts, Force Works, Queen's Vengeance

Education
Advanced degrees in physics and electrical engineering

Height
6'1"; (in armor) 6'6"

Weight
225 lbs.; (in armor) 425 lbs.

Eyes
Blue

Hair
Black

Powers
Formerly none, but after being critically injured during a battle with the Extremis-enhanced Mallen, Stark injected his nervous system with a modified techno-organic virus to save his own life. This fused Stark's armor to his body, allowing him to store the inner layers of the Iron Man armor in the hollows of his bones as well as control it through direct brain impulses. He is also able to remotely connect to external communications systems such as satellites, cellular phones, and computers throughout the world. Because the armor's operating system is now directly connected to Stark's nervous system, its response time has been significantly improved. The Extremis armor grants him superspeed reactions and a healing factor able to regrow whole organs. He was able to stop Crimson Dynamo's heart and restart it.

Abilities
A genius level intellect that allows him to create a range of sophisticated inventions, most notably his Iron Man armor. Also possesses a keen business mind.

Other Info
Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark was born to Howard Anthony Stark and Maria Collins Carbonell Stark, Tony had a very high intelligence. At the age of 15 Stark entered the undergraduate electrical engineering program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he graduated at the top of his class. When he was 21, he inherited Stark Enterprises because his parents were killed in a car crash. (To learn about Iron Man's parents and the family business, click on their names above.)

During an East Asian conflict, Stark Enterprises developed mini-transistors that Tony thought would help the war effort. While checking on his plant, which had been plagued by sabotage, Tony was injured by exploding shrapnel and captured by warlord Wong Chu. Chu forced Tony and another captive, famed physicist Ho Yinsen, to create weapons for him. All the while the lethal bit of shrapnel was slowly working towards Tony's heart. Tony and Yinsen created an iron suit that would keep Tony alive and allow them to escape. During the escape Yinsen was killed, sacrificing himself to allow Tony time to change for the first time to Iron Man. On his way home Tony met Helicopter pilot James Rhodes (future armored partner of Tony Stark called War Machine). After he arrived, Tony worked to improve the Iron Man armor. (To learn about the people above, just click on their names. Also, the third picture posted above is what Iron Man's first body armor looked like.)

In his early years Tony Stark became the corporate sponsor of the superhero group the Avengers. He, Iron Man, helped found the group with Thor, Ant-Man, the Wasp, and the Hulk. A few notable villains from these early days include Mandarin, Hawkeye, and the Black Widow. (To learn about the group or the people above, just click on their names. Note: One of Black Widow's pictures on her bio page shows her in a very form-fitting outfit.)

Problems have occurred during Tony Stark's life: company takeovers, bankruptcy, business-related threats, and his hardest problem of all--alcoholism. His hardest fall left Tony homeless, after which he handed the Iron Man identity over to his friend Rhodes. However, Tony recovered and started a new company, Circuits Maximus, and swiftly returned as Iron Man. Around this time is when Iron Man battled Iron Monger (Obadiah Stane). (Obadiah had wanted to take over the Stark business and hated Iron Man). (To learn about the company and character above, just click on their names.)

All during this time Tony Stark's health was in rapid decline. Even after a heart transplant that saved his life, Tony still had health issues. His armor's cybernetic interface was causing his nervous system to deteriorate. It became serious enough that he had to fake his own death and enter suspended animation to survive. At this point Rhodes used the Iron Man identity again, but this time he equipped himself with a new armor created by Tony called the "Variable Threat Response Battle Suit", later known as the War Machine armor.

Tony's armor eventually grew so sophisticated that it became sentient. At first Tony allowed the armor to do his job as Iron Man, but it became increasingly dangerous. The armor even committed murder, slaying the villain, Whiplash. When this happened, Tony realized that he had to face his armor. During the ensuing battle, Tony went into cardiac arrest due to an injury he previously sustained battling Whiplash. Proving itself a hero, the armor ripped out its own components and created a cybernetic heart for it's creator, sacrificing itself in the process. (To learn about Whiplash, click on his name above.)

At one point, Tony revealed to the world that he was Iron Man. After this revelation he took the post as the President's Secretary of Defense to monitor the use of his technology by the United States Military. He was later forced to step down from the position when the Scarlet Witch went out of control and killed members of the Avengers, forcing them to disband. Stark publicly stated that he would no longer be Iron Man, but that there would always be one. Though of course Tony continued to be Iron Man while maintaining a secret identity. Recently, Tony injected himself with a Nanotech virus that integrated many of his suits functions with his own biological systems. He has also been a member of a secret group known as the Illuminati, along with Professor Charles Xavier, Reed Richards, Blackagar Boltagon, Dr. Stephen Strange, and Namor for many years. (To learn about the team and people above, click on their names. Note: Scarlet Witch has a couple revealing outfits on her bio page, and the Illuminati bio page shows Namor in a very tiny speedo-like outfit.)

Recently, a villain named Nitro detonated himself and the resulting explosion killed the majority of the New Warriors, as well as the children at a nearby elementary school and the residents of the surrounding neighborhood. In response to this tragedy, Capitol Hill proposed the Superhuman Registration Act, a government movement to register all super-powered beings as living weapons of mass destruction (requiring all costumed heroes to unmask themselves before the government and subject themselves to federally mandated standards). This event triggered what is called the "Civil War." The international organization S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly propositioned Captain America to lead trained soldiers to fight super-powered humans. He refused, and after being attacked by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Anti-Superhuman Response Unit, became the leader of the "Anti-Registration" side. Iron Man, however, was in full support of the act and became the leader of the "Pro-Registration" side. After numerous skirmishes and a full out super hero battle in downtown New York, Iron Man emerged victorious. However, his former ally Goliath (Bill Foster) had perished combating Iron Man's forces, and Captain America was assassinated on the steps of the courthouse after his surrendering. Stark was later offered the position as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and he accepted the offer. (To learn about the different topics above, just click on the highlighted names.)

Any further information you would like to know about Iron Man, check it out at the Marvel.com's bio of Iron Man. http://www.marvel.com/universe/Iron_Man_(Anthony_Stark).

Spider-Man

Real Name
Peter Benjamin Parker

Occupation
Freelance photographer; former assistant high school coach, science teacher, scientific researcher

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Forest Hills, New York

Known Relatives
Richard Parker (father, deceased), Mary Parker (mother, deceased), Benjamin Parker (uncle, deceased), May Parker (aunt), Will Fitzpatrick (grandfather), Benjamin Reilly (Scarlet Spider, clone, deceased), Kaine (clone), other clones (deceased)

Group Affiliation
Avengers, formerly the Secret Defenders, "New Fantastic Four", the Outlaws

Education
College graduate (biophysics major), doctorate studies in biochemistry (incomplete)

Height
5'10"

Weight
165 lbs.

Eyes
Hazel

Hair
Brown

Powers
Peter can cling to most surfaces, has superhuman strength (able to lift 10 tons optimally) and is roughly 15 times more agile than a regular human. The combination of his acrobatic leaps and web-slinging enables him to travel rapidly from place to place. His spider-sense provides an early warning detection system linked with his superhuman kinesthetics, enabling him the ability to evade most any injury, provided he doesn't cognitively override the autonomic reflexes.

Note: his power enhancements through his transformation by the Queen and after battling Morlun - including his organic web glands and stingers - have been undone after Spider-Man's deal with Mephisto.

Abilities
Peter is an accomplished scientist, inventor and photographer.

Other Info
I read an article about Heath Ledger the other day, and it said that he was offered the role to play Spider-Man, but he turned it down. So, the question is...who would be the better Spider-Man? Heath Ledger or Tobey McGuire?

After reading Spider-Man's bio on Marvel.com, (http://www.marvel.com/universe/Spider-man) I learned that the movies do a pretty good job at staying inline with the comic books. There are certain elements that are different, but I thought that they kept with the original story of Spider-Man pretty well. (If you want to check out the bio on Spider-Man, just click on the link above, just know that the bio is kind of long, but very interesting.)

So, I don't know if anyone has heard, but Marvel has announced that they are making a Spider-Man 4 and possibly a Spider-Man 5. They might even shoot them at the same time. Spider-Man 4 has been announced to come out May 2011. Tobey Maguire has already signed on, and I'm pretty sure that Kirsten Dunst has signed on as well. So, no worries, it'll be the same Spider-man! Now, this brings up the question...who is the villain going to be? There seems to be many thoughts about who it will be and the top 2 contenders that I have observed from my research are Lizard and Carnage. I will give you a very brief introduction to each villain, but I also have linked the names to the Marvel.com bios if you want to check them out in greater detail. It's very likely they will do Lizard because Dr. Connors is the man that turns into Lizard. Dr. Connors is in all three Spider-Man movies for a brief minute or two, which is a perfect set-up to finally have him become a villain in the fourth movie (Dr. Connors is Peter's professor at college that only has one arm). Carnage is another possibility and he is pretty much a more crazy version of Venom. In the third movie, Dr. Connors still has the sample of Venom that Peter brought to him, which leaves it open for Carnage to possibly become the next villain. Morbius, a vampire-like villain, used to be a contender in my list, but I saw a quote from the director and he shot down that possibility, so I don't think he has a chance to be a villain in Spider-Man 4.

They might even introduce Black Cat, who is a romantic interest of Spider-man and she's kind of a villain too, but you can read her bio to see more into that if you want (Note: the cartoon pictures on the bio page for Black Cat are a little bit risque with her tight-fitting costume and all, so if there is a way you can block pictures when you look at the bio page, I would do so. I hate it how many of the comic book drawings of women are so risque!)

"Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark," is a a Broadway musical version of Spider-Man that will be coming out on February 18, 2010. Also, Bono and The Edge from the band U2 are creating new music and lyrics for the show. Spider-Man...a musical...this could be kind of intersting! (If you want to learn more about "Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark," click on the following link, http://www.marvel.com/news/comicstories.7014.First_Look~colon~_Spider-Man_2010_Broadway_Musical.)

2nd Poll Results

The poll is over, and the winner is.....................(drum roll please)....................MYSTIQUE! So, most people would like to shapeshift into any humanoid, male or female, which includes voice change, eyes, fingerprints, etc. Also, because of this, her aging is delayed. Magneto was in a very close second, only losing by one vote, which most people know his power of controlling metal in any shape or form, pretty much. Thanks for all those who participated in the poll voting and stay tuned everyone for another poll to come in the near future!

Nightcrawler

Real Name
Kurt Wagner

Occupation
Adventurer; former priest, circus performer

Citizenship
Germany

Place of Birth
Bavaria, Germany

Known Relatives
Azazel (father), Raven Darkholme (Mystique, mother), Graydon Creed (half-brother, deceased), Nils Styger (Abyss, half-brother), Kiwi Black (half-brother), other half-siblings (deceased), Margali Szardos (foster mother), Rogue (foster sister), Jimaine Szardos(Magik, Amanda Sefton, foster sister), Stefan Szardos (foster brother, deceased), Talia Wagner (Nocturne, alternate timeline daughter)

Group Affiliation
X-Men; formerly Neyaphem, Excalibur, N-Men

Education
College-level courses at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters

Height
5'9"

Weight
161 lbs.

Eyes
Shining yellow, no visible pupils

Hair
Indigo

Powers
Nightcrawler is a mutant who can teleport by opening a portal into another dimension, travelling through it via an unconscious direction-finding sense, and returning to his own dimension. When teleporting, Nightcrawler leaves behind a small portion of the atmosphere of the other dimension that escapes with a muffled “bamf” sound and smells of brimstone. On returning, his power automatically displaces any extraneous liquids and gases.

Nightcrawler can easily teleport north south along Earth's magnetic lines of force. However, teleporting east west against them or teleporting vertically is more difficult. Under optimal conditions, Nightcrawler can teleport 2 miles east west, 3 miles north south, and 2 miles vertically if he exerts himself. Nightcrawler's momentum is retained when teleporting, so he arrives with the same inertia he left with. He can reduce this by teleporting short distances in the opposite direction.

Nightcrawler has a limited unconscious extrasensory ability that prevents him from teleporting into any area that he cannot see or has not seen in the past, as doing so runs the risk of injury or death by materializing partially or entirely within a solid object.

Through practice, Nightcrawler has increased the mass he can teleport with him, though the limit to the amount of weight he can carry when teleporting and the distance over which he can teleport with such additional loads are unknown. Teleporting with Nightcrawler often leaves a passenger feeling weak and nauseous.

Nightcrawler is also able to cling to solid surfaces via his hands and feet. He can also render himself nigh-invisible in shadows by manipulating the ever-present portal to the dimension he teleports through so as to bend light around himself.

Abilities
Nightcrawler is an Olympic-class acrobat thanks to his flexible spine that allows him to perform contortionist-like feats and to go long periods in a semi-crouching position without injury. He is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and a master at fencing, which he can even perform with his tail, which is strong enough to support his entire body weight.

Other Info
Kurt Wagner was born in Bavaria to a blue-skinned shapeshifting mutant (aka Mystique). Kurt was shunned at birth due to his having blue skin, pointed ears, fangs, and a long pointed tail. At the time disguised as the Baroness Wagner, Mystique's true identity was revealed after she gave birth to Kurt, and the pair were chased out by an angry mob. Fleeing to the nearby falls, Mystique threw the infant over the edge and fled. Fortunately, Kurt was saved by his natural father, Azazel, and given into the care of Margali Szardos (a sorceress and gypsy queen). (Click on the above characters to learn more about them. Note: Beware of Mystique's and Margali's bio page; both are in revealing outfits.)

Margali took the baby Kurt to the small Bavarian circus where she worked as a fortune teller. Kurt was never legally adopted by anyone, but was raised by all the members of the circus, who had no prejudices against "freaks." Kurt grew up happily in the circus with his two closest friends, Margali's natural children Stefan and Jimaine. Stefan feared that his magical heritage may one day corrupt him, and so he had Kurt promise that if he ever killed without reason, Kurt must stop him. During his formative years Kurt exhibited tremendous natural agility, and quickly became the circus's star acrobat and trapeze artist with audiences assuming that he was simply a normal human dressed in a demon costume. Kurt worked closely with Jimaine, and the pair soon became involved in a romantic relationship. (To learn about Jimaine, click on her name above. Note: Beware of her bio picture which is very revealing).

Years later, the Texas millionaire Amos Jardine heard of the circus Kurt worked for and bought it. Jardine intended to move its best acts into his American circus. However, he demanded that Kurt be placed in the circus's freak show, where he was imprisoned against his will and drugged in order to remain complacent. Eventually, a young boy in the circus freed the Nightcrawler. Kurt was able to run away and make his way back to Germany.

In Germany, Nightcrawler discovered that Stefan had gone mad and had brutally slain several members of a lost race of half-human creatures. Kurt found Stefan and fought him, hoping to stop his rampage; unfortunately, during the struggle Kurt unintentionally broke Stefan's neck. The villagers of the nearby town of Winzeldorf discovered Kurt and assumed him to be a demon who was responsible for the killings. They cornered Kurt in the town and were about to kill him when they were all psionically paralyzed by Professor Charles Xavier, who had come to recruit Kurt into his team of mutant super-heroes known as the X-Men. Kurt agreed to join the X-Men and went to America. (To learn about Professor X and the X-Men, click on their names above.)

After many adventures with the X-Men, which included a clash with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants during which Kurt first met his mother Mystique (although he didn't know it at the time), discovering his ability to be invisible in shadow, traveling through dimensions with Shadowcat's dragon Lockheed, and more, Kurt was finally severely wounded during the attack on the underground colony of mutants known as the Morlocks by Riptide (a member of a team of mutant assassins named the Marauders). (Click on the highlighted teams, places, and characters above, to learn more about them.)

After hearing of the apparent "death" of the X-Men in Dallas when the team fought the Adversary, Nightcrawler, along with Shadowcat, Rachel Summers, Captain Britain, and Meggan, founded the British super-team Excalibur. (To learn more about Excalibur and some of the team members, just click on their names above.)

After Captain Britain and Meggan were married, Kurt along with Shadowcat and Colossus decided it was time to return to the X-Men. Kurt once more served as a dedicated member of the team until after a battle with Apocalypse that resulted in the seemed death of the first X-Man, Cyclops. (Click on the highlighted characters above to learn more about them.)

Soon after, the ever-devout catholic Kurt left the team to pursue aspirations of becoming a priest. After being saved by the X-men during an attack by a group of evolved mutants known as the Neo, Kurt decided to rejoin the X-Men. Kurt continued his priesthood studies while he was with the X-Men; however, soon after he took a leave of absence to mourn the death of his friend and team mate, Colossus. When he returned to the X-Men, it was as a fully ordained priest after apparently undertaking a ceremony at St. Michael's Church in Brooklyn which was overseen by Kurt's mentor, Father Whitney. Kurt even took to wearing a priest's collar as part of his X-Men uniform. (To learn about the above team, just click on their name above. Also, the fifth picture posted is of Nightcrawler with his "preist uniform.")

At one time, Kurt was manipulated into a ceremony with other teleporters like himself that opened a dimensional portal through which came an army of mutant demons. Nightcrawler learned that the leader of the army, Azazel, was his natural father and the father of the other teleporters. A mutant from biblical times, Azazel sought to use his children's combined powers to return to Earth and enslave humanity. However, Kurt rejected him and, with the aid of his newly-found half-brothers Abyss and Kiwi Black, Azazel was defeated. (To learn more about Nightcrawler's half-brothers, click on their names above.)

Recently, Nightcrawler has met the dimensionally-stranded Nocturne, daughter of a Nightcrawler from an alternate timeline, who has taken to calling him "dad." (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about Nightcrawler's alternate timeline daughter.)

Click the following link to learn more about Nigthcrawler, http://www.marvel.com/universe/Nightcrawler.

Nightcrawler wasn't in the the third X-men movie, X-men: The Last Stand. I always wondered why they dropped the character, because I think most people thought Nightcrawler was pretty awesome in X2: X-men United. I read a post in a chat room on IMDb.com, and one person wrote, "the reason Nightcrawler wasn't in the third X-Men film was because Alan Cumming didn't want to endure the long and uncomfortable make-up procedure. In that film his part wasn't that big so they dropped the character altogether rather than recast it." If that's true, it's kind of interesting and also understandable. It would by annoying to put up with a couple hours of make up every time you went in to do another shoot.