When I first finished this issue, I sat down and started typing up my comments, but I doubt anyone wants to hear most of them at this point, since the highlights of this issue have already been discussed. However, just a few things I wanted to post here:
One thing I would have been interested in seeing is Loki's (Gunnar's. Whatever-he's-calling-himself-this-month's) allies' reaction to his declaration of himself as a Norse god, and his comment about World War III. Do "Colonel Lightsaber and company" believe this guy is a Norse god? If so, why? Has he given them some sort of huge display of his powers? Or do his allies think he's nuts and are just playing along with him because he's getting them useful information? If he really has been part of the European Super Soldier program, that alone would make him valuable enough for his allies to tolerate a few, ah, eccentricities. Do his allies really intend to start a third world war? Or do they just plan to curtail the US super soldier and other war efforts, and Loki is playing them for suckers? (I think Rhyo has also commented on this elsewhere in this forum.)
Technically, you could argue that this makes two Norse gods on the side of the villains, because we have a character doing the whole Thor-lightning thing. So, is that the original harness and hammer? It certainly doesn't look like Mjolnir as portrayed previously in the series. Is there a second set of hardware (thereby suggesting that this really is invented and reproducible Earth technology), or has the hammer just been physically altered for some reason?
Someone mentioned a "god vs. god" battle, which would certainly be justified, but I wonder just what kind of a battle could take place between Thor and Loki. Even without the hardware, Thor could probably break Loki in half, as Loki's real "magical ability" seems to be in the realm of information, not physical fighting skills. (He's like the Ultimate Spin Doctor.) Loki pretty much just seems to manipulate the people around him into doing what he wants, and doesn't do much himself. He does this with information, or misinformation, or misinterpretation of information. This could be his most formidable weapon against an organization like SHIELD, which relies heavily on accurate and timely information. In Issue 4, for example, his explanation of the "theft" of the hardware sounds very straight-forward and plausible, and is delivered believably enough that none of the other characters seem to think there could be any more to the story than what they're getting. And every word might have been the truth, as well, although I doubt it was the whole truth.
The only other ability Loki appears to possess is that his mere presence causes chaos, even if he isn't doing anything other than standing there. In order to defeat him, there must be some way for the Ultimates to tell what part of reality he's altered (or altering) and how to stop it. The story might not come to a full-blown battle between Loki and Wanda, but I can't help wondering if she might play a major part in the Ultimates' defense against him. (If she's just out cold and not actually dead at the end of Issue 9.)
The fact that Wanda appears to have to juggle "variables" in order to alter reality was pretty impressive. I need a calculator to balance my checkbook, and this woman can run complex mathematical equations in her head in the heat of battle? :shock:
I'll also be interested in seeing what exactly Wanda accomplished with her mutant abilities before she was taken out of the fight. She appears to get at least two "shots" off. There's nothing specific about what in reality she was trying to alter. Mark Millar has written himself an incredible "fudge factor" with this particular plot point.
Somewhere on this thread is a discussion of "Abomination" being human or a dog or other animal. Keep in mind also that Fury remarks that there are representatives of eleven alien species on Earth as of the Chitauri offensive. This is a long shot, but still a possible explanation.
UltimateE said:
I must be the only person who isn't assuming that the Red Helmet guy is Red Skull.
No, you're not. I don't have much of a 616 Marvel background to draw on, and none of these new people are wearing nametags. (So, not only are they villains, they are also inconsiderate villains. :wink: ) At this point, to me they are mostly nameless, aside from Loki and someone named Dynamo, and a man addressed as "Colonel". For all I know, they're original characters that Millar has created. Until someone in the title refers to them by name, they're all just "one of the bad guys, [insert individual physical description here]". "Colonel Lightsaber" might well turn out to be Red Skull, but I don't know that yet.
There were several posts that were quote-worthy, but this one really made me laugh:
TheManWithoutFear said:
Hawkeye: "I'm alive! Come pick me up."
Fury: "With what?! Glad you're ok, but we kinda have a situation we're dealing with."
Hawkeye fans: "He can just magically run to New York"
Hawkeye: "I'm good but not that good"
Thanks, MWoF, I needed that. :lol:
