u/TheMightyMonarchx7

We've now reached the point where the season lore writers behind Marvel Rivals are creating more interesting stories than current comics. This was already evident with Queen in Black Hela, which was so good Cates admitted so and Marvel Comics went and made an entire event out of it, but now its moreso true when it comes to Peter Parker. I highly suggest people give the character lore a read, specifically the new material with Spidey temporarily gaining the power of Mjolnir to aid in the fight against Gorr The God Butcher. It can be read here under "The Worthy Spider-Man".

TLDR:

• Gorr plans on detonating The God Bomb within The God Quarry, which would slay every deity in every reality all at once.
• Gorr already humbled everyone in their first fight, smashing Mjolnir, and stealing The Mother Storm so he can use the sentient storm to light his bomb
• During the final confrontation, Spidey swings into action with bits of Mjolnir webbed to his fists, hoping to crack open the bomb and free Mother Storm
• Damages the God Bomb, gets electrocuted by the storm, enters a near death state
• Has a conversation with Uncle Ben and his version of Captain America (the one who died in his timeline). They want him to try and lift the now restored Mjolnir
• Peter naturally thinks himself unworthy
• Ben says that this is his fault, that his famous quote was the only gift he could impart to Peter, and that he's not seeing the big picture. Ben assures Peter that his powers and responsibility are not a penance for his past failures (Ben, Gwen, etc), but something to take pride in. He wants Peter to embrace the gifts that he is given, tempered by his heart, having the confidence to know when to fully use them.
• Peter tries to lift Mjolnir, and with a flash of light Ben and Cap are gone. He now speaks to Mother Storm. This was a test, and he passed.
• Peter is gifted permission to use Mjolnir for this fight.

Anyway check it out and read the full thing for yourself. I thought it was a nice story.

Hello everyone! Please join me into this in-depth review of The Absolute Universe, piecing together information across several books concerning the nature of its existence and where we may be headed. Granted this is all speculation, and could very well be my own insane ramblings, but I'd like to share it. The short version: we'll be exploring Darkseid, the balance between forces/concepts, and what this all ultimately means in a metaphysics sense.

The Beginning of Absolute

This entire reality was created by Darkseid after he went through great lengths to destroy himself and force a "hard reset" in which all of his Multiverse variants would converge into one true being. However before he could begin his conquest of creation, Darkseid needed time and a safe place to heal himself, which is where The Absolute Universe begins. In this reality, Darkseid bided his time to regain his power, and the foundations of this world echo his very being. While Darkseid did not direct events within this place, every down to a subatomic level has his "touch", or rather the "DNA" of this Earth can be traced back to him. What does this mean? Well, a lot of things, but for starters it has created a precedent where oppression and tyranny reign supreme everywhere. We see it with "The Justice League", made up of Jack Grimm, Hammond, Thawne, Cale, and Ras, we see it with The Manhunters, just a bleak status quo everywhere where heroes are the minority. This of course mirrors Darkseid's own desires/nature as the god of tyranny, and his mission to put all there is under his boot. This also makes sense considering that this reality is built upon Omega Energy, the very power of "The End" that fuels Darkseid and his ability to infect the surrounding Multiverse.

Bad Idea #0

First introduced in Absolute Martian Manhunter, The Martian peers behind the veil of reality and The White Martian's plan to reveal the beginning and end of all things: Darkseid himself. The book is all about the nature of existence, how one perceives reality, and various levels of cosmic awareness. The White Martian appears directly linked to Darkseid, or more importantly, the concept of Anti-Life. The Anti-Life Equation to those familiar to DC lore is the proven mathematical formula that dictates "life has no meaning", essentially Darkseid's backdoor hack of existence to impose his will upon all sentient life. "Martians", or the closest thing we can perceive these beings of pure thought, may be personifications of both the Life and Anti-Life equation. Darkseid thought this reality into existence, I think therefore I am, and he is ground zero "Bad Idea #0", of Absolute. The Martian tries to explain this to John Jones, but fails given his own limited ability to perceive reality. Why is this important? Because the existence of The Martian and The White Martian imply there are grander things in motion BEYOND Darkseid's will. They may exist because Darkseid essentially "broke" existence when creating this world, to the point where both Life and Anti-Life are now conceptual beings with wills of their own, and trying to correct the imbalance.

The Light Spectrum

In mainline Green Lantern lore, The Emotional Spectrum is the energy that drives all life based on various motivations. Willpower, Fear, Hatred, Greed, etc. They all drive life to endure. In the Absolute Universe it appears light has taken to new meaning, in this case action itself. Correct Action, Enlightened, Withholding Action, etc. Why? Well a universe would need light, but since this reality is driven by Omega Energy and Anti-Life, one could argue nihilism reigns supreme. So Darkseid's subconscious view on existence isn't based on personal feelings, but choosing when its appropriate to act. There is no light without dark, however in this universe light is "tainted", meaning that light itself has Darkseid's touch to it because of how everything was willed into being. They say in Absolute Green Lantern there are different levels to this light, the spectrum, and that there is a "disagreement" between forces as to who is ultimately right. I believe this is in reference to The Martians. Notice how The Martian inhabiting John is several colors, not just green. The Light is perhaps Life and Anti-Life debating the outcome of all. What do they mean by levels? How far the light is close to the center of their reality, Darkseid, which is why Quard is on the very end.

The Still Point

In Absolute Flash, there is a level of reality where several intellects have travelled (and become imprisoned by), The Still Point. The Speed Force, which in mainline DC is the power source that moves time forward and empowers Speedsters like The Flash, does not exist here. Why? Because Darkseid ultimately drives this universe, not by his own design, but because it is an extension of his very being. Omega Energy is the fuel that drives the events of Absolute forward. So what is The Still Point in relation to this? It appears to be a manifestation of the various levels of the Absolute reality, and the precipice of the descent into the absolute truth of their existence: Darkseid. Like The Divine Comedy/Dantes Inferno, it is the metaphysical staircase to Hell and source of all things. In relation to The Light, we can see in the Still Point sketch there are various levels, which in turn be in relation to the various levels of understanding. The further someone strays from The Light, the closer they get to Darkseid. There's also reason to believe that Wally's powers are directly tied to Omega Energy as well since The Speed Force does not exist in this universe.

What This All Means Together

Darkseid Is. Or rather, Darkseid Is Ground Zero. Bad Idea #0. The Beginning, and End, of All Things. The Light Spectrum is the ring around The Still Point, actions surrounding nothing. The Light is Life and Anti-Life, which are also now self-aware and acting on their own. It is represented by a bottomless pit, nothing. Nothing is tied to nihilism, the answer to Anti-Life, and the will of Darkseid. To understand Anti-Life is to submit to Darkseid. Why is it represented this way? Because a bottomless pit/hole, the concept of nothing, requires context, something. The ring is the boundary that gives the pit meaning. Furthermore, whether Darkseid likes it or not, the concept of good is a necessity to give the concept of evil meaning. This is why Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the others naturally came to be despite the Earth being grown out of Omega, because they are a direct result of the cosmic counterweight to everything Darkseid Is. We've heard of necessary evil, heroes are necessary good.

Where This Could Be Headed

As we speak Darkseid is infecting every reality around Earth Prime/Earth 0 with Omega, and will eventually confront our mainline heroes once again to complete his victory. Darkseid needed the Absolute Earth to nurture and draw upon endless Omega Energy, and as we see from DC KO there is Alpha Energy (the beginning) to counter it. I believe Absolute Earth is now and forever directly linked with Earth Prime/Earth 0, similar to how Grant Morrisons Earth 2 (now Earth 3) had direct ties to the mainline universe where actions on one impacted the other. Earth Prime is now the source of Alpha Energy everywhere, whereas Earth Absolute is now the source of all Omega Energy, both now permanently intertwined and balancing the other. The Still Point, the pit, its a path not only to Darkseid's ground zero, but a portal back to Earth 0. Earth 0=Bad Idea 0. When Darkseid is ready, he'll use Absolute as a backdoor path back to Prime to finish what he started. However he'll soon realize that everything that he has done is pointless, as he is now slave to the cosmic balance between life/anti-life, alpha/omega, beginnings/endings. Absolute will also become a permanent part of the DC cosmic map, enduring because it has to ever since Darkseid fractured reality by making himself a singular being. With this said I don't know if Absolute heroes will ever defeat their oppressors, but exist merely to endure as good needs to.

Anyway apologies for the LONG rant/text dump, I just had to lay this all out. Let me know what you think in the comments below, even if I'm way off.

Well there you have it, emerging from the Dark Energon cocoon, empowered by The Matrix of Oppression, Megatron has now transformed into MEGATRONUS REX. It appears that he is now fully taking the name of his predecessor, while also mirroring a "Prime" with "Rex" (which means ruler in Latin). He's still a triple changer, only his tank form has changed and instead of a pistol he is now a large gatling gun. So if this concept art is accurate, a new figure may mean a new mold given the gun form. Also potentially giving new posing options for any Devastator owners out there. Or do you think he'll just be a Megatronus AOTP remold?

What are your hopes, thoughts, and opinions on the potential Megatronus Rex figure? What features, accessories, or details are you hoping for? Personally I'd really like to see his chest cavity open up for a Matrix of Oppression accessory.

My suggestion would be clean suit, young head with mask, old head sculpt without

Probably for the best

Noticed something when comparing both live action constructs. 2011’s are more translucent, almost like a hologram, a heavier emphasis on the “light” aspect. However looking at 2026’s constructs appear more like crystal stones, “muddier”, focusing more on refracting like while trying to convey something more solid/tangible. Or am I reading into it too much?

Which do you prefer? Is it more important they looks like glowing light, or something more like an emerald that has weight to it? By this metric I’d imagine yellow and red rings to invoke Topaz and Rubies

I just noticed we can't seem to close his fists. I don't know how many of you have Galactus on order, or thinking about him, but this seems like a concern for those worried about posing. Are there any other details that you can see that makes you say "pass"? Size and price I can understand, I'm mainly talking about articulation criticisms. He came up as a waitlist option and now I'm considering a pass.

Just got these today by surprise, and I wanted to share with you guys. I hope we get a Crimson Cowl costume in the future.

FACT: Spider-Man is one of the most profitable IPs out there, especially with Hot Toys
FACT: Spider-Man interest is at an all time high, evidence being Brand New Day
FACT: Spider-Man by Insomniac Games is one of the most recognizable and profitable incarnations

So why not expand the line? We already have numerous Spider-Man variants/costumes from the game, and we already have a monstrous Venom figure. With Hot Toys toe-tipping into non movie content such as Marvel Comics itself, and animated projects such as Arcane and KPOP Demon Hunters, are we about due for some new non-movie related Spidey bad guys? Or are the designs too ambitious to be cost effective?

Would you pick any or all of these up for your Spider-Man display? How does Hot Toys normally gauge interest for new products?

I can’t unsee Parker as Tony Montana. A man who wants it all, and can’t see that the path that he’s on will ultimately destroy him.

"Uh, yeah....It's Ultron-5 coming to you LIVE. Times Square....LETS GO

Pop a drone on a fleshie cause can't find cover
Hela can't hit me cause she sees how I hover
Gotta Spidey thinkin his kills are meaningful
With Galacta in my ear shouting STOP THAT VEHICLE!

Haters talkin S#!* cause they look at my score
Wonder why that is? Couldn't be their Star-Lord
Doesn't matter, I climb the ladder, ignoring all your stupid chatter
Got a permanent smile, shining with electroplated matter

They won't add villains cause I'm the OG
Don't care about meta, nerfs can't seem to stop me
Dominating the mic, like matches, the mechanical bomb
Rhymes slapping like my dad like he did to my mom

616, represent, win or lose, I'm having a ball
You're one trick, you're trash, "Well you can't win them all"

This wasn't conveyed in the Captain America movie but one of the things that makes Red Hulk unique is that he isn't merely powered by Gamma radiation, but Cosmic Radiation as well. It's the same power source that changed the Fantastic Four, and which makes him burn hot to the touch. I was curious if there were any collectors that thought about modifying their figure. If so, I'd love to see you share the results.

I think what it really comes down to is what someone is looking for in terms of accessories. I own the New Red & Blue, and Insomniac Classic, so personally I'm fine skipping the new one. If you want a Holland head sculpt, then maybe R&B is for you. If you want the Scorpion base, more prominent web shooters, and winter wear, then maybe BND is more appealing.

Or are there other factors between the two that have you leaning one way or another?

Like even if you’re not a Ruffalo fan (which is completely understandable), I think this guy has great shelf presence and invokes classic Incredible Hulk. Do you agree or disagree?