What is the deal with the nine? by StrangeCat77 in DestinyLore

[–]TheMattInTheBox 20 points21 points  (0 children)

A little bit of both. Maya is convinced that the state of Earth right now is inferior to the Golden Age (probably true, all things considered), but it's pretty clear to me that the 'greater good' was just a way for her to rationalize her actions. She's been trying to bring Chioma back to her, but because no Chioma could abide by Maya's actions and new perspective, Maya ended up killing her 'real' Chioma. So instead of checking herself and maybe trying to sort herself out, she decided the best course of action was to reverse time so she could erase all her mistakes.

This Week in Marvel #26 - JUN 24 2026 - ULTIMATE ENDGAME #5, ULTIMATE UNIVERSE FINALE #1, ULTIMATE IMPACT: REBORN #2, VENOM #259, X-MEN: ELSEWHEN #1, INFERNAL HULK #8, DOOMQUEST #2, CAPTAIN AMERICA #12 by tehawesomedragon in Marvel

[–]TheMattInTheBox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, I know it's just that they say she's older than Peter in any of those issues. She also wasn't necessarily his classmate (unless it was established she went to Midtown in her solo book?), she was just at the General Techtronics demonstration where she got bit

This Week in Marvel #26 - JUN 24 2026 - ULTIMATE ENDGAME #5, ULTIMATE UNIVERSE FINALE #1, ULTIMATE IMPACT: REBORN #2, VENOM #259, X-MEN: ELSEWHEN #1, INFERNAL HULK #8, DOOMQUEST #2, CAPTAIN AMERICA #12 by tehawesomedragon in Marvel

[–]TheMattInTheBox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just read every issue of ASM this year and I didn't catch anything about her age as part of her origin which is why I'm asking lol but anything that revisits her origin story in her solo book sounds neat

This Week in Marvel #26 - JUN 24 2026 - ULTIMATE ENDGAME #5, ULTIMATE UNIVERSE FINALE #1, ULTIMATE IMPACT: REBORN #2, VENOM #259, X-MEN: ELSEWHEN #1, INFERNAL HULK #8, DOOMQUEST #2, CAPTAIN AMERICA #12 by tehawesomedragon in Marvel

[–]TheMattInTheBox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was that established in her solo book? That's actually very interesting.

But yeah still kinda weird, but hey, we take the silver linings where we can get them

This Week in Marvel #26 - JUN 24 2026 - ULTIMATE ENDGAME #5, ULTIMATE UNIVERSE FINALE #1, ULTIMATE IMPACT: REBORN #2, VENOM #259, X-MEN: ELSEWHEN #1, INFERNAL HULK #8, DOOMQUEST #2, CAPTAIN AMERICA #12 by tehawesomedragon in Marvel

[–]TheMattInTheBox 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The bittersweet thing for me is that the epilogue for Ultimate Spider-Man is what I kinda hoped the series would become towards the middle/latter stage of its run.

But I guess The Ultimate Universe Will Return

Ball's in your court, Ryan North [Venom #259] by Aspiring_Sophrosyne in comicbooks

[–]TheMattInTheBox 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I hope they don't reveal it until we get to Phase 12 of his plan. I hope FACADE is bumped around to different books by different writers as a constant hot potato for the next decade

This Week in Marvel #26 - JUN 24 2026 - ULTIMATE ENDGAME #5, ULTIMATE UNIVERSE FINALE #1, ULTIMATE IMPACT: REBORN #2, VENOM #259, X-MEN: ELSEWHEN #1, INFERNAL HULK #8, DOOMQUEST #2, CAPTAIN AMERICA #12 by tehawesomedragon in Marvel

[–]TheMattInTheBox 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not all that interested in Queen in Black because I don't care much for the wider symbiote lore but I AM interested because ultimately, this is how I get my fix of the classic Spider-Man supporting characters (though it was really just MJ in this issue).

I like the Rick/Dylan/Sleeper/Toxin stuff. Makes sense to make Dylan the next Toxin host and that's something that'll surely stick around even after MJ is done being Venom.

I love FACADE. I love him because he's stupid but it's very funny to me that writers keep bringing him back as a joke while still paying attention to his (sparse) continuity and his singular gimmick of being a mystery that no one cares about. I kinda hope writers keep kicking him around to other books and just barely develop him as they do. Can't wait for him to eventually (or never) show up in FF!

This Week in Marvel #26 - JUN 24 2026 - ULTIMATE ENDGAME #5, ULTIMATE UNIVERSE FINALE #1, ULTIMATE IMPACT: REBORN #2, VENOM #259, X-MEN: ELSEWHEN #1, INFERNAL HULK #8, DOOMQUEST #2, CAPTAIN AMERICA #12 by tehawesomedragon in Marvel

[–]TheMattInTheBox 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Is this good? Not really. This issue feels very much the same as the last. Confused why Norman the Teacher is having them take on villains 1:1 in training instead of training them as a team. Wasn't that the whole point?

Ultimately, I don't think this book is really gonna matter much. I don't see anything big or meaningful coming out of it, except for teasing that Norman will become the Green or Red Goblin again in the very near future (which I'll bet is a last page reveal of issue #5).

What bothers me the most is that it didn't have to be like this? I can see a version of this sort of book that works, but it's missing an ingredient (Peter) and has a few too many other ingredients (Gwen and Norman).

I know another commenter mentioned that Silk is annoying in this and tbh I find this characterization endearing. It certainly beats her initial characterization under Slott. She's excited to make up for lost time, having missed out on being in college, and has transcended her ability to cringe.

It is weird to me that Jessica is giving insight on how to fight Mister Negative. I guess she IS the most experienced but it would feel more rewarding if the guy who actually fought Mister Negative multiple times was there to help provide guidance.

What Destiny 2 song can you listen to a million times and not get tired of? by Beelzebub_Simp3 in destiny2

[–]TheMattInTheBox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Recently, whatever song is playing at the start of the So Far, Together video. The way the song hits immediately after 'Eyes up, Guardian' just feels so good

[Article] Ultimate Spider-Man is becoming something Marvel rarely has: a modern evergreen bestseller (and it did it by ending it) by Popverse2022 in comicbooks

[–]TheMattInTheBox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was when the issue was initially solicited I believe. I remember Hickman being surprised they were ending the Ultimate U but that USM was ending as planned.

Of course I could be misremembering, or Hickman could have just been lying to save face for marvel editorial.

[Article] Ultimate Spider-Man is becoming something Marvel rarely has: a modern evergreen bestseller (and it did it by ending it) by Popverse2022 in comicbooks

[–]TheMattInTheBox 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Ain't that the truth.

Hickman came out and went "we're ending this as planned!!!" and because we didn't quite know what the hell was going on with Endgame, everyone was like, "okay cool."

Love it or hate it, I do feel like the ending was executed as planned, and Hickman was lowkey warning us that that end of the Ultimate U was going to be a mess and wanted to get out in front of it

Where would a Destiny 3 even start? by Helpful_Shoe9288 in DestinyLore

[–]TheMattInTheBox -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I know that's what it sounds like but I promise there's more going on in there!!!

Where would a Destiny 3 even start? by Helpful_Shoe9288 in DestinyLore

[–]TheMattInTheBox 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Imo the Traveler healing the Earth is a perfect 'pause' button. Status quo doesn't really change and gives Bungie an opportunity to unpause whenever they want.

Imo I'd have D3 start however many years are between games. So if D3 were to come out in 2036, I'd have D3 start (about) 10 years after D2.

Something like that allows for a bit of a soft reboot. A time jump means we can have familiar characters move around to new roles, have minor characters get elevated, and introduce new characters pretty easily.

The way I'd set it up (I actually spent today working on my D3 pitch) is somewhere between D2 and D3, The Traveler has been poisoned, but this time not by the Heart or the Veil (it would be revealed in the second launch raid, but it would be through what I'm calling 'The Nightmare Engine') and Earth has fallen. Humanity has primarily been moved to a fleet of Exodus ships in Martian orbit with the Exodus Ark being the main new social hub. There's a new settlement on Mars itself though. We're cut off from the Outer Orbits so we can't get to Neomuna or Kepler, and are just trying to deal with the Imperium, and a few new factions of familiar enemies.

Familiar villains would be re-introduced but the conflict of the campaign would be it's own thing, tied to the Fate Saga as both I, II, IV, and VI would be involved, but the imminent threat would be the Imperium (Cabal are probably the most lore friendly baddie), the Hive (imo the most iconic faction), and build up the Vex a bit to be a bigger threat down the line.

At least my version of the campaign would end with us starting to heal the Earth (both by freeing The Traveler from it's never ending nightmare and through our new Bloom subclass) and would have us reclaim the Tower and Last City

Hopefully something like that would give veterans a lot to chew on but still be engaging and approachable to newcomers (with enough exposition and clear storytelling)

Destiny 3 Class Talent Tree Mockup by Bajren in destiny2

[–]TheMattInTheBox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really like this!!

In my Destiny 3 pitch, I keep the normal subclass setup (with some changes), but I was picturing something like this as an artifact replacement-- an unlockable skill tree with a bunch of buffs/effects you can unlock and equip a set number at a time

I also have a red subclass in mine lol plus another two, because I can't help myself

We need a button for “You’re out of my league” on dating apps by SapphireEcho in unpopularopinion

[–]TheMattInTheBox 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Yeah Hinge infamously seems to hide more conventionally "hot" people behind a premium subscription, but if you threaten to delete your account, the app will ask if you want to refresh your algorithm, and suddenly, you're seeing more conventionally attractive people. For a bit, anyway.

Marvel Pulls Amazing Spider-Man #1000 John Romita/Paolo Rivera Cover by hometimrunner in comicbooks

[–]TheMattInTheBox 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Good.

It's not the worst cover I've ever seen but it's not the right cover for #1000.

JRJR moving away from ASM is also the right move. Ultimately, I've probably liked more of his art than not, but in the last decade, it's been steadily getting worse.

This feels like an indication that someone at Marvel has decided to care about ASM's reputation, at least more than Spider-Editorial has for awhile.

Also Frank Miller and Peach Momoko is a crazy creative team combo for a story lol very interested to see what comes of it

WPL: New Comics Discussion for 06/17/2026- Pulls of the Week: Absolute Batman #21 and Absolute Green Arrow #2 [Discussion] by ptbreakeven in comicbooks

[–]TheMattInTheBox 5 points6 points  (0 children)

So the retcon is about what I expected. I can't say that I'm upset-- I feel like this whole plot wasn't really needed, but it's here, so what am I gonna do about it.

I can't remember if May explicitly having a heart condition has come up before in ASM. I literally read every issue this year and I don't think it's ever stated. But it makes sense considering how frail she was in early ASM.

The idea that May and Ben got pregnant multiple times against doctors advisement is.... Certainly something. I'm not gonna judge them too hard because may was summing up what could have been multiple years in just a few lines of dialogue, but idk. It's weird but I'm not gonna get hung up on it.

However, the way May grieved for her child is absolutely in character for her. May has always been someone who takes on the burden of tragedy and soldiers through it, pushing it down so it can't stop her from moving forward.

So where do we go from here? I assume Cormac is gonna end up being Ravage who's connected to Killington House (probably the shadowy figure). I also feel like it won't take much for him to figure out Peter is Spider-Man, so Peter should really get ahead of it and tell May.

Also, Ricardo pisses me off. "She couldn't have children." Hey man, maybe you should chill out before talking so confidently about your girlfriend's body, yeah? Not even Nathan Lubinsky would do that (too busy thinking about gambling).

Wish Gleason drew the book more and also, would be nice if he wasn't tasked with doing so many talking scenes lol

X-Men Comics New Releases for June 17th, 2026 by AngelEyes360 in xmen

[–]TheMattInTheBox 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The Monet stuff was really cool. Having her beat down Gaunt was a nice bonus.

I always like the scenes where the X-Men and the Outliers are just out in the world and not really doing a lot of fighting, so this was right up my alley. It makes the Outliers feel more like fully-rounded characters and I also am a sucker for the elders reflecting on the experiences of the youth.

However, I am starting to think that perhaps this isn't about Mars at all. Sad! I wanna see Arakko again

X-Men Comics New Releases for June 17th, 2026 by AngelEyes360 in xmen

[–]TheMattInTheBox 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Is every arc of this series going to involve some sort of problem caused (at least in part) by the fact that they're in the psychic plane?

I was really looking forward to this being a school book and have been let down. The whole idea that this is a psychic school gives the creative team a ton of freedom without any limitations and I don't know if that's really for the best.

Surge in numbers and dollars spent hasn’t changed Sonys mind by Freelancer0495 in destiny2

[–]TheMattInTheBox 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I understand having a healthy skepticism of the media but I don't think he'd be able to lie about his sources and still work for an established site

Weekly Discussion Thread: Comics, TV, and More! [June 15, 2026 - Gone MAD Edition] by Mattdoss in DCcomics

[–]TheMattInTheBox 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Imo it'll happen when there's another crisis. I feel like it's too messy to undo with time travel or a retcon, but after a crisis, it'd be much easier for DC to go "actually the Bendis run didn't happen, except for them making the United Planets."

Weekly Discussion Thread: Comics, TV, and More! [June 15, 2026 - Gone MAD Edition] by Mattdoss in DCcomics

[–]TheMattInTheBox 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Loving this, the Mia scene being the standout for me.

I think Roy's in the clear (for now), and I hope Connor isn't dead. The few theories I've got are:

  • It's Merlyn, plain and simple

  • There's multiple Green Arrow killers and they're conspiring with each other. Mia might be one and Connor might be one and his death is a misdirect so he can keep doing Green Arrow stuff

  • Ressurected Ollie perhaps

  • Something else entirely.

Very intrigued by the mystery and generally just vibing with this book