SPOILER ALERT: The Avengers After-Credits Scene In-Depth Analysis

UPDATE: This article was originally written straight after the release of The Avengers. Now we know a lot more about "Phase 2" of Marvel's Cinematic Universe - particularly the confirmation of Guardians of the Galaxy - so we've updated the article now to feature our thoughts on what could be in Guardians of the Galaxy.

SPOILERS INSIDE!!

I've seen the Avengers! And it was so very, very awesome. You can read my review of it by clicking here. It also has a rather awesome after-credits scene. There's no big explosions, or fight scenes, but it does introduce a key villain in the marvel universe.

THANOS is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For those who don't know, Thanos is an alien who was born on Titan, one of Saturn's moons. He is obsessed with death and nihilism, and boasts super-human strength, stamina, and durability. He can also absorb huge amounts of cosmic energy, and is very clever - considering his mind as his greatest weapon. He also has limited telekinesis and telepathy skills.

In the after credits scene it seems to be shown that Thanos was the one who provided Loki with the Chitauri army. Although he doesn't speak in this appearance he is accompanied by another unnamed alien who says, "Battling The Avengers would be to court death." Then Thanos flashes us a delightfully evil grin. 

This has been quite a surprise for a lot of fans (myself included), but really we should have seen it coming. The Cosmic Cube/Tesseract has played a major part in the last few Marvel movies, and Thanos also has a bit of history with it. In one of his first comic-book story arcs, he tries to use the Cosmic Cube to make him omnipotent (become all-powerful). Needless to say, he doesn't succeed, and the cube ends up being destroyed by Captain Marvel.

Which brings us onto another point - are we going to see more intergalactic heroes appear next time Thanos shows his face? Captain Marvel, Nova - and we have heard that a Guardians of the Galaxy movie is on the table... This has now been confirmed! Check out our speculation on what could be in the movie, below!

Thanos is probably most famous for his storyline, "The Infinity Gauntlet." And, this is one of the main Thanos hints - in Thor, we see the Infinity Gauntlet weapon in a shot, albeit briefly. We can't help but think that this was a hint of things to come.

In the comics, Thanos uses the Infinity Gauntlet to make himself all-powerful and then attempts to kill half the living things in the Universe.

So what does this all mean? Well, it seems a little too early to be teasing an Avengers 2 villain, seeming as we probably won't be seeing that until around 2015 - then again the super-team were mentioned in the scene.

Update: All signs seem to be pointing to a Thanos appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy. While the movie will no doubt serve as an origin story for the galactic super team, it's hard to imagine that Marvel wouldn't include Thanos in there as well. Here's the rumoured synopsis for the movie:

"About a U.S. pilot who ends up in space in the middle of a universal conflict and goes on the run with futuristic ex-cons who have something everyone wants."

Could the "something everyone wants" be the aforementioned Infinity Gauntlet. And if so does that mean the ex-cons raid an Asgard vault at the beginning of the movie?
And could the "universal conflict" be the Kree-Skrull War that's been a big part of Marvel Comics history since it ran in the early 70s?

One theory that's been circulating for a while is that the Guardians take on Thanos at the end of this movie, but fail to stop him attacking Earth. This would lead straight into The Avengers 2 which would feature a Guardians/Avengers team-up.

Whatever happens, the announcement of Guardians of the Galaxy has added a whole new lease of life to this scene - and I for one can't wait to find out Marvel's plans. 

Original Article: So what about Iron Man 3? Almost definitely not. All hints are pointing towards an "Extremis" based story for that one.

Thanos being in Captain America 2 seems like even more of a long shot, seeming as the two characters seem so unrelated. 

But Thor 2 - that's a possibility. Thor is the most space-based Avenger at the current time. Secondly, we saw the Infinity Gauntlet in an Asgard vault, hinting that Thanos could be on his way there. And Thor did play a substantial part in The Infinity Gauntlet storyline.

Alternatively, Marvel have been talking about "Phase 2" of The Avengers for a while now so maybe we'll see more small Thanos appearances in the aforementioned upcoming movies, building up to a big part in Avengers 2.

Whatever happens, Thanos will no doubt play a big part in the future of Marvel's movies - What do you think he's up to? Comment!

Read More

The Avengers Review (NO Spoilers)

I might as well get this out the way now. The Avengers is awesome. From start to finish it's everything I dreamt it would be. I suppose this review could be a bit biased seeming as I'm a bit of a Marvel geek, but even if your just a casual action film fan, you need to see this movie.

Where to start? Usually I start with the story, but the one in this film has been kept so secret for so long that I'd feel like a monster exposing it. All I'll say is that the Cosmic Cube (Also known as the Tesseract) has fallen into the safe hands of SHIELD, who are using it for an unspecified purpose. Then Loki pops up and the shit hits the fan. To put it in the least detailed way possible, Loki wants the cube, Loki wants Earth, Loki has a plan and an army - and the army isn't the frost giants or anything from the nine realms.


While this story delivers laughs, action and more - it's pretty basic. You can't help but think that Loki's plan isn't that well thought through. I guess the story couldn't have been too complicated as this film has to be mainly about the Avengers forming together. But still, it's something that should be fixed in the sequel.

On the plus side, this is the funniest super hero movie I've seen in a while - with some great one-liners that made the whole cinema burst into laughter. Not to mention some hilarious Hulk moments that have to be seen to be believed.

And it's not just jokes the writer's get spot on. The way each character is written is just perfect and their meeting and interactions go exactly as they should. No fan should be disappointed.

Another way this movie triumphs is that the Avengers aren't a team for the sake of it. Through the film and particularly during the glorious final battle, each member of the team is essential, and each character has a few awesome moments each.

And of course, these jokes and action scenes wouldn't be half as good if not for the fantastic ensemble cast of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeremy Renner. Not to mention a certain Samuel L. Jackson, who's role in this film is much more substantial than in previous Marvel movies, giving us a great look into what goes on at SHIELD. But the entire cast has great chemistry throughout and the film just wouldn't be the same without them.

I honestly don't know how much clearer I can put it. The Avengers is just a fantastic movie that comic and action fans alike will love. It's got a fantastic cast, great writing, a hugely entertaining story, as well as some truly awesome action sequences. Mix in some hilarious jokes, and the novelty of seeing all these character's interact in one movie and you've got 100% pure amazing. A must-see for anyone.

Oh, and by the way, stay after the credits.

Read More

New Super Mario Bros. 2 Coming to 3DS! Screenshots + Details

Guess who's back?

Earlier this year, Nintendo announced it was working on a new 2D Mario game - and yesterday it announced a name and some new screenshots!
The game is in fact called New Super Mario Bros 2 and is a sequel to the smash hit DS game of 2006, and is set for a release in Japan and North America this August, with a European release date currently unannounced.

Not very many details have been given just yet, but the Power Leaf and Raccoon Mario have been announced to be returning, as well as Mario's brother Luigi.

Check out the first screenshots from the game below:

Read More

Catching Fire Director Found!

After Gary Ross, director of the first Hunger Games, decided he couldn't direct a sequel, Lionsgate were on the hunt for a new director who could take the helm on the fast-tracked sequel.

Today they found one. Francis Lawrence will be taking charge on the sequel. His previous work includes, I Am Legend, and Water For Elephants.

Catching Fire starts shooting this Autumn, and is aiming for a November 2013 release. It will once again star Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson.

Read More

Dead Space 3 Leaked?

It's been rumoured that Dead Space 3 exists for a while now, but yesterday new evidence of the game emerged. This time from South-African retailer, BT Games.

Normally, this may not mean anything. BT Games has been responsible for leaking game like Jak and Daxter HD Collection, as well as revealing Mass Effect 3's multiplayer component. So they have got experience in...well screwing up announcements.

What do you think? Does this mean anything?

Read More

James Bond "007: Legends" Game Announced

Today, Activision Blizzard announced a new James Bond game titled, 007: Legends, to be developed by Eurocom - the people behind the Goldeneye remake, and last year's Goldeneye 007: Reloaded.

Although, this is no remake. This game is to have a completely original overarching storyline that ties together all 23 James Bond movies - including the upcoming Skyfall. The game also promises to equip the player with some state of the art gadgets, an "arsenal" of weapons, along with some sleek vehicles that will take them to several exotic locations across the world.

Goldeneye Reloaded's MI6 Ops Missions are also confirmed to be returning. In this mode players receive extra missions that challenge them in a variety of ways.

The game is expected to launch this Autumn for PS3 and XBOX 360.

Read More

Awesome Red PS3 Coming to UK

Full Pictures Below!

A new "Scarlet Red" PS3 is coming to the UK on May 4th, and it looks pretty darn sexy.

The console will come with a pair of matching red Dualshock 3 controllers, and will have a 320GB hard drive. If you're interested, it's available to pre-order now at amazon.co.uk (£249.99), and play.com (£239.99).

The red console was previously a Japanese-Exclusive so it's awesome to see it heading over here - No other territories have been announced yet, but if it sells well over here, then I wouldn't rule out a north American release.

Read More

Need for Speed Movie gets Serious

Last week, we found out that a Need for Speed movie was in talks between EA and Paramount (among other companies), and now it seems that it could well be coming to a screen near you soon.

Variety reported that the movie is in serious negotiations over at Dreamworks with a deal created by EA, along with John Gatins (writer of Real Steel - a movie produced by Dreamworks).

Right now, it seems pretty darn likely that this could happen - especially after the recent success of movies such as Fast Five - but do we really want this to happen? Videogame movies are rarely well-received, and Need for Speed comes across as a particularly difficult one to adapt well.

But what do you think? Comment below.

Read More

Pikmin 3 is Still Alive!

Pikmin 3 has been in the works for an age now. Announced back in 2008, many thought that we'd have seen it on Wii by now. But instead, our Olimar fix had to be fulfilled via Smash Bros. Brawl, and some Gamecube games with tacked-on Wii controls.
Many had given up the dream that we'd see a next-gen Pikmin game.

But today, hope emerged. Nintendo released a statement saying not only would we see a new Mario game for Wii U at this year's E3 (in June), but also that Pikmin 3 would be at the show as well! I'm excited already, and just hope that they use that massive Wii U controller to its full potential.

Read More

The Dark Knight Rises: The Novel Announced

Good news bat-fans! You won't just be seeing Batman grace the big screen this summer, he'll also be sweeping across book shelves - on the same day as the movie (July 20th).

An official novelisation of the movie was announced today, will be published by Titan Books, and will be written by Greg Cox - whose previous novelisations include Ghost Rider and Daredevil, meaning he's no stranger in the super-hero department.

So, will you be picking it up? Or is the movie enough to give you your bat-fix? That comment section is for you.

Read More

Halo 4 Release Date Announced

Today, after a lot of rumour and speculation, Microsoft officially announced that Halo 4 would be hitting store shelves on November 6th 2012.

It was also promised via Press Release, that the game would, "set a new standard for blockbuster interactive entertainment.

But, as big a franchise as Halo is, Call of Duty has ruled November for the past few years - do you think it can be beaten? Comment below.

Read More

US Box Office Top 10: 16th April 2012

Unbelievably, The Hunger Games is No. 1 again this week, bringing it's current total to nearly $340 million in the US alone. 

Click here for our review of The Hunger Games!

Meanwhile, the modern day interpretation of The Three Stooges comes in at No. 2, beating sci-fi horror, The Cabin in the Woods which settles for No. 3.

The only other new entry is Guy Pearce's action movie, Lockout, which comes in at a disappointing No. 9 - pointing to it making an unhealthy loss....

US Box Office Top 10:

1. (1) The Hunger Games - $21.5 million

2. (-) The Three Stooges - $17.1 million

3. (-) The Cabin in the Woods - $14.8 million

4. (3) Titanic 3D - $11.6 million

5. (2) American Reunion - $10.6 million

6. (5) Mirror Mirror - $7 million

7. (4) Wrath of the Titans - $6.91 million

8. (6) 21 Jump Street - $6.8 million

9. (-) Lockout - $6.25 million

10. (7) Dr. Seuss' The Lorax - $3.02 million

That's all this week, here's a trailer for this week's highest new entry - The Three Stooges.

Read More

UK Top 10 Games: 16th April 2012

This week FIFA Street takes back the top spot, after Kinect Star Wars receives a 50% drop in sales - falling 3 places to No. 4.

Apart from that the classic annual summer drought of games seems to be kicking in early. There are no new entries in the top 10, and just one new entry in the top 40 - Nintendo's Wii RPG, Pandora's Tower, which comes in at No. 38.


UK Games Top 10 (All Formats, All Prices):


1. (2) FIFA Street
2. (3) Mass Effect 3
3. (4) FIFA 12
4. (1) Kinect Star Wars
5. (5) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13
6. (6) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
7. (10) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
8. (9) Battlefield 3
9. (8) Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
10. (7) SSX

That's all for this week. Here's a trailer for the chart's only new entry - Pandora's Tower:

Read More

C2E2 2012: Marvel's Biggest Announcements

This year's C2E2 Chicago Comic-Con is drawing to a close. Here are the biggest announcements Marvel made at the show!

New Hawkeye On-Going Series

#1 

Marvel announced that their most popular archer (Sorry, Kate), would be getting his own on-going series again! Matt Fraction and David Aja will be collaborating their skills for the book - in their first team-up since their run on Immortal Iron Fist.

The idea behind the book hinges on how the Avenger lives his life when not around his numerous teammates and allies.

“HAWKEYE is more about what inspires Clint Barton,” Fraction explains, “We got Clint in Avengers, Secret Avengers, and anywhere else at any given time - but we wanted HAWKEYE to be about what Clint does when he's not at work, about what drives the guy."

“He's got some stuff coming up in [Avengers vs. X-Men] and afterwards he's in a place where he's gotta figure out what he's doing with himself and why. What moves him, what's meaningful for him.”

#2

It was also announced that the Young Avengers' Hawkeye, Kate Bishop would feature in the book:

“She's his junior partner, his apprentice,” says Fraction. “It's a very Avengers relationship - meaning Steed and Peel - and she's as adrift as he is. What the hell are these two doing with their lives? Turns out, helping people is what they have to do to get through the night. In costume, in life, doesn't matter. Good guys don't punch a time card at 5:00.”

Aja went on to explain that his art for this book will be more iconic, and more cartoony than his previous work claiming, "Less is more." He also explained that while some other familiar heroes will appear, the focus will be almost entirely on Clint and Kate. 

HAWKEYE #1 is going to be out this August! It's on our pull list already!

New Gambit On-Going Series

Hawkeye isn't the only one getting his own series. The X-Men's Gambit is also breaking out.

Earlier this month we posted a teaser with Gambit's name on it, and it turns out it was for this - A new ongoing book written by James Asmus (Generation Hope), and Clay Mann (Magneto: Not A Hero). Cover art for #1 below:

Sabretooth to return in Wolverine Arc

Back in 2007 in the "Evolution" storyline, arguably Wolverine's greatest foe, Sabretooth, was killed off. Now - 5 years later - he's found his way back to the world of the living and will be causing Wolverine all kinds of trouble in July's Wolverine #310, which starts the story arc - "Sabretooth Reborn."

The arc will be handled by Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi (who both worked on "Evolution"), and aims to tie up any lose ends left from "Evolution." And as if Sabretooth wasn't enough, Wolverine will also be up against the mysterious Romulus who has been pulling both Logan and Sabretooth's strings for years. This could be one hell of a story.

New Ultimate Comics Event Teased

Marvel announced that Brian Michael Bendis, Sam Humphries and Brian Wood, will collaborate on "Divided We Fall," a new event due to take place in the pages of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Ultimate Comics Ultimates, and Ultimate Comics X-Men this summer.

Not many details were given but there was a tease in the form of a cover for Ultimate Comics Ultimates #13 (below):

The Mighty Thor and Journey Into Mystery Crossover

Marvel announced a new seven-part story taking place in the pages of Journey Into Mystery, and The Mighty Thor. Entitled "Everything Burns" it involves Thor and Loki working together to save the Nine Realms!

It will be handled by Matt Fraction, Kieron Gillen, Alan Davis and Carmine di Giandomenico.

Promo Below:

Carnage to Return in Minimum Carnage

Marvel announced a new book entitled Minimum Carnage. Now that Carnage USA is over (it was awesome), what's the next move for the most insane villain of the Marvel Universe? No details yet, apart from the image below - but don't worry - we'll keep you updated on this one...

Those were our biggest Marvel stories of C2E2! Stay tuned for DC's biggest news!

Read More

Skyrim is Coming to Kinect - Video Inside

Kinect: KILL!

This isn't a joke.

Today Bethesda announced that they will be adding Kinect support to Skyrim in the form of "more than 200 voice commands...including the game's dragon shouts."

Here's the full press release:

"In addition to Dragon Shouts, the Kinect for Xbox 360 integration offers voice commands throughout the game including Hotkey Equipping, Follower Commands, and all Menus (Items, Magic, Map, Barter, Container, Favorites, and Skills). With Voice Commands, quickly create and load saves during gameplay and access menus and inventories. Skyrim's Kinect for Xbox 360 Support also adds new functionality including special map functions, additional hotkey options, and the ability to sort inventory items by name, weight, and value."

That's right - you can shout Fus Ro Dah at your TV and your character will blow that giant frostbite spider away. The stuff dreams are made of. The Kinect support is intended to be a free update for release sometime this month.

While Kinect has had little to get excited about in its short life, this actually looks kinda cool. If it works as well as it does in the video below, I can imagine myself having a lot of fun with this.

Check out Skyrim Kinect in action:

Read More

Capcom, Namco and Sega Collide in 3DS Game - UPDATE: First SCreenshots inside

UPDATE (12th April 2012):

The first screenshots from Capcom, Sega and Namco's 3DS crossover game, Project X Zone, have been released by Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. See them below:

ORIGINAL STORY (11th April 2012):

Details have been released on the 3DS game that will feature character's from 3 of the biggest game developers on the planet!
It was announced a few months back that these 3 were working on a game together, but it wasn't until today that we found out that this game is a Strategy-RPG entitled Project X Zone (with the X pronounced "cross").

In an interview with Famitsu (a Japanese gaming magazine), Namco Bandai's Kensuke Tsukanaka confirmed a character roster expanding over all three universes - with each character carrying moves from each of their specific games.

Here's the character roster so far - but it has been announced that there are more on the way!

Ryu & Ken (Street Fighter)
X and Zero (Mega Man)
Demitri and Dante (Darkstalkers, Devil May Cry)
Chris and Jill (Resident Evil)
Shinguji Sakura and Ogami Ichiro (Sakura Wars)
Pai and Akira (Virtua Fighter)
Kurt and Riela (Valkyria Chronicles)
Ulala and Touma (Space Channel 5, Shining Force EXA)
Sanger Somvold (Super Robot Wars)
Jin and Ling Xiaoyu (Tekken)
Kos-Mos and T-elos (Xenosaga)
Yurie and Estel (Tales of Vesperia)
Kaito and Black Rose (.hack)

A trailer is reportedly on the way - let's hope it's an awesome CGI one like we got for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Street Fighter X Tekken!

Read More

UK Box Office Top 10: 11th April 2012

This week James Cameron's 3D re-release of the 1998 Titanic knocks The Hunger Games from the top spot, bringing in £2.8 million. Is it just me, or is there something very untasteful about people watching drowning and death in 3D? Comment below! The Hunger Games slips one spot to No. 2. You can read our review of The Hunger Games by clicking here!

Other new entries this week are an alternative version of the Snow White story, Mirror Mirror at No. 3, Henry Cavill and Bruce Willis come in at No. 7 with The Cold Light of Day, and Bollywood sequel, Housefull 2 is in at No. 10.

1. (-) Titanic 3D - £2,856,540
2. (1) The Hunger Games - £2,394,782
3. (-) Mirror Mirror - £2,389,033
4. (3) The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists - £2,166,162
5. (2) Wrath of the Titans - £1,368,131
6. (4) 21 Jump Street - £845,869
7. (-) The Cold Light of Day - £503,985
8. (6) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - £451,307
9. (5) StreetDance 2 - £424,833
10. (-) Housefull 2 - £396,475

That's all for this week. Here's the trailer to this week's new No. 1, Titanic 3D:

Read More

New Clip from The Avengers

New Clip Below!

Happy Wednesday everyone! Here's a new clip from Marvel's The Avengers!

Notice that Loki says: "Oh, I thought the beast had wondered off?" This clearly points at poor old fitting-in issues for Hulk - as many of us suspected would happen. And what were the metal bracelets Tony Stark was putting on?

So, are you sceptical, or counting down the days? Personally, I've got my tickets booked already! Expect a review April 26th!

Read More