While working in the library today something incredibly annoying happened. My laptop died and as usual there were no outlets open. So instead of sitting there and doing nothing I decided to try and do what work I could on my phone. Looking at this blog on my phone I realized that this blog has a very boring design. Yes there's a background image and a splash of color, but there isn't really much to look at other than a crap ton of words and blocks. I realized I needed some more pictures to help break up some of the monotony. If it wasn't for my computer dying and the library's lack of sufficient outlets on the second floor (seriously there are only like 4-5, that's not enough) then I never would've noticed that. Now I know to add some more images to help spice some of the posts up a bit. 
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Let's talk about Bruce Banner
After my rant about how great a character Tony is I started thinking about each individual character and how they have progressed. One character in particular was standing out to me: Bruce Banner. While quiet and sarcastic tends to describe him, most people forget about his sense of humor. Remember the scene in Ultron where they were all trying to lift the hammer and he kind of pretends to turn into the hulk and no one gets it? He's funny and smart and just a typical person like you and me. The difference is just don't catch him off guard. It's only when he's caught off guard that he really is a threat to people.
People tend to tiptoe around him, scared of setting him off and unleashing his rage. The thing with Bruce though and we see it a bit in Ultron is that he does control the hulk to a certain extent. He can control and channeling his anger and actions to help the Avengers. This has to do with what he said in the first Avengers film when he tells cap that his secret is tha he's always angry. And it's true. Banner is sick of everyone being scared of him and tip toeing around him. That's one reason him and Tony (Science Bros forever!) get along so well and become such fast friends. Tony isn't afraid of him and jokes around him. He treats him like a normal person. I'm pretty sure I mentioned in an earlier post about Ultron that the only persons behavior that makes sense throughout the movie is Dr.Banner. His quote "I could strangle you and not turn a single shade" really shows how much self control he has and that the only time you need to worry is when he's caught off guard. People tend to think of the Hulk as angry and destruction and associate him those things. For me though I think of him as more a protector and fearful. The Hulk is there to protect Banner from things that could hurt him like a bullet or falling onto concrete. He's a protector. He's like a father who goes on a rampage whenever his son is upset; or, a son going on a rampage to defend his father. Either way there is a protective instinct there, even with people other than Bruce himself. In the first Avengers movie it's the Hulk that saves Tony's life. Granted you can make the argument Thor was about to go too, the Hulk got there first and then screamed when he didn't immediately wake up. The hulk saved Tony for Banner and helped wake him up for Banner.
So now back to the character himself and his actions around others. Bruce is sick of being used for the Hulk plain and simple. He's angry. He's really angry. That's where the I could strangle you line comes in. He knows what they are doing but no one will actually admit it. Then there is Natasha and the love story that makes no sense what so ever and is basically poorly written fan fiction by Whedon. Natasha blatantly uses him at the end and even says "I need the other guy". That was the absolute last straw for him. He's done. After the battle he takes a stealth plane and flies away, ignoring Natasha's transmissions to try and help him change back. He's done and running away again. Bruce is constantly taken advantage of and its destroying him emotionally. He can't take it anymore. People see him as quiet and usually in the background and yes he tends to blend in and people tend to forget about him which is tragic. He's a beautifully complex character and Mark Rufflao does an incredible job of portraying him. There's so much eye acting with him and if you haven't before you really should pay more attention to him and the things he does and how he says them. Banner is a terrific character and I could go on for days about him. But for now I'll just wrap up with 3 paragraphs.
People tend to tiptoe around him, scared of setting him off and unleashing his rage. The thing with Bruce though and we see it a bit in Ultron is that he does control the hulk to a certain extent. He can control and channeling his anger and actions to help the Avengers. This has to do with what he said in the first Avengers film when he tells cap that his secret is tha he's always angry. And it's true. Banner is sick of everyone being scared of him and tip toeing around him. That's one reason him and Tony (Science Bros forever!) get along so well and become such fast friends. Tony isn't afraid of him and jokes around him. He treats him like a normal person. I'm pretty sure I mentioned in an earlier post about Ultron that the only persons behavior that makes sense throughout the movie is Dr.Banner. His quote "I could strangle you and not turn a single shade" really shows how much self control he has and that the only time you need to worry is when he's caught off guard. People tend to think of the Hulk as angry and destruction and associate him those things. For me though I think of him as more a protector and fearful. The Hulk is there to protect Banner from things that could hurt him like a bullet or falling onto concrete. He's a protector. He's like a father who goes on a rampage whenever his son is upset; or, a son going on a rampage to defend his father. Either way there is a protective instinct there, even with people other than Bruce himself. In the first Avengers movie it's the Hulk that saves Tony's life. Granted you can make the argument Thor was about to go too, the Hulk got there first and then screamed when he didn't immediately wake up. The hulk saved Tony for Banner and helped wake him up for Banner.
So now back to the character himself and his actions around others. Bruce is sick of being used for the Hulk plain and simple. He's angry. He's really angry. That's where the I could strangle you line comes in. He knows what they are doing but no one will actually admit it. Then there is Natasha and the love story that makes no sense what so ever and is basically poorly written fan fiction by Whedon. Natasha blatantly uses him at the end and even says "I need the other guy". That was the absolute last straw for him. He's done. After the battle he takes a stealth plane and flies away, ignoring Natasha's transmissions to try and help him change back. He's done and running away again. Bruce is constantly taken advantage of and its destroying him emotionally. He can't take it anymore. People see him as quiet and usually in the background and yes he tends to blend in and people tend to forget about him which is tragic. He's a beautifully complex character and Mark Rufflao does an incredible job of portraying him. There's so much eye acting with him and if you haven't before you really should pay more attention to him and the things he does and how he says them. Banner is a terrific character and I could go on for days about him. But for now I'll just wrap up with 3 paragraphs.
Why Tony Stark is my favorite super hero
Okay so I know that I have previously discussed Iron Man 3 and why that movie is so wonderful, but now I want to talk about the man himself: Tony Stark. I had a discussion with someone today who said to me that she hated Tony and that he was the worst Avenger out of all of them. Personally I just don't understand that. I can understand not liking his seemingly okay attitude but to say he is the worst is a bit much. First off, none of the Avengers are the worst because they are all great and unique in their own way. And if I really had to pick one it would be Thor cause frankly he is so gullible and boring I can't even bring myself to watch his movies more than twice. But regardless of that, he is still a great superhero. Tony though is different. Most people don't like him because they say his super power is his money and he is too cocky for his own good. If you believe that I really hope you hate batman too because you just described him as well, with the exception of Tony actually cares about other people where as Bruce is normally just going about his own agenda (like most DC characters but thats an argument for another day).
If the only Iron Man movie you've seen is the first one that I totally understand why you don't like Tony. I didn't like him then either. He's self-centered and unaffected by other people and what their needs/wants are. He believes that he is invincible and powerful and basically owns the world. When we really start to see him develop as a character though is in the second film. Spoiler alert, Tony almost dies. He ends up having to rediscover a new element on the periodic table to save himself. What makes this film so great though is his character changes as the story progresses. He suddenly starts caring about other people, mainly Pepper. Yes he becomes more of a self centered jerk, but you could make the argument that it was an act to hide his fear. Knowing this helps us interpret his previous behavior as well. Tony is lonely and scared but due to his upbringing he doesn't feel like he can show that to others. He has to keep it to himself and deal with it on his own, but in IM2 that shell begins to crack as he is faced with his own mortality. His development goes even further in The Avengers and the biggest change coming in Iron Man 3. Yes Tony is still cocky and rich, but he has changed and developed as a character and isn't the same person as he was in the beginning of the story. The proof of this lies in Age of Ultron. Wanda shows Tony a vision that will consume and destroy him and eventually leads him to create the ever boring villain Ultron. The vision she shows him is of everyone he cares about dead lying in a pile, and it was all his fault. This vision consumes him and almost does lead to his self destruction. If Wanda had showed him this during the first film, or even the second film for the matter, it would not effected him the same way it does later. It may have upset him a bit but it would not have consumed him the way it does in Ultron. Tony has undergone significant character development and is not the same person he was in earlier films.
And quickly for those who think his power is his money. Shut up and actually think about the things Tony has done. His whole story starts off with him creating this technology in a cave with nothing but scrap metal. When everyone believes Tony is dead in IM3 he has little to no access to his millions of dollars. He still manages to create and design weapons which he uses to save dozens of people and catch the "Mandarin". Bruce Wayne's super power is his money, Tony Stark's super power is his brain. This man creates all of his ideas and designs himself, after coming up with them himself. In the Avengers he is asked "when did you became an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics" to which he replies "last night". I don't don't doubt for one minute that Tony was up all night reading about this incredibly difficult stuff and understood it perfectly. Tony is a certified genius who just so happens to have money as well. Does it help him in the creation of his suits, absolutely yes. But when he doesn't have his money it doesn't stop him. He is still able to create his inventions and they still work perfectly. Tony Stark's superpower is his brain and no one can take that away from him or hinder him. Super man can't even compete with that.
photo credit: http://ironman.wikia.com/wiki/Tony_Stark_(film)
If the only Iron Man movie you've seen is the first one that I totally understand why you don't like Tony. I didn't like him then either. He's self-centered and unaffected by other people and what their needs/wants are. He believes that he is invincible and powerful and basically owns the world. When we really start to see him develop as a character though is in the second film. Spoiler alert, Tony almost dies. He ends up having to rediscover a new element on the periodic table to save himself. What makes this film so great though is his character changes as the story progresses. He suddenly starts caring about other people, mainly Pepper. Yes he becomes more of a self centered jerk, but you could make the argument that it was an act to hide his fear. Knowing this helps us interpret his previous behavior as well. Tony is lonely and scared but due to his upbringing he doesn't feel like he can show that to others. He has to keep it to himself and deal with it on his own, but in IM2 that shell begins to crack as he is faced with his own mortality. His development goes even further in The Avengers and the biggest change coming in Iron Man 3. Yes Tony is still cocky and rich, but he has changed and developed as a character and isn't the same person as he was in the beginning of the story. The proof of this lies in Age of Ultron. Wanda shows Tony a vision that will consume and destroy him and eventually leads him to create the ever boring villain Ultron. The vision she shows him is of everyone he cares about dead lying in a pile, and it was all his fault. This vision consumes him and almost does lead to his self destruction. If Wanda had showed him this during the first film, or even the second film for the matter, it would not effected him the same way it does later. It may have upset him a bit but it would not have consumed him the way it does in Ultron. Tony has undergone significant character development and is not the same person he was in earlier films.And quickly for those who think his power is his money. Shut up and actually think about the things Tony has done. His whole story starts off with him creating this technology in a cave with nothing but scrap metal. When everyone believes Tony is dead in IM3 he has little to no access to his millions of dollars. He still manages to create and design weapons which he uses to save dozens of people and catch the "Mandarin". Bruce Wayne's super power is his money, Tony Stark's super power is his brain. This man creates all of his ideas and designs himself, after coming up with them himself. In the Avengers he is asked "when did you became an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics" to which he replies "last night". I don't don't doubt for one minute that Tony was up all night reading about this incredibly difficult stuff and understood it perfectly. Tony is a certified genius who just so happens to have money as well. Does it help him in the creation of his suits, absolutely yes. But when he doesn't have his money it doesn't stop him. He is still able to create his inventions and they still work perfectly. Tony Stark's superpower is his brain and no one can take that away from him or hinder him. Super man can't even compete with that.
photo credit: http://ironman.wikia.com/wiki/Tony_Stark_(film)
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