Pattern Ghost

Option Number 1: Beth Harmon (The Queen's Gambit. Netflix) The University's mathematics professor and Chess Club sponsor, Beth looks surprisingly young for a woman in her mid-60s. Thus, she is another mystery the Chief seeks to solve. He believes her to be too preoccupied with her work, her avocation, and her intoxication to notice what he's up to. How shocked he was, when she walked into his office one day and asked him just what a Dalek was, and why were they planning to invade the Neitherlands, "wherever the flying f*** that is." Option Number 2: Miskatonic University (The Mythos, H.P. Lovecraft) What sort of institution of higher learning would accept someone with as checkered a history as Niles Caulder into its ranks? What was that Groucho Marx quote? Ah, yes . . . “I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members.” But it was the very "members" that drew in Niles like a moth to a flame . . . or a fly to a Venus flytrap. Option 3: "Mary Wardwell" (aka Lilith, Madame Satan) (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Netflix) Headmistress Wardwell has recently taken over affairs at Miskatonic U. She's asked Niles to do her just a few innocuous, if somewhat morally gray, favors in exchange for his tenure. And now the time has come for the big favor, for the big prize: An introduction to the Librarians of the Neitherlands. What will it be? Perhaps Niles will find out if he survives the oncoming Dalek onslaught. Perhaps that onslaught will present Niles the opportunity to reverse the power dynamic between himself and Madame Satan. If only he'd realized who he was dealing with going into this, things would be so much simpler . . .

This. And this is more in alignment with his Ultimates version showing him more in the light of the soldier he was in WW II. In one comic storyline, Cap was left with no choice but to take some hostage takers out with a rifle he borrowed, and a big deal was made of how reluctant he was to kill. MCU cap will pick up a gun and use it to full effect when called for, without any angst involved. ----------------------- These aren't all clear kills, but many of them are. The way it was edited was pretty funny, though:

I'm guessing the highest bidders.

I wasn't comparing Ultimates Thor to Lebowski Thor. I'm talking about the baseline. They grafted on some Ultimate Thor personality traits to 616 Thor, which he mostly is. Same with Cap being so willing to kill in the MCU, but still maintaining most of his original traits from the comics. Anyway, I don't think either of us liked the end result much, so no point in beating a dead horse.

Maybe. There are a lot of overlapping wolves. Fenrir was beaten by Hulk in the comics, apparently. They never really name it in the movie.

That's your expectations messing with you. The name was meant to be ironic, since they'd saved the galaxy a couple of times, but had started out as rogues. By Endgame, they're still rogues learning how to be -- maybe even toying with the concept of becoming -- heroes. They haven't quite got it down to a science yet at that point. Also, Starlord was always an impulsive idiot in the MCU. Being powerful doesn't preclude character flaws. Again, pretty much the point of Marvel characters. And MCU characters are for the most part an amalgam of their 616 and Ultimates counterparts. MCU Thor leans more toward Ultimates Thor personality-wise, and always has. That's a very valid point.

But this is literally the foundation of Stan Lee's Marvel. I don't like some things that movies and TV do with supers to "ground" them -- like turning costumed supers in to street-clothed "people with powers" -- but flawed, relatable heroes have been paying the bills for Marvel for many decades now. Even Garm (presumably) in Ragnarok. Yep. A giant wolf had more tactical sense than Hulk.

Marvel Thor starts out as selfish. It's a fundamental part of his character, and why he's been exiled to Midgard by Odin. From the very start. Heck, even in the actual stories, the gods all have their foibles. They aren't perfect, and are often petty and brutal, including Thor. So... 😁 I do agree the execution could have been better. But my issue isn't that Thor turned inward, and backslid a lot in his growth because of his self loathing at not going for the head. It's that I don't think it should have been handled in quite the comedic tone that it was. The comedy there should have been tonally darker. But that's a subtle thing, and a very highly subjective thing.

I'll be making a triple pick tomorrow for my Options.

If I had the same luck with the lottery as getting weird ass medical conditions, I'd already be a millionaire.

You don't actually need a declared war to commit an act of war under the title. I think the real sticking point is intent. Since most of these upstanding citizens have a fuzzy idea of their own intent at best, that's probably hard to prove.

Agreed!

Thor, Hulk and Wanda all seem to be in the same league as Captain Marvel in power. Thor adds in a few centuries of experience on all of them.

The Looming Threat: The Daleks, Doctor Who The Chief's investigation awakens an old menace. His progress is monitored for decades by the tiny tin-plated terrors, and once the Daleks learn of his true goals, they begin to gather, to swarm, to debate, to fear: What if Earthlings gained the power of the Gallifreyans? Must exterminate!

Of course, IANAL. The fact remains that there are a slew of lesser offenses along the same lines, and they probably exist for a reason. Treason's rarely been charged in the history of the country. I just really want to see all these so-and-so's lined up for a firing squad. Here's a more rational article from Vox that has a rundown of the lesser versions: https://www.vox.com/22217973/13-federal-criminal-laws-trump-mob-insurrection-capitol-assault-rebellion-conspiracy

Legally, yes.

From some random website : *It's from legal publisher NOLO. Whether that says anything or not about the quality, I don't know.

Trying to overthrow the government is usually considered an act of war. Tomato-tomahto.

18 US Code § 2381: The bolded part: Making war on your own country is treason. Foreign powers need not be involved.

We all need Samantha Carter, my friend. Unfortunately, the wife won't permit it.

That's OK, so was I. I think they need to be charging everyone involved in the break in with murder for at least two of the deaths. If someone robs a store and a death results, the get away driver is also charged. I'm not so sure that the boneheads on the ground can be charged with treason vs. sedition (or if sedition is an actual charge, even, IAANL and don't have time to play one on the internet), but those who've sworn an oath certainly should be.

Bestie: Helen Magnus, Sanctuary There's one professor on the university staff who Niles actually looks forward to interacting with, one Helen Magnus. For one, she's one of a handful who can keep up with his intellect, and follow conversations that might swing from nanites to metaphysics in the blink of an eye. But he also senses in her something of a kindred spirit. She's the only one in his circle on campus with whom he can have a true meeting of the minds.

I was referring more to the treason charges for our elected officials who incited the incident.

Personally, I'm still all for execution as a punishment for treason, if that makes you feel better.

Crush: Annie Edison, Community After graduating Greendale Community College, Annie moved on to a more prestigious institution, where she had Professor Dreamy -- er, Professor Caulder -- for Anthropology 101. Annie has become enamored with the good professor, and has changed her major twice in order to continue taking classes on the wide variety of subjects he teaches. The Chief may, or may not, be aware of her. But Annie will almost certainly follow him into trouble at some point . . .