Oh Marvelous Mod (ohmarvelousmod) wrote in oh_marvelousnet, @ 2009-11-14 01:26:00 |
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Entry tags: | affiliation: avengers, character: nick fury, character: pietro lehnsherr, character: steve rogers, character: tony stark, character: wanda maximoff, news: editorial |
An editorial
“And I will strike down upon those with great vengeance and with furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers.” Those were the words shouted by Nicholas Fury over the sound of machine gun fire and shrieking zombies, captured in an Iphone video and uploaded to Youtube over two weeks ago. Fury’s recitation of the psalm Ezekiel 25:17 was strangely appropriate given the post apocalyptic locale of Infected-ravaged New Orleans where Fury, the Avengers, and a number of other superheroes were sent by the United States government to “take care” of the zombie problem. Since then, the videos filmed in New Orleans- pulled repeatedly by the United States Government and S.H.I.E.L.D.- have become a viral internet phenomenon.
The Avengers, a group of superheroes equipped to handle superhuman threats and recently brought under the jurisdiction of S.H.I.E.L.D., have continually garnered criticism from the public and the media. The destruction of the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in late July by the terrorist Brotherhood, the recent caustic actions of young mutants in New York City and even the handling of the New Orleans situation have led many to question the actual utility of the team. The military and government claim that the mission in New Orleans was a success; a sentiment apparently shared by the Avengers as they disappeared to Las Vegas for a weeklong vacation just after their return to New York. However, the antics of the Avengers in New Orleans, including floods, fires, and destruction, have earned the team ridicule and a new nickname in the media: Fury’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. An apt comparison given the team’s behavior.
The moniker originated with Frank Kirschner, editor of a small New York tabloid, who has since ceased to call the Avengers by their names at all and instead refers to them as “Conquest” “War” “Famine” and “Death“.
“You know, it just really fits,” Kirschner explains, “I mean, you’ve got the Scarlet Witch, a total babe, as Conquest. Obviously she’s capable of something, conquest, whatever, she can conquer me anytime. Then War, well hey, Iron Man’s pretty much synonymous with that, isn’t he? The suit’s made for war. Stark’s always been a weapon-monger. Quicksilver, he's not the strongest, but he'll wear you down and you can't even touch him, get you in a bad way to blow you over. That's the punch of Famine! Then there’s Captain America, that man has completely cheated death! He’s ageless! And he doesn’t even use a weapon, just pow! Fist to the face, shield of justice! Yeah, so you see, the names work. The readers just eat it up.”
[The Avengers, left to right: Tony Stark (Iron Man), Pietro Lehnsherr (Quicksilver), Steve Rogers (Captain America), Wanda Maximoff (The Scarlet Witch), Nicholas Fury]
Although the government stands firmly behind the actions of S.H.I.E.L.D. and by extension the Avengers, analysts predict that the team will remain under fire in the media simply given the history of their current members. Fury, a general in the U.S. army and Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. acts as an unofficial head of the Avengers. Fury has served in the U.S. army since 1944 when he was captured by enemies in Sicily and used as a test subject in a process with effects similar to those of the super soldier serum. He has since served as an undercover agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. and, following his promotion to general a little over a year ago, took over directorship of the organization. During his army career Fury has been court-martialed several times and suffered unproven allegations of corruption from underlings.
Billionaire Tony Stark, no stranger to scandal, leads the team in his Iron Man suit. CEO of megacorporation Stark International the technological genius’ personal and professional life has been fraught with hardships ranging from suspected adultery to numerous murder allegations and most sensationally to Stark’s abduction by terrorists some years ago. The playboy tech-nerd has spent the entirety of his adult life dodging disgrace and making powerful enemies.
Stark is joined on his team by the octogenarian super soldier Steve Rogers, alias Captain America. Captain America is to many a symbol of patriotism and justice, stalwart and constant against the ravages of time and the whims of humanity. Rogers, who was born in the 1920’s, fought in World War II, was encased in ice for several decades and joined the Avengers in 1998. Cynics question whether Rogers has truly adapted enough to modern life to be a viable champion in the 21st century, so radically different from the era in which he was born.
Both Stark and Rogers served on the Avengers when it was an independent entity, but since it’s assimilation within S.H.I.E.L.D. the team has made a bizarre choice in its latest members- former mutant terrorists Wanda Maximoff and her brother Pietro Lehnsherr. The twins, known as the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, are the children of mutant supremacist and terrorist Magnus Lehnsherr. Lehnsherr, a mutant who calls himself Magneto, presides over the mutant haven of Genosha and directs the operations of the radical Brotherhood of Mutants.
Truly an unorthodox grouping, this new team of Avengers seem counterproductive; leaving a trail of destruction, catastrophe and scandal in their wake. In light of their rather unheroic actions and sordid histories, the world can’t help but wonder what horrors may next be heralded by Fury’s Four Horsemen.