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https://nerdist.com/article/which-marvel-comics-cosmic-heroes-could-fill-the-guardians-of-the-galaxy-role-in-the-mcu-after-vol-3-for-more-space-adventures/

With Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, and the team as we knew them saying farewell, it leaves a spot for some new cosmic heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yes, we know The Marvels is going to be pretty cosmic. But the adventures of Carol, Monica, and Kamala will at least partially take place on Earth. We are talking total outer space adventures here, Star Wars/Star Trek style. And these are our picks for the cosmic Marvel heroes we would like to see fill the Guardians’ slot in the MCU.

The Starjammers Could Be the MCU’s New Cosmic Misfit Heroes

The Guardians of the Galaxy were the MCU’s resident spacefaring band of rogues, scoundrels with hearts of gold. But in the pages of Marvel Comics, there’s another gang of intergalactic misfits who travel the spaceways — the Starjammers. These rebel pirates travel Shi’ar space in their ship, the Starjammer, from which they took their name, helping the helpless and making a little coin where they can.

Yes, there are strong similarities to the Guardians of the Galaxy, with a crew of ragtag aliens led by a human captain from Earth. But these guys, with names like Ch’od and Raza Longknife, are even rougher around the edges. And the Starjammers have strong ties to the X-Men mythology, as their leader Corsair, a.k.a. Christopher Summers, is actually the father of X-Men brothers Cyclops and Havok. We could see the Starjammers being a new MCU cosmic crew of heroes.

The Silver Surfer Could Glide Into Action

There is no bigger cosmic superhero in Marvel Comics than the Silver Surfer. And fans have long been clamoring for the MCU arrival of the former Herald of Galactus, who turned over his existence to the Devourer of Worlds save his home planet. The logical place for this cosmic hero to arrive would be in a Fantastic Four film. After all, that’s where the Surfer first appeared in the comics, and he has ties to that team.

However, Norrin Radd (that’s the Sentinel of the Spaceway’s true name) could appear in a solo project first. Rumors continue to make their way online that he might be the subject of a Marvel Studios Disney+ Special Presentation. Or he could get his own big-screen solo project at last. But he should definitely show up soon. The Silver Surfer remains one of the biggest Marvel Comics characters yet to appear in the MCU. And we’re just throwing this out there, but Keanu Reeves would be perfect in this role.

Nova Could Finally Arrive in the MCU as an Anticipated Cosmic Hero

Marvel Studios keeps teasing plans for Nova, and they still have yet to come to fruition. In the comics, Nova is a human teenager named Richard Rider, who becomes the last member of the intergalactic Nova Corps. A dying member of the planet Xandar’s Nova Corps turned over his uniform to the New York high school student, giving him the powers of a Nova Centurion. Yes, it’s basically DC’s Green Lantern mashed up with Spider-Man, but it works.

There’s actually already a perfect setup for this cosmic character in the MCU because we met the Nova Corps in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. And we know Thanos destroyed Xandar right before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. The table is perfectly set for Nova to arrive on the scene. In fact, they almost included his origin in Endgame. Of all the cosmic heroes yet to turn up in the MCU, Nova is one of the characters it seems fans want to see the most, behind only the Silver Surfer.

The Imperial Guard Could Appear in Live-Action

One of Marvel Comics’ biggest interstellar empires is the Shi’ar. The avian-humanoid race lords over thousands of worlds across the galaxy and are ruled by the Empress Lilandra… Who occasionally dates X-Men founder Charles Xavier. But the Shi’ar were protected by the Imperial Guard, a mini-army of characters who showcase different powers. And who were based not-so-loosely on DC’s Legion of Super-Heroes. The most famous Imperial Guardsman is Gladiator, a mix of Superman and, well, a Roman gladiator (hence the name). We’re not sure these cosmic heroes are meant to carry their own movie or series, but they should appear somewhere in the MCU.

The Phoenix Force Is a Cosmic Entity Worthy of an MCU Adaptation

You’re probably thinking, “Didn’t we do the Phoenix in not one, but two X-Men movies? That were not all that great?” Well, technically, yes, we did. But the X-Men movies chose to translate Jean Grey’s Phoenix identity as a result of her mutation alone. Dark Phoenix hinted at something more cosmic, but just barely. But in the pages of Marvel Comics, the Phoenix Force is a cosmic entity that can swallow suns and destroy worlds. It would be cool to see that version in the MCU—long before the entity connects with a young mutant girl named Jean Grey.

Quasar Should Fight Marvel Space Baddies

Quasar is one of Marvel’s most prominent cosmic heroes, and he’d fit right into the MCU. Quasar was an Avenger for many years and headlined their own ongoing series for 60 issues in the ‘90s. Wendell Vaughn was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who was studying the Quantum Bands, alien bracelets of incredible power. Think Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet, only shaped like Wonder Woman’s bracers. When he put them on, he became Quasar, Protector of the Universe.

There were reports that the hero Quasar was going to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and that turned out to be false. Then we heard Quasar would pop up in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3. Phyla-Vell, who once went by the name Quasar in the comics, did appear. But she wasn’t Quasar yet. So there is still room for the original Protector of the Universe to appear somewhere in the MCU. Perhaps as a future Avenger? But what we really want is to see him out in space fighting alien baddies.

The post Marvel Cosmic Heroes Who Could Fill the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Role in the MCU appeared first on Nerdist.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/gucci-mane-shares-how-ro-have-a-happy-wife/

As we get older and make life plans, happiness and money are typically at the top of our needs and wants, particularly when it comes to the union of two people. We all seek advice on how to make a marriage last, and rapper Gucci Mane has disclosed his wisdom on how to keep his wife, Keyshia Ka’Oir, happy.

In a recent video clip, Gucci was asked, “How do you keep a happy wife?” Without missing a beat, he replied that it’s all about the money.

He expressed that he and his wife have two incomes and that his wife is also “rich as hell.”

“But I feel like, for me, it’s just a personal thing. I would have never gotten married if I wasn’t financially well off. Since I was little, I wanted to be rich, and I wanted to be married.”

The recording artist then insinuated that love doesn’t factor into his wanting to get married, and he stated that he didn’t want to be broke and married.

“If you ain’t got no money, why would you even want to be married? I would never want to be broke and married. He continued, “You want to be in love, but if you don’t got no money, what you gonna pay the bills with?”

When questioned about the type of gifts he and his wife exchange, he said, “It ain’t even about expensive; it’s about being happy.” He doubled down on how one can’t be happy and married without money and reiterated he wouldn’t be happy if he didn’t have the money, and the worries of having no money would be too stressful for him.

“How you gonna be happy if you worry about all these things? How are you gonna be happy with somebody? I wouldn’t be happy.”

“Happy wife, happy life” is the age-old saying, and it seems Gucci Mane may have perfectly mastered it for his union.

 

https://www.blackenterprise.com/brooke-jones-scholarship-for-formerly-incarcerated-single-mothers/

According to the Vera Institute, 80% of incarcerated women are mothers; and most are single parents.

For The Hidden Vault CEO Brooke Jones, that reality can no longer be ignored. Earlier this week, Jones announced her “From Bars To Boss” scholarship to award 10 formerly incarcerated single mothers $1,000 in small business grants. Jones, a single mother to four boys, was once an inmate herself, wants the scholarship to provide hope and a second chance to single mothers, according to the release.

“I am committed to giving back to the community and empowering women to take control of their lives. I want to be to women what I felt was missing growing up, a support system. The “From Bars To Boss” scholarship is one of the many ways I plan on showing up for my community. We all deserve a second chance. Look at me; I am everything I am because God gave me a second chance,” she said. 

The first round of grantees will be announced later this month.

Jones’ multimillion-dollar sexual wellness brand, The Hidden Vault, has been a conduit for her 180-degree turnaround after childhood trauma led to her being arrested over a dozen times before, ultimately landing her in prison. Upon her release, she took a $5,000 investment and turned it into over $3 million in profits from the garage of her New Orleans home. “With a desire to destigmatize the idea of sex and create a safe space for consenting adults to explore their sexuality, Jones capitalized on her social media presence to develop and market a unique line of products aimed at celebrating sexual wellness while maintaining discreetness,” according to the brand’s website.

Interested applicants for the “From Bars to Boss” scholarship must be formerly incarcerated single mothers with a business plan for consideration.

RELATED CONTENT: These Siblings Are Helping Formerly Incarcerated Women and Veterans Who Are Homeless Or Mentally Ill

 

https://blackgirlnerds.com/how-clayface-fits-into-the-batman-part-2/

The sequel to Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which dropped in March 2022, is one of the rare movies from DC Comics that survived the shake-up introduced by James Gunn when he took the role of co-CEO of DC’s Extended Universe in October of that year.

The reasons behind the franchise’s longevity are quite simple — the first movie is a fantastic piece of cinematic art that could easily be the start of a series that measures up to The Dark Knight trilogy, and Warner Bros. isn’t keen to give up any profit margin no matter what “shake-ups” they have to come to grips with. And that’s a good-ish thing.

The Batman: Part 2 is scheduled to drop in late 2025. Unfortunately, just like with the first film before its release, nothing much is known about the sequel’s plot or about the villains that might make an appearance. Judging by the original film’s final scenes, we’re likely to hear more from the Riddler, the Penguin, and a third, unknown villain, rumored to be none else than Clayface — DC’s version of Spider-Man‘s Sandman, who actually has a long and storied history with the caped crusader.

So, let’s explore that idea for the upcoming movie and discuss just how Clayface might fit into the upcoming The Batman: Part 2 narrative.

Before we dive into Clayface’s villainy, it’s also important to note the possible appearance of the Joker. The final scenes of 2022’s The Batman herald the Joker’s upcoming appearance, but a well-designed deleted scene shows that the Clown Prince of Crime has already met Batman and that the two have already established a relationship with one another that will last for decades to come. So, while it’s possible for the Joker to also make an appearance in the upcoming film, his role is likely to be more limited than we expect.

The Batman is confirmed as a trilogy, so it really stands to reason that the creatives behind the film want to save the best for last. Of course, this is only speculation on our part, and it’s entirely possible for the Joker to make an appearance as a full-fledged kingpin with underlings and dastardly gadgets galore.

But enough about the Joker, let’s dive into the meat and “Clay-matoes” of how Clayface can best be explored in The Batman: Part 2.

Clayface’s appearance in the upcoming movie, if true, would be amazing for the fans of the Caped Crusader. Clayface is actually one of Batman’s strongest adversaries since he’s virtually an indestructible, shapeshifting creature made of clay. He debuted in 1940 in Detective Comics #40, as a B-list actor named Basil Karlo, who assumes the identity of one of his past characters, along with the clay mask the character wears — hence the name. However, the character didn’t resemble Clayface as we know him, as he didn’t have any inherent superpowers.

It was the next iteration of the character, Matthew Hagen — created during the 1950s when sci-fi plots were all the rage — who gained Clayface’s signature shapeshifting abilities after being exposed to a radioactive protoplasm. After the ’50s, more than seven different characters assumed the name and abilities of Clayface in various iterations, including in the animated series and subsequent video games. So, how would Clayface fit into the upcoming film? Sadly, due to a lack of details surrounding the upcoming narrative, we can only speculate.

It’s currently unknown whether Clayface would even make an appearance in The Batman: Part 2 since no one was actually cast for that role — at least not yet. Filming is supposed to begin in November 2023. But we’d certainly like to see Clayface in The Batman: Part 2 or any other Batman cinematic foray, as he would expand the Batman movie villain roster beyond the usual appearances we’ve gotten accustomed to, such as the Joker, Bane, Penguin, Two-Face, and so on. The introduction of Clayface would certainly break this trend of over-hyped villains.

In fact, using Clayface as an antagonist could be a perfect opportunity to open the door to other lesser-known and more surreal villains from the Bat-verse, such as Man-Bat, Professor Pyg, the Ventriloquist, Poison Ivy, and so on. Given that the Penguin is getting his own live-action show, it’s not outside the realm of possibility for Clayface to even receive a series of his own and turn him into a shapeshifting anti-hero — they did it with Venom, why not with Clayface? It’s not like it’s a crime to re-work a winning formula.

Whatever the case may be, Clayface’s comic book history makes him an incredibly rich and malleable character to build from. Imagine a storyline where even the Batman’s most trusted contacts could be someone else or even something else; the suspense alone would be enough to throw any fan into paroxysms of storytelling awe and rapture.

Having Clayface as a central or even adjacent movie villain would benefit the franchise immensely, and the fandom would be delighted to see yet another adversary of the Caped Crusader make a transition from the black and white or colored pages of comic books into the realm of live-action and big box office.