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Ever since the big announcement in Hall H at Comic-Con this year that Robert Downey Jr. would be back in the MCU, the reaction has been divisive. Some fans love that the franchise’s signature star will be back. Others are mad that Doctor Doom, arguably Marvel’s greatest villain, will merely be a Multiversal variant of Tony Stark. But what if the answer is more complicated (and simple) than that? What if RDJ’s version of Doom is both a Tony variant and also authentically Victor von Doom? Here’s how Marvel Studios could, and should, handle the Doctor Doom of it all when Avengers: Doomsday arrives.

Avengers: Endgame and Captain America: Civil War May Provide the Answer

Thanks to the time travel plot of Avengers: Endgame, we know Tony Stark was born to Howard and Maria Stark sometime in 1970. We also know, thanks to Captain America: Civil War, that Tony’s parents were assassinated by the Winter Soldier some time in 1991, when Tony was about 21. For unknown reasons, Howard Stark got in Hydra’s crosshairs in a bad way and they wanted him eliminated. Probably so they could infiltrate Stark Industries. For all we know, Obadiah Stane worked for Hydra. He sure seemed the type. But what if that assassination of the Starks came much earlier in a different branch of the timeline?

Imagine a scenario where Howard and Maria Stark, along with their infant son Tony, are on a business trip to the war-torn country of Latveria. Stark was an arms dealer after all. He might have been supplying weapons to its cruel ruler, Baron Vladimir Fortunov, or local rebels. Most likely, the rebels. Howard was ultimately a good dude. It’s possible Hydra sends the Winter Soldier much earlier in the timeline to kill him. Only this time, he’s not alone. He’s with his wife and son. The part of the Winter Soldier that is still Bucky Barnes might not be able to bring himself to murder a child. So he drops off the infant at the doorstep of a local family—the von Dooms. As far as the world is concerned, the Stark family were all killed in Eastern Europe in a terrible accident. No one is looking for baby Tony.

Tony Stark/Victor von Doom: From Riches to Rags to Riches

This means that Tony, now named Victor, grew up in completely different circumstances than his Sacred Timeline counterpart. He would still have Tony’s brain, and his innate scientific genius. Genetically, they are the same person after all. But the Victor variant would have grown up in an impoverished country where he didn’t have access to the perks Tony grew up with. Sure, Tony lost his parents tragically. But he still grew up pampered and rich, living a carefree life of a playboy. Victor von Doom would not have been so lucky.

Victor would no doubt have grown up with the suffering of the Latverians all around him. They were all the subjugated subjects of Baron Fortunov. He would have grown up bitter, angry, and with plans to bend the world to his will. And just like in the comics, he would have used his genius to eventually take over the country, installing himself as its ruler. For saving them, the population of Latveria would practically worship him. His adoptive mother could have also introduced him to the dark arts, giving him an edge over his counterpart, who only knew science. In every way, Robert Downey Jr.’s Victor von Doom would be comics-accurate, except for being the twin of Tony Stark.

“New Mask, Same Task”

Doctor Doom is famous for his massive ego, and his inability to let someone else be better than him at anything. In the comics, that’s usually Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. It’s quite possible Victor learns of his variant, who got to live a life of luxury, become a superhero, and die saving his reality. That is something that would drive him to become an even better version of himself, so he’d be the ultimate incarnation of himself, despite growing up in humble surroundings. As RDJ said at Comic-Con, “New mask, same task.” Victor von Doom will try to save the world from itself like Tony tried to with Ultron. Only he’d go about it in a far more ruthless way. If you thought Ultron was bad, wait until you meet the Doombots.

Robert Downey Jr. has said in recent interviews that he is indeed playing Victor von Doom, erasing any doubt. So this isn’t just a variant of Tony Stark using the infamous Doom name, armor, and costume. Nor will they just handwave away the fact that Doom looks just like the most famous name in the MCU. Sure, many actors have played multiple roles in the MCU already, so there’s precedent for that. But this is someone who is the literal face of the franchise. There’s going to be a reason why Doctor Doom looks just like Tony Stark, even if he’s not the same guy. And we feel this is the most elegant solution. We’ll know what Kevin Feige and Marvel have planned to explain all this when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters in 2026.

The post How Robert Downey Jr. Can Be Both Tony Stark and the True Doctor Doom in the MCU appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s been some time since we heard anything about a second season of Star Wars: Ahsoka. Yet we know that Dave Filoni is cooking up a season two, telling the further adventures of Rosario Dawson’s Jedi heroine. And now, some fans believe they’ve deciphered an old clue about just where the show is heading. And this clue was planted right in the very first episodes. Via IGN, we’ve learned that Screen Rant shared an image of the Arcana runes from Ahsoka’s two-episode premiere, alongside a message that fans have deciphered and posted to Reddit. Here’s what the translated letters revealed:

Three there were who made the journey, without whose knowledge there is no returning. A pathway connecting near and far, across the heavens star to star. Despite great powers which do object, this secret way the three protect. So heed the path with a watchful eye, for if you wander you will die.

Well, that was plenty cryptic. The three who made the journey might be the three Great Mothers of the Nightsisters we meet who serve Thrawn on Peridea. But we think the answer is a little grander. In the Ahsoka season one finale, we see Baylan Skoll standing atop a giant statue of The Father. Fans of The Clone Wars know, the Father is one of three Force gods, who reside in a realm called Mortis. The Father has a Daughter, who represents the light side, and a Son, who represents the dark side. The Father was the balance between the two.

In The Clone Wars, the Daughter gave her life energy to restore a young Ahsoka back to life. In a sense, she lives on within Ahsoka. So by going to Peridea, Ahsoka Tano might be fulfilling some kind of grand destiny. Is she taking the Daughter’s place? Will she return to the main Star Wars galaxy “more powerful than you can possibly imagine,” to quote her old friend Obi-Wan? Hopefully, we find out soon. Ahsoka season two has not begun filming yet. So we don’t expect to see a second season prior to 2026 at this point. Maybe then, these mysteries will have answers.

The post Does This Deciphered Clue from AHSOKA Season 1 Give Big Hints Toward Season 2? appeared first on Nerdist.

The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States in 2008 was a significant and historical moment for many African Americans, and it was viewed as a monumental step in the ongoing struggle for civil rights and racial equality. However, many of us can remember being told in winks that Obama actually wasn’t our first African-American President; rumor has floated for some time that Abraham Lincoln was of a much “ruddier” complexion than those of his time — which could be attributed to his growing up in a log cabin as an outdoorsman.

However, those rumors could also be attributed to some people who believe that the complexion of Lincoln’s skin is tied to his “ethnic roots” going back to his Black lineage. Now, it’s time for us to finally explore these unsubstantiated rumors that have floated around for more than a century and cast some light on Abraham Lincoln’s relationship with race and slavery, as it evolved significantly during the course of his political career.

2024 just so happens to be the 160th anniversary of one of the biggest political media hoaxes in US history. This story rather incredible similarities to the political scene of the 21st century and the age of disinformation that is currently taking over the media — including the web. It involved then-President Abraham Lincoln, a covert government program focused on miscegenation, pro-slavery politicians, and their newspaper editing marionettes. Apparently, fake news isn’t a novelty.

In February 1864, Abraham Lincoln’s re-election campaign was shaken by the alleged “proof” of the President’s secret plan to address America’s “race problem” through miscegenation — a term derived from “mixed” and “species” — that would result in the creation of a new “American race.” This “proof” was in the form of a pamphlet whose unknown author called upon the Republican Party — the abolitionists — to openly admit to their desires for mixing of races by adding it to Lincoln’s political platform for re-election.

Of course, the whole thing was a forgery created by the then-managing editor of The World, David Goodman Croly, who was in charge of editing the leading pro-slavery newspaper in the North. Of course, Croly wasn’t alone in his endeavor, but he was the mastermind behind the deployment method: the pamphlet was actually the favorite format of anti-slavery writers since they were cheap and easy to produce with contemporary technology. His devious plan worked, and the format just gave more credibility to the lies.

By the time Lincoln’s administration caught wind of what was going on, every major newspaper in the nation had dubbed the Emancipation Proclamation (Lincoln’s executive order that declared all enslaved people “then, thenceforward, and forever free”) the Miscegenation Proclamation. Regardless of how that particular political fiasco ended, the rumors of Lincoln’s love towards African-Americans began to take on new shapes.

Some claimed that his mother, Nancy Hanks, was of African descent, some rumors suggested that he was part African-American due to his very dark skin, and even Lincoln described himself as a “long Black fellow” and his complexion as “dark.” However, it’s unknown whether either was meant in an ancestral sense. Whatever it may be, the rumors of Abraham Lincoln’s African-American heritage are largely considered unsubstantiated and haven’t been acknowledged by historians.

The rumors themselves, whether true or not, did contribute to a form of symbolic identification. For some African-Americans, the very notion that Lincoln might’ve had African heritage adds a layer of personal connection, given his pivotal role in abolishing slavery. However, it’s important to remember that Lincoln was very much a figure shaped by his times and places. While a good portion of the African-American community still sees him as a Great Emancipator, the facts are that he was born into a racist family in a racist region during a racist era of American history.

Thus, it’s safe to assume that Lincoln’s early life was undoubtedly influenced by the prevailing viewpoints and attitudes of his environment. This means that, despite his role in abolishing slavery, Lincoln still harbored views that were explicitly racist. He opposed slavery not out of his empathy for the slaves but because the practice conflicted with the free labor ideology that was the core of his political philosophy. Lincoln firmly believed in individual’s rights to the fruit of their labor, and slavery was the polar opposite of that principle.

Additionally, despite his opposition to slavery, Lincoln didn’t actually advocate for racial equality. In fact, he opposed voting rights for African Americans, interracial marriage, and social and political equality between the races. And these weren’t just his personal views but the broader sentiment of the white public, which he, as a politician, couldn’t safely disregard. Lincoln’s legacy is, thus, a study of contradictions. While he took significant action toward dismantling the institution of slavery, his views on race were still a product of the prejudices of his time.

In the end, history is a fickle mistress that always paints its figures whether by race, creed, or virtue and shows them in different lighting. One thing external to her influence are the annals of politics, in which Abraham Lincoln might’ve been painted as the Great Emancipator, but he was still the white man’s President who opposed slavery on nothing else but cold economic grounds.  

The post Was Abraham Lincoln Black? Let’s Talk About It appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

Kagurabachi shot to fame through memes. Now that Jujutsu Kaisen is almost over and My Hero Academia just finished, readers are starting to take this meme manga seriously.

Beyond the memes, Kagurabachi has grown to have a compelling story. There are many stories about a boy who’s exceptionally talented with swords and who has a tragic backstory. You probably thought about Bleach or Demon Slayer with that description alone.

The post ‘Kagurabachi’ is more than just memes appeared first on The Mary Sue.