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https://nerdist.com/article/how-1990s-marvel-cartoons-paved-the-way-for-the-mcu-xmen-spiderman-iron-man/

Fifteen years ago this week, the Marvel Cinematic Universe launched with the arrival of Iron Man in theaters. A decade and a half later, the MCU is the biggest live-action movie and TV franchise in history. Its success, as well as the success of the earlier non-MCU Marvel-based films like X-Men and Spider-Man, took many in Hollywood by total surprise. It took years to get Iron Man and the rest to go from comic to screen, and studio after studio passed on what now seem like no-brainer ideas. But the groundwork for a successful media of shared Marvel heroes happened nearly two decades before Tony Stark said the words “I am Iron Man.” And it all happened on Saturday morning and weekday afternoon TV with ’90s Marvel cartoons.

The Fox Kids Marvel Revolution

Of course, it all really began with the comics. In the ‘80s and early ‘90s, Marvel Comics was the king of comic book publishers. For much of that decade, Marvel’s two biggest sellers were consistently Uncanny X-Men and The Amazing Spider-Man. These titles were so huge, that in 1990 and 1991, Marvel relaunched both Spider-Man and X-Men with new #1 issues, which collectively sold 10 million copies. So one would think this success would lead to animated shows. Well, not so fast there.

Regardless of this runaway comic book success, it was a battle for X-Men to make it to air. Margaret Loesch, a veteran TV executive, saw X-Men’s hit potential with kids. But not one executive at Fox believed in it. They just didn’t get it, thinking comics were too confusing and esoteric to translate to children’s TV. Eventually, Loesch staked her reputation on X-Men being a hit, and the network reluctantly agreed. They told her if X-Men didn’t click, it would be the end of her tenure at Fox. Not only did it click, but X-Men also helped push Fox Kids from fourth place in the ratings to first place almost instantly.

X-Men Launches the MAU: Marvel Animated Universe

X-Men: The Animated Series premiered on Halloween in 1992 as an instant smash. The characters became household names. X-Men sold everything from action figures to pizza. Fox wanted more Marvel, and two years later, Spider-Man debuted on weekday afternoons. And from that very first episode, Spidey let viewers know that he existed in a larger universe. He name-dropped the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. By season two, he met his Fox Kids compatriots the X-Men in a two-part episode event. Even though an entirely different animation studio produced Spider-Man, the voice actors from X-Men reprised their roles, cementing the notion of a unified continuity between both shows. But that was just the beginning.

We should note that the 1994 Spider-Man was not the first Spidey show to feature the X-Men and other Marvel heroes. The 1981-1984 cartoon series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends had Peter Parker partner with two former X-Men, Iceman and Firestar. And the X-Men guest starred several times, marking their first animated appearance. But Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends didn’t lead to any spinoffs, despite Marvel Entertainment hoping to create an X-Men show. But now, back to the ‘90s.

Iron Man and the Fantastic Four Expand the Universe

With the success of the two Fox Kids Marvel shows, Marvel Entertainment wanted more. When Fox passed on Iron Man and Fantastic Four, they went the syndicated route for these two shows. The fall of 1994 saw the premiere of the Marvel Action Hour, featuring Iron Man and Fantastic Four. Stan Lee himself was the host. The first seasons were not particularly well received, but the two shows still got second seasons, slightly revamped to reflect the tone of X-Men. An Incredible Hulk series and a Silver Surfer show followed them, although the Silver Surfer’s only lasted one season. The Hulk’s show in particular had ties to the MAU, as Robert Hays once again voiced Iron Man.

While the other Marvel cartoons weren’t as huge as the two heavy hitters of X-Men and Spider-Man, they all tied into one continuity. Both Iron Man and the Fantastic Four appeared on Spider-Man after their shows ended, in the epic 1997 Secret Wars event, and the original voice actors returned to reprise their roles. This settled any dispute of whether or not Iron Man and Fantastic Four were of a single continuity with the Fox Kids Marvel shows. Despite minor continuity issues here and there, this connected universe basically worked across all these series. However, by the time Avengers: United They Stand and Spider-Man Unlimited came out in 1999, the MAU fizzled out. But at its peak, it proved an interconnected Marvel universe could work outside the niche comics audience.

’90s Marvel Kids Become 2010’s MCU Adults

The wild popularity of Iron Man shocked Hollywood executives when it hit theaters in 2008. It was the same when X-Men exploded in 2000. There was no general awareness that an audience this big existed for characters studio heads likely considered B-list. They were equally flabbergasted when the first Avengers made box office history. But they shouldn’t have been; the kids who watched the interconnected Marvel cartoons of the ‘90s had become adults. They were ready for live-action versions of the universe they watched on TV with their bowl of cereal. Warner Bros. later did an interconnected DC animated universe of their own with Justice League (and they did it with higher quality). But Marvel beat them to the punch. Without a doubt, the MCU ultimately did this interconnected Marvel universe better too. But the often crudely animated ‘90s Marvel cartoons all walked so the MCU could run.

The post How ’90s Marvel Cartoons Paved the Way for the MCU appeared first on Nerdist.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/new-york-city-mayor-eric-adams-cracks-down-on-city-car-theft-with-apple-airtag-giveaway/

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has a new strategy to deter car thefts—free Apple Airtags.

That’s right. Fox News reported, thanks to a donation from The Association for Better New York, a nonprofit, 500 AirTags will be handed out to car owners in the city. Apple AirTags are GPS tracking devices that attach to personal belongings to keep track of them. Calling them “easy to monitor,” Adams said at a press conference that car theft is taking a toll on the city. “The aggravated number of grand larceny autos continues to drive up crime in our city,” Adams explained. “This simple device, this simple AirTag, hidden in a car location that a person is not aware, of is an excellent tracking device.”

Police officers will hand out the devices, including officers covering the 43rd Precinct in the Bronx. According to Adams, crime has risen in the Castle Hill neighborhood.

Business Insider reports car thefts, specifically Hyundais and Kias, have skyrocketed after a viral TikTok trend. In 2021, a TikTok user posted a video showing how a thief could easily start a Kia by turning an internal switch with a simple tool. Data shows NYPD received reports of 104 Hyundais and 99 Kias stolen last December.

The trend prompted stolen car reports across the country. In Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police hosted a steering wheel lock giveaway on April 29. One hundred devices were given away on a first-come, first-served basis to residents who owned a Hyundai or Kia dated between 2011-2021 with a key lock.

While AirTags are simple, lawmakers are worried the GPS tracker will promote another crime—stalking. Last June, a woman from Indiana was suspicious of her boyfriend cheating on her. Using the AirTag, she tracked him down and then killed him.

Republican Sen. Nathan Manning claims they are “dangerous,” but Apple released a statement assuring the opposite. “Unwanted tracking has long been a societal problem, and we took this concern seriously in the design of AirTag.”

https://www.blackenterprise.com/yvonne-orji-signs-two-year-deal-with-sony-pictures-television-to-develop-scripted-drama-and-comedies/

Fans will be getting a lot more from Insecure’s Molly Carter.

Deadline reports Yvonne Orji just signed a two-year first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television. Under the agreement, the Emmy-nominated comedian is set to develop scripted drama and comedy series for cable and streaming platforms. While her talents will be present behind the camera, there’s a possibility that she will star in some of the projects she will develop. EVP of Drama Development for the studio, Lauren Stein, says they are ready for the stories Orji wants to tell. “Yvonne is incredibly talented, vibrant, and authentic, and we are thrilled to announce this new deal with her,” Stein said.

“She has this gravitational pull and unique perspective, and we are excited to start exploring the types of stories she wants to tell.”

 

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A post shared by Yvonne Orji (@yvonneorji)

The Insecure alum celebrated the deal on Instagram, saying she’s “quietly cookin’… but always eating.” “They got my vision immediately and were genuinely enthusiastic about the stories I wanted to tell that bridge the diaspora,” Orji, 39, said. After her announcement, other Black Hollywood elite supported the post, including everyone’s favorite Best Buy employee, Jay Ellis, who said, “Let’s goooooo,” and Insecure showrunner Prentice Penny, who shared the same sentiments.

If you’ve been paying attention, Orji hasn’t slowed down since the popular series ended in 2021. She recently made us laugh with her second HBO stand-up special, A Whole Me and published a memoir titled, Bamboozled by Jesus: How God Tricked Me into the Life of My Dreams. She also signed on to reprise her role as Emily in the sequel, Vacation Friends 2. The first movie was Hulu’s most-watched original film in its opening weekend.

But before that, she will be seen in Lionsgate horror-comedy, The Blackening, co-starring Jay Pharaoh, Grace Byers, and Sinqua Walls.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/dr-ai-new-study-shows-chatgpt-provides-better-answers-than-human-doctors/

Doctors, watch out! Artificial intelligence aka AI may be coming for your white coats.

A new study published by JAMA Internal Medicine found that ChatGPT gave better answers than human doctors four out of five times. Gizmodo reports after JAMA examined questions from patients, they found 79% of cases preferred responses from AI’s responses. Not only were their answers more thorough, a panel of medical professionals found AI to be more empathetic as well.

Experts say this could cause “major implications” in healthcare but there are spaces within the industry where this could be helpful for medical advice, especially after COVID days. “Doctor’s inboxes are filled to the brim after this transition to virtual care because of COVID-19,” John W. Ayers, PhD, MA and Vice Chief of Innovation at UC San Diego School of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health said. “Patient emails go unanswered or get poor responses, and providers get burnout and leave their jobs. With that in mind, I thought ‘How can I help in this scenario?’”

Artificial intelligence is slowly by surely making a name for itself in the medical industry. According to Forbes, numerous articles have stated that “medicine stands out as one field in which there is tremendous potential.” The New England Journal of Medicine said AI is playing a high role in health insurance coverage, assisting caregivers in making claims and payors in adjudicating them. Studies have also shown that reports use AI to interpret images in radiographs and histology.

Ayers and other experts claim medical professionals should be aware as AI is progressing at an alarming rate. But there are more studies that need to be done before human doctors can be completely counted out. “The results are fascinating, if not all that surprising, and will certainly spur further much-needed research,” Steven Lin, MD, said. He said the results can also be skewed due to the methodology for judging quality.

The study is still “encouraging” and highlights opportunity that chatbots pose for public health.