And of course the trailers:

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Thanks for Listening to 10 Minute Marvel

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Comments or Questions

What did you think of the two trailers, which one looks better to you? And are you going opening weekend to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever? And what do you think about the character that Emilia Clarke seems to be playing? How do you think she’ll tie into the story of Secret Invasion?

You can let me know all of those things down in the comment section below. Or tweet them to me @TheScando or by using #10MinMarvel.

Thank you again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.

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The Plot – Rising of the Shield Hero

Naofumi is just a normal person, well, maybe not so normal in the real world, but a quiet and reserved person. He likes to spend his time reading manga and not doing really all that much. He is off to grab another book when he finds a light novel about four heroes, the sword, bow, spear, and shield hero. But the section on the shield hero is oddly blank. With that, he is transported into another world where he and three others from their own worlds have been transported in to be the heroes this new world needs.

However, Naofumi, is as the shield hero isn’t looked up to like the other heroes. His weapon, the shield can’t really be used on offense. And the people of that land and other heroes look down on him for that. But that isn’t it that is going to make his life hard.

General Thoughts

I always repeat myself with this, but this is mainly to cover some plot things. Or some choices that you need to consider with anime that aren’t really a good or bad thing, but more a personal choice.

Mainly, what is the fan service like in the show? The fan service is actually very tame for Rising of the Shield Hero. It doesn’t mean that they won’t stoop to immature jokes, those definitely exist, or “adult” situations. But it is not a show to lean into that too heavily.

I think the last thing I want to talk about is the tone of the show. Isekai can often deal with heavier things. I don’t know that I would call Rising of the Shield Hero a heavy show, but it does deal with some heavier topics. And because of how things unfold, the main character is often “edgy”. It reminds me a bit of Kirito from Sword Art Online, where he isn’t a bad guy, but puts on a front. However, the show starts out with the feeling that he’ll be an edge lord throughout.

An edge lord being the protagonist who mainly does dark and edgy things, often times bad, who is treated just like a normal protagonist, not an anti-hero. Or from other stuff that I’ve read, it’s a character living into and fulfilling those bad tendencies, like raising an army of the dead to overthrow a land. And the book still treats it like a good thing. It often feels like the writer trying to live out a fantasy.

What Doesn’t Work?

The opening act, I think doesn’t work that well. I’m sure a lot of people would disagree on that, but it feels out of place. And, having gotten past the first episode, 40 minutes whereas others are shorter, it sets a different tone. The show, as a whole, is one thing, but the first episode implies this darker more adult show. Once you get into the show, it’s fun, but the first episode tries way to hard to make it edgy.

I also think that the incompetence of other characters doesn’t work always. Yes, sometimes it makes sense, but often times characters are more blind than they should be. They play some of it off as plot, but a lot of it is just characters ignoring what is happening to further the plot when it doesn’t make as much sense.

What Works?

The situation is interesting that the main character, Naofumi, is brought into. It is different but the same as other Isekai. It’s the same that it’s another fantasy world, but unlike most, he is summoned into it. I feel like most of the time a character is just dropped into the world. Here, Naofumi is summoned by characters in the world. Rising of the Shield Hero is different from other Isekai because of that piece of the premise.

I also think that Naofumi’s character progression works. They lean into him being an edge lord too long at the beginning. But even with that, he progresses as a character more than many other protagonists. What he wants to start is very simple, but it grows as he finds out more about the world. If he just remains as an edge lord the whole time, it’d have felt like a waste and I would have stopped.

The world is also interesting as well. Mainly how it can explore some things because it is a fantasy world. I don’t think that Rising of the Shield Hero is a more mature anime in a lot of ways. But some of the topics it covers are most definitely more deep. It takes advantage of the fact it’s fantasy to touch on some historical issues without focusing on it. Whether intentional or not, it manages it quite well.

Who Is It For?

This falls into the category that I think is for fans of the genre. Rising of the Shield Hero is not going to work as an introductory isekai, in my opinion. You likely will feel like it is a bit much and the edge lord tendencies of Naofumi will be a turn off. The whole first episode might seem like a miss when starting.

But if you enjoy isekai, I think it’s one of those step up anime. It’s for the people who know a genre and then it tries to build upon that. This doesn’t mean better, it is just an anime that expects you to have previous knowledge on how a genre works.

Final Thoughts on Rising of the Shield Hero

I have mixed feelings about season one. Mainly, I think that it is very enjoyable in some ways. As the shield hero builds up his team, it’s fun. But then they try and pull heavy drama into it punctuated with dumb jokes. The combination of the two doesn’t land a lot of the time.

But when they allow it to be some fun battles, fun adventuring, or even more serious adventuring, it works. I even think the new plot hook, enemy, for the main character works. It is just that the first one, where Naofumi is an edge lord often, it doesn’t work for a main plot nearly as well. It’s more of a convoluted mess with childishness thrown in there.

That said, I do want to continue it and watch more. There are elements that definitely work. And finding good isekai is not always the easiest. So to find an enjoyable Isekai works juts fine for me. I would give Rising of the Shield Hero a solid B- grade. Good, not great, but one that I’d definitely come back for.

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Thanks For Listening

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Firstly, giving the podcast a rating and review, sharing it with your friends, and subscribing to it. All of those keep the podcast higher on the charts and make it easier for people to find the podcast. You can do that over on iTunes, YouTube Music, Spotify, and Stitcher.

Secondly, I now have a Patreon over at https://patreon.com/nerdologists. If you would consider financially supporting the podcast as well, that’d be greatly appreciated. All the money raised through Patreon will be going to help improve the quality of Nerdologists.com, 10 Minute Marvel, and the Malts and Meeples YouTube channel.

Comments or Questions

Let me know what topics you’d like to see covered on 10 Minute Marvel. I’m sure I’ll be talking about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier coming up here. But before that show starts, which sounds more interesting, a podcast on the Darkhold or on Agatha Harkness? Those are the two topics I’m thinking of for next week. Also, I’m always interested in comic recommendations to checkout over on Marvel Unlimited.

I’ll see you next time!

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Support us on Patreon here.

Thank You All For Listening!

I hope that you are enjoying the podcast. As I always ask, if you are enjoying the podcast please consider sharing it with your friends. Subscribing and leaving a rating and review on your favorite podcast hosting site also help as well. You can find the podcast on iTunes, YouTube Music, Spotify and Stitcher.

This week I want to talk about my new Patreon as well. Recently I created this as a way to help improve the Nerdologists.com website, Malts and Meeples stream and the 10 Minute Marvel Podcast. If you are enjoying the content and have the means to do so, I’d love it if you’d consider supporting the website, YouTube channel and podcast. You can find me over on Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/nerdologists.

Questions or Comments

If you have any questions or comments, you can leave them below. I am always interested in your theories for WandaVision as well as any topics that you’ll want me to cover once the show is done. You can also leave them over on Twitter where you can find me @TheScando or use #10MinMarvel.

I’ll see you next time!

Email us at nerdologists@gmail.com
Message me directly on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here.

Thank You All For Listening!

I hope that you are enjoying the podcast. If you are, please consider sharing the podcast, subscribing, or leaving a rating and review, all of those things help the podcast grow. You can find the podcast over on iTunes, YouTube Music, Spotify, and Stitcher. Doing that helps the podcast grow.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Trailer

Questions or Comments

If you have questions, suggestions for topics to cover, theories as to what might be happening in WandaVision, let me know in the comments below. Or you can do so over on Twitter where you can find me @TheScando or use #10MinMarvel. I’m very curious to hear what people are thinking about WandaVision. Is Wanda the bad guy? I know that there are some leaks out there, but I am not interested in those, just in theories. And let me know what you think of these episodes with their speculations, do you want me to cover more of what’s happening in WandaVision, breakdowns of the plot, or do you like the speculation? And after the series is done, what should I cover next? I know we’ll have The Falcon and the Winter Soldier coming out shortly after that which I’m planning on covering as well.

But with that, I’ll see you next ime.

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And if you missed the trailer, catch it below.

Catch up on previous episodes as well – 10 Minute Marvel.

Thank You For Listening!

I hope that you are enjoying the podcast. If you are, please consider sharing it with your friends, subscribing, or leaving a rating and review. All of those things help more people find the podcast and join into the 10 Minute Marvel community. You can find the podcast on iTunes, YouTube Music, Spotify, and Stitcher.

I’d also be interested in hearing your WandaVision theories. You can let me know them in the comments below. Or you can tell me them over on Twitter, @TheScando or with #10MinMarvel. I know that there have been some leaks, but I’m not interested in those spoilers, just any theories that you might have right now for the show.

But with that, I’ll see you next time!

Email us at nerdologists@gmail.com
Message me directly on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here.

Thank You For Checking Out the Podcast!

I hope that you are enjoying it. If you are, please consider leaving a rating and review, subscribing to the podcast, or sharing it with your friends. You can find the podcast on iTunes, YouTube Music, Spotify, and Stitcher.

If you have theories on what’s happening in WandaVision, I’d be interested in hearing them. You can let me know them over on Twitter, @TheScando or with #10MinMarvel or you can leave them in the comments below. Also, if there are any new comics I should read on Marvel Unlimited or a character you want me to talk about, let me know.

I’ll see you next time!

AIM

Now this one is one of the harder ones that I have buying. It’s in episode two when the beekeeper shows up, or the person in the beekeeper suit. It was pointed out that this is fairly similar to the outfits that the AIM scientists wear, generally a yellow hazmat style suit, but it’s the 1960’s world so maybe that just looks like a beekeepers suit. However, the outfit has SWORD’s emblem on the back, and we’ve already seen that in places. I think it’s probably more likely that SWORD is trying to figure out what’s happened to the people in the helicopter that was sucked into this world or what has happened to Geraldine, aka, Monica Rambeau. Whatever it is, it’s something from outside of Wanda’s reality and she’s trying to get rid of it.

Agnes

Now this section might be a little bit long, but there’s a reason for that. Agnes seems like she is going to be an extremely important character, and in fact she’s made herself into being Wanda’s closest friend outside of Vision. It’s almost like Agnes is always there.

Let’s start in episode one, she starts hinting about romance and the idea of kids, this then plays out in the second episode about how everything is for the children, which is plenty creepy. Why does she care about Wanda having kids? Well, the speculation is that Agnes is actually, in the real world, Agatha Harkness (or the MCU version of that character). Agatha Harkness is a witch from the Salem witch trials who is still alive and in cahoots with Marvel’s devil, Mephisto. It’ll get weirder, but we have a few things that suggest this might be the case.

First, there is the broach that Agnes is always wearing. This is a common image for Agatha Harkness in the comics to have a cape with a broach. There is the day that she and Ralph, her never seen husband, got married, June 2nd. This is the real world day that the Salem Witch trials started. So maybe it’s less that she got married, but she entered into another type of contract with the devil to survive.

Mephisto

Now, as Dottie says, “The Devil is in the details.” or more likely, as Agne’s says, “That’s not the only spot he is.” But it seems like we might have a mastermind pulling the strings behind everything. Comic book wise we almost have more hints than other places in the show. The whole Ralph character is a sitcom trope, but also might imply him, there’s the big red gum, the devil, Senor Scratch, Scratch being slang for the Devil in the middle ages, and that line above.

But in the comics, Mephisto is the reason for Wanda’s children for the manifestation of them. Parts of his soul are in them and he wants to get that back. This actually leads to be a big story line, which will be our next topic. There have also been rumors that we’re going to be getting Evan Peters, who was Quicksilver in the X-Men movies, as Mephisto in the comics. Plus, in Loki, we see a stained glass window with what looks like Mephisto in it. So lots of things that suggest he might be pulling the strings behind things.

House of M

If you’re up on the 10 Minute Marvel podcast, you’ll know that I’ve talked about this a lot before. Mainly, I thought that they might do some sort of reverse House of M where Wanda creates all the mutants, and I think we might be seeing that. The first hint for that is the Maison Du Mepris, translated as House of Mepris, or House of M.

However, it might not be right now that we go full House of M, that might be Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. It seems likely that something will happen to Wanda’s children, like it does in the comics, and that’ll cause even a greater break from reality than she is having now. That is how it happens in the comics as well, and it’s only Charles Xavier who can keep her in a coma so that nothing happens, but Pietro “rescues” her, thinking that she might die, and which when she wakes up she completely changes the world where she and her family are in control over everything.

Stark and Stucker

I’m lumping these two together because they show up in the commercials in the two episodes of WandaVision. Now, some people think that this might mean that Hydra is also somehow involved, but I tend to think that’s not the case.

Looking at Wanda’s timeline that we know, we know that she was in Sokovia when a bomb with the name Stark on it hit the apartment and apartment building that she, Pietro, and her parents were living in. Then next we see of her, Strucker is experimenting on her and Pietro with the mindstone, unlocking their powers. I tend to think that the next commercial will somehow tie into Age of Ultron, maybe even Ultron himself, the next being who shaped their life, basically playing through some of her “greatest” hits. The commercials are an interruption to normal TV shows, and now in this case, they are an interruption to her made up world, basically reality forcing it’s way back in. I suspect at sometime she’ll acknowledge or become aware of the commercials.

Grim Reaper

Now, honestly, I don’t know what to do with this one. In the animated, Be-Witched style, credits we see in Episode 2, Vision goes through the floor, and we see the space between. One of the things we see is the Grim Reapers helmet. He’s a super villain, but how would he fit into this story?

Comic wise, he’s Wonderman’s brother whom Visions brain patterns are based off of, and he’s angry because it feels like Vision has stolen something from his brother. But I don’t know how you work that into a bigger story.

What’s Ahead

So, in my opinion we’re going to see a Mephisto storyline play out. It seems like the biggest clues and the closest tie-in to the comics, while still being different. My guess is that, if we’re going to work the Grim Reaper in, he has made some deal with Mephisto or has been tasked to crash land Wanda into this reality, somehow aiding in her break from everything. He is working along with Agnes, Agatha Harkness, and we’re basically seeing Wanda creating this world while Agatha is helping shape it so that Wanda doesn’t realize that it’s not the real world and that Vision isn’t real.

Things go sideways at some point in time as SWORD, Sentient Weapon not World as in the comics, is trying to get her back out. However, it’s an outside intrusion upon her world, which is why she keeps on rejecting them. Geraldine can stick around because Wanda doesn’t realize that she’s a SWORD agent, yet. Eventually Wanda will figure this out, but by then it’ll be too late and she’ll have had the kids, which Mephisto or in his place, Agnes might take, since they have some of Mephisto’s soul in them. We know that Evan Peters is going to be appearing in WandaVision, but I wonder if instead of making him look like the Devil he might look like a version of Pietro.

At that point in time Wanda goes on the rampage against everything and everyone in there, and starts to break from reality, possibly creating even some more of the sitcom realities looking for a real Vision and for her children again, splintering off the multiverse but also pulling and putting things in other multiverses. Spider-Man 3 is also supposed to deal with the multiverse, so I’m wondering if because WandaVision might be taking place in New Jersey, her powers spread shooting Spider-Man into other dimension or other Spider-Man into Earth 616, aka, this Earth in the comics/movies.

This makes sense to some extent because the movies we have between now and Spider-Man 3, Black Widow, Shang Chi, and Eternals don’t have to spend much time in the current world, but are more set in the past. That way they don’t have to deal with the multiverse.

It’ll all eventually culminate in Wanda finding her Children hidden amongst mutants or something of the sort in Dr. Strange the Multiverse of Madness, and bringing them and that reality, possibly even living sibling into the world again.

There’s probably even more that we can pull out from in there. There are a ton of references and nods to think, the Vision comic included that I haven’t touched on, but those are my thoughts on it for now, and there’s a lot to unpack, what’s your theory on how the show is going to go, or what might be happening?

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So, Phase 4 kicks off with WandaVision, which wasn’t originally supposed to be the start of the phase. I talk about the first two episodes, with some possible spoilers in there, and what I liked about it and what it worked for me. But don’t worry, it isn’t all spoilers, I also talk about a couple of pieces of casting that have come up as well for Marvel in the news. One of them especially is a big piece of news.

Thanks for Listening!

I hope that you are all enjoying the podcast, if you are, please consider subscribing, leaving a rating and review, and sharing the podcast with your friends. Those things help more people find the podcast and hopefully find a fun spot to get their Marvel news. You can find the podcast on iTunes, YouTube Music, Spotify, and Stitcher.

Let me know your thoughts on WandaVision in the comments below or over on Twitter. You can find me on Twitter, @TheScando or using #10MinMarvel. What are some of your theories as well for the show?

I’ll see you next time.

Email us at nerdologists@gmail.com
Message me directly on Twitter at @TheScando
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