On Second Thought…

January 2026…

Somehow It came to my attention that “Super Hero” movies, although it arguably has within only a span of about 15 to 20 years, becoming its own genre, has finally hit a roadblock. 

This may be a very obvious statement that bears no real cultural impact, as 15 years is an unheard-of life span of many genres when taken into perspective other mediums, like food, music, fashion, etc., claiming the birth and death cycle of a living entity, or more importantly the attention span limit of humans. 

But… 

Warner Brothers for sale!?!…  That’s DC Comics!

So, where does this go?  It’s not a PSA about going to the theaters and supporting an industry or studio.  Instead, it’s a thought.  I remember when Game Informer was still being published there was a story about Castlevania teaming up with Dead Cells to allow a, (“non-canon”), rouge adventure into Castle Dracula and fight the hordes of monsters in the Belmont inspired Dead Cells framework.  

Somewhere in that idea came a fantastic thought that DC has already internally treaded on and Marvel has begun to enter.  Both studios have broken the “canon” landscape and entered differing universes and realities, allowing for various tellings of the “same old” characters in new visions of lightness or darknesses.  These directions help drive a new element or fresh viewpoint away from the staleness of something that you may have lost when you last saw your superhero 5 years ago, when you were still in high school, college, or some other turning point in your life. 

So… Why not sub lend your characters to other studios and smaller production teams?  I know this can get a little concerning for that big lead up to a massive Infinity War event… but, I hate to say it, I don’t’ think we are gonna see a population attention investment like what we saw back then…  That was truly bottled lightning.  Besides with the major studios releasing only 3 or 4 major movies a year, some of which are not even a significant role in a continuity story line, does this really come into play?  Besides, I think the first Joker film and the out of nowhere success of Deadpool 1 clears the air for the possibilities.   

I know the devil will be in the details, but I think that’s what you pay those overpaid corporate lawyers for.  Definitely in the video game industry you see this collaboration – as minor as a Mortal Kombat shirt on Ellie, or Berserk cosmetics in Diablo to whole story line arcs like seen in the Tekken and Soul Caliber  series featuring Street Fighter, Star Wars, and even Gon, (remember that crazy dinosaur?).  Not to mention anyone who has been a fan of an anime or manga, has known that the Eastern side of the world has almost always had cross overs to the point of paying homage and nods to each other’s artistry for ages. 

So why not us? 

I would rather see a silver suited Rhodes while Stark struggles with alcoholism or in a wheel chair, than never having the opportunity, just because Disney doesn’t want to touch that subject matter in their studios.  I would rather see a triangular red, white, and blue Captain American Shield fighting in World War 2 battles, than only ever catching a glimpse in the golden age books.   I would even rather see a corny Justice Friends movie that may be shot like the Scooby Doo film of the early 2000s., than let it fade away to throwback comic books that only exist while profits drive the risk. 

Superman and Batman vs. Aliens and Predator?

But, this is not really what I am getting at, as collaboration make the possibilities truly endless… 

What I really am getting at, is the opportunity for some new blood to come in and try things out.  Let an aspiring director on a shoe string budget take a whack at a passion project.  Let the ronin producer fund a masterpiece for the fans… Heck why not let Studio Toho make the new Marvel or DC movie that forces Disney or Warner Brothers to wake up and step up their game. 

When given a shot at a dream humans make reality. 

Take it easy out there and keep dreaming. 

-        Old Man Ydoc

February 2026…

Stranger Comments 

So, I just finished Stranger Things, and I have to stop right here and say one thing before I continue.  The only regret I have to taking the time to actually sit down and watch several hours of film, dedicating anticipated anxiousness from season to season, and staying up for “one more episode”, turning into a binge of 3 or 4 more…  Is that I didn’t start consuming this and invest in this story back in 2016, when it first aired. 

Now, I have fortunately, (and unfortunately), read a lot of commentary on this series, both good and bad, and am not here to tell you about what I think, because there is too much of that out there concerning this, and much more, there is a lot of hate out there regarding this one, so instead… 

Bottled Lightning. 

Sometimes in life you get to witness something, or perhaps DO something that is truly unique.  Sometimes the stars align, the air is just right, perfect temperature, timing is just so, that you are thrust into a certain kind of circumstance, find yourself watching a certain kind of situation unfold, breathing in, living thru a certain kind of a once in a lifetime, unbelievable and indescribable act that stops you in your tracks and makes you, NO forces you to take in that moment and forever change you in an inexplicable way, changing the code in your brain, and somehow rewriting your mind, thoughts, feelings, and even if you can’t recall the event, its somewhere deep inside your psyche channeling that vision into your actions for the rest of your time… or at least until the next, and then the next, and so on… building on experiences and memories, creating what makes us who we are… 

That is the power of bottled lightning. 

There are certain times, things, events, that can truly epitomize this…  The British Invasion of the music industry, Batman:  Year One, the first Matrix film, Pokemon Red and Blue (Green), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The foundation of Jeet Kune Do, the Grunge scene, the Red Sox breaking the curse, Apollo 11 mission, Final Fantasy 7, Biggie and Tupac, Dragon Quest 1, Hulkamania, ADVANCED Dungeons and Dragons… and yes, I would put Stranger Things into this category. 

It should be acknowledged that it was culturally influential, and that it means, or it meant a lot of different things to many different people, as it not only checked off a lot of “boxes”, but also ingrained and opened different experiences to audiences that could have been missed or erred on the side of nostalgia, but also to whom were not yet born,  conveying “feelings” and “experiences” that were quite impossible to otherwise live for or through themselves.  Not to mention the commercial inclusion of Target Exclusives, Frito Lay endorsements, label colabs, and Comic Con Highlights.  Ultimately, the “moment in time” effect is almost impossible to ignore.   

I want to stop the haters right now and say, hold on a minute. 

See, the thing about bottled lightning is that it’s what it says it is… it’s this “something”, it’s pretty to look at, you can pick it up, you can touch it, you can live with it, and you can put it on a shelf and admire it… But, it’s still that “something” stuck in a prison.  You can “own” it, you can watch it, you can emulate it, you can choose to ignore it, and that’s about it.  It’s “something” that happened and can’t be taken back, you can hate it, love it, or walk away from it, but its still there. 

Now, what’s easy to forget… if you think about the examples I previously gave, there is arguably a blessing and a curse to bottled lightning.  Usually, it’s up to the creator, sometimes the participants, mostly the victim of time, but eventually that bottle has to be opened.  At some point, the stopper, the cap, the cork is popped off, and sometimes it’s when you expect it, sometimes it’s the slow paint drying death that comes with age, and sometimes it’s like a Band-Aid and is just ripped off, quick and sudden, but it happens…  and that lightning is gone… and all you have left is the prison that once held “something”, but it’s gone now, and may never truly come back, at least not quite the way it first entered this life. 

For better or worse, that is Stranger Things, bottled lightning. 

I, am happy that I invested my time and life into partaking in that experience, and am grateful to everyone creators, fans, visions, everything, past and present that came together at that once in a lifetime moment, to capture that lightning and let everyone see it… even if it was for only but a moment…  as for the rest, even if its for hate, at least it gave you something to think about… that’s the prison left behind. 

-        Old Man Ydoc