The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes - "Emperor Stark" Review

Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

After sitting out several episodes of Earth's Mightiest Heroes following his conversion in "Ultron Unlimited," Vision came back in a big way with "Emperor Stark." The episode kicked off with a great premise, as Vision awoke after a 30-day repair process to discover that Tony Stark had inexplicably chosen to take over the world. If superhero movies have taught us anything, it's that any device promising free, unlimited energy will eventually be harnessed for nefarious purposes.

The episode was certainly a strong showing for Vision, whose inorganic mind suddenly became a major asset in a world where Purple Man ruled all. His interaction with his new teammates was very enjoyable, particularly when Hawkeye scolded Vision for calling the battle "easy." Hawkeye had his own solid moments throughout. It was amusing to see Cap trick him out of being brainwashed by reminding Hawkeye that he doesn't like to do what other people tell him to. Hawkeye's trick shot in space also stood out as a memorable moment. Buit nothing topped the brawl between Thor and Vision. Seeing the latter take on 500 tons of mass and dive-bomb Thor from orbit had to be one of the top moments in the show's two-year history.

What was interesting about Christopher Yost's script for "Emperor Stark" is that it showed a bit less less direct influence from the Avengers comics than usual. Technically this episode could be said to be inspired by the Emperor Doom graphic novel, but the cast of characters, their motivations, and Purple Man's role in the story were heavily modified. Purple Man is known for committing some heinous acts against Marvel's heroes. And while his misdeeds in this episode certainly didn't outclass those in Brian Michael Bendis' Alias comic, he still managed to hit Tony closer to home than any other villain in the series. The fact that it was all merely revenge for being made to look foolish in public was a nice extra touch. Star Trek: The Next Generation's Brent Spiner made a welcome guest appearance as the voice of Purple Man. Spiner seemed poorly suited for the Joker on Young Justice, but here Purple Man had just the right blend of shrillness and subtle malice.

My only complaint with "Emperor Stark" was that it could have been drawn out longer. The ending in particular could have used a bit more attention. Stark noted his own culpability in Purple Man's world domination scheme, but Cap seemed content to brush away his concerns and deliver a typically heart-warming, sappy speech. The extended brawl between the two brought to mind the conflict in Mark Millar's Civil War comic. For a time it seemed as though the series was moving towards a full-on adaptation of that conflict, but with EMH ending in a few months, clearly that won't be the case. Even so, it would have been nice to see the episode end on a slightly more ambiguous note in terms of the Cap/Iron Man dynamic.

That aside, this was easily one of the better installments of Earth's Mightiest Heroes this season. Next week brings the long-awaited return of Hulk and the resolution of the Red Hulk mystery.

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and IGN Movies. He can't wait until he's old enough to feel ways about stuff. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes - "Ultron Unlimited" Review

Warning - full episode spoilers follow.

The problem with Ultron is that, no matter how many times you pound him into scrap metal, he always returns in a new body and with a new plan for wiping out humanity. The Avengers learned that the hard way in this week's episode of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. "Ultron Unlimited" picked up where "Behold... the Vision!" left off a few weeks ago, as the robotic villain sought to replace the Avengers with his own, "perfected" Synthezoid Avengers. Unfortunately, "Ultron Unlimited" turned out to be the first instance where the show's new, largely standalone approach to episodic storytelling took its toll.

The problem is that the idea of the real Avengers battling their evil replacements is a little too familiar coming so close on the heels of the Skrull invasion saga. Hawkeye even seemed to point out that fact when he quipped, "Just so we're clear, I'm the real me." That brief moment of levity didn't do much to spice up the conflict, however. Even Vision's fight scenes felt strangely diminished, as the character was far from the unstoppable powerhouse he was in his first appearance. Chalk it up to his conflicted feelings on his mission, I suppose. The best that could be said for the action in this episode is that, like in "Assault on 42", the fact that the Avengers were fighting inhuman opponents allowed them to be more brutal and decisive in combat than animated superhero shows typically allow. The rampant battling was entertaining enough, just not particularly noteworthy.

The focus on Avenger vs. Avenger brawling meant that Ultron himself was largely relegated to being a backseat player. We were never given a clear idea of what Ultron's larger goal was beyond swapping the Avengers out for Synthezoids.It was cool to see the team eventually unite to battle Ultron in his all new, all adamantium shell, but by that point the episode had too little running time left to take advantage of the scenario. And while Vision's evolution from uncaring soldier to would-be human was engaging, it could have been fleshed out and expanded upon. That's to say nothing of Jocasta, who played so little role in the episode it's enough to wonder why she was introduced at all. I don't know if she's intended to return before the end of the season, but if she does, hopefully the writers will actually do something with her and her relationship to the Pym family.

"Ultron Unlimited" was at its best when it focused on that family dynamic and Ultron's Oedipal relationship with his "mother," Janet. It's too bad Hank didn't make his long-awaited return here, because there's plenty of good material to mine with these characters. A script that downplayed the Avengers and devoted more time to Ultron's efforts to both please and supplant his father would have worked a lot better. Sadly, as far as I'm aware, this was Ultron's final appearance for the remainder of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The most we can do is hope that Avengers Assemble takes a slightly more dark and psychological approach to the character.

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and IGN Movies. He can't wait until he's old enough to feel ways about stuff. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com