InnovationIncarnate

I'm not implying they ever were the strongest, but before the BoG/Super content, it was genuinely believed that was the case. Even before the end of Z, the Supreme Kai, although being significantly more powerful than Freeza, was shown to be weaker than the remaining Saiyans. He was even surprised that the Saiyans were so powerful. But now, with the Gods of Destruction, who can destroy a universe or two just by fighting, and the Omni-King, who, apparently, is so powerful he can wipe out all twelve of the DB universes in the blink of an eye, have the Saiyans been dethroned as the strongest race? This is, of course, subject to change, as although Toriyama stated that he has no plans for Goku and Vegeta to surpass Beerus and Whis, it may happen eventually. And in the case of the Omni-King, he may not be a powerful fighter so much as a sort of magician, like Bobbidi. But what do you think?

I never understood why people would want Dragon Ball to die. Yes, that's the word people use. Not end. Die. That seems a tad too far. And unfair. I mean, do they really hate it that much? What exactly makes it different from other franchises, like the various DC/Marvel comics, in terms of staying relevant and popular? And those have had runs far exceeding Dragon Ball's initial manga run. Hell, some of DC's heroes have been around since the forties. Batman constantly gets rebooted and so do the other comics, like Superman and Spider-Man and no one ever seems to complain about them getting old. I mean, if Dragon Ball should die, shouldn't those die out as well? And this is coming from someone who's a DC/Marvel and Dragon Ball fan. Can someone answer this for me?

The Dragon Ball franchise seems to be making quite the comeback with the recent movies and the Super series. But my question is, is Dragon Ball one of those golden franchises that'll never die out and/or be forgotten? It's the most popular anime series in America; at least, I think it still is. Dragon Ball originally ended with the Majin Buu Saga, but GT was created as a sequel, even if it was eventually revealed to be non-canon, I believe. And since then, multiple videogames have been created, eventually leading to Battle of Gods, Resurrection F and Super. What I'm trying to say is that Dragon Ball is a unique anime series in the sense that it can go in any direction the creator, Akira Toriyama, Shonen Jump or Toei Animation want it to. Martial artists, pirates, ninja, demons, aliens, tyrants, androids, superheroes, wizards, magic beings, gods, multiple universes, etc. But after Super, will there be any future Dragon Ball content? Is it truly a timeless franchise, along the lines of the DC/Marvel comics, Scooby-Doo, etc.?

I know Cap's supposed to be the leader of the Avengers and one of the most revered Marvel heroes, but still, I find it hard to believe that he can challenge villains like Loki, Ultron and Thanos and win. Because the simple fact is, he doesn't most of the time. Most of the time, Cap's just standing around, giving orders to the other heroes and getting lucky, while Iron Man, Hulk and Thor deal with the threat. Being at the peak of human physical strength isn't much of an asset when you're battling god-like foes. And a damn shield isn't enough to handle someone like Galactus! Is it time Cap received a power upgrade?

@never_give_up: If only. I don't see how, considering Fox has already established their own X-Men universe. Unless they explain it as an alternate dimension thing, but I just don't see it. Besides, having the X-Men in the MCU would create the problem of "Why weren't mutants mentioned in the MCU before?".

With the announcement of an Ant-Man/Wasp movie and three more untitled films, as well as an undefined deal between Marvel and Fox to cooperate on two new X-Men-related TV series, what does the future hold for the MCU? Did the deal between Marvel and Fox include the latter returning the Fantastic Four rights to Marvel, thus allowing the Fantastic Four and associated characters like Doctor Doom, Silver Surfer, the Skrulls and Galactus to eventually debut in the MCU? Also, more narrative opportunities appeared with Marvel and Sony's deal merging Spider-Man and his characters and stories with the rest of the MCU, which allowed the possibility of Norman Osborn becoming a central villain to not only him, but the rest of the Avengers. Will the MCU eventually become a universe populated by legacy characters like Cassie Lang, much like Star Wars has? Will it become more like the comics and begin taking more creative directions with the characters rather than just adapting storyline after storyline, especially with notable Avengers storylines steadily decreasing. Will it become darker and take more risks than it has thus far? What do you guys think?

I've often wondered that question myself. In fact, I made a post about it not a while back. I mean, how can one vigilante possibly be more effective than an entire police force? Well, yeah, vigilantes like Batman and Daredevil don't work directly with the police one-hundred percent of the time. But that's most likely for the following reasons: 1. they both realize that the law enforcement system is severely flawed and sometimes corrupt, 2. police officers aren't very efficient individually, 3. they don't always have the courage or training to deal with the unpredictability of supervillains, 4. they don't want to risk the lives of innocent people (even law enforcement) and 5. they want the public to be unafraid of criminals and to not always rely on law enforcement to defend them. I'm not saying vigilantes are infallible, but in most media, they're far more dedicated to the cause of justice than the conventional police officer. So, yeah, lots of potential reasons. Oh yeah, and 6. they may be too proud to ask the police for help. And yes, there's always a story perspective to consider.

In my opinion, it was significantly better than last week's episode. Patty Spivot's assertive personality was somehow enjoyable...and annoying at the same time. Make no mistake. I deeply enjoy a strong female character, but not the "cute, spunky one who's drawn into danger against her will in an outlandish fashion". So, in that regard, it was actually refreshing to see someone like Patty, who doesn't stumble into dangerous situations, but pursues them. It's clear that Patty is an extremely determined and courageous individual ready to throw herself into danger to protect her city. And on that note, I appreciated her backstory and motivations for joining the metahuman task force.

Sand Demon was another forgettable villain, but at least he had more screen time than Atom-Smasher. The largest flaw in this episode is...Flash killed Sand Demon! He outright killed him and showed absolutely no remorse! What? That seems extraordinarily out of character for Barry...for a superhero, for crying out loud! Maybe if they explain that Sand Demon was able to reconstitute himself later on, I'll be more accepting of this, but that just didn't sit well with me. Also, why did Sand Demon leave Joe and Patty, only to return promptly after, like, ten seconds? I guess he realized soon after he left that it'd be a perfect plan to use them as bait to attract the Flash, but even so, that was odd.

I like how they elaborated on the multiverse dilemma, Cisco's developing powers and Jay's background as a scientist-superhero. Barry's distrust in Jay irritated me at first, but I was relieved to discover it was completely warranted. Overall, a very enjoyable episode. Not a perfect one, but considering it's still leagues better than last week's episode, it's acceptable. I give it a...7.5/10?