I don’t know if any of you are the same, but as soon as Thanksgiving ends, my family jumps RIGHT into the holiday season. We celebrate Christmas, so the day after Thanksgiving we put up our tree, decorate our house, and build gingerbread houses all together! It’s always been one of my favorite things about this time of year. And adding a little bit of Marvel magic to that this year was just what I needed (especially since it’s been one full year since Hawkeye 😪 I MISS IT).

My first thoughts on The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was that it was so cute! I was super excited to see Mantis and Drax as more of the main characters this time around and it did NOT disappoint. SPOILERS from this point forward, as I will be talking about all the major plot points!

I wasn’t expecting the little cartoon animation at the beginning with young Peter and Yondu, so that was a fun little twist! It made me so sad when he started kicking Peter’s little tree, though ☹️ The start of the special after that I felt was kind of a slow build, and I get that the song was supposed to be a funny way to describe that the people of Knowhere didn’t grow up knowing about Christmas, but after a while I felt like the song dragged on just a little too long. But my guy Groot in the corner dancing his heart out was KILLING ME he is so buff, I’m crying!!! He’s been bulking his bark at the gym, that’s for sure 😭.

The plot about Mantis being Peter’s sister was not as much of a shock for me, as I had read a little thread theory about it on Twitter a few days before the special came out and the more I was thinking about it, it made a lot of sense! I actually really love that they did that, I think it’s so sweet that they both found some family. And the fact that Mantis cares so much for Quill that she wanted to spread some Christmas cheer to him made my heart swell so big. I loved the Drax and Mantis team up so much!

When they got to Earth and they forgot to put the cloaking device on the ship and everyone was running around, I think it was a great way to remind us that people living in the Marvel Universe must be TERRIFIED of things like that after the Thanos attacks and everything else that goes down between the Heroes and the Villains. Drax and Mantis’ little adventure around Hollywood was so cute and had me laughing the whole time. When they saw the people dressed as the Avengers and Mantis jumped on them I was DYING. It also confused me just a little bit because did she actually ever meet Steve? During Infinity War, she was hanging with Tony and the crew, and I couldn’t remember a time in Endgame when they interacted. But I guess it’s supposed to be assumed that they had talked and interacted, perhaps during Tony’s funeral. Anyways, moving on…

I loved them just accidentally collecting so much money from taking pictures with tourists, and Mantis just shoving it all into her shirt and not even questioning it HAHA. And it’s so like them to just go and blow it all on partying, especially Drax. I think it was also fun to see more of how Mantis can interact with the world, like the way that she breathed smoke after taking a shot, and how she can mind control (i.e. getting the map with the houses of all of the celebrities on it for free). And I loved the little easter eggs with all the celebrities! Drax hanging out at John Cena’s house was the icing on the gingerbread house for me 😂
Nothing made me laugh as hard in this special as when Mantis was talking her plan out loud on how she wanted to get over the fence to get to Kevin Bacon’s house and Drax just YEETED HER so fast! Literally was in tears laughing over that. And then Drax and his funny little man (the elf blow up decoration) and Mantis with her candy cane, and how he lost it when they were chasing Kevin down and Mantis told him it was because he was irresponsible, I was rolling.

The other part that got me in stitches as well was when the cops showed up to help Kevin and they started shooting at Drax, and it was just tickling him. Everything about Drax as a character makes me laugh so hard, he’s seriously one of the funniest characters. And then when they raided that Christmas store? Priceless. Absolutely priceless. The whole special had all of the feels in the best way.
I feel like it also really tugged at my heartstrings towards the end as well in ways that I wasn’t expecting. When they decorated all of Knowhere and it was lit up so beautifully and Peter was walking around, it was so sweet. Something about lights just make me feel all warm and snuggly. I could be in the worst mood and holiday lights just bring out the best in me. And then it went right back to funny again when he was talking to Kevin and Kevin just took off. (Also not Kevin calling Rocket a raccoon and him just absolutely losing it 😂).

At the end of it all, I love that Kevin stayed to hang out with them for a bit and to make Peter’s Christmas a special one, even though they technically kidnapped him to make all this happen 😂 The little montage of gift giving was so cute. I loved Groot’s little wood carvings of everyone! God, it only solidified why I love him so much. If Groot gave me a gift like that I would die on the spot. But the best…and you all already know…was Rocket getting BUCKY’S ARM!! At first I thought Nebula had given him his old Winter Soldier arm, which like, makes sense. Because he doesn’t need it anymore since he has the Wakandan one. BUT THE FACT THAT IT WAS HIS NEW ONE SEALED THE DEAL. Oh my god. I need to know how that all went down. Perhaps a new skit idea is on the horizon…😉

I have to admit, the end of the special made me really emotional. The story of how Peter got his guns from Yondu was so sweet, probably one of his favorite Christmas memories! And that whole interaction with Peter and Mantis when she finally reveals that she is his sister had me BAWLING. God, it was just so special. Plus the music in the back was so moving, too, it just made me want to cry. I love them so much.
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This whole special made me love Mantis and Drax’s characters even more than I already did! I loved every second of this, and it was such a sweet story with some holiday Guardians fun. Absolutely adorable. I will definitely be adding this to my yearly watch rotation of Christmas specials for sure!

Well my friends. It has been almost a week now since I have seen Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in theaters. Last Friday night I sidled up to my local theater, grabbed my pack of tissues, and went in prepared knowing that I would most likely be in tears for most of this movie. I am so glad that I brought them, because boy did I need it.

Now, before I dive into this blog post, I would first like to state that while I wish to share my thoughts on what I thought about this film, I think it's also important to recognize that as a non-POC watching this film, my thoughts on this movie are not as important as those that do identify in these communities. I recognize that as a non-POC/non-Latinx individual, I will never truly understand the impact that this film has had on its respective communities, as I do not have the same experiences that those who identify in these communities experience daily, and the reflection of culture that this film may have for them. That being said, I would like to recognize a few of my lovely POC creator friends whose reviews and opinions on this film I would like to amplify and support in regards to the importance of this incredible movie.

@theoriesbyt
@strawhatgoofy
@amandajustvibin
@nicquemarina
@jphrygian

I encourage you to go to their pages, watch their content, and listen to their reviews and takes on this film.

Before I continue, I would also like to give a SPOILER WARNING for the content below, as I will be talking about specific plot points in regards to the movie!

First of all, I want to begin by stating that I thought this movie was such a beautiful tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. I thought that the way they tied in real life elements of his own health battle was done in a respectful way and honored him while also explaining why T'Challa was not in the film. You could see how much raw emotion from the actors was reflected in their scenes. Such a lovely way to honor him <3 It broke my heart when Shuri wasn't able to finish making a heart-shaped herb in time. And the way Queen Ramonda walked in to tell Shuri that T'Challa had passed wrecked me. Cue the first round of tears. The funeral scene was so beautiful and I think gave us such a wonderful glimpse into more of the culture of Wakanda and how they respect and honor those who have passed.

Shuri's feelings towards the ancestors I think was set up well, as it tied to her brother's death and her frustration that the ancestors did not allow her the time she needed to be able to recreate the heart-shaped herb to save him, also explaining why she had never tried to recreate the herb for herself to take in order to become the next Black Panther. It is clear why Queen Ramonda is nervous, as Wakanda does not have a protector for Wakanda and all of the tension surrounding the vibranium supply amongst the other countries is something she probably wasn't expecting to have to work with on her own before T'Challa's passing. I found it interesting also that there was more vibranium in the ocean that was not known about by Wakanda! I thought that plot point tied Talokan and Wakanda together in a great way.

Namor popping up out of the water out of NO WHERE during Shuri and Queen Ramona's talk was stressing me out, I was so worried he was just going to bring harm to both of them as soon as he came on screen. And the way Shuri and Okoye were just hanging out in the woods trying to get the attention of Ross was so funny, I love how they were just like "...hey." HAHAH.

Riri was AWESOME!!! I adored seeing her on screen, and her character is so fun. I was excited for Iron Heart before seeing this film, but I think that finally getting to see her character realized in live action made me even more excited for her show. I hope we get some MJ and Ned cameos since they are also going to be at MIT <3 Also, that car chase scene with Riri using her suit for the first time was fantastic!

Okoye losing her title as General made me so sad, I adore her character and you can tell how much she cares about Wakanda. But Queen Ramonda really did have a point with everything that she had done between the first Black Panther and then also losing Shuri to Talokan. Even still, it made me so sad to see her so upset. Love love LOVED seeing Nakia again, Lupita Nyong'o is such an incredible actress and Nakia's character is definitely one of my favorites from the Black Panther franchise. I was excited to see her back in action again! But after that post credit scene, I can see why she was so hesitant to jump back into it at first.

Talokan was so beautiful! And the soundtrack for the underwater scene just enhanced that experience, I thought Namor's backstory was so well told, it was so interesting to hear about how he got his powers and his name. I found it interesting that he gave his mother's bracelet to Shuri, but I understand it was his way to try and get her on his side. But then it definitely ended up backfiring on him after when Shuri was able to scan and get information from it in order to make the synthetic heart-shaped herb.

Queen Ramonda dying was not something I was originally expecting to happen, but as soon as she swam down to save Riri, I knew she was gone. I was so sad they killed her off! She was such a great character. It almost felt like all of Wakanda was gone after she passed, which I'm sure is how Shuri feels as well with how much she has lost. Her father, her brother, and now her mother. I can't even imagine...

And then Shuri was finally able to make the heart-shaped herb! I gotta say, I honestly was really expecting Nakia to be the one to take the herb, but story wise it did make a lot of sense for it to be Shuri. But I was NOT expecting Kiilmonger to be who she saw in the ancestral plane! I practically screamed when I saw him show up. Super cool to have him back for a bit, even if it was just a five minute scene! He's such an interesting character. And I loved Shuri's suit and how she made new suits for the Dora (and Riri's suit too!!! She was rocking it!)

The end fight scene with the Dora, the Midnight Angels, and Shuri against Namor was intense, I thought that the head nods to the first Black Panther and how Shuri got Namor to surrender to her were extremely well done. How she heard her mother speaking to her, telling her to show him "who you are". And how Shuri realized that her and Namor both had the best intentions for their people, how they were similar in the ways that they cared for one another and protecting their countries. Although, it's clear that Namor still has hatred towards the "surface world" whereas Shuri seems to want peace and to protect Wakanda while still finding ways to share its resources.

The ending of the movie with the silences as it showed clips of T'Challa absolutely broke me. Tears upon tears again. Watching as Shuri burns her funeral attire and finally accepts that her family is gone. Absolutely devastating. I think the choice to not have music in the back here also made the scene that bit sadder, to sit in the silence with Shuri as she accepted her loss and grieved for her family.

And of course, we cannot end this post without talking about that end credits scene. I was NOT expecting that!!! Little baby Toussaint, whose Wakandan name was T'Challa, MY GOD my heart swelled. He is so sweet. And I feel that this is such a great way for the MCU to still have an opportunity to have a T'Challa as Black Panther down the line, while still allowing Chadwick to have his legacy live on in the character without recasting him. So well done, Marvel.

Overall this movie absolutely destroyed me emotionally. I'm already planning to hopefully see it a second time this weekend with a few of my friends, and I just know that I'm going to cry just as hard as I did the first. Such a beautiful film, and a wonderful end to Phase 4.

Hello everyone! I hope all has been well in your week, and that things have been good with you all as we are starting to close in around the holidays. I know that Thanksgiving is on the horizon, but I'm just a little too excited for Christmas right now, hehe! I think that's my own fault since I've been rewatching Hawkeye as of late. Speaking of watching shows, I just want to thank you all so much for joining me for my last couple Daredevil Watch Parties! It has been so fun getting to experience the show for the first time with you all.

This week I wanted to talk about some of my favorite Disney+ MCU shows that we have gotten (so far!). It was really hard to pick a top five, and even harder to organize them so that they each had a number on the list! But I think my reasonings for each make sense as to why they are placed where they are placed. So let's jump into it, shall we?
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Why It's On The List:
I am a big fan of the fun, light hearted, coming of age stories that Marvel tells (hence why Kate and Peter are two of my favorite characters!) and Ms. Marvel was exactly that! The story was SO fun and so cute, and it was such a great show both plot and representation wise. I feel like we can all relate to Kamala so much with our love of Super Heroes!

Favorite Quotes: 
"How does it feel?" "Cosmic!"
"She followed a trail of stars right back to her father."
"Are you Night Light?"

Favorite Episode:
I honestly don't really know if I had a favorite episode for this show! The one that is coming to mind for me right now, though, is the AvengerCon episode, and also when she goes back in time with the bangle to make the trail of stars for Sana.

Favorite Scene:
My all time favorite scene of this show was probably the finale when we get to see Kamala use more of her powers and embrace them in full for the first time!

Why It's On The List:
When I first saw that this show was going to come out, I didn't think I was going to like it that much. I knew I liked Oscar Issac as an actor, but I didn't know much about Moon Knight and the concept looked kind of dark. But then when I watched it I was immediately in love with Marc and Steven's characters. The story is so good, and I felt like each episode the plot was moved along so well. I was on the edge of my seat every week. It was kind of similar to WandaVision in a way for me, I think, in the sense that I was always so anxious about the next episode because they always left us on such a cliffhanger that I just couldn't wait to see what was next!

Favorite Quotes: 
"You're not gonna die. Let me save us."
"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, my name's Steven with a V."
"Oh, the idiot's in control."

Favorite Episode:
I really loved the first episode because I remember having so many questions when I first watched it, and shows that do that I absolutely LOVE. There was so much we didn't know about Steven or Marc at that time, and it was so suspenseful and fun!

Favorite Scene:
The ever famous mirror scene is definitely one of my favorites. I love the cinematography in that scene so much. I also love the one in episode one when Marc and Steven keep switching off who is fronting, but we only see Steven's perspective, so he keeps waking up in random locations (like the cupcake truck, hahah!).

Why It's On The List:
The grip that this show had on me when it first came out was SURREAL. I debated putting this as my number one, and was really close to doing so, but I had reasoning as to why the others came before this one (which you'll see in a few scrolls 😉). I absolutely loved the suspense that this show gave, I loved how it took us through so many eras and was fun and light hearted, all the while dealing with the concept of grief and the struggles that Wanda has gone through. The story telling for this show was just beyond phenomenal and I'm so grateful for this being the first project we got during the pandemic. I think it was a light in a really dark time for many people, myself included, and I'm really grateful for that.

Favorite Quotes: 
"What is grief if not love persevering?"
"I'm not a witch, I don't cast spells, no one taught me magic."
"I'm a Sokovian fortune teller!"
"Thanks for the lesson. But I don't need you to tell me who I am."

Favorite Episode:
GOSH this is a hard one! I absolutely adore the 70s episode. Something about it just makes me so happy. And the scene when she gives birth to Billy and Tommy never fails to make me cry. There's just something about it that touches me in a way that the other episodes do not. The pilot is a close second though, I adore Wanda's outfits in that one so much.

Favorite Scene:
My favorite scene in the whole entire show is when Wanda takes her powers back from Agatha. It gives me chills every time. The music, and the cinematography, it's just SO so good.

Why It's On The List:
I really really loved this show because of the messages it sent. I love that it talked about women's issues. I loved that it had a female lead character. I love that it showed that it's totally okay to not know who you are and to still be looking to make yourself a better person and discover what makes you yourself. I loved every single thing about this show. Jennifer Walters is one of my favorite characters right now because of this. I miss the weekly She-Hulk episodes so so much. HUGE comfort show for me.

Favorite Quotes: 
"Ah, you look happy. I guess you saw that Wong is back."
"Oh, and when are we getting the X-Men?!" *thumbs up at the camera*
"Well it was very daring to use ketchup and mustard as your color scheme." 

Favorite Episode:
Honestly I think my favorite is a tie between the pilot and the finale! The pilot was so fun and jumped right into the action, and we had Jen and Bruce together which I absolutely loved! But the finale was INSANE. That's the one MCU episode I got up to watch at 3 in the morning and it was SO worth it.

Favorite Scene:
You all already know. The K.E.V.I.N. scene was ELITE. Also any scene with Jen and Matt Murdock together had my whole heart, I love them so much. New favorite ship ♥️

Why It's On The List:
This show is one of the happiest shows ever. The vibes are so wholesome and fun, and I absolutely LOVE that it is based off of the Matt Fraction Hawkeye comic run, which is probably my favorite comic run ever! I also see a lot of myself in Kate Bishop's character, so whenever I see this show I always just see it as a reflection of myself hahah 😂.

Favorite Quotes: 
"I made some macaroni, do you want some?"
"Yeah, well, if all arrows were boomerang then we'd have them all."
"You see, that's the problem, Gary. You don't even know my name."
"No, that's Katniss Everdeen."

Favorite Episode:
I think my absolute favorite episode is the finale. There's just so much fun vibes and the fight scene on the ice rink is so good. But also bonus points for the episode where Clint goes to the LARPers to get the Ronin suit back hahah 😂.

Favorite Scenes:
-The PYM arrow scene!
-The giant ice rink fight at Rockefeller Center.
-Kate and Yelena fighting one another.

What have been some of your favorite MCU Disney+ shows? There are so many good ones to choose from, it's always so hard to pick favorites!

Good morning everyone, and happy November! I hope all of you had a fantastic Halloween and got all the candy you were hoping to find! You know, for someone who cosplays practically daily, I find it hilarious that Halloween just felt like a normal day for me. And with all those costumes piled up in my closet...I chose to go as a cat. I KNOW, I know, I could have gone as ANY cosplay I had in my closet, but I ended up dressing as a cat for a skit I had filmed that afternoon and then ended up just leaving it on! So a cat I was, hahaha! It all worked out in the end though. I was nice and comfy with a sweatshirt on and ended up spending the night with my mom watching It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, so I'd say this Halloween was a win in my books!

Lately I've been trying to think of some fun things to blog about here on my page since we won't have any more Marvel shows to talk about for a while! I figured maybe I'd dive in to some of the MCU questions that I get quite frequently on LIVEs and in my comments section. So today I am going to list out my top five favorite Marvel films! Here we go:

Why it's on the list:
If you know me, you know how much I adore Scott Lang. His character is one of my comfort characters, and while making this list I just knew I had to add Ant-Man on here as one of my favorite movies. Everything about this film means so much to me. The humor is hilarious (Luis is the star of the show!) and the bond that Scott and Cassie have in this movie absolutely warms my heart. Whenever I'm sad or anxious I always throw this movie on in the back to cheer me up, it's just such a good one!

Favorite Quotes:
-"He's so ugly! I love him!"
-"My mom died, too...and my dad got deported...but I got the van!"
-"Baskin Robbins always finds out."
-"There was a rosé that saved the day!"

Favorite Scene:
I think my favorite scene in this movie definitely has to be the training sequence when Scott is learning how to use the suit with Hope and Hank. It's tied up there for me with my favorite Scott Lang moments, along with the scene in Ant-Man and the Wasp when he is toddler size 😂

Why it's on the list:
Shang-Chi has some of the most amazing visuals I have ever seen in a movie to date. The colors are so beautiful, Ta Lo is GORGEOUS, and the fight sequences were top notch. In terms of stunt choreography, this movie wins all the awards. And I also just feel like the pacing of the movie is so well done. None of the fight scenes seem out of place or forced, and all of it seemed so smooth to story tell. It's just so good.

Favorite Quotes: 
-"Yeah, we can do that, we can be responsible...or..."
-"You changed your name from Shang to Sean?"
-"...but a guy with a machete for an arm just tried to kill us, Sean!"
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​(As you can see, all of my favorite quotes are from Katy, hahah 😂)

Favorite Scene:
Oh gosh, there are so many amazing ones to choose from here! I really really love that bus fight scene SO much! It's the first time we really get to see Shang in action and he is SO awesome. Plus Katy's humor absolutely kills me as she is trying to drive the bus.

Why it's on the list:
As someone who struggles with anxiety, this movie meant so so much to me when it first came out, and still does to this day. Seeing one of my favorite characters also going through similar struggles as me and realizing that he, too, can make it through those tough moments has greatly helped me. Out of the entire Iron Man trilogy, this movie is my absolute favorite. It's the first time we really see Tony Stark humanized, working through both internal and external struggles, and portrays Tony in a light that we really have never seen before. Tony isn't just the genius billionaire playboy that we've seen in past films, but it really dives deep into his past, the toll it's taken on him, and how he's working to better himself. And that is something I am so so grateful for.

Favorite Quotes: 
-"...and then at the end of the sentence I say the wrong cranberry."
-"I loved you in A Christmas Story, by the way."
-"Forehead of security."

Favorite Scene:
It's really really hard for me to pick a favorite scene from this movie because I feel like every scene that is in the movie is so important in its own way. But if I had to pick a singular one to say was my favorite, I would probably choose the scene with him and Happy on the phone together. I know there are so many other significant scenes in the movie, but I just love how much of their friendship you can see in this one little clip and their little banter back and forth ♥️ I miss them so much 🙁

Why it's on the list:
God, everything about this movie is FANTASTIC. The pacing, the action, the storyline, the dialogue, the relationships, the characters, the character development, the costumes, the hair (more specifically Nat's hair), just everything. You can tell how much love went into this movie and how much time they spent to perfect it.

Favorite Quotes: 
-"I'm sorry. Did I step on your moment?"
-"Who the hell is Bucky?"
-"On your left."
-"I made breakfast, If you guys eat that sort of thing."
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Man, this movie is so quotable 😂

Favorite Scene:
Listen, there is no way I'm going to be able to pick one single scene from this movie as my favorite. So here are the ones that are all tied (in no particular order).
-The elevator fight scene
-The ending helicarrier scene with Steve and Bucky fighting one another
-Bucky grabbing the shield right out of the air
-Bucky and Steve fighting on the bridge
-The "I'm sorry, did I step on your moment?" scene
-The Nick Fury car chase scene

Why it's on the list:
Yes oh yes folks, we are ending it out with a SMASH HIT of a movie. This entire film is a literal work of art. They did Peter Parker so much justice in this movie. And by Peter Parker, I mean all three of them. I still cannot even believe that this movie is real, and it's been out for almost a year now. It was so cool seeing the three Peter's come back as well as their respective villains, and we saw so much of our Peter's relationships with the people that he loves. I was so sad with how they ended it, but the entire film is just so good. An absolute 1000000/10 rating for this one.

Favorite Quotes: 
-"I'm magic now."
-"Wait wait wait wait! I love you guys!"
-"Uh...hi? Do I--do I know you?"
-"I have the tingle thing, just not for bread."
-"So are you gonna go into battle dressed as a cool youth pastor or...do you got your suit?"

(Yet another very quotable movie, and I feel like most of the best lines came from Peter 3 😂)

Favorite Scene:
The big swing. The big swing scene. It's my absolute favorite, the three of them "woooo"ing as they swing off the Statue of Liberty. It makes me SO happy. That, and the scene when Peter 3 catches MJ. It makes me tear up every time.

There are so many other movies that just didn't make the list that are some of my favorites to watch, it was so hard to pick my top five! But I mainly based it on what I like to put on in the background as my go-to movies when I'm having a tough day or just need to be with my comfort characters. What about you all? What are some of your favorite Marvel films?