One of my favorite parts about Marvel movies is searching out the Stan Lee cameo. Any real Marvel fan knows that half the fun of the movie is waiting on the edge of your seat for him to appear. over the years, he has played many different roles.
Complete Stan Lee Cameo MCU List
Iron Man: Tony Stark sees Stan and calls him Hugh (Hefner).
The Incredible Hulk: He drinks a soft drink that is infused with Bruce Banner’s blood.
Iron Man 2: Tony mistakes Lee for Larry King.
Thor: He unsuccessfully tries to drag Thor’s hammer with his pickup truck.
Captain America: The First Avenger: He plays a WWII general at a press conference for Captain America.
Avengers: He is featured in a newsreel as a chess player being interviewed.
Iron Man 3: A beauty pageant judge.
Thor: The Dark World: A patient in a mental institution in 2013’s
Captain America:The Winter Soldier: A security guard who loses Captain America’s costume
Guardians of the Galaxy: A man flirting with a young woman.
Avengers: Age of Ultron: A military vet who has too much to drink. He mutters “Excelsior” as he’s being carried.
Ant-Man: A bartender in the story sequence Luis tells to Scott Lang.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: A man whose car is shrunk by The Wasp. “Well the 60s were fun, but now I’m paying for it.“
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: An animated version of a shop owner. He says that he misses Spider-Man to Miles (after Spider-Man died earlier in the movie).
Captain Marvel: Playing himself, on a subway train, practicing his lines for Mallrats.
Avengers: Endgame: Driving a car by the military base yelling, “Make love, not war.” He is digitally de-aged for this. And it is speculated this will be his last MCU cameo.
Rest in Peace Stan Lee – Excelsior!
Which Stan Lee Cameo is your favorite?
If I had to choose my favorite, at this moment I would go with Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2. And that is solely because I love the Watchers and that was amazing to see. I really dread the day when we won’t have Stan Lee cameos to search for anymore.
Many of us are still processing Avengers: Infinity War, I know I am. I saw it twice and I still don’t fully know what I saw, despite having a background in the comic books. Going in to Infinity War, I expected death and destruction, I did. But seeing it. Seeing it right in front of my eyes, that is a whole new ballgame folks. I thought I was ready. I was not. Despite all the sadness my soul feels, I tried to put myself together so that I can bring you my Avengers 4 predictions.
I think that Heimdall and Loki are gone for good. Gamora is also probably on that list. I say probably because it seems obvious that she is in the soul realm, which she COULD escape from. However, that is not an easy feat. Adam Warlock could certainly be a big help in getting this done, however, I am not sure that will be part of Avengers 4. Perhaps Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 will be focused on the search for Gamora – saving her. This does make me think back to my interview with Zoe Saldana, where she said she no longer wants to play kick ass science fiction females (like Gamora). I guess only time will tell.
All that being said, I think those that turned to ash, disappeared, were dusted – whatever you call it – will be back. But not without sacrifice. I would bet just about anything that by the end of Avengers 4, Captain America and Iron Man are no more. Now, whether that means they died, sacrificed themselves, or just plain retire – I don’t know. But I don’t expect them to be around for the future of the MCU. I could see Cap sacrificing himself and Tony taking off with Pepper to make babies and leave the superhero stuff behind.
If even for just a little bit of time, I think Shuri will become Black Panther. In the comic books we see her pick up the suit (and kick ass in it, for the record). She was the technical side of things with T’Challa around, but I think she will have a more hands on role for Avengers 4. Her fans deserve to see that, so let’s keep our fingers crossed for it.
I have a feeling that a lot of the things that happened in the Infinity Gauntlet comic book run, will happen in Avengers 4. One can only hope anyways. And that means that Nebula is going to be a major player. Honestly, she deserves it after what Thanos has put her through. If you have read the comic book story line than you know, she gets the gauntlet and puts everything back the way it was. Only for Adam Warlock to end up with it, drive himself crazy, become Magus and a total threat but hey – that is a story for another day. My point is, Nebula deserves this. Her fans deserve this. And I want to see it. Even if she only ends up with it for a few moments. That will make my comic book obsessed heart happy.
Avengers 4 Possible Names?
Even though it is highly unlikely (and since confirmed to not be the title, I believe), I was hoping for Infinity Gauntlet. Because, well, you know, because I love the comics and I hope that everything is reversed and fine and dandy. If that is not the case though, I think Avengers 4: End Game would be a pretty sweet name. Possibly even something to do with the soul world/soul realm would be nice. And time travel. I guess we will find out sooner than later. Even though we have to wait a year for the movie, we will likely have the title in the next few months.
As you probably know by now, I am a huge Marvel fan. The day after attending the Avengers: Infinity War World Premiere, I toured Marvel Studios. Those are two things that I never thought I would be able to say (unless I was flat out lying). There was so much memorabilia – so much awesome. From amazing wall murals (some that I can’t even show you) to a wall literally filled with comic books, it was this fan girl’s dream. I want to share with you some of the incredible things that I saw, so take a photo tour with my through Marvel Studios!
The Elevators
To say that the elevator rooms in Marvel Studios were amazing is an understatement. The ones that we entered through were Guardians of the Galaxy themed – so you know that had me excited! There was also a Captain America one that was really impressive. It was so cool guys, I really want to go back and look them all over again!
The Murals
I could have stared at these murals for days. Days. I felt like there were so many hints and details that I just did not want to walk by. I inspected them for as long as I could before getting left behind (although really, how bad would that have been – not at all). We even saw one that we are not allowed to talk about – but know it is amazing!
The Memorabilia
The hallways were filled with Marvel memorabilia from the films. From costumes to props, there was so much to look at! Even photos from filming the movies were hanging on the walls. Some of my favorites include Ant-Man’s costume, Star-Lord’s costume, and of course, Spider-Man’s costume.
The Comic Book Wall
OK, it should probably be obvious to you that this was my favorite part of Marvel Studios. I seriously could have sat down and read each and every book on the wall. It would have taken me a couple of weeks probably, but I could have done it. You know I was searching the titles, hoping and praying that these were ALL for research purposes and we would eventually see some of my favorite story lines like Secret Invasion and Dark Reign on the big screen.
What part of Marvel Studios would you like to see in person?
This post contains affiliate links. Sony Entertainment provided me with this movie in exchange for my honest opinions.
One of my favorite things to do with my daughters is cuddle up and watch a good movie. Another one of our favorite things to do is garden together. So when those two things combine in to a fun filled family day, I am at my happiest. Recently, Sony Pictures sent me an adorable Peter Rabbit themed Mother’s Day package, which included a copy of the film, and so much more. My girls and I themed a full girls down around this, and had a blast! Peter Rabbit is available on blu-ray and DVD now, so be sure to pick up a copy!
Inside our Gift
My daughters and I were really excited to dig in to the gift that was sent to us from Sony Entertainment. Inside we found not only the Peter Rabbit blu-ray, but gardening goodies, and more. Personally, I was excited for the beautiful watering can and sturdy gardening tool kit. The tools are really durable and I know they will come in handy this Spring and Summer. Sony also sent me a nice new pair of gardening gloves.
I know my daughters were happy about the movie because they had been dying to see it. But they were also thrilled about the Peter Rabbit plate set and drinking glass from Cost Plus World Market. We had just been talking about how they could upgrade to big girl plates from their old plastic ones, so this was perfect timing. Inside the package, we also received some carrot seed cards and rabbit ears, as well as a super cute Mopsy garden figurine from Cost Plus World Market.
Peter Rabbit Brings the Laughs
Like I said above, my daughters had been anxiously awaiting the release of Peter Rabbit. Due to work and dance schedules, we never got around to seeing it in the theater. So you can imagine their excitement when a copy showed up on our doorstep. We watched it right away and it was an immediate hit! All of us were laughing along together as we watched Peter and Mr. McGregor prank each other. This really is a fun movie and I think most families would enjoy it.
About Peter Rabbit
Peter Rabbit, the mischievous and adventurous hero who has captivated generations of readers, now takes on the starring role of his own irreverent, contemporary comedy with attitude. In the film, Peter’s feud with Mr. McGregor escalates to greater heights than ever before as they rival for the affections of the warm-hearted animal lover who lives next door.
The day is finally here! The one that comic book nerds like me wait for to arrive every year – FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! I always say support your local comic book shop. These are shops that we need in our communities, and I don’t want to see them start disappearing. So please, head out to your local shop, pick up some free comics, and grab some other awesome goodies as well. The employees and owners are spending their time and effort for you today, even spending $5 would be a big help – so don’t just be greedy!
Available Books
There are tons of great comics available this year. I have a few on my MUST GET list, trust me. Here are the options you should find available at your local shop:
AVENGERS CAPTAIN AMERICA
BARRIER (Net) (MR)
BOOM MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS SPECIAL SG
COMICS FRIENDS FOREVER
DARK HORSE OVERWATCH & BLACK HAMMER
DC COMICS DC SUPER HERO GIRLS #1 (Net)
DISNEY PRINCESS ARIEL SPOTLIGHT
DOCTOR WHO #0
INVADER ZIM FLOOPSY BLOOPS SHMOOPSY
POKEMON SUN & MOON & HORIZON
RIVERDALE (ONGOING) (Net)
TRANSFORMERS UNICRON #0
2000 AD REGENED
BERLIN BY JASON LUTES (MR)
BOBS BURGERS
BONGO COMICS FREE-FOR-ALL
BOOM ADVENTURE TIME FIONNA & CAKE SPECIAL
BRIEF HISTORY OF TANK GIRL
CRUSH
DIE KITTY DIE I LOVE YOU TO DEATH
FANTAGRAPHICS WORLDS GREATEST CARTOONISTS (MR
GHOST IN THE SHELL GLOBAL NEURAL NETWORK
GRAPHIX SPOTLIGHT SPARKS
HOWARD LOVECRAFTS BIG BOOK OF SUMMER FUN
INFINITY WATCH AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
INVASION
JAMES BOND VARGAR
LADY MECHANIKA
LEGEND OF KORRA & NINTENDO ARMS
MALIKA – CREED & FURY
MAXWELLS DEMONS #1
METABARON META GUARDIANESS AND TECHNO BARON
MIRACULOUS ADVENTURES
NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS ZEROS JOURNEY #0
ONLY LIVING BOY
RELAY #0
SCOUT COMICS PRESENTS THE MALL
SHADOW ROADS #1
SHADOWMAN SPECIAL
SILVER
SPONGEBOB FREESTYLE FUNNIES
STAR WARS ADVENTURES
STARBURNS PRESENTS #1 (MR)
STRANGERS IN PARADISE XXV #1 (MR)
STREET ANGELS DOG
TICK 2018 FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
ULTRA STREET FIGHTER II #1
JVIZ MY HERO ACADEMIA & RWBY
WORLDS OF ASPEN ANNIV ED
WORM WORLD SAGA
My Haul
Now, every shop is different in how they run Free Comic Book Day. For example, since I was a subscriber at my old shop, I was allowed to take home one of every comic if I wished to. That was in Florida, but here in Upstate New York, it works a little differently. The comics are split in to two sections and each customer can pick one from each section. Watch the video below to see what we ended up with!
Today is Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you) and to help celebrate, I want to tell you about an amazing thing you can do. Lucasfilm and Star Wars: Force for Change have given us as a country a challenge – Roar For Change. Star Wars invites fans and families to share their own version of Chewbacca’s iconic roar. I know my girls were itching to do theirs – me, not so much. I just don’t have the skills for it. But for charity, OK, bring it on. This challenge could potentially earn up to $1 million for UNICEF, who do lifesaving work for children around the world. Why would you not put your Chewbacca face on and roar from the rooftops for that?!
Roar For Change
For each public post, like, or share on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter that includes #RoarForChange between May 3 – 25, 2018, Star Wars: Force for Change U.S. will donate $1 to UNICEF USA, up to $1 million. Fans can share their best Chewbacca impersonation, don a voice-changing Hasbro’s Electronic Chewbacca mask. You can even create a Dubsmash using one of Chewbacca’s best-known roars from the Star Wars saga – which will be hosted on the app’s homepage through May 25th, making it easy to find.
Be sure to show your #RoarForChange support today! For every Chewbacca roar, retweet, like, and share, Force for Change will donate $1 to @UNICEF!
— Tessa Smith – Mama's Geeky (@MamasGeeky) May 4, 2018
Star Wars: Force for Change
Star Wars: Force for Change, a charitable initiative from Lucasfilm and Disney, harnesses the strength of Star Wars to empower and improve the lives of children around the world. Since 2014 when it was inspired by Star Wars fans, Star Wars: Force for Change has raised over $16 million to date for charitable causes around the world!
Nearly one in four children worldwide are severely malnourished. UNICEF is working in 190 countries and territories to defend children’s rights and, among other issues, help address malnutrition. On behalf of Star Wars: Force for Change, funds unlocked through this campaign will help UNICEF to provide Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Food packets to children suffering from malnutrition, helping them to have a chance at a brighter future.
About Solo: A Star Wars Story
Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo befriends his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and meets the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.
I admit it, before this press event I had never watched an episode of ABC’s Quantico. Now, I have had several friends tell me that I needed to, and that I would love it. Season three started last week and I knew ahead of time that this season could be a stand alone season – meaning that you would not have to see the first two seasons to enjoy it. But after watching the first episode, I plan to go back and watch the first two seasons. It sucked me right in and I immediately became invested in the characters. Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin joined the cast this season so I was excited to get to talk with her and Executive Producer and Showrunner Michael Seitzman.
Photo Credit: ABC
Three Years in the Future
If you are a Quantico fan, then you likely know season three brought in a new showrunner, Michael Seitzman. It was so great to meet him and pick his brain about what he was doing with season three. He made the decision to start season three with a three year time jump from season two. When we asked him why, he went on to explain why.
“People that watch television or watch a movie, they don’t realize that the primary job of the writer and the filmmaker is to frustrate the audience – not to give the audience what they want. To put it another way, the audience always wants their favorite couple to get together. We sit in a room and the bulk of our time is spent trying to figure out ways to keep them apart. At the end of Season 2, Ryan and Alex flew off into the sunset together. And what’s left? They did it. Are they gonna have marital disputes for the next season? Is that what’s gonna happen? Is that the show right now? Or, did something go wrong? And maybe if something went wrong. I could buy a lot by giving us three years.“
Michael wanted to serve the new audience, like me, as well as the loyal audience. As a new fan, I really appreciate this. I felt like I could continue on this season, with no need to go back and watch the first two seasons.
You might not know this, but Michael and Marlee worked together before Quantico. They met at Rob Lowe’s roast on Comedy Central and discussed the show Code Black. He wrote her in to an episode of that and they had such a great time, they talked about working together on Quantico. Marlee explained how that came about,
“About two months later he texts me and says I have a great idea for you. I said, sure, what is it? Tell me what it is. [He said] I want to write you into Quantico. And he told me what the character was. And I said, oh, my gosh, I’m so interested, let’s go for it. Then before I knew it, I was on the set in New York City playing Jocelyn Turner for him.“
Michael told his version of the story and added in how much himself and the writers enjoy writing for Marlee’s character. The writers really utilize Marlee and her deafness to propel the story lines forward and help solve the cases. If you have seen the first episode of season three already, then you know how vital Jocelyn Turner was in finding the solution. I especially loved her telling Ryan to look at it with clear eyes.
Photo Credit: ABC
Adjusting the Way You Work
For many, possibly all, of the cast and crew of Quantico, working with Marlee was their first time working with a deaf person. We learned that Marlee actually came in to the writer’s room. Marlee felt that this was really important.
“I felt that the writers needed to see me in person to get a feel for who I am. To be able to pick up the different situations that I might find myself in and the situations that I’ve been in in my life or what I envisioned could happen as a result of the character that I’m playing. The writers are all brilliant. It was really helpful that I was able to be there in the writing room.“
Photo Credit: ABC
Micheal went on to explain how good that session was for the writers as well.
“It was a great session for us because we had to learn. We also had a deaf writer in the room, which helped us. But, really, the session with Marlee was the most illuminating for us because we got to ask the questions head on and ask how it feels to be in this situation, how it feels to be in that situation. We got to learn a little bit. We’re constantly texting with each other so that we can make adjustments to make it work. Here’s a good example. A hearing person, somebody who’s not deaf, I wouldn’t think right away that everybody has to look at her when they’re talking to her. It wouldn’t occur to me.“
Of course, it is important that the other characters and actors look at Marlee, at Jocelyn, in the show. If she is to be able to read lips, they would have to be looking at her. Something really interesting that Micheal pointed out to us, was that we were all looking at Marlee’s interpreter when she was answering our questions at first. But within a few minutes, we started looking at her while she answered. That is because we adjusted, and realized that although she may not be talking, she was the one communicating with us.
Photo Credit: MomStart.com
Get Excited For Episode Six
We asked Marlee and Michael what their favorite episode of this season was, and they both said episode six. No spoilers here, but they did tease us with some information. In this episode, we see Jocelyn before she went deaf, and this allowed Marlee to do something she had never done before – play a hearing person. Micheal explained why he really enjoyed writing and filming this episode.
“We see her before she was deaf so we see her with a different voice. We see her with the voice of someone who’s hearing and it’s really exciting. The story that we tell in the flashbacks is wildly compelling and fascinating to watch because by episode six, we know the character really well. So to see what happened to the character and to see how that relates to the story that we’re telling present day. We ask the question what would it be like if you were put into the most horrifying experience that you could imagine and you couldn’t hear? The show enters a different genre in that episode. In a lot of ways it becomes as much of a horror genre as it is a spy genre.“
Marlee added in what she learned while filming this episode, and while preparing to film it. You might already know this, but she was deaf at 18 months, so she doesn’t remember hearing.
“My job was to learn about hearing and learn about the characteristics of a hearing person. I did a lot of homework – you guys take your hearing for granted. It was a real challenge for me as an actor because being deaf, I use my eyes more than any other of my senses. So here I am in a situation where I’m playing completely opposite of that. And I didn’t use my eyes, I used my hearing. It was a challenge, but yet it was very exciting. I don’t know how many times I thanked [Michael] for writing that episode.“
— Tessa Smith – Mama's Geeky (@MamasGeeky) April 27, 2018
About Quantico Season Three
It’s been three years since American hero Alex Parrish has had to navigate the dangerous waters of the Central Intelligence Agency and put her life on the line for her country. She has been living a peaceful, anonymous life somewhere in Italy. However, Alex is forced to abandon this idyllic existence when Ryan persuades her to help him rescue Shelby from a notorious international arms dealer known only as The Widow, who is holding her hostage – and in exchange for her release she demands something that only Alex can provide.
The next episodes, Fear and Flesh, airs tonight, May 3rd at 10pm ET: In tracking down the origin of a deadly strain of tuberculosis threatening Americans, Agent Ryan Booth must go undercover and infiltrate a white supremacist organization. An assignment that threatens the life of another member of the team.
Watch Quantico Thursdays at 10|9c
on ABC or streaming or on the app!
Most of us Marvel geeks are still recuperating from Avengers: Infinity War, I know I still am! Lucky for us, Marvel Studios knew that we would need a pick me up after opening weekend, and they gave us an action-packed (and hilarious) Ant-Man and the Wasp trailer today! I was already excited for this movie, but after this trailer, I really can’t wait. It seems like it will stay true to the first Ant-Man with humor and fun – but also lots of great action. Not to mention, the introduction of The Ghost!
As you can tell by my reaction, I was just a little bit excited about finally seeing The Ghost. Hands down one of my favorite characters from the comics, this Ghost seems to be a LOT different than what I am used to. Don’t get me wrong, the suit looks very similar and is, well, freaking amazing. But in the comics The Ghost is a guy. An older guy. Where this Ghost is a woman. I am really curious to see where they go with this character. Luckily, I don’t have too long to find out.
About Ant-Man and the Wasp
From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink. In the aftermath of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside the Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from the past.
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP is directed by Peyton Reed and stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip “T.I.” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John Kamen, Abby Ryder-Fortson, Randall Park, with Michelle Pfeiffer, with Laurence Fishburne and Michael Douglas.
HOLLYWOOD, CA – APRIL 23: (L-R) The Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, Executive Producers Victoria Alonso and Jon Favreau, Walt Disney Studios President Alan Bergman, Taika Waititi, Executive Producer Louis D’Esposito, President of Marvel Studios and Producer Kevin Feige, and director Peyton Reed attend the Los Angeles Global Premiere for Marvel Studios Avengers: Infinity War on April 23, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney)
When I was told that during the #InfinityWarEvent, we would be sitting down with the top female at Marvel Studios, I was probably way too excited. Victoria Alonso is the EVP of Physical Production & Avengers: Infinity War Executive Producer. To say that I would give just about anything to have her job is an understatement. I am a tad bit in to Marvel, in case you haven’t noticed, so I was really excited to pick her brain. I was secretly hoping that she was a total comic book geek like me – but everything I learned about her surprised me (and made me love her more!).
Our interview moved away from interview and entered the therapy session realm almost immediately. Since we had all just seen Infinity War the night before, this was exactly what we needed. I am not going to lie, I cried several times during our discussion with Victoria. She is a brilliant woman, and is beyond inspirational. If I can be half the woman she is, I will be happy. She started off by saying “I am best when I’m talking with you, not at you. Everything you want to know about me, you can find. I want to know what you want to know that you can’t find.” and that moment is when I knew this was going to be a once in a lifetime experience.
HOLLYWOOD, CA – APRIL 23: Actor Imelda Corcoran (L) and executive producer Victoria Alonso attend the Los Angeles Global Premiere for Marvel Studios Avengers: Infinity War on April 23, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
Inspiring Her Daughter
Since we are all parents, we asked Victoria what her daughter thinks of her career. I know that when my daughters get excited over one of my videos, or something I am covering, I love it. She let us know that her daughter has become quite popular at school thanks to one of the latest Marvel films. “My little girl is so proud. She hasn’t seen many Marvel movies. She’s seen the Guardians films and Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Ant-Man but nothing else, because she’s been quite little. She’s about to turn eight. She hasn’t seen Black Panther, but she has heard me talk about it and what it has meant to me. I don’t talk about what the movies are but what it has meant to me as a career. She hears me talk about it – whether I did press at the house or if we’re with friends. And she said to me yesterday, I know I didn’t do it, but since you made Black Panther, I’m a really popular kid.”
Victoria had the perfect response to her daughter. “I think you’re popular because of you not because of the movie. She goes, no, they all knew what you did, but now I’m the daughter. And I said, I guess that’s great.”For the record,Black Panther is an incredible movie and if you have not seen it yet, you really are missing out. There are so many lessons to learn from it, including acceptance and love.
HOLLYWOOD, CA – APRIL 23: Directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo and cast & crew of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ attend the Los Angeles Global Premiere for Marvel Studios Avengers: Infinity War on April 23, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
Being a Change-Maker
Victoria told us that her daughter’s teachers invited her to do a change-maker thing at the school – and that it was a big deal. Hearing her describe the pride that her daughter felt, warmed my heart. I know what it is like to want my girls to have someone to look up to, and to understand that they can do whatever they put their minds to. “It was a big deal to me begin with. And then she repeated for about five weeks out loud, my mommy’s a change-maker. My mommy’s a change-maker. And I thought what a beautiful thing, because I knew my mother was a change-maker, but I never said it aloud because I didn’t have the words. And the fact that she has two moms to choose from. She has one mom that is one change-maker. The other one is this kickass, amazing designer, creative force, all of it. But the fact that she can say it out loud and she can look up to it is a beautiful thing.”
She truly is humble, as well. “I don’t know that I’m a change-maker. That’s what her teachers think. I’m a working mother. That’s all. That’s my title. I try to create a balance between home, life, marriage, friends, career. So, if that’s a change-maker, so be it, but that doesn’t make me any different than any of you. The Gina Davis Foundation has a tagline that says if you can see it, you can be it. So, for her seeing me or her other mother or any other woman out there doing it is what inspires her to be.”
Hurdles NOT Challenges
As most of you know, I have two small daughters. It can sometimes be difficult to show them that girls can be strong too because a lot of the girls they have to look up to in movies and shows are Princesses. Thankfully, movies like Frozen and Tangled are changing their views on Princesses. We mentioned this to Victoria and asked about her challenges she has had as a woman in the career world. Her answer was nothing short of inspiring. “I don’t see them as challenges. I just see it as a day-to-day hurdle. To me a challenge is something you can’t achieve where a hurdle is something you just need to jump over and go. Something that you want to get past is a hurdle and not a challenge. A challenge seems like something you can’t get to.”
She went on to explain that at one time, her daughter stated she wanted to be a boy. This is something I have heard from my own girls from time to time. But after the change-maker experience and really seeing what her mothers do for the world, she realized that she could be a girl, and still get things done. I hope that I have shown my daughters they can be whatever they want, and do whatever they want, even though they are girls. That is something I truly want them to understand.
I am a mother, so I know how becoming one can totally change your life and your views. I never could have dreamed that I would love a little human so much, and Victoria agrees. She let us know how becoming a mother influenced the final cuts of Marvel movies. “I know I would die for her. Hands down. You just show me where the train is. I’ll go first. That kinda feeling on a daily is like – is that stab necessary? Do we need to see that blood? Can we just stop the punchy punch? Because I’m numb. I get it that they’re superheroes and they fight, but I am bored.” Personally, I appreciate this way of thinking because my love for Marvel is something I like to share with my young daughters. I always preview one of the films before watching it with them, but I can usually trust Marvel to not go over the top with the violence. It seems like what we see is totally necessary to drive the film forward – nothing more, nothing less.
“It’s a constant question as a parent. I say ‘how am I going to explain this in the playground’, which I go to every morning to drop her off. That creates a conversation. Usually it’s me and bunch of dads, because the boys are all dads. Minus two, I think they’re all dads now. And a lot of them are dads of girls. So, that’s created a new conversation as well in the last 13 years. They’ve all gotten married and they all have children now. Every day I give it all I got. What you see is the combined efforts of hopefully the best storytelling that we could tell. Sometimes it’s a little bit geared towards the inner child of some of the comic book fans.”
The comic book lending wall at Marvel Studios.
Is She A Comic Book Fan?
I was really hoping to walk in to this interview and be able to chat comic books all day with Victoria. If you are a fan of my site, you know I am a total comic book nerd. But she isn’t. And honestly, that makes it so much cooler that this is her job. Her insights help make Marvel Studios what it is – a massively successful 10 years and 18 movies, so far. I think it is her “outsider” opinions that have helped to propel the studios forward. There are many audience members out there who are not comic book fans, and they need to be considered when creating these movies.
“I’m not a comic book fan. I love our movies, but La La Land or Juno or 12 Years a Slave or Moonlight, I would rather go see those movies than a superhero movie. I do see our movies, because I think they have a heart and they have a message. And they have more than one message, and it’s really up to you to see it. You can peel [Marvel] movies like an onion, and find it, and find it, and eventually you might cry.” Victoria did let us know that she cried three times while watching Avengers: Infinity War – but no spoilers here, so I won’t tell you what scenes!
If Victoria Was A Superhero…
One of my favorite questions to hear the answer to is what superpower would you like to have. For Victoria, it would be to become invisible. And her reasoning? Well, pretty much the exact same reason I would love to be invisible. “There’s certain conversations I’d like to hear. I would like to hear [my daughter] on the playground when I’m not there. I think it would interesting to just be a fly on the wall in the restaurant and hear people chat.”
If Victoria Alonso could be a superhero…she would choose to be invisible! She thinks it would be interesting to be a fly on the wall. #InfinityWar#InfinityWarEvent#Marvel
— Tessa Smith – Mama's Geeky (@MamasGeeky) April 24, 2018
More Words of Wisdom
Speaking with Victoria Alonso was truly eye opening. I would be willing to bet that all of us in the room cried during our talk. She is just such an inspirational person, and someone I can (and have) learned a lot from. I have already touched on some of my favorite moments from our discussion, but these quotes also stuck with me:
“The idea of getting out there and showing that you can is by far the most important thing.”
“Women need to believe in their core that they’re equal. Because I see it in my daughter at seven, and she’s gonna take it over. There’s a shift somewhere along the way, I think when they turn between 12 and 15. You gotta believe it in your heart.“
“My mom used to say if it has been done, it can. And if it hasn’t been done, it should.“
“As moms, we forget who we are because all we do is mom. You mother this and you mother that and you parent this and you parent that and you forget who you are as a human being along the way. Because it takes all we got to parent.“
“Show [your children] that the world is better. A world together, but we’re different. The one thing that unites us is the love. For our family, for our partners, for our children, for our country, for whatever. It doesn’t divide us. That’s really Black Panther. The love of country, the love of people, the love of the kingdom.“
“We have a six pact [when we travel]. That if I’m gonna be away for six weeks, they either come to me or I come home. But to be honest with you, I can’t be away for more than two weeks and then I come home. I don’t care if I don’t sleep. I just I need to come home. I’m a mess if I’m not in my home with my girls. It’s harder on my body, but that’s how I do it.“
About Avengers: Infinity War
Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet, Thanos. On a mission to collect all six Infinity Stones, Thanos plans to use the artifacts to inflict his twisted will on reality. The fate of the planet and existence itself has never been more uncertain as everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment.
Avengers: Infinity War is currently taking the world by storm. I was lucky enough to attend the World Premiere of this film and it immediately blew me away. You might have already read my spoiler free review – but I needed to process all my feelings and thoughts from Infinity War. So here is your last chance – if you have not seen this movie yet, abort, abort! Bookmark this post for another time, once you have seen it. Because I am going to talk about EVERYTHING that broke my heart. This movie was an emotional roller coaster – and here are ten scenes that I am still not over (in no particular order).
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh9QyD3AsX2/
WARNING: SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT!
The Opening Scene
OK, I warned you – here goes nothing! This entire film had me on an emotional roller coaster – and it opened with a bang. Two major deaths in the first scene – Heimdall and Loki. That is when the tears started for me. At first, I thought Thanos would end up killing Thor, just like that, because Loki was refusing to turn over the Tesseract. Then the tables quickly get turned on Loki after he gives it up to save his brother, but tries to kill Thanos to get it back. Thor watches Loki get choked to death. That is when I knew Infinity War wasn’t playing around.
FUN FACT: If you are a comic book reader like me, you probably loved the scene following this where Bruce Banner comes crashing through the Sanctum Sanctorum’s ceiling. He was sent there by Heimdall so that he could warn Doctor Strange of Thanos’ eminent arrival, and the fact that he already has two infinity stones. In the Infinity Gauntlet comic book series, a very similar thing happens – only it is Silver Surfer. He is coming to warn Earth that Thanos has gotten all the Infinity Stones and is coming for Earth. In both the movie and the comic, the news bearer is pretty injured.
As you likely already know, the Guardians of the Galaxy have a spot in my heart. So to see Gamora telling Star-Lord that he needs to kill her if Thanos takes her was hard. I could tell that is not what Peter wanted to do, of course. But when Gamora made him swear on her mom, I had a feeling we would see that happen in the movie. And then we did. Sort of. When she convinces him to shoot her (even though thanks to the Reality stone we only saw bubbles come out of the blaster), that was hard. He was crying, she was crying, I was crying…
Gamora swore she would never tell Thanos where the soul stone is. And then he started torturing her sister, Nebula. After what these two just went through in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, I was happy to see that she was pained by her sister’s torture. She gave it up, and essentially sacrificed herself for it.
Thanos Kills Gamora
I had a feeling going in to this movie that Gamora was going to die. I did not know why I felt that, but I did. Watching it actually happen though, that was rough. Thanos dragging Gamora over the edge of the cliff. Yikes. It was hard. Apparently Zoe Saldana agreed with me because she actually left the theater for a few minutes after watching that scene. She did end up returning though, but I can only imagine watching a character you have become dying like that might have been a heavy blow.
Star-Lord Discovers Gamora Is Dead
When Star-Lord realizes that the reason Gamora is not with Thanos is that she is dead – that was. Well. I don’t really have words. I have said before that I have a soft spot for these guys, and I adore them as a couple. Poor Peter has gone through so much with losing his mom, and his dad, and now his love. Nebula being there and understanding what happened was hard too. She was finally starting to get along with her sister, and then lost her.
Thanos Stabs Iron Man
Iron Man has always been one of my favorite heros, when Thanos stabbed him and it seemed like it was the end. Well, that was a hard one for me to watch. In fact, I gasped, screamed no, and started sobbing. My friend next to me had to rub my back and hold me. Then Doctor Strange ends up giving up the time stone to save Iron Man’s life. Effectively ending his own (although I hope he will be back).
We see several glimpses of how strong Scarlet With and Vision’s love for each other is throughout this film. And then the time comes that Scarlet Witch has to destroy the mind stone and kill Vision in the process. She doesn’t want to do it. He says it shouldn’t be her that has to do it. Heck, I didn’t want to see it happen. One of the hardest parts about it was that after she succeeded, Thanos just had to turn time back a little bit, for her to watch him die all over again.
Bucky Disappears
Cap and Bucky have been separated for a while now. So to see them back together in Wakanda, fighting side by side, was amazing. But once Thanos snapped his fingers and people started turning to ash, no one was safe. For Bucky to say “Steve” and just look at him the way he did as he disappeared. That was hard to see. I love their friendship. Unfortunately I think they will be reunited just in time for Cap to die.
This was the scene that I think really effected most people. To see this young kid, Spider-Man, clinging to Tony Stark saying “Sir, I don’t want to go. Please.”. That. That right there. If you didn’t feel all sorts of sadness at that point, then you don’t have a heart. I am sorry. You are not a human. Because that pulled at every single heart string I have. WOW. I don’t think I will ever be able to get the look on his face out of my head. Ever.
The After Credit Scene
After the credits we see Maria Hill and Nick Fury driving in a car. All of a sudden a car drives in to them because the driver disappeared. We see people disappearing everywhere and then it happens to Maria. Nick runs to the back of his car to grab something and he sends a message as he starts to disappear. We see that it was sent to Captain Marvel. This was emotional for me because seeing Maria and Nick disappear after seeing so many others I love die or disappear was hard. But I am really excited for what is to come with Captain Marvel!
In the end, we are left with only the original Avengers – which I am sure was done on purpose. We have Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, War Machine, Thor, and Bruce Banner. Nebula, Rocket, and Okoye are also alive – and we can assume Shuri and Wong are as well, but we don’t know for sure. I have seen this movie twice so far, and still have not wrapped my head around it. Only one year until Avengers 4 – let’s start the countdown now.
About Avengers: Infinity War
Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet, Thanos. On a mission to collect all six Infinity Stones, Thanos plans to use the artifacts to inflict his twisted will on reality. The fate of the planet and existence itself has never been more uncertain as everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
