Deadpool (Wade Winston Wilson) is a fictional character, a mercenary and anti-hero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool first appeared in New Mutants #98 (Feb. 1991).
A disfigured and mentally unstable mercenary, Deadpool originally appeared as a villain in an issue of New Mutants, and later in issues of X-Force. The character has since starred in several ongoing series, and shares titles with other characters such as Cable. Also known as the "Merc with a Mouth," Deadpool is famous for his talkative nature and his tendency to break the fourth wall, which is used by writers to humorous effect.
He was portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine and will appear in his own feature film set to be released on February 12, 2016.
A disfigured and mentally unstable mercenary, Deadpool originally appeared as a villain in an issue of New Mutants, and later in issues of X-Force. The character has since starred in several ongoing series, and shares titles with other characters such as Cable. Also known as the "Merc with a Mouth," Deadpool is famous for his talkative nature and his tendency to break the fourth wall, which is used by writers to humorous effect.
He was portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine and will appear in his own feature film set to be released on February 12, 2016.
Created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool made his first appearance in the pages of New Mutants #98 published in February 1991. Rob Liefeld, a fan of the Teen Titans comics, showed his new character to then writer Fabian Nicieza. Upon seeing the costume and noting his characteristics (killer with super agility), Nicieza contacted Liefeld, saying "this is Deathstroke from Teen Titans." Nicieza gave Deadpool the real name of "Wade Wilson" as an inside-joke to being "related" to "Slade Wilson", Deathstroke. In his first appearance, Deadpool was hired by Tolliver to attack Cable and the New Mutants. After subsequently appearing in X-Force as a recurring character, Deadpool began making guest appearances in a number of different Marvel Comics titles such as The Avengers, Daredevil, and Heroes for Hire. In 1993, the character received his own miniseries, titled The Circle Chase, written by Fabian Nicieza and pencilled by Joe Madureira. It was a relative success and Deadpool starred in a second, self-titled miniseries written in 1994 by Mark Waid, pencilled by Ian Churchill, and inked by Jason Temujin Minor and Bud LaRosa. Waid later commented, "Frankly, if I'd known Deadpool was such a creep when I agreed to write the mini-series, I wouldn't have done it. Someone who hasn't paid for their crimes presents a problem for me."
by The Centurion November 10, 2014
Thor: The Dark World (also known as Thor 2) is an upcoming American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It will be the sequel to 2011's Thor and the eighth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Alan Taylor directed the screenplay by Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, which stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins.
Development of Thor: The Dark World began in April 2011, when producer Kevin Feige announced plans for a sequel to follow the crossover film The Avengers. In July 2011, Kenneth Branagh, the director of Thor, withdrew from the project. Brian Kirk and Patty Jenkins were considered to direct the film before Taylor was hired in January 2012. The supporting cast filled out in August 2012, with the hiring of Eccleston, Dennings and Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Principal photography began in September 2012 in Surrey, England with filming continuing in Iceland and London, before wrapping up in December 2012. Like the first film, Thor: The Dark World will be converted to 3D in post-production.
Thor: The Dark World is scheduled to be released on November 8, 2013.
Development of Thor: The Dark World began in April 2011, when producer Kevin Feige announced plans for a sequel to follow the crossover film The Avengers. In July 2011, Kenneth Branagh, the director of Thor, withdrew from the project. Brian Kirk and Patty Jenkins were considered to direct the film before Taylor was hired in January 2012. The supporting cast filled out in August 2012, with the hiring of Eccleston, Dennings and Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Principal photography began in September 2012 in Surrey, England with filming continuing in Iceland and London, before wrapping up in December 2012. Like the first film, Thor: The Dark World will be converted to 3D in post-production.
Thor: The Dark World is scheduled to be released on November 8, 2013.
Premise for Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Set one year after The Avengers, Thor battles to save all the Nine Realms from a mysterious enemy older than the universe itself. A primeval race led by Malekith, who is out for revenge, intends to plunge the universe into darkness. Confronted by an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot overcome, Thor must reunite with Jane Foster and set out on a dangerous journey that will force him to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Set one year after The Avengers, Thor battles to save all the Nine Realms from a mysterious enemy older than the universe itself. A primeval race led by Malekith, who is out for revenge, intends to plunge the universe into darkness. Confronted by an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot overcome, Thor must reunite with Jane Foster and set out on a dangerous journey that will force him to make the ultimate sacrifice.
by The Centurion January 26, 2013
Ra's al Ghul (Arabic: رأس الغول Raʾs al-Ġūl; "Ghoul's Head") is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Besides being considered to be one of Batman's greatest enemies, given his high status as a supervillain, Ra's al Ghul has also come into conflict with Superman and other heroes in the DC Universe. He is the son of Sensei, the father of Talia al Ghul, Nyssa Raatko, and Dusan al Ghul, and the grandfather of Damian Wayne. His name in Arabic has been translated in the comics as "The Demon's Head".
Ra's al Ghul has been featured in various media adaptions, most notably Batman: The Animated Series, where he was voiced by David Warner, Batman: Arkham City, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, the films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises where he was portrayed by actor Liam Neeson, and the TV Series Arrow where he is portrayed by actor Matt Nable.
IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time List ranked Ra's as #7.
Ra's al Ghul has been featured in various media adaptions, most notably Batman: The Animated Series, where he was voiced by David Warner, Batman: Arkham City, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, the films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises where he was portrayed by actor Liam Neeson, and the TV Series Arrow where he is portrayed by actor Matt Nable.
IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time List ranked Ra's as #7.
Ra's al Ghul, literally translated from the Arabic as Head of the Demon, is an international immortal eco-terrorist and an enemy of Batman. Believing that humanity is a blight on the planet, his extremist environmentalism has led him to seek the destruction of modern society. Born centuries ago, he has sustained his life through usage of restorative Lazarus Pits. These centuries of experience have made him an incredible tactical expert and physical combatant, allowing him to establish the League of Assassins. His daughter Talia al Ghul has been romantically involved with Batman, leading to a child between the two named Damian Wayne. Ra's al Ghul was created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams, first appearing in Batman #232. (1971)
by The Centurion December 24, 2014
Jason Charles Bourne is a fictional character and the protagonist of a series of novels by Robert Ludlum and subsequent film adaptations. He first appeared in the novel The Bourne Identity (1980), which was adapted for television in 1988. The novel was very loosely adapted in 2002 into a feature film under the same name and starred Matt Damon in the lead role.
Jason Bourne has a tormented past, which continues to influence him throughout his lifetime. Jason Bourne is but one of many aliases used by David Webb. Webb is a career foreign service officer and a specialist in Far Eastern affairs. Before the events in The Bourne Identity, Webb had a Thai wife named Dao and two children named Joshua and Alyssa in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Webb's wife and two children were inadvertently killed during the Vietnam War when a fighter plane strayed into Cambodia, dropped two bombs and strafed a spot near the Mekong River. However, unknown to Bourne, Joshua survived. Due to Cambodia's neutrality in the war, every nation disclaimed the plane, and, therefore, no one took responsibility for the incident. Having nothing left to live for, Webb went to Saigon and, under the careful guidance of Alex Conklin, ended up training for an elite Top Secret Special Forces unit called Medusa. Within that select organization Webb was known only by his code name, Delta One.
by The Centurion December 30, 2014
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American Academy Award-winning motion picture visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company, Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when Lucas began production of the film Star Wars. ILM originated in Van Nuys, California, then later moved to San Rafael in 1978, and since 2005 it has been based at the Letterman Digital Arts Center in the Presidio of San Francisco. Lynwen Brennan, who joined the company in 1999, currently serves as ILM's President and General Manager. In 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired ILM as part of its purchase of Lucasfilm.
Lucas wanted his 1977 film Star Wars to include visual effects that had never been seen on film before. After discovering that the in-house effects department at 20th Century Fox was no longer operational, Lucas approached Douglas Trumbull, famous for the effects on 2001: A Space Odyssey. Trumbull declined as he was already committed to working on Steven Spielberg's film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but suggested his assistant John Dykstra to Lucas. Dykstra brought together a small team of college students, artists and engineers, and set them up in a warehouse in Van Nuys, California. Lucas named the group Industrial Light & Magic, who became the Special Visual Effects department on Star Wars. Alongside Dykstra, other leading members of the original ILM team were Ken Ralston, Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Joe Johnston, Phil Tippett, Steve Gawley, Lorne Peterson and Paul Huston.
by The Centurion December 28, 2014
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), popularly known as Delta Force, is a U.S. Army component of Joint Special Operations Command. It was formerly listed as the Combat Applications Group (CAG) by the Department of Defense. While 1st SFOD-D is administratively supported by USASOC, it falls under the operational control of the Joint Special Operations Command. Delta Force and its Navy counterpart, the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, are the United States military's primary counter-terrorism units. It is often referred to in the U.S. media as a Special Mission Unit.
Delta Force's primary tasks are counter-terrorism, direct action, and national intervention operations, although it is an extremely versatile group capable of conducting many types of clandestine missions, including, but not limited to, hostage rescues and raids.
The Central Intelligence Agency's highly secretive Special Activities Division (SAD) and more specifically its elite Special Operations Group (SOG) often works with – and recruits – operators from Delta Force.
Delta Force's primary tasks are counter-terrorism, direct action, and national intervention operations, although it is an extremely versatile group capable of conducting many types of clandestine missions, including, but not limited to, hostage rescues and raids.
The Central Intelligence Agency's highly secretive Special Activities Division (SAD) and more specifically its elite Special Operations Group (SOG) often works with – and recruits – operators from Delta Force.
The unit is under the organization of the US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) but is controlled by the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Command of 1st SFOD-D is a Colonel's billet. Virtually all information about the unit is highly classified and details about specific missions or operations generally are not available publicly. A number of sources, including the book Inside Delta Force by Command Sergeant Major Eric L. Haney (ret.), suggest the unit's strength ranges from 800 to 1,000 personnel.
by The Centurion January 31, 2015
The FIFA Club World Cup, commonly referred to as the Club World Cup, is an international men's association football competition organised by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship was first contested as the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship. It was not held between 2001 to 2004 due to a combination of factors, most importantly the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner International Sport and Leisure. Since 2005, the competition has been held every year, hosted so far by Brazil, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.
The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000. It ran in parallel with the Intercontinental Cup, a non-FIFA affiliated competition first disputed in 1960 by the winners of the European Champions' Cup and the Copa de Campeones de América. Initially created as Intercontinental Champions Clubs' Cup, since the 1980 season the competition was renamed the European/South American Cup and also knowns as the Toyota Cup following a change in format which saw Toyota become the main sponsor of the competition until it was discontinued in 2004. In 2005, the FIFA Club World Championship absorbed the Toyota Cup and the competition's pilot edition and in 2006 took its current name.
The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000. It ran in parallel with the Intercontinental Cup, a non-FIFA affiliated competition first disputed in 1960 by the winners of the European Champions' Cup and the Copa de Campeones de América. Initially created as Intercontinental Champions Clubs' Cup, since the 1980 season the competition was renamed the European/South American Cup and also knowns as the Toyota Cup following a change in format which saw Toyota become the main sponsor of the competition until it was discontinued in 2004. In 2005, the FIFA Club World Championship absorbed the Toyota Cup and the competition's pilot edition and in 2006 took its current name.
The current format of the tournament involves seven teams competing for the FIFA Club World Cup at venues within the host nation over a period of about two weeks; the winners of that year's AFC Champions League (Asia), CAF Champions League (Africa), CONCACAF Champions League (North America), Copa Libertadores (South America), OFC Champions League (Oceania) and UEFA Champions League (Europe), along with the host nation's national champions, participate in a straight knock-out tournament. The host nation's national champions dispute a play-off against the Oceania champions, from which the winner joins the champions of Asia, Africa and North America at the quarter-finals. The quarter-final winners go on to face the European and South American champions, who enter at the semi-final stage, for a place in the final.
by The Centurion October 26, 2014