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The Avengers

The Avengers (2012) is the culmination of a long term plan by Marvel to bring the Avengers to the big screen. Here are some facts about the film:

1. The first film to gross $200 million in its first three days in the USA.

2. The original Avengers were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and consisted of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man, and Wasp.

3. Joss Whedon explained that two of the founding Avengers members Ant-Man and Wasp were cut from the script because the film had too many characters.

4. In the movie, Captain America is a founding member. In the comics, Captain America was unfrozen in Avengers #4 when he was accidentally discovered when the team was looking for Namor the Sub Mariner.

5. Disney had the film's title changed in the United Kingdom to "Marvel Avengers Assemble" to avoid confusion with the iconic British espionage franchise The Avengers (1961)/The Avengers (1998).

6. Thor vs Hulk: The fight involving Thor and the Hulk in the Avengers is NOT the first time it's happened. The first "live-action" fight happened in the 1988 TV movie, The Incredible Hulk Returns.

7. Edward Norton was originally set to reprise his role from The Incredible Hulk (2008) but negotiations between him and Marvel Studios broke down. Norton was replaced with Mark Ruffalo.

8. This is only the second time that Bruce Banner/Hulk and Thor have appeared together in a movie. They previously appeared together in The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988).
The Avengers:
Steve Rogers: What's the matter, scared of a little lightning?
Loki: I'm not overly fond of what follows...
(Thor appears)

Thor: Do not touch me again!
Iron Man: Then don't take my stuff.
Thor: You have no idea what you're dealing with.
Iron Man: Ah, Shakespeare in The Park? Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?
Thor: This is beyond you, metal man! Loki will face Asgardian justice!
Iron Man: He gives up the Cube, he's all yours. Until then, stay out of the way...TOURIST!
(Thor, angered by the retort, throws his hammer Mjolnir forcefully at Iron Man, sending Iron Man flying back a distance through the forest)

Steve Rogers: Doctor Banner, now might be a really good time for you to get angry.
Bruce Banner: That's my secret, Cap: I'm always angry.
(Banner hulks out and punches the Leviathan)

Iron Man: What else you got?
Clint Barton: Well, Thor's taking on a squadron on Sixth.
Iron Man: And he didn't invite me...

(Iron Man grabs a nuclear missile and routes it to the portal)
Jarvis: Stark, you know that's a one-way trip?
Iron Man: Save the rest for the return, Jay.

(After end credits scene #1)
The Other: Humans... They are not the cowering wretches we were promised. They stand. They are unruly, and therefore cannot be ruled. To challenge them is to court death.
(Thanos rises and smiles)

(After end credits scene #2)
The Avengers eat in silence at a shawarma restaurant.
by The Centurion October 15, 2014
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The Art of War

The Art of War (Chinese: 孫子兵法; pinyin: Sūnzĭ bīngfǎ) is an ancient Chinese military treatise attributed to Sun Tzu, a high-ranking military general, strategist and tactician. The text is composed of 13 chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare. It is commonly known to be the definitive work on military strategy and tactics of its time. It has been the most famous and influential of China's Seven Military Classics, and "for the last two thousand years it remained the most important military treatise in Asia, where even the common people knew it by name." It has had an influence on Eastern and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy and beyond.

The book was first translated into the French language in 1772 by French Jesuit Jean Joseph Marie Amiot and a partial translation into English was attempted by British officer Everard Ferguson Calthrop in 1905. The first annotated English language translation was completed and published by Lionel Giles in 1910. Leaders as diverse as Mao Zedong, General Vo Nguyen Giap, General Douglas MacArthur and leaders of Imperial Japan have drawn inspiration from the work.
The Art of War has been applied to many fields well outside of the military. Much of the text is about how to fight wars without actually having to do battle: it gives tips on how to outsmart one's opponent so that physical battle is not necessary. As such, it has found application as a training guide for many competitive endeavors that do not involve actual combat.

There are business books applying its lessons to office politics and corporate strategy. Many Japanese companies make the book required reading for their key executives. The book is also popular among Western business management, who have turned to it for inspiration and advice on how to succeed in competitive business situations. It has also been applied to the field of education.

The Art of War has been the subject of law books and legal articles on the trial process, including negotiation tactics and trial strategy.
by The Centurion December 29, 2014
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Wolverine

Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, as well as in movies, television shows, and video games; most often in fiction related to the X-Men. He was created in 1974 by writer Len Wein and Marvel art director John Romita, Sr.

Wolverine is a mutant, born with the superhuman ability to fully and rapidly recover from any injury or ailment. He possesses long retractable claws that protrude from the backs of his hands. His skeleton is laced with a fictional metal known as adamantium, which makes it indestructible. Wolverine is a member of the X-Men, a team of superheroes who fight for mutant rights and to preserve the peace between mutants and normal humans.

Due to his wild popularity in the 1980s and beyond, an elaborate back story has been created for the character, from his origins in the Canadian prairie land to fighting gangsters in Asia, becoming part of a government-led superhero team, and having extensive adventures apart from other X-Men members.
Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas asked writer Len Wein to devise a character specifically named Wolverine, who is Canadian and of small stature and with a wolverine's fierce temper. John Romita, Sr. designed the first Wolverine costume, and believes he introduced the retractible claws, saying, "When I make a design, I want it to be practical and functional. I thought, 'If a man has claws like that, how does he scratch his nose or tie his shoelaces?'" Wolverine first appeared in the final "teaser" panel of The Incredible Hulk #180 (cover-dated October 1974) written by Wein and penciled by Herb Trimpe. The character then appeared in a number of advertisements in various Marvel Comics publications before making his first major appearance in The Incredible Hulk #181 (November 1974) again by the Wein–Trimpe team. In 2009, Trimpe said he "distinctly remembers" Romita's sketch and that, "The way I see it, Romita and writer Len Wein sewed the monster together and I shocked it to life!... It was just one of those secondary or tertiary characters, actually, that we were using in that particular book with no particular notion of it going anywhere. We did characters in The Incredible Hulk all the time that were in particular issues and that was the end of them." Though often credited as co-creator, Trimpe adamantly denies having had any role in Wolverine's creation.
by The Centurion November 8, 2014
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The Crow

The Crow is a comic book series created by James O'Barr. The series was originally written by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his girlfriend at the hands of a drunk driver. It was later published by Caliber Comics in 1989, becoming an underground success, and later adapted into a film of the same name in 1994. Three film sequels, a television series and numerous books and comic books have also been subsequently produced.

The Crow has been translated into almost a dozen languages and has sold around 750,000 copies worldwide.
The story revolves around an unfortunate young man named Eric. He and his fiancée, Shelly, are assaulted by a gang of street thugs after their car breaks down. Eric is shot in the head and is paralyzed, and can only watch as Shelly is savagely beaten and raped. They are then left for dead on the side of the road.

He is resurrected by a crow and seeks vengeance on the murderers, methodically stalking and killing them. When not on the hunt, Eric stays in the house he shared with Shelly, spending most of his time there lost in memories of her. Her absence is torture for him; he is in emotional pain, even engaging in self-mutilation by cutting himself.

The crow acts as both guide and goad for Eric, giving him information that helps him in his quest but also chastising him for dwelling on Shelly's death, seeing his pining as useless self-indulgence that distracts him from his purpose.
by The Centurion November 8, 2014
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The Penguin

Oswald Chesterfield "Penguin" Cobblepot is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is known as one of Batman's oldest and most persistent enemies. Artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger introduced him in Detective Comics #58 (December 1941). The Penguin is a short, round man known for his love of birds and his specialized high-tech umbrellas. A mobster and thief, he fancies himself as being a "gentleman of crime;" his nightclub business provides a cover for criminal activity, which Batman sometimes uses as a source of criminal underworld information. According to Kane the character was inspired from the then advertising mascot of Kool cigarettes – a penguin with a top hat and cane. Finger thought the image of high-society gentlemen in tuxedos was reminiscent of emperor penguins.
The Penguin is a Gotham City crimelord with a deformed physical appearance who fights Batman. Despite the penguin-like appearance that led to his nickname, he is a ruthlessly cunning criminal genius operating out of his nightclub the Iceberg Lounge. Having dealt with mockery of his stature from an early age, he has dedicated himself to inspiring respect and fear through his exploits. His standard weapon is an umbrella with different gadgets lethal and otherwise hidden inside of it. He has been a member of the Injustice League, Secret Society of Super-Villains and Suicide Squad. Penguin was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, first appearing in Detective Comics #58. (1941)
by The Centurion December 24, 2014
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Gambit

Gambit is a fictional character, a superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He has held membership in the team known as the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 (1990), weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266 (August 1990). As of 2013, there have been three attempts at an ongoing title starring the character. Gambit also had two miniseries and starred prominently in the X-Force replacement title during the Age of Apocalypse, Gambit & the X-Ternals.

A mutant, Gambit can mentally create, control and manipulate pure kinetic energy to his every whim and desire. He is also incredibly knowledgeable and skilled in card-throwing, hand-to-hand combat, and the use of a bō.

Few X-Men trusted Gambit, who was originally a professional thief, when he first joined the group. There was consistently a source of stress between him and his on-again, off-again love interest Rogue. This was exacerbated when his connections to villain Mister Sinister were revealed, although some of his team members accept that Gambit honestly seeks redemption.

Often written as a "ladies' man", Gambit has shown a more vulnerable side of himself over the years, especially when it comes to Rogue. Gambit remains fiercely proud of his Louisiana heritage, and speaks in a very thick Cajun accent.
Gambit is a mutant who has the ability to take the potential energy stored in an object and convert it to pure light pink-colored kinetic energy thus “charging” that item with highly explosive results. He prefers to charge smaller objects, such as his ever-present playing cards, as the time required to charge them is greatly reduced and they are much easier for him to throw. The only real limitation to this ability is the time required to charge the object: the larger it is the more time it takes to charge. Most charging takes place through direct skin contact. The power of his explosions is dependent on the mass of the object he is charging, for example, a charged playing card explodes with the force of a grenade. Gambit can also use his mutant abilities to accelerate an object's kinetic energy instead of converting its potential energy; for example, he can charge his Bo staff with enough kinetic energy and power to level a house.

Gambit's ability to tap kinetic energy also grants him incredible superhuman physical abilities (strength, speed, reflexes and reactions, agility, flexibility, dexterity, coordination, balance, and endurance), as his body constantly generates bio-kinetic energy and so is perfectly constructed for constant motion. This gives him an added edge that he has used to his advantage by developing a unique acrobatic fighting style.
by The Centurion November 10, 2014
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Transformers (2007)

Transformers is a 2007 American science fiction action film based on the Transformers toy line. The film, which combines computer animation with live-action, is directed by Michael Bay, with Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer. It stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager involved in a war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, two factions of alien robots who can disguise themselves by transforming into everyday machinery. The Decepticons desire control of the AllSpark, the object that created their robotic race, with the intention of using it to build an army by giving life to the machines of Earth. Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight, Anthony Anderson, John Turturro and Glenn Morshower also star, while voice actors Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving voice Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively.
Transformers (2007):
Captain Lennox: Epps, the rain's coming!
USAF Master Sgt. Epps: Right! BRING IT!

Barricade: Are you username: LadiesMan217?
Sam Witwicky: I don't know what you're talking about!
Barricade: ARE YOU USERNAME: LADIESMAN217?
Sam Witwicky: Yeah...
Barricade: Where is the eBay item 21153? WHERE ARE THE GLASSES?

Optimus Prime: My weapons specialist: Ironhide.
Ironhide: (drawing his guns) You feelin' lucky, punk?
Optimus Prime: Easy, Ironhide...
Ironhide: (retracts his guns) Just kidding. I just wanted to show him my cannons.

Starscream: This is Starscream: All Decepticons, mobilize.
Barricade: Barricade en-route...
Devastator: Devastator reporting...
Bonecrusher: Bonecrusher rolling...
Blackout: Blackout incoming... All hail Megatron!

(Starscream arrives at Hoover Dam)
Starscream: Go, go, go!
(deploys missiles)

Starscream: I live to serve you, Lord Megatron...
Megatron: Where is the Cube?
Starscream: The humans have taken it!
Megatron: You fail me yet again, Starscream... GET THEM!

Optimus Prime: It's you and me, Megatron...
Megatron: No, it's just ME, Prime!
Optimus Prime: At the end of this day, one shall stand, one shall fall!
Megatron: You still fight for the weak! That is why you lose!

Optimus Prime: Sam... you risked your life to protect the Cube.
Sam Witwicky: No sacrifice, no victory.

Optimus Prime: (to a dying Megatron) You left me no choice, brother.

(During the end credits)
Starscream escapes Earth and races into space.
by The Centurion November 29, 2012
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