Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5

[history79]

Comments

[goattoucher]

This is plot armor at a level that would make the Joker wonder how the hell Norman survived.

Stay away, Norman. These people save the universe for breakfast. Their kids had you dead to rights. Back away slowly.

[zylly]

When you've fought the Living Death Who Walks, a planet eating god, an evil planet with a face, and Doctor freaking Doom, Norman is the ultimate in non-threatening small potatoes.

[mastermahan]

Everyone seems way more concerned with Franklin changing reality to shoot a real bullet out of a cap gun than Norman's attempted murder there, and Dark Reign Norman can theoretically boss the Sentry around. It just drives home what a pittance Osborne is.

As it fucking should be.

[zylly]

Agreed, completely. Norman never should have been elevated to Lex Luthor levels of mastermind. A gang-lord level criminal who's smart enough to bedevil Spider-Man and other street level heroes is a fine level to be at.

Granted, Norman never should have been brought back in the first place.

[arilou_skiff]

I thought that was kind of the point though? He's a gang-lord turned mid-level bureaucrat/overseer that suddenly gets an opportunity for a taste of real power. He's not particularly clever or smart but for a while he can be threatening because he has the backing of the US government... Until he inevitably botches it in and things blows up in his face.

He's not really masterminding anything.

[goattoucher]

Yes, but his grip on power should have been so tenuous that a sternly worded Op-Ed would be able to topple him. Instead, but went from notorious psychopath who murdered a beautiful young girl to "Savior of Humanity" with one belated bullet after the heroes did all the heavy lifting, and his grip on power is -Rock Solid.- All the times the Avengers and the FF have saved the world, and they trust the word of Norman fucking Osborn more?

I understand that Marvel civilians are unappreciative dicks, but there's not appreciating the ones working for you and there is lionizing psychopathic murderers because they say "...but I'm feeling MUCH better now!" like John Astin on Night Court (kudos to you old-timers that get that reference).

And seriously, nobody takes out this one guy and saves everyone the aggravation? Sentry Sue isn't there all the time, and as someone said, this guy is a top-tier Spider-Man aggravator on his best day. This sort of thing was -way- outside his wheelhouse.

[starwolf_oakley]

Sometimes it comes down to "Yes, this crossover doesn't make much sense, but CIVIL WAR didn't make much sense either and everyone bought copies of that!"

A few issues (New Avengers vol. 2 #20-24, Avengers vol.4 #22) had Norman as a head of some kind of cult. Given the Marvel Universe has a LOT of cults (due to the unappreciative dicks) it makes as much sense as anything else.

[zachbeacon]

Norman's kind of a terrible mastermind anyway. Most of his accomplishments are just him stealing things from better characters .... and throwing blond girls off bridges.

Nearly all his Goblin stuff was created by Mendel Strormm, the business partner he screwed over.

His role as the Clone Sage "mastermind" is mostly just him taking credit for the Jackal's work.

He stole the Thunderbolts idea from Zemo.

He got where he is in Dark Reign by stealing Deadpool's kill shot in Secret Empire.

Even his downfall in Siege is a failed attempt to replicate the Stanford tragedy in Civil War. Between giving the original Captain Marvel cancer and blowing up the New Warriors, Nitro is a more effective villain accidentally than Norman ever was on purpose.

[goattoucher]

N.O.: "I'm the government now, Richards!"

Sue: Oh, Honey, are you lost? Does your mommy know where you are?

Johnny: :aside to Ben, snickering: Did he just call Reed "Richards?"

Ben: This mope is gonna have fun when Doom finds out that he's horning in on his shtick.

Reed: Alright now, we've all had a big day, but it's time for bed. Franklin, Valeria, walk your little friend out and them come up and brush your teeth. :loudly, as to a toddler: IT WAS NICE TO -MEET- YOU, NORMAN!

[zylly]

That would have been awesome.

[donnblake]

My first thought there was that Norman had actually shot Reed, and the bullet had rubber banded back at him, because that's how Reed's powers work Norman, you fool.

[freezer]

He probably had some EvilTech bullet that could compensate for that.

Which would leave him having shot the loved one of three of 616's most powerful heroes (plus whatever Franklin could do that week). Two of whom have long range powers and the other almost certainly walk right through Norman's next shot.

Dark Reign really was powered by "Because the script says so" wasn't it?

[goattoucher]

Shooting a pistol at any member of the Fantastic Four is intellectually equivalent to throwing your gun at Superman after you run out of bullets.

[zachbeacon]

Still one of the best Sue and Franklin moments.

[zer0man]

Just looking at Norman's face after he got shot and him looking at Franklin, it's not just the shock that he got shot that I can see. I can also see more than a bit of fear in that expression as well.

[agharta75]

Well, he's facing a kid that can control Galactus.

[zylly]

Yeah, supposed mental blocks or not, it's a really stupid idea to anger a kid who could possibly decide that you don't exist anymore.

[goattoucher]

And -never did-.

[zylly]

Exactly.

[agharta75]

Fortunately, those abilities are only used to clean up messes Marvel editors and writers made.

[goattoucher]

Dark Reign doesn't qualify?

[agharta75]

No one asked him?

[onsokumaru]

You're right to be afraid, Sue.
I would be too if somebody was about to shot my husband and if there was nothing I could do to protect him.