Out now, Marvel’s Avengers is an action-RPG that focuses on rebuilding the team of Earth’s mightiest heroes to face off against a new threat. Starring some of Marvel’s most iconic characters, including Captain America, Hulk, and Iron Man, you’ll work with your team of heroes to battle robot minions and various supervillains. One of the Avengers’ key members is the master assassin Black Widow. And while she doesn’t have superpowers of her own, she possesses a particular set of skills that makes her one of the deadliest members of the superhero crew.
If you want a more detailed look at each playable hero, then check out our on-going break downs for each character, such as this explainer for Iron Man, along with a general look at the entire roster of the Avengers.
Black Widow Hero Summary
To paint a clearer picture for what Natasha Romanova–AKA Black Widow–brings to the table, think of her as the rogue class in the Avengers. She’s the fastest character on the roster, and with her skills that focus on getting in and out of combat with ease, she can be surprisingly tricky to get accustomed to when compared to the other more over-the-top and straight-forward characters. Her skills in taking out foes, in her particular way, can make for a playstyle that’s both slick and clever in its approach. Black Widow is more geared towards agility and heroic attributes when it comes to stats, which will give you some great ways to move around the field and strike at your enemies when they least expect it.
Compared to seeing Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, and the Hulk in action, Black Widow’s somewhat reserved approach certainly sticks out. However, what makes Black Widow such a deadly fighter is that her abilities are tailor-made for single-target enemies. She doesn’t have the bombast of Thor or the Hulk, with their attacks sweeping through large groups of enemies at once. Instead, Black Widow’s abilities focus on incapacitating targets, which means that your attacks will deal heavy stagger damage, opening them up to takedown finishers. When you get used to her style, Black Widow can be a blast to play as.
General Tips For Black Widow
Black Widow’s firearms are a great way to put pressure on enemies.
Pick Your Targets. As an assassin, Black Widow is at her best when she pinpoints her targets and puts all her effort into taking them out. When playing as her, it’s best to read the room and identify which marks to remove from the equation fast. In larger-scale fights, for instance, it’s best to eliminate the elite targets first, which will help your teammates mop up the rest of the foes in a battle.
Close The Gap. One of Black Widow’s most useful skills is the Widow’s Line. This grappling hook helps with traversal around the map, but it also comes into play during combat. This gadget allows her to grapple onto enemies and close the distance on them. In doing so, you can start hammering away at your chosen target and quickly get them into a staggered state. Also, using the Widow’s Line just before an enemy is about to attack will parry their strike, which will put them into a brief stun state. Watch out for the yellow warning icon to appear over their heads, this will clue you in on when it’s time to parry.
Learn To Juggle. Black Widow has some solid aerial combat skills, and when using her heavy strikes–which brings out the batons–you can quickly build up the stagger meter to put them into a takedown state. By holding down the heavy button, you can activate the launcher attack, which will have the enemies rise into the air, at which point you can follow with your own stream of attacks. Black Widow also has a special dive kick attack, which can be great when you need to do a quick bounce off an enemy’s head.
Use Those Takedowns. The takedowns are one of the best ways that Black Widow can deal damage. While it will often take out the standard fodder easily, some elite enemies may survive the attack. Still, it’s worth pulling off because they can still deal significant damage, allowing your teammates to tear into them with their own skills. While leveling Black Widow, you’ll be able to find loot that may improve her strength for takedowns, so be sure to keep an eye out for them.
Maintain Distance When Needed. In many cases, you’ll find that it’s best to stay back from the fight. When this happens, keep your distance and utilize Black Widow’s set of firearms. These guns include twin pistols, sub-machine guns, and a high-powered magnum. These weapons can put significant pressure onto enemies, but they shouldn’t be relied upon too often as you’ll still have to reload your guns. Use your guns when you can, but if you see an opening for a close-range assault, definitely go for it.
Keep Your Cloak Up. Black Widow’s Veil of Shadow is a useful cloaking ability that renders her invisible. Not only does this let you sneak up on enemies, but it also happens to give you a damage boost. This skill also works on your teammates, and it can be especially useful to have a powered up and invisible Hulk on the field. Since it takes some time to charge, be smart about when you should deploy it. Keep an eye out for gear that improves the Veil of Shadow’s effectiveness.
Activate That Ultimate. Breaking away from her restrained style, one of Black Widow’s most over-the-top attacks in her arsenal is her ultimate. By pressing down both assault and support heroic buttons, Black Widow will combine her batons to form an electrified polearm. This particular state will turn her into a combo-dealing machine, and it also allows her to bounce between different enemies more efficiently to pile on the pressure even more.
Best Abilities To Get First
Black Widow’s ultimare ability is a great way to tear through an enemy’s defenses.
For Black Widow, you’ll want to start with opening up different combo options. For light attacks, Pounce and Spider Sweep are very useful combo-starters. The former is Black Widow’s dive-kick, which carries into a combo, while the latter is a powered-up light attack that can break shields used by enemies. Spinning Fury and Baton Strike are solid upgrades for her heavy strikes to help build up an enemy’s stagger. These are among the early core melee attacks to get, and they’ll come in clutch during any fight.
For her long-range attacks, you want to open up her different sub-weapons early, which includes a pair of machine guns and a magnum. Descending further into her ranged skill tree will open up modified attacks that amplify each firearm’s effectiveness. These upgrades will give you more options when it comes to ranged combat, which can be nice to have early on .
For her defensive skills, Black Widow’s upgrades focus on added parries and dodges. As mentioned previously, Widow’s Line is a super useful skill that can close the gap, but it is also useful for parries. The Whiplash skill is an upgrade that opens up a modified parry. When you use the Widow’s Line right before an attack, you can stun an enemy. But with Whiplash, you can press the heavy attack button right after the parry to execute a devastating punish attack, which sees Black Widow perform a leg-based takedown.
Lastly, another ability you’ll want to unlock early is the Unseen Fate upgrade for her Veil of Shadow skill. When activated during a fight, all enemies in the area with low health will be instantly placed into a takedown state–allowing you and other teammates to chain together several finishers. This upgrade can be invaluable during a tough fight with lots of minions, and it quickly helps even the odds.
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The Return of the King, the final part of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, hit theaters in December 2003. By that point, there was little doubt that the movie was likely to be an enormous commercial success. What’s more, unless Jackson had really dropped the ball, audiences were set to love it. The previous two movies, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, had set a new standard for fantasy moviemaking, vividly bringing JRR Tolkien’s classic novels to life on the big screen.
Thankfully, The Return of the King was no disappointment. This was the biggest film of the trilogy, both in terms of the scale of the action, the drama of the story, and the $1.14 billion box office gross. The fight for the very existence of Middle-earth was realized via some incredible battle scenes, but also in the deeply emotional final journey of Frodo and Sam, as they worked their way through Mordor to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom.
However, the success of The Return of the King didn’t stop with a huge box office take and critical and audience acclaim. The film also swept the 2004 Academy Awards–it took home all 11 Oscars it was nominated for, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The previous two movies had only won awards in the technical categories, and many saw the third film’s Oscar victory as a reward for the entire trilogy. But either way, it was an amazing result for any movie, let alone a fantasy film, and sealed the trilogy’s status as one of the greatest achievements in cinema.
As with The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, an extended version of The Return of the King was released on DVD a year after its theatrical run. This cut took the running time to over four hours, and as before, the discs were packed with commentaries, interviews, and behind-the-scenes documentaries. We’ve been back over this material, in particular the must-listen audio commentary with Jackson and co-writers Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens, and rounded up some of the most fascinating facts, references, and Easter eggs in this classic fantasy adventure. And once you’ve read this, check out our guide to all the things you missed in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.
If you’ve watched trailers for Marvel’s Avengers, you might assume it’s a straightforward story-driven single-player action game. And while you’re technically half-correct, there’s far more under the hood of this game than you might expect. In fact, Marvel’s Avengers has a multiplayer component that pushes the game into operating something more akin to a Destiny-like live-service experience complete with battle passes, challenges, and rare gear to collect.
As such, there’s a lot to cover and try to keep track of as you spend time playing through the early- and late-game hours Marvel’s Avengers. To help you succeed all across your journey, we’ve rounded up all of our essential guides, which include our beginner’s tips, hero guide, endgame explainer, and more.
We’ve put together a Marvel’s Avengers beginner’s guide with plenty of tips and insight around the game’s opening hours. In our guide, you’ll be able to learn more about what missions to get started on first, combat tips, which attack types to unlock on the skill tree, and much more.
Hero Guide: Which Avenger Is Right For You?
Marvel’s Avengers has six playable characters: Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, Hulk, and Ms. Marvel. To help you understand what it takes to play them across both single- and multi-player, we wrote up a guide offering a general overlook around each Avenger to help you understand how they play.
We’re also compiling individual character guides around the most complicated Avengers to help you better grasp how they play. You can find what we have posted so far in the list below.
Endgame Explainer & Tips (Spoiler-Free)
As soon as you beat the main story campaign, you proceed to the endgame, which has you taking out the remnants of AIM’s influence across the world. In our Marvel’s Avengers endgame explainer and guide, we detail everything there is to know about the post-game portion, as well as some tips to help you make the best of your time saving the world as the reassembled Avengers. We’ve made sure to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, so you won’t be at risk of ruining what’s to come in the story.
Arcade1Up’s long-awaited Big Buck Hunter cabinet is finally available to pre-order. The cabinet features four games from the popular light-gun series and two rifles for multiplayer. The best part is that you don’t have to go to the local pub to shoot virtual deer anymore–something that’s particularly hard during the current pandemic. The Big Buck Hunter Arcade1Up cabinet is $550 at Best Buy, and while you can reserve yours now, it’s unclear when it’ll release–Best Buy says it’ll notify you when a release date is announced.
The Big Buck Hunter cabinet comes with Big Buck Hunter Pro, Big Buck Safari, Big Buck Hunter Pro: Open Season, and Big Buck Safari: Outback–that’s a lot of Big and a lot of Buck. It’s a 3/4-scale cabinet, meaning it won’t take up as much space as a real cabinet. It includes an 18×24-inch tin sign and a matching riser, the latter of which will raise the cabinet and make it playable for adults.
This is the latest cabinet Arcade1Up has made available for pre-orders. Recently, the company unveiled pre-orders for its X-Men vs. Street Fighter machine, Marvel vs. Capcom cabinet, and more. Those cabinets include games from Capcom’s excellent crossover fighting games of the ’90s and feature absolutely gorgeous panel art from the original games–the Marvel vs. Capcom machine looks particularly great.
If you’re interested in learning more about Arcade1Up’s cabinets, check out our BurgerTime cabinet review. It’s an excellent machine that pays tribute to some all-time Data East classics like BurgerTime, Bad Dudes, and Karate Champ.
A new update for PUBG Mobile has rolled out on Android and iOS devices that bolster the game’s extensive anti-cheat measures, PUBG Mobile’s Anti-Cheat Team announced in a press release.
The new wave of measures enacts of series of changes to eliminate the known exploits players are using to get an unfair advantage in-game. This includes cheats like auto-aim, plug-ins that let players kill others immediately after parachuting, hacks that grant players unfair visual advantages, and more. Should players be caught engaging in this cheating behavior, they could face a 10-year ban on their account. This anti-cheat update comes not long after PUBG Mobile banned some two million cheaters in a single week.
In addition to these measures, the latest PUBG Mobile update also features a few anti-cheat upgrades. The new updates optimize the spectator field of view so cheaters can’t exploit the camera and stabilize performance to prevent players from using lag or latency issues to their advantage, among other things. You can read the full patch notes below.
PUBG Mobile players should be careful about the plug-ins they are using.
In other PUBG Mobile news, a $2 million esports tournament was announced alongside the game’s official 1.0 update. This update will feature some substantial enhancements, including up to 36% improvement in frame rate and up to 76% reduction of lag.
New PUBG Mobile Anti-Cheat Patch Notes
Note: PUBG Mobile has omitted the names of the exploitative plug-ins for security reasons.
Plug-Ins Z and M:
Since earlier in the year, “Plug-In Z” has allowed cheaters to kill other players immediately after parachuting, causing initial gameplay to be severely altered. In early July, the plug-in was successfully countered, and the corresponding accounts have been penalized as well. In the latest version, the counter has also upgraded to strengthen the defense. Similarly, jail-broken Android devices with “Plug-In M,” which in the past allowed for unfair behaviors such as “Zero Recoil,” “Zero Screen Shake,” “Auto-Aim,” “Vision Expansion,” and “Fog Removal,” have also been identified. Cheaters caught using these plug-ins have received ten-year bans on their accounts.
Auto-Aim:
For fairness in weapon aim, in PUBG Mobile Version 1.0, the anti-cheat team focused on identifying and successfully removing approximately 20 different methods of auto-aim and increased the penalty of auto-aim hack at the same time. Additional methods are continually monitored and addressed through updated detection protocols.
Grass Hack:
The ongoing “Grass Hack,” which provides cheaters with an unfair visual advantage in battles, has also been eliminated. Existing security systems that identify this behavior now include increased security for prevention.
Optimized Spectating System:
The monitoring scope of the enemy’s position visibility via spectating has been optimized and expanded. Cheaters can no longer manipulate the existing Spectate Mode with multiple accounts to gain an unfair visual advantage.
Optimized Monitoring Performance:
Optimized the impact of security monitoring on performance and reduced the power consumption and lag caused by security monitoring, ensuring a smooth gaming experience while protecting the game’s integrity
Miscellaneous Updates:
Several other countermeasures have been implemented, including fixed engine security risks, process and tools of security protocols, increased Livik penalty thresholds, chat channel plug-in promotions and a crackdown on Team Death Match cheaters.
Disney takes their 1998 animated classic and turns it into a wuxia epic.
After much delay, the live-action adaptation of Mulan debuted on Disney Plus on September 4.
The story, based on a Chinese ballad that dates back to the 6th century, is now an action drama. The Huns are now the more historically accurate Rouran tribes. Mulan is a secret master of chi (which is employed as a Force-esque plot device). And characters can run up walls and catch arrows–a tribute to the wuxia films (fantasy-driven kung fu films) from decades past.
There are also no more songs, although you can hear familiar instrumental musical cues during pivotal scenes. What else changed or remained from the original animated classic? Here’s everything we’ve noticed in the live-action Mulan so far.
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1. Poster
The comparisons start on the Disney Plus menu screen, which is a recreation of the poster for the 1998 animated film.
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2. Hua and Fa
In the animated film, Mulan’s family name is spelled “Fa.” In the movie, her family name is spelled “Hua.” Fa is actually the Cantonese romanization of Hua. The family name of the Mulan in the original ballad is also Hua, which translates directly to flower.
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3. The Girl with Chi
Both the original ballad and the 1998 movie portray Mulan as a girl with ordinary powers, who uses her wits and courage to save China. The movie retains her wit and courage, but also uses chi, the energy of all living things, to explain what makes Mulan more exceptional than her peers, and why she has unnatural reflexes and martial arts ability.
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4. Trouble With Chickens
Chickens are employed as a comedic device in both films. They invade the religious shrine as a result of Mulan’s actions. But in the live-action film, the chicken also reveals her chi powers to the villagers, and they react with disgust and fear.
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5. Two Daughters
In the animated film, Mulan is an only child. In the live-action film, Mulan has a younger sister named Xiu. Unlike Mulan, Xiu gives her parents no trouble at all. In the ballad, Mulan has a younger brother; when the army conscripts one man from each family to serve, the brother is still too young.
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6. Two Rabbits, Side By Side
The first time we see Mulan as an adult, she’s riding horseback next to two rabbits. She later tells her family that she couldn’t be sure whether they were male or female. This is a direct homage to the original ballad’s final lines, which read:
“The he-hare’s feet go hop and skip,
The she-hare’s eyes are muddled and fuddled.
Two hares running side by side close to the ground,
How can they tell if I am he or she?”
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7. “Honor To Us All”
In the animated film, during the scene where Mulan is getting ready for the matchmaker, the women perform “Honor To Us All.” In the live-action film, there is no singing, although you can hear the melody for “Honor To Us All.” playing in the background.
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8. Disaster At The Matchmaker’s
In the animated film, the matchmaker’s room gets destroyed as an indirect result of Cri-Kee, who bathes in the matchmaker’s tea. In the live-action film, Mulan causes chaos by revealing a spider underneath the matchmaker’s teapot, which she initially hid due to her sister’s fear of spiders.
The cricket in the animated film was a gift from Mulan’s grandmother, who gave it to her for luck. There is no grandmother in the live-action version.
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9. Huns vs. Rourans
The villains in the animated film were Huns, and they were led by a monstrous man named Shan Yu. But this is not historically accurate. The Huns never attacked China; they are popularly conflated with the Xiongnu, nomadic people who lived north of China’s borders. The live-action film specifically names the Rouran people as the film’s antagonists. The Rourans, who lived in what is present-day Mongolia, had a number of skirmishes with the Northern Wei dynasty during the 5th century A.D.
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10. The Great Wall
The first time we see the Huns in the 1998 film, they scale and break through the Great Wall of China. In the new film, we first see the Rourans when they attack a garrison stationed on the Silk Road. After defeating the garrison, they then slaughter the nearby villages.
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11. Vengeance Plot
Shan-Yu’s motives in the 1998 film were fairly one-dimensional. He wanted to pillage and conquer for the sake of power. The leader of the Rouran, Böri Khan, has more personal motives for conquering China; the emperor killed his father in a prior battle.
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12. Good Witch or Bad Witch?
The most notable new character is Gong Li’s Xian Lang, a “witch” who helps the Rouran army. She serves as a juxtaposition to Mulan; she’s a woman who, because of her chi, was rejected and outcast from society, and is embittered as a result. She represents Mulan’s fears about what might happen to her if she is discovered.
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13. Hawk or Witch?
Xiang Li can turn into a hawk, which is a clear reference to Hayabusa, the pet falcon of Shan Yu in the animated film. Like most Disney animals, Hayabusa had humanlike intelligence; your headcanon could be that Hayabusa was actually a human the entire time.
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14. Dragon or Phoenix?
Mushu, the family’s guardian dragon in the animated film, is not in the live-action film, although Mulan does have a non-comedic phoenix that protects her. Fittingly, it has Mushu’s color scheme.
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15. Comb
In both versions of the film, Mulan leaves behind her comb as a memento, to tell her family that she took the armor.
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16. Captain Shang
Captain Li Shang, Mulan’s commander and love interest in the first film, is split into two new characters: Commander Tung (Donnie Yen), who serves as her mentor and father figure, and Chen Honghui, who is a fellow soldier alongside Mulan.
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17. Good Horse
The horse’s name in the animated film is Khan. The horse’s name in the live-action movie is Black Wind.
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18. Yao
In addition to Honghui, the live-action movie retains Mulan’s three comrades from the first film. The first is Yao, who is a boorish, posturing lug in both films.
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19. Ling
Ling is also in the live-action film; he’s the one who’s making elaborate metaphors about her bride-to-be’s eyes and skin. Ling also does this in the animated film, during the song “A Girl Worth Fighting For.”
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20. Chien Po
Lastly, Chien Po is in both films, although his live-action version seems a little less good-natured than his animated version. Both versions, however, say they want a wife who cooks well.
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21. “A Girl Worth Fighting For”
Again, there is no singing. Instead the basic sentiment of “A Girl Worth Fighting For” is reduced to a single campfire sequence, where all the men are talking about their fantasy wives.
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22.Cricket
The adorable lucky cricket from the animated film, Cri-Kee, is not in the live-action film, but there is a Chinese soldier named Cricket, who is small in stature and a consistent underachiever until the ending sequence.
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23. Training Sequence
The music during the training sequence is unfortunately not the melody for “I’ll Make a Man Out Of You,” the best song from the animated film.
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24. Bathing Scene
Both movies have a bathing sequence where Mulan is nearly found out for being a woman, and the men who previously gave her a hard time try to become her friend. But in the animated film, the scene is largely played for laughs. There’s more anxiety during the live-action sequence, because Mushu isn’t around to bite Ling’s butt or drop one-liners to break the tension.
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25. Retrieving The Arrow
In the animated film, one of the best moments is when Mulan climbs a pole with weights on her hands to retrieve an arrow. It took physical strength and discipline, but it also took cleverness. There is no arrow pole in the live-action film. Instead, it’s replaced with a mountain hike while carrying buckets of water, which Mulan is able to complete after embracing her chi.
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26. War Atrocity
In the live-action film, on their way to meet the Rourans in battle, Mulan’s garrison passes by a slaughtered Chinese army. There’s an equivalent scene in the animated film, where the Emperor’s imperial army is slaughtered protecting a village near the Tung-Shao Pass, and Mulan’s garrison stumbles across the remains.
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27. Avalanche
The climactic avalanche that kills off the bulk of the enemy army is triggered differently. In the animated film, Mulan uses the army’s last cannon shot to hit the mountain. In the live-action film, Mulan uses spare helmets to make the Rourans believe that there is a Chinese battalion on the mountain, and they fire a catapult at it, thus triggering their own destruction.
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28. Revealing The Ruse
In the animated film, Mulan is injured by Shan Yu, and the doctor examining her reveals she’s a woman to Captain Shang. The live-action Mulan reveals herself as a woman during the battle, so she can fulfill her potential to save her friends.
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29. The Witch’s Temptation
Xiang Li tempts Mulan by seeding doubt, saying that she’ll never reach her potential if she hides her identity, and she’ll never be respected if they find out she’s a woman. The animated film plays with these ideas too, but it largely leaves them as subtext for the main plot.
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30. A Life For A Life
In the animated film, the penalty for impersonating a man and infiltrating the Chinese army is death, but Captain Shang spares Mulan, because she saved his life during the avalanche sequence. In the live-action film, Commander Tung spares Mulan because the penalty for deception is expulsion from the army and disgrace to one’s family.
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31. Saving the Emperor
In the live-action film, Xian Li leads Mulan to where the Emperor was being held, and sacrifices herself so that Mulan can complete her mission. She fights on top of a partially built structure, and kills him disarming him. Meanwhile, her friends fight the remaining Rouran to keep them from following her.
In the animated version of the same sequence, the soldiers infiltrate the Emperor’s palace in drag, and keep the Huns at bay while Mulan fights Shan Yu. After she disarms Shan, it’s Mushu who kills him with a massive firework.
The live-action emperor, played by Jet Li, is framed as a chi master himself, and is able to catch arrows midair. He seems a lot more able to take care of himself than the animated Emperor, who’s portrayed as an older, weaker man.
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32. Ming-Na Wen
The court lady who introduces Mulan to the Emperor is Ming-Na Wen, who performed the voice of Mulan in the 1998 animated film.
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33. Ming Na Wen’s Daughter
The girl who reacts to Mulan in the crowd is Ming-Na Wen’s daughter, Michaela.
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34. Heading Home
In the animated version, the Emperor offers Mulan a seat on his imperial council. In the live version, he offers her a position as an Imperial guard. In both versions, Mulan declines the offer, preferring instead to return home to her family. Mulan also declines the Emperor’s offer in the ballad. Unlike in the movies, the ballad version of Mulan served in the army for 12 years, and fooled everyone; no one knew she was a woman until after she was discharged.
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35. “Reflection”
Christina Aguilera returned to sing a pop version of “Reflection,” just as she did for the first film. The song plays over the credits, as does a Mandarin version of the same song.
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36. Video Cassette Cover
Lastly, the graphic that plays over the end credits is a recreation of the 1998 film’s video cassette cover.
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Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot’s parent company
Marvel’s Avengers is out now, featuring six superheroes to choose from. Kamala Khan, The Hulk, Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, and Captain America all play totally differently from one another, so choosing which hero is right for you takes a bit of time.
The video above should help you make that decision, as Tony breaks down each hero’s fighting style. Iron Man and Thor can rain down power from the sky, while The Hulk and Black Widow like to get up close and personal. All six heroes have a range of special abilities to level enemies and buff their stats too.
For more Avengers coverage, you can check out our early review impressions. If you’re wondering how long the game’s campaign takes to beat, we’ve got that answer too.
In the opening hour of Marvel’s Avengers, you’ll get to experience a small sampling of each playable hero. From Captain America’s firm resolve and focus in combat, to the tactical abilities of Iron Man, and the Hulk’s raw strength, the playable roster of heroes covers many different bases in a fight. The story campaign is a great way to experience the game’s slate of heroes and get accustomed to them at a steady pace. With each character having their own complex skill trees, gear-sets, and customizable options to pick from, it might feel overwhelming when deciding which hero is right for you.
With that in mind, GameSpot has a quick explainer on each of the game’s current slate of characters, detailing what they bring to the table and how you might enjoy playing them during an intense fight. While you can jump straight into the online multiplayer, it’s best to start with the campaign to get a sense of what the game is about. So with that, here’s our look at each hero in Marvel’s Avengers. If you want a more detailed look at each playable hero, then check out our on-going break downs for each character, such as this explainer for Iron Man.
For more of GameSpot’s coverage of Marvel’s Avengers, including our beginner’s tips, a breakdown of the endgame content and our current set of impressions about the game, check out our Marvel’s Avengers hub page.
Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel has some excellent range with his melee attacks, allowing her to keep some distances from enemies.
Kamala Khan, AKA Ms. Marvel, is a fun, all-around solid character to play as. Plus, she maintains an incredibly cheerful demeanor throughout the many missions–which is great for morale. Kamala is the game’s key protagonist and is also the first hero you’ll develop in the single-player campaign. Ms. Marvel’s role in combat is best described as being the group’s combat medic. She can not only heal her party members fast, but she can deal damage in a quick manner against multiple enemies. This allows her to break into combat scenarios fast to heal up party members with her Healing Spirit skill, and then get back to throwing fists against her enemies.
Kamala’s most significant advantages are her range and versatility, which she can use in plenty of creative ways. While all characters have a reliable set of melee attacks, Kamala’s strikes not only offer the most range for melee attacks, but they can quickly hit multiple foes at once. This makes her one of the standout melee fighters that has a strong “keep-away” game. When entering the aiming mode, Kamala can perform a single long-ranged punch that can take out aerial enemies or foes trying to make their way towards you. Once upgraded, you can grab an enemy at a distance and slam them into the ground for additional damage. This ability can come in clutch when a pesky enemy uses long-ranged attacks, and you can easily swat them away or use them as a weapon against others.
But when you get into the thick of it, Kamala can still keep up with everyone else. One of Ms. Marvel’s defensive skills is Polymorph, and you should lean on it when surrounded by enemies. When activated, you’ll absorb enemy strikes at the cost of energy from your intrinsic meter. However, if you activate it just before an enemy is about to strike, Kamala can use a follow-up attack right after, which is an unlockable upgrade in her skill menu. This intrinsic ability can be incredibly useful against enemies who are a bit tougher than the normal foes, and it can easily stagger them. When paired up with characters like the Hulk, she can weave into combat to heal up allies, but can also throw hands when she needs to.
Kamala has–and no-pun intended–one of the more flexible playstyles in the game, which not only makes her a great pick for anyone looking to jump into a quick character to advance, but also a reliable support character. So if you want to play as a character that is easy to get into, and has plenty of support and offensive skills to pull off in tricky fights, give the newcomer Kamala a shot.
Hulk
The Hulk’s incredible strength lets him pick up enemies and use them as situational weapons.
What else can you say about the Hulk? He likes to smash things, and his playstyle follows that simple, yet still effective approach. The Hulk is easily the most proficient character at dealing raw damage, and he can take a lot of punishment that comes his way. He’s the group’s tank, and his skills simultaneously focus on absorbing hits while also gaining aggression from enemies.
While the Hulk is the roster’s slowest character, his attack power and range tend to make up for it. His standard light attack combo can deal steady damage to single targets, but his heavy strikes can hit multiple enemies at once and can even be upgraded to increase their damage radius. The Hulk can deal devastating area-of-effect damage, especially to common enemies, and he can quickly clear squads on his own with the right combos.
Many of The Hulk’s skills focus on area-of-effect damage, but his ultimate skill, the Thunderclap, is his most useful of all. It’s a powerful attack that deals strong damage to enemies around him, and it can quickly clear rooms when used at the right moment. So if you’ve been attracting aggro from squads of enemies, the Thunderclap can be used to take out or deal significant damage to all those around you.
When the Hulk is on the field, enemies will likely fixate on him, as he’s dealing significant damage in a wide radius. While this can be a great help to his more vulnerable teammates, this also puts a lot of heat on him. To make up for this, Hulk has some incredible resilience, which means he’s about to stay in a fight for much longer. His standard Rage buff allows him to interrupt enemy attacks, buff his own damage and defense, and even restore his health. This skill can be invaluable when trying to go the distance in a large-scale battle. For players looking to deal massive damage and keep up with the mounting challenges, the Hulk is the hero for you.
Iron Man
Iron Man’s advanced arsenal makes him one of the Avenger’s most technical character to master.
When you’re playing as Iron Man, you’ll get pretty much what you’re expecting with him–which is access to high-powered weapons, flight, and an even more powerful mech suit that can stand toe-to-toe with the Hulk in raw power. Iron Man has an incredibly complex moveset, making him the most technical character to learn within the roster.
For starters, Iron Man is something of a glass cannon. He’s fast, he can deal some impressive amounts of damage at a steady pace, but he’s not as resilient as most other heroes. This means that he’s at his best when keeping a distance from the enemies. You’ll have to use his dodges and Energy Shield to defend against attacks more often–the latter can also be used as a parry to stun enemies in the area. His attacks mostly favor the ranged approach, and to use them, you’ll need to keep your intrinsic energy meter filled. Iron Man also has the strongest air game of the team, and you can easily take out several enemies while in flight mode, or if you’re juggling foes for aerial combos.
What makes Iron Man a pretty technical character to learn is his different loadouts. When you first play as Iron Man, you’ll have access to his standard repulsor blasts, which deal concentrated damage to single targets. But when you start upgrading the character, you’ll also unlock access to his movesets that use lasers and rockets. The laser focuses on sweeping attacks that hit multiple enemies, which can be fantastic when trying to clear out minion squads. Meanwhile, his rocket attacks deal significant explosive damage to single targets at the cost of being the slowest of his specialized movesets–they’re ideal for staggering and tearing into the more elite enemies in the game.
One of Iron Man’s support skills is his Arc Overload, which supercharges his attacks and briefly grants him unlimited intrinsic energy to draw from, while stunning nearby robotic enemies. Activating this during a heated fight will offer you a great chance to cut loose and unleash all your attacks to deal massive damage. Another of Iron Man’s skills is his iconic Unibeam attack, which deals a continuous stream of damage for a limited amount of time. This attack can be a bit situational, but when you have a squad of enemies lined up, or you have an elite foe right in front of you, you can let loose a devastating blow to them.
Iron Man’s most powerful skill is his ultimate ability that calls in a Hulkbuster, a giant-sized mech suit that grants the user increased attack power and brief invincibility. While Iron Man is the one to call it in, anyone on the squad can jump in the suit if left unmanned on the field. For some added comic relief, even the Hulk can jump into the Hulkbuster, granting him even more power in the fight. Getting used to Iron Man’s skill set can be tricky, but that effort in mastering his abilities will be well-rewarded with one of the game’s most versatile characters.
If you want a more detailed look at Iron Man’s skills and abilities, then check out our character breakout here.
Black Widow
Black Widow is the fastest melee-fighter in the game, and she can easily stun enemies and finish them for a takedown.
Black Widow is easily the fastest hero in the roster, and she can use her skills as an assassin to easily take out many enemies in surprisingly swift fashion. Bolstered by a moveset that uses gadgets and a special kind of brawler-style specializing in stealth attacks and takedowns, her combos apply a great deal of pressure to enemies. While other characters can hit multiple foes, Black Widow is more of a focused fighter for single targets. In the hands of a skilled player, Black Widow can be one of the deadliest close-range fighters in the game.
Black Widow’s moveset includes close- and mid-range attacks, along with some gadgets that can quickly close the gap. Her Widow’s Line heroic is one of her most invaluable skills, which functions as a grappling hook that will pull her close to her enemies and catch them off-guard. This gadget is extremely helpful when fighting elite enemies that are quick on their feet, or as a way to begin a fight on an unsuspecting enemy.
Compared to other characters, Black Widow will activate takedown attacks at a much more frequent pace. These takedowns are useful against tougher enemies, allowing you to take them out of the fight quickly. Along with her electric stun attack, which deals damage over time, Black Widow’s standard combos and heavy attacks with the batons apply strong stagger to enemies, which will open up the prompt to perform a takedown. So when playing as Black Widow, get used to seeing the option to perform a takedown quite. This puts her the unique advantage of being one of the few characters who can easily incapacitate enemies, which can be useful in one of the more brutal battles.
In addition to her melee attacks, Black Widow also has different firearms to use. Like Iron Man, Black Widow can swap between different ranged weapons. Starting with her dual pistols, she can eventually upgrade to twin sub-machine guns and a high-powered pistol. Each one has its uses, and you can swap between them during a fight depending on the types of enemies you’re facing.
Black Widow’s Veil of Shadow support skill allows her to activate a cloaking device to sneak up on vulnerable enemies to apply stagger damage to them with your attacks. You can also sneak up and perform instant takedowns on enemies when you are hidden from view. One of the more interesting perks that can be unlocked is the additional damage and added benefit of cloaking your teammates as well. Couple this with Black Widow’s other skills, and you can open up several unique opportunities to exploit an enemy’s weakness.
Along with these other abilities, her ultimate attack will turn her twin batons into a single, electrified polearm, which will turn the assassin into a combo machine. Black Widow is an excellent pick for players who want to make their strikes count and tear into foes quickly, all while bouncing over to the next victim right after.
Thor
Thor’s hammer allows him to conjure up lightning and easily put enemies down.
The god of thunder, Thor, blends a strong focus on ranged attacks with a brawler fighting style. Like Iron Man, Thor can fly around the field and swoop in on unsuspecting foes. However, what sets him apart from Iron Man is that he lasts longer in a close-range fight. In fact, his lightning attacks are best used when close to enemies, and you can utilize these skills in some creative ways. If Iron Man is a glass cannon, then Thor is something of a battle mage.
The centerpiece of Thor’s moveset is his hammer Mjolnir, which deals heavy damage and calls in devastating magical attacks that hit single targets and multiple enemies. One skill you’ll want to get accustomed to early is his hammer throw. Like in comics and films, the god of thunder can toss his hammer out to enemies and call it back when he needs it–dealing damage twice in both instances to a particular foe. One useful trick to use with the hammer is to fling it at an enemy to pin them to the ground or wall and use your fists to strike other enemies. This can be a great way to temporarily remove some of the more annoying enemies on the field to focus on the fodder.
Another skill you’ll want to use regularly is his Odinforce intrinsic ability. This support skill will allow Thor to power up with lightning energy to counter incoming attacks. It functions similarly to Kamala’s Polymorph skill, but it leaves more of a lasting effect on his enemies, resulting in chain lightning damage and a large area of damage. Amplifying Thor’s skills with lightning can be a massive boon in a fight, which can help during the more intense battles.
Thor’s ultimate attack allows him to channel the Bifrost to teleport a concentrated energy beam into a fight. When activated, Thor will briefly leave the field, giving you control of a targeting icon that you can guide to enemies. When upgraded, you can increase the effectiveness of the attack and even add restorative properties to it as well. This move can come in clutch during a tough fight that requires some quick downtime to briefly reassess your situation and call in some fast, heavy damage. If you’re looking for a hero with the agility of Iron Man and the Hulk’s strength, and who can even rain down an incredible amount of lighting on your enemies, then Thor is the hero for you.
Captain America
Captain America is a fantastic brawler and support character who can power up his teammates during a tough fight.
Just like in the comics and films, Captain America is exceptionally proficient at close-range combat and has an uncanny ability to strike enemies with his shield with pinpoint accuracy. In addition to both close and ranged attacks, he also has different defensive skills and buffs that can rally his teammates to fight harder, making him a great support character for the group. Captain America is the leader and moral compass of the Avengers, and his general abilities in a fight reflect that.
Captain America’s fighting style tends to keep him up close and personal with his enemies. His melee strikes and power attacks offer great ways to apply pressure, and when you mix in attacks with his shield, you easily stagger enemies, opening them up for takedown attacks.
One of Captain America’s most useful support abilities is the Rally Cry, which will mark nearby enemies and lower their defenses. During this period, you and your allies will be able to deal added damage, and when upgraded, it also offers added critical hit damage. Activating this during a tough fight with several elite enemies can be a gamechanger, potentially making for a quick battle if you time your attacks correctly and prioritize the key targets.
Cap’s shield also offers a lot of versatility in a battle. For starters, you use his shield to strike at enemies at a distance, and with his Steamroller heroic attack, it will auto-target enemies in the area for several hits. Once upgraded, you can target multiple enemies with your shield, hitting each of them, and then have the shield return to you. The shield also offers excellent protection against most forms of attacks, while still giving Cap mobility during a fight. Blocking with the shield will use up intrinsic energy, which can be built back up by hitting enemies. The shield can also parry strikes, which will stun enemies if pulled off at the right time.
Captain America’s ultimate is called the Brooklyn Brawler, which activates an area-of-effect attack and buffs his skills for an amount of time. This state also alters the hero’s basic attack combos, amplifying it to include more strikes with his shield. The first Avenger is a fantastic pick for anyone looking to lay in some fast, heavy damage, while still buffing your teammates when it matters most.
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Alan Ritchson will play Jack Reacher in the upcoming Amazon TV series based off the book series.
Amazon announced the news in a press release on Friday. Ritchson celebrated on his verified Instagram page with a screenshot of an article confirming the news.
“I guess my joke about not fitting in bathtubs a couple weeks ago really killed at @amazonprimevideo,” the caption says. “This should be fun. #JackReacher @amazon @skydance.”
Alan Ritchson plays Hank Hall in the DC Comics TV series Titans.
Season 1 of the Jack Reacher series will cover the events of the novel, The Killing Floor, which was released in 1997 and spawned a series that has sold over 100 million books. The 25th Jack Reacher novel is set to hit bookshelves in October. The series as a whole follows a highly-skilled ex-Army major named Jack Reacher who solves miscellaneous cases across the United States using the techniques he mastered during his time in service.
Nick Santora, who used to write and produce Prison Break, will serve as a writer and showrunner for the Jack Reacher series. The author of the book series is executive producing the Amazon show along with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie, who recently directed Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher in a theatrically-released movie from 2012.
Ritchson has played Hank Hall on Titans, Raphael in the recent live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies, and Thad on Blue Mountain State. He is set to appear in season 3 of Titans and will join a bunch of famous Batman characters.
A sequel was released starring Cruise in 2016. IGN’s review of the Jack Reacher sequel called the movie, “a fun, absurd action romp with a few memorable moments that can’t help but be boosted by Cruise’s natural onscreen charisma.”
Billy Butcher is back, Starlight gets to know Stormfront, and Homelander has a heart-to-heart. Mike and Dave break down the plot points and references from Season 2, Episode 2 of Prime Video’s The Boys – “Proper Preparation and Planning”.
In The Boys Season 2, Episode 2, we learn what happened to Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) after the Season 1 finale and The Boys are divided on Butcher’s return (especially Hughie). Starlight and Stormfront get to know each other while having to do press junkets. A member of The Seven is keeping an eye on Starlight. Queen Maeve reconnects with her ex-girlfriend. The Deep (Chace Crawford) goes on a strange trip, giving us an unexpected cameo from Patton Oswalt. Homelander tries to connect with his son. Kimiko is reunited with someone she knows.
Mike and Dave break down the plot points, Easter eggs and references from “Proper Preparation and Planning”.
