Dollhouse, Firefly, Angel, Buffy : news, photos & videos

James Marsters - "Moonshot" Tv Movie - Dvdverdict.com Review

Webmaster — 2009-11-18T16:05:31Z

The Charge

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Opening Statement

Oops. I was reading the brief synopsis of Moonshot on Amazon, trying to determine if this would be something I wanted to review. When I finished reading it I decided in the affirmative, requested the disc, and it arrived in my mailbox a few days later. Shortly thereafter I put it into my PS3, started to watch it, and instantly said "Oops."

Facts of the Case

Moonshot is a fact-based drama detailing the generalities of the historic Apollo 11 landing on the moon. It starts with President John F. Kennedy's decree that we should land a man on the moon by the end of that decade, and it ends with Neil Armstrong (Daniel Lapaine, The 10th Kingdom), Buzz Aldrin (James Marsters, Torchwood), and Michael Collins (Andrew Lincoln, Afterlife) back on Earth, newfound heroes of the space age.

The Evidence

Why does my review start with an "oops" and does that imply bad things for Moonshot ? The "oops" is because my interpretation of the movie's description was of a pure, non-fiction telling of the story of Apollo 11. That it would be comprised completely from actual footage from the event and events that led up to the landing. Hence my surprise when it started and it became instantly apparent that this was a "fact-based drama" of said events. I will admit that I wasn't too pleased upon this discovery. My brain was ready for grainy footage, dull interviews, and lots of dry facts. Luckily that isn't the case.

Moonshot, in using actors to inform viewers about this monumental moment in history, is pretty darn good. Shown earlier in 2009 on The History Channel, Moonshot not only shows you what you already know about The Eagle's landing, but it also gives you key moments in the lives of those three astronauts in the preceding years. It conveys how they ended up being the chosen three ; how it was determined Armstrong would be first on the moon ; and how other small events molded the men and their character.

Perhaps you're pondering just how much fiction may be in this fact-based drama. That's a good question. The movie begins with a quick introduction by the real Buzz Aldrin who tells us that what we are about to see is fact, maybe not exactly how it happened, but very true to the situation and how it all falls into history. With Mr. Aldrin's word, I take what I saw in Moonshot as fact. And in that, I learned many a thing about Apollo 11 that I never had asked before. In retrospect, being a semi-astronomically interested guy, I wonder why I never asked these questions. I'm happy to have made this unexpected discovery.

Moonshot is a well-constructed made-for-television movie. Acting, set design, and direction/cinematography all give the story the gravitas and scope it deserves. Each of our male leads make you believe they are astronauts, exhibiting Armstrong's calmness, Aldrin's vigor, or Collins' thoughtfulness. I'll give extra props to Lapaine and Marsters. Lapaine was instantly recognizable as the introverted Armstrong. You could see in his acting what Armstrong was and would become in his later years. And Marsters, though I never watched Buffy, is very much tied to that role ; but I never once had a moment to let my thoughts wander out of his performance. It also helps their performances by having sets that convey the reality of the situation. When at home, it looks like home ; when at NASA, it looks like a "space port ;" and when on the moon, well, it looks just about right. And all this was directed well and nicely shot by Richard Dale and Paul Jenkins (who are both "television guys").

The Blu-ray disc comes with the usual good news and bad news. The good news is the transfers. Video is a clean 1.85:1, 1080p, transfer that is rich and bold, with strong, lifelike colors, deep blacks, and an impressive level of detail. I didn't see any substantial flaws. Audio is a little less good news, with two options : a Dolby 5.1 (lossy) or PCM 2.0 (uncompressed). The packaging only lists the PCM track, and that instantly made me unhappy as I cannot understand any Blu with a 2.0 mix…well, with certain caveats of course. But this, being brand new, certainly should have a 5.1 mix, and it does. So let's start with the Dolby mix, and the best word for this track is muted. Everything sounds refrained, maybe even slightly dull and muted ; nothing is especially crisp or robust. True, there aren't any hints or distortion or hiss, dialogue is always clear ; yet it sounds diminished. But when you flip over to the PCM mix, it opens up. You can hear a distinct difference between the two, with the PCM feeling wider. Yes, you lose the surrounds, but it may be the better choice of the two. Then we have the bad news, the bonus features. They are weak : just a couple photo galleries, bios, and a jukebox that will play music from the movie. For such an important event, surely you could have included just a bit more ?

The Rebuttal Witnesses

You need actors to convey the story of man's landing on the moon ? Isn't there enough real television footage available ? Then you let that spiky-haired blonde vampire portray one of the most important astronauts ? What kind of silly, joke production is this ? No wonder Neil Armstrong won't come out of his house !

Closing Statement

Though initially disappointed by my erroneous deduction of the material, I quickly swept away those thoughts and was delighted by the production and story presented to me in Moonshot. It's a quality production, with quality transfers, but it's missing quality bonus materials. And because I like the story, I recommend you keep your eyes out for a repeat of it on The History Channel. Though the disc has no significant flaws, I don't feel this warrants a purchase. But, if you are a fan and really want it, you'll have no qualms with your purchase.

The Verdict

Moonshot is hereby found guilty of faking its moon landing.

James Marsters - Why We Need Spike

Webmaster — 2009-11-18T14:04:30Z

I can be silent about it no longer. Someone needs to address the 500 pound gorilla in the room and I am no longer willing to just sit here and pretend like it does not exist. I will be the one who bravely steps foreword into the light and proclaims aloud “The time has come for Spike to return.”

We need Spike. There, I said it. I put it out there. TV has not been the same since he left the airwaves. Let me tell the tale of how he came to be, how he came to leave, and how he needs to come again.

In the beginning, there was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and it was good. But then the Whedon said Bring me James Marsters to play a one shot villain. And they did and James was good. In fact, James was very good. So great was he that the Whedon then exclaimed “Nay, let it be know that the character played by James Marsters known as Spike will not be killed off as the script proclaims, but rather live on as a repeat antagonist. So sayeth the Whedon, so shall it be done.”

And so it cam to pass just as the Whedon foretold. Spike was allowed to live at the end of the episode Halloween and return to taunt Buffy again and again and again.

Time passed, and the fans began to like to the villainous Spike, his toothy grin, his devilish smile and the spark of mischief that lived in his eyes. They liked his banter and his razor sharp wit. And the fans cried out to the Whedon and said unto him This character Spike, we like him so. But if he continues on his path of evil he will eventually need to be slain by the vampire slayer. This we do not seek. Rather can he not some how become good ?

And the Whedon heard the cries of his fan base and thought on it. Then, in the brilliance that is Joss he did indeed not let the cries of the fans fall on deaf ears, but rather harkened unto them.

Since these were the days before James Marsters went on to play Officer Mars in the TV show Without a Trace , before he played Brainiac on Smallville and was still living in an apartment in LA while performing with his band “Ghost of the Robot” on weekends, James was inclined to accept a large role into the much acclaimed TV series. And so it was that the writers of the Whedon had Spike captured by a government agency where they had a microchip installed in his head which rendered him impotent to injure humans without pain. The fans watched this plotline unfold on the series and decided it was good.

And there were episodes a plenty in which Spike was snarky and likeable, more so than some of the long time and established characters. And the fans began to become uneasy and call out again unto the Whedon.

“Hear us oh Whedon,” they cried, “we like what you have done but now we ask more of you. We want very much to see a relationship develop between Buffy and Spike. Our Buffy fan-fiction is not as good as you can write. We need you to show us the way.”

And the Whedon listened to the cries of this fan base, for they are the ones who really purchased his house and car and other expensive stuff when you get right down to it. The Whedon turned to his team of writers and said unto them “Gather close and hear my words. The fans, they cry out to me day and night and I cannot ignore them, for I desire a boat, sleek and fast. We must deliver unto the people what they ask.”

And so it came to be. Spike and Buffy came to know each other in the biblical way and the fans rejoiced, for it was good. I mean really good. So good that to this day the Buffy Spike kiss is mentioned on the top 10 lists of hottest television sex scenes ever.

And the people were pleased, and there was much rejoicing.

And this was all done in the days before James Marsters signed on to play Lord Piccolo for the Dragonball movie.

These were known henceforth as the Golden Age of Marsters. And it was in this most abundant time that he did do the narration for The Dresden Files series of Audio books. James as the narrator, the voice of Harry Dresden, a wizard for hire who worked in the city of Chicago. Jim Butcher, author of the books was himself quoted as having said he did the happy Snoopy dance when he heard the news.

A dark cloud began to form and move over the land threatening to destroy the joy of millions. Evil network moguls at UPN delivered their words unto 20th Century Fox, Mutant Enemy, and the Whedon. They declared Buffy the Vampire Slayer would be on television no longer except in re-runs and syndication. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth from the fans.

No, they cried out to the Wheaton, you cannot do this to us. We have come to love these characters and what will become of Spike ? Can he not move to LA and join the cast of your other show, Angel ?

The Whedon was angered by the unscheduled cancellation of his TV show that he had nurtured and did as the people asked. It was through the intervention of the Whedon that James Marsters was offered an opportunity to move his character to LA to join the cast of the TV show Angel.

And as this was in the days before small part move roles in “PS, I Love You” and James was still inclined to working and making money, he accepted the opportunity and life was again good. There was much rejoicing from the fans.

And so it came to pass that Spike came to the City of Angels and did join the staff of Wolfram and Hart, and there too he did steal the show for he was well loved by the Whedon and was given the best lines and story hooks. The fan base watched ever-increasing number ever week to see what sort madness he was going to cause. Plotlines were never so good.

But then the great evil that is the-powers-that-be again raised it's ugly head once more and did what Buffy the Vampire Slayer could not do – bring about the ends of days for the vampire we loved to hate and loved to love.

But the fans did so love their there Blondie Bear that they cried out unto the Whedon Help us, for we are about to be lost, what can we do ?

And the Whedon was sad at the loss of his shows and knew not how to save it. And for the first time ever the Whedon was not able to answer to cries of his people.

Spike was lost to the fans. The Whedon wrote of him no more. And so came in the darkness.

So why do we need Spike ? Its simple really – he was the only character on TV that was ever honest. He told the truth, especially when it hurt, but it was always relevant and pertinent, and I have to admit, he was never sexier than when he was delivering the hard core and honest truth. I guess it was because there was this evil little imp that lived in his smile or eyes. And this being an election year, we need some honesty. But more than that, we need Spike because, fan fiction, its just not cutting it.

QtR – Theresa Bane, vampirologist

James Marsters - November 2009 - Jamesmarsters.com Q&A

Webmaster — 2009-11-16T20:57:46Z

Do you consider yourself a feminist ?

I consider myself a humanist.

I hate screen cliches such as someone someone reaching for another person in bed as they wake up, but that person isn't there, or someone running but always falling. What movie or tv cliches bug you ?

Cowboy six-shooters with 24 bullets. Everyone wakes up looking gorgeous. And everyone dries off from a rainstorm in seconds.

If you could be a part of President Obama's cabinet, what would you like to do ? What do you think you would be good at ?

I used to think I'd make a great press secretary until all the teabagging started and I realized I don't have the patience. I would have lost it a long time ago. I would have said “shut up you fools, he's trying to help you” but that wouldn't help the boss.

Do you prefer playing live or recording in a studio ?

I prefer playing live. It's more dangerous.

In Moonshot there were some sequences that appeared to be in a weighless environment. Were they filmed on one of the trainers used to simulate a weightless environment ? If so, did you enjoy being weightless ?

Ha, ha, ha, fooled you ! Those were all poor-boy shots on earth. Credit good mime training.

What process or thought does it take to cry on cue ? I've heard it's one of the hardest emotions for some actors.

Mmmm, mmmm... (silence) Crying on cue is hard. The best thing to do is to think of the saddest thing in your life and then try NOT to cry. But surprisingly, laughing with sincerity is harder – especially on take seven.

Do you ever play any low-tech sort of games, like board games or card games ? If so, which ones ?

Risk and, following the President's lead, poker.

Either/Or

Neat or messy ? Neat... I lie - messy, with very short periods of neat.

Presents on Christmas eve or Christmas morning ? Both.

Spend six months traveling in Europe or six minutes on the moon ? On the moon, baby !

James Marsters - October 2009 - Jamesmarsters.com Q&A

Webmaster — 2009-11-15T20:52:06Z

What goals do you feel you haven't accomplished yet in your music, either in your lyrics and melody, or in your guitar playing ? What are you still striving for ?

Writing a good bridge.

Do you doodle while you're on the phone and what is your doodle of choice ?

Yes, arrows piercing flesh.

There has been a recent resurgence of questions regarding Shakespeare's identity by groups which include notable actors like Derek Jacobi. What is your opinion of the controversy regarding Shakespeare's authorship ?

Every author has a different flavor and style, they taste different - each of them. To me all of the Shakespeare that I've done, including staged reading, auditions and plays, all of it tastes the same.

Do you like your driver's license photo ?

Yes ! I actually do ! And so much so that I really don't want to get a new license because I know I'm gonna be older now. I'm two months away from getting a new passport photo and the new one is gonna be like (scrunches up face). Laughs.

What was one of your "least favorite reads" (i.e. assigned or forced on you by a teacher - a topic you didn't like, or a theme that didn't fit with your life at the time) that turned out to provide insight, motivation or opportunity for you later in life ?

My teachers were cool and gave me good stuff to read ; but I did get stuck with Alan Greenspan's latest book on CD during a 5 hour road trip where he bragged about his finesse of the economy. Obviously written before the economy tanked ! Too sad to be funny.

Favorites :

City in the world and why : San Francisco, which is a frontier Paris, but doesn't pride itself yet and has found the wisdom to be tolerant - which is why United Federation of Planets chose it to be its capital.

Sandwich : Just a good hoagie on a warm day.

James Marsters - Valentine Events on February 7 & 14, 2009

Webmaster — 2009-11-09T14:23:41Z

Click on the link :

http://www.jamesmarsters.com/

James Marsters - "Caprica" Tv Series - November 2009 Trailer - Watch The Video

Webmaster — 2009-11-04T09:17:30Z

James Marsters will not be at the HUB 3 event this weekend

Webmaster — 2009-10-23T19:50:01Z

A Message from Steve Regarding The Hub 3

To all of those attending The Hub 3 in Birmingham this weekend, unfortunately James will not be able to attend as originally planned. James had a spill on the set and took a bump to the head and was advised by doctors not to fly for a few days...

James Marsters - "Lie To Me" Tv Series - 2x02 "Truth or Consequences" - He is a guest star tonight

Webmaster — 2009-10-05T19:27:59Z

THE GROUP IS CALLED IN TO HELP DETERMINE A FOOTBALL PLAYER'S INNOCENCE OR GUILT ON “LIE TO ME” MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, ON FOX

Jennifer Beals, John Carroll Lynch and James Marsters Guest-Star

Zoe enlists the Lightman Group to investigate a star college football player accused of statutory rape. Meanwhile, Foster and Loker travel to a religious compound to find out whether it's actually a nefarious cult in the “Truth or Consequences” episode of LIE TO ME airing Monday, Oct. 5 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (LTM-203) (TV-14 D, L, S, V)

Cast : Tim Roth as Dr. Cal Lightman ; Kelli Williams as Gillian Foster ; Monica Raymund as Ria Torres ; Brendan Hines as Eli Loker ; Mekhi Phifer as FBI Agent Ben Reynolds.

James Marsters to appear at Boston's Super Megafest on November 2009

Webmaster — 2009-09-25T14:37:06Z

Click on the link :

http://www.facebook.com/event.php ?eid=151286967992

James Marsters - "Marvel Super Hero Squad" Animated Series - He joins the cast

Webmaster — 2009-09-20T18:13:26Z

Marvel's SUPER HERO SQUAD Brings the Funny for All Ages

There's a moment where MODOK is cooking Falcon's goose with his thought beams. The hero also known as Sam Wilson cries out to his avian companion for help, and the faithful bird comes sweeping down from the heavens to...

...drop the largest load of droppings on MODOK's head one could possibly do without having the censors follow Redwing like a pack of murderous Sentinels.

The thing is, if this scene doesn't leave kids—and their parents—howling with laughter, they should have their senses of humor overhauled.

Welcome to the world of Marvel's latest entry in the animation field, “Super Hero Squad.” It's a combination of high torque action and, quite frankly, potty humor, that comes across like a mutant hybrid of the old “X-Men : The Animated Series” series and “Ren & Stimpy.” Better yet, make it the out-of-wedlock child of “The Avengers” and “Invader Zim.”

It's one truly bizarre critter, yet it sure knows how to move.

The series made its official debut this Saturday, September 19th, on Cartoon Network at 8:30 a.m. eastern. CN thinks so much of it they've been pulling ‘sneak peaks' over the previous few days and apparently are getting remarkably positive results.

Then again, it should. It posits Dr. Doom was out to grab the Infinity Sword. He would have gotten it, too, if it wasn't for a last-minute effort by Iron Man. Now the sword has been broken into itty bitty pieces over Super Hero City, where Stan Lee just happens to be the Mayor. While Doom sends such minions as Mole Man, Fing Fang Foom, the Abomination and more to retrieve the sword shards, IM has rounded up the likes of Silver Surfer, the Hulk, Captain America, Wolverine and Falcon to thwart the dastardly supervillain's schemes.

Yet look carefully at the artwork on this show. The visuals are all top notch, from the kid-friendly character designs to the incredible backdrops such as Super Villain City. Supervising director Mitch Schauer also has a keen eye for great camera angles and rapid fire action. Story Editor Matt Wayne's dialog is also as fast and funny as the best of the early Three Stooges routines.

So yes, this show is packed with a lot of potty humor, but that doesn't mean it's a gross out. As Marvel Animation Director of Animation Development Cort Lane points out, kids love this kind of stuff. Don't be surprised if adults make it a regular viewing habit, too

Speaking of Lane, he consented to a fast 20 minutes of his time. Here's what he had to say :

Newsarama : What are the origins of Super Hero Squad ?

Cort Lane : Its origins are complicated. To simplify it, Marvel was interested in creating a brand that crossed entertainment and all kinds of product categories that would make our characters very accessible for younger boys.

Nrama : In putting together the crew, were you looking for that ? Fans love Matt Wayne's work, but probably never thought he could do this.

Lane : We knew we wanted three things out of our series. They're really sort of big firsts for Marvel. This would be our first Marvel Universe show. So everybody involved had to know and love everything about our characters. For instance, I am a fan boy and have been since I was eleven. I have huge long boxes in my comic room at home. I also collect original art.

We also knew we this was our first action-adventure. That was a big challenge, a very interesting challenge for Marvel. We had never really done that in animation. So we brought out Mitch Schauer as our supervising director. He created “Angry Beavers,” and was a key guy on a lot of comedy shows like “Freakazoid.” Now Matt Wayne has the “Justice League Unlimited” experience. He's also done “Scooby Doo” and “Tom & Jerry Adventures.” So we put together a great comedy team.

We are also working with Film Roman. We're on the same floor, for example, as “The Simpsons.” That kind of respect and knowledge of comedy timing was very important to us.

The third is it's an all ages show. We really wanted to reach boys 4-7. That way, we can be a great entry point for them into the Marvel Universe.

Nrama : One thing I noticed is 4-7 year olds love potty jokes.

Lane : Yes.

Nrama : One scene that had me rolling on the floor is when Redwing stopped MODOK cold by dropping a load of guano on the villain's jewel.

Lane : We have a lot of fart jokes, too. You can thank Joe Quesada for the fart jokes. I think Joe's really a 4-7 year old in his heart because he really pushed for Mole Man to be gassy. I wasn't going to argue because I knew boys were going to love that.

Nrama : So how do you manage to keep it within taste ? That's a real fine line you're walking on.

Lane : We do want all our fans to know that we will still have intense action shows that they've come to know and love, both in production and in development. This is just something different and special that we had an opportunity to do.

We have a creative committee at Marvel that will pull us back from the ledge if we're going too far. Our real judgment call is it our heroes, especially our key heroes, must always be heroic. That's the best way to say it. If it undermines their heroic qualities, we won't do it. They can have funny characteristics as well, though.

That's the yardstick that we use in the script process and storyboarding. There have been times when we said ‘you know what ? That's too foolish for our character.'

Now the villains on the other hand, they don't have to be heroic. They have to be threatening. Still, MODOK comes through as a big source of comedy throughout the series, and you will see that. Mole Man is also very funny, but MODOK really has delusions of grandeur. We can play all kinds of scenarios from that.

There's an upcoming episode where Ms. Marvel is hit by a love spell and falls for MODOK. Obviously, the comedy naturally ensues just from that. The rest of the episode just runs off of that.

Nrama : Grey DeLisle really hits the hammer on the head with Ms. Marvel. It's just off the hook.

Lane : Ms. Marvel's the ultimate control freak. There are times where she's just a little bit unlikeable, but she's a really fun foil for the boys. We have all kinds of fun female characters in this series. Storm appears frequently. The Wasp appears a few times. She's played by Jennifer Morrison, who is on “House” from Day 1. She played Kirk's mother on the new “Star Trek” movie.

Nrama : Now how the heck did you pry Charlie Adler away from all his other work ? He makes a great Doom.

Lane : It's funny because Charlie has no understanding of the Marvel Universe whatsoever and is happy to admit it. He just likes doing over-the-top, fun characters. I think one of the things that's really appealing to him was he really liked the other cast members.

Nrama : You really have a sterling cast list here. You have Tom Kenny, Cree Summers, Steve Blum still being Wolverine...

Lane : But Steve does a very different take on it. He also plays Abomination. He has a lot of fun with that character. I think we have one of the greatest voice casts in the world, both in the regular cast and in the guest talent. We just recorded George Takei as Galactus and he was absolutely amazing.

Nrama : You didn't cast Fred Tatasciore as Hulk...

Lane : We cast the net really wide. There was a fine line in Hulk getting too stupid or too threatening. Travis Willingham just came in, and he mostly had anime credits, and just killed the audition.

Steve was able to take Wolverine and go a hair lighter and it worked. I don't think people don't realize Steve's versatility. He tends to play characters with that Wolverine quality, like Spike Spiegel or Roger The Negotiator, but his Abomination is really funny. He also does a lot of other great characters on the show.

Nrama : Now who did the character design ? It's almost like chibi.

Lane : We didn't want to go all the way to chibi because we wanted something unique for that show, something that could link into the other brand elements. Mitch Schauer designed those characters. He designed every one. Mitch and I are also big fans of the classic look. So the old Kirby and Buscema were things that really appealed to us. You will see a lot of that look in the costumes. There will be some flashback episodes that will be very Kirby inspired.

Nrama : You brought in Fing Fang Foom and other great Kirby monsters.

Lane : We certainly did ! We love that old Kirby stuff.

Nrama : How do you think this will work on your target 4-7 year olds ?

Lane : I think really well. Even though I am a fanboy, most of my past experience has been content for younger kids.

This wasn't a focus-testing driven show. We didn't make our decisions based on that. We did some research up front, just to gauge where we were going. That informed what we did later. We've heard really good things from networks we're working with.

Nrama : So has the show aired on other networks already ?

Lane : Just Teletoons and Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network has the official premier on September 19th. They have been sneak-peaking it. Teletoons started on the 13th.

Nrama : Because fans will ask this, Cartoon Network is where the show is airing, but you also now have the deal with Disney. Does that affect the future ?

Lane : It's safe to say it will stay on Cartoon Network for a long as they want to. It's business as usual. I don't want to discuss the details, but there's nothing to stop us continuing with them. Fans should not worry.

Nrama : So how many episodes for the first season ?

Lane : 26. We are already in pre-production on season two. I actually wanted to get on season two faster, but we're working on scripts right now.

As a special gift from Lane, here's a current cast list and four loglines of upcoming episodes :

LEAD CAST :
Iron Man Tom Kenny  
Wolverine Steve Blum  
Falcon Alimi Ballard  
Thor Dave Boat  
Hulk Travis Willingham
  Silver Surfer Mikey Kelly  
Dr. Doom Charlie Adler

  NOTABLE RECURRING :
Storm Cree Summer
The Thing Dave Boat 
Ms. Marvel Grey DeLisle  
Nick Fury Kevin Michael Richardson  
Mayor Stan Lee  

CELEBRITY GUEST CASTING : 
Hawkeye Adrian Pasdar
Thunderball Alimi Ballard
Reptil Antonio Del Rio
Stardust Cheryl Hines
Galactus George Takei 
Ant-Man Greg Grunberg  
Mr. Fantastic James Marsters  
Wasp Jennifer Morrison  
Black Widow Lena Headey
Mystique Lena Headey 
James Rhodes LeVar Burton
Luke Cage Lil JJ  
Chthon Mark Hamill
  Valkyrie Michelle Trachtenberg
  Ka-Zar Kevin Sorbo 
Punisher Ray Stevenson
Dormammu Robert Englund
Iceman Shawn Ashmore 
Misty Knight Tamera Mowry  
Black Panther Taye Diggs
Sif Tricia Helfer
Egghead Wayne Knight   

EPISODE OVERVIEWS :  

101 – “And Lo... A Pilot Shall Come !” Written by Matt Wayn

The Squad has a big mission to keep a fractal from Dr. Doom. Falcon is eager to show he's no rookie, but his teammates underestimate him. Meanwhile, Doom employs the disgusting and VERY gassy Mole Man to find the fractal first – but Mole Man gets freaky powerful when he touches it and decides to use his monster buddies to conquer Super Hero City ! 

Guest Heroes – Storm & the Mayor, with Captain America & Ms. Marvel and cameos from Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing, Luke Cage, Kitty Pryde & Colossus.  

Villain – Mole Man & his minions, Abomination cameo  

102 – “This Silver, This Surfer !” Written by Mark Hoffmeier

Silver Surfer can't get a hang of earth customs, and drives his Squad buddies to frustration. So the Surfer sadly heads out on his own. Dr. Doom seizes the opportunity to capture him, realizing he can suck out the Surfer's power to combine fractals and make an Infinity dagger. Yet the Silver Surfer enjoys torturing his own captors. Fortunately, the Thing rallies the Squad to save their lost friend in an all-out assault on Villainville. 

Guest Heroes – The Thing with Ms. Marvel

Villains – MODOK & Abomination

  103 – “Hulk Talk Smack !” Written by Eugene Son

During a chaotic battle with Klaw & Screaming Mimi, a fractal's cosmic power turns the Hulk into the Gray Hulk. While Falcon and the Wasp babysit this unlikable, brainy Hulk, the Squad chase down the Lethal Legion in a battle to save Super Hero City.

Guest Heroes – The Wasp 

Villains – Klaw, Toad, Melter, Screaming Mimi with Abomination & MODOK   

104 – “To Err is Superhuman !” Written by Jim Krieg

Introducing Reptil, a teen Hispanic hero thrilled to join the Squad as a trainee. Wolverine is very reluctantly assigned to be Reptil's mentor. On their first mission, hotshot Reptil gets himself in hot water with the Abomination and the Wrecking Crew. Shaken, Reptil has to get back in the game when he is the only one who can help Wolverine during a Lethal Legion ambush.

Guest Heroes – Hawkeye and introducing Reptil, with Captain America Villains – Wrecker & the Wrecking Crew : Thunderball, Piledriver & Bulldozer, with MODOK, Abomination & Doombots