All-New, Reacquired Avengers #62 – ‘No One Man Should Have All That Power’

President Kirby (“played” by a figure of Bruce Campbell’s character Ash Williams from the Evil Dead franchise, and named for iconic comics creator Jack “the King” Kirby) sits behind his desk in the Oval Office. The title of this comic strip, “All-New, Reacquired Avengers Presents… ‘No One Man Should Have All That Power’,” is visible at the top of the image.

The President stands up from behind his desk to greet Domino, the latest guest in the White House.

Domino remarks that nobody in Washington, D.C., paid any attention to her before she started getting good poll numbers, so they must be worth something. The President hopes, for her sake, that she doesn’t use up all her good luck before election day.

The President asks Domino what her real plans for NYC would be, if she got elected mayor. The Mayor of New York City and the President have to know how to work together, after all.

The President accuses superheroes of not listening to regular people, even if they often rescue regular folks. Listen to regular folks, the President says, before Domino cuts him off.

Domino lists off all the privilege the President availed himself of, to get to have the office where he stands, and how that privilege has separated him from his beloved “regular people.” Domino may have abilities regular people don’t, she admits, but she stands with them in the street.

Domino tells the President he knows what she has planned; she’s been advocating for the same things, for years. The President gets mad for a second, before he cools down and observes, “Most superheroes are a bunch of whiny little babies…” (a mangled reference to a line of Bruce Campbell’s from the TV show Burn Notice).

The President salutes Domino and dismisses her, suggesting they consider scheduling another meeting, in the future. When she’s out of earshot, the President turns to someone we can’t see the in frame…

Out from the shadows strives NYPD Chief Shooter (named for Marvel comics editor/writer Jim Shooter, and “played” by an action figure of Robert Patrick’s T-1000 from the movie T2: Judgement Day). The President tells Shooter to think long and hard about what he knows about Domino. “She wants to be Mayor in your city, Chief,” the President says, knowingly.

The credits for the comic strip, citing the Unsplash users whose photographs were the background art, the ownership of Marvel by Disney, the creation of Marvel characters by actual human beings, and the figure photography/script/lettering by me, Phil Wrede.

I’ve been eagerly anticipating this meeting for quite a while, ever since introducing President Kirby to the Phil Wrede Marvel Action Figure Comic Universe, in fact! I can hear Bruce Campbell’s voice in my head when I read his dialogue; I hope you do the same.

There are a lot of directions you can take elected officials in your fictional works, I’ve learned. As interesting as it was when Marvel and DC were using President Clinton-alikes in the comics I read when I was growing up, there was a bit of an uncanny-valley-ness to it (although I wouldn’t have known of that term, I had the same sort of feeling). Was that better or worse than when Cap had to fight Lizard Reagan? My feelings on that story practically change by the day!

I was hopeful that Obama’s election would kind of open up the casting pool for presidents in film and television. The MCU has doggedly stuck with generic white guys for the part, and it doesn’t seem like they’re likely to break that streak. I’m sure there have been good choices that I’ve just forgotten, or haven’t even seen, of course…

I knew I wasn’t going to try to have any current president present in the PWMAFCU when it began; I didn’t want to box myself into having to try to represent any politician I despise in my hobby. So, instead, I guess I bought an action figure of an actor who’d already played a politician I despise! That wasn’t the original plan. I was trying to think of an actor/character who could embody some traits that’d generate friction with featured Avengers (particularly Domino, but not limited to Domino). When I saw this Ash action figure on sale, I knew I had found my president!

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