The Smark Avengers

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It’s Week 5 of Goblin Month and the Smark Avengers are dedicating it to the be all and end all of goblins - the former Goblin King himself and the original Green Goblin - Norman Osborn! The lads found that there was simply too much Norman to cover in one episode so they’re extending Goblin Month to one more week as they cover the initial Green Goblin run for Norman in Part 1!

Norman Osborn is defined by his relentless megalomania, ruthless corporate ambition, and a fractured psyche torn between his cold-hearted genius and the unhinged sadism of the Green Goblin. As Peter Parker’s ultimate adversary, his obsession with power and control drives him to orchestrate elaborate, cruel psychological torments against Spider-Man. Whether it’s selling the soul of his unborn son for success or tossing Peter Parker’s first true love off of the top of George Washington Bridge, Norman has a special place in the hearts of Spider-Man fans the world over.

🎃Sit back and relax as the Smark Avengers walk through the life and times of Peter Parker’s greatest enemy including:

• Making a deal with the demon for Mephisto in exchange for wealth and power
• His bizarre first confrontation with Spider-Man on a fake movie set in New Mexico
• Discovering Spider-Man’s secret identity and killing Gwen Stacy
• His return as the mastermind behind the Clone Saga
• His arrest and assignment to the Thunderbolts that leads to becoming the hero of the Secret Invasion

All of this and more!

💬 Join the discussion: who is your favorite of these assorted goblins?

👍 Like the video if you enjoy comic book related discussions and humor

🔔 Subscribe for more comic deep dives, reviews, rankings, and debates

Click the link for Dylan's radio show!: http://www.bouncedigitalradio.co.uk

Click the link for Dylan's Twitch stream: http://Twitch.tv/spookylaroux

Click the link for Jon's Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/bigjonbowski/

Click the link for Opal City Archives: A Starman Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5HOmxNarYtSrhRsUZQk5IF?si=71ccb9317ef44e79

Click the link for Corey's show "Large Old Cup": https://open.spotify.com/show/2YHMppnl9inQevwLIxR64f

Also be sure to check out New Number Ones posted every week on this same channel!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

It’s Week 4 of Goblin Month and the Smark Avengers are dedicating it to the tragic and unfortunate life of Harry Osborn!

Tragically trapped in the overwhelming shadow of his father Norman, Harry Osborn’s journey is one of the most heartbreaking downward spirals in Spider-Man history. Driven by grief, psychological trauma, and a desperate desire for parental approval, Harry inherited the toxic legacy and formula of the Green Goblin. Despite periods of recovery and genuine friendship, his inevitable descent into madness ultimately sealed his fate, turning a loyal best friend into one of Peter Parker’s most tragic adversaries.

🎃Sit back and relax as the Smark Avengers walk through the life and times of one of Peter Parker’s closest friends and most devastating enemies including:

• Norman selling his soul to Mephisto before he was even born
• His growing friendship with Peter Parker from acquaintances to best friends and roommates
• Drug addiction and discovering his father’s terrible secret
• Becoming the Green Goblin to avenge his father’s death at the hands of Spider-Man
• Amnesia, relapse, and death
• Returning as an evil A.I. and a clone with a second chance at life

All of this and more!

💬 Join the discussion: who is your favorite of these assorted goblins?

👍 Like the video if you enjoy comic book related discussions and humor

🔔 Subscribe for more comic deep dives, reviews, rankings, and debates

Click the link for Dylan's radio show!: http://www.bouncedigitalradio.co.uk

Click the link for Dylan's Twitch stream: http://Twitch.tv/spookylaroux

Click the link for Jon's Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/bigjonbowski/

Click the link for Opal City Archives: A Starman Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5HOmxNarYtSrhRsUZQk5IF?si=71ccb9317ef44e79

Click the link for Corey's show "Large Old Cup": https://open.spotify.com/show/2YHMppnl9inQevwLIxR64f

Also be sure to check out New Number Ones posted every week on this same channel!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

It’s Week 3 of Goblin Month and the Smark Avengers are dedicating it to the clever, tactical mind of the original Hobgoblin Roderick Kingsley!

Unlike perennial loser Jason Macendale who held the Hobgoblin persona for a majority of the 80s and 90s, Roderick Kingsley showed that there was more to being a goblin than flying on a glider and tossing pumpkin bombs! Whether it’s brainwashing the likes of Ned Leeds and Flash Thompson to pose as the Hobgoblin to get the heat off of him or dipping out of the country while the rest of the world thought he was dead, Kingsley was a thinking man’s goblin who relied on his wits thanks to never having gone insane like the various other goblins in the Marvel Universe!

🎃Sit back and relax as the Smark Avengers walk through the life and times of the first and best Hobgoblin Roderick Kingsley including:

• His bizarre & humble origins as a cutthroat fashion designer/career criminal
• Stumbling upon one of Norman Osborn’s secret labs and finding all of his goblin paraphernalia
• Using Flash Thompson, Ned Leeds, and Jason Macendale to separate the association of himself with the Hobgoblin
• Killing Macendale to reclaim the role and his identity finally being revealed
• His apparent death at the hands of Phil Ulrich before allowing Ulrich to keep being Hobgoblin for a cut of his profit
• Challenging Norman for the title of Goblin King

All of this and more!

💬 Join the discussion: who is your favorite of these assorted goblins?

👍 Like the video if you enjoy comic book related discussions and humor

🔔 Subscribe for more comic deep dives, reviews, rankings, and debates

Click the link for Dylan's radio show!: http://www.bouncedigitalradio.co.uk

Click the link for Dylan's Twitch stream: http://Twitch.tv/spookylaroux

Click the link for Jon's Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/bigjonbowski/

Click the link for Opal City Archives: A Starman Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5HOmxNarYtSrhRsUZQk5IF?si=71ccb9317ef44e79

Click the link for Corey's show "Large Old Cup": https://open.spotify.com/show/2YHMppnl9inQevwLIxR64f

Also be sure to check out New Number Ones posted every week on this same channel!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

It’s Week 2 of Goblin Month and the Smark Avengers have realized that there are so many various goblins in Spider-Man’s past that they could run Goblin Month all year! That would be insane though, so the lads have decided to sweep all of the various miscellaneous goblins into one episode and save the remaining three weeks of Goblin Month for the truly big hitters!

So what did we learn? Well, mainly that Norman Osborn really needs to do a better job of hiding his various Green Goblin hideouts and that he’s the ideal man whose height, weight, and proportions are remarkably average.

🎃Sit back and relax as the Smark Avengers walk through the various Green Goblins, Hobgoblins, Red Goblins, Queen Goblins, and everything in between including:

• The very first timeline-wise goblin - the Proto-Goblin a.k.a. Dr. Nels Van Adder
• Bart Hamilton - Harry Osborn’s therapist turned would-be Green Goblin
• Ned Leeds - Roderick Kingsley’s original brainwashed Hobgoblin decoy
• Phil Ulrich - Who holds the record for most titles as the Green Goblin, the Hobgoblin, the Goblin Knight, and Goblin King
• Gabriel Stacy - the Gray Goblin and clone child of Gwen Stacy and Normon Osborn
• Normie Osborn - Norman’s 10 year old grandson and the host of the Red Goblin symbiote Rascal

All of this and more!

💬 Join the discussion: who is your favorite of these assorted goblins?

👍 Like the video if you enjoy comic book related discussions and humor

🔔 Subscribe for more comic deep dives, reviews, rankings, and debates

Click the link for Dylan's radio show!: http://www.bouncedigitalradio.co.uk

Click the link for Dylan's Twitch stream: http://Twitch.tv/spookylaroux

Click the link for Jon's Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/bigjonbowski/

Click the link for Opal City Archives: A Starman Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5HOmxNarYtSrhRsUZQk5IF?si=71ccb9317ef44e79

Click the link for Corey's show "Large Old Cup": https://open.spotify.com/show/2YHMppnl9inQevwLIxR64f

Also be sure to check out New Number Ones posted every week on this same channel!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

It’s finally October and now it’s time for all things ooky and spooky and the Smark Avengers aren’t being left out of the fun! This year, the Smark Avengers will be celebrating the month of October by focusing every episode on Spider-Man’s favorite sort of villain - goblins!

And starting off Goblin Month is the second most notable man to don the apparel of the Hobgoblin, the first Jack O’Lantern, and over all lovable loser Jason Macendale! He may be the Charlie Brown of Goblins but he’s by no far the WORST Hobgoblin. Whether it’s attempting to get his hands on the goblin serum, making deals with demons, or getting cybernetic enhancements, Macendale was always striving to improve himself… and isn’t that weirdly inspirational?

🎃 Sit back and relax as Corey, Dylan, and Jon discuss the life and times of Spider-Man villain - Jason Macendale:

- Macendale’s humble beginnings in the marines, the CIA, and jumping into the world of costumed mercenary work as Jack O’Lantern

- The growing animosity between Macendale and the Hobgoblin leading to the Hobgoblin’s death and Macendale assuming the role

- Macendale’s first outings against Spider-Man and Harry Osborn’s Green Goblin

- Deals with demons and cybernetic implants

- His arrest and death at the hands of the original Hobgoblin Roderick Kingsley

- Brief return as a clone and animated series debut portrayed by Mark Hamill

- Could Jason Macendale work in the MCU?

All of this and more!

💬 Join the discussion: was Jason Macendale really as pitiful as he came across or could Marvel ever redeem him?

👍 Like the video if you enjoy comic book related discussions and humor

🔔 Subscribe for more comic deep dives, reviews, rankings, and debates

Click the link for Dylan's Twitch stream: http://Twitch.tv/spookylaroux

Click the link for Jon's Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/bigjonbowski/

Click the link for Corey's show "Large Old Cup": https://open.spotify.com/show/2YHMppnl9inQevwLIxR64f

Also be sure to check out New Number Ones posted every week on the Smark Avengers YouTube channel!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Peter Parker has been Spider-Man since the 1960s and has not run short of running into costumed villains dedicated to squashing him. Whether they are lifelong rivals who have personal vendettas and connections to his out of costume identity or just two-bit crooks sporting a costume to rob a bank, the Spider-Man rogues gallery is as diverse as it is colorful.

With this many villains in his past, you have to wonder how they rank and compare to one another right?

🕷️ Sit back and relax as the Smark Avengers take a look at 25 of Spider-Man’s villains and decide where they fit on a classic Tierlist:

• How does the Roderick Kingsley Hobgoblin compare to the Jason Macendale Hobgoblin?
• Does the Scorpion’s tenure as Venom raise his profile amongst other villains?
• Where does perennial loser Shocker fall?
• Has the recent use of Venom over the years hurt his perception as a top tier villain?
• Who is a certifiable S-tier Spider-Man villain?

All of this and more!

💬 Join the discussion: do you agree with Jon and Dylan’s finalized list?

👍 Like the video if you enjoy comic book related discussions and humor

🔔 Subscribe for more comic deep dives, reviews, rankings, and debates

Click the link for Dylan's radio show!: http://www.bouncedigitalradio.co.uk

Click the link for Dylan's Twitch stream: http://Twitch.tv/spookylaroux

Click the link for Jon's Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/bigjonbowski/

Click the link for Corey's show "Large Old Cup": https://open.spotify.com/show/2YHMppnl9inQevwLIxR64f

Also be sure to check out New Number Ones posted every week on this same channel!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe blew up on the cultural zeitgeist, a whole new generation and audience have been introduced to such iconic characters like Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, and more (including characters from the Distinguished Competition like Superman and Batman) that they may not have encountered any other way. Since comics, like most else in this capitalist hellscape we currently live in, is a business the question becomes how do you convert the movie going audience to comic books readers? Do you capitalize on what the audience has seen and try to reproduce it or do you stick to your guns and show them the classic representation?

Thankfully both DC and Marvel has tried to both to mixed success but the prevailing strategy at times has been synchronicity. Sometimes you get winners like updating the Guardians of the Galaxy to be more like James Gunn’s interpretations of the characters and sometimes you aren’t as lucky...

🦸 Sit back and relax as the Smark Avengers discuss some of their least favorite moment where the comics tried to synchronize with the movies (and maybe a few they liked):

- The removal of Nick Fury and the introduction of Marcus Johnson aka Nick Fury Jr.

- Black Adam joins the Justice League to raise his stock in anticipation of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s “Black Adam”

- Civil War 2 being released around the time of the MCU’s “Captain America: Civil War”

- Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver losing their status as mutants due to Disney & Fox having rights issues over mutant characters

- John Diggle and Felicity Smoak replacing Green Arrow’s supporting cast

- Spider-Man gains organic webbing in lieu of having web-shooters

All of this and more!

💬 Join the discussion: what is your least favorite attempt by Marvel or DC to synchronize with the movies or television series?

👍 Like the video if you enjoy comic book related discussions and humor

🔔 Subscribe for more comic deep dives, reviews, rankings, and debates

Click the link for Dylan's radio show!: http://www.bouncedigitalradio.co.uk

Click the link for Dylan's Twitch stream: http://Twitch.tv/spookylaroux

Click the link for Jon's Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/bigjonbowski/

Click the link for Corey's show "Large Old Cup": https://open.spotify.com/show/2YHMppnl9inQevwLIxR64f

Also be sure to check out New Number Ones posted every week on the Smark Avengers YouTube channel!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

More of a blessing than a curse, the Smark Avengers may have lost the intended episode they originally set out to record but realized they all had opinions on the latest Spider-Man centric addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe! While this may have been the sixth or seventh movie that Tom Holland has portrayed Peter Parker, many have commented that this is the first time he feels like the proper Earth-616/comic book version of the character. No job, no girlfriend, no mentors, and no adoring public… this truly is a Brand New Day for Spider-Man in the MCU.

Take two Spider-Man super fans and one DC comics fan who hasn’t watched a MCU movie since 2013 and you’ll get three Smark Avengers discussing the impact that this movie has had on Spider-Man, the MCU, the genre of super hero movies as a whole, and other topics that come up in this free form discussion of the film.

🕸️ Sit back and relax as the Smark Avengers break down and discuss such topics as:

- The minimal use of traditional Spider-Man villains such as the Scorpion and Tombstone in favor of using Jean Grey as the main antagonist

- The theme of acceptance, grieving, and processing pain

- Jean Grey’s characterization and whether or not there are other mutant characters who could have filled the same role

- The characterization of Frank Castle in Brand New Day versus the television series

- The changes in the Hulk and how he seemingly no longer has control over his other form

- Spider-Man still missing his wisecracking personality

All of this and more!

💬 Join the discussion: did Brand New Day hit the mark for you?

👍 Like the video if you enjoy comic book related discussions and humor

🔔 Subscribe for more comic deep dives, reviews, rankings, and debates

Click the link for Dylan's radio show!: http://www.bouncedigitalradio.co.uk

Click the link for Dylan's Twitch stream: http://Twitch.tv/spookylaroux

Click the link for Jon's Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/bigjonbowski/

Click the link for Corey's show "Large Old Cup": https://open.spotify.com/show/2YHMppnl9inQevwLIxR64f

Also be sure to check out New Number Ones posted every week on the Smark Avengers YouTube channel!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

A few months ago Marvel Comics announced a new horror imprint “Midnight Marvel” and three new titles that would be debuting this October: Midnight Fantastic Four, Midnight X-Men, and Midnight Spider-Man. The objective is simple, let’s take three iconic Marvel comics and put them through the horror lens to see what happens! Whether it’s cosmic horror with the Fantastic Four, vampiric horror with the X-Men, or body horror with Spider-Man it looks like Midnight Marvel has something for every fan of horror to enjoy!

With Jon unavailable to record, it’s up to Corey and Dylan to wade through the initial solicitations and covers for these three upcoming Marvel tales to see if you can judge a book by its cover!

🧟 Sit back and relax as the Smark Avengers (minus one) dissect Midnight Marvel:

• Are the uniform covers strong branding or bad design choice if placed on the new release wall in stores?
• How strong of a premise is the Fantastic Four encountering unspeakable cosmic horror?
• Is Hickman’s X-Men versus vampires original or is it too surface level for the mind behind the Krakoan Age?
• What separates Midnight Spider-Man from the other horror takes on Peter Parker?

All of this and more!

💬 Join the discussion: which of the Midnight Marvel titles have your attention?

👍 Like the video if you enjoy comic book related discussions and humor

🔔 Subscribe for more comic deep dives, reviews, rankings, and debates

Click the link for Dylan's radio show!: http://www.bouncedigitalradio.co.uk

Click the link for Dylan's Twitch stream: http://Twitch.tv/spookylaroux

Click the link for Jon's Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/bigjonbowski/

Click the link for Corey's show "Large Old Cup": https://open.spotify.com/show/2YHMppnl9inQevwLIxR64f

Also be sure to check out New Number Ones posted every week on this same channel!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

For years the Venom symbiote has been a hero, a villain, a Lethal Protector, a Dark Avenger, a Guardian of the Galaxy, an ally, a thorn in the side of Spider-Man, and everything in between as it has bonded and jumped from host to host. Well the Smark Avengers are sick of it!

In the past, the Smark Avengers have sought a permanent end to the likes of Aquaman, the Flash, Wolverine, Magneto, and Lobo but now it’s Eddie Brock’s turn!

🕸️ Sit back and relax as the Smark Avengers plot to kill Eddie Brock aka Venom:

- Corey goes through the symbiote’s strengths and weaknesses

- Dylan’s shotgun approach includes food poisoning, leaving him in North America under the current presidential administration, a Luigi’s Mansion-style vacuum, and more!

- Jon’s single, in-depth plan involving kidnapping, marriage, assembling an evil gang

Can Dylan and Jon get the job done?

💬 Join the discussion: If you had to get rid of the symbiote, how would to do it?

👍 Like the video if you enjoy comic book related discussions and humor

🔔 Subscribe for more comic deep dives, reviews, rankings, and debates

Click the link for Dylan's radio show!: http://www.bouncedigitalradio.co.uk

Click the link for Dylan's Twitch stream: http://Twitch.tv/spookylaroux

Click the link for Jon's Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/bigjonbowski/

Click the link for Corey's show "Large Old Cup": https://open.spotify.com/show/2YHMppnl9inQevwLIxR64f

Also be sure to check out New Number Ones posted every week on this same channel!