Return of the Rani

Matt Smith's new Doctor will apparently be facing an old frienemy in the form of Rani, which is to be played by none other than beloved sci-fi and British crossover sensation Gillian Anderson.


As much as I'm fond of Mr. Tennant, I can't wait for Smith's turn to begin, mostly because Russel T. Davies seems to have either stopped caring or lost his talent for writing as all his special extended Doctor Who episodes carry the stink of crappy children's television.

And the casting of Anderson makes more sense to the stature of the show than, say, the wooden and entirely forgettable Michelle Ryan or the gimmicky Christmas companion Kylie Minogue as an intergalactic waitress. Let's hope Steven Moffat helps write the last few Tennant scripts, so that his historical exit is less anticlimactic and disappointing than the massive Rose-Martha-Jack-DoctorDonna 4th season finale.

Take a page from Ronald Moore's book and ditch the densely elaborate plots. It's the character's stupid. That's why we watch. (To be clear, however, we have a little more hope for the characters' exit than a divine disappearance or a plan to go camping (separately) for the rest of their lives. )

Exclusive Interview with Paul Cornell!

Superpowers That Be has kindly been given an exclusive interview with the popular English writer Paul Cornell, whose comic Captain Britain and MI:13 is being hailed as one of the best ongoing titles out there right now. He's also written for Doctor Who, and has a new Young Avengers Dark Reign title coming out. For more Cornell check out his blog here.



Superpowers That Be: Will Pete Wisdom ever use his resources/team in a cosmic search for Kitty Pryde? (Does he even know what happened to her?)

Paul Cornell: He knows as much as the rest of the super hero community do, and I'm
sure if there was enough information to begin a search, he would.

STB: Seeing Dracula (and Merlin) in your world, I have to ask, is there any other chance for other classic works of fiction and/or history to jump time and join your book, such as Admirals Nelson, Aubrey or Hornblower? (Perhaps via Morgana Le Fey's time travel abilities?)

PC: Ha ha! What?! Why?!

STB: Continuing my nautical bias, does Brian have any accreditation as an actual Captain?

PC: I've given this some thought actually, and had members of the military call him 'captain'. I think it's an honorary rank that's been awarded him officially somewhere along the line.

STB: Is it possible that any other past members of Excalibur will make an appearance, other than Meggan? (Such as Nightcrawler, Colossus, Rachel---or perhaps a shout out to Moira's death or maybe a visit to Muir Isle?)

PC:No plans for any of those, but wouldn't mind seeing Muir Isle again.

STB: Do you see Captain Britain more fully realized as a movie or a TV serial (and who would play Lady Jac)?

PC: It'd be very hard to do, because of the British inclination to not take its own heroism seriously. Very hard to sell as anything other than a comedy. And I wouldn't want to do that.

STB: Would any of the team members ever consider running for office in England, possibly riding the wave of positive exposure?

PC: Only a few of them are entirely known to the public. I think, in public, Pete probably likes to be seen as some sort of bland liaison figure rather than the leader of the team. It's only Cap who could, really. And he wouldn't.

STB: Young Avengers vs. Runaways...who would win, and who would fall in love?

PC: I think Chase might have a thing for my new character Coat of Arms. She's a little similar to his old love, but kind of a twisted version. Nobody else is going to see that, probably! And I think they're pretty much even in terms of power.

STB: Are Billy and Tommy's maternity going to be addressed in your series, now that the Scarlet Witch is (apparently) back? (Also have they even realized they're Magneto's grandkids?)

PC: I'm not going there, that's something to be left in waiting.

STB: Is Stature a Young Avenger, a Mighty Avenger, or part of the Initiative, at least during your run?

PC: She's all three. They're not exclusive conditions.

STB: What other superhero title (any universe) would you love a chance to write?

PC: The Defenders. The Doom Patrol. Any sort of Avengers.

STB: Which Joss Whedon universe is your favorite?

PC: I remain a huge Buffy fan. The continuation in comics is awesome.

STB: Can you share a little bit about your actual writing process--such as do you follow a regular routine, suffer blocks, prefer writing in the morning or late night, pen&paper vs. computer, etc.

PC: I do a certain amount a day, no matter how long it takes (2000 words, five pages of comics or TV). These days I'm having to do double portions, but that's not a problem so far. I do daytime, often starting quite early, and never work weekends unless I really have to. And always on computer.

STB: Rose, Martha, or Donna?

PC: Who could choose between those three?

STB: What's your gut telling you about Matt Smith?

PC: Awesome Doctor. Nobody knows yet. They will.

STB: If the Doctor showed up and randomly saved your life, and offered you one trip in the TARDIS, where/when would you go?

PC: I think I'd like to visit the court of my favourite monarch, Edward the Confessor.



Thanks again to Paul Cornell! Be sure to check his blog, read his books, and bemoan the end of Captain Britain on Twitter. Good things are coming our way when a talented writer who is skillful and deliberate with his characters is given titles of increasing popularity. Can't wait for Young Avengers, and should Marvel editors happen upon this interview, I heartily suggest giving him one of the (many) main Avengers teams (particularly Mighty...imagine Bendis and Cornell deciding the fate of the Marvel U---would be fun.)

Best Variant Cover Ever

Thor #601.

Airport of the Dead

Returning from the shoot of his most recent movie, Zombieland, Woody Harrelson had an altercation with a TMZ cameraman. In defense of his actions, he said the following:


"With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo, who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie."


Either still in character, or socially observant, Harrelson is breaking ground in an area of law with little to no precedent. We've all seen zombie movies; we know how they swarm and infect, topple and rise, how where they once hobbled like old people they now leap and climb like rabid Spider-Men.

If you aim to survive you will inevitably have to re-kill at least a dozen of them by entirely destroying their headspace, and in doing so the motivation will be self-defense, not to mention it's the second murder sustained by the corpse-in-question. Woody is right to guide our law towards the inexplicable and unexpected emergency, and pointing out the gross oversight of our lawmakers and founders.

However this is not the 1970s, and the Obama America is a more tolerant place. Thus does Woody meet his downfall as we enter a new political age.

The era of Zombie's Rights.

Main Character Suicides: Plot Development Courtesy of Obama

*obligatory spoiler warning*

In this week's episode of House, Kutner, one of the five main doctors on the show, was found in his apartment after shooting himself in the head. Further reporting reveals that actor Kal Penn requested to leave the show for his new job as an associate director at the Office of Public Liaison in the Obama administration.

Kal Penn is best known for playing one of the two idols for stonerhood in Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, and its relevant sequel Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. In his new career he will be contributing the same amount of value to society, and his selfless resignation from a massively successful TV serial also enabled the writers to satisfy their unquenchable hunger and respect for unexplained death as plot device.

The closest reason any of the team of super diagnostic geniuses came up with for his suicide? Naturally, the disrespect his white adopted parents had for the heritage of his murdered parents and their suppression of his true nature. On next week's episode a Muslim is admitted with shrapnel embedded in his whole body from a failed suicide bomb, and while they make him worse for 50 minutes, and then suddenly better, they learn the true nobility and purpose death can serve.

Disney's Lazy Streak

It's kind of like cannibalizing an old History paper for a Globalization course...and then again for a Social Studies course...and then using google translate to turn it into a French paper.

Watch Disney Templates on CollegeHumor

Donna Noble Returns!

Catherine Tate was spotted on the set of the Doctor Who season 5 finale (which won't air till 2010) confirming the rumors that Donna Noble (and Gramps) will in fact return to the Whoniverse.


Guess it's easy to write around the whole think-of-the-Doctor-and-her-head-will-explode thing, especially if you're Russel T. Davies and you unseal un-enterable universes on a regular basis.

But don't think I'm looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Long live the DoctorDonna.

Planet of the Dead Trailer

New trailer for this Spring's Doctor Who special, airing Easter weekend (apparently.) Seems like an attempt at a Moffat/creepy episode, featuring Michelle Ryan of Bionic Woman infamy.