Before Thanos became the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s resident universe-threatening problem, Jim Starlin was drawing Hulk stories on a homemade desk while stationed in the Philippines. Recorded live at San Francisco Comic Con in Oakland in June 2018, this conversation traces the psychology class that inspired Thanos, the surprise of seeing Josh Brolin bring him to life, and the storytelling tricks behind The Infinity Gauntlet. Jim also explains how a grease-stained paper bag changed a Captain Marvel story, why he rescued Adam Warlock from a box of old comics, and what made The Death of Captain Marvel so personal.

• A villain born in a classroom — After coming home from military service, Jim took a psychology class that introduced him to Eros and Thanatos. Those ideas grew into Thanos and his brother Eros, with the Mad Titan driven by an endless hunger for something that never satisfies him.
• Thanos gets the Hollywood treatment — Jim expected a deep-voiced animated character, not Josh Brolin walking around in motion-capture equipment with a tennis ball marking Thanos’s height. Brolin won him over, although Jim still has a complaint about the movie version’s pupils.
• Captain Marvel’s final chapter — Marvel wanted Captain Marvel killed off, but Jim rejected a conventional heroic death. His own father’s death from cancer helped inspire a more personal story that editor Jim Shooter supported despite resistance from other editors.

“I think there’s three Thanoses. Basically, there’s mine, which is the best.” — Jim Starlin

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With high school graduation just around the corner, best friends Seth and Evan have one last chance to impress the girls they like. Their plan is simple: get alcohol for a party and finally become popular. But a fake ID, two unpredictable cops, and a night of increasingly bad decisions turn their big opportunity into total chaos, testing their friendship along the way.

Craig and Elisabeth talk about teen dating, Muppet mania, Craig’s full panel with McLovin himself Christopher Mintze-Plasse and the movie “Superbad” on this week’s Matinee Heroes!

Show Notes

• 1:00 Craig and Elisabeth talk about Elisabeth’s new job!
• 10:58 Craig and Elisabeth discuss “Superbad.”
• 38:53 Recasting
• 47:47 Double Feature
• 54:21 Final Thoughts
• 56:56 Craig’s exclusive interview with Christopher Mintz-Plasse recorded live at Tampa Bay Comic Convention.
• 1:20:20 A preview of next week’s episode “The Terminal.”

Next week we celebrate Craig’s impending vacation with “The Terminal.”

Real estate agent Thomas Hutter travels to Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Orlok, unaware of the darkness awaiting him. Meanwhile, his young wife Ellen is haunted by disturbing visions and an overwhelming sense of dread. As an ancient evil begins to stir, their lives become entangled in a terrifying nightmare of obsession, fear, and the supernatural.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Blake Casselman talk about types of vampires, adapting classics, uncomfortable films and the movie “Nosferatu” on this week’s Matinee Villains!

Show Notes

• 0:57

  Craig, Elisabeth and guest Blake Casselman talk about types of vampires.

• 7:11

  Craig, Elisabeth and Blake discuss “Nosferatu.”

• 32:54

  Recasting

• 1:16:18

  Double Feature

• 1:23:34

  Final Thoughts

• 1:30:35

  A preview of next week’s episode “The Lost Boys.”