Starfox Appeciation!

[MollyBarton]

I've started a Black Knight thread. Feel free to add your own pics and thoughts! Give Dane some love!

Back on topic, a little Starfox/She-Hulk hook-up for you:
hookup.jpg

[CaTigeReptile]

I think it's also more than likely that the until recently nearly exclusively male writers were uncomfortable writing Eros not only because he is the opposite of what a male hero should be, but also because they had no concept of [I]how[I] a man could be written as such. The idea of the strong male/weak woman is so pervasive that there is a solid chance no one had given such a reversal any thought at all.

Ah, I was totally trying to say that but couldn't. You said it perfectly.

It's apt that you bring up Moondragon in relation to this. She's brash, strong and fights dirty. Carol Danvers (I'm going to avoid calling her Capt Marvel here, to avoid confusion with her predecessor), a character created roughly around the same time, is brash, strong and fights dirty. Carol was quickly taken in as a respected member of the Avengers, while Moondragon was near universally loathed. Why? Sure, Moondragon did some questionable things. More importantly, however, Carol was introduced as a staunch feminist who didn't want to be seen as "just a woman", but rather as a hero who happened to be a woman and could stand among the men. Even her costume, while showing off her legs, had that ridiculous scarf/turtleneck that helped to hide her body. Moondragon, meanwhile was blatant in her femininity. Her costume was little more than a bathing suit and her shaved head was frequently referenced as being exotically sexy. She was explicitly a woman even as she fought and acted in typically "male" ways. She was dangerous in her subversion and thus subject to revulsion and ridicule.

Moondragon was also the one who ended up being a rapist, funnily enough, whereas Carol's feminist origin and likability still couldn't save her from being raped, just as, like, every female character ever is, regardless of their strength, because obviously rape is the Worst Thing That Could Possibly Ever Happen To A Woman and obviously women are sexually vulnerable and their dignity and purity and honor and worth are all related to their sexual history, so it's "character development" for them . . . or even worse - and usually the case - character development for a male hero who they know - their woman's been raped!

While I do agree big-time that the difference is in renouncing your gender, I think the costumes themselves are kind of arbitrary, though. I mean Carol Danvers' costume changed into something that didn't particularly reflect her character at all . . . and then the 90s happened. The 90s were worst for the poor female characters . . . we still haven't recovered.

This reminds me of the heavy fire Longshot, Marvel's only "innocent" male character, came under a few years ago for being a date rapist. Your three points are the exact reasoning used by those arguing that he had to be a rapist.

Yep. I kind of think part of it is to punish a fictional character for perhaps the thoughts that some male readers have had (or are expected to have) about what they'd do with those powers . . . because the assumption is that given that they/the character are men, they cannot be victimized.

Considering the histories of Longshot and Moondragon, it makes me curious what would have happened if Eros' gender non-conformity were more explored in the past. I suspect that, if it had happened in the 70s or 80s, he would have suffered the same fate they did for being a male who acted in the female realm. It might be best that any such exploration has been withheld until it can potentially be explored in a more aware environment. I know that he will be handled by Remender when he returns, but I can see a writer like Kieron Gillen doing wonders with Eros. Gillen handled an almost exclusively queer cast in Young Avengers quite well, including Wiccan who subverts a number of gender expectations, albeit with the safety net of homosexuality to make it ok for him to do so.

And Eros has the safety net of being an alien. I mean he always acted out-there and "weird" and fabulous, as looking at most of the panels posted in this thread can show, and I think that's a fairly well-established character archetype in and of itself, of like being a dandy, I guess, and is still associated with heterosexuality - in fact with being a casanova. That character archetype, though, is usually fairly loathed by not-so-pretty men who might not be as lucky in love, so it makes sense that those "women hate flamboyant men" guys would jump on the chance to say he's a creepy date rapist. It might actually kind of be a sort of gay panic transfer or something, idk. I mean he did suffer a horrible fate for his sexuality - we're lucky he's getting another chance after a decade of being scornfully ignored. I'm afraid he's going to be toned down and made generic . . .

I'd love to see Gillen take a crack at Eros, though, or anyone take a crack at him with the idea that he's not heteronormative. I mean we've seen him flirt with a two-headed, eight-limbed reptilian humanoid with tentacles for hair! But it was still acceptable because it was "straight" because she was female (probably. The dialog's actually vague enough that they might be hermaphroditic).


I wonder what this person said to prompt that response from Eros. "Hey, stud. I have everything you need . . . times two."

I imagine it would be kind of like Eros casually mentions some lover and says "he" while describing them, one character makes a remark in surprise about it, and then everyone (Eros included) just gives the clueless person a look. I don't think this 'outing' would surprise or even upset any readers. I mean what could they say? "Ugh, they don't have to make Eros all about his sexuality!" . . . He's always been about his sexuality (in part).

I would see your Jean Grey and raise you the Scarlet Witch. Undoubtedly the Avengers' biggest female success story, Wanda is a perpetual victim who hides her body under a heavy cloak (until recently, when she switched to a coat/dress...thing). Jean, meanwhile, started out as a frequent damsel in distress who, when she became Phoenix, became ultra powerful and ultra sexual (and used her psionic based powers to dominate and overpower). She is now all but unusable. Frail Wanda, who continues to be a frequent victim surrounded by men who support her, is still going strong.

Edited to add: This makes it sound like I dislike Wanda, which couldn't be further from the truth. She's a favorite of mine. It's hard to deny that there are a fair amount of problems in her depiction, especially given the amount of male attention she receives, whether it's brotherly, platonic or amorous.

100,000% agreed. She's so powerful it's ridiculous, but still manages to be the victim in, like, every case. She wasn't so bad in the '80s which was nice, but it's almost insulting. Again, it's gotten better with time but a woman in distress and in need of help is still considered noble, while a man in distress and in need of help is considered pitiful.


Molly: I have been imagining ridiculous sexual puns all day with Dane and Eros for some reason. I now imagine they do this to each other.

Cap: "And then the strike team goes in to extract the suspicious package--"
Starfox: "Dane has a suspicious package."
Black Knight shrugs like he can't argue.

Black Knight takes out his sword.
Starfox: "Personally I've seen bigger, but I could see how someone could be impressed by it."
Black Knight: "Yes, but mine can penetrate anything."
Jan presses her ear to the door.

[MollyBarton]

Black Knight: "Yes, but mine can penetrate anything."

Glad I wasn't drinking anything right then...LOL!

[CaTigeReptile]

No Molly nooooo

That page doesn't count because the original is so much better!







!!!!! She's singing when she wakes up. This was good sex. They practically high-five the morning after. There's no awkwardness.

The fact that this was mangled ten years later by having Jen all of a sudden think she was possibly raped just absolutely angers me because it basically retcons her obvious sexual agency in this ideal hookup situation. Ugh!

Sorry, didn't mean to bring that topic back up. Back to your normal Starfox programming!

Such as how those panels insinuate they were calling each other "She-Hulk" and "Starfox" in bed. Which is awesome.

[MollyBarton]

Oh, the original was better, but this time we got to see him in his undies.

[Hekabolos]

Ah, I was totally trying to say that but couldn't. You said it perfectly.

Ha. I do what I can.

While I do agree big-time that the difference is in renouncing your gender, I think the costumes themselves are kind of arbitrary, though. I mean Carol Danvers' costume changed into something that didn't particularly reflect her character at all . . . and then the 90s happened. The 90s were worst for the poor female characters . . . we still haven't recovered.

That's probably true. Carol ended up just as overexposed as anyone else once her character caught on. The black costume was absurd, and lasted for So. Long. And yes, the 90s were especially hard on the ladies. I mean, it is the decade that took prim, British Betsy Braddock and turned her into a walking Asian fetish (ok, technically I think that happened at the end of the 80s, but the 90s made it stick). In comparison, the guys only had to contend with bad hair cuts and too many pouches.

Yep. I kind of think part of it is to punish a fictional character for perhaps the thoughts that some male readers have had (or are expected to have) about what they'd do with those powers . . . because the assumption is that given that they/the character are men, they cannot be victimized.

The "men can't be victims" fallacy is one of my biggest pet peeves. A few years ago, there was an ad campaign in the subways here for a hotline for men who were victims of abuse. It was specifically aimed at gay men, because obviously women can't be abusive and even if they can straight men can defend themselves, and I don't think I ever saw one of the ads that hadn't been defaced with anything from to basic "lol"s to gay slurs. I was not amused.

And Eros has the safety net of being an alien. I mean he always acted out-there and "weird" and fabulous, as looking at most of the panels posted in this thread can show, and I think that's a fairly well-established character archetype in and of itself, of like being a dandy, I guess, and is still associated with heterosexuality - in fact with being a casanova. That character archetype, though, is usually fairly loathed by not-so-pretty men who might not be as lucky in love, so it makes sense that those "women hate flamboyant men" guys would jump on the chance to say he's a creepy date rapist. It might actually kind of be a sort of gay panic transfer or something, idk. I mean he did suffer a horrible fate for his sexuality - we're lucky he's getting another chance after a decade of being scornfully ignored. I'm afraid he's going to be toned down and made generic . . .

This is apropos of nothing, really, but the idea of being a dandy has been having something of a renaissance lately, and it tickles me to no end.

I'd love to see Gillen take a crack at Eros, though, or anyone take a crack at him with the idea that he's not heteronormative. I mean we've seen him flirt with a two-headed, eight-limbed reptilian humanoid with tentacles for hair! But it was still acceptable because it was "straight" because she was female (probably. The dialog's actually vague enough that they might be hermaphroditic).

I imagine it would be kind of like Eros casually mentions some lover and says "he" while describing them, one character makes a remark in surprise about it, and then everyone (Eros included) just gives the clueless person a look. I don't think this 'outing' would surprise or even upset any readers. I mean what could they say? "Ugh, they don't have to make Eros all about his sexuality!" . . . He's always been about his sexuality (in part).

Eros would be one of the least shocking outings ever. His sexuality has always been such a strong part of his character, that I don't think it would surprise anyone to find that he is up for anything. Plus, he's been gone for so long that I doubt, and was used so infrequently even before that, I doubt anyone would even notice it as a change.

That said, I would like to see it happen. Besides making sense, it would flesh out his character a bit and allow for more varied examinations of sexual identity and gender roles than what is currently available. Most of Marvel's queer characters are either underaged or among the least sexual characters in their stable. I mean, I love Northstar, but I can't imagine a story using him to explore sexual identity being anything but uncomfortable.

Cap: "And then the strike team goes in to extract the suspicious package--"
Starfox: "Dane has a suspicious package."
Black Knight shrugs like he can't argue.

Heh.

Such as how those panels insinuate they were calling each other "She-Hulk" and "Starfox" in bed. Which is awesome.

I like to think that all heroes use code names when they hook-up. It's more amusing. Plus, a lot of them have secret identities! What do you do then? Code names, that's what.

[CaTigeReptile]

The "men can't be victims" fallacy is one of my biggest pet peeves. A few years ago, there was an ad campaign in the subways here for a hotline for men who were victims of abuse. It was specifically aimed at gay men, because obviously women can't be abusive and even if they can straight men can defend themselves, and I don't think I ever saw one of the ads that hadn't been defaced with anything from to basic "lol"s to gay slurs. I was not amused.

That's sick. And like you said, it intrinsically links femininity with victimhood and vice-versa. Like, every single man (who isn't a gaaay) is just automatically assumed to be able to fight off any other man regardless of size or strength or current state, and if they can't, they're no longer respected as a man, and have fallen from grace into the realm of gay (which of course when used as a slur or an insult is in a lot of ways basically a synonym for woman).

Eros would be one of the least shocking outings ever. His sexuality has always been such a strong part of his character, that I don't think it would surprise anyone to find that he is up for anything. Plus, he's been gone for so long that I doubt, and was used so infrequently even before that, I doubt anyone would even notice it as a change.

That said, I would like to see it happen. Besides making sense, it would flesh out his character a bit and allow for more varied examinations of sexual identity and gender roles than what is currently available. Most of Marvel's queer characters are either underaged or among the least sexual characters in their stable. I mean, I love Northstar, but I can't imagine a story using him to explore sexual identity being anything but uncomfortable.

That is so true. And there's the stigma that if a non-het character's sexuality comes up at all, everyone suddenly cries out "____ is only about their sexuality! They're flat!"

I would be very disappointed if they didn't 'out' him because as you said it's just such a no-brainer that it almost seems more unrealistic if he is just plain conventionally straight.

But Starfox would also be fun because he's an alien. He could look at our messed up social conventions and innocently ask why they're messed up. It could range from language use - "why is calling a man a lady an insult, but calling a woman a gentleman is just nonsensical?" (Or rather he could do something to that effect.) To clothing - "Why do women wear those things around their chests under their clothes? Why don't they make dresses in my size?" to sexual - "but if women naturally don't have the same amount of sexual desire as men, then why are there so many rules/conventions/laws with the purpose of trying to keep women from having sex or shame them for it?" Okay that one sounds preachy but goddammit, Eros could totally call bullshit because ancient alien Greek sex god, plus he's kinda got that vibe of always being (or appearing to be) naively confused about everything (at least when Stern writes him).

I like to think that all heroes use code names when they hook-up. It's more amusing. Plus, a lot of them have secret identities! What do you do then? Code names, that's what.

I'm reminded of that Avengers barbecue where Iron Man is in his suit . . .

[Dermie]

It's why you so rarely see male telepaths, unless they're the sort who use it to dominate and control others like Mesmero and the Purple Man (I'm not sure if either of them are actually classed as telepaths but they manipulate minds/emotions in similar fashion).

Purple Man definitely isn't a telepath; his mind control powers are pheromone based. But he is definitely a major manipulator. Mesmero...I think he is only a hypnotist, not a telepath.

Oh, the original was better, but this time we got to see him in his undies.

Exactly--and for that, if nothing else, I will always be grateful to that SHE-HULK story!

The fact that this was mangled ten years later by having Jen all of a sudden think she was possibly raped just absolutely angers me because it basically retcons her obvious sexual agency in this ideal hookup situation. Ugh!

It would have retconned it if the accusation was actually true. But that was only a seed of doubt planted in Jen's mind, which was eventually wiped away. Shulkie's sexual agency--both in this encounter, and with various other of her lovers over the years--remains well intact.

Actually, overall, She-Hulk has been accepted pretty well over the years as a sexually in-control woman without too much hassle or judgement about it. Sure, you get the occasional person on the message boards saying she's "slutty" for all the men she's been with--but by and large she doesn't have that 'rep' like some other characters do. Tigra gets hit with the 'slut' label for more frequently than Jen--and Tigra has also had the problem of losing control of her sexuality when her powers caused her to throw herself at almost any man around her. Crystal has been stuck with the 'slut' label too, mainly due to her extra-martial affair. With the love triangles she has been involved in since, readers seem to always want to assume the worst of her, since she cheated before. But She-Hulk usually manages to avoid such judgements--her fun, flirty nature and sexual aggressiveness seems to be part of what her fans like about her.

But I digress. Back to the awesomeness that is Starfox...

starfoxbutt4.jpg

[Dermie]

I think people have a tendency to overlook some of what Starfox brings to the table as an Avenger.

With Starfox, people immediately tend to focus on his pleasure power...which is understandable; it is his most unique trait. But it isn't everything he has to offer.

He is also superhumanly strong--in fact, that was his original superpower before Roger Stern added the pleasure power in AVENGERS. And he can fly. Granted, the Avengers don't exactly lack for flying powerhouses; that may be one of the most common power-sets in existence. But still--it should be remembered that the pansy pretty boy can throw a pretty strong punch and lift about 15 tons!

He also doesn't get enough credit for being one of the Avengers tech guys! People tend to immediately think of the 'big brains' like Tony Stark, Hank Pym, Beast, etc, when thinking of the Avengers technical experts. But during Stern's run, Starfox was the team's resident technical expert most of the time (at least up until Black Knight returned to the roster)--as a resident of Titan, he is used to dealing the technology far more advanced than most of what the Avengers use. Among his fellow Titans he may not be a scientific genius like Banner or Stark, but the fact that he grew up with all this super-science gives him a level of expertise that he can bring to the team. The pretty boy has a brain, people!
(Eros is not the only Avenger with scientific and technical skills that are often overlooked--both Mockingbird and Moondragon also have scientific degrees which rarely get referenced in their Avengers appearances).

Him being a non-resident of Earth is also something special he brings to the mix. The Avengers have a few other non-human members, but still not that many who are space-travellers and have his level of experience with alien worlds and cultures...which could be increasingly valuable to the team right now, as Earth has gotten more involved in inter-galactic matters and other races like the Shi'ar, Kree, Spartax, etc, are increasingly interested in what is happening with Earth.

[CaTigeReptile]

I think people have a tendency to overlook some of what Starfox brings to the table as an Avenger.

With Starfox, people immediately tend to focus on his pleasure power...which is understandable; it is his most unique trait. But it isn't everything he has to offer.

He is also superhumanly strong--in fact, that was his original superpower before Roger Stern added the pleasure power in AVENGERS. And he can fly. Granted, the Avengers don't exactly lack for flying powerhouses; that may be one of the most common power-sets in existence. But still--it should be remembered that the pansy pretty boy can throw a pretty strong punch and lift about 15 tons!

Hahaha, yes. Starfox can bench press a bus indeed (though I would hesitate to say that was his original superpower and say it was more that he didn't really have anything defined beyond Flying Brick, and even now that's just average for an Eternal and kind of low on the strength scale for the Avengers). However, I wouldn't say anyone would think he's a pansy based on his physical appearance - he's 6'1 and 190 lbs of muscle. What does that kind of body look like? Well here's a random 6'1, 190-pound bodybuilder:



So he's at least a muscletwink! Jerome Opena's beefcake picture got it about right. Lean muscle, too. Not too big. Lithe, if you will. Okay I need to stop

Furthermore, his speed: Now I know that officially he's not said to be a lightspeeder, but considering he traveled with Firelord, there are a few panels in Silver Surfer that suggest the two of them are flying from place to place on their own power, and not in a spaceship. Is he tagging along with Firelord, or . . . ? One explanation could be that while he's not a lightspeeder in an atmosphere, perhaps the lack of drag and gravitational pull from a planet frees him up to go faster? I don't know. But he has been shown to speedblitz opponents, so . . .

Oh and that one time he saved a bunch of the Avengers by transmutating them back into living tissue after Sersi had turned them into inert matter.

He also doesn't get enough credit for being one of the Avengers tech guys! People tend to immediately think of the 'big brains' like Tony Stark, Hank Pym, Beast, etc, when thinking of the Avengers technical experts. But during Stern's run, Starfox was the team's resident technical expert most of the time (at least up until Black Knight returned to the roster)--as a resident of Titan, he is used to dealing the technology far more advanced than most of what the Avengers use. Among his fellow Titans he may not be a scientific genius like Banner or Stark, but the fact that he grew up with all this super-science gives him a level of expertise that he can bring to the team. The pretty boy has a brain, people!
(Eros is not the only Avenger with scientific and technical skills that are often overlooked--both Mockingbird and Moondragon also have scientific degrees which rarely get referenced in their Avengers appearances).

Totally! I'd say his science skills deserve even more love than that. I mean he came up with the plan to save Vision from Computerworld (not what it's called but you know what I'm talking about), and also came up with the way to stop Giant Maestro. Not only that, but these two Titan-related panels make me think that he might even be considered as having notable scientific competence on his homeworld, too:


Also this one aged hilariously



(Eros inspected the remains and found cybernetic enhancements that he explains with some technobabble on the next page. I'm really tired so I'll look for that panel tomorrow, and also rearrange this post to be more readable)

Him being a non-resident of Earth is also something special he brings to the mix. The Avengers have a few other non-human members, but still not that many who are space-travellers and have his level of experience with alien worlds and cultures...which could be increasingly valuable to the team right now, as Earth has gotten more involved in inter-galactic matters and other races like the Shi'ar, Kree, Spartax, etc, are increasingly interested in what is happening with Earth.

This this this 1,000%. He's an ancient universe-traveler. He's seen all this crap before, probably, and no doubt has interesting stories to tell. He knows about all the alien species and empires and civilizations. Half he languages he knows are probably extinct by now. Also, the Titans seem to be extremely well-respected among the interstellar community, so he might be able to bring some diplomatic advantages to the table, too - he's pretty much the equivalent of a prince.

[MollyBarton]

But I digress. Back to the awesomeness that is Starfox...

starfoxbutt4.jpg

Perfect buns. Who says comics only objectfy women?

ETA: Just realized She-Hulk called him "big boy". Hmmmmm...

[Dermie]

Hahaha, yes. Starfox can bench press a bus indeed (though I would hesitate to say that was his original superpower and say it was more that he didn't really have anything defined beyond Flying Brick, and even now that's just average for an Eternal and kind of low on the strength scale for the Avengers).

True, there are plenty of other Avengers who are stronger than him. But he IS in the "superhuman strength" category, which places him above a lot of their costumed athletes and energy projectors/manipulators in terms of raw strength. And even with the super-strong guys and gals, he isn't at the bottom of the pile. Spider-Man has acknowledged that Starfox is significantly stronger than him, and he'd also be stronger than other strong guys like USAgent, Triathlon, Marrina...I'm not sure about Luke Cage though. His strength level has fluctuated a few times over the years.

However, I wouldn't say anyone would think he's a pansy based on his physical appearance - he's 6'1 and 190 lbs of muscle.

Certainly. My "pansy" remark is more about some people's reactions to him as a pretty boy, as well as being a "lover not a fighter".

Furthermore, his speed: Now I know that officially he's not said to be a lightspeeder, but considering he traveled with Firelord, there are a few panels in Silver Surfer that suggest the two of them are flying from place to place on their own power, and not in a spaceship. Is he tagging along with Firelord, or . . . ? One explanation could be that while he's not a lightspeeder in an atmosphere, perhaps the lack of drag and gravitational pull from a planet frees him up to go faster? I don't know. But he has been shown to speedblitz opponents, so . . .

Yeah, I would think that although he does not have super-speed in general, he can FLY at incredible speeds. He just can't run super-fast.

Oh and that one time he saved a bunch of the Avengers by transmutating them back into living tissue after Sersi had turned them into inert matter.

I'd be very hesitant about looking at that as a power-set addition though. He was undoing a matter transmutation done by a fellow Eternal--there is currently no reason to assume that he can transmute objects in their regular state.

Totally! I'd say his science skills deserve even more love than that. I mean he came up with the plan to save Vision from Computerworld (not what it's called but you know what I'm talking about), and also came up with the way to stop Giant Maestro. Not only that, but these two Titan-related panels make me think that he might even be considered as having notable scientific competence on his homeworld, too:


Also this one aged hilariously



(Eros inspected the remains and found cybernetic enhancements that he explains with some technobabble on the next page. I'm really tired so I'll look for that panel tomorrow, and also rearrange this post to be more readable)

Interesting. Thanks for those. And yes, Eros does have the ability to come up with some useful devices when need be...
starfoxdevice.jpg

ETA: Just realized She-Hulk called him "big boy". Hmmmmm...

Given Eros' interstellar reputation as a lover, was there ever any doubt? Of course, size isn't everything...but I think people have sort of taken that as a given where Starfox is concerned.

[CaTigeReptile]

Certainly. My "pansy" remark is more about some people's reactions to him as a pretty boy, as well as being a "lover not a fighter".

It was kind of just an excuse to post that picture.

Yeah, I would think that although he does not have super-speed in general, he can FLY at incredible speeds. He just can't run super-fast.

Though stats and official bios are not as reliable in my opinion as feats in actual comics, he is said to have superhuman speed and agility, so he can at least run faster than, say, Usain Bolt, and he does usually dodge hits that come his way if he's paying attention - unless they're aimed at him from someone upon whom he just used his powers. That seems to make him flinch - like Helios or Maestro. It could be that using his powers makes him sluggish, or it could be that he feels slightly guilty when he uses them.

I'd be very hesitant about looking at that as a power-set addition though. He was undoing a matter transmutation done by a fellow Eternal--there is currently no reason to assume that he can transmute objects in their regular state.

Well a matter transmutation isn't like a spell, is it? It's literally molecular rearrangement. I'm not saying he's an expert, especially since he said it was a game Eternals played as a child, but that does insinuate he can at least turn things into inert matter like Sersi did. It seemed to have taken him a long time and a lot of effort, though, so I doubt his skills are of any practical use. Which I guess, yeah, I wouldn't put it in his power-set as something, like, he can use in battle by any means.

Since you treat the CM v3 appearances as canon, what do you think about his use of telekinesis?

Given Eros' interstellar reputation as a lover, was there ever any doubt? Of course, size isn't everything...but I think people have sort of taken that as a given where Starfox is concerned.

We've been informed that he has a reputation in the Shi'ar empire for his "romantic exploits." It's in that one issue of Operation: Galactic Storm that is apparently the one that, you know, didn't actually happen because it doesn't actually fit into the continuity. I find that hilarious.

Funnily enough, in ancient Greece the penises on nude statues are so small because larger penises were considered primitive and silly. They were associated with (and consequently found on statues of) barbarians, the "funny neighborhood drunk" type of fellow, and satyrs. Smaller penises were considered more civilized - and also, of course, did not distract from the beauty of the statues' bodies. This, of course, was not the same in Rome, where they were absolutely obsessed with penises.

[Hekabolos]

This this this 1,000%. He's an ancient universe-traveler. He's seen all this crap before, probably, and no doubt has interesting stories to tell. He knows about all the alien species and empires and civilizations. Half he languages he knows are probably extinct by now. Also, the Titans seem to be extremely well-respected among the interstellar community, so he might be able to bring some diplomatic advantages to the table, too - he's pretty much the equivalent of a prince.

The Titan Eternals (well, the Eternals in general) are a largely unexplored people. What have they been doing out there all this time? We know that other races respect them, so they've clearly dealt with them and done so well, but how? And why? With the success of GotG and the world building going on in Marvel's cosmic world, I wish we would get some focus on them and where they fit in the universe.

Speaking of which: where do we think Eros will end up? I know that Remender is handling bringing him back, which suggests another stint as an Avenger, but will he stay there, or end up out in space with the Guardians? Given the increasing reliance on franchises, I can't see any other options being viable (I doubt, for instance, that we'd ever get another Eternals book). I wouldn't be opposed to a cosmic Avengers team, with some of the Avengers cosmically based members and heavy hitters. I mean, how many Avengers teams does one planet need?

Well a matter transmutation isn't like a spell, is it? It's literally molecular rearrangement. I'm not saying he's an expert, especially since he said it was a game Eternals played as a child, but that does insinuate he can at least turn things into inert matter like Sersi did. It seemed to have taken him a long time and a lot of effort, though, so I doubt his skills are of any practical use. Which I guess, yeah, I wouldn't put it in his power-set as something, like, he can use in battle by any means.

As I've always understood it, all Eternals can transmute matter to some degree, but they have to develop the skill. Sersi, being Sersi, made a thing of it and is the best there is at it. That would explain why Eros had a hard time undoing what Sersi did. He's not as good at it as she is and, since she [I]is[I] so good, her work was probably super complex. She is a bit of a showoff, after all.

Funnily enough, in ancient Greece the penises on nude statues are so small because larger penises were considered primitive and silly. They were associated with (and consequently found on statues of) barbarians, the "funny neighborhood drunk" type of fellow, and satyrs. Smaller penises were considered more civilized - and also, of course, did not distract from the beauty of the statues' bodies. This, of course, was not the same in Rome, where they were absolutely obsessed with penises.

True. Though if you believe Lysistrata, the Greeks certainly had uses for the larger examples as well...

Oh, the original was better, but this time we got to see him in his undies.

Exactly--and for that, if nothing else, I will always be grateful to that SHE-HULK story!

For such an uninhibited character, he spends a distressing amount of time fully clothed.

[MollyBarton]

Starfox needs a Marvel Max series.

Really, the male character who should get naked the most almost never does!