The DoomBots Podcast

Sometimes, you have the best of intentions. Sometimes, that means using broken nanite technology to inexplicably make a white character appear to be Black character and experience discrimination and racial inequality for the first time. Is this a good way to tackle the subject of racism? Or is it a hamfisted and accidentally offensive narrative gimmick?

The Thunderbolts have a long history in Marvel comics dating back to 1997. Since then, the team has gone through many different iterations, having 75 different members along the way - some famous, like Red Hulk and Punisher - others more obscure, like the Headsman and Citizen V. And only in a recent miniseries did it even slightly resemble the team in the upcoming MCU movie. In today's episode, we'll take you through the history of the team, discuss the potential of the movie, and shit on the Sentry as often as Searnold can manage.

After four long, complicated, very theater-of-the-mind-heavy episodes filled with Zach poorly describing very busy Spider-Man covers, we've reached the end of this insane experiment! And this week, with our final episode on all 950 Amazing Spider-Man covers, we're tackling the infamous and divisive run helmed by Zeb Wells!

In our continuing series looking through all 950 covers of Amazing Spider-Man, today will mostly focus on Dan Slott's 10 year run. Picking up where we left off last time, we'll start with Amazing Spider-Man 601 and J. Scott Campbell's infamous cover of Mary Jane being sexy on a couch. We'll introduce characters like Max Modell and Norah Winters as Spider-Man hits the Big Time. Then we'll follow the legacy numbering through Superior Spider-Man, where Doctor Octopus takes control of Peter's body, and 4 resets to Amazing Spider-Man issue 1. We go through Nick Spencer's run, the Beyond era, and clarify a few things from previous issues. Sound like a lot? It is! No holds barred!

In a strong divergence from their sane content, Zach and Searnold have dedicated this portion of their lives to the discussion of every cover of Amazing Spider-Man. Listen along as they talk about things you can't see for 2 hours, as they go through 300 more issues. From McFarlane to Straczynski, the Clone Saga to Civil War, Maximum Carnage through One More Day, enjoy this discussion of such unmemorable Spider-Man villains as Styx and Stone, Joystick and Polestar, Shadrac and Freak.

In celebration of 950 issues of Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel published a cover gallery that inspires this episode. Searnold surprises Zach with the "fun" idea of looking at all 950 covers and discussing any characters that haven't come up on the podcast before. This includes people like the Molten Man, the Spider-Slayers, the Schemer, and Kraven's nipple lasers. Not fully grasping how many 950 is, we may have gotten in over our heads!

In this reversal episode, Zach will tell Searnold all about the book “House of Leaves.” But this is no ordinary book, and its many complexities deserve a much better explanation than this tiny block of text. Just listen to the episode and come down the rabbit hole with us, okay? Never miss an episode! GetContinue reading "Ep. 121: Is House of Leaves a Book or a Recipe for Madness? Yes."

With the release of Captain America: Brave New World, we've decided the time is right to discuss the Red Hulk (or Rulk). How did General Ross get superpowers? Why is he red? What happens when he jumps to the moon? These things come up in the comics, even if they might not in the movie. Plus: how did the Leader learn to play the guitar? Why does Jeph Loeb hate rules? And what happens when Rulk jumps back from the moon? Fortunately, we have a special guest to discuss the cataclysmic impacts, and we have Namor's giant sea monsters to fix the problems.

Kraven the Hunter managed to bomb without either Zach or Searnold noticing it had been released! But finally, Searnold was able to track it down and watch it, despite many warnings against such dangerous behavior. In this episode, Searnold will explain the movie to Zach, compare it to Madame Web, and explain what Kraven is like in the comics. From his 87 clones and his 3 sons, we'll discuss the entire Kravenoff line from the dawn of the Russian Revolution to the his murder zoo in the present day!

It's that time of the year again, when Searnold and Zach get super competitive and start asking the big questions in a showdown for the ages.

This year has been filled with a lot of great comics -- and a lot of other comics as well! In honor of another year on the books, Zach and Searnold are looking back at what stories were told, what characters drastically changed, and how Captain America has become friends with a penguin

This week, we've got clones on clones on clones! More clones than Judas Traveller could shake a VR construct at! What does any of that mean? Who knows! The writers certainly don't, and neither do we, and that's why it's so much fun.

The Clone Saga is perhaps the most infamous Spider-Man story, and not without good reason. It was loved and hated. Great and terrible. Important and irrelevant. It lasted 3 years, redefined Spidey for a new generation of readers, and ruined him for others. It happened during a tumultuous time in the comics industry as a whole (the boom and bust of the 90's) as well as at Marvel comics (3 EIC's in 3 years!) In this episode, Searnold and Zach will break down the history of Spider-Man's clone, Ben Reilly, his original creation in 1975 and why the 90's was the right time to bring him back! We'll look at the real-world issues that caused the story to explode. Ultimately, Zach will lie down and give up, which is why this is only part 1 of the Doombots' coverage of the Clone Saga!

This week, Zach and Searnold break down the Adversary's role in the late-'80s event "The Fall of the Mutants," and also have a full breakdown when it comes to how Rogue convinced her fellow mutants to use Longshot like a kite. Don't understand what that means? That's fine! Listen to the episode and you still won't understand what that means, because it's utter baffling nonsense.

It's Halloween! Or at least, it was when we recorded this. To celebrate, Searnold and Zach are going to tell each other some spooky stories. Searnold will retell a classic Marvel horror story by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Can you guess who the mystery monster is? Then, Searnold will tell the story of Marvel's new Werewolf by Night, Jake Gomez, and what happens when he gets trapped in an abandoned amusement park during Blood Hunt. Next, Zach reads some of his favorite of Alvin Schwartz's "Spooky Stories to Tell in the Dark" and discusses his BIG PLANS for Halloween. Along the way, we'll examine the horror genre, the medium of comics, and a bunch of nonsense!

Is there anything in Marvel comics that's like Harry Potter? Why yes there is! It's called "Strange Academy" and this week, Searnold will tell you all about it. He'll explain the different powers of the interdimensional students from Asgard, Otherworld, Weirdworld, Limbo, and the Dark Dimension. You'll learn all about the son of the Dread Dormammu! And yes, we will discuss in detail how he managed to procreate. We'll talk about what happened to the school when Doctor Strange suddenly decided to die, as well as what the kids are up to during the latest "Blood Hunt" crossover. If you like Marvel, magic, or Harry Potter, then you'll love this episode of Doombots!

This week, Zach is teaching Searnold all about the cult classic Wildstorm/DC series Planetary, from Warren Ellis and the late, great John Cassaday! From some evil Fantastic Four parodies to some awesome powers and next-level art, we're breaking down everything that makes Planetary such a beloved and bizarre fan favorite comic series.

It's a weird world we live in when Agatha Harkness has her own TV show. In this episode, we'll discuss her major comic book appearances and leave you to guess which will make it into "Agatha All Along." Will she be nanny to a young Franklin Richards? Will she help Scarlet Witch find her real mom? Is she 20,000 years old? Will Firestar make a cameo and convince her not to punish all of humanity in retribution for the Salem Witch trials? Will she accidentally turn the Darkhold into a little boy? Find out what any of that means by listening to this week's Doombots Marvel Podcast!

This week, Searnold breaks down the adventures of Marvel's heroic pets, as well as explains why Thanos kidnapped the town of Fresno, California, why the Winter Soldier decided to hunt down Red Skull with a new band of Thunderbolts, and how White Widow is adapting to life in the suburbs with neighbors.

The end of Fall of X leaves Zach befuddled.

In part 2 of our 3-part recapping saga, Searnold tells Zach all about the surviving mutants who got scattered across the globe amid the Fall of X saga, and their various (sometimes seemingly ineffective) efforts to stop Orchis from killing all of mutant kind.

X has Fallen. The Fall of X is over. The first Krakoan era is over. So now we can finally talk about what happened. It all started one year ago when Orchis attacked the third annual Hellfire Gala. How did they do it? What convoluted plans enabled them to kill every mutant? Will there be long term relevant consequences?

Deadpool vs. Wolverine is set to be the best Marvel movie yet (depending on how you define best). The assorted trailers and rumors have Zach and Searnold very excited, and they want to share that excitement with you! In what ends up amounting to a very long ad for the movie, Zach and Searnold discuss everything from Tayler Swift rumors to Cassandra Nova's origins as a Shi'ar mummundrai and more. Searnold will also explain some of the comic book versions of characters we expect to cameo in the film. No pickles!

It's finally here! The 4-year anniversary of The Doombots Podcast! This whole new episode will feature a slew of intentionally removed and censored content from past episodes and some original new content! From Searnold trying to figure out the origins of famous phrases to Zach singing "Big Rock Candy Mountain" badly to some of our biggest, most embarrassing bloopers and intentionally edited-out bad jokes, this episode has it all.

The end is here! We've finally reached the final installment of our 4-part list of '100 (ish) Marvel Characters We've Never Talked About Before!' And this week, to close things out, were staying in the mutants' neighborhood of the Marvel universe! Check out all these crazy, weird duos!

In part 3 of our 4 part series featuring characters we've somehow managed to never talk about before - SPIDER-MAN! This week we'll be pulling from the stories of SPIDER-MAN! Breaking down all of the animal-themed villains who have ever graced the pages of SPIDER-MAN!… SPIDERMAN!!

In part 2 of our 4 part series featuring characters we've somehow managed to never talk about before, we pull from the Avengers side of Marvel comics. Whether because Searnold hates them (like the Sentry), or because of their racist origins (like the Mandarin), or even just out of crazy random happenstance (like Wonder Man), this double-sized special episode features 25 of Marvel's craziest characters.

100 Episodes! 2 Hours! 25 New Characters! Part 1 of 4 in a series discussing 100 Marvel characters we've somehow managed to go 100 episodes without talking about. The beginning of our list comes mostly from the Fantastic Four's corner of the Marvel Universe. From Blastaar The Living Bomb-Burst to Terrax the Tamer. From Wyatt Wingfoot to Lyja Lazerfist. From the Krees to the Skrulls. From the Power Pack to the Inhumans. This is our biggest undertaking and best episode yet!

This week, The Doombots started off wanting to talk about how the X-Men '97 storylines compare to the comic storylines. But then, Zach's brain broke just because of Magneto.

Continuing our discussion from last episode, this week, we'll examine the comic book version of Madame Web. We'll talk about that one time she called Spider-Man on a payphone, the reason that all psychics are blind, and how she died. We'll also discuss the comic versions of Spider-Woman in all 4 of her incarnations: Jessica Drew, Julia Carpenter, Mattie Franklin, and Anya Corazon. We'll also talk about the comic book version of Ezekial Sims, how he changed Spider-Man's life forever, and the crossover The Other.

This week on The Doombots Podcast, Searnold went to see Madame Web while Zach refused. So, instead, Searnold breaks it down for him scene by scene and -- per usual -- Zach loses his mind almost instantly. If you want to know if the widespread mocking of Madame Web is fair, check out this week's episode to find out!

What is the new Ultimate Marvel Universe? In what ways is it different than the original? After spending 2 episodes building the necessary backstory, today, we'll discuss how Marvel threw all that out with the bathwater and made something completely different instead. We'll talk about Jonathan Hickman's extremely elaborate story "Ultimate Invasion," his slightly less elaborate "Ultimate Spider-Man", as well as Peach Momoko's "Ultimate X-Men." Also, Zach read "The Ultimates" by Al Ewing, and he'll discuss how his thoughts about it didn't change at all after reading it for himself.

Continuing our coverage of the fall and rise of Marvel's Ultimate Universe, this week, we examine Ultimate Reed Richards, aka The Maker. Along with Miles Morales, he managed to escape the demise of the Ultimate Universe during the incursions circa 2015. What has he been up to since? A lot! We'll look at 4 different stories from the pages of "The Ultimates," "New Avengers," "The Future Foundation," and "Venom" to see what has lead up to the point where the Ultimate Universe can now be reborn.

This week's Doombots Podcast is all about the Ultimate Universe, Marvel's effort to create a grittier world with less convoluted storylines, which quickly went off the rails.

Predator is now officially part of Marvel. This week, we'll talk about what happened in their epic fight with Wolverine. Plus: Who is Spider-Boy? Why is Superior Spider-Man Back? Is The Thing a better lover than Thanos? Could Mystique impregnate herself? Will the Caliban suit save the mutants from the Fall of X? Are the Celestials more powerful than the Beyonders? So many questions, and we'll discuss all of them this week as Zach and Searnold go over highlights (and lowlights) from assorted Marvel Mini-Series published in 2023.

To ring in the new year, Zach and Searnold are celebrating with another round of our fun, specially-tailored trivia challenge!

Over the course of this year, all but 3 of Marvel's ongoing comics were rebooted. In this episode, we'll look at the new premises and summarize some of what was wrapped up. Black Panther must defend the city of Birnin T'chaka. Hulk leaves Hulk Planet and comes back to Earth to fight The Mother of Horrors. The Avengers must tangle with Kang and the Ashen Combine. Scarlet Witch has the Darkhold and a new store. The new Punisher is named Joe Garrison. The Guardians of the Galaxy deal with Grootfall. Captain America conquers the Outer Circle. Venom and Doctor Doom are time traveling together. Thor becomes even more immortal. And Jonothan Hickman redefines (or at least starts to) the entire Marvel cosmology in G.O.D.S.

The New Mutants are a team of X-Men students that Xavier assembled when he thought the X-Men had all been killed by the Brood. This week, we'll discuss who they are, why they are so beloved, and Xavier's secret evil intentions. We'll also go over what is generally considered the best New Mutants story, the Demon Bear Saga. Check out our website for the problematic page we discuss at length where two white people accidentally magically become Native Americans. As a bonus: who is Marvel's Team America and are they the best mutant ever?

What is Searnold's favorite Marvel mini-series? Is Echo Thor's mom? And how many pianos did Helen Keller eat? In this bizarre episode of the Doombots Marvel Podcast, we'll discuss all these questions and more as we do a deep dive into the character Echo. Created by David Mack in the year 2000, Echo has recently grown in popularity due to her upcoming Disney+ show. We'll talk about her origin, her relationship with Daredevil, her death and mysterious resurrection, her time as the Phoenix, and so many other things that inevitably come up when Searnold and Zach have a conversation.

Jason Aaron has completely changed the story of Frank Castle, aka The Punisher. Now, he's the leader of the ninja death cult called The Hand. By adding some back story and bringing his dead wife back from the dead, Jason Aaron has elevated The Punisher's story to a Shakespearean level. We'll discuss the entire 12 issue arc, explain how Frank came to this point, and what it means to be the Fist of the Beast. We'll also discuss some of The Punisher's greatest hits, including "Welcome Back Frank" and the time he teamed up with a cosmic powered Spider-Man to prevent the American government from switching their currency to the cocaine standard.

This week, the Doombots are taking a look at Monica Rambeau, who was the second Captain Marvel before she went on to be Spectrum and then Photon, among other names. She's made of energy and here to kick ass!

Did you know there have been multiple Ghost Riders? From Carter Slade to Johnny Blaze, Danny Ketch to Alejandra Jones, Robbie Reyes and back again, we’ll discuss the complete history of each major Ghost Rider. Why have there been so many? How does their continuity intertwine? Who is the current Ghost Rider? Why are theyContinue reading "Ep. 86: Who is the Best Ghost Rider?"

Wow, this week are are talking about just SO much stuff. Like, maybe too much stuff? Here’s just some of the questions we address: Who is Avenger Prime? What is the God Quarry? Who are the Multiversal Masters of Evil? Why is Robbie Reyes the “most powerful Avenger”? What is Planet Doom? And this isContinue reading "Ep. 85: How Did Loki Save Existence From Mephisto’s (Multiversal) Evil Plans?"

Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the best animes of all time. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, we're going to explain why. What is alchemy? What is automail? Who are the Homunculi? More importantly, why are there two different versions of FMA? Searnold will explain why, despite popular opinion, he prefers the first version to the more accurate adaptation called "Brotherhood." As usual, Zach will be confused. Debate and hilarity ensue.

It's the end of the Krakoan era! Probably! At least, Marvel's publicity department certainly wants you to think so. But in this episode of the Doombots Marvel Podcast, Searnold will explain why he doesn't believe that will happen. We'll also discuss the history of Krakoa, the sentient island the X-Men live on, including looking at one of the worst retcons of all time, "Deadly Genesis."

On this week's new Doombots Podcast, we're getting into the war between the mutants on Krakoa and the mysterious power-hungry superpowered Children of the Vault!

Spoiler alert! The internet has been all abuzz about Marvel's decision to kill off Ms. Marvel in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man. So, after spending last episode discussing Kindred in order to establish where Nick Spencer's run ended, this episode, we'll finally be discussing Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr's current run on Amazing Spider-Man. We'll learn why creating 2 fake kids is never the right plan. We'll discuss the value of mystery reveals. And we'll explain why Mary Jane should be a badass. All this, and Kamala Khan, too.

A lot of Spider-Man stories are straightforward. This one is not. Searnold and Zach sat down to talk about the latest run of Amazing Spider-Man by Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr because of Marvel's decision to *spoiler* Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel. But first we had to set up Spidey's current status quo, which meant explaining how Nick Spencer's run ended. And that meant explaining Kindred. And that meant explaining the Grey Goblin, which meant going back to his origins in J.M. Straczynski's run on Amazing Spider-Man circa 2001-2007. And how can we talk about JMS's run without talking about "Brand New Day", the story where Peter Parker and Mary Jane make a deal with Mephisto to erase their marriage. Is this starting to make sense? If not, you really need to listen to the episode.

It's finally here! The 3-year anniversary of The Doombots Podcast! This whole new episode will feature a slew of cut content from past episodes and some original content. From overly emotional reactions, to discussions about the possible scourge of A.I. revolution, this episode has it all.

Secret Invasion is coming to the MCU, so we're going to talk about the comics it is ostensibly based on. We'll talk about what it was like to read the event live, Dan Slott's attempt to redeem Hank Pym, Brian Michael Bendis' crafty plans, and why the event was ultimately a failure. We'll also discuss a lot of really dumb names, featuring Game of Thrones!

This week, we're stepping away from the world of Marvel and into the world of Hyrule, with a breakdown/explainer of 'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.' In fact, Zach's never played a single 'Zelda' game ever, so Searnold is giving a very long (yet still incredibly brief) rundown of Zelda lore and complex timelines.