
The world of pop culture is full of mysteries. A popular character disappearing between movies. A beloved TV series cancelled on a massive cliffhanger, leaving fates unknown. Apparent plot holes that are never explained.
However, thanks to the ever-increasing number of expanded universe books, comics and other media produced, along with the fact that this EU material is now often allowed to make official additions to canon, it turns out that some of the greatest of these so-called mysteries might have already been solved.
Where Did Nightcrawler Go After X-Men 2?
Alan Cummings’ turn as Kurt Wagner, a.k.a. Nightcrawler, was one of the highlights of the brilliant X-Men 2: Mutants United. Unfortunately, in the following film, The Last Stand, Nightcrawler is nowhere to be seen.
The explanation for his absence appears in X-Men: The Official Game. Kurt is sent on a mission to retrieve stolen Cerebro parts still in the possession of William Stryker after X2. During the events of the game, Nightcrawler is haunted by Stryker’s son, Jason. While Stryker moulded Jason’s body into a monster, his mind is still an innocent boy. The good Jason eventually sacrifices himself to save Nightcrawler’s life. Devastated by the events, Kurt chooses to leave the Mansion, unable to cope with the violence life as one of the X-Men brings.
Why Didn’t Darth Vader Recognise C-3PO or R2-D2 in the Original Trilogy?
One of the biggest gripes some fans have with the Star Wars prequels is the fact that Anakin Skywalker spends a significant amount of time with R2-D2, and apparently built C-3PO, yet Darth Vader never acknowledged the droids in the original trilogy.
An explanation is given in a comic book story, Thank The Maker. Taking place mostly during the Cloud City segment of Empire Strikes Back, the story is peppered with flashbacks to Anakin’s childhood, finding and building C-3PO. The final flashback bleeds into the present, as Shmi Skywalker reminds her son of his responsibilities to his new droid.
“Unless you are prepared to care for something, you don’t deserve to have it.”
Clearly affected by the memory, Vader reverses his original decision to have the broken C-3PO destroyed, spending a brief tender moment with his old droid before ordering that his parts be returned to Chewbacca.
Who Survived The Battle With The Senior Partners in Angel?
Fans of the Buffyverse were left devastated when spin-off series Angel was unexpectedly cancelled during its fifth season. With no time to craft a true finale, the series ended on a massive cliffhanger, with Angel and co about to enter a life or death battle as vampires, demons, and even a dragon begin an assault on Los Angeles.
Luckily for fans, the story was eventually continued in comic form with Angel: After The Fall. Angel becomes separated from his friends as the entire city of Los Angeles falls into Hell. Angel sets about to locate his surviving friends while also avoiding attacks from Gunn, who had been killed and turned by vampires. Thankfully, he manages to find Spike, Illyria, Lorne, and Connor alive. Discovering that Wolfram & Heart’s evil Senior Partners still need him alive for some unknown future purpose, Angel allows Gunn to kill him, forcing them to reverse time to before LA fell, reviving Angel, and Gunn as well.
In Avengers: Infinity War, Why Did Heimdall Send The Hulk To Earth Rather Than Thor?
While Hulk’s crash through the roof of the Sanctum Sanctorum in Infinity War was torn right from the comics, some MCU fans were left feeling confused as to why Heimdall chose to transport The Hulk to Earth instead of Thor. Shouldn’t he have wanted to protect his King over a rage monster he had just met?
An official Thor: The Dark World prelude comic provides an answer. With the Bifrost broken, Odin used dark energy to transport Thor to Earth during The Avengers. The act drains Odin, and leaves Thor unconscious when he first arrives on Earth. Heimdall uses the same dark energy in Infinity War. With Thor having been badly beaten by Thanos, Heimdall was rightfully concerned that he might not survive the trip. Hulk, with his gamma energy, had a better chance of making it in one piece.
What’s Inside River Song’s Diary?
Throughout her time on Doctor Who, River Song carried a diary that chronicled her adventures with The Doctor. Many of these adventures were mentioned only in passing, and never actually seen on screen. One of the most infamous of these was the Picnic at Asgard, first mentioned in the episode Silence In The Library.
The novel Legends Of River Song, which supposedly collects a few of River’s Diary entries, reveals that Asgard is actually a Norse-Mythology themed theme park in space. River and The Doctor visit the park for what they hope will be a peaceful day out. Unfortunately, in true Doctor Who fashion, the park’s animatronics malfunction and stage a revolution soon after the couple’s arrival. By the time they have saved the day, it is almost time to return River to prison.
So, if you happen to have questions about your favourite movie or TV show, it might just be time to dive into the ever-growing pool of expanded universe content. You may just find that your question has already been answered!