Realizations and Comics *EDIT*

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After everypony calmed down, the all agreed to disagree. It seemed that even across universes the concept of good and evil was subjective. Some ponies agreed that, under extreme circumstances, some evil acts could be justified, while others believed that under no circumstances could they be accepted.

"What other films do you have that can give us insight towards human culture?" Asked Twilight.

"Well," Julian ran his fingers through his long hair, pulling it backwards. "I guess superheroes have been dominating pop culture recently." He thought out loud.

"Superheroes?" Queried Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah. Humans are relatively grounded when compared to other animals in the world. We can't fly, we aren't all that strong, we're not fast... Back in the early twentieth century, things like science fiction and fantasy were becoming popular, and they soon gave birth to superheroes. The idea is that a human will gain superhuman abilities, and he or she uses these abilities to help the world at large." Said Raquel.

"The adventures of these heroes are published in monthly periodicals called Comic Books. As the comics gained more popularity, filmmakers realized that they could exploit the popularity of these characters and make money off them. Superhero films have only recently become popular in the last decade, and it's all thanks to Marvel."

"Marvel, dear?" Asked Rarity.

"Marvel is a publishing company that prints comic books. They own hundreds of characters that they own the rights to. No other publishing company can print a character that it owned by them. They also have a film studio that works on bringing their characters to the big screen." Julian responded as he was busy loading up the films.

"How many of these publishing companies exist?" Asked Twilight.

"What, for comics? Dozens, I'm sure." He said. "But the two biggest companies are Marvel and DC."

"So, what films will you be showing us?"

"I'm going to introduce you guys to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many characters published by Marvel supposedly share a universe, it is called the Marvel Universe. Sometimes characters from different books will be crossed over and superheroes will team up. Marvel decided to create a Cinematic Universe that will culminate in an Avengers film. The Avengers being a superhero team." Julian explained. "Before showing you the Avengers film, there are origin films that you have to watch to understand the Universe that they share."

Raquel rolled her eyes. Julian was a big nerd sometimes. She loved superheros as much as the next person, and Marvel did an excellent job putting together their Cinematic Universe, but she wasn't crazy over the movies like he was.

"In order, the films i'll be showng you are The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America and finally The Avengers."

"Can you tell us a bit about these characters before you start the films?" Asked Shining Armor.

"Sure, no problem." Said Julian. "Okay, The Hulk is a sad character. Basically, a brilliant scientist named Bruce David Banner is involved in an accident with Gamma Radiation. The radiation has the side affect of mutating him into a powerful green giant whenever he becomes too excited. In his giant form, also known as The Hulk, he has very little intelligence and is driven entirely by rage. Because of his incredible power, the American Military, who was funding his experiments, come after him in order to harvest whatever they can from him in order to create Super Soldiers. So, Dr. Banner is constantly on the run, never staying in one place for too long."

"Iron Man is another genius, Tony Stark, and the heir to a billion dollar weapons corporation. He's rich, handsome, intelligent and he gets all the girls. He's also an arragont narcissist with a drinking probalem. Because of his high profile he is captured by terrorists who try and force him to create a super weapon for them. Instead, he builds a high tech suit of armor to escape. He later uses it to combat injustice in the World."

"Thor is an Asgardian, not a human. He is banished to earth by his father for his arrogance and stripped of his power. After learning humility and calming his great temper, he becomes worthy of his gifts and ascends once again."

"Captain America is another Military invention. During World War 2, a young, patriotic Steve Rogers tries to join the Military to fight for what he considers to be justice. Unfortunately, he is small and weak and keeps getting turned away. A military scientist sees the good in Steve signs him up for a military experiment to create Super Soldiers. It makes Steve big, endows him with super strength, speed and agility, and he takes up the title of Captain America."

"On with the Show."

It was interesting to say the least.

The ponies were enthralled by films. All throughout The Incredible Hulk they were at the edge of their seats, hypnotized by the action and hoping to see more of the Hulk. Fluttershy even cried over the unfairness of Dr. Banner's life.

The Princesses, Twilight and Shining Armor were very interested in the Iron Man films, mostly because of the high tech weapons in the film. Twilight openly admired Tony Stark's brilliance, and his knowledge of mechanics and physics.

Rainbow Dash had seemingly fallen in love with Thor. It made sense, as they had similar personalities. As a pegasus, the idea of a Weather God intruiged her.

Even Shining Armor developed a strong admiration for Steve Rogers. As a soldier and a patriot, he probably identified with the Captain on a personal level.

Finally, there was The Avengers.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Cried Pinkie Pie. "The humans were all Woosh! And Iron Man was all Nnyoo! And Hulk was all Rraaagh! And Thor was all Kapow!" Pinkie ran around, pantomiming the actions of the Avengers.

"I enjoyed the femme fetale Natasha Romanoff. She is every bit as dangerous as she is beautiful." Said Rarity.

"Mr. Fury is an excellent leader and strategist. It's such a shame he is only a fictional character. I would have loved to talk over strategy with him." Said Celestia.

"A-actually, I felt bad for Loki." Whimpered Fluttershy. At everone's look, she 'eeped' and hid behind her mane. "It's just...um...well...he seemed so sad. All he wanted was to be seen by his father, who preferred Thor. He made dumb decisions only because he was desperate." She explained.

"I s'pose that's true." Agreed Applejack. "Though, I sure did enjoy seeing Hawkeye kick flank. Unlike the other Avengers, both he and Miss Romanoff didn't have any powers, just good old talent and tenacity. They'd make great Earth Ponies."

"Tch, all of your choices are lame! Thor kicked major flank. And he's a GOD! You can't beat that!" Claimed Rainbow.

"I think Mr. Stark is the best. He uses his genius to help solve problems. Dr. Banner is great too, but since he loses a lot of intelligence in his transformation, he is only a scion of destruction. Now, the Hulk with Dr. Banner's intelligence, that would be frightening." Said Twilight.

"I don't know, that Steve Rogers has a lot of heart. He might not be a genius, but he is smart. And he's super, not Godlike like Thor and Hulk, but he's the strongest human there, that's for sure."

"These stories are amazing. You must have talented writers in your world." Luna addressed the humans. "Films here in Equestria rarely go over fourty-five minutes, and are nowhere near as well put together."

"Yeah, humans are bored a lot of the time, so our entertainment has to be very engaging." Said Raquel.

"So I take it you guys enjoyed it?" Asked Julian.

"Oh, yes. And we get to learn what humans do for entertainment!" Said Twilight.

"You got any more superhero movies?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah I got some more. How would you guys like to experience the DC Universe now?" Asked Julian.

"So what's the difference between the DC Universe and the Marvel Universe?" Asked Cadence.

"Nothing really. It's just that each company owns certain characters. Though, DC tends to be a bit darker than Marvel. You'll see what I mean when I show you guys the Dark Knight Trilogy."

"Alright. And what, pray tell, is a Dark Knight?" Asked Luna.

"Alright, here's a quick rundown: Basically, there's a very wealthy family, the Wayne Family, who own a multi-billion dollar company. The heir to the family, Bruce Wayne, unfortuantely watches as his parents are murdered before him by a petty criminal. This traumatizes him and he develops a hatred for criminals and a desire to bring justice to the streets of Gotham City. This drive festers in him for years as he starts wandering the world, practicing martial arts. Soon after, he returns to his home in Gotham City and becomes a vigilante. He uses trickery and deception to confuse his enemies. He uses the darkness and the night to hide him. He dresses up in advanced body armor to protect himself and he dresses it up to look like a bat."

"A bat?" Asked Rarity.

"Why would he dress up like a bat?" Asked Fluttershy.

"Because he is afraid of bats. In the film, he says: 'Bats frighten me. It's time my enemies share my dread.'" Explained Julian.

Their reactions were...interesting.

Instead of the awe that came from observing other superheroes, they were mostly shocked.

They were disgusted with the state of Gotham. The idea that a civilization could be so corrupt, from the police to the highest jugde, was incomprehensible to them. It went against everything they believed in.

Police were meant to protect the people, not extort and threaten. Judges were meant to be fair and just, not taking bribes.

It was an affront to everything just in the world.

Even Celestia could agree that Bruce Wayne was just in his methods. He worked outside the system, but in such a way that allowed the few good people in the system to properly punish the wrongdoers in a court of law.

What horrified them the most were the villains.

The Scarecrow was indeed a frightening foe. The idea of facing an enemy that could force you to view your worst nightmare was not a very comfortable one.

And Ra's al Ghul and his League Of Shadows were even more terrifying. A group so old and well connected they could infiltrate any government on a whim? As leaders, that idea horrified the princesses. Honestly, it made them a little paranoid. Were all of their subjects completely loyal? Or did some serve with ulterior motives?

Justice no matter the cost. At what point did it stop being justice?

Perhaps the most frightening villain of all was The Joker.

Suddenly, Celestia felt very appreciative of Discord's brand of chaos. If Discord truly desired, he could do much more damage. The Joker was an insane, and extremely brilliant individual. As much as he preached about chaos, he was cold, manipulative tactician. He truly lived up to his title of the Agent of Chaos.

And Bane? He was an extension of the League of Shadows. All for the sake of Justice.

How could these humans be so deranged? Every villain in Equestria was tame when compared to the villains of Earth---even the fictional ones!

Discord, Nightmare Moon, Sombra, Chrysalis---they all desired to rule. They wanted to usurp those in power and place themselves at the top.

That was the worst they had to fear in Equestria.

The humans however, existed in a world where the villains didn't desire wealth or power. No, they wanted death and destruction.

Just because it was fun.

Discretely, the ponies stole glances at the humans. Raquel and Julian were playing with baby Alejandro. Raquel would bounce him in her lap, while Julian was making faces at him. The baby would light up and giggle at his arents antics.

They looked like a happy family.

They didn't look evil, or violent. Even though they admitted that they wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who threatened their family, the ponies couldn't see them as fearsome creatures.

But they were.

As entertaining as the films were, the ponies more than had their fill of the action and violence. In fact, it was too much. The humans loved conflict and had a fascination with death. Even their love stories had to have it.

Titanic had an enormous body count.

And Romeo and Juliet? They ended up killing themselves off!

As much as they looked like a happy little family, the ponies prayed that nothing happened to threaten their happiness.

They didn't want to know what would happen if something were to upset their human friends.

Author's Note

I know I said I was going to include a chapter with pop culture, but I fell like this kind of got away from me?

Did I go on too much about comics and stuff?

I wanted to give the ponies insight into our violent culture. Everything that we love has violence in it! Films, music, art, sports, even our religions are violent. Poeple sometimes say that calling humans a Warrior race is cliche and an overused trope, but frankly it's true.

You might think it's not but c'mon, you guys know you would punch me in the face if I said something about your moms.

Humans are violent.