Marvel Mocks the MCU’s Biggest Failure in Hilarious Way

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The saying ‘don’t bite the hand that feeds you’ warns against harming those who help you. Similarly, being able to laugh at yourself is often seen as a mark of intelligence. These ideas come into play with Longshots, a new Marvel comic that appears to playfully poke fun at one of the MCU’s biggest disappointments.

Longshots, created by Gerry Duggan and Jonathan Hickman with art by Alan Robinson, is a funny and critical take on modern culture. The story revolves around Mojo, a powerful being from another dimension who captures superheroes and forces them to perform in violent shows for his entertainment. Mojo has been used to poke fun at things like reality television, video games, social media, and the world of online influencers. He also serves as a way for Marvel to playfully comment on itself as a business.

Okay, so the first issue of Longshots is… predictably Mojo. He’s always trying to cash in on whatever big Marvel thing is happening, and this time it’s the fallout from X-Men: Age of Revelation. The problem? All the A-list heroes are busy with that. That leaves Mojo with a real motley crew – a bunch of second- and third-stringers he’s dubbing the ‘Longshots.’ They’re thrown into a mission to check out this super secure Power Plant and a weird energy signal coming from somewhere alien. It’s basically a team of leftovers sent to handle a potentially huge problem, and honestly, it feels a little desperate.

How Longshots mocks MCU’s biggest misstep

In the second issue of Longshots, Hellcat and Wonder Man battle their way into a power plant, only to discover the alien energy source is actually a Celestial. This unexpected reveal also surprises Mojo, who had previously tried—and failed—to feature Galactus as the main villain. Beyond being a humorous moment, this storyline cleverly pokes fun at the difficulties Marvel’s Cinematic Universe had with its own attempt to introduce Galactus.

The Celestials, a powerful race of cosmic gods, first appeared in Marvel comics in 1976, created by Jack Kirby. While they weren’t directly shown early on, the Marvel Cinematic Universe hinted at their existence. A prime example is Knowhere from Guardians of the Galaxy, a city constructed inside the skull of a deceased Celestial.

In the Marvel movie Eternals, the powerful Celestials were central to the plot, as the immortal heroes worked to prevent a new Celestial from destroying Earth. The film drew heavily from the artwork and stories created by Jack Kirby for the original comics. However, the complex ideas presented in Eternals – which weren’t widely known even among comic book fans – didn’t quite capture the attention of most viewers.

Mojo’s frustration with his story being connected to the Celestials feels like a dig at Marvel’s tendency to overcomplicate things. His comment that the Celestials are simply awful sounds like something you’d read online. The disappointing performance of the ‘Eternals’ movie demonstrated that audiences won’t automatically see a Marvel film just because of the name, and that not every idea from Jack Kirby still resonates with modern viewers.

Longshots #2 is now available at comic shops everywhere.

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2025-11-05 17:57