***************MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ALL PROPERTIES DISCUSSED***************
10. SOAP DOESN’T MAKE IT THROUGH MODERN WARFARE 3
Modern Warfare is the biggest video game franchise on the planet. No surprise MW3 made my list, especially since I’m an avid fan (SpoonAZ player tag on PSN). The biggest moment within the new edition was easily the death of Captain John “Soap” McTavish, the (mostly) main character of the franchise. And he didn’t go out like no bitch either. No sir, he died when a months old knife wound reopened after being blown out of a window by an explosion while saving his partner, then surviving the long fall along to the street including the debris that lands on top aftewards and managing to stay alive long enough to make it to the safe-house before he eventually bled out. Damn, son.
9. DC LAUNCHES COMPANY WIDE REBOOT WITH “THE NEW 52”
Reboots are fairly commonplace in the world of comic books, but the relaunch of an entire continuity happens very rarely in companies with such long history such as DC and Marvel. After trailing Marvel for years, Geoff Johns and the DC staff decided to do something drastic: Start every single comic over again at issue #1 creating a whole new continuity with only 52 separate books, wiping away many key aspects of the last few decades of stories. It was a shocking move to say the least but sales of The New 52 have skyrocketed. Still a bit early to tell, but in the short term the relaunch was a huge success.
8. ULTIMATE PETER PARKER DIES
Most fanboys scoff when the “death” of a character is touted by the comic companies because they’re normally oversold letdowns that don’t even stick, with the hero coming back six months later. But the death of Peter Parker/Spider-man in Marvel’s “Ultimate” universe was a textbook example of this kind of event done right. Ultimate Peter was just a kid, and lovable one at that. His death was tear-jerking, heroic and profoundly affected every character in that universe. And with a new Spider-man taking the “Ultimate” reigns we can be sure assured Peter Parker won’t be coming back any time soon, if ever, which makes his sacrifice hold that much more weight.
7. CAESAR SPEAKS IN “RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES”
We all know those damn dirty apes will eventually rule us all and develop British accents… but one major question to all fans of the excellent reboot/prequel was how much of the advanced apes we would actually see, especially since the film heavily grounded itself in reality. But near the end of the film fans were given a goosebump-inducing moment when Caesar, in an act of defiance utters his first word: “NO!” before speaking even more in the film’s climax. It’s all handled extremely well and I’m sure hardcore Ape fans went nuts during this scene in the theater.
6. JOKER DIES IN THE FINALE OF “ARKHAM CITY”
While they don’t really exist inside any of the established Batman continuity, the Arkham games are epic in their storytelling and have a huge following. It’s rare in any Batman story to actually have the Joker die without some hint that he’ll be back, but Paul Dini and the masters behind the scripts for Asylum and City made the death official and had it solidified even further by the great Mark Hamill saying he was retiring as the character. The end credits perfectly encapsulated the mood and made it all the more creepy and bittersweet as Hamill’s Joker crooned “Only You” to his nemesis/obsession: Batman.
5. NED STARK LOSES HIS HEAD IN “GAME OF THRONES”
But… he’s Boromir… he’s the freakin’ lead star of Game of Thrones…. and he’s dead?? One of TV’s finer moments of 2011 (if you hadn’t already read the books) was the twist that the beloved actor Sean Bean’s character of Ned Stark in Game of Thrones was beheaded shortly before the season’s end, shocking the viewing audience. No one saw this coming (again unless you read the books), and guaranteed it was the main topic at all water coolers around the country the following Monday morning. I know I literally said “Holy sh*t” out loud when the episode ended.
PS: F’ you Joffrey, you little sh*t!
4. SOPHIA WAS IN THE BARN THE WHOLE TIME IN “THE WALKING DEAD”
Okay so we all got sick of hearing about Sophia in the second season of The Walking Dead. It went on forever and we all pretty much knew she was “walker” food. But it was all worth it when the payoff came after the crew “slaughtered” a pack of the undead that Hershel had been hiding in his barn, only to be followed by the gut-wrenching reveal of Sophia gently shuffling out of the barn, zombie-fied, after being among the walkers locked up in the barn at the very farm the survivors had been staying at all season. Oh, and the sheriff shot her in the head in front of her mom and the entire group of survivors for good measure. Ouch.
3. HARRY POTTER FILM FRANCHISE COMES TO A CLOSE WITH “DEATHLY HALLOWS PT.2”
This one is not so much a “holy sh*t” moment, but a “holy sh*t” concept. Having new HP books and movies for the better part of decade has been a joy to all fans young and old, and most agree both the books and the series got better as they went on. So the idea that the book franchise was finished and finally seeing the last installment come to life on the big screen to send our beloved characters off was a huge moment spanning ten years. There’s not likely to be another phenomenon like this in our lifetime and it’s end is a benchmark of nerd experiences.
2. ‘SMALLVILLE” ENDS ITS TEN YEAR RUN WITH CLARK FINALLY DONNING THE SUPER SUIT
This particular moment may not be on everyone’s top 10 lists this year, but hey, I’m running this show and I make the rules. Being that I’m an unapologetic Superman fanboy it’s no surprise Smallville has been, even through extreme lows, my favorite show for a very longtime. So after watching ten seasons of Clark Kent evolving into Superman and finally taking the final step into those big red boots was a big deal for many. How the moment would happen had been analyzed and debated to ludicrous levels online since the show’s inception. To finally get the answer was a major nerd-out moment that I’ve waited a long time too see. They didn’t go overboard with the visuals but gave the fans enough to proudly close the door of the franchise in a satisfying way. The John Williams Superman theme didn’t hurt either…
1. “THE AVENGERS” IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. AND THERE’S FINALLY A TRAILER AND IT’S AWESOME.
I know it’s just a trailer. But think about it. Every young nerd out there dreamed of a big screen superhero teamup. Not only are we getting one, we’re getting one with a mega-budget and some of the best actors in Hollywood playing the heroes, directed by one of the most revered minds in geekdom: Joss Whedon. And after years of hype and buildup including five lead-in films, we actually get to see the insanity that is The Avengers come to life and teamed up in the first trailer. And it delivered! How much more nerd-out crazy can you get than seeing Thor battling Cap? Iron Man being hilarious and snarky on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier? Nick Fury shooting stuff with a bazooka!? And the kinda random 90’s retro but surprisingly awesome use of the Nine Inch Nails song “We’re in this Together?” It’s everything a nerd can want and it’s my #1 “Holy Sh*t Nerd-Out Moment” of 2011!