00:09Let's talk about this really interesting character named Umberto Lopez who goes by the code name
00:14Reptile because there's been some buzz and a bunch of rumors floating around that Marvel
00:19might be planning to bring him into the MCU as an animation project. And that would be
00:24such a cool move because Reptile has this unique power set and backstory that could
00:29fit perfectly into the larger universe they're building.
00:32The character starts out as this young kid who gets registered with the 50 state initiative
00:38which was this big program in the comics designed to train and play superheroes all across the
00:43country and he's living with his grandfather at the time. So right from the beginning you
00:48have this teenage protagonist who's trying to find his place in a world full of superpowered
00:52people and that's always a relatable angle for audiences. Now the way Reptile gets pulled
00:58into the superhero life is pretty organic because SHIELD scientist Valerie Cooper is putting
01:03together this specialized squad to go after Stagron who is this villain with a plan to
01:08reanimate dinosaur fossils and basically cause chaos with prehistoric creatures. Valerie puts
01:14Tigra in charge of the team and Tigra is told to recruit Umberto to help them out even though
01:20she's understandably worried about it since the kid hasn't actually gone through any formal
01:25training yet. So there's this immediate tension there because you have this inexperienced
01:30young hero being thrown into a dangerous situation and Tigra has to figure out how to make it work
01:35without getting anyone killed. When they're going after Stagron Umberto opens up about his parents
01:41and explains how he ended up with his powers in the first place which gives us some really important
01:46context for his character. His parents Isaac and Jessica were paleontologists so they spent their
01:53whole lives digging up fossils and studying prehistoric life and Umberto was with them in
01:58the desert when they dug up this crystallized bone that turned out to be a medallion. The medallion had
02:04this strange energy that was directly related to dinosaurs and that's what gave him his abilities.
02:09Under the code name Reptile Umberto can use the medallion to obtain the abilities of any
02:14dinosaur just by thinking about it which is such a cool and versatile power because he can switch
02:20between different forms and abilities depending on what the situation calls for. On top of that he
02:26also has this empathy that lets him sense dinosaurs and other reptiles so he has a connection to these
02:32ancient creatures that goes beyond just using their powers. It's a really unique skill set that sets
02:38him apart from a lot of other heroes in the marvel universe. When Umberto arrives at Camp Hammond,
02:44which is where the initiative does its training, he goes through several days of proper training to
02:49get him ready for the field. It's during this time that he tells Tigra about his personal motivation
02:55because his parents disappeared about a year ago on a dig and he wants to become a hero so that
03:00he can
03:00find them. There's this emotional core to his character that makes him more than just a kid with cool
03:06powers because he's driven by love for his family and this desperate hope that he can somehow rescue
03:11them. That kind of personal stake makes him really compelling and it's the kind of motivation that
03:17translates really well to the screen whether it's animation or live action. The team gets some help
03:23from Baron von Blitschlag who creates this device that enhances reptiles powers and with that boost
03:29they're able to locate Stagron and figure out where he's going to strike next. They discover that he's
03:35planning to attack a shield base in South Dakota with his dinosaur herd, so Tigra's group intercepts
03:42them to stop the attack. But things go sideways pretty quickly because Stagron manages to control
03:48Komodo's mind and forces her to attack her own teammates, which throws the whole operation into chaos.
03:55Reptile, being young and hot-headed, charges in against Stagron without really thinking it through,
04:00but he ends up getting beaten down pretty badly. So the mission fails, Stagron escapes with his dinosaurs,
04:07and Reptile ends up with a mild concussion, which is a pretty rough outcome for his first big mission.
04:13Afterwards, Valerie Cooper has a serious conversation with him about what went wrong,
04:17and she tells him that his rash behavior allowed Stagron to escape and put his teammates in danger,
04:23which is a harsh but fair assessment. Tigra steps in and talks to Valerie privately,
04:29asking her to give Umberto one more chance to prove himself in the field,
04:33because she sees potential in him even though he messed up. Valerie agrees but makes it clear that
04:38if Reptile messes up again, his career with the initiative will be over, so there's a lot of
04:43pressure on him to perform better. Tigra goes to Umberto a few days later and gives him some really solid
04:49advice, reminding him to stay balanced, not to overcommit, and to learn from both his own mistakes
04:55and the mistakes of others. She tells him that everyone has problems, and he's actually in a
05:00lucky position to be able to grow from these experiences, which is a really positive and
05:04encouraging message. The next time they go after Stagron, things go much better, because Stagron attacks
05:10another shield base in Wyoming, and this time the team works together really well. Their good teamwork
05:16combined with Reptile's abilities allows them to take down Stagron's dinosaur forces,
05:22so it's a much more successful mission. But then, they discover that Stagron was attacking these
05:28various shield bases because he was trying to capture Moon Boy, who is this innocent character,
05:34and gain control of Devil Dinosaur, which is a huge prehistoric creature. Reptile steps up and tells
05:40Tigra that Moon Boy doesn't deserve what's happening to him, and he wants to help. So Tigra comes up with
05:46a
05:46plan and tells the shield scientists and agents that Moon Boy was actually eaten by one of the
05:51dinosaurs, and she sends Reptile home because he was supposedly getting in the way and being useless.
05:57But that's just a cover story, because in reality, Reptile manages to fly out with Moon Boy and take
06:04him back to his home in Nevada, which is a really clever and brave move on his part. Tiger meets
06:09Umberto
06:10there, and they're soon greeted by Kazar and his pet Smilodon, named Zabu, which is a cool moment
06:17because Kazar is this legendary character from the Savage Land. Kazar thanks both Tigra and Reptile for
06:24bringing Moon Boy back to him safely, and he even invites Reptile to take Moon Boy back to the Savage
06:29Land, which would be an amazing adventure for the character. After Moon Boy is reunited with Devil
06:35Dinosaur, Kazar tells Reptile that he will help him find his parents, which is exactly what Umberto
06:41has been hoping for since the beginning of his journey. So there's this really satisfying emotional
06:46payoff where his bravery and kindness lead to him getting the help he needs to achieve his personal
06:51goal. Now here's where the MCU speculation gets really exciting, because with the X-Men saga coming up
06:57after Avengers Secret Wars, there's a bunch of opportunities to introduce characters like Reptile
07:03in a really organic way. The X-Men movies have always been about young mutants finding their place
07:08in a world that fears and misunderstands them, and Reptile fits that theme perfectly even though
07:14he's not technically a mutant. His powers come from the medallion, but his story of being a young
07:19outsider trying to prove himself and find his family would mesh really well with the tone of an X-Men
07:24film.
07:25Marvel could easily have him show up as a cameo or a supporting character in one of the upcoming X
07:31-Men
07:31movies, maybe as a young hero that the team encounters during one of their missions. And with
07:36the multiverse stuff that's been set up in the MCU, there's even potential for him to cross over from
07:41another reality or to have his origin story tied into some of the cosmic or prehistoric elements
07:46that Marvel has been playing with. The animation project that's rumored to be in development would
07:53be the perfect place to fully explore Reptile's story, because you could really dive into his backstory with
07:58his parents, his training with the Initiative, and his adventures in places like the Savage Land.
08:03But having him show up in live action as well, even as a small role in an X-Men movie,
08:08would be a great way to build up his profile and get audiences excited about the character.
08:13And you know, there's always the possibility that they could include some Easter eggs referencing
08:18Reptile in the upcoming movies, maybe dropping hints about dinosaur-related activity in the Savage
08:24Land or mentioning a young hero with dinosaur powers. And that's that for today's video.
08:29Thanks for watching, and we'll see you in the next one.
