Publication history.

The team debuted in "The Avengers" #1 (Sept. 1963). Much like the Justice League, the Avengers were an assemblage of superheroes who each had an existing series of his own. All of the characters were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This initial series, published bi-monthly through issue #6 (July 1964) and monthly thereafter ran through issue #402 (Sept. 1996), with spinoffs including several annuals, miniseries and a giant-size quarterly sister series that ran briefly in the mid-1970s. Writers of the first series included Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart, Gerry Conway, Jim Shooter and David Michelinie. Artists included John Buscema, Tom Palmer, Neal Adams, George Perez, John Byrne and Jim Starlin.  Other spinoff series include "West Coast Avengers", initially published as a four-issue miniseries in 1984, followed by a 102-issue series (Oct. 1985–Jan. 1994), retitled "Avengers West Coast" with #47; and the 40-issue "Solo Avengers" (Dec.1987–Jan. 1991), retitled "Avengers Spotlight" with #21.  Between 1996 and 2004, Marvel relaunched the primary Avengers title three times. In 1996, the "Heroes

Fictional biography.

1960s.

When the Asgardian god Loki seeks revenge against his brother Thor, his machinations unwittingly lead teenager Rick Jones to collect Ant-Man, the Wasp and Iron Man to help Thor and the Hulk, whom Loki used as a pawn. After the group vanquished Loki, Ant-Man stated that the five worked well together and suggested they form a team; the Wasp named the group "Avengers".  The roster changed almost immediately; at the beginning of the second issue, Ant-Man became Giant-Man, and at the end of the issue, the Hulk left once he realized how much the others feared his unstable personality. Captain America soon joined the team in issue #4, and he was given "founding member" status in the Hulk's place. The Avengers went on to fight foes such as Baron Zemo, who formed the Masters of Evil, Kang the Conqueror, Thanos, Wonder Man, and Count Nefaria.

1970s.

The team encountered new characters such as Arkon in issue #75 (April 1970) and Red Wolf in #80 (Sept. 1970). The team's adventures increased in scope as the team crossed into an alternate dimension and battled the Squadron Supreme, and fought in the Kree-Skrull War, an epic battle between the alien Kree and Skrull races and guest-starred the Kree hero, Captain Marvel. The Avengers briefly disband when Skrulls impersonating Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man used their authority as founders of the team and disbanded it. The true founding Avengers, minus the Wasp, reformed the team in response after complaints from Jarvis.  Mantis joined the team along with the reformed Swordsman. "The Avengers-Defenders Clash" storyline crossed over between the two team titles. "The Celestial Madonna" arc linked Mantis' origins to the very beginnings of the Kree-Skrull conflict in a time-spanning adventure involving Kang the Conqueror, and Immortus, who were past and future versions of each other. Mantis was revealed to be the Celestial Madonna, who was destined to give birth to a being that would save the universe. It

1980s.

The first major development was the breakdown of Henry Pym, with his frequent changes of costume and name being symptomatic of an identity problem and an inferiority complex. After he abused his wife, failed to win back the confidence of the Avengers with a ruse and was duped by the villain Egghead, Pym was jailed. Pym would later outwit Egghead and defeated the latest incarnation of the Masters of Evil single-handedly, and proved his innocence. Pym reconciled with the Wasp, but they decided to

1990s.

The U.S. government revoked the Avengers' New York State charter in a treaty with the Soviet Union. The Avengers then received a charter from the United Nations and the Avengers split into two teams again with a substitute reserve team backing up the main teams.  At this point, ongoing storylines and character development focused on the Black Knight, Sersi, Crystal, Hercules, the Vision, and the Black Widow. Their primary antagonists in this run were the mysterious Proctor and his team

2000s.

The Avengers were granted international authority by the United Nations. Members joining during that period included Jack of Hearts and the second Ant-Man. A new Captain Britain was added to the team. The "Avengers Disassembled" storyline followed. Titled "Chaos", the story featured the deaths of some members and a loss of credibility for the team. The culprit is revealed to be the Scarlet Witch, who had gone insane after agonizing over the memory of her lost children and who subsequently lost control of her reality-altering powers. With the team in

2010s.

After Osborn's Dark Avengers are exposed as criminals and their attack on Asgard was thwarted, the next iteration of the Avengers roster consists of Thor, Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Spider-Woman, Iron Man, and team leader Maria Hill. Steve Rogers, briefly eschewing his Captain America persona, responds to Luke Cage's concerns about the team reverting to old methods by granting Cage's "New Avengers" recognition as an official team independent of Stark's more traditional Avengers. Bucky Barnes as Captain America joined the main Avengers, while Iron Fist, Power Woman, and the Thing joined Cage's team, Spider-Man and Wolverine maintaining dual membership in both teams. Rogers was an occasional presence and Victoria Hand was added as a government liaison for the New Avengers with Rogers's backing.  A second series, titled "Secret Avengers", was released in May 2010, written by Ed Brubaker with Mike Deodato as the regular artist. The second volume of the

Other versions.

1950s Avengers.

A short-lived team of superheroes in the 1950s called themselves the "Avengers". It consisted of Marvel Boy, Venus, the 3-D Man, Gorilla-Man, M-11, Jimmy Woo, Namora, and

Avengers 1959.

The "New Avengers" vol. 2, #10 revealed another 1950s Avengers team, formed by Nick Fury to hunt the last remnants of the Third Reich and consisted of Fury himself, Dominic Fortune, Dum Dum Dugan, Namora, Silver Sable,

Avengers (1,000,000 B.C. version).

In the one-shot issue that ties in with "Marvel Legacy," there was a version of the Avengers that existed back in 1,000,000 B.C. The line-up consists of Agamotto,

Avengers Next.

In the alternate future timeline known as MC2, the Avengers disbanded and Avengers Mansion was a museum. An emergency forced

Ultimate Marvel.

In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, the Avengers are named the Ultimates, and were formed by General Nicholas Fury to protect America against superhuman threats. They first appeared in "The Ultimates" by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. After the events of "The Ultimates 2", the team left S.H.I.E.L.D. employment to become independent and financed by Tony Stark.  A Black Ops team called the "Avengers" debuted sometime after the "Ultimatum" storyline.

Avengers Forever.

One of the timelines seen in "Avengers Forever" is an alternate future where Martians have ravaged Earth and

Marvel Zombies.

The Avengers existed as a team prior to a zombie contagion's arrival in the original Marvel Zombies universe and resembled their pre-disassembled roster. When several of their members were infected, they set about eating humanity and sent out a bogus "Avengers Assemble" call to draw super-humans to the Avengers Mansion, infected more heroes and thus spread the virus. The team fell apart and many

House of M: Avengers.

In an alternate reality which was created by the Scarlet Witch, the Avengers were a street gang of superpowered humans formed by Luke Cage in Hell's

Age of Apocalypse.

A humanized version of the Avengers banded together

Avengers 2099.

During the "Secret Wars" storyline in the Battleworld domain of 2099, the Avengers are a team of corporate superheroes sponsored by Alchemax. The

In other media.

Three animated series have been based on the team. "" was loosely based on the West Coast Avengers and ran from 1999 to 2000. "" was based on the early adventures of the team and ran from 2010 to 2013. "Avengers Assemble" is based on a new version of the team and premiered on May 26, 2013.  Marvel Animation has made three Avengers films, "Ultimate Avengers", "Ultimate Avengers 2", and "Next Avengers".  The Avengers are prominent in current popular culture due to the Marvel Cinematic Universe from Marvel Studios. The Avengers as an organization was emphasized in "The Avengers". This film featured Nick Fury recruiting Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye to form the Avengers to fight Loki, who leads an invasion of New York City with a Chitauri army. The Avengers are successful in bringing an end to the attack and restraining Loki. It is revealed in the 2019 film "Captain Marvel" – set in the 1990s – that Fury named the Avengers Initiative after being inspired by Carol Danvers, who used the call sign when she was an Air Force pilot. A second "Avengers" film titled "" was released on May 1, 2015, which featured the Avengers forced to face the menace of Ultron after Tony was manipulated into accelerating an artificial intelligence program and the resulting entity was driven insane. The film ended with Falcon, War Machine, Vision and Scarlet Witch joining the team after Iron Man, Hawkeye, Thor and Hulk left to explore personal issues (Quicksilver also featured in the film but was killed in the battle with Ultron). The team also was featured in the film "", which saw Captain America and Iron Man acting as leaders to two opposing Avenger teams acting against and for the 'Sokovia Accords'. The Accords would bring heroes under government control, with Captain America leading the team of Winter Soldier, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and Ant-Man against the idea of being under external authority, while Iron Man and his team of War Machine, Black Widow, Vision, Black Panther and Spider-Man fight to make the heroes accountable. The film concluding with the Avengers essentially disbanded due to the conflict over the Accords. A third "Avengers" film titled "" was released on April 27, 2018, where the heroes –including the returned Thor and Hulk– join forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange to stop the mad titan Thanos as he attempts to claim the Infinity Stones. A fourth film titled "" was released on April 26, 2019, as the Avengers come together five years after the events of "Infinity War" to undo Thanos's victory via a complex scheme involving time travel. The Avengers roster in the final battle against Thanos and his forces is as follows: Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, Falcon, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man, Rescue, Okoye, Nebula and Rocket Raccoon along with all the heroes that were snapped returning. The film concludes with the Avengers essentially disbanded as a team, with Black Widow and Iron Man dead, Hawkeye retired to return to his family, Hulk crippled by an injured arm, and Thor departing Earth with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Captain America is an old man after he went to the past to marry Peggy Carter. He then passes his shield and mantle to Falcon, making him his successor.

The Avengers are a fictional team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in "The Avengers" #1 (cover-dated Sept. 1963), created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby. The Avengers is Lee and Kirby's renovation of a previous superhero team, All-Winners Squad, who appeared in comic books series published by Marvel Comics' predecessor Timely Comics.

Avengers (v anglickém originále The Avengers) je fiktivní tým superhrdinů z komiksových příběhů publikovaných vydavatelstvím Marvel Comics. Příběh vytvořili tvůrci Stan Lee a Jack Kirby. Poprvé byl představen v "The Avengers #1" v září 1963. Koncept Avengers byl vytvořen v návaznosti na úspěch týmu superhrdinů Justice League od DC Comics.


History.

In the second half of the 19th Century, French farmers struggled to obtain long-term, flexible, reasonably-priced credit. There were several attempts to set up farming banks, including Crédit Foncier de France in 1861, but none was successful.

Birth of Crédit Agricole and creation of the local and regional banks 1894 - 1900.

Crédit Agricole can trace its history back to the end of the 19th Century, and specifically to the Act of 1884 establishing the freedom of professional association, which authorised, among other things, the creation of farm unions and the foundation of local mutual banks. "Société de Crédit Agricole" was created on 23 February 1885 at Salins-les-Bains in the district of Poligny in the Jura region. It was the first of its kind in France.  Drawing on this experience and in an effort to promote lending to small family farms, the Act of 5 November 1894, which had the support of Minister for Agriculture Jules Méline, paved the way for the creation of Crédit Agricole's Local Banks. The first Local Banks were set up by local elites, including agronomists, teachers and property owners, with farmers playing a minority role.  In the early years, business was made up exclusively of short-term loans provided as advances on harvests, enabling farmers to live more comfortably. Medium-term and long-term loans were added later, making it possible to buy equipment and livestock.  The 1894 Act did not confer any financial advantages, and the Local Banks soon faced financial problems, such as a lack of capital and insufficient collateral from small farmers. It was not until 1897 that the government addressed these problems by requiring the Banque de France to provide funding to Crédit Agricole through an endowment of 40 million gold francs and an annual fee of 2 million francs. A year later, the Act of 1898 resolved the collateral issues. Meanwhile, the Act of 31 March 1899 instituted a commission within the Ministry for Agriculture to distribute the government advances between the Regional Banks, which were also created at this time. These cooperative entities brought together the Local Banks in their catchment area and acted as their clearing organisations.

Building nationwide coverage 1900 - 1945.

More and more Local and Regional Banks were established from the turn of the century. By the eve of the First World War, every region had at least one. But the government continued to provide three-quarters of the funding, and short-term lending still accounted for the lion's share of business despite the authorisation to issue long-term loans granted by the Acts of 29 December 1906 and 19 March 1910. With some regions becoming isolated owing to the War, the need for a central bank to regulate business became more apparent, especially as Crédit Agricole was asked to provide financing to rebuild farming operations damaged during the conflict.  In the 1920s, the bank continued to build its nationwide coverage and expand its business activities, notably by introducing loans to small-scale rural craftsmen in 1920, financing rural electrification and financing local authorities in rural areas from 1923.  The Act of 5 August 1920 gave greater independence to what was at that time a credit department reporting directly to the Ministry for Agriculture and established a public central clearing organisation for the Regional Banks. The Office National de Crédit Agricole was thus set up, with Louis Tardy as its Chief Executive Officer. In 1926, the institution was renamed Caisse Nationale de Crédit Agricole (CNCA), and Crédit Agricole's institutional structure was complete. The 1920 Act also established the legal framework for Crédit Agricole's operations in France.  Local and Regional Banks did not emerge from the 1930 crisis unscathed. The Caisse Nationale took on a greater role and aided the most heavily exposed banks. A joint deposit guarantee fund was set up in 1935. The following year, Crédit Agricole provided additional support by financing wheat stocks through discounting when the National Cereals Board (ONIC) was established. The payment mechanisms used helped to make cheques and bank accounts more popular in the countryside.  Between 1939 and 1945, the Vichy regime imposed stricter state supervision on Crédit Agricole. Major financial developments also took place at this time, including the creation of the five-year note.

Post-War period and creation of Fédération Nationale du Crédit Agricole 1945 - 1966.

To finance the post-war reconstruction effort and encourage the mechanisation of farming, CNCA stepped up deposit-taking to supplement the funds provided by the government. The Regional Banks opened many offices, with the total increasing from 1,000 in 1947 to 2,259 by 1967.  Fédération Nationale du Crédit Agricole (FNCA) was created in 1948. It was tasked with representing the Crédit Agricole Regional Banks with respect to the public authorities and CNCA. It also played a role in training staff and gradually expanding Crédit Agricole's expertise.  In 1959, Crédit Agricole was authorised by decree to finance property loans for primary residences in rural areas, irrespective of the status of the owner (even non-farmers). The distribution of long-term bonds created in 1950 enabled Crédit Agricole to be self-financing from 1963. Financial flows between the government and the organisation reversed, with Crédit Agricole now sending deposits to the Treasury.  Crédit Agricole continued to modernise, with an influx of new managerial talent both in the Regional Banks and at CNCA. In 1960, Paul Driant became the first Chairman of CNCA to come from a farming background. He remained in this position for 14 years.

Birth of a universal bank 1966 - 1988.

In 1966, as part of efforts to boost savings and remove Crédit Agricole from its budget, the government gave CNCA financial autonomy. Savings inflows no longer passed through the Treasury, and CNCA was now responsible for balancing the surpluses and deficits of the Regional Banks. The 1971 "Rurality Act" extended Crédit Agricole's potential financing sources to rural zones and to new types of customers, such as craftsmen and food producers. Lending to SMEs and mid-tier firms followed after.  The Banking Reform of 1966 allowed the organisation to offer households the same products as those provided by competitors, including passbook accounts and home savings plans.  The first subsidiaries were set up at the end of the 1960s to address the specific needs of CNCA: "Union d'études et d'investissements" (UI) was created in 1967 to make equity investments, followed by Segespar for asset management in 1968, and Unicrédit to grant loans to food producers in 1971. Crédit Agricole began distributing home purchase savings products from 1967, government-regulated mortgages from 1972 and first-time-buyer loans in 1977.  In 1976, the Group adopted the slogan "le bon sens près de chez vous" ("common sense close to home").  Crédit Agricole opened its first foreign branch, in Chicago, in 1979, signalling the start of its strategy of international expansion. In that year, The Banker magazine ranked Crédit Agricole among the world's leading banks. Reflecting this progress, Crédit Agricole was made subject to France's 1984 Banking Act; previously it had been subject only to the Rural Code. In addition, an interbank agreement was signed to make Crédit Agricole bank cards part of the carte bleue system used by other banks.  The group's business diversification started in the 1980s. The Predica life insurance subsidiary was set up in 1986, while property & casualty unit Pacifica was created in 1990. The group expanded into bancassurance, offering the first retirement savings plans. At this time, many Local Bank directors were also directors of Groupama, an insurer from the farming sector. There was talk of a merger between the two, but this did not ultimately come to pass.

Institutional changes 1988 - 2001.

On 18 January 1988, the CNCA Privatisation Act came into force. CNCA was transformed into a public limited company, with a 90% stake sold to the Regional Banks and 10% to staff. Crédit Agricole became fully independent of the government, putting an end to the latter's practice of skimming off surplus funds. In 1990, Crédit Agricole lost the monopoly on granting low-interest loans to farmers and one year later, in 1991, the "normalisation" process was completed as it was allowed to begin financing large corporations.  International expansion continued with the acquisition of stakes in Banco Ambrosiano Veneto in Italy in 1989 and Banco Espirito Santo in Portugal in 1991.  Consolidation among the Regional Banks began officially in 1990, with the aim of reducing costs. The aim was to halve the number of Regional Banks, and that objective had been surpassed by the turn of the 21st Century. Meanwhile, 18 of the 94 Regional Banks were listed on the secondary market through issues of cooperative investment certificates, although most of the share capital of the Regional Banks remained in the hands of the 5.5 million client stakeholders.  In 1993, Lucien Douroux, who led the plan to privatise FNCA, became CNCA's first Chief Executive Officer, having been appointed by Crédit Agricole from existing staff.  In 1996, the group bought Indosuez and then created Indocam, an asset management subsidiary (renamed Crédit Agricole Asset Management in 1999), and Crédit Agricole Indosuez for corporate and investment banking. In 1999, diversification continued as the Group took a stake in the newly privatised Crédit Lyonnais, and acquired leading consumer finance company Sofinco.  CNCA was listed on the stockmarket in 2001 under the name Crédit Agricole S.A. This gave the Regional Banks a listed vehicle through which to carry out major acquisitions.

Crédit Agricole in the 21st Century.

Picking up the pace of business diversification 2001 - 2008.

The 21st Century saw the group continue to diversify its business line-up. Finaref was acquired in 2003. That same year, Crédit Agricole acquired Crédit Lyonnais in a friendly takeover orchestrated by then Chairman of the Board René Carron after a market battle was triggered by the government's decision to auction off its stake in Crédit Lyonnais in December 2002. The two banks were combined in 2003 and 2004, which led to the different business lines being grouped into subsidiaries. This included the creation of Calyon in 2004 from the merger of the corporate and investment banking activities of Crédit Lyonnais and Crédit Agricole Indosuez. Crédit Lyonnais focused on retail banking and was rebranded as LCL in August 2005.  Between 2004 and 2005, the Regional Banks and Crédit Agricole S.A. embarked on a major development plan aimed at bolstering the Regional Banks' leading positions in France by gaining a greater presence in major cities, while at the same time increasing the Group's international reach. Businesses were established in Egypt, Ukraine, Serbia, Greece, Italy and Portugal. In 2006, Crédit Agricole Assurances was created to bring together the Pacifica and Predica brands.  In 2007, the group starting to part away from newly formed Italian banking giant Intesa Sanpaolo, which Crédit Agricole was the largest shareholder of Banca Intesa, despite on 22 January 2007 Crédit Agricole still acted as the third largest shareholder of Intesa Sanpaolo. On 1 March 2007 Crédit Agricole acquired 202 former Banca Intesa branches, as well as Cariparma and FriulAdria from Intesa Sanpaolo. In 2011 Crédit Agricole acquired Carispezia from Intesa Sanpaolo, as well as 96 branches directly from Intesa Sanpaolo. In 2012 Crédit Agricole finally sold all the shares of Intesa Sanpaolo.

Business overview.

The group's acquisitions enabled it to strengthen its leadership in French retail banking, expand its position in corporate and investment banking and build up its international network of branches and subsidiaries. By now, the group was the number-one bank in France with 28% of the domestic market, the global number-two by revenues and number-ten by profits, according to Fortune magazine, and number-15 worldwide according to Forbes rankings.

Crédit Agricole and the 2008 - 2012 crisis.

When the interbank lending market seized up, Crédit Agricole was forced in January 2008 to sell its long-standing stake in Suez for €1,3 billion and then in May 2008 to organise a €5.9 billion rights issue to which all the Regional Banks subscribed to meet Basel II regulatory requirements. It also undertook a €5 billion programme of non-strategic asset disposals.  At the end of 2008, the government decided to loan France's six largest banks €21 billion in two tranches, at an interest rate of 8%, to enable them to continue to play their role in the economy. Crédit Agricole did not take part in the second tranche and repaid the government in October 2009. Crédit Agricole's crisis exit strategy was well received by the markets, with the share price gaining more than 40% over 2009.  In 2012, Crédit Agricole continued to report negative results, posting a loss of around €3 billion in the third quarter. The Greek branch Emporiki was separated from its profitable wealthy parts in Albania, Bulgaria and Romania which were integrated into the Crédit Agricole group. The whole investment into Emporiki cost around €9 billion. The remaining Greek part was sold off to Alpha Bank for €1. Crédit Agricole also withdrew totally from Spanish bank Bankinter, resulting in a book loss of €193 million, and took a massive €600 million write-down on consumer credit, notably owing to difficulties in Italy. Furthermore, Crédit Agricole had to write down the goodwill on its balance sheet. Goodwill amounted to €17.7 billion in September 2012, well above the actual value. In early February 2013, the bank announced that it would book €3.8 billion in writedowns and costs – a record amount according to the media.

Mergers and acquisitions from 2014.

In March 2014, the Crédit Agricole Group unveiled its medium-term strategic plan, which put the emphasis on retail banking, insurance and saving. Internationally, the group decided to refocus on its core markets, starting with Italy, the group's second-largest market.  The Crédit Agricole Group sold its Bulgarian subsidiary to Corporate Commercial Bank for €160 million. On 22 April 2014, Crédit Agricole S.A., Crédit Agricole Nord and Crédit Agricole Nord-Est announced that they would sell 50% of their stake in Crelan S.A., a Belgian bank created out of the merger of Crédit Agricole Belgique and Centea, to Caisses coopératives belges by June 2015.  In 2017, the group bought 3 small Italian banks.

Corporate governance.

Crédit Agricole has a three-tier structure, comprising the local banks, the regional banks (and their branches and equity investments) and Crédit Agricole S.A. (and its subsidiaries). The local and regional banks are cooperative companies. Crédit Agricole S.A. is a "société anonyme". Crédit Agricole is one of the leading cooperative companies in the world.

Local banks.

The 2,509 local banks form the foundation of Crédit Agricole. They have 7.4 million stakeholders (December 2013), who are both clients and owners of the share capital (through ownership shares) of the local banks, in accordance with the cooperative governance principle.  The local banks hold the bulk of the capital of the regional banks. At the annual general meetings of the local banks, which attract around 500,000 participants every year, the stakeholders appoint over 32,000 volunteer directors.

Regional banks.

Crédit Agricole's regional banks are cooperative entities and fully-fledged banks, offering a wide range of financial products and services to their 20 million clients (end-2008). They boast a network of some 7,200 branches and 12,000 ATMs, plus more than 7,000 in-store cash points, which provide Crédit Agricole customers with basic banking services. Some regional banks have merged to improve their financial strength and competitiveness, with the total number of Regional Banks falling from 94 to 39 between 1988 and 2008.  To prevent customers affected by a personal event, such as a death or unemployment, from being excluded from banking services, 30 regional banks have set up Point Passerelle centres, which provide a friendly ear, mediation and support for clients looking for help to get out of a difficult situation. Caisse Régionale du Nord-Est first introduced the system in 1997.  Through an association set up to promote the employment of people with disabilities within Crédit Agricole (HECA), the Crédit Agricole regional banks devote resources to the recruitment, integration and continued employment of disabled workers. Measures include workstation modifications, transport facilities and training. Since a lack of training makes it harder for people with disabilities to get work, Crédit Agricole has set up work/study training programmes to enable people who have their high school diploma to receive post-secondary qualifications. The goal was to recruit more than 800 disabled persons between 2006 and end-2010, and by end-2009, more than 360 permanent contracts and 670 work/study contracts had been signed. Former Miss France runner-up Sophie Vouzelaud, who has been deaf from birth, is HECA's official ambassador.  The regional banks help to promote the cooperative model locally through a variety of initiatives, such as the Perspectives Mutualistes conference series (Pau in 2006, Angers in 2007, Reims in 200831, Orléans in 2009), and by issuing special bank cards for stakeholders.

Fédération Nationale du Crédit Agricole.

Fédération Nationale du Crédit Agricole (FNCA) is the body through which the regional banks discuss policy, express their views and represent themselves. FNCA plays the role of a trade body. It is a forum for discussions that arise at the grass-roots level, and it plays a proactive, guiding role.  It represents Crédit Agricole's regional banks and the Group with respect to the public authorities, agricultural trade associations and bodies with authority for cooperative and mutual banking. FNCA provides services to regional banks, particularly in the fields of vocational training, through the Crédit Agricole Mutuel training centre, and human resource management. The senior management team is represented by:

Crédit Agricole S.A..

In 1988, Caisse Nationale de Crédit Agricole was privatised, becoming Crédit Agricole S.A., a public limited company owned by the regional banks and group employees. In 2001, Crédit Agricole S.A. was floated on the stockmarket, although the regional banks (44 at the time) retained a majority share, as provided for by the group's mutual articles of association.  The Board is made up of members elected by the annual general meeting, representatives of trade organisations, members elected by employees, a non-voting member and a representative of the Works Council.  The regional banks own 54% of Crédit Agricole S.A., which in turn holds 25% of their capital in the form of non-voting cooperative securities ("certificats coopératifs d'associés"). An internal debate is continually underway on striking a balance between growing activities that serve the regional banks directly and promoting businesses that lie outside their sphere. Institutional investors, particularly in the UK and US, are not always at ease with this approach.

Financial and market data.

The cooperative investment certificates of 15 Regional Banks, and the shares of Crédit Agricole S.A., the Group holding company, are listed on the Paris stock exchange. Crédit Agricole S.A. is also a member of the Dow Jones, Euro Stoxx 50, SBF 120, Euronext 100, ASPI Eurozone and FTSE4Good Index.

Crédit Agricole Group data.

The Crédit Agricole Group comprises all the Local and Regional Banks, Crédit Agricole S.A. and all their subsidiaries.

Crédit Agricole S.A. Group data.

The Crédit Agricole S.A. Group comprises the holding company, Crédit Agricole S.A., as well as all its subsidiaries.

Sports sponsorship.

Cycling.

In 1998, following the Tour de France, Crédit Agricole became the lead sponsor of the cycling team led by Roger Legeay, previously sponsored by Gan, an insurer. The initial investment was FRF 30 million a year. Over the years, the team won many stages in major cycling races as well as several national championships. In 2008, Crédit Agricole reviewed its sports sponsorship strategy and ended its partnership after ten years.

Rugby.

Crédit Agricole has been the main sponsor of the Italian national rugby team since 2007 via its Italian subsidiary Cariparma.

Football.

It was official sponsor of France national football team in the 2018 Russia World Cup.

Crédit Agricole Group (), sometimes called "la banque verte" () due to its historical ties to farming, is the world's largest cooperative financial institution. It consists of a network of Crédit Agricole local banks, the 39 Crédit Agricole regional banks, and a central institute, the Crédit Agricole S.A.. In 1990, it became an international full-service banking group. It is listed through Crédit Agricole S.A., an intermediate holding company, on Euronext Paris' first market and is part of the CAC 40 stock market index. Local banks of the group owned the regional banks, in turn the regional banks majority owned the S.A. via a holding company, in turn the S.A. owned part of the subsidiaries of the group, such as LCL, the Italian network and the CIB unit.

Crédit Agricole je francouzská obchodní banka s centrálou v Paříži. Její právní forma je akciová společnost. Crédit Agricole má zhruba 160 000 zaměstnanců a roční obrat 34,2 miliardy € (2010). Je ústřední společností skupiny Crédit Agricole, která je družstevně organizována.


Taxonomy.

The first formal description of the giant kingfisher was by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1769 under the binomial name "Alcedo maxima". The current genus "Megaceryle" was erected by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1848.  There are two subspecies:  The nominate subspecies "M. m. maxima" occurs in wooded savanna while "M. m. gigantea" prefers tropical rainforest.

Description.

The giant kingfisher is long, with a large shaggy crest, a large black bill and fine white spots on black upperparts. The male has a chestnut breast band and otherwise white underparts with dark flank barring. The female has a white-spotted black breast band and a chestnut belly. The forest race "M. m. gigantea" is darker, less spotted above, and more barred below than the nominate race, but the two forms intergrade along the forest edge zone.  The call is a loud "wak wak wak".

Behaviour.

Breeding.

In South Africa breeding takes place between September and January, in Zimbabwe from August to March, in Zambia March to April and in Liberia December to January.  The giant kingfisher is monogamous and a solitary breeder. The nest is a long horizontal tunnel that is excavated into a river bank by both sexes using their feet and bills. The entrance hole is high and wide. The tunnel is typically in length but a tunnel of has been recorded. A clutch of around three eggs is laid in a chamber at the end of the tunnel.

Feeding.

This large species feeds on crabs, fish, and frogs, caught by diving from a perch.

The giant kingfisher ("Megaceryle maxima") is the largest kingfisher in Africa, where it is a resident breeding bird over most of the continent south of the Sahara Desert, other than the arid southwest.

Rybařík velký ("Megaceryle maxima") je největší pták z čeledi ledňáčkovitých. Žije v Africe jižně od Sahary s výjimkou suchých oblastí na jihozápadě. Jedná se o největší africký druh rybaříka, je dlouhý 42–48 centimetrů.


Life.

He was born in Viborg and studied at the Viborg Katedralskole and Royal Academy of Arts in Copenhagen. He later became associate professor at the Academy and from 1978 he was professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture. He later served as director up to the time of his death.

Churches.

He directed the creation of several modern churches in Denmark: "Vangede Kirke" near Copenhagen (1974), "Stavnsholt Kirke" at the city of Farum (1981) and two Roman Catholic churches including one in Esbjerg (1969), St Nikolaj Church, and Hvidovre (1960), also consecrated to Saint Nicholas.  He was modest about his accomplishments. Once in an interview, he declared that he was an architect who built three churches and one Arch. He relied heavily on simple geometrical figures, especially the quadrant, which can be seen in his churches, in the interior decorations even of church organs.

La Défense.

His design won the international competition of the Grande Arche in Puteaux, France, as the French President François Mitterrand felt it was the best because of its 'purity and strength'. This work of 110 meters of height, which was inaugurated in 1989, two years after his death, used with remarkable ability the technology of its time, and was inspired by the nearby Arc de Triomphe. The monument, located in the heart of the financial district of La Défense, is built of granite and of Carrara marble. From its terrace, it is possible to admire a panoramic view all along the "Axe historique" with the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées, the Luxor Obelisk at the Place de la Concorde and the gardens of the Tuileries and the Louvre beyond.

Personal life.

In 1955, he was married to Karen Gerda Gustavsen. Johan Otto von Spreckelsen died in Hørsholm and was buried at Hørsholm Kirkegård.

Johan Otto von Spreckelsen (4 May 1929 — 16 March 1987) was a Danish architect, best known for designing the Grande Arche of La Défense in Puteaux, near Paris. He directed the creation of several modern churches in Denmark.

Johan Otto von Spreckelsen (4. května 1929 Viborg – 16. března 1987 Hørsholm) byl dánský architekt. Jeho nejslavnější stavbou je mrakodrap La Grande Arche ve čtvrti La Défense.


Name.

Birštonas is the Lithuanian name of the city. Versions of the name in other languages include Polish: "Birsztany", Russian: Бирштаны "Birshtany", Belarusian: Біршта́ны "Birshtany", Yiddish: בירשטאן "Birshtan".

History.

Birštonas was mentioned for the first time in the fourteenth century as a "homestead at salty water." It was mentioned in chronicles of the Teutonic Knights in 1382 and described as "a farmstead at the salty water". Many Lithuanian dukes and other noblemen vacationed in Birštonas during 14th and 16th centuries to hunt. The resort was founded in 1846. Many people from Russian, Polish, and Lithuanian cities visited sanitoriums for the area's mineral water and to receive curative mud applications, including Lithuanian writer Balys Sruoga, who was ill after the Stutthof concentration camp, beatified Teofilius Matulionis, after his imprisonment in Soviet camps and prisons for 16 years.

Environment.

Birštonas is surrounded by pine forests and the Nemunas River, which is very good for the ill. Some hills offer nice views of the Nemunas River. There are also shops, police department, library, theatre, clinic, pharmacy, book store, schools, museums, cafes, restaurants and the City Hall. There are many apartments and rare houses. Birštonas serves as a center of the Nemunas Loops Regional Park.

Transportation.

Birštonas is accessed by national status roads from Kaunas, Vilnius, and Marijampolė. It is served by Kaunas International Airport, the second largest airport in Lithuania, located in Karmėlava site.

Festivals.

Birštonas holds several festivals. The Birštonas town festival is held during the second weekend of June. It features concerts, folk art exhibits, and air balloon and motorboat races.  On the last weekend of March Birštonas hosts a traditional, Lithuania's oldest international jazz festival, called Birštonas. Since 1980, the jazz festival coming here every two years have long earned the resort a name of the Lithuanian jazz Mecca.  The "Būtent!" festival is an annual open-air discussion festival that takes place at the beginning of September. For two days, well-known educators, influencers and politicians gather to discuss topics recommended by festival visitors. A wide variety of topics are discussed in English and Lithuanian. The festival is free of charge.

Tourism.

Birštonas is known for its mineral water. This water is used by sanatoriums for mineral water pools and baths. There are three large sanatoriums in Birštonas:  All of them offer halotherapy, therapeutic peat pulp bath, mineral water pools, baths, massages, and a wide range of curative procedures. Birštonas also has hotels and country farmsteads, adapted for rural tourism.

Twin towns — sister cities.

Birštonas is twinned with:

Birštonas (; "Birshton") is a balneological resort and a spa town in Lithuania situated south of Kaunas on the right bank of the Nemunas River. Birštonas received its city rights 1529, and was appointed a city in 1966. The city is the administrative centre of the Birštonas municipality.

Birštonas (česky zastarale "Birštany") je (v pořadí podle velikosti 10. ze 13 v kraji) okresní město na jihu Kaunaského kraje na jihu Litvy a také lázeňské město s balneologickou léčbou a léčbou bahnem. Zde jsou prameny léčivých minerálních vod jako například „Vytautas“, „Versmė“, „Danutė“, „Vaidilutė“ a další. Leží 39 km na jih od krajského města Kaunas, 101 km na západ od Vilniusu. Je ze tří stran kromě jihovýchodní obklopeno meandrem Němenu, jehož klička sahá severozápadním směrem až k sousednímu okresnímu městu Prienai (7 km). V lázeňském městě je zděný kostel Sv. Antonína Padovského (postaven roku 1909, v tom místě byl kostel již před rokem 1529), dále pošta (PSČ:LT-59009), kulturní středisko (v něm je největší vitáž v Litvě „Lietuva“: plocha je 142 m2, autor Vytautas Švarlys), poliklinika, ambulance, střední škola, škola uměmí, birštonské muzeum (založeno roku 1967), sakrální muzeum (r. 2000), rezidence starších (od r. 2007), památník Vytautase (od r. 1998, od sochaře Gediminase Jokūbonise), socha Martyna Mažvyda, socha „Dívka s píšťalou“, památník Jonu Basanavičiusovi na náměstí Jona Basanavičiuse, památník partyzánům. Je zde 85 m kopec a hradiště "Birštono piliakalnis" neboli "Vytauto kalnas" (Vytautasův kopec), které je 350 m na jih od kostela Sv. Antonína Padovského ve Vytautasově parku (zde se na jaře konají jazzové festivaly), dále kopec "Dainų kalnelis" (kopeček písní), dva lázeňské domy, hřebčinec, olympijské středisko kanoistiky.


Publication history.

Creation.

In 1940, writer Joe Simon conceived the idea for Captain America and made a sketch of the character in costume. "I wrote the name 'Super American' at the bottom of the page," Simon said in his autobiography, and then decided:  Simon recalled in his autobiography that Timely Comics publisher Martin Goodman gave him the go-ahead and directed that a Captain America solo comic book series be published as soon as

Golden Age.

Captain America Comics #1 — cover-dated March 1941 and on sale December 20, 1940, a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor, but a full year into World War II — showed the protagonist punching Nazi leader Adolf Hitler; it sold nearly one million copies. While most readers responded favorably to the comic, some took objection. Simon noted, "When the first issue came out we got a lot of... threatening letters and hate mail. Some people really opposed what Cap stood for." The threats, which included menacing groups of people loitering out on the street outside of the

Silver and Bronze Age.

In the Human Torch story titled "Captain America" in Marvel Comics' "Strange Tales" #114 (Nov. 1963), writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby depicted the brash young Fantastic Four member Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, in an exhibition performance with Captain America, described as a legendary World War II and 1950s superhero who has returned after many years of apparent retirement. The 18-page story ends with this Captain America revealed as an impostor: it was actually the villain the Acrobat, a former

Modern Age.

As part of the aftermath of Marvel Comics' company-crossover storyline "Civil War", Steve Rogers was ostensibly killed in "Captain America" vol. 5, #25 (March 2007).  The storyline of Rogers' return began in issue #600. Rogers, who was not dead but caroming through time, returned to the present day in the six-issue miniseries "" (Sept. 2009 – March 2010).  After Rogers' return, Barnes, at Rogers' insistence, continued as Captain America, beginning in the one-shot comic "Captain America: Who Will Wield the Shield?" (Feb. 2010). While Bucky Barnes continued adventuring in the pages of "Captain America", Steve Rogers received his own miniseries ("Steve

Legal status.

In 1966, Joe Simon sued the owners of Marvel Comics, asserting that he—not Marvel—was legally entitled to renew the copyright upon the expiration of the original 28-year term. The two parties settled out of court, with Simon agreeing to a statement that the character had been created under terms of employment by the publisher, and therefore it was work for hire owned by them.  In

Fictional character biography.

20th century.

1940s.

Steven Grant Rogers was born in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, in 1920 to poor Irish immigrants, Sarah and Joseph Rogers. Joseph died when Steve was a child, and Sarah died of pneumonia while Steve was a teen. By early 1940, before America's entry into World War II, Rogers is a tall, scrawny fine arts student specializing in illustration and a comic book writer and artist.  Disturbed by the devastation of Europe by the Nazis, Rogers attempts to enlist but is rejected due to his frail body. His resolution attracts the notice of U.S. Army General Chester Phillips and "Project: Rebirth". Rogers is used as

Late 1940s to 1950s.

Captain America appeared in comics for the next few years, changing from World War II-era hero fighting the Nazis to confronting the United States' newest enemy, Communism. The revival of the character in the mid-1950s was short-lived, and events during that time period are later retconned to show that multiple people operated using the code name to explain the changes in the character. These post World War II successors are listed as William Naslund and Jeffrey Mace. They are assisted by Fred Davis continuing the role of Bucky.  The last

1960s to 1970s.

Years later, the superhero team the Avengers discovers Steve Rogers' body in the North Atlantic. After he revives, they piece together that Rogers has been preserved in a block of ice since 1945, surviving because of his enhancements from Project: Rebirth. The block began to melt after the Sub-Mariner, enraged that an Inuit tribe is worshipping the frozen figure, throws it into the ocean. Rogers accepts membership in the Avengers, and his experience in individual combat service and his time with the Invaders makes him a valuable asset. He quickly assumes leadership and has typically returned to that position throughout the team's history. Captain America is plagued by guilt for having been unable to prevent Bucky's death. Although he takes the young Rick Jones (who closely resembles Bucky) under his tutelage, he refuses for some time to allow Jones to take up the Bucky identity, not wishing to be responsible for another youth's death. Insisting that his hero move on from that loss, Jones convinces Rogers to let him don the Bucky costume, but this partnership lasts only a short time; a disguised Red Skull, impersonating Rogers with the help

1980s to 1990s.

The 1980s included a run by writer Roger Stern and artist John Byrne. Stern had Rogers consider a run for President of the United States in "Captain America" #250 (June 1980), an idea originally developed by Roger McKenzie and Don Perlin. Stern, in his capacity as editor of the title, originally rejected the idea but later changed his mind about the concept. McKenzie and Perlin received credit for the idea on the letters page at Stern's insistence. Stern additionally introduced a new love interest, law student Bernie Rosenthal, in "Captain America" #248 (Aug. 1980). Writer J. M. DeMatteis revealed the true face and full origin of the Red Skull in "Captain America" #298–300, and had Captain America take on Jack Monroe, Nomad, as a partner for a time. The heroes gathered by the Beyonder elect Rogers as leader during their stay on Battleworld. Homophobia is dealt with as Rogers runs into a childhood friend named Arnold Roth who is gay.  Mark Gruenwald became the writer of the series with issue #307 (July 1985) and wrote 137 issues for 10 consecutive years from until #443 (Sept. 1995), the most issues by any single author in the character's history. Gruenwald created several new foes, including Crossbones and the Serpent Society. Other Gruenwald characters included Diamondback, Super Patriot, and Demolition Man. Gruenwald explored numerous political and social themes as well, such as extreme idealism when Captain America fights the anti-nationalist terrorist Flag-Smasher; and vigilantism when he hunts the murderous Scourge of the Underworld.  Rogers receives a large back-pay reimbursement dating back to his disappearance at the end of World War II, and a government

21st century.

2000s.

In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Rogers reveals his identity to the world and establishes a residence in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, as seen in "Captain America" vol. 4, #1–7 (June 2002 – Feb. 2003). Following the disbandment of the Avengers in the "Avengers Disassembled" story arc, Rogers, now employed by S.H.I.E.L.D., discovers Bucky is alive, having been saved and deployed by the Soviets as the Winter Soldier. Rogers resumes his on-again, off-again relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter. After a mass supervillain break-out of the Raft, Rogers and Tony Stark assemble a new team of Avengers to hunt the escapees.  In the 2006–2007 company-wide story arc "Civil War", Rogers opposes the new mandatory federal registration of super-powered beings, and leads the underground anti-registration movement. After significant rancor and danger to the public as the two sides clash, Captain America voluntarily surrenders and orders

2010s.

Following the company-wide "Dark Reign" and "Siege" story arcs, the Steve Rogers character became part of the "Heroic Age" arc.  The President of the United States appoints Rogers, in his civilian identity, as ""America's top cop"" and head of the nation's security, replacing Norman Osborn as the tenth "Executive Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.". The Superhuman Registration Act is repealed and Rogers re-establishes the superhero team the Avengers, spearheaded by Iron Man, Thor, and Bucky as Captain America. In the miniseries "Steve Rogers: Super Soldier", he encounters Jacob Erskine, the grandson of Professor Abraham Erskine and the son of Tyler Paxton, one of Rogers' fellow volunteers in the Super-Soldier program. Shortly afterward, Rogers becomes leader of the Secret Avengers, a black-ops superhero team.  During the "Fear Itself" storyline, Steve Rogers is present when the threat of the Serpent is known. Following the apparent death of Bucky at the hands of Sin (in the form of Skadi), Steve Rogers ends up changing into his Captain America uniform. When the Avengers and the

Alternate timeline Hydra duplicate.

During the 2016 "" storyline, Steve Rogers learns from Rick Jones that S.H.I.E.L.D. has established Pleasant Hill, a gated community where they use Kobik to transform villains into ordinary citizens. When Rogers is brought to Pleasant Hill, he confronts Maria Hill about the Kobik project. Their argument is interrupted when Baron Helmut Zemo and Fixer restore the inmates to normal. After Hill is injured, Rogers convinces Zemo to let Hill get medical attention. Rogers is then escorted to Dr. Erik Selvig's clinic by Father Patrick. Selvig tells Rogers that Kobik is at the Pleasant Hill Bowling Alley. During an attempt to reason with Kobik, Rogers is attacked by Crossbones. Before Rogers can be killed, Kobik uses her abilities to restore him back to his prime. Declaring that "It's good to be back," Steve defeats Crossbones as Captain America and the Winter Soldier catch up with him. They resume their search for Kobik, and discover that Baron Zemo had Fixer invent a device that would make Kobik subservient to them. Rogers rallies the heroes so that they can take the fight to Zemo. In the aftermath of the incident, Steve and Sam plan to keep what happened at Pleasant Hill under wraps for the time being.  In "Captain America: Steve Rogers" #1 (July 2016), the final panel apparently revealed that Rogers has been a Hydra double-agent since his early youth. This is subsequently revealed to be the result of Kobik's restoration of Rogers' youth, as she had been taught by the Red Skull that Hydra was good for the world, and having the mind of a four-year-old child, Kobik changed reality so that Rogers would be the greatest man he could be: believing Hydra to be good, Kobik permanently altered his memories so that Rogers believed that he had always been a member of Hydra. Some of Rogers' original heroic attributes remain intact, such as covering the death of another Hydra member within S.H.I.E.L.D., Erik Selvig, as well as knowing of Jack Flag's tragic life and his immortality, which is why Steve pushes him from Zemo's airplane (resulting in coma, not death). Additionally, it is revealed that Rogers' abusive father, Joseph, was actually killed by Hydra, and that Hydra deceived him into thinking Joseph died of a heart attack. It is also revealed that Rogers witnessed his mother, Sarah, being killed by Sinclair's Hydra goons and kidnapped him, which is the reason why Steve held a grudge towards Hydra's evilness and plans to kill the Red Skull's clone and restore Hydra's lost honor. As part of his long-term plans,

Powers and abilities.

Tactician and field commander.

Rogers' battle experience and training make him an expert tactician and an excellent field commander, with his teammates frequently deferring to his orders in battle. The Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and other heroes choose Rogers as their leader during the Secret Wars; Thor says that Rogers is one of the very few mortals he will take orders from, and follow "through the gates of Hades".  Rogers' reflexes and senses are extraordinarily keen. He has blended Aikido, Boxing, Judo, Karate, Jujutsu, Kickboxing, and gymnastics into his own unique fighting style and is a master of multiple martial arts. Years of practice with his near-indestructible shield make him able to aim and throw it with almost unerring accuracy. His skill with his shield is such that he can attack multiple targets in succession with a single throw or even cause a boomerang-like return from a

Super Soldier Serum.

Steve Rodgers is often considered to be the pinnacle of human potential and operates at peak physical performance due to his enhancement via the Super Soldier Serum. The Super Soldier Serum enhances all of his metabolic functions and prevents the build-up of fatigue poisons in his muscles, giving him endurance far in excess of an ordinary human being. This accounts for many of his extraordinary feats, including bench pressing as a warm-up and running a mile

Weapons and equipment.

Captain America has used multiple shields throughout his history, the most prevalent of which is a nigh-indestructible disc-shaped shield made from a unique combination of Vibranium, Steel alloy, and an unknown third component that has never been duplicated called Proto-Adamantium. The shield was cast by American metallurgist Dr. Myron MacLain, who was contracted by the U.S. government, from orders of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to create an impenetrable substance to use for tanks during World War II. This alloy was created by accident and never duplicated, although efforts to reverse-engineer it resulted in the discovery of adamantium.  Captain America often uses his shield as an offensive throwing weapon. The first instance of Captain America's trademark ricocheting shield-toss occurs in Stan Lee's first comics writing, the two-page text story "Captain America Foils the Traitor's Revenge" in "Captain America Comics" #3 (May 1941). The legacy of the shield among other comics characters includes the time-traveling mutant superhero Cable telling Captain America that his shield still exists in one of the possible futures; Cable carries it into battle

Antagonists.

Captain America has faced numerous foes in over 70 years of published adventures. Many of his recurring foes embody ideologies contrary to the American values that Captain America is shown to strive for and believes in. Some examples of these opposing values are Nazism (Red Skull, Baron Zemo), neo-Nazism (Crossbones, Doctor Faustus), technocratic fascism (AIM, Arnim Zola), Communism (Aleksander Lukin), amoral capitalism (Roxxon Energy Corporation), anti-patriotism (Flag Smasher) and international and domestic terrorism (Hydra).

Captain America is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in "Captain America Comics" #1 (cover dated March 1941) from Timely Comics, a predecessor of Marvel Comics. Captain America was designed as a patriotic supersoldier who often fought the Axis powers of World War II and was Timely Comics' most popular character during the wartime period. The popularity of superheroes waned following the war, and the "Captain America" comic book was discontinued in 1950, with a short-lived revival in 1953. Since Marvel Comics revived the character in 1964, Captain America has remained in publication.

Captain America (česky překládán jako Kapitán Amerika) je fiktivní postava komiksových příběhů vydávaných nakladatelstvím Marvel Comics. Poprvé se objevil ve vlastní komiksové knize "Captain America Comics #1" roku 1941 pod vydavatelstvím Timely Comics (předchůdce Marvel). Je výtvorem tvůrčího dua, které tvořili Joe Simon a Jack Kirby. Příběh byl vytvořen na myšlence vlasteneckého amerického superhrdiny bojujícího proti nacistům během druhé světové války.


Plot.

One year after the events of the, two graduating high school students are aboard a houseboat on Crystal Lake. Jim tells his girlfriend Suzi the legend of Jason Voorhees, before playing a prank on her with a hockey mask and a prop knife. The boat's anchor damages some underwater cables, which shocks Jason's corpse and revives him. He sneaks on board, takes the mask, and kills Jim with a harpoon gun before impaling Suzi with a barb.  The next morning, the SS "Lazarus" is ready to set sail for New York City with a graduating senior class from Lakeview High School, chaperoned by biology teacher Dr. Charles McCulloch and English teacher Colleen Van Deusen. Van Deusen brings McCulloch's niece Rennie along for the trip despite her aquaphobia, much to his chagrin. Jason sneaks on board and kills rock star-wannabe J.J. Jarrett with her guitar. That night, a young boxer who lost his match to champion Julius Gaw is killed when Jason slams a hot sauna rock into his abdomen. Rennie, searching for her pet Border Collie Toby, discovers prom queen Tamara Mason and good girl Eva Watanabe doing drugs. McCulloch nearly catches them moments later and Tamara pushes Rennie overboard, believing that she told on them. She then uses video student Wayne Webber to record McCulloch in a compromising situation with her but rejects Wayne's advances afterward. Jason kills Tamara with a shard of broken mirror after she showers.  Rennie sees visions of a young Jason throughout the ship, but the others ignore the deckhand's warnings. Jason kills Captain Robertson and his first mate. Rennie's boyfriend and Captain Robertson's son, Sean, discovers them and tells the others before calling for an emergency. Eva finds Tamara's body and flees. In that moment she meets Jason, who chases her. Eva enters the disco room where Jason follows and violently strangles her to death before throwing her body onto the dance floor. The students agree to search for Jason while McCulloch decides that the deckhand is responsible. However, the deckhand is found with a fire axe in his back. Jason tosses student Miles Wolfe into the radio transmitter tower to his death, and Julius is knocked overboard. In the hold of the ship, Wayne comes upon J.J.'s body and is thrown into an electrical box by Jason. Wayne's corpse catches fire and causes the ship to take on water. With the other students that were left in the disco room supposedly dead, McCulloch, Van Deusen, Rennie, and Sean escape aboard a life raft and discover that Toby and Julius are still alive.  They row to New York where Jason stalks them through the streets. Rennie is kidnapped by a pair of junkies, and the group splits up to find help. Julius fights Jason but becomes exhausted after Jason does not go down and gets decapitated by a single punch from Jason. Rennie escapes from Jason when he kills the punks that kidnapped her. She runs into Sean, and they reunite with the teachers and the police before Jason kills the officer who is helping them. Rennie crashes a police car after a vision of Jason distracts her. Van Deusen is incinerated in the car when it explodes, and it is revealed that McCulloch is responsible for Rennie's fear of water, having pushed her into the lake as a child. They leave him behind, and Jason drowns him in a barrel of toxic waste.  Jason chases Rennie and Sean into the subway, where Sean incapacitates Jason by pushing him onto the third rail. When Jason revives, he chases them through Times Square where he scares a group of teenagers by showing them his deformed, angry face after he kicks and destroys their boombox. He chases Rennie and Sean from a diner to the sewers where they encounter a worker. He warns them that the sewers will be flooded with toxic waste at midnight. Jason appears and kills the worker while knocking Sean unconscious. Rennie throws a vat of toxic waste into Jason's face, forcing him to remove his mask. She and Sean climb a ladder as Jason staggers after them. Just as he catches up, the sewers flood and Jason, reminded of his childhood drowning, vomits at the sight of it. The waste engulfs him, causing his face to melt away. Rennie sees a final vision of a child-form of Jason as the waste recedes. The two escape to the street, where they are reunited with Rennie's dog Toby, in Times Square.

Cast.

In addition, Amber Pawlick and Timothy Burr Mirkovich appear as young Rennie and young Jason, respectively. Ken Kirzinger, who portrays Jason in "Freddy vs. Jason", appears in this film as the cook who confronts Jason. Kirzinger served as a stunt coordinator for the film, and doubles as Jason in two short stunt scenes.

Production.

Development.

After the disappointing box-office gross of "" (1988), director John Carl Buechler began developing a follow-up which reprised the character of Tina Shepard again facing off against Jason Voorhees after her release from an insane asylum. Meanwhile, Lar Park Lincoln, who had portrayed Tina Shepard, co-wrote (with her husband) an alternative screenplay which had Tina working as a psychologist for troubled girls. Lincoln's co-star in "The New Blood", Kevin Spirtas, also wrote a screenplay which recast the events of "The New Blood" into a long dream, with his character as the killer. Paramount, however, opted to assign the project of a follow-up to writer-director Rob Hedden, marking his debut feature.  A former employee of Universal Studios, Hedden strove to devise a screenplay in which the antagonist, Jason Voorhees, would travel outside of the setting of Camp Crystal Lake, the primary location of the previous seven films. "The biggest thing we could do with Jason is to get him out of that stupid lake where he's been hanging out," Hedden said. One of Hedden's original ideas was to set the film solely aboard a cruise ship with Jason hiding in the lower levels, described by Hedden as "a little bit of "Das Boot" and a little bit of "Aliens", with a claustrophobic feeling storm at sea and that sort of stuff." The alternate concept was to place Voorhees in a large city, such as New York. Hedden commented: "Everything about New York was going to be completely exploited and milked. There was going to be a tremendous scene on the Brooklyn Bridge. A boxing match in Madison Square Garden. Jason would go through department stores. He'd go through Times Square. He'd go into a Broadway play. He'd even crawl onto the top of the Statue of Liberty and dive off."  Ultimately, after receiving approval from Paramount Pictures of both concepts, Hedden decided to combine them, with the first act of the film occurring aboard a ship, and the second on the streets of Manhattan. This decision was mainly due to budgetary restrictions from Paramount, as filming exclusively in New York City cost more than the studio was willing to spend. In addition to the shift in setting, Hedden stated he wanted to examine the character of Jason Voorhees as a child, which appears in the film in the form of hallucinations experienced by Rennie Wickham, the heroine. To conceal the fact that it was a "Friday the 13th" film, the initial working script circulated under the title "Ashes to Ashes."

Casting.

Actress Jensen Daggett was cast as the lead of Rennie Wickham, beating out Elizabeth Berkley and Pamela Anderson for the role. Lisa Wilcox was offered a role in the film but turned it down. Scott Reeves was cast in the role of Sean Robertson at the last minute after the producers felt the previously-cast actor had no sexual chemistry with Daggett. The film marked the feature debut of actress Kelly Hu. Peter Mark Richman was cast in the film as Charles McCulloch, the students' teacher and Rennie's uncle.

Filming.

The film was shot at seven locations in the United States, though the primary filming locations were in British Columbia, Canada, particularly Vancouver. The alleyway scenes were shot in Vancouver. After filming wrapped in Los Angeles, the rest of the film was shot on locations in New York City, including Times Square. The Times Square sequences were shot while pedestrian onlookers observed the scenes, and attracted numerous "Friday the 13th" fans. Kane Hodder, who portrayed Jason, recalled pointing at one fan in-between takes, after which she fainted. According to Hedden, the cost of production in New York City was not feasible given the film's budget, which is why large portions of it were shot elsewhere. The budget for the film was estimated at around $5 million. At the time, it was the most expensive film produced in the series.

Musical score.

The film's musical score was composed by Fred Mollin, who worked with longtime "Friday the 13th" series composer Harry Manfredini on the previous installment. "Jason Takes Manhattan" was the first film in the series not to feature Manfredini credited on the score. On September 27, 2005, BSX records released a limited edition CD of Fred Mollin's "Friday the 13th Part VII" and "VIII" scores.  The song "The Darkest Side of the Night" performed by Metropolis plays over the opening and ending credits to the film. Rob Hedden specifically wanted them to write a song reminiscent of Robert Plant. The song would not see an official release until the year 2000 on the album "The Power of the Night".  The song "Broken Dream" which J.J. jams along to on her electric guitar was written by Mollin and Stan Meissner and features Terri Crawford on vocals. The instrumental "J.J's Blues" was written by Meissner. The 2 songs remain popular among fans and when a fan inquired to Meissner about whether they can be released he responded that no complete versions of the songs were ever recorded as they were never intended for release outside the film. Despite this a longer instrumental version of the track plays during the club scene in Forever Knight Season 1 Episode 1 (1992).

Release.

Promotion.

In promotion for the film, Paramount Pictures began an advertising campaign featuring Jason slashing through the "I Love New York" logo, which was featured on the original movie poster. Though the poster was distributed, it was later replaced after Vincent Tese of the New York state economic development committee filed a complaint against Paramount Pictures for unauthorized use of the "I Love New York" logo. Paramount issued a replacement poster, which featured an image of Jason looming over the New York City skyline.

Box office.

"Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan" was released on July 28, 1989 in the United States. The film entered the box office at number 5 for the weekend with earnings of $6.2 million. The film faced strong competition at the time of its release from high-profile genre fare such as "", "", and "Fright Night Part II", and was considered one of the biggest disappointments at the summer box office. Ultimately, it would go on to gross a total of $14.3 million at the U.S. box office, making it the poorest-performing film in the franchise, and ranking at number 70 on the list of the year's Top 100 earners.

Critical response.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, "Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan" holds an 8% approval rating based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 3/10, making it the worst reviewed film in the series on that website. The consensus reads: “"Jason" terrorizes a ship and nearly sinks the franchise in a clunky sequel that feels like self-parody without the charm." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 14 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".  Chris Willman of the "Los Angeles Times" commended the film's "funny ad campaign," but deemed it "a real dunghill of a major motion picture... Satirical potential is rife, to be sure, with Jason coming to the biggest of big cities, only to have his mere homicidal monstrousness dwarfed by the real-life horrors of drugs, rape, homelessness, disease, despair, and all-around urban decay, all of it unrealized in a script as witless and willfully imbecilic as any of the preceding seven." The "New York Daily News" criticized the film for "grossly underutilizing its promising premise," but noted that it "should please "Friday" fanatics and shapes up as a marginally watchable fright item for the genre's more demanding fans." Desmond Ryan of the "Asbury Park Press" wrote: "Common sense should tell you to skip this film," adding that the characters are "so dumb in the face of mortal peril that one questions how they ever got past second grade." The "Philadelphia Daily News"s Gary Thompson, however, gave the film a favorable review, writing: "The movie is gory and conventional, but the change of scenery and occasional dashes of humor make this one, well, a cut above the others in this uninspired series... The joke is that in New York, the largest gathering place for weirdos on the East Coast, Jason is just one of the crowd."  Malcolm Johnson of the "Hartford Courant" deemed the film a "snoozer" and criticized its implementation of humor, noting: "Possibly, the pubescent lads who somehow manage to slip through the R-rating guardians will discover its humor. To non-cultists, however, "Part VIII" is a clumsy reworking of the formula, the mystique of deep, murky, evil Crystal Lake." Mike Dembs of the "Detroit Free Press" awarded the film a zero-star rating, writing: "Make no bones about it, this is the worst of the bunch. Even fans of the "Friday the 13th" movies will be disappointed." "The Atlanta Constitution"s Eleanor Ringel noted that the film "isn't in the least bit scary and is only intermittently gory. It is, however, often quite funny, intentionally or not." She also criticized the film due the fact that a significant portion of it took place aboard a boat as opposed to in Manhattan, a sentiment echoed by Betsy Sherman of "The Boston Globe", who wrote that the film "should have been called "Jason Takes a Cruise"." Film critic Leonard Maltin, however, gave the film a more positive review, awarding the film 2 out of 4 stars and calling it the best in the series. Maltin complimented the film's imaginative direction but criticized the film's running time as being too long.  On his commentary track for the film in the box set, director Rob Hedden acknowledges the faults and agrees that more of the film should have been set in Manhattan, citing budgetary and schedule problems.

Home media.

Paramount Home Video released the film on VHS on September 28, 1994. A standard DVD without bonus materials was released by Paramount on September 3, 2002. In October 2004, a box set, "Crystal Lake to Manhattan", was released, featuring "Jason Takes Manhattan" alongside the previous seven "Friday the 13th" films. This release featured an audio commentary with writer-director Hedden. A standalone "deluxe edition" DVD was subsequently released in September 2009, featuring Hedden's commentary, a making-of documentary, a gag reel, and deleted sequences.  Paramount issued a double-feature Blu-ray on September 8, 2015, featuring the film paired with its predecessor, "". "Jason Takes Manhattan" was subsequently included in two separate Blu-ray sets: First in 2013's "Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection", which included every film in the series, along with the 2009 remake; and again in 2018 in "The Ultimate Collection", which included the first eight Paramount-owned films only.

Legacy.

In 2007, "Entertainment Weekly" labeled "Jason Takes Manhattan" the eighth-worst sequel ever made.  In 2018, Scott Meslow of "GQ" wrote that the film was among the "most stylish" in the "Friday the 13th" series, adding:

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan is a 1989 American slasher film written and directed by Rob Hedden, and starring Jensen Daggett, Scott Reeves, Peter Mark Richman, and Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees. It is the eighth installment in the "Friday the 13th" film series. The film follows Jason Voorhees stalking a group of high school graduates on a ship en route to, and later in, New York City. It was the final film in the series to be distributed by Paramount Pictures in the United States until 2009, with the subsequent installments being distributed by New Line Cinema.

Pátek třináctého 8 nebo také Pátek třináctého 8: Jason na Manhattanu je americký hororový film z roku 1989, jehož režisérem je Rob Hedden. Film je v pořadí 8. dílem v sérii.


Synonyms.

Roter Veltliner is also known under the synonyms Ariavina, Ariavina Männliche, Bakor, Belo Ocka, Belo Oka, Buzyn, Cerveny Muskatel, Crvena Valtelina, Crvena Valtelinka, Csucsos Bakor, Debela Ariavina, Dreimänner, Erdezha, Erdezha Shopatna, Erdezka Rabolina, Fedleiner, Feldleiner, Feldleiner Rothlichter, Feldliner, Feldlinger, Feltliner, Fleisch Roter Velteliner, Fleisch Roter Wälteliner, Fleisch Traminer, Fleischroter Traminer, Fleischrother Velteliner, Fleischrother Veltliner, Fleischtraminer, Fleischtraube, Fleischtraube Rot, Fleischweiner, Grosbrauner Velteliner, Grossbrauner, Grosse Fleischtraube, Grosser Fleischtraube, Grosser Roter Veltliner, Grosser Rother Välteliner, Grosser Rother Veltliner, Grosser Traminer, Grosser Välteliner, Grosser Velteliner, Grosswiener, Herera Rhaetica, Herera Valtellina, Kecskecsecs, Krdeca, Männliche Ariavina, Mannliche, Maucnjk, Mavcnik, Mavenick, Mavenik, Moseavina, Moslavina, Muscateller, Muskatel Cerveny, Nagy Veltelini, Nagysagos, Nyulsölö, Nyulszölö, Piros Veltelini, Pirosveltelin, Pirosveltelini, Rabolina, Raifler, Raisin de Saint Valentin, Ranfler, Ranfolica, Ranfolina, Ranfoliza, Raufler, Raufolica, Rebalina, Rebolina, Red Veltliner, Reifler, Rhaetica, Riegersburger Rothköpfel, Riegersburger Rothtöpfel, Rivola Tchervena, Rossera, Rossola, Rote Fleisch Traube, Rote Fleischtraube, Rote Fleischtrauble, Roter, Roter Muskateller, Roter Riesling, Roter Välteliner, Roter Velteliner, Roter Veltiner, Roter Veltliner, Rotgipfler, Rothe Shopatna, Rothe Shopotna, Rothe Velteliner, Rother Fleischtraube, Rother Muscateller, Rother Raifler, Rother Riesling, Rother Välteliner, Rother Velteliner, Rother Veltliner, Rother Zierfahnler, Rothgipfler, Rothlichter, Rothreifler, Rotmehlweisser, Rotmuskateller, Rotreifler, Rudeca, Ryvola Cervena, Ryvola Crvena, Saint Valentin Rose, Saint Valentinrose, Shopatna, Shopotna, Somsölö, Spaete Ranfoliza, St. Valentin, Tarant Cerveny, Tarant Rot, Todtraeger Rotreifler, Traminer, Uva di San Valentino, Valentin, Valentin Rouge, Välteliner, Välteliner Roter, Valtelin Rouge, Valteliner, Vältliner, Valteliner Rosso, Valteliner Rouge, Valteliner Tardif, Veltelin Piros, Veltelin Rosso, Velteline Rouge, Velteliner, Velteliner Rose, Velteliner Roso, Velteliner Roter, Velteliner Rother, Velteliner Rouge, Veltelini Piros, Veltlinac Crveni, Veltliner, Veltliner Rosso, Veltliner Rot Weiss, Veltliner Roth, Veltliner Rother, Veltliner Rouge, Veltlini Piros, Veltlinske Cervene, Veltlinski Rozovii, Veltlinskii Rozovii, Veltlinsky Rosovy, Vernyeges Veltelini, Verrnyeges Veltelini, Weisser Raifler, Weissholzige Ribula Maucnjk, and Ziegelroth.

Roter Veltliner is a grape variety used to make white wine. It is found in Austria. Some of the better wines come from the Wagram district of Donauland.

Veltlínské červené (název dle VIVC "Veltliner Rot") je stará moštová odrůda révy vinné ("Vitis vinifera"), jejíž rodičovské odrůdy nejsou známé. Předpokládá se, že pochází z území dnešního Rakouska, dle jiné hypotézy z alpského údolí Valtellina (francouzsky Valteline, německy Veltlin) v Lombardii, poblíž hranic Itálie se Švýcarskem.


Synopsis.

Act I.

Harry Potter, the legendary "Boy Who Lived", rejoices that he is entering his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with his best friend Ron Weasley and frumpy nerd Hermione Granger ("Goin' Back to Hogwarts"). Headmaster of Hogwarts Albus Dumbledore welcomes everyone back, skips the Sorting Ceremony and introduces the House Cup Tournament, in which a champion will be chosen on behalf of each House (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin) to fight for the House Cup.  The names are chosen out of a magical trophy by Potions Master, Severus Snape, with Harry being chosen for Gryffindor. The other champions are his crush Cho Chang (Ravenclaw), her current boyfriend Cedric Diggory (Hufflepuff) and Harry's obnoxious rival, Draco Malfoy (Slytherin). Hermione then voices her concern about the bloodstained history of the House Cup Tournament but no one can drop out due to the enchantment on the trophy from which the names were drawn. Draco attempts to intimidate Harry by claiming that he will transfer to a prestigious wizarding academy on Mars called Pigfarts, but Hermione threatens him and forces him to back off.  Meanwhile, Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher Quirinus Quirrell is secretly conspiring to revive the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who is parasitically attached to the back of his head after Voldemort's previous defeat by an infant Harry Potter. They bicker about this arrangement, which causes inconvenience to both of them due to their conflicting personalities ("Different As Can Be").  Harry convinces Hermione to do all of his school work for him while he writes a love song intended to win the heart of Cho Chang. He tests out the song on Ron's younger sister Ginny ("Ginny's Song"), while being oblivious to Ginny's own crush on him. Harry, Ron and Hermione use his Cloak of Invisibility to sneak off and investigate what the first round of the House Cup Tournament could entail, leaving Ginny alone to lament her unrequited love ("Harry").  Voldemort convinces Quirrell to go out and celebrate the progress of their evil plan instead of grading papers. Harry, Ron, and Hermione discover that the first round will involve dragons, while also eavesdropping on a conversation by Malfoy that hints at an unrealised crush on Hermione. Voldemort and Quirrel return from a night of drunken escapades, reminiscing on past events and how they have become friends from their time spent (literally) together ("Different As Can Be (Reprise)").  Harry continues to neglect his preparation for the tournament, and is caught completely off-guard when he is forced to face a deadly Hungarian Horntail in battle. With no other choice, Harry summons his guitar and serenades the dragon into submission, allowing him to move on to the next round of the competition ("The Dragon Song").  The annual Yule Ball is announced, and Ginny attempts to ask Harry to be her partner. Unfortunately, Harry is dead set on asking Cho and unknowingly rejects Ginny, causing her to run off in tears. Harry plays his song for Cho ("Ginny's Song Reprise (Cho's Song)") but is rejected because Cho has already agreed to go with Cedric, leaving him and Ron as the only two male students without partners. Quirrell relieves Voldemort of his worries surrounding their master plan as the two weigh the pros and cons of their upcoming physical separation. Voldemort realises he has become close with Quirrell, and that he wishes to remain his friend.  At the Yule Ball, the normally-unattractive Hermione suddenly shows up with a gorgeous makeover, causing Ron and Malfoy to suddenly realise their feelings for her ("Granger Danger"). Harry develops an attraction to Ginny and asks her to dance, leaving Ron to get "drunk" on Butterbeer and fight over Hermione with Malfoy, causing her to lash out at both of them. Harry pulls back from a kiss with Ginny, stating that they cannot be together because of his friendship with Ron. Ginny leaves in tears and a flustered Harry attempts to regain his dignity by cutting in with Cho, causing him to get into a fight with Cedric. As the guys argue over who will get a thirsty Cho a glass of punch, they both grab the enchanted ladle that Quirrel had planted earlier, teleporting them to a mysterious graveyard.  Quirrel appears, killing Cedric with the Killing Curse and using the full Body-Bind curse on Harry. Snape then appears; while Quirrel and Voldemort submerge themselves in a large cauldron, Snape uses his own hand and Harry's blood to complete a ritual that successfully revives Voldemort, who joyfully celebrates with his Death Eaters ("To Dance Again!"). Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange arrives to welcome back her master and former lover, and reveals their plan was to use Quirrell as a scapegoat for the murder of Harry. Heartbroken at the betrayal of their friendship, Quirrell falls out with Voldemort and is taken to Azkaban. Before Voldemort can kill Harry, Harry manages to use the ladle to escape back to Hogwarts, where he exclaims in horror that Voldemort has returned.

Act II.

The Ministry of Magic doesn’t believe that Voldemort’s back, despite proof such as Voldemort’s new vlog and his review of 17 Again, with the star Zac Efron. Meanwhile Harry, consumed by the stress this situation is causing him, pushes his friends away by acting egocentric. Malfoy tries to make fun of Harry, but he’s once more humiliated in front of the student body and he promises revenge. Ginny tries to make sense of her relationship with Harry, but he explains to her that as long as Voldemort is around, they can’t be together because he wants to protect her. When Ginny runs away in tears, Dumbledore in disguise calls Harry to his office to discuss about Voldemort.  Snape reveals himself as a Death Eater under cover and meets up with Voldemort, who’s in a deep depression after his fight with Quirrel. Snape introduces Draco Malfoy to the Dark Lord, who informs him about a secret passage leading to Hogwarts in exchange for a rocket to Mars (“Pigfarts, Pigfarts, Here I Come”). Voldemort makes Draco sign a magical contract to make him kill Dumbledore. Harry, Ron and Hermione get to Dumbledore’s office for the meeting. There, Dumbledore explains that Voldemort possesses some Horcruxes that make him immortal as long as they exist, he reveals that he has already destroyed five of the six Horcruxes and tells Harry to find the last one, hidden right there in Hogwarts. At that moment, the Death Eaters break into Dumbledore’s office and arrest him. Malfoy is ready to follow through his part of the deal, but after a speech from Dumbledore he finds himself unable to give him the final blow. Snape takes the initiative and kills Dumbledore, traumatising Harry who declares he has to kill Voldemort on his own.  Voldemort successfully takes over the Ministry of Magic, but he’s still sad about the loss of Quirrel. Voldemort, Quirrel and Harry complain about all the people they lost (“Missing You”). After that, a Death Eater informs Voldemort that Hogwarts has fallen, and Voldemort gets ready to leave for Hogwarts.  Ginny finds Harry and tries to convince him that he has the power to save everyone, but Harry is pessimistic and he complains about all the unrealistic expectations and the pressure on him for being the “Boy Who Lived”. Ginny reassures him that he’s not alone in his fight against evil (“Not Alone”) and he makes up with Ron and Hermione. With Malfoy’s help, who regretted his choices, Harry and Ron go to Dumbledore’s office to destroy the last Horcrux, while Ginny and Hermione try to contact the Order of the Phoenix. Before they separate, Ron apologises to Hermione for his behaviour at the Yule Ball and the two share a passionate kiss.  Harry, Ron and Malfoy find out that the last Horcrux is Zac Efron’s poster that Dumbledore kept in his office. The Horcrux tries to turn Ron against Harry by taking the form of Voldemort and Hermione and relying on his insecurities. Ron fights against it and destroys the Horcrux, rekindling his friendship with Harry.  A group of Death Eaters led by Bellatrix arrives in the office, after having captured Ginny and Hermione. Snape is revealed to be Dumbledore’s agent and tries to save the students, but Bellatrix kills him. At that moment Ginny and Ron’s mother, Molly Weasley (Lily Marks) intervenes and kills Bellatrix. With his last breath, Snape reveals that Harry became a seventh Horcrux the night his parents died.  Voldemort has arrived at Hogwarts and demands that the student body delivers Harry to him in exchange for their lives. Harry realises that he has to die to save everyone else and he turns himself in to Voldemort, who kills him. In a reign between life and death, Harry meets Dumbledore, who explains to him that by killing Harry Voldemort involuntarily destroyed his seventh Horcrux. Dumbledore makes Harry return to the world of the living before leaving for Pigfarts riding Rumbleroar, the lion who acts as Headmaster at the Mars school.  Ron and Hermione gather the other Hogwarts students and convince them to fight because that’s what Harry would have done (“Voldemort is Goin’ Down”). When Harry shows himself still alive, everybody cheers, but Voldemort bursts into the room, shocked that Harry isn’t dead. Harry explains that his sacrifice made the Hogwarts’ students immune to Voldemort’s magic, and that Voldemort’s disregard about other people is eventually going to be his demise. Voldemort tries the Avada Kedavra curse, but Harry counterattacks the spell and kills him.  The student body celebrates Voldemort’s death, and Neville Longbottom (Richard Campbell) finds Dumbledore’s will in which the Headmaster awards Gryffindor with the House Cup and nominates Harry as the new Headmaster. Harry kisses Ginny after Ron gives them his blessing, and all the students throw a party.  At Azkaban, Quirrel hears about Voldemort’s death and he’s devastated. However, the last residue of Voldemort’s soul comes to make amends with Quirrel, and the two gloriously reunite (“Not Alone (Reprise)/Goin’ Back to Hogwarts (Reprise)”).

Cast and characters.

A. J. Holmes, the piano player for the show, is involved in the actual musical twice, first leaving his duties as the piano player to give Ron some Twizzlers (not Red Vines, which would be saved for the next musical), and second being threatened by Voldemort when he starts playing sad music to accompany Voldemort thinking about Quirrell.

Development.

While reading "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", Nick Lang and a few others attending the University of Michigan discussed the possibility of Draco Malfoy having a crush on Hermione Granger because of him constantly bullying her, and created the concept of a song "Granger Danger", which led to the idea of making a Harry Potter musical. When the script was being written, they asked Darren Criss if they could use his songs "Sami", which was originally written for the web series "Little White Lie", and "Not Alone", which they ended up using as a model for the show.

Productions.

"Harry Potter: The Musical" was performed April 9–11, 2009, on the University of Michigan campus. Soon after, the group posted the entire musical on YouTube. However, it was later taken down and edited to make it less inappropriate for the younger audiences, but was posted again, slightly edited and under the new name "A Very Potter Musical" in late June 2009. As of March 2018, the production in its entirety has around 100 million views.  Due to the nature of the musical, Team Starkid is allowed by Warner Brothers to host the musical on their channel and owns the rights to the songs and script, but as they do not own the rights to the Harry Potter characters they cannot make money off of the production, nor can they give the rights for the show to any other production company: the University of Michigan version is the only "official" production. This has not stopped unauthorized productions from being performed elsewhere, a source of ire for the company and its fans.

Recording.

A cast recording of the production was released in 2009 through the StarKid Productions website. All of the songs featured on stage are present on the recording. The group also released the album through Bandcamp on July 29, 2010.

Critical reception.

"Entertainment Weekly" named the musical one of the 10 Best Viral Videos of 2009.

A Very Potter Musical (originally titled Harry Potter: The Musical and often shortened to AVPM) is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A. J. Holmes and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang and Brian Holden. The story is a parody, based on several of the "Harry Potter" novels by J. K. Rowling (particularly "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"), as well as their film adaptations.

A Very Potter Musical (původním názvem Harry Potter: The Musical) je americký muzikál. Text a hudbu napsali Darren Criss a A. J. Holmes a příběh napsali Matt Lang, Nick Lang a Brian Holden. Muzikál je parodií založenou na knižní sérii o Harry Potterovi, přesně "Harry Potter a Kámen mudrců", "Harry Potter a Ohnivý pohár", "Harry Potter a Princ dvojí krve" a "Harry Potter a Relikvie smrti" a také na jejich filmových zpracováních.