There have been some years where I have struggled to fill out a list of ten women for this “kick-ass” award, named after my all-time favorite General Hospital super spy. This year, I had a long list of possible choices. I cut it down to a Top 12 list.

Here are the honorable mentions that did not make the top 12: Raya (Raya and the Last Dragon)m Harley Quinn (The Suicide Squad), Deena (Fear Street trilogy), Bianca Belair (WWE), Wonder Woman (The Snyder cut), Phoebe (Ghostbusters: Afterlife), Valerie Young (Copshop), Lindy (Jolt), Regan (A Quiet Place 2).

Previous winners:

The Anna Devane Kick Ass Female Award

Previous winners:  Rey (Star Wars), Mockingbird (Marvel Comics), Wonder Woman (DCEU), The Shirewolves, Captain Marvel, Kamala Harris

#12. (Tie) Stagecoach Mary & Treacherous Trudy (Harder They Fall).

#11. (Tie) Thena & Makkari (Eternals)

#10. Xialing (Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)

#9. Agatha Harkness (WandaVision)

#8. (Tie) Evil-Lyn & Teela (Masters of the Universe: Revelations)

#7. Elektra as Daredevil (Daredevil comics)

#6. Sae-byeok (Squid Game)

#5. Kate Bishop (Hawkeye). Hailee Steinfeld is awesome in the Hawkeye series as one of the world’s greatest archers who looks up to Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton.

#4. Black Widow (Black Widow). Natasha Romanoff finally received her own solo film, about 8 years too late. She is also a major feature of the Hawkeye Disney + show, being a huge factor in Clint Barton’s story.

#3. Sylvie (Loki). A Loki variant that has become one of the best new characters of the MCU. She is kind of a combo between The Enchantress and Lady Loki from the comics, but Sylvie became a huge factor in the series that opened up the multiverse and sent Kang upon us.

#2. Yelena (Black Widow & Hawkeye). Florence Pugh is an absolute star. She was the best part of the Black Widow movie and she appeared as a huge guest star in Hawkeye. She is so awesome that she is going to continue to kick ass everywhere.

#1. Wanda Maximoff (WandaVision)– Yes, The Scarlet Witch is the kick ass female of the year. Without a doubt, Wanda created a new reality in Westview, New Jersey and created a perfect life for herself with Vision and two kids. She showed exactly how powerful she is and she has a chance to win this again next year as she joins Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

2021 saw an explosion of reactors/commenters/content providers on YouTube. The list doubled from the past. Everybody has a channel and a Patreon and is reviewing movies or TV Shows or reacting.

Just make sure to like, subscribe and comment… don’t forget to hit that bell for notifications.

YouTube

#20. Action Industries. Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai are notable performers from the Schmoedown and they react and talk about movies, the Schmoedown, TV and their lives. The chemistry and friendship between them is the selling factor for their “Action Army.”

#19. The Movie Couple. Wendy and Dustin, I have enjoyed their reactions to the Marvel Disney + shows in particular. They are so reactive to the shows that it is fun to watch.

#18. Roxy Striar. Live at the Roxy is one of the times we have seen Roxy and her opinions. She is outspoken, opinionated and oh so funny.

#17. Mr. Lboyd Reacts. The most recent discovery on YouTube, Mr. Lboyd’s reactions, especially to Weird Al Yankovic songs, have been enjoyable. He responds to the videos in an original way.

#16. Jamel-AKA-Jamal. Another reactor to music and other things. This channel went through a stretch when I was watching everything from him. I even bought a couple of t-shirts from his store.

#15. Jeremy Jahns. Jeremy reviews movies and he has always been someone who I felt like shared my opinions. Jeremy became more ragged during the pandemic, but he still is one of my favorite personalities on YouTube.

#14. Late to the Party. Robert and Vanessa. Another pair that reacts to pop culture. I have especially enjoy the Marvel Disney + series that they react to.

#13. John Campea. John has a daily show where he makes lists and repeats things over and over. Still, he is knowledgeable and funny. His reactions to Marvel shows and other pop culture are original and straightforward. Bring on the filthy.

#12. Dan Murrell. Dan Murrell was one of my favorite personalities during his Screen Junkies and Schmoedown days. Dan started his own channel and he thrived with movie reviews and discussions of box office results. Dan’s personality is what sells his channel.

#11. SEN Live. This was one of my favorite shows earlier in the year. A comedy show with a rotating cast of commenters, SEN Live was outrageous and funny. Since it moved to Twitch, I have not seen it as much, but some of the first half of the year was spent enjoying this show.

#10. New Rockstars. Erik Voss and his crew that spends his days combing through trailers and shows looking for every Easter egg imaginable and throwing out wild theories that may be possible. Mephisto anyone?

#9. Settle the Score. Matt Knost, from the Top 10 Show, and musical director Andy Merryweather have a music movie trivia show. Do you know what movie a song is from? How about a score? How many notes do you need to identify a score? Settle the Score is a fun show with two great personalities.

#8. The Geek Buddies. The. Geek. Buddies. Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. John Rocha, Michael Vogel and Shannon McClung talk about the geekiest items in the world of pop culture. Their friendship and connection is the biggest attraction to watch them. They have wonderful thoughts and they are very knowledgeable. Their Marvel Disney + reviews have been epic.

#7. The Reel Rejects. Greg Alba and John Humphreys react to all matter of videos and pop culture. I have especially enjoyed their reactions to New Rockstar videos. Greg and John are clearly friends and that comes across the screen.

#6. Ups and Downs. What Culture’s wrestling show with Simon Miller as he reviews the wrestling shows RAW, Smackdown and the PPVs and he gives the good bits an up and the bad bits a down. He spent a chunk of the year counting the “most dangerous move in all of sports entertainment”- the surprise roll up.

#5. Ashleigh Burton. Ashleigh is a millennial who likes to watch classic movies for the first time and rate them… sometimes with the help of her cat, Beans. Ashleigh is funny and quick witted. She has been the biggest surprise on YouTube for me in 2021.

#4. Top 10. Still one of my favorite shows, The Top 10 is John Rocha and Matt Knost giving their lists of certain movie topics every week and then combining them into one list as a show. Their banter is a highlight as is their potential disagreements.

#3. Fatman Beyond. Kevin Smith and Marc Bernardin give their opinions on pop culture in a humorous and poignant manner. Filming at the Scum and Villainy Cantina in California (with Bamf Man), Kevin cracks the jokes, Marc brings the news and the charisma between them is perfect.

#2. pReview’d. It’s Jay… and Adam… it’s pReview’d! I discovered these two this year and I love their reactions. They are so funny and they react with such emotions. Watching Adam break down in happiness because of a Masters of the Universe trailer or sob uncontrollably over Squid Game, or seeing Jay in horror over USAgent’s brutal attack in “Winter Falcon” have been highlights. I have watched their material multiple times because their reactions are so pure.

#1. The Movie Trivia Schmoedown. Again this year, the MTS has been a huge hit. The trivia show that is so much more. The brainchild of Kristian Harloff and Mark Ellis, the MTS has become a huge league featuring Singles, Teams, Innergeekdom and Star Wars divisions. Some of the trivia is insane but it is more than answers. It is strategies, personalities and entertainment. Season 8 was named WAR. Season 9 will be Reboot. Excited to see where this goes.

This is one of the newer awards we have added at EYG Year in Review because the trend of de-aging is becoming a regular occurrence in some movies and TV shows. It gives the opportunity for flashbacks that are not just putting a wig on an old guy’s head.

Previous winners:

The Kurt Russell EGO De-Aging Award

Previous Winners:  Robert DeNiro (The Irishman), Mark Hamill (The Mandalorian)

Runners-Up: Tony Todd (Candyman), Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall (Coming2America), David Harbour (Black Widow)

To be honest, this year’s winner is perhaps the best example of this technology so far. He looked so great in the movie that he appeared in and the CGI on his face just just flawless.

Winner: Alfred Molina as Doc Ock in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Flop. A flop does not necessarily a bad movie make. There have been good movies that failed at the box office for whatever reason. Just this week, the exceptional West Side Story remake from Steven Spielberg only made around 10 million in its opening weekend.

Still, flops do happen and the John Carter Memorial Award is here to remember these attempts at success one last time.

John Carter Memorial Award

Previous winners:  John Carter, Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Lone Ranger, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Expendables 3, Jem and the Holograms, Pan, Rock the Casbah, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Robin Hood (2018), Mortal Engines, Playmobil: The Movie, The Rhythm Section

2021 Winner…

Reminiscence

The Hugh Jackman science fiction film made a whole 2 million dollars on its opening weekend and finished 9th for the week. It was the worst opening of all-time by a film playing in over 3,000 theaters. It had an estimated $110 million dollar overall budget. Warner Brothers released the film both in the theaters and on HBO Max, which could have only hurt the box office for the film.

Sometimes a movie does not have an obvious lead actor or actress and, instead, has a group of characters that all serve the story. The group is recognized with this award.

Previous Winners

The Avengers: Endgame Ensemble Cast of the Year Award

Previous Winners:  Avengers: Endgame, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Runners-Up: Marvel’s Eternals is a perfect example of the ensemble cast. We meet a whole flock of new characters in Chloé Zhao‘s epic. James Gunn put out another great super hero…well, maybe a super villain… film this year called The Suicide Squad. It was a top notch ensemble too including Margot Robbie, Sylvester Stallone and John Cena, to name a few. West Side Story has a great ensemble for the remake of the 1961 Oscar winner. Fear Street was a three film series released on Netflix for three weeks with a group of actors who played different characters in the different time periods.

Winner: In the Heights

Lin Manuel-Miranda’s stage play made the leap to the big screen in 2021 and the cast was just tremendous. Along with Manuel-Miranda, there was Anthony Ramos, Leslie Grace, Olga Merediz, Jimmy Smits, Corey Hawkins, Melissa Barrera, Dascha Polanco, Ariana Greenblatt, Stephanie Beatriz, Rita Moreno, Marc Anthony, Gregory Diaz IV, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Noah Catala.

The WWE has had its ups and downs this year. Finally finding the crowds back helped the product a lot, but they also fired a ton of HUGE names this year, from Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman to the most recent Jeff Hardy.

I am a WWE fan and it is the only wrestling that I watch. I did peek in on AEW this year, especially with the return of CM Punk (which was an incredible moment), but I just am not interested in expanding outward.

So here are my choices for the WWE Awards in 2021.

Match of the Year

10. Men’s War Games. Black and Gold vs. NXT 2.0. Lots of violence and good storytelling.

9. Roman Reigns vs, Cesaro (Wrestlemania Backlash). If only Cesaro would be allowed to maintain a main event push.

8. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus (Monday Night RAW). These two had several brutal encounters, but I liked this one most, sans stipulation.

7. Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan (Fastlane). Bryan gave his all but came up short to the Head of the Table. They will appear again…

6. Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair (Wrestlemania 37). The highlight of night one of the two night Wrestlemania. Started the year well for Bianca Belair.

5. Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank). Big E! Big E! Big E! Nuff Said.

4. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte (Survivor Series). Becky’s emotional promo after the match showed how this match crossed the lines.

3. Walter vs. Ciampa (NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver). Woof. Two men just beating the crap out of each other. I really thought Ciampa had a chance.

2. Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan (Smackdown). A televised match #2? When it is Daniel Bryan’s last WWE match, then yeah.

#1. Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov (NXT Takeover 36). Rematch of one of the best matches from 2020, this was brutal and hard hitting. Dragunov finally ending Walter’s stranglehold on the NXT European Championship is only part of the story. The ending was as dramatic as could be as he got Walter to tap out.

Male Wrestler of the Year: Roman Reigns. Runners Up: Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, Walter, Edge, Big E

Roman Reigns has been the most consistent performer in WWE today.

Female Wrestler of the Year: Bianca Belair. Runners-Up: Becky Lynch, Charlotte, Rachel Ginzalez, Io Sharai.

Belair was the focal point for much of the year and had great matches with everyone.

Tag Team of the Year: RK-Bro. Runners Up: Usos, The New Day, Street Profits, AJ Styles & Omos

The most unlikely duo of the year became the only reason to watch RAW during a stretch earlier this year. Randy Orton and Riddle have been gold.

Manager of the Year: MVP. Runners-Up: Paul Heyman, Scarlett

MVP was great this year, but the role of manager is a lost art.

On the Mike: Edge. Runners-Up: Paul Heyman, Roman Reigns, MVP, Seth Rollins

Edge has been amazing on promos this year against Randy Orton, Seth Rollins and now Miz.

Feud of the Year: Seth Rollins vs. Edge. Runners-Up: LA Knight vs. Cameron Grimes, Usos vs. New Day, Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan.

Seth and Edge were a hoot together. When Seth went to Edge’s house… top notch.

Underused Performer: Kevin Owens. Runners-Up: Cesaro, Chad Gable, Asuka

At least Cesaro got a short run this year. Owens has all kinds of starts and stops when it comes to his pushes.

Comeback of the Year: Becky Lynch. Runners-Up: Samoa Joe, Edge

Becky came back and won the title from Bianca Belair in 20 seconds. Becky had a new heel character and a renewed dedication.

Celebrity of the Year: Bad Bunny. Runners-Up: Logan Paul, John Cena

Easy one. Bad Bunny was awesome and delivered one of the best celebrity matches ever at Wrestlemania when he teamed with Damien Priest to defeat Miz and Morrison.

Face of the Year: Big E. Runners-Up: Edge, RK-Bro, King Woods

Big E cracked through that glass ceiling this year by first winning the Money in the Bank contract and then cashing it in against Bobby Lashley to win the WWE title to the joy of everybody! That is the power of positivity.

Heel of the Year: Roman Reigns. Runners-Up: Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Charlotte, Jay Uso, Karrion Kross

Another easy one. Reigns has been playing his role to perfection.

Storyline of the Year: Formation of RK-Bro. Runners-Up: Roman Reigns respect,

I said it earlier, but Randy Orton and Riddle were the only bright spot on RAW for about two months.

I loved it, but the rest of the world, not so much Award: Zombies appear to have consumed Miz

I’m sorry to everyone else, but I found this to be a great time and I loved every ridiculous second of it.

Best Broadcaster: Pat McAfee.

Pat brings an unmistakable energy to the booth and seems to have great chemistry with Michael Cole.

Breakout Star of 2022: Bron Breakker.

TERRIBLE name. Massive superstar. Son of Rick Steiner is going to be huge sooner rather than later. Of course, I thought the same thing of Karrion Kross.

OF COURSE…… SPOILERS!

The movie cameo is always one of the most fun things to have happen. When someone unexpected, whether that be a famous actor, an unexpected character or a sports figure shows up in the movie, it creates a buzz. The late, great Stan Lee was the master of the cameo as he appeared in a huge list of Marvel films from X-Men to Avengers: Endgame. So much so that we named this award after him (and he won it several times himself)

Previous Winners

The EYG Stan Lee Movie Cameo Award

Previous winners:  Stan Lee (three times), John Cena, Chris Evans, Sigourney Weaver, Hugh Jackman, Yoda, J.K. Simmons, Harrison Ford, Rudy Giuliani

2021 Runners-Up: I found this to be a tough choice this year as none of the cameos stood out. Marvel has its typical cameos in their movies including Benedict Wong and the character of Abomination in Shang Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings, and Harry Styles in Eternals. I thought about giving this to Styles, except I did not know who he was when he first walked on the screen. I was excited about Starfox, but the buzz in my theater certainly told me that I was missing something. A quick Google check later and I realized what it was. The original surviving Ghostbusters was nice in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but honestly, they felt like too much of a deus ex machina. Michael B. Jordan was EASILY the best part of the new Space Jam movie. I would have liked to give it to Ed Asner in memoriam, but his appearance in Muppet Haunted Mansion was too easily missed. RIP Ed. Morgan Freeman appeared in cameos in both the Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard and Coming2America, but the quality of both movies hurt his chances.

And the winner, was actually the first name that popped into my head when compiling the possible choices, and he is now a two time winner!

Chris Evans (Free Guy)

This was one of the best jokes in the whole movie, a Ryan Reynolds, who was a character in a video game, pulled out Captain America’s shield in a fight that was being broadcast everywhere and Cap himself, Chris Evans was watching on his phone. Evans responded with very unlike-Cap language in response.

It was a hoot and brings Evans his second Stan Lee Cameo Award. The first time winning was for his appearance as Loki (who shape-shifted into Cap) in Thor: The Dark World.

There was some great animation this year, especially on the TV and streaming services. That means that there were several fantastic voice acting work.

Now remember, a voice over may not necessarily just be an animated film. This includes live action with motion capture or an animation/live action combination.

“I am Groot” Voice Acting Award

Previous Winners:  Auli’i Cravalho (Moana), Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Robin Williams (Aladdin- honorary), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Infinity War), Ryan Reynolds (Detective Pikachu), Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian)

2021 Runners-Up: The first runner-up is Mark Hamill who voiced Skeletor for Kevin Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revelations. Hamill may have won this had there been a little fewer terrible puns/jokes made in the script. Benedict Cumberbatch was exceptional in What If as the “evil” Doctor Strange. His episode four of that series was one of the best episodes of TV all year. Sylvester Stallone was a riot as King Shark in The Suicide Squad. Awkwafina stood out as the Last Dragon in Raya and the Last Dragon. Jason Sudeikis has been a massive star the last few years and him voicing Bryce in Hit Monkey is a big deal. Caleb Landry Jones brought some emotion to a newly constructed robot with Tom Hanks in Finch. Lake Bell stepped in as Natasha Romanoff in the What If series.

2021 Winner of the “I Am Groot” Voice Acting Award

TIE

Jeffrey Wright (The Watcher)- What If…?

and

Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa as Star-Lord) – What If…?

Could not make a decision. Mainly because it was so awesome to hear the voice of the late Chadwick Boseman in the role that he totally embodied in the last few years of his life. But Jeffrey Wright was one of the driving forces of What If…? and if the Watcher did not work, then the series would have suffered.

The cast of the Expendables has been remarkably successful over the years. So how better to honor them than with some of their own specific awards you’ll only find on EYG.

Okay, perhaps “excellence” is an exaggeration…

The Best Expendable Actor Whose Director’s Cut removed a beloved robot: Sylvester Stallone. Sly released a director’s cut of the classic Rocky IV in 2021 entitled Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago, and in the cut, he removed all signs of the robot that had been given to Paulie. Course, he removed a bunch more too. In the end, the dirctor’s cut was considerably different than the original.

Best Supporting Actor in a Terrible Sequel: Wesley Snipes (Coming 2 America). Snipes is easily the best part of this heartless sequel. He played General Izzi, the military leader of Nexdoria, Zamunda’s neighboring country.

Best Expendables Actor as an Over-the-Top Villain: Antonio Banderas (The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard). Banderas was also one of the best parts of this stinker in 2021, another sequel that was not necessary. However, this one was better than the first, to an extent. Perhaps because of the scene chewing Banderas.

Best Expendable Actor TV Host: Terry Crews (America’s Got Talent). Terry Crews has been hosting the talent show for several years now and he does a solid job of it. He has good chemistry with the judges and shows some emotions with the contestants.

Expendable Actor with the Most Films of the Year on IMDB: Bruce Willis (7). Although he still has two in post production scheduled for 2021. Willis, who never met a paycheck he did not cash, has had seven movies released and head straight to VOD in 2021 and he has a handful on the way in 2022 too. All winners too… *wink*

Best Expendable Voice Over of a Shark: Sylvester Stallone (The Suicide Squad). Stallone is a standout voice of the wonderful King Shark in The Suicide Squad. The James Gunn super villain movie just did not receive enough praise as it deserved.

This is a brand new award for the year 2021.

It goes to the show or movie that the audience is certain that something is going to happen… to the point of totally not worrying about anything else. They may twist clips or unimportant details from the show/movie that seem to slightly support their theory. They do so in order to claim that the arrival is “confirmed.” Except that it was never going to happen.

The first winner of this award became such a gigantic event that people turned it into a meme. It came from the Marvel Disney + series WandaVision, which actually had several of these in the show. People did not understand what a Marvel TV show was going to be like and their obsession with the comics that these shows are based upon cause trouble. Which of the moments in WandaVision wins this award? It could be the arrival of “Quicksilver” and how that meant that the X-Men were coming to the MCU. It could have been the speculation that Monica Rambeau’s engineer friend was Reed Richards (or a bunch of other Marvel characters). But neither of these could touch the one major speculation that consumed this show right up to the post credit of the finale.

Mephisto.

Yes, everyone had confirmed Mephisto after every mention of “the devil” or the large fly on the wall. Every one was Mephisto… from Agatha’s mysterious hubby Ralph to Evan Peters to Emma Caulfield’s Dottie. Yet, the demon never showed up.

I did believe that Mephisto was behind the trapping of Westview inside the dome, that he helped Wanda with her power levels. There were hints in the comics about Mephisto’s role in Wanda’s kids’ lives. but WandaVision wisely kept this closer to the vest, more personal for Wanda. Looking back now, Mephisto would not have worked in that series. We would not have had the same pay off a we got.

People have not yet learned their lesson either because there are plenty of people who believe that Dr. Strange in the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer is acting odd because he was Mephisto. Mephisto was rumored to be in Loki early on too.

Now, everyone make a joke about Mephisto: Confirmed…. and so he is the perfect recipient of the inaugural Confirmed… or is it? Award.

Of course, if Andrew and Toby are not in Spider-Man: No Way Home, I may just have to reconsider the winner of this award.

This year’s internet rage was directed at one of the creators who the internet once loved. However, when the internet perceives that you are messing with a childhood favorite, or being too “woke” and focus on female characters… well, all the love is off.

Kevin Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revelations was split into two parts and part one seemingly made the internet lose its mind. They hurled all sort of insults at Kevin Smith for daring to make this series about Teela and for killing off He-Man. The rage was building even before the show was released. Nothing gets the trolls trolling more than some unconfirmed rumors about things they do not like.

Poor Kevin Smith, who was just trying to keep some of the secrets secret, was called a liar and all kinds of terrible names. You could tell that, even if Kevin denied it, he was bothered by the hatred. These were his people who were turning on him, despite the first part of this series containing some excellent character work and some exceptional story telling.

Thankfully, this hatred seems to have dissipated as the second part was released on Netflix and it had all kinds of He-Man goodness.

Still, the MotU rage is the Don’t Feed the Trolls winner for 2021.

Previous winners:

The Don’t Feed the Trolls: Insane Internet Rage Scandal of the Year

Previous Winner:  Baby Yoda eats frog’s eggs