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Welcome to the main discussion thread for the Marvel Cinematic Universe! I'm editing this OP and pinning it to establish some basic guidelines. All of the Media Forum rules still apply.

  • This thread is for talking about the live-action films, TV shows, animated works, and related content that use the Marvel brand, currently owned by Disney.
  • While mild digressions are okay, discussion of the comic books should go in this thread. Extended digressions may be thumped as off-topic.
  • Spoilers for new releases should not be discussed for at least two weeks. Rather, each title should have a dedicated thread where that sort of conversation is held. We can mention new releases in a general sense, but please be courteous to people who don't want to be spoiled.

[Edited by Fighteer]

    Original post 
Since Thor and now Captain America came out this year, I wanted to get what Tropers thought of the concept and execution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general. Personally I love the idea and wonder why this idea hasn't been seriously tried before. It sorta seems to me like the DCAU in movie form (And well, ummm, with Marvel), and really 'gets' the comic book feel of a shared universe while not being completely alienating.

Edited by Fighteer on Dec 15th 2022 at 9:55:58 AM

Akirakan Since: Feb, 2015 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#113626: Dec 6th 2019 at 4:12:23 PM

There's a Ultraman restaurant at CCXP, therefore Ultraman will be part of the MCU!

Edit: damn this top posts.

Edited by Akirakan on Dec 6th 2019 at 7:15:09 AM

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#113627: Dec 6th 2019 at 4:23:08 PM

Marvel is going to be publishing Ultraman comics.

Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#113628: Dec 6th 2019 at 5:13:19 PM

[up][up]Can’t wait to hear the English version of the Ultraseven theme...

Akirakan Since: Feb, 2015 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
TargetmasterJoe Since: May, 2013
#113630: Dec 7th 2019 at 4:52:50 AM

Heads up!

Marvel Studios' CCXP panel is kicking off today at 4pm in Brazil São Paulo time, which translates to 2pm in eastern time and 11am in pacific time.

I'm already getting excited! grin

Edited by TargetmasterJoe on Dec 7th 2019 at 7:53:31 AM

windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#113631: Dec 7th 2019 at 6:18:14 AM

An article on how the MCU depicts male obesity.

Marvel has an interesting relationship with their male characters gaining weight. I say “male” because it is, seemingly, only the men who are allowed to have weight gain in Marvel movies (and in Hollywood in general). It started with Thor in Avengers: Endgame, and now, it seems, that Alexei the Red Guardian (David Harbour) is the latest target of fat jokes in the trailer for Black Widow.

When Alexei tries on his Red Guardian suit, Melina (Rachel Weisz) makes a comment about him getting fat. We don’t know much about these characters and their relationship, but including this line in a trailer seems like a strange choice, especially considering that Marvel has an interesting relationship with making jokes about weight gain when it concerns their male characters.

Thor was mocked, yes, and we had concerns about how that played out, but in the end, he was on a journey to helping himself in a healthier way and was not magically fixed. He was still, I suppose, “Fat Thor” in the end and didn’t get his defined abs back the minute he discovered he was still worthy. That being said, Thor was given that journey, and it seems as if Alexei is going to be given the chance to be slightly bigger than the typical Marvel man because … well, he’s a man.

Imagine if that joke were aimed at Natasha. She probably wouldn’t have even actually gained any weight; she’d probably still be just as small and skinny as Scarlett Johansson is, because that’s how Hollywood works. Women can’t have that growth; we can’t be “fat” without that being our defining characteristic. I would bet money on this being a one-off joke and then never brought up again. Sure, Thor had quite a few jokes aimed at him, but in the end, it was still his journey and he was able to grow and find out what he needed to do for himself, whether that meant staying in the shape he was in or changing.

BOOXMOWO Since: Mar, 2013
#113632: Dec 7th 2019 at 6:18:33 AM

Random thought: The time frame of the MCU, from Iron Man to Spider-Man: Far From Home, is around 15 years. That's technically longer than the time frame of the comic book Marvel Universe.

TargetmasterJoe Since: May, 2013
#113633: Dec 7th 2019 at 6:44:49 AM

[up] Ha! The MCU is better and lasted longer than the universe it's based on.

So yeah, I guess we're basically twiddling our thumbs until Marvel's big CCXP panel later today.

5 hours to go!

Edited by TargetmasterJoe on Dec 7th 2019 at 9:45:10 AM

Soble Since: Dec, 2013
#113634: Dec 7th 2019 at 7:34:29 AM

Marvel has an interesting relationship with their male characters gaining weight.

I say “male” because it is, seemingly, only the men who are allowed to have weight gain in Marvel movies

Imagine if that joke were aimed at Natasha. She probably wouldn’t have even actually gained any weight; she’d probably still be just as small and skinny as Scarlett Johansson is, because that’s how Hollywood works. Women can’t have that growth;

...I really can't see this point of view.

Edited by Soble on Dec 7th 2019 at 7:43:46 AM

I'M MR. MEESEEKS, LOOK AT ME!
Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#113635: Dec 7th 2019 at 7:46:24 AM

[up]Me neither. The weight is more an age joke with Red Guardian. Not as lean, still a fighting machine.

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#113636: Dec 7th 2019 at 10:17:37 AM

I don't even see it as a fat joke — not like the fat jokes in Endgame, which were clearly jokes and clearly mocking — it was just a comment by another character. "You got fat." And she also clearly says it in a playful way, showing that she cares about him.

I do agree that female superheroes tend to have the same body shape, while male superheroes, uh, don't. That's been a problem in comic books for a long time, too, and I hope it's something they fix. The only comic (and adaptation soon, hopefully) that I've seen tackle this is Faith, who is part of the Valiant Universe.

Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#113637: Dec 7th 2019 at 10:21:08 AM

[up]Reasonably speaking if you’re running around, chasing people, etc, etc, you’re going to lose weight. Not everyone has the Scarlett Johansson genetics so even fit people have some fat around the midsection, no shame in it, but being a crime fighter is physically taxing.

That’s kinda why the Red Guardian thing works. He’s been in semi retirement, so when he puts on the suit, it’s “Ok, I’m not at my peak, but I’m still ready to go kick the asses of some khuligan.

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#113638: Dec 7th 2019 at 10:25:23 AM

Reasonably speaking if you’re running around, chasing people, etc, etc, you’re going to lose weight.
That applies to people who don't have superpowers, like Natasha (even if genetics themselves also have a cause in being overweight and not just behavior/environment), but what about people with superpowers like Captain Marvel? Do using their powers burn calories?

And what about Melina? In the trailer, it appears she's been retired for the same amount of time as the Red Guardian, but while he's played by David Harbour, she's played by Rachel Weisz. I understand that, again, this is Hollywood, but there is a double-standard when it comes to male vs. female body shapes. Having every single female character look thin and gorgeous is just perpetuating it.

Hopefully, having a character with a different body type like She-Hulk (if they go the body builder route) will help change that.

(Also, if you guys haven't seen it, there's a great comedy that came out this year that kind of tackled this called Brittany Runs a Marathon with Jillian Bell. She's hilarious, so I hope she gets a role in the MCU.)

Edited by alliterator on Dec 7th 2019 at 10:28:48 AM

Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#113639: Dec 7th 2019 at 10:34:50 AM

[up]Depends on the hero. I know for The Flash TV show it’s a plot point the guy eats like a cow because he has to (and his metabolism means he Never Gets Drunk). Like I said, not everyone has the A list genetics, or in other cases, some people eat like they’re still working as hard as they did at 21, and it results in weight gain. But I would argue the other extreme doesn’t make sense.

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#113640: Dec 7th 2019 at 10:40:05 AM

But I would argue the other extreme doesn’t make sense.
Well, that's good, because I don't want the other extreme either. But, come on, we need more types than just thin — after all, who is going to play Big Bertha of the Great Lakes Avengers?

Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#113641: Dec 7th 2019 at 10:43:15 AM

[up]I think that ship sailed when the New Warriors pilot was rejected.

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#113642: Dec 7th 2019 at 10:52:04 AM

The New Warriors =/= the Great Lakes Avengers. I mean, c'mon, which one rides around in the Quin-jetta?

RavenWilder Raven Wilder Since: Apr, 2009
Raven Wilder
#113643: Dec 7th 2019 at 11:11:44 AM

If you check out the New Yorker cover at this link, I think it pretty well sums up the view of Marvel characters operating outside New York.

http://www.mappingthenation.com/blog/new-exhibit-of-pictorial-maps/

Edited by RavenWilder on Dec 7th 2019 at 11:14:41 AM

"It takes an idiot to do cool things, that's why it's cool" - Haruhara Haruko
TargetmasterJoe Since: May, 2013
#113644: Dec 7th 2019 at 11:14:09 AM

Marvel's panel at CCXP is live now...

Apparently they're showing footage from Eternals!

EDIT: Direct quote from Feige: "Eternals is "going to change the MCU in Phase 4."

Can you say "X-Gene"? Or "mutant gene"? I know you can!

Edited by TargetmasterJoe on Dec 7th 2019 at 2:20:59 PM

TargetmasterJoe Since: May, 2013
#113645: Dec 7th 2019 at 11:52:05 AM

Bump.

Turns out it wasn't that huge after all.

Just stills for TFATWS and WandaVision and footage from Eternals and Black Widow.

Nuts. sad

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#113646: Dec 7th 2019 at 11:57:45 AM

TFATWS

The Force Awakens The Winter Soldier?

Thor Fires A Thick Wacky Serpent?

Thanos Fears Attacking Tiny Wanda Sorcerer?

Per the mods' repellant efforts to avoid all responsibility, I regret to announce this is the end of my time on TVT. I'm going now. Goodbye.
Ultimatum Disasturbator from Second Star to the left (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Disasturbator
BOOXMOWO Since: Mar, 2013
#113648: Dec 7th 2019 at 12:01:37 PM

[up][up] Every time someone writes "TFA" it takes me a second to tell if they're talking about Star Wars or Captain America.

Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#113649: Dec 7th 2019 at 12:15:04 PM

TFATWS

Tony Fights A Tornado With Steve

The First Ancients Teach Wanda Sorcery

Thanos Farts; Ant-Man's Turbulent Windtunnel Sequence

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
Weirdguy149 The King Without a Kingdom from Lumiose City under development Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: I'd jump in front of a train for ya!
The King Without a Kingdom
#113650: Dec 7th 2019 at 12:33:59 PM

While What If wasn't discussed, it's cool we got stills from Wanda Vision.

It's been 3000 years…

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