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Welcome to the main discussion thread for the Marvel Cinematic Universe! This pinned post is here 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 without spoiler tagging 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.

If you're posting tagged spoilers, make sure that the film or series is clearly identified outside the spoiler tagging. People need to know what will be spoiled before they choose to read the post.

    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 Mrph1 on Jul 29th 2024 at 3:09:00 PM

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#25526: Jan 30th 2015 at 7:24:26 AM

I'm still hoping at some point they choose to bring in Phyla-Vell.

LordofLore Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Consider his love an honor
#25527: Jan 30th 2015 at 9:38:09 AM

Yeah, she is pretty much the cosmic character I'm most looking forward to seeing due to how much her character might change if she isn't living in the massive shadow of her father and brother.

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#25528: Jan 30th 2015 at 9:38:25 AM

Hot Topic has destroyed their Star Wars issues with the spoilery AOU ad, and are reprinting it without said ad.

The originals are now going for 200 bucks on Ebay.

LordofLore Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Consider his love an honor
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#25530: Jan 30th 2015 at 1:19:25 PM

Shut up and take my money.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Mukora Uniocular from a place Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: I made a point to burn all of the photographs
Uniocular
#25531: Jan 30th 2015 at 1:23:01 PM

It weirds me out that Cap's helmet is painted on his head.

"It's so hard to be humble, knowing how great I am."
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#25533: Jan 30th 2015 at 1:32:01 PM

A frowny mouth is visible on most Iron Man helmets.

One version of the armor even had a nose. Stark has never lived that down.

edited 30th Jan '15 1:32:22 PM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#25534: Jan 30th 2015 at 1:56:57 PM

Its funny that the Iron Man 'lips' are static so to give him expressions in the comic they just show him at different angles.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#25535: Jan 30th 2015 at 2:06:40 PM

[up][up] I shall henceforth refer to that as "Iron Moai."

Heatth (X-Troper) Relationship Status: In Spades with myself
#25536: Jan 30th 2015 at 3:22:53 PM

[up][up]Like Noh masks? Huh, I never noticed.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#25537: Jan 30th 2015 at 3:27:35 PM

Well, look at that nose picture. He looks kind of unsure or sad and the 'camera' is looking up at him from below.

The same mask seen head on looks stern.

A healthy dose of art tricky is involved probably but its interesting that they at least try to justify how a static mask has 'expressions'

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Mukora Uniocular from a place Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: I made a point to burn all of the photographs
Uniocular
#25538: Jan 30th 2015 at 3:29:41 PM

It's weird that they've never tried doing that with Spider-Man. They always just give him a mask that somehow expresses emotion.

"It's so hard to be humble, knowing how great I am."
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#25539: Jan 30th 2015 at 3:32:52 PM

That playing around with angles is trickier to do in live action, where the characters are expected to constantly be moving at least a little bit, is a contributing factor in Tony's faceplate being raised far more often in the films than the comics.

Showing off the expensive actor's face is also a factor, but Iron Man actually has that easier than other superheroes as a consequence of the in-helmet camera angle.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Heatth (X-Troper) Relationship Status: In Spades with myself
#25540: Jan 30th 2015 at 3:44:55 PM

[up][up]That is because Spider-Man's mask don't have any facial feature aside the eyes. The mouth alone can make such difference.

Showing off the expensive actor's face is also a factor, but Iron Man actually has that easier than other superheroes as a consequence of the in-helmet camera angle.

I always loved this. It made so that his face shot during action never felt arbitrary or forced. That always was one of the most annoying things with Spider-Man.

edited 30th Jan '15 3:49:01 PM by Heatth

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#25541: Jan 30th 2015 at 3:51:59 PM

I still think it's kind of stupid that people evidently don't like when the heroes wear masks but whatever. As long as it's somewhat justifiable I can live with it.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#25542: Jan 30th 2015 at 4:05:22 PM

The number one problem with it (at least, imo) is that it's a lot harder to give someone a mask and have them be expressive than it is in another context.

Batman, for instance, can have a much wider range of emotion when someone is drawing (or rendering) his expressions and his mask than when it's actually a real person in a mask, because masks are a lot more restrictive for that sort of thing in real life.

This is especially true for Spider-Man, because he is practically the greatest example of an Expressive Mask and artists cheating to give him expressions in all of superhero comicdom. When you don't have that, it gets really noticeable.

Characters with less facial covering masks retaining them (in situations where they actually work with the plot) is something I hope to see a bit more of, though. Or helmets.

edited 30th Jan '15 4:08:40 PM by KnownUnknown

Wackd Since: May, 2009
#25543: Jan 30th 2015 at 4:12:32 PM

I've said it before and I'll say it again—green-screen the masks so you can manipulate them during the action.

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#25544: Jan 30th 2015 at 4:15:07 PM

I feel like that work better for some kinds of masks than others.

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#25545: Jan 30th 2015 at 4:15:12 PM

That sounds like it would be weird as hell to look at.

GeekCodeRed Since: Sep, 2010
#25546: Jan 30th 2015 at 4:19:23 PM

Hey, that's what they did for the Deadpool test footage, and that looked awesome!

Probably add in some motion-capture too.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#25547: Jan 30th 2015 at 4:25:12 PM

The Deadpool in the test footage also looked very fake and stood out compared to the real people in the same footage, but it deserves a pass because it's test footage. I thought the general consensus was that it looked amazing for what it was, but that they either need to do something else or really improve their process for the finished product.

edited 30th Jan '15 4:28:28 PM by KnownUnknown

Wackd Since: May, 2009
#25548: Jan 30th 2015 at 4:39:40 PM

Yeah, for Spidey/Deadpool style masks it'll work. Iron Man? Not so much. Metal forces you to consider how exactly it's doing that.

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#25549: Jan 30th 2015 at 4:51:00 PM

Iron Man gets a pass because of his HUD display. I wouldn't be surprised if part of the reason they chose to utilize so many shots of his face inside the helmet is because otherwise you might as well be watching a cartoon.

But yeah the person a few posts up hit the nail on the head. It's largely an issue of practicality when it comes to filming.

TargetmasterJoe from Velocitron Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: I like big bots and I can not lie
#25550: Jan 30th 2015 at 5:10:44 PM

I may have mentioned something like this already, but...

All righty, we all know Marvel and DC have superheroine movies on the horizon. Wonder Woman (from DC) may be getting onto the silver screen before Captain Marvel (from Marvel), but let's be honest, which lady superhero movie do you guys have more faith in?

Wonder Woman or Captain Marvel?

edited 30th Jan '15 5:11:53 PM by TargetmasterJoe


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