TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Go To

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

KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#26951: Feb 12th 2015 at 10:06:15 PM

[up] How does one "use" NASCAR?

edited 12th Feb '15 10:06:37 PM by KarkatTheDalek

Oh God! Natural light!
C105 Too old for this from France Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Too old for this
#26953: Feb 13th 2015 at 12:59:10 AM

I'm a few pages latenote  but I also liked Iron Man 3. I'm one of those who liked the twist, and I was more than happy to see Pepper have action scenes.

Whatever your favourite work is, there is a Vocal Minority that considers it the Worst. Whatever. Ever!.
deathpigeon Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: One True Dodecahedron
#26954: Feb 13th 2015 at 1:02:59 AM

I liked Iron Man 3, too. Same with Iron Man 2. But I also think the Incredible Hulk is one of the best MCU films, up there with Thor, The Winter Soldier, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#26955: Feb 13th 2015 at 1:05:38 AM

I have yet to see an MCU film I haven't enjoyed, though I haven't ever seen Inedible Hulk.

I prefer Iron Man 3 to 2, but I think 1 manages to be better than both despite being first.

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#26956: Feb 13th 2015 at 1:12:17 AM

The incredible Hulk is mostly incredible boring and contrived. The characters fell flat, the acting is so-so (Hurt is the only one who really works...and ironically Betty's new boyfriend...there is exactly one scene in the whole movie I really other than a few moments which are visually interesting, and that is the confrontation between those two) and a lot of the writing felt like something was just there because the writer wanted it to be there, not because it makes sense for the characters or the situation.

I don't see much of a problem of the Got G being in Infinity War. They are prior established character, and you don't necessarily need each Guardian interaction with each Avenger. If it works in a 20 minute episode to throw both groups together and let them fight a common enemy, it should work in two movies, too.

edited 13th Feb '15 1:14:09 AM by Swanpride

MousaThe14 Writer, Artist, Ignored from Northern Virginia Since: Jan, 2011 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Writer, Artist, Ignored
#26957: Feb 13th 2015 at 2:13:34 AM

dp, I'm still waiting for the punchline where you declare you're being sarcastic.

Aaaany time now. 8P

The Blog The Art
Lionheart0 Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: I'm just a hunk-a, hunk-a burnin' love
#26958: Feb 13th 2015 at 6:41:22 AM

Since the Bryan Cranston/Lex Luthor pipedream never came to fruition, I'm now fancasting him as the next Norman Osborn. Make it happen Disney!

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#26959: Feb 13th 2015 at 8:06:23 AM

Characters in a movie need more than characterization, though. They need to have some sort of role to play so it feels like their inclusion is relevant. I can say with 100% certainty that, even without a Got G crossover, there's going to be at least one character in the Avengers movies who isn't developed enough, doesn't get as much screentime was the others, and doesn't feel important. It already happened to Hawkeye in the first Avengers movie, and that one "only" had around eight or so main characters.

In a multi-pronged conflict in which the characters are competing with the villain to achieve six simultaneous objectives, I think there's room in a large cast for everyone to have something to do.

I would go so far as to say the protagonists should have around 3 people per Gem.

Also regarding Hawkeye not having much to do, Hawkeye had plenty to do in Avengers. Most of it was for Loki, however, because he spent the film mind-controlled, but he still infiltrated the German place to obtain Selvig's element, disabled a Helicarrier turbine with a well-placed shot, bested Nick Fury and Maria Hill by sniping the objective out from under them while they were distracted with the mooks, piloted the Quinjet that killed the mob on Iron Man's tail, utilized his sniper's vantage to direct the flow of the Battle for New York - it was Hawkeye that gave Iron Man the idea about banking hard and letting his pursuers slam into the building, and who provided him with intel on where to hit next.

He wasn't in the thick of it kicking dudes in the face through most of the action pieces because that's not the kind of character he is. Hawkeye's a sniper. If he does his job well, you shouldn't see him most of the time. That wasn't the problem. Where Hawkeye was lacking was opportunities to interact with the other characters, because he spent the duration of the film brain-washed.

edited 13th Feb '15 8:18:47 AM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Heatth (X-Troper) Relationship Status: In Spades with myself
#26960: Feb 13th 2015 at 8:27:08 AM

[up]Hawkeye had nothing to do as an Avenger. Even the lack of character interaction would be more forgiving if, when he joined the good side again, he did something. As things were, though, it never felt as if it made a difference him going to NY with everyone. It feels that, if he had stayed at the helicarrier, nothing would change.

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#26961: Feb 13th 2015 at 8:39:41 AM

I suspect the second movie is going to try and fix this. They did say Hawkeye would have a much bigger role.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#26962: Feb 13th 2015 at 8:42:16 AM

I'm certain that, even if they don't appear fighting Thanos or aiding the Avengers in some way in Infinity War (which they really should, given that they're the only one who really know what's going on), the Guardians will have some kind of extended sequence where they move to stop Thanos after he gets the Gem on Xandar.

Likewise, no matter what Loki's role in the movies are (likely going to be bigger as well), we can at least assume he'll appear when Thanos attacks Asgard.

<insert Dr. Strange character> will likely appear when Thanos attacks <insert place where Doctor Strange decides to put the Gem>. Etc.

edited 13th Feb '15 8:42:30 AM by KnownUnknown

spashthebandragon thebandragoness from USA Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
thebandragoness
#26963: Feb 13th 2015 at 8:47:00 AM

Well, they could put everyone into Cast Herds like the Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes finale did, but that's gonna limit potential character interaction. Really, I think Days of Future Past handled its large cast the best. That movie knew who its main characters were (Xavier, Magneto, Mystique, and Wolverine) and everyone else was a supporting role.

I've got fanfics for Frozen, Spectacular Spider-Man, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon.
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#26964: Feb 13th 2015 at 8:59:34 AM

Hawkeye had nothing to do as an Avenger. Even the lack of character interaction would be more forgiving if, when he joined the good side again, he did something. As things were, though, it never felt as if it made a difference him going to NY with everyone. It feels that, if he had stayed at the helicarrier, nothing would change.

As an Avenger, Hawkeye directed the flow of the battle from a vantage point that provided an eagle-eye view of the city. He also covered Black Widow's ascent of the building, and is responsible for taking Loki out of the fight. When Hulk smashes Loki in Stark Tower, the reason Loki is in there to be smashed is because Hawkeye blew him the f*ck up.

One might argue that someone else could have done the things he did, but the same can be said of anyone. Thor could have used lightning to destroy the first Leviathan after Hulk punched it. Iron Man could have launched huge missiles into the portal instead of using Thor's lightning. Hulk could have lobbed the nuke at the mothership. Etc.

Hawkeye contributed plenty to the final battle; it just wasn't as cool and flashy as Thor lightning-smashing a jagged metal spike into a Leviathan's neck.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#26965: Feb 13th 2015 at 9:04:59 AM

One of my absolute favorite things about the climax of Avengers was that it felt like how a real battle, in how everyone had a job to do depending on their skills. All the Avengers took a specific tactical role, and it was executed without feeling like an Eigen Plot because all the roles made perfect sense, and even the heavy hitters weren't portrayed as having jobs with more weight than the ones without those power sets.

The first thing I thought after seeing it was "that's how you do an ensemble superhero fight." The part where Cap "calls it" and gives the orders to all the others is the highpoint of the movie imo.

It's something I also liked about the climax to Thor 2.

edited 13th Feb '15 9:06:20 AM by KnownUnknown

wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Role Model
#26966: Feb 13th 2015 at 9:05:07 AM

I do wish that they had gone with more shots of Hawkeye directing the battle while he's using explosive arrows and doing no look shots, or super long distance shots, or things like that that would've looked more visually impressive and thus stood out more. Like what if he shot a leviathan in the eye from a mile away, or told Cap where those penned in civilians were while he's looking at them, or shooting "blindly" at corners knowing the gliders "can't bank worth a damn", and thus hitting things he can't even see.

Also, if he used that knife. His short range archery looked lame and inefficient.

Also, this:

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#26967: Feb 13th 2015 at 9:08:10 AM

[up] They have him directing Iron Man offscreen early in the fight, which is meant to establish that he's directing the others, even when he isn't being shown doing it.

edited 13th Feb '15 9:08:32 AM by KnownUnknown

Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#26968: Feb 13th 2015 at 9:10:16 AM

Stationary archery was unknown in the past? Thats news to me.

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Role Model
#26969: Feb 13th 2015 at 9:11:53 AM

[up][up]I know they did, but they also went with the cheaper to do Helmet Cam for much of that shot, while it would've been cooler to see Hawkeye doing something.

[up]I can't confirm everything in the video is accurate or real, but for something in a Hollywood movie, a lot of his tricks could work.

edited 13th Feb '15 9:16:40 AM by wanderlustwarrior

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#26970: Feb 13th 2015 at 9:13:03 AM

If we were watching Hawkeye the whole time instead of watching the characters he was directing, it would've defeated the purpose.

We also got a several shots of him surveying the battlefield during that scene, as well, but the point of it was to establish that he was giving others the information they needed to get the job done: the focus needed to be on that job getting done.

edited 13th Feb '15 9:14:47 AM by KnownUnknown

spashthebandragon thebandragoness from USA Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
thebandragoness
#26971: Feb 13th 2015 at 9:28:19 AM

Okay, yes, Hawkeye had some technical strategy to contribute to the final fight, but come on, they could've chopped him out of the movie and no one would've batted an eyelash. Kind of like how nobody's going, "HEY WAIT A MINUTE WHERE'S WASP THE WHOLE MOVIE CRUMBLES TO PIECES WITHOUT HER" despite her being in the early screenplays.

edited 13th Feb '15 9:28:32 AM by spashthebandragon

I've got fanfics for Frozen, Spectacular Spider-Man, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon.
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#26972: Feb 13th 2015 at 9:31:50 AM

And could the same not be said of Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk? Any one of them could be replaced by the other two.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
spashthebandragon thebandragoness from USA Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
thebandragoness
#26973: Feb 13th 2015 at 9:34:29 AM

[up]Yep, but at least they all had personality. To be honest, the cast of the next Avengers movie is about as variable as the next Smash Bros. roster. Avengers are chosen based on popularity, prominence in the comics, and who the writers happen to like. That's not a bad thing, but I think it'll become a bad thing if they start trying to shove twenty to thirty Avengers into each movie.

I've got fanfics for Frozen, Spectacular Spider-Man, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon.
comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#26974: Feb 13th 2015 at 9:35:15 AM

I just thought about it but I hope the collab between Marvel and Sony means Marvel can use the Beetle now.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#26975: Feb 13th 2015 at 9:37:52 AM

I'm in the minority that thinks Hawkeye had a decent, integral role in the movie's plot. There's nothing wrong with being The Heavy, especially in a Mind Control plot, and in the movie as a whole he had a major narrative role - being essential to Loki's scheme, the catalyst for Black Widow's arc and an important part of the climax.

Or basically, the idea that Hawkeye barely had a role is very exaggerated.

Would I like to see him get more development in the sequels? Hell yes. But to say he was somehow passed over in Avengers 1? Nah.

edited 13th Feb '15 9:39:46 AM by KnownUnknown


Total posts: 186,763
Top