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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.

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    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

Whowho Since: May, 2012
#29276: Mar 16th 2015 at 1:46:32 PM

[up]Well there's a point to be made that no matter what your ideology is if you take the law into your own radioactive hands you're easily a terrorist.

Superheroism is always an act of extremism given enough super-power.

Heh, in the FoX-Men verse anti mutant sentiment hyped up in the 70s because one mutant stuck in East Berlin decided to single handedly blow up the Berlin Wall, causing a quarter of the city to be set ablaze.

But my point is, if people are throwing fireballs and dead-time-lines at each other, how on earth are muggles ever going to get the stones to take part in conventional terrorist organisations?

"Welcome to our secret organisation comrade, but you should probably know there's a rich bald guy in the US who will make your brain explode if he reads your thoughts too hard."

Actually I'd like the 616 universe to have a closer eye to things like civil liberties in a world with mind reading. Can a mind reader testify in a court of law? Damnit I wish Marvel was still running those Twitter accounts for their characters so I could ask Shulk for the answer.

[up][up]Five nightmares is one of my favourite Iron Man storylines, and I'm glad of Iron Man 3's similarities to it.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#29277: Mar 16th 2015 at 1:51:21 PM

During the Morrison run, Professor X basically without splode did that to a hijacker. Just rooted around and changed how he felt about stuff.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
TenebrousGaze Dark Eye from A Shaded Face Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
Dark Eye
#29278: Mar 16th 2015 at 2:05:42 PM

Marvel isn't completely devoid of foreigners. Apart from the previously mentioned there's also the Britishlot. They're interesting enough, as MI-13 is government sanctioned but basically just leaves it down to the supers who know what they're doing as they have a reasonable track record.

How the law works in regards to supers is very interesting. Just hard to base a fun story around, I guess.

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#29279: Mar 16th 2015 at 2:27:59 PM

[up][up][up][up][up]There was a Wolverine story like that. There was an impoverished part of Brazil where a mutant had basically conquered the whole area by using his powers to pose as some sort of divine entity and force everyone to join his cult.

Which is actually weird to me because you'd think a place like the Marvel Universe would be much more open to skepticism when so many so-called miracles can be dismissed with "That guy is just an alien/mutant/someone with advanced tech".

LordofLore Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Consider his love an honor
#29280: Mar 16th 2015 at 2:50:33 PM

IIRC didn't the Ultimate-verse have a group worshiping the Phoenix?

Whowho Since: May, 2012
#29281: Mar 16th 2015 at 4:03:26 PM

Heck in the 616 universe there are churches dedicated to Thor.

zsax Since: Mar, 2015
#29282: Mar 16th 2015 at 4:18:49 PM

And funnily enough, mutants are the ones that are called demons. Instead of, you know, the actual pagan deity.

edited 16th Mar '15 4:19:18 PM by zsax

Whowho Since: May, 2012
#29283: Mar 16th 2015 at 4:34:18 PM

Does Thor ever address the fact that people are openly worshipping him?

Damn, this line of conversation has got me wishing there was a heck of a lot more world building in Marvel; it seems like an advantage of a persistent universe which hasn't been fully utilised.

zsax Since: Mar, 2015
#29284: Mar 16th 2015 at 4:46:38 PM

Do Marvel Comics gods gain power depending of how many people believe in them? It would explain why most of them are such pushovers.

Heatth (X-Troper) Relationship Status: In Spades with myself
#29285: Mar 16th 2015 at 5:13:09 PM

Damn, this line of conversation has got me wishing there was a heck of a lot more world building in Marvel; it seems like an advantage of a persistent universe which hasn't been fully utilised.

I feel that this will be forever my biggest disappointment with Marvel (which is saying a lot). The thing that makes super heroes books interesting, at last for me, is that instant world building that is, theoretically, constantly evolving independently of whatever single book you are reading. But writers never seem to explore to their full potential.

GethKnight Since: Apr, 2010
#29286: Mar 16th 2015 at 5:21:29 PM

IF a "Captain America"-like Hero were to be created in the UK, would they go with the "King Arthur" mythos as his Super Hero name?

Heatth (X-Troper) Relationship Status: In Spades with myself
#29287: Mar 16th 2015 at 5:27:03 PM

[up]Uh, he already exist. There are two of them, in fact. Captain Britain and Union Jack.

Fun Fact: Captain Britain is Psylocke's brother. This probably means he can't be in the MCU. Union Jack is fair game, though.

edited 16th Mar '15 5:27:49 PM by Heatth

GethKnight Since: Apr, 2010
#29288: Mar 16th 2015 at 5:29:43 PM

I was thinking more "Captain America and his Super Steroids only British".

Heatth (X-Troper) Relationship Status: In Spades with myself
#29289: Mar 16th 2015 at 5:37:48 PM

[up]Union Jack is the one. The first one had no super steroids, but he was created by his government to be a super agent to fight in the War. The second one even had a variation of the Super Soldier Formula on his body. The third one had a a more Arthur-esque power enhancer.

At any rate, they are all patriotic flag wearing heroes who fight without overly flashy powers. The main difference from Captain America is that they are inspired more by Bond-like super spy than by the military.

edited 16th Mar '15 5:40:46 PM by Heatth

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#29290: Mar 16th 2015 at 5:42:13 PM

[up][up][up]I actually think they're more likely to be a shared case. Cap Britian was introduced completely independently of the X-Men and Psylocke actually started off as a Captain Britain character before she Commuted On A Bus to the X-Men franchise.

edited 16th Mar '15 5:42:37 PM by comicwriter

wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Role Model
#29291: Mar 16th 2015 at 5:47:43 PM

Note that Union Jack kinda sorta existed in the MCU. Or at least, James Montgomery Falsworth was one of the Howling Commandos. The British one, who costuming took care to have his uniform resemble a Union Jack itself.

Heatth (X-Troper) Relationship Status: In Spades with myself
#29292: Mar 16th 2015 at 5:53:48 PM

[up]I knew he appeared in Captain America, but I've never noticed his clothes contained a triple cross emblem. It is not quite the Union Jack due the lack of colors, but it is rather close.

[up][up]I don't think they will bother with shared deals for anyone else unless it is important. Sure, Psylocke technically was introduced outside the X Men, but she is definitively an X Men character. Her brother is also often associated to the mutants and is not important enough to be fought over. Specially since Marvel already have other patriotic British hero if they really need one.

Ekuran Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
#29293: Mar 16th 2015 at 5:54:40 PM

zsax: Not really, their power is basically their own.

As for how powerful they are, Thor and Herc and the other really powerful gods can suplex/magic blast planets, basically Type 5's on the Super Weight scale, most of the other main ones are Type 4's, and the average member of a godly race like the Asgardians are still Type 3 non-Flying Bricks. They're in turn nothing compared to the Type 6 Top Gods in the various pantheons like Odin. These guys are basically Cosmic Entities that can mess around with galaxies like stellar Play-Doh.

Heatth: That kind of world building would be cool, but I doubt it would work in the long term.

Heatth (X-Troper) Relationship Status: In Spades with myself
#29294: Mar 16th 2015 at 5:57:57 PM

Heatth: That kind of world building would be cool, but I doubt it would work in the long term.

Not sure what you mean. The only "kind" of world building I described is the one that already exist in comics. Do you mean you don't think said world building can be explored in more details? If so, why?

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#29295: Mar 16th 2015 at 6:25:54 PM

Does Thor ever address the fact that people are openly worshipping him?

It was a plot point in the Ultimates that he actually began organizing his followers and convincing them to take action against injustice. SHIELD didn't like it and had him taken down.

Whowho Since: May, 2012
#29296: Mar 16th 2015 at 6:35:47 PM

Am I the only one who thinks a patriotic British superhero is an odd, problematic and bad idea?

The British are certainly not known for their patriotism, in fact there's a cultural push against being patriotic, because, well, Britain is still associated with colonialism. Don't get me wrong, Brits have a lot of pride, but that's in a safe self-detrimental way, or when there is strait up patriotism, it's either a pride for Britain as a cosmopolitan country of cultures or the kind of pride you find in UKIP which in turn pulls a lot of hate and anger from a major population of Britain.

Even if the government was to make a national superhero, they would be reluctant to give that agent a patriotic code name, it would probably be some kind of euphemism like Trident is today to hide the shame of having an international violent force.

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#29297: Mar 16th 2015 at 6:39:50 PM

Whoa, did not know that about Falsworth either. Really, the Howling Commandos are such a severely underused group in the MCU, although that bit in Agent Carter was nice.

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#29298: Mar 16th 2015 at 6:42:07 PM

I don't think they necessarily need their own Captain Geographic I just think it'd be fun to see more heroes around the world. It could even be someone like Spitfire.

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
higherbrainpattern Since: Apr, 2012
#29300: Mar 16th 2015 at 6:48:36 PM

There should be an MCU crossover with Doctor Who, given that Marvel UK actually used to publish DW comics back in the day. The Doctor would probably be a much better representation of a British superhero than a Captain Patriotic British superhero, which, yeah, is a bit problematic. Because imperialism.


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