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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

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#45076: Oct 20th 2015 at 1:10:21 PM

Yeah, I don't think her having red hair is essential.

Comic writers just love making red-haired women.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#45077: Oct 20th 2015 at 1:11:28 PM

Why can she not have red hair and be non-Caucasian? I mean, she's an Inhuman with alien DNA. That kind of means that she's already in the realm of fiction. Giving a POC red hair isn't going to break suspension of disbelief.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#45078: Oct 20th 2015 at 1:14:25 PM

Especially since her hair isn't just a physical feature, it's actually her powerset. Terrigenesis having its way with her hair is an inherent part of the character.

edited 20th Oct '15 1:14:49 PM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Heatth (X-Troper) Relationship Status: In Spades with myself
#45079: Oct 20th 2015 at 1:20:27 PM

The hair will be made of CG half of the time, anyway, so it is not like the actress needs natural red hair.

edited 20th Oct '15 1:21:46 PM by Heatth

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#45080: Oct 20th 2015 at 1:27:26 PM

Yeah.

I hate to play the Fantastic Suspension of Disbelief card but in this case the two are actually related. When she's up there on the screen swinging people around with her hair and strangling people with the huge mane, I don't think a lot of people will be in their seats going, "That's preposterous, a Korean woman can't have red hair. Huge, lustrous manes of prehensile hair are always black from that part of the country."

If anything, having bright red hair and being of a nationality that does not naturally have bright red hair would accentuate the alien feel of the character.

edited 20th Oct '15 1:27:57 PM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Wackd Since: May, 2009
#45081: Oct 20th 2015 at 1:32:15 PM

I mean.

I feel like diversity is important not just for minority groups but for people who look...I dunno if "unorthodox" is the right word? Smaller subsets.

Like, red hair is super-rare for certain parts of the population, but it still happens, and should be reflected in media so the people who look like that feel less strange about it.

So maybe "if a minority character has red hair it'll make them more alien" is a bad argument?

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#45082: Oct 20th 2015 at 1:36:55 PM

If they go for the shade in the comics and make it as thick, it will look alien no matter how the actress looks like.

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#45083: Oct 20th 2015 at 1:38:43 PM

Although a Berber Medusa would be cool, because I don't think there are a lot of famous North African actors in Hollywood (only one I can think of is Alexander Siddig), not to mention it would avert the regional equivalent of Latino Is Brown.

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#45084: Oct 20th 2015 at 3:33:22 PM

Does anyone know if there are rights issues with Scarlet Witch? I saw someone mention that she's pretty much the only (living) hero from Age of Ultron and Civil War not being released for the Disney Infinity game, and that she and Quicksilver had very little merchandise, and someone suggested it might be due to rights stuff.

I personally assumed the small amount of merchandise was due to them not having costumes, though.

MousaThe14 Writer, Artist, Ignored from Northern Virginia Since: Jan, 2011 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Writer, Artist, Ignored
#45085: Oct 20th 2015 at 4:02:28 PM

Maybe? She is under the same "weird dual property clause" Quicksilver is under so who knows.

The Blog The Art
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#45086: Oct 20th 2015 at 4:11:41 PM

How much merchandise does she have compared to Black Widow? There's been an entirely separate issue of female characters not getting the proper level of merchandise made for them.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#45087: Oct 20th 2015 at 4:18:09 PM

Even less but I found it notable because the game in question did include Black Widow and Gamora, so I thought it had to be more than "No girls allowed."

MapleSamurai Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
#45088: Oct 20th 2015 at 4:50:49 PM

Going back to the subject of Marvel Studios making new characters for the Chinese market, I hope if any of them are superheroes, they'll avoid the Captain Ethnic thing most non-American Marvel heroes have gotten in the past.

For instance, the most prominent nationally Chinese superhero in Marvel Comics is the Collective Man. Yeah, the guy's superhero concept is his country's freaking economic system. And his costume is just a Chinese flag jumpsuit, because of course it is.

What I'm getting at is, if they're planning to make a Chinese superhero in the MCU, let's try a bit harder than another Collective Man, please.

Hodor2 Since: Jan, 2015
#45089: Oct 20th 2015 at 5:01:35 PM

I had been thinking recently about Radioactive Man. I think there's some issues with him (namely The Simpsons and the question of how he's not giving cancer to everyone he encounters), but it is kind of interesting to have a counterpart to Tony's individualist capitalism in another armored hero who is a devoted "servant" to the state.

I mean I guess Rhodey kind of fills the "government Iron Man" angle, but it strikes me how much Radioactive Man is similar to Steve- if Steve was a radioactive Chinese communist.

edited 20th Oct '15 5:02:32 PM by Hodor2

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#45090: Oct 20th 2015 at 5:03:59 PM

On the bright side chances are it won't be as ridiculous as the Great Ten.

JBC31187 Since: Jan, 2015
#45091: Oct 20th 2015 at 5:12:17 PM

If they reboot DC again, Captain Atom would be a good character to change. He's a military man, he's on Superman's power level, and there's nothing racist in his name or power set- no karate powers, for example.

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#45092: Oct 20th 2015 at 5:24:40 PM

I could be wrong but I took the initial report as an indication that they were trying to create new Chinese heroes precisely because most of Marvel's existing ones are embarrassing stereotypes.

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#45093: Oct 20th 2015 at 5:46:34 PM

I think Marvel has moved away from the whole Captain Ethnic thing, knowing how offensive it is. Collective Man was created for Contest of Champions in the '70s; the current day Contest of Champions, on the other hand, as a South Korean hero named White Fox and a French hero named Guillotine.

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#45094: Oct 20th 2015 at 5:57:58 PM

Here comes Captain America and his new pal, Burger Barnes.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#45095: Oct 20th 2015 at 5:58:19 PM

Guillotine certainly is... a name for a french character.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#45096: Oct 20th 2015 at 6:00:44 PM

White Fox and Guillotine are miles ahead of the pas Captain Ethnics from Contest (like the really antisemitic Arab hero who also hates women).

JBC31187 Since: Jan, 2015
#45097: Oct 20th 2015 at 6:11:21 PM

I'm probably being dense, but what's wrong with White Fox for a Korean superhero?

BadWolf21 Since: May, 2010
#45098: Oct 20th 2015 at 6:25:15 PM

[up][up][up] For a French character who wields a big-ass sword, "Guillotine" is actually a pretty sweet name. Superhero names aren't exactly supposed to be subtle.

Like, the guy who has the powers of a spider is called Spider-Man. It's not exactly rocket science naming these people. Guillotine is actually fairly clever, in that regard.

Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#45099: Oct 20th 2015 at 6:26:15 PM

And really that character sounds metal as fuck.

I mean she's called Guillotine, has an ancient family curse, is dressed like a satanic hangman and wields a bloodthirsty sentient sword.

You can practically hear Hammerfall on the background.

She needs a movie.

edited 20th Oct '15 6:26:50 PM by Gaon

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#45100: Oct 20th 2015 at 6:27:47 PM

[up][up][up]Oh, nothing. I was genuinely saying White Fox and Guillotine are miles ahead of the past attempts at international heroes in Contest of Champions.


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