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

TenebrousGaze Dark Eye from A Shaded Face Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
Dark Eye
#47751: Dec 7th 2015 at 5:12:27 AM

Is it that hard to make it work? Thor was originally Thor's name but when the Odinson got in a slump he stopped using it and when somebody who looked a lot like Thor and was using the same hammer turned up the in-universe general public and the other heroes decided calling her Thor too made sense (or she decided to do it first and they all went along with it because, again, it made sense) because he had no proper title to inherit, so the closest thing became one.

Theokal3 Since: Jan, 2012
#47752: Dec 7th 2015 at 5:24:36 AM

[up][up]Well, in all fairness, Eric Masterson didn't use the "Thor" name, and Donald Blake was a fake alter-ego to Thor rather than the other way around. So it's still a more complicated case. Now personally I don't care much about this change- at worst I find it a bit weird but nothing intolerable- but I can understand those who feel uneasy with it.

DrDougsh Since: Jan, 2001
#47753: Dec 7th 2015 at 5:27:23 AM

I'm pretty sure Swanpride isn't a dude.

I'd never even heard of Eric Masterson.

Isn't the idea that Donald Blake is the actual Thor? Before they made that retcon, the idea was that "Thor" was simply a mortal acting as the avatar to the god of thunder. If that was still the case, then it would make some modicum of sense for various people to be able to take the mantle of Thor, but with the idea that Donald Blake is and always was Thor, the concept just doesn't strike me as meshing very well anymore.

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#47754: Dec 7th 2015 at 5:43:37 AM

Put Spider-Man in the Defenders.

No thanks. I'd rather they keep the movies and TV shows separate for the most part.

edited 7th Dec '15 5:45:32 AM by comicwriter

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#47755: Dec 7th 2015 at 5:51:31 AM

Nope, I am not a dude. And I don't like the idea that anyone else "becomes Thor" in general.

For the record, I don't like "replacements" in general. But in the case of Thor it is particularly stupid. What defines the hero Thor is not just the fact that he can lift a hammer, but also that he is the son of Odin, the prince of Asgard who has decided to protect humans. A lot of heroes have lifted the hammer over time. And they didn't have to turn into Thor to do so.

yellowturtle from Nowhere Important Since: Feb, 2015 Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
#47756: Dec 7th 2015 at 6:31:03 AM

Like Vision. Or Odin himself.

Crow: There's a plot?
Wackd Since: May, 2009
#47757: Dec 7th 2015 at 6:42:00 AM

Bruce/Betty and Thor/Jane doesn't work because one of the participants of the romance is badly written (one guess which one).
Thor is a terribly written character and needs to be removed from his movies for their own good.

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
Theokal3 Since: Jan, 2012
edvedd Darling. from At the boutique, dear. Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: We finish each other's sandwiches
Darling.
#47759: Dec 7th 2015 at 6:49:22 AM

[up][up]It's kind of impossible to dislodge a thought from your head isn't it?

Visit my Tumblr! I may say things. The Bureau Project
comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#47760: Dec 7th 2015 at 6:51:14 AM

Than there should be a Defenders movie in-between Infinity Wars.

There's about as much chance of that happening as there is of the Agents of SHIELD getting a movie.

PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#47761: Dec 7th 2015 at 6:54:01 AM

I don't like any Legacy Character's that weren't made specifically to be a Legacy Character.

Wackd Since: May, 2009
MousaThe14 Writer, Artist, Ignored from Northern Virginia Since: Jan, 2011 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Writer, Artist, Ignored
#47763: Dec 7th 2015 at 6:57:16 AM

@Edvedd, you gotta admit of the characters we've had so far with their own movies, Thor has not exactly been written as a particularly interesting dude consistently.

Hell, it's probably why his supporting cast is so much larger and more colorful than heroes of the other films.

The Blog The Art
edvedd Darling. from At the boutique, dear. Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: We finish each other's sandwiches
Darling.
#47764: Dec 7th 2015 at 7:02:33 AM

Eh, I don't really care that much.

But I guess I wasn't really contributing, so I'll be on my way.

Visit my Tumblr! I may say things. The Bureau Project
Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#47765: Dec 7th 2015 at 7:21:17 AM

For anyone who says Thor, the Blood Knight Proud Warrior Race Guy Boisterois Bruiser Warrior Poet is a uninteresting character I only have this to say.

I say thee NAY (''tosses hammer')

edited 7th Dec '15 7:21:46 AM by Gaon

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#47766: Dec 7th 2015 at 7:31:41 AM

"The halls of Hel echo with the screams of your victims!"

Nightwire Since: Feb, 2010
#47767: Dec 7th 2015 at 7:49:24 AM

Thor might not be the most deep or interesting character, but he's the most consistently entertaining. And oddly enough, possibly the most well-adjusted member of the Avengers (beside Hawkeye).

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#47768: Dec 7th 2015 at 7:58:09 AM

Well, in all fairness, Eric Masterson didn't use the "Thor" name
Actually, yes he did.

Donald Blake was a fake alter-ego to Thor rather than the other way around
When Thor was resurrected, so was Donald Blake, this time as a real person. (This was J. Michael Straczynski's run.) So yes, Donald Blake literally became Thor this time.

A lot of heroes have lifted the hammer over time. And they didn't have to turn into Thor to do so.
Jane Foster hasn't literally turned into Thor — she just got all of his powers, like, you know, Beta Ray Bill did. Only this time, she was also bestowed with his name because the Odinson felt he was unworthy of it and so gave it to her.

The thing you are objecting to never actually happened.

edited 7th Dec '15 7:58:40 AM by alliterator

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#47769: Dec 7th 2015 at 7:58:35 AM

Thor might not be the best written character, but he's not really that bad either, at least better than Jane who is even more poorly written IMO. Not to mention Darcy wasn't exactly a great character in the second Thor movie.

@alliterator

I'm not a dude, and and I don't have a problem with Jane or anyone else in general taking over as Thor in principle, but thus far the execution for her has... not been great. Hopefully other writers can do her better.

edited 7th Dec '15 8:02:03 AM by AlleyOop

Wackd Since: May, 2009
#47770: Dec 7th 2015 at 8:02:55 AM

Thor, the Blood Knight Proud Warrior Race Guy Boisterois Bruiser Warrior Poet
Look I sat through every fucking Worf episode of Star Trek there is, plus like two seasons of Farscape, this is not an archetype I am desperately in need of more of.

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#47771: Dec 7th 2015 at 8:07:36 AM

I'm not a dude, and and I don't have a problem with Jane or anyone else in general taking over as Thor in principle, but thus far the execution for her has... not been great. Hopefully other writers can do her better.
Thanks. I don't have a problem if you don't like the writing (although I would recommend reading Mighty Thor #1 - since the whole "who is the new Thor?" mystery is out of the way, it really picks up a lot), but to just dismiss Jane as Thor on principle (because "Thor is his name, not his title!" or something) is stupid.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#47772: Dec 7th 2015 at 8:23:33 AM

Darcy is great.

Without her the movies would be so much worse

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Theokal3 Since: Jan, 2012
#47773: Dec 7th 2015 at 8:27:33 AM

Honestly movie Thor IS interesting, he just has the misfortune of being overshadowed by Loki in his two movies. One thing I liked about Thor: The Dark World despite the movie's flaws was that unlike the Iron Man sequels, they actually let Thor's lessons stick; he is much less reckless, actually does go for cunning rather than brute strenght at a few points, and tries a peaceful approach on a few occasions. All things he most likely wouldn't have done in the first movie pre-Character Development. Not perfect of course, but still appreciable.

Wackd Since: May, 2009
#47774: Dec 7th 2015 at 8:34:46 AM

I dunno, man. His character development sticking made him even less interesting to me than he was in Thor 1, and I didn't even know that was possible! He felt like a real blank-slate sort of character. The sort that if you gender-swapped them everyone would be giving the movie a ton of shit.

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#47775: Dec 7th 2015 at 8:47:53 AM

The problem is that while the first movie did really well with Loki, they didn't really focus on Thor because they were too busy to throw in useless characters in the story (and no, I don't mean Jane or even Darcy, I mostly mean Dr. Selvig), and never really showed how the experience humbled him or why he learned that attacking the Ice Giants was wrong. That could have been easily solved by showing him talking with Jane about those issue and perhaps allowing Darcy to actually use her Political science knowledge and explain some ideas to Thor.

Same in the Dark world. Somehow the writers missed out the actual interesting struggle, Thor's desire for a simpler life instead of taking the throne. It just hovers in the background instead of being one of the main themes.


Total posts: 186,763
Top