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

hollygoolightly Since: Apr, 2012 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#57601: May 23rd 2016 at 7:22:58 AM

Add me to the people thinking that Age of Ultron was an okay movie with some really good bits and some pretty glaring flaws.

As for Civil War, seems the revelation that Bucky killed the Starks was in the cards for a long time (I read that Kevin Feige was really excited about that detail, too), so having Tony as the hero antagonist in this film only makes sense. And I don't know that having Zemo be a more "traditional villain" (have him actually go after the other Winter Soldiers, or whatever) would have made the movie better in any way. But YMMV.

Regarding "best of..." lists, I have watched Guardians Of The Galaxy now, which was perfectly fine as an entertaining movie, but didn't move me much emotionally. Incidentally, my favourite character was Rocket. Also, Lee Pace's eyebrows! I wish Ronan had been a tad more interesting, though - where over-the-top side characters of Pace are concerned, I really prefer Thranduil. I was oddly consoled by Thanos' evil smirk - maybe he will turn out to be an interesting villain after all?

edited 23rd May '16 7:48:22 AM by hollygoolightly

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#57602: May 23rd 2016 at 7:25:34 AM

There are a lot of aspect which make Zemo quite the genial villain in a non-traditional way, but this is a discussion which would go too deep into spoiler territory for the movie. I guess there are still some people who haven't seen it (even though it already passed the billion mark by a large margin).

hollygoolightly Since: Apr, 2012 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#57603: May 23rd 2016 at 7:27:56 AM

[up]Yeah, you're right. I tried to somewhat belatedly add spoiler font, but I will point out that some pretty heavy plot spoilers are on the previous page of this thread. Do we have a cutoff line when we don't spoiler plot points for a movie anymore?

Concerning Bucky's role/screentime in Civil War, I've been thinking about this, because I really didn't feel that he was neglected or anything, or that the character wasn't explored, and it occured to me that that's possibly because I feel that he's really more of a supporting character in the Cap movies? I mean, I don't think this was it for the character at all, and I don't feel like the movie established that in any way. It finishes one story arc for him, and opens another.

edited 23rd May '16 7:32:52 AM by hollygoolightly

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#57604: May 23rd 2016 at 7:38:57 AM

[up] Well, we have a spoiler threat for Civil War so I think in this particular case we should discuss the movie there at the very least until it is more towards the end of its run in theatres. It hasn't even been a month in the US.

wehrmacht belongs to the hurricane from the garden of everything Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
belongs to the hurricane
#57605: May 23rd 2016 at 7:41:14 AM

I guess there are still some people who haven't seen it (even though it already passed the billion mark by a large margin).

I haven't. No money lol. I don't know that I'll be able to see it until it comes out on DVD.

Anyways, ranking the movies?

1. Winter Soldier

2. Iron Man

3. Guardians of the Galaxy

4. The First Avenger

5. Ant Man

6. Iron Man 3

8. Iron Man 2

9. Thor

10. Avengers

11. The Incredible Hulk.

First four movies are decent to great, below that they range from ok to thoroughly mediocre.

I haven't seen Dark World or Age of Ultron so I won't rank them.

edited 23rd May '16 7:41:37 AM by wehrmacht

hollygoolightly Since: Apr, 2012 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#57606: May 23rd 2016 at 7:47:06 AM

[up][up]Makes sense... I shouldn't post before I've had caffeine.

MousaThe14 Writer, Artist, Ignored from Northern Virginia Since: Jan, 2011 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Writer, Artist, Ignored
#57607: May 23rd 2016 at 7:58:34 AM

I re watched Age of Ultron a few days ago and it's fine. It's fine. Like, seriously, it's okay. It's just incredibly uneven. It's entertaining, it's fun, exciting, got great character beats and stuff but it's so uneven. Everything is placed wrong, like the movie needed at a minimum another 30 minutes and at most another hour to be all that it was supposed to be.

Also as the guy that liked the first Captain America movie when I first saw it and then watched it again and again, I put it on a pretty high Iron Man 1-level pedestal. The CA movies are just the strongest line thus far.

And I still think Winter Soldier is above civil War but Civil War still did an amazing job.

edited 23rd May '16 8:04:08 AM by MousaThe14

The Blog The Art
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#57608: May 23rd 2016 at 8:03:20 AM

[up] Yeah, that summons it up pretty well. Though I admit, I want Marvel to do better than fine. They have shown to often that they can do it.

hollygoolightly Since: Apr, 2012 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#57609: May 23rd 2016 at 8:28:42 AM

TFA is a really good movie, but it's a genre I just don't like as much? I also found the relationships somewhat underwritten, and came to enjoy the supporting cast a lot more because of other movies/TV shows. But as an introduction to Steve and the idea of Captain America, it's great.

edited 23rd May '16 8:30:18 AM by hollygoolightly

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#57610: May 23rd 2016 at 8:42:05 AM

It took me a second to realize that TFA meant The First Avenger and not The Force Awakens.

yellowturtle from Nowhere Important Since: Feb, 2015 Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
hollygoolightly Since: Apr, 2012 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#57612: May 23rd 2016 at 9:02:45 AM

[up][up]Heh. My estimation of that TFA is kind of the other way round - I loved it wholesale, even though it is objectively the lesser movie, probably.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#57613: May 23rd 2016 at 9:57:32 AM

To me the big strength of the Captain America Franchise IS the fact that the supporting cast is so strong. See, when I watched TFA I also felt a little bit let down, because I wanted to see more of Peggy and Bucky and the Howling Commandos and Tommy Lee Jones playing Tommy Lee Jones, but then I realized that this is exactly why the movie is so good, no matter how much screen-time the characters got, they all look like they have a very interesting story to tell. And it is the same with The Winter Soldier. The good thing there is that we know that we will learn more about Black Widow, Falcon and Bucky in the Future, so it feels more like a promise than a loss.

flameboy21th The would-be novelist from California Since: Jan, 2013 Relationship Status: I <3 love!
The would-be novelist
#57614: May 23rd 2016 at 10:01:27 AM

Cap 1 makes me care for a character that I used to dismiss as cheap propaganda.

Non Indicative Username
higherbrainpattern Since: Apr, 2012
#57615: May 23rd 2016 at 10:09:37 AM

Me too. Then I watched The First Avenger and realised how wrong I was. [lol]

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
hollygoolightly Since: Apr, 2012 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#57617: May 23rd 2016 at 10:13:33 AM

[up][up][up][up]I think it was similar for me, actually. I saw both Agent Carter and Winter Soldier first, so when I watched First Avenger I sort of expected there to be more? I guess I just felt a bit let down. But seeing it as more of a promise than a loss is a good way of phrasing it.

[up][up][up]I like that the film sort of plays with that - you have Steve, the guy who is an idealist and wants to fight for his ideals, and the military, who mostly want him as a propaganda tool. And Steve gets to be an actual person with flaws, not some cardboard cutout.

edited 23rd May '16 10:14:33 AM by hollygoolightly

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#57618: May 23rd 2016 at 10:35:17 AM

Yep, me three, I used to HATE Captain America and now Steve Rogers is my favourite Avenger, even edging out Black Widow.

Whowho Since: May, 2012
#57619: May 23rd 2016 at 11:43:51 AM

That's my experience too.

To be fair, I don't think the pitch for The First Avenger could easily fail, it's pulpy brilliance. The risk was then putting him in modern time.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#57620: May 23rd 2016 at 11:47:28 AM

[up] I don't know, we have kind of moved away from the notion of a war being a great backdrop for a big adventure.

edited 23rd May '16 11:47:57 AM by Swanpride

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#57621: May 23rd 2016 at 1:03:12 PM

Rumored casting calls for Black Panther solo film.

I'm highly skeptical of this since there's no mention of Ramonda anywhere, and I imagine they'd also be looking for Shuri too at this point in time. And having Klaue, Achebe, Killmonger, AND M'baku all in the same film might be overkill unless half of the names mentioned here are only there for cameos. Otherwise it just sounds like they went and crammed all the Priest characters they can name.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#57622: May 23rd 2016 at 1:16:14 PM

Since Killmonger is a mercenary with similar goals as M'Baku's, I could see him taking on a Dragon role, and I always figured the Black Panther movie would have both M'Baku and Klaue as a Big Bad Duumvirate due to them being villains that compliment each other well while filling very different roles.

But I've got no idea what they're planning with Achebe. From what little I know about him, he feels more like a sequel villain.

edited 23rd May '16 1:17:34 PM by KnownUnknown

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#57623: May 23rd 2016 at 1:22:49 PM

He's more of a starter villain, used to flesh out Wakanda and its neighboring regions. It's extremely unlikely they'll include his connections with Mephisto in the MCU, so at the most I can see him being an intro villain like Batroc or Rumlow whose destabilization of Wakanda is used to kick off the main plot.

AdricDePsycho Rock on, Gold Dust Woman from Never Going Back Again Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Rock on, Gold Dust Woman
#57624: May 23rd 2016 at 1:24:04 PM

Achebe?

Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?
KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#57625: May 23rd 2016 at 1:26:04 PM

I dunno. Because Achebe is a guy from another country who wants to take over Wakanda, him being in Black Panther's first movie is a bit weird - since that movie's almost certainly going to be about him dealing with Wakanda's internal strife (which would include smuggling and piracy, thus allowing Klaue to have a role). He's an Outside-Context Villain for Wakanda in general, and doesn't have an obvious place in the dynamic that the other villains set up.

I could see him having a minor role as a warlord from neighboring country as an example of the kinds of things T'Challa now has to deal with now that he's king, but not as an actual villain or even a physical threat - I'd see T'Challa dealing with him via diplomacy rather than violence.

It's like how Tony's first enemy to establish who he was within Stark Industries and violating his legacy, while rival businessmen or scientists like Hammer or Killian who challenge his power after he established it came later.

edited 23rd May '16 1:28:57 PM by KnownUnknown


Total posts: 186,763
Top