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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.

  • 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

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#61476: Aug 13th 2016 at 5:08:56 AM

Natasha's first instinct is nevertheless to blend in, and The Winter Soldier showed that she is able to evade even people who know her personally if she wants too. The giant blue stripes are a big giveaway, especially while sneaking around in the dark.

The wedges, yeah, I was aware of them, but the movies do their best to hide them and they seem mostly have the function to ensure that she is a little bit taller and able to strut in a certain way (there is this hip swing which is practically impossible to do on flat shoes). And the wedges are still better than actual high heels, because they are much more stable to walk on (yes, I am a big fan of wedges, though I am "flat unless I want to go dancing" girl overall).

edited 13th Aug '16 5:12:29 AM by Swanpride

DeathsApprentice The Ultimate Lifeform from The Ark Since: Aug, 2011 Relationship Status: Is that a kind of food?
The Ultimate Lifeform
#61477: Aug 13th 2016 at 5:11:47 AM

I really like Cap's WW 2 costume. It's my absolute favorite out of all of his costumes.

When we're done, there won't be anything left.
Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#61478: Aug 13th 2016 at 5:19:39 AM

I had no problem with Cap's Avengers outfit.

There hasn't been an MCU outfit I've really disliked so far.

Wait. Wait. I take that back.

I loath the Wasp outfit we see in the Ant-Man stinger.

Looooooooooooooooooooooooath.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Punisher286 Since: Jan, 2016
#61479: Aug 13th 2016 at 5:20:58 AM

Natasha is not acting as a spy in the Avengers films (aside from the "Russia scene" in the first one), and she's fighting killer robots. Frankly, I loved her AOU suit and felt that it absolutely fit the situation.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#61480: Aug 13th 2016 at 5:22:38 AM

Presumably if she had to do any serious solid snaking, she'd... turn off the lines or something.

Since they're power conduits. Or whatever.

I mean, her hair stands out more than the lines do but thats what hats are for.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
shatterstar Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: I wanna know about these strangers like me
#61481: Aug 13th 2016 at 7:04:56 AM

Speaking of hair, I noticed that Widow is the only one that keep changing hairstyle notably in between movies. To me it's really distracting to look at her and went from short to long to short again. They even disagree on promotional and concept arts about how her hair should look in CW.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#61482: Aug 13th 2016 at 7:13:05 AM

Her worst hair was Iron Man 2 and best hair was Winter Soldier, according to me.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#61483: Aug 13th 2016 at 7:34:04 AM

Her hair in IM 2 made her look like a Raggedy Anne doll.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#61484: Aug 13th 2016 at 8:07:14 AM

IM 2 was definitely the worst and generally, I like the short hair on her. But her changing hair style fits her character imho, so I don't mind.

Flood-and-Flame Since: Sep, 2014
#61485: Aug 13th 2016 at 9:43:48 AM

Not to mention that weird moment in IM 2 where she gets changed into her spy suit, but then takes her hair out of the practical updo it was in for the scene before.

Punisher286 Since: Jan, 2016
#61486: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:03:04 AM

Her IM 2 look was the weakest overall imo. Her hair and her costume-design made her look, well younger (and yes I know that Scarlett is younger, but the other films do a decent job of giving her that "experience hardened" vibe regardless." Whereas when we get to Avengers, I immediately went "ok now this is a much better look for her."

I prefer the shorter hair myself, but her TWS and CW hairstyles weren't bad (although I prefer the latter of the two myself).

Guy01 Since: Mar, 2015
#61487: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:04:39 AM

I still say she should wear at least a kevlar vest. Because one of these days the Widow is going to be shot and skintight leather doesn't protect much of anything.

Ok, who let Light Yagami in here?
Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#61488: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:07:12 AM

Although it's possible her outfit is bullet-proof via some sort of kevlar leather. We are talking about a comic book-ish world, and there's a precedent for it with Black Panther's costume.

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
stingerbrg Since: Jun, 2009
#61489: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:15:30 AM

Except Black Panther's costume is vibranium. Can't use a suit made with super-metal to justify what a suit of something that isn't super-metal can do.

Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#61490: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:18:34 AM

Point is there is no evidence that Widow's suit isn't made of a material with similar properties. The "precedent" here is "we've seen previous leather-like materials block bullets".

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
Unsung it's a living from a tenement of clay Since: Jun, 2016
it's a living
#61491: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:19:12 AM

[nja]Coming from the country with bulletproof metal is one of Black Panther's main superpowers.

[up][up][up]Working with SHIELD and Stark as Widow does, having some kind of fairly thin pseudo-kevlar lining in her suit isn't completely out of the question. Although it's never come up before and she's generally fairly careful about not being shot.

edited 13th Aug '16 10:23:50 AM by Unsung

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.
#61492: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:20:25 AM

Has anyone else gotten the impression that Black Widow is way older than her actress? Like, when I heard people complaining about how Bruce and Natasha is weird because of the age difference, I thought it was because Scarlet Johansson's character is much older than Mark Ruffalo's character, and definitely not the other way around.

nervmeister Since: Oct, 2010
#61493: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:20:27 AM

Wouldn't be surprised if her suit provided protection against small arms fire at the very least.

shatterstar Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: I wanna know about these strangers like me
#61494: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:21:20 AM

There isn't anything to contradict what @Gaon is saying either because the only time that she was significantly injured by bullets is in Winter Soldier when she was shot in her disguised civilian clothes, which I think is likely because she is on the run and was off-mission just a few moments ago.

[up][up] That romance doesn't work for many reason. It's probably the power dynamic that bothers people, not really the age. Not to mention the Ship Sinking of the extremely popular Widow / Hawkeye that was even reinforced by the actress.

edited 13th Aug '16 10:24:47 AM by shatterstar

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#61495: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:29:22 AM

[up][up][up] Black Widows birthdate is mentioned by Zola in The winter Soldier (biologically she is roughly the same age as Steve), Bruce Birthdate is in all the snippets at the beginning of The Incredible Hulk - after Thor, he is actually the oldest of the Avengers, older than even Tony is. I did the math once...I would have to look up the exact numbers, but they are 15 to 20 years apart.

[up] Nope, I am more bothered by the idea that Natasha really wants to enter a relationship with a guy who can't even have sex! So, they can't have a physical relationship, they can't really settle down together, and if Bruce looses control under the wrong circumstances, he might accidentally kill her. That is wrong on so many levels in itself. (The Romance is also written like it belongs into a genre show for Young adults).

edited 13th Aug '16 10:31:52 AM by Swanpride

Punisher286 Since: Jan, 2016
#61496: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:29:46 AM

Well to be honest with you, I actually didn't mind the Banner/Natasha thing myself. I thought that it worked fine in-context and I'm not getting the hate for it myself.

No saying that people are WRONG for not liking it mind you, difference of opinion and all that, I just personally look at some people lamented how awful it was and thing to myself "I really don't see it."

edited 13th Aug '16 10:33:55 AM by Punisher286

Unsung it's a living from a tenement of clay Since: Jun, 2016
it's a living
#61497: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:32:55 AM

[up][up][up]I suspect most off the time they want her to just dodge bullets and use the environment to her advantage, in keeping with her Badass Normal status. She might have some sort of protection in that catsuit, but emphasizing that too much would step on Black Panther's toes.

[up]x5 It seems like she's officially the same age as Scarlett Johansson right now, which doesn't make much sense given she would have been a fetus at the beginning of the end of the Soviet Empire.

...I mean, I guess Russia was still active in espionage even as the Bloc was crumbling and the Iron Curtain fell. It just makes her path from Russian superspy to defector(?) working for SHIELD a lot murkier.

edited 13th Aug '16 10:37:26 AM by Unsung

Punisher286 Since: Jan, 2016
#61498: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:34:09 AM

In TWS Zola gives Natasha birthdate as 1984, which is also Scarlett's year of birth as well BTW. Now it's possible that that information is false, given who we're talking about here, but it's probably more likely that she's been doing this job for so long (she mentions that she started as a child in Avengers) that she's hardened/matured beyond her years.

The biggest inconsistency is her mentioning having worked for the KGB, which dissolved in 1991. So she would have been like seven at the time (if her stated age is correct).

edited 13th Aug '16 10:35:50 AM by Punisher286

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#61499: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:38:20 AM

Well, who said that she wasn't sent on missions even at this age? And just because the KGB did dissolve, it doesn't mean that the Red Room did

Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#61500: Aug 13th 2016 at 10:40:10 AM

Well, she did start at an early age...

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!

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