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

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#69501: Apr 29th 2017 at 10:10:50 PM

No joke, I did once consider that the Mandarin was a decoy for the real villain in Iron Man 3, because I noticed the trailers had no footage of him fighting or using powers or something. But it was just a momentary thought, not a serious theory.

I did incorrectly think that Pierce in TWS was going to turn out to be the Red Skull. Didn't want it to happen, because it would make his motives Hijacked by Ganon, considered it was possible when they showed Black Widow's holo-face mask. One exchange in particularnote  I thought was going to lead right into Widow and Pierce's Scooby-Doo reveal, and then he was bleeding out on the floor and I thought: "...oh. I guess it's kinda late now if any secret identity reveal was going to happen."

edited 29th Apr '17 10:11:20 PM by Tuckerscreator

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#69502: Apr 29th 2017 at 10:19:29 PM

  • Pearce: (expires)
  • Widow: (stares transfixed) Oh...
  • Fury: What is it? Is he a Skrull? The Red Skull? A red Skrull?
  • Widow: No, he's just...I never realized how pretty he is.
  • Fury: Really.
  • Widow: I'd like to see you look this good at 80.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Unsung it's a living from a tenement of clay Since: Jun, 2016
it's a living
#69503: Apr 29th 2017 at 10:21:34 PM

I was positive Ben Kingsley wasn't the real Mandarin from the moment I first saw IM 3's trailer. Not only are their now shots of the Mandarin using his powers, there's not one scene with Iron Man/Tony Stark and the Mandarin together, or even any actual dialogue held between the two of them.

RavenWilder Since: Apr, 2009
#69504: Apr 29th 2017 at 10:21:50 PM

Isn't Sam Jackson already in his seventies?

Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#69505: Apr 29th 2017 at 11:00:52 PM

Wow, I didn't realize Redford was 80 years old.

Late-70's when they shot Winter Soldier, but still, I'd have assumed mid-60's.

Sammy J is only 68 years old presently.

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#69506: Apr 30th 2017 at 5:45:12 AM

Black don't crack. He looks much younger than that.

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#69507: Apr 30th 2017 at 7:58:18 AM

I remember that there were theories that the Clairvoyant in AOS Season One was actually the Arnim Zola AI after Winter Soldier came out. And then it was immediately disproven (I actually enjoyed Garrett being the Clairvoyant because Bill Paxton was just having so much fun in the role).

I thought it was possible that the stinger to Civil War would be for the Thunderbolts — it would be a nice reversal of Iron Man's stinger, where instead of Fury telling Stark about the Avengers Initiative, it would be Ross telling Zemo about the Thunderbolts Initiative.

Galadriel Since: Feb, 2015
#69508: Apr 30th 2017 at 9:53:49 AM

Zemo in the MCU doesn't have any skills that would warrant putting him in a Thunderbolts team. He's a former black ops agent, that's all. America has plenty of black ops agents of its own, and there's plenty more in the rest of the world, without needing to recruit someone whose defining purpose is hating the Avengers.

Also, it's kind of hard to offer either threats or bribes to a man who no longer has any interest in living.

There aren't really any surviving MCU villains who would make sense for a Thunderbolts team.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#69509: Apr 30th 2017 at 9:56:10 AM

He is a masterful manipulator an exactly the kind of villain who would come up with a plan to create an alternative Avenger team for selfish reasons.

VeryMelon Since: Jul, 2011 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#69510: Apr 30th 2017 at 10:01:14 AM

I haven't cared about a possible Thunderbolts in months. I'd be surprised if it becomes a reality.

Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#69511: Apr 30th 2017 at 10:05:07 AM

Zemo's role in a hypothetical Thunderbolts would be cerebral. He has more than proven he is a brilliant counter-intelligence agent, Man was able to play the Avengers and the UN like A GODDAMN FIDDLEEEEEE.

No mean feat.

Of course this whole concept of evil dudes as a black-ops team in general works best in comic-books.

edited 30th Apr '17 10:07:11 AM by Gaon

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#69512: Apr 30th 2017 at 10:09:48 AM

The big thing going against MCU Zemo in a Thunderbolds plot is that he doesn't just hate the Avengers. He hates the whole superhero/villain problem in general. He doesn't want any more supers running around at all, be it for or against the Avengers, even if it's for the sake of payback.

Unsung it's a living from a tenement of clay Since: Jun, 2016
it's a living
#69513: Apr 30th 2017 at 10:12:25 AM

When Zemo and the Masters of Evil founded the Thunderbolts, it was by pretending to be heroes until the mask stuck for some of them. The part where the team became the Marvel equivalent of Suicide Squad didn't come until later, and the former would be more interesting for the MCU, I think, especially if some of the current roster will be leaving and/or stepping back after Avengers 4. The vacuum of power left by Onslaught is what let the Thunderbolts to form in the first place, so maybe Thanos could allow for something similar.

On the surface, you could do better than Zemo for a member of the team. But I don't think you handpick Zemo for the team— rather, Zemo recruits himself. Assuming the whole thing isn't his idea to begin with.

And assuming it happens at all, which I've always acknowledged it probably won't.

edited 30th Apr '17 11:51:10 AM by Unsung

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#69514: Apr 30th 2017 at 11:37:40 AM

It properly will if for no other reason than the need to keep the universe going. For all the comic book lore out there, a LOT of it is kind of similar, repeats itself or is simply not a good read. The Thunderbolds are easily one of the more creative ideas the writers had. In addition, I doubt that they are done with Zemo yet.

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#69515: Apr 30th 2017 at 11:38:16 AM

Yeah people seem to be focused too much on the more recent version of Thunderbolts, which was basically just Marvel's attempt at doing a ripoff of the Suicide Squad. (Still a great series though.)

The initial premise of the Thunderbolts as a team of villains pretending to be good guys could still work. Especially if as teased, the MCU really is a different place after Avengers 4 and some of the big mainstays aren't around anymore.

MapleSamurai Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
#69516: Apr 30th 2017 at 12:14:39 PM

Another theory of mine actually got debunked long ago while the movie I was theorizing about isn't even out yet!

...Don't worry, this one's nowhere near as bizarre as Black Widow becoming Fem Thor. tongue

Back when everyone was assuming that the MCU versions of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver would be Inhumans, and before the first changes to the Phase Three slate, I assumed that they would go off to be the Audience Surrogate characters in the Inhumans movie, discovering Attilan and learning about Inhuman society and the Royal Family along with the viewers, and that Quicksilver and Crystal would end in a relationship as in the comics.

Really, this theory was just an excuse for me to hope for a scene in Infinity War where Crystal meets Captain America and makes a comment about how attractive he is in reference to another Chris Evans-portrayed Marvel character Crystal has romanced in the comics... only to remember that Pietro is standing right there.

Yes, I'm complete trash, but it's a moot point since Inhumans is now getting a show instead of a movie and Quicksilver had to die in Age of Ultron because Joss Whedon.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#69517: Apr 30th 2017 at 12:17:10 PM

Black Widow as Thor, you say?

edited 30th Apr '17 12:17:20 PM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#69518: Apr 30th 2017 at 12:35:35 PM

The only problem with doing the Thunderbolt storyline is that at least the comic book fans would be immediately onto them....so unless they do the same storyline with different characters they would loose a lot of the impact.

Galadriel Since: Feb, 2015
#69519: Apr 30th 2017 at 12:36:49 PM

[up][up]

I suspect that Marvel and Fox made some form of unwritten deal that they would each get one of the Maximoff twins for their movies, to avoid confusion around different versions of each appearing in MCU and X-Men movies. So I wouldn't pin Quicksilver's death specifically on Whedon.

AdricDePsycho Rock on, Gold Dust Woman from Never Going Back Again Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Rock on, Gold Dust Woman
#69520: Apr 30th 2017 at 12:37:34 PM

People keep saying that and I've heard no evidence of any sort that that's true.

Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#69521: Apr 30th 2017 at 12:47:01 PM

I think the main reason why Quicksilver had to die in the MCU is because Speedsters are always problematic in any narrative unless you give them serious limitations. I mean, there is a reason why most of the villains in The Flash are also Speedsters, because, let's be honest here, in most filler episodes he actually has to stop running around for no reason whatsoever to give the villain at least a chance to do something.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#69522: Apr 30th 2017 at 12:50:05 PM

Speedsters have a habit of getting Worfed more frequently and more stupidly than most other powersets due to their Story-Breaker Power. Keeping the speedster from just solving everything in the blink of an eye generally requires finding a way to take him out, and those range from everyone just having convenient use of the few powers that can actually trump speedsters - psychics are generally the go-to for defeating them - to pants-on-head stupid instances of obvious jobbing such as being taken out by Captain America doing a clothesline.

edited 30th Apr '17 12:50:49 PM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#69523: Apr 30th 2017 at 12:57:20 PM

Yeah, X-Men Quicksilver is cool but you really have to wonder why he doesn't just do everything himself. He should be able to tie up or incapacitate just about everyone before they even realize he's there. Of course I don't think Avengers Quicksilver was as fast but it still creates problems.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#69524: Apr 30th 2017 at 1:10:40 PM

In the Avengers comics I've been reading, Quicksilver is constantly running into punches and walls.

Its such a pattern that he actually developed an ultimate move where he runs into a wall and nearly dies on purpose.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
RavenWilder Since: Apr, 2009
#69525: Apr 30th 2017 at 1:11:06 PM

Eh, the easiest way to counter speedsters is with the Flying Brick powerset. They can't really hit someone who's flying, and even if they could, most speedsters don't have the punching force to actually hurt them.

edited 30th Apr '17 1:11:26 PM by RavenWilder


Total posts: 186,763
Top