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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.
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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

Unsung it's a living from a tenement of clay Since: Jun, 2016
it's a living
#77251: Nov 30th 2017 at 2:20:23 PM

He's not really a *crazy* death worshipper. In the comics, I mean. Death is real, she's anthropomorphized, he's in love with her. He's the Mad Titan, but it's a measured madness.

edited 30th Nov '17 2:20:55 PM by Unsung

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#77252: Nov 30th 2017 at 2:21:34 PM

Sadly Deadpool is not in the MCU cause Death loves him not Thanos & this infuriates Thanos to no end.

So yeah The Mad Titan himself is jelly of Deadpool. tongue

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#77253: Nov 30th 2017 at 2:26:03 PM

Yeah, if you're not a comics fan they've basically done a lot of cameos of the guy (following movies about his henchmen being defeated) with the implication of "you should be excited about this person", but havn't given the casual viewer any reason to be excited. They're relying pretty heavily on Pop-Cultural Osmosis.

I mean, I have a passing familiarity with Thanos and all that storyline but personally (and I imagine this is a minority opinion) I don't really care that much about Infinity War. For the most part the big crossover events have always been the least interesting films in the MCU for me, much like how even when I was more into comics I didn't care much about events either.

SlavetoTropes Since: Nov, 2017
#77254: Nov 30th 2017 at 2:28:03 PM

Mhm, yeah, I can see the appeal a bit better now :)

I can also confirm, that as a guy who nows marvel through the movies (and a bit of netflix), he doesn't seem to be that grave a threat to be honest. Mostly this intelligence/Hands-on factor you write about is just not there for me.

All he ever does is sit on his throne (and one time, take a glove from a drawer) and look menacing. Add to that, that he basically get's doublecrossed by everyone who works for him (Loki, Ronan, Gamora, her sister) and doesn't do anything about it.

Well, for me his threat-level (before the trailer and your answers) was more something of an Informed ability. Like I was supposed to be afraid of him, but had no real reason to be. Because it just looks, as if the Hulk-Buster (or Hulk) could go toe-to-toe with him, more or less and his henchman weren't even the most dangerous guys around (adding to the illoyality).

Unsung it's a living from a tenement of clay Since: Jun, 2016
it's a living
#77255: Nov 30th 2017 at 2:31:05 PM

[up][up][up]Here's hoping Wade drops that reference to Cable in Deadpool 2.

[up][up]I thought Civil War worked best because it made it personal, because it paid off on everything that came before. Avengers 2012 had that advantage, too, of being able to simply get down to business and connect the characters as characters (other than Thor), while the relatively simple invasion story mostly got out of the way. Age of Ultron didn't really do that, trying to stand alone and start up a lot of new arcs for its characters *and* its villain, and suffered for it, I'd say.

[up]Basically it took Loki and Ultron whole armies to fight the Avengers on even terms. The point of a character like Thanos is that he really can fend them all off singlehanded. Even moreso as he adds more stones to that gauntlet.

edited 30th Nov '17 2:34:20 PM by Unsung

Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#77256: Nov 30th 2017 at 2:32:27 PM

I suspect it's part of the reason he'll get a whole duology dedicated to himself. Infinity War will probably be 2 hours of showing why you shouldn't fuck with the Mad Titan as he thoroughly wrecks everything that halfway glances at him.

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#77257: Nov 30th 2017 at 2:33:07 PM

The other big thing to know about Thanos is that while he's no joke on his own, with all six Infinity Gems adorning his gauntlet he's basically omnipotent; more powerful than any god in the Marvel universe, even Eternity.

Much like Disney's Jafar, he was only defeated due to his own hubris and thirst for even more power (Specifically, he decided to fully ascend to physical-embodiment-of-the-universe-tier godhood, leaving his physical body behind; not realizing that anyone could just walk up and yank the gauntlet off his abandoned body), not due to the heroes surpassing his power or anything like that.

edited 30th Nov '17 2:38:46 PM by Anomalocaris20

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#77258: Nov 30th 2017 at 2:34:15 PM

I mean why care if some schmucks betray you if you can easily kill them like stomping on a fly?

Thanos would have killed Ronan easily had the Guardians not did it first.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Unsung it's a living from a tenement of clay Since: Jun, 2016
it's a living
#77259: Nov 30th 2017 at 2:36:03 PM

When Thanos goes to war, that means the galaxy goes to war. The main reason not to go after the Infinity Stones himself is that it's a lot easier to track them down if no one else knows to look for them, and almost anyone else doing anything else would draw less attention than Thanos going in personally. Thanos can do a lot of things, but keeping a low profile isn't one of them.

edited 30th Nov '17 2:36:52 PM by Unsung

Hodor2 Since: Jan, 2015
#77260: Nov 30th 2017 at 2:37:45 PM

Oh yeah, good illustration of Thanos' power level:

So Loki was utterly terrified and dominated by Thanos' Mouth of Sauron, IIRC called The Other.

Ronan towers over The Other and effortlessly kills him.

Thanos is (at the very least) could kill Ronan as effortlessly as Ronan could kill the Other and the Other could kill Loki.

Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#77261: Nov 30th 2017 at 2:39:34 PM

From the dialogue in GOTG, Thanos implies even Ronan juiced up on the Power Stone wouldn't be a match for him, which just shows how freakishly strong the man must be

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#77262: Nov 30th 2017 at 2:40:02 PM

Given Loki makes some snark personally directed towards The Other, I assumed Loki wasn't afraid of The Other himself, just his boss.

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
ComicFan Since: Sep, 2016
#77263: Nov 30th 2017 at 3:00:33 PM

New Black Panther Japanese poster [1]

Pseudopartition Screaming Into The Void from The Cretaeceous Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
Screaming Into The Void
#77264: Nov 30th 2017 at 3:10:29 PM

Yeah. In today's filmmaking climate, I would not have been surprised if Scarlet Johannsen was playing Mulan. But I'm so happy she's not.
Same. But you might be in the wrong thread.

VeryMelon Since: Jul, 2011 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#77265: Nov 30th 2017 at 3:13:33 PM

[up][up]What an odd thing to advertise.

Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#77266: Nov 30th 2017 at 3:14:42 PM

Avengers 2012 had that advantage, too, of being able to simply get down to business and connect the characters as characters (other than Thor), while the relatively simple invasion story mostly got out of the way.

My main issue with the first Avengers was that, outside of IM 1 and to a lesser extent TFA, I wasn't really given a reason to be invested in the teamup. TIH and Thor 1 were mediocre and failed to sell me why I should care about those characters (or that's how I felt at the time), and nothing IM 2 did made me care about Black Widow either. Apparently Hawekeye made a cameo in Thor 1 but honestly he made no impression on me either way to the point I thought he was initially introduced in Avengers 2012. It was this feeling of disappointment that made it so I felt no need to watch Avengers when it initially came out; I only saw it like a year or two later and I found it about as underwhelming as I was expecting (my brother was watching it with me and felt so bored he walked out like 40 minutes into it). It and Iron Man 3 basically killed my interest in the MCU until around 2015 or so when I gave Winter Soldier and the Netflix shows a chance.

I have to admit I find it a bit puzzling that my opinion seems to be so uncommon, because while I can get being excited for Avengers if you liked the films I didn't or had a pre-established investment from being a fan of the comics, the impression I get from most people is that IM 1 was the only film that most people cared about or saw, but they thought that Avengers was a sufficiently good standalone film that it sold them on all those characters they didn't really know well all at once, which I can't really relate to.

edited 30th Nov '17 3:17:00 PM by Draghinazzo

eligram Since: Sep, 2009 Relationship Status: In denial
#77267: Nov 30th 2017 at 3:17:51 PM

@Slaveto Tropes: It seems people forgot to tell you the most important fact of Thanos, that he's the proud owner of the Thanoscopter

Unsung it's a living from a tenement of clay Since: Jun, 2016
it's a living
#77268: Nov 30th 2017 at 3:18:55 PM

[up][up]I think a lot of people are fans of the comics or the genre, and their attachment to the characters is more of a top-down, gut reaction thing, rather than ground-up like you're probably thinking. I mean, I get where you're coming from, and in general I'm the same way, but I also think that might be overthinking it when it comes to the broader appeal of the movies, in terms of how a lot of people consume media, ie. watch first, understand later.

edited 30th Nov '17 3:20:48 PM by Unsung

Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#77269: Nov 30th 2017 at 3:25:13 PM

I should also probably note that I'm mostly talking about how I felt at the time; I'm not in any hurry to rewatch the movie but I imagine I might have a slightly more positive opinion of it now that I'm a little more invested in Steve and Thor (Danny being such a terrible main character has honestly made me appreciate the latter more than I did previously).

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#77270: Nov 30th 2017 at 3:28:31 PM

Given how Marvel film tend to overplay their comedy I expect there will be a Thanoscopter somewhere

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#77271: Nov 30th 2017 at 3:31:50 PM

To give my perspective - the Avengers was actually the first MCU movie I saw.

I loved it to bits, and still do today.

Nor was I all that big of a fan of the Avengers themselves before I saw the movie - I had some knowledge of the characters, but not too much.

edited 30th Nov '17 3:32:04 PM by KarkatTheDalek

Oh God! Natural light!
AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#77272: Nov 30th 2017 at 3:32:07 PM

Avengers was the first MCU movie I ever saw, and I liked it enough to get me to start watching Iron Man and the rest of the MCU from then on. I think part of it is definitely the novelty and that people were familiar with the characters from other continuities. But it was also just a lot of fun, even if it might've been kind of shallow, and it managed to have some self-restraint compared to Age of Ultron. The plot and characterization are not particularly good but it operates on enough Rule of Cool that viewers don't need to care. It's mostly a celebration of the fun side of comics and it spent most of its effort towards getting that part right because it's all it really needed to be to work.

edited 30th Nov '17 3:43:38 PM by AlleyOop

SonOfSharknado Love is Love is Love Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#77274: Nov 30th 2017 at 4:56:45 PM

Nothing would make me happier than Thanos boomeranging Karma right back in Loki's genocidal ass.

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#77275: Nov 30th 2017 at 4:58:45 PM

[up][up] Ah thats great. [tup]

No matter what when you make a deal with the fucking Devil, the Devil will expect you to pay your due. [awesome]

edited 30th Nov '17 5:06:34 PM by slimcoder

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."

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