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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

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#78601: Jan 4th 2018 at 5:28:27 PM

[up][up] I don't think that my inability to remember faces has anything to do with Perlmutter's believe that all black look the same. I didn't notice them exchanging ...Fandral???....either.

I think the main reason why Sam works so much better than Rhodey is because Sam has his own backstory and even appearances which don't involve Steve. He is a Vet who lost his wing-man and is now trying to help other Vets before he is Steve's friend. He is also quite a flirt. Rhodey on the other hand is the guy Tony already know at college and who later became liaison to Stark industry, most likely because he was Tony's friend. And then he becomes War Machine because he is Tony's friend. I mean, there is nothing outright wrong with Rhodey, but he just doesn't feel like a character who can stand on his own while Sam does. I would watch a Falcon adventure in a heartbeat....and would be first in line for a Falcon and Bucky Road Trip movie (and I will repeat this again and again in the hope a miracle will happen).

edited 4th Jan '18 5:33:06 PM by Swanpride

AdricDePsycho Rock on, Gold Dust Woman from Never Going Back Again Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Rock on, Gold Dust Woman
#78602: Jan 4th 2018 at 5:32:12 PM

That's because nobody gives a shit about Fandral or any of the Warriors Three.

Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?
comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#78603: Jan 4th 2018 at 5:32:32 PM

[up][up]It also helps that Anthony Mackie is charismatic as hell.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#78604: Jan 4th 2018 at 5:32:40 PM

I like the Warriors Three...

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#78605: Jan 4th 2018 at 5:34:06 PM

[up][up] I ship him so hard with Natasha....

lalalei2001 Since: Oct, 2009
#78606: Jan 4th 2018 at 6:18:28 PM

I like the Warriors Three in the comics, especially Volstagg.

The Protomen enhanced my life.
Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#78607: Jan 4th 2018 at 6:24:07 PM

The warriors three had the potential to be interesting but none of the movies did much with them

A shame

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Punisher286 Since: Jan, 2016
#78608: Jan 4th 2018 at 6:40:31 PM

Yeah The Warriors 3 and Sif are quite fun/interesting in the comics. The films just never seemed interested in doing much of anything with them, which was disappointing.

Also Sam/Natasha or T'Challa/Natasha (their interactions in CW were fun) would work for me. wink

wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#78609: Jan 4th 2018 at 7:09:50 PM

I ship Sam Wilson with almost everyone. He’s a charismatic badass.

DeathsApprentice The Ultimate Lifeform from The Ark Since: Aug, 2011 Relationship Status: Is that a kind of food?
The Ultimate Lifeform
#78610: Jan 4th 2018 at 7:41:05 PM

Oh man, I ship Sam with so many people. I ship him with Steve, Bucky, T'Challa, Natasha...

When we're done, there won't be anything left.
Mizerous Pet Owner from Hell Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: Brewing the love potion
Pet Owner
#78611: Jan 4th 2018 at 8:57:59 PM

Hey remember when Tony's friend was L.L Cool Jay? :V

Just Makima.
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#78612: Jan 4th 2018 at 9:00:29 PM

Don Cheadle > Terrence Howard.

I always thought Rhodey had a decent amount of characterization- stern and rule oriented but with a snarky side. That said, Cheadle has been underused.

AdricDePsycho Rock on, Gold Dust Woman from Never Going Back Again Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Rock on, Gold Dust Woman
#78613: Jan 4th 2018 at 9:21:09 PM

Cheadle is a really good actor who I kinda think the MCU has been wasting a bit. There's zero chance of it happening but I'd actually be down for a short of some kind focusing solely on War Machine. Give him his proper due and make him lead something for once.

edited 4th Jan '18 9:21:23 PM by AdricDePsycho

Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#78614: Jan 4th 2018 at 9:26:07 PM

Yeah, I felt completely indifferent to War Machine in the films but Cheadle's performance in Devil With A Blue Dress showed me that it was mostly Marvel's fault for wasting him with an underwhelming role.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#78615: Jan 4th 2018 at 9:33:23 PM

Cheadle came into the role at a time where Marvel was wasting good actors and actresses in general. IM 2 was infamous for wasting Mickey Rourke too. IM 3 didn't do much better.

They're doing a bit better about it nowadays, but Rhodey's character missed that wave and now it's too late.

edited 4th Jan '18 9:34:55 PM by KnownUnknown

AdricDePsycho Rock on, Gold Dust Woman from Never Going Back Again Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Rock on, Gold Dust Woman
#78616: Jan 4th 2018 at 9:36:00 PM

I mean I can't even think of what they did in the first Iron Man with him, but I don't know if that's because I keep disassociating Terence Howard from the character. Frankly I'm kind of glad in retrospect that he was recast, to my understanding Howard is an abusive piece of shit.

Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?
Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#78617: Jan 4th 2018 at 9:39:34 PM

Howard did, however, give us this genius mathematic: "How can [one times one] equal one? If one times one equals one that means that two is of no value because one times itself has no effect. One times one equals two because the square root of four is two, so what's the square root of two? Should be one, but we're told its two, and that cannot be."

edited 4th Jan '18 9:39:44 PM by Anomalocaris20

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#78618: Jan 4th 2018 at 9:41:11 PM

edited 4th Jan '18 9:41:36 PM by KnownUnknown

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#78619: Jan 4th 2018 at 9:41:39 PM

I kinda liked what Civil War was doing with Rhodey, in establishing him as a very by-the-book, strongly Lawful military man for the very brief amounts of screentime he got. Iron Man 1 I remember him being a mildly likeable friend to Tony, in a bland but passably entertaining way, but I'm glad they ditched Howard. Then in 2 he was a very dour and joyless foil to Tony, though I blame the writing. And I think Rhodey went back to being a decently entertaining friend to Tony in Iron Man 3, but again hamstrung by his very limited screentime. CW seems like the point where they finally crystallized the characterization foundation for him that future works can build off of. Felt like a more compelling take on the archetype than Iron Man 2's attempt at it, despite the latter giving him much more screentime overall.

On a side note this Nintendo x Avengers Infnity War mashup is pretty fun:

edited 4th Jan '18 9:44:52 PM by AlleyOop

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#78620: Jan 4th 2018 at 9:44:56 PM

The Russos have a habit of giving a bit more strength to characters who elsewhere in the verse barely have any - Rhodey's still there to react to people in Civil War and doesn't have much of himself, but it's better than what we got anywhere else.

MCU Black Widow lacks personality too and suffers from being one cliche after another, but Civil War and especially Winter Soldier by themselves alone keep me liking her as a character.

[up] That just makes me miss the awesome epic crossover of Super Smash Bros Brawl. I wish we could get something like that again.

edited 4th Jan '18 9:46:59 PM by KnownUnknown

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#78621: Jan 4th 2018 at 10:04:04 PM

In general it does seem like the Captain America films, including the first one, are particularly successful at achieving very dense characterization through both verbal (to Markus and Mcfeely's credit) and nonverbal (the Russos') means. Spend only a few minutes with someone and you get an idea of what kind of person they are based on what they say and act. Spend multiple scenes with them and at that point they've likely displayed multiple layers of their personality. Contrast that with something like the script of Doctor Strange, where for all the words spewed out of the characters' mouths very little of actual narrative worth is expressed in terms of plot or characterization.

It's that strength, and the fact that the writers and director seem to do a good job of paying attention to what goes on in the previous films and taking input from the other directors, which gives me more hope for Infinity War than anything, considering just how many characters are going to be in it.

SonOfSharknado Love is Love is Love Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Love is Love is Love
#78622: Jan 4th 2018 at 10:05:42 PM

@The Nintendo Direct bollocks: That was terrible.

My various fanfics.
AdricDePsycho Rock on, Gold Dust Woman from Never Going Back Again Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Rock on, Gold Dust Woman
#78623: Jan 4th 2018 at 10:13:00 PM

[up][up]

I think it says a lot that the two minutes Doctor Strange was in during Thor: Ragnarok gave a lot more to him than the entirety of his own movie. Of course on of the writers of Doctor Strange was some idiot who blamed all of the whitewashing criticisms on "SJW's" so I think it's fair to say the script was written by an idiot.

Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?
Mizerous Pet Owner from Hell Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: Brewing the love potion
Pet Owner
#78624: Jan 4th 2018 at 10:15:04 PM

Daisy looking good in black leather... she needs to get possesed by a demon to get a goth outfit :V

Just Makima.
Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#78625: Jan 4th 2018 at 10:20:18 PM

I wondered recently why I liked Doctor Strange more in his Thor cameo than I did in his whole movie. Then I went back, read some comics, and realized: "Oh yeah, because that's his schtick in the comics: being "the cameo guy". The 'call-a-wizard' wizard who just shows up, does some wacky fixing stuff, then vanishes while you struggle to comprehend what you just witnessed and what this means about reality. He's done that for years, and it's always been fun when he pops in just to break all the story rules with magic for a single scene.

edited 4th Jan '18 10:23:58 PM by Tuckerscreator


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