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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

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#89976: Oct 4th 2018 at 9:35:20 PM

Folks might be taking the title a bit too literally, given that both Age of Ultron and Infinity War had little, if anything to do with those actual stories.
But Age of Ultron was about Ultron and Infinity War was about the Infinity Stones. Annihilation is not going to be about Annihilus or the Annihilation Wave, that we know for sure.

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.
#89977: Oct 4th 2018 at 9:50:31 PM

I don't know if I'd be able to take Annihilus seriously as the main villain of the entire MCU. My only exposure to him was in Fantastic 4 cartoons where he's typically a one-off alternate dimension villain. He doesn't strike me as Bigger Bad material, not like Thanos did. I knew who Thanos was before he even appeared in the Avengers, and I knew he was definitely final boss material. I've seen Annihilus, and I'm not impressed.

Annihilus might work as the main villain of a single Fantastic 4 movie.

Edited by PushoverMediaCritic on Oct 4th 2018 at 9:51:36 AM

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#89978: Oct 4th 2018 at 9:53:26 PM

As I recall he’s considered a galactic threat.

The whole Annihilation event was pretty much every single Cosmic character banding together to stop his annihilation wave from annihilating everything in the universe.

Said group of Cosmic characters also included Thanos.

Edited by slimcoder on Oct 4th 2018 at 9:53:39 AM

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
LordVatek Not really a lord of anything Since: Sep, 2014
Not really a lord of anything
#89979: Oct 4th 2018 at 9:57:59 PM

The only reason I would object to Annihilus being the next overall villain is that if he's available then so is Doom and I would much prefer him.

While we're on the subject F4 villains, I'd love to see Galactus done right.

This song needs more love.
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.
#89980: Oct 4th 2018 at 9:58:54 PM

[up][up]See, I believe you, but I don't really. Annihilus, to me, was always portrayed as a big fish in a small pond, and that was part of why I liked him. Like, here's this ridiculous overlord from another dimension who named himself "Annihilus", what a dork. Aw, look, he thinks he can intimidate the Fantastic 4, that's cute.

Edited by PushoverMediaCritic on Oct 4th 2018 at 10:01:25 AM

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#89981: Oct 4th 2018 at 10:01:02 PM

[up] But he’s not & I don’t think that’s how he’s normally portrayed.

He is a genuine force to be feared & powerhouse because he commands a literal mass of death & even then he’s strong in his own.

The FF don’t like dealing with him & are generally intimated by what he can do.

The moment he can control the wave outside his dimension everyone shat their pants.

Edited by slimcoder on Oct 4th 2018 at 10:02:29 AM

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
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.
#89982: Oct 4th 2018 at 10:03:12 PM

Maybe the cartoons didn't do a good job of adapting him, but I like the version they went with.

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#89983: Oct 4th 2018 at 10:07:39 PM

I recall he once kept Johnny Storm as a slave after killing him & tortured by bringing him back from dieting in gladiator games in painful & visceral resurrection processes.

He’s really not one to scoff at, that Anihilation Wave which is again a storm of death once ate a planet just cause he was pissed off. He caused a shit-ton of mayhem upon the universe.

As I recall nowadays he has his own planet that everyone avoids.

Edited by slimcoder on Oct 4th 2018 at 10:09:24 AM

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#89984: Oct 4th 2018 at 10:11:16 PM

I think part of it may be his name — Annihilus. It sounds like he just wants to annihilate things, but the Ultimate Marvel version of his was called "Nihil," which explains his character better: he is the ultimate nihilist, believing that nothing has any meaning at all except him. His ultimate goal is to destroy not just the universe, but everything and sit, alone, with nothingness.

The worst part is that he really can't be killed. Even if you took away his Cosmic Control Rod — which makes him functionally immortal — and killed him, he's part of an insect race and generally has a few other Annihilus eggs around that he gives to his servants, who make sure those eggs hatch and those new Annihiluses then fight each other until there is only one left and he becomes the new Annihilus (with all the original's memories).

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.
#89985: Oct 4th 2018 at 10:15:29 PM

I think one episode of an F4 cartoon was focused around Annihilus and some other alternate dimension guy crossing through a portal and fighting on Earth. IIRC, the plot of the episode was centered on the F4 trying to separate the two and make them go back to their home dimensions while mitigating the damage they cause. These two extradimensional supervillains duking it out on Earth was more regarded as a major annoyance and minor threat because of collateral damage than anything cataclysmic or apocalyptic.

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#89986: Oct 4th 2018 at 10:23:52 PM

Well the cartoons do have a smaller scope there.

Dude apparently tried to turn Galactus into a universal grenade.

Made respect there.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#89987: Oct 4th 2018 at 10:31:51 PM

I can't think of a single Fantastic Four cartoon I'd recommend for someone getting to know the characters.

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#89988: Oct 4th 2018 at 10:32:36 PM

Man, if they ever do make a movie based on Annihilation, it would be so cool. I know, they would have to set up so much stuff — Galactus, the Silver Surfer, Nova, and more. But there are two moments that make the story — where Nova rips Annihilus inside out, yelling "THIS IS FOR NOVA CORPS!", and where Galactus, finally free, says, "Surfer...HERALD MY RAGE!" and unleashes an energy blast so big it takes out 3/4ths of the Annihilation Wave.

Edited by alliterator on Oct 4th 2018 at 10:35:02 AM

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.
#89989: Oct 4th 2018 at 10:32:36 PM

You know that one kids comic of Thanos that's been memed to shit where he's using the Cosmic Cube on Earth, and then he just fucking drops it and loses immediately and completely? I think that's essentially how Annihilus was portrayed in one of the F4 cartoons. Like, with his Cosmic Control Rod he's super powerful, but without it he's just a generic bugman and getting it out of his hands isn't really that difficult. Like, trip him or something, I dunno.

Like, I totally believe that comics Annihilus is super strong and super evil and super badass, but every version of Annihilus I can remember seeing was just a weird looking bug guy who ruled over a barren wasteland in another dimension and he has a magic space wand, which is kind of cool, I guess. I remember more that Annihilus really wanted to convince you that he was the baddest motherfucker around, more than I got the impression that he was.

Edited by PushoverMediaCritic on Oct 4th 2018 at 10:37:15 AM

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#89990: Oct 4th 2018 at 10:40:21 PM

Well Annihilation showed he had nothing to prove.

Just ask Richard Ryder.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Unsung it's a living from a tenement of clay Since: Jun, 2016
it's a living
#89991: Oct 4th 2018 at 10:42:17 PM

Would still definitely rather see Galactus or Doom as the next big villain. I do kind of wonder if Avengers 4 might not have them team up with Thanos in some capacity, though.

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.
#89992: Oct 4th 2018 at 11:21:38 PM

Blastaar. I think Blastaar was the guy Annihilus was fighting.

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#89993: Oct 4th 2018 at 11:34:54 PM

But Age of Ultron was about Ultron and Infinity War was about the Infinity Stones. Annihilation is not going to be about Annihilus or the Annihilation Wave, that we know for sure.

We don't, actually. Remember, Ego the Living Planet was also firmly at Fox, and Marvel was able to trade him for concessions on the first Deadpool movie.

And it's also ignoring the possibility that the third party uniting the heroes and Thanos would be something else entirely.

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.
#89994: Oct 4th 2018 at 11:46:46 PM

Even if Avengers 4 is Annihilation, it doesn't make any sense to claim that the title itself is a spoiler for the events of Infinity War. Infinity War ended with the Snap, that is the obvious thing that would be spoiled by the Avengers 4 title. From what I'm hearing about Annihilation, that storyline doesn't have anything to do with the Snap, and would bring in a lot of stuff that Infinity War never hinted at.

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#89995: Oct 4th 2018 at 11:55:05 PM

We won't know why the title's a spoiler until we know what it's actually about. Hell, "Annihilation" could just be in reference to well, half the universe having been annihilated.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#89996: Oct 5th 2018 at 12:52:31 AM

I though that whatever word the title is paired with, it starts with F?

It's really high time that they reveal the title. This isn't cute anymore.

NonStopActors Since: May, 2018
#89997: Oct 5th 2018 at 2:59:41 AM

There is a Fandom Rivalry between this franchise and Venom (2018). Honestly, if there really was a near universally agreed hatred between these two films, then the films Avengers: Infinity War and Venom (2018) would have suffered an audience rating lower than what The Last Jedi's has.

In fact, what counts as a Fandom Rivalry? A universally agreed hatred of each fandom against each other, or something that even a tiny Vocal Minority can trigger?

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#89998: Oct 5th 2018 at 3:57:07 AM

To me it happens when the fans of two franchises are constantly at the throat of each other regarding which one is "better".

So, Sherlock vs Elementary (though artificial stroked by CBS), Marvel vs DC, Harry Potter vs Twilight, Babylon 5 vs Deep Space 9, Star Wars vs Star Trek those are proper fandom rivalry. Star Wars vs Marvel is not, because while there are sometimes some discussions about which franchise is now the more important and/or successful, those are basically the same fan groups and they tend to mostly agree about the qualities of the movies. The question is more if you put more stock in a franchise being on the top of the cultural discourse for decades, or if you consider the fact that the MCU is absolutely unique and now the highest grossing franchise of all time (and the only one which ever managed to brake the 3 billion mark in one year by releasing three movies which were all successful) as a sign that Star Wars might not any longer the most important player in town. At least for now.

I really don't see one in which the Venom franchise is involved in. It is a competing movie with "A Star is Born" with some hatedom from a few fanatic fans, but I don't see anyone serious attempts to actually compare the quality of those movies. And while there are MCU fans which think that it might be better if Venom fails, I don't think that many would have been particularly bothered if it had succeeded.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#89999: Oct 5th 2018 at 5:34:37 AM

Uh, Chris Evans isn't actually saying that he's retiring from Captain America in that Tweet. Like, yeah it sounds final, but all he's saying is that he's wrapped up filming for Avengers 4 and that's it's been an honor playing as Steven Rogers for the past 8 years. He also thanks the cast, crew, and audience, but he's not actually saying that he's done as Cap.

Like, he very well might be retiring as Captain America after Avengers 4, but that Tweet is not positive confirmation of that.

"It has been an honor doing X for all these years" is a stock phrase that people usually say when announcing their departure from X.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#90000: Oct 5th 2018 at 6:30:09 AM

[up] It is also a stock phrase people use when they reach a specific milestone in their career, or when OTHER people leave a company to honour them one last time. No matter what will happen, it is unlikely that the same people will come together in the MCU ever again.


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