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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.
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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

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#95326: Jan 20th 2019 at 5:44:11 PM

Has anyone in the MCU ever described Tony or the Iron Man armor as invincible? That seems like a no-brainer reference, but I don't recall anyone ever doing it.

I really want them to somehow adapt the "amazing!" "spectacular!" moment for Spidey at some point. Not against Mr. Fantastic, though.

I could see it working against Mysterio: for the whole film, after all, you have Mysterio making himself look impressive and likely making Spidey look like a chump, and then at the end you get Spider-Man show real un-staged ability and prowess in defeating him and the moment gets adapted then. I could imagine Mysterio throwing illusions and minions and all sorts of crap at the webhead in the end, and Spidey - the genuine article - blows/breezes past it all.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Jan 20th 2019 at 5:52:33 AM

Brandon Deadly Vu! from Between Thanksgiving and Christmas (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
Deadly Vu!
#95327: Jan 20th 2019 at 6:02:03 PM

I don't think his armor was ever invincible. His armor has gotten banged up, scratched, disheveled, whatever several times throughout the films (example in the first Avengers movie, when he gets caught in the carrier's propeller).

In Infinity War, I believe we see him going through a few suits, but is using nano-tech to bring out a replacement suit (I think it occurs during the fight with Thanos).

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KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#95328: Jan 20th 2019 at 6:13:07 PM

It doesn't have to literally be invincible. The joke is someone calling it invincible in reference to The Invincible Iron Man, in the same way Thor is often called Mighty or Cross awkwardly drops a reference to Tales to Astonish in Ant-Man.

wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Role Model
#95329: Jan 20th 2019 at 6:15:48 PM

[up][up][up]"The Huff Spider-Man" was an odd phase.

Dirtyblue929 Since: Dec, 2012 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
#95330: Jan 20th 2019 at 6:18:04 PM

[up] I did rather enjoy The Ungh Spider-Man, though I admit Huff didn't leave much of a mark.

Edited by Dirtyblue929 on Jan 20th 2019 at 6:18:20 AM

Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#95331: Jan 20th 2019 at 6:23:54 PM

I felt the Cross "Tales to Astonish!" reference was actually pretty smooth in Ant-Man. I felt the most forced ones were Obadiah dredging a obscure Medieval term for weaponsmiths ("Iron Mongers") to Mythology Gag his supervillain name in a conversation and TIH dropping "the result could be.....AN ABOMINATION", but that one is less due the actual line and more because the delivery and the cinematography winks way too hard at the audience.

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
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.
#95332: Jan 20th 2019 at 6:28:43 PM

I think "Strange X-Men" would work fine as a replacement for Uncanny X-Men. Only conflict there is with Dr. Strange.

Nightwire Since: Feb, 2010
#95333: Jan 20th 2019 at 6:28:46 PM

"So that's it huh? We're some kind of Suicide Squad."

wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#95334: Jan 20th 2019 at 7:27:16 PM

I loved the Iron Monger line. But only Jeff Bridges could get away with it [lol]

Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#95335: Jan 20th 2019 at 7:48:47 PM

[up][up] That is one of the worst ones ever, I'll admit. Not Marvel though.

In general I prefer when those names are worked in the narrative through a legitimate nom de guerre (like Erik Stevens, a.k.a "Killmonger"), just drop them straight out through stuff like newspapers being dramatic (like the Raimi spidey films dubbed all their villains through Jonah Jameson being Jonah Jameson or Stark in the first Iron Man getting his name from the newspaper) or just skip the middle-man and have the characters wax poetically about life into their superhero/villain names (like the forgotten gem of a superhero film that was Darkman, with the character poetically concluding: "I'm everyone. And No one. Everywhere. Nowhere. Call me...Darkman).

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
unknowing from somewhere.. Since: Mar, 2014
#95336: Jan 20th 2019 at 7:55:54 PM

[up]I saw that movie a couple of time and damn is really weird that movie, specially the whole carnaval stuff when the protagonist undergone and psychotic atack.

"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#95337: Jan 20th 2019 at 8:05:23 PM

Regarding the adjectives, it's worth noting that they mean almost as much as the titles themselves as far as story identification goes. Writers will mix and match the adjectives to indicate concepts and characters crossing over.

For instance, what do you call an Avengers series about popular X-Men joining the titular team? "The Uncanny Avengers".

What do you call a Hercules comic that uses characters and ideas from the Incredible Hulk series? "The Incredible Hercules".

If you were going to write something about Thor being Brought Down to Normal and Iron Man building him a suit until he gets his powers back, you'd call it The Invincible Thor. If Captain America was filling in for Spider-Man, fighting his villains and hanging with his characters, he'd be The Amazing Captain America. If Black Widow lifted Mjolnir and gained Thor's powers, her comic would be The Mighty Black Widow. Etc. etc.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Jan 20th 2019 at 9:05:44 AM

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wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Role Model
#95338: Jan 20th 2019 at 9:26:30 PM

I wish The Falcon got an adjective. Plus, the "Captain America" handle doesn't really come with one at all, does it?

Edited by wanderlustwarrior on Jan 20th 2019 at 11:30:18 AM

HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#95339: Jan 20th 2019 at 9:38:46 PM

Come to think of it, Cap is one of the few big names with no extra name.

He's not amazing or uncanny or incredible or mighty or invincible or whatever Squirrel Girl is.

He's just Cap.

Guess that's why he sucks.

One Strip! One Strip!
alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#95340: Jan 20th 2019 at 9:40:23 PM

There are certain superheroes who simply never got a famous adjective. Captain America's comics were always simply called Captain America. Similarly, for characters who were introduced in other books and never really had their own (at least for a while), they also usually went without adjectives (like the Falcon). And, more recently (probably since the '90s), the whole "adding adjectives to book titles" has fallen in popularity.

But the ones that were introduced in the '60s were the ones that really did stick around: Uncanny X-Men, Incredible Hulk, Invincible Iron Man, The Mighty Thor, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, etc.

The use of adjectives has risen a bit more in today's comics, since it's seen as more of a retro throwback, but the adjectives tend to be more oriented towards story reasons, i.e. Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (that's her whole schtick: she can't be beat!), Unbelievable Gwenpool (because nobody believes her when she says that they are all comic book characters), Unstoppable Wasp (because Nadia is so cheerful, she's unstoppable, I guess?), and Immortal Hulk (because the Hulk can't die).

chasemaddigan I'm Sad Frogerson. Since: Oct, 2011
I'm Sad Frogerson.
#95341: Jan 20th 2019 at 9:47:13 PM

Spider-Man's just being greedy having so many descriptors to himself. "Amazing", "Spectacular", "Sensational", "Astonishing", "Friendly Neighborhood", "Superior", "Web of", "Adjectiveless".

Damn it Spidey, give a lesser known hero one of your monikers why don't ya?! How much of an ego do you have if you need twelve?!

Edited by chasemaddigan on Jan 20th 2019 at 12:48:11 PM

wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Role Model
#95342: Jan 20th 2019 at 9:47:29 PM

The Immortal Hulk? When did he go to K'un L'un?

[up]Superior was more of a Doc Ock handle though. But then again, Spider-man also claimed names like "Bombastic".


Hmm... Forum game: come up with The Adjectival Superhero names for MCU characters, given what we know about them from their on-screen appearances.

Edited by wanderlustwarrior on Jan 20th 2019 at 11:49:58 AM

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#95343: Jan 20th 2019 at 9:52:00 PM

Also Avenging.

[up] He became a zombie actually.

Edited by slimcoder on Jan 20th 2019 at 9:52:19 AM

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Role Model
#95344: Jan 20th 2019 at 9:54:00 PM

  • The Renegade (Steve) Rogers - he has left his post in all of his movies, partly because the post wasn't what he thought it was
  • The Overlooked Hawkeye - because he looks over things. Yeah... that's it.
  • The Wily (Black) Widow
  • The Scholastic Shuri - based on her zest for learning and happiness in her lab
  • The Dutiful Okoye
  • The Faithful/Loyal/Unwavering Falcon
  • The Relentless Nick Fury

Edited by wanderlustwarrior on Jan 20th 2019 at 12:01:34 PM

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#95345: Jan 20th 2019 at 10:06:23 PM

After Superior Spider-Man established it, "Superior" became the adjective for being an evil version of the title hero. For instance, a mind-whammied Tony Stark who had his personality flipped to evil starred in "The Superior Iron Man".

Edited by TobiasDrake on Jan 20th 2019 at 11:06:37 AM

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M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#95346: Jan 20th 2019 at 10:44:53 PM

I remember Superior Iron-Man. I loved how the clearest sign that inverted Tony was trouble was that his promo pic has him holding a glass of wine.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Nightwire Since: Feb, 2010
unknowing from somewhere.. Since: Mar, 2014
#95348: Jan 20th 2019 at 10:50:46 PM

[up]Ahhh wine, just with martini as go drinks for being evil.

Now im wondering the favorate drinks of our heroes, for some reason I dont think Bucky drinks anything.

"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#95349: Jan 20th 2019 at 10:52:13 PM

I think Ultimate Tony was a raging alcoholic till the day the line ended.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#95350: Jan 20th 2019 at 10:56:48 PM

The Immortal Hulk? When did he go to K'un L'un?
He died and then came back a bunch of times and now he can't die. The book itself is great — it's essentially a Marvel horror story, often where the Hulk only comes in for a few pages.

Spider-man also claimed names like "Bombastic".
I'm sorry, but that wasn't Spider-Man, that was the Bombastic Bag-Man.


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