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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.

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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

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#101501: Apr 28th 2019 at 12:22:43 PM

I know we like to keep track of what the idiots are saying for our own perverse amusement but I'm not sure I care any more. Given how much the audience cheered Carol, I think they can stew in their little cesspool for all eternity.

Edited by Fighteer on Apr 28th 2019 at 3:25:28 PM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#101502: Apr 28th 2019 at 12:24:54 PM

The MCU is without a doubt one of the greatest franchises ever.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#101503: Apr 28th 2019 at 12:31:56 PM

There certainly hasn't quite been anything like it before.

I mean, the closest thing to it would be the Arrowverse, but even that just encompasses several TV shows, not movies.

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Galadriel Since: Feb, 2015
#101504: Apr 28th 2019 at 12:39:55 PM

According to Box Office Mojo, the MCU has made over $8 billion (domestic-only) in inflation-adjusted dollars. That’s more than any other franchise. For comparison, every James Bond movie ever made (again, inflation-adjusted) adds up to around $6 billion. Star Wars is close to $7 billion.

So yes, this is immense.

Edited by Galadriel on Apr 28th 2019 at 3:40:50 PM

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#101506: Apr 28th 2019 at 12:42:00 PM

Also, one thing I'm kinda conflicted about is having to find a new main villain for the next Captain Marvel movie. I mean, the good thing about part 1 was that Carol was still discovering her powers. But now? Without the Power Stone, Thanos was utterly incapable of slightly hurting her.

Who are they gonna take, Galactus?^^

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Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#101507: Apr 28th 2019 at 12:42:37 PM

I think Star Trek came the closest. There are quite a few universes like this in book-form.

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#101508: Apr 28th 2019 at 12:49:04 PM

Even the strongest superhero encounters somebody they can't just punch into submission. That's why Lex Luthor has been Superman's biggest foe for so long.

Falrinn Since: Dec, 2014
#101509: Apr 28th 2019 at 12:53:33 PM

[up][up][up]There's a couple different routes to go down, but ultimately the best routes all involve awknowaging that almost nothing can match Carol in terms of raw power and have a foe that challenges her in some other way.

This can be done through mystical means that don't play by the rules Carol does. Through technological means where someone constructs a mechanism for the specific purpise of manipulating Space-stone energy to protect against or otherwise nullify her powers. Or through raw intellect where the villain constructs a scheme that simply can't be stopped by obliterating it with Tesseract energynote .

Edited by Falrinn on Apr 28th 2019 at 3:56:27 PM

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#101510: Apr 28th 2019 at 12:59:54 PM

Remember also that Carol was the result of a freak accident with an experimental power source. This is a superhero universe. There's always opportunity for freak accidents with experimental technology.

I've been expecting the next Captain Marvel villain to be the result of someone trying to replicate the experiment that made her, Gone Horribly Right.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Apr 28th 2019 at 1:00:40 AM

Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#101511: Apr 28th 2019 at 1:03:39 PM

I know there are many ways, technically. It's just that the thought that a solo villain for her has to be more powerful than an ensemble villain is kinda freaky to me^^

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Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#101512: Apr 28th 2019 at 1:05:29 PM

Also, Carol might be practically invincible, but the people she wants to protect are NOT.

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I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#101513: Apr 28th 2019 at 1:09:14 PM

I still can't believe it.

Last year, Infinity War completely shattered the previous record for biggest worldwide opening at 640 million dollars.

Endgame nearly doubled that to 1.2 billion dollars.

What the actual fuck.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#101514: Apr 28th 2019 at 1:16:46 PM

You are all realize that the MCU is now averaging at more than 900 million per movie? And is close to passing the 20 billion mark?

I guess Star Wars fans have to accept the fact that their beloved franchise is no longer the biggest player in town...

Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#101515: Apr 28th 2019 at 1:50:09 PM

As for Captain Marvel villains, you have foes she can't outpunch because they're cerebral and foes she can't outpunch because of other reasons. For example, if you stick with the popular idea of Captain Marvel II being set during the Skrull-Kree war and being about how Carol caused the treaty, it makes perfect sense to have a her opponents just be "Skrull and Kree national war machines". She's a humongous One-Man Army but she can't A) end a complex, decades-long political conflict by just punching everybody B) fight the entirety of two intergalactic war machines by herself without a challenge.

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
Falrinn Since: Dec, 2014
#101516: Apr 28th 2019 at 1:52:24 PM

[up]x5

My point though is that Captain Marvel 2 doesn't need a powerful villain at all, just a villain who knows better then to try to take Carol on in a straight fight and the means to enact their plan.

Galadriel Since: Feb, 2015
#101517: Apr 28th 2019 at 1:54:26 PM

Yes. Tough hero vs tough villain is the most boring way to play things. Tough hero vs smart villain...there’s a reason why Lex Luthor is Superman’s most iconic foe.

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#101518: Apr 28th 2019 at 1:56:53 PM

Still it be a pretty dope for her to have an epic DBZ-esque battle against someone.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
InkDagger Since: Jul, 2014
#101519: Apr 28th 2019 at 2:26:59 PM

[up][up]Pretty much this. A BAD writer tries to challenge Superman physically and Superman wins every time. A good writer knows that the most compelling villain will challenge Superman in other ways, either through social and political means or by manipulating some aspect of his character.

Carol WILL win every fight she's in. But she needs a foe that she just cannot straight up punch to death. So, in theory, she could be put up against an ideal or a concept. A larger group where just destroying them causes more harm than good. And a character like that can really get into some complicated and nuanced writing. If she wins everything she fights, she's going to straight up deal damage if she fights the wrong people.

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#101520: Apr 28th 2019 at 2:31:22 PM

or they could depower Carol so she's not so op

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Face me now, bitch!
#101521: Apr 28th 2019 at 2:55:30 PM

If they bring in X-men and Fantastic 4 characters, there's always someone like Gladiator to fight Carol. Or the Silver Surfer

Also the Sentry, too.

And World Breaker Hulk.

Thing about Thanos, is that he's actually always curbstomped Carol in Base, even when she herself is in Binary.

The MCU is the exception in that regard.

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Falrinn Since: Dec, 2014
#101522: Apr 28th 2019 at 2:59:11 PM

[up][up] I wouldn't depower her, though in all seriousness I do think there is a place for a villain who has some sort of mechanism to nullify her powers.

Carol's powers are based on Tesseract energy, and manipulating Tesseract energy through technological means is a well-established concept in the MCU. It's not unbelievable that someone could go down that road, especially if they have reason to believe that Carol might try to rain on their parade in the near future.

Like for example someone might work out how to build a capacitor that can absorb Tesseract energy, so Carol trying to attack them directly just makes them more powerful.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#101523: Apr 28th 2019 at 3:09:44 PM

I wouldn't mind a movie that does both: a cerebral mastermind villain, and a incredibly powerful dragon.

Like, if they go with Mystique and Rogue, they could do it that way: Mystique as the cerebral villain, and Rogue as her sympathetic right hand woman with great power that spends the movie as Mystique's leverage and crutch, but breaks free in the final act to facilitate her mother's defeat.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Apr 28th 2019 at 3:10:29 AM

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#101524: Apr 28th 2019 at 3:21:25 PM

I would love it if they used a Captain Marvel movie to introduce Rogue and Mystique. The only problem is that we've already had shapeshifting villains and we've seen way too much Mystique in the Fox X-Men movies.

Lymantria Tyrannoraptoran Reptiliomorph from Toronto Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: Historians will say we were good friends.
Tyrannoraptoran Reptiliomorph
#101525: Apr 28th 2019 at 3:22:36 PM

Speaking of which, when Marvel Studios finally start using the X-Men and Fantastic Four in their movies, I wonder how they'll make them distinct from the previous cinematic incarnations.

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