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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
#109001: Sep 8th 2019 at 11:32:28 AM

That was basically Maya’s motive in the comic
What? No it was not. I'm not sure if you've read Iron Man: Extremis or not, but here is why Maya let the Extremis into the hands of terrorists: it's because she wanted it banned. She explained to Tony at the end that she knew how dangerous the Extremis was, but had to make others realize it and took inspiration from the fact that after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they were never used again, since people could see the devastation. So she intentionally released it to one terrorist in order to show people how dangerous it was, so that it would be banned. She did not want to make any money off of it.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#109002: Sep 8th 2019 at 11:34:32 AM

That's dumb. She's dumb.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#109003: Sep 8th 2019 at 11:37:40 AM

Comics man

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#109004: Sep 8th 2019 at 11:38:13 AM

Iron Man 3 being the last Iron Man movie would be a utter disaster. Terrible send-off for the character. What we got was much better for Stark.

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#109005: Sep 8th 2019 at 11:38:29 AM

Comic book super-scientists are usually pretty dumb. It's like they put all of their points in Knowledge (Science) and have Basic-Ass Sense as a dump stat.

The comics themselves like to make fun of this one guy every now and then. He hasn't been relevant in decades and basically only comes up so that people can make fun of supervillain logic - or because someone wants to use his invention, while making fun of him for supervillain logic.

Dude invented a gun that can turn any substance it shoots into solid gold. He used it to rob a bank.

SUPERVILLAINS!

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#109006: Sep 8th 2019 at 11:43:20 AM

the one redeeming part of Iron man 3 is super powered pepper pots

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#109007: Sep 8th 2019 at 12:05:52 PM

Maya wasn't a jilted lover of Tony in the Extremis storyline IM 3 was based on. So that's another mark against the movie. Not only did they give her role as the true Big Bad to a male character (who killed himself because he couldn't go through with the evil plot in the comic) they turned her into a Woman Scorned when she wasn't like that in the original story.

[up] I do respect the movie for showing that Tony is capable of being a hero without his suit.

Edited by windleopard on Sep 8th 2019 at 12:10:27 PM

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#109008: Sep 8th 2019 at 12:09:53 PM

I'm not sure if you've read Iron Man: Extremis or not, but here is why Maya let the Extremis into the hands of terrorists: it's because she wanted it banned.

That’s really not what I remember. I was just rereading it last month, and there’s deliberate parallels made between her and Tony, discussing the slippery slope of military contracts and how pitting Mallen up against Iron Man was supposed to be a nationwide weapons demonstration. Tony and Maya were both having to evaluate how much benefit they’ve really made for the world in the long term at the expense of immediate militarization.

Edited by Tuckerscreator on Sep 8th 2019 at 12:11:37 PM

AyyItsMidnight Look, just be decent to one another ok? Since: Oct, 2018
Look, just be decent to one another ok?
#109009: Sep 8th 2019 at 12:15:57 PM

Iron Man 3 from what I watched pretty much evened out to being okay. A decently enjoyable if non-negligably flawed and problematic cape flick. And yeah, Aldrich Killian is nearing Malekith levels of lame. I guess if there's any consolation it's that at least now we know that neither of these chucklefucks are the real Mandarin. Then again, we sorta have All Hail the King and Shang-Chi to thank for that and not this movie, so there's only so much credit I can really give it.

Self-serious autistic trans gal who loves rock/metal and animation with all her heart. (she/her)
windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#109010: Sep 8th 2019 at 12:21:06 PM

I honestly don't think having the real Mandarin in this movie would have been a better choice given he's considered the comic book poster boy for Yellow Peril. It isn't a coincidence that he's now appearing in a movie where the main protagonist is Chinese and the movie has an Asian director behind the camera.

Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#109011: Sep 8th 2019 at 12:22:28 PM

Killian suffers from multiple issues, really.

The first is that him being the main villain is actually kind of obvious. The film focuses far more on him than the Mandarin, for one. He shows up in the film's intro, establishing him as being connected to Tony and Pepper, and from what I recall he has more screen time than the Mandarin, who only really shows up to remind the audience that he's committing Acts Of Evil Against The Corrupt West. So from that standpoint, the twist ends up feeling a little underwhelming since it's incredibly clear who the real main villain is once Trevor is exposed.

The second is that Killian himself is just really boring. Outside of being generic and not very interesting, the actor is also a problem. Guy Pearce is not a bad actor, but he was a very poor fit for Killian and just can't really make him work. He just comes off as a petulant Smug Snake in a way that isn't particularly captivating or interesting. He's easily one of the worst MCU villains.

Finally, setting up Killian as the villain robbed the movie of asian representation. It's been pointed out multiple times that while the Mandarin was originally based on an offensive Yellow Peril stereotype, a lot of work has been done to try and make him something beyond that and tone down the offensivenes of the original concept. They could have also filled the movie with other heroic asian characters to offset this and try to make the film a net positive.

Andrei_Bondoc Since: Jan, 2019
#109012: Sep 8th 2019 at 1:05:13 PM

I have finally watched Iron Man 3!

Summary: Tony Stark develops PTSD after the battle of New York and he has to face a terrorist (not really) and a guy on Extremis (or EXTREMIS? I don't know).

Stan Lee cameo: A Pageant Judge.

Observations:

  1. I rushed at one of my observations of The Avengers: the deal of transferring the distribution rights for the MCU films from Paramount to Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures included this movie. And this is the last MCU film that features Paramount. I apologize to everyone for forgetting this. Next time, I'll be more careful and have more time to check the facts.
  2. Is it just me, or Tony's suits blow up frequently?
  3. The late Miguel Ferrer has a role here: Vice President Rodriguez.
  4. President Ellis is named after Warren Ellis (Warren, after all, wrote Iron Man: Extremis, the inspiration for this film).
  5. So, Yinsen from Iron Man 1 returns in the flashback from 1999.
  6. Pepper in her husband's suit? Cool! Pepper with Extremis? Awesome! Too bad, so much potential... And I can't believe that Iron Man: Armored Adventures of all media things had Pepper as Rescue... Well, better late than never...
  7. I liked Gary the cameraman and Harley Keener.
  8. Mandarin was great! Too bad the real Mandarin is Aldrich Killian, and the other one is fake, just an actor named Trevor Slattery (is is just me, or when Trevor revealed to Tony that he's not the Mandarin the film goes meta?)... Shame, 'cause I liked this take! Well, I will waste several more months in my life to wait for the real real Mandarin... in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, then.
  9. A limited edition Dora the Explorer-branded watch is featured here, briefly.
  10. Tony removes his arc reactor and the schrapnels from his chest, destroyed his suits... is it really a finale?
  11. Aldrich Killian kinda lacks something that made Obadiah Stane memorable and Justin Hammer funny. Guy Pearce, in my opinion, did his job well, but he had to do it after all.
  12. So, Extremis gives you fire-like powers? Cool, I want to be infected with Extremis, too!
  13. Rhodey's armor, War Machine, is rebranded as the Iron Patriot (property of Norman Osborn; do not steal!).
  14. Last solo adventure for the titular hero; from now on, until his last breath, he would hog other movies.

8/10!note 

"Scooby Dooby Doo!"
Weirdguy149 Former King from Lumiose City Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: I'd jump in front of a train for ya!
Former King
#109013: Sep 8th 2019 at 1:37:48 PM

It might be because I saw Armored Adventures long before the Iron Man movies, but I really like it. If nothing else, it has the best Mandarin period.

The legend has returned.
HailMuffins Since: May, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#109014: Sep 8th 2019 at 1:42:42 PM

@Tobias: See, this is what happens when you put all the points on Knowledge and ignore Wisdom.

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#109015: Sep 8th 2019 at 1:58:38 PM

I wanted Pepper as Rescue!

Agreed. They botched it in IM3 in that Pepper's scenes with a suit are extremely sparse, so we don't get to see much of how coming into the Rescue role affects her character. And then they kept putting it off until Endgame.

If I were to rewrite the movie, Pepper would've kept the suit she acquired during the Malibu attack. While Tony conducts his detective hunt underground, Pepper's flying about trying to find him and contain Extremis attacks, with Maya as her secretly evil mentor seemingly helping her along.

Edited by Tuckerscreator on Sep 8th 2019 at 1:59:47 AM

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#109016: Sep 8th 2019 at 2:02:24 PM

Yeah, I also think Pepper should have become Rescue for realsies in Iron Man 3.

That scene where Tony blows up all of his suits, and then the just has plenty of other suits in future movies and we never speak of "Tony blew up all of his suits" again. That scene? That scene wouldn't exist.

And then Pepper would join Rhodey in being an Iron Man-type character in future movies, who may or may not be present in a given film depending on Gwyneth Paltrow's availability and willingness.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Sep 8th 2019 at 3:03:06 AM

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#109017: Sep 8th 2019 at 2:20:43 PM

That’s really not what I remember.
To be fair, her other motivation was for nations to see how dangerous Extremis was and say, "Oh crap, we should totally hire FuturePharm (Maya's company) to help us develop something to stop that."

And yeah, I totally agree: Pepper should have become Rescue for the film, rather than just being a damsel until the end. The other two Iron Man films were very good about not damseling Pepper.

Edited by alliterator on Sep 8th 2019 at 2:21:11 AM

chasemaddigan I'm Sad Frogerson. Since: Oct, 2011
I'm Sad Frogerson.
#109018: Sep 8th 2019 at 2:25:30 PM

I remember when the trailers were released, and it made the film look like it would take a real Darker and Edgier direction. Fans were thinking this was going to be the MCU's equivalent to The Dark Knight, with Tony's home being destroyed, his armor comprimised, and being forced against his most dangerous opponent yet.

When it came out, I was kind of surprised how mixed the response was. When I first watched the film, it was clear it wasn't as dark as the trailers made it out to be, but I still couldn't figure out why some fans didn't like the film. And then the Mandarin reveal happened and I understood completely.

In all honesty, the Mandarin reveal had potential. It could've served as a critique on America's xenophobic fears of foreign threats, and how the military-industrial complex overplays the dangers terrorism has on the average US citizen. I feel it didn't reach it's full potential because a) those themes only have their surface scratched and b) Killian wasn't an interesting enough villain for audiences to accept this switch-up.

I just remember LEGO Marvel's Avengers had a level based on Iron Man 3, and Killian has a line where he says "This'll teach you not to be rude to people you run into at parties!" That line really highlights how weak Killian's motives are.

Ah well, the MCU did eventually get it's Dark Knight equivalent just a year later...

Edited by chasemaddigan on Sep 8th 2019 at 5:26:34 AM

SonOfSharknado Love is Love is Love Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Love is Love is Love
#109019: Sep 8th 2019 at 2:30:44 PM

It was hilarious to me in that level that the Mandarin was still more-or-less the character that was promised in the trailers and actually felt menacing- ya know, for a LEGO game- and Killian was just a guy who showed up and then you punched him in the balls and he disappeared.

My various fanfics.
AyyItsMidnight Look, just be decent to one another ok? Since: Oct, 2018
Look, just be decent to one another ok?
#109020: Sep 8th 2019 at 2:32:22 PM

Sadly Andrei's still gotta get through Thor: The Dark World before he reaches said MCU version of TDK.

Self-serious autistic trans gal who loves rock/metal and animation with all her heart. (she/her)
windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#109021: Sep 8th 2019 at 2:34:12 PM

Doesn't Pepper have a company to run? Not seeing much time to be Rescue.

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#109022: Sep 8th 2019 at 2:35:57 PM

There are other people working for Stark industries who could watch the company for her

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
unknowing from somewhere.. Since: Mar, 2014
#109023: Sep 8th 2019 at 3:47:30 PM

Funny thing I like Iron man 3 and I think it kinda have is good things: it pretty much based on the question cap said to Tony "without your armor, what are you?" and it show Tony IS Iron man, him being cleaver and smart while fighting is PTDS from being in space was great.

Also while Killian itself is boring as help, I like this movie REALLY push tony to is limits, to many movie suffer from the villian being kinda there(Kalliacus, Malekith, Whisplash) have Killian being more intersting it could compete with winter soldier HYDRA as best bad guy ever.

And for last.....Tony actually improve, not sunk into milking is misery like other movies, or just him being a jerk and getting away with it like Iron man 2 or Age of Ultron, he seen....happier, I want to see more of that Stark.

"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"
SonOfSharknado Love is Love is Love Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Love is Love is Love
#109024: Sep 8th 2019 at 4:13:14 PM

I really didn't like Harley. And how Tony was essentially annoyed into getting over his PTSD.

My various fanfics.
HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#109025: Sep 8th 2019 at 4:31:53 PM

I do agree that it did a good job of showing that Tony isn't just the suit.

And of course, the human chain scene.

There's actually a lot to like in Iron Man 3....but that Mandarin....and Killian too I guess.

One Strip! One Strip!

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