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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

wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Role Model
#117776: May 30th 2020 at 9:26:45 PM

Iron Man 3 was the worst MCU film for me. Thor 2 comes second.

[up][up][up][up]"Politics"? Attempted murder maybe, but he wasn't running for office.

@Gaon: to be fair, the actual heroic Hawkeye was stationary in Thor and Avengers 1. ...Maybe that's why his role was so small.

Edited by wanderlustwarrior on May 30th 2020 at 11:28:34 AM

Weirdguy149 Former King from Lumiose City Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: I'd jump in front of a train for ya!
Former King
#117777: May 30th 2020 at 9:30:43 PM

Iron Man 3's only problem is that its villain is much poorer than the rest of them. Even Malekith was at least unique in that he looked like a stereotypical elf where nobody else looks like that.

The legend has returned.
AyyItsMidnight Look, just be decent to one another ok? Since: Oct, 2018
Look, just be decent to one another ok?
#117778: May 30th 2020 at 9:32:16 PM

Yeah, these protests and the whole George Floyd (RIP) thing are both among the biggest underlinings of the faults of law enforcement in recent memory. I've let some real steam from it out on my friends elsewhere but I don't feel like disclosing the details to make things even more uncomfortable.

Uhh, anyway. Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 are not only not the worst movies in the franchise but not even the worst blockbuster from 2013.

Self-serious autistic trans gal who loves rock/metal and animation with all her heart. (she/her)
wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Role Model
#117779: May 30th 2020 at 9:36:15 PM

What is the worst movie, then? And don't say Hulk, because it wasn't.

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#117780: May 30th 2020 at 9:36:57 PM

[up][up] PM me the stuff. I should really look into the news more often.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Ayasugi Since: Oct, 2010
#117781: May 30th 2020 at 9:38:10 PM

Sounds like Ronin should've been trending, not Hawkeye.

Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#117782: May 30th 2020 at 9:42:48 PM

I actually haven't seen The Inedible Hulk, it's the only MCU film I'm missing.

That being said, excluding that, yeah I'd say the worst is Thor 2. Iron Man 2 is close but at least it had some good moments like the fight at Monaco or Howard's video for Tony.

Thor 2... uh... the final battle is wacky? Which is a mixed back in itself? It'll never not amuse me that Dr. Selvig of all people technically got the kill though.

Edited by Anomalocaris20 on May 30th 2020 at 12:43:08 PM

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
AyyItsMidnight Look, just be decent to one another ok? Since: Oct, 2018
Look, just be decent to one another ok?
#117783: May 30th 2020 at 9:47:04 PM

Well, uh...prepare to be disappointed, wander. Basically it's the least interesting for me, one way or another. Even other lower-rung movies had more going for them or were more interesting to discuss, for good or ill. TIH just makes me realize I just don't find the Hulk that inherently interesting, at least not enough to carry a whole movie, and certainly not when none of said movie's characters compel me much at all.

Self-serious autistic trans gal who loves rock/metal and animation with all her heart. (she/her)
chasemaddigan I'm Sad Frogerson. Since: Oct, 2011
I'm Sad Frogerson.
#117784: May 30th 2020 at 9:47:20 PM

I don't think there's an MCU film I'd say is outright bad. All of them are rewatchable for me. At worst, I think they're mediocre or just very uneven in their quality. There hasn't been a film where I'd go "Oh man, that one sucked. Don't even watch that one, it's terrible".

For a film series that has had 20+ installments, I consider that a very good track record.

Ayasugi Since: Oct, 2010
#117785: May 30th 2020 at 9:51:38 PM

Thor 2's got a crafty, mature Thor, Thor and Loki starting to talk through some of their differences as brothers in the skiff, showing the shortcomings of Odin through his current actions... For the most part it's pretty good for character stuff, the execution is what's bad.

Weirdguy149 Former King from Lumiose City Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: I'd jump in front of a train for ya!
Former King
#117786: May 30th 2020 at 9:54:47 PM

Incredible Hulk is very forgettable.

The legend has returned.
AyyItsMidnight Look, just be decent to one another ok? Since: Oct, 2018
Look, just be decent to one another ok?
#117787: May 30th 2020 at 10:01:12 PM

Oh yeah, I can think of plenty of lower lows in the realm of comic book movies than any MCU movie.

Self-serious autistic trans gal who loves rock/metal and animation with all her heart. (she/her)
Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#117788: May 30th 2020 at 10:12:24 PM

I think the worst two are The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 3 depending on the criteria you use.

TIH is the worst if you operate on a pure quality basis, just the most boring and incoherent MCU basis. It's not a good movie and there's really no seed of a good one in it. Forgettable to a tee.

Iron Man 3 is the most infuriating, with potential and ideas being fumbled dramatically. There's potential but it's wasted and then some. It's memorably disappointing.

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Role Model
#117789: May 30th 2020 at 11:11:21 PM

I'd call Iron Man 3 both disappointing, incoherent, and bad comedy.

TIH was basic pointless action filler with the benefit of hindsight, but overall I'd say it was still pretty alright.

@Ayasugi, re: Ronin trending... Well, something like that also happened today, which I'll state behind two spoiler tags. A white man in Dallas attempted to harass anti-police brutality protestors with a sword/machete. Instead the protestors threw stones at his feet to get him to leave. He rushed them and possibly stabbed one, so the (both black and white) protestors beat the hate out of him until he crumpled over his sword. The actual political element to this is that conservative sources only reported the second half of the video, to make the man with the sword look like an innocent victim.

Edited by wanderlustwarrior on May 30th 2020 at 1:12:15 PM

FGHIK Since: Aug, 2013
#117790: May 30th 2020 at 11:54:33 PM

Call it whatever you want, but it's only most tenuously related to the MCU. There's several relevant threads for it in On-Topic Conversations, so please take discussion about it there...

Anyway, I'd consider Thor 2 the worst MCU movie, because I found it extremely boring and forgettable. There were a couple funny moments, and some setup for future movies, but it was just so dull overall. Too many uninteresting characters doing uninteresting things, too slow paced. Iron Man 3 was also pretty forgettable, but it never made me so bored I'd rather not watch the movie. It's able to at least keep me entertained that long.

Edited by FGHIK on May 31st 2020 at 2:01:15 PM

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#117791: May 31st 2020 at 12:05:51 AM

Random thing I didn't notice until after rewatching Civil War.

When getting the Gauntlet from Hawkeye in Endgame, T'Challa calls out to him specifically as Clint, not Hawkeye - which is a kind of First-Name Basis he doesn't typically show to the other Avengers.

... because Hawkeye specifically introduced himself to T'Challa as Clint in Civil War. That's a neat Call-Back.

MileRun Since: Jan, 2001
#117792: May 31st 2020 at 12:16:24 AM

Huh, interesting that Iron Man 3 seems to be a near-unanimous unfavorite here. Most of the other circles I frequent think Iron Man 3 ranges from meh to pretty alright, and Iron Man 2 is seen as the worst.

I personally would cite Iron Man 2 as the worst. It was a weird combo of PG-13 alcoholism metaphors and clunky bureaucracy drama. More importantly, it's the only movie in the bunch where I felt that trying to work with the MCU continuity got in the way of the storytelling. I know it's a common criticism that MCU movies take a devil-may-care attitude about continuity, but looking at how Iron Man 2 got carried away with setting up plot threads for later movies - some of which don't even pay off - I think playing fast and loose with cross-movie threads was the right call.

Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#117793: May 31st 2020 at 12:33:53 AM

Iron Man 3 is Love It or Hate It. It's not unanimously considered middling and mediocre the way Iron Man 2, Hulk, or Thor 2 are.

Some people consider it a terrible movie and the worst product in the MCU, others consider it the best of the three Iron Man movies. There's hardly any middle ground.

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#117794: May 31st 2020 at 5:20:20 AM

I would also definitely agree with Iron Man 3 being the worst. Me personally, I also hate The First Avenger, though that has more to do with my personal dislike for the concept / the character in general.

I actually like The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 and even the first 2 Thor's.

Ant Man and the Wasp is....well kinda forgettable, but not bad.

Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% Scandinavian
Weirdguy149 Former King from Lumiose City Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: I'd jump in front of a train for ya!
Former King
#117795: May 31st 2020 at 5:39:18 AM

Iron Man 2 is pretty generic. The only parts I remember are Tony being an ass and Whiplash at the racetrack.

The legend has returned.
C105 Too old for this from France Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Too old for this
#117796: May 31st 2020 at 1:18:09 PM

Seems I'm also in the minority around here, since Iron Man 3 is my favourite Iron Man movie and one of my favourite MCU movies. I think Iron Man 2 and Age of Ultron are probably my least favourite MCU movies, but that's not saying much because there is no MCU movie I really don't like. The worst ones are "meh" for me and I still enjoy watching them if only for the continuity (for instance Iron Man 2 introducing Black Widow) or the CGI and the action scenes (which is why for instance Thor 1 & 2 and possibly AoU rank slightly above Iron Man 2 in my list).

Edited by C105 on May 31st 2020 at 10:19:23 AM

Whatever your favourite work is, there is a Vocal Minority that considers it the Worst. Whatever. Ever!.
HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#117797: May 31st 2020 at 1:18:21 PM

Even as someone who's in the Iron Man 3 is the worst movie group, I admit that it had a lot of interesting ideas (Tony's PTSD, and him showing that he's Iron Man not because of the suit, but because of his own actions, along with how the Mark...53 I believe it was and the house party protocol would sew the seeds for his suit in Age of Ultron, as well as the Iron Legion).

...but I'm a blasphemer, because I'm totally fine with both The Incredible Hulk and Thor: The Dark World, proving that my opinion is clearly not to be trusted.tongue

...I also liked Age of Ultron, just to further my status as an infidel.

One Strip! One Strip!
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#117798: May 31st 2020 at 1:24:20 PM

Its weird how Tony's post traumatic stress disorder just seemed to vanish after Ironman 3,I know its fiction but..stuff like that never truly goes way,maybe he just got better at managing it or something I dunno

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#117799: May 31st 2020 at 1:24:22 PM

Iron Man 3 was just too inconsistent in terms of tone.

You cannot have PTSD in a movie this wacky.

Trailers Always Lie was in affect too, as those gave us the impression that it would be a dark flick.

Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% Scandinavian
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#117800: May 31st 2020 at 1:26:09 PM

Well it was Dark,you had military vets being turned into..fire exploding people

have a listen and have a link to my discord server

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