TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Go To

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

chasemaddigan I'm Sad Frogerson. Since: Oct, 2011
I'm Sad Frogerson.
#118076: Jun 6th 2020 at 2:34:52 PM

Really, most people get "dimensions" wrong. To quote Dr. Freeman:

Whoever set up this intercom system clearly wanted to fight me. I keep hearing "dimensional power", "dimensional contamination". What the fuck are they talking about? I'm pretty sure these aliens are three-dimensional. Probably from somewhere deep in space, but space isn't another dimension

Edited by chasemaddigan on Jun 6th 2020 at 5:35:05 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.
#118077: Jun 6th 2020 at 2:46:56 PM

The way I figure it, alternate dimensions either supersede the multiverse or vice-versa.

  • Every universe in the multiverse has the same set of alternate dimensions, such as an afterlife and dream realm, which have their own counterparts throughout the multiverse.

  • The entire multiverse exists within one dimension, and there are whole other dimensions with their own multiverses within them, such as dimensions with 5 dimensions of space.

Of course, it really comes down to semantics, maybe a better term for the former would be like "planes of existence", which are inside of the multiverse, which are contained within the dimension.

Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#118078: Jun 6th 2020 at 2:48:49 PM

"Dimension" also has a colloquial use as a synonym for a singular universe, specifically in the context of existing alongside other alternate universes.

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#118079: Jun 6th 2020 at 2:51:47 PM

Really, most people get "dimensions" wrong.

Or, more accurately, it is a word that has accrued multiple definitions over it's long use - in which case attempting to force an entirely unrelated definition in a context that is clearly not using it is reductive to the point of inaccuracy.

The way I figure it, alternate dimensions either supersede the multiverse or vice-versa.

The weirdness mostly just comes up because it's not the usual comic book use, so it's a bit confusing. Multiverse in comic book stuff is typically used for "different self-contained, divergent reality" - so, like, a world where everyone is evil, or the world where everyone is in the 1700's, or the world where Spider-Man drives a gigantic mecha.

I remember when the movie's name was first announced, you had people assuming we were about to get, like, an MCU equivalent of, like, Spider-Verse because of it.

But what the movie actually seems to be doing is delving more into what the Marvel Comics would denote as dimensions: that is, different planes within the same reality. So the Dark Dimension, Nightmare Realm, Chaos Dimension, etc.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Jun 6th 2020 at 3:00:01 AM

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#118082: Jun 6th 2020 at 7:29:41 PM

Paul Rudd is a terrible actor because he wasted a perfectly good taco. tongue

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#118083: Jun 6th 2020 at 7:44:53 PM

He should have eaten it off the ground.

He's an ant, is he not?!

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Role Model
#118084: Jun 6th 2020 at 9:10:07 PM

There's a philosophical question of what happens if you eat something enlarged by Pym particles?

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#118085: Jun 6th 2020 at 9:11:04 PM

Well in the Avengers Campus being built at Disneyland, one of the gimmicks is the food allegedly being enlarged by Pym Particles...

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#118086: Jun 6th 2020 at 9:15:48 PM

So soon we'll find out

My god, Pym particles could end world hunger!

But Bocaj, world hunger is not a case of the amount of food available!

Hush, you

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#118087: Jun 6th 2020 at 9:16:29 PM

In the comics Hank used his shrinking to do kinky sex stuff with Janet.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#118088: Jun 6th 2020 at 9:21:42 PM

My god, Pym particles could end world hunger!

But Bocaj, world hunger is not a case of the amount of food available!

Hush, you

wild mass guessOne of Doctor Strange's timelines was one where Thanos, upon reverse-engineering Pym Particles, became obsessed with shrinking all people instead so they'd have more food available.wild mass guess

Edited by Tuckerscreator on Jun 6th 2020 at 9:22:59 AM

chasemaddigan I'm Sad Frogerson. Since: Oct, 2011
I'm Sad Frogerson.
#118089: Jun 6th 2020 at 9:26:12 PM

Yeah, with Pym particles you could enlarge food to solve world hunger and shrink garbage dumps to cut down on pollution!

... No wait, that was Professor Poopypants' plan for the Shrinky-Pig 2000 and the Goosey-Grow 4000 before he turned evil.

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#118090: Jun 6th 2020 at 9:34:12 PM

Ahh, so Thanos didn't mention that no one took him seriously on Titan because his name translates to Poopoo Peepee Man. tongue

FGHIK Since: Aug, 2013
#118091: Jun 6th 2020 at 9:44:36 PM

Even if Pym Particles can't alter the actual calorie content, they could make food transport much more efficient. They're probably far too expensive for it to be economical, though.

Akirakan Since: Feb, 2015 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#118092: Jun 6th 2020 at 9:52:58 PM

The Crisis Crossover episode of El Chavo del ocho and El Chapulín Colorado ends with el Chavo using Chapulin's shrink formula to make himself smaller so crumbs of food would be a whole meal for him. He effectively resolved his hunger issues for a few days.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#118093: Jun 6th 2020 at 10:58:34 PM

My god, Pym particles could end world hunger!

Not to mention they basically unlocked the secret of eternal youth in Endgame.

wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#118095: Jun 7th 2020 at 12:03:06 AM

My Marvel rewatching spree continues with Infinity War.

Y'know, if Ant-Man is the understated MVP of Endgame, Bruce is the same in Infinity War. His "we're all about to die, it doesn't matter who you're on speaking terms with" comment is still one of my favorite reality checks in the franchise.

I always forget that it was Quill's plan that nearly beat Thanos, even if it was ultimately him that screwed up it up. Something I still love, however, is Tony's reaction - he instantly knows what is about to happen and tries to get ahead of it, because it's the exact same dire mistake he made in Siberia during Civil War. He knows exactly what Quill is feeling and what he's about to do, but just like how Cap couldn't talk him down then, he can't talk Quill down now.

The movie making a joke about how Quill having to kill his dad - who killed his mom - isn't in the same league as Thor having to kill Hela still feels off to me, like the "he's adopted" joke in the first Avengers.

I still think they missed an opportunity to have Peter (Parker, not Quill) start to speak up when Tony and Strange are arguing on the ship, get them to focus even if a little bit, to show he's growing as a person. That said, the way the Russo's write Peter is still interesting. He's definitely portrayed in their movies as a bit more prone to fight, more willing to hurt people if need be (basically, like Cap), whereas in his own movies Peter still gets visibly shaken even when the bad guy kills themselves. On the other hand, I really like how in the final fight against Thanos he takes it upon himself to hop after everyone and make sure they're all safe.

The Vormir stuff is still gross, but everything else about Gamora in this movie is good, though it helps that most of the worst Guardians stuff the writers penned eventually got cut from the movie. I wish we could get a more focused Guardians of the Galaxy X Avengers movie.

Poor Vision. No romance in a superhero story ever really ends in happiness, but still. Poor Wanda, too. Hopefully she doesn't snap too hard in Wandavision.

Speaking of, they nailed Thor's "hiding the fact that he's self destructing" bit in this film, in a way that becomes even stronger after watching Endgame. That speech he makes about fate makes it clear that he's basically pinning his entire sense of self worth on whether he can make up for his first failure and kill Thanos. And then he doesn't. No wonder he ends up a complete wreck.

I'm looking forward to the universe getting bigger, as it has for the last few years, and am simultaneously sad that the limits of the film medium means that the older characters can't be there for whatever new heights the universe introduces.

I'm torn about the Guardians as a whole in this movie, but Rocket in particular is fantastic. His role is the kind of thing we come to crossovers to see: characters who never interact from entirely different "worlds" coming together and forming new and interesting dynamics. I still think Endgame subsequently kind of wasted him (and the rest of the Guardians, minus Nebula) overall, though.

Now that he's dead, something I really liked about Thanos as a villain was how incredibly, indomitably conceited he was. How assured he was that he was the inevitable truth of the universe, that everyone with a perception that differed was just blinded by emotion or ignorance or ego, that thus everyone would be grateful to him once his work was done, how wanting to undo his crimes was just a sign his enemies were weak and childish, and all in all positioned himself as the end point of the story of the universe. I like how, in the end of it all, all he can do is just sit down and take how all the images he had of himself literally went up in dust.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Jun 7th 2020 at 12:04:14 PM

wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Role Model
#118096: Jun 7th 2020 at 12:35:28 AM

I would've said T'Challa or Rocket was the understated MVP of Infinity War... on the hero side. Overall, I loved Ebony Maw, and really wish we could catch him in another movie somehow. Maybe as the Big Bad of a Nova prequel film, showing him leading the mission that wrecked Xandar?

I'm actually kinda bugged by how much Drax got sidelined. Mantis less so, until we can actually see more of her actually fighting. Drax needs to teach her! Groot... I've never really liked how they've used Groot as an actual character. I think they're underutilizing Vin Diesel... Apparently the only film he did motion capture for Groot was Guardians 2? And not even the dancing scene?

MileRun Since: Jan, 2001
#118097: Jun 7th 2020 at 1:16:22 AM

My Infinity War MVP nomination goes to Spidey. He saved the day in the NYC battle, came up with the plan to beat Maw, and played his part perfectly in the Thanos fight besides the one time he got chokeslammed.

Honorable mention goes to Mantis, who punched way above her (MCU-version) weight class by subduing Thanos. Although, I suppose it also says something about Thanos's fortitude that Mantis struggled to keep him sedated, when she didn't have any visible trouble pacifying an entire living planet in Guardians 2.

I wish Drax had more screentime with Thanos. I get that the last two Avengers movies already had a ton of plot, but it kinda sucks that Drax's main "I must avenge my family by killing Thanos" plot stem didn't bear fruit either one.

Edited by MileRun on Jun 7th 2020 at 1:17:48 AM

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#118098: Jun 7th 2020 at 1:57:40 AM

> In the comics Hank used his shrinking to do kinky sex stuff with Janet.

lewd!

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#118099: Jun 7th 2020 at 2:46:12 AM

I think that was in the Ultimates.

Eric O'Grady, the most scummy Ant-Man in the mainstream Marvel verse, also used his powers to watch Miss Marvel showering.

Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% Scandinavian
Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#118100: Jun 7th 2020 at 5:45:03 AM

No it happened in the Geoff Johns run of Avengers

And later in Uncanny Avengers Wasp reveals that she and Hank used to be members of the hellfire club, the kinky part of the club, not the world domination part

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

Total posts: 186,763
Top