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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

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#118326: Jun 15th 2020 at 3:45:59 PM

I blame the alcohol. tongue

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#118327: Jun 15th 2020 at 4:55:20 PM

[up] Yeah, but she doesn't.

I think they establish in the third season that Jessica has minor super-durability, but VERY minor, just slightly higher than your average dude, and she has minor super-healing, but also VERY minor. She is able to jump really high, and I believe in terms of raw physical strength she outdoes even Luke Cage, though he's close behind her and has FAR higher durability.

She's basically a little tougher than the average person. At the end of the opening episode of season 3, she gets shanked in the stomach. The doctor treating her makes it clear that, outside of being lucky enough to get immediate medical attention (it happened in her apartment, and Malcolm came out immediately to help her), her survival hinged on her enhanced physique allowing her to survive long enough for doctors to do anything. Anyone else would have flat out died.

One Strip! One Strip!
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.
#118328: Jun 15th 2020 at 5:05:12 PM

And then she spends the next couple of episodes still suffering pretty badly from the effects of that stabbing. By the middle of the season, she's recovered enough that it doesn't affect her much, but it doesn't happen overnight.

Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#118329: Jun 15th 2020 at 11:22:31 PM

She also basically ignores her hand being impaled.

Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% Scandinavian
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
#118330: Jun 16th 2020 at 1:17:22 AM

To be fair, most hand injuries in action movies tend to be considered as Only a Flesh Wound and are easily healed provided the hero wraps it in bandages for the next couple of scenes.

Whatever your favourite work is, there is a Vocal Minority that considers it the Worst. Whatever. Ever!.
windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#118331: Jun 16th 2020 at 2:25:57 AM

Kenneth Branagh Had a Stressful Time Making the Original Thor

When Kenneth Branagh directed Thor and brought the most electrifying Avenger to the big screen, he changed the face of the modern Blockbuster. Not because Thor was that great or groundbreaking—it was pretty solid!—but because doing so provided the connective tissue that allowed the Marvel Cinematic Universe to begin dominating Hollywood. It proved that the mishmash of aesthetics that make up the shared Marvel universe could work on film. That burden was, as it turns out, a lot of pressure.

...That meant that all the decisions Branagh made as a director on that film were filled with a critical weight. Specifically, Branagh remembers the agonizing that went into casting the lead roles. At the time, Branagh explained, it was already established that the drama between Thor and Loki would be the lynchpin of the upcoming Avengers movie. So those two characters had to be right, or everyone involved would be out a lot of time and money.

...That stress was enough for Branagh to decide against returning for the next Thor movie, which is understandable, though he’s seemingly not entirely opposed to returning to the MCU, or at least that style of filmmaking, if the opportunity justifies itself.

BOOXMOWO Since: Mar, 2013
#118332: Jun 16th 2020 at 6:05:53 PM

Anyone have any opinions on a hypothetical Alpha Flight movie?

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#118333: Jun 16th 2020 at 6:48:55 PM

It's a good idea and they should have absolutely done it ages ago.

chasemaddigan I'm Sad Frogerson. Since: Oct, 2011
I'm Sad Frogerson.
#118334: Jun 16th 2020 at 7:20:21 PM

Were the film rights for Alpha Flight tied up with Fox as part of the X-Men? That might be why there haven't been plans for a film starring the team.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#118335: Jun 16th 2020 at 7:24:15 PM

I haven't read a lot of the Alpha Flight book so whats a good idea of what sort of plot and cast a movie might do?

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#118336: Jun 16th 2020 at 7:34:32 PM

Defeating the Wendigo through the power of ice hockey and maple syrup.

Edited by Anomalocaris20 on Jun 16th 2020 at 10:34:43 AM

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#118337: Jun 16th 2020 at 7:36:23 PM

I imagine an Alpha Flight film would be a sort of satire, portraying Puck and friends and as Ragtag Bunch of Misfits with a lot less funding than their American counterparts.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#118338: Jun 16th 2020 at 8:14:37 PM

Alpha Flight's always been weird, because they have all these close peripherals to X-Men lore, but nothing directly to do with it - I think they even have less mutants on their roster than the Avengers have had (one or two, iirc). So they probably were under Fox's purview, but there was definitely no change Fox would have ever used them.

As for a plot, I think the way I would do it is have Alpha Flight / Department H be formed as like an investigative branch of the Canadian government with enhanced agents meant to track down paranormal oddities and strange occurrences, but then the agents involved (let's say James Hudson (Guardian) and Jean Beaubier (Northstar)) start finding enhanced individuals and outright mystical beings instead of hoaxes, and the whole thing snowballs into a superhero team instead. A lot of Alpha Flight's characters are based on legends and such, so it would work fairly well as an idea.

Since Alpha Flight has connections to but not really involvement with the X-Men mythos, they could use it to hint at mutants without outright being an X-Men related movie. The Man Behind the Man of the first movie could be Weapon X, for instance, setting up that group as antagonist for other characters later.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Jun 16th 2020 at 8:19:33 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#118339: Jun 16th 2020 at 8:17:03 PM

I wonder if MCU Canada will be as evil as Marvel comics Canada.

Seriously, Marvel Canada is a horrible, horrible place.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Teemo from Nottingham, UK (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: In another castle
#118340: Jun 16th 2020 at 8:45:13 PM

As for a plot, I think the way I would do it is have Alpha Flight / Department H be formed as like an investigative branch of the Canadian government with enhanced agents meant to track down paranormal oddities and strange occurrences
So, Ehgents of Shield, then?

HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#118341: Jun 16th 2020 at 8:45:42 PM

It damn well better not.

One Strip! One Strip!
BOOXMOWO Since: Mar, 2013
#118342: Jun 16th 2020 at 8:50:48 PM

[up][up][up][up][up][up][up][up][up] Actually I somewhat disagree on "they should have absolutely done it ages ago". Introducing Alpha Flight before solidly establishing the Fantasy Kitchen Sink nature of the Marvel universe would probably have been a bad idea (granted the Fantasy Kitchen Sink was already pretty well established by Phase 2 so you do have a point). It's a team consisting of a guy in a high-tech suit, a guy who turned himself into bigfoot using gamma rays, a magical shaman, a demigoddess, two mutants, an alien, and a dwarf who's really good at acrobatics. By the time they were introduced in the comics it's like, of course a team grouped together purely based on geography would have to deal with every possible kind of paranormal concept, because the Marvel universe was in the Late Superhero Prevalence Stage.

[up][up][up][up][up][up][up][up] I don't think anyone ever figured out whether or not Fox owned the film rights to Alpha Flight. There are reasons why they may or may not have been considered effectively X-Men characters, but either way they're in Disney's hands now. I don't think they would have fit well in the X-Men Film Series anyway, because there weren't really any non-mutant superheroes in that universe (technically they could have changed the whole team to mutants but bleh).

[up][up][up][up][up][up][up] The "core" team of Alpha Flight is:

James MacDonald Hudson AKA Guardian: A man who invented a fancy electromagnetism manipulating suit and then printed a giant Canadian flag across it, he is pushed into the role of The Leader due to the team being his idea in the first place. He actually dies early in the series and his wife Heather steps up as the new leader (going by Vindicator).

Walter Langkowski AKA Sasquatch: Former colleague of Bruce Banner's who was researching gamma radiation in a deliberate effort to replicate the Hulk, but accidentally turned himself into... the Hulk but orange and furry. His Sasquatch form is pretty cool looking but he's such a Hulk knock-off that he's even a Hulk knock-off in-universe.

Michael Twoyoungmen AKA Shaman: A Tsuutʼina First Nation man who's an expert in both modern medicine (as a surgeon renowned across the country) and in traditional indigenous medicine... which give him magic powers. He is absolutely a Captain Ethnic but there are a total of zero indigenous North American superheroes in the MCU at the moment and not that many to adapt from the comics in the first place so...

Anne McKenzie AKA Narya AKA Snowbird: Daughter of the goddess of the northern lights and some unimportant guy, she has the ability shapeshift into any animal native to Canada.

Jeanne-Marie Beaubier AKA Aurora: A mutant with the ability to fly at supersonic speeds. The abusive Catholic school she was raised in forced her to deny that she had superpowers and caused her to develop a split personality; essentially her Jeanne-Marie personality is an uptight woman who denies her mutant-ness(?) and her Aurora personality is a free-spirited superheroine.

Jean-Paul Beaubier AKA Northstar: Jeanne-Marie's twin brother with the same superpowers but separated at birth and only reunited due to Alpha Flight. Jean-Paul generally takes the role of the rude complainer of the team. He was also the first openly gay superhero in Marvel comics.

Eugene Judd AKA Puck: A dwarf who's really good at acrobatics. As originally created that's all that he is but he's a fan favourite due to being a Boisterous Bruiser with a storied history of adventure from before he joined Alpha Flight.

Marrina Smallwood AKA ... actually her superhero name is just her given name for some reason. Anyway Marrina is a fish alien from Newfoundland (as in from an alien species but raised since hatching in Newfoundland). In spite of her visibly alien appearance she lived a mundane life up until she decided to join Alpha Flight. And then she discovered that she was from a face of genetically programmed conquerors and much angst ensued... except she left the team due to the angst so we don't get to see that much of it. She was married to Namor for a while and was technically the first Canadian on the Avengers, but don't mistake that for her being considered important by any writers. She was killed off after less than 10 issues with the Avengers, then a year later an Alpha Flight villain revealed (to another villain) that she was Not Quite Dead and then this was never brought up again for twenty years and then in 2009 she was brought back for a single issue where she was killed off again in a way basically identical to the first time except less tasteful. She actually recovered from the second death pretty quickly but then the first writers to write for Alpha Flight after she came back, in spite of repeatedly claiming their goal was to bring the spirit of the original run, completely changed her personality, and in interviews were completely dismissive of her original personality and essentially admitted that the way they were writing Marrina might as well be "Amadeus Cho with gills and a backstory as one of the Plodex".

Yeah sorry, I have super strong feelings about a character who has appeared in less than 50 issues in the 37 years since her debut and has never actually been written to be as interesting as I think she is conceptually.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#118343: Jun 16th 2020 at 8:55:24 PM

Eugene Puck Judd appears in Immortal Hulk and he's pretty cool.

"When I was eight, I hunted my first bear. Big grizzly. That was 1922, in the Yukon, and he kept us through a cold winter. In Spain, I fought bulls and fascists — and I let the bulls live. In Nepal, I hunted the Tiger God and killed all fear in me. I've fought queens of dreams and the world's secret master. I've fought demons in hell and stolen their thrones — and those thrones haven't bound me. And it all comes back to one thing. I was eight, full of bear meat and adventure — and I made a vow, Mr. Creel. I vowed I would live an interesting life. I think I've done okay so far, eh?" - him

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#118344: Jun 16th 2020 at 8:56:35 PM

Man Al Ewing is a good writer.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
TargetmasterJoe from Velocitron Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: I like big bots and I can not lie
#118345: Jun 16th 2020 at 8:59:48 PM

I wonder how many hardcore X-Men comic fans would suddenly need brown pants if Marvel Studios gave us Excalibur...

Edited by TargetmasterJoe on Jun 16th 2020 at 12:01:19 PM

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#118346: Jun 16th 2020 at 9:01:48 PM

Actually I somewhat disagree on "they should have absolutely done it ages ago". Introducing Alpha Flight before solidly establishing the Fantasy Kitchen Sink nature of the Marvel universe would probably have been a bad idea

TBH, I think they should have introduced the Fantasy Kitchen Sink nature of the Marvel Universe earlier than they did as well. They definitely could have gotten a lot more use out of Phase 2.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Jun 16th 2020 at 9:01:55 AM

wanderlustwarrior Role Model from Where Gods Belong Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Role Model
#118347: Jun 16th 2020 at 10:29:26 PM

[up][up][up]

Uuullllllllllll

Tiiiiiihhhhhhhhhh

Mehtttttssssssss

Please, Feige?

windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#118348: Jun 16th 2020 at 11:59:01 PM

I wonder if MCU Canada will be as evil as Marvel comics Canada.

Seriously, Marvel Canada is a horrible, horrible place.

I used to think Marvel Canada being so horrible was ironic given Canada's reputation as a cheery place full of polite people. Then I read about what happened to Canadian indigenous women.

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#118349: Jun 17th 2020 at 12:02:08 AM

Has nothing terrible ever happened to any indigenous people?

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#118350: Jun 17th 2020 at 12:02:49 AM

Don't let their politeness and maple syrup fool you.

Remember - these people sell milk in bags and have a dish consisting of fries and gravy and cheese curds.

They're monsters, is what I'm getting at.

[up]They tend to do alright if they never encounter more heavily armed outsiders carrying tons of pathogens.

Edited by M84 on Jun 18th 2020 at 3:04:51 AM

Disgusted, but not surprised

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