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

Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#128301: May 15th 2021 at 7:12:27 AM

Well, there is Umar. And Shuma Gorath. And Mordo off course. Perhaps Zom.

His Rogues Gallery really isn't the most iconic, all in all.

Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% Scandinavian
Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#128302: May 15th 2021 at 7:19:32 AM

Everyone knows Shuma from his fighting game appearances, which is funny because he was originally a Kull/Conan villain.

Watchtower Since: Jul, 2010
#128303: May 15th 2021 at 8:15:09 AM

The thing with Dormammu is that he's a full-on Reality Warper: interviews for Dr. Strange suggest that MCU Dormammu was intentionally taking a corrupted version of Strange's form, something that's unfortunately lost in translation when Cumberbatch is so unrecognizable in the performance. Having another actor take over would be natural, and casting Mads would be a brilliant reuse of an actor that was horribly wasted. Unfortunately the very article gives reason why he wouldn't take it - because he's more interested in misunderstood figures than pure villains, and Dormammu is straight-up pure evil - but who knows.

Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#128304: May 15th 2021 at 8:57:46 AM

When it comes to Strange villains I'm fond of his original Arch-Enemy Nightmare.

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
JoLuRo075 Since: Jan, 2019
#128305: May 15th 2021 at 9:01:14 AM

Speaking of Dormammu, he can still be a threat by sending out human-sized Avatars.

These avatars will be very powerful, but weak enough that Strange can defeat them without depending on the time stone.

Zeromaeus Since: May, 2010
#128306: May 15th 2021 at 9:19:00 AM

You could also have him face off against the Empirikul. They're recent, but it could even play into Mordo's anti magic campaign.

EmeraldEmperor Lies and Violence! Since: Oct, 2020
Lies and Violence!
#128307: May 15th 2021 at 10:59:53 AM

Unfortunately, the Mads Mikkelsen thing isn't real. Or, at least, this was information that wasn't supposed to be released yet. Doubtful, but I sure as hell don't know who's told what in the entertainment industry.

Throwing my two cents in, I prefer Shuma-Gorath because A.) Cosmic horror on a multiverse scale, and B.) I'm a sucker for stupid names.

I also wouldn't mind Dormammu returning and showing off more of his characterization as a bombastically persistent chessmaster. He can't invade Earth due to his bargain with Strange, but he can get other demon assholes to do so! Pretty in line with the comics, I think.

Edited by EmeraldEmperor on May 15th 2021 at 11:07:11 AM

JoLuRo075 Since: Jan, 2019
#128308: May 15th 2021 at 6:54:14 PM

I have a theory of what the movie will be like (Wandavision spoilers)

During the first half of the film the antagonist will be Scarlet Witch, who is using the book to open a dimensional portal to save her children, her actions will allow the real villain of the film to enter the human world, so Strange and Scarlet Witch will have to team up to defeat him.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#128309: May 15th 2021 at 9:52:01 PM

That doesn't leave a lot of space for Dr. Strange's characters and such. While Wanda's going to show up, I wouldn't be so sure it's going to be a movie about Wanda.

RavenWilder Since: Apr, 2009
#128310: May 15th 2021 at 11:13:21 PM

I mean, unless they bring Forgettable Love Interest #6 back, who does Strange have in his supporting cast now besides Wong?

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#128311: May 15th 2021 at 11:18:19 PM

Well they could introduce Clea.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
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.
#128312: May 15th 2021 at 11:21:17 PM

I'm actually shocked they didn't introduce Clea in the first movie, she's easily his most important supporting character, more so than Wong.

Whowho Since: May, 2012
#128313: May 16th 2021 at 1:25:58 AM

You kind of have to introduce Dormammu and the Dread Dimension first right? I was expecting Clea to be a major part of a sequal, but I'm not sure where the space for it is going to be.

Like surely Baron Mordo is going to be breaking bad in the sequal as well, but he's also not the sole villain?

Also at some point Strange is going to have to become sorceror supreme given that that's not happened yet and the position is vacant.

Huh, it occours to me that Mordo and Zemo's M Os are very aligned, even if they work in entirely different spheres.

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#128314: May 16th 2021 at 1:42:45 AM

It's alleged news from last year, but what appeared to be audition tapes for America Chavez in Multiverse of Madness were leaked in August. It seems to refer to a demon that attacked a city (presumably New York?) as an inciting threat.

Edited by Tuckerscreator on May 16th 2021 at 1:43:51 AM

Whowho Since: May, 2012
#128315: May 16th 2021 at 2:09:12 AM

Oh gosh I totally forgot that America was in this. How crowded is this film?

Still, it's nice and comic booky to see unexpected characters pop up.

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.
#128316: May 16th 2021 at 2:13:59 AM

I really hope we see Clea in the MCU, she's such a cool and interesting character, it's so weird to me that Dr. Strange had Dr. OC as Strange's ex-girlfriend when Clea is such an iconic part of the mythos.

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#128317: May 16th 2021 at 2:41:45 AM

Honestly there was no real need to have her even be an ex-girlfriend of Strange. That aspect of her felt especially expendable, aside from a (weak) personal motive for her to help him out that could've easily been replaced with them just being friends, coworkers, or better yet, anything that was actually interesting.

Whowho Since: May, 2012
#128318: May 16th 2021 at 5:59:42 AM

Yeha I would have preferred those two as platonic friends.

Watchtower Since: Jul, 2010
#128319: May 16th 2021 at 6:30:01 AM

Christine Palmer is actually one of the Night Nurses in the comics, for the record. Might even be worth seeing if Rachel McAdams wanted to stick around and make the character Truer to the Text, depending on if Rosario Dawson wants to come back (IIRC she had lost interest towards the end of the Netflix run).

Anyway, Doctor Strange ultimately disappointed me but I thought the relationship between Strange and Christine was fine for what it was, even if Christine really doesn't appear too much. Co-workers turned brief lovers, broken up explicitly because Christine couldn't stand Strange's ego in a personal relationship, and when they re-meet Strange has changed enough as a man that the two can rekindle their friendship but that's it, Christine doesn't give him a final kiss on the lips because she doesn't see him like that and he accepts it. It's a surprisingly realistic take on this kind of relationship that ultimately ends with them strictly platonic which thus opens up introducing Clea down the line.

Edited by Watchtower on May 16th 2021 at 9:30:42 AM

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#128320: May 16th 2021 at 7:32:06 AM

I still feel like all of that could've been established through an already-platonic relationship involving two former and explicitly nonromantic friends (any actor-borne Unresolved Sexual Tension notwithstanding).

In hindsight it kind of feels like they were so paranoid about their male heroes coming off as either gay or at least uncool to the perceived stereotypical hetero audience from lack of explicit indicators that they are a red-blooded man who fucks, that in the absence of his usual love interest, they just had to throw in a compulsory past female love interest to affirm Strange's ability to get with a woman. Even though there's nobody to even mistake him as gay fornote .

I could sort of say the same about T'Challa and Nakia having been exes in Black Panther and how expendable that aspect of their relationship was too, but Nakia was a fleshed out character and it served more of a purpose in terms of how it set up a bunch of amusing gags here and there. Palmer was probably the most likeable character in the film, but she wasn't exactly engaging so much as less soporific than everyone else.

Edited by AlleyOop on May 16th 2021 at 11:31:17 AM

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#128321: May 16th 2021 at 7:39:06 AM

If nothing else McAdams once again played the time traveler's girlfriend.

I believe Feige has commented that the intent for her was to be the grounded 'friend back home' type of love interest (rather than having a fantastic love interest right off the bat) but I agree that in execution it came off has very Sharon Cartery.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#128322: May 16th 2021 at 7:39:23 AM

I mean, unless they bring Forgettable Love Interest #6 back, who does Strange have in his supporting cast now besides Wong?

Besides the obvious and aforementioned addition of Clea, there’s also Brother Voodoo, who they sort of set up in the first movie. We also need to complete Mordo’s journey from “jilted zealot” to “archnemesis.”

Watchtower Since: Jul, 2010
#128323: May 16th 2021 at 8:08:54 AM

I wouldn't exactly get all...conspiratorial around the motives for the characterization. It's more just classic old-fashioned tropes that refuse to die, namely that the male protagonist is default straight unless noted and if there's a prominent woman she's the Love Interest. They could've easily made Strange and Christine strictly platonic all the way through and changed very little (if anything all it'd do is add more Strange/Christine shippers from those who gravitate to Forbidden Fruits).

If anything the cheek-kiss scene is just kinda needed overall in today's environment, since it's a very explicit subversion and rejection of the classic-but-misogynistic "man improves himself and wins girl" trope. Ant-Man actually had a similar thing, Scott re-earning Maggie and Paxton's trust but never trying to break that relationship, and ironically there's been articles over the years lambasting the MCU for being too sexless of all things.

[up] IIRC one of the extras is also Nico Minoru's mother or something. Not that it'd ultimately go anywhere like the clear setup they left for Drumm.

Edited by Watchtower on May 16th 2021 at 11:39:45 AM

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#128324: May 16th 2021 at 8:17:42 AM

Worth noting that she is back for the sequel.

[up]If they bring Mrs. Minoru back, RIP Runaways x 2

Edited by Synchronicity on May 16th 2021 at 10:18:22 AM

Watchtower Since: Jul, 2010
#128325: May 16th 2021 at 10:38:49 AM

Of the non-MCU series I'm figuring Runaways and Cloak and Dagger are among the more likely to get reset and redone, just because it'd be very easy to get away with it. Didn't watch either and so don't really know how everyone was, but I've heard good things and so hopefully they don't just dumpster everyone.


Total posts: 186,763
Top