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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

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#128826: Jun 5th 2021 at 4:27:20 AM

But can she punch open a portal to the punch dimension?

She actually did that in The Ultimates once.

She also once opened a portal to the Shrimp Dimension.

Edited by Tuckerscreator on Jun 5th 2021 at 4:33:09 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128827: Jun 5th 2021 at 4:44:56 AM

Specifically, she opened a portal to a dimension of pure concussive force. This was actually the original explanation for Cyclops' eye-beams — his eyes were effectively portals that allowed energy from another dimension into our world.

Given my fixation on the Marvel cosmic horror Shuma Gorath, it occurs to me that America Chavez's power to open portals in the multiverse is exactly the sort of thing Shuma Gorath would want for itself. Its main limitation is that it cannot easily access other dimensions, and her power would allow it to circumvent that.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 7:48:37 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#128828: Jun 5th 2021 at 4:55:22 AM

I keep joking that Strange is going to run into a certain triangle while he's in the dream/nightmare dimension

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#128829: Jun 5th 2021 at 4:57:43 AM

Of note is in the leaked audition script for America Chavez she claims a demon tried to kidnap her.

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#128830: Jun 5th 2021 at 5:05:42 AM

On further thought her powers do make her a perfect Macguffin Person.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128831: Jun 5th 2021 at 5:07:25 AM

A scarily high number of Marvel demons and other horrors are only held back from attacking Earth by not being able to easily leave their own dimensions. America Chavez's power would make her very valuable to them. Fortunately, her power also allows her to escape them.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 8:08:19 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#128832: Jun 5th 2021 at 5:09:40 AM

Mephisto showing up after the last spiderman movie would be fitting really,just don't adapt anything from One Day More and it will be fine

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
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.
#128833: Jun 5th 2021 at 5:45:30 AM

This was actually the original explanation for Cyclops' eye-beams — his eyes were effectively portals that allowed energy from another dimension into our world.

Original? I thought that was the current, canon explanation. I wasn't aware there was an alternate explanation for where Cyclops' eye beams came from.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128834: Jun 5th 2021 at 5:50:34 AM

The current explanation is that his body absorbs ambient energy like solar radiation and that energy is released through his eyes as concussive force.

This makes his powers fit more with those of his siblings, Havoc and Vulcan.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 8:51:07 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#128835: Jun 5th 2021 at 5:51:44 AM

I thought that was the original explanation and then they went to punch beams from the punch dimension? Have they circled back?

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#128836: Jun 5th 2021 at 5:52:27 AM

I honestly didn't know he had siblings

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128837: Jun 5th 2021 at 5:55:12 AM

[up][up]Nowadays it's a combination of both apparently. The dimension thing may still be canon, and his body absorbs solar radiation to maintain the portals in his eyes.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 8:56:24 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
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.
#128838: Jun 5th 2021 at 6:06:34 AM

So, the solution to turning off Cyclops' powers this whole time was for him to hang out in a basement for a few days?

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128839: Jun 5th 2021 at 6:08:43 AM

It would take longer than that. His body absorbs so much energy on a regular basis without him even trying that he has to fire blasts frequently.

And he doesn't just absorb solar radiation either. He absorbs all ambient energies. So it's possible that he may even absorb geothermal energy from the Earth itself. So hiding in the basement probably wouldn't be helpful.

Hiding out in space wouldn't work either since he'd just absorb cosmic rays.

Like his brothers, Cyclops is a walking energy sponge.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 9:12:44 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
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.
#128840: Jun 5th 2021 at 6:16:30 AM

But you just said that the ambient energy is used for the portals, not the beams. The beams ARE constantly firing out of his eyes, but they're being nullified by those ruby glasses he usually wears, which means the portals are constantly open regardless of whether he's wearing the glasses or not.

Does he really absorb heat energy? If so, that's a completely different beast from solar energy. If that's the case, there's basically no way for him to run out of portal energy short of putting him in cryo-stasis. Though, you'd think that it would take a LOT of absorbed energy to keep portals to the punch dimension open, maybe there's a lower limit of ambient energy he can be exposed to where he's not absorbing enough energy to open the portals.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128841: Jun 5th 2021 at 6:18:02 AM

[up]The idea is that if the energy builds up too much, the portals get to the point that even his ruby quartz glasses can't hold them back anymore, I think.

His brother Havoc actually has similar issues with energy absorption and needing to release it, and has to wear a special suit to help regulate his powers. No, the movie didn't make that up.

Vulcan's the only Summers child who doesn't have any issues with this, and as a result he's one of the heaviest hitters among Marvel Mutants.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 9:23:36 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
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.
#128842: Jun 5th 2021 at 6:23:21 AM

Huh, you'd think the amount of punch dimension energy shooting out of his eyes would be constant and unchanging, unaffected by how much ambient energy he's absorbed for the portals. It doesn't really make sense for it to "build up".

I guess the portals might change size based on how much ambient energy he's absorbed, changing the focus of his punch dimension beams.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128843: Jun 5th 2021 at 6:24:26 AM

[up]Cyclops' beams aren't at a constant level of strength. When he decides to really cut loose with them, he can vaporize a Sentinel with one look. The problem is that doing that also takes out a good chunk of the surrounding environment.

While Vulcan's usually the strongest due to not having the same drawbacks as his brothers, all three siblings can be a Person of Mass Destruction. Havoc for example was able to overpower Vulcan when he got thrown into a sun and absorbed the sun's energy.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 9:26:29 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
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.
#128844: Jun 5th 2021 at 6:30:35 AM

I always thought they were at a constant strength, and he used his visor to focus and weaken the beam. Something like this:

  • Tiny beam from visor: 10%

  • Wider beam from visor: 20%

  • Big beam from visor: 30%

  • He takes off the visor, shooting a gigantic beam as one of the strongest things in the Marvel 'verse: 100%

It doesn't really make sense that he can "try harder" to shoot a stronger beam of punches from the punch dimension. The punch dimension is gonna shoot its energy out of his eyes at a constant rate. It makes more sense to me that his entire fighting style is based on using small percentages of his full power, unless he takes off his visor in which case he vaporizes everything within his sightline.

I see it kind of like Black Bolt whispering instead of screaming.

Edited by PushoverMediaCritic on Jun 5th 2021 at 6:32:09 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128845: Jun 5th 2021 at 6:38:44 AM

The power of the beams depends on the size of the portals in his eyes. The more "open" they are, the stronger they get. Cyclops not holding back is when he decides to let them be completely open, ie taking off his visor or glasses.

He has to regularly use up the energy his body absorbs because otherwise, the portals in his eyes would just get bigger and bigger and harder to control even with the visor and his glasses.

Disgusted, but not surprised
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.
#128846: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:07:32 AM

Why does taking off his glasses increase the radius of his eye portals? And if he can physically control the size of his eye portals, why can't he just manually close them? And why can't he just open his eye portals all the way while keeping his glasses on?

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#128847: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:09:07 AM

Do Cyclops and Black Bolt ever hang out?

I feel like they actually have a lot in common and would enjoy quietly doing their own thing while in the same room

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128848: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:09:57 AM

[up][up]He can't control the size of the portals themselves. If they get too big thanks to absorbing too much ambient energy, the only way he'd be able to control them is by shutting his eyes tightly.

There actually was a brief period of time when after he became the Phoenix his power was so out of control that even his visor and glasses couldn't contain them, and only his eyelids could.

[up] Too bad Death of X soured things between them or would have if Cyclops wasn't actually already dead at the time.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 10:11:35 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
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.
#128849: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:12:28 AM

Okay, but why does taking off his glasses "release" the energy building up in his eye portals? Whether the beams actually go anywhere shouldn't have any effect on the portals themselves.

Honestly, this all sounds like it makes more sense if the energy being built up is for his eye lasers, and not the portals for his eye lasers. Making the ambient energy be for the portals just introduces a lot of logistical problems.

Edited by PushoverMediaCritic on Jun 5th 2021 at 7:14:15 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128850: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:16:12 AM

The ambient energy powers the dimensional apertures themselves. They're always open, but the eyebeams do get weaker if Cyclops fires them off constantly for about fifteen or so minutes. This isn't a reliable way to keep Cyclops depowered though, since it only takes him about fifteen more minutes to recover.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 10:16:53 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised

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