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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.
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    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

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#128851: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:16:33 AM

Because of brain damage

Which somehow for all of krakoa’s amazing advances and cloning technology, they’ve been unable or unwilling to do anything about

Alternate Heroes Reborn Cyclops who got kidnapped into space with dad never hit his head so he can control the punch beam without the visor or glasses

Edit: But yeah, as memetic as punches from the punch dimension is it really feels like a voodoo shark. I don’t know whether they wanted a reason why Cyclops didn’t get weaker at night, if he were originally solar powered, or if they needed a reason for the eye beams to be concussive instead of heat based

But it really just raises a lot more questions than going “he has eye beams, shut up”

Edited by Bocaj on Jun 5th 2021 at 10:18:19 AM

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128852: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:21:01 AM

The solar power thing shouldn't be an issue either. Superman is solar powered, and writers don't see fit to make him weaker at night. That's because he's absorbed so much solar power over his lifetime and keeps absorbing it so efficiently that a single night isn't enough to depower him in any significant way.

It took an alien beast eating the sun itself to weaken Supes.

Cyclops would have no issue with this either, since he doesn't just absorb solar radiation. Even if he's deprived of sunlight, he'd just draw energy from other sources.

Though iirc, there was an episode of the nineties animated series that did depower Cyclops by trapping him in the sewer with the Morlocks.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 10:22:42 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.
#128853: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:22:42 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.

But they DO fire off constantly. That's the point of the glasses. They literally never stop firing, whether they're actually blasting forward and destroying shit is irrelevant. It shouldn't tire Cyclops out to fire his eye beams for more than 15 minutes at a time because he's always firing them 24/7. The times when his glasses/visor/eyelids are blocking his eye beams still counts as time he's firing them, the beams just aren't going anywhere.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128854: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:23:03 AM

[up]They're always firing, but the amount of force leaking from them gets weaker. This is because his powers are also dependent on a psionic field from his mind that is powered by the ambient energy.

Cyclops' powers are complicated.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 10:25:41 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
#128855: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:25:47 AM

I wish fan wikis didn’t present new information like it’s been there all along

I’d love to see when certain things changed without going through a hundred X Men comics

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
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.
#128856: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:26:43 AM

Are you saying that when his beams are being blocked by his glasses/visor/eyelids, the ambient energy absorption around his face is absorbing his own beams to fuel the beam portals? Because that's the only way that preventing the beams from firing making a difference makes any kind of sense whatsoever.

Edited by PushoverMediaCritic on Jun 5th 2021 at 7:28:16 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128857: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:26:54 AM

[up][up]Yeah, it's a real pain in the ass trying to make sense of it all.

[up]His natural psionic field does shunt the force back when it collides with his body, which is why his eyelids are enough to hold it back.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 10:29:01 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#128858: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:29:35 AM

Cyclops takes the laws of thermodynamics and tears them a particularly egregious and odorous new asshole, and that's saying something for superhero comics.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128859: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:31:47 AM

This is why I like the non-canon explanation introduced in a miniseries that claimed that all Mutants are actually walking tears in reality thanks to their X-genes whose "powers" are all manifestations of reality being warped.

Basically, every Mutant is a Reality Warper, or rather, their mutations are the consequences of reality being warped.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 10:32:34 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
#128860: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:32:20 AM

Early accounts describe Cyclops' optic beams as the product of his body metabolizing sunlight and other ambient energy.[159] This is similar to his brother Alex (alias Havok) who metabolizes cosmic radiation. This metabolized energy is then released in the form of the beam from his eyes. In some stories, Cyclops depletes his body's energy reserves and needs to recharge through exposure to sunlight. When depleted, Cyclops continued to emit the beams; however, their intensity was greatly diminished. One story showed him able to safely open his eyes when in total darkness-without any ambient light to absorb, his power diminished to the point that he did not need his visor.[volume & issue needed]

The original 1983 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe volume stated that Cyclops' eyes contain inter-dimensional apertures, releasing powerful energies from another dimension into his own via the beams. This account states that his body naturally metabolizes ambient energy that is used to open and focus the apertures in his eyes. The energy of the beam itself originates from this other dimension. This explanation, however, was later changed for the 1986 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition.

Dammit, handbooks!

Hmm. Considering Cyclops is an ambient energy absorber you’d think they’d do more with that

He apparently once absorbed a lightning blast from Storm but it hurt.

But I guess if he starts tanking energy attacks that’d get him too far from his core concept. Of eye beams

And it’s not like he needs to absorb a bunch of energy for a super attack when he’s constantly holding back his full force already

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128861: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:37:31 AM

[up]The problem is that aside from the energy from the dimension itself, Cyclops has no significant resistance to harm from the energy he absorbs. He'd still be able to get a sunburn for example.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 10:38:16 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#128862: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:38:31 AM

Thermodynamics is sitting in a corner weeping about that statement.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#128863: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:39:46 AM

Womp womp

Not even other concussive forces? His body only absorbs the punch dimension punches without harm? That’s an extremely specialized absorption ability

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#128864: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:40:54 AM

When it comes to energy absorption, he's the weakest compared to his siblings. Vulcan can freely manipulate and absorb energy, and Havoc's able to absorb an entire sun's worth of energy (which allowed him to beat down Vulcan).

[up]Yep. He's only safe from the punch dimension's energy thanks to his body's psionic field. This also means he's immune to Havoc's blasts (and vice versa). He's not immune to Vulcan's powers though.

Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2021 at 10:42:04 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.
#128865: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:46:20 AM

Are Havok's energy hula-hoops also from the punch dimension?

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#128866: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:48:11 AM

Off-topic? There is an X-Men thread in the comics subforum.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#128867: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:50:05 AM

Wait why is he immune to Havok’s energy? I second the question about whether it’s punch dimension energy

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Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#128868: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:51:36 AM

Reading all that, it's no wonder most people consume these characters through the MCU. That was a trip.

So, Loki (2021) starts this week. That's pretty cool, right? After a month off of the MCU we finally get to see Loki screw with history.

Krory Since: Aug, 2012
#128869: Jun 5th 2021 at 8:16:12 AM

I love that all this confusion is because one of the writers was trying to explain why Cyclops's blasts didn't blow him backwards.

Nightwire Since: Feb, 2010
#128870: Jun 5th 2021 at 8:17:27 AM

Loki is going to premiere one day before my birthday! I'm so excited.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#128871: Jun 5th 2021 at 8:18:24 AM

Happy day before birthday to you when that day comes!

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
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.
#128872: Jun 5th 2021 at 8:18:46 AM

[up][up][up]A shame. They could have gone with a much simpler and funnier explanation of "he also shits a beam out of his ass of equal strength to counteract his eye beam's recoil".

Edited by PushoverMediaCritic on Jun 5th 2021 at 8:19:10 AM

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#128873: Jun 5th 2021 at 8:20:14 AM

Why is this never an issue when it comes to anyone else with pew pew?

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Nightwire Since: Feb, 2010
#128874: Jun 5th 2021 at 8:20:21 AM

[up][up][up]Awww thank you Bocaj!

Edited by Nightwire on Jun 5th 2021 at 8:20:46 AM

jouXIII The One Who Knows Many Things from Between the Multiverses (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
The One Who Knows Many Things
#128875: Jun 5th 2021 at 8:31:51 AM

...As certain comic book reviewer would say, comic books are weird.

Edited by jouXIII on Jun 5th 2021 at 6:32:09 PM

I assure you, I'm perfectly trustable person

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