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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.
  • 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

MatthewWayne The Tapestry Weaver from Camp Echo One Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
The Tapestry Weaver
#135101: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:00:59 PM

We've seen that we can have complicated, but still firmly villainous characters with Baron Zemo, Vulture, the Mandarin and Thanos. I never got that from Lawrence's Mystique, where they just tried to force her to be an Anti-Hero with hand waves as to how she became villainous in the first three films because Hunger Games was popular. And Lord knows Jennifer Lawrence can't be a bad guy in a movie.

Edited by MatthewWayne on Oct 6th 2021 at 4:01:29 AM

"I'm Mr. Blue, woah-woah-ooh..."
MatthewWayne The Tapestry Weaver from Camp Echo One Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
The Tapestry Weaver
#135102: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:01:55 PM

[up][up] Yes, I agree. We need focus on the other X-Men that got shafted in the Foxmen movies.

"I'm Mr. Blue, woah-woah-ooh..."
miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#135103: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:02:05 PM

My preferred first villain for the MCU is Mr. Sinister.

Monsterous Mad Scientist with an interesting design and cold, calculating personality.

Edited by miraculous on Oct 6th 2021 at 4:02:38 AM

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#135104: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:02:54 PM

They did set that up with The New Mutants but...

miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#135105: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:03:53 PM

Plus he makes the perfect choice not to have to go too high too early.

That guys like Selene and Apocalypse would be.

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
PizzaDog11 Pizza is my business from closer than you think Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
Pizza is my business
#135106: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:05:22 PM

Completely agree, Sinister is my first pick too

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#135107: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:08:28 PM

Sinister has been my pick for a looong time now,it helps he's not been overused like Magneto

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#135108: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:08:29 PM

Plus Sinister has a huge past thing with Cyclops which could be a good way to give the latter focus and character that the movies previously failed to do.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#135109: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:09:15 PM

Poor Cyclops got the short end of the stick.

Despite decent performances from both of his actors.

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#135110: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:32:10 PM

How do you downplay Xavier though?

Like, he's kinda the one who makes the team a thing. You can't have the X-Men without Xavier.

I suppose you could have him being a past influence, but has stepped back and let other characters lead, while still being an occasional mentor figure.

One Strip! One Strip!
Weirdguy149 Former King from Lumiose City Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: I'd jump in front of a train for ya!
Former King
#135111: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:33:29 PM

I agree that Mr. Sinister’s been shafted for far too long.

The legend has returned.
Chrononaut70 Since: Dec, 2020
#135112: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:34:22 PM

Magneto could still be the villain of the MCU X-Men film. Unlike Spider-Man, Magneto is essential to the X-Men and I don't see them trying to replace him with another villain.

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#135113: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:35:21 PM

He hasn’t been a villain in decades though.

I mean I guess as an early rogue though he’s not really that essential as an antagonist.

"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
#135114: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:37:08 PM

Yeah.

He's been primarily an Anti-Hero / Anti-Villain for a long time now.

One Strip! One Strip!
miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#135115: Oct 6th 2021 at 4:49:51 PM

X-Men '92 had Magneto dead for one to show off the rest of the villain gallery.

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
PizzaDog11 Pizza is my business from closer than you think Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
Pizza is my business
#135116: Oct 6th 2021 at 5:28:54 PM

Xavier can be downplayed as more of a mission control type. I think it’d be almost impossible to do a first movie without him, but there have been multiple points in comic history where he’s been relegated to the background and the team has run itself, both as supers and as a school.

I don’t think it would be impossible to avoid magneto completely, at least initially. If they do us him, I’d like to see his arc from complete villain to anti-hero, rather than the revolving door he kept going through in the Foxmen series. One of his most interesting roles was when Charles asked him to mentor the New Mutants, that could be a new take on the character

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#135117: Oct 6th 2021 at 5:32:38 PM

I still think they should've introduced mutants here and there in other characters' movies, before addressing the situation in an actual X-Men film (for which I agree Mr. Sinister is the best choice).

I'm still shocked that Whirlwind seems to be making no appearance in the Ant-Man series whatsoever. He could've been Sonny Burch's Elite Mook in Ant-Man 2 or something.

There's still the possibility of Mystique and Rogue on The Marvels, though their choice to do that or not might be predicated on whether the sexist mob is still rallying behind that idea (and I still kind of want the villain to be MODOK instead).

Edited by KnownUnknown on Oct 6th 2021 at 5:35:35 AM

Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#135118: Oct 6th 2021 at 5:40:22 PM

I think it'd be quite a simple choice to just have so that Xavier and Magneto as Posthumous Character types to differentiate the MCU X-men from the Fox-Men (and Xavier spent something like a decade dead in the comics anyhow before Krakoa). Maybe reveal later that Magneto isn't actually dead, but I'd be up for "Xavier and Magneto existed and died already" as a opening status quo.

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#135119: Oct 6th 2021 at 5:57:32 PM

Charles and Erik as contemporaries of Hank and Janet maybe? Have them be actual Civil Rights Movements guys?

Edited by Synchronicity on Oct 6th 2021 at 7:57:48 AM

Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#135120: Oct 6th 2021 at 6:06:22 PM

Yeah, that'd probably be my play. Xavier and Magneto as the old school heroes parallel to the real life civil rights movement.

Imagine Hank and Janet having to spy on Xavier and Magneto due the government suspecting them of "communist sympathies" allá the FBI keeping tabs on Malcolm X and MLK.

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#135121: Oct 6th 2021 at 6:07:51 PM

I would be down for a 60's-70's period of the MCU, but I don't know if Marvel Studios would be willing to invest in that too much as in the films. Like how Star Wars is pushing the High Republic era in books and comics, but none of its upcoming films or tv shows (except maybe The Acolyte, but also maybe not) are planning to cover the period and instead seem to be staying the course.

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#135122: Oct 6th 2021 at 6:09:05 PM

We could prolly do an animated movie or series about that.

As of What If, we have the technology.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#135123: Oct 6th 2021 at 6:11:20 PM

Maybe, but then that stuff wouldn't reach the series' primary audience.

Falrinn Since: Dec, 2014
#135124: Oct 6th 2021 at 6:11:44 PM

I think the question of how best to do Xavier and Magneto is ultimately going to hinge somewhat on how mutants are going to be integrated into the MCU.

You can't have Xavier be a retired or posthumous character who founded the X-Men and handed the reigns over to the next generation if the X-Men didn't exist before.

And there's no perfect solution to this problem, every option is going to have tradeoffs.

I'm personally in favor of having it so mutants have always existed, but in extremely few numbers and then either an event happens that causes or a recent event is revealed to have caused the number of active mutants to skyrocket.

This allows both a large population of modern mutants and for historical mutants to exist when it's especially important to their backstories, but also explain why no one has ever bothered to mention the fact that there's a whole subspecies of superpowered individuals running around.

The tradeoff is that it does sound a lot like the Inhumans, but I'm willing to accept that as a price worth paying to resolve the other issues.

Not sure where this places Xavier and Magneto, but I think it would be hard for them to exist as purely historical characters in this scenario. Their ideological divide doesn't work as well in a world where the two of them represent 20%+ of all active mutants and almost no one knows mutants are even a thing.

Edited by Falrinn on Oct 6th 2021 at 6:12:45 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
#135125: Oct 6th 2021 at 6:18:26 PM

Magneto and Xavier as 60s heroes but instead of a focus movie or show right away have a cutaway sequence to them when explaining that mutants have always been around

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

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