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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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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

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.
#135526: Oct 14th 2021 at 7:40:15 PM

Well, most obscure Marvel characters to get a major role. Obviously not talking about minor characters who remain obscure even IN the MCU.

Edited by PushoverMediaCritic on Oct 14th 2021 at 7:43:35 AM

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#135527: Oct 14th 2021 at 7:44:13 PM

Yeah, I agree that Agatha Harkness isn't that obscure. This is her third appearance in a Marvel adaptation, having previously appeared in the cartoons Avengers: United They Stand and the more popular X-Men: Evolution.

Also, plenty of comics. She's a pretty significant character to the Scarlet Witch mythos.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Oct 14th 2021 at 7:45:32 AM

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#135528: Oct 14th 2021 at 7:46:16 PM

Really just google a couple names and you'll find out about her quickly.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#135529: Oct 14th 2021 at 7:51:01 PM

She’s a great character

The Richardses manage to hire a nanny that’s an actual witch and she takes care of Franklin while introducing black magic nonsense into the FF’s lives until Franklin wakes up from a coma and Agatha meets Wanda. Agatha decides that she’s done all she can with Franklin and insists that she’s going to teach Wanda magic which involves constantly throwing Wanda at demons and seeing what she learns from it

And then after Kang kidnaps Agatha to decide if he wants to bang her or not Agatha declares that one weekend of training is enough and that Wanda is on her own now

Except she keeps showing back up in Wanda’s life whenever a bunch of drama is going on because it’s like a magnet to her

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#135530: Oct 14th 2021 at 8:00:49 PM

I figured Agatha would appear because Tom King’s Vision run was cited as a big influence and she plays a prominent role in it (though not as a villain.)

Remembering that bit from Pitch Meetings where the exec instantly catches on that Kathryn Hahn is playing Agatha Harkness from a single Google search.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#135531: Oct 14th 2021 at 8:07:16 PM

The Ultimate Marvel version of Agatha was pretty freaky. At first it seems like she's gotten the Hotter and Sexier treatment given that she looks like an attractive young woman. Then it's revealed she's actually an ancient Hydra monster that can split herself into seven people or appear as one being.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#135532: Oct 14th 2021 at 8:07:47 PM

Alioth is a deep cut, but Agatha has been a supporting character to both the Fantastic Four and Scarlet Witch.

She's at least more prominent than all the Eternals combined.

Khfan429 Since: Aug, 2009
#135533: Oct 14th 2021 at 8:09:50 PM

I think the best analogy I could use is that, at least from my perspective, Agatha's kind of an obscure pick in a vacuum. But in a series about Wanda and Vision, she's about as much of a curveball as Drax is in a Guardians of the Galaxy movie or Beta Ray Bill would be in a Thor movie.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#135534: Oct 14th 2021 at 8:15:06 PM

[up][up][up] But why, the ultimate universe? Why?

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#135535: Oct 14th 2021 at 8:15:45 PM

Because the Ultimate Universe hates you Bocaj.

Yes, you specifically.

Disgusted, but not surprised
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#135536: Oct 14th 2021 at 8:21:36 PM

I believe realism. tongue

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#135537: Oct 14th 2021 at 8:24:00 PM

[up][up] I always suspected

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
DeathsApprentice The Ultimate Lifeform from The Ark Since: Aug, 2011 Relationship Status: Is that a kind of food?
The Ultimate Lifeform
#135538: Oct 14th 2021 at 9:17:22 PM

Not gonna lie, as much as most things the Ultimate Universe has done with characters weirds me out, what it did with Agatha seems mostly just really funny to me. Just... make her a hydra. Sure, okay. [lol] Where did they even get that idea from?

When we're done, there won't be anything left.
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#135539: Oct 15th 2021 at 12:30:59 AM

WTF I just found out that terrible Hulk Agents of Smash cartoon had a crossover episode with Spider-Man where Hulk gets possessed by Venom. So thats 1, then there's the also terrible Guardians of the Galaxy cartoon that also had a Spider-Man crossover with Thanos possessed by Carnage and Spider-Man having to fight him as Venom. Combine that with Ultimate Spider-Man and the 2017 Spidey show having symbiote invasion storylines, that makes 4 shows within less than 4-5 years that reuse the same someone gets possessed by a symbiote storyline.

Shit did Avengers Assemble had a crossover where the Avengers get Venomnized? That would make it a 5. Whats our next Marvel cartoon? Cause lets make it an even 6 while were at it.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#135540: Oct 15th 2021 at 1:03:03 AM

The Ultimate Verse does have some interesting concepts.

Like Galactus for example (or Gah Lak Tus) who, in this verse, is pretty much the the Reapers before they appeared in their own franchise [lol]

Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% Scandinavian
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#135541: Oct 15th 2021 at 1:14:29 AM

When the main 616 verse Galactus ended up in the Ultimate verse and met Gah Lak Tus, they even tried to eat him.

They quickly realized they bit off more than they could chew and immediately pivoted to merging with him and becoming his new Herald.

Disgusted, but not surprised
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#135542: Oct 15th 2021 at 1:17:20 AM

There is something amusing the power difference between the UU and the 616-U.

When Hulk got transported there Blue Marvel handed him his ass with no effort.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#135543: Oct 15th 2021 at 1:19:05 AM

Pretty much the only UU character who is straight up stronger than his 616 counterpart is Ultimate Reed Richards aka The Maker.

And that has more to do with The Maker being willing to sink to depths that 616 Reed finds abhorrent. I guess it's less that The Maker is stronger than Reed but rather that The Maker no longer values his humanity the way Reed does.

Edited by M84 on Oct 15th 2021 at 4:21:46 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Whowho Since: May, 2012
#135544: Oct 15th 2021 at 1:24:01 AM

I think I theorised Agnes was Agatha as soon as the first trailer came out and we saw Katherine dressed as a witch in her car, at which point I was like "oh I wonder if that's Agatha Harkness" given that she's the only witch character I could think of tied to Wanda and the promotial material was talking about how Wanda would learn legitimate magic in this series.(and my comics knowlage is pretty shallow, I'd just happened to have read The Vision series in which the show is based off of and Agatha appears in an antagonistic role)

Ironically that same trailer scene in the show proper actually through me off totally from her being an antagonist, given she seemed to be undr Wanda's thrall, just not as much as the others.

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#135545: Oct 15th 2021 at 1:28:13 AM

Granted Thor at least has the benefit of a hammer with no worthy requirement. So its a far more practical and useful weapon than the actual Mjolnir.

Hulk though suffers from the fact the source of his power was changed from gamma energy to the super soldier serum costing him his limitless source of power and placing a biological barrier on him.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#135546: Oct 15th 2021 at 1:49:12 AM

Ultimate Cap is also stronger than his mainstream counterpart (as he has been consistently superhuman from his first appearance on).

But yeah, all in all the UU tried to stay more "grounded".

Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% Scandinavian
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#135547: Oct 15th 2021 at 1:54:47 AM

Now that I think about it I think the worst change made in the naming of being "grounded" was the complete removal of all the Khonshu stuff from Moon Knight.

Meaning Moon Knight lost all of his unique "Was I touched by God or am I sick" themes and was effectively changed into just a homicidal Batman.

Edited by slimcoder on Oct 15th 2021 at 1:55:23 AM

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#135548: Oct 15th 2021 at 2:00:18 AM

Ultimate Marc Spector still got points for getting Kingpin in trouble with the simple yet ingenious tactic...of simply showing up at a police station and claiming that the Kingpin tried to murder him (which was actually true). This of course meant giving up his true identity, but Marc thought it was Worth It if it meant getting Fisk in trouble.

Disgusted, but not surprised
windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#135549: Oct 15th 2021 at 2:06:22 AM

Pretty much the only UU character who is straight up stronger than his 616 counterpart is Ultimate Reed Richards aka The Maker.

And that has more to do with The Maker being willing to sink to depths that 616 Reed finds abhorrent. I guess it's less that The Maker is stronger than Reed but rather that The Maker no longer values his humanity the way Reed does.

Aren't Ultimate Reed's powers also more versatile than the 616 version? Like, he can boost his intelligence by stretching his brain cells.

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#135550: Oct 15th 2021 at 2:07:03 AM

[up][up] Shame he was never seen again after that and said accusation had absolutely no effect on the fat SOB.

Edited by slimcoder on Oct 15th 2021 at 2:08:25 AM

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."

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