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

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#138751: Jan 10th 2022 at 7:17:27 AM

Now picturing Strange in a prison cell playing a harmonica

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
MatthewWayne The Tapestry Weaver from Camp Echo One Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
The Tapestry Weaver
#138752: Jan 10th 2022 at 7:20:21 AM

If anyone's going to be arresting Strange, I'm willing to bet it's going to be the TVA. It might be a jumbled mess thanks to the Multiverse coming into play, but they're still an active organization. And with Kang in charge...

"I'm Mr. Blue, woah-woah-ooh..."
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#138753: Jan 10th 2022 at 10:53:07 PM

I'm just now reminded of that Hulk Agents of Smash show. Man they really do dillute the Hulk brand.

Like there is some cerebral aspects to the character primarily the whole dualism between Bruce and Hulk, but they have Hulk constantly on with Bruce entirely removed so that whole thing is lost.

And this applies to other characters in the show with all their unique traits sanded off. She-Hulk doesn't practice law nor maintain her fun personality, she's just a generic action girl. Skaar isn't Bruce's son so the whole point of the character is lost. Red-Hulk is just the snarky guy with no focus given on his previous antagonistic relationship with Hulk nor introspecting over becoming what he hated.

It's basically just Hulk Power Rangers. You got a normal Hulk, a girl Hulk, blue, red, brown, all with one-note personalities. I mentioned Skaar before he's just there to be the barbarian guy so he just talks simple and uses a sword.

Edited by slimcoder on Jan 11th 2022 at 1:42:26 AM

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#138754: Jan 11th 2022 at 1:33:33 AM

Marvel animated Shows have a tendecy to be bad / overly kiddiefied, unfortunately.

Good stuff like EMH is very far and in-between. DC has it over them in this regard.

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
#138755: Jan 11th 2022 at 1:59:03 AM

It’s kinda like reading about Getter Robo.

Like the first anime is pretty kiddie, it’s a simple Saturday Morning Cartoon with a monster of the week format. Pretty toothless in story and action.

But the manga it’s based on is very brutal, lots of gore and some moral ambiguity. One of the main characters Hayato Jin is flat out a terrorist, a violent psychopath having been introduced and recruited while in the middle of holding up a school with his terrorist cell to further his goals and is actively seen horribly killing people on this introduction. The anime sands him down, turning him into the general brooding stoic guy.

Terrible adaptations damn.

Edited by slimcoder on Jan 11th 2022 at 2:00:10 AM

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#138756: Jan 11th 2022 at 2:40:11 AM

Sorry if I missed something, but what exactly prompted the discussion of the Hulk cartoon?

Now picturing Strange in a prison cell playing a harmonica

Stephen: I got the "I messed with the timeline to help an impulsive teenager and now I'm in jail" blues.

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#138757: Jan 11th 2022 at 2:50:29 AM

Nothing sorry it’s just a random thought I had.

Edited by slimcoder on Jan 11th 2022 at 2:50:38 AM

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Watchtower Since: Jul, 2010
#138758: Jan 11th 2022 at 6:21:30 AM

[up]x6 The Disney XD version of Hulk is straight-up the worst rendition of him IMO precisely because of the Adaptational Intelligence. The most interesting thing about Hulk is the Jekyll & Hyde dynamic between Banner and Hulk, and not only is it completely non-present but Banner barely appears because this Hulk is so self-sufficient. And the result is Hulk is completely watered down into this generic green-skinned Big Guy.

To bring it back to the MCU, the Jekyll & Hyde piece is why I honestly want MCU Professor Hulk to fall apart. One because the multiple-Hulk piece has been sorely unrepresented in media, and two because if I wanted a well-adjusted Hulk I'd stick with She-Hulk.

Edited by Watchtower on Jan 11th 2022 at 9:21:54 AM

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#138759: Jan 11th 2022 at 6:27:19 AM

I think multiple-Hulks is something they shy away from because building actions around the Hulk's destructive powers take priority

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#138760: Jan 11th 2022 at 7:19:42 AM

I think that if they’re not going to do Hulk movies they can’t really do justice to the whole thing

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#138761: Jan 11th 2022 at 7:26:56 AM

A well adjusted Hulk is not necessarily going to act the same way as She-Hulk.

Cortez from Parts Unknown (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#138762: Jan 11th 2022 at 8:00:00 AM

when there are thousands of cosmic beings who could stomp Hulk like an ant.

Depends on which Hulk Alter is in control. Some of them can defeat sad cosmic beings.

[up]×4

I don't know if Adaptational Intelligence applies since the Hulk in that show was more or less the Green Scar Hulk.

Steering things back to the MCU, i do wonder if they'll do a Maestro story since MCU Hulk is currently in his Professor Hulk phase.

Edited by Cortez on Jan 11th 2022 at 12:04:00 PM

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#138763: Jan 11th 2022 at 8:40:52 AM

The Hulk's lack of actual focus most likely contributes to the lack of Hulk personas.

He's not a main character, just a side character only good for action scenes so they prolly felt adapting his more character centric stuff was unnecessary because he's never the focus of anything.

Thor Ragnarok was them taking the Planet Hulk storyline and turning Hulk into Thor's supporting character. Even the Warbound, Hulk's bros were cut with the remaing Krog and Miek being turned into Thor's friends.

And of course no Caiera.

"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
#138764: Jan 11th 2022 at 8:42:11 AM

Yeah but on the plus side no Skaar or Hiro-Kala

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#138765: Jan 11th 2022 at 9:09:33 AM

No the cartoon did that while also removing everything of complexity and interest about the character.

Shaar is just sword Hulk like how Ross there is gun Hulk.

"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
#138766: Jan 11th 2022 at 10:01:00 AM

Well I meant in the MCU

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Whowho Since: May, 2012
#138767: Jan 11th 2022 at 10:38:22 AM

I feel like Hulk got hit the hardest by the MCU's power level squish.

In the comics and cartoons Hulk could level entire city blocks with a single punch, but he's way punyier in the MCU being one of the debuting characters.

Phase 3 was whee the powerlevel squish started to get undone with Captain Marvel, Thor, Scarlet Witch and even Gamora allowed to display more unbelievable levels of strength, but Hulk spent most of that time jobbing. Either he was having to loose to Thanos, or he was having to be an even fight to Thor when Thor has having the worst day - even though Thor would then go on to be the most powerful we'd seen him later that same film.

The result is that although Hulk felt like a huge powerhouse in Avengers, he feels kind of mid tier in terms of superpowered heroes now.

Edited by Whowho on Jan 11th 2022 at 6:41:33 PM

Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#138768: Jan 11th 2022 at 11:49:08 AM

That pretty much applies to all Powerhouse characters in the MCU though. Thor is no different in that regard.

And it is kinda by necesssity, as the wankery in the comics can get pretty ridiculous at times.

Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% Scandinavian
Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#138769: Jan 11th 2022 at 11:55:13 AM

I think the only time I liked Hulk being obscenely powerful was Immortal Hulk, which played "the Hulk as the literal strongest one there is" for cosmic, existential horror (and actually made it manageable, given it establishes that the Hulk's varying powers are in-universe ever-shifting due green door shenanigans). Everywhere else I actually much prefer MCU-ish Hulk and "omg Hulk so angre he breaks the galaxy111!" bored to me to tears as typical "comic book wankery" (to borrow a parlance from previous posts).

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#138770: Jan 11th 2022 at 12:04:13 PM

It’s rather funny how nerfed Professor Hulk is.

Cause I’m the comics the Professor persona is defined by being a best of both worlds for the character, possessing Bruce’s intelligence and morality combined with Hulk’s strength so you essentially got a likable science hero who can break mountains.

Which he’s got the personality sure but Goddamn he is weak as shit here.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#138771: Jan 11th 2022 at 12:05:53 PM

He's a squishy Hulk,that's what he is.

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#138772: Jan 11th 2022 at 12:12:03 PM

Yeah, Immortal Hulk was pretty much the wet dream of a Hulk fan in an Online Battle Forum.

Although, for the most absurd things, wasn't he actually possessed by the One-Below-All (another dumb concept, tbh) ?

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
#138773: Jan 11th 2022 at 12:16:10 PM

That was a bad future issue. Hulk gets possessed and his powers gets boosted to killing everything so the survivors send a message back to the past that gets hijacked by Leader.

But even despite the power boost the focus has always been on the character development and horror. Tellingly in the final issue there is no big fight scene, the test of strength of simply the Hulk’s pulling down the chain so they can talk to the One Above All.

Otherwise it’s an introspective affair as the Hulk’s simply choose to leave with Banner and a human Samual Sterns.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Cortez from Parts Unknown (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#138774: Jan 11th 2022 at 12:28:26 PM

Yeah but on the plus side no Skaar or Hiro-Kala

I like both of those, so it's not a plus for me.

Though if the rumors are true, one of them might be showing up soon.

It does bother they defanged Miek in the MCU version. But then he didn't have the same relationship with Hulk as in the comics.

[up]×2

Having read the run i thought The One Below All was a well done concept and has been a great addition to the Hulk mythos.

It also gave explanations to some old Hulk mysteries.

Edited by Cortez on Jan 11th 2022 at 4:34:18 PM

MatthewWayne The Tapestry Weaver from Camp Echo One Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
The Tapestry Weaver
#138775: Jan 11th 2022 at 12:44:32 PM

I felt that Hulk was at his best in Ragnarok, where we have a solid Split Personality problem between the two, where both personalities get solid characterization.

Infinity War seemed to focus more on Bruce, and Professor Hulk barely did anything in Endgame.

"I'm Mr. Blue, woah-woah-ooh..."

Total posts: 186,763
Top