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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

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#24802: Jan 9th 2015 at 10:50:18 PM

If Civil War might have scenes set in Puerto Rico, I wonder if that'll translate to an appearance by the White Tiger family.

edited 10th Jan '15 12:19:30 AM by KnownUnknown

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#24803: Jan 10th 2015 at 12:02:03 AM

Just because it is filmed at a place it doesn't mean that it will be the place in the movie.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#24804: Jan 10th 2015 at 12:27:43 AM

Rephrased.


Y'know what's on my awesome-if-done-right-terrible-if-screwed-up list for stuff to use in the MCU? Captain Universe. Toned down in power, of course. By nature, Captain Universe would work best in one of the Netflix shows, but if a good writer makes a good enough spin on the concept it could result in something fairly interesting. I could see them emphasizing it as an otherworldly force that empowers those it comes and contact with compels them to follow its directives - in order to create a "right place at the right time" effect - with the other characters assuming its malevolent or at least dangerous and trying to stop it. The very first characters I thought of to get affected by it were Fitzsimmons, because they would be the most likely characters at this point to be studying something like that and AOS is so far has the best tone and focus for that kind of story, but who knows what we might get with the Netflix shows.

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#24805: Jan 10th 2015 at 8:47:02 AM

[up][up][up]It might just be Winter Soldier relaxing at the beach lol.

Actually if they're in Berlin I wonder if this could mean anything for HYDRA or Baron Zemo.

edited 10th Jan '15 8:47:27 AM by comicwriter

HallowHawk Since: Feb, 2013
#24806: Jan 10th 2015 at 10:10:53 PM

@ Mukora

@ Greek Code Red

Where in those movies, because I don't recall seeing him there?

edited 12th Jan '15 8:02:03 AM by HallowHawk

LDragon2 Since: Dec, 2011
#24808: Jan 11th 2015 at 10:33:28 PM

I really can't wait to see more of Bucky in these films, as he is one of, imo, the more complex characters in this universe.

So in retrospect, how do you think Phase II has fared so far? I mean, we had two great films to make up for two mediocre films (even if the first lacks common sense), and they have set a pretty high bar for AOU and A-M (the latter of which I'm worried about, if only because of all the troubles it has had behind the scenes).

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#24809: Jan 11th 2015 at 10:43:53 PM

I think Phase II has fully shown that the Marvel films are here to stay and that they can do plenty of new storylines with their characters. A criticism of Phase I was that it was mostly variants of origin stories, but Phase II has demonstrated that there's plenty of interesting plotlines beyond that.

LDragon2 Since: Dec, 2011
#24810: Jan 11th 2015 at 11:20:58 PM

Indeed, WS and GOTG being a political/spy thriller and GOTG being a space opera proves that.

LDragon2 Since: Dec, 2011
#24811: Jan 12th 2015 at 12:11:51 AM

You know, thinking back to WS (my favorite in the MCU), I realized that it not having much in the way of common sense really doesn't mean much. After all, we are talking about a movie with a fricken semi-cyborg and Nazi death cult.

And again, I can't get over the amazing fight choreography. Though, did its usage of shaky cam bother you guys?

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#24812: Jan 12th 2015 at 1:01:20 AM

Not much common sense? The movie is logical through and through, safe for a few typical movie tropes.

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#24813: Jan 12th 2015 at 1:07:01 AM

Incoming rant about Cinema Sins in three, two, one...

No, the shaky cam didn't bother me. It was far less distracting than in, say, Batman Begins, and the cinematography made a point of pulling back far enough that you could tell where everyone was and who was who. It's finally what shakycam is supposed to look like but often doesn't.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#24814: Jan 12th 2015 at 2:04:58 AM

[up] Yeah, I agree. I am not a fan of the shaky cam at all, but that's because it is misused so often. But in this case, it was used right. (above all, it was not used randomly).

edited 12th Jan '15 2:06:07 AM by Swanpride

edvedd Darling. from At the boutique, dear. Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: We finish each other's sandwiches
Darling.
#24815: Jan 12th 2015 at 2:50:53 AM

I thought it was fine, mostly. The Cap vs. Batroc had the cleanest camera work, and it works very well. Maybe the knife fight could have been slightly clearer, because indeed the choreography is great.

Visit my Tumblr! I may say things. The Bureau Project
Watchtower Since: Jul, 2010
#24816: Jan 12th 2015 at 7:57:43 AM

[up]That knife fight was indeed a work of beauty. Literally gasped in the theater every time that knife was changing hands.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#24817: Jan 12th 2015 at 8:44:31 AM

I especially loved the whole elevator sequence. It was exactly the right mix of fight and fun.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#24818: Jan 12th 2015 at 9:13:27 AM

Between the poor reception of Iron Man 2 and certain complaints about Iron Man 3 - specifically, I've noticed people tended to enjoy the film less when they interpreted Killian's character as doing all this to get revenge on Tony for that one time he spurned him rather than taking his actions with A.I.M. at face value - as well as the middling reception of Incredible Hulk and the Thor films, there's a recurring trend that jumps out at me.

I think these films do better when the heroes get to be proactive rather than reactive. When it's the hero seeking out and challenging the villain rather than vice versa. Villains whose motivations revolve solely around the hero are weaker for it. The Loki whose motivation was to win his father's approval by annihilating the Jotuns is more engaging than the Loki who did it all just to screw Thor. The Killian with aspirations of grandeur who came a hair's breadth away from owning a fake war between the United States and an invented cell of a terrorist organization is more engaging than the Killian who was really mad Tony Stark didn't show up one time. Alexander Pearce's seemingly genuine belief that Hydra could build a better world through order and control makes for a more fascinating character than Ivan Vanko's desire to punch Tony Stark in the dick.

People who like superheroes want to see those heroes helping people and protecting them from terrible dangers. That just falls flat when the only scale of the conflict is whether or not the hero, personally, will live or die. These are not slasher films. Frodo needs to take the Ring to Mount Doom; the volcano shouldn't be coming to him.

edited 12th Jan '15 9:14:15 AM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#24821: Jan 12th 2015 at 3:57:22 PM

He piloted the last one too with Natasha on the gun.

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
LDragon2 Since: Dec, 2011
#24822: Jan 12th 2015 at 4:09:44 PM

In terms of WS lacking common sense, there's all the action scene inconsistencies, Cap not calling the other Avengers, even though he's a superhero, regular dudes can fight him on even footing, Black Widow's face mask, WS using a grenade launcher against Fury's vehicle but not Cap's, the state of the art helicarriers not being able to hit Falcon, how Cap knows fluent French, Bucky having an entire wing to himself in the museum, WS not following Fury through the hole in the ground, why HYDRA used a missile strike against the bunker when other options were available, and why they didn't immediately check it more thoroughly, how hardly anyone recognizes Cap and Black Widow's face except the bad guys, and so on.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#24823: Jan 12th 2015 at 4:20:10 PM

[up][up][up][up][up]I think that Killian is simply not particular impressive and his reveal too predictable. Watching Iron Man 3 is like reading a crime novel after reading the last few pages. You know who the culprit is, and you know what Happy saw, therefore the only one who is solving a mystery is Tony...the audience only gets a few details.

But you are right, proactive heroes and villains are more interesting. Which might be part of the reason why Ronan works for me...he has a plan and gets it done and the Guardians have a (off the wall) plan to stop him.

edited 12th Jan '15 4:20:33 PM by Swanpride

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#24824: Jan 12th 2015 at 4:37:03 PM

[up][up] I am not bothered that Cap doesn't call the other avengers because none of them are in Washington and he and Black Widow are trying to hide. Calling any of the Avengers would do nothing but send a giant beacon for their enemies to find them. The only reason Falcon is safe is because Cap just meet him the very same day.

Which regular dude? Bartok? He is hardly regular. Plus, Cap is peek human, not superhuman. It is logical to me that a good fighter would be able to challenge him.

What's the problem with Black Widows face mask?

Why shouldn't Cap know French? He was in the war, he has a peek memory and one member of the Howling Commandor was French. I kind of expected him to know it (as well as at least a little bit German).

Bucky doesn't have an entire Wing in the museum. There is a exhibition about Cap and Bucky is mentioned in it as his best friend and only howling commandor who died during the war. I really don't see what the issue with this it.

How do you know that other options were available? A missile strike seems to be a good method to get rid of a guy you couldn't hold with an elevator full of people. And they do look properly once they arrive on scene. That's why they keep searching for the Cap, because they don't find his body.

If celebrities leave the house in their normal clothing they are often not recognized, simply because we don't expect to see them and normally don't pay that much attention to random people in the crowd.

The rest is typical action movie stuff. Naturally Falcon is such a good flyer that he isn't hit easily (after all, that's what he was trained for), and naturally the granate launcher is not the weapon of choice (especially since it has to get set up first) - Btw, we don't know if the Winter soldier followed Fury or not, we only know that he reacted with anger when he realized that Fury had found a way to escape from the car. He obviously didn't stop hunting him since he found him at Cap's apartment, which is hardly the most likely place to search.

edited 12th Jan '15 4:37:39 PM by Swanpride

Falrinn Since: Dec, 2014
#24825: Jan 12th 2015 at 4:39:11 PM

[up][up][up]

I don't think Bucky really had an "entire wing" to himself. The only thing that the movie showed was a single display with a short bio, not anything approaching a complete wing. And considering how big of a deal the Howling Commandos were to the Captain America story, pretty much all of the Howling Commandos would probably have displays in a hypothetical Captain America exhibit.

The fact hardly anyone recognized Captain America when he visited his own exhibit is a little odd I'll admit. Especially since as of the Avengers movie the fact Steve Rodgers is active again is common knowledge.

edited 12th Jan '15 4:45:53 PM by Falrinn


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