Marvel Cinematic Universe, Phase 4 & Beyond (and a chance to change your vote)

due next year (at time of going to press)

Filming began in early February 2021 in Turkey, and will also shoot in Atlanta, London, and Los Angeles.

eeesh

I barely remember a handful of things from about 3.5 of the fistful of MCU movies I've seen, but Luis is clearly the greatest live-action Marvel character, new or old

Well that moved the plot on a bit.

I genuinely have no idea what's wrong with some of you.

― Andrew Farrell, Saturday, February 13, 2021 10:14 AM (six days ago) bookmarkflaglink

hmm...

It's Friday

NB: Episode 7 actually finally DOES have a post-credits thing, so stick around for that.

This sure is one smooth, smartly paced show. Incredible how much information it gives without just giving everything (or anything) away.

Episode 7 actually finally DOES have a post-credits thing

fuckers

anyway, teyonah parris is really something

yeah she’s amazing.

elizabeth olsen also just incredibly good.

Also really deft the way it doles out stuff for people who have no idea what's going on (or in my case barely, but probably still more than most) as well as for Total Marvel people who know storylines, characters, powers, etc.

there was a bunch of radio and TV soundtrack stuff in the captions this week - is that audible in a 5.1 surround mix, or dropped between the caption script and TX?

lol, what an end to the episode!

bettany doing the jim at the office smirk was amusing

Olsen’s julie bowen impression *chef kiss*

I like Vision playing with his non-existent hair.

"what am I talking to YOU for?"

who (behind the camera) prompted wanda with 'do you think this is what you deserve?'

it sounded like a male voice, but then Agatha's video montage made it look like it was her?

maybe it was....RALPH?

i'm kinda wondering that myself.

definitely a male voice

Dottie showed back up in this ep too. well, briefly appeared in a shot of the town at least.

I still think there's a chance Agatha is being controlled/used by someone else. But still other questions, like did Agatha create the kids/bring Vision back? Did she expand the hex? Why are things going wonky in Wandaland? And I still don't think we've met the engineer, only the soldier delivering what the engineer designed.

I dunno, I think we're too close to the end to throw yet another villain in there, unless Dottie is also in on the Hex

my guess: episode 8 will flashback to explain her motivations and how we got to the beginning of Wandavision, episode 9 will be the explosive battle through realities to save the world with special guest cameo(s) by... Doctor Strange? Clea? Jake Gyllenhaal? Patrick Stewart? Dick Van Dyke?? who knows!??

(boy, did I love that ending sequence.)

Well, this episode did just finally introduce a villain and a superhero, so ... I guess it depends how efficient they are!

Dick Van Dyke

holy shit would that be awesome

Agatha seemed really interested in Wanda being able to bring someone back from the dead a few eps ago.

though as far as the kids aging, that may have been Agatha? it only ever happened when she was around.

Like I said, "incredible how much information it gives without just giving everything (or anything) away."

The first ep I've been (modestly) disappointed in

Darcy's "the love the two of you share is real" exactly the kind of corny line that the lower-tier mcu movies are larded with, delivered straight

yeah otm

and no real explanation for why they thought the space rover could go through the hex without it and rambeau turning into something else, no explanation for why the rover couldn't in the end go through but rambeau could, no explanation for why rambeau's clothes and mind don't change when she goes through

just generally.... not as crispy put together as every other episode up to this point

Rambeau could because she had already been rewritten on a molecular level twice and parts of her got in once again when the rover attempted to breach it. she was the only one who'd been in there twice, so the "change" probably didn't happen because she's now got superpowers (which were completed when she went through the third time, hence the blue eyes). the transformations don't 'work' on her anymore.

Monica panicked and said the Hex was being "rewritten" (or something like that) when someone else optimistically said it was degrading. and stuff kept going haywire inside the hex, especially inside Wanda's house, all episode. the Hex is a very different thing now that she expanded the territory by 8 miles, unstable, not operating the same as it has previously.

the Hex is a very different thing now that she expanded the territory by 8 miles, unstable, not operating the same as it has previously

awfully precise there, hayward

Monica panicked and said the Hex was being "rewritten"

Oh maybe I misunderstood the line, I thought they were saying the rover was being torn apart and Rambeau was saying no it (the rover) is being rewritten (i.e. turned into a station wagon)

I could see that making sense too. I didn't really worry myself too much about the 'how' behind things, but i definitely assumed Monica got in because now she's kind of a mutant or someone with superpowers. I think the fact that she requested such a hefty rover suggested that they thought it might be difficult to get it through (even though previously they'd gotten things like drones and well, Monica through). probably also to protect against any Wanda attacks, but they seemed prepared for resistance.

btw I can't get that Agatha theme song out of my head

the other wrinkle is they're no longer broadcasting a signal outside the hex, so even though they were ostensibly shooting a show inside it (a Modern Family knockoff), maybe the fact that there was no signal meant that you didnt' just get 'recast' as soon as you entered it.

ah well. back to Babylon 5!

I interpreted the 2001/fourth wall-shattering scene as Monica holding onto her personality and memories, fighting the Hex trying to shift her back into the sitcom personalities. that's why we hear all the audio from Captain Marvel, as we did when she was blipped back into existence

I genuinely have no idea what's wrong with some of you.

― Andrew Farrell, Saturday, February 13, 2021 10:14 AM (six days ago)

hmm...

― tiwa-nty one savage (voodoo chili), Friday, 19 February 2021 15:44 (yesterday)

Yeah, fair enough, I called this wrong and was a dick about it, sorry. I had too much faith in the show creators. I did a few times consider (and I'm aware there is absolutely no compulsion for anyone to believe me on this) saying "The one thing they could do is end of Episode 7: hahaha it was me all along - Episode 8: flashback to WTF 'me' is - Episode 9: climax" - but I didn't because I just thought it would be a weird and non-MCU thing to do.

I think there's also a thing where the nature of sitcoms is that they're a retreat from reality and to an extent* modernity - you don't get military installations in there for theme rather than era reasons. If she'd gone through in a station wagon, she might be fine :)

On a purely technical thing, Modern Family's last episode was last year, but it's now 2023 in the MCU - maybe a less cutting-edge rover might work.

Lost opportunities: Wanda Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff

Darcy's "the love the two of you share is real" exactly the kind of corny line that the lower-tier mcu movies are larded with, delivered straight

I mean, it's a romance? The Vision didn't exactly go "Yeah, you're right, now I feel at ease about it all"

*I may be talking out of my hole here as regards the older ones, I admit.

"Side effects: more depression"

Have I missed mid or post credits scenes on all the episodes prior to this week. Caught this week's one.

this is the first i think

When i was a kid Agatha was not evil iirc ... dangerous, but an ally. Did she become more of an outright villain in the comics during the 90s and later?

In any case, I’m glad it’s her, great character

So for reference here are the acknowledged character creators chronologically (have fun sic!):

Jimmy Woo - Al Feldstein, Joe Maneely (1956)
Scarlet Witch - Jack Kirby, Stan Lee (1964)
Quicksilver - Jack Kirby, Stan Lee (1964)
Vision - Roy Thomas, John Buscema (1968)
Agatha Harkness - Jack Kirby, Stan Lee (1970)
Monica Rambeau / Captain Marvel 2 / Photon / Pulsar / Spectrum - Roger Stern, John Romita Jr (1982)
Tommy and Billy - Steve Englehart, Richard Howell (1986)
S.W.O.R.D. - Joss Whedon, John Cassady (2004)
Darcy Lewis - J Michael Straczynski for the first Thor film (2011)

This seems to bring us to current times in sitcom land, unless next episode is a Schitt's Creek theme.

Would be great if suddenly the next episode was set in Westview, New Brunswick.

I know it won’t happen but I would probably die if the next one was Twin Peaks: The Return themed.

Who'd be the house band?

dazzler

Better Call Wanda