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

We got lots of threads.

(Did I start half of these? Feels like it.)

xxp Agree the symbiote adds a sort-of wrinkle; less so about Jessica Drew (she had no relation to Spidey beyond the name), though Julia Carpenter fits the bill more closely (1984, same year / issue(?) as the symbiote). Spider-Ham? lol, I guess. My point was more than James Rhodes was Iron Man for a spell in the '80s; Steve Rogers was replaced by that Super-Patriot dude; Beta Ray Bill was kicking around; etc. -- but Spider-Man was always just the one guy. (I recognize that, my childhood aside, there have been multiple Spider-Folks for longer now than there was orginally just one.)

lol @ sic spending the time and energy to search up threads from fifteen years ago to prove me wrong. imagine putting that much energy in being a complete asshole online.

I mean, jesus christ dude. For something that you ostensibly hate so much, that's an insane level of dedication to proving a point.

sic, if I've ever engaged in hyperbole I will eat not just my own hat but also eight million other hats.

But for real, maybe I'm wrong, but I thought the idea was, more recently anyway, an attempt to consolidate things in these threads so we didn't have dozens of threads about the MCU stuff. But I'm sufficiently shamed now by sic, so I'll ask for permission before I post about the MCU again.

Yeah, you're correct: there's currently just this thread and, when/if it's ever released, the Black Widow thread will probably be revived. But sic-yphus gotta keep pushing that boulder.

something that you ostensibly hate so much

??! I don't hate you - I recognise your name as a regular long-term poster, but don't even have a conception of your general vibe or particular interests, let alone any animus.

insane level of dedication to proving a point

while searching them up in between bites of lunch I did think "even if this guy hasn't missed these before & thus appreciate the chance to catch up, it'll probably be handy for one of the megathreads to have an index"

xp

also for indexing purposes: Rolling Marvel Cinematic Universe thread (+ a poll: Classic or Dud?)

currently just this thread and, when/if it's ever released, the Black Widow thread

tbf you do keep pointing out why there is only one current thread

this franchise that hasn't had a new entry in (checks) 1.5 years now.

(I thought there was also a WandaVision thread, but I couldn't find it, possibly because there's a ™ in the title that makes it unsearchable or s/t?)




(also tbf from now on I might remember j/v/c's vibe as "called me an asshole for helpfully linking dozens of threads he was intersted in")

Oh come on, don't even try to pretend that was your reasoning.

AAAANYway. Lost amidst today's Star Wars blitz was the announcement of three new Disney+ MCU shows: Secret Invasion, Armor Wars, and Ironheart. Would be nice if even just one of the Disney+ series aired at some point.

And also the director of the Spidey flicks will be helming the FF threeboot, which I assume means that that's actually going into production soon.

Oh and Maslany confirmed for She-Hulk after the earlier denials.

(BRB, gonna go start separate threads for all these MCUs)

...Infinite Crisis style

“sic-Prime is taken into the custody of the ILX Mods, who place him in a quantum containment field, surrounded by a red Sun-Eater and guarded by 50 Green Lanterns. While inside his cell, he carves the Zing symbol into his chest, vowing to escape.”

Looks like there's more stuff that got announced, like Christian Bale as the baddie in Thor 4 and Kang the Conqueror being in Ant Man 3. That dude is a time traveler, right? Plus you've got Loki bouncing all over ... I assume the time travel/multiverse is the only way they can tie together all these loose strands/characters, and TV seems to be a good place to do it. Wouldn't be surprised if all these Disney+ shows will by default comprise "Phase 4," culminating in the (re) introduction of the Fantastic Four, who come packaged with a few of the best intergalactic level villains.

Even with Sandman finally in production at Netflix after three decades of development, we don't have to wait til next year to see it done right:

Saturday, December 12, 7 PM EST on YouTube: #Sleepwalker Episode 01: https://t.co/JMCzF5ObBJ
Saturday, December 12, 7:30 PM EST: Zoom Q&A with co-directors Joe and Josh #BlueBisonMedia, and me (creator of Sleepwalker): https://t.co/GJ2FApNksR...
Go to above links to RSVP pic.twitter.com/tHDpQEijNm

— Bob Budiansky (@BobBudiansky) December 11, 2020

Sandman finally in production at Netflix after three decades of development...

― huge rant (sic), Friday, December 11, 2020

Netflix + Gaiman + Warners. Can't see any way this could possibly disappoint.

man that sleepwalker image looks like a product of a different era

this recent EVERYTHING, WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING drop seems like the beginning of the end but maybe i'm just an optimist.

there is a lot of pressure from shareholders for Disney to win the Streaming Wars and so they dropped a ton of teasers and trailers and sizzle reels on investor day. that is not the beginning of the end, it is just the beginning of the beginning if anything.

i guess i have to wonder where the floor is for casual or even serious fans, both with enthusiasm to keep up with this stuff and just out of sheer exhaustion. Even as a 15 year old marvel zombie I don't think i ever in my wildest dreams could have wanted this level of media saturation... and there's a zillion other options!

Just for the record, the projected upcoming roster of Marvel movies for 2021 includes Black Widow, Shang-Chi, The Eternals and Spider Man 3 with Wandavision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If?, Hawkeye and Ms Marvel as series.

Then we're into Doctor Strange 2, Thor 4, She Hulk, Black Panther 2, Deadpool 3, Captain Marvel 2, Ant-Man and Wasp 2, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and Blade all green-lit as films and Ironheart, Secret Invasion, Armor Wars, I Am Groot, Moon Knight, Fantastic Four, Secret Invasion and Armor Wars green-lit as series.

when is too fucking much just too fucking much?

get him Old Lunch!

even hardcore fans have to recognize that "It started out one thing and became another" is simply a fact at this point, even if you approve of this "don't skimp on the paté" approach to content delivery

yeah, i'm definitely in that boat too. too much headspace (and time!) required for all of this. guess I'll do my best. (and we're not even including all the other Disney/Pixar/Star Wars shit that was announced too)

pls do not express negative thoughts. mods if u could get that, thanks in advance

Haters, leave a little butthurt for the fanboys, sheesh.

It's really just down to quality control afaic. The MCU films thus far have all done the job for me (some more than others, admittedly). The shows have been pretty hit-or-miss. I got through all of the Netflix series but it honestly got to be a bit of a slog at points (partly because they never figured out how to tell a story worth taking up a full thirteen-episode season). Same with Agents if SHIELD. I'm clearly a Zombie but I still haven't made it through the Freeform/Hulu series. So yeah, I can see fatigue setting in at a point to the extent that Feige et al don't keep a firm hand on the wheel.

As previously noted, the Thanos bangers capped everything off perfectly for me and I would be cool stopping there if things start to suck down the road.

It's also worth noting again that I did not GAF about most superhero movies before the MCU and still don't GAF about most non-MCU superhero movies because most superhero movies are real shitty. I'm only on board this particular train because they're doing it the way I always wanted to see it done, and as soon as they stop doing it like that I'm out.

that makes sense! almost all the marvel films have been serviceable! The tv shows vary on returns for me. I'm just against media hegemony (especially when it's semi-fascistic in scope) as a general rule.

can we have Marvel/Star Wars crossover

I'm betting that'll happen in, oo, about 2029.

fuck no. the only thing worse than star wars movies is star wars fans.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/0c7c6b16-b13a-4b5f-949b-d1bd93f728b8

fan made, no?

not the fan-made Team-Up 69 we were all hoping for

so not gonna happen
http://static.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/4/4f/Marvel_Team-Up_Vol_1_69.jpg/revision/latest%3Fcb%3D20181231002037

http://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61NmAOsMIdL._SX326_BO1%2C204%2C203%2C200_.jpg

tbf, they used the force

This one’s actually “real”:

https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Star-Wars-Uncanny-X-Men-Crossover-Comic-Nightcrawler-Kitty-Pryde-Darth-Vader-Mary-Marvel1.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=450&h=225&dpr=1.5

Looks like Oscar Isaac may have been unofficially confirmed as Marc Spector by the Moon Knight DP.

WandaVision is interesting so far but it is taking a long time to get to the point. Also being deliberately obfuscatory for the nerds that know Tom King's Vision and the NO MORE MUTANTS storyline... still some deep nerd teases with Captain Marvel II showing up, ads for Strucker watches with hydra logos, was that an ultron toaster? I need more meat on this bone shortly though; the sitcom elements are getting tired even with the rapidly updating chronological design flourishes.

disagree completely re pacing of WandaVision, the slow pacing is what i'm liking so far and think the sitcom elements not at all tired but help bring up, how the original storyline in the comics of them moving to the suburbs (Leonia NJ in early 80s) and wanting an 'ideal' suburban life was supposed to work out, (esp as back then Vizh did not have a image inducer so always was red synthezoid).

Playing with the idealized families of sitcoms feel perfect to go into that, of course perfect to do it on TV (as obv not gonna do a movie). so having something that doesn't jump to the action is a better use of the TV time i think and exploring the characters. (of course have to see how finally plays out and may recant)

I'm hoping though def shares aspects with disassembled and no more mutants that doesn't go that ultimate route re wanda

jokes/ads/easter eggs
the toaster is made by stark industries - dont think any ultron ref but more a ref to both in comics and by readers ppl commenting that wanda was married to 'a toaster'

'Geraldine'/Monica Rambeau - wondering if something that happens here will substitute for how she gains powers in the comics - one scene in a making of featurette on is what made me think that was a possibility

not having read the Vision comics, something i missed but was referenced on io9 in comments. SPOILERS for Vision below which I've not read but assume use on show is purely easter egg for comics reader here is

"The animated opening credits in the second episode are delightful. Even better, though, if you slow them down, you’ll notice...

Illustration for comment/ paused @ 22 secs into animated opening credits of ep2

...what appears to be the Grim Reaper’s helmet and several bones under the floor. Which is either an Easter egg to when Virginia Vision killed him and buried him in the backyard in Tom King’s The Vision or, you know, they actually killed him and buried him in the floor in the show."

43

I'm reserving judgment because this is such an out of left field experiment in the MCU that I have no idea where it's headed. They really did a magnificent job of full-on recreating the feel of a b&w sitcom, as I was just expecting some tongue-in-cheek nods in that direction before they plunged into the action. I think I agree that I like the pacing but it may depend on how much longer they drip feed the clues that something is awry.

Haven't watched yet, but here's a question: all the kids no doubt watching this, would they even recognize old-school B&W sitcom tropes? Or will it go right over their heads like, I dunno, a record scratch sound effect?

Depends on how much MeTV their folks watch, I guess.

50s sitcom absolutely nailed, especially the canned effects.

It's hard not to see everything as clues but the toaster had a red LED showing in a black and white film and Mrs aldo said she thought the beeping was like a heart monitor going to flatline (plus the people in the as look worried).

Going to throw a theory out there:

There is no big conspiracy. This is Wanda's reality altering powers filtering her grief after Vision is killed by Thanos. She's in a secure holding facility so she doesn't destroy the world. At the end she'll have come to terms with it and be ready to rejoin the Avengers.

^^^ My guess as well. I'm enjoying it so far.