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

Yeah that was my favorite episode yet, dug having more for Jeffrey Wright to do.

Thought it might have been the finale but there's one more next week

Couldn't tell if it was setting up a cliffhanger or not, esp how this episode was hinted at at the very end of the Thor one.

Transitive property fan glee in the Venom 2 credits with Tom Holland shown, along with JJJ/Simmons, ergo Venom is part of the MCU..

My kid loves the idea of all the Marvel stuff but isn't really into watching anything. He always wants detailed recaps of the What If...? episodes, keeps asking to see pictures of Ultron and Whiplash and Venom, is fascinated by the idea of antiheros, and makes me read from his 5 Minute Marvel Stories book every night.

Last night he asked me if Red Skull just has a red skull, or if his whole body is like a red skeleton, and searching for 'red skull without clothes' didn't really give him a satisfactory answer.

I was a little annoyed by the end of the Thor episode until I saw this week's, at which point I went "... OHHHHHHHHHHHH okay that's rad"

^^^ yes!

Also the AV Club reviews for this are somewhat unhinged

Boy you aren't kidding, made the mistake of reading the one from this week. The reviewer realllly doesn't like the show "cheating" with the "rules".

really excited for venom 2 on the basis of venom being the best and gayest modern superhero movie

is fascinated by the idea of antiheroes

My kid too (I think via Venom) — “is Deadpool an antihero?” (sees picture of DC guy Lobo) “is he an antihero?”

AV is right about the voice acting at least - only Cumberbatch and Jones this week (well, and Renner) didn't help.

tfw you have absolutely no defense

Disney & ScarJo have settled.

― juristic person (morrisp), Friday, October 1, 2021 4:19 AM (fifteen hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Shang-Chi was so much fun you guys

Jeffrey Wright is fantastic and the last episode was a lot of fun - first instance of Kirby dots in the MCU?

There’s something pleasingly Shatneresque about Wright’s voiceover work

that's usually how he sounds! he was similarly avuncular in Source Code

So apparently this season of What If..? was supposed to be 10 episodes long but ended up 9 because Covid and the missing episode would have explained how Gamora turns up in the finale

Yeah, definitely seemed from context that would've been an entire extra episode. Also, they ended up referencing almost every other episode in S1, except maybe the "Who Killed the Avengers?" ep - though maybe the Loki from that one showed up for a second?

Liked they all picked up after the respective ends of their episodes, like Thor fighting Ultron, Killmonger about to be apprehended, etc.

Funny how this was a better adaptation of the Age of Ultron series than the movie was (which only took the title m/l)

And - bittersweet, we got way more Chadwick Boseman in this series than I was expecting.

https://gizmodo.com/report-wandavisions-kathryn-hahn-is-getting-her-own-ag-1847817612

Really enjoyed that finale and how all the storylines dovetailed together - it was easily the best of the Disney+ finales so far. I don't watch many cartoons, but it seemed like the action sequences were really well designed and edited - a lot more involving and easy-to-follow than the movie fights.

There was a kind of joyful glibness (but with stakes!) that reminded me of Buffy, but minus the smarm

Yeah, definitely seemed from context that would've been an entire extra episode.

I wouldn't have minded seeing it, but on the other hand if they had to cut one I'm not surprised that they cut "What if this character did the thing that they'd explicitly been trying to do from their first appearance?"

I like that the last coda matched the first episode, Hayley Atwell was a gift to this show - as of course was Chris Hemsworth.

The missing episode is going to be part of Season 2 now and is set on Sakaar and will play as a comedy (like the Thor one)

That finale was good, I enjoyed it and while I know some get put off by the interconnectedness of the MCU, I do like the slow build to that without detracting from enjoying them as standalone episodes.

In other news, I <3 Kathryn Hahn and Agatha, but I'm not ready to start seeing spin-offs of spin-offs now.

https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios/comments/q4xaj6/the_infinity_saga_50_hour_fanedit_final_update/

We got Warlock

As you guys know I often strike down false rumors, so… um…

Welcome to the Guardians family, Will Poulter. He’s an amazing actor and wonderful guy. See you in a couple weeks. #AdamWarlock #GotGVol3 https://t.co/RaNeGDIC0E

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 11, 2021

Tickets for Eternals also on sale

I decided yesterday that we'll have true progress when the hero of color can take down a white villain single handedly and not have to fight a blobmonster or a villain of similar color at the end of a movie

New Hawkeye trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyXUaNhqpqE

It's me, the dude who is so unbelievably hyped for this

Me too. That looks super-fun.

have nothing but indifference/contempt for the mcu but i will see the hawkguy thing

Brad, have you ever read the Fraction/Aja Hawkeye run? It is, with no exaggeration, one of my favorite comic book storylines ever and is the only thing I've ever read that has made me care about Hawkeye as a character.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN8Mh9M7lmk

It’s cool how they even use the lettering from the series (for the logo, etc.)

Also cool that Linda Cardellini is in the cast

(The “blaring Xmas music over chaos” thing still feels like a hella cliche to me, but I know it’s just a trailer)

it looks great

Brad, have you ever read the Fraction/Aja Hawkeye run? It is, with no exaggeration, one of my favorite comic book storylines ever and is the only thing I've ever read that has made me care about Hawkeye as a character.

― talkin' about his flat tire (DJP), Thursday, October 14, 2021 4:32 PM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

i have and because of it i would do literally anything for matt fraction

including watching an mcu movie clearly referencing the run he wrote

series*

sorry i keep assuming it’s a movie

Also cool that Linda Cardellini is in the cast

Same, but I’m a little worried it’s only going to be archival footage from Endgame, since it also lists Ava Russo as Clint’s daughter and, afaict, that’s pretty much the only acting she’s done. But, hey, would also love to be surprised with more screen time for Cardellini and happy she’s getting a check from this either way.

I just grabbed the collected Hawkeye volume 1 via my public library's book-readin' app. I never really cared about the character at all, and have a strong aversion to Jeremy Renner for some reason but I'm intrigued.

Two weeks ago I went over the bars on my bike and broke two ribs; I watched Black Widow last week, and my injury made me realize the ridiculousness of people falling off buildings and hitting every awning on the way down or getting hit by cars and just walking away. So I kind of love that Hawkeye ends up hospitalized on the third page.

A big fat trade of the complete Fraction run is coming out in a couple weeks, fyi y'all.

I think I might be missing one early issue? Regardless, I will buy this

My Fraction Hawkeye run (and my Saga run!) was just destroyed in a flood so I will also buy that!

(Also my 1963 run - meh)

oh man, that sucks Chuck

OL, where did you see the announcement re: the Hawkeye trade? All I am turning up is the old omnibus.

Naturally there doesn't seem to be any official announcement on Marvel's own site, but all of the online booksellers have it up for preorder. It's subtitled 'The Saga of Barton and Bishop' (and is presumably just a softcover repackaging of the omnibus).

its weird - a lot of my usual sellers don't have it, but others do. hope this doesn't mean it got delayed or something
also gonna go for the Aja direct market cover over the Ross. Ross' cover isn't bad but I generally prefer the interior artist's cover for collections