Marvel Cinematic Universe

[Galway Eagle]

Hmmm...This is a curious statement, I would put the Netflix adaptations of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage up against Arrow and the Flash any day... The Iron Fist though on Netflix was gutter trash

You forgot about agents of the shield. Personally I like daredevil but didn't care for the other MCTVU shows. Arrow was fantastic till recently and the flash is the perfect combo of funny and action. Can't speak for super girl or that show with the group that travels through time though. 

[reinko]

You forgot about agents of the shield. Personally I like daredevil but didn't care for the other MCTVU shows. Arrow was fantastic till recently and the flash is the perfect combo of funny and action. Can't speak for super girl or that show with the group that travels through time though.

Eh, personal tastes I guess, Flash just seems kinda cheap, and I agree Arrow is solid.  I'm still a few seasons behind on Agents...

Curious to see how the Defenders will be this summer, fingers crossed Danny Rand will not be featured much.

[mu03eng]

You forgot about agents of the shield. Personally I like daredevil but didn't care for the other MCTVU shows. Arrow was fantastic till recently and the flash is the perfect combo of funny and action. Can't speak for super girl or that show with the group that travels through time though.

I was wavering on Agents until this last season and I really think they hit their stride creatively and from a story arc perspective. Best season they've had by far and not just because I'm a huge Mallory Jansen fan.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I was wavering on Agents until this last season and I really think they hit their stride creatively and from a story arc perspective. Best season they've had by far and not just because I'm a huge Mallory Jansen fan.

The family stopped watching Agents in Jan 2016.  My kids said it jumped the shark in teenage speak and that it wasn't the same entertaining show anymore.   

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

The family stopped watching Agents in Jan 2016.  My kids said it jumped the shark in teenage speak and that it wasn't the same entertaining show anymore.

Jumped the shark is teenage speak?  Are your kids 50 years old?  Because jumped the shark is a reference to Happy Days, when the Fonz literally jumped a shark on water skis, iirc.  The show went downhill after that, thus the phrase "jumped the shark."

[mu03eng]

Jumped the shark is teenage speak?  Are your kids 50 years old?  Because jumped the shark is a reference to Happy Days, when the Fonz literally jumped a shark on water skis, iirc.  The show went downhill after that, thus the phrase "jumped the shark."

I'm assuming Nutmeg was saying that his kids used the teenage speak equivalent of Jumping the Shark, not the actual phrase itself.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Jumped the shark is teenage speak?  Are your kids 50 years old?  Because jumped the shark is a reference to Happy Days, when the Fonz literally jumped a shark on water skis, iirc.  The show went downhill after that, thus the phrase "jumped the shark."

I'm well aware of that hence my use of the prepositional phrase "in teenage speak."  I translated their lengthy explanation into something recognizable to readers on Scoop.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

I'm well aware of that hence my use of the prepositional phrase "in teenage speak."  I translated their lengthy explanation into something recognizable to readers on Scoop.

Ok, that makes more sense.

[brewcity77]

You forgot about agents of the shield. Personally I like daredevil but didn't care for the other MCTVU shows. Arrow was fantastic till recently and the flash is the perfect combo of funny and action. Can't speak for super girl or that show with the group that travels through time though.

Agents of SHIELD knocked it out of the park this year. It's steadily improved since a rocky first season start. As Flash has rehashed the speedster villain storyline and Arrow has struggled for a compelling villain that actually builds on the first seasons with Malcolm Merlin and Deathstroke, MAOS has showed steady improvement and this past season was unquestionably the best superhero show on network television.

Sadly, Legends of Tomorrow has become the best DC show. Until Flash and Arrow actually progress their characters and stories, they've lost the magic they once had. Between MAOS and the Netflix shows, Marvel is winning on that front now too. That admittedly wasn't the case a year ago.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Not sure that it counts as part of the DC TV universe,  but Gotham is my favorite superhero show on TV right now and it's not close

[brewcity77]

Not sure that it counts as part of the DC TV universe,  but Gotham is my favorite superhero show on TV right now and it's not close

Like MAOS, it had a rocky start, but developed into a good show. Not necessarily a remotely accurate translation, but an entertaining show with a great cast.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Like MAOS, it had a rocky start, but developed into a good show. Not necessarily a remotely accurate translation, but an entertaining show with a great cast.

There were some clumsy moments in the first season for sure, but I was hooked pretty much immediately. Their takes on the Penguin, the Riddler, and the Joker are some of my favorites that I have seen done. Fantastic casting for the villains. I like their take on Alfred as well. Not at all accurate to the comics, not even close, but entertaining as hell.

[brewcity77]

There were some clumsy moments in the first season for sure, but I was hooked pretty much immediately. Their takes on the Penguin, the Riddler, and the Joker are some of my favorites that I have seen done. Fantastic casting for the villains. I like their take on Alfred as well. Not at all accurate to the comics, not even close, but entertaining as hell.

I think what Gotham has figured out, and MAOS has started to figure out, is what those in the MCU figured out early on. This is not about making superhero programming. It's about making quality programming thatfeatures superheroes. Captain America was a WWII movie. Winter Soldier was a spy movie. Guardians of the Galaxy was a space opera. Ant-Man was a heist flick. Spider-Man: Homecoming is a teen, coming of age movie. Thor: Ragnarok is said to be like a buddy cop movie. On the Netflix side, Daredevil and Jessica Jones both are different types of detective shows (mainly because of the disparate leads) while Luke Cage was an homage to 1980s-1990s black culture. What connects them is they all have superheroes in them, but at their core, the super-abilities are just a part of what make the characters interesting.

When the MCU is at its best, it is simply putting Marvel characters into already popular genres rather than defining a genre of their own. And at its worst, they are pretty much just making straight-line superhero movies (Iron Man 3, Thor 2) without any real traditional tropes. I think that's also why Iron Fist wasn't as popular, because they really didn't know how to approach him (they tried for a Kung Fu type angle, but Danny was a bit too much "man out of time"). That's the same thing DC does virtually every time out. I haven't seen WW yet, but Superman, BvS, and Suicide Squad were all just "cram heroes in and say action" type movies, which is a large part of why they were bad.

I generally watch just about anything comic-related that is put out, which is often bad because I can be a harsh critic. In Gotham's first season, I remember complaining on a weekly basis to my wife (who doesn't watch) about how poor a translation the show was. After saying the same thing maybe a half-dozen times, near the end of the first season, she asked me why I was still watching it. I realized at that point it was because despite being a poor translation, it was a good television show. It didn't need accuracy or superpowers, it was a detective show focused on Jim Gordon with interesting and familiar supporting characters.

MAOS has figured that out and while there's superhero connections, the show has more the feel of an ensemble action show, along the lines of Buffy or Angel. I sincerely hope when we see Cloak & Dagger and Runaways really embrace the teen angst, and hope Punisher is more than just "give Frank a gun and point him at Kingpin".

[brewcity77]

Doctor Strange already on Netflix. That deal with Disney and the MCU already paying off.

[Benny B]

So here's the multi-million dollar question: With the impending Disney/Fox deal, all Marvel film properties (save Spiderman) are going to be under the same umbrella... given the chasm that currently exists to keep the X-Men and MCU properties separate will Feige & Co. attempt to fold the X-Men into the MCU?  The mechanics of doing so would surely be messy, but with alternate timelines, multiverses, etc. being the norm these days, there's probably a way.



On the topic of sci-fi pipe dreams, what I would like to see, is Magneto and Xavier take on Vader and Kylo Ren.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Like how to deal with Quicksilver who is supposed to be the son of Magneto and he corectly appears in X-Men and incorrectly in Age of Ultron?

[brewcity77]

Infinity War blew the doors off any and all expectations. It was by far, by far the best comic book movie ever made. Every second was perfect. At no point did I feel let down. I'd say it was also probably the best action movie ever made.

It was amazing how they seamlessly wove so many plots and characters together. It maintained a serious tone while mixing in trademark Marvel humor. It had moments of high excitement, Easter eggs for diehard fans, and surprises I never imagined. It was sheer perfection. I can't wait to see it again next Wednesday, and honestly, I might not wait that long.

[Galway Eagle]

Infinity War blew the doors off any and all expectations. It was by far, by far the best comic book movie ever made. Every second was perfect. At no point did I feel let down. I'd say it was also probably the best action movie ever made.

It was amazing how they seamlessly wove so many plots and characters together. It maintained a serious tone while mixing in trademark Marvel humor. It had moments of high excitement, Easter eggs for diehard fans, and surprises I never imagined. It was sheer perfection. I can't wait to see it again next Wednesday, and honestly, I might not wait that long.

I feel like it was written by game of thrones writers.

[#UnleashSean]

Am I the only one who recognizes that Jim Gordon and wojo must be brothers?

[UWW2MU]

I'm going to see this on Sunday.   Rehashing with co-workers some of the better and worse moments in the films.  It's surprising how many varying types of people these movies attract.  They're clearly not drawing just the stereotypical comic book fan or action movie junkie.  Even my parents in their 70's are enjoying them.

Discussion today lead to this ranking.   Anyone have an opinion on the list below?

1 Guardians of the Galaxy
2 Thor: Ragnarok
3 Iron Man
4 Black Panther
5 Dr. Strange
6 The Avengers
7 Thor
8 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
9 Captain America: Civil War
10 Captain America
11 Guardians of the Galaxy 2
12 Spiderman: Homecoming
13 The Avengers: Age of Ultron
14 Iron Man 2
15 Thor: The Dark World
16 Ant Man
17 Iron Man 3
18 Incredible Hulk

[brewcity77]

1 Guardians of the Galaxy
2 Thor: Ragnarok
3 Iron Man
4 Black Panther
5 Dr. Strange
6 The Avengers
7 Thor
8 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
9 Captain America: Civil War
10 Captain America
11 Guardians of the Galaxy 2
12 Spiderman: Homecoming
13 The Avengers: Age of Ultron
14 Iron Man 2
15 Thor: The Dark World
16 Ant Man
17 Iron Man 3
18 Incredible Hulk

Here's my list post-Infinity War:

1) The Avengers: Infinity War
2) Guardians of the Galaxy
3) Black Panther
4) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
5) The Avengers
6) Iron Man
7) Captain America: Civil War
8) Ant-Man
9) Captain America: The First Avenger
10) Spider-Man: Homecoming
11) Thor: Ragnarok
12) Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
13) Doctor Strange
14) The Avengers: Age of Ultron
15) Thor
16) Iron Man 2
17) Thor: The Dark World
18) The Incredible Hulk
19) Iron Man 3

I know I have Ragnarok a bit lower than some, and while I enjoyed it, I didn't have it quite as high as some others. I do need to rewatch that (it's the only one I didn't get back to pre-Infinity War) so maybe I will move it up. I love the Cap movies and feel that as a series it's the best there is in the MCU, though both GotG and Black Panther can give it a run. The first Iron Man I loved, the second and third, especially the butchering of Mandarin, rate quite a bit lower. I would say I really enjoyed the top-15 on my list, then it takes a sharp decline.

On your list, I guess the biggest surprises for me are seeing Doc Strange top-5 and seeing Ant-Man so low. I enjoyed Strange, but didn't feel it was top-tier Marvel, while I thought Ant-Man was incredibly charming, well-written, well-acted, and just fun. They really did the quirkiness of it well. By and large, I think the later IM movies, Hulk (largely because it ended up recast and from a continuity perspective is just kind of there), and Dark World are definitely the bottom tier.

[mu_hilltopper]

(SEMI-SPOILER BELOW.)

Just got back from IWar.  I took my family and a couple of my son's 11 year old friends.  They've seen some of the Marvel movies, mostly on TV and not in a theater, so it was kind of a big deal for them.

IWar .. wow.    I realize people are putting this up as the best ever, and will hate the following opinion .. but .. the ending .. sucked the life out of the party something fierce.  I felt bad for my son and his friends .. they didn't go home all fired up and excited, they were .. demoralized.

I get it, though, IWar Part 2, they'll time travel and reverse the bad stuff.  So we got that going for us?

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

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My only complaint about Infinity War is how worthless Vision was. He didn't do squat.

[mu_hilltopper]

Aaand the Hulk.  I figured there'd be a reveal at some point on wtf was going on there.

[brewcity77]

I think the most important thing about the film is to understand that Thanos is the main character. Yes, it also features Steve Rogers and Black Panther and Doctor Strange and Starlord and all the other MCU favorites, but they are the supporting cast. Josh Brolin's Thanos is the lead.