Marvel Cinematic Universe Part II

[mace11]

Kevin Feige Divulges What Marvel's Phase 4 Was All About

As the fifth phase of the MCU opens up with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, studio president Kevin Feige told all about the just-finished Phase 4.
Phase 4 saw a lot of new characters introduced to the MCU, from Kate Bishop to Kamala Khan, and it also saw saga-defining new chapters from returning heroes like in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Further, Phase 4 allowed the MCU to discover new storytelling mediums, from Disney+ shows like WandaVision to specials like Werewolf by Night. All in all, Phase 4 saw great change and progress in the MCU.

Feige echoed these statements in a recent interview.

What Was the Purpose of Marvel's Phase 4?
In an interview during the Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania red carpet event, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige opened up about what he felt the MCU's Phase 4 "was all about."
He explained that "experimentation, introduction, [and] reintroduction" defined Phase 4 for him, having "play[ed] in genres [Marvel Studios] hadn't play[ed] in before:"

Interviewer: You've said that Phase 4 was very much about introductions. We met a lot of new characters. We've got a lot of new heroes, we've got America Chavez, we've got Shang-Chi, we've got so many people coming in. But now, [Phase 5] is about connecting everybody, right?

Feige: Absolutely. We wanted the Infinity Saga to feel complete after 'Endgame' and 'Far From Home.' But Phase 4, as I've said, was all about experimentation, introduction, reintroduction. And we took our time to have fun, and play in genres we hadn't play in before, and do all sorts of fun things with these characters.

He then looked forward, explaining that Phase 5 will "continue that" while also "heading towards the very, very big picture:"
"Kicking off Phase 5, we'll continue that. Like in the Infinity Saga, there will be standalone films within the next two phases. But it really is, as you will certainly see in 'Quantumania,' heading towards the very, very big picture. And as we've already announced, that big picture is the Multiverse Saga in a very, very big way."

What's Next for Phase 5?
As Phase 5 approaches, fans can get excited about the "big picture [that] is the Multiverse Saga." After the "experimenting" and "introducing" in Phase 4, it is becoming time to see what the hard work was building up to.

Perhaps Phase 5 films will use some of the new genres Feige alluded to in fun new ways, like Werewolf by Night's horror tone, or She-Hulk: Attorney at Law's legal comedy style.
Further, Phase 5 will seemingly emphasize a shift in focus away from the universal and toward the multiversal — a shift in scale certainly (and aptly) going to be explored in the upcoming Quantumania.

Phase 5 begins with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, releasing in theaters on Feb. 17.

https://thedirect.com/article/kevin-...marvel-phase-4




MCU Writer Confirms How the Multiverse & Quantum Realm Are Connected
https://thedirect.com/article/mcu-mu...ealm-connected

[Maestro 216]

What they did with Namor would be like the took Storm...Kept the name, powers and personality....but made her a blonde, blue-eyed, white woman from Norway who worshiped Norse deities and believed her powers were a gift from Thor. And instead of saying "Goddess" she would invoke Thor's name.

So you want them to straight up make Namor Aquaman.

[phonogram12]

using this logic Minstrels are the correct way to portray black people because they are all characters who have been portrayed for decades in a specific way

Exactly this. The fact that some people can't separate fiction from real life astonishes me.

[Reviresco]

They are all characters who have been portrayed for decades in a specific way. Atlanteans (with few exceptions) are blue. Namor and Namora are portrayed as caucasian because they are the children of an Atlantean/surface dweller unions that involved caucasians from the surface. To have changed them as drastically as you suggested would have been just as bad as what was done with the Deviants in The Eternals movie.

You're complaining about how a barely used race, characterized by complete lack of consistency in appearance, was portrayed in the MCU?

Except the Atlanteans weren't always portrayed as blue. Originally, Namor's mother was colored with white skin and his grandfather looked more alien with huge solid color eyes and more fish like. Then sometimes she would be blue. For about two decades the skin color and the physical look of the Atlanteans wasn't consistent, even under Everett's pen. For a few years, Namor's hair was red, not jet black. Things change in the comics, and movies are adaptations, not direct copies, of comics.

And no. Namor is no more white than Spock is. I have yet to meet any white person who has pointed ears and eyebrows. They are both biracial, and both have one parent that is a fictional alien race. They are products of their time, when aliens had to represent minorities, because too many white people couldn't handle the idea of other races being equal. There are tons of people who are biracial who can or have passed as white, but that doesn't mean they are white -- and believe me, they are told that repeatedly.

In the movie he is NOT half air breather and half water breather...he shares some origin details with Blade actually. His air breather mother was pregnant with him when she went thru the transformation to water breather and Namor was born able to do both. In the comics he is biracial as half air breather and half water breather...but his father was caucasian and Namor had the appearance of a caucasian.

His father is a dead air breather. Before he was born, his mother was changed into a water breather. Unlike Blade, Namor's abilities appear to come from being a mutant, not the vibranium plant. Again, in the comics, being biracial is an essential characterization of Namor, not being fully of either world. And the MCU kept that. While it didn't make it into the movie, they even made Namor's dead father Purépecha, because Tenoch Huerta pointed out that he doesn't look Mayan.

It is not a false equivalency at all...All I did was take the 2 things they changed about Namor...his skin color and culture...and applied them to Storm. I kept everything else the same.

Consider it like the Danny DeVito rule...if you replace an actor with Danny DeVito and the character ia a psycho then he was always a psycho. So if you alter Storm in the same way you are altering another character and it is wrong then it was wrong to do it to the other character.

Isn't Danny DeVito a white man?

You continue to ignore the biggest elephant in the room, race inequity. It's wrong, for the all the reasons others have stated, and because you want to take away one of the few black characters in the MU, and replace her with yet another white character, as if that isn't the default race for most of the superheroes in the MU.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I just see the MCU as another universe than the 616. So this Namor happens to Hispanic looking same way that Nick Fury looks like Sam Jackson.

[mace11]

You continue to ignore the biggest elephant in the room, race inequity. It's wrong, for the all the reasons others have stated, and because you want to take away one of the few black characters in the MU,

Well the MU has many black characters but a certain amount are shown at a time just like white characters.

I just see the MCU as another universe than the 616. So this Namor happens to Hispanic looking same way that Nick Fury looks like Sam Jackson.

The ultimate nick fury in comics is black and he came out before the mcu and the original white nick fury has a bi-racial black son who is called nick fury.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Well the MU has many black characters but a certain amount are shown at a time just like white characters.



The ultimate nick fury in comics is black and he came out before the mcu and the original white nick fury has a bi-racial black son who is called nick fury.

I know, its an example. Marcus aka Nick Fury Jr was created after Jackson was cast in Iron Man.

This universe is its own thing rather than the 616 or 1610 on screen.

[Reviresco]

I just see the MCU as another universe than the 616. So this Namor happens to Hispanic looking same way that Nick Fury looks like Sam Jackson.

This! The MCU is an adaptation. It doesn't have to be exactly like the 616, and hasn't been from the very beginning. Indigenous MCU Namor captures far more of MU Namor than expected, and I'm good with it for the MCU.

[Chris0013]

So you want them to straight up make Namor Aquaman.

I want them to make Namor Namor.

using this logic Minstrels are the correct way to portray black people because they are all characters who have been portrayed for decades in a specific way

Exactly this. The fact that some people can't separate fiction from real life astonishes me.

Using this logic it doesn't natter how Storm has been protrayed since her introduction. They can make the same sort of changes that they made to Namor, Taskmaster or Wonder Man in the upcoming series.

You're complaining about how a barely used race, characterized by complete lack of consistency in appearance, was portrayed in the MCU?

Except the Atlanteans weren't always portrayed as blue. Originally, Namor's mother was colored with white skin and his grandfather looked more alien with huge solid color eyes and more fish like. Then sometimes she would be blue. For about two decades the skin color and the physical look of the Atlanteans wasn't consistent, even under Everett's pen. For a few years, Namor's hair was red, not jet black. Things change in the comics, and movies are adaptations, not direct copies, of comics.

And no. Namor is no more white than Spock is. I have yet to meet any white person who has pointed ears and eyebrows. They are both biracial, and both have one parent that is a fictional alien race. They are products of their time, when aliens had to represent minorities, because too many white people couldn't handle the idea of other races being equal. There are tons of people who are biracial who can or have passed as white, but that doesn't mean they are white -- and believe me, they are told that repeatedly.


His father is a dead air breather. Before he was born, his mother was changed into a water breather. Unlike Blade, Namor's abilities appear to come from being a mutant, not the vibranium plant. Again, in the comics, being biracial is an essential characterization of Namor, not being fully of either world. And the MCU kept that. While it didn't make it into the movie, they even made Namor's dead father Purépecha, because Tenoch Huerta pointed out that he doesn't look Mayan.


Isn't Danny DeVito a white man?

You continue to ignore the biggest elephant in the room, race inequity. It's wrong, for the all the reasons others have stated, and because you want to take away one of the few black characters in the MU, and replace her with yet another white character, as if that isn't the default race for most of the superheroes in the MU.

It is more than just Namor...as I said above...if it is acceptable to make Taskmaster a woman and completely change his background or make Wonder Man black in the upcoming series, or alter Namor as much as they did then shouldn't the came thing be done with Storm.

And I am not advocating for Storm to be white in the MCU...simply that if it is acceptable for straight, white males (Taskmaster, Namor, Wonder Man, etc...) to be so radially altered why would people get angry for doing the same thing to a tradisionally diverse character?

Marvel has a lot of POC, female, LGBTQ characters...why not just use them? They could have used another character besides Taskmaster for the bad guy/girl in Black Widow. They could have not done Wonder Man but do a Blue Marvel series. Instead of the race swap on Namor they could have done any number of their hispanic characters like White Tiger or Living Lighting in a different property.

This! The MCU is an adaptation. It doesn't have to be exactly like the 616, and hasn't been from the very beginning. Indigenous MCU Namor captures far more of MU Namor than expected, and I'm good with it for the MCU.

Since it is an adaption then it doesn't have to be like the comics and they could white wash any of their diverse characters.

Again...I am not advocating for it...just wanting to know why so many people have a double standard.

Straight, white male = unimportant traits that can be changed at any time in the MCU
All other = HOW DARE YOU EVEN SUGGEST THAT!!!!

[Reviresco]

I want them to make Namor Namor.

That was my whole point. They made MCU Namor alot like Namor -- excepting his skin color, which seems to be his most important characteristic for you.

It is more than just Namor...as I said above...if it is acceptable to make Taskmaster a woman and completely change his background or make Wonder Man black in the upcoming series, or alter Namor as much as they did then shouldn't the came thing be done with Storm.

And I am not advocating for Storm to be white in the MCU...simply that if it is acceptable for straight, white males (Taskmaster, Namor, Wonder Man, etc...) to be so radially altered why would people get angry for doing the same thing to a tradisionally diverse character?

I already answered this:

You continue to ignore the biggest elephant in the room, race inequity. It's wrong, for the all the reasons others have stated, and because you want to take away one of the few black characters in the MU, and replace her with yet another white character, as if that isn't the default race for most of the superheroes in the MU.

Marvel has a lot of POC, female, LGBTQ characters...why not just use them? They could have used another character besides Taskmaster for the bad guy/girl in Black Widow. They could have not done Wonder Man but do a Blue Marvel series. Instead of the race swap on Namor they could have done any number of their hispanic characters like White Tiger or Living Lighting in a different property.

Again. They didn't race swap Namor. He's not white and has never been white. Atlanteans are NOT real, so there were no Atlantean actors swapped out for another race.

So, White Tiger and Living Lightning are Marvel's first character, with over 80+ years of publications? So White Tiger and Living Lighting have had carried their own books repeatedly with millions of copies sold? So, White Tiger and Living Lightning are seminal characters in comics that have inspired copies? So White Tiger and Living Lightning have connections to most of the characters in the MU and have been Avengers, X-Men, Defenders, FF, Invaders, etc.? So White Tiger and Living Lightning are rulers of their own country and have faced off with Wakanda numerous times?

Cause the writers wanted to use Namor, who has connections to Black Panther, not some random Hispanic character. You are going to have make up your mind. Do you want the movies to accurate to their original comics? Or accurate to your specific retcon of the comics? Or accurate to the storylines?

And MCU Namor isn't Hispanic representation exactly, in fact, other than to explain his name, he never speaks Spanish. Namor represented the fight against Mesoamerica becoming Hispanic, becoming colonized, becoming exploited by the West -- just like Comics Namor fights against the West / surface world exploiting his domains.

Since it is an adaption then it doesn't have to be like the comics and they could white wash any of their diverse characters.

Again...I am not advocating for it...just wanting to know why so many people have a double standard.

Straight, white male = unimportant traits that can be changed at any time in the MCU
All other = HOW DARE YOU EVEN SUGGEST THAT!!!!

I've already answered this.

You continue to ignore the biggest elephant in the room, race inequity. It's wrong, for the all the reasons others have stated, and because you want to take away one of the few black characters in the MU, and replace her with yet another white character, as if that isn't the default race for most of the superheroes in the MU.

It's not a double standard, it's what is fair. It redresses a racial inequality. It's like the story of the rich guy that had all the sheep in town, but wasn't happy until he stole the one sheep of the poor guy. If most all the old, established popular MU characters are white, why the heck do they need to take one of very, very few established popular black characters and make her white???

I'm repeating myself, so clearly you aren't listening. Unless you have something new to say or ask, I think I've said all I'm going to say on this subject.

[davetvs]

When you feel entitled to overwhelming privilege, equity feels like oppression.

[phonogram12]

Using this logic it doesn't natter how Storm has been protrayed since her introduction. They can make the same sort of changes that they made to Namor, Taskmaster or Wonder Man in the upcoming series.

Repeat after me: Africans = real. Atlanteans = fictional. If you can't see the difference, that says more about you than what it is you're criticizing.

[inisideguy]

Its absolute lunacy to me that anyone would be mad cause Namor had his race changed in the MCU or that Wonder Man is going to be African American. Its so freaking bizarre people go nuts over this stuff.

[mace11]

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Makes Third Place Start in China Cinemas

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the first Marvel franchise movie to be released in mainland China for three years, made a quiet start in Chinese cinemas.
The film debuted Tuesday and grossed $3.47 million according to ticketing agency Maoyan. That represented a 17% market share and a third place slot behind Chinese-produced box office leaders “The Wandering Earth II” and historical action drama “Full River Red.”

Based on social media activity, ticket buying and pre-sales for the next days, Maoyan has released a forecast that the film will enjoy a lifetime gross of RMB118 million ($17.3 million) in China. Forecasts are liable to significant change over the first few days of a film’s career and can be changed upwards or downwards.


The predicted career looks anemic compared with the score achieved by the first “Black Panther” movie which released in China in March 2018 and earned $105 million. But given the two-month gap since the film was released in the rest of the worlds, a short period for the film’s marketing in China and an unusual Tuesday release, the number is probably considered satisfactory.

“Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” will open later this month.

They are the first Marvel Studios films to release in mainland China since “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” Titles such as “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” and “Thor: Love and Thunder” have not been released.

Chinese authorities did not explain the Marvel ban officially and it became conflated with COVID restrictions and the ongoing cold war with the U.S. which anyway slowed the volume of Hollywood and U.S. independent films imported.

While Disney, because of its huge theme parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong, is generally seen as warm to China, commentators were able to impute several political red lines which may have been crossed by Marvel films.

These include an allegedly racist depiction of a Chinese character in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” past interviews that were critical of China by “Eternals” director Chloe Zhao, and the position on Tibet taken by “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” star Benedict Cumberbatch.

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/b...na-1235515335/

[Reviresco]

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Makes Third Place Start in China Cinemas



https://variety.com/2023/film/news/b...na-1235515335/

Thanks for the link to that news. Though that seems like a low estimate of the entire China run, if they made 3+ million on opening day during the week. I would think it would do as much on each day of the weekend, which would put it at 12 million for just one week. Surely it will run more than a week? Of course, Ant-Man is coming.