Marvel Cinematic Universe Part II

[Force de Phenix]

My bad, I miscounted. I meant all five. I was thinking of couples so had left out Cassie. Wasp had lines and did plenty, in fact. She was the competent fighter.

Looked fine to me. Maybe I didn't notice, I was too busy enjoying all the weirdness.

Kang faced off with more than Ant-Man. I found this version of Kang far more scary and powerful than the one in Loki, and the story came up with a way for him to work in the movie. I'm sorry it didn't work for you, but with the story they were telling, it worked fine for me. Thanos is different, but his introduction was in an end credit, so yeah, he could have as easily been in an end credit of Ant Man and Wasp.

Are you talking about spoilers:

MODOK? He's been a joke character forever.

end of spoilers

That could apply to any number of characters. For me, the main characters, Ant Man and Wasp, resolved family issues and mysteries of the past. Yes, it did introduce Kang, and Cassie, but again, plenty of other films have done the same, and that wasn't the sole point of the film.

I get the feeling that some folks are expecting HUGE, EPIC, PERFECTION every single time. If that's the case, then yes, you'll be disappointed. Not all characters or stories in the MCU are going to be the same or deliver the same feelings. I found Quantumania entertaining, trippy, emotionally satisfying, fun, visually cool and it added to the MCU. It left me eager for more MCU movies and shows, so I had the opposite reaction.

Someone counted and she had around 20 lines. She was there to push Janet and Scott's story as opposed to actually saying anything. So she did serve a purpose.

The movie would've worked better if it were just Scott and Janet, with Hope coming in at the end or something. You could tell Disney tells them who has to be in the movie for merchandising purposes and to set up characters, but the screenwriters had difficulties juggling them in properly.

Kang's actions didn't seem believable because

spoilers:

he could've taken the Pym particle disks and done everything himself. He's powerful and smart enough to build a chair that's a time machine, and to repair it with nothing around, but wouldn't be able to just take the Ant-Man suit, or even just the Pym particles and fly up himself to do the job? And then he's taken out by ants instead of flying away. How did he create an infinite number of himself and dedicate his existence to conquering universes and lose to and out of shape hero that goes on book tours. As far as the movie went, Janet should've been the one to take him out because she had the skills and it would've closed the book on her history with Kang. She sacrificed herself by staying in the Quantum Realm just to sabotage Kang, and she probably had nightmares, but she just leaves and doesn't go back when Scott is stuck? Also, they shouldn't have killed MODOK. They kill too many of their villains that could be used elsewhere.

end of spoilers

If they cut out the fat, we could've seen Janet and Hank do this all, and it would've been the Ant-Man and the Wasp. Janet had the most interesting story and they build a lot of intrigue around her character. Plus, Michelle Pfeiffer is a great actress.

[Gnostic]

Who? And for anyone who is, it's probably for the same reason they wanted to see Andrew Garfield, but didn't want him to be the MCU's Spider-Man. More people are hyped about a reboot of everything, especially the cast, to be in line with the current MCU.

So you're saying that no one was hyped about the news about Hugh Jackman's return?

Interesting that mention Andrew Garfield being the MCU Spider-Man...because he originally was going to be the MCU Spider-Man back in the day. Kevin Feige was an executive producer on the first Amazing Spider-Man and he tried to get Oscorp Tower to appear in the first Avenger movie.

[Gnostic]

I mean, as long as they give them a sendoff instead of trying to spin a new X-Men franchise with them in the main MCU universe...

I doubt the 616 universe and multiverse is going to be around after Secret Wars.

[Drops Of Venus]

Because the OG X-Men cast and Ryan Reynold's Deadpool were popular and profitable. It's just that simple. Why wouldn't Marvel Studios want to bring them back? It makes no sense to replace them.

I'm not saying they wouldn't ever want to bring them back for anything, but yes, it would make sense to replace them for one simple reason: they aged out of those roles. It sounds harsh, but it's the truth. Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are in their 80s. They just had to recast Thaddeus Ross because the actor passed away. Live-action roles are not like the comics; they're time sensitive. Magneto and Professor X are pillars of the X-Men franchise, and it's very risky to build a new X-Men franchise around actors who might not be around to play them for the next decade or so.

I guess Hugh could stay a while longer, but even then, he's in his 50s and it shows. He can't pass as a younger Logan anymore, which means Marvel Studios would be forced to skip a lot of Wolverine history in the MCU in order to reflect the actor's age. He'd be old enough to be the father of some of the other X-Men that I'm sure they will end up recasting, and that would change the dynamic he has with some of those characters.

I'm not against them paying homage to those roles in a No Way Home sort of way, but I don't think they should stick around as THE characters for the main universe. If they do, there is a very real chance they'll get the Hank Pym/Janet van Dyne treatment, and not being allowed to be the central heroes of the franchise anymore, because they will want to prioritize actors who can commit to the roles for longer. I mean, I'm not a Wolverine fan so I don't really care if he's introduced to establish a legacy for Laura or Daken (I actually like them better as characters), but I'm sure some fans would.

[Gnostic]

I'm not saying they wouldn't ever want to bring them back for anything, but yes, it would make sense to replace them for one simple reason: they aged out of those roles. It sounds harsh, but it's the truth. Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are in their 80s. They just had to recast Thaddeus Ross because the actor passed away. Live-action roles are not like the comics; they're time sensitive. Magneto and Professor X are pillars of the X-Men franchise, and it's very risky to build a new X-Men franchise around actors who might not be around to play them for the next decade or so.

I guess Hugh could stay a while longer, but even then, he's in his 50s and it shows. He can't pass as a younger Logan anymore, which means Marvel Studios would be forced to skip a lot of Wolverine history in the MCU in order to reflect the actor's age. He'd be old enough to be the father of some of the other X-Men that I'm sure they will end up recasting, and that would change the dynamic he has with some of those characters.

I'm not against them paying homage to those roles in a No Way Home sort of way, but I don't think they should stick around as THE characters for the main universe. If they do, there is a very real chance they'll get the Hank Pym/Janet van Dyne treatment, and not being allowed to be the central heroes of the franchise anymore, because they will want to prioritize actors who can commit to the roles for longer. I mean, I'm not a Wolverine fan so I don't really care if he's introduced just to prop up Laura or Daken (I actually like them better as characters), but I'm sure some fans would.

I see where you're coming from. However, I don't think Marvel Studios wants to build the X-Men franchise around Xavier and Magneto because that's been done before. Kevin Feige has stated that didn't want to redo Spider-Man villains partly because they want to give audiences something different and has made similar comments about the X-Men.

The 616 MCU Spider-Man didn't even have Uncle Ben give him his famous speech because Marvel wanted to do something different and that is a huge departure from Spider-Man lore. So I can see them not focusing on Xavier and Magneto in the future.

Also, the new actor for Thunderbolt Ross (Harrison Ford) is also in his 80s.

EDIT: Wolverine is already enough to be the father of most of the X-Men. He is over a hundred years old.

[Maestro 216]

I see where you're coming from. However, I don't think Marvel Studios wants to build the X-Men franchise around Xavier and Magneto because that's been done before. Kevin Feige has stated that didn't want to redo Spider-Man villains partly because they want to give audiences something different and has made similar comments about the X-Men.

The 616 MCU Spider-Man didn't even have Uncle Ben give him his famous speech because Marvel wanted to do something different and that is a huge departure from Spider-Man lore. So I can see them not focusing on Xavier and Magneto in the future.

Also, the new actor for Thunderbolt Ross (Harrison Ford) is also in his 80s.

EDIT: Wolverine is already enough to be the father of most of the X-Men. He is over a hundred years old.

Magneto is their Thanos he will show up.

[Frontier]

I doubt the 616 universe and multiverse is going to be around after Secret Wars.

Probably give them the chance to reboot then!

[Ascended]

I wouldn't mind the deluge of content so much if they weren't cramming in so many characters, timelines, secret societies and fictional countries so much. I thought the first three phases did a FANTASTIC job of building stuff up and developing stories (for the most part).

They've definitely crammed a lot in, and I think they've fumbled a few things they really shouldn't have. Like, I think they utterly missed with America Chavez and she should've been a real easy character to get right. But whatever, they can always course correct like they've done in the past.

Again, I think they just panicked a little, knowing their core casts were on their way out, and rushed the next gen. Hopefully they learn the lesson, and hopefully phase 4 did most of the heavy lifting as far as introductions go, and phase 5 will focus on doing stuff with who we have rather than bringing in even more heroes.

I still don't understand how a widely panned dinosaur movie did better than the MCU's movie offerings last year though (financially). That was weird.

History will remember these last few years of cinema as a wild, weird time. And I don't put a lot of stock in the "Marvel is dying!" stuff, but the MCU isn't gonna remain the dominant force in Hollywood *forever.* Eventually they'll encounter real, regular competition and won't always rule the box office. Maybe that time is now, or maybe this is just a weird stumble during a weird time.

I will say this. I am definitely looking forward to yours and MindofShadow's reviews of Ant-Man 3.

I think the family is seeing it this weekend. I'm looking forward to it.

[Morgoth]

I can't say, that Kang was bad here, Majors is incredible actor. But, maybe it's just me, but, I don't see him as the big bad of the biggest Marvel movie ever, which is supposed to be Secret Wars. I don't feel the same vibe Thanos had.
To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised, if Dynasty will play the same role Beyonders played at the beginning of Secret Wars, with Doom taking them down and becoming true big bad.

[Ravin' Ray]

The Marvels teaser poster.

[Force de Phenix]

I can't say, that Kang was bad here, Majors is incredible actor. But, maybe it's just me, but, I don't see him as the big bad of the biggest Marvel movie ever, which is supposed to be Secret Wars. I don't feel the same vibe Thanos had.
To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised, if Dynasty will play the same role Beyonders played at the beginning of Secret Wars, with Doom taking them down and becoming true big bad.

Kang could've been defeated by Squirrel Girl. The Dynasty is the only thing that could save the image of Kang to make him be an actual threat. They're either building him up or watering him down.

One of them has to be Reed's relative and another has to know Doom. They probably have all the secrets to everything. I wonder which Secret Wars it's going to be based on.

[Force de Phenix]

The Marvels teaser poster.

November 10th? They suck for changing the date. They should've pushed the Guardians or have made it a Thanksgiving special.

[Frontier]

The Marvels teaser poster.

You can barely see Monica's costume in this...but at least her symbol is in it! I guess Kamala is her own symbol.

Exposed arms Carol is...something?

[Force de Phenix]

You can barely see Monica's costume in this...but at least her symbol is in it! I guess Kamala is her own symbol.

Exposed arms Carol is...something?

[Reviresco]

Exposed arms Carol is...something?

Something ugly. I mean, why???