Blue Marvel Appreciation 2020

[XPac]

Demands of physicality from the actor.....just look at SLJ in Captn Marvel which is the reverse where older SLJ is playing a much younger Nick Fury but I will notice that he looked like a cripple in scenes that required running or a short tussle......and yet this guy is supposed to be the pleading super spy agent on the planet.

Yes....there are stuntmen but only for the extensive and exhausting stunts but we need to have some close ups that show the actor looking like he is in the action which requires the actor to do some of the action .....this is where an older action would look terrible.

A superman type character doesn't need much in the way if stunt work. Its be 90% cgi regardless of who they cast.

[JudicatorPrime]

The idea that he has to be “young” is honestly kinda ageist.

Marvel is ageist when it comes to its franchise characters. Take away Reed and Stephen, and most of Marvel's top dogs all have a youthful appearance. It's only recently that Thor gained a beard. For much of his career he was the smooth, baby-faced god. Only relatively recently did we get an Old Man Logan. But go back to his earlier appearances. The man may not be as old as dirt, but I'm betting Logan played a hand in inventing the first sandbox. But he doesn't look old. I've already mentioned Namor. Where are his grey streaks at the temples?

I'm not saying that looking old is the primary reason for the popularity of the aforementioned characters. But it does factor into it.

If it doesn't bother you that Adam looks old, than it shouldn't bother you if they apply the same standard to Adam and give him a more youthful appearance. If he had originally been depicted that way, would any of you complain that he should look much older? I doubt it. But I guess we'll never know.

[PCN24454]

Marvel is ageist when it comes to its franchise characters. Take away Reed and Stephen, and most of Marvel's top dogs all have a youthful appearance. It's only recently that Thor gained a beard. For much of his career he was the smooth, baby-faced god. Only relatively recently did we get an Old Man Logan. But go back to his earlier appearances. The man may not be as old as dirt, but I'm betting Logan played a hand in inventing the first sandbox. But he doesn't look old. I've already mentioned Namor. Where are his grey streaks at the temples?

I'm not saying that looking old is the primary reason for the popularity of the aforementioned characters. But it does factor into it.

If it doesn't bother you that Adam looks old, than it shouldn't bother you if they apply the same standard to Adam and give him a more youthful appearance. If he had originally been depicted that way, would any of you complain that he should look much older? I doubt it. But I guess we'll never know.

I honestly hope for that! I absolutely hate floating timelines and wish that they would just disappear. I feel like that would reinsert meaning back into comic book continuity.

[JudicatorPrime]

Demands of physicality from the actor.....just look at SLJ in Captn Marvel which is the reverse where older SLJ is playing a much younger Nick Fury but I will notice that he looked like a cripple in scenes that required running or a short tussle......and yet this guy is supposed to be the pleading super spy agent on the planet.

Yes....there are stuntmen but only for the extensive and exhausting stunts but we need to have some close ups that show the actor looking like he is in the action which requires the actor to do some of the action .....this is where an older action would look terrible.

There are tricks to the trade with cinema, not just with CGI, but with camera angles and such, that in some ways could make using an older actor quite believable.

But no one is running to watch an Old Superman movie, even with so much incredible material out there featuring Earth 2 Superman. The only way that an Adam movie works is if Marvel makes a concerted effort now to depict him as a certified badass. Clint Eastwood is 500 years old, but people still flock to see his movies. Why? Because they don't see his age, they see his legend and they know his penchant (in movies) for kicking ass and getting sh** done. SLJ has that same effect. Adam? Not so much. And the path that Ewing and others currently have him on tells me that he'll never get there.

[JudicatorPrime]

I honestly hope for that! I absolutely hate floating timelines and wish that they would just disappear. I feel like that would reinsert meaning back into comic book continuity.

I'm not a fan of floating timelines, either. I'm even less of a fan of the gimmick -- which is what it has become -- of everyone either being immortal, or long-lived, or cloned, or somehow rebirthed into youthful form and vigor...all in an effort to preserve their character's relevance and appeal. But again, we know why comics publishers do it. Want to lose sales? Permanently roll out a cast of old folks as the feature of your stories and try not to have a heart attack when you see the final sales numbers.

The market is ageist. Society is ageist. So, too, is Nature. I'm a middle-aged man and I've seen it happen in real time. One minute they're catering to your generation's trends and culture, and then a switch is flipped and you're old news, even though you and your generation own the majority of the disposable income and wealth in the market. But there are less and less of us and the numbers are only decreasing. I get it. I find it hilarious, actually.

After seeing Marvel de-age Monica in Captain Marvel, I don't doubt for an instant that if a Blue Marvel movie was ever made, he'd be an old man. Because Hollywood cares more about embracing the general public. Sadly, while they may rail against the woman calling the cops on a Black twitcher, they also know that most of the viewing public is less put off by an older Black man, than a young one -- unless we're talking about sports, or the music industry. It is what it is.

[ed2962]

I think it just depends on how it's done. People not only accept guys in their 50's like Reeves, Cruise, and Will Smith as credible action heroes, but we've had middle-aged superheroes like Logan and Ben Affleck's Batman. A middle aged superhero shouldn't inherently be a problem.

Thing is, you've got to have good writing and portray Adam as a mature man yet still an engaging character. You can't have him doing post-adolescent cockiness or teenaged angst. He's lived. He's raised kids. He's had triumphs and defeats. All the things that the other MCU heroes are doing he's done, so that's where his story starts.

[Cosmic Emerald 23]

I think the old vs young thing is different depending on the context/setting.
Currently, the MCU leans more toward the younger demographic than anything right now. While it does bother me that they substitute substance for cheap juvenile humor/behavior from some of its characters at times, it is a proven selling point to get the most people into theatre seats. Both Steve Rogers and Carol Danvers are supposed to be some of the older characters but they still look youthful to appeal to the younger demos. Heck, they only started letting Tony show his age near the end of his run. A character like Adam would HEAVILY deviate from the established winning strategy of the MCU which is to provide youthful (at least in behavior and appearance) heroes for the general audience, and more importantly, to get the future gen (kids) into it as well to keep the legacy going.

It's a different story in the comics, which is the exact opposite. You can have aged/seasoned characters that look and act the part too. People love the Kingdom Come storyline with old, weary, Superman and whatnot (albeit it's an elseworlds story but you get the point). It's usually the older demos that are consistently reading the comics, so there's not as heavy a demand to keep things so youthful.

[The Cool Thatguy]

It's a different story in the comics, which is the exact opposite. You can have aged/seasoned characters that look and act the part too. People love the Kingdom Come storyline with old, weary, Superman and whatnot (albeit it's an elseworlds story but you get the point). It's usually the older demos that are consistently reading the comics, so there's not as heavy a demand to keep things so youthful.

I don't think you give comic fans enough credit. I liked the JSA as a teenager

Character matters. That's what brings in the fans, at the end of the day

[JudicatorPrime]

I don't think you give comic fans enough credit. I liked the JSA as a teenager

Character matters. That's what brings in the fans, at the end of the day

It begs the question, where is Marvel going wrong with Adam? He doesn't have nearly the number of fans that he should. Granted here at CBR our discussions have kept this appreciation thread pretty active these past few years, but I don't get a sense that there is this groundswell of readers pushing Marvel to churn out Blue Marvel stories. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but it looks like the Dr. Doom series is the last thing he'll be in this year. I was really hoping for a one shot, if not a miniseries to drop. I get Covid interrupted the company's plans, but I don't recall any mention of anything for BM at all, pre-Covid. A shame, really.

[XPac]

Maybe Milestone will motivate marvel to give Adam more of a push. Try and steal a bit of their thunder.

[The Cool Thatguy]

It begs the question, where is Marvel going wrong with Adam? He doesn't have nearly the number of fans that he should. Granted here at CBR our discussions have kept this appreciation thread pretty active these past few years, but I don't get a sense that there is this groundswell of readers pushing Marvel to churn out Blue Marvel stories. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but it looks like the Dr. Doom series is the last thing he'll be in this year. I was really hoping for a one shot, if not a miniseries to drop. I get Covid interrupted the company's plans, but I don't recall any mention of anything for BM at all, pre-Covid. A shame, really.

Honestly?

I think writers have neglected basic character diversity for some time now. As a kid, I loved how the older JSA interacted with the young members. When Suicide Squad started out, it was heroes and villains, now its just villains.

Comics, more than any other medium, need characters who DON'T fit to show those who do. Ultimates wasn't a bad comic, for example, but take logical narrative too far and the amount of drama suffers.

[XPac]

Honestly?

I think writers have neglected basic character diversity for some time now. As a kid, I loved how the older JSA interacted with the young members. When Suicide Squad started out, it was heroes and villains, now its just villains.

Comics, more than any other medium, need characters who DON'T fit to show those who do. Ultimates wasn't a bad comic, for example, but take logical narrative too far and the amount of drama suffers.

A lot of marvel heroes are actually old ... they just don't look it. Cap, Thor, Wolverine and Black Widow are way up there. But a few heroes who don't look like they just got out of college is nice to see.

I think there's some truth to the arguement about younger looking heroes being cash cows, but at least in team settings it shouldn't matter so much.

[scilover]

Is Blue Marvel stronger than Captain Marvel?

Even though Captain Marvel was gotten stronger than her Ms. Marvel, Blue Marvel easily kicked Captain Marvel's ass when she was fighting with Ares, She-Hulk, Wonder-Man, Iron Man, and Sentry. Blue Marvel is top tier. He is on the level of Hyperion, Thor, Hulk, and Hercules in terms of strength and power.

[PCN24454]

A lot of marvel heroes are actually old ... they just don't look it. Cap, Thor, Wolverine and Black Widow are way up there. But a few heroes who don't look like they just got out of college is nice to see.

I think there's some truth to the arguement about younger looking heroes being cash cows, but at least in team settings it shouldn't matter so much.

The problem with that is that they'll always feel out of place: either feeling like they shouldn't be there or feeling like they should take over the entire team.

I definitely felt that way about Thor in Avengers PS4 who was very disconnected from the game's plot which all revolved around S.H.I.E.L.D. mythos which he had little to do with. It definitely made him feel superfluous.

[XPac]

Is Blue Marvel stronger than Captain Marvel?

Even though Captain Marvel was gotten stronger than her Ms. Marvel, Blue Marvel easily kicked Captain Marvel's ass when she was fighting with Ares, She-Hulk, Wonder-Man, Iron Man, and Sentry. Blue Marvel is top tier. He is on the level of Hyperion, Thor, Hulk, and Hercules in terms of strength and power.

I think Captain Marvel is only top tier when she in in Binary mode.

That said, I do believe her standard strength level has been slowly creeping upward. She's literally the most powerful character in the mcu, so Carol might someday equal an Adam or Thor by default. But right now she's a notch below.