The Marvel Cinematic Universe: The Avengers, etc.

[Starfish35]

I would have preferred bringing Peggy to the present, personally.  And I think it could have been done in a way that it was  her choice, not Steve talking her into it (maybe think Gillian Taylor in Star Trek IV).  

It wouldn’t solve the writers’ problem of removing Steve from the picture, though, and I think there is the sticking point.  Even if Steve still handed over the shield to Sam and “retired”, it would be hard to explain him not coming back when the next global crisis hit. 

[swanpride]

Bringing Peggy to the present would have really messed up another timeline though. It is not like her contribution to history haven't been important. I mean I love this plot for fanfiction, but not so much in the MCU.....

The thing is, they could have had Steve stuck in the past and just making it back, they just could have made it a happy accident instead of a deliberate act. Just change the dialogue a little bit, and you can get the whole old Steve scene without the bitter taste to it.  

[Spartan Girl]

49 minutes ago, swanpride said:

Bringing Peggy to the present would have really messed up another timeline though. It is not like her contribution to history haven't been important. I mean I love this plot for fanfiction, but not so much in the MCU.....

The thing is, they could have had Steve stuck in the past and just making it back, they just could have made it a happy accident instead of a deliberate act. Just change the dialogue a little bit, and you can get the whole old Steve scene without the bitter taste to it.  

I still would’ve hated it, even though it would make Steve slightly less OOC. But I wouldn’t buy that he didn’t move heaven and earth to return instead of just saying “screw it” and going to Peggy.

[AimingforYoko]

4 hours ago, Enigma X said:

Not to take this off topic, but I looked for a general Fox X-Men forum (sort of like this) to ask a Fox X-Men question but could not find it here. Does it exist? If so, can someone send me the link?

Here ya go.

[Enigma X]

2 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Here ya go.

Thank you.

[tv echo]

Charlie Cox confirms he will return as Daredevil again in MCU
By Morgan Jeffery    February 24, 2022
https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/charlie-cox-daredevil-return-exclusive-newsupdate/ 

Quote

Daredevil star Charlie Cox has confirmed he will be reprising his role of Matt Murdock in a future MCU project.
*  *  *
Speaking to RadioTimes.com to promote his Irish crime drama Kin, Cox revealed that he is aware of plans for him to appear on-screen again as the Man without Fear.

"I know something," he hinted. "I don't know much, but I know there will be something else."

 

Edited February 24, 2022 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Avengers: Endgame Director On Multiverse Trend: 'Don't Expect Corporations To Surprise You'
By Kat Bailey   Feb 23, 2022
https://www.ign.com/articles/joe-russo-multiverse-spider-man-no-way-home 

Quote

In the wake of Spider-Man: No Way Home, classic characters are back in vogue. Already other comic book films are moving to team up multiple versions of their own favorites, whether it's Michael Keaton's Batman or the heroes from Blues Clues. But how much is too much?

At a wide-ranging talk at DICE 2022, Avengers Endgame director Joe Russo said that it's a question that the industry has consistently struggled over, leading to decisions like killing off half the MCU in Infinity War (and then bringing them back). He also said that the corporate agenda lacks innovation, arguing that creatives need to rein in corporations that want to run popular trends into the ground.

"The corporate agenda is: Do you like chocolate ice cream? Well here chocolate ice cream with sprinkles, here's chocolate ice cream with fudge...It's their job to turn the money printer on," Russo said. "It's the creative's job to say, 'Well shit, I don't know if I want to watch that.'"
*  *  *
"So yeah, too much of one thing is a bad thing, but I think there are enough creators and innovators in the space where you can expect to be surprised," Russo said. "Just don't expect corporations to surprise you."

 

Edited February 24, 2022 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Deadpool Star Morena Baccarin Reveals Why She Was Rejected for Avengers Role
By Nathan Johnson   Feb 24, 2022
https://thedirect.com/article/deadpool-avengers-morena-baccarin-role 

Quote

Actress Morena Baccarin, who is known for portraying the character Vanessa in Marvel's Deadpool, recently joined The Happy Sad Confused podcast to talk about when she auditioned for the role of Maria Hill in The Avengers.

The director of The Avengers, Joss Whedon, reportedly liked Baccarin for the role, but Baccarin stated on the podcast that she "didn't get [the premise of the role] at all" and just "couldn't see it on the page:"

"I didn't get it at all, I didn't get it at all. I love that [Joss Whedon] brought me in for it. He kept telling me she was like Sigourney Weaver in Alien, that she had this kind of hard edge to her, and I was like 'I don't understand.' I couldn't see it on the page, I couldn't do it."

Baccarin also revealed that she "tested" alongside Cobie Smulders, the actress that eventually landed the part. The Deadpool actress also said that she could tell Smulders would be the one to "get this part:"

"I tested. I was there with Cobie, we tested against each other and I was like, 'She's going to get this part, I can see it.' He wanted me to be emotional but hold it all in and be hard, and I was like, 'I don't know what you're asking me to do. I can't do it.'"

Baccarin then stated that not getting the part wasn't something that she was upset about and agreed that Smulders was the right person for the role.

ETA: You can listen to Morena Baccarin's Happy Sad Confused podcast interview here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morena-baccarin/id827905050?i=1000551983745

Edited February 24, 2022 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Avengers: Endgame & Justice League Receive Special Oscars Recognition
By Richard Nebens    Feb 27, 2022
https://thedirect.com/article/avengers-endgame-justice-league-oscars-recognition 

Quote

For the 94th Oscars awards show, The Academy recognized five films for the newly-introduced "Movies Cheer Moment" honor, which will be announced during the ceremony on March 27. Included in the list were scenes from 2019's Avengers: Endgame, as well as 2021's Zack Snyder's Justice League and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

 

[tv echo]

Edited February 28, 2022 by tv echo

[tv echo]

During Benedict Cumberbatch's Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony today in L.A., Kevin Feige said that Benedict has become the "anchor" of the MCU...

Benedict Cumberbatch - Hollywood Walk of Fame
Variety     Streamed live on Feb 28, 2022

-- Kevin Feige: "This is awesome. This is incredible. This is, um, an iconic street to have literally put in stone your legacy. I love the Walk of Fame. It has meant so much to me over my whole life, coming here as a tourist, and to see you get this is heartwarming and really means a lot. It’s always, ah, special to come witness somebody get their star and you might say - one might say that there’s a little bit of magic to watch these sidewalk ceremonies. And, of course, that’s particularly appropriate considering who we’re honoring here today. There are so many roles you’ve played, Benedict, that have made you worthy of this prestigious honor. You were an amazing Hamlet. You were an incredible Sherlock Holmes. You were the second best Khan ever. Ever. You were brilliant in all the iconic roles. But to us and to millions around the globe, you deserve this honor for being the first, the best, the greatest, and the only Doctor Stephen Strange. ... Benedict has turned this character into an icon, appearing in a historic three of the top six films of all time. It’s been quite a journey. I remember our very first meeting was set up as a general, and we wanted to pitch him this great character. And before we could, he said, ‘So tell me about Doctor Strange.' Because you knew. Because somewhere you knew what this could be and you’ve always seen the tremendous potential in this character. Because of that, you’ve become the anchor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the only actor capable of guiding us through the madness of the Multiverse. And, of course, it’s not just the roles on-screen that make you so remarkable. It’s the roles off-screen as well: husband, father, creative collaborator, partner, actor with the busiest schedule in the world who gives our physical production team heartburn trying to make the dates work, and friend. Uh, thank you, sir, for your extraordinary contributions to the MCU and to the industry. From Shakespeare to Roddenberry, from 221B Baker Street to 177A Bleeker Street, you have secured a well-deserved place in history with this star. And I know I speak on behalf of the world and particularly of Marvel Studios, I say, congratulations and we love you. Thank you."

Benedict Cumberbatch Honors Late Sister, Calls Attention to Ukraine Crisis in Heartfelt Walk of Fame Speech
By Ethan Shanfeld     Feb 28, 2022
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/benedict-cumberbatch-walk-of-fame-speech-1235192248/ 

Edited February 28, 2022 by tv echo

[BetterButter]

 

[tv echo]

Edited March 2, 2022 by tv echo

[tv echo]

In this Variety interview, Matt Reeves talked about not wanting to direct an MCU movie...

How ‘The Batman’ Director Matt Reeves Made a $200 Million Bet on Robert Pattinson’s Darker Knight
By Adam B. Vary   March 2, 2022
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/matt-reeves-batman-robert-pattinson-1235193075/ 

Quote

Initially, Reeves resisted, unable to see how his creative interests could succeed inside comic book franchises like the interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe. “I have such respect for Kevin Feige and also for the [Marvel] filmmakers,” he says. “But to be honest with you, I just don’t know how I would make my way through that. There has to be some level of discovery for me, where I have some freedom to find my way. If I have to come into something that’s already set too firmly, then I think I would get lost. And I don’t think they would be happy with me either.”

At the same time, Reeves knew which way the winds were blowing. “The industry has changed so dramatically that if you’re going to make a movie that’s going to be in movie theaters, you’re not making anything that isn’t recognizable IP,” he says. “That’s just where the audience has gone. I’m not saying that I’m happy about that. I’m just saying it is what it is.”

The mindset that he wasn’t suited for franchise filmmaking, ironically, became the secret to how Reeves got himself hired to direct “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” in 2012 — and later, “The Batman” in 2017. In both cases, when Reeves was invited to meet with studio executives to discuss the possibility of directing these films, he told them point-blank: “Look, I’m probably not the director you want, and that’s OK.”
*  *  *
“I always enter into it with the idea that it’s not going to be me,” Reeves says. “Because then if you want it to be me, you have to tell me you’re willing to do what I want to do. I don’t mean that in some kind of arrogant [way]. You’re not going to get a good movie from me if you don’t let me do what I do, because I don’t know how to do it another way. And so: ‘Please, if you don’t like what I’m saying, do not hire me.’ And that so far has worked for me.”

 

Edited March 3, 2022 by tv echo

[swanpride]

If it works for him...I actually don't think that working for the MCU is as restrictive as he perceives it to be, but if he likes a more director driven studio, Warner Bros is the place to go. Disney/Pixar/Marvel always had the producer-driven approach. 

[tv echo]

According to this THR article, Marvel and Star Wars are a big reason why advertisers want in on Disney+...

Behind Disney+’s Ad Pivot: A Drive for Streaming Profits
BY ALEX WEPRIN    MARCH 9, 2022
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/disney-advertising-pivot-a-drive-for-streaming-profits-1235107252/ 

Quote

A source at a media buying firm with clients that buy on Hulu and Disney’s linear channels confirms to THR that there has been significant interest expressed to the company in reaching Disney+ subscribers, particularly on the Marvel and Star Wars original series such as The Book of Boba Fett and Loki. Executives at the company say the move was made to get ahead of pitch meetings tied to Disney’s 2022 upfront, which will be held at New York’s Pier 36 on May 17, when Disney+ is expected to be a hot topic.

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by tv echo

[Raja]

William Hurt the MCU's General Thaddeus (Thunderbolt) Ross passed from cancer at 71.

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Raja said:

William Hurt the MCU's General Thaddeus (Thunderbolt) Ross passed from cancer at 71.

I always despised Ross but RIP Hurt.

[Bruinsfan]

Based on Marlee Matlin's biography I'm not sad that either is gone.

[tv echo]

James Gunn shut down a Thanos prequel series rumor...

 

[Anduin]

1 hour ago, tv echo said:

James Gunn shut down a Thanos prequel series rumor...

 

I always appreciate him stopping rumours. I have a feeling about where they come from. Fans idly speculating on various aspects of the universe, maybe a bit of 'I wish we could see this.' Then comes the entertainment site looking for news, latches onto this idea, blows it out of proportion, giving fuel to the fans who haven't seen it all before, aren't jaded and cynical. Rumour dies, only for something else to take its place. That's my guess.

[swanpride]

In this case I mostly appreciate him calling out that Thanos was an abusive a-hole and no family to Nebula and Gamora at all. 

[AimingforYoko]

22 hours ago, swanpride said:

In this case I mostly appreciate him calling out that Thanos was an abusive a-hole and no family to Nebula and Gamora at all. 

But, but...

 

[Dandesun]

On 3/14/2022 at 6:50 AM, Anduin said:

Fans idly speculating on various aspects of the universe, maybe a bit of 'I wish we could see this.' 

This is what fan fiction is for. It's for anyone who goes 'I wish I could see...' or 'Wouldn't it be cool if...' and that's kind of the beauty of it. It's the interactive part of fandom rather than just consuming. If people want to think about what Nebula, Gamora being 'raised' by Thanos was like (awful) then they can imagine it. It's really easy.

[Danny Franks]

Any new MCU show that isn't the Kate and Yelena Adventure Hour is a wasted opportunity.

[tv echo]

I just checked and Disney+ has indeed added these Marvel TV series...

Quote

This week’s content is packed with Super Heroes! Beginning Wednesday, March 16, fan-favorite live-action Marvel series are coming to Disney+ for your binging pleasure. To prepare for this week’s ultimate marathon, learn more about five of the seven titles joining the streaming service—Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and The Defenders. Due to the maturity of these titles, Disney+ will release an update to its Parental Controls in the U.S. on March 16 that prompts all subscribers to update their settings

FYI: Iron Fist and The Punisher are also now on Disney+, even though they're not mentioned in the above-linked article.

ETA:
Netflix Marvel Shows Now on Disney+, Not Added to MCU Timeline
Tyler Treese    March 16, 2022
https://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/1214813-netflix-marvel-shows-disney-plus-mcu-timeline 

Quote

Interestingly, none of the shows were added to the “Marvel Cinematic Universe in Timeline Order” category on the streaming service. Whether that means they are no longer canon to the MCU or if it was just an oversight remains to be seen. However, those that have been debating against those shows still being a part of the MCU certainly will use that as an argument as even the animated What If…? is listed.

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by tv echo

[Smad]

I'm still waiting for the MCU citizens to recognize Natasha Romanoff. It's such bs that she is the only Avenger to be disrespected like that in universe. And the only one not to get a legacy character or something similar either, seeing as Feige said Yelena won't be the next BW. The only Marvel content to not completely screw over, ignore or character assassinate Natasha post Infinity War was a freaking animated one (What If...?). And that was different universes...

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Smad said:

I'm still waiting for the MCU citizens to recognize Natasha Romanoff. It's such bs that she is the only Avenger to be disrespected like that in universe. And the only one not to get a legacy character or something similar either, seeing as Feige said Yelena won't be the next BW. The only Marvel content to not completely screw over, ignore or character assassinate Natasha post Infinity War was a freaking animated one (What If...?). And that was different universes...

At least they didn’t turn her into a villain the was they did to Sharon Carter.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

7 hours ago, Smad said:

Feige said Yelena won't be the next BW.

Wait, what? Do you have a link or something, because I haven't heard that. And because it makes no sense. I know Florence Pugh has at least three projects in post-production right now, but how can they not go forward with her? Feige was the one who backed ScarJo when she was dealing with her Disney lawsuit, so it seems weird on two counts that he wouldn't want to continue Nat's legacy with her actual sister.

[Brn2bwild]

6 minutes ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Wait, what? Do you have a link or something, because I haven't heard that. And because it makes no sense. I know Florence Pugh has at least three projects in post-production right now, but how can they not go forward with her? Feige was the one who backed ScarJo when she was dealing with her Disney lawsuit, so it seems weird on two counts that he wouldn't want to continue Nat's legacy with her actual sister.

And Yelena is way too popular to drop from the MCU.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Wait, what? Do you have a link or something, because I haven't heard that. And because it makes no sense. I know Florence Pugh has at least three projects in post-production right now, but how can they not go forward with her? Feige was the one who backed ScarJo when she was dealing with her Disney lawsuit, so it seems weird on two counts that he wouldn't want to continue Nat's legacy with her actual sister.

I’m guessing they are talking about when Fiege was live tweeting during a BW watch party. He definitely didn’t say she won’t be part of the MCU. I also don’t think this means she won’t be Black Widow just that she won’t just be Natasha 2.0. Either way she is a Widow just based on her background. The could make her White Widow like she is in the comics right now.

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Guest

[Danny Franks]

That doesn't really suggest she won't carry the legacy Black Widow moniker, just that she'll be her own person. Which we've already seen she is.

She's very different to Natasha in that she uses humour as a weapon rather than sexuality, she is far more chatty and extrovert than Natasha was, she's also not as emotionally buttoned up.

But they carry the same trauma and the same regrets over lives they didn't get to live and friendships they didn't get to have as adults.

Also, Florence Pugh is a much more expressive actor than ScarJo and plays Yelena's ability to change moods on a dime so well.

[Raja]

2 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

That doesn't really suggest she won't carry the legacy Black Widow moniker, just that she'll be her own person. Which we've already seen she is.

She's very different to Natasha in that she uses humour as a weapon rather than sexuality, she is far more chatty and extrovert than Natasha was, she's also not as emotionally buttoned up.

But they carry the same trauma and the same regrets over lives they didn't get to live and friendships they didn't get to have as adults.

Also, Florence Pugh is a much more expressive actor than ScarJo and plays Yelena's ability to change moods on a dime so well.

I would say the Black Widow movie gave me a different feeling. That Natasha was the last of many from Dottie of Agent Carter thru their mother Melina who did the sex and killing from their own free will for Russia. While Yelena, along the rest of the Red Room corps, was supernaturally mind controlled into her deeds. 

They gave Yelena the out that ultimately the last of the Red Room Widows were meat puppets not doing the work of their own free will. In the 10 years since Iron Man 2 the world has changed and Disney will not give the story of a widow being anything but just another soldier who cares about the pockets in her tactical gear.

[Smad]

9 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

At least they didn’t turn her into a villain the was they did to Sharon Carter.

But that was all Steve's fault because he hit it and quit it and never cared that Sharon was left no options after helping Steve rescue the actual love of his life. Just like Steve was an ignorant a-hole because he didn't look into history and find out about the black man who was used and abused, wearing his mantle and having his powers. The MCU citizens might have Rogers the Musical but the MCU writers have fun destroying his character. Just like with Tony Stark, the billionaire who apparently didn't pay anyone and who didn't have any securities in place for the bodies of dead Avengers (how on Earth did SWORD get Vision with Tony around?) or the Avengers compound (how the hell did items from there end up in black market auctions?). Natasha Romanoff doesn't exist to the MCU citizens (except for a tiny mention in Far From Home) apparently and her movie destroyed her entire character (too many wtfs to name). Thor's entire arc was already crapped over in IW/EG so 50/50 on whether Thor 4 will be worse or better for him. Loki was made a freaking joke and embarrassment in his own show. Sharon is a tiny drop compared to what they did to the main characters.

6 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Wait, what? Do you have a link or something, because I haven't heard that. And because it makes no sense. I know Florence Pugh has at least three projects in post-production right now, but how can they not go forward with her? Feige was the one who backed ScarJo when she was dealing with her Disney lawsuit, so it seems weird on two counts that he wouldn't want to continue Nat's legacy with her actual sister.

Someone further down explained it complete with the tweet link. Yelena won't take up the mantle but do her own thing, which is fine. Just funny how even Falcon, a secondary Avenger, is going to get a legacy character (who will carry the name).

3 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Also, Florence Pugh is a much more expressive actor than ScarJo and plays Yelena's ability to change moods on a dime so well.

Easy when now female character are actually allowed to be more than a one note stereotype. All female characters from the early days, with the exception of Darcy and Jane from the Thor movies, were all the same character with only minor differences. In the rest of the movies Pepper, Natasha, Gamora, Maria Hill, Nebula, Peggy Carter etc were all the same. They are all serious, competent, focused, humorless and have the least ego. Pepper was sometimes allowed to badly spar verbally with Tony and screaming uselessly and Nebula had a lot of rage but other than that nothing distinctive. Natasha and Gamora are literally the same exact character. And once you have established these characters, there is no way to significantly change them.

It's now easy for people to fawn all over the likes of Kate or Yelena when female characters are now allowed to have character and poo poo all over how much better they are than their previous counterparts/generation. Well duh.

3 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

She's very different to Natasha in that she uses humour as a weapon rather than sexuality, she is far more chatty and extrovert than Natasha was, she's also not as emotionally buttoned up.

Except no one seem to think that this character literally makes no sense considering her background. But I guess most people don't tend to think too deeply about how damaged and non-functioning someone would be coming out of a lifetime of psychological conditioning and eventual mind-control. Yelena shouldn't even be able to function once the mind-control stops, she certainly wouldn't turn into a quipping jokester. Freaking fanfic writers understand this but not the people writing for Marvel currently. Not surprising considering they seem to lack ethics and morals, any understanding about basic human function and are focused on destroying now dead characters.

[Danny Franks]

21 minutes ago, Smad said:

Except no one seem to think that this character literally makes no sense considering her background. But I guess most people don't tend to think too deeply about how damaged and non-functioning someone would be coming out of a lifetime of psychological conditioning and eventual mind-control. Yelena shouldn't even be able to function once the mind-control stops, she certainly wouldn't turn into a quipping jokester. Freaking fanfic writers understand this but not the people writing for Marvel currently. Not surprising considering they seem to lack ethics and morals, any understanding about basic human function and are focused on destroying now dead characters.

Different types of people deal with trauma in different ways. Yelena screams of overcompensating to hide what she's really feeling, which is something a lot of people do, as evidenced by the number of comedians who suffer from depression or other mental illnesses, or have endured some other traumatic experience.

The Hawkeye series showed how Yelena works - she uses humour and friendliness to keep people off balance and unsure of her intentions and, while that friendliness is sometimes sincere, it still serves the purpose of giving her the upper hand in conversations. But when they get into territory that is sensitive for her - Natasha, in this example - suddenly things are not funny any more.

In the real world, none of the MCU characters would be functioning human beings, after the things they've been through. But that would make for a truly miserable experience for a franchise that has a primary focus on making things fun and enjoyable. If people want navel-gazing and careful explorations of psychological damage then they're better off avoiding the MCU.

Edited March 17, 2022 by Danny Franks

[Kel Varnsen]

5 hours ago, Dani said:

I’m guessing they are talking about when Fiege was live tweeting during a BW watch party. He definitely didn’t say she won’t be part of the MCU. I also don’t think this means she won’t be Black Widow just that she won’t just be Natasha 2.0. Either way she is a Widow just based on her background. The could make her White Widow like she is in the comics right now.

 

I think one thing to remember too is that within the MCU world, people hardly ever caller Natasha Black Widow, especially people talking to her. So if Yelena isn't "The Black Widow" does it matter?

[tv echo]

Disney+ Adds Daredevil, Luke Cage, S.H.I.E.L.D. Et Al, But Keeps Them Out of MCU — Do You Agree?
By Matt Webb Mitovich / March 16 2022
https://tvline.com/2022/03/16/disney-plus-daredevil-jessica-jones-shield-not-in-mcu/ 

Quote

Disney+ on Wednesday morning suped up its slate of Marvel fare by adding 20 total seasons of TV, including Netflix’s inaugural street-level hero series, Daredevil, and the five that followed it, plus ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

None of the seven newcomers, though, landed in any of the Disney+ Marvel hub’s MCU rows — Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One through Four, or Marvel Cinematic Universe in Timeline Order — where they could have lived alongside the likes of WandaVision, Loki and even the Marvel One-Shot featurettes that were included as special features on the MCU films’ Blu-ray and digital releases.

Of course, the place that any of the series’ in “The Defenders Saga” (as aggregated in a new Disney+ row) or S.H.I.E.L.D. holds in the MCU has been the subject of debate for years and years.
*  *  *
All of which is a way of recapping that Daredevil, S.H.I.E.L.D. et al have never been firmly And mutually folded into the MCU, though they have had their moments. And the No Way Home/Charlie Cox and Hawkeye/Vincent D’Onofrio castings have hinted at some sort of shift.

ETA: Disney+ has a new collection for "The Defenders Saga" featuring the former Marvel-Netflix series:

(pic source)

The Streaming Home of Marvel | Disney+
Disney Plus    Mar 16, 2022

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by tv echo

[Cobalt Stargazer]

8 hours ago, Smad said:

Except no one seem to think that this character literally makes no sense considering her background. But I guess most people don't tend to think too deeply about how damaged and non-functioning someone would be coming out of a lifetime of psychological conditioning and eventual mind-control. Yelena shouldn't even be able to function once the mind-control stops, she certainly wouldn't turn into a quipping jokester. Freaking fanfic writers understand this but not the people writing for Marvel currently. Not surprising considering they seem to lack ethics and morals, any understanding about basic human function and are focused on destroying now dead characters.

To circle back to a previous subject - Bucky Barnes. As much as I've grown to be okay with Bucky and enjoy his story, I'm not interested in watching another character who is some wounded bird that needs constant shielding and protection from the world, who has no agency of their own. For all of the adoration Barnes gets, it's only based on Sebastian Stan's natural charm, not anything the writing has given the character.

Also, I don't remember Natasha's movie "destroying" her, unless you want to hold her trying to kill Dreykov and almost killing his daughter against her. From what you're saying in that you want realistic explorations, you should have been perfectly fine with her nearly killing an innocent girl just to get to her scumbag father, because why shouldn't SHIELD have been running black ops all along? Fury may well have sent Clint Barton after Natasha knowing he'd see something in her that was worth recruiting, that he'd spare her life, but Fury is also the guy who set up the mission in Winter Soldier knowing some of the mercenaries on that boat would die. It's still not on Nat that Dreykov implanted a chip in the back of his own daughter's neck to make her into yet another weapon at his disposal, so how was she destroyed?

8 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

The Hawkeye series showed how Yelena works - she uses humour and friendliness to keep people off balance and unsure of her intentions and, while that friendliness is sometimes sincere, it still serves the purpose of giving her the upper hand in conversations. But when they get into territory that is sensitive for her - Natasha, in this example - suddenly things are not funny any more.

Also this. She out and out laughs at Kate's 'thank God I didn't kill you up there', but she gets dead serious when she says that Natasha, not Barton, was the one who saved the world. I think it could be argued that she told Kate more than she meant to in saying someone had hired her to take Clint's life, because she'd researched her but not her mom who was actually behind the contract. She may have even meant it when she said she'd be okay with going for drinks, but at the time she had a job to do. I don't see why it can't be both, that she's angry and messed up but also mostly functional on a day to day basis.

[tv echo]

The True Story Behind Tom Holland’s Historic Marvel Audition
By Richard Nebens    Mar 17, 2022
https://thedirect.com/article/marvel-tom-holland-audition 

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Captain America: Civil War fight choreographer James Young spoke with Corridor Crew about Tom Holland's audition to play the MCU's Spider-Man ahead of that film.
*  *  *
“At the time we did this, we didn’t have Spider-Man… There was no Spider-Man at all until about a week before we started shooting. Can you imagine then what that does? My favorite moment ever at Marvel… was Tom Holland. I was the one in Tom’s audition."
*  *  *
"There was something about him when he walked in. And he walks into our training space and we’ve got all our cardboard boxes up where we shoot our pre-vis’s. And at the time we had an air track; an air track is the bouncy little floor that you can do flips on. And Tom looks over this air track and goes, ‘Hey, do you mind if I go flip?’ I was like, ‘Whoa, absolutely not.’ I was like, 'I don’t know if…' He goes, ‘No, I can flip, I swear.’ But Tom proceeded to do front flash, like a repertoire of the really good basic flip. Side flip, front flip, round off flash round off back to, I’m like, ‘Oh shit, he’s got it.’ He goes, ‘Cool… so, tomorrow in the audition, do you think it’d be okay if I flip?’ And I was like, ‘Dude…listen, if you flip and fall, that’s my career. I can’t have you do that. But you are auditioning for Spider-Man, I’ll see you later.’"
*  *  *
"So what they did is they had the actors come in in the Spidey underwear suit; the one he wears in the first movie they did. This whole sequence of the, ‘Hey, that shield doesn’t obey the laws of physics at all,’ they did the whole thing. Chris [Evans] came in on his day off. Tom goes, ‘Hey Joe [Russo], would you mind if I take my own entrance?’ And I just feel Kevin [Feige], Joe and, all of them just go [turns head] to me. And Tom Holland proceeds to skip in and throw the most perfect side flip literally straight past Chris Evans, lands on his mark goes, ‘Hey Cap, how you doing,’ spins around, ‘You like my suit?’"
*  *  *
"All you heard was jaws [drop.] I got goosebumps and tears in my eyes and you could see… and I even think Joe was like, ‘Holy f—k.’ This kid just came in and just… that’s Peter Parker. That’s Peter Parker. There’s no other way about it. So to see him come in and do that and literally leave the heads of studios with their mouth on the floor, it was one of the most special things i’ve ever witnessed. And then to finally design the Cap and Spidey fight, the Spidey fight’s so much fun.”

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Some MCU superheroes (Black Widow's Natasha and Yelena, Captain Marvel) are spotlighted in this video...

Celebrating Women's History Month | What's Up, Disney+
Disney Plus    Mar 22, 2022

 

[tv echo]

‘I Don’t See What the Issue Is’: Nicolas Cage Talks Marvel Movies
BY GABRIELLA PAIELLA   March 23, 2022
https://www.gq.com/story/nicolas-cage-marvel-movies 

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I wanted to know his perspective on the Marvel phenomenon and brought up that many directors, such as Martin Scorsese and his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, have criticized them. (The former said, “I don’t think they’re cinema,” and the latter recently told GQ that “a Marvel picture is one prototype movie that is made over and over and over and over and over again to look different.”)

“Yeah, why do they do that?” Cage said. “I don't understand the conflict. I don't agree with them on that perception or opinion.”

I raised the idea that Marvel movies were making it more difficult to produce the other kinds of movies that Cage enjoys.

“I think that the movies that I make, like Pig or Joe, are not in any kind of conflict with Marvel movies,” he said. “I mean, I don't think the Marvel movie had anything to do with the end of the tweener. By tweener, I mean the $30 to $50 million budget movie. I think movies are in good shape. If you look at Power of the Dog, or if you look at Spencer, or any of Megan Ellison's movies. I think that there's still Paul Thomas Anderson.

“Marvel has done a really excellent job of entertaining the whole family. They put a lot of thought into it. I mean, it's definitely had a big progression from when I was doing the first two Ghost Rider movies. Kevin Feige, or whoever is behind that machine, has found a masterful way of weaving the stories together and interconnecting all the characters. What could be wrong with wholesome entertainment that is appealing to the parents and the children, and gives people something to look forward to? I just, I don't see what the issue is.”

 

Edited March 24, 2022 by tv echo

[BetterButter]

Marvel Developing ‘Nova’ Project With ‘Moon Knight’ Scribe Sabir Pirzada

[tv echo]

Edited March 26, 2022 by tv echo

[Chyromaniac]

As probably the last person on Earth who has never had Netflix, it’s really great to finally get to see the Defenders shows.  So far I’ve powered through S1 of both Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and they’re both really solid.  I think they do a great job with establishing a setting where these characters feel believable - I buy this version of NYC as a real place where they all could conceivably co-exist.  And of course, Fisk and Kilgrave are just top notch adversaries - I get what people have been saying all these years.  Ritter and Cox are fantastic as well.  And boy, after years of watching the DC CW shows turn every supporting cast into dispatch crews, it’s really nice to see reporters, lawyers, nurses, social workers, et al- actually doing their regular jobs, living their own lives, and still being relevant to the overall storyline.  The only real negatives are that I personally don’t like Matt’s John Lennon shades, and that the JJ leaping scenes never stopped looking silly.  I also worry that I’m not going to like the actual DD suit as much as the black mask.

[tv echo]

Sebastian Stan says there's "more to explore" with Bucky Barnes
By Patrick Cremona   Saturday, 19th March 2022 
https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/sebastian-stan-bucky-winter-soldier-more-exclusive-newsupdate/ 

Quote

... in a recent interview with RadioTimes.com to promote his new film Fresh, we asked if he was still looking forward to an MCU return somewhere down the line.

"Oh yeah, of course," he answered. "I mean, it's been such a part of my life for such a long time and it's very nostalgic and it's always going to be a part of my life, one way or another.

"It's interesting coming back, you know, going back to a character after so many years because they're almost like a weird roommate," he added. "I feel like it's just something I can kind of slip into very easily, having played so often, but there's always places to take him and explore."

Speaking more specifically about where we found Bucky at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Stan added: "I think lastly, he had arrived in a really interesting place. Because for quite some time, he was facing the past and there was an identity question and a sort of a purpose question and relearning about oneself.

"And I think we got him by the end to that place. So it really does become what does Bucky Barnes do now? And look, there's something to that as well, because obviously you never really stop growing and learning about yourself or dealing with your past.

"But when someone seemingly has fulfilled certain tasks and has found their way to some extent, who are they then? And so there's always going to be more to explore. I think, you know, if the opportunities allow..."

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by tv echo

[millennium]

Morbius.  Jared Leto.

No thanks.

[swanpride]

Oh, yeah, there is still a lot of left to explore regarding Bucky...but considering how much this character has mistreated by the writers so far...it is really lucky that at least Sebastian Stan loves the character and acts the hell out of what he is given. 

[tv echo]

In this recent interview, Joe Russo made the following comments about the Captain America movies, Infinity War and Endgame (go to article link to watch video)...

From Slamdance Walkouts To ‘Avengers: Endgame’ & Choosing Which Marvel Superheroes To Kill Off: A Conversation With Joe Russo At Sands International Film Festival
By Mike Fleming Jr    March 30, 2022 
https://deadline.com/video/joe-russo-avengers-endgame-sands-international-film-festival-st-andrews-scotland/ 

-- Deadline Co-Editor-in-Chief Mike Fleming, Jr.: "I just loved that the Captain America in your movies was - he was - if there was a crowd of bad guys, he was like a bowling ball and they were bowling pins. ... What were you most proud of, of what you brought to the style of those - of that first movie and then the second film that led into the Avengers films?"
Joe Russo first talked about how "tone" is what connects content to audiences (using Guardians of the Galaxy as an example). He said that filmmaking is "so predictive" ("Everyone has a Ph.D. in storytelling") and "we've all seen so much content that you can sit in a movie theater and within 10 minutes you have an instinctual understanding about how a movie is going to end." Russo then said that there is "no difference" between "commercial filmmaking" and "art house filmmaking." Russo said that a commercial movie is "just a movie that ends optimistically" (broader audience appeal), while an art house film "is a film that ends neutrally or pessimistically." The latter is "slightly more challenging" because it doesn't provide you with an answer and "may make you feel like sh*t" when you leave the theater. Russo then said that he and his brother had had a "ton of control" over their successful TV shows. So they would only return to movie making if they still had control. When they met with Marvel, they pitched a "really radical reinvention" of the Captain America character, because Joe Russo was "the comic book junkie" and he "hated Captain America as a kid... I just found it a very banal character... He was flat, he was bland, he was generic, he had [unintelligible word] point of view, it was jingoistic... There just wasn't a lot of complexity to it." However, in the last '80's, early '90's, Ed Brubaker "got his hands" on Captain America and he "deconstructed it" and "made him a more complex character." So Russo said that they made a "sort of jingoistic first movie," but then took that guy, "who was a patriot," and "turned him into an insurgent" for the second movie. "The farther you take a character from their origins, the more complex and interesting the character becomes." So the "most extreme version" of that character was to have him "no longer support the government that created him." The premise behind Winter Soldier was how to motivate that character to turn against his government (namely, by making them villains).

-- Fleming asked how Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther ended up in the Captain America movies and if those characters were imposed on the Russos.
Joe Russo: "No. ... Part of Kevin Feige's brilliance is that there really isn't a plan. There's an idea. But you can't have a plan if the movie you're making tanks. There's no plan after that, right? So it's really about, as the movie succeeded, then there was sort of an enthusiasm about, well, what else can we do? And then that's when new ideas would come out. Right? And there were hopes. We hope one day we can get to this story. If we keep doing this right, maybe we can all get there. ... But a lot of this stuff was made up in between the movies, right? And some of the best, I think, call forwards or call backs were, you know, thought of after the fact. Right? Like, we didn't have Civil War broken. We didn't know that by showing you - there was a scene with Zola, who's this old HYDRA villain, in Winter Soldier where Cap goes into this basement facility and Zola's telling him about the Winter Soldier and there's an image of Stark's parents, right, having been killed. And it looks like it's implied that it's connected. That was happenstantial. ... Then, after the movie came out and we had to make Civil War, we're like, hey, that's a crazy idea. Like, that's how Tony could get so angry at Cap that he would want to kill him, is if Cap's buddy had killed his parents. So we were retrofitting these ideas, right? ... That was in a lot of ways the secret sauce of Marvel... you know, riding a bucking bronco. It was not premeditated."

-- Fleming then asked about the Avengers' final two movies and studio reaction to the idea of "killing off half" of their characters.
Joe Russo said that "when you surprise people, you have more impact." However, he then said that "it's tricky" when you try to "subvert expectations," adding: "I don’t know if these numbers have ever been accurately reported, but in the case of Avengers: Endgame or Infinity War, each of those movies was $500 million plus. So this is an incredible amount of money that is being spent on these films. And you have responsibility, if you have a conscience, to in some way deliver, you know, a return on that investment, you know, for the people that gave you that money." So it was a risky idea to take their two most popular characters and have them try to kill each other. Russo then said that Civil War, the movie, led to a civil war within Marvel, because there was a group out of New York "who was trying to impose a more traditional third act on the movie." But Joe Russo and his brother were not interested in making that kind of film and were willing to walk out the door if that's the direction Marvel chose. They thought that there was a more interesting story to make that, in turn, could lead to more interesting stories after that one. "It came very close to we were going to get fired or New York was going to get off the movie." After a bunch of conversations were had, Bob Iger "moved New York off the movie" and Kevin Feige took full control of Marvel Studios. The Russos got to make Civil War the way they wanted to make it. "It empowered Kevin and it empowered Disney, 'cause they saw we had done something crazy and it made over a billion dollars. So the next time out, when we said, we've got an even crazier idea, you know, we're going to kill half your characters, ... they understood the language of what that meant and how it could have an impact, a positive impact, on the box office for them."

-- Fan Question: "At what point was it during the production of Endgame did you realize the endpoint of the movie as how you wrap up Iron Man and Captain America and Black Widow's stor[ies]?"
Joe Russo: "You know, it was interesting because - and it always seems to hurt people's feelings when I talk about this stuff, but - uh, you know, I'll talk about it 'cause I just like hurting people's feelings. (Audience laughs) ... There was a lot of debate about those stories. And as you see, like, we're - we have a somewhat scientific or academic approach to the way that we make commercial movies, you know. I loved them as a kid. I don't know necessarily it was our strong suit, right? ... If you go back and look at what we did... Welcome to Collingwood, Community, Arrested Development - these are very quirky, um, stories. Very quirky shows, you know, that, again, made no one money. ... When we were making these films, you know, we tried to diagnose from a storytelling standpoint, again, what arcs are the most compelling, right? So, if you think about Captain America as a character and you go, okay, Captain America dying is fairly obvious, right? That is, you know, something he would do, based on the character. You know, this is a guy who, you know, offered to be a guinea pig in a science experiment in order to be able to go fight Nazis in the war. He's intrinsically a hero. Like, there's not a lot complexity there. It might be emotionally impactful because you like him. You know, he's a very likeable character. But it's not necessarily the most compelling arc, right? Tony Stark is a character who was supposed to die, right? If you go watch Iron Man, the first five minutes of that film, he should've died. But he didn't. He got captured. And he also has an ego, which is antithetical to being a hero, right? And that first movie is about the subjugation of his ego in order for him to become a hero. But that ego then fuels him and at times competes with this idea of him being a hero. That seemed like a more interesting arc to us, to take a character, um, who had an ego, because to die for others, you have to defeat the ego, right? So that seemed like the more compelling arc to us that it would be Stark who died. Right? So that it would be a richer, more complex arc. Um, and that's why we chose him. There was a lot of argument, too, about whether it was going to be Hawkeye or Black Widow, uh, who died. And, you know, we went back and forth. And, you know, even on set, I think, there might've been a version where - you know, at any point, either one of them could've fell off that cliff. Right? Like, we put them in this position. And, um - and I think, ultimately, you know, we made a similar decision with Natasha, who was this - we saw a certain tragedy in this character, who, you know - who had her life taken from her, uh, and who, you know, functioned almost in anonymity, um, uh, for the better part of her life, until she became an Avenger, um, and who also had, you know - was operating under sort of selfish - prior to her time as an Avenger - selfish and sort of, you know, murderous agendas for bad people. Uh, and we just found it profoundly sad that that character would then, when she found redemption, would have to give her life. Right? So that's ultimately how we made those decisions, is, to us, they just felt like the more compelling arcs. And they felt like they would have a higher impact on the audience. You know? I don't want you to think yourselves as guinea pigs, but that's really what we did."
Fleming: "Well, the cynical journalist in me probably would want to add that those three characters, those actors, would be really expensive in the next film. So -" (Audience laughs)
Joe Russo: "That's true. But they always seem to find a way to pay for them."

Edited March 31, 2022 by tv echo

[Kel Varnsen]

On 3/29/2022 at 9:52 PM, millennium said:

Morbius.  Jared Leto.

No thanks.

I don't get why Sony is pushing Morbius and Kraven and A Madame Web movie. I would have thought with the crazy success of No Way Home they would be fast tracking Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield universe Spidey movies. Because I would be way more likely to watch middle aged Spidey trying to figure out his life after the events of NWH than Morbius or another Venom movie.

[Bruinsfan]