The Marvel Cinematic Universe: The Avengers, etc.

[GHScorpiosRule]

 It's on Netflix.  Ultimate Spider-Man, I think.  *checks*  Yep, that's it.  I thought it was 3 of 4 seasons, but I'm only seeing season 3 right now.  Odd.

 

 

Awesome! Because I do have Netflix!

[bmoore4026]

AimingforYoko, on 13 Apr 2016 - 07:54 AM, said:

Deadpool closed the door to Fox ever giving up the X-Men.

Doctor Strange looks as trippy as I hoped, but the question of why Tilda Swinton remains.

 

And, yet, I remain a cock-eyed optimist looking for a thread of hope.

 

If Disney/Marvel says "screw it" and decides to include mutants and the X-Men in the movies or in a television show, how much could they be sued for, hypothetically?  And, if they lose, would they be prevented from using those characters again?

 

What about using versions of the characters as they were in the 90s cartoon.  Disney bought Saban and the 90s X-Men cartoon, I think, so would they get in trouble from that?

[Kel Varnsen]

Which sucks. And also makes no sense, considering Sif and Thor were married in the comics (and in Norse mythology, of course). If Natalie Portman is bailing, why not do the most pragmatic thing for all involved? Having him just fall for a different human really makes a mockery out of the romantic storylines of the first two movies.

 

Personally, I'd go for a semi-arranged marriage situation with Thor and Sif. Thor needs to wed to continue his family line, and Sif is the suitable candidate. She wants it, he's not sure, where do they go from there? Forget the human love interest, it's not necessary.

Why does Thor even need a love interest? Just make his movies straight up action movies.

 

Not too late to negotiate with Fox for co-ownership for those muties and the Fantastic Four, Disney.

Good god I hope not. Since I am sure if they did that the MCU would be all Wolverine all the time. You would have a wolverine movie coming out every few years, then X-men movies starring Wolverine, and hell probably Avenger's movies starring Wolverine. In the movies he wasn't in you would probably have all the other characters asking "where's Wolverine"? 

 

If Disney/Marvel says "screw it" and decides to include mutants and the X-Men in the movies or in a television show, how much could they be sued for, hypothetically?  And, if they lose, would they be prevented from using those characters again?

It is not like Disney could do this kind of thing in secret, so I sure that before they could even say action, FOX would have their army of lawyers with court orders demanding that they stop.

[vb68]

So Michael Keaton as The Vulture?

 

I like Keaton, but there's lots of Birdman jokes waiting to happen.

[bmoore4026]

vb68, on 13 Apr 2016 - 8:39 PM, said:

So Michael Keaton as The Vulture?

 

I like Keaton, but there's lots of Birdman jokes waiting to happen.

 

Between this and Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, does anyone else here feel like a dinosaur/

[Bruinsfan]

The Aunt May thing is just a head-scratcher for me. In the comics she looked like Jessica Tandy and had a heart condition even back when Peter Parker was in high school, so I don't understand why they feel this is a character that needs to become younger and hotter with every movie.

[Danny Franks]

Maybe they'll eventually have an Aunt May who is Peter's age, and stir up some inappropriate sexual tension between the two. Hell, with Marisa Tomei in the role, that could happen anyway.

 

Honestly, the whole thing with the Spider-Man movies is getting silly. It's like each time, they want to reinvent the wheel and just end up with diminishing returns. They've already had a great Norman Osborn (though the Green Goblin was goofy), they've already had a really good Aunt May, a good MJ, great Gwen Stacy, two decent Peter Parkers, a pretty good Doc Ock, and what has to be the seminal J Jonah Jameson. There's nothing else they can do, really. Possibly Black Cat and a better stab at Venom, but that's about it.

 

Good god I hope not. Since I am sure if they did that the MCU would be all Wolverine all the time. You would have a wolverine movie coming out every few years, then X-men movies starring Wolverine, and hell probably Avenger's movies starring Wolverine. In the movies he wasn't in you would probably have all the other characters asking "where's Wolverine"?

 

 

That's the big argument against Marvel owning the X-Men movie rights, in my view. They already flood the comics with Wolverine and Deadpool, just be thankful they can't do the same with the movies.

 

Having said that, I'll reiterate that a Gambit and an X-Factor Investigations Netflix series would be almost worth the Wolverine overload.

[benteen]

Maybe they'll eventually have an Aunt May who is Peter's age, and stir up some inappropriate sexual tension between the two. Hell, with Marisa Tomei in the role, that could happen anyway.

 

Honestly, the whole thing with the Spider-Man movies is getting silly. It's like each time, they want to reinvent the wheel and just end up with diminishing returns. They've already had a great Norman Osborn (though the Green Goblin was goofy), they've already had a really good Aunt May, a good MJ, great Gwen Stacy, two decent Peter Parkers, a pretty good Doc Ock, and what has to be the seminal J Jonah Jameson. There's nothing else they can do, really. Possibly Black Cat and a better stab at Venom, but that's about it.

 

 

That's the big argument against Marvel owning the X-Men movie rights, in my view. They already flood the comics with Wolverine and Deadpool, just be thankful they can't do the same with the movies.

 

Having said that, I'll reiterate that a Gambit and an X-Factor Investigations Netflix series would be almost worth the Wolverine overload.

 

I will say I'm glad Marvel didn't have the rights to Wolverine and Spider-Man when they made the Avengers.  Those two are NOT Avengers.  Period.  Not having them allowed Marvel to develop their other properties.

 

As for Gambit, he's not that interesting to me without the X-Men.  Then again, I've always felt that Wolverine works far better when he's a member of the X-Men too.  The X-Men are my favorite comics book characters but they work better as a team.

[Advance35]

Holy shit, a black woman in the Marvel universe. It only took 13 movies but #progress.

 

Inhumans is delayed until who knows when

 

I don't know the actress and I've never seen whatever show she's known for but this sucks because I think I'm one of the few people that actually liked Thor and Jane Foster together.   Though, are we sure she's going to be a love interest?  It seems to be the storyline most reports are running with.    Thor, The Ragnarock Villain, Loki, Bruce Banner and now a NEW Love Interest?  That's going to be a lot to fit into a new movie.  Loved the first Thor, lukewarm on the 2nd.   But this girl is supposed to feature in additional movies so maybe they'll build her up over time.

 

Looking forward to the next Thor.

[JessePinkman]

I don't know the actress and I've never seen whatever show she's known for but this sucks because I think I'm one of the few people that actually liked Thor and Jane Foster together.   Though, are we sure she's going to be a love interest?  It seems to be the storyline most reports are running with.    Thor, The Ragnarock Villain, Loki, Bruce Banner and now a NEW Love Interest?  That's going to be a lot to fit into a new movie.  Loved the first Thor, lukewarm on the 2nd.   But this girl is supposed to feature in additional movies so maybe they'll build her up over time.

 

Looking forward to the next Thor.

 

Natalie Portman didn't want to come back, there wasn't much they could do other than recast. There are rumors that Tessa Thompson is going to play Valkyrie. Apparently she and Thor were love interests but I don't know how indelibly they're tied.

[stealinghome]

Yeah, I'm in the minority, but I liked Thor and Jane together and am bummed that she's not returning. Imo the Thor movies have the best supporting cast of all the individual franchises, and this chips away at that (since I would assume Darcy won't be back either).

The Thor movies have been my favorites so far, but I'm not excited about the next one. The Hulk/Banner is a big yawn for me so I'm annoyed he's going to eat up a lot of screentime.

Edited April 15, 2016 by stealinghome

[Danny Franks]

I don't think Natalie Portman ever enjoyed doing the Thor movies. Seemed to me like she was enticed to the project by Kenneh Brannagh's name, more than anything. She never seemed embarrassed by the material, like McAvoy and Fassbender on the X-Men movies, but still, I reckon she thought it was beneath her. Shame, because she seems nice enough, but it obviously isn't her cup of tea.

 

The Thor movies have been the most disappointing, in my view. Entertaining enough, but not a patch on Cap or Iron Man, or the two stand-alones, Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man. Oddly enough, because I never thought it would be the case, the Captain America movies have easily been my favourite.

[Dandesun]

I remember seeing an article with Portman in the lead up to the first Thor where she basically said that between Kenneth Brannagh directing and Anthony Hopkins in the cast she had to see what that was all about. I actually did quite like astrophysicist Jane and I also liked Jane and Thor but... it is what it is. If they're doing a Ragnarok story it makes me wonder how much time Thor is going to be on Midgard at all.

 

(Sidenote: Current comic continuity where cancer stricken Jane is also Thor and worthy to wield Mjolnir is pretty awesome. Sam Wilson is the only one who knows the truth (so far) and is keeping her secret. The interaction between them where he says that his falcon Redwing knows she doesn't like him is cute. Jane insists it's nothing personal, it's just that she's dealt with Odin's ravens Hugin and Munin for so long and they're just big, fat, gossipy busybodies makes her give the side-eye to birds. Frankly, it's rather nice to see the comics give Jane her due after so long.) 

[vb68]

 

I don't think Natalie Portman ever enjoyed doing the Thor movies. Seemed to me like she was enticed to the project by Kenneh Brannagh's name, more than anything. She never seemed embarrassed by the material, like McAvoy and Fassbender on the X-Men movies, but still, I reckon she thought it was beneath her.

 

I agree with all of this except I do think she was somewhat embarrassed to be in comic book movies.  I also heard she was very unhappy that Patty Jenkins was replaced as the director of the second film.  It just seemed like a bad fit all the way around.

[bmoore4026]

JessePinkman, on 15 Apr 2016 - 11:54 AM, said:

There are rumors that Tessa Thompson is going to play Valkyrie. Apparently she and Thor were love interests but I don't know how indelibly they're tied.

 

Which prompts me to post this:

[Morrigan2575]

I never liked Jane or Thor/Jane which is sad because i like Natalie Portman.

I'm really bummed that with Jane gone they're bringing on a new LI instead of exploring Thor/Sif.

[Rick Kitchen]

Jaimie Alexander is in the movie, but I'm sure she's probably really busy doing "Blindspot".

[Ruby25]

I also wish they would just do Thor/Sif, instead of bringing in somebody new.

[Amethyst]

I also liked Jane Foster and I'm disappointed to see Portman go.  While Jane and Thor didn't have much chemistry, I liked her character and thought she could have done more with better material.  When she was in her element she was great.  It would have been amusing to see her with Stark or Banner working on a project together.  

 

But Portman really wanted out after Jenkins left as director of TDW, and the general reception to Jane has been lukewarm at best, so I'm not surprised she's gone.

 

I'm fine with Sif and Thor not getting together, if that's how it goes.  None of the directors have done anything to build them up beyond friendship, anyway.  And Sif was never a big draw for me.  I like Tessa Thompson, so I'm more interested to see what she brings to the story, whether she hooks up with Thor or not.  

 

At any rate, I really want Ragnarok to be good.  They've never quite known what to do with the Thor franchise, and it needs a hit.  Taika Waititi has a good balance of comedy and drama, and I'm rooting for him.

[Morrigan2575]

Jaimie Alexander is in the movie, but I'm sure she's probably really busy doing "Blindspot".

Yeah, I know; I'm still really bummed about it. I've been waiting on Thor/Sif development since the first movie. They hinted at it and, apparently had something triangle related for Thor2 but has to cut a lot of it because JA got injured during filming. Edited April 16, 2016 by Morrigan2575

[Bruinsfan]

I don't think Natalie Portman ever enjoyed doing the Thor movies. Seemed to me like she was enticed to the project by Kenneh Brannagh's name, more than anything. She never seemed embarrassed by the material, like McAvoy and Fassbender on the X-Men movies, but still, I reckon she thought it was beneath her. Shame, because she seems nice enough, but it obviously isn't her cup of tea.

McAvoy and Fassbender have seemed very game in the interviews I've seen them in. They don't take the characters too seriously (no small feat considering how grim they are on the page), and seem to have a lot of fun with it. And as McAvoy hit it big scampering around in the snow wearing goat's feet, a scarf, and not much else I don't think the X-Men franchise would be what turns his cheeks red.

 

I was OK with Jane and Thor in the first movie, but Portman was just sleepwalking all through the second. Trading her and Kat Dennings for Cate Blanchett as Hela is a huge upgrade in my book.

Edited April 16, 2016 by Bruinsfan

[VCRTracking]

I think Jane Foster only worked back in the original premise when Donald Blake could change into Thor. Then later it was revealed Blake wasn't real. Odin turned Thor into a mortal with false memories to teach him humility.   It's like how Superman and Lois doesn't work without the Clark Kent identity.

Edited April 16, 2016 by VCRTracking

[Rick Kitchen]

The next 35 super hero movies opening between now and the end of 2020:

 

http://moviepilot.com/posts/3869610?utm_source=fb-stream-post&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=all-35-upcoming-superhero-movies-til-2020

[vb68]

I'm really happy to see Whedon walk back his comments after Ultron opened.  I said before that I thought they were bordering on being unprofessional, and he was needlessly burning his bridges. I can accept that he was exhausted and what have you, but he still took it pretty far.  I guess the cynical part of me finds it interesting that this comes right after Batman V Superman crashed and burned (at least critically) and maybe jumping over to DC to spite Marvel as he floated that he might do doesn't seem nearly as attractive.  I'm sure he would like to work on some big superhero-scale projects going forward.  I can't really see him helming another film for Marvel anytime soon (especially as the Russo brother really have stolen his thunder), but who knows.  We'll see.    

Edited April 19, 2016 by vb68

[JessePinkman]

Good for him. The most glaringly obnoxious things about that movie was the Black Widow/Hulk...whatever, the Natasha gets kidnapped...whatever and way too many setpieces. The way he talked last summer really came off like he was trying to take Marvel down a peg or two.

[FurryFury]

I'm sure he would like to work on some big superhero-scale projects going forward.

 

I'm not, and as a big JW fan, I'd prefer he didn't. He should create something new. Or do Doctor Horrible 2, that would work too.

 

I'm also bummed about Thor 3 news and I'm very afraid it's going to lose the stuff I've loved about Thor movies, the supporting cast. Although I never liked Jane herself, her absence would probably mean her friends will be gone as well.

[Bruinsfan]

I wouldn't necessarily want Selvig to disappear from the franchise, but if it means no more Darcy I'm willing to accept all three dying in a tragic collision with a semi full of skinny jeans and porkpie hats.

[Sweet Tee]

Agreed. I was beginning to think I was the only one who didn't like Darcy. She's useless and just there to be comic relief. And that would be fine if anything she said were actually funny.

[Bruinsfan]

For me it didn't help that every 14-year-old girl in America apparently identified with her so strongly that half the MCU fanfic that came out after The Avengers featured her as the protagonist. No, somehow I don't think that a government run superhuman response team's top priority would be throwing a birthday party for Thor's girlfriend's intern.

[Danny Franks]

If they were to focus more on Sif and the Warriors Three (although if Fandral were to not appear, thus freeing up Zach Levi for a meatier Marvel role, I would be even happier), I wouldn't miss any of the humans at all. But if this new woman is human, I'm sure she'll have her own band of wisecracking buddies to 'enjoy'.

 

So is Sif not going to be in this much, because of Jaimie Alexander's crappy looking TV show? That's a shame.

[bmoore4026]

JessePinkman, on 19 Apr 2016 - 12:42 PM, said:

Good for him. The most glaringly obnoxious things about that movie was the Black Widow/Hulk...whatever, the Natasha gets kidnapped...whatever and way too many setpieces. The way he talked last summer really came off like he was trying to take Marvel down a peg or two.

 

Could have done without that plot point and the stupid farm.  Have we learned nothing from The Walking Dead: Season Two?

[OakGoblinFly]

Could have done without that plot point and the stupid farm.  Have we learned nothing from The Walking Dead: Season Two?

 

 

The only things I liked about the farm scenes were Thor's perplexed look and Steve Rogers chopping wood.

[GHScorpiosRule]

The only things I liked about the farm scenes were Thor's perplexed look and Steve Rogers chopping wood.

 

Didn't Steve also smash a piece of wood between his hands to prove to Tony, yeah, he (Steve) was mad? Either way, it was uberly HAWT.

 

And I'm totally counting down the days until the movie comes out!

[angora]

He ripped it half with his bare hands.  Go, Captain!

[Dandesun]

Oh yeah... my sexuality shifts a lot between the various things Cap does. Throwing a motorcycle at a truckload of Hydra soldiers. Ripping a log in half with his bare hands. Kicking dudes off ships. Being dorky in an Apple store. Dispatching an elevator of Hydra agents. Doing those spinning kicks.

 

Basically, if Cap's doing something... it's hot.

[Bruinsfan]

With the exceptions of wearing that cowl from the first Avengers movie. That Chitauri soldier who tore it off clearly had his priorities in order: conquer the earth, but first rectify horrible fashion mistakes!

[Perfect Xero]

The only things I liked about the farm scenes were Thor's perplexed look and Steve Rogers chopping wood.

 

Well, it did lead to this gif, which makes it not a total loss ...

 

[scriggle]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/robert-downey-jr-joins-spider-885829
 

Robert Downey Jr. Joins 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'

 

Marvel’s Shell-head is looking to join Marvel’s Web-head.

 

It looks like the team-up of Spider-Man and Iron Man seen inCaptain America: Civil War won’t be the duo’s last.

 

Robert Downey Jr., who plays the red and gold-armored Marvel character, has closed a deal to join the cast of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel and Sony’s reboot of the web-crawling superhero, sources tell THR.

 

Tom Holland will star as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and is making his debut as the character in Civil War (and already garnering praise for his take on the role).

 

The movie establishes a key relationship between Tony Stark/Iron Man and Parker and Homecoming will continue that thread.

Homecoming has been casting up ahead of its June start of production. Marisa Tomei will play Aunt May, while Zendaya is one of the female leads. Tony Revolori, who starred opposite Ralph Fiennes in The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Laura Harrier, who appeared in the soap opera One Life to Live, are also boarding the production, which is being produced by Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal.

 

Sony has held the rights to Spider-Man since the 1990s but its recent outings with the character proved unpopular with fans and critics, despite relatively strong box office. Meanwhile, Marvel built itself up as a movie studio, requiring the rights of many of the characters it had licensed out in the 1990s, and then was bought by Disney. Spider-Man was one of a handful that eluded them.

Last year, Sony execs invited Marvel to come in and handle the character, in an effort to restore him to his former glory. One of the ways Marvel is doing that is by introducing Holland as Spider-Man in Civil War before he goes on to his own movie series.

 

But with Downey’s boarding, it appears that Marvel will continue to keep Spider-Man close not just creatively but also literally; Tony Stark/Iron Man appearing in Homecoming keeps the Sony’s movies strongly tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

 

Downey and his industrialist hero have been cornerstones of Marvel’s film slate even though unlike his other co-stars he has not signed the studio’s complicated multi-pic deals. His last renegotiation included him appearing in Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and Part 2, as well as Civil War.

 

His appearance in Homecoming required another round of negotiations. It is unclear whether that is to appear in just Homecoming or subsequent installments.

 

 

Now, I love RDJ and Iron Man. And I know that without the success of Iron Man there probably wouldn't be the MCU as we know it now.

 

But seriously Iron Man does not need to be in every movie in the MCU.

[nobodyyoucare]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/robert-downey-jr-joins-spider-885829

 

 

Now, I love RDJ and Iron Man. And I know that without the success of Iron Man there probably wouldn't be the MCU as we know it now.

 

But seriously Iron Man does not need to be in every movie in the MCU.

However if the civil war portrayal is true Iron Man was a mentor to this version of Spiderman so it would make sense for him to be in the reboot.

[stealinghome]

Now, I love RDJ and Iron Man. And I know that without the success of Iron Man there probably wouldn't be the MCU as we know it now.

But seriously Iron Man does not need to be in every movie in the MCU.

Wordy McWord. I have Iron Man fatigue and I haven't even seen Civil War yet. Tony is just too much of an asshole for me to want to see him constantly.

[Morrigan2575]

I read somewhere that RDJ said he didn't see Iron Man 4 happening. This could be their best way of keeping RDJ in the MCU going forward, small/key roles in other people's movies + Avengers.

Ir maybe they're milking Stark/RDJ as much as they can until Infinity Wars where they'll kill him off (assuming RDJ wants out)

[Trini]

So Iron Man is the 'Wolverine' of the MCU? (Or the 'Batman', take your pick.)

[Bruinsfan]

Pretty much. Except that I find both of those characters watchable in their own right even if I get annoyed by the narrative focus on them across multiple movies.

 

I will admit that RDJ is absolutely perfect casting as Tony Stark, but the character is such a smug, infantile asshole that he's crossed over from love-to-hate to want-off-my-screen-ASAP for me. Every freaking conversation he has with another character ends up taking on the tone of the Pee Wee Herman "I know you are, but what am I?" schtick. I was cheering at the end of Age of Ultron when it looked like he was done with the Avengers, but no such luck where Marvel's cash cow is concerned.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Bruinsfan

[nobodyyoucare]

So Iron Man is the 'Wolverine' of the MCU? (Or the 'Batman', take your pick.)

He is taking over from Nick Fury.

[Danny Franks]

It makes sense for Tony to be the PR rep and recruitment agent for the Avengers. He is, after all, the charming, debonair, suave businessman. And it makes sense to keep RDJ around in small roles if he doesn't want to do another Iron Man movie.

 

I was worried the Cap movie would be taken over by all these other characters, and become Avengers 2.5, but all the reviews seem to indicate that doesn't happen. So I'm fine with Tony having a few scenes, as long as Steve and Bucky are the main characters. As for the Spider-Man movie, I'm probably not going to bother with it anyway.

[Demented Daisy]

Inhumans has been pulled off release schedule -- it's not clear if it's being postponed or killed entirely.

[Morrigan2575]

Shame, I've been looking forward to Inhumans.

[Joe]

Shame, I've been looking forward to Inhumans.

Oh, so you're the one! I kid, probably. That date is sandwitched between Spider-Man and Indiana Jones, good idea to hold off. Man, tentpole season is getting pretty crowded these days, you have to book four years in advance.

[Danny Franks]

Eh, I don't care about the Inhumans. They're kind of lame, and I don't really see any stories about them that won't replicate some parts of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. And if that story that Vin Diesel was slated to play Black Bolt is true, then I'm fine with it being axed.

 

I'm much more interested in Captain Marvel and the still slight prospects of a Black Widow movie.

[JessePinkman]

I was interested in The Inhumans. Not the version on SHIELD because that looks like a low budget TV movie but the royal family for sure.

I have basically negative interest in a BW movie, Scarlett is just severely miscast in this role (I shed a tear everytime Emily Blunt stars in yet another garbage blockbuster) I can't even imagine 2 hours of her struggle acting.