Daredevil Born Again Season 1 was fine I guess. I did laugh out loud at a gory moment in the finale.
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To Infinity and Beyond: The Marvel Cinematic Universe
Yeah I dunno... it ultimately felt like entirely set up for the next season, where the Real Shit is gonna happen.
I enjoyed the season for the most part, but there were definitely places where it felt like lingering elements from its original version were getting in the way. Like the bank episode, and don't get me wrong I enjoyed that bottle episode for what it was but tonally it stuck out like a sore thumb, and you can kind of see the seams where reshoots were added. (I'll put money on the scene where Matt caught up with and beat the crap out of one of the robbers was added later) I wouldn't be surprised if some higher ups insisted it stay in due to Greater MCU Connections present (Ms. Marvel's Dad meeting Murdock, that unbelievably suspicious Totally Not An Infinity Stone gem) but the episode really felt out of place especially sandwiched between episodes 4 and 6.
But I'll be honest, the final two episodes probably hit a little too close to reality to really enjoy it. The first season was wrapped before the election last year so it's not like they could have changed anything, but a mob boss seizing the reigns of power and ultimately unleashing a brutal crackdown hits a bit different than it otherwise might have, y'know?
Also regarding the very end, so many online fans are big disappointed that in the big final scene they never had the other Netflix Defenders show up when Matt mentioned needing an army, and like I never really expected that? Not that I wouldn't love to see it, and it would make sense for Luke and Jessica at least to be involved with this situation, but still, I think some people had their expectation set too high.
That being said, Season 2 is now filming and Krysten Ritter posted a very telling picture of Charlie Cox reading her new book so she was at least present while he's busy on set, and she has said recently she's ready to return to the role, so it's not impossible....
But I'll be honest, the final two episodes probably hit a little too close to reality to really enjoy it. The first season was wrapped before the election last year so it's not like they could have changed anything, but a mob boss seizing the reigns of power and ultimately unleashing a brutal crackdown hits a bit different than it otherwise might have, y'know?
Also regarding the very end, so many online fans are big disappointed that in the big final scene they never had the other Netflix Defenders show up when Matt mentioned needing an army, and like I never really expected that? Not that I wouldn't love to see it, and it would make sense for Luke and Jessica at least to be involved with this situation, but still, I think some people had their expectation set too high.
That being said, Season 2 is now filming and Krysten Ritter posted a very telling picture of Charlie Cox reading her new book so she was at least present while he's busy on set, and she has said recently she's ready to return to the role, so it's not impossible....
I've reflected on it some, and mostly it's coming down as a disappointment due being an "incomplete" story. It felt like the season was building up to something big, but then the finale just kept escalating it and then oh I guess this is all set up for season 2. There were individual episodes and plot lines that I enjoyed, the the finale just deflated all my enthusiasm about the good things this show was doing.
I generally don't like when TV seasons don't tell complete stories, but with this being announced as an 18 episode thing and the way the story was going, I didn't expect any major resolution at all and so wasn't disappointed by that.
Yeah, I don't think they ever explicitly stated 'this will have a cliffhanger' but it wasn't a stretch to guess.
Thinking about it more, one lingering disappointment I did have with the finale was that Frank didn't more aggressively tear down the idology of the Punisher cops when he was facing them. Maybe they're saving that for his upcoming oneshot, which I think will happen before season 2, but I was hoping to see more of his reaction from the comics where he specifically calls out that they take an oath and should never be trying to be like him instead of just shouting "you don't know meeeee!"
Thinking about it more, one lingering disappointment I did have with the finale was that Frank didn't more aggressively tear down the idology of the Punisher cops when he was facing them. Maybe they're saving that for his upcoming oneshot, which I think will happen before season 2, but I was hoping to see more of his reaction from the comics where he specifically calls out that they take an oath and should never be trying to be like him instead of just shouting "you don't know meeeee!"
The season wasn't perfect, but overall I enjoyed it and am very much looking forward to season 2.
There is a mid-credits scene at the end of the final episode.
I'm still unhappy about Foggy's death, but I was greatly relieved to see Matt reconnecting with Karen in the finale. I don't need to see them romantically involved with each other but I'm glad their friendship wasn't just written out for the sake of narrative expediency. It was also nice to see Frank back and doing his thing with gusto, though I agree with Spoony that there should have been more meat on the bones of his admonition to his fanboys on the force. Maybe that'll come in S2, though this was really the time for it.
It must be thanks to the irresistible gravity well that is Vincent D'Onofrio's performance but I ate up every bit of Fisk content with a spoon. Even the side characters around him are compelling -- I loved hating Daniel the sycophant, and found Sheila's growing discomfort with her role engaging. (I did not see her betrayal of Gallo coming.) Even Buck is, I suppose, an acceptable replacement for my poor, sweet Wesley. The idea that there is a part of New York City that is secretly exempt from all federal and state laws is delirious nonsense, but I'll allow it on the basis that it will lead to fun storytelling.
I realize it's accurate to the comics, but Daredevil swinging around the city like Spider-Man doesn't translate well to live action and looks very silly. And there were several points at which Matt's senses passed beyond "superhuman" and started bordering on the omniscient. I don't buy him being able to recognize Heather's face by running his fingers over a sketch of her, and I have no idea how he clocked the threat of Buck coming to kill him in the hospital.
I would have liked more time with both Hector Ayala and Muse to help them feel more fleshed out. I get that Ayala's murder is supposed to be shockingly abrupt, so I can excuse that, but between the filler episode at the bank and Muse feeling like a weird speedbump, the middle of the series feels a little aimless and loses narrative momentum.
When Matt remarked that he needs allies, a tiny, unreasonable part of me hoped he was going to call Alias Investigations.
Fisk: I have an army.
Matt: We have a Jessica.
All in all, though, this season sets up a city that is wired to explode, with humongous potential for season 2 that I desperately hope they capitalize on.
It must be thanks to the irresistible gravity well that is Vincent D'Onofrio's performance but I ate up every bit of Fisk content with a spoon. Even the side characters around him are compelling -- I loved hating Daniel the sycophant, and found Sheila's growing discomfort with her role engaging. (I did not see her betrayal of Gallo coming.) Even Buck is, I suppose, an acceptable replacement for my poor, sweet Wesley. The idea that there is a part of New York City that is secretly exempt from all federal and state laws is delirious nonsense, but I'll allow it on the basis that it will lead to fun storytelling.
I realize it's accurate to the comics, but Daredevil swinging around the city like Spider-Man doesn't translate well to live action and looks very silly. And there were several points at which Matt's senses passed beyond "superhuman" and started bordering on the omniscient. I don't buy him being able to recognize Heather's face by running his fingers over a sketch of her, and I have no idea how he clocked the threat of Buck coming to kill him in the hospital.
I would have liked more time with both Hector Ayala and Muse to help them feel more fleshed out. I get that Ayala's murder is supposed to be shockingly abrupt, so I can excuse that, but between the filler episode at the bank and Muse feeling like a weird speedbump, the middle of the series feels a little aimless and loses narrative momentum.
When Matt remarked that he needs allies, a tiny, unreasonable part of me hoped he was going to call Alias Investigations.
Fisk: I have an army.
Matt: We have a Jessica.
All in all, though, this season sets up a city that is wired to explode, with humongous potential for season 2 that I desperately hope they capitalize on.
There is a mid-credits scene at the end of the final episode.
Marvel Studios' Homicide Homies* isn't, like, incredible. But it's pretty good!
There are mid- and post-credits scenes. While I was watching the credits roll I noticed that Heidi Moneymaker, formerly Scarlet Johansson's stunt double, is now Stunt Coordinator! Good for her.
To the extent that an MCU movie was going to have anything meaningful to say about mental illness, I think they took a good crack at it. No, it's not breaking any new ground, but the message (you can't fight depression alone because it's a part of you, and you can't beat yourself) is a heartfelt one, and well-delivered. Honestly, it's just a relief to see a Marvel movie that's about something, after the completely flat Cap 4.
I guess the movie's biggest issue is that it wants to tell the "a group of disaffected losers who don't belong anywhere else come together and find kinship in each other" story, except it's set in a universe that already did three Guardians of the Galaxy movies and they're all so much better than this. Yelena and Bob both get good and meaty development, but everyone else is left fighting over the scraps. Bucky's issues have already been extensively mined so he gets a pass, but we learn nothing new about Ghost, while Alexei manages to coast by on comic relief and not much else. (It's good comic relief, though.) The moment everyone remembers about USAgent is when he used Captain America's shield to murder an unarmed man in broad daylight, but Walker doesn't need to reckon with that when he has to face his own dark side? He's just cool with it? Must be nice.
I don't know why they bothered including Taskmaster just to give her one line before shooting her in the head. How about this instead: she survives until the third act but doesn't say much or bond with the rest of the team, and ultimately drowns in her own shadow because she's just too traumatized and unable to form connections with other people. She'd still end up the sacrificial lamb but at least her death would have a point, and would raise the stakes for the rest of the Thunderbolts. It'd be better than the literal nothing she got. Did the actress piss off Kevin Feige or something?
In the comics the Sentry has two gimmicks: the light/dark duality, and having been retroactively inserted into Marvel continuity. There isn't a hint of that here (except perhaps in the comic pages flipped through in the Marvel Studios logo, which appeared to be Sentry-focused but I couldn't pick out anything specific) and it seems like kind of a waste of a cool concept. No, it wouldn't have fit this movie, but how fun would it be to get some clips of Bob digitally inserted into old footage so he's assembling with the Avengers in NYC, eating shawarma, or coming out of a portal in Endgame? Can't have everything, I guess.
Stray thoughts:
I have an irrational love for Avengers Tower so I'm glad to see it back in action.
The visual effect of Bob just flattening people into shadows was impressively spooky.
I was so sure that "Ox Group" was going to turn out to be a front for Oscorp but I guess not.
The Thunderbolts attempting to apprehend Valentina and instead walking out into a surprise press conference was Scooby Doo-level wacky, but I'll allow it. The montage of publications going "uhhhhhhhhh New Avengers?? I guess?????" was a cute note to end on.
I guess the movie's biggest issue is that it wants to tell the "a group of disaffected losers who don't belong anywhere else come together and find kinship in each other" story, except it's set in a universe that already did three Guardians of the Galaxy movies and they're all so much better than this. Yelena and Bob both get good and meaty development, but everyone else is left fighting over the scraps. Bucky's issues have already been extensively mined so he gets a pass, but we learn nothing new about Ghost, while Alexei manages to coast by on comic relief and not much else. (It's good comic relief, though.) The moment everyone remembers about USAgent is when he used Captain America's shield to murder an unarmed man in broad daylight, but Walker doesn't need to reckon with that when he has to face his own dark side? He's just cool with it? Must be nice.
I don't know why they bothered including Taskmaster just to give her one line before shooting her in the head. How about this instead: she survives until the third act but doesn't say much or bond with the rest of the team, and ultimately drowns in her own shadow because she's just too traumatized and unable to form connections with other people. She'd still end up the sacrificial lamb but at least her death would have a point, and would raise the stakes for the rest of the Thunderbolts. It'd be better than the literal nothing she got. Did the actress piss off Kevin Feige or something?
In the comics the Sentry has two gimmicks: the light/dark duality, and having been retroactively inserted into Marvel continuity. There isn't a hint of that here (except perhaps in the comic pages flipped through in the Marvel Studios logo, which appeared to be Sentry-focused but I couldn't pick out anything specific) and it seems like kind of a waste of a cool concept. No, it wouldn't have fit this movie, but how fun would it be to get some clips of Bob digitally inserted into old footage so he's assembling with the Avengers in NYC, eating shawarma, or coming out of a portal in Endgame? Can't have everything, I guess.
Stray thoughts:
I have an irrational love for Avengers Tower so I'm glad to see it back in action.
The visual effect of Bob just flattening people into shadows was impressively spooky.
I was so sure that "Ox Group" was going to turn out to be a front for Oscorp but I guess not.
The Thunderbolts attempting to apprehend Valentina and instead walking out into a surprise press conference was Scooby Doo-level wacky, but I'll allow it. The montage of publications going "uhhhhhhhhh New Avengers?? I guess?????" was a cute note to end on.
There are mid- and post-credits scenes. While I was watching the credits roll I noticed that Heidi Moneymaker, formerly Scarlet Johansson's stunt double, is now Stunt Coordinator! Good for her.
Olli
(he/him)
I liked it! It wasn't an all-bases-loaded home run, but it subverted my expectations a couple of times, which was a neat trick for a quippy superhero movie with a low-powered group of misfits. The jokes weren't quite as good or frequent as in, say, a James Gunn flick, but I had a few good laughs and the audience whooped a handful of times, which is already miles above Falcon Cap.
I'm glad it wasn't just Marvel's Suicide Squad in the sense of how they originally sold the movie - "Valentina putting together her team of villains to do some good by the way of murder and destruction that needs to be done". Sentry was also a nice pull, given how everyone was guessing Hydra Bob based on the earlier trailers. Like Vaeran mentioned, The Void's shadow power was impressively creepy, and I liked how a punchy-shooty group of protagonists ended up saving the day in a psychological pocket universe instead of blowing up a bunch of robots or something. Definitely out of their league there, but they ended up winning anyway, which was nice. Another thing I noted here is how Valentina was constantly on the back foot here, despite being built up as a nth-dimensional chess player in her previous teases; maybe she'll make a comeback. Yet another thing, which I'm sure Octo will note: No Zemo! I was really expecting for him to make at least a cameo, but nope, nothing! I wonder what, if anything, Marvel has in store for him.
I'm glad it wasn't just Marvel's Suicide Squad in the sense of how they originally sold the movie - "Valentina putting together her team of villains to do some good by the way of murder and destruction that needs to be done". Sentry was also a nice pull, given how everyone was guessing Hydra Bob based on the earlier trailers. Like Vaeran mentioned, The Void's shadow power was impressively creepy, and I liked how a punchy-shooty group of protagonists ended up saving the day in a psychological pocket universe instead of blowing up a bunch of robots or something. Definitely out of their league there, but they ended up winning anyway, which was nice. Another thing I noted here is how Valentina was constantly on the back foot here, despite being built up as a nth-dimensional chess player in her previous teases; maybe she'll make a comeback. Yet another thing, which I'm sure Octo will note: No Zemo! I was really expecting for him to make at least a cameo, but nope, nothing! I wonder what, if anything, Marvel has in store for him.
I quite enjoyed ThunderboltsAsterisk, but one thing about it kept bugging me throughout most of the flick.
It doesn't do the 'found dysfunctional family' vibe nearly as well as Guardians, though, and it still feels a bit like it mostly exists to set up the next big thing. But all that aside, I still quite liked it. It was fun, at the very least.
I'm really kind of gobsmacked they let Contessa get away with her bullshit at the end though. Come on guys.
Taskmaster is offed immediately. Like, immediately immediately. The fact that she didn't make it out of the movie wasn't a huge surprise, thanks to the infamous Avengers Doomsday Chair Reveal video which saw the entire main cast of TBolts, sans Taskmaster, coming back for the next big crossover flick.
It has since been said they felt they wanted a death of one of the team to give the story some teeth, and Taskmaster was the most likely cut. Which is fine, but she's not even part of the team before Ghost caps her in the head. She has one line, and then dies. And even Yelena isn't all that bothered by it. So if it was meant to be a 'shock' they forgot to make her part of the team first to give her death weight, and if they just meant for it to be a surprise then the marketing team screwed them on that too with her conspicuously absent Doomsday chair. Either way, her death just didn't work for me. I think they might have been better off just not having her be in it at all.
But now there's a story by Polygon which gets into what she MIGHT have done, and I kind of dig it? At least her and Ghost bonding makes sense (making Ghost be the one to kill her kind of grim, really), but I really felt there was something missing in the team dynamic in the latter half of the movie, and that mostly came from Ghost kind of being not really all that present. (haha phasing out joke) Yelena and Red Guardian and even Walker and Bucky all have a dynamic with each other, but Ghost just feels like she's 'also there', she doesn't any real memorable interactions with the other teammates. Her story was clearly missing something, and now it turns out that was Taskmaster. In that back half of the movie Ghost feels like a fifth wheel, and that's a shame.
It has since been said they felt they wanted a death of one of the team to give the story some teeth, and Taskmaster was the most likely cut. Which is fine, but she's not even part of the team before Ghost caps her in the head. She has one line, and then dies. And even Yelena isn't all that bothered by it. So if it was meant to be a 'shock' they forgot to make her part of the team first to give her death weight, and if they just meant for it to be a surprise then the marketing team screwed them on that too with her conspicuously absent Doomsday chair. Either way, her death just didn't work for me. I think they might have been better off just not having her be in it at all.
But now there's a story by Polygon which gets into what she MIGHT have done, and I kind of dig it? At least her and Ghost bonding makes sense (making Ghost be the one to kill her kind of grim, really), but I really felt there was something missing in the team dynamic in the latter half of the movie, and that mostly came from Ghost kind of being not really all that present. (haha phasing out joke) Yelena and Red Guardian and even Walker and Bucky all have a dynamic with each other, but Ghost just feels like she's 'also there', she doesn't any real memorable interactions with the other teammates. Her story was clearly missing something, and now it turns out that was Taskmaster. In that back half of the movie Ghost feels like a fifth wheel, and that's a shame.
It doesn't do the 'found dysfunctional family' vibe nearly as well as Guardians, though, and it still feels a bit like it mostly exists to set up the next big thing. But all that aside, I still quite liked it. It was fun, at the very least.
I'm really kind of gobsmacked they let Contessa get away with her bullshit at the end though. Come on guys.
I’m going to go ahead and say that Lightning Lad/ies* is my favorite MCU movie of phase 6.
Which isn’t saying a lot, but I’m also tempted to say I enjoyed it More than Phase 5 as well; so we’re off to a good start.
I’m not *surprised* that the MCU Thunderbolts didn’t have Moonstone, who was my favorite character in the comics by a mile, but… like… what’s Zemo doing that’s so important he couldn’t have been hanging around being a l’il stinker?
Which isn’t saying a lot, but I’m also tempted to say I enjoyed it More than Phase 5 as well; so we’re off to a good start.
I’m not *surprised* that the MCU Thunderbolts didn’t have Moonstone, who was my favorite character in the comics by a mile, but… like… what’s Zemo doing that’s so important he couldn’t have been hanging around being a l’il stinker?
I got around to seeing Thunderbolts*. I liked it a lot while watching it, and I think I like it more after sitting with it for a bit.
Marvel movies have a formula, with certain beats and quips and a big third act spectacle, etc., that shows up time and time again in these movies. Even in the better movies, sometimes they work despite how formulaic they are. And in the worst ones the formulaic parts stick out more than usual and feel awkward. This movie stuck to the formula really closely, but it felt like it was using that to its advantage instead of being forced into it, if that makes any sense. And it's a story in this shared universe that just lives with the fact that these characters all started somewhere else and are going to end up in another place and this is just a piece of their journey. It feels very naturally part of the MCU instead of like it's forced into the formula, or like it's trying to force an ad for another property in the middle of a story.
And yeah, Taskmaster has a weird brief role. And Bucky and Ghost are not really explored in this one. Bucky has had plenty of story time already, we don't really need to know more about him. Ghost could have used one more scene in this movie, though she got a lot of background in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Red Guardian and US Agent got about the right amount of time devoted to them. But this movie was about Yelena and Bob, and man did it ever do a good job of telling their story. And it gave us a big formulaic third act spectacle, but that served as a further way to explore these characters and the group as a whole.
And it slipped in a lot of clever homages to the first Avengers movie. Like, JLD's character totally wants to be Tony Stark, right down to buying his building and hanging out behind his bar. Except, instead of being really smart she's just good at manipulating people. And there are a lot of other moments like the big fight before becoming a team, the showdown with an overwhelming enemy in NYC (even the focus on saving civilians there), and Bob being controlled similar to Hawkeye. Bucky's "on your left" and the surprise press conference at the end were good, classic MCU throwbacks too.
I felt like the fake title really worked in the movie's favor. Even having had the real title spoiled by post-release ads, it still felt like the movie pulled a neat trick in letting you get to know this shitty team named after a kids soccer team before pulling the curtain and revealing that these are the New Avengers. It's fun. They are great underdogs and I'm totally rooting for them in whatever they are in next.
It was a good movie, but it was a great MCU movie. That's what I want more of out of the MCU. Give me more Marvel movies that really like being Marvel movies, please.
Marvel movies have a formula, with certain beats and quips and a big third act spectacle, etc., that shows up time and time again in these movies. Even in the better movies, sometimes they work despite how formulaic they are. And in the worst ones the formulaic parts stick out more than usual and feel awkward. This movie stuck to the formula really closely, but it felt like it was using that to its advantage instead of being forced into it, if that makes any sense. And it's a story in this shared universe that just lives with the fact that these characters all started somewhere else and are going to end up in another place and this is just a piece of their journey. It feels very naturally part of the MCU instead of like it's forced into the formula, or like it's trying to force an ad for another property in the middle of a story.
And yeah, Taskmaster has a weird brief role. And Bucky and Ghost are not really explored in this one. Bucky has had plenty of story time already, we don't really need to know more about him. Ghost could have used one more scene in this movie, though she got a lot of background in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Red Guardian and US Agent got about the right amount of time devoted to them. But this movie was about Yelena and Bob, and man did it ever do a good job of telling their story. And it gave us a big formulaic third act spectacle, but that served as a further way to explore these characters and the group as a whole.
And it slipped in a lot of clever homages to the first Avengers movie. Like, JLD's character totally wants to be Tony Stark, right down to buying his building and hanging out behind his bar. Except, instead of being really smart she's just good at manipulating people. And there are a lot of other moments like the big fight before becoming a team, the showdown with an overwhelming enemy in NYC (even the focus on saving civilians there), and Bob being controlled similar to Hawkeye. Bucky's "on your left" and the surprise press conference at the end were good, classic MCU throwbacks too.
I felt like the fake title really worked in the movie's favor. Even having had the real title spoiled by post-release ads, it still felt like the movie pulled a neat trick in letting you get to know this shitty team named after a kids soccer team before pulling the curtain and revealing that these are the New Avengers. It's fun. They are great underdogs and I'm totally rooting for them in whatever they are in next.
It was a good movie, but it was a great MCU movie. That's what I want more of out of the MCU. Give me more Marvel movies that really like being Marvel movies, please.
Disney Pushes Next Two ‘Avengers’ Movies; Dates ‘The Dog Stars’ & ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ (via Deadline)
Doomsday and Secret Wars are now slated for December 2026 and 2027, respectively.
I wonder if this has to do with Tom Holland. Last I heard Disney/Marvel were negotiating with Sony for him to be in Doomsday. If the deal went a way they weren't prepared for they could need more time for rewrites, etc.
So the schedule now looks like this:
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25, 2025)
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31, 2026)
Avengers: Doomsday (December 18, 2026)
Avengers: Secret Wars (December 17, 2027)
Doomsday and Secret Wars are now slated for December 2026 and 2027, respectively.
I wonder if this has to do with Tom Holland. Last I heard Disney/Marvel were negotiating with Sony for him to be in Doomsday. If the deal went a way they weren't prepared for they could need more time for rewrites, etc.
So the schedule now looks like this:
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25, 2025)
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31, 2026)
Avengers: Doomsday (December 18, 2026)
Avengers: Secret Wars (December 17, 2027)
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
I watched Wakanda Forever on the plane, which was a very good situation to watch such a long movie. I would have preferred not to have Namor involved at all, it just felt like it bloated a movie that already had a lot going on. The silent logo for Boseman and so many other aspects of grief were beautifully done. The opening scene of "you come at the Queen you best not miss" was stunning. I wanted THAT movie. I wanted her to stay Queen, Shuri to be Black Panther but be kinda bad at it, or have her science fail and have to acknowledge that she needed something more (which sort of happened but I felt could have been better). I wanted more of The Scientist. I loved bringing Nakia and Killmonger back too.
I guess that's my beef with the movie. I felt like so much was going on in Wakanda to make the movie tighter and probably shorter without adding new bad guys to distract everyone and underdevelop too many plotlines.
Also Namor-wise I can't decide how I feel about what seems to be vaguely merging a bunch of Mesoamerican cultures from different time periods. I think it's good to have more representation onscreen of course, and if they make a Namor movie with a Latin director that'd be cool. I don't know Namor in the current comics well, only older stuff from the 60s/70s so dunno if they switched from Atlantis to Mesoamerica there too. Oh and I'm curious if Dorma ends up having more to do in the movies long term.
I guess that's my beef with the movie. I felt like so much was going on in Wakanda to make the movie tighter and probably shorter without adding new bad guys to distract everyone and underdevelop too many plotlines.
Also Namor-wise I can't decide how I feel about what seems to be vaguely merging a bunch of Mesoamerican cultures from different time periods. I think it's good to have more representation onscreen of course, and if they make a Namor movie with a Latin director that'd be cool. I don't know Namor in the current comics well, only older stuff from the 60s/70s so dunno if they switched from Atlantis to Mesoamerica there too. Oh and I'm curious if Dorma ends up having more to do in the movies long term.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
The Mesoamerican stuff is for the film and to my knowledge has not been brought to comics yet (though often the films tend to have big impact on characters sometimes, particularly if it hits well). It's hard to say how Namor stuff will pan out because there have been allegations against the actor by musician/activist Maria Elena Ríos (which I don't know much about) but wikipedia is still crediting him as being in the big 2026 Avengers movie.
In the case of Jonathan Majors, Marvel/Disney waited until the day the guilty verdict came down before officially severing ties with him. Given that Doomsday is filming now I would say Tenoch Huerta Mejia is probably going to be in it no matter what at this point. Then again, they did just push it back six months, so maybe...
Nobody watching Iron Heart?
I'll check it out after I catch up on other shows. We're pretty late to be doing spinoffs about characters from a three year old movie.
Re: Iron Heart... Lady Ostrich and I sat down to watch it last week... And then immediately decided to watch something else. I haven't seen any impressions in my usual online haunts, so I'm guessing the show can safely be filed alongside "Echo" as "to be watched at an undetermined date".
Which reminds me that I haven't touched "Secret Invasion". That one's still filed under "probably doesn't need to be watched..."
Which reminds me that I haven't touched "Secret Invasion". That one's still filed under "probably doesn't need to be watched..."
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Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Correctly filed. Olivia Coleman is actually really good but it's not worth having to watch the rest.
MORE LIKE IRON FAAAAAAAARRRRRTTTTTTTT
The show... is not great.
So yeah it's not awesome. Not quite as bad as Secret Invasion though. I guess. Whatever.
The show... is not great.
Satan, the christian devil who tempted Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden is a character in this show.
...What do you fucking say to that?
"Yeah I'm really looking forward to Doctor Doom in this multimedia franchise that now features SATAN PRINCE OF HELL."
"Boy I sure am excited for the next movie, where I'm sure the the bad guy will definitely be threatening in a setting that now has LITTLE HORN THE MOST UNCLEAN as an established character that can just show up whenever.
Genuinely asking. What the fuck is the devil doing in your live action cartoon about person-sized gundams? What lead you to this choice? Why was this the decided upon course of action? is someone 4 shows down the line gonna kick the avatar of evil and sin in the balls and say "NOW THAT I HAVE BEATEN LUCIFER THE DEVIL I, (frantic googling) ANNIHILUS, AM THE BIGGEST BAD IN THE MCU!" Is that where we're fucking going with this?
Fuckin A.
As always there's a shitload of world-class talent acting their asses off to elevate the material. The guy who was Han Solo in that movie everyone hated is fuckin awesome. Every scene he's in great. Yeah the CGI in his episode 4 makeover kinda sucks but I really like how he comes across as a guy who's default mode is basically a niceguy doormat just trying out some supervilian shit. And I know I just spent like 500 words talking shit about the decision to throw the devil into the mix but Borat SELLS THE ABSOLUTE SHIT out of the man of wealth and taste. The guy from Good Girls, and for that matter every member of the extremely lopsided KRIMINAL KOMRADES came to fucking play. Everyone here is acting thier fucking asses off for a 4/10 story.
But god maybe they should have given that script a few more table reads.
I don't like bitching about plot holes but this one stuck out to me in weird ways. Why is Riri on KRIME KREW? To pay for her suit right? But she doesn't need to! She finds a guy who helps her finish her suit almost immediately! Which she then used for KRIME KONGOMERATE jobs becuase they need her to have a working suit for Crimes! I get that she needed to join the KRIME KIDZ for the plot to happen but couldn't they have finessed that just a little bit?
Halfway through episode 4 I wanna say, I suddenly went "Oh fuck all of Riri's problems are 100% her own fault." From Han solo being in Jail to not being in rich kid college anymore to being stuck with the KRIME KONFEDERACY, It's all just her. it's almost like I'm watching... NO! NO IT CAN'T BE! IT CAN'T POSSIBLY BE! YOU CAN'T SERIOUSLY TELL ME I'M WATCHING FUCKING
YEP.
We've reached that point. Maybe we were always at that point. Maybe we never left.
...What do you fucking say to that?
"Yeah I'm really looking forward to Doctor Doom in this multimedia franchise that now features SATAN PRINCE OF HELL."
"Boy I sure am excited for the next movie, where I'm sure the the bad guy will definitely be threatening in a setting that now has LITTLE HORN THE MOST UNCLEAN as an established character that can just show up whenever.
Genuinely asking. What the fuck is the devil doing in your live action cartoon about person-sized gundams? What lead you to this choice? Why was this the decided upon course of action? is someone 4 shows down the line gonna kick the avatar of evil and sin in the balls and say "NOW THAT I HAVE BEATEN LUCIFER THE DEVIL I, (frantic googling) ANNIHILUS, AM THE BIGGEST BAD IN THE MCU!" Is that where we're fucking going with this?
Fuckin A.
As always there's a shitload of world-class talent acting their asses off to elevate the material. The guy who was Han Solo in that movie everyone hated is fuckin awesome. Every scene he's in great. Yeah the CGI in his episode 4 makeover kinda sucks but I really like how he comes across as a guy who's default mode is basically a niceguy doormat just trying out some supervilian shit. And I know I just spent like 500 words talking shit about the decision to throw the devil into the mix but Borat SELLS THE ABSOLUTE SHIT out of the man of wealth and taste. The guy from Good Girls, and for that matter every member of the extremely lopsided KRIMINAL KOMRADES came to fucking play. Everyone here is acting thier fucking asses off for a 4/10 story.
But god maybe they should have given that script a few more table reads.
I don't like bitching about plot holes but this one stuck out to me in weird ways. Why is Riri on KRIME KREW? To pay for her suit right? But she doesn't need to! She finds a guy who helps her finish her suit almost immediately! Which she then used for KRIME KONGOMERATE jobs becuase they need her to have a working suit for Crimes! I get that she needed to join the KRIME KIDZ for the plot to happen but couldn't they have finessed that just a little bit?
Halfway through episode 4 I wanna say, I suddenly went "Oh fuck all of Riri's problems are 100% her own fault." From Han solo being in Jail to not being in rich kid college anymore to being stuck with the KRIME KONFEDERACY, It's all just her. it's almost like I'm watching... NO! NO IT CAN'T BE! IT CAN'T POSSIBLY BE! YOU CAN'T SERIOUSLY TELL ME I'M WATCHING FUCKING
YEP.
We've reached that point. Maybe we were always at that point. Maybe we never left.
So yeah it's not awesome. Not quite as bad as Secret Invasion though. I guess. Whatever.
ClaudiaSilvestri
(she/her)
Hey, it's not as late as doing a movie about Black Widow after she got killed off!
It seems like the goal of Ironheart was to create the most irredeemable protagonist in the MCU.
Oh yeah I watched the new Daredevil season this past week. I liked it well enough overall. Some weird decisions here and there (not having Frank say anything beyond "you're all clowns" to the cops appropriating his symbol being the most egregious example - that bothered me more than Foggy's death lol), but it was alright. D'Onofrio as Fisk is fun as always, and every scene with him and Murdock was great. Man, though, when he ripped the commisioners head apart, that was almost TOO violent for me, and fuckin Punisher is in this show! Wild stuff lol
How they gonna call it Fantastic Four: First Steps when this is the fifth motherfucking time we've been out here? Anyway this movie was great.
There are mid- and post-credits scenes.
As with Spider-Man Homecoming, I think the decision to skip over the FF's origin story and start with them as established heroes was the correct one. The film also makes clear quickly and effectively that the Four are a family first and a team second; they love each other, they bicker and tease and bounce off of and need each other. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of them, first in Doomsday/Secret Wars and then whatever lies beyond.
I'm a big Pedro Pascal fan but when he was announced I wasn't sure if he would be the right fit for Reed. Well, Marvel ain't miscast anyone yet. He brings the usual Pascal brand charisma to the role but the writing explores a bit of the detached methodical thinking of his character, clearly something he's been working on addressing. "I think terrible things so that terrible things don't happen."
Loved the cold Mama Bear simplicity of Sue's "Johnny, kill her!" during their flight from Shalla-Bal. Did you know that adrenaline can enable a mother in times of crisis to lift a gigantic space god off of her child
The logistics of decoding an entire alien language from a key of three words aside, I don't know that "isolated academic study" is the best showcase for Johnny's character. I guess like Reed he's done a lot of growing up as well.
I guess of the four Ben gets the short end of the stick in terms of characterization. There are hints of his discomfort about his appearance (going out in a hat and trenchcoat, and worrying over his beard) but largely he seems at home in his rock body.
Here's a dumb question: Does Franklin have the Power Cosmic in the comics? I thought he was just an absurdly powerful reality-warping mutant.
The retro-futurism design of the world was delightful and I wish we'd gotten to see more of it. I had guessed from Thunderbolts*'s post-credits scene that this world (Earth-828, in honor of Jack Kirby's birthday) would be destroyed and the FF would be the last surviving escapees, but what a downer that would have been! I like this better.
My theater let out a big WOOOOOOOOOOO at Doom. According to the credits, Alan Silvestri composed the cue for that scene, so I assume Doom's theme will be expanded on in DD/SW.
I'm a big Pedro Pascal fan but when he was announced I wasn't sure if he would be the right fit for Reed. Well, Marvel ain't miscast anyone yet. He brings the usual Pascal brand charisma to the role but the writing explores a bit of the detached methodical thinking of his character, clearly something he's been working on addressing. "I think terrible things so that terrible things don't happen."
Loved the cold Mama Bear simplicity of Sue's "Johnny, kill her!" during their flight from Shalla-Bal. Did you know that adrenaline can enable a mother in times of crisis to lift a gigantic space god off of her child
The logistics of decoding an entire alien language from a key of three words aside, I don't know that "isolated academic study" is the best showcase for Johnny's character. I guess like Reed he's done a lot of growing up as well.
I guess of the four Ben gets the short end of the stick in terms of characterization. There are hints of his discomfort about his appearance (going out in a hat and trenchcoat, and worrying over his beard) but largely he seems at home in his rock body.
Here's a dumb question: Does Franklin have the Power Cosmic in the comics? I thought he was just an absurdly powerful reality-warping mutant.
The retro-futurism design of the world was delightful and I wish we'd gotten to see more of it. I had guessed from Thunderbolts*'s post-credits scene that this world (Earth-828, in honor of Jack Kirby's birthday) would be destroyed and the FF would be the last surviving escapees, but what a downer that would have been! I like this better.
My theater let out a big WOOOOOOOOOOO at Doom. According to the credits, Alan Silvestri composed the cue for that scene, so I assume Doom's theme will be expanded on in DD/SW.
There are mid- and post-credits scenes.
Watched this a few nights ago. It was pretty decent! Solid 7/10; mostly enjoyed my time.
Skipping over the origin works for a thing everyone is all familiar with, like Superman or Spider-Man. Here, I don't think that it didn't work. The film operates just fine as a stand alone experience. But I also left the movie kinda resentful that we watched what was essentially Iron Man 3, with no Iron Man 1 or 2 first to properly build up with these actors/characters. And the next time we'll see them will be a big fuckin' crossover event. The Fantastic Four deserve audiences getting to know these characters better before being thrust into the central pillar for the next big Avengers thing.
My only substantial criticism that isn't a nitpick is the general setting for the film. The retro-futurism aesthetic looks amazing, but the entire worldview of the film is incredibly conservative. Not just in a "let's go back to when things were better" sense, but how the Fantastic Four in this film are basically just the Justice Lords? Just, treated as an unironically good thing? That feels beyond bizarre to me. And I have to wonder how Jack Kirby would have felt about a film paying tribute to him like F4 does, but then turns his characters into Randian heroes that literally rule over the Earth.
Skipping over the origin works for a thing everyone is all familiar with, like Superman or Spider-Man. Here, I don't think that it didn't work. The film operates just fine as a stand alone experience. But I also left the movie kinda resentful that we watched what was essentially Iron Man 3, with no Iron Man 1 or 2 first to properly build up with these actors/characters. And the next time we'll see them will be a big fuckin' crossover event. The Fantastic Four deserve audiences getting to know these characters better before being thrust into the central pillar for the next big Avengers thing.
My only substantial criticism that isn't a nitpick is the general setting for the film. The retro-futurism aesthetic looks amazing, but the entire worldview of the film is incredibly conservative. Not just in a "let's go back to when things were better" sense, but how the Fantastic Four in this film are basically just the Justice Lords? Just, treated as an unironically good thing? That feels beyond bizarre to me. And I have to wonder how Jack Kirby would have felt about a film paying tribute to him like F4 does, but then turns his characters into Randian heroes that literally rule over the Earth.
Just got back from seeing Fantastic Four, and me and my friend had the same opinion: Loved the visuals, music and the story, but there was something... off... about the acting. Like, so many of the lines were delivered in a way that seemed emotionless, or at least strangely restrained (my friend at first wondered if there was something wrong with the sound mix that made everyone sound dull, but that didn't seem to be it). If it had been just one actor doing it, I might just blame them, but when the whole cast was doing it, it made me wonder if it's the director who's to blame. Was it a conscious decision?
They all seemed to be acting not just the way that 1950s people did (stiff formality even in emotional contexts) but also the way 1950s actors acted, which was a bit more theatrical rather than focused on naturalistic realism. Presumably to enhance that 50s rerro futurist feel to everything.
Might be that was what made it seem stilted, restrained, or emotionally distant to you?
Might be that was what made it seem stilted, restrained, or emotionally distant to you?
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