MCU Topic

[Ran]

That makes way more sense. I figured there had to be something much bigger than just the rights to a few characters.

[Tom Foolery]

I saw Ragnarok yesterday. Holy shit, that was entirely too much fun.


I always try to channel my inner ten year old self from the 80s and how he would react to these movies. Halfway thru the movie, I’m watching this Odd Couple moment between Thor and a pouty Hulk in their prison/suite and I have no explanation how this scene could be what’s become of the MCU. And I mean that in the best way. There’s been so many of these movies that you can have a casual Dr Strange guest appearance in the film, and then have a Hulk/Thor bromantic comedy film and everyone is like “Ha! yes! Awesome! What’s next!”

During the asgardian community theater scene, I was like “is that Sam Niell?’ and totally missed the fact Matt Damon was playing Loki.

Also mad props to Taiki Waititi, the director. Because to date, I believe Thor:Dark World is the weakest of the MCU films so far. Not because it’s bad perse, but because it’s DULL and took itself too seriously. And there was nothing at stake. It was a placeholder film in both the Thor franchise and the MCU franchise. This one had serious ramifications going forward.

I want to go see it again.

[anarky]

This morning, we received irrefutable evidence of a benevolent supreme being.

Some speculation on the thing that we're all shitting ourselves over:

First, not speculation, but Peter has his Spidey sense!

I think Loki is a hero this time, and we're led to think here that he's not. There's also a couple of shots that are supposed to look like Thanos tearing the Mind Stone from Vision's head, and then putting it in the Gauntlet. Only it's Loki standing on Vision, we only see him touch the Stone with his scepter (I'm thinking Valkyrie's forced flashback in Ragnarok), and then Thanos inserting the Space Stone.

We now know Loki took the Tesseract. His change of heart in Ragnarok seems genuine in that movie. But we see him giving the Tesseract to someone who's most likely Thanos (we know Thanos catches up to Thor and Company at the end of Ragnarok, and Loki looks like he's surrounded by dead Asgardians).

But Loki doesn't look like someone who's exactly happy to give up the Tesseract, and he certainly doesn't have the expression of someone who just ratted out his entire people. I think he immediately recognizes Thanos, knows what he's after, and, especially when he sees the Gauntlet with the Power Stone, realizes there's only one way to save anyone who's still alive at this point. (Not looking good for Korg here.)

It's very unclear how it happens, but Thor and Hulk get split up. We only see Thor in space scenes here, and Hulk and Banner both on Earth. Dr. Strange and Wong seem to find Banner in the basement of the Sanctum Sanctorium after he crashes through the whole place, while Thor winds up with the Guardians on the Milano.

Also bear in mind that Banner does not want to turn into the Hulk again in Ragnarok because he's pretty sure it will be permanent, but does anyway, and is still Hulk at the end of the movie. If the scene where Strange finds him is indeed early in the movie, he somehow changed back anyhow and wound up on another planet, in one very particular location.

Loki knows the Mind Stone was last on Earth. Even if he doesn't know about the other two (more on that in a minute), he knows of that one.
And, after Ragnarok, he knows that Strange is more powerful than he is, even if he doesn't know Strange has the Time Stone. He knows Thanos will come to Earth (Thanos knows about the Mind Stone last being there, too), and then Hulk just happens to wind up in Strange's basement.

I think Thanos guessed correctly that Loki took the Space Stone from Asgard and tracked him down. After an initial attack in which Thor is left for dead in space, Loki knows they have no chance, turns Hulk back to Banner, and sends him to Strange. (Or sends Hulk to Strange, and he transforms back after being knocked out.) He then gives up the Space Stone.

As for the Soul Stone, I think the trailer confirms something about Black Panther. Thanos would go to New York for access to the Time Stone and Mind Stone, or he just followed Hulk. He has absolutely no reason to go to Wakanda unless there's something there he wants. The Soul Stone.

The way the scenes are set up, it looks like the Avengers split into two teams. Thor or Loki presumably know that the Collector (who's confirmed for this movie) already had the Reality Stone. (I can see Quill or Rocket saying something about Ronan being an idiot and only taking one Stone.)
Wanda is seen in one shot with something red that doesn't quite look like her hex powers to me. She also has black eyes (like Jane or Quill when they made contact with Infinity Stones) in the shot with human Vision.

I think Wanda gets the Reality Stone and does something with it, something likely tied to the casting of twin children in Avengers 4.

Right or wrong, this movie is going to be a fucking doozy.

[jjreason]

Yeah, the trailer is amazing. It looks like it's going to be the movie we all want it to be.

[Tom Foolery]

Everyone thought there was a missile test, but it was really just my massive erection hitting the Earth and causing it to shift in orbit.

I love how we are almost 20 movies into this franchise and I’m still getting fucking stoked for every single one of them.
WB take note. Your DC franchise gets a meh from everybody. This shit right here makes me jump up and down and scream in excitement.

[jjreason]

LOL DC - people are actually jacked when Wonder Woman and JL turn out to be NOT the shittiest movies of the year. Quite the accomplishment on those shoestring budgets.

[anarky]

BTW, Diabolical corrected one of my assertions on Facebook (no spoiler tags now, since, if you haven't seen it, you lose your geek card). Wanda doesn't have black eyes in the one scene (it's just dark). I also watched more closely and realized that the red glow I was referring to is surrounding her hand (not the head of a staff), and is likely her hex power after all.

I've also seen online posts where people say it is a member of the Black Hand using a staff identical to Loki's on Vision. That, it's really tough to tell.

I still say Loki tries to be a hero here. The poor guy could even die for it.

I also somehow didn't catch that Banner crashing through the ceiling of the Sanctum Sanctorium is almost identical to the scene with the Silver Surfer in the original comic!

[jjreason]

Who was asking about a movie with the stretchy guy & rock man?

https://www.therecord.com/news-story/79 ... and-media/

[jjreason]

Trying to do a sequential rewatch leading up to Black Panther & Thanos. I'm only 3 movies in but I already realize I was drunk for 2 of the them. I'm going to update this post as I go with "bigger picture" (mostly about the stingers) comments just for my own tracking, so I can look back on it once things get busy.

Iron Man - Tony taken hostage, designs suit, saves business from Stane, then meets Fury who mentions Avengers initiative.

The Incredible Hulk - Banner experimenting on himself becomes Hulk & flees (all within the opening credits!). Returns home & gets help from a mad scientist (looks like they wanted to leave an option for this guy to be the Leader but haven't gone there) then re-Hulks to defeat Abom and flees again. Stark approaches General Ross "You always wear such nice suits."

Iron Man 2 - Howard Stark sends Tony a new element from beyond the grave. 1st appearance Natasha Romanov who recommends Iron Man but not Tony for the Avengers. Rhodey steals the second suit to become War Machine & helps Tony fight off Whiplash & his drones. Coulsen finds Mjolnir in New Mexico.

Thor - watched on Thorsday, no less ><. Anyhoo, we meet Thor who's banished to earth for starting a war with the frost giants. Loki is exposed as both son of the frost giant king and an agent provocateur by allowing them access to Asgard twice, the second time just so he can stop their invasion to look like the hero. Bifrost is destroyed by Thor to save Jotenheim after Loki overloads it which leads Odyn to banishing Loki to earth. Post credits we see a Loki-controlled Dr. Selvig meeting with Fury who shows him the Tesseract which Loki takes a keen interest in. 1st appearance Clint Barton.

Captain America - Steve Rogers fights his way into the army, into the Super Soldier program & finally onto the battlefield where he obliterates Hydra & loses his best friend. Sacrifices himself to save the people of New York & wakes up from a frozen sleep 70 years later where he meets Nick Fury. Howard Stark recovers the tesseract from near the crash site.

Avengers - Loki is retrieved from banishment & sent to Earth by an unseen Thanos to lead the Chitauri army & subjugate the planet. He mind controls Selvig, then Hawkeye & they steal the Tesseract so Selvig can open a portal for the invasion army. The heroes assemble & defeat the threat. Thor returns to Asgard with Loki & the Tesseract. Thanos is revealed post credits.

*Curtains, end phase one.*

[Diabolical]

The Incredible Hulk opening - "Previously on Hulk... What? It's not a sequel? But it starts in the same place the last one ended and you're glossing over the info they covered in that movie. Fine. Whatever. The first one had a better cast anyway."

If you watch 1 MCU movie a week, starting with Iron Man last week (The Incredible Hulk this week), you be ready for Infinity War in May.

I plan on watching Iron Man this week and skipping The Insignificant Hulk.

[jjreason]

Yeah it's likely the weirdest non-sequel/sequel ever. I still stand by the first Hulk movie, though the final villain & battle don't hold up. I agree - I'll take Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly & Sam Elliott all day, every day. The CG Hulk is better than the Marvel one, too.

[Diabolical]

The Hulk's CG Hulk (Bana) really hasn't aged well.
I never used to have a problem with it, but I saw some of it not long ago and...yikes.

[jjreason]

I will have to do a rewatch of that at some point. I have a whole stack of non MCU movies I'm trying to get through as well. Not really a problem, per se.

[Diabolical]

.

[jjreason]

That's the plan, though I'm not doing great with the 1 per week thing. I think I'll do other movies after Avengers to let wave 1 settle a bit.