Marvel Cinematic Universe, Phase 4 & Beyond (and a chance to change your vote)

'I could have just avoided the thread altogether but because clicking through to spray the room down with needless haterade is an addiction akin to the most raging of junk habits, allow me to just state for the 457,017,381st time that the MCU is the nadir of Western culture.'

There, I saved some of you some time if you know how to copy + paste.

Crazy to think we're now 15 months and counting with no new MCU (unless you count the final season of Agents of SHIELD, which even I don't anymore).

the Helstrom TV show started on Hulu this week

which apparently sort of counts

Oh. Well, that was a stealth-ass debut.

it looks, and by all accounts is, absolutely terrible

I could have avoided the thread but it's fun to talk shit about garbage every once in a while

anyway, dud

Simon, I left you a present upthread. Please use it in good health.

you forgot "fascist"

Sorry, I very quickly fell asleep, what was that you were saying?

ANNNNNNYway.

I could have avoided the thread but it's fun to talk shit about garbage every once in a while

new board descrip pls

Glad this thread is here to get you to stop social distancing, bg! Adopt herd immunity!

work on yr nerd immunity imo

ok ok I'm actually done for now enjoy folks

Gentlemen you can’t needlessly rehash something for the 457,017,381st time in here, this is the marvel cinematic universe phase 4 and beyond thread

Looool

Did u know that if your eyes roll with enough force that they can actually detach from their stalks and fly out u face? I wish I hadn't had to discover that first-hand just this very moment. Dang.

is this the thread where we can talk about andrew garfield and tobey maguire maybe appearing as spider-men in the third tom holland spider-man movie? because i can't be fucked looking to see if it's been mentioned elsewhere

Hadn't read that. I did read that Jamie Foxx will be playing Electro again, which certainly suggests some multiversal fuckery.

I liked the look of Jamie Foxx's Electro, while hating the electric eel origin / Max Dillon as social misfit portrayal. Andrew and Tobey were good, before we knew Marvel could do better. I've compartmentalized Sony's properties from the MCU, so the last two Spider-Man have far exceeded expectations.

Phase 4, most looking forward to Shang-Chi, and hoping they nail the Paul Gulacy visual tone. Expecting to be most surprised by Eternals. If/as the movies go cosmic/magical/horror, looking forward to how they ground them.

Beyond - FF and X-Men. About damn time.

Are we allowing MCU television in these threads as well? Cuz it looks like the Maslany She-Hulk was just a rumor that she debunked in a recent interview, sadly.

most looking forward to Shang-Chi, and hoping they nail the Paul Gulacy visual tone.

Yeah the credits are going to say "based on the character created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin" and I'm going to be sad because it's not "based on the character in that holy-shit awesome run by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy, DUUUUUDE."

Pretty sure I first "heard" "Rhiannon" thanks to Master of Kung Fu.

So much character fleshing-out that was lovable but verged on dumb...Black Jack Tarr becoming a big Frank Frazetta fan, lol. (This might have been in the Mike Zeck or Gene Day days, can't remember.)

okay lol @ "nerd immunity"

it looks like the Maslany She-Hulk was just a rumor that she debunked in a recent interview, sadly.

I don't know, I smell a rat. Kind of like when Taika denied he was making a Star Wars movie and then was all, psych, I'm making a Star Wars movie.

I assume she's still negotiating her contract, and Ruffalo's tweet improved her payday/terms.

Oh I hope it's a feint, makes sense since she called it a "press release that got out of hand", which doesn't come across as quite the strong denial the article I read implied. I'm still hopeful she shows up in it.

maybe she plays jennifer and somebody else plays she hulk? and she plays "the voice in her head"? it's a weird bit of pr thus far.

https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/oscar-isaac-moon-knight-marvel-series.html

Just negotiating phase/tactics. Though I'd love to see his take on the character.

it's a meaty fuckin' role!

lol oscar isaac hated working for disney so much during Star Wars, wonder what kind of sweetheart deal they’re offering him for this

Well, much like Finn his role got worse and worse as the series went on, so I don't blame him

Is this the right thread for this(?) Kate Bishop on-set images have surfaced: https://www.comicbookmovie.com/tv/marvel/hawkeye/hawkeye-set-video-gives-us-a-much-better-look-at-hailee-steinfeld-and-jeremy-renner-a180551#gs.mgnaf1

The casting announcements for Spider-Man 3 make it really look like they are just going to repeat the multiverse thing that worked so well in Into the Spider-Verse with a live action version. Even for the MCU this seems really lazy. Happy to be proven wrong, but I really liked watching the first two with my son and this makes me way less excited for a third one.

I mean, given the Dr. Strange sequel’s subtitle, the multiverse was already long planned, but this seems like a questionable move.

Even for the MCU this seems really lazy.

McKenna was nominated for both an Emmy and a Hugo, for writing a multiverse story, seven years before Spider-Verse came out tbfttl

A bunch more Kate Bishop set pics circulating today; Steinfeld looks like a great casting choice.

Just misread that as 'Seinfeld' and I'm still laughing from that mental image.

McKenna was nominated for both an Emmy and a Hugo, for writing a multiverse story, seven years before Spider-Verse came out tbfttl

Oh I don't have any issue with McKenna and, again, this is total speculation just based on the casting, it's more just surprise that they'd use the Spider-Man film to redo the Spider-verse think so soon again.

It may be wise to speculate with caution, as you may recall that a lot of the pre-release assumptions about the last Spidey flick were upended (ie the thing about Mysterio dropping in from a different earth).

they'll need to add more Spiders-Man and Girls if they're going to sorta hit the key diversity theme

Maybe this is Mysterio running the same scam again. Maybe every future Marvel movie will end by revealing that actually it was Mysterio.

iirc doesn't Mysterio make that multiverse claim himself in the movie, as part of his ruse? Between the timeline resolution of the Avengers, Spider-verse and Dr. Strange title, and possibly what they hinted at with the Vision/Witch show, they're definitely leaning in to this. Someone versed in the comics could maybe make a good guess as to the overarching plot or big bad. I have no idea. Does Captain Marvel 2 have a title or casting? They've hinted at introducing Adam Warlock a few times now, I think. Certainly a multiverse scenario could allow, say, the Fantastic Four to just pop in as a deus ex reboot at the end of a movie. Lots of ways Marvel can go, assuming they even want another giant overarching crossover scenario.

Yeah, I have no issue with the multiverse idea and that's clearly where we are heading, I was just saying that it seems kinda lazy to launch into it with a do-over of the multiple Spider-Men thing. Especially since the Spider-Man flick is slated before the Dr. Strange sequel, which will obviously lean heavily into the multiverse too.

I just have no idea why they'd want to maintain any association with the awful Andrew Garfield movies

there's (un)surprisingly a small, vocal fanbase online who grew up with and liked those movies

i can't lie though - i am excited to see all those jabronis in one big battle royale. even the characters who died! let's get Topher Grace in there while we're at it

hoping they insert Mulaney's Spider-Ham Who-Framed-Roger-Rabbit-style

It could be cool if they do it right.

It’s kind of funny that a generation will grow up thinking of multiple Spideys as a basic “Spider-Man” feature, when for most of Marvel’s history, there was only one Parker, he was a very singular hero... even while there were a few different Caps, Thors, Captain Marvels, etc. (I’m talking back in the ’80s, long before there were a zillion versions of every character.)

I mean, a generation already has grown up thinking multiple Spideys are a basic Spider-Man feature; Ben Reilly, although created in the 70s, came into his own circa 1994.

Now singing "Doctorin' the Tardis" with "Dr. Doom" instead of "Dr. Who."

I saw someone mention "Fantastic Four" somewhere, and one of the first responses was from someone that didn't like the movie and could barely remember the Galactus battle at the end, and I stopped reading and thought, jeez ... neither do it! There was a Fantastic Four movie where they fight Galactus at the end, and it was forgettable.

Will there be a fight scene in the middle of a city street with cars and buses being thrown around? No? Then I'm out.

it's absurd that tickets for this already went on sale. it's 5 months away!

Will there be a shot in slo mo of someone launching themselves at something huge, arcing toward it through the air with a giant weapon in their hand?

does doom say that he's "still quick to slice squares like sicialians?" in this? no? then i'm out.

Huh, this eats:

https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/wonder-man-canceled-disney-season-2-renewal-1236824259/

According to sources, a writers’ room for Season 2 was never opened and the show’s writers have been released to pursue other projects....According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, while “Wonder Man” is not proceeding with Season 2, the characters featured in the series could still appear in other Marvel projects in the future.

Bummer!

ffs

Lanterns ep1 is very good imo

Hey you got your DCU in my MCU. :-D

Oops fuck sorry idk where to post anymore

Do we HAVE a Lanterns thread?

We have the general new DCU thread but not a specific Lanterns one so fire it up!

On it!

Ok here we go LANTERNS on HBO - In brightest day / Make a little love / Get down tonight

First episode of VisionQuest was interesting. A little tonally all over the place (but largely works) and James Spader is great fun.

There's also a very handy three minute recap on Vision's MCU story so far at the start (which was very much needed as I'd forgotten so much)

the mind palace parts w Jarvis et al feel overworked & overexplained & fake even beyond actual intentional fakeness— but every scene w Spader & Bettany gives me hope that there’s something worth watching here?

Also CUNK! :D

Also niche lol at DUM E and U being two of the guys from Peter Pan Goes Wrong (and the Play that Goes Wrong before that)

Ok episode 2 was better, I’m into this freaky roadtrip

Ok I’m 4 episodes in and every time I think I have a handle on the story it changes again. I’m not NOT enjoying it, but it feels like a lot of the bad parts of Marvel TV straining every muscle it has to be whimsical & irreverent. Mostly what I feel is the trying, more than anything.

But I’m enjoying the Spader Bettany show

I feel bad but I can't really be bothered to watch this! It feels like a big time commitment for something that looks very mid. Still somewhat off-putting that the long-term storyline throws Wanda under the bus. (Or mountain.)

It's a little wayward at the least. Sometimes I'm actually surprised they put stuff in the narrative earlier than I figured they might, if only because then I wonder what'll be next as a result. Spader is absolutely walking away with the whole thing for sure, and all the other AIs are pretty fun. (I am noting that with Terry Matalas as showrunner we've got not one but two Picard actors in lead roles here with Stashwick and Brady.) Had completely blanked on the fact that Cunk is the handler! I was going "I do know this person don't I?" (Also I refuse to believe that one scene is all we're going to get of Art Malik so cue the flashbacks.)

Stashwick and Emily Hampshire both played main characters in his 12 Monkeys syfy series! He's got a posse of actors

i was almost out after ep3, but ep4 kinda saved it. It's still not great though.

Maybe I’m just highly suggestible but I was listening to the Midnight Boys talk about this ep & was surprised that they were way more into it than I expected. And so I went back & rewatched the episode with a view to more of what it means to, uh, Be… and the schism between Vision & White Vision.. and the real world templates for the other AI’s etc etc …and I’m coming around to kinda liking this more than I thought

I just had to work a little harder to see it, I guess

This isn’t at the heights of WandaVision or Agatha All Along but I’m enjoying it a lot

struggling with it. might need a rewatch once it's done, i'll see.

Loved this week’s episode

whew, finally saw some correct takes on the web about who The Client may actually be

it may have been ai episode summary stuff on garbage content mills, but I went to look up something I thought I missed in the episode and found a number of takes re: ep7 that were "looks like character X, must be character X!" in a show where the same actor played three different characters in one scene earlier in the episode

Isn't the client Dr. Horton's grandson?

The main thing I could not figure out is that if the Client was winning public awards with Carrington why couldn't Ultron or Vision just google that information?

As is well known, Google is broken now due to AI slop, so maybe Ultron and Vision didn't want to talk to it.

xxp that was my assumption, or some similar sort of connection

I didn’t pick that up bit I’m slow lol - but that definitely makes sense

VQ has that common tv show problem where everyone who was a bad guy at the beginning ends up being a good guy by the end. Not a fatal by any means, even Freaks and Geeks did it.

And just about every Studio Ghibli movie!

I was low to medium on this through the early episodes, but these last couple have really impressed me with the depth & story & some meaty character stuff for Vision & Ultron

Bettany in this episode in particular just doing really great work

also knew zero about the first Human Torch, had no idea that it was a real Marvel comics thing - the way they’ve incorporated that comics lore into MCU lore is really cool to me (comic nerds may disagree of course)

I doubt the MCU will ever touch the comic canon of Vision's personality being a graft of Wonder Man's.

In case anyone isn't following the tv show characters and relationships I think it's down to this so far, chronologically:

Phineas Horton's son dies, he obsessively works on an android to replace his son, James. His wife and daughter leave him.
His new android son, J.I.M. is analogous to the 1939 Timely Comics (pre-Marvel) Human Torch. Android that's on fire. At some point, J.I.M. gets decommissioned. Visually, J.I.M. looks like a younger Horton and Vision looks like both
Horton's technology is later picked up by Markridge Biotech. Jo Carrington (later Jocasta) is on the team, as is a team member who has been scrubbed from her memory. That guy looks like James Spader, who is playing a human avatar of Ultron in the AI world
Carrington's work isn't finished when she seemingly succumbs to the same condition that killed her father. Markridge is acquired by Stark, a move she opposed because she didn't want her work in the hands of an arms dealer
The Client, a mysterious presence who can speak to the androids somehow virtually, put out a contract on Vision to have him abducted and taken to, seemingly, Horton's mansion as seen in flashbacks
Vision makes a deal where he has to surrender, and on arrival, The Client is the same guy who had been working with Carrington who looks like Ultron

Long story short, The Client isn't Ultron. He's a guy who worked on the AI/android/etc technology at Markridge, meaning some of his, we'll say "intellectual DNA", made it into the project, and Ultron looks like him but may not know that

Also the Watcher is interested in all this

cheers mh, that filled in some of the gaps i had

yeah thx for that!

I admire that they’re bothering with these plot threads (many of which come straight out or are at least intertwined through West Coast Avengers/Avengers West Coast comic books), but this is a show I’d never watch, it’s more fun to read other people talk about it

finale tonight?

I believe so!

post credit scene - oh shit, son!

I can't think of which other MCU show I'm thinking of here, but they've definitely just made any post-credit thing "Hey, remember this thing we left hanging?" in recent times. Rubber-stamped at the end of a series.

Not sure that's the case here, as nothing was particularly hanging about this.