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lokiondisneyplus · 5 years ago

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One of the most enticing aspects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is its connectivity, but the introduction of the multiverse in Phase 4 could spell trouble for the franchise. After the Infinity Saga assembled all Marvel heroes to defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Endgame, the MCU is preparing its next big chapter. With a multitude of heroes and a whole universe where the adventures can take place, the world of the MCU can never be the same again. The bar is set high for the following films to achieve another pinnacle like Endgame's Avengers HQ battle. The promise of a multiverse can be the solution, but it also brings some possible issues.

The MCU began in 2008 with the highly-acclaimed Iron Man, a film that signified the foundation of a risky but ultimately successful journey that would span dozens of box office hits and resonate throughout the film industry for years to come. However, it couldn't have succeeded if the shared universe it was launching had the same complexity back then as it does now. The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger followed Iron Man in establishing their respective heroes as well-rounded characters first and foremost - therefore, when The Avengers came around, audiences were completely on board with a universe where Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) swings Loki (Tom Hiddleston) around the Stark Tower like a ragdoll. The MCU continued to expand at a rate that kept the fans sufficiently satisfied to yearn for the next movie but not enough to overwhelm them. That's how Endgame managed to have almost 60 returning characters that made every theater across the world cheer whenever they appeared in the saga's epic conclusion.

A few years before, Doctor Strange also made comic book fans cheer when the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) introduced the concept of the multiverse in the MCU, which was further teased in Spider-Man: Far From Home, although the latter was one of Mysterio's (Jake Gyllenhaal) bluffs to create his fake superhero persona. Nevertheless, the real multiverse will have a major role in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. There are several theories about what opens the MCU's multiverse, among which the more obvious could be the timeline Loki created in Endgame when he stole the Tesseract during the Avengers' time heist and the effects of Scarlet Witch's (Elizabeth Olsen) spiral into insanity in WandaVision. Whatever causes it, the expansion of the MCU into a multiverse risks making the narrative too convoluted. Counting both films and TV shows, the number of established characters and storylines are already in the hundreds by this point. A multiverse wouldn't just add to this amount - it would multiply it.

The concept of having different versions of the same characters across multiple dimensions is very familiar to comics, but the format of films doesn't grant the same freedom. Movies are more concise in nature and they need to have a considerable level of consistency in order to maintain the attention of the general audience. The shared continuity of the MCU was also a risk at first, given that new viewers have to watch all the movies in order to get the full experience, but the idea worked because the storytelling, the performances, and the spectacle of every film all allowed it to stand on its own. A narrative that develops parallel realities could discourage new viewers from taking part and could even confuse loyal fans. Despite their extensive scope, the first three phases of the MCU succeeded in being streamlined enough to be digestible by everyone.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe faces the risk of over-complicating its story with the idea of the multiverse. However, it's that same boldness toward risks that made the MCU what it is today. The cinematic multiverse doesn't have to adapt the hundreds of alternate realities from the comics anyway, and the level of planning that the MCU has demonstrated throughout the years is a good suggestion that its future is in good hands. If anything, Marvel is avoiding the greater risk of stagnation

#mcu #multiverse #Loki #WandaVision

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eddycurrents · 6 years ago

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For the week of 15 May 2019

Quick Bits:

Age of X-Man: Next Gen #4 hurtles towards the end as Glob, Armor, and Rockslide attempt to track down Anole before he does something stupid. Everything’s really starting to fall together in these minis as the lie of the world starts to unravel. It’s also interesting how Ed Brisson portrays the cultists fighting back against the “no love” edict as just as deluded and indoctrinated by X-Man’s change of reality.

| Published by Marvel

Aquaman #48 begins Arthur’s quest to recover his past in the first part of “Mother Shark”, with one hell of a twist for an ending cliffhanger. The high level of the quality of art on this series continues as Viktor Bogdanovic and his Greg Capullo-inspired style (with Jonathan Glapion and Daniel Henriques providing additional inks) join Kelly Sue DeConnick, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles.

| Published by DC Comics

Batman #71 is part two of “The Fall and the Fallen” from Tom King, Mikel Janín, Jorge Fornés, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles. With the heavy reliance on dream sequences and simulations lately, it certainly makes me wonder who’s gaslighting who, whether anything in the story is real or if King is just playing us. Great art, though.

| Published by DC Comics

Bloodborne #12 concludes “A Song of Crows” from Aleš Kot, Piotr Kowalski, Brad Simpson, and Aditya Bidikar. This arc has been even more surreal than the first, embracing that odd mix of depression and existentialism that seems to permeate the franchise. This is going to take a few more readings to really sink in.

| Published by Titan

Calamity Kate #3 gives us a look into the disastrous relationship between Kate and Sandra. Though the accuracy of events might be a bit nebulous, given some missing time and an appearance that not everything is happening as we see it, this paints Sandra as a particularly resentful, hateful person. Also, another clue in Kate’s rival. Great action art from Corin Howell and Valentina Pinto, with an interestingly designed tentacle monster.

| Published by Dark Horse

Daredevil #5 is the gut punch. As great as everything that Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles have delivered in the first four issues (and seriously it’s some of the best Daredevil since Miller and Mazzucchelli), this one tops it. A reckless, dangerous Daredevil, a hazard to himself and everyone around him, having it dawn on him what he’s been doing. And all of the Catholic guilt, shame, and judgement, not just on himself, but on the revelation that he’s seemingly oblivious that all of his friends have also been in his situation.

| Published by Marvel

Fairlady #2 is another great issue from Brian Schirmer, Claudia Balboni, Marissa Louise, and David Bowman. The blend of fantasy and police procedural is seamless, presenting a completely believable world, building up bits of supporting characters and elaborating on the setting as the story unfolds. Also a great shift into a kind of storybook art style from Balboni and Louise during one of the flashback sequences.

| Published by Image

Guardians of the Galaxy #5 sees the other shoe drop. Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, David Curiel, and Cory Petit deliver an excellent set-up for the finale of the “Final Gauntlet” here as Hela makes her move and we find out what the game actually was. Also, more hints about Rocket that don’t seem pleasant.

| Published by Marvel

Immortal Hulk #17 goes hard for thriller first before leaning back into horror as Bushwacker stalks Banner through the “abandoned” lab. Very interesting new “rules” that Al Ewing is laying out as what makes up a Hulk keeps consistently changing.

| Published by Marvel

Joe Golem: Occult Detective - The Conjurors #1 picks up with our dead hero being nibbled by fish, and it’s just downhill from there for Molly, Simon Church, and all of existence due to Dr. Cocteau’s meddling. Great art from Peter Bergting and Michelle Madsen.

| Published by Dark Horse

Justice League #24 is the penultimate chapter of “The Sixth Dimension” and amidst the dire situations, heroic sacrifices, and stunning betrayals, there’s a great opening sequence about the little disappointments that Superman feels when he lets someone down. It’s like Catholic guilt amplified immensely, but it raises some interesting questions about how superheroes deal with depression. Or not deal with it, as it were. Great work from Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sánchez, and Tom Napolitano.

| Published by DC Comics

Little Bird #3 is another incredible instalment in this story, with some interesting revelations about Little Bird and Gabriel, from Darcy Van Poelgeest, Ian Bertram, Matt Hollingsworth, and Aditya Bidikar. The artwork from Bertram and Hollingsworth is mind-bendingly awesome.

| Published by Image

Livewire #6 continues the PSEP arc from Vita Ayala, Kano, and Saida Temofonte as Amanda discovers more about the organization and gets introduced firsthand to the academy bully enforcer. The art from Kano, from the characters through the layouts, is next level.

| Published by Valiant

Naomi #5 explains everything. Mostly. Sure, there are still questions, and there’s likely a huge battle coming for the final issue, but we get a full-fledged explanation as Naomi tells her newly-learned origin story to Annabelle. And it’s brilliant. Wonderful parallels to other tales and a hint at implications for the DC Universe as a whole. Also, drop dead gorgeous artwork. Seriously some of the best ever to grace the comics page. Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, Jamal Campbell, and Wes Abbott provide another excellent issue here. Highly, highly recommended.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Oblivion Song #15 is one hell of a page turner. Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo De Felici, Annalisa Leoni, and Rus Wooton barely give us a chance to breathe in this one as the Faceless Men attack, both those who’ve chosen to stay in Oblivion and the exploration teams jaunting back and forth from Earth. Great tension.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Pearl #9 is another visually stunning issue from Michael Gaydos. Seriously just look at this beauty.

| Published by DC Comics / Jinxworld

Sabrina the Teenage Witch #2 throws even more chaos Sabrina’s way as it seems like everything in Greendale is something supernatural or paranormal or straight out of weird science. Kelly Thompson is delivering some great humour, while the art from Veronica and Andy Fish remains perfect for anything and everything in Archie’s world.

| Published by Archie

Superman #11 swings back around to Zod after Superman unceremoniously left him being beaten by Rogol Zaar as this arm of “The Unity Saga” continues, delving further into the battle consuming Jor-El at the moment, but not really explaining anything. This is chaos, but it looks pretty.

| Published by DC Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder in Hell #3 is worth it just for the glorious artwork from Mateus Santolouco and Marcelo Costa. The monster designs are incredible and the red, surreal glow of the colours just give life to the strange and deadly nature of this hellscape.

| Published by IDW

Transformers #5 suggests that there’s a whole lot more going on under the surface of Cybertron and the mystery of the death of Brainstorm that we thought. More interesting things going on with Rubble too, as he gets kind of lost while Bumblebee’s off doing other stuff.

| Published by IDW

Uncanny X-Men #18 adds again to the body count as things continue to fall apart. The nihilism, darkness, and depression in this series has really been getting to me these past few issues. With announcements for House of X and Powers of X, this is starting to feel like a “throw the X-Men down a hole before rebooting” type of story. I’m still not sure if I like it, since it’s putting me in a sour mood.

| Published by Marvel

War of the Realms #4 drills down on Freyja’s defence of the Black Bifrost, intent on taking away its use from Malekith. All of the art on this series has been phenomenal, but Russell Dauterman and Matthew Wilson somehow take it up another notch. This is epic.

| Published by Marvel

War of the Realms: Giant-Man #1 kicks off another front in the War as Freyja tasks Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, and Atlas to infiltrate the Frost Giants’ bastion on Earth and get revenge, from Leah Williams, Marco Castiello, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Joe Sabino. Very nice bits of humour and wonderful artwork.

| Published by Marvel

War of the Realms: Spider-Man & The League of Realms #1 opens up another front as Spider-Man leads the members of the League of Realms into New Heven territory, from Sean Ryan, Nico Leon, Carlos Lopez, and Joe Caramagna. It’s great to see more Ryan-penned Spider-Man, even if he only ever seems to get to write the event tie-ins. He’s got a great handle on Spidey, effortlessly displaying that humour and humanity of the character every time.

| Published by Marvel

War of the Realms: Strikeforce - The War Avengers #1 is the second Strikeforce one-shot elaborating on encounters spinning out of War of the Realms #3. This one focuses on Captain Marvel’s motley crew of Avengers as they try to strike at the heart of Malekith in Britain from Dennis Hallum, Kim Jacinto, Ario Anindito, Java Tartaglia, Felipe Sobreiro, and Joe Sabino. Some nice Deadpool humour and art in what is one of the more bonkers tie-ins.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Age of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men #4, Amazing Spider-Man #21, American Carnage #7, Battlestar Galactica Classic #4, Bettie Page #5, Black Badge #10, Black Widow #5, Cinema Purgatorio #18, Farmhand #8, Firefly #6, Gideon Falls #13, Go Go Power Rangers #20, High Level #4, Infinity 8 #12, Ironheart #6, James Bond 007 #7, Kaijumax - Season 4 #6, Kick-Ass #14, KISS: The End #2, Last Stop on the Red Line #1, Life & Death of Toyo Harada #3, Low #22, Lucifer #8, Lumberjanes #62, Marvel Action: Spider-Man #4, Morning in America #3, Old Man Quill #5, Orphan Age #2, Planet of the Nerds #2, Port of Earth #10, Princeless - Book 8: Princesses #2, Spider-Man: Life Story #3, Star Wars #66, Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Lando Calrissian #1, Star Wars: Tie Fighter #2, Teen Titans #30, Xena: Warrior Princess #2

Recommended Collections: Batgirl - Volume 5: Art of the Crime, Bitter Root - Volume 1: Family Business, GI Joe: A Real American Hero - Volume 22, The Horror of Collier County, Immortal Hulk - Volume 3: Hulk in Hell, Jeepers Creepers - Volume 1: Trail of the Beast, Justice League Odyssey - Volume 1: The Ghost Sector, MCMLXXV, Mister Miracle, Outer Darkness - Volume 1, Outpost Zero - Volume 2, RuinWorld: Eye for an Eye, Star Wars: Age of Republic - Heroes, Star Wars: Han Solo - Imperial Cadet, The Whispering Dark

d. emerson eddy wishes there were more hours in the day in order to write about everything.

#This Week in Comics

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rooneywritesbest · 6 years ago

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The End Of An Era Dark Phoenix Review Goodbye “Fox-Men”

The pain and tragedy that I suffered from sitting in the theater watching Dark Phoenix. It’s a pain that will linger and find refuge in my heart and leave a bad taste in my mouth. Until the X-men are safely at home and away from the grips of Fox. Away from the plague of Bryan Singer, and the clutches of Simon Kinberg. Where to begin the film is a mess. From sloppy editing to lackluster costumes. The “Fox-men” which has a lot of highlights and stood away from the kid-friendly nature of the MCU enchanting the heart and minds of comic fans and the general audience alike. However, where the MCU is successful and so ingrained in storytelling films. On the other hand, though Dark Phoenix is a bland incomplete film that was stricken with concern. From the ever-looming threat of unnecessary re-shoots. To the company saying on time and time again that the film will be a culmination of 17 years of 12 films. Well if you don’t count Deadpool then ten. Moving along this film has moments of character investment. In the presence of James Mcavoy as a younger Professor Charles Xavier and leading the charge on the other side of the mutant cause and role of juxtaposition established between the long lore is Michael Fassbender as Magneto. However, one thing for concern is that the timeline is so convoluted that if this film is taking place in the late 90′s of the continuity of current x-men films. Then Professor X and Magneto should slowly start to be in the process of aging and taking the toll of life. Slowly melding into their future selves of say Patrick Stewart, and Ian Mckellan. Fox discards that plotline it probably wound up on the cutting room floor. The film was destined to flop anyway because director Simon Kinberg stated many times on set that “he would be rewriting various drafts of the script. Kinberg being a first time director did a good job with the set design and the emotion of the film. Putting the main focus of the Dark Phoniex narrative and exposition of the film on the reigns of Sophie Turner who does a pretty good job for the most part. The main gripe is that the film tried way too hard to leech off the success of say Endgame and the arc Tony Stark endured in the film. However, Dark Phoenix also ripped elements of civil war and stole practically the whole plot of captain marvel. Just changing the villains in dark phoenix into “the D’bari”. A group of aliens that yes were present and part of the comic storyline “Dark Phoenix. In this film though are just not off Skrulls. The film felt rushed and the story did not feel like a culmination of a universe that was the first exposure of superhero media onto the silver screen. Pouring these colorful characters, who are essentially extensions of ourselves. Think back to yourself before the creation and inception of the MCU. We had Sam Raimi Spider-man and we also had the dark realistic world of X-men. A true achievement which layed the foundation for the comic book genre. Which everyone knows and loves. In closing, Dark Phoenix did everything in its power to recapture the glory of the old days of X-men. It just came up short with sloppy writing, cringy screenplay. Lack of creativity and passion. Simon Kinberg had passion for this film but it was just meant to fail. Due to the tone and direction of films such as the MCU and the new era coming forth. Don’t get me wrong dark Phoenix zoned in on emotion and tied up a few things. It felt like I was watching a cartoon. The film was saved in instances with the score by Hanz Zimmer. However, it wasn’t enough the Fox-Men were put to bed with the release of Dark Phoenix. Now they will wait on the shelve till the MCU decides to reboot the franchise. 2019 so far has a been a year of saying goodbye. When I left this film a piece of my childhood slowly left also. I looked up at the screen and said thank you. However, this film didn’t make think that. The film that should have ended this franchise to slumber. Should have been Logan, but of course, higher people above my thoughts said we “screwed up the Phoenix saga with the Last Stand. 20th-century fox said, “that was our only blemish and screw up”. The Phoenix saga is something you build up like the Avengers on the culmination of Infinity war and endgame. Acting as a massive conclusion and send off of certain characters. However, Dark Phoenix being the last film didn’t capture that feeling due to the connection and growth of these characters and my feeling for the moment of not caring enough. Because I didn’t have the same feeling I did with iron man and cap 10 years. I grew with them as a person. Sophie Turner’s jean grey had one movie and in her second I didn’t feel the respect that the character deserved.

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hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger · 6 years ago

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What can we arguably learn from the Marvel Unlimited’s top 25 most read single issues/top 1-0 most read event comics?

Well mostly obvious stuff but still worth a look at. Now fair cop, it is likely a lot of these stories got pushes from Marvel.com and Marvel Unlimited boosting how often they were read. Additionally it is unknown what constitutes being ‘read’. Likely it’s just clicking on the thing. Also we dunno how many of those clicks are from the same people, different people on the same account nor from the same person on different accounts. Nor how many are from people using the service for research purposes, whether their writers and artists looking for reference material or picture researchers putting together a sticker book or something.

But for the sake of argument lets say that reading the comic is actually going cover to cover, that these comics were read once by individual people on individual accounts who actively sought them out themselves

With that in mind what does the (obviously larger than the hard copies) Marvel Unlimited audiences’ choices reflect?

Well for starters the movies are mostly a big influence. The hype surrounding Thanos ever since 2012 has pushed stories and events surrounding him to a point where Thanos centric stories are represented a lot. Infinity Gauntlet, the storyline everyone was talking about for most of the 2010s is obviously the most read comic and event. Unsurprising there, although the Thanos ongoing’s inclusion is a little unorthodox. Infinity War’s inclusion is too when you think about it since the movie borrow nothing beyond it’s name, but I guess people might not have known that

Further movie influence is obvious in Deadpool, Planet Hulk, Old Man Logan (as opposed to ANY other Wolverine series), Civil War/Civil War II’s placement on the lists.

This might also have been a factor in Black Panther and Miles’ inclusion though I think that’s more owed to the hype surrounding Coates, Bendis as writers and their runs on both characters. Miles within comic book circles has been (deservedly or not) popular basically out the gate.

Darth Vader’s ongoing is surprising in a way. Not because Star Wars being on the list is that much of a shock but because it is the ONLY Star Wars title represented. You’d think there would be more and that it would be the main book. Jason Aaron writes for it and he’s a much bigger name than Soule, as was the original writer for the Vader ongoing. The book’s inclusion could represent how people veer towards what’s most recent in general, Vader’s standing as simply the most iconic SW character ever and it’s lone inclusion perhaps an indication of how the Marvel brand over all is now much bigger than the Star Wars brand.

Secret Empire being represented three times across the two lists is both surprising and unsurprising. Surprising because of how toxic that story became. Unsurprising because all the media coverage about it probably meant people wanted to see how bad it was.

Possibly for the same reason the Clone Saga is probably on there too. Also its so long and expensive in hard copy it likely encouraged people to read it digitally. Also also Clone Conspiracy’s buzz probably propelled people to read the original and vice-versa.

Secret Wars being on there is also weird. Maybe people read it to find out if it was really rebooting the Marvel Universe or whatever.

Probably should have mentioned this earlier but most of these comics are newer ones. Likely because they were the most current for each respective series and the ones that had the most obvious jumping on points.

Perhaps whats most surprising and pleasing depending what fandom you are in is that there is only one Avengers team ongoing on the top 25 list but there are FOUR X-Men ongoing team titles.

Could this mean that the X-Men in spite of all the push the Avengers have gotten are still ultimately more popular than the Avengers?

I certainly hope so.

Maybe not though because there are no X-events in the top 10 events list sans Old Man Logan (which isn’t an even its an arc but okay).

I guess the events are more all about the movies than even the top 25 individual books list.

The Infinity Trilogy (which is cheating cos that’s 3 massive events years apart) are the most read events because we all knew they were coming ever since 2012.

Civil War is the second most read because of Captain America Civil War and in fairness it was the absolute biggest event Marvel ever did in the 2000s, of the prior 10 years beforehand and possibly the biggest event they ever did since 2006. Dittko for Civil War II’s placement although refreshingly Old Man Logan edged it out again cos of the Logan movie. Infinity probably got onto that list because of it’s movie connection, it was an event launched basically in response to Thanos’ post cred sequence.

Secret Wars was just a huge event and properly crossed over the 616 and Ultimate universes. Secret Empire I already explained. Planet Hulk is a very famous story, had it’s own movie and was adapted into Thor Ragnarok.

I already spoke about the Clone events but now lets talk something more topical for this blog.

If you very unscientifically combine the 2 lists so you have a total 35 positions and exclude covers, Spider-Man specific books or events are represented 7/35 times.

Unless you count Deadpool and Old Man Logan along with the X-men team titles or count Captain America, Black Panther and some of the events which mostly centre upon Avengers characters (e.g. Civil War I-II) as ‘Avengers’ stories/titles, Spider-Man actually wins out over everyone.

And unlike those examples you don’t need to fudge the details at all. After all Secret Wars and Civil War are Marvel Universe events, not Avengers events specifically. Clone Conspiracy is a Spidey event start-finish.

And it’s rather telling that 5/35 of those Spider-Man events pertain to 616 Peter Parker.

In the events list the only events that are truly start-finish centred upon solo characters are the most controversial Marvel event ever that got Marvel financially assessed in mainstream news and an arc that isn’t really an event and the direct inspiration to a major movie.

But Spider-Man cut onto the list on his own with none of that behind him.

On the 25 individual issues lists, Miles Morales was the only solo legacy character represented and only non-Peter Parker Spider book on any of the lists.

One of the 4 Peter books was the most famous 21st century individual comic book of all time launching the most famous imprint of a comic book of all time, Ultimate Spider-Man #1.

The other entries for Peter were the launch of a new run/title so little surprise there.

And the other two entries were the one two punch that launched Spider-Man wholesale.

They were also the only Silver Age stories on the list and the only classic stories sans 1990s events that movies are being based upon.

Tellingly the 2 most read Spider-Man comics were two different but iconic versions of his origin, but his actual original origin from the 616 universe was much more highly rated.

In fact it was the THIRD most read thing on Marvel unlimited.

Which considering it wasn’t the basis of a recent or highly anticipated movie, an event story or both that’s a HUGE deal.

The big takeaway.

X-Men>Avengers and Spider-Man isn’t just Marvel’s most popular character but their most popular by a wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide margin. There were few other solo books in the top 25 and Spider-Man was the only guy with multiple entries.

#Marvel Unlimited #Marvel universe #marvel cinematic universe #mcu #ultimate universe #ultimate marvel universe #Spider-Man #X-Men #Miles Morales #Peter Parker #Avengers #Thanos #Infinity Gauntlet #Cvil War II #Civil War 2006 #Secret Empire #Black Panther #Clone Saga

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britesparc · 3 years ago

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Weekend Top Ten #528

Top Ten Moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – 2022 Variant

I’ve accidentally started a tradition, and by Grabthar’s hammer, I will leap on it and turn it into A Thing. You see, in the foggy mists of time, I listed my favourite MCU moments; the whole series has been going on so long that you can see how this was my baby list, my boring tiny list, my list with no explanation or creativity. But the MCU kept growing and evolving, and almost exactly four years later I did an update, now with added Infinity War. So, two similar, updating lists, four years apart? Well, we have to do it again, don’t we?

(I also did a special one just about Civil War, which is one of my favourite Marvel movies, but that doesn’t count in these official rankings).

I mean, there’s not really much more to say than that, I guess. This is simply a list of my favourite moments from the fourteen years and counting that we’ve been enjoying the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I guess maybe there’s what we consider “the MCU”; does it encompass shows like Agents of SHIELD, which at least feigned continuity with the movies? Or what about those shows we used to refer to as “Marvel Netflix”, but which now I guess we have to call “the Defenders saga” or something; Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Punisher… those were also meant to be in contunity but that still looks tenuous, even as Disney formally takes them back under its wing and characters begin cropping up in the MCU “proper” (spoiler alert, I guess). I mean, blimey, after Spider-Man: No Way Home, all bets are off, as every prior Spider-Man movie is clearly an alternate world in the Marvel multiverse, and if the trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is any indication, this could very well extend to any adaptation of a Marvel comic, regardless of who produced it. I might as well have included something from The Dark Knight or, I dunno, Ghost World.

(Incidentally, Marvel published the first adaptation of The Transformers: The Movie, so I’m formally including every Transformers movie into the MCU. Sorry, them’s the rules).

Anyway, to avoid confusion, I’m centring this on what I think we can all consider the prime timeline. Everything produced by Kevin Fiege, basically; all the movies (including the three Spider-Man movies co-produced with Sony) and the Disney+ shows. For the time being, I’m still counting The Defenders as an adjacent universe, but as it happens I don’t think any moment there would have cracked the Top Ten, although I do love DD’s corridor fight and the Punisher in prison.

I think that’s it. Ten moments, as represented by a line of dialogue, from what is on balance probably my favourite cinematic universe (sorry, George Lucas). Assemble.

“I knew it.” (Avengers: Endgame, 2019): really, it could be any moment in the finale – “Let’s kill him properly this time”, “On your left”, “Avengers assemble”, all the way up to “I am Iron Man”. The culmination of a decade of slowly escalating, interconnected sequential storytelling on a scale never before seen, paying off, sticking the landing. But this is the moment that made me holler.

“Is this part of the test?” (Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011): the first time I ever got a bit teary-eyed at a Marvel movie, and every time I watch it I get more emotional. Steve Rogers showing his innate heroism right from the off. And, if you look, Peggy moves towards the grenade too!

“If you can do the things I can, and you don’t…” (Captain America: Civil War, 2016): I could write an essay on this scene, a perfectly pitched and performed interplay between Peter and Tony. I love everything about it, including its summation of heroism, but it’s so great how Peter articulates Steve’s argument back at Tony without realising. Layers! Like an onion! Or an ogre!

“What is grief but love persevering?” (WandaVision, 2021): this show gave us most of the best bits of Marvel TV, including “Agatha All Along”, Pietro, and the magic act. But in fleshing out the scenes between the scenes – the nuances of a relationship mostly told off-camera – it sang, and never more so than this moment of tragedy, love, and friendship.

“I love you three thousand.” (Avengers: Endgame, 2019): what is there to say? Robert Downey Jr’s final lines as Iron Man, his goodbye to his wife, his daughter, and us. The capping of an era. Floods of tears. Just missing out by a whisker: “I’m gonna get you all the cheeseburgers you want.”

“Not a perfect solider, but a good man.” (Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011): another great moment of underplayed heroism, what I like here is Stanley Tucci’s performance. He’s just so good, a nice guy, and he’s so kind. Again, perfectly articulating the noble nature of Steve (or Peter!). A lot of exposition, perfectly handled, and it’s funny too.

“I’m a really good lawyer.” (Spider-Man: No Way Home, 2021): I admit, I gasped when Charlie Cox strode onto the screen. Effortlessly charming, funny, and then… he catches a brick behind his back without looking. Oh, it all just works so well! And it brings Daredevil back! Looking forward to Jessica Jones cropping up in Thor, or something.

“I’m always angry.” (The Avengers, 2012): the first Avengers might pale a little compared to the melodrama of the later instalments, but it’s still a terrific superhero movie. Ruffalo nails Banner/Hulk, and riding back into a warzone, he’s all shambolic cool. Then he tells Cap his secret, transforms, and knocks out on of them flying dragon things in one punch. This was stunning ten years ago. Still rocks now.

“I’m Trevor, Trevor Slattery.” (Iron Man 3, 2013): what a twist! An absolute rug-pull moment that blew minds (and irritated some fools). The revelation that “The Mandarin” is a fiction, a false flag bogey man dreamed up by the true villain, is one thing; but Ben Kingsley’s performance is next-level, all nervous tics, strange accents, mannerisms, and one-liners. There’s even a poo joke.

“I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!” (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, 2017): I wanted to do something about the finale of Guardians Vol. 2, the whole sacrifice and funeral and Rocket crying. After a furiously bombastic previous hour, it’s such a nuanced and subtle ending. But I’m gonna say it all starts with this moment, Yondu saving Quill, floating to the ground holding on to his magic head-arrow. James Gunn strikes the perfect balance between comedy and pathos.

And there we are. I could have found another ten, probably, most notably the “bury me at sea” from Black Panther, and (at the other end of the scale), “Piss off, ghost!” in Ragnarok. And I couldn’t work out how to put some dialogue-free moments into the list: the car chase in Hawkeye, the three Spider-Men swinging, or when the Winter Soldier flips his knife round in mid-air. Oh, and Nick Fury’s gravestone; that was funny. And the gif at the top. Always the gif at the top.

Anyway, the MCU; pretty great, innit.

#top ten #movies #marvel #comics #mcu #marvel cinematic universe

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iamjacsmusings · 7 years ago

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MCU Challenge musings

18 weeks. 18 films. The MCU Challenge. In collaboration with Team #Geekstalkers. Collated musings below, all leading to Infinity War.

#1 - Iron Man

Robert Downey Jnr IS Tony Stark, Tony Stark IS Iron Man, Iron Man IS the first MCU Avenger. Without this we wouldn’t have the MCU as we know and love it. Despite that, coming soon after Batman’s triumphant return as it does, I can’t help but feel the identikit Iron Man Begins falls a little flat. The weak MCU villain problem is present and incorrect right from Mk 1 too.

#2 - The Incredible Hulk

Tonally misjudged and (latterly) at odds with the hulk as we know and love him in the shared MCU. Watching now, 15 entries later, it feels non-canon. As a standalone, inspired by the 70s show, it’s fine.

#3 - Iron Man 2

Probably [one of] the weakest #mcuchallenge entries for me as it aims for “cool” moments rather than developing character or overarching story. On the flipside, it introduces us to ScarJo’s Black Widow

#4 - Thor

In no particular order: the direction of Branagh, the realisation of the Rainbow bridge, the triple H acting of Hemsworth, Hiddleston and Hopkins, the hilarious humour, the majesty of Mjolnir, the Shakespearean plot machinations; all are Thor-some!

#5 - Captain America: The First Avenger

I (too) was predisposed to preferring this origin above all Avengers due to my predilection for Captain America as a character, so the bar was set high. Johnson, the perfectly chosen director, exceeded it by making a boys own adventure replete with echoes of his Lucasfilm roots. It’s underrated in my opinion and should be considered as the Raiders of Phase One. Joe Johnson just *got* 1940s Adventure-era Cap. As too does Evans who only continues to get better with each subsequent appearance. I could watch Cap movies all day…

#6 - Avengers Assemble

Still top 5 MCU of all-time. The Avengers characterisations are spot on in this initial assemblage; no mean feat considering the wealth of source material, the origins of Phase One and the balancing act of at least seven key roles. Come the epic Chitauri invasion finale and from the Avengers arc shot onwards there’s too many fist-pumping, geekgasm moments to mention; spine tingling each and every one of them.

#7 - Iron Man 3

As a fanboy of @BonafideBlack’s buddy banter and noir stylings, I’m on board with his Iron Man entry (noir is an anagram of Iron after all) He write characters therefore it came as no surprise that his take delves beneath the suit to the mechanic that wears it. I’m aware I’m in the minority, but the first two don’t do much for me therefore this is like a shot of extremis to Shellhead’s previously floundering solo entries. It still looks to be Stark’s swansong and, if so, it’s a fine way to finish IMO. Kiss Kiss Iron Man, if you will. The “barrel of monkeys” scene is one of the stand out scenes from the entire MCU too.

#8 - Thor: The Dark World

The tone, palette and plot of this inferior sequel is arguably more aligned with the much maligned DC(E)U rather than the rightly-lauded MCU; make of that what you will. I’d gladly watch an anthology prequel about the Lord of the Aether battle glimpsed in the prologue though…

#9 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

An espionage thriller every bit as good as the best Bourne or Bond has to offer, Captain America: The Winter Soldier just happens to have a few present and future Avengers at its centre. The undisputed leader of the Avengers as the 18-strong MCU currently stands, the more I revisit Captain America Super Soldier, the closer the film creeps towards my current cream of the big screen comic book crop, The Dark Knight.

#10 - Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy is better than any film about a half-Terran cross between Han Solo and Indiana Jones, a walking thesaurus, a talking tree, a green-skinned warrior woman and a bad-tempered raccoon has any right to be. I’ve lost count the number of times I’ve seen GotG already. There’s so much to admire, so much Galaxy to explore. it bears repeat viewing. Every joke still lands. Every emotional beat pulls a heart string. Every character is worthy of fronting their own galactic adventure. We. Are. Groot.

#11 - Avengers: Age of Ultron

There’s much to admire in this movie as Whedon ably juggles the ever-growing ensemble cast; each one gets their moment so, no matter who your favourite is, you should feel satisfied come the conclusion. The action scenes pay off with key moments that remain in the memory: the team line-up, “Go to sleep, go to sleep”, Black Widow on the bike, Hawkeye motivating Scarlet Witch and the arc shot around the Avengers as they end the threat of too many Ultrons. Quiet moments pay off too: the party is perfect (especially Thor’s face as Cap moves Mjolnir), the interlude at ranch Barton is a top idea and the lull in the final fight manages to move; I even welled up a little as Cap and Widow debate their fate this watch. In short, it’s endlessly rewatchable, as my SuperSon has put to the test.

#12 - Ant-Man

Easily the most underrated entry in the entirety of the MCU to date, Ant-Man is also, upon reflection, my favourite solo character origin story. Giant-sized words, I know!

#13 - Captain America: Civil War

War! What is it good for? Captain America movies!

I love Civil War. It’s edgy. It;s important. It’s epic! It truly feels like a “superhero comic book movie” ripped from the panelled page. And, Thor damn, the Russo’s sure can shoot the shit (Sorry, Cap) out of an action scene. Speaking of scenes, there’s one in Fight Club when the Narrator and Tyler mock a Gucci advertisement, asking if it’s what a real man look like. It’s not, no. What a real man looks like is Captain America holding a helicopter with one arm and a building with the other. Swoon.

I could watch this on repeat all day.

#14 - Doctor Strange

Let’s face it, Cumberbatch was the only choice for Strange, as suited to the hyper-intelligent, egotistical, socially-awkward auteur as Downey Jr was to Stark’s genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist. By this point in the MCU, Marvel can do origin with ease as this return to formula proves. Whilst Doctor Strange does remind you of movies from before (Iron Man, Batman Begins, Inception, Matrix), it patches them together into a kaleidoscopic Frankenstein of its own making.

Oh, one more thing: it goes without saying how awesome Doctor Strange’s enchanted Cloak of Levitation is – I’d argue it’s the single best cinema companion since Gromit!

#15 - Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol Two

GotG amped up to 11, Vol. 2 is less a case of difficult second volume, more Gunn locked and loaded. GotG2 is deeper, richer and cleverer than it’s predecessor, if not as instantly iconic nor anarchic in its punk rock aesthetics or impact. Ego, we’ve all got to grow up sometime. Following the near perfection of the first Volume was always going to be a tricky proposition, but this sophomore space saga soars true enough and will surely, in time, serve as a solid central entry in a worthy Guardians of the Galaxy stand-alone trilogy.

#16 - Spider-Man: Homecoming

Did I need another resuited Spider-Man movie so soon after the last aborted attempt? I didn’t think so until I saw this coming-of-age comedy that referenced Ferris Bueller, BttF: Part II and The Breakfast Club (among others)

Did I need another iteration of Spider-Man and his teen geek alter-ego Peter Parker? I didn’t think so until I saw Tom Holland’s infectiously enthusiastic and ultimately incomparable portrayal of everyone’s favourite neighbourhood webslinging wannabe Avenger.

Did I need another potentially disappointing take on a classic Spider-Man villain? I didn’t think so until Michael Keaton’s birdman soared above almost any other adapted antagonist from the entirety of comic canon – not since Loki have I feared and cheered in equal measure.

Did I need another big screen Spider-Man blockbuster? I didn’t think so until I understood what this wall-crawlers direction was under the genius creative control of chief Watcher Feige within the winning MCU. Now I need more, for thwips sake…

#17 - Thor Ragnarok

Space fantasy as its Flash(“ahh ah”)iest, Ragnarok is: Thorsome, Hela good, Full of gloriously glib Loki asides, a Hulk load of fun, great Valkyrie for money! Third time’s the charm for the God of Thunder. I can’t TaikaWaititi to see the Revengers return in Infinity War!

#18 - Black Panther

Stunning Wakanda world building. Convincing and charismatic cast performances. Strong character motivations. Serious and meaningful underlying themes. Too much CGI. MCU continuity issues. Nowhere near enough Michael B Jordan. Good not great. Middling MCU Challenge entry for me.

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fy-dr-janefoster · 4 years ago

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by Sarcasmismydefaultmode

A series of loosely arranged 'scenes' from what would have been the sequel to my Thor: Ragnarok AU 'Resurgam'. Set across Infinity War, Endgame, and the Loki TV Series as inspiration sparks.

Loki x Jane Foster, Loki x Jane Foster x Lady Loki endgame, Loki Disney+ series depending.

Words: 3133, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 5 of A Match Made In Hel: the Dark Lokane Collection

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Infinity War - Fandom, Avengers: Endgame - Fandom, Loki (TV 2021)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, F/M, Multi, Other

Characters: Jane Foster (Marvel), Loki (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Thanos (Marvel), Ebony Maw, The Black Order (Marvel), Hulk (Marvel), Heimdall (Marvel), Lady 'Sylvie' Loki, Carol Danvers, Doctor Stephan Strange, Mobius M. Mobius, Ravonna Lexus Renslayer

Relationships: Jane Foster/Loki, Loki/Jane Foster/Lady Loki

Additional Tags: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Infinity Stones, BAMF!Jane Foster, Infinity Stone powered Jane, In Medias Res, bisexual!Loki, Bisexual!Jane Foster, Lady Loki, Time Variance Authority - Freeform, Thor: Ragnarok Canon Divergence, Avengers: Infinity Saga Canon Divergence, Sentient Infinity Stones (Marvel), Avenger!Jane, lokane - Freeform, Canon LGBTQ Character, Polyamorous Character, Though does it count if they're a variant of the same person?, Having said that tags are liable to change, Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, Swearing

via AO3 works tagged 'Jane Foster/Loki'

#jane x loki #lokane #IFTTT #Feedly

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ao3feed-lokiangst · 4 years ago

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In Medias Res

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3gQ1prJ

by Sarcasmismydefaultmode

A series of loosely arranged 'scenes' from what would have been the sequel to my Thor: Ragnarok AU 'Resurgam'. Set across Infinity War, Endgame, and the Loki TV Series as inspiration sparks.

Loki x Jane Foster, Loki x Jane Foster x Lady Loki endgame, Loki Disney+ series depending.

Words: 3133, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 5 of A Match Made In Hel: the Dark Lokane Collection

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Infinity War - Fandom, Avengers: Endgame - Fandom, Loki (TV 2021)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, F/M, Multi, Other

Relationships: Jane Foster/Loki, Loki/Jane Foster/Lady Loki

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3gQ1prJ

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #loki #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #marvel cinematic universe #angst

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sarcasmismydefaultmode · 4 years ago

Link

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Infinity War - Fandom, Avengers: Endgame - Fandom, Loki (TV 2021) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Jane Foster/Loki, Loki/Jane Foster/Lady Loki Characters: Jane Foster (Marvel), Loki (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Thanos (Marvel), Ebony Maw, The Black Order (Marvel), Hulk (Marvel), Heimdall (Marvel), Lady 'Sylvie' Loki, Carol Danvers, Doctor Stephan Strange, Mobius M. Mobius, Ravonna Lexus Renslayer Additional Tags: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Infinity Stones, BAMF!Jane Foster, Infinity Stone powered Jane, In Medias Res, bisexual!Loki, Bisexual!Jane Foster, Lady Loki, Time Variance Authority - Freeform, Thor: Ragnarok Canon Divergence, Avengers: Infinity Saga Canon Divergence, Sentient Infinity Stones (Marvel), Avenger!Jane, lokane - Freeform, Canon LGBTQ Character, Polyamorous Character, Though does it count if they're a variant of the same person?, Having said that tags are liable to change, Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, Swearing Series: Part 5 of A Match Made In Hel: the Dark Lokane Collection Summary:

A series of loosely arranged 'scenes' from what would have been the sequel to my Thor: Ragnarok AU 'Resurgam'. Set across Infinity War, Endgame, and the Loki TV Series as inspiration sparks.

Loki x Jane Foster, Loki x Jane Foster x Lady Loki endgame, Loki Disney+ series depending.

#So I'm back on my Lokane bullshit...but damn it's good to be back #Lokane #OTP: Science and Magic #MCU #Marvel #Loki x Jane Foster #Fanfiction #post: textpost

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ramajmedia · 5 years ago

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10 Blade Storylines We Want To See In The MCU | ScreenRant

Marvel fans were both surprised and delighted when it was announced at this year’s Comic-Con that the imprint’s beloved half-vampire vampire hunter Blade would be joining the MCU. The MCU didn’t seem like the place for a dark, creepy, ultraviolent character like Blade, but fans aren’t complaining about the fact that he’ll be bumping shoulders with the likes of Thor, Doctor Strange, and Black Panther on the big screen – especially since two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, one of the greatest actors working today, has been cast to play him.

RELATED: 5 Reasons We're Excited About Mahershala Ali's Blade (& 5 Why Marvel Should've Kept Wesley Snipes In The Role)

Here are 10 Blade storylines we want to see in the MCU.

10 Curse of the Mutants

In this X-Men storyline, also sometimes dubbed “Mutants vs. Vampires,” Blade finally manages to defeat his arch nemesis Dracula for good. However, with Dracula gone, his son Xarus takes over and turns out to be an even more formidable enemy as he rallies together all the vampires and leads them against Earth’s mutant population.

As the vampires try to turn all the mutants into vampires – managing to turn Jubilee and capture Wolverine – Blade teams up with the X-Men to stop the vampires and save the mutants. This would be a two-birds-with-one-stone for the MCU; an X-Men movie and a Blade movie rolled into one.

9 Blade and the Midnight Sons

In “Blade and the Midnight Sons,” Doctor Strange uses his magical powers to create a dark superpowered team called the Midnight Sons, consisting of the Nightstalkers (Blade and his allies), Morbius the Living Vampire (whose rights are unfortunately wrapped up with none other than Sony), the Spirits of Vengeance (including the Johnny Blaze version of Ghost Rider), and the Darkhold Redeemers.

Due to rights issues and the need to tie stories into the wider MCU, these teams might have to be altered, like the sides of Civil War. Adapting this comic book would be a great way to do an on-screen team-up with Doctor Strange and Blade.

8 Tomb of Dracula

The “Tomb of Dracula” series was one of the most significant in Marvel Comics’ history. Until 1971, the Comics Code Authority had controlled what could or could not be depicted in horror comics, and one of the most blatant restrictions was that vampire characters couldn’t appear.

RELATED: Blade: 10 Facts You Didn't Know About The Franchise

So, as soon as the regulations became more lax, Marvel pounced at the opportunity to make vampire comics with a series about the most famous public-domain vampire of all time: Dracula. In the comic, Dracula took on various Marvel characters, like Spider-Man, Howard the Duck, the X-Men, and most notably, the vampire hunter Blade.

7 Undead Again

In this twelve-issue series, writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Howard Chaykin revisited Blade’s origin story to give a few new details, like his heritage in Latveria (the fictional country in the Marvel universe for which Doctor Doom is an ambassador and therefore has diplomatic immunity) and the truth about his biological father.

There isn’t an awful lot of action in the comic, so it would need to have its action quotient punched up for the big-screen translation, but it does feature Blade fighting Doctor Doom, who’s in dire need of an MCU debut, and also a fight with Spider-Man, who will hopefully return to the MCU at some point.

6 Blade vs. the Avengers

In this Ultimate Avengers storyline, a number of the Avengers got infected by vampires and turned into bloodsuckers. So, it was up to Blade to hold them off or incapacitate them until they could be cured. Some of them died in the comic, but this wouldn’t be a fitting way for any MCU characters to go for good.

Still, it would be exciting to see characters like the Hulk and Black Panther as vampires. A lot of plot points and aesthetic stylings from the Ultimate Marvel universe have been borrowed by the MCU, so this might not be as far-fetched as it sounds.

5 Spirits of Vengeance: War at the Gates of Hell

In “Spirits of Vengeance: War at the Gates of Hell,” Heaven and Hell call off their war for one day a year as the ambassadors for each realm meet for a discussion. When an angel is discovered murdered with a silver bullet during the ceasefire, Ghost Rider teams up with Blade to investigate.

They’re also joined by Hellstorm and Satana. Ghost Rider, Hellstorm, and Satana all have streaming series on the way to Hulu, which won’t technically be set in the MCU, but thanks to the multiverse, could lead them to a big-screen appearance alongside Blade (some fans have already theorized that the multiverse is how Blade will be introduced).

4 Undead by Daylight

Following up Blade’s arch-rivalry with Dracula from the “Tomb of Dracula” comics, everyone’s favorite vampire hunter teams up with a pair of fellow vampire hunters – both based on other characters from Bram Stoker’s gothic classic – to take on the infamous Count. These two other vampire killers are Quincy Harker, the son of Jonathan Harker, and Rachel Van Helsing, the great-granddaughter of Abraham Van Helsing.

Mini Avengers-style team-ups with teams of three or four characters like Thor: Ragnarok and Captain America: The Winter Soldier are a lot of fun in the MCU. This would be a great horror-themed version of that.

3 Sins of the Father

MCU movies love plot twists where allies of the protagonist turn out to be villains – Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 etc. – so “Sins of the Father” would be a great Blade storyline for the franchise to tackle. It sees a vampire enlisting the help of Blade to kill her father as revenge for turning her into a vampire in the first place.

RELATED: 10 Best Gifts For Fans Of The Infinity Gauntlet

Since Blade hates vampires, he reluctantly agrees. However, it all turns out to be a ruse, as the vampire and her romantic interest just want to destroy Blade.

2 Nightstalkers

In this storyline, Blade ends up getting possessed by a curse taken from a page torn out of the demonic book known as the Darkhold. Some MCU fans have been expecting the Darkhold to show up in either WandaVision or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to prevent Chthon from escaping the void between realities that he occupies.

RELATED: Blade: 6 Characters We Want To See Return (& 4 We Don't)

So, if the Darkhold is going to be the MacGuffin in this scary chapter of the MCU following the Infinity Stones in the Infinity Saga (heck, this next one might be “the Darkhold Saga”), then the “Nightstalkers” storyline could be in order.

1 Crescent City Blues

The “Crescent City Blues” storyline sees Deacon Frost take over the criminal underworld of New Orleans, which would make a fresh and interesting setting, especially in the MCU, which usually stays on the East and West Coasts and rarely takes a trip down south. Dracula is easily one of Blade’s most iconic villains, and in this storyline, he becomes even more powerful in his reign as Lord of Vampires when he captures both Blade and his sidekick Hannibal King.

This is an all-action comic book that is often recommended to first-time Blade readers looking to get into the character, so it would make the perfect starting point for his rebooted movie series.

NEXT: 10 Storylines Disney+'s She-Hulk Series Could Use

source https://screenrant.com/blade-storylines-want-see-mcu/

#screenrant

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8bitsupervillain · 6 years ago

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End of the Year 2018 (I’m a few days late)

Hello ladies and gentlemen, it's that lovely time of the year again. The holiday season is past, the year is winding down and there's a new year on the horizon. As is traditional at this time of year I feel the need to force upon you my thoughts and feelings about the best things and the worst things I personally have endured this year. Once again, I can't really bring myself to do a best film of the year because honestly I don't recall seeing a movie that really stood out as particularly good this year. Some films I only saw because it was something to get me out of the house for a few hours, and honestly the only movies I can really remember seeing in the theaters were: Solo A Star Wars Story, Slender-Man, and Avengers Infinity War.

Anyway, my Games of the Year 2018 edition. I decided to do something a bit different with this particular list, even though I played quite a number of games this year I didn't really play many that come out this, just a lot of older stuff. You may notice some glaring omissions from the games I did play this year, some of the big titles that came out I simply didn't play. So, you fine people are going to get a double list this year. I will have a top five for games that came out pre-2018 that I played this year, and one for games that did come out this year.

Honorable mentions:

HM: Call of Duty Black Ops IIII. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this game. I haven't really played many shooters in the past couple of years, but I greatly enjoyed my time with Black Ops 4. The base multiplayer plays pretty decently these days, and it reminds me a lot of Counter-Strike for reasons I can't really explain. Like so many of my friends though I really liked the time I spent in Blackout, I don't really play these battle royale games, but I enjoyed the time I put into this one.

HM: Mega Man 11. This was a very fun game, and I liked it quite a lot. Some of the pixel perfect jumps the game requires of you are a fair bit irritating though. I freely admit, I may have liked this a lot more than I may have otherwise because of the fact that I played Mighty No. 9 a couple months before the games release.

HM: Elder Scrolls Legends. I played this game a lot over the year, and I'd probably still be playing it if they didn't make the game unplayable on mobile and completely uninteresting to play on PC.

HM: SoulCalibur VI. I was really looking forward to this game, and I was so happy that the game came out as good as it did. It's a delight to play, and I really want to get back into playing more of it. Geralt was an interesting addition to the game that I'm really glad made it, he's quite fun to play as, and I can't wait to try out 2B.

HM: Deltarune. I'll admit that when I started playing this I wasn't really feeling it, I thought that the game was going to be trying too hard to recapture what made Undertale good. But it's a surprisingly enjoyable game, can't wait for the rest of it to come out eventually.

HM: Faith. A retro-style horror game, done in vector graphics. I like this game, granted some aspects of the boss fight, and the events just prior to this fight are somewhat annoying.

HM: King's Field (and King's Field 2). I played these in about mid-January, shortly after playing Persona 5. It was a nice little palette cleanser because it was a change going from a big story RPG to a game with a barebones plot. I played the Sword of Moonlight version of King's Field, and I had fun with it. King's Field 2 was also fun, I could not play these games without a guide though.

Game of the Year: Pre-2018

5. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

I played the 3DS version of this game, and honestly I loved just about every minute of it. The storyline was actually very well done, and I liked basically every character in this game. I was a bit unsure of how the game would play on the 3DS but it ran really well, and actually holds up great in the visuals. This is going to sound silly but I really like it when games include outfits that actually change the look of your character, it's a real treat. I really wish I had actually played this one when I got a PS2 copy years ago, but at least I finally got the chance to play this one.

4. Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight

I'm very slowly going through my backlog of 3DS/DS games that I've built up over the past five years or so. I played through this game back in March, and honestly I keep having a desire to go back through the game again just for the fun of it. The game becomes a bit of a bastard to go through towards the end, but I found it to be a greatly rewarding experience to play through. Also unlike Untold 1, the story mode in this game isn't a complete mess! So that's nice, a shame there will probably never be an Untold 3.

3. Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

Briefly alluded to as "a game I'd probably really like if I played more than an hour" on last year's list I found that to be the case entirely. Breath of the Wild was a really great game that I found myself loving from top to bottom. This is another game that I completed fairly early in the year that I find myself wanting to replay again because I enjoyed it that much. Even when I played other games that are entirely different from it I found myself trying to pull off some of the moves and abilities you get in Breath of the Wild. Maybe I wouldn't have found this game to be so great had I played any of the newer Zelda titles (the last one I played was Wind Waker), but I found this game to be an absolute joy to play. I admit that the announcement of it being an open-world game filled me with dread, but I was so pleased to find out my fears were entirely unfounded. It's just really remarkable how much stuff they were able to put in this game, I wonder how the Wii U version fairs in comparison?

2. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (and the DLC)

This is quite possibly the best version of Dragon Quest V I have ever played! I don't really know why it took me so long to get to this game, but for whatever it's worth the slightly over one hundred hours I've sunk into the game was a trip entirely worth taking. A bad habit I have when playing RPGs is sometimes near the end I start wishing it would wrap up, I never had this thought while playing through the Witcher's length. Even when I played the DLC almost immediately upon completing the primary story I didn't want my time in this world to end. This was an unexpected treat, after having played the first two Witchers I didn't in my wildest dreams think the third one would be this good. I absolutely adore this game, it has some of the best writing I've seen in an RPG, the characters are great, and I really like the villains. They feel like a very real, tangible threat as opposed to a vague evil sitting just beyond the horizon. Add to that the inclusion of Gwent and you have a game that holds its value really well. It must be said that Blood and Wine has what might be one of the most affecting endings I have ever seen in ages.

1. Fire Emblem Warriors

Surely I'm out of my mind, you must be thinking. After the words I said about Breath of the Wild, and Witcher III, how could a Musou game be the best of the pre-2018 games I played this year? Particularly in a year where Hyrule Warriors got a re-release? It's simple, I didn't really play Hyrule Warriors, and I played through Fire Emblem Warriors three times. While Breath of the Wild, and Witcher III have story, waifus, and better looks and feel about them, Fire Emblem Warriors has gameplay working in its favor. The gameplay in Fire Emblem Warriors is quite possibly some of the best Musou gameplay I've seen in a long while. Sure I might have issues with the fact that this is primarily an Awakening/Fates show I'm able to get over it because of how good the game plays. I earnestly hope for a sequel, I know it's a long-shot that any of the older Fire Emblem heroes would get in, but I would love it. Also this game does the impossible and makes the cast and story beats of Fates tolerable and decent.

Games of the Year 2018

5. Detroit: Become Human

This game should count itself lucky I didn't play anything slightly more substantive. If I had played anything better than this I don't honestly think Detroit would have gotten any more than an honorable mention. That's not to say I didn't like the game, I enjoyed it greatly in fact, I just am surprised this game managed to be one of the better games I've played this year. The story really isn't the greatest around, but it did have moments that I liked a whole lot. Like so many others I think I liked the stuff with Connor and Hank the best. If this game had focused more on the "android cop" idea I might have liked it more, but I do want to reiterate I do think this was a good game. As by the numbers as Markus's story may have been, and some really hamfisted story beats that occur toward the end of the game it was a really solid game overall. I kind of feel like the game also played its hand regarding some of the characters a bit too early, and as such it kind of fumbled the reveal when it happens. It is pretty interesting seeing some of the variations between being peaceful Markus versus violent Markus, also the endgame variations of Connor's arc are pretty intriguing. Sadly Kara kind of gets the short end of the stick when it comes to characterization. Despite the game not quite sticking the landing when it approaches the ending it was still a good game to play through.

4. The Banner Saga Trilogy

This might be a bit of a cheat, but the console versions of the trilogy came out this year, so I'm counting it. It might not have the deepest strategy gameplay around, but this series is so much more than just the combat encounters. Some of the choices you're forced to make as the series advances are actually pretty difficult to deal with, but for its credit the game never really goes out of its way to chastise you for the decisions. I enjoyed the setting of these games a lot, Viking stuff is very interesting to me, and I absolutely adore the art style these games use. It reminded me a whole lot of the animated Hobbit movie that was out in the early 80s that I remember my dad having. I adore pretty much the whole cast that is in this trilogy, some of the characters fall flat, but when the cast is as large as the one in this series it's to be expected. This series also reminded me a lot of the early Fire Emblem games (specifically the ones on the GBA), in that your characters can permanently die as the story progresses. I played through this entire series over the course of a month because I was that engrossed in the world and story this series takes place in. I like how the threat in the series becomes much larger and grander as the games go on, and it never really feels entirely out of left field. The story does take a bit of a dive towards the end of the third game, but it was never really a deal breaker for me. If you like turn-based tactical combat, vaguely Norse mythology, or just a compelling story I really can't recommend this enough.

3. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Perhaps they should have done the Kiwami games prior to making this, since they seem to have had some issues with the engine. That said however I really enjoyed this one a whole lot. I don't really have a lot to say about the gameplay for this game, it is still some of the best combat you can experience in most modern games these days. Style switching from 0 is gone, but that's alright. Most heat moves seem to boil down to mashing the button a whole lot to make the impact greater, but none of the gameplay changes were a deal breaker for me. I don't really want to talk about the story in the game because I feel that the story is really the game's greatest aspect. The story has some major gut punch moments, it still has its more outlandish moments (it is Yakuza after all), but the story overall is a very satisfying very moving finale for Kiryu's story. I desperately want more people to play these games because the ending was perhaps one of the most emotionally satisfying things I have ever experienced with a video game.

2. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of An Elusive Age

I adore this game. When it came out in September I played nothing but Dragon Quest XI until I completed the game. It's rare these days that something I look forward to actually lives up to my expectations, but Dragon Quest XI hit the mark and then some. I love just about every single member of the party in this game, I don't think there's a single weak link to be found in the cast. Sure the villain of the game lacks a bit of oomph despite the build-up, but I was still really digging the final villain by the time the game was approaching its end. Normally when I play an RPG by the end I start to drift away from it a bit, but I was thoroughly enjoying my time with it. I do have some complaints with the narrative towards the end, some minor complaints I have with certain characters and their characterizations near the end. The game is absolutely worth playing, it is just sheer classic role playing joy from beginning to end. Plus if you play it on PC you can mod in the orchestral soundtrack which is nice.

1. Monster Hunter: World

I sunk a lot of time into this game over the year. Two hundred and twenty-five hours to be precise (on one character at least). Granted that might be small potatoes compared to the time others have sunk into this I think that is quite a large amount. There's just something about this game that keeps calling me back to it. It might not be the most narratively rich game, but quite frankly I love this game to pieces. It's very cathartic hunting down these big behemoths. To be honest though I was kind of split between declaring this or Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate my favorite of the year. They both do something that I love so much about these games. It might be shallow to say but I probably like World more due to the graphical polish that the game possesses over Generations Ultimate. I love the inclusion of the cosmetic add-ons that are in World, it amuses me greatly to run around dressed up like Ryu from Street Fighter, or Dante from Devil May Cry, I also like the Aloy costume from Horizon: Zero Dawn. However I kind of prefer the greater amount of monsters that are available in Generations Ultimate. The sheer volume of monsters in the game is kind of ridiculous, but some of them are just tremendously fun to fight and I wish they could be in World. Generations Ultimate I kind of feel like I might be cheating by including it here, since it was an import copy for the Switch I played a lot. Honestly though, Monster Hunter World and Generations Ultimate I spent an absurd amount of time with during the year. In World's case at least I imagine I'll play a lot more during this year simply because of the inclusion of multiple crossover events that will no doubt be happening over the year. There's also the fact that Iceborne is coming out later this year, and I really can't wait to get my hands on that.

The honest truth is every single game that make up my best of list are all games that I really want to replay because I enjoyed them so much. Also just for fun here's the order the list would go in if I combined the two lists:

10. Detroit Become Human 09. Dragon Quest VIII 08. Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold 07. The Banner Saga Trilogy 06. Yakuza 6 05. Breath of the Wild 04. The Witcher 3 03. Dragon Quest XI 02. Fire Emblem Warriors 01. Monster Hunter World/Generations Ultimate

Here’s to 2019, and the very many games that are coming out that I am really looking forward to! Thank you for reading, and until next time farewell.

#Game of the Year #2018

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