Tag Archives: Iron Man

Revisiting the MCU: Iron Man

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My wife and I thought it would be fun to try to have a Marvel Cinematic Universe Marathon leading up to the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Sure, we could have gotten tickets to the 26 hour long marathon that is playing at select theaters, but unfortunately we have a life outside of these movies, and we have these other beings that live with us, called children, that make a 26 hour long movie marathon kind of hard. Plus, my wife barely makes it through 10 minutes of a movie before she falls asleep. She would probably slip into a coma if I took to something like that. No, we decided instead to take it kind of slow and try to work our way through each of the 11 films that currently make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then I thought it would be fun to offer reviews of these films as we watched them.

We decided to start at the beginning, the film that launched a universe- Iron Man. I should start by admitting that I am not a huge Iron Man fan (Sorry Eric, I know he’s your favorite). In fact, in the upcoming Civil War movie, I am not entirely sure what the whole disagreement will be about, but I am almost positive I will be on Captain America’s side. At least, I was totally positive until I watched this film again. I was convinced that at 7 years old this film would be starting to show a little age, look a little dated. For the most part it didn’t. It still holds up pretty well. I also expected to find a bunch of holes, like they weren’t totally sure they were going to build the massive universe they have, so you would see things or hear things that would end up happening totally differently. Also didn’t happen. We meet Agent Coulson for the first time and he is totally Agent Coulson.  Fury even shows up at the very end and basically says that Stark is now part of a much bigger world full of Superheroes. Marvel had their master plan all along.

This movie was just as enjoyable as it was the first time around, and maybe even more now that we know a little bit about where the story has headed. I remember being totally surprised by the success of this film. Iron Man was always kind of lame in the comics, at least I thought so. I just figured the film would flop. It didn’t, as we all know, and it continues to impress.

This is solid movie from a character standpoint as well. It develops the Tony Stark Character really well. He is such a jerk in the beginning. Then, of course, he has a whole new perspective after his vehicle is attacked  and he is taken prisoner and forced to build a weapon to help the 10 Rings. I mean, who hasn’t had an experience like that? Of course you come out of it changed. This of course leads to him becoming Iron Man, and Marvel’s resident genius.

My biggest disappointment in this movie is simple. It is a complaint I have had since I saw it for the first time. I get coming back to the good ol’ US of A, and I the first thing you want is a cheese burger. Absolutely on board. What I don’t get is if you are a billionaire, and you live in California, why in the world would you go to Burger King? That’s not happening. At the very least, head over to In-n-Out Burger. I mean, it just almost makes the whole movie unbelievable for me.

Overall, I think this is one of the better films in the MCU lineup. It is easy to see how this movie was as successful as it was, and to see how it would open the door for the movies to follow and lay the foundation for the Avengers. The sequel, on the other hand, well, that’s a tale for another day. 4.5 Stars overall for this great movie. If it’s been a while, check it out before Age of Ultron.

 

Can the New DCCU be Better Than the MCU?

In case you missed it because A. You’re not really a geek, or B. You have been living under a rock somewhere, DC made a major announcement involving 12 films between now and 2020. They even managed to one up Marvel by not just revealing the dates they have marked and set aside for the movies, they have also told us which titles will be released on which dates. It is clear, they are stepping up to go toe to toe with Marvel. This leads me to ask the question: Which is going to be better in the long run, the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) or the DCCU (The DC Cinematic Universe)? First of all, I don’t even know if the new DC movie world will be called the DCCU. I just did that because of MCU. I saw it called the DCCC or the DC Cinematic Continuum. That’s a lot of C’s, so I like the DCCU better, but of course they will need to be different from Marvel, so maybe the DCCM-The DC Cinematic Multiverse. Or maybe the DC C52-The DC Cinematic 52, because we all know how much DC loves the number 52. In any case, the question remains, will DC be able to compete with the Marvel on the big screen? Or is it too late? People have been speculating on sites like The Direct for some time now, especially as Marvel has been doing this for a few years and it seems like they can do now wrong, with Guardians of the Galaxy blowing up the box office this summer, after being a title that no one had ever heard of over the last 30 years. The truth is, I don’t think that is going to happen with every random title Marvel might try to ram down our throats, and I think DC really has an advantage to be more successful in the long run. It may not seem like it now, but trust me, it’s going to happen. Let me tell you why, I think, DC is going to outlast and eventually take down Marvel at the box office.

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It might seem like Marvel has some amazing stuff coming our way, especially with the announcement that Captain America 3 is bringing us the Civil War story line. And that is probably true, but this announcement brings up what I believe are the two biggest issues facing the MCU right now. Let’s look at issue number one. Civil War is going to be massive and huge and change everything, and then what? Cap will be dead, it looks like Robert Downey, Jr. is planning on playing Tony Stark forever, we don’t know if Hemsworth will be back as Thor, and for whatever reason, Marvel has zero plans to do a really good Hulk movie. The four biggest names and most marketable characters Marvel has in the MCU will be gone. The Iron Man movies were all huge hits, and Cap and Thor did alright on their own, leading to the massively successful Avengers movie, leading to more successful sequels, that will be followed by another huge Avengers movie, which will lead to another round of successful movies for the big four (minus Hulk, sorry big guy) that will lead to a huge, epic Avengers 3, followed by nothing. Talk about a let down. The good news is that Marvel has plans to expand their universe with the likes of Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage. These characters are popular with hard-core comics fans because their titles typically had some of the premiere writing and stories, but they are not that marketable. Marvel led with the biggest names they had, and like it or not, they will be on their way out, just as DC is hitting their stride.

The lack of back ups for the big four brings us to issue number two. Quick think of your favorite Marvel super hero not named Thor, Iron Man, Cap, or Hulk. Did you think of this guy?

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Or maybe this guy?

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Or maybe these folks?

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Or maybe even this guy?

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Well forget about all of them. While each of the above referenced characters will be appearing in movies, none of them will be appearing in the MCU. Way back in the day, in the time before RDJ became Iron Man, the idea of a combined cinematic universe for Marvel’s characters just didn’t exist. Marvel believed their characters were marketable, and could draw in big crowds, but they didn’t have any way to put it out there. There wasn’t a Marvel Studios, and at the time, marvel wasn’t doing so hot. They did what seemed like the only smart thing at the time. They sold off the rights to their more popular characters. Spider-Man went to Sony, X-Men went to Fox along with the Fantastic Four. Other characters were sold off too, like Daredevil, The Punisher, and Ghost Rider. Their movies were so horrible, that we won’t mention them here again. The point is, this was the only way Marvel saw to get their product out there, so they sold the rights, and those studios all still have the rights, and they’re not giving them up. The only reason Marvel still had the rights to the Avengers is because nobody wanted them. That worked out well and lucky for Marvel, but the time is quickly approaching when the Avengers as we know them won’t be around, and having properties like the X-Men or Spider-Man would be nice when that happens. Plus, now that they are doing these major events like Civil War in the movies, it is going to hurt to not have those properties. Spider-Man played no small role in the Civil War story. I’m just saying.

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These are the two major issues why I think in the long run, DC will do better and outlast Marvel. When it comes to forming one unified Universe in the films, DC just has the upper hand. Yes, DC is leading out with their two most well-known characters to start things off, but they have a lot of interesting, main stream characters that they can throw at us as well. I mean, Yes, Superman and Batman are as big as it gets, but the Flash and Green Lantern and Aquaman and Wonder Woman are all pretty well-known as well. The movies that they have announced are all heavy hitters, minus Suicide Squad, which will end up being DC’s version of GOTG, incase you were wondering why the rush for that title. There is not really an Ant-Man in the bunch.

Of Course, the reason why this is the case is because all of DC’s characters have been owned by Warner Bros. for a while. They have always had a medium for their films, so they haven’t sold off the rights to their characters like Marvel had to. Not only does this mean that all of their popular characters are available, it also means that there is zero crossover issues that they will need to overcome as they start making the films. If they want to throw together a “phase” that focuses on one of the Crisis events, they can, and they don’t have to worry about who they might sub in to take Barry Allen’s place to save the world and die for 30 years, since some other studio owns his film rights. They own the rights, so he’ll be in the movie. No problem. They have a whole universe, nay, a multiverse available to them. No legal barriers to stand in their way.

There are a lot of different directions DC can go too. Unlike Marvel, not every DC character or title revolves around New York City. Each Hero has his own distinct city with its own distinct feel to it. Gotham is very different from Metropolis, which is different from Coastal City or Central City. Plus, Green Lantern can be his own whole spinoff universe, going throughout the cosmos and involving the other Green Lanterns and the other corps. It is a limitless supply of backdrops, expanding way beyond just New York City.

Don’t get me wrong, I have at least one major issue with the new DCCU. Well, maybe a couple of issues, that are really rolled up into one issue:

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There will be no crossover between the DC shows and the DC movies. In fact they have already announced that the guy playing Flash is not the same actor playing him currently on TV. They haven’t even announce Green Arrow having any kind of presence in the upcoming films. That makes me sad. I have enjoyed the Flash so far, and I love Arrow. Plus there is also news that TNT maybe picking up a Teen Titans pilot involving Nightwing, which may be existing in the same world as Arrow and Flash. DC is really putting together a nice little universe on TV, but it will have nothing to do with the movies. Maybe the TV shows will serve as practice for the movie universe. Who knows? But this is the saddest part of the announcement this week. I would love to see Stephen Amell show up as Green Arrow in one of these films, but I won’t hold my breath.

So what do you all think? Does DC stand a chance, or will Marvel always rule supreme at the box office? All I know for sure is that both studios will be getting a lot of money from me over the next 5 years.

Are the Movies Changing Marvel Comics?

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The above picture represents what the Avengers may look like starting this fall.  It’s pretty different from what we’re used to.  It’s been making news all over the place, especially the changes to Captain America and Thor.  Change to the characters in comics is nothing new.  It’s been happening for generations.  In fact, this isn’t even the first time that someone else has taken up the Captain America and Thor identities.  This time seems different, though.  These heroes have never been in the mainstream spotlight as much as they are right now.  The Avengers are THE cash cow right now, not just for Marvel but for their parent company, Disney.  Avengers 2 is already shaping up to be an even bigger hit than the first Avengers movie, if that’s possible.  So, it seems strange to shake everything up right now.  People are wandering into comic book stores and they’re looking for stories about the Avengers they see on the big screen, and now they are going to find a female Thor and a flying Captain America.  Why?  I recently wrote a post where I discussed some of the reasons why the changes might be happening, including it could be a gimmick to get more attention and sell more books.  Today, though, I had a thought.  I wonder if the changes are a result of the huge success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Stay with me here, it might actually make sense in the end.

One of the things that has always been consistent in the comics is that the heroes, the main characters never age.  I mean, there’s the occasional one-off or special miniseries where they get older and you get to see what it would be like if they do get older, like Kingdom Come or The Dark Knight Returns , but for the most part, Superman, Batman, Captain America, all the big names , stay the same age.  The world around them moves on and ages, but the heroes stay the same.  It’s easy to do in the comics, and widely accepted.  Nobody seems to mind.  This is fine in a world drawn by hand.  They don’t have to worry about age and things, they just draw them the same as they’ve always been drawn.  This works great for comics, but not for movies.  Actors do get older.  It’s just a fact.  It’s something that production companies have had to deal with forever.  Sometimes they get creative like Doctor Who with regeneration, and sometimes they just go with a change in actors and provide no reason for it, like James Bond. Or you can go the route of just bringing in all new characters.  Marvel has to find a way to keep the Avengers movies going after Avengers 3, when the contracts run out for their big three, Cap, Thor, and Iron Man, or at least their actors.  Those are big shoes to fill, and there is no bench for those heroes.  Avengers 4 will have Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man.  So how will Marvel deal with a change in actors?  The same way it always should be in comics.  These characters are bigger than the individual characters.  They are symbols.  Anyone can put on the suit or throw the shield or, if worthy, pick up the hammer.  I think the change in the comics could be preparing us for the changes in the films.  They’ve changed the characters before, but it’s always been temporary.  I wonder if this time the changes will be more permanent because we have to get used to not Steve Rogers as Cap, not Tony Stark as Iron Man, and not Thor as…Thor. And, I hope it continues.  It’s been one thing that I always thought would be cool.  What happens when the heroes get old, and younger heroes take up their mantles.  It could lead to some great stories and new insights on the characters.  I was sad when Bruce Wayne came back from the dead and Dick Grayson’s run as Batman was done.  Bucky Barnes’ time as Cap was too short.  The comic publishers have always been willing to initiate the change, but they never stick to it. Maybe the long-term plans for the Marvel Cinematic universe will change that.  Maybe Sam Wilson will take up the Captain America Mantle permanently.  Maybe my kids will grow up reading about a female Thor.  Maybe that will be the new norm.  And maybe it will start happening with more heroes.  I think there is a lot of potential there, and it just makes sense.  Now of course, we have our suspicions that the Captain America title will be passed to Bucky Barnes in the movies, similar to what happened a few years ago when Steve Rogers was shot.  Sebastian Stan has signed on to a 9 movie deal with Marvel, which means they are tying him down for something big.  They still have to figure out how to move on without Chris Hemsworth and Tony Stark, and bringing in different actors to play the exact same characters is not going to go over well with the fans.  A change in character makes more sense.  I hope it’s the case.  It will be an interesting turn in the stories of the characters and the Marvel universe as a whole.