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helpinghanikan · 5 years

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Generation Gap

Avengers (and Matt Murdock) x reader

Sum: Everyone is of legal age

Steve Rogers:

Your situation was a difficult one; on one hand you were just a junior member of the Avenger’s legal defense (half step higher than an intern), and your clearance shouldn’t be more than the first floor and no deeper than the offices. On the other hand, you were the partner to one of the OG Avengers, a class that had no restrictions.

This was why you couldn’t really get mad at security when they would direct you towards the intern spaces. Nor could you yell at them when they’d refuse you entry to where your man had agreed to meet.

This also spread rumors throughout the office about your “relationship”. How else could someone your age get this far if you weren’t getting bruised knees from it? Very few would believe that it was your skills and work ethic that took you ahead of the pack. If it were high school you would be eating lunch in the bathroom stall instead of your office desk.

Tony Stark:

The word “cradle robber” was thrown around in magazines and gossip sites. Along side were things like “gold digger”, “silver fox” and even “pedophile”. A statement that was swiftly met with legal action.

It might have been better if you had just come out about your relationship. Speculation of the relationship started when some young woman started hanging around Stark business without reason. The same reaction started when Peter became an “intern”, but they didn’t have a leaked photo of a rooftop kiss.

“We should take this as a challenge,” You had said one evening. Another scandalous claim of your rise from broke waitress to the most successful sugar baby in North America. “All this crap, you know?”

“I don’t like challenges unless I get a big prize at the end.” Tony’s voice comes from somewhere under his desk. From your angle all you can see is the jean legs and white socks sticking out from under the metal.

“My happiness would be a big prize,” You say. “New bracelet would be a big prize.”

Thor:

It’s both a blessing and curse that Thor cared almost nothing about Midgard gossip.

On one hand, while you tried to teach him about computers, he’d never look anywhere but you. This huge man who looked to be over ten years your senior sitting at your desk, slowly typing and doing his best. Over his shoulder and there were your co-workers, pretending not to be watching him. Pretending not to whisper to each other.

First job a few months right out of college and you already had a new name.

“The newer model,” that was fine.

Or it was the “dumber version,” that one, yeah, that one hurt.

You were no Jane Foster, in truth, you would never be able to compete with her. These comments never went farther than your office. Whether it was that your co-workers didn’t bother to try or magazines didn’t care about what some office monkey’s had to say.

You’d rant and rave to your man, but he never seemed bothered.

Bucky Barnes:

It was Bucky’s choice to stay more on the down low, outright refusing anything even mildly promotional. He was as he was before the Avengers, a rumor.

Because of this it was up to you whether anyone knew about the relationship.

Nobody seemed to believe you about it: Family believing it was just to get them off your back (partly yes), friends just finding it an impossible idea that you’d even meet someone like Bucky.

Not wanting to ruin his privacy you never pushed the matter on those you knew. Even if your teeth would grind when they’d claim your pictures were photoshopped.

Natasha Romanoff:

Everyone at your college knew what Nat was the moment her car rolled up.

A rare, and elusive, sugar mama.

Although you were months into the relationship it was only then that you mentioned it to her. Natasha was a great liar, if she wanted you’d never know a true thing from her. But when you bring this up, with a little laugh, she immediately avoids eye contact. Her lips sucking in a tiny smile at the not-accusation.

It never occurred to you just how much income Nat actually had. From returned bounties to hush agreements, she had enough to never even look a price tag. Not that she ever gave an impression of caring about designer and overly expensive things, the most were some name brand make up and dresses hardly worn.

The rest went to you, without you ever really knowing. Although Nat wouldn’t lie about important things, there was never any truth to the prices of things. That shirt that just so happens to be your perfect size and favorite color? That was a friend’s who had left it and wouldn’t want it back. That restaurant where you had to wear a “borrowed” dress she’d never ask to give back? Nat had a coupon. Those earrings she hands you after getting in the car? She found them in the bottom of her purse, weren’t her style, and still in their little box but the price tag mysteriously gone.

Some wanted power over others to see the fear in their eyes. Nat wanted power over the joy in your eyes, to be able to say, “they’re just going to be thrown away” and see the awe you’re trying to hide while running your thumb over the jewels.

In the end she got a feeling of purpose and you got bed sheets that’d make angels cry.

Bruce Banner:

“Tell your daughter to slow on the caffeine.” The barista says.

Admittedly, you were drinking it a little fast. The few shots of expresso to make up for the long night both had with paperwork. The expensive drink threatened to spew right from your nose. Instead you coughed and coughed, trying to hide the laugh that’d cause Bruce to make that face.

It was too late for that. Bruce turned from the counter and walked quickly to the small corner table you had claimed. He had that face, the one where he was upset but still found it a little funny, but not wanting to admit it out loud.

“Stop it,” he says, taking a drink as though that’d stop your giggles.

“Yes, Dad,” You say.

“Please, don’t.”

“Yes, Daddy?”

“We should see other people.”

T’Challa:

You weren’t the first to be called into HR. Not the first to be called in because of an “inappropriate relationship”. And certainly not the first cute little (former) intern whose had relations with a foreign dignitary.

HR lady was not messing around with this. Waiting for you to take a seat before instructing you to shut the door. A power move that you allowed her to have.

“So, I don’t-I’m not big on office gossip,” She starts, hands in a prayer position. “but there has been talk about your relationship with the dignitaries from Wakanda.”

There it was, you were specifically assigned to the dignitaries as a small spy. None of your higher ups ever mentioned that the young woman in the corner knew everything they were saying, you weren’t that good of a spy, it would seem. More than once accidently making eye contact with the guards and even T’challa himself. That was what led to your situation now.

“I understand, you’re new, you wanna see the world and he’s, yeah, he’s something interesting. But don’t you think you’re taking your little crush a little too far?” She says this as if your age gap isn’t anymore than five years.

“Well, out of context I understand, how you see it that way.” You had to bite your tongue to keep from adding ‘but he started it’.

Work in foreign affairs had taught you how to say “you don’t know shit” in polite talk.

“So, what can we do about this?” She asks. This woman might have been a kindergarten teacher in a past life. Talking in that way where she already had an answer but wanted to watch her victim struggle.

You’re back in middle school. Just shrugging your shoulders in the hopes that this conversation with an authority figure would hurry up.

“This is your first warning,” she says, still ‘seeing things in the wrong context’. “If your little crush goes any farther, attention going to be taken.”

You were too valuable to cut right away. Calling you in for the second warning a week later.

Pietro Maximoff:

His long legs took up the entirety of your backseat. Back against the old seat, legs stretching towards the ceiling, feet almost flat. This was only done because you had yelled at him more than once about feet on the windows.

This was your tradition for the last semester of your Senior year. Bell rings and there stands Pietro at the gate. Relationship the result of a state-wide school meet with Avengers, and a friend’s dare to plant a kiss on Pietro’s cheek during the picture. That picture was still framed in in both your rooms.

You can still remember her eyebrow shooting up to her hair-line when Pietro had led you into the kitchen. You probably should have worn something more grown up; walking in there with your tennis-shoes and backpack on one shoulder.

In the end Wanda was the only one that seemed to approve of your relationship, who was she to judge anyway? Her partner was a robot younger than you. The rest though;

“Are you in class with Peter?” Steve asks. The nicer of the questions coming your way.

Peter Parker:

May’s interrogation happened the moment the door opened. Looking up and down at the woman here to pick up her nephew. Inviting you inside, sitting you on the couch and starting the questions. Whether Peter even knew you were there or not was up in the air.

You were a senior, a dumb senior. One that needed a freshman to help you with math, one that you got made fun of for it and for the crush on said freshman. Also, one that stopped caring when Peter would give you that look. The one he didn’t think you see, the one he makes when you’re staring down to the math problem or looking towards something away form him.

Now he looks from the crack of his door. Opened just enough that one eye looks into the room. You can see him trying to decide; Stay in room and hope Aunt May doesn’t kick you out or swing open the open, grab your hand and make a great escape.

He didn’t really get a choice in the matter. After being asked about your age, your grade, how long you’ve had your license and your “intentions” with Peter. You tilted so Peter would see your entire face. Getting your look of “help me” and finally opening the door.

The plan didn’t work as you thought it would. Peter being dragged into the interrogation right along side you. Aunt May turning your date twenty minutes late with advice about relationships, responsibility and even a touch of protection. That she didn’t pull out a power point and a ruler was a miracle.

Stephen Strange:

You met Dr. Handsome back when he was just handsome intern. Little baby surgeons making rounds through a learning hospital, one of their stops was your room.

It was doubtful that he remembers the first time you met. Barely in your freshman year and here comes in a crowd of men and women. Looking you over like an art piece, or an animal in a zoo, whichever sounds better. Laying back in your bed; leg in a sling and a story of jumping down the stairs you were sure to exaggerate later.

You were too young for there to be even a chance at a relationship. That didn’t stop you from referring to him as the “Dr. Handsome,” while high from painkillers. Mortification after hearing Stephen being mocked for it kept you from talking to him again during his visit.

Fast forward a few years and you’re back in a hospital. The designated biker chick showing up randomly to serve court papers. It became an art to avoid any questions from the nurse or people you pass, “visiting a sick Nan”, “My boyfriend got hurt, he’s in this wing”, “What do you mean I need a visitor’s pass?”

Dr. Handsome was in one of those wings. The recognition verified after you blurt out, “Dr. Handsome, haven’t seen you in a while.”

Matt Murdock:

Foggy’s face when you pecked Matt’s lips on the way out was something else.

Foggy knew you longer than Matt had, your parents were friends. He used to watch you when you were little, you would borrow money from him and promise to pay him back. You never did.

So, in the end, it was his fault you even met Matt.

Karen didn’t really care. Compared to his past relationships and his nightlife, a sweet little girl who just had her first drink would be something good for him. She was also your unofficial boss as the office manager. A few ignorant individuals referred to you as “the secretary’s secretary”, you couldn’t choreography how fast all four of you would correct them.

The several weeks you’ve been the new secretary it never occurred to you that the relationship even was a secret from Foggy. You’d arrive at different times but usually leave together. When you didn’t leave together you’d kiss him goodbye or he’d plant softly on your cheek. It just seemed that Foggy was never looking at you when this happened.

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Carol Danvers:

It’s easier to forget about the gap between you when it’s not always present.

It only sometimes leaking out when handed an iPhone or asked to look something up. Her eyebrows squinting together, staring at the screen like it may jump out at her. Looking at the silly cat onscreen, looking back up at you.

“Whose cat is that?” She asks, looking back down at it.

No matter how many times you explain to her that it’s not your cat, nor anyone you know’s cat, she will ask you again.

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pass-the-bechdel · 5 years

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Marvel Cinematic Universe: Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

No.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Seven (30.43% of cast).

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Sixteen.

Positive Content Rating:

Three.

General Episode Quality:

Exciting and full of strong fodder for discussion and debate; by the same token, potentially frustrating.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

Natasha directs comments to Wanda in Nigeria, but Wanda addresses her response to the team as a whole.

Female characters:

Wanda Maximoff.

Natasha Romanov.

Maria Stark.

Mrs Spencer.

Sharon Carter.

Mrs Zemo.

Aunt May.

Male characters:

James Buchanan Barnes.

Steve Rogers.

Sam Wilson.

Brock Rumlow.

Howard Stark.

Tony Stark.

T’Chaka.

Vision.

Thaddeus Ross.

James Rhodes.

Helmut Zemo.

T’Challa.

Everett Ross.

Peter Parker.

Clint Barton.

Scott Lang.

OTHER NOTES:

My immediate thought on the concept of the Avengers being directed by a United Nations panel is the Rwandan genocide; follow from that, any number of other major atrocities that have taken place while the rest of the world sat back umm-ing and aah-ing over whether or not they should intervene. Anyone who knows a speck of history should be very reticent about the idea of being shackled by such political whims.

Ross refers to the unknown locations of Thor and Bruce Banner as being like ‘misplacing a couple of megaton nukes’, as if they’re objects and not autonomous sentient beings who can go where they please without having to declare their intentions, and that should really be the first major red flag to everyone that this guy ain’t on the level.

Vision’s equation about causality is a false equivalence, and an irrelevant one anyway, since oversight doesn’t do anything to hamper his theory about strength inviting challenge. You’re not actually reducing your strength, you’re just making yourself less able to meet those challenges as they come. I feel like Vision should be a Hell of a lot smarter than this absence of logic (also, looking at the threats themselves in previous films, the only ones which can be considered ‘strength inviting challenge’ issues in which the actions of any Avenger characters have ‘bred catastrophe’ are the Iron Man films, and Age of Ultron, all of which are examples of Tony’s hubris coming back to bite him, specifically. The conflict of every other film stems from either 1) trouble predating Iron Man (most of it SHIELD/Hydra related), or 2) other-worldly overspill where Earth becomes the battleground for something uninvited (Asgardian and/or infinity stone bullshit). And even when Tony is the one creating his own demons, he usually doesn’t do so actively through his Iron Man tech or persona (Obadiah Stane’s villainy is what led to Iron Man’s creation, not the other way around; yes, Tony’s grandstanding did directly invite competition in Iron Man 2, but he didn’t make an adversary out of Ivan Vanko, that was his father’s legacy; and Tony’s particular cruelty may have incited Aldritch Killian, but that event predated the creation of Iron Man by nine years, so it’s not a response to that strength. Only Ultron was genuinely a catastrophic consequence of Tony’s (and Bruce’s) abuse of power, but hobbling the Avengers’ ability to operate does nothing to prevent that sort of thing from happening again, it just stymies their ability to halt the onslaught after it begins. You solve that one with legislation limiting what anyone can recklessly create and unleash (which includes Vision himself, incidentally)).

And see, Steve is right; the Sokovia Accords just shift the blame when things go wrong, functionally it makes the Avengers less accountable for their actions by allowing them to play the ‘just following orders’ game. And the point he makes about the panel still being run by people with agendas is exactly what I’m talking about in that first dot point; when decisions are being made on a political basis instead of according to need, you get atrocities, and any person working for the United Nations is a political agent by default. Sokovia is actually a great example of the kind of place that falls through the cracks on the political stage, as it was noted to be ‘nowhere special’, i.e. not politically valuable, and therefore unlikely to receive a swift response from powerful nations who have no vested interests in the good of the country.

Tony’s argument here is extremely personal and emotion-driven; it’s all his own guilt about Ultron and Sokovia and his decision to stop manufacturing weapons, etc, and none of that is relevant to the rest of the team’s situation or their choices. He’s also utterly oblivious to his own privilege here, in that it’s super easy for him to handwave the particulars of the Accords, because he’s a filthy-rich white American whose main ‘thing’ is new technologies, which are not being restricted at all by these Accords; he has the luxury of just signing on and hoping to negotiate amendments later (and also, of having the resources to be able to thwart anything he disagrees with and just do what he wants regardless if he decides he’s right). He’s not taking a moment to consider what the Accords really mean for those members of the team with powers they can’t just ‘put down’, who don’t have the kinds of options and opportunities he has, up to and including the bargaining power to have the Accords ‘fixed up’ later. I really do my best to see both sides of this situation because there IS merit in the idea of the Accords, but no one in favour of it makes a good argument for it and it’s really frustrating.

Who tells someone that a close beloved friend is dead in a fucking text message??? The real villain of this film.

It goes without saying but I’m gonna say it anyway: it’s very hypocritical of T’Challa to support the Accords while also donning his super-suit and taking matters in foreign countries into his own hands. All of the destruction that occurs in Romania after Bucky escapes from his apartment building is because of T’Challa’s involvement (because he was trying to commit a literal murder!), and that kinda gets glossed straight over here.

Tony falls for Ross’ trick by referring to Wanda as a ‘weapon of mass destruction’ in the process of his efforts to justify her internment. It’s all really solid writing, really, vernacular choices that highlight the dehumanisation at the rotten core of the Accords and how good people can be suckered into it without realising until it’s too late (even when things like, say, denial of legal representation should definitely be red-flagging up the wazoo right now). But honestly, it’s such a wild leap from ‘Wanda can’t go on missions anymore’ to ‘we’re going to forcibly deny her the ability to go out in public’. Keep trying to tell yourself that’s not a fucked up situation, Tony.

Steve Rogers holding down a fucking helicopter is just...peak Captain America and I’m so glad.

The part where Tony recruits an actual child who is not involved in this situation at all, spiriting him away to another continent to fight supersoldiers, that’s just...beyond, honestly. I hate this as an introduction for Spiderman because it’s so wildly irresponsible of Tony, it’s an unforgivable thing to do. He’s a kid. This has nothing to do with him. This is where Tony officially loses me in this movie. You can take your self-righteous attempts at justifying your actions and shove ‘em, buddy. You’re actively endangering a child.

We really don’t need Steve to kiss someone every Cap movie. We didn’t need him weirdly mackin’ on his recently-deceased ex-love’s niece. Seriously.

Spiderman’s particular brand of quipping while fighting really irritates me, also. It’s altogether a big no from me on the Spiderman front.

Still love Ant-Man, though. He’s delightful. I also enjoy Hawkeye so much more here than I have in the Avengers films.

C’mon, T’Challa. You can’t attack and attempt to kill a guy outright and then play the ‘you must be guilty because you ran away’ schtick. Do a brain about it.

See, everyone else knows why they’re there and what they’re fighting for, they know the stakes. Scott is the only one on Cap’s side who isn’t already part of the situation anyway, but he’s read in on why he’s being asked to get involved and he’s a grown adult person making an informed decision. Peter doesn’t have that, he’s there fighting because Tony said so, and that’s just fucked up.

Heavy sigh. And here we go with the emotional Tony thing. Yeah, he just saw how his parents were killed by the Winter Soldier. That’s rough. It’s really rough. But he doesn’t just have an immediate emotional outburst, he has a sustained homicidal rage, which includes not only trying to kill Bucky, but also beating the Hell outta Steve, who, y’know, did not kill Tony’s parents. The fight scene lasts way too long and involves too much opportunity for cooler thought to prevail (both in problem-solving and in conversational moments), and someone whose emotions can send them reeling so completely out of control - even when they actively know they’ve been manipulated into it! Zemo literally just told you to your face that this was his plan! - someone with so little impulse control should never be given the power to make decisions for others or wield anything over them. This is all just a really, really great case for why Tony is ill-equipped to be an Avenger at all.

Watching Bucky digging the repulsor out of Iron Man’s chest with his metal hand is...so exciting. Rest in peace, awesome metal arm.

Zemo’s just a regular human, but he gets locked up under utterly inhumane circumstances. Again, the Accords involved a deal with a pretty insidious devil, and they didn’t actually have to prove that Steve’s position was the correct one to such a strong degree (we could have had a more nuanced conversation about the subject of accountability if the two sides were more evenly presented), but damn, the red flags, guys. It shouldn’t have taken Tony until he was horrified seeing his friends in the raft prison to finally clue in.

Ok, so, I know I already played the ‘I’m pregnant’ card to explain away my meandering commentary for Ant-Man, but it’s still true and only getting more significant as time goes on, so I regret to announce that - despite having looked forward to disassembling this movie since I started on this Marvel adventure - we’re now only a day out from publication and I haven’t written anything yet. I know, the deadline isn’t exactly set in stone and I could just hold off publishing until I’m ready, but that’s a slippery slope and if I start telling myself to just ‘get to it when you get to it’, who the fuck knows when it’ll happen. This isn’t supposed to be stressful, so I’m just gonna ramble a bit and see what comes out. There’s a thing wriggling in my guts and I have a house to paint. I’m doing my best.

First things first: my stance re: Accords is that the best method of oversight is the one which emphasises accountability, rather than permission (with acknowledgment that this is a fictional universe with threats and powers which do not reflect the real world). The kinds of issues our Avenger characters get involved with are typically of the sort which has to be nipped in the bud right-quick before it becomes untenable, and also not infrequently, the types of problems which do not offer them bountiful evidence to present to a board for evaluation before they get the ok to counter it. Faffing about with diplomacy and bureaucratic carrying-on is a great way to, say, allow Hydra to launch the Insight helicarriers and wipe out all dissenters to their rule before you have the chance to stop them, or (if Zemo’s apparent plan with the Winter Soldiers had been his real plan after all), to be stuck mopping up the global damage as an elite death squad roams around destabilising governments. I’m not a supporter of the adage ‘it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission’ in the real world, but in a comic book universe, with the supervillains and the world domination and the plots which consistently include chronic time-sensitive action and little if any concrete evidence? The Sokovia Accords are woefully inadequate. By all means, the Avengers should be answerable to someone, and being required to submit reports justifying their actions (and face disciplinary measures or even criminal charges if they cannot explain themselves to a satisfactory degree) is a completely reasonable thing to convene a United Nations panel to oversee. Maybe Tony can hop down off his high horse and face actual consequences for the Ultron fiasco. That’s fine with me, and it’s a logical thing for the world to clamour for. Shifting responsibility to a panel of UN politicians who will then no doubt be reticent to send the Avengers into anything pre-emptively (or within any kind of useful time frame) for fear of backlash is a terrible solution, and even more so when you’re being pushed into it without any time to evaluate and amend the original document before it becomes law.

(It’s worth noting that the person most likely to appreciate how easily the UN panel could be hijacked by political machinations not in the interest of the public good is Steve, owing to his personal role in uncovering and thwarting Hydra’s plans; Sam was roped into the Avenging world through that event, and thus it’s unsurprising that he would have the same concern chief in mind when refusing to sign. While Natasha does sign on to the Accords, she explicitly does not do so because she thinks the Accords are a good idea; she’s playing the political game and ‘reading the terrain’, as she says, and that’s consistent with her character. Tony being impulsive and dangerously emotion-driven is also unfortunately consistent, as is his self-righteousness about imposing his will on others to assuage his own guilt. Vision really has no excuse for being so bad at logicking his way to signing the Accords, but it’s no surprise to me that the most clear-headed staunch Accords supporter would be Rhodey, since following orders from others and unquestioning trust in your governing body is dead-on character for him as a career military man. I think he’s categorically wrong, yes, but I’m not mad at Rhodey for being a True Believer any more than I am at Natasha for being mercurial; both are in-character choices and ones which involve evaluative thought processes, and while ‘in-character’ may still be in play for Tony, evaluative thought processes are not, and that does make me mad. As I’ve noted before, he tends to work as a likable character despite his MANY flaws when he’s in his own movies, because acknowledging those foibles and working to fix them is a core part of his personal arcs in each Iron Man film; it was an essential quality missing in Age of Ultron, and one which made a monster of the character which I AM glad this movie is addressing with fallout; still, there’s a lack of tangible self-reflection and making amends from Tony in this movie, alongside some of his worst personal decisions, and I sincerely do not love him by the end of it.)

The good thing is, despite a few lazy elements - Vision! You tool! - and despite some very frustrating decisions, the central dilemma of the film is a strong and nuanced conversation-starter (and perhaps, argument-inducer). Even though the specific scenario and the people involved (Ross (both of them) and the floating Guantanamo, et al.) skews the narrative definitively against the Accords by the end, there is still fodder there for an intelligent debate about the merits of the concept if not the execution. And, most importantly, Steve’s position on the matter is the MCU’s Captain America to a T - a political story about the appreciable and essential difference between doing one’s duty to a concept, vs adherence to a moral code. Disobedience is a core part of Steve Rogers’ dilemmas - not that disobedience IS the dilemma for him, but that it is at odds with the patriotic good-ol’-boy image he is expected to inhabit from outside. Every Captain America film carries with it the idea that to do the highest good can mean rejecting everything that the people and institutions around you try to insist is right; refusing to play a role that has been prescribed to you; always making the choice for yourself, by your ethos, no matter how hard it is. Refusing to compromise when you see the compromise as an evil; planting yourself like a tree, and saying ‘No. You move’ (a great way of keeping Peggy’s influence alive and moving in the plot, by the way, and a key demonstration of how she and Steve met on the same wavelength. Lots of strong details in this movie, tbh).

My primary complaint, however, is that this is also too much like an Avengers film; nearly all of the other major characters are there, and Tony especially gets a LOT of screen time, and since Cap and his films are my uncontested faves I am pretty salty about having to share the stage for his last outing. The tone and the subject matter are still totally on-brand, but the focus is split, and that’s particularly annoying for what it leaves behind. While Bucky is made central to the drive of the plot, Steve finally being reunited with him, bringing him in, getting the cathartic other side to what was so exquisitely set up in The Winter Soldier, it falls by the wayside a bit and comes off underdone. Sam is certainly there, being wonderful as always, but he doesn’t get a lot to actively influence, he’s mostly just That Other Guy, and it’s a real shame since he was a highlight among super-stiff competition in his introductory film. The touch of Peggy that shines through the film is poignant, but Sharon Carter gets the bad end of the stick with under-developed characterisation and a very ill-advised zero-chemistry attempt to stir a speck of romance in a story with no room for it, and altogether, the kinds of quiet character moments which added so much depth to The Winter Soldier are very much lacking here. We’ve got so many other characters on deck already, plus the introduction of two new major players (T’Challa has a solid, sombre presence which suits the film, and even his hypocrisy fits snugly into the plot so as not to be a barb against him, but as I’ve mentioned already, I am squarely against Peter Parker’s squeaky excessive comic-relief inclusion and the dire implications it has for Tony Stark’s moral compass), and we’re already spending so much time on beefing up Tony’s side of the Civil War. I don’t personally think the movie is bloated, overlong, or incoherent, but it definitely wanders close to all three and I wouldn’t be inclined to argue very strenuously with anyone who wanted to denounce it on any of those fronts. It has a lot going on, not quite too much for an ensemble movie, but more than it should as a story with a single character’s name in the title. I’m still mostly-satisfied by it, and consider it one of the stronger MCU films to date, but as a third Captain America, specifically? A bit of a let-down.

#Marvel Cinematic Universe #Captain America: Civil War #Bechdel Test #female representation #MCU #Captain America #Civil War

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originaljediinjeans · 5 years

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MCU Rewatch: “Captain America: Civil War” (2016)

After everything Bucky has been through, I really wanted him to be doing better after walking away from Hydra. He DESERVED better. I’ll bet I’m not the only person who feels the same way.

The person who really needs to be called out for their behavior is the lady who confronts Tony in the hallway at MIT. I’m sorry, I don’t care about what you’ve suffered, YOU SHOULDN’T DO THAT TO PEOPLE. THAT IS JUST CRUEL.

I don’t think Tony is in a good place at all in this film

I don’t think I realized how deep Tony’s daddy issues went until this movie came out

I definitely think the Staron kiss was unnecessary

but other than that Sharon Carter is a Queen(TM) in this movie and deserves respect. She deserves a mini-series/TV show.

Thunderbolt Ross is a pompus twat

Natasha’s hair in this film is her best hair

Redwing is cool, and the fact that Sam Wilson has a drone like that hints that he probably knows a bit about computers and AI--not necessarily as much as Tony Stark or even Natasha, but he knows a bit

the Lagos fight scene is so great

The airport battle is either Feels or literal LOL. there is no in-between

Brock Rumlow is a drama queen. yeah his face could’ve turned out worse but it’s not as ugly as his soul

The dead look in Tony’s eyes when he sees Pepper’s name on the teleprompter

Natasha apologizing to King T’chaka for the deaths of his emissaries was necessary. The Avengers owed him that much even if it was an accident. And it was.

Civil War is the darkest and most intense Marvel film. Partly because some of the fight scenes are filmed in shaky-cam mode.

It was a cute nod to Sebastian Stan to have Bucky be hiding in Romania. But was Atlanta/Berlin/Puerto Rico really the best place to film those scenes? Because I don’t think Romania has that nice of infrastructure.

How much has Bucky been running? The answer is, a lot.

Also, how often has he found himself trying to escape and stuck awkwardly in the middle of traffic?

The demo “memory” in Stark’s simulator at MIT is probably 90% fabricated. Tony probably didn’t interact that much with his parents when they said goodbye IRL.

“I know that road--” In spite of how much SHIELD/Hydra covered up the real nature of the Stark’s deaths, Tony was still acquainted with what happened. Like, he had detailed knowledge of anything that wasn’t covered up

I love how Vision is still loyal to Wanda even after they choose different sides. I love how he is trying to help her from the beginning, because he probably knows better than anyone that she is really down on herself after Lagos

I’m not sure how much on purpose Rumlow and his thugs chose to go after a bio-weapon kept in a developing country, but (A) he knew the Avengers were going to catch up with him at some point, and (B) collateral damage would make the Avengers look bad--their popularity had been declining since even before Sokovia. I’ll bet Rumlow watched the remainder of the events from Hell laughing at how much trouble he’d gotten the Avengers in.

Plus the suicide vest: he wanted to take as many people with him as he could. He was already wearing it so he was banking on having to make a quick exit. He was even hoping he would run into Cap so he could get them both. Rumlow is SO evil.

The really unfortunate thing for the Avengers is that the people really responsible for the things that they are getting blamed for--Ultron, Hydra, Rumlow--are dead or in prison. So who do people blame? The people who saved the world from those idiots.

Vision states when explaining his feelings about the Accords that he’s noticed that in the last 8 years the number of world disasters has gone up. He’s right about the Avengers’ strength being challenged from the Universe. It may not look like it to a normal person within the MCU but there is causality. But as much as those events are related or unrelated Vision knows there’s something up. It’s like he knows Thanos is coming without being able to put a name on it

Helmut Zemo may be evil but Vasily Karpov is also a disgusting human being.

Karpov in the flashbacks: he’s deaf to the sounds of suffering but he hears when there is silence

Wanda’s arc in this film is about dealing with growing up

THIS WAS THE PERFECT INTRODUCTION FOR SPIDER-MAN

If Steve Rogers was condescending to anyone, it was Spider-Man

NO ONE of the Avengers was happy to see Secretary Ross show up at their compound. Even Tony looked like he was going to be sick--if he wasn’t already ill from the sheer awfulness of the situation. Like that look he gives to Steve is “I’m sorry, I don’t want this either.”

Tony is just under a lot of stress and he’s desperate to keep the team together. He knows that working with Secretary Ross and trying to make his team sign the Accords is a terrible idea. and he knows Bruce would hate him for it But to him, it’s the only option.

Tony may be acting cooperative but Thunderbolt Ross still treats him like garbage and it burns me. Thunderbolt treats all superhumans like garbage.

I’m not sure Tony was at all hopeful that the authorities would play nice, including Ross. But if he did, or if he thought he could protect his fellow Avengers, it was a very slim hope, and he was gravely mistaken.

However, Tony is rude and condescending to the Avengers and to Steve the ENTIRE TIME. Except for when he goes to Siberia--but as we all know that doesn’t last long, thanks Zemo

The airport fight, Tony is like “YOU LISTEN TO ME, YOU ARE DELUDED, YOU ARE A PROBLEM, HAND OVER BUCKY”, he practically yells at Steve. Steve’s “You did that when you signed” is a low blow but he doesn’t say it in a mean way at all

Even after Natasha fought on his side in the airport battle, Tony took out his angst over Rhodey getting hurt by talking down to her--a woman he has known and respected for a long time. No wonder she walks away.

So much for Tony “protecting” his friends

I’m not mad at Tony, really. I’m really sad for him, in fact.

It can also be argued that Wanda Maximoff was genuinely mad at everyone except for Vision, she totally meant to hurt people at the airport

But tell me how that justifies the authorities putting her in a straightjacket. If Wanda has an attitude problem, that’s her problem, not an excuse to punish her for being who she is.

One thing that has always bothered me about this film and Doctor Strange is that right before the climax, the leading female characters disappear and it’s all about the men. Not that the climaxes of either film are poorly executed but it still bugs me

okay maybe FRIDAY counts but I’m not a huge fan of Friday

Why the heck didn’t Steve or Tony or Bucky destroy the computer while Zemo was playing the video?

Steve was definitely defensive about the Accords, but he was Woke about how corrupt they were and how Zemo was bad news. True, he was going on instinct for some of it, but his instinct was correct, and experience told him that it wasn’t worth trusting higher authority. He refused to compromise because of how it was unfair to his teammates, and to the world he was trying to save.

I’m still definitely Team Cap.

But the Sokovia Accords were a no-win situation for anybody no matter which “side” they were on

It’s kind of hard to not be on an Avengers team with Steve Rogers and not at least know that Bucky is kind of a big deal to him

The shot of the inside of Rhodey’s helmet after he gets shot down, there’s no AI or computer projections--that is scary

There’s no reason Natasha wasn’t sitting in the back of the church at Peggy’s funeral. But the funeral may have been limited to just family and friends of Peggy and her family, so how would Nat have gotten an invitation?

The timing of the transition from the funeral to the UN bombing makes no sense, unless it was all happening on the same day and Sharon invited Sam and Steve to fly to Vienna with her. Which still doesn’t make sense.

Look, if Steve Rogers wants to be romantically involved with someone, then it makes the most sense, at least to me, for him to pick Sharon.

The thing with Natasha is, her inner darkness is a lot different from Steve’s and she knows it, and that’s why in TWS she kept trying to set him up with someone else. They’re friends but in my opinion they don’t have to be romantically/sexually involved. In fact, Steve and Nat not dating makes their relationship stronger, in a way.

The kiss might have made more sense if Steve and Sharon had kept in touch over the last two years, but they’ve both been pretty busy

A Staron mini-series would also be great. IDK, don’t tell me that Steve and Sharon weren’t in touch between Germany and Infinity War.

Also Steve walked Sharon back to her hotel room, he’s not the same man that came off the ice but he’s still there with the old-fashioned manners

The authorities treat Bucky Barnes like an animal. Yes, he’s got issues, but it took Zemo specifically triggering his programming to get him to act out, and when he did the restraints were of no use. Gosh.

Two-on-one Natasha Romanoff and Sharon Carter versus the reawakened Winter Soldier HOW COOL IS THAT? Have they done that kind of thing before? Does Sharon need to be in the Black Widow movie? because she does. Does Sharon need to be a part of a someday all-female superheroes Marvel film? Absolutely.

Zemo triggering Bucky was a nightmare for everyone involved, including Bucky himself.

Call out Tony for whatever else you want but don’t call him a creeper for taking Peter with him to Germany

The beginnings of IronDad are actually beautiful to watch. He may have brought in the Spider-Dad to get an edge over Team Cap but he was still protective of his charge.

I also relate to Peter Parker’s satisfaction with nailing an Algebra test

Zemo probably had a long wait in the old bunker in Siberia.

During the scene after the Winter Soldier attack Ross comes to chew out Stark. Ross says out loud that he wanted Barnes dead. I don’t know whether to shudder or to throw up thinking about that--and Tony felt the exact same way. Look, Tony is painfully aware of how much Bucky means to Cap. He offered to get Bucky into an American psych ward if Steve cooperated. Tony was willing to give Bucky a chance--until he found out that the Winter Soldier murdered his parents. And that’s when Tony chose himself over Bucky and Steve.

Did I mention how much I hate Helmut Zemo?

Just a small observation: decisions made on impulse and based on emoton, such as attacking and murdering the person who was brainwashed into killing your parents, are often selfish

Wanda Maximoff was confined to the Avengers compound without her information or consent. How is that right? How is that fair?

Word on the street is that the Civil War comics ‘bent over backwards’ to make Iron Man the villain. The movie...in some ways did that to Captain America.

Part of the reason it LOOKS like Cap is the villain is because the film is structured so that everyone is aware of how much personal and psychological pain Tony Stark is in. And unfortunately Steve isn’t as aware of that. At least enough to be sensitive about it and give Tony the benefit of a doubt and compromise.

But you could also say that Tony Stark is made into “villain”--either because of his suffering or in spite of it

“You could at least recognize me”--I’m sorry, there is no other explanation. The Red Room happened.

“If it is any comfort, they died in their sleep.” No, that is not a comfort at all. That is horrifying.

Wanda Maximoff isn’t literally a “kid” but she’s still vulnerable. She’s been through a lot and she’s sensitive to criticism. Grown-ups can be vulnerable too. Case in point: Tony Stark.

The Raft prison scene: Clint is TICKED.

Rhodey’s argument for supporting the Accords is pretty logical, he’s not doing it just out of support for Tony. But at the end of the day, he’s the only person still there for Tony because Rhodey is the only person that Tony hasn’t been a jerk to.

Vision energy-blasted a line in the pavement in front of Team Cap. I grew up in Texas, just outside San Antonio. So I’ve heard a lot about the Alamo. I know the story about the Line in the Sand. It may be a legend, but I think it was referenced here.

Clint turns his bow into a baton/staff when he confronts Black Panther. How did we not see this as a hint at Ronin? Did anyone?

Can Tony sleep in his Iron Man suits on long flights?

“Oh, this’ll clear things up.” The dynamics between the new Avengers teammates--we don’t see enough of them but the’re fun to watch. Sam and Rhodey having arguments, then Vision cutting in with his uber-logic and them being annoyed with it. Darn, the new Avengers were great.

Sharon reading the quote attributed to Peggy and then looking down at Steve: I do not approve of the Accords and Peggy would not have supported them either

In the comics, the “no, you move” speech was originally Cap’s. The fact that they changed it to being originally Peggy’s words shows that the screenwriters and Kevin Fegie and perhaps other Powers at Marvel think she is important to the MCU

I wonder how much Sharon knows about what’s going down with the Accords? She’s just a CIA lackey, but who knows? Would she have told Steve more about it after the funeral? I’ll bet you she did

But that leaves me wondering what was in the rest of Sharon’s eulogy. And why she was important enough to the family that she gave that speech

Just for the love of everything LEAVE WANDA ALONE!

So did Tony actually want to kill Bucky or just hurt him really badly? It’s hard to tell the difference.

The end of the fight: Steve really did ALMOST lose it and ALMOST kill Tony. But he caught himself after he broke the arc-reactor. And Steve DOES NOT LOOK HAPPY about what just happened--and what just almost happened.

If Steve Rogers compromised on one thing, it was acknowledging that he didn’t deserve to be Captain America and dropping the shield.

Rogers didn’t leave Tony to die smh, he and Bucky went to Wakanda with T’challa and Tony took Zemo in the QuinJet to somewhere more hospitable, where he could hand over that son of a camel to the authorities (in my fanfic they go to Japan, bc it’s probably closer to that part of Siberia than central Europe)

The post-credit scene: Aunt May isn’t stupid y’all. She doesn’t know the whole story yet but she knows Peter is up to something.

Mid-credit scene: I don’t think Bucky consulted Steve at all about going under voluntarily. Bucky probably made the decision on his own with the doctors and then Steve was told and asked to come say goodbye ;kjfadslknj

There’s a shot where Bucky looks at the cryo chamber before Steve speaks to him and I wonder what he was thinking

Did Bucky even care whether or not he woke up?

On this viewing, him voluntarily going under does make some sense, his programming can cause him to do pretty bad stuff--but I’d still rather he hadn’t. I think it was partly out of self-loathing. “I’m too dangerous to have a normal life or be loved.” That thought that breaks my heart. Gosh darn it I thought this time I was over it but now I’m starting to collapse again...

There’s no arguing that Steve isn’t very happy about it

“Allow Barnes the dignity of his choice” Great insight. Where is the option for him to have a safe, normal, and happy life? Does he need to be unconscious for his programming to be fixed? Hm?

Oh yeah, I wrote a fanfic about that.

Also, there’s a deleted scene where the other Ross informs T’challa that he got extradition for Barnes. So maybe the “Let them try” line wasn’t necessary. Unless Thunderbolt was so determined to get Bucky’s head on a platter (*shudder*) that he literally did not care. Then again, nobody tries to invade Wakanda and gets away with it. Thunderbolt maybe thought it was a lost cause and he was probably right.

After I get Thanos, I’m coming for Thunderbolt Ross.

And you better hope Ross got dusted and doesn’t come back because it won’t be pretty.

Steve’s letter to Tony is sincere.

The Raft was already built and operational when the Accords were created, it must have been in planning way far back--this has Thunderbolt Ross written all over it.

I really need more Steve and Bucky fighting together side-by-side and being bros. But I guess that just means I need to work on my fanfiction.

At the end of the day, it’s a tragedy that these wonderful people let their differences get in the way of getting along, but deep down and in spite of everything that happened they are all still friends.

I used to hate Spider-man. Tom Holland as MCU!Peter Parker is cute. And he’s probably one of the best things to ever happen to Tony, after Pepper. He can stay.

#mcu rewatch #captain america: civil war #cacw

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salarta · 7 years

Text

What Polaris did for me

I’ve ranted and complained a lot lately about how Marvel (really meaning Brevoort) has treated Polaris.

What I don’t think I’ve explained is what she’s done for me. How she’s changed my habits. How she’s altered my perspective in good ways that would never have happened if not for her.

I’m certain I’ll miss some things as I write this. It won’t be a perfect list, but it’ll be a meaningful one. I invite other fans to share similar experiences if they have them.

1) Got me to go to comic book stores

Before Lorna, I almost never went into a comic book shop. It was an exceptional rarity. That’s also true right now... because Marvel won’t let her be in comics anymore. But when she was in ongoings, I was going to comic book shops at least once a month, sometimes twice per month. No character anywhere, ever, got me to do that.

2) Got me to buy Lego video games

I didn’t care about Lego games at all. They seemed fairly boring to me on the face of it. Even when I played the demo for Lego Marvel Super Heroes, if I had gone by that demo alone, I would’ve passed entirely.

But I bought Lego Marvel Super Heroes anyway. I bought it solely because Polaris was playable in it. She didn’t even have any story aspects to her appearance, and she didn’t even have a unique color to her power set (cloned from Magneto).

I bought the game anyway, and because I bought and enjoyed it, I bought and played other Lego games. Pirates of the Caribbean. Star Wars. The Hobbit. Lord of the Rings. Jurassic World is pending. They were all fun, enjoyable experiences. None of them would’ve happened without Polaris appearing in Lego Marvel Super Heroes.

3) Opened me up to playing mobile phone games

Maybe I would’ve eventually played mobile phone games anyway. Maybe I’m giving too much credit on this one. But at the time that the Days of Future Past game released, with Polaris as a character added later on, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with mobile phone games. Mobile phone games seemed awkward, not as fulfilling as playing games on consoles or PC.

Since then, I’ve played Phoenix Wright HD on my phone, and I’ve been playing Terra Battle for months. I don’t think I would’ve been as willing to try these games out on my phone if Polaris hadn’t been in the Days of Future Past game.

4) Got me to care about her family - Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, especially Scarlet Witch

Here’s the entirety of how I perceived the Maximoff twins before I discovered Polaris: X-Men Evolution. That’s it. That’s all I saw and knew about them. To me, Scarlet Witch was a goth girl and Quicksilver was some cocky brat. Neither seemed worth my time.

Polaris changed that.

Through her, I learned Wanda had two kids (Wiccan and Speed). I came to truly understand the awful ramifications of M-Day, because I saw how that day affected Polaris, how it changed the course of the character’s life. I also saw, for the first time ever, a female duo that I could really like and get behind. Their sisterhood seemed so perfect, so ideal, in ways that duos like Supergirl with Batgirl or Poison Ivy with Harley Quinn never managed to pull off for me. There have been so, so many possibilities, and the surface was hardly even scratched with Jeff Parker’s Exiles.

I also saw Quicksilver. I learned he had a daughter, Luna Maximoff, with the Inhumans. I learned about Crystal. I discovered Pietro’s struggles with responsibility, the playful sibling banter they could have (even before they knew they were siblings), the protective and caring guy always lurking beneath a facade of (sometimes cocky) indifference.

Neither of these characters would have been known to me if not for Lorna.

5) Got me to care more about Marvel than DC

I grew up on DC properties. I grew up on Reeves’ Superman, Keaton’s Batman, the Justice League cartoon. As far as I saw it growing up, DC was the only superhero/comic book company that mattered. Everything Marvel had to offer - X-Men, Spiderman, Avengers - meant nothing. The most I got out of the Marvel side growing up was one Avengers video game and action figures of Wolverine and Cyclops. That was absolutely nothing compared to whole playsets of Batman and Superman toys, Batman costumes, so much else.

Then Polaris came along. I bought the Women of Marvel calendar because Polaris was in it. I bought a minifig of her. I checked out Marvel books I normally didn’t care about because Lorna appeared as a cameo in them. I gave Marvel way more money over the past 8 years, even with them sabotaging and undermining her, than I ever would’ve given them over the past 8 years and next 10 without her.

6) Exposed me to a stronger sense of fan communities than I’d seen in the past

My last point may read like I was a DC comic book fan, but really, I wasn’t. I was a casual DC fan with no interest in Marvel. My REAL interest is, and always has been, video games.

That interest has led me to interact with other fans in the past. I joined fan groups for Final Fantasy in particular. But before Polaris, I hadn’t looked much at or really cared about cosplay. Before Polaris, cosplay seemed to me like a fun quirk that could look impressive. I hadn’t fully grasped that it lends to a stronger sense of community. I understood it intellectually, but I didn’t really understand it. I didn’t recognize how two people cosplaying as related characters and going out together can be a deep, meaningful and special experience.

I’ve also chatted with people I otherwise never would have met. Some of the people I talk to regularly in opposing the worst elements of our current times, I don’t think I ever would’ve met if not for Lorna.

That’s all I can think of right now.

When I talk about how amazing Polaris is, how she has so much potential, and when I complain about Marvel refusing to make real use of what she has to offer, this is where I’m coming from. Polaris is a character that literally changed my life and opened me to thoughts and experiences I never would’ve had without her.

When she’s put down and undermined by people that hate her for no good reason, for me, those actions are essentially an attack on everything she’s done for me just by existing. She deserves so much more than the raw deal Marvel’s given her for decades. I know this for a fact because of what she’s done for me despite how absurdly little she’s been given.

#polaris #lorna dane #x-men #marvel

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