#(but like wandavision was good and loki seems pretty good)

[ijuststareatstuffhereok89]

I see you hate Sylvie so much and the Loki TV show too. why?

Okay, lemme break it down into a final, once-and-for-all peace speaking on the issue of the series and Sylvie. I'll try to make this as painless as possible.

1- Looking at it beyond the surface, she's not really interesting. The term 'Mary Sue' gets thrown around a lot with Sylvie, and I kind of have to agree. She seems to be little more than a trope checklist. -Sad background that motivates her actions? Check. -Deep down she just wants to be loved? Check. -Inexplicable instant "chemistry" with the male lead? Check. -She's just so super special and important? Check.

But even so, there have been others with similar Sue-ish backgrounds that the MCU has managed to make into pretty decent characters, like Scarlet Witch in WandaVision. Arguably, both characters share some traits, but the writers of Wanda (at least before Multiverse of Mehhness) clearly knew how to bring those ideas into a twisted story of learning how to confront the past and to mourn with a character who still had something to learn.

In contrast, Sylvie really doesn't have any flaws to turn into a deep character study, does she? I think that's her second-biggest detriment (see below for the biggest). A good character is never perfect. A good character had flaws, wants, drives, and other things that make them imperfect but relatable. Sylvie is incredibly unrelatable.

Truly I believe she was written for the stans as a self-insert. She isn't even a decent one. I read fanfics on here with amazing examples of a good insert character, so it clearly can be done. Again, Sylvie ain't it.

2- Sylvie's existence both mocks the comics as well as Norse mythology as a whole. Most of us anti-sylkis know this already, but in Norse mythology AND the Marvel canon that goes beyond the MCU, Loki has had several lovers and wives. Loki married and had three children with Angreboda, and then went on to have twins with wife Sigyn. In the comics, he also had a lover named Amora the Enchantress (which we ALMOST got in the MCU before her cameo was cut). Any one of these three would've made a fantastic romantic plot for Loki if the MCU *really* had the compulsion to go that route.

Alas, instead, the MCU kind of bastardized Amora, Sigyn, as well as another character from the comics named Sylvie, and combined them into TV!Sylvie. This not only means we will likely never see Amora or Sigyn in the MCU, it means they were replaced by an inferior on the same level as Randy from That 70s Show, who was also a sucky character created for the fans as an amalgamation of pre-existing characters.

3- She's just another in a long line of Loki-abusers. Like, does she ever comfort him after all he does for her? Does she even really listen to him? Because from what I saw there was just a lot of this happening between them:

Jesus, lady. What has he done to make you such a jerk to him? I get you're supposed to be a #GuuurlBoss but that doesn't mean "be a total cunt to a man whenever you feel like it."

After all this time, if we really had to have a Loki character study series, why doesn't he get some respite from the fact that basically everyone he knows has either been cryptic and mysterious to him at best, and hostile/violent/malicious to him at worst?

THIS is probably the single biggest reason I loathe Sylvie. We're suppose to believe she's just being Miss Independent when she's really just bringing the poor god down even more than most. I feel like if she met Thor, he'd get upset at seeing how she treats him, and he'd be confused by how easily Loki just accepts it all.

4- I'm becoming more convinced Tom's only doing the show out of obligation, and that his creativity is being tossed aside for the sake of the series. I normally don't like to speculate like some others do, but with more people (like Zoe Saldana) coming out and saying they felt repeatedly stifled by the MCU's yuckity-yucks in terms of character development, I definitely believe they're telling Tom to shut up and read the script. I mean, the guy probably knows as much Norse/Loki mythology as any scholar by this time, and he seems to be a really creative person by nature. They're tossing out a whole trove of potential.

I get he's got a family now and he needs to bring in some bacon, but 1- he and his fiancee are both prolific actors who could probably get any roles they wanted. Hell, Zawe's about to enter the MCU herself when The Marvels come out later this year. If she has a larger role in the next few phases, I hope to god they treat her better than they've treated Tom and Zoe and other actors. But I doubt it. 2- he's probably already richer than God

He's almost certainly trapped by contractual obligations at this point, and that fucking sucks, and yes, I blame the tv show for this.

So, in conclusion: this really is a train wreck of a show hidden behind a lot of smoke and mirrors. I'm not sorry to say it. Sylvie lacks any kind of genuine depth, and the writers seem both lost on where to take Loki's character arcs, and not interested.

#anti sylvie #anti sylki #anti loki series #tom hiddleston #zawe ashton

[nostalgia-tblr]

one problem with getting into Fiction Franchises like, oh let's say the MCU, long after they started is that 1) there are things that refer back to things I don't know about and 2) i don't know what i don't know about, and in a way that latter is more of a problem at least for me.

i managed an episode of wandavision and was left thinking "this seems like it's good, but i have no clue what's going on here so it's not going to work for me is it?" and i am reliably told it's supposed to be Mysterious Mindfuckery but i, a noob, was unable to work out without external clarification what i wasn't supposed to know. if you see what i mean.

i notice the mcu movies (at least as it progresses?) don't have numbers on them, and we know when they're direct sequels because there's a subtitle. and if you come at these later you need to get a chart to work out whether you should watch thor: ragnarok before or after thor: the dark world. which is easily done if i am determined to get things in the right order, but any effort is too much for someone.

so while i am willing to consider the idea that the later mcu films/shows are just Less Good than the early ones (personally Doubt so far but I'm not opposed to the idea) it's very easy inside a fandom to lose sight of what your thing looks like to the casuals who make up most of an audience, and frankly the mcu is currently Very Large and confusing.

who are all these Mrs/Captain/Miss/etc Marvel ladies and which of them have already been in films I might or might not have seen? how many ant men are there prior to this one? am i supposed to know who the baddy in this or that film is? which of these side-characters are from something else?

doesn't-seem-related-but-it-is: i was surprised to discover that the general mcu fandom view of the loki series was not that it was some sort of AU situation that could be thought of an entirely separate from the main series of films. because that was pretty much why it was the one to hook me, i think - it explained the relevant backstory with clips and yet also this is a different loki so if i don't want to go and watch however many films he was in i don't have to. i would expect him to be to some extent "out of character" because it carefully explained to me that this is not really the same character as that identical guy with the same name who was in some number of films. there's a woman one and an alligator one but don't worry they're all from AUs anyway.

#that said i did actually assume the alligator was from a comic or somesuch thing #because richard e grant is CLEARLY wearing a comics costume of some sort despite me knowing nothing about comics #but it felt like if i didn't know that it'd be okay cos they're from some Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence thing anyway! #anyway it's very easy to discount the Noob Experience with anything but for older ongoing stories it's crucial to their future #for ex: i didn't know what an infinity stone was but i did get that they were A Big Deal and that the TVA had a silly number of them #idk how that scene worked if you did know but for me it was the right level of 'referring to a previous story' #and i have in the past year-and-a-bit come to terms with the fact that Proper Loki is not an alligator in ANY of the movies :( #thor ragnarok's also pretty noob-friendly from what i recall though it didnt lead to me looking into the rest of the marvelverse back then #hottest take: the problem facing tumblr loki fandom currently is that the newer things are NOT actually completely terrible #so they did bring in a newer audience who didn't know the older material and certainly didn't know The Tumblr Consensus on things #and as mentioned half of them came in via an AU so our perspective was different from the start #and then OH NO DISAGREEMENT AND CONFLICT ENSUES!!!!!! #mcu tag i guess

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi! I just saw your post on DS2 and I have a HUGE problem with that movie, and it mainly comes down to the fact that it fails (in my mind) to properly explore character development. To explain what I mean a bit more, the MCU is a franchise and that franchise is literally built on its characters. I mean, it’s not just “MOM” it’s “Doctor Strange in the MOM.” So, a lot of people are coming to see DS and Wanda and their interactions. DS had a pretty lacklustre motivation and I honestly didn’t buy his role as a mentor with how little time it took for him to let go of his arrogance, but with Wanda especially her arc is so neglected just so shel’ll play the villainous role. They set up this whole narrative for her in Wandavision ending with her grief and hope, but then just skips to her being utterly insane. This is probably even worse for people who haven’t watched the series and just witness her going from the end of Endgame to fully evil. It wouldn’t be such a problem if Marvel didn’t pride itself on its character driven narratives but it DOES. Rewrites or no, I felt that the reason the film felt so soulless was that it prioritised fan service and wider MCU connectivity over the thing that brings the audience and drives the narrative in the first place: the characters.

(referencing this post)

Hey Lovely!

YES UGH. And it's frustrating because it kind of forces people to get the streaming so they know what happened in the "in between"? like, Marvel shows should have NEVER been about "solving movie level issues" more just like about a singular character and their adventures. Like Agents of Shield and Daredevil were (to my knowledge, I haven't seen either). So yeah, to some rando, MOM just... seemed really weird? But even then ALL the characterizations were SO OFF and, as I mentioned, Doctor Strange became a secondary character in his own movie. It's like they wanted someone else for a villain and someone higher up said, NAW let's make Wanda the villain and oop how about this fan service and let's introduce a character who's powers are SO ridiculously OP'd that it changes the power scaling of the most powerful sorcerer in the MCU.

Don't get me wrong, I liked America, and I liked the Illuminati, BUT they should have NEVER been introduced in a Doctor Strange Movie? Like... it's weird.

I dunno, I'm seeing theories going around now that they're setting up Doctor Strange to be the big bad of Secret Wars instead of Kang, so I don't know anymore. I just... wanted a continuation of DS1, and Mordo should have been a bad guy in DS2.

DS2 just... is so convoluted and not even a DS movie? I didn't hate the movie, I just... felt it WASN'T a DS movie, like the first one was. It felt like it was just there to introduce the Multiverse in the most convoluted and confusing way possible.

And WandaVision, even though I didn't really like it as much as everyone else apparently, did a good job of showing Wanda's trauma. I just feel that DS2 really undid all that and just... made her a villain to sell toys because everyone loves her.

Ugh. Then again, apparently my tastes are crap because the only Marvel shows I enjoyed all the way through were Moon Knight, Hawkeye and FatWS, so what do I know. Loki was alright until they fucking shoehorned that horrid romance into it. Feh.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts Lovely <3

#steph replies #shitposting steph #my thoughts #marvel cinematic universe #doctor strange mom

[blueberry-lemon]

When trailers outshine themselves

I like watching trailers. Maybe even more now than I used to.

I’m well aware that the purpose of a trailer is to build hype and interest. It’s a commercial, to get you to buy something. In some cases, they spoil or ruin the very story they’re advertising. In some cases, it’s way better to go in “blind” than to look at marketing materials.

But, like many of us, I can’t help myself.

I really love a good trailer. It’s a cool artform. Somewhere between an advertisement and a music video. And because the trailer is such a different artform than the actual movie or game that it’s advertising, sometimes the trailer itself is even better than the final product. Sometimes I’ll go back and rewatch a trailer over and over, even after I’ve completed the actual thing it was hyping it.

I write this post not to complain about being disappointed about films or TV shows or games, but rather to give a shout-out to the trailer teams who I think did a fantastic job with their assignment.

The first examples that always jump to my mind are from Marvel Studios. I think they’re pretty great at trailers. I started noticing this when they started making their Disney+ shows. 

WandaVision: Both the initial trailer and the mid-season trailer are fantastic. I’ve watched them over and over. They do a good job of being charming, romantic, and lovesick. They do an even better job of being mysterious and unsettling. It’s a pitch-perfect way to get you to buy into the concept and want to check out the show. I enjoyed watching the full WandaVision show, maybe moreso than any other MCU Disney+ show, but I wouldn’t hesitate to admit that I like these two trailers even more than the show. Kudos to the editors that put these together.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier: I had absolutely no intention of watching this show. I’m not particularly interested in this genre or either of these two characters. But the trailer sold me on it, with its hype music choices and intense cutting. I ended up enjoying the show enough in the end, but definitely not as much as this hype trailer.

I thought Marvel did a great job again with Loki’s trailer and Hawkeye’s trailer. Loki’s trailer makes the show seem a lot more mysterious and surreal than it actually ended up being, haha. Hawkeye does that classic “sweet Christmas music juxtaposed with action sequences” trick.

They got me again with Moon Knight, a character I didn’t know anything about. Although I’ll give credit, I feel like Moon Knight was about as weird and wild as the trailer hyped up it would be. So in this case I think it was a satisfying match.

Another satisfying match? The trailers made for Undertale. The release trailer and Nintendo Switch trailer come to mind. They’re fun, funny, and show off how the game works. I love this unique version of the Bonetrousle track that they use, which becomes very dramatic and grandiose. They’re also good examples of including original material into trailers that aren’t actually in the final product. That practice, generally speaking, doesn’t bother me. I don’t mind if trailers “lie” or show different footage, so long as it’s effective and doesn’t feel misleading. 

There are other trailers that I feel like match pretty well. I didn’t feel any gulf in expectation or emotion between the trailers for Avengers Infinity War + Endgame versus their final movie versions.

The trailers for Pixar’s Turning Red made me blubber and tear up, and the full film completely lived up to that and even exceeded it. So for me, that was a great film where the trailer editors captured it perfectly.

And for an example of one where I felt mixed on the end product, both the trailer for Pixar’s Elemental and the full Elemental film felt pretty equivalent to me. It wasn’t my favorite movie in the world, and I feel like I got that vibe accurately from the trailers.

But now, finally, for the trailers that brought me to writing this.

I really love the trailers for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

I’ll include two here. One is the “release date announcement”, and the second was the “theme song announcement” that was aired at The Game Awards.

This is great. It’s moody. It moves into one of the game’s fantastic battle themes (which is itself a sweeping battle rendition of the original game’s main theme.) It’s shows off how the combat works beautifully, intercut with tantalizing plot snippets. The trailer builds up mystery and adventure. It confirms that Yuffie and Cait Sith are playable. It shows cool Synergy combo moves. It manages to somehow transition gracefully into Golden Saucer minigame mayhem. Love it.

Another fantastic one. And the last piece of marketing material I would ever need to see to sell me on getting the game.

The trailer is split into two halves. The first half establishes the plot of the game. It gives us Cloud and Zack’s stories intertwined. It shows us weird, confusing story stuff that sets the Remake trilogy apart from the original. It shows us different environments you’ll travel through. Gives us a heartfelt conversation between Cloud and Tifa. Snippets of Barret’s story too.

The second half is the new original song for the game, No Promises to Keep, which was performed live at The Game Awards along with the footage. I really adore this song, to be blunt, so maybe that’s doing a lot of heavy lifting here. But it really makes me emotional and ties a lot of these disparate clips together. The animation of Aerith singing is beautiful, and it ends on a heart-tugging cliffhanger.

Now….my partner and I have been playing Rebirth. I’m early on, but they’ve only got about a quarter of the game left. We’re enjoying it, it’s great.

But…

…would it be out of line for me to say that the trailers are more effective than the game itself?

Much like WandaVision, the trailers for Rebirth sew all of the different scenes and emotions together into a seamless tapestry. It makes everything feel intentional, beautiful, well-paced, and packing an emotional punch. When my partner and I play the game itself, it feels harder for that intentionality and emotion to come through. Of course your mileage will vary. But, for me, it’s hard for the minigames to live up to the frantic montage when playing them in-game isn’t super fun. It’s hard for the emotional storytelling of the game to live up to the trailer when it’s spread out thin over hours and hours. Nothing in the game itself as made me feel as emotional or hooked in as these two trailers have, at least so far.

Again, this is not a knock on Rebirth. It’s the reality of how much easier it is to move hearts with a 2-minute trailer versus a 60-hour video game. A completely different artform.

And, most of all, it’s kudos to the trailer teams who work at Square and at all these companies for knowing the assignment and knocking it out of the park. I really love what they did with it.

#blogofkylelab #blog #final fantasy vii rebirth #ff7 rebirth #Youtube

[theawkwardanglophile]

TheAwkwardAnglophile's Year in TV shows: 2022

It seems I've started a tradition, and even though I know only very few people will actually see or read this, it's still fun to put together. This is my third time doing this. Feel free to check out my lists for 2021 and 2020 as well.

My criteria for shows making the list is the show either aired new content in 2022, or I'd never watched it before. So, while I did several rewatches, those didn't count. Also, beware: SPOILERS ABOUND! Here's the list in alphabetical order:

Abbott Elementary: What a perfect little sitcom that just stormed onto the scene after so many beloved sitcoms had gone off the air the last few years. They deserve all the accolades! It is genuinely hilarious. Ava probably makes me laugh harder than any of them, and of course I'm here for Janine and Gregory.

Andor: Holy crap, I was not expecting to be drawn into this show as much as I was. What a brilliant deep dive into the Star Wars universe. So many layers and subtleties to it. Luthen's monologue BLEW ME AWAY, and I looooved the prison escape. You get such a better understanding of how terrifyingly far the Empire's reach went.

Baymax: I was expecting a full-blown series, so I was very disappointed to find only 6 short episodes that were only a few minutes long. However, it was more Baymax, which is always a good thing. I think my favorite was the episode Kiko, which had Mrs. Kim from Gilmore Girls (Emily Kuroda)!

Blockbuster: I know it got cancelled, but I actually kind of enjoyed it. It wasn't the best, but it had potential. There were a few genuinely funny moments for me, and I think the episode where they do inventory was my favorite.

The Book of Boba Fett: Ok, so I know there are a lot of Fett fans out there from the past 40 years, but I'm indifferent to Boba. But I found a lot to enjoy in this show. I liked watching Boba connect with the Tusken Raiders. However, the pacing and structure were terrible, Fennec was underutilized, and the Mos Espa "power rangers" left me scratching my head. The BEST PART of it all was the Mandalorian season 2.5 they snuck in there! Watching Grogu with Luke, seeing what Mando had been up to, and the most beautiful father/son reunion!! MY HEART. Sorry you got sidelined in your own show, Boba, but the Mando eps were WIZARD.

Call Me Kat: I'm still watching, still enjoying, but this show is kind of a mixed bag sometimes. I was not happy with how everything went down with Oscar. He was such a sweetheart! Am I happy Kat and Max have become a couple? Yeah, I guess, but I think it could've been done differently. Also, it won't be the same now without the lovely Leslie Jordan, RIP.

Derry Girls: Loved the final season. It's so quirky and fascinating and hilarious. The parents' high school reunion was absolute GOLD.

Dream Home Makeover: It's definitely one of those shows that you question why you're watching, yet you can't turn away. I don't want to like it. The couple is just odd together sometimes, and everything was shown out of order! One minute she was pregnant and then she wasn't, but then they'd go back to her being pregnant!

Emily in Paris: Season 3 was pretty good, although I found Emily a bit grating. I was worried they were going to make the whole season about her shenanigans working for both companies, but thankfully that got resolved quickly. Luc is still such a delight, and Sylvie has even grown on me. Gabriel and Alfie are still 🔥🔥.

Hawkeye: I watched this at the beginning of '22, so it's a bit fuzzy now, but it was enjoyable. Not quite at the level of some of the other Marvel shows (like Loki or Wandavision) but still pretty fun.

History 101: A fascinating little documentary series! I was hooked. Each episode was about a very specific topic and was brilliantly done.

Home Economics: This sitcom is pretty fun. I've always loved Topher Grace (although oddly enough I never watched That 70's Show 🙈), and he still nails awkward comedy. All the family dynamics are fun to watch, the kids are cute. And the Spiderman joke when they were at Disneyland had me ROLLING.

The Home Edit: I devour these episodes whenever they drop, and then I want to revamp my entire house, and life. I love organization, plus Joanna and Clea make everything fun to watch.

How I Met Your Father: I was SUPER skeptical about this one, and maybe still am a bit (HIMYM fans, you understand). But I ended up enjoying it more than I thought. I need to watch the last ep again to prep for the upcoming season 2, because I've forgotten a lot. I'm curious to see where it goes.

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous: The last season was wild, and I COULD NOT STAND Kenji's dad. The woooooorst. Shipped Brooklynn and Kenji, and happy Yaz and Sammy found happiness together. The ending was very satisfying for everyone!

Moon Knight: Oh DANG, what a ride. So many moments I'm like, "WHAAAAAAT am I even watching?!" But it was a fun, trippy adventure, and Oscar Isaac deserves all the awards.

Name That Tune: Always fun. I slay at this game.

Never Have I Ever: I just LOVE this show. Season 3 was another stellar season, and I am still definitely Team Ben! That ending! And the show still makes me cry, especially the scene with Devi and her mom in the finale. 😭

Obi-Wan: I know this wasn't as well received as was hoped, but I enjoyed it. Young Leia was fantastic! Lola, too (I have adopted her in my club of beloved droids). The story worked, and the Vader/Obi-Wan showdown was pretty amazing. The last 20 minutes of the finale was just a giant checklist of fan service, but honestly, I'm not complaining.

Only Murders in the Building: LOVE LOVE LOVE. This show is so incredible, and season 2 didn't disappoint! It's smart, hilarious, and I love the intro music so much. The intros were actually made even better by each one being slightly different with something related to that particular episode.

The Orville: If this journey for The Orville is truly at an end, then they sent it off well. A satisfying ending. I think the supersized episodes didn't work as well as their punchier 40-minute eps, but man, when they go big they go BIG. Incredibly well done topics, and the effects! INSANE. I swear Hulu must have kept just dumping money on them, like "Go ahead and make whatever effects you want!"

Paper Girls: This was...weird. I went through most of this going, "WHAT AM I EVEN WATCHING?" Obviously I loved all the retro vibes, and I was curious enough in the story to stick it out, but that was about it. It got pretty dark at times, and I thought the language, while warranted, got excessive enough at times to detract from the story. Anyway, if they were trying to capture the magic of Stranger Things, it didn't work, and it got cancelled anyway.

The Rookie: MY HEART! MY OTP. MY BEST SHIP AND SHIPPING EXPERIENCE EVER. My obsession with Chenford has exploded even more, as any of my followers can clearly tell. I love Tim and Lucy SO MUCH, and watching them become canon has been INCREDIBLE. But also, the show itself has stepped up its game in S5. The plots are better, more balanced, and I love all the different relationships shown. Making Thorsen a regular was a fantastic decision. The social media team has been killing it. And the show has gained tons of viewers and fans. We are truly in the golden age of The Rookie.

The Rookie: Feds: I like the show, but don't love it...yet. Maybe I will? It is done well, but it's just there. I watch it when I get around to it. Garza and Laura are probably my fave characters. I do like Simone, but she's also a lot. And I say this only because it's the FBI and there must be some kind of dress code, she should probably cover up the girls more. I swear she's going to end up having a wardrobe malfunction.

School of Chocolate: Pretty fascinating little chocolate-making competition.

Star Trek: Discovery: S4 was kind of a mixed bag. I'm not sure it was as memorable as previous seasons. I hate Tilly left. I did like that there was a running thread throughout of identity and belonging, and mental health. My FAVORITE part was how they found a way to communicate with Species Ten-C. Some brilliant television.

Star Trek: Lower Decks: S3 was ok, not my favorite, but it's still funny. My fave moment actually came in the DS9 ep. The background swing music at Quark's is actually from a band that my mom does booking for, Denver & the Mile High Orchestra, and for other personal reasons I won't go into here, that moment meant a lot to me.

Star Trek: Picard: Insert Picard facepalm here. I wanted S2 to work so badly, and be amazing, and it just wasn't. I mean it had Q and time travel and all the ingredients for something incredible, and it still didn't work. It would take too long to hash it all out here, but if anyone wants to vent with me, I'm around. I am excited (and nervous) for S3, however! I hope they don't let me down.

Star Trek: Prodigy: I still love the animation, and the kids are fun. I'm gonna be real honest, though. I'm mainly here for Janeway and Chakotay, because no, I'm still not over how Voyager ended, and if an animated kids show will let me see more of these two, I will take whatever I can get.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Before I go any further, may I just point out the amazing WONDER that FIVE different Star Trek series aired new content in 2022?! A new record! The Trekaissance is real. This show exceeded my expectations. It's so different, yet still so classic Star Trek style. The characters are great, and the intro is incredible! I cry at that intro. It's sweeping and gorgeous and ahhhhh.

Stranger Things: I've loved Stranger Things from the beginning, was excited for S4, but when I watched 4x01 I almost gave it up. It felt so dark and depressing, and the scene at the end was horrifying. I put it off for a couple weeks before deciding to try again, and I slowly worked my way through the rest of the season. There were still parts I couldn't watch (I really don't do horror, Stranger Things was always about as far as I would go, but then they really upped the horror in S4, much to my dismay), but ultimately I'm glad I did watch, although unlike the rewatchability of S1-S3, I'm not sure I can go through S4 in its entirety again. But there were some BEAUTIFUL moments we got, lots of laughs, lots of emotions. All the reunions in Vol. 2! El seeing Hopper again 😭. And my absolute favorite part...JOPPER IS CANON!!

Supermarket Sweep: Always a lot of fun. Sad that it won't be back.

Young Sheldon: It's losing steam, but I'm still watching. The whole storyline with Georgie has been interesting.

And there you have it! 33 shows in all, which is probably a record for me. Feel free to message me or send an ask if you want to further chat about any of these. If you read this far, YOU ARE A ROCKSTAR AND I APPRECIATE YOU.

#my tv shows #theawkwardanglophile #2022 #abbott elementary #andor #the book of boba fett #call me kat #derry girls #chenford #emily in paris #hawkeye #moon knight #how i met your father #never have i ever #only murders in the building #the orville #the rookie #star trek: discovery #star trek: lower decks #star trek: picard #star trek: prodigy #star trek: strange new worlds #stranger things 4 #stranger things #master post #personal

[musikat18]

Phase 4 Is Almost Over And Contrary To My Initial Line Of Thought I Did End Up Watching All Of Them Somehow So Now You Get To Hear About It

I'll be talking about both the movies AND the series in order of release under the cut, the TL;DR for me is,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I don't know why everyone cares so much about if it was Good or Bad.

That might seem dumb to say on a Rating Post but I'll get to it.

WandaVision (1/15/2021)-- 9/10

I think the MCU has definitely had it's bobbles handling Wanda (even in this show) but this one actually really hit home for me. The fall/winter leading up to this show, I was actually in a pretty deeply depressive episode-- hardly able to leave my bed outside of class or speak to anyone around me in person, so even though I wasn't exactly feeling grief like Wanda was, I found her emotional arc of wanting to be In Control And Happy to at least be relatable. I do think the Agatha twist could have been handled better as far as writing goes, but I think that's mostly a flaw of the MCU formula (which you'll hear a lot in this post). I also don't think the Evan Peters of it all was anything to get that mad about, and people who were and are STILL mad about it can Submit Their Complaints To My Ask Box.

Also the final Scarlet Witch costume slapped I loved it.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (3/19/2021)-- 7.75/10

I can't really speak to the way everything in this show was handled, given that I am white as snow, but overall, there was a lot I really liked about this one. The writing and performance for Isaiah Bradley as acted by Carl Lumbly was so intense and probably my favorite part of the show overall. My main gripe is really the handling of the Flag Smashers and the need to have Walker saving people in the final fight. I think Walker was well past the point of getting the audience on his side For One Last Go by then, and the Flag Smashers were just...so, so horribly whacked out of line with their prior depiction by the end. It just wasn't congruent.

Speaking of incongruent....

Loki Season 1 (6/9/2021)-- 6.5/10

I really wanted to enjoy Loki. Like I really did. But sitting on it for a year and a half and rewatching it, I think it was just TOO inconsistent episode to episode. There are individual MOMENTS and individual EPISODES even that I think are very good on the whole, but I think it's too obvious when different writers are taking on different characters (Mobius especially). It was a pleasant surprise to see Jonathan Majors, though, and I don't think I hated the finale as much as some other people did. I just think WandaVision did a good job deconstructing Wanda, and TFATWS did a good job deconstructing Sam's relationship to the Shield, but Loki just didn't really have a grasp on Loki as a character for me.

Black Widow (7/9/2021)-- 7/10

This movie should have been in Phase 3. Also stan Florence Pugh. That's about it.

Also if you hate what they did with Taskmaster, that's fine but it's not that deep.

What If...? (8/11/2021)-- 4.5/5

What If had some really good episodes, like Star-Lord T'Challa & Stark Saved By Kilmonger. But it also had The Zombies Episode and Captain Carter and Whatever The Fuck That Finale Was. It's more inconsistency and connecting it for the sake of connecting it and not really stopping to PLAY in the worlds they created, which was a shame, and then when they did it was,,,,,,,,,,REAL hit or miss. Mostly miss.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (9/3/2021)-- 8/10

Delicious finally some good fucking food. First, kissing Simu Liu on the mouth because he's SUCH a great leading man. Second, it felt JUST disconnected enough from the MCU while still having the canon references to feel fresh. It was still very much In-Tone with the MCU as far as humor went, but the actors really carried this to something special-- Simu, Michelle Yeoh, TONY LEUNG????? icon. Even places where the narrative was weaker were WELL compensated by the actors, enough to make me eager to see the next installment.

Eternals (11/5/2021)-- 7/10

Do I think the cast was too large, in the end? Yes. But Eternals was still so...austere in a way the MCU normally is not. It was a very different kind of movie, formulaically. Sure, Big Gray Monster, but it was very much not front and center. Centering it on Sersi and taking advantage of Gemma Chan's Pure Power was great, and I loved how the dynamics between the characters drove the story.

Also, stan Phastos.

Hawkeye (11/24/2021)-- 6/10

I would have probably enjoyed it more if Clint's character buildup wasn't so little and far apart in other MCU movies. It felt like I was SUPPOSED to be relating to this old friend's struggle with grief, but it just Did Not Hit.

I was mostly here for Vera Farmiga. Real Girlies Know.

o i'm about to catch heat for this next one

Spider-Man: No Way Home (12/17/2021)-- 5/10

.......................No Way Home wasn't actually that good. I mean, it DOES go back and fix all my gripes with MCU Peter Parker and Zendaya sells as always and it was fun to see the old cast back. But uh. Into The Spiderverse did the multiverse thing to better effect, I think. The Audible Pause To Clap for Andrew Garfield's appearance,,,,we'll get to her later. Ultimately, I think Tom Holland is the weakest of the three Spider-Men of recent memory and it shows ESPECIALLY next to Andrew Garfield and without the background of having seen the other Spider-Man franchise incarnations, it's all that much weaker because you don't have the emotional context the film hinges on. It's fanservice for fanservice's sake. And we'll circle back to that. Also how dare you drag Matthew Catholic Sadboy Murdock into this.

Moon Knight (3/30/2022)-- 6.5/10

I hope Oscar Isaac and May Calamawy have gotten excellent treatment for carrying this show on their backs. I don't think Harrow (had to Google the character's name ffs) was strong enough to get by on Malevolent Pacifism alone, and it did just kind of Unravel at the end with the Unnecessary Big Fight & the show kind of just Stopping rather than Ending. Also, did not think it was necessary to TEASE Jake Lockley if he was just going to be in the post-credit scene. I would have rather they not bring him up at all rather than having hints so MASSIVE.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (5/6/2022)-- 3/10

When I left the theater for this movie, I didn't actually think I could hate it more than I did when it was over. Then I watched the Assembled on it. And I realized no, the depths of my hatred DO go deeper. I don't know what's worse-- the struggle of having to choose between the Wanda of WandaVision and the Wanda of the Non-D+ Series MCU and somehow choosing neither, leaving GAPING-WIDE plot holes for the sake of "having the coolest villain in the MCU instead of leaving it for the team of another Avengers movie" (Michael Waldron my detested), whatever the fuck the Illuminati was supposed to be, or bringing back Sam Raimi, who I think genuinely tried to direct something visually his own and artful, only to have him bogged down by Marvel's own capitalistic editing and filming practices. The pauses to clap for the Illuminati. How presumptuous and prideful do you have to be to include space for the audience to clap for your cameos? And I haven't even TALKED about Stephen yet, because there's almost nothing to say except it is a SECOND movie where he is implied to have to face consequences for his choices, only for none to appear because the Wider Canon demands he be fine. It is EVERYTHING the MCU is at its worst.

Not you Bruce Campbell, though, you're doing great.

Ms. Marvel (6/8/2022)-- 8/10

I think the reason Ms. Marvel ranks this well for me is not just the AMAZING attention to detail and authenticity of the creative team and Iman Vellani, but because Kamala Khan in the comics debuted when I myself was an insecure teenager writing fanfiction about my favorite superheroes and trying to survive school. I have a nostalgia for her character specifically that might bias me a little toward her show, but there was something so deeply authentic and warm about Iman's performance that I couldn't help being giddy to see her in every scene, despite the power changes and all the little things that would normally give me gripes.

Thor: Love and Thunder (7/8/2022)-- 5/10

You know that thing you do where you have two foods you really love, like, individually. Like how I like caramel and i like crawfish, which are two things that are great on their own. And then you do that thing where you go "what if I put those two things I like together!" And suddenly you're eating caramel and crawfish together and you wish you hadn't done that?

That's Love & Thunder and that's pretty much the sum of my feelings on it, if I'm honest. Like, I'm a fan of Taika's work and I like the two threads he did here separately, but not together.

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (8/18/2022)-- 6.5/10

I could talk at length about this show and good-faith criticism and bad-faith criticism and how one can unintentionally legitimize the other, but I think to be succinct I can sum it up here by saying while I had fun, I think the show, despite the efforts of the female-centered & staffed writing room, fell into a lot of traps, like putting a lot of focus on Jen's dating life. To me that was the biggest mistake. Dating can be a very large part of people's lives, but in the show it did feel like the dating parts outweighed the legal parts, which was a shame because this show had SUCH a great cast of actors playing the other lawyers. Tatiana Maslany was great in the role, but I don't think the writing necessarily always held up to the acting, nor did the lampshading of it at the end in that VERY APPROPRIATE AND KIND OF FUN fourth wall break make up for including it in the first place.

Also Augustus Pugliese you have my heart new favorite side character unlocked.

Werewolf By Night (10/14/2022)-- 10/10

Jack Russell you are my new best friend I love spooky things I love that it was self contained I love EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS. No notes. Well done. Blade next.

In Conclusion-- 6.23/10

I think, at this point, I don't really care if MCU Secretly Bad or MCU Actually Good. I think if anything, this phase points to the overall problem for Marvel being that, for the most part, they're feeding us the same thing over and over again. To me, the projects that stuck out the most here were the ones that tried something different. WandaVision experimented with TV tropes. Werewolf By Night was a Hammer horror special.

The ones that scored lowest, however, were either full of shiny but empty distractions or just more of the same.

It's not better than before. It's not worse. You're just too used to eating the same thing.

Order from a different menu.

#musikat speaks #marvel #mcu #marvel critical #mcu critical #wandavision #tfatws #loki #marvel's what if? #black widow #shang-chi #hawkeye #spider-man #eternals #doctor strange #dsitmom #moon knight #she-hulk #ms marvel #thor love and thunder #phase 4 #marvel phase 4 #werewolf by night

[geekynerfherder]

Back from watching #DoctorStrange In The #MultiverseOfMadness at my local #VueCinema (@vue).

I enjoyed it. Definitely a different, and very unique entry in the #MCU movies. Which was welcome. Very much a #SamRaimi movie as well, including the obligatory #BruceCampbell cameo appearance too! 😁 Afterall, why would you get in a director that certainly has their own cinematic style and then water him down to make him fit a similar identikit profile to other movies. Raimi's direction and style shines through, more Evil Dead than Spider-Man, obviously when it comes to the more horror elements going on. A good choice and fit for this movie!

I haven't seen the #WandaVision, #Loki or #WhatIf shows, so know the bare minimum of the #Multiverse, except for the last Spider-Man movie, but although it treads on over that ground, especially WandaVision obviously, I didn't feel lost as to what was going on plot-wise, which was good for the casual MCU fan like myself, but if you have seen those, then you'll probably get an even bigger kick out the movie.. Not overburdened with infodumps having to explain this or that, and it felt well paced too, that I was engrossed and entertained for the full couple of hours that flew by.

That said, the intro of #AmericaChavez and the cameos were pretty cool, no spoilers 😉, and it's going to interesting to see what the rest of #Marvel's Phase 4 has in store now, crossovers etc, considering events in this movie, as well in other content.

All in all, it's a very enjoyable movie, that takes the MCU into a weird and wonderful direction that brings it closer to the freaky and sometimes outlandish feel of the comics than any previous MCU movie, as well as adding the schlocky horror vibes from Raimi into the mix.

Definitely worth watching!

As always, stay for extras in the end credits. One in the mid-credits is a must watch, whilst the one at the end seems like Raimi was having some fun!

Art by #MattFerguson (@mattfergusonartist)

#InstaMovieReview #DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness (at Vue) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdRiQY8s53K/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#doctorstrange #multiverseofmadness #vuecinema #mcu #samraimi #brucecampbell #wandavision #loki #whatif #multiverse #americachavez #marvel #mattferguson #instamoviereview #doctorstrangeinthemultiverseofmadness

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

okay so who wants to write the Multiverse of Madness AU where [spoilers]

Wanda’s mom instincts go further than her own kids and/or she’s able to resist the Darkhold’s corruption for some reason, and a good part of what’s going on is actually a big misunderstanding where she’s really sending demons under her control to protect America from way worse interdimensional threats, because yes she would really like America to help her find her kids if she’s willing to do so but also she saw this tragically orphaned kid and went

and, you know, maybe genuinely liking and wanting to help America is what keeps Wanda from falling to the Darkhold’s influence so much, and obviously there’s some other source of conflict here that doesn’t involve turning one of the MCU’s tiny handful of female title characters into half a villain while still letting her be powerful and conflicted and complicated, and ultimately maybe America finds a universe where Wanda sacrificed herself to protect her kids and they’re now in dire need of a mom, and things are generally still kinda tragic all around because they’re not quite this Wanda’s kids (except they’re pretty sure they’ve dreamed about Westview, once or twice), and America’s moms are still gone, and even White Vision is still in the wind, but...there’s at least hope that they can make it work

also Loki at least gets a cameo, c’mon

(this fic idea is free to a good home because I would love to see this written but it’s definitely* not something I’m going to write, in part because I haven’t even seen the movie or for that matter WandaVision, I’m just frustrated with a lot of things Marvel’s been doing with MCU Wanda and a lot of the misogynist, ableist nastiness they seem determined to repeat from comics Wanda’s storylines even though they have exactly zero excuses for not knowing better)

(and I’m irritated that I now definitively can’t say “616 Wanda” and so on to distinguish between the comics character and the MCU character and have it mean anything at all, but that’s a completely separate and much less important issue)

*I mean who knows, now that I’ve said that maybe I actually will, because this would be one incentive to finally catch up on a lot of Disney+ stuff I’ve been meaning to watch for ages, and although a fic like this would be better if it were longish and plotty, it wouldn’t absolutely have to be

#fic ideas #doctor strange in the multiverse of madness #wanda maximoff #america chavez #marvel cinematic universe #fanfic #wandavision #multiverse of madness spoilers #doctor strange 2 spoilers #doctor strange #scarlet witch #wanda maximoff defense squad

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

i think this video does a good job calling out marvels problem https://youtu.be/-3-SuGV4Sqk

Thank you for sharing.

The MCU had its problems in previous phases as well, movies like EG or CW or Ragnarok didn't do a good job of handling their characters and some of them had them either completely ooc or retconned (and in CW's case the conflict wasn't well established and the resolution didn't stick the landing).

I think perhaps what's happening now is a mix of too much content in a short period of time, new characters introduced who don't earn their powers or compete with the OG characters accompanying them, and terrible third acts that don't give a satisfying conclusion to the story and seem more concerned with selling the next product.

I don't particularly care about what these movies and series are leading to, if they want to add a teaser in a post-credit scene I'm cool with it, but I'm watching these because I care about the characters. The Loki series had the entire finale dedicated to introducing an antagonist for another separate movie! And Shang-Chi instead of giving us a good resolution between father and son they spent the time fighting a huge dragon. Those mistakes are huge.

I don't want Feige to tell me all this will get better once I see the full picture. I want it to be better now. I need the studio to give me good character arcs and stories enough to get me glued to the screen because I care about what happens to them. That's how I felt in previous phases, even though I didn't particularly like some movies I cared about what happened to Steve, Loki, Thor, Stephen, Carol, Wanda, Bucky, Natasha... as it stands right now I'm dreading what's coming next because I don't know if it's going to be good or terrible.

That's another thing, its lack of cohesiveness. I don't really think you can judge all of Phase Four's content equally. WandaVision and Moon Knight are fantastic (oh, and I highly disagree with the OP in the video that the story absolves Wanda... it doesn't!): they're brilliant character stories, the arcs are well done and the ending is satisfying (all this is subjective of course). Whereas the Loki series is absolutely terrible on all fronts, TFATWS sidelines its title characters and misunderstands them, What If was a huge letdown (except for ep4, everyone hail ep4), and Hawkeye started weak but it got pretty good in the end.

As for the movies I'm a huge fan of Black Widow and NWH, but MoM was pretty awful (cameos galore!), Shang-Chi is entirely forgettable (in fact, I hardly remember anything from it), Eternals would have worked better as a series (too many characters, but it wasn't so bad) and... oh right, I had forgotten L&T. Fortunately.

All in all, in the past they cared about the stories they were telling because they wanted to hook the audience, now perhaps they feel they already have us so they can go cheap and take us for granted. Well, I don't know about you but I used to be one of those who would go several times to the theatre to watch these movies (my highest # is 5) but now I'm thinking of skipping them. Wakanda Forever and GoTG3 are sure on my list because I like Coogler and love Gunn but the others..... not so much.

I really want them to get better at this but Feige keeps hiring Waldron and I just... it's hard to keep the faith in them.

#mcu critical #mcu salt

[thetimelordbatgirl]

I think the writers just realized how popular Into the Spider-Verse was, so they thought if they made Wanda have the same motivationn as Kingpin, she'd be just as popular. Of course, they forgot that unlike Wanda, the family Kingpin lost wasn't a figment of his imagination, and therefore, isn't as crazy.

That and Kingpin is already an established villain who any marvel fan entering will know off or if its new fans watching Spiderverse, the film does a pretty good job setting him up as a villain. Like, that sequence with the clicking pen as we see the flashbacks before at the crash, the pen finally breaks??? *chiefs kiss* Send my compliments to the writers and animators, it was sooo good. And like, as much as Miles' Peters death isn't you know, bloody and shit, it's still impactful. We've never seen Peter be killed in a movie or show before....well, outside of Infinity War but....we...we don't talk about Infinity War, but like, its impactful to anyone to see Peter off all heroes be killed and....actually be gone. In MoM??? The deaths are all over the place, and most of them are just stupid. I can't tell if Miss America's moms are dead cause apparently they were only teleported due to....kid America getting scared by a bee.....only in the MCU will you get origins like this. But like, most of the deaths seem to be just MCU going, "SEE WE CAN GET VIOLENT WITH DEATHS-" but....like....its just eh. Avengers 2012 actually made you feel bad when Phil was suddenly killed by Loki. What do I feel when Wanda kills Mr. Fantastic, Black Bolt, Captain Carter and Maria Rambeau are killed? That I would like to scream cause multiverses smartest minds and they revealed their secret weapon for Wanda to kill with ease.....that and Wanda has a racism problem and it being almost disturbing she killed a Maria variant after hurting Monica in Wandavision, who was still mourning her mom in that universe. Though did kind of feel like shit with Xavier's....just because I am a x-men fan, so learning he goes out like that....it makes me want to scream cause the disrespect to Patrick Stewart and his take on Charles Xavier.... And only reason I felt bad for Sara dying is....cause yeah, she was at least established as a character....but of course, the Racist Witch has to throw a tantrum when precious book is destroyed and burn Sara alive, making me wonder if MCU is doing this on purpose with Wanda at this rate.

But yeah, Kingpin at least makes sense....because his family was VERY much real....but Wanda's literally were the result of her playing Barbie but with real life people and she KNOWS they won't real, and yet, she still wants to go and steal another her's kids cause....maybe trying to have Tommy and Billy for real wasn't a option? Like, Wanda in this film makes zero sense for motivations and its really a sign that they just wanted to do villain Wanda without trying.

#multiverse of madness spoilers #mom spoilers #anti mcu #then again if we comparing spiderverse was also a better multiverse movie #as we actually saw the concept be explored and such #versus MoM which is....not exploring it in favor of wanda hunting down a child to kill said child #so she can steal her counterparts kids #like if anything its doctor strange into the body count of wanda maximoff

[obscurest-reference]

there's so much to impact so i'll just go down the list of whats been announced (and leaked)

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Feb 17, 2023)

i have no thoughts on this movie. i am excited for more Kang lore and for Cassie to be a bug (?) but that's about it. i hope Luis returns

Secret Invasion (Spring 2023)

okay so i get the Skrulls and Kree mixed up but after googling it i now remember the difference

i am honestly really excited for more Fury and Maria. i miss Fury and Maria had so much potential so i'm just. i'm vibing with this one

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)

i'm only slightly more excited for this one than for Quantumania

i do remember hearing that this'll be basically the end of the GotG (feel free to correct me if i'm wrong) so i'm kinda sad but if it's anything like the other two films i'm so ready for this one

Echo (Summer 2023)

FUCK.

I'M SO

FUUUUUUUCK

Jessica Jones better show up at the end of this one >:(

but in all seriousness Echo seems like a really cool character and I can't wait to see and learn more about her (and see more of Fisk?)

Loki s2 (Summer 2023)

The Marvels (July 28, 2023)

I heard it was gonna be part musical?? idk i'm not looking forward to that part. could work with Joker but not with the Marvels, sorry

but! i am excited to see more Maria and Kamala

my theory is that Carol found the second bangle and that's how her and Kamala switched places

Blade (Nov 3, 2023)

tbh i know nothing about Blade other than he hunts vampires and Eternals was supposed to set this up

and also that there was already a Blade movie

should i watch the old Blade movie? was it good?

imagine if he kills Morbius in the movie.

Ironheart (Fall 2023)

i'm actually pretty excited for this one despite hardly knowing anything about the character!!

i know Riri is gonna be in Black Panther II so i bet it'll set this show up

Agatha: Coven of Chaos (Winter 2023/Early 2024)

ok imma be honest, i think i'm least excited for this one

idk! i liked Agatha as a one-off villain, i didn't really see her character going anywhere after WandaVision

i have no idea whats gonna happen in this show. is her husband finally gonna show up or

Daredevil: Born Again (Spring 2024)

- HOLY FUCKING SHIT

I'M SO FUCKING

I WANT TO PUKE (/pos)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Captain America: New World Order (May 3, 2024)

FINALLY MY BOY SAM IS GETTING THE RECOGNITION HE DESERVES

I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS ONE

i really fucking hope Bucky doesn't die, not only because he's been my comfort character for 8 years, but because i also want him to be in

Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024)

okay okay so i skimmed the wiki page for 616 Thunderbolts and this is the group i wanna see:

Zemo and Bucky as reluctant and hateful co-leaders (or one or the other as the leader, but i def want both to be in it)

John Walker as U.S. Agent and Yelena Belova as the Black Widow

(these four alone are such a fun combination and i cannot express how much i want them to be a group)

Kate Bishop (and maybe even Clint Barton!) as Hawkeye

bonus ones that don't make sense but would be fun: Taskmaster and Ghost

also, i know Val was Madame Hydra, but considering how she went to both John and Yelena, what if she's putting together the Thunderbolts?

Fantastic Four (Nov 8, 2024)

IF JOHN KRASINSKI ISNT MR FANTASTIC I DONT WANT IT!!!!!!

if Krasinski is Mr. Fantastic can Emily Blunt be Sue Storm pls

oh i'll also take it if Joe Keery is Human Torch

if none of those people are in the cast then I Don't Want It

Avengers: Kang Dynasty (May 2, 2025)

holy fucking SHIT

Avengers: Secret Wars (Nov 7, 2025)

I really really fucking hope this isnt supposed to be a sequel to Kang Dynasty

but!

i am!

very!

fucking!

excited!

Other thoughts on other announcements/leaks

after seeing the full She-Hulk trailer, i can safely say i am now more excited for this one than i previously was (it was the one i was least excited for lmao)

when is the black panther trailer supposed to drop i thought it was gonna get released like an hour ago sobs

no?? no Shang-Chi or Moon Knight news?? none?? come on Marvel y'all know those are the best ones. you can admit it.

i'm so fucking excited for Marvel: Zombies too i know that show is gonna be ELITE

so Spider-Man: Freshman Year is just gonna be another Spider-Man show i guess?? got me thinking it would be canon to the MCU

and i guess X-Men 97 is just a continuation of the 90s animated show so i'll have to watch that. it looks goofy and fun though

the Multiverse Saga. what a fucking power play

#marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #multiverse saga #marvel phase 5 #mcu phase 5

[xicanaroja]

So I haven't been keeping up with the Phase 4 of Marvel, particularly the shows, I loved Wandavision and Captain America & the Winter Soldier (Sam Wilson, my beloved 💕), but Loki was extremely disappointing and confusing plot-wise, so I pretty much stopped watching all the Marvel stuff for a while after that. I tried a couple episodes each of Hawkeye and Moonknight, but I didn't get to watch the episodes I saw in order because I watched with other people, and I never got into them. Never touched What if... or Ms. Marvel, although I have heard good things about Ms. Marvel so I might try it. But for the most part? The new TV show format of Marvel stuff is really hard for me to get into. I wasn't even gonna try with She-Hulk, just because I've heard they did the character pretty dirty in the design department, but I keep seeing clips of Jen and 1) she seems hilarious, and 2) I am actually interested in finding out what the deal is with her Hulk stuff. Also, I keep seeing clips on TikTok with Daredevil, so now I'm really getting motivated to watch it, because that was one of the old Marvel shows (which were awesome) I have been obsessed with since high school. I would very much like to see more of this ridiculous catholic man and his devil suit.

#i believe i have a mutual who agrees with this sentiment #more matt murdock please #daredevil #marvel phase 4 is meh #i did like Shang-Chi and Eternals #Black Widow was pretty good too #i have not seen the 3rd Spiderman tho or Thor Love and Thunder #i will however be extremely geeky about the upcoming Black Panther #but that wont be till November #the movies are just better than the shows in general i feel

[spaceorphan18]

How would you rank the MCU shows from most favorite to least?

MCU Nonny is back!

I'm gonna do least favorite to favorite - because that's how I roll.

What If...?

May be the only show that I didn't really like. My issue is the same issue I have with the What If...? comic series -- they're bent on doing terrible twists where everyone dies, or it's hopeless, or just kinda dumb. I'm just not a fan of that kind of bleakness. Also - the amount of times they killed Tony Stark felt less like a thematic choice and more like a personal vendetta - which left a bad taste in my mouth.

Still the animation style was nice, and Dr. Strange was used in good effect here.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

It says something that I can't remember much about this particular show after not seeing it for, what, a year now? I feel like it's a good show, but not a great one. I like the dynamic between Sam and Bucky - but I wish we had gotten more of it. There is a good discussion about race here, and the whole US Agent angle was an interesting thread. However, I thought the villains were kind of one note and obligatory. It's not a show I necessarily feel like watching again.

Moon Knight

Oh and there are already people yelling at me. I know. I know. I think Oscar Isaac was amazing in the role, and the aesthetic of the show was fascinating and a nice departure from the MCU's usual fare. It was also cool to dip into Egyptian Mythology. However, I'm not sure I fully understood what was going on -- and I wish there had been more to the show than what seemed like world building. I am looking forward to a Season 2 so it can build off its foundation.

Ms. Marvel

This was a very sweet and endearing show. It's a little on the young side - and I understand that I'm really not the intended audience for it. But I think Kamala Kahn is incredibly endearing, and I loved the use of Pakistani culture in the show. I think the main plot of the show was super thin and not that good. But the good spirit of the cast and the world building really worked - and that's the part I really enjoyed.

Hawkeye

I really liked this one. I sincerely enjoy Hawkeye - which feels often like an unpopular opinion. Kate Bishop was great, the addition of Yelena was fantastic, and overall it was a fun, more grounded story.

WandaVision

I loved this one. The TV Tropes did it for me, which was such a fantastic premise. I will admit, the ending was a little silly, and the use of Quicksilver a little mean, but the characters were all great, the premise was a ton of fun, and really an enjoyable ride all the way through.

Loki

I have a soft spot for time travel stories to begin with, so this was always going to be pretty high on the list. Loki is such a great character, and the whole premise was incredible engaging. I really can't see where they take us next in Season 2, because I loved all of it.

#thanks nonny! #yes y'all can yell at me in the replies #mcu

[danwhobrowses]

Dr Strange: Multiverse of Madness - Quick Review

So I'm out of the Cinema, the credits have rolled and Dr. Strange: Multiverse of Madness is in the books. Reviews so far have been on both sides of the spectrum, but what did I think of Sam Raimi's return to Marvel?

Spoilers for the Movie, you have been warned

So I liked it, I can understand why some people don't think it's great, Raimi's direction was a bit odd at times too.

There is a lot of stuff which doesn't quite match up, the title seems a bit of a false promise because we only visit like 3 or 4 universes long enough to see a variant, Loki showed more variants. I also feel like the plot went the 'difficult route' with Wanda deciding to not pursue this magic book that gives you 'exactly what you want' and instead tries to steal her variant's children, I mean I get that the Darkhold is corruptive - I watched Agents of SHIELD so Stephen coming out with a third eye relieved me because for a moment I feared Stephen would have zero consequences from using it...until it was treated as no big deal in the mid-credits scene, the electric guitar riff was distracting too - and it was supposed to show Wanda's descent but surely she would also want that power? These magical books are also very fragile. I also don't see how all these universes have Wanda's kids but no Vision, he could've played a key part in establishing conflict with Wanda.

I admittedly take issue with how they did the Illuminati, Marvel had to do the typical MCU thing of making anticipated and things comic fans were looking forward to look like clowns. I don't really get their logic either, like Strange is trying to get out of their universe and they're stopping him and America, also this 'Dr. Strange is the bigger threat to the Multiverse' seems like a dumbass conclusion from them; their Strange was corrupted by the Darkhold, Wanda is coming for them having been corrupted by the Darkhold, and their conclusion is Strange is the problem? Not the evil magic book that corrupts whoever reads it? Also pretty fresh coming from Reed 'Council of Reeds/The Beyonder/Intentionally Gave the Four the Zombie Virus' Richards... Also they got clowned in the fight, I mean I get we were selling just how powerful Wanda was but I laughed in disbelief that the MCU had a chance to fix the atrocious Inhumans series and instead decided to bitch out poor Anson Mount's Black Bolt again by killing him like that. It should've more ripped a hole where his mouth should be than popped his brain but it was a truly idiot move from Reed 'Smartest Man in the World' Richards to tell Wanda his powers - we could've just had Wanda seal the mouth and have Wanda kill him another way. Maria's Captain Marvel didn't do it for me, she was at least a match for Wanda but she seemed to have adopted Carol's bitchiness towards Strange. It was nice to see Captain Carter but she shouldn't have lasted as long as she did against Wanda if Reed was ripped up like a cheesestring in seconds, and it did hurt that Marvel brought back Patrick Stewart's Professor X just to kill him a THIRD TIME...Maybe I mean Xavier does have ways of coming back, Mordo felt quite underused too.

On the plus side though this is perhaps the best exploration we've had with Stephen in terms of his personal happiness, and his tragic connection with Christine. Tragic is definitely the optimal word we use for Wanda as well, while her method was a bit long-winded her motivation was clear and believable - helped greatly by Olsen's great acting and time on Wandavision.

America Chavez's character and growth was really nice, she interacted well in the movie and at a good time so we could explore the multiverse at a greater scale, Phase 4 has done really well so far in establishing a Young Avengers group. And thankfully Wong didn't die, I was worried they'd have Wanda off him so Strange would be Sorcerer Supreme again but he lives to kick Abomination ass and Karaoke with Shang Chi and Katy (who I did wonder whether they'd show here or in a post-credit scene) another day.

Aside from that electric guitar, the music was great, especially the old X-Men theme riff with Xavier's appearance. And there were a lot of great visuals from the film and the multiverses we did visit, zombified Strange - while as Wanda pointed out super hypocritical - did make for an interesting magic battle at the conclusion, as did Wanda seeing how much of a monster she had become. While I didn't like the mid-credits scene I did get a kick out of the post-credits one, Sam and Bruce at it again, Sam did get some jumpscares out of me too.

As for implications, as well as seeing the likes of Xavier and Reed we look to be setting up the Incursion, which is smart of Marvel as well. For those unaware the Incursion was an event in comics which had two universes about to collide, the Illuminati were used to try and find a preventative measure for this too. Usually Incursions would involve Molecule Man, but since he doesn't exist in the MCU yet the use of the Incursion would play as a Phase-level threat for the MCU, and could be the opening to blend heroes from another universe together via Battleworld, most importantly the Four, Mutants and Doctor Doom (regular or a more exciting prospect, God Emperor Doom). Battleworld as a concept also makes sense given how Kang the Conqueror is related to Reed, so even if they didn't want to bring in the Beyonder just yet they could use Kang in his place.

So overall, it was worth the ticket, but I wasn't too blown away with the story, not the worst MCU film I've seen though I guess it just didn't quite exceed expectations like No Way Home did when they used the Multiverse.

#dr strange #dr strange multiverse of madness #multiverse of madness #dr stephen strange #stephen strange #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch #wong mcu #mcu #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #america chavez #illuminati marvel #mcu multiverse

[janetsnakehole02]

Thoughts about Multiverse of Madness

*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*

I really liked the overarching theme - everyone has a little bit of darkness in them, everyone is capable of giving into it, and everyone has desires and feelings that they can’t control, but what they can control is what they do with those feelings and how acting on them might affect the people around us. 

Stephen - I was very worried about how they’d handle his arc and that he wouldn’t get the proper development or attention he deserved, but it was his movie from start to finish. I will say they focused more on the exploration of Wanda’s issues over Stephen’s. But I still liked that the story makes it clear he was the protagonist while it simultaneously does a good job of calling out Stephen on his arrogance. That really forces him to look at the mistakes of his alternate selves and make sure he didn’t make those same mistakes. His confrontation with Sinister Strange from What If was really cool to watch, especially his reaction when he realizes he’s capable of that level of darkness. I also really enjoyed the fight between those two - the musical notes was a great touch. I also liked how in the end the Darkhold ended up being his only solution, despite going through all that effort to get the Book of Vishanti. It seemed kind of ironic to me. And it also seems like they were trying to say that every Stephen is destined for a bit of darkness? At least that’s what I got from that ending. While I’m also glad we got to see more of Stephen’s inner conflict, I don’t think we got enough substance in that. We got to get a little insight in his dialogue with Wong and Christine, and we also got to see him react to both memories of his alternate selves and his actual alternate selves. But we never really got to see how he “wasn’t happy?” I don’t know, I felt like some of Stephen’s characterization was missing. That might be why I walked out of the theater feeling a little empty.

Wanda - she is a character whose portrayal I was also really worried about because I thought it would be very black and white, but both she and Stephen felt very humanized to me. Wanda’s arc was well done in my opinion but also felt redundant. It was pretty reminiscent of Wandavision, where what she’s doing is fucked up and it’s made very clear that it’s a fucked up thing to do, but you also know that with the right support and right people she doesn’t have to do that, because inherently she isn’t a bad person. So I’m not sure why I heard some people say this movie would cause more fandom division. It’s very clear cut from the start. The scene where Professor X goes into Wanda’s mind was such an interesting scene to me, just going to show once again that she isn’t a terrible person, and that this is what can happen when we lose sight of what we want and give into the darkness. She was so terrifying but it did make for a very interesting viewing experience. Definitely saw a lot of parallels between how the Darkhold was controlling Wanda and how the scepter was controlling Loki in the first Avengers movie. My only issue with Wanda is that her ending is very up in the air. I don’t believe she’s dead but it was a very abrupt ending tbh and I would’ve liked to see some sort of conversation between her and Stephen towards the end. Also @theycallmeshri and I really liked the Scarlet Witch temple so we were definitely a little disappointed when that got demolished lol

Wong - I wish we got more of him but he still had a bigger role in this movie than any other so far and I hope it keeps going up. He definitely got a chance to show off his skills as Sorcerer Supreme which was great to watch.

America - she’s great but she wasn’t fully developed and she has a lot of potential. The flashback scene with her moms was a good start though. I also loved the parts where she was speaking in Spanish with Wong and I really really enjoyed her relationships with both him and Stephen. My favorite moment of hers is when she finally feels in control of her powers and instead of totally giving up her life to Wanda, she uses her powers to help Wanda see the full impact of what she’s doing. I think it’s a great indicator of the kind of superhero she’ll be and I’m really excited to see more of her.

Christine - she had a much bigger role and I liked her dialogue with Stephen about love and happiness, that was great to watch. Also love that she was such a high profile researcher in Earth-838. But I still felt like she was somehow underutilized, idk maybe it’s just me.

Mordo - that man always keeps me on my toes lol I love watching Chiwetel Ejiofor on screen so I was disappointed that he didn’t have enough time, but he killed whatever time he had. You could still see the similarities between 838 Mordo and 616 Mordo, what with believing that rules exist for a reason.

The plot overall - honestly the movie wasn’t very plot heavy. Definitely less complicated than I was initially expecting. Sometimes I felt like the movie was going a bit too fast but it was still fun. The horror elements and the camera movements/angles were fucking fantastic. I’m usually not big on horror but the things Raimi chose to do were pretty jaw dropping, especially with Wanda. I was genuinely scared whenever she was on screen but in a good way, it’s weird to explain.

Overall I think the only reason I really liked this movie is because of Sam Raimi, period. I hated Michael Waldron’s writing in Loki and it was meh in this movie as well but Raimi’s direction saved it. I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Olsen’s performance as Wanda. Benedict Cumberbatch was great too but I feel like he wasn’t given as much to work with. Something still makes me feel like Wanda got more attention than Stephen despite the fact that Stephen had more screen time, a little reminiscent of Loki and Sylvie in the Loki series. So all in all - 3.5/5.

(other random thoughts - let out a massive scream at John Krasinski as Reed Richards + Lashana Lynch as Captain Marvel, I was accidentally spoiled about Hayley Atwell + Stephen’s “I love you in every universe,” I wanted to cheer when Wanda killed Captain Carter, and I still don’t know why Charlize Theron showed up in a purple suit)

#dsmom #mom spoilers #multiverse of madness spoilers #doctor strange spoilers #doctor strange multiverse of madness spoilers #doctor strange in the multiverse of madness spoilers #multiverse of madness #doctor strange multiverse of madness #doctor strange in the multiverse of madness #doctor strange 2 #sam raimi #doctor strange #stephen strange #benedict cumberbatch #mcu wanda maximoff #mcu scarlet witch #elizabeth olsen #america chavez #xochitl gomez #mcu wong #benedict wong #sorcerer supreme #christine palmer #rachel mcadams #karl mordo #chiwetel ejiofor #professor x #sir patrick stewart #marvel #mcu phase 4

[maximons]

Okay! I’m back from seeing Multiverse of Madness, and I got some thoughts. I’m gonna put some spoilers under the cut, but it was pretty solid. It wasn’t exactly the movie I had hoped it would be though. And no, I don’t mean in an ‘I wanted more cameos’ way, but really just a movie called ‘Multiverse of Madness’ feels like it should’ve been...bigger than it was? Idk, I don’t mind a good character study, but using the multiverse to do it just fell a little flat to me.

But again, it was a pretty solid movie. I had fun, and it was definitely way different than any other MCU film, which is always refreshing. I sure want Sam Raimi to come back for a Doctor Strange 3, because I think what he brings to the character made him way more compelling than we’ve seen so far imo.

TLDR; Fell flat in some ways, and I had some personal grievances, but overall a good character study with some awesome (and fucking terrifying at times) action. Would see again, but maybe not till it hits Disney+. 7.5/10

Spoiler talk under the cut

Okay, so as someone who was a dummy and actually did spoil myself beforehand, I was actually still pretty surprised at how some things turned out. Note to self: Don’t let stan twitter tell you how things are gonna unfold before seeing how they actually unfold.

 I’m just gonna go on a bullet point rant from here on out so prepare for that.

So many people online led me to believe that they just turned Wanda evil out of nowhere with no explanation but like....they said several times she was corrupted by the Darkhold? Did ya’ll miss that? I’m not saying that it makes what she did okay cause...oof girl made some choices, but still. 

While yeah, Wanda does some pretty fucked up things in this movie, people acting like she’s this irredeemable monster...relax. If you can forgive Loki, you can easily forgive Wanda down the line. Shit, Hawkeye killed more people than Wanda did here, but I’m not gonna start a whole debate over it. Wanda was for sure the villain here, but the way some people are treating her compared to others that have done objectively worse?...Yeah, don’t sit right with me, but anyway.

Side note, defending Wanda from these antis is gonna be waaay more annoying to deal with now.

There’s a lot of talk of how this movie ‘throws away Wanda’s development from WandaVision’ by making her the villain, which eh...I see their point, but WandaVision did end with her reading the Darkhold, so it’s not surprising this is where she ended up here. Still, it does seem like a rehash of her doing a bad thing and then fixing it in the end. Just way more extreme.

Nobody actually thinks she’s dead....right? Like the way people were talking about it, I thought I was gonna have to reach and be in denial about her being alive for my sanity, but nah. It’s not super obvious, but...it’s pretty obvious she survived. Big bright flashing red light out of nowhere for no reason? C’mon. Also the whole thing just sorta...happened. If that was Wanda, been in the MCU for 7 years and just finished headlining her own show, Maximoff’s death scene...it would’ve been a SCENE, trust.

The way the movie flip flopped between ‘Wanda’s a good person, she’s just corrupted’ and ‘She’s an evil witch that needs to die’ so much just gave me whiplash. I get why towards the end they were like ‘yeah, we gotta kick her ass’, but almost immediately Strange went from ‘You did the right thing, that was never in doubt’ to ‘SHE ENSLAVED A TOWN, GOTTA GET HER’ Like...which is it my guy? 

Okay, moving on from Wanda now, let’s talk about America. I love her. She’s my favorite new Phase 4 hero as of now, and I can’t wait to see more of her.

I like how they introduced her as someone not having any control over her powers, and while I get that people see that as nerfed, it makes sense. She’s a kid with powers adults can’t even handle, and she’s handling better than most adults would, so.

Also...the scene with her moms? That was enough to cause a ban in all these countries?...Really? I just...okay. Good luck over there.

Strange’s development in this movie was pretty good. I really don’t think Wanda stole the focus at all honestly, this was very clearly Strange’s movie. I liked him better here way more than his first movie.

The CAMEOSSS Specifically REED FUCKING RICHARDS YOOO. That was so surreal to me actually seeing John Krasinski play him. I trulyyyy hope he’s the main Reed, there’s no way he can’t be after this.

Black Bolt and Charles's death scenes are gonna haunt me man, they’re just...oof they’re brutal.

DID ANYONE ELSE CATCH THE 90S X-MEN THEME WHEN HE WAS WHEELING OUT CAUSE MY GOD

Last thing, I really wanted this to be a team up movie with Strange and Wanda, they’d be an awesome team. I’m sad we didn’t get that, but...maybe one day

Okay, those are my jumbled up thoughts on this movie. This is gonna be one I think about for a while for sure

#MoM spoilers #doctor strange #wanda maximoff #marvel