#hi i only care about the captain america trilogy!!!

[cloudinterlude]

There's a certain tone that bleeds into a lot of MCU fanfiction when talking about Steve's defrosting into the new century and it's bothersome. It's like people don't fully understand why he didn't have to be grateful for being in modern times. There's a serious lack of empathy and it always ends up with some other character ranting to Steve about how he needs to suck it up and move on if he wants to get anywhere in life and somehow that motivates Steve to...realize he was the only one being an asshole and learning to love the current world?

Yeah no.

I've read one (1) - and isn't to say other stories I like got it wrong bc I've certainly read others that are also great - but I've read ONE fanfiction that describes Steve's situation perfectly (in such a meaningful way) and it literally blew my mind when I read it because it was so good to ME.

"Ain't no Grave" by spitandvinegar was amazing. Mind you, I'm not a really Stucky shipper in any capacity (like I see the vision but don't feel it yknow?), but I'm a sucker for satisfying Steve characterization so I inhaled this fic. And y'all...this author did his character justice. It's not even a Steve-centric story! Which made me even more amazed (that the author got him so right) and even more annoyed (that so many people get him so wrong and end up bashing him). I quote the paragraph below but I urge you to read the fic if you're interested!

Like listen, listen. Imagine you live in this country, right? And there's a brutal war, and you witness and maybe participate in a horrific amount of violence, and you lose absolutely everyone you care about. Then you end up in this other country, where the culture and ways of doing things are completely foreign to you, and random assholes make fun of you for how you dress and act and talk while you're still coming to grips with the fact that everyone you love is gone and you can never go home again. Meanwhile, everyone around you is like "smile, motherfucker, you're in the Land of Plenty now, where there's a Starbucks on every corner and 500 channels on TV. You should be grateful! Why aren't you acting more grateful?" So you have to pretend to be grateful while you're dying inside. Sound like an traumatized, orphaned refugee? Also sounds like Steve fucking Rogers, Captain Goddamn America. Except that most refugees were part of a community of other people who were going through the same thing. Steve is all alone, the last damn unicorn, if the last unicorn had horrible screaming nightmares about the time when it helped to liberate Buchenwald.

AMAZING RIGHT? It was very satisfying to read the first time around. Even more satisfying that this was coming from Sam's POV which was just a lovely decision.

Anyways!

This little rant isn't even coming from a place of superiority. I know characterization can be difficult, and it's not so much about the quality rather than the fundamental misunderstanding of Steve's character that makes it obvious that either the author doesn't care enough to try to empathize with him, 2) They're using Steve to prop up some other character or 3) They watched his trilogy with their eyes closed and called it a day.

This post has gotten too long so thats all I'll say for now!

#aint no grave #spitandvinegar #ao3 #steve rogers #pro steve rogers #mcu #everything special #steve my beloved #long post #draft dump

[bettsfic]

How do you fall in love with side characters? I spend so much time with my protagonists that I don’t really care much about my other characters. I want to learn to be more flexible and tell a good story by connecting with all my characters to breathe life into them.

unfortunately side characters are a double-edged sword. on one hand, developing them can improve the story. on the other hand, falling in love with them risks the story you're trying to tell (she says, having had multiple side characters take over entire stories).

what might be helpful is to reframe your perspective of main and side characters. in Aspects of the Novel, Forster defines two types of characters: flat characters and round characters. flat characters aren't poorly written or underdeveloped characters and aren't inherently worse than round characters. in fact, all stories need flat characters. he means "flat" and "round" in a nearly literal sense. round characters are affected or changed by the events of the story; flat characters are not.

Forster goes on a little rant about how Dickens is overrated because he writes only flat yet iconic characters, and Austen is underrated because she writes nuanced, round characters. (note that Aspects was published in 1927.)

flat/round isn't so different than main/side, but it does allow you to forego the implication that side characters are less developed. flat characters are everywhere and sometimes they're really well written. nearly every superhero is a flat character, and due to their medium, they're required to be. Captain America is a round character in The First Avenger when he physically transforms, but becomes a flat character in subsequent films, where his role is to lead the Avengers. he may experience conflict and hardship, but fundamentally he doesn't change. conversely, Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games is one of the roundest characters i can think of. the events of the story fundamentally change her and nearly destroy her. many people regard Anakin Skywalker as a poorly written character (i disagree but can acknowledge it's a popular opinion) but he's also very round in that the prequel trilogy allows us to witness his transformation into Darth Vader.

so to fall in love with side characters, i think you have to acknowledge that in the story you're trying to tell, they may be flat characters, but as the protagonist of their own story, they're round. they've experienced things in their lives that have changed them. those things may not be part of the story you're trying to tell, but it may be important for you to know so that even if they're flat they can still be interesting and nuanced. ask yourself, who did they used to be and who are they now? what changed them? what tragedies have they faced? what successes have they achieved?

once you answer these questions for yourself, i think interesting things will begin happening in terms of the way your side characters interact with the narrative. even though my side characters always threaten to take over the story, knowing their motivations and backgrounds usually help complicate the main conflict in ways that are fun to explore.

#writing advice #character

[ordinaryschmuck]

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 made me cry three times.

Hey, that’s one per movie...Yeah, this movie’s awesome.

If you couldn’t tell, this is a very emotional film for sure, and a part of why that works so well is because it’s these characters. The Guardians are some of the most likable characters in the MCU, so seeing them go through a lot of hard stuff in this movie hits ya where it hurts because of how much you care about them. Especially Rocket, who I might not see the same way again after this movie due to his crazy tragic backstory.

Speaking of which, shit gets DARK with Volume 3! Do you like animals? Then maybe don’t watch this one, because there are scenes where animals get tortured, mutilated, mutated, and even killed throughout the film. You don’t see the REAL brutal stuff, but the implications that James Gunn puts in might actually be worse than SHOWING us. But don’t let that make you think we DON’T see any gruesome stuff in this. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is one of the few MCU projects that EARNS its PG-13 rating, having some VIOLENT imagery and deaths. For example, there’s a moment where you see what a character really looks like, and it might just be the goriest thing the MCU has ever had, which is the biggest compliment I can give.

But despite all that, it’s still funny! Like, REALLY funny! And the jokes don’t spoil and dramatic or serious moment in the film, either...Well, except for maybe one or two scenes, but that’s NOTHING compared to films where the jokes completely harm the final product like Thor: Love and Thunder. Here, the jokes are perfectly placed, are rarely forced in, and are ACTUALLY funny. Me and everyone in the theater were cackling with laughter a LOT throughout the movie. I could barely restrain myself from belting out a laugh or two half the time.

And the action. Holy SHIT, the action! These “trilogies” in the MCU really know how to save the cool stuff for the third movies. Iron Man 3, Captain America: Civil War, Thor: Ragnarok, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and now THIS FILM all feature some of the most epic, creative, and fun action scenes and set-pieces in the MCU. There’s a hallway fight that might just top Daredevil’s due to how violent and creative it is with these characters, their powers, and how they kill people. It really does feel like James Gunn wanted to give the fans a few final cool battles before leaving the MCU forever.

Which brings me to another thing about what makes this movie awesome: It is a clear send-off for James Gunn and the Guardians. The movie makes it VERY clear that this will be the last time all these characters will be together. Hell, the credits features pictures of the Guardians throughout their journies and adventures in the MCU. The most we’ll PROBABLY get are cameos, but other than that, this is the end for most of these characters. And WHAT an end it was.

If there’s anything to complain about, there’s two problems.

#1, Adam Warlock. The character isn’t...bad and Will Poulter nails the voice I always pictured this character having. But he doesn’t really nail who Warlock is in the comics and, overall, he’s kind of...pointless. You can easily write him out of the movie and make a few extra tweaks NOTHING would be missing. Honestly, it feels like the only reason why he’s here is because Volume 2 teased his appearance and James Gunn had no choice but to...bring him in for this last ride. Also, Warlock has the worst costume in the MCU. I mean, look at this:

What even is this?

Which brings me to #2--Which is my most nitpickiest complaint: Star Lord doesn’t wear his mask. Ever. Throughout all two hours and a half hours of this film. It’s part of a bigger complain I have where characters don’t mask up as much as they should in these movies, but it doesn’t stop how distracting it is. I don’t want see Chrisp Ratt’s stupid face in this. I want to see STAR LORD.

THIS! I want to see THIS! And the crazy thing is that Volume 3 finally gives the Guardians their comic accurate uniforms, but don’t go all the way in giving us Star Lord’s mask. Not even the original one they made for these movies. Part of the fun of superheroes are their cool and iconic costumes so it sucks that we don’t get to see enough of that. Imagine if Spider-Man: No Way Home or Captain America: Civil War didn’t have Peter and Steve wear their masks for the big and epic fights, including the finale battles. It wouldn’t be great, would it? Seeing Tom Holland and Chris Evans fight instead of Spider-Man and Captain America.

LET YOUR HEROES WEAR MASKS, YOU COWARDS!

...But other than that, this movie’s a near perfect 9/10 for me.

Now, does this mean Marvel’s back on their game and they’ll be making good movies again?

...We’ll see.

For now, I’ll remain hopeful. Because while the MCU is going through a bit of a rough patch with its films and recent shows, there’s still some fun to be had. I’ll always keep an eye out for what they have next, even if it’s not always as good as it could be, it’ll always lead me to seeing...

A fun, nostalgic thrill-ride that honors Spider-Man and what makes him so awesome.

A touching tribute to Chadwick Boseman and how much he and the character he portrayed meant to others.

And this final ride that’s fun, tragic, and complete in all the right ways.

#marvel cinematic universe #mcu #mcu reviews #guardians of the galaxy #guardians of the galaxy vol 3 #rocket raccoon #star lord #adam warlock #quick thoughts #what i thought about

[kitewithfish]

Wednesday reading meme

What I've Read

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik - Oh, this is how you end a trilogy. This books took the relationships and themes and even the monsters that have followed the main character from the very first book, and hunted them all down to pull the last thematic dregs from their depths. I didn't quite cry when I found out what really happened to Orion, but man, it hurt. It hurt so good. El Higgins will always live in my heart. 

Mutually-Assured Destruction by Sineala -  Bucky/Tony 616 Marvel comics in the 1960s - Identity porn! 1960's Tony Stark is Iron Man and nobody knows. So when the Winter Soldier comes out of the Soviet Union to ask to join the Avengers on the condition that he doesn't ever tell anyone his name or reveal his face, even to Captain America.... Tony thinks, oh, maybe we could be friends? Maybe I can be a little bit myself with this one? And things snowball from there. This is a great fic by an author that loves the 1960s comics version of the Avengers, and honestly, the tone fits those comics so well. This fic was slipping into a warm bath - angsty just in measure to the comfort. I was following updates from Sineala's Patreon while she was writing it and I was so glad to see if come out!

a simple thing- Chapter 47-  by iridan - Star Wars, Mandalorian, Boba Fett/Din Djarin. - Chapter 47 just hit this week, which means we are ONE CHAPTER FROM THE ENDING OF THE FIC,this is not a drill. This fic is 765K words and Chapter 47 alone was 27K words, and I heartily recommend it if you want to watch someone really live into their tags that say " Din 'I Can't Talk Right Now I'm Doing Queer Person With Religious Trauma Shit' Djarin" and "rebuilding a culture is hard." Honestly, great work on the cultural stuff about how there's been tons of contradictory ways of portraying Mandalorians in Star wars, and this fic makes them all feel like people who have been out in the world, trying their best. 

Fic Rec based on Scholomance series: If you want a smaller, single person version of the themes in The Scholomance Trilogy, I heartily recommend two other works by Astolat (aka, Naomi Novik in her fic writing persona) -

-Heal Thyself a Draco post-canon character study about what damage using Dark Magic does to a person, and what it takes for Draco to really come out of it the other side. (Technically Harry/Draco, but only towards the end, well after Draco has done the work of fixing himself.)    

-Victory Condition: A Tranformers fic in which Megatron and Optimus Prime have to actually talk thru their world views, and Optimus Prime has to face that the Golden Age he remembered was built on the suffering of people he didn't see. (Honestly, I kind of recommended The Scholomance series to someone based on the idea that El Higgins is a Megatron with a bit more support and Orion the human is pretty clearly based on Orion Pax aka Optimus Prime, but with some complicated history.) 

Honorable mentions to fic that didn't quite make the novel-length cut: Don’t be afraid. by spqr -Star Wars, Anakin/Obi-Wan, ages reversed. I... I find this pairing normally not for me, and I am aware that this is working on me because I love fic where a traumatized character is confronted with love and care, and well, this did the job. 

What I'm Reading

Homeworld Elegy - Ashcroft Writes - Star Wars AU - Obi-Wan/ Cad Bane - 138K words -Once I got some momentum on this fic, I'm just flying thru it. I'm in a section that creates a whole history for Cad Bane and Duros and their world and his childhood romance with a friend, and I'm like, I thought this was just a mean blue man in a big hat, and now you are making my feel emotions??? It's just working for me really well. 

Two Old Women by Velma Wallis - I'm just not finishing this very quickly, dunno why. The voice just feels like listening to someone telling a story. 

What I'll Read Next:

Library books are on hold for this week because I'm going to be traveling, unless I get finished with them before I go. 

Darth Maul: Lockdown

Whale Rider

Thrawn -Heir to the Empire 

Maybe Spinning Silver 

Tiger's Daughter

Things I own:

Might re-read City of Lies in order to get back on the page for the sequel book. 

Hunting Towards Heartstill -blackkat

Think of England - KJ charles

#realized that i've been posting a fair bit about what i'm reading to dreamwidth #and that's great #but tumblr loves and needs recs #so I'm giving them some #star wars the clone wars #marvel comics #mandalorian #fic recommendation #reading meme

[peonycremearts]

Main Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWNPrgVLTSP/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Art Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWNPx_0rIwa/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

My Rendition of Natasha Stark w/o Armor vs. Canon Natasha Stark

Again, she's a very obscure alternate counterpart in Marvel, as you can see, she's Tony Stark's female counterpart and unlike other alternate counterparts, she only gets ONE PANEL in the comics, her only panel in the comics tells us how she's different from Tony Stark, she achieves things Tony Stark never achieved in the comics, getting married. (Well, he is now, thanks to suffering from a debilitating midlife crisis, his fiance is Hellcat, not Pepper Potts, just wait, after the wedding, the baby is on the way, that's how midlife crisises work, I know because it's the same story with my middle school teacher) But, her husband isn't a male Pepper Potts or Hellcat but Captain America (I find it fascinating how Tony Stark is marrying a cat but his female counterpart married Captain America). But despite getting only one panel, Natasha Stark gained a handful of fanart (the one where Captain America is basically G-Rated Peter Griffin is hilarious) and several fanfics (I still love the retelling of the Iron Man trilogy that kicked off the MCU with Natasha Stark in place of Tony Stark, genius fanfic!).

Anyway, last Christmas, I drew her but this time, without armor and what is she to me, an overworked nerdy mom, she actually adopted the Maximoff Twins before getting married (but obviously, in her dimension, they’re WAY YOUNGER, like at the time she got married, they were only 4 months old, c’mon, her story is up to our imagination because Marvel likes to pretend she doesn’t exist so I imagine in her dimension, Magneto is a heartless monster who abandoned his newborn children the second they were born and she found the newborn Maximoff Twins starving and marinating in their own waste, it hurted her so she adopted them and is raising them as her own) so, this is her, like a year after getting married, you’ll notice she has a tattoo of Captain America’s shield, why? Look at her, who gets married in their superhero suits? This is someone who doesn’t care about tradition and rules (she’s just as bad as Jean Grey, she doesn’t care either, I heard her and Cyclops’ wedding was just as weird), so she doesn’t care that the tattoo rules are “Don’t get a tattoo of your lover/spouse. You could break up or get a divorce.” so I imagine she’s the type to get a tattoo to show her husband’s love. So, she is, tinkering in her lab with her adopted children, who are, as you’d expect from 15 month old babies, they’re playing but being mutant babies, Baby Scarlet Witch is already using her magic (Mama Natasha still can’t figure out Baby Wanda) and Baby Quicksilver is just running around. And why isn’t he wearing pants? Natasha just changed his diaper and Baby Quicksilver is very mischievous (caring for mutant babies is not the easiest job in the world) and caring for them is tiring, so she just goes back to work and lets Baby Quicksilver play, until she can catch him to put his pants back on or she has to change his diaper again. Also, I added a few things you’ll recognize, a little Green Goblin plushie and Olaf plushie, she has to keep two hyperactive and superpowered babies entertained somehow and Olaf is there because Disney owns Marvel and now Fox so I add a few Disney stuff to mix it up a little.

And as for Natasha Stark, I imagine without the armor, she just has black, short wavy hair and she wears just about the same clothes Tony Stark (mainly, his work clothes, this was my inspiration) and she’s wearing a bandana on her head like Rosie the Riveter, this is what she gets for marrying Captain America. Anyway, just sharing my fanart of her! (Natasha is queen! Still sad she wasn’t in Dr. Strange: Multiverse of Madness but hopefully, we’ll see her in the MCU in the future, she deserves more than what Marvel gave her)

#my art #my artwork #marvel #marvel fanart #iron woman #natasha stark #captain america #steve rogers #quicksilver #pietro maximoff #scarlet witch #wanda maximoff #what I think she looks like without the armor #I think she’s now just a tired mom

[thevindicativevordan]

How would you rate Marvel and DC's showings at SDCC?

Marvel was great. DC was terrible. I should be at the point now where I don't let that bother me as it's been the case ever since BvS, but damnit I'm not happy with the state of DC outside the Trinity.

Running down the list for Marvel:

Comics - Obviously the big news is Hickman writing a "Sandman" for Marvel. My guess is it's either a Dr. Strange book, or a book focused on the Marvel Abstracts (Death, Order, Chaos, the Living Tribunal, etc). Of course I will be picking that up Day 1. Otherwise the Tradd Moore Dr. Strange book sounds interesting, I'm hopeful that the new F4 creative team will come out guns blazing, Aaron is finally off Avengers but we don't know what's next for him, there's going to be a "Cold War" Captain America event featuring Steve and Sam, Cantwell is leaving Iron Man with issue 25, and he's doing a Namor book and another book where Osborn will be a hero going by the moniker "Gold Goblin". Krakoa will last until 2024 at least which is when they might start entering the second act of Hickman's plan. None of the Spider-Man teases interested me.

Animation - Goddamn but that Spider-Man cartoon sure interests me! Gorgeous art style, finally a Marvel cartoon with an actual budget again. They say it's set in the MCU but that can't be true. You've got Norman and Otto showing up here which would outright contradict No Way Home, and Peter gets a classic costume. I assume this is set in the "MCU Multiverse" like the What-If series, on a different Earth. Can't wait to watch, would be nice if we could have great Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man cartoons all running simultaneously like the 90s again. Never seen the X-Men 90s cartoon but maybe I'll go watch that and check out the revival.

Film/TV - Aside from Spider-Man, Blade, and F4 I don't have any interest in the upcoming Marvel slate. Maybe I'll go see the Avengers movies but right now I'm scaling back. Hot damn did this show the confidence invested in Feige all the same, even coming off of the worst Marvel Phase yet he still is able to get people excited over a bunch of logos. That Wakanda Forever trailer was beautiful but I can't help feeling bitter over what it means for T'Challa.

For DC

Comics - Williamson's big "reveal" only elicited eye rolls and groans from what I've seen. Nobody cares about infinite Earths when you can't even put out books featuring anyone but the Bats. Aside from two Static books and a YA Superman book, EVERYTHING else was Batman related. I get that DC likely wants to hold back on revealing what's coming in 2023 until we're deeper into Dark Crisis, but it's painful to see how small the DCU has shrunk compared to Marvel. They're not even trying right now.

Animation - The only interesting reveal was the 2023 DTV lineup of JL/RWYB, Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham, Legion of Superheroes, and JL: Warworld. Only Legion and Warworld caught my eye, not a RWYB fan, and DtctG's main appeal is the Mignola art which I doubt they can afford to replicate. Other two seem to be the Tomorowverse movies, and both are likely going to star Superman in a lead role given Legion has his symbol in the promo and Warworld is self-explanatory. That takes the sting out of him not getting his own solo movie for his 85th at least. Ideally Legion would be an adaption of the Johns/Frank Superman & the Legion of Superheroes arc, and Warworld would be an adaption of PKJ's Warworld Saga, with the League replacing the Authority, but it's just as likely they will be original stories. Guess the rumors of a CoIE trilogy were false, no matter I'm not a huge fan of that story anyway. Edit: Looks like the Legion story is going to be Superman introducing Supergirl to the team, that could still be fun although I hope Clark is more involved than just passing her off to them and disappearing.

Film - Shazam 2 looks funny but I expect it to be another modest success. Black Adam looks cool but everyone was hoping the rumor Cavill would show up was true, and weren't happy when it didn't happen. Deadline wouldn't usually report "buzz" if there wasn't at least plausible cause but this time they looked like fools. Cavill and WB have been playing a game of chicken for five years and I'm tired of it. If you're seriously going to let the Rock put a post credit scene in BA that sets up a showdown with Superman, fucking get a Superman. Either give Cavill another solo movie like he wants or recast the role, because Cavill is not going to blink. Damn if WB doesn't look sad right now, can't even promote their 2023 movies because of the Miller and Heard controversies, never mind talking about the future.

DC got bodied this year. Speculation that they're saving reveals for Fandome feel far fetched to me given A. the likelihood that there are changes to the slate coming because of the restructure and Hamada's likely departure, and B. last year they announced a date for Fandome in April and it's almost August now. I don't think we'll get a Fandome this year because everyone is waiting for Zaslav to pick his new DC head and then they'll be the one to start greenlighting pitches. Five years since Snyder got kicked out and DC is still a mess. What a waste.

#dc comics #marvel #sdcc2022

[chrisluufea395]

04.25.2023 Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This movie is the second installment in the Captain America trilogy and a part of the Marvel franchise. The relationship between Captain America and Bucky Barnes has not been considered queer in the comics prior to the film screening as there may have not been a lot of queer coding throughout print media. The films can be seen to have a ton of queer coding and portray the male-to-male, best friend experience in an interesting way. At some times, the women in the film feel like inserts that are there to make Steve Rogers straight. The prime example of this is Sharon Carter's character and somewhat Black Widow's character.

The article paired with this movie is Melissa Locker, “Twitter Really Wants Captain America and Bucky Barnes to Be a Couple” Time Magazine, May 24, 2016. This goes over the fans on social media wanting the Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes ship to be real. The reasoning makes sense because in the movies, all Steve cares about is getting his best pal back, which is understandable in the context of his non-blood brother being taken and brainwashed by the bad guys. As Black Widow tries to guide him through getting a date and possibly with Sharon Carter, Steve says no to all of them and only speaks about his long lost friend. I understand how it can be seen in a queer lens and more than "bros being bros."

[moonykat]

We need to talk about Steve

"It's just that shield's the closest thing I've got left to a family, so when you retired it, it made me feel like I had nothing left. Made me question everything. You, Steve, me. You know I've got his, uh... I've got his book. I just figured if it worked for him, then it'd work for me."

All right, first of all, I am so so glad he actually voiced his thought process and feelings for both Sam and the viewers to understand where he was coming from over the last four episodes. He acknowledged how ignorant both he and Steve were about what it meant to have the shield and become Captain America in a much-needed apology to Sam.

Now, about the shield and Steve. In those few lines, we see a man trying desperately to make sense of what's going on around him. Bucky has been to hell and back, and when he finally had a shot at peace and quiet, Steve went back. So here he is, trying to get better, to deal with this huge emotional baggage, and all he's got left is the memory of the person who used to be his guide, his one and only link to the past, his companion in a world he doesn't understand. Of course, he was going to cling on to whatever Steve said or left. Like he mentioned here, that shield represented the closest thing he's got to a family. Not having that as a stone number one in his life now must have felt like being left alone all over again. There he was, alone and lost, with nothing to remind him of who he is and what he's supposed to do.

"I understand man. But Steve is gone. And this may come as a surprise, but it doesn't matter what Steve thought."

This may hurt, and we actually see Bucky's reaction to these words. To put it simply, Marvel fucked up. And, even if it went against his own characterization, Steve's decision by the end of Endgame is very much canon, and here we have both Sam and Bucky having to deal with the very real consequences of that selfish decision.

Bucky needed to hear this. I was going to make a post about how Bucky is romanticizing his views on Steve out of pain, but given this was touched upon this episode I guess I might as well do it now. This need of Bucky to live up to the man Steve thought he was, this defending Steve's name at any given moment comes from putting Steve Rogers on a pedestal. He doesn't see (or doesn't want to see) how royally fucked up Steve's decision was, so here he is trying (and failing) to live a life where the only person he ever saw as a family left him alone. If he thought he wasn't worth it before, imagine having this as a sort of confirmation of your lack of worth. No wonder the dude wants to please Steve so hard, even if the man is decades ago dancing or whatever.

Bucky needs to break free from living a life ruled by What Would Steve Want Me To Do because it isn't allowing him to be his own person. Yes, Bucky and Steve storylines have been so directly related to each other during the trilogy and the MCU that it is almost impossible to picture one without the other, but... again, Marvel fucked up. And in the current MCU, Bucky deserves to find peace and happiness in a world where Steve (not my Steve) left him alone. He deserves to be free. He deserves to live. And even if it hurt, I am glad Sam of all people told him this. Because yes, Bucky. Your Steve was also a human, and he fucked up. Big time. So, even if you wish he hadn't, he left. And you don't need to please him or care about what he would have wanted you to do. He's not here anymore. He's living his life, and you deserve to live yours.

"You gotta stop looking to other people to tell you who you are."

Steve's role in Bucky's life post-winter soldier served as an anchor. Back then, Bucky had no reference of who James Barnes was, and he needed someone to remind him of it, to flash the light while he started to piece his life together again. In that context, Steve's presence was undeniably the single most important thing for him. And it was something good. However, now with most of his memories back, with a new chance being given to him, it's time he lets go of the man he used to be until six months ago and starts truly understanding himself. Finding out who he is in this post Blip world. Now he's not at the same incredibly vulnerable place he was before, now he can do it. Alone? hell no. It's going to need time, therapy, and a heck of a strong support system. But he doesn't need someone to tell him who Bucky Barnes is anymore, now he gets to figure it out on his own.

I don't think I will ever be fine with Steve's decision in Endgame (ever), and to be honest, I don't think Bucky will be either. However, we have to deal with what's on the table. Marvel made Steve do something so magnifically out of character, it pretty much started a whole tv show. And now Sam and Bucky have to find a way to live within it. I sincerely hope Bucky is able to find his own person, that he realizes he doesn't need to live by anyone's rules nor meet anyone's expectations anymore. That he has the right to be happy. That he deserves to be.

#I hate that Marvel has put me in the possition of having to write this #Nothing will ever even come close to the fuck up of a choice that was to send Steve back to the past #anywho I am happy for my Bucky :( #tfatws #tfatws spoilers #bucky barnes #the falcon and the winter soldier #The winter soldier #marvel #steve rogers #marvel analysis #tfatws meta #bucky barnes meta #stucky #the truth #tfatws 1x05 #Sorry this got so long but I'm writing this at 4 am and if I don't let it all out now I don't think I'll ever will #THEY WERE SOULMATES MARVEL WHY YOU GOTTA DO THIS

[geenawrites]

'Black Widow' and undermining Dramatic Intent (II)

[PART ONE]

The 'Civil War' Effect

4): Elements that could’ve made Black Widow Natasha's personal journey are reduced to quick conversational bites told to Natasha instead of experienced by Natasha and the audience first hand.

The film could've built the story around her family selling her off to the government (on some eugenics mess). It could've set the stage for the subplot regarding her mother’s search for her until she was murdered, and Natasha trying to learn about her past pre-assassin.

For all the moments where we simply see her on her own, a lot of that alone time isn't used to explore how she feels, what she's thinking, or a personal throughline. It's just a montage of her looking gloomy and wearing comfy sweatshirts.

The only time Natasha truly feels like she is the emotional center of the movie is the opening act of the film. There, she’s portrayed by Ever (Gabo) Anderson and not Scarlett Johansson.

And as a film touted-as a vehicle for Johansson, that is bad. But also underlines why Florence Pugh’s Yelena was considered the real protagonist of the movie.

Black Widow could've been about Natasha wanting to reclaim her past from the Red Room (her abductors) because she reunites with her sister and parents (her surrogate family), and needed to finally deal with the consequences of killing Antonia (her ghost).

Instead, Black Widow is really Yelena’s story and emotional journey. Yelena justifies the presence of Alexei and Melina more-so than anything in Natasha’s history. As centered as Natasha was in the prologue, it works more as a establishing point for Yelena versus something like Natasha’s lost family or working with Clint Barton in Budapest.

Yelena being tasked to save the Widows (by the elder Widow who created the mind control cure), killing Dreykov, and destroying the Red Room are immediate issues that directly impact her arc and development as a character. Natasha is largely along for the ride, bringing Yelena where she needs to be in each act.

Natasha isn't as centered in her own her film as she should be. Simply compare the structure of her story to the structure in the Captain America (x2), Ant Man (x2), Thor (x3), and Iron Man (x3) films, and how those narratives focus on Steve Rogers, Scott Lang, Thor Odinson, and Tony Stark. Those films are about their emotional journeys while maintaining a healthy supporting cast that don't overshadow them.

Black Widow in comparison feels more like Captain America: Civil War, which is more of an Avengers film than it is a Captain America story. The emotional center of Civil War is Tony Stark and Zemo. Steve and his cast are simply underpinning Stark and Zemo's arcs. It also tries to introduce a new character (Black Panther) with the exact same story beat (revenge) as Stark and Zemo, and a MCU-wide subplot (Sakovia Accords) that ultimately goes nowhere later on.

The consequences of Civil War "Avengering" a solo film are on display in Black Widow in a big way. It's introducing new characters, and trying to tackle a trilogy's worth of storylines (the Red Room, Budapest, the Widow family, Civil War-fallout).

She doesn't even get a decent postmortem send off. The post credits, wherein Yelena mourns Natasha, is turned into a comedic skit and a teaser for the Hawkeye series. It's not allowed to remain a moment of mourning between two sisters separated by literal death.

As an Executive Producer of the film, I know this was not lost on Johansson. She might be an awful person, but she doesn’t strike me as someone so unaware of her environment that she set the stage to be undermined by her co-star. No, I think, given the timing, Johansson knew this was always going to be about setting up her successor.

Wrong Time, Wrong Place

Choosing to set Black Widow after Civil War was just a poor choice on Marvel’s part. Natasha circa 2016 has more or less come-to-terms with her history as a state-sponsored assassin for both Russia and the United States. Her arc as seen throughout the Avengers and Captain America films has come full circle following the events of The Winter Soldier. Now all she has left going forward is the arc dealing with Thanos' genocide and resurrecting everyone.

There is nothing to mine in terms of personal character drama because, at this point, she has laid it all to rest. It's nothing that torments her akin to Bucky trying to square away with his past as an amnesiac assassin.

All of Natasha’s threads are focused on the break-up of the Avengers. At first, seemed like her arc was going to be about not falling back into bad habits (being mistrustful of everyone). That it was going to deal with how she felt let down by the team (after trying to be the reasonable party among everyone), but the film doesn't really commit.

After that one conversation in Budapest, "getting the Avengers back together" isn't even a focal point. We just get awkward callbacks that tell the audience that Natasha isn't on the same level as Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor.

Yelena forgiving her family is used to tack on the sudden parallel idea that Natasha has been convinced she can personally bring the Avengers together again as a surrogate family once things work with her Widow Family.

Again, even in her own film, Natasha is playing the sacrificial matriarch of a Boy’s Club (whose event films she features only as a supporting character. Something I think people are only just realizing). That says to me the MCU never valued her beyond her ties to the male Avenger cast.

”You’re such a mom!” becomes a lot less funny in that context.

If this film was immediately set after The Winter Soldier or even Age of Ultron, wherein all of her history and SHIELD’s was leaked for public record, then there might’ve been a chance for an emotionally resonant story arc.

How would a Natasha scrambling to create new covers, and new ways to protect herself, deal with the sudden public attention of the world knowing that she was a foreign assassin that bought her way into the United States and became a celebrity superhero? How would a post-Winter Soldier solo film deal with Natasha’s past in way that she didn't become overshadowed by her own supporting cast?

How would a post-Age of Ultron solo film handle her past as informed by her nightmare (which stuck closer to her history as a trained dancer in the comics) on top of the events of The Winter Soldier?

But even as a post-Civil War narrative, Black Widow should've really cared to explore how Natasha felt about having to revisit her history with the Red Room, on top of being betrayed by Alexei and Melina. Instead of giving all those emotional beats to Yelena, actually show us Natasha confronting them beyond “it wasn’t real!”

How would the story turn out if parent with the biggest hand in the facilitation of her abuse (Alexei) wasn't turned into a flat comic relief character? What if he actually got chance to really consider her grievances, show remorse for his actions, without being turned into a “ha, ha, he’s do dumb (and fat)!” punchline (after setting him up as the total opposite in the prologue)?

Melina could've been an interesting co-antagonist working with Dreykov, but the film skirts past how she is complicit in the harm that her daughters faced (Yelena especially) with a fake Heel Turn moment that only undermined Dreykov as a threat.

And that’s really the problem with Black Widow. The film, or rather Marvel Studios, doesn’t want to really tackle Natasha’s past or pain like they were willing to do with Steve Rogers in The First Avenger, and The Winter Soldier.

Maybe because that would mean approaching the story with the emotional maturity of The Bourne Identity, a PG-13 film that was plenty violent without being excessive. It was also emotionally resonate by dealing with the fact that Jason Bourne was, pre-amnesia, a US assassin that did awful shit.

Instead we get a plot about mind-control, and magic red dust that can break said mind control (that apparently requires invasive surgery of the brain).

Whedon seemed comfortable with getting close to the actual violence that was asked of Natasha (vs. done to) by the Russian government as a kid. The screenplay for Black Widow can talk past Natasha willingly doing awful things, but doesn’t want to confront that by having her or Yelena deal with an army of assassins who are walking down the same path Natasha did, fighting and killing for another government without any sort of mind control.

This is why Natasha's assassination of “Dreykov’s Daughter” (Antonia) as the thing that happened in Budapest also doesn't land. The movie doesn't want to deal with how Natasha learned to live with murdering a child to buy her freedom into America. They make it so that she didn’t kill her, actually, just gave her a bad case of pizza face. She’s not even the one that pulls the trigger, the film suggests that it was Hawkeye.

Her mustache-twirling villain of a father, who somehow survived the explosion and building collapse with zero burns or broken bones, is the one who does all the truly horrible things to his daughter (turning her into a mindless slave).

The Original Sin that Natasha is defined by is swept under the rug in the same way her history as a killer is blurred by the script. It’s akin to rewriting Xena’s history with Callisto as the killer of her family and village, and deciding, “No, Xena didn’t kill them. They all survived with minor burns! Callisto can now forgive Xena!”

Natasha's Antagonist

Dreykov is a weak antagonist/villain because the screenwriting seems determined to accredit the abuse of the Red Room entirely to him instead of making a systemic issue. What started off as a clandestine organization for the KGB throughout most of the MCU is rewritten in Black Widow as the personal playground of a thinly veiled Harvey Weinstein analogue who puppeteers his personal assassins to do bad things, thus rendering them all innocent of their wrongdoings. It makes them "perfect victims" in way.

(Johansson has gone on record saying that this film was influenced by the #MeToo Movement. Well, celebrification of it, anyway)

Dreykov doesn’t challenge Natasha, or her family. There’s never an immediate danger or stakes being driven by Dreykov. He’s not doing something they have to stop “before time runs out”, he doesn’t have anything on any of the characters that could push their actions.

He takes a backseat to the family hijinks, so the journey to finding and destroying the Red Room has no urgency (Natasha being dead already notwithstanding). As the supposed architect of their misery, he’s about as threatening as Mason (Natasha’s Black Best Friend who buys her things while in hiding).

Dreykov fails like the rest of the MCU’s villains (not named Erik Killmonger) because there's no depth to the character. There's no real loyalty to the character as a demonstration of his power or influence. Again, all his victims are blameless in their violent actions. No one with speaking lines or face time (that isn't a G.I Joe grunt) is working with him because they believe in his goals or ideology.

Complicating that matter is that the script never reveals what his goals or ideologies are besides, "I can create chaos with an army of assassins. I am so evil."

It’s wild to me that so many are rushing to defend the implementation of this sloppily written (and miscast) character because, “he works as a villain because he's a human trafficker” and “he mind controlled his own daughter.”

“He does terrible things”, or a character representing awful things that happen in the real world, isn't enough to make an effective villain. If that was all it took, then 90% the MCU’s villains wouldn’t be so forgetabble.

(He’s not real, I shouldn’t be reading posts like, “he doesn’t deserve screentime b/c he’s an awful human being! He earned his lazy death scene.” Girl, what???)

If you’re gonna tackle human/child trafficking as defined by one antagonist, then really make it part of the story. Make it something that Natasha and Yelena are actively trying to stop. Don’t montage it over a bad Nirvana cover and then shift gears into a G.I. Joe scenario in a floating fortress.

If you're gonna make Dreykov the abuser of so many women, then make it crucial to your protagonist's narrative. Don't add a silly Angry Beavers plot where his stinky musk can control a woman's bodily functions because as a weak analogue to "how men police women's bodies".

Because Natasha has no real conflict with Dreykov, confronting him in the climax goes nowhere. Dreykov is Yelena’s antagonist. It's why Yelena gets to kill him instead of Natasha, so it would've made more sense for her to confront him instead.

The film eventually establishes he's no real threat to Natasha because the writing pulled a Xanatos. The character feels like he exists only so Johansson can sass him, and make a callback to the Loki Interrogation scene (a scene that only worked because of the audience misdirection.)

Dreykov could've been an effective villain if he was anything like the Headmistress characters in the Samee-Waid Black Widow series from 2016.

The Headmistress and Anya (the new Headmistress later on) were characters with emotional connections to Natasha and the Widow children she was trying to save. They taught these girls to believe in the totalitarian philosophy of the ruling class. Natasha and the other Widows couldn't live without them until they were able to escape their influence.

The Headmistresses were women, which makes it plain that women are also perpetrators of abuse. It isn’t just something that men do, which is how this script has approached this subject entirely (Captain Marvel did the same thing as well). Abuse being exclusively a male theater of action.

Antonia's death could've been meaningful in regards to Natasha and Dreykov as characters if Dreykov cared that Antonia was murdered by a Red Room assassin. Natasha admitting that she killed his daughter and regretted it would've made a lot more impact than just having him shrug it off because he's so heartless and so evil.

Or, as other people have said, imagine if it was Antonia who was the antagonist gunning after Natasha because of what she did, not only to her, but her father as well.

It would not only render the mind-control plot pointless, it would re-center the focus on Natasha, and force the writers to do something else with Yelena, Alexei, and Melina (assuming they're even necessary in this scenario). Then, Natasha would have a genuinely threatening antagonist because the stakes are personal on both sides.

It would've been a hellva lot more meaningful than using Taskmasker as a plot-twist (after hyping the character up as the controller of the Red Room and Natasha's personal nemesis).

Callisto’s story as a villain resonates because she cared about what she lost, and Xena knew there was no real forgiveness for what she did to her. Imagine if they approached Natasha’s role in Antonia’s death like that.

(But that's probably asking for too much nuance from Disney and Marvel.)

Conclusions

In story that wants to be about the abused reconciling with their past and family, the film effectively robs the abused of their autonomy by going the extra of mile of making them zombies. In the same way the Star Wars sequel trilogy avoided Finn’s history as an indoctrinated and enslaved Stormtrooper, Black Widow doesn’t want to deal with the ramifications of indoctrination.

How people buy into and protect organizations that strip them of their humanity by making them complicit in violent systems. Oh, sure, they’ll nod and wink at it (as they do with Natasha and Melina’s past), but they won’t go any further than that.

Instead of dealing with how a forced hysterectomy effects Natasha physically and emotionally, we get a joke that isn’t any better than Natasha calling herself a monster, or the “time of the month” joke that got rebuked by the director and the cast.

Instead of reflecting on her time with SHIELD and the United States, the United States is portrayed as "the good-guys who gave her a real family” (ignoring even the half-hearted criticism of the US that The Winter Soldier made), while Russia is still out there doing nefarious Cold War Things and ruining people's families. All of which just feeds into uncritical Russian stereotypes and Red Scare that the film’s foundation is built on.

I enjoyed the film, but the more I think about it, the more I realize Black Widow really does nothing except undermine Natasha's darker elements and self-imposed redemption arc (as written by Whedon).

On top of rewriting key elements about the Red Room (the movies being broken as the comics is a true irony), It minimizes Natasha's violent past to make her into a clean, and boring superhero whose solo film thinks lamp-shading sexism is the same as subverting it.

#geenawrites #black widow #natasha romanov #mcu critical #scarlett johansson #ever anderson #writers on tumblr #bw spoilers #black widow spoilers #mcu meta

[is-nino-actually-luka]

Top 10 Ninos in Miraculous Ladybug

Hey Everyone! 

Ever since Stormy Weather, Miraculous Ladybug fans around the world have always wondered who the best Nino is. However everyone knows Top 10 list are 10x better than that so we’re doing this instead.

In this list, we used a complex equation to calculate which Nino has the greatest combination of friendliness, superheroics, musical ability, directorial inability, loyalty, and that special something that makes them Nino.

This list had a lot of competition, so don’t feel too bad if your favorite Nino didn’t make this particular list! Plus if you guys reblog this with an essay telling me how wrong I am, the tumblr algorithm will actually promote the post!

10. Shell Shock

In 10th place, we have the superhero turned supervillain Shell Shock! Now although you wouldn’t think he has the qualities of being a Nino, considering how betraying your allies isn’t very friendly, but in his defense akumatizations are no ones fault but Hawkmoth’s. 

Plus this betrayal was the impetus for the Nino Retrieval Arc, which is fondly remembered as having some of the best fights in the show, including the very famous scene where the random citizens in a window drop their training weights and unleash their true power so they can restrain him and 2 other akumatized superheroes with little to no effort.

But the real reason he’s so low is because he’s just Carapace but Red, and turtles aren’t red. That’s silly. Shell Shock is just so silly

9. XY (Ripping off Luka)

On the surface, XY appears to be a talentless hack who clearly doesn’t care about music and is only in it for the money, and he is. But in his defense it’s also pretty clear the dude is obviously a product of his environment since his Dad is clearly the mastermind and even he doesn’t seem to think very much of XY.

Honestly the dude ought to become a better person and one of the best ways to change is to stop emulating his father and find better role models. So if he’s ripping off Kitty Section, specifically Luka, then maybe this could be the first step in the journey to becoming a better person like Luka.

Anyways, XY makes number 9 because of his potential 

8. The Right Half of Oblivio

Alright let’s address the elephant in the room about Super Penguino. It’s pretty obviously a stand in for something else, but the show couldn’t exactly say it explicitly since it is a kid’s show after all.

Super Penguino represents how Alya and Nino are mobile gamers.

Honestly considering that their best friends are console gamers, it makes sense that they may try to hide their hobbies, and as a console gamer myself, I agree. They should be ashamed.

But then again I thought it was a cool episode so it’s number 8 even though we barely see Nino until like the last minute

7. Boy in Spanish

Niño takes the number 7 spot on this list for obvious reasons

6. Silencer

Silencer may be a supervillain, but he’s more of an anti villain if we are being honest. Like honestly he was only trying to steal voices from bad people like XY (Who stole his music and insulted Marinette/his friends), Bob Roth (Who encouraged XY to do that and he is literally everything wrong with the music industry), The Mayor (Who is notoriously corrupt), and Ladybug (Remember when she killed Chat Noir during Hero’s Day on live TV?). 

Plus he was only really doing this to help his friends, which is pretty Pog.

Actually the only reason he isn’t higher is because he tries to silence people and that was literally the same thing the bad guys did in Footloose so not very Nino-like if you ask me

5. Bubbler

The Bubbler was literally only akumatized so he could throw his bro a party, and isn’t that the most Nino-like reason ever? Plus it was because of Gabriel Agreste, so can you really blame him?

Although we have to dock points off because he did send all the adults to the sky which is pretty messed up considering I am technically an adult now. Honestly the Bubbler sounded a lot more reasonable when I watched the episode in high school

4. Carapace

Taking number 4 on the list is everyone’s favorite Captain America Ripoff.

And his debut was really something! He actually 1v1ed an akuma without superpowers! He clearly took Ladybug’s advice to heart when she told him that “When you're facing a supervillain, strength doesn't make a difference. Courage and determination do.”

Plus his power is to protect his friends, and can you tell me a more Nino-like power than that? And his transformation sequence and music is a headbanger so it’s pretty obvious to tell that Nino’s under that hood.

Also he’s green. That’s the color turtles are supposed to be.

3. Viperion

Viperion barely edges out Carapace on the list since Viperion doesn’t need to protect his friends from danger. Instead, Viperion can stop the danger before it happens! It’s like Minority Report, and we all know how good of an idea it was in that movie!

It kinda sucks we didn’t get to see more of him in his debut episode, since Ladybug had to sideline Luka at first since she said “When you're dealing with a supervillain, it's better to have a partner with superpowers.” Although he was a hard carry once he did get superpowers! Literally Hawkmoth and Ladybug consider him the biggest threat when facing a group of heroes!

And like any good Nino transformation, the music is a bop, and having an instrument as a weapon really helps on the Nino ranking

2. Luka

The caring older brother who moonlights as a temporary Reptile Hero, Luka isn’t the only musically inclined friend of Adrien who had a crush on Marinette!

Honestly if you didn’t know any better you might think that Luka is actually Nino!

Luka is in almost everyway the best Nino, and he was a very close second to first. Honestly I had some trouble deciding between the two of them, but I think the number 1 pick is pretty unanimous in everyone’s minds

Before we get to the number one pick, let’s take a look at some honorable mentions

Nino Rota: An famous Italian composer whose work includes the Godfather Trilogy’s Score. However the fact he does not appear in Miraculous Ladybug disqualifies him from the top 10.

Saint Nino: Honestly idk anything about her but she was a Saint so I guess she was important. However the fact she does not appear in Miraculous Ladybug disqualifies her from the top 10.

Nino from Fire Emblem 7: She’s doing her best. However the fact she cannot read disqualifies her from the top 10.

1. El Niño

El Niño is a weather phenomena that occurs about every four years and is associated with a warm band of water in the Pacific Ocean which is accompanied by high air pressures in the western Pacific and low air pressure in the Easter Pacific.

It is also the first thing that comes up in Google when you look up Nino.

Honestly I debated putting it this high up on the list, but Nat Geo told me the El Niño in 2016 was associated with coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef, severe droughts in Africa, South America and parts of the Pacific and southeast Asia, and wildfires in Indonesia and Canada. I don’t live in any of those areas but El Niño scares me and for my own safety I decided to appease it by giving it the number 1 spot in this list. 

So did any of our choices surprise you? Make sure to leave a like and comment below your favorite Nino!

#The Truth #ml #miraculous ladybug #shell shock #xy #oblivio #Boy in Spanish #silencer #the bubbler #carapace #viperion #luka couffaine

[rogersstevie]

Bucky in this series cares about the shield, something he didn't even care about. Bucky cared about the man behind the shield, not the shield as Steve's legacy. Sharon called him Mr. America, Steve's best friend sarcastically.

He is upset that Sam gave the shield because Steve gave it to him and all that shit. And that if Steve was wrong about Sam, it means he was wrong about Bucky too.

He has Steve's notebook because he believes that if it worked for Steve, it will work for him too.

He even apologizes for him and Steve to Sam, that they didn't understand the meaning of a black Captain America

Bucky in this series: Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve ...

clearly the notebook didn’t work for steve if none of the things about the future (including the people he loved most) mattered enough to stay in it lmao (obviously i don’t think that way, i know steve loves bucky and sam, but that’s how marvel has framed things so!)

but yeah it’s just so frustrating to me like.........i really don’t think steve would be hanging over this series so much if marvel had gone a normal route and just let him retire without all the stupidity of endgame. and seeing all this talk about the SHIELD and the LEGACY is like.......bucky clearly did not love it when steve became captain america AND steve dropped the shield TWICE for bucky but marvel clearly doesn’t care about canon anymore

and noah fence like i can appreciate them finally diving into bucky’s trauma and doubts like........some of what i’ve seen has been like, aren’t we WELL past some of this like. not that bucky’s ever gonna be untraumatized but he was clearly doing better post cacw and yeah recovery is not linear but. idk. i just wonder about some of that

also they’re doing some flashbacks for bucky, are they doing the same for sam?? i’d really hope we’re getting into some of his history since we only know what we learned about him in catws, which isn’t much, like we already knew way more about bucky than we did him, so. i wanna know more of his backstory!

i hate to say it as a stevebucky stan and it doesn’t matter since i won’t ever be watching this or anything the mcu puts out again (except maybe black widow i’m still undecided) but it’s like, damn i’d kinda rather bucky actually be somewhat okay with imposter steve leaving than be so fixated on him, because it just further pushes the idea that bucky loves steve more than steve loves him and that’s never been true! just bc endgame made a mess of it doesn’t mean the show has to enforce that notion i HATE it

i can appreciate them getting into what it means to have a black captain america, but i’m still wary of some of the snippets i’ve seen of how it’s being handled especially because.......it’s marvel. AND it’s still frustrating to me that the captain america mantle is treated as The Most Significant Thing as if what title sam has is more important than WHO he is. but i guess we did see the discrepancy between steve and captain america in his trilogy too, but it seems like the show is kind of ignoring all that and making steve into nothing but his superhero persona, rather than bucky and sam’s best friend lmao

#Anonymous #ask #i'm rambling but. i hate marvel #tfatws spoilers #anti endgame

[annebaneriddle]

Istg that people trying to make that shit a fandom fight now that the screen time of each character in FATWS are ridiculous. I know that some people will argue with me about it, but I'm not even giving a fuck anymore.

No, Rebecca, Sam isn't the main character between the main characters because the name of the show is The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. His name being first doesn't mean shit. He is the the main character between the main characters (Because, if you aren't aware, the show had Sam, Bucky and Zemo as the main characters, but with Sam being the main between them) because one of the main plots of the show (if not THE main plot) is showing his tragetory on finaly becoming Captain America and showing his strugles as a black man. You're literally demeaning it all to say that the only reason he is the main character is because his name comes first on the show's name, for fuck's sake.

And no, stop being ridiculous saying that "Bucky already had his chance", because he didn't. He was used on all the three movies of Cap's trilogy only as a plot device, as a side character, and just like Sam never really had his story explored. HOWEVER, he will have his time to shine someday. Now it was Sam's time to shine and you should respect it, because I already saw a lot of people who don't give a fuck about Sam, but only pretend they do because they don't like Bucky and for some reason the fandom created that whole "If you like Sam, you have to hate Bucky" and "If you like Bucky, you have to hate Sam" bullshit. Go out touch some grass and leave my boy Sam out of it.

The way a lot of people are acting really shows that they don't give a fuck to the weight that Sam being turned into Captain America has to the black community as a whole, the weight of seeing a black person finally on the spotlight of a worldwide famous fanchise. All they care about is to seem "woke" on social medias and pretend they really care about racism and microagressions. If you want to do that, at least make people a favor and learn how to pretend well, because at least that way you will be for some help on showing the importance of black representation on media.

The younger people on this fandom really have to have some sense talked into their minds (some older people too, unfortunately. One would think they had more sense than that), because it isn't only a show. It's a show from a billionary fanchise with fans all around the worls that is FINALLY showing some black representation that isn't "the black friend of the white guy". And not only that: they're putting a black man as Captain America, a character that some conservative people use to pull their racist crap because they don't know shit about the character or the character's origins. Stop using that for your own selfish reasons.

(Kinda unrelated, but I'm also pissed that John had more screentime than Zemo. Fuck that Made In Chernobly version of Steve.)

#mcu #marvel #sam wilson #sam wilson as captain america #anthony mackie #bucky barnes #winter soldier #sebastian stan #fandom bullshit #the falcon and the winter soldier #fatws #the sambucky show

[thesaltofcarthage]

Loki takes over: Tom Hiddleston on his new TV series and a decade in the MCU

from Entertainment Weekly

Ten years after Hiddleston first chose chaos in Thor, Marvel’s fan favorite God of Mischief is going even bigger with his time-bending Disney+ show.

By Chancellor Agard May 20, 2021 

Tom Hiddleston is Loki, and he is burdened with glorious purpose: After playing Thor's puckish brother for over a decade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, no one understands the mercurial Asgardian God of Mischief as well as the actor. He can teach an entire seminar on Loki if given the opportunity — which he actually did during pre-production on his forthcoming Disney+ show. In conversation, Hiddleston quotes lines from his MCU debut, 2011's Thor, almost verbatim, and will playfully correct you if you mistakenly refer to Asgard's Rainbow Bridge as the Bifrost, which is the portal that connects Loki and Thor's homeworld to the Nine Realms, including Midgard, a.k.a. Earth. "Well, the Bifrost technically is the energy that runs through the bridge," he says with a smile. "But nine points to Gryffindor!" And when he shows up to the photo shoot for this very digital cover, he hops on a call with our photo editor to pitch ways the concept could be even more Loki, like incorporating the flourish the trickster does whenever magically conjuring something. The lasting impression is that playing Loki isn't just a paycheck.

"Rather than ownership, it's a sense of responsibility I feel to give my best every time and do the best I can because I feel so grateful to be a part of what Marvel Studios has created," the 40-year-old Brit tells EW over Zoom a few days after the shoot and a week out from Thor's 10th anniversary. "I just want to make sure I've honored that responsibility with the best that I can give and the most care and thought and energy."

After appearing in three Thor movies and three Avengers, Hiddleston is bringing that passion to his first solo Marvel project, Loki, the House of Ideas' third Disney+ series following the sitcom pastiche WandaVision and the topical The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Led by head writer Michael Waldron (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Heels), the six-episode drama sees Hiddleston's shapeshifting agent of chaos step out from behind his brother's shadow and into the spotlight for a timey-wimey, sci-fi adventure that aims to get to the bottom of who Loki really is. "I wanted to explore slightly more complex character questions," says Waldron. "It's not just good versus bad. Is anybody all good? Is anybody all bad? What makes a hero, a hero? A villain, a villain?"  

Even though Loki — who loves sowing mayhem with his illusion magic and shapeshifting, all with a major chip on his shoulder — has never been one for introspection, the idea of building an entire show around him was a no-brainer for Marvel. When asked why Loki was one of the studio's first Disney+ shows, Marvel president Kevin Feige replies matter-of-factly, "More Hiddleston, more Loki." First introduced as Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) envious brother in Kenneth Branagh's Thor, Loki went full Big Bad in 2012's The Avengers. That film cemented the impish rogue as one of the shared universe's fan favorites, thanks to Hiddleston's ability to make him deliciously villainous yet charismatic and, most importantly, empathetic. The character's popularity is one of the reasons he's managed to avoid death many times.

"He's been around for thousands of years. He had all sorts of adventures," says Feige. "Wanting to fill in the blanks and see much more of Loki's story [was] the initial desire [for the series]."

The Loki we meet on the show is not the one who fought the Avengers in 2012 and evolved into an antihero in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok before meeting his demise at the hands of the mad titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. Instead, we'll be following a Loki from a branched timeline (a variant, if you will) after he stole the Tesseract following his thwarted New York invasion and escaped S.H.I.E.L.D. custody during the time heist featured in Avengers: Endgame. In other words, this Loki hasn't gone through any sort of redemption arc. He's still the charming yet petulant god who firmly believes he's destined to rule and has never gotten his due.

Premiering June 9, Loki begins with the Time Variance Authority — a bureaucratic organization tasked with safeguarding the proper flow of time — arresting the Loki Variant seen in Endgame because they want his help fixing all of the timeline problems he caused while on the run with the Tesseract. So there will be time travel, and a lot more of it than in Endgame. As Loki makes his way through his own procedural, he'll match wits with new characters including Owen Wilson's Agent Mobius, a brilliant TVA analyst, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Judge Renslayer. The question in early episodes is whether Loki will help them or take over.

"One of the things Kevin Feige led on was, 'I think we should find a way of exploring the parts of Loki that are independent of his relationship with Thor,' or see him in a duality or in relationship with others, which I thought was very exciting," says Hiddleston, who also serves as an executive producer on the show. "So the Odinson saga, that trilogy of films, still has its integrity, and we don't have to reopen it and retell it."

Yet, in order to understand where Loki is going, it's important to see where he came from.

Hiddleston can't believe how long he and Loki have been connected. "I've been playing this character for 11 years," he says. "Which is the first time I have said that sentence, I realize, and it [blows] my mind. I don't know what percentage that is exactly of my 40 years of being alive, but it's substantial."

His time as Loki actually goes a bit further back, to 2009 — a year after Robert Downey Jr. big banged the MCU into existence with Iron Man — when he auditioned for Thor. It's no secret that Hiddleston initially went in for the role of the titular God of Thunder, but Feige and director Kenneth Branagh thought his natural charm and flexibility as an actor made him better suited for the movie's damaged antagonist. "Tom gave you an impression that he could be ready for anything, performance-wise," says Branagh, who had previously worked with him on a West End revival of Checkov's Ivanov and the BBC series Wallander. "Tom has a wild imagination, so does Loki. He's got a mischievous sense of humor and he was ready to play. It felt like he had a star personality, but he was a team player."

Hiddleston fully immersed himself in the character. Outside of studying Loki's history in the Marvel Comics, he also researched how Loki and the Trickster God archetype appeared across mythology and different cultures. "He understood that he was already in something special [and] it was a special character in a special part of that early moment in the life of the Marvel universe where [he] also needed to step up in other ways," says Branagh, who was impressed by the emotional depth Hiddleston brought to the part, especially when it came to how isolated Loki felt in the Asgardian royal family.  

There was a lot riding on that first Thor feature. For one, no one knew if audiences would immediately latch onto a Shakespearean superhero movie partially set on an alien planet populated by the Norse Gods of legend. Second, it was integral to Feige's plans for the shared universe. Loki was supposed to be the main villain in The Avengers, which would not only mirror how Earth's mightiest heroes joined forces in 1963's Avengers #1 but also give Thor a believable reason for teaming up with Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), and the rest of the capes. Feige first clued Hiddleston into those larger plans when the actor was in L.A. before Thor started shooting.

"I was like, 'Excuse me?' Because he was already three, four steps ahead," says Hiddleston. "That took me a few minutes to process, because I didn't quite realize how it just suddenly had a scope. And being cast as Loki, I realized, was a very significant moment for me in my life, and was going to remain. The creative journey was going to be so exciting."

Hiddleston relished the opportunity to go full villain in Avengers, like in the scene where Loki ordered a crowd to kneel before him outside a German opera house: "It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation," says the Machiavellian god. "The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."

"I just knew that in the structure of that film, I had to lean into his role as a pure antagonist," Hiddleston recalls. "What I always found curious and complex about the way Loki is written in Avengers, is that his status as an antagonist comes from the same well of not belonging and being marginalized and isolated in the first Thor film. Loki now knows he has no place in Asgard."

Loki did find a place within the audience's hearts, though. Feige was "all in" on Hiddleston as his Loki from the beginning, but even he couldn't predict how much fans would love him. Feige recalls the reaction at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con: "Did we know that after he was the villain in two movies, he would be bringing thousands of people to their feet in Hall H, in costume, chanting his name? No, that was above and beyond the plan that we were hoping for and dreaming of." It was a dream Feige first got an inkling of a year earlier during the Avengers press tour when a Russian fan slipped past security, snuck into Mark Ruffalo's car, and asked the Hulk actor to give Hiddleston a piece of fan art she created. "That was one of the early signs there was much more happening with this quote-unquote villain."  

Despite that popularity, the plan was to kill Loki off in 2013's Thor: The Dark World, but the studio reversed course after test audiences refused to believe he actually died fighting the Dark Elves. Alas, he couldn't out-illusion death forever. After returning in Taika Waititi's colorful and idiosyncratic Thor: Ragnarok, Hiddleston's character perished for real in the opening moments of Infinity War. In typical Loki fashion, before Thanos crushed his windpipe, he delivered a defiant speech that indicated he'd finally made peace with the anger he felt toward his family.  

"It felt very, very final, and I thought, 'Okay, that's it. This is Loki's final bow and a conclusive end to the Odinson saga,'" says Hiddleston, who shot that well-earned death scene in 2017.  

But, though he didn't know it yet, the actor's MCU story was far from over.

When Hiddleston returned to film two scenes in Avengers: Endgame in 2017, he had no idea where Loki portaled off to after snatching the Tesseract. "Where'd he go? When does he go? How does he get there? These are all questions I remember asking on the day, and then not being given any answers," Hiddleston recalls. To be fair, it's likely the Powers That Be didn't necessarily have answers then. While Feige can't exactly recall when the writers' room for Endgame first devised Loki's escape sequence, he does know that setting up a future show wasn't the primary goal — because a Loki series wasn't on the horizon just yet.

"[That scene] was really more of a wrinkle so that one of the missions that the Avengers went on in Endgame could get screwed up and not go well, which is what required Cap and Tony to go further back in time to the '70s," says Feige. Soon after that, though, former Disney CEO Bob Iger approached Feige about producing content for the studio's forthcoming streaming service. "I think the notion that we had left this hanging loose end with Loki gave us the in for what a Loki series could be. So by the time [Endgame] came out, we did know where it was going."

As for Hiddleston, he didn't find out about the plans for a Loki show until spring 2018, a few weeks before Infinity War hit theaters. "I probably should not have been surprised, but I was," says the actor. "But only because Infinity War had felt so final."

Nevertheless, Hiddleston was excited about returning for his show. He was eager to explore Loki's powers, especially the shapeshifting, and what it meant that this disruptive figure still managed to find a seat beside the gods in mythology. "I love this idea [of] Loki's chaotic energy somehow being something we need. Even though, for all sorts of reasons, you don't know whether you can trust him. You don't know whether he's going to betray you. You don't why he's doing what he's doing," says Hiddleston. "If he's shapeshifting so often, does he even know who he is? And is he even interested in understanding who he is? Underneath all those masks, underneath the charm and the wit, which is kind of a defense anyway, does Loki have an authentic self? Is he introspective enough or brave enough to find out? I think all of those ideas are all in the series — ideas about identity, ideas about self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and the difficulty of it."

“The series will explore Loki's powers in a way they have not yet been explored, which is very, very exciting.”

The thing that truly sold Hiddleston on the show was Marvel's decision to include the Time Variance Authority, a move he describes as "the best idea that anybody had pertaining to the series." Feige and Loki executive producer Stephen Broussard had hoped to find a place for the TVA — an organization that debuted in 1986's Thor #372 and has appeared in She-Hulk and Fantastic Four stories — in the MCU for years, but the right opportunity never presented itself until Loki came along. "Putting Loki into his own procedural series became the eureka moment for the show," says Feige.  

The TVA's perspective on time and reality also tied into the themes that Waldron, Loki's head writer, was hoping to explore. "Loki is a character that's always reckoning with his own identity, and the TVA, by virtue of what they do, is uniquely suited to hold up a mirror to Loki and make him really confront who he is and who he was supposed to be," says Waldron. Hiddleston adds: "[That] was very exciting because in the other films, there was always something about Loki that was very controlled. He seemed to know exactly what the cards in his hand were and how he was going to play them…. And Loki versus the TVA is Loki out of control immediately, and in an environment in which he's completely behind the pace, out of his comfort zone, destabilized, and acting out."

To truly dig into who Loki is, the creative team had to learn from the man who knows him best: Hiddleston. "I got him to do a thing called Loki School when we first started," says director Kate Herron. "I asked him to basically talk through his 10 years of the MCU — from costumes to stunts, to emotionally how he felt in each movie. It was fantastic."

Hiddleston got something out of the Loki school, too. Owen Wilson both attended the class and interviewed Hiddleston afterward so that he could better understand Loki, as his character Mobius is supposed to be an expert on him. During their conversation, Wilson pointedly asked Hiddleston what he loved about playing the character.

"And I said, 'I think it's because he has so much range,'" says Hiddleston. "I remember saying this to him: 'On the 88 keys on the piano, he can play the twinkly light keys at the top. He can keep it witty and light, and he's the God of Mischief, but he can also go down to the other side and play the heavy keys. And he can play some really profound chords down there, which are about grief and betrayal and loss and heartbreak and jealousy and pride.'" Hiddleston recalls Wilson being moved by the description: "He said, 'I think I might say that in the show.' And it was such a brilliant insight for me into how open Owen is as an artist and a performer.'"

Everyone involved is particularly excited for audiences to see Hiddleston and Wilson's on-screen chemistry. "Mobius is not unlike Owen Wilson in that he's sort of nonplussed by the MCU," says Feige. "[Loki] is used to getting a reaction out of people, whether it's his brother or his father, or the other Avengers. He likes to be very flamboyant and theatrical. Mobius doesn't give him the reaction he's looking for. That leads to a very unique relationship that Loki's not used to."

As for the rest of the series, we know that Loki will be jumping around time and reality, but the creative team isn't keen on revealing when and where. "Every episode, we tried to take inspiration from different things," says Waldron, citing Blade Runner's noir aesthetic as one example.

"Part of the fun of the multiverse and playing with time is seeing other versions of characters, and other versions of the titular character in particular," says Feige, who also declined to confirm if Loki ties into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and/or other upcoming projects.

Making Loki was especially meaningful to Hiddleston because they shot most of it during the pandemic, in late 2020. "It will remain one of the absolute most intense, most rewarding experiences of my life," he says. "It's a series about time, and the value of time, and what time is worth, and I suppose what the experience of being alive is worth. And I don't quite know yet, and maybe I don't have perspective on it, if all the thinking and the reflecting that we did during the lockdown ended up in the series. But in some way, it must have because everything we make is a snapshot of where we were in our lives at that time."

While it remains to be seen what the future holds for Loki beyond this initial season, Hiddleston isn't preparing to put the character to bed yet. "I'm open to everything," he says. "I have said goodbye to the character. I've said hello to the character. I said goodbye to the character [again]. I've learned not to make assumptions, I suppose. I'm just grateful that I'm still here, and there are still new roads to explore."

Additional reporting by Jessica Derschowitz

#loki #loki series #tom hiddleston #entertainment weekly

[mxtantrights]

Steve Rogers, they failed you.

this is gonna be a rant. This will include spoilers at the end for The Falcon and The Winter Solider. (I WILL PUT A READ MORE BEFOR IT! BE WARNED) just based on what's happening in the first episode. 

what the writers in Endgame did to Steve Rogers was character assassination. To the point where I really don’t care what happens to him as he is now (old man). I only care about how this effects the characters who care about him like, Sam, Bucky and Sharon. The writers disregarded his whole arc which was about being a man OUT of time and being able to move forward / move on. His arc also included Bucky (like for his trilogy Bucky played a noticeable role in all films it would be dumb to say he isn’t) Steve committed crimes, fought his friends, almost killed his teammate, etc. for this man and somehow I’m supposed to accept that, yeah he’ll go back in time to live out this weird crush fantasy?

Not only is it erasing his whole arc, it’s making Steve out, the person who has lost so much and sacrificed so much, to be an actual simp (derogatory). It’s making him out to be so selfish that he goes back in time to live out a fantasy with a woman who told him on her death bed to move on. (She also told him she had a family, and don’t come in here and say it was him all along because you know his ending was not hatched out during civil war!!)

Think about the logistics for a moment. If he goes back in time and stays there, then he knows things that are going to happen. (I’m not sure if he would or wouldn’t just revert to that ‘timeline’ or whatever later on) He knows what happening to Bucky. He knows what's going to happen to Tony’s Parents. He knows about the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT??? He knows way too much to not do something about it / take part in it. So here’s my take... whatever timeline he jumped to, he ends up changing a lot of shit. Think of it as Steve going on a ‘fix it’ mission. He’s able to do all the things he didn't do. This is the only thing that I can use to justify Steve Rogers abandoning his friends at the moment. 

His ‘ending’ also makes no sense to me bc I feel like Peggy Carter would shut his ass down FAST. I’m not saying Steve shouldn’t have went back in time to return the stones. I’m not saying he shouldn't have had that last moment with Peggy. But I think it would’ve been greater to see him have a moment (NOT A WHOLE ASS LIFE) in the past. To be able to say goodbye to that and MOVE ON. 

This also would legitimize him passing the shield to Sam. I feel like him coming back an old man just kinda offered up this excuse as to why Sam would take over. ‘Steves old, so it goes to someone else now’. I feel like, if Steve came back (the same age) and gave it to Sam it would solidify that he’s done, because he’s CHOOSING to be. Not because he’s old and he can’t (physically) anymore. And if he was being selfish in THAT way, I could live with it. I could understand his character more.

SPOILER WARNING -

-

-

At the end of the first episode we find out that Sam has been DUPED. He gave up the shield because 1) he thought he couldn’t fit it and 2) the Smithsonian wanted it. ONLY to find out that - nah they were just racist. They wanted a white Captain America. Only a white man can fill this role in their eyes. (Which isn’t that surprising, but to see it actually play out , with the added fact that Steve is an old man now, is insane)

If Steve didn’t stay back in time, he could’ve spoken tf up about it. He could have came out explicitly against this. It’s common knowledge that he gave the shield to Sam, especially after the speech Sam gave in this episode. So there has to be some outrage by some people that saw that happen (outside of Sam, Sarah, Bucky, etc.) IMAGINE THE OUTRAGE THERE WOULD’VE BEEN IF THE ‘FIRST’ CAP SPOKE AGAINST THIS! 

AND THATS WHY I HATE HIS ENDING!!! Steve Rogers wouldn’t have given up like this, especially when it came it his friends. He left Bucky to grow old alone, and he left Sam to fend against the very government that they knew was shady and twisted. I’m not saying Steve doesn’t deserve to be selfish. But I think we know enough about him (from his trilogies) to know that he wouldn’t have done it like this.

I'm still gonna watch the falcon and the winter solider (duh) but let it be known that if we get some type of funeral scene for Steve I really won't care. I’ll just re-watch TWS or something.

if you made it all the way to the end , thank you for listening to my ramblings. I love Steve Rogers (from first avenger to infinity war). And I can’t wait till we officially get Sam as Cap. ( LETS GOO SAMMY!!!)

#marvel #Steve Rogers #avengers #endgame #the falcon and the winter soldier #the falcon and the winter soldier spoilers #tfatws spoilers #faws spoilers #Sam Wilson #Bucky Barnes #WISHING A VERY SCREW YOU TO ENDGAME WRITERS #ps it should've been Clint in sakovia #Yeah I got time today #avengers endgame #avengers infinity war #the winter soldier

[thechildofstark]

The Problem With Civil War

Civil War was supposed to be a Captain America movie. It was not a Captain America movie.

However.......

The problem with it being a Cap film is that Steve (+ his team) are supposed to be the ultimate good guys. In all the previous Hero Title films (Iron Man Trilogy, Thor Trilogy, Etc.) the guy whose name is on the poster is the guy the audience is supposed to root for. However, because of CA:CW’s marketing and story arc, it was very much a Steve & Tony / Steve vs. Tony film, while trying to simultaneously portray Tony as a secondary character.

This post isn't about Team Cap or Team Iron Man.

The catalyst for the story of Civil War is...........interesting. (in the comics, its different. and a whole lot easier to understand the reasoning of both sides of the argument. but that's a post for another time.)

Tagging/registering/tracking every mutant/mutate/superhero/powered person is objectively a very bad idea. but so is running amok with no supervision in other countries and destroying property whilst literally wearing the American flag.

There are big problems on both sides.

The issue I find most people have with Tony is that they find him an entitled sellout who only cares about himself and that he committed war crimes, and the problems I find most people have with Steve is that he defended a baby Nazi and went on an violent international rampage in direct violation of the UN because his dead terrorist ex-boyfriend may or may not have murdered a whole bunch of people.

Ooof.

The main reason I think people get very annoyed/attached a specific side is because they are still projecting the characterisation from the earlier movies.

Iron Man 1 and The First Avenger? I love them. No notes.

Obviously yes there are issues in-universe but these are flawed characters with complicated issues and stories and so on, and I like them that way.

If I wanted a Nice Unproblematic Superhero I’d rewatch the Christopher Reeves Superman films. That is not why I am here today.

But by the time we get to Civil War, Tony and Steve have become caricatures of the ideals that they represented, so that the studio can make a movie.

Morally, Steve is  in the right. Legally, Tony is in the right.

Ethically? I don't fucking know, they both suck equally in that regard.

Okay to be fair, Tony does try to help Steve like.........so often in the film. Because Steve is the Protagonist and he is Right even though half his actions don't actually fit with his previous characterisation/character arcs/basic human logic.

CA:CW was supposed to be a movie about Steve Rogers. But it failed in the single regard that the story wasn't about him. Even other Hero Title movie, the main character either does something, or has something done to them, and then they react to the situations and there are gratuitous explosions and a life lesson and probably a kiss near the end. But this film had the kiss nearer to the middle ew Sharon why and while plenty of shit got blown up, plenty of civilians and local law enforcement also got mashed by/because of the title character.

That is not how the lead in a superhero movie is supposed to behave.

And the film also continues down the general path of giving Tony shittier and shittier character arcs. The war he behaves in his own movies vs the avengers films? it’s a complete values dissonance. It is literally not the same character. Probably the closest to consistency we get is Iron Man 3/Age of Ultron but even then the differences are pretty startling. At the beginning, Tony was, idk, a realistic if fictional person. But the time we get to CA:CW all we have is an avatar for the writers to manipulate, damn character consistency, damn reasonable behavior and logic and everything that the audience has been told about him in the past.

Same with Steve. Heck, same with everyone in the entire damn movie. Barely anyone acts or reacts in a way that either A) previous behavior would suggest, or B) an actual human person would act or react.

Yes. I know. It’s fiction. I can suspend my disbelief.

But like........damn they fucked Clint and Natasha over.

The creators were trying to recreate a well known and well liked comic book story arc, capitalize on the growing divide in parts of the fandom over preferred characters/character ideologies, and do so without using the expanded universe and added context which made the original comic book arc so fucking good.

They tried to split the Avengers in half, only to realize that they had split the Avengers in half, and then when Infinity War came along, they basically had to write a plot where both sides did their thing without sharing a single second of screen time together, because the whole -

S: you tried to kill my best friend 

T: he killed my mother       

S: actually he was brain washed                                         

T: but you knew and didn't tell me for years                          

S: well I was worried you would react badly                          

T: I wouldn't have                                                                      

S: you literally tried to kill him                                                         

T: yeah I'm sure you be totally fine if you saw your parents being violently murdered and the guy was right there and your teammate lied about it and you were very sleep deprived to boot

                                                           - drama would start up again.

ANYWAY

the point is, I used to really like both these characters - I still like the comic book versions tho - but then they got way fucked over. I'm extra salty about Steve, because this was supposed to be his movie but loads of the screen time was given over to other shit and he literally commits so much crime and murder and has absolutely zero moral or emotional consistency. especially when it comes to Bucky and Wanda vs. everyone else.

Also with Tony, there is so much of an issue with Telling vs Showing vs other characters in-universe opinions of him I genuinely don't even know what the creators want me to feel about him anymore.

uuuuururhrhrhrhrhrhrhghfjjhdhjf.

tl;dr -

I saw this movie like six years ago and the way I feel about it has changed a lot over time. I used to be team iron man, could you tell?    But the basics of it is this should have been an Avengers movie if it had to exist at all, there are so many cool Captain America stories worthy of being put to film, and this really wasn't the most perfect option. Civil War has so many problems, and I can even begin to try and list them here.

But I'm making this post because I just followed a really cool blog who happens to hate on Tony a bunch (I don't really mind consciously) but that annoyed me out of habit, so I started examining why I liked him as a character, and it mainly boiled down to A) some of the comics are cool, and B) CA:CW said I had to pick a side and Steve did so much dumb shit I just went with the easy option.

the blog doesn't seem to be a huge fan of Steve either.

my current stance is that they both got fucked over and if you want some solid positive Marvel content go read Runaways, or the Hawkeye comics.

The Hawkeye comics are the best.

#literally only one person is going to read this #anti tony stark #anti steve rogers #pro Tony stark #pro steve rogers #cacw #civil war #captain america civil war #marvel #disney #mcu #hawkeye #clint barton #natasha romanov #wendy mayomoff #bucky barnes #marvel comics #team cap #team iron man

[margokesses]

ooh some fun but probably controversial question: rank film adaptation peter parkers in terms of comic accuracy and overall peter vibes, and then how much you enjoy each. feel free to throw in some tonald stank hate if u please

1.) Into the spiderverse

Comic accuracy 10/10

Peter Parker vibes 10/10

Opinion overall 10/10

Itsv was really just a love letter to spiderman and comics in general. We finally got a miles morales story and a peter parker story together but it doesn't feel like either character is dependent on each other. Peter b parker is definitely where i see 616 peter down the line bc the guy is always in trouble and going through shit. And to see an adult peter on screen is *chef's kiss*. It also gave us an introduction to the multiverse which is great

Sam Raimi trilogy

Comic accuracy 10/10

Peter parker vibes 9.5/10

Opinion overall 9/10

I haven't seen these films since i was a kid (i wanna rewatch it one of these days) but i have seen clips in my YouTube recommendations. I know that a lot of people think that the films are corny compared to the other ones but i love how much heart these films have. Even in spiderman 3 (regardless of the whole venom and behind the scenes shit) you can tell that raimi and everyone else truly cared about the story and the characters. And i love the train scene in spiderman 2. That specific scene screams spiderman to me.

The amazing spiderman duology

Comic accuracy: 7.5/10

Peter parker vibes: 9/10

Overall opinion: 7/10

I repeat i haven't seen these films since they first came out but they do have a certain charm to them. Again there's heart in these films as well. The second film could have been better. But uh i just love andrew Garfield and his portrayal of Peter. He's kinda cocky and kind of a dick and i love that. The scene where it's a "friendly neighborhood spiderman" montage was soooo good. Also he died for our rights. A bisexual jewish spiderman whose love interest is mbj as mj?? Rip you icon

Mcu spiderman

Comic accuracy: 3/10

Peter vibes: 2/10

Overall opinion: 5/10 (but only bc of zendaya)

Mcu spiderman bad. He sucks so much. How the fuck are you gonna turn your most iconic character into an iron man fanboy??? Also that white twink is not peter parker he's literally a rip off of miles morales but the disney execs were too cowardly to have a black kid as their spiderman. The films are popcorn flicks and are decent to watch if you ignore the inaccuracy of the character. Also tony stark?? You're gonna tell me peter benjamin "i don't value money" parker is gonna identify with rich mcmoneybags and not fucking captain america?? The person he shares his ideals with?? In civil war it would have been fine for him to like tony but afterwards?? I really wish that peter was his own person in the mcu and had an actual personality.

#spiderman #peter parker #anti mcu spiderman #anti irondad