Marvel Cinematic Universe, Phase 4 & Beyond (and a chance to change your vote)

'I could have just avoided the thread altogether but because clicking through to spray the room down with needless haterade is an addiction akin to the most raging of junk habits, allow me to just state for the 457,017,381st time that the MCU is the nadir of Western culture.'

There, I saved some of you some time if you know how to copy + paste.

Crazy to think we're now 15 months and counting with no new MCU (unless you count the final season of Agents of SHIELD, which even I don't anymore).

the Helstrom TV show started on Hulu this week

which apparently sort of counts

Oh. Well, that was a stealth-ass debut.

it looks, and by all accounts is, absolutely terrible

I could have avoided the thread but it's fun to talk shit about garbage every once in a while

anyway, dud

Simon, I left you a present upthread. Please use it in good health.

you forgot "fascist"

Sorry, I very quickly fell asleep, what was that you were saying?

ANNNNNNYway.

I could have avoided the thread but it's fun to talk shit about garbage every once in a while

new board descrip pls

Glad this thread is here to get you to stop social distancing, bg! Adopt herd immunity!

work on yr nerd immunity imo

ok ok I'm actually done for now enjoy folks

Gentlemen you can’t needlessly rehash something for the 457,017,381st time in here, this is the marvel cinematic universe phase 4 and beyond thread

Looool

Did u know that if your eyes roll with enough force that they can actually detach from their stalks and fly out u face? I wish I hadn't had to discover that first-hand just this very moment. Dang.

is this the thread where we can talk about andrew garfield and tobey maguire maybe appearing as spider-men in the third tom holland spider-man movie? because i can't be fucked looking to see if it's been mentioned elsewhere

Hadn't read that. I did read that Jamie Foxx will be playing Electro again, which certainly suggests some multiversal fuckery.

I liked the look of Jamie Foxx's Electro, while hating the electric eel origin / Max Dillon as social misfit portrayal. Andrew and Tobey were good, before we knew Marvel could do better. I've compartmentalized Sony's properties from the MCU, so the last two Spider-Man have far exceeded expectations.

Phase 4, most looking forward to Shang-Chi, and hoping they nail the Paul Gulacy visual tone. Expecting to be most surprised by Eternals. If/as the movies go cosmic/magical/horror, looking forward to how they ground them.

Beyond - FF and X-Men. About damn time.

Are we allowing MCU television in these threads as well? Cuz it looks like the Maslany She-Hulk was just a rumor that she debunked in a recent interview, sadly.

most looking forward to Shang-Chi, and hoping they nail the Paul Gulacy visual tone.

Yeah the credits are going to say "based on the character created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin" and I'm going to be sad because it's not "based on the character in that holy-shit awesome run by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy, DUUUUUDE."

Pretty sure I first "heard" "Rhiannon" thanks to Master of Kung Fu.

So much character fleshing-out that was lovable but verged on dumb...Black Jack Tarr becoming a big Frank Frazetta fan, lol. (This might have been in the Mike Zeck or Gene Day days, can't remember.)

okay lol @ "nerd immunity"

it looks like the Maslany She-Hulk was just a rumor that she debunked in a recent interview, sadly.

I don't know, I smell a rat. Kind of like when Taika denied he was making a Star Wars movie and then was all, psych, I'm making a Star Wars movie.

I assume she's still negotiating her contract, and Ruffalo's tweet improved her payday/terms.

Oh I hope it's a feint, makes sense since she called it a "press release that got out of hand", which doesn't come across as quite the strong denial the article I read implied. I'm still hopeful she shows up in it.

maybe she plays jennifer and somebody else plays she hulk? and she plays "the voice in her head"? it's a weird bit of pr thus far.

https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/oscar-isaac-moon-knight-marvel-series.html

Just negotiating phase/tactics. Though I'd love to see his take on the character.

it's a meaty fuckin' role!

lol oscar isaac hated working for disney so much during Star Wars, wonder what kind of sweetheart deal they’re offering him for this

Well, much like Finn his role got worse and worse as the series went on, so I don't blame him

Is this the right thread for this(?) Kate Bishop on-set images have surfaced: https://www.comicbookmovie.com/tv/marvel/hawkeye/hawkeye-set-video-gives-us-a-much-better-look-at-hailee-steinfeld-and-jeremy-renner-a180551#gs.mgnaf1

The casting announcements for Spider-Man 3 make it really look like they are just going to repeat the multiverse thing that worked so well in Into the Spider-Verse with a live action version. Even for the MCU this seems really lazy. Happy to be proven wrong, but I really liked watching the first two with my son and this makes me way less excited for a third one.

I mean, given the Dr. Strange sequel’s subtitle, the multiverse was already long planned, but this seems like a questionable move.

Even for the MCU this seems really lazy.

McKenna was nominated for both an Emmy and a Hugo, for writing a multiverse story, seven years before Spider-Verse came out tbfttl

A bunch more Kate Bishop set pics circulating today; Steinfeld looks like a great casting choice.

Just misread that as 'Seinfeld' and I'm still laughing from that mental image.

McKenna was nominated for both an Emmy and a Hugo, for writing a multiverse story, seven years before Spider-Verse came out tbfttl

Oh I don't have any issue with McKenna and, again, this is total speculation just based on the casting, it's more just surprise that they'd use the Spider-Man film to redo the Spider-verse think so soon again.

It may be wise to speculate with caution, as you may recall that a lot of the pre-release assumptions about the last Spidey flick were upended (ie the thing about Mysterio dropping in from a different earth).

they'll need to add more Spiders-Man and Girls if they're going to sorta hit the key diversity theme

Maybe this is Mysterio running the same scam again. Maybe every future Marvel movie will end by revealing that actually it was Mysterio.

iirc doesn't Mysterio make that multiverse claim himself in the movie, as part of his ruse? Between the timeline resolution of the Avengers, Spider-verse and Dr. Strange title, and possibly what they hinted at with the Vision/Witch show, they're definitely leaning in to this. Someone versed in the comics could maybe make a good guess as to the overarching plot or big bad. I have no idea. Does Captain Marvel 2 have a title or casting? They've hinted at introducing Adam Warlock a few times now, I think. Certainly a multiverse scenario could allow, say, the Fantastic Four to just pop in as a deus ex reboot at the end of a movie. Lots of ways Marvel can go, assuming they even want another giant overarching crossover scenario.

Yeah, I have no issue with the multiverse idea and that's clearly where we are heading, I was just saying that it seems kinda lazy to launch into it with a do-over of the multiple Spider-Men thing. Especially since the Spider-Man flick is slated before the Dr. Strange sequel, which will obviously lean heavily into the multiverse too.

I just have no idea why they'd want to maintain any association with the awful Andrew Garfield movies

there's (un)surprisingly a small, vocal fanbase online who grew up with and liked those movies

i can't lie though - i am excited to see all those jabronis in one big battle royale. even the characters who died! let's get Topher Grace in there while we're at it

hoping they insert Mulaney's Spider-Ham Who-Framed-Roger-Rabbit-style

It could be cool if they do it right.

It’s kind of funny that a generation will grow up thinking of multiple Spideys as a basic “Spider-Man” feature, when for most of Marvel’s history, there was only one Parker, he was a very singular hero... even while there were a few different Caps, Thors, Captain Marvels, etc. (I’m talking back in the ’80s, long before there were a zillion versions of every character.)

I mean, a generation already has grown up thinking multiple Spideys are a basic Spider-Man feature; Ben Reilly, although created in the 70s, came into his own circa 1994.

RICKY BOBBY WILL RETURN
IN AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY

The fourth one features nu-Black Panther/Shuri, Namor and The Thing

here it is:

December 18, 2026. #AvengersDoomsday pic.twitter.com/J4RATrIH7e

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) January 13, 2026

so hoping there's another blip

I've not read any comics since middle school in the '80s, not really, and did not see the X-Men cartoon from the '90s, but based on its reputation I somewhat spontaneously watched a few episodes of "X-Men '97" and ... it's pretty good. Campy and melodramatic a lot of the time, for sure, but nails the comics vibe, and often seems a lot more mature and higher stakes than most of the MCU stuff does.

Thought the revive would be for Wonder Man.

Two episodes in and looks like it could be one of the best Marvel TV shows in a long time. And barely a superpower in sight.

Loved the Joe Pantoliano cameo

My expectations were so low for this show that I very nearly skipped it altogether. But I saw a couple reviews saying it was actually pretty good, and I found myself at the gym needing a 30-minute show to watch so I turned it on.

I’m three episodes in and really enjoying it! But that is almost entirely because (so far?) there are barely any superpowers, no goofy outfits, and no menacing villains. But there are good actors doing a good job of making a show about trying to succeed in Hollywood.

I don’t know how long it will maintain this tone. they’ve begun to show his super strength although there’s still no real threat beyond a 2nd-generation SHEILD knock-off. Even WANDAVISION eventually just became a Marvel Thing so we’ll see where this goes. But I’m enjoying it so far.

Watched Ep1 tonight & I am already digging it! Love the tone.

This show is great

I know zero about the character but had a lot of fun watching this show

to be honest I knew nothing even about the Mandarin’s MCU past, that is how spotty my engagement with this whole franchise has been

Just watched GotG3, it's been on my waitlist forever and I kept putting it off because I'm bored of Marvel slop and it's SO LONG. But it turns out to be... really good? I thought it might have been one of the best Marvel movies, rewatchable even.

GotG is probably the only movie series they've done where i'd even consider rewatching. would've considered Antman had the last one not been so stupendously fucked up.

We started watching all of the MCU in order as a family three years ago. It was fun but the last wave of movies reinforced how rote it has all become. I was hoping Fantastic Four would pull it together but nope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TZMtslA3UY

Holland is my fave of the Spider-Men. Will be sad when he leaves the role eventually. Good trailer for giving us Parker luck moments along with the teasing heroic glimpses.

Reportedly Jean Grae doing that mind jumpy stuff

Was Sadie Sink in that trailer?

Rumor is she's the one in the hoodie facing away at one point.

Reportedly Jean Grae doing that mind jumpy stuff

what? what?!

Spider Man - Attack of the Attacking Things

A nice surprise!

https://gizmodo.com/marvel-studios-is-bringing-wonder-man-back-for-season-2-2000737095

yaaay i love Wonder Man so much

I haven't caught up with that show yet, but I noticed a commercial or two for it during the Oscars, which indicated some degree of faith Disney has in the show.

everyone should watch it esp if you are tired of Marvel Shows

it is a lovely gift to us all

Someone please tell me if the new Punisher special feels connected to the recent Daredevil, or does it anticipate the new Spider-Man movie at all? Because aside from dutifully doing all my MCU homework I have next to no interest in the Punisher as a character.

I'll be watching it tomorrow night, so I'll let you know if nobody else does

(I'm going to guess it's a single story by itself)

actually sod it, i'll watch it now

yeah zero connection to anything else. If you've no interest in the Punisher character this will not be for you.

(otoh, if you do like Punisher it's pretty fucking great.)

I think I saw a review that more or less posited it as a kind of soft reboot, wrapping up his place in the TV world and nudging him in the direction of the MCU.

I guess a trailer is out? Haven't seen it, but apparently upping the graaaaaaavity. Because they have to get people invested after so many years of wheel spinning.

I watched it and I am officially numb to super-anything.

it ups the gravity if "guy portentously delivers voiceover line in grim voice" counts

In my mind I had missed oodles of these post-Endgame. Apparently I've only missed six, which is admittedly a lot when I've seen all but one of the previous 22. But in the same post-endgame period they've made something like fifteen TV shows, all unseen by me, and the nine movies I have seen have been a REALLY mixed bag.

I'm kind of shocked and slightly embarrassed that I *have* seen nine of those, since not a one was a true slam-dunk "loved that" time at the movies. The Holland Spider-Men mix moments of delightful invention with tedious sequel setup, fan-service and box-ticking. Coogler tried with Wakanda Forever but Boseman's death left a huge void, which the franchise people filled with setup for TV shows. Shang-Chi and Thunderbolts were both pretty good in story and character, but completely let down by dull visuals and the omnipresent lack of any memorable or compelling action scenes, kind of a problem for a bunch of action movies. Thor 4 I can't remember at all. Quantumania was an out-and-out disaster, totally all wrong and a true slog to get through. The Raimi and Zhao ones had moments of real personality and weirdness, so they're the best by default.

It really feels like this pop-culture engine that's just churning stuff out, formerly able to do that while maintaining acceptable quality and/or "event" aura, and which can no longer reliably maintain either.

I think the constant stream of product w/movies and shows that tie back and forth with each other is a double-edged sword, it keeps a part of the audience engaged. but for me, once i was losing a bit of interest (i think shang chi was the last one i ever saw in the theater), you feel like you've got all this homework to do to get caught up and it feels a bit daunting and i just don't care to watch all this crap just to go see a new movie.

i wouldn't be surprised if for that reason they steer clear of relying on storylines from the TV shows for this one, their dominance has slipped away and this might be the last chance to get it back. my kid is totally disinterested in this one, Quantumania really broke the spell and ruined the whole thing for him completely.

there is a plausible leaked plot ...

Afaict it looks like the Marvel supes and Fantastic Four vs. Doom and the X-Men.

Which would align with the leaked plot for ... reasons anyone inclined can google.

The way Doom says "faced" in this trailer is like he briefly switched from Latveria to Lancashire.

Doom’s voiceover in the first part of the trailer reminds me of Nandor from What We Do in the Shadows. Now I’m fully expecting a showdown at the Panera Bread.

so was that RDJ doing the voice read, because the idea of him doing a weird nonspecific european thing for the whole film had me laughing from the jump

I've heard some rumors it's going to be 45 minutes too long and climax with an interimable CG battle scene

Marvel’s finally entered their Rocklahoma Festival phase

I don't have anything serious to add about the MCU, but this is as good a time as any to remind people of the existence of the Tuscadero song, Dr. Doom, from their 1998 album, My Way or the Highway.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3uAaWFNx0auGfa13OyrWUf?si=4b29e8f412d7451e

Now singing "Doctorin' the Tardis" with "Dr. Doom" instead of "Dr. Who."

I saw someone mention "Fantastic Four" somewhere, and one of the first responses was from someone that didn't like the movie and could barely remember the Galactus battle at the end, and I stopped reading and thought, jeez ... neither do it! There was a Fantastic Four movie where they fight Galactus at the end, and it was forgettable.

Will there be a fight scene in the middle of a city street with cars and buses being thrown around? No? Then I'm out.

it's absurd that tickets for this already went on sale. it's 5 months away!

Will there be a shot in slo mo of someone launching themselves at something huge, arcing toward it through the air with a giant weapon in their hand?

does doom say that he's "still quick to slice squares like sicialians?" in this? no? then i'm out.