MCU Megathread

[CaptHayfever]

The finale of WandaVision drops tomorrow.
The week after that, a making-of featurette, & 2 new "Legends" recaps for Sam Wilson & Bucky Barnes.
Another week later, The Falcon & the Winter Soldier begins.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

I stand corrected; the new Legends segments actually popped up today! F&WS still starts on the 19th, though.
But anyway, here's part 61.5, that's right, I said 61.5....
SPOILERS INBOUND EVEN THOUGH I TRIED TO PHRASE THINGS VAGUELY.


WandaVision:

#1 "Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience":
--I see what you did there, logo.
--O hai Dick van Dyke gag.
--"I'm incapable of exaggeration." That means he had to be accurate when he modeled exponential growth in the powered population back in 2016, which, once again, has to include TV characters since the movie characters alone only model linear growth.
--So, I grew up watching Nickelodeon, which means after 6pm I was watching Nick @ Nite, so I'm duly familiar with all the shows this is based on. I'm curious how folks who've never seen those shows are processing this, though.
--Brought to you by toast.
--Vis has finally learned how to improvise, but Paul Bettany, not a singer.
--As it turns out, saving your boss's life does tend to make him pretty fond of you.
--Looks like Kitty Forman knows how to improvise, too.
--Well, that's ominous.

#2 "Don't Touch That Dial":
--DOUGLAS!
--A married couple sharing a bed? SCANDALOUS!!!
--Well, dang.
--O hai literally the Bewitched opening art, over that one song from Sesame Street.
--Hints of Pleasantville.
--Cherita Chen is on this show.
--"For the children."
--My college radio station had bleed-through problems like that about a half mile from campus.
--Brought to you by former Hydra leader Baron von Strucker.
--"For the children."
--Real magic to convince people that other real magic is actually fake magic. Nice.
--I'm surprised Anya wasn't scared of that bunny.
--"For the children."
--Oh snap. For the children.
--The Pain?
--Oh, *she's* doing it.
--Alternating credits, just like Drake & Josh!

#3 "Now in Color":
--Brady credits + Partridge music.
--Dr. "Nielsen", ha.
--That's one powerful hedge trimmer.
--What's not classic American about "Billy", Wanda? Of course, I kinda share Wanda's preference for "Tommy."
--Vision's mathematical modeling can't account for Wanda's chaos magic.
--Sloppy edit there, Wanda.
--"Yes Dear", ha.
--Brought to you by Hydra brand blue mind-control soap.
--The lots-of-coats & bowl-of-fruit tricks never worked that well on the old sitcoms either.
--Pietro's memory puts quite the tragic hitch in this happy day.
--Truman Show containment + Twilight Zone twist.
--Left side bwoooooooooow! Right side bwooooooooooow! And to "Geraldine", frame shift left bwoooooooooooow!
--I can hear you asking, "The Monkees? But we already left the 60s!" But here's the thing, this is the 1986 remix.

#4 "We Interrupt This Program":
--That's something I never thought about before, all the people who came back to find their loved ones had died in the past 5 years that they didn't even know happened.
--It's been 3 weeks since Endgame, hence the "part 61.5".
--Maria helped establish SWORD? That means it had to exist parallel to SHIELD for several years. SWORD feels much less spy-ish than SHIELD, though, & more NASA-ish instead.
--Woo finally learned the card trick!
--"There is no Westview." "Then what's that sign right next to you?"
--This drone *already* looks like a toy.
--Nice touch having the force field look like a CRT screen.
--So Darcy changed majors! And that was her in episode 1!
--Never heard of "lidar" before.
--So everyone except Wanda & Vision was given fake names?
--Wait, where'd the broken glass scene go? And the beekeeper? And "Geraldine"?
--First time we've seen Wanda's powers work like normal.
--OH CRUD. Did she just reanimate his corpse!?
--"It's all Wanda." Yeah, Monica, I figured that out 2 episodes ago.

#5 "On a Very Special Episode":
--I flubbed a line pretty badly on stage once...in a show I *wrote*.
--From babies to adolescents in the blink of an eye, just like in The Sims.
--Ah, the Growing Ties theme sequence. Those are real pictures of baby Lizzie Olsen.
--X-ray images should not show pure light; they're just one part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
--Hayward is very Thunderbolt Ross in his reactions to Wanda.
--The image of Vision disassembled is really disturbing. Wait, if he didn't want his remains weaponized, then what is SWORD doing with them?
--Ugh, the Accords are still a thing?
--Early creepypasta emails were really esoteric.
--Now there's a Scarlet Witch.
--Brought to you by that time Wanda saved hundreds of people from a suicide bomber.
--TIL azaleas are toxic. But can Wanda learn the lesson that she's trying to teach her sons right now?
--Couples need to be able to have hard conversations without blasting each other with lasers.
--"I'm ignoring statistics entirely"!? OH SNAP.
--If you, like me, never watched Dark Phoenix, then the last time we saw THIS Quicksilver was in fact in the 80s like this episode is.

#6 "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!":
--Life is unfair.
--"You probably suppressed a lot of the trauma." Welp, there it is.
--FLOURISH!
--Does Hayward actually have the authority to eject Woo?
--Little on the nose with the connection there, Wanda.
--Peters is 100% playing his old role.
--I'd cry if I was a gif, too.
--Brought to you by survivor's guilt. And also Go-Gurt.
--Incredibles & Parent Trap were never in theaters at the same time.
--Now that's how you do a neighborhood watch.
--That explains why Monica's x-ray had too many photons.
--Quicksilver knows a lot that he shouldn't.
--As I suspected, Vision cannot actually leave, & the kids are manifesting their powers.
--Darcy!?

#7 "Breaking the Fourth Wall":
--There are no Wii games where the motions Billy & Tommy were making make sense. The Cube controller is actually an improvement. Changing the almond milk to basically anything else except almond milk is an improvement too.
--That theme song was super "Office" for a "Modern Family" sendup. (Hi, Stan's birthday!)
--Wait, is that Tony Hale? Welcome to Arrested Darcyvelopment.
--Good, Wanda caught on that she was talking to the wrong Pietro.
--Hahn has almost circled back around to Bad Moms mode.
--Called it about Hayward.
--Unlike a lot of folks, I didn't expect the engineer to be Reed Richards; in fact, I hoped it wouldn't be. But maybe Leo Fitz instead of literally-new-character? Guess I'll settle for the Tahiti dashboard bobber.
--Dang, unseen interviewer with the hard-hitting questions.
--Brought to you by a 2nd reality-stone-based ad? So much for that pattern.
--Why is all this stuff SWORD-branded? Monica & Woo had to commission it without Hayward's approval.
--Oop, there's superpowers.
--Oop, there's the twist. (That theme song was super "Archie's Weird Mysteries" for a "Munsters" sendup.)
--Oop, there's the mid-credit scene: Quicksilver is about to learn he's not faster than light.

#8 "Previously On":
--That's a twist on a witch trial, for sure.
--Ah, so "I eat yo magic" was about Agatha, not Wanda.
--Possession? So who did she possess?
--Wanda, you're only hearing what she wants you to hear.
--Are they really about to explain all of the ads? Really?
--So the Mind Stone did the first censor edit?
--Ok, so she *did* meet Hayward before, so what Monica said to her *would* make sense. Also, screw Hayward, the worst grief counselor on the planet.
--Hold up, she DIDN'T take him?
--Aww, they actually did buy the house! :(
--This whole thing was really well shot.
--Hey they finally said the thing.
--Mid-credit scene: Oh, no, we're gonna get the climax of Logan next episode!

#9 "The Series Finale":
--Solid Wizard of Oz reference.
--White Vision doesn't get changed by the Hex because there's supposed to be a Vision in there anyway.
--Misdirection. One of the first things they teach you at Online Close-Up Magic University.
--So that's the Darkhold? Good thing AoS established that it can change its appearance.
--Whoa, there really is a Ralph!
--Doing a bad thing doesn't make you a bad person. How you react when you realize you were wrong is what determines that.
--Not the gazebo!!!
--Logic bomb inbound. Somebody needs to go see Shuri.
--Ooh, we haven't seen her do that in years!
--Turnabout is fair play.
--What a brave little toaster.
--Mid-credit scene: And I shall strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger....
--You should actually read the cast credit card on this one. It won't shrink this time.
--Post-credit scene: This reminds me of the end of Incredible Hulk.

Executive summary: Outstanding allegory for grief & trauma processing, bolstered by fantastic performances, all wrapped in a clever plot & design package.


And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

They surprised us last week with a couple other Legends clips about Zemo & Sharon (the latter of which was basically all of her past footage).
Anyway, The Falcon & the Winter Soldier premiered yesterday!

Also, Disney CEO Bob Chapek is recently on the record that Black Widow's release situation could change last minute. So get your shots, everybody! For now, the movie is still scheduled for May 7th.

Edit to add new news: The character Echo, who will appear in Hawkeye, is getting a spinoff series.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

In not-surprised-just-disappointed news, we have more release delays:

--Black Widow has been bumped back to July 9th, & it will be a hybrid premium release (still for $30, grr).
--Shang-Chi & the Legend of the 10 Rings has been bumped back to September 3rd.
--Five other Disney films have announced release delays as well, but none into November, & no other MCU installments; Eternals is still sittin' pretty on November 5th, & Sony will NEVER move No Way Home from December 17th.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Behold, the first poster & trailer for Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings:

Also, the finale of The Falcon & the Winter Soldier is this coming Friday! Then we have a little break through May before Loki's series premiere on June 11th, & Black Widow's hybrid release on July 9th.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Hey, everybody, just so you know, I've set up https://mcuchronological.wordpress.com/ to continue my liveblog.
I'm currently in the process of transferring all the old posts there, and the Falcon & Winter Soldier post will show up there as well.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Crosspost: Part 61.75:


The Falcon & the Winter Soldier

#1 "New World Order":
--Sam is clearly dressing for a funeral. Farewell, Steve.
--Everyone uses titles/surnames except Sam; it's very jarring.
--Looks like Hydra got Batroc out of prison after SHIELD fell.
--You gotta be a special kind of stupid to shoot towards the pilot that's on your side.
--Flying squirrel suits are very cool, but Falcon still has the advantage of being the only one who can go UP.
--I thought we were allies with Libya?
--"A world unified without borders" isn't so bad. "3.5 billion folks should still be dead", however, is.
--Rhodey answers my previous question about Libya.
--This museum exhibit acknowledges SHIELD's continued existence post-Civil War; I think that's the first Marvel Studios production to do so explicitly.
--Bucky's doctor is cool. I like his amends plan, too.
--Oh no, Yori's son was in the nightmare?
--Hey, Dr. Space Cape was on OUR side, Sarah.
--Bucky, just say you have a prosthetic hand. And don't spontaneously walk out on your date.
--I didn't expect Torres to matter, but I'm glad to be wrong.
--"How can you have income when you don't exist?" Truth. This banker is a dweeb. We have a timeline anchor, though; it's at least 6 months post-Endgame.
--They plated up this food in paper containers at home, then drove it into town exposed to the air, then let it sit in the truck while they were in the bank. The food has GOTTA be cold by now.
--Ugh, of course they completely ignored Sam's eulogy.
--Credits: The absent names of Sharon & Zemo are really jarring. Why would you put their images here?

#2 "The Star-Spangled Man":
--John Walker seems like he only really cares about the punching part of being Captain America.
--Drumline arrangement of the episode title song isn't bad.
--Oh Bucky is even more pissed about this than Sam is.
--Dude, you're embarassing me in front of the androids, aliens, & wizards.
--Bucky's air drop would've worked if the trees hadn't turned him around; he would've landed on his metal arm.
--I don't get the play. Why pretend to have a hostage if you don't know you're being followed?
--They're doing a great job with Falcon-based action.
--I'm surprised Bucky hasn't gotten into Battlestar Galactica.
--The first Patriot as a Tuskegee patient was one thing, but then the cops pulled up. Oof.
--Avenger couples therapy.
--I don't understand "you can never understand." Of course people can understand. Most of the ones who act like they "don't understand" really do understand but pretend not to, or they just have no capacity for either empathy or sympathy. I'm never gonna say "I can never understand" this issue just because I'll never *experience* this issue.
--Walker, on the other hand, really *doesn't* understand.
--Who the hell is Bucky "the Power Broker" that a batch of super-soldiers run terrified from him?

#3 "Power Broker":
--Brought to you by people conflating repatriation with returning the *complete* status quo.
--Walker's mask is slipping, & it's not because of the spit.
--They don't know 2 of the Flag-Smasher super soldiers are already dead.
--I've been thinking about Eternal Darkness a lot lately, & freeing Zemo to stop the Flag-Smashers is a lot like Alex Roivas summoning an ancient to stop another ancient.
--Ah, so he IS a Baron.
--Madripoor looks like the Foot Clan hideout from TMNT 1.
--Oof, those videos are gonna screw Bucky over hard.
--Baffling that Sharon is still forced into hiding. It is freaking stupid how the Sokovia Accords were enforced.
--Another Madani?
--Ok, source of the new serum neutralized.
--Ok, Karli is officially a murderer.
--Bucky couldn't legally leave the US, Zemo; of course he didn't visit the memorial.
--Whoa, Ayo is in this show? And she actually gets lines?
--Gotta say, this episode feels like they didn't quite finish the script.

#4 "The Whole World Is Watching":
--Flashback: 2018. Bucky wasn't fully cured until *just* before Infinity War.
--Zemo is gaslighting now, but at least he was willing to admit he was wrong about Steve. But I also disagree that Turkish delight is irresistable.
--Well, Karli, it turns out publicly murdering people had the exact opposite effect from what you wanted.
--Don't take candy from strangers, kids.
--Sam isn't here for people's physical tics.
--Sharon looks like she's wandering along a labyrinthine Pokémon route full of trainers.
--Battlestar has a much better head on his shoulders than his partner does.
--I don't get why everyone is so baffled by Zemo's strategy of "treat person kindly, get info."
--"It's not a better place if you're killing people; it's just different." You CAN be a little bit of both, Sam.
--"What about Bucky?" indeed. The one person with the serum who never volunteered for it.
--This is a low blow, Karli. Also, those aren't "coordinates."
--Karli is a super soldier, but a tiny one with no combat training. She can be surprised & knocked away even though it won't hurt her.
--...Crap, he took it.
--Is this dripping water supposed to be significant?
--Poor Lemar.
--"Where is she!?"
--Ugh, Walker's impatience & entitlement ruined everything, from Sam's productive talk with Karli to Zemo actually proving himself useful today to Ayo's claiming of Zemo to this guy not being dead.

#5 "Truth":
--"Why are you making me do this?" They're not. You're choosing to do it.
--Blackbird singing in the dead of mid-afternoon, take these broken wings & learn to fly....
--Bucky's right, though.
--Can you put somebody in military prison *after* you've discharged them?
--Elaine Benes is on this show.
--Karli, if you didn't want your followers' home to be treated like a crime scene, you shouldn't have laid your trap for Walker there.
--The White Wolf finally gets his against Zemo.
--For those who don't know, the Red Tails of 332 were the Tuskegee Airmen.
--I love that we're getting the whole "Truth", but it also feels a bit like Isaiah is telling Sam Sam's own already-implied thought process.
--Heartwarming boat sequence is heartwarming.
--Wait, Sharon's working with Batroc?
--Sam was able to apply his VA counseling to finally finish Bucky's therapy.
--My wife: "Open the box! I wanna know what's in the box!" Me: "We all know it's vibranium wings, ok?" Her: "I WANNA SEE 'EM!"
--We're gonna need a montage!
--Why is Karli so in on killing Falcon when she should know for sure he wasn't working for Walker by now?
--Mid-credits scene: U.S. Agent.

#6 "One World, One People":
--That title puts so many different songs into my head.
--It's that **** mask again! (Wait, how did Sharon get here so fast?)
--And then there were 5.
--Nice shinespark.
--Glad to see the rest of the Flag-Smashers aren't as cool with murder as Miss "I don't want to hurt people that don't matter."
--Now that is a clever way to deal with a helicopter fight.
--Now that is a clever way to deal with a falling truck.
--This reveal makes no effing sense. Why would Sharon get herself almost killed fighting her own bounty hunters?
--Captain America can do this all day.
--Walker is surprisingly not horrible in this episode.
--There's a lot of aftermath here, but it's important & it's good.
--Mid-Credits scene: This doesn't really add anything that the character's previous appearance didn't already add.

Executive summary: There's a lot of good here in the way the show addresses issues of race, of American interventionism, & of mental health. Some of the plot points are rather weak though, as if much of the story had to be rewritten to accommodate a pandemic or something.


And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Here's the official trailer for Loki, which starts on Wednesday the 9th:

And here's the first teaser for Eternals:

And *here's* some title reveals/release date confirmations/new footage of upcoming films:
BP2 is now Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
CM2 is now The Marvels.
Ant-Man & Wasp: Quantumania will come out 17 Feb 2023.
GotG vol. 3 will come out 5 May 2023.

And furthermore: Danai Gurira will star as Okoye in the D+ series Black Panther: Kingdom of Wakanda, which is the Coogler-developed show I mentioned before.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

The Legends videos prior to Loki were for the eponymous character & for...the Tesseract? Huh.
Anyway, episode 3 (out of 6) of Loki drops tomorrow.
Also, Black Widow opens in just over 2 weeks; tickets are on sale.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Today:
--Episode 5 of Loki.
--Legends video for Black Widow.

Friday:
--Black Widow.

Next week:
--Season finale of Loki.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

We have an official premiere date for What If?: August 11th.
Here's a new trailer:

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

I'm not liveblogging Black Widow until it comes out in a form that I can take notes while watching & pausing.
Also, season 2 of Loki was just (re-)confirmed.
But season 1 just ended. Part 61.25....


Loki season 1:

#1.01 "Glorious Purpose":
--Exact timeline placement for this show is gonna be a nightmare. It's 2012 from the protagonist's perspective, but it's 2023 from the Sacred Timeline's perspective, & they're clearly gonna jump around. I'll have to wait to figure this out.
--So much for the All-Tongue, I guess?
--Michael from Other Space is in this show.
--The premise of this show requires that free will not exist, which is a huge mistake in storytelling. Predestination is boring & instantly nullifies any stakes.
--This window looks like Mephisto. Not in a Reddit-meme way, but literally.
--Hi, picture of Stan!
--You can't get upset with people for not understanding what you mean when you talk about the Sacred Timeline when you purposely hide the existence of a Sacred Timeline from them. That's like a child you've never met before getting upset that you walked through their imaginary friend that they didn't warn you about.
--So far, the only TVA folks I like are Casey & Mobius. Mobius in particular is way past cool.
--"Little solace to a dead man." Heh, if only you knew.
--Wait, Loki was DB Cooper? But I thought it was Adam West!
--Why stop at Frigga's death, though? Why not show what he's capable of after that point? Loki clearly agrees with me.
--If Infinity Stones don't work here, the TVA must exist outside the universe (or *any* universe) entirely.
--The other variant being Loki doesn't make sense. If it's in his past, then he should remember doing it; also, they would recognize him already instead of being confused by him as they were in this episode. If it's in his future, then he's going to learn nothing from this experience, rendering the entire exercise pointless from a character-development standpoint. Either the variant is just pretending to be Loki, or Mobius is lying.

#1.02 "The Variant":
--"I was wanting it to say B'Gosh so bad." ~my wife, out loud (& me, in my head)
--Whoa, Miss Minutes isn't just a scripted cartoon?
--I've had to sit through tons of dull training videos on more than one occasion. Can't blame Loki for zoning out.
--Weird that anyone in the TVA hasn't met the Time Keepers, given they created all of them.
--It's only episode 2 of 6, so this "last chance" clearly is going to go better.
--The Pompeii sequence is significantly more interesting than any other scene outside the TVA offices so far.
--Mobius loving jetskis is like God loving skee-ball.
--What do they mean, the African or the European swallow?
--Roxxcart? Roxxon just doesn't give up, do they?
--"He just uncovered a massive hole in our security." "That's what I'm worried about!" But he also told you about it.
--Did they seriously not think about security cameras?
--Why's this random guy carrying a garrote?
--This is a huge thing to have happen in episode 2 of 6. They're gonna have to either resolve it immediately & then come up with some new stakes for the 2nd half of the season, or stretch out the resolution way too long to maintain interest.

#1.03 "Lamentis":
--Hmm, so why does C-20 remember this crappy restaurant?
--Knife to see you again.
--Well, Renslayer saw Original Loki fighting Lady Loki (edit: ok, Sylvie, got it), so Mobius's career is probably safe.
--I can barely hear this trailer woman.
--For the record, Sylvie, that was guile.
--Tall Refugee heard Loki say "kill every guard & hijack the train" & reacted to it.
--Sylvie is either from VERY far in Loki's future or from a VERY different timeline where Frigga died much sooner.
--Is "Asgardian" even a language, or is this just Norwegian?
--Loki is very much his brother's brother.
--OH SNAP. That's quite a reveal! (I *knew* there was a difference between pruning & resetting!)
--All the visuals of the impacting debris in this episode have been amazing.
--The ending oner is not quite Daredevil-tier, but still really good.

#1.04 "The Nexus Event":
--This opening shot of Asgard looks like Luke's island from Last Jedi.
--Yeah, the whole TVA intake process is a lot less funny happening to a little kid as it is happening to a guy who just attempted genocide.
--I believe C-20 is dead. I don't believe it was from cognitive decline.
--Wait, what caused that branch? What could possibly have happened to alter history at a planetary extinction?
--They paid Jamie Alexander to play this same scene over & over again.
--"'Work your Loki' should be everyone's mantra." ~my wife
--Oooh, B-15 got some memories back.
--So, if they're done with Loki, what did they do with him?
--Renslayer doesn't want anyone to know she's the one who Sylvie escaped from.
--"Do you think the actress just couldn't cry, so that's why they did the rain?" ~my wife again
--Glad to see the Game Boy Camera still gettin' some love.
--I said from the beginning that Mobius thinks very differently than the other agents.
--Guys, these are just robot doubles OF the Time Keepers.
--Kinda sick of "person gets snuck up on while someone else is facing them & should see it."
--Mid-credit scene: It's the Deadpool Corps, but with Lokis!
--Credits: The actors who actually voiced the Time Keeper robots are not credited.

#1.05 "Journey Into Mystery":
--Lotsa Black Widow symbols on this elevator.
--I trust that Renslayer didn't know about the Time Keeper robots. I do not trust that she won't betray Sylvie.
--Holy crap, it's Frog Thor!
--"Wait what about the convenient thing that's exactly what you want?" She's not that dumb.
--Ok, the Loki Corps should have a TemPad now that Sylvie's arrived.
--Mobius pulls a 1970s-era-Enoch.
--Ok, to become a variant, you have to have free will, which means these weird alien quail have to be sapient.
--Well, we get to watch Asgard get destroyed again. Godspeed, the bad guy from Logan.
--Dr. BrightSylvie enchants 682Alioth with the help of another version of himherself.
--Credits: Finally some engaging music in this score!
--Afterthought: Apparently I missed the Thanoscopter at some point.

#1.06 "For All Time. Always.":
--Whoa, quotes everywhere.
--I thought those were cracks in the castle, but it's actually just paint splatter.
--It was Miss Minutes all along!!!
--"He Who Remains" is being described a lot like The One Above All.
--The offer here would be a lot more tempting *before* Loki had all his character development.
--How deep does Renslayer's rot go? Does she actually know about herself?
--"Don't you wonder how I'm able to get out of the way just before you kill me?" No, Loki does that all the time with his illusions. Ant-Man does it with his shrinking. Spider-Man does it with his reflexes. Quicksilver & Yo-Yo do it with speed. Cloak & Gordon do it with teleportation. There's lots of ways to dodge stuff.
--There has to be SOMETHING in between stifling order & cataclysmic chaos. Possibly just killing "the Conqueror" himself in every timeline would do the trick.
--Whoa, onscreen masturbation in a Disney production!?
--A facility that exists outside of time should be immune to the aftereffects of temporal manipulation.
--Not gonna mince words; that was a disappointing ending. Another massive exposition dump like episode 1, another argument against free will like episode 1, action that supposedly justifies that argument, & then a literal reset on a main character's development. If the next major MCU arc is about trying to restore predestination to the universe, I'mma be pissed off.
--Mid-credit scene: Season 2 confirmation. Literally that's it.

Executive summary: The middle 4 episodes made for some interesting mystery & character development. The premiere was a slog carried entirely by strong performances, & the finale was a cyclical frustration carried entirely by strong performances. You can extend a story to multiple seasons without having to reset the status quo all the time.


And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Poster day!
What If? poster 1: Uatu the Watcher
What If? poster 2: Everybody Else
Shang-Chi

Current release schedule for the rest of 2021:
4 Aug - three new Legends clips
11 Aug - What If? premieres
3 Sept - Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings
5 Nov - Eternals
24 Nov - Hawkeye premieres
17 Dec - Spider-Man: No Way Home
??? - Ms. Marvel premieres

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Forgot to mention: What If? started last Wednesday; episode 2 comes out tomorrow.
Also, Shang-Chi tickets are now on sale.

Also also, Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney for breach of contract; her executive producer contract on Black Widow specified a theater-only release in conjunction with her pay largely coming from box office. She claims that when the decision was made to do a hybrid premium D+ release, Disney refused to renegotiate her contract accordingly, she was not paid anything out of the streaming premiums, & (pretty obviously) that cut into the box office take. Kevin Feige had previously voiced his displeasure with the hybrid release decision, suggesting that he would side with ScarJo if it came to that. Disney's press response was some irrelevant rambling that didn't make any sense, so she probably has a pretty strong case.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

As of last night, Shang-Chi has been screened for critics & for preview audiences; buzz is good.

Today, Eternals dropped one last poster & trailer:

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens in a week & a half.
Meanwhile, Sony is stealing thunder by finally dropping the first trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home. It looks like this:

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

I am not into most modern Marvel movies, but it's really starting to look like Tobey Maguire is gonna be in No Way Home so that's great. I hope it's not terrible, and also has a recap for people who don't follow the movies.

[CaptHayfever]

In anticipation of Shang-Chi, which opens THIS FRIDAY, Disney finally put the short All Hail the King onto D+, and a Legends recap about the Ten Rings will show up on Wednesday, alongside a new What If.
Shang-Chi will be theater-only for 45 days, & then it will go onto D+ at the regular subscription level, non-premium.
(And then just 2 weeks after that, Eternals opens in theaters.)

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Holy crap.
Kevin Biegel, showrunner for the cancelled New Warriors sitcom, got really drunk last night & leaked a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff on Twitter, including production photos & actually clips from the pilot, as well as revealing that the show was killed by a *single* executive, who has since been fired. He specified that the exec was not Jeph Loeb, & Kevin Feige hasn't been fired so it can't be him either.

The tweets have been deleted, but here's some backups of most of it:




And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

WandaVision just won 3 Emmys for costumes/makeup, production design, & songwriting!

New poster & trailer for Hawkeye, premiering November 24th!

Episode 6 of What If goes up on Wednesday.
Eternals opens in about 2 months.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"