MCU Megathread

[CaptHayfever]

^The implication is that he won't be. The script wasn't finished yet, & they haven't even confirmed a director, much less filmed anything, so they might just *not* have Kang in it anymore.
Everything Majors filmed for Marvel (Loki S1, Quantumania, Loki S2) has already been released.

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

[Booyakasha]

Oof. Sounds like a better reason to drop someone from the MCU than what James Gunn did.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

What did Gunn do? I know the DC had similar problems with the Flash actor (or at least I think it was Flash).

They're even more strict in Japan about firing people, even for relatively small things. Something like a minor drug related incident is enough to ruin careers over there, supposedly. I bet Yuji Naka will probably never get work again just for some stocks related shenanigans, and he's the creator of Sonic.

[Booyakasha]

He made some off-colour jokes over Twitter back in 2008 or so--------people dug them up a few years after, and Disney got super puritannical and judgmental over it.

[CaptHayfever]

^^^Drastically, yes.

^^It's the more honor-based society.

^Alan Horn (then-VP of Disney Pictures) made that move without consulting Feige (head of Marvel) or Iger (Disney's CEO). A few months later, Gunn was hired back, & Horn was dismissed.

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

[Booyakasha]

That's good.

...I mean, don't get me wrong, Gunn's jokes were pretty off-base. But the guy cut his teeth working at Troma, for cliff's sake. Co-directed 'Tromeo and Juliet' with Lloyd Kaufman, helped Kaufman write his first book. I think just about anyone would wind up with a weird sense of humour after that.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

Holy crap, I just looked at the Tweets... Weird is putting it mildly, it's pretty telling who Disney chooses to fire over Tweets and who not to.

Anyway, I didn't want to make an entire topic about it but this seems like a relevant enough spot to mention the massive Insomniac leak in passing. It revealed plans for upcoming & future Marvel games, including Wolverine and Spider-Man 3. Aside from the conspicuously bad Jean Grey character design the early project looks a fair bit better than Spider-Man at least; combat seems more visceral and it's supposedly more linear overall (which I prefer to the oversaturated open-world genre).

[CaptHayfever]

^To specify, they fire people who continue making horrible tweets *while* working for them, versus people who stopped making horrible tweets *years prior to* working for them.

Anywho, since we already know how What If works, I have this year's timeline infographic update ready! It's been altered a lot based on info from the new timeline book, but I ignored one specific thing from that because it's blatantly wrong.
Note: I will not be changing any of my liveblog "part" numbers based on this.

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

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

That's actually a fair distinction.

[CaptHayfever]

Echo has its full-season release THIS TUESDAY. 5 episodes that are looking like real bangers based on the teasers, especially this one.
They're also already teasing What If S3, which is surprising when we *just* finished part 61.31....


What If...? season 2:

#2.01 "...Nebula Joned the Nova Corps?":
--Abbreviated serious animation logo.
--What in the blade runner?
--That transition into the credits was smoooooth.
--Nexus event: So jacked-up Ronan *could* have taken Thanos, good to know.
--Vibes of Framework Ward.
--Timeline cues: It's at least 2019, but might be later. Obviously Ronan would've killed Thanos in 2014, & we're now 5 years after Xandar was locked-down, but we don't know how much time passed between those 2 events yet.
--Once you go quack, you never go back.
--"Dead. Forever." Yes, that's what killing you means.
--Will Yon-Rogg betray Ronan? They kinda agree on...everything.
--"Wow! I AM Metaluna!"
--Called it.
--The inside of my head watching this scene.
--Didn't call THAT.
--Yeah, sure, he'll leave you in charge after he GLASSES THE PLANET WITH THE POWER STONE.
--In every universe, Saal is bad at his job.
--Ronan really just sat parked there for 5 years?
--These people are all terrible shots.
--Sethy G's in trouble.
--Overall consequences: Drastic. Thanos died in 2014, the Guardians never formed, & the Snap never happened.

#2.02 "...Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?"
--Timeline cue: 1988, right on screen.
--Ok, this transition was less smooth.
--Nexus event: Yondu brought Quill to Ego as a kid.
--Should've had Peggy make this call instead.
--Least believable part of this: Azzuri voluntarily handing out vibranium.
--That's not Annette Bening? She's doing the voice really well.
--Yeah, an early Ragnarok will sober a guy up pretty quickly.
--Oh gosh, Hope, don't fall for this!
--I forgot those signs used to be green. They're blue now.
--Unless the knock on the head snapped Peter out of Ego's brainwashing, I don't see how this plan could work.
--"Are you ready to comply?" I've heard those words before...
--Called it.
--40 years, Howard, not 50.
--I'm gonna need the What If crew to watch Ant-Man to remember what Pym particles do to people.
--You shouldn't have killed his mom & broke his Walkman.
--At least they watched GotG 2 to remember what Ego is.
--Returning to Brooklyn that which is Brooklyn's.
--Your 1980s Avengers, led by Peggy Carter & Howard Stark: Ant-Man, Goliath, Mar-Vell, Black Panther, Thor, Star-Lord, Goose,...& a completely unpowered tiny child Hope Van Dyne.
--Overall consequences: Drastic. 8 of the 9 realms are gone, including Asgard. Once again, the Guardians do not form; depending on whether Mantis is older or younger than Quill, she might not even be born. Mar-Vell's identity is no longer hidden, so Starforce might come for her sooner than a year from now. Bucky has escaped Hydra some 23 years before Steve even comes out of the ice, but still has the Winter Soldier triggers implanted. Howard & Maria Stark still likely won't be assassinated. Hank & Bill have reconciled. Hope is probably about to die in space.

#2.03 "...Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?"
--Christmas logo!
--Timeline cues: We got Avengers Tower, we got Darcy interning for Happy, we got the Iron Legion...we got "Director" Hill? This has to be between Winter Soldier & Age of Ultron.
--To be fair, he's right; he *is* a security professional.
--It's Hammer time.
--Nexus event: Hammer breaks out of prison?
--We're doing the Hulk blood thing again?
--Solid Die Hard homage.
--Solid wealth tax joke.
--"(HOGAN ROARS)" is a top-tier subtitle.
--It took until 2/3 of the way through the episode to make a Hulk Hogan pun?
--I'm confused about WERNER. The name is obviously a Herzog reference, but Ross Marquand's accent (& the character's general unhelpfulness) just sounds like Red Skull again.
--Hey, it's that thing where talking for 30 seconds can avert a misunderstanding...except they actually talked for 30 seconds & averted the misunderstanding! Huzzah!
--Credits: Wait it out for the full version of "Good Queen Darcy".
--Overall consequences: Minor if they can cure Happy (this is just some shenanigans), major if they can't (a 2nd, more-controlled Hulk is now on the Avengers).

#2.04 "...Iron Man Crashed into the Grandmaster?"
--Previously On? Ah, this is the cut episode from season 1.
--Nexus event: The portal closes before Tony falls back through it.
--Timeline cue: Battle of New York, so probably 2012, pending how many time vortexes Stark fell through en route to Sakaar.
--Valkyrie's ride is the only one here that's even of chariot proportions.
--How did Gamora even get here?
--She does, in fact, know what that's like.
--Killing all the winners is an odd choice. Big Helmacron vibes.
--Top shelf Demon reference.
--Easy deal. Stark will just rig the suit to explode or something if he loses.
--Now this is podracing!
--Opening drop of Rainbow Road 64.
--Yup, that name's sticking just like whatever the Grandmaster did to Mk 7.
--Finally a universe where Stark survives!
--Mid-credit scene: What is this guy made of!?
--Overall consequences: Drastic. Thanos dies & Sakaar is liberated in (probably) 2012. Iron Man gets the closure to head off his PTSD long before Killian even resurfaces, so Ultron is probably never created. *Yet again*, the Guardians probably never form.

#2.05 "...Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?"
--Timeline cue: Battle of New York, 2012.
--Hold up, this is just Captain Carter 2, right? But we have an active Wasp & no Hulk? I know Whedon's original Avengers script had Wasp in it, but where's Banner?
--Uatu's still fixing the broken windows.
--Timeline cue: Lemurian Star, 2014.
--Finally some actual variance in this variant universe.
--So much for covert assassination.
--Quality action scene is quality.
--St. Kilda is a World Heritage Site; there's no chance in hell SHIELD hasn't heard of it.
--So Dreykov is *actually* dead here? (This is also confirmation that the Red Room predates General Dreykov.)
--This is too convenient.
--How many robot people does one fake town need?
--Melina was always pretty amoral, so this checks out.
--Called it.
--Kill Bill framing aside, that was a Tatsu kick & you can't tell me otherwise.
--How did that punch come from 30 feet away?
--It's not a question of whether he can be *mentally* saved, Peggy; I think you actually accomplished that. It's a question of whether he survived his kamikaze attack on the Red Room.
--Oh, we're gonna be taking HUGE departures with that story, eh?
--Overall consequences: Much more significant this time. There's an active Wasp at least 3 years sooner. There might not be a Hulk. Hydra might've been eradicated in the 50s, so they never recruit the Maximoffs. The Red Room is wiped out 4 years sooner.

#2.06 "...Kahhori Reshaped the World?"
--Logo: Ok, that music is wild.
--Nexus event: Surtur destroys Asgard centuries earlier, before Odin achieves peace for the Nine Realms, launching the Tesseract towards Earth randomly, where it lands in North America.
--Is this gonna be all in Mohawk? Cool.
--That's actually a good point; you shouldn't just leave a battlefield littered with bodies.
--Lakes don't eat people, kid; stuff *living* in lakes eats people.
--Those are not real ducks.
--Timeline cue: Early 16th century; the conquistadors are here.
--In our universe, & likely in MCU-616 as well, the Spanish didn't reach the Mohawk's lands (despite being the vastest colonizers of the Americas); the Dutch got there first, & the English took it from them & held it until the American Revolution. The power of the Tesseract might've drawn attention in this universe, though.
--Timeline cue: He's looking for the Fountain of Youth. It's circa 1513.
--This is 1 step off of Namor's origin.
--"Welcome to Sky World."
--She doesn't speak your language, nimrod!
--Turtles, of course, are known for their jumping, just like pumas for their flying.
--You don't need to hold the entire staircase at once, just the step you're on & the one after that.
--Fruit by the Herd
--OH MY GOD A GIANT ROCK
--Maybe, just maybe, sending your men into a lake that your guy SAW somebody get swallowed up in wasn't the best idea. (And blaming the villagers who didn't want you to go there in the first place is an even WORSE idea.)
--You homo sapiens & your guns.
--Gonzalo ordering the canon strike. (2019, colorized)
--She slowed that down enough to just hurt instead of kill.
--Ooooh, somebody learned Spanish.
--This queen is credited as Isabella I, but it would make more chronological sense if she was Joanna I, the reigning Queen of Spain during the actual hunt for the Fountain of Youth.
--Is this 1602 Strange, or Supreme Strange?
--Overall consequences: Drastic on both Earthly & cosmic scales. For Earth's history: The New World is never conquered by Europe; the past 500 years changes in ways we can't even imagine. Cosmically: You might've missed this at the start of the episode, but THE ASGARDIANS ARE ALL BUT EXTINCT.

#2.07 "...Hela Found the Ten Rings?"
--Caption guy, it's only 1 L in the Norse version.
--Nexus event: Odin shows the same mercy to Hela that he would later show to Thor.
--The What If writers keep thinking that Hela's crown is the source of her power, when there is nothing to support that in the main timeline or in Norse mythology.
--Smart enchantment.
--I really enjoy seeing the All-Tongue at work.
--Timeline cues: Wenwu has been born, but Thor hasn't. Early 10th century AD.
--Wenwu is not as good a liar as he thinks he is.
--MORRIS, YOU TRAITOR!
--Airbending slice!
--Why wouldn't Heimdall be able to see into Ta Lo? Or see a corpse?
--They're not moving the flowers, Hela; they're moving the air. The flowers are just there so they can see it.
--Fenrir means Odin PLENTY of harm, kiddo.
--Wenwu is oddly quick to forgive here.
--Odin is oddly quick to forget his own intended lesson here.
--Crown slowly fitting itself onto Hela's head (1996, colorized)
--Hela the Grey, that was her name. Now, she is Hela the White. ALL SHALL LOVE HER AND DESPAIR!!!
--Overall consequences: Cosmically drastic yet again. Ragnarok never happens. Shang-Chi & Xiaoling are never born. The Dweller remains sealed. Thanos is defeated much earlier in his campaign. The Zen-Whoberis are spared. Thor is likely still born (but Mjolnir is gone, so he won't be using it), but Loki likely remains a Jotun (if Laufey lets him survive infancy).

#2.08 "...The Avengers Assembled in 1602?"
--Timeline cue: It literally says 1602 in the episode title.
--Logo: I see what you did there.
--Tom Hiddleston IS Matt Damon.
--Ok, so this is absolutely NOTHING like the original story at all. Cap has been brought through time *in response* to the anomaly rather than *causing* the anomaly BY being brought through time.
--Dude, she literally called you when she got here; of course she knows you're there.
--So this is more like The Wedding of River Song, everything mashed together, rather than just translated.
--Nexus event: Whoever got flung through time before Peggy.
--In Loki's defense here, Iago *is* the scene-stealer of Othello.
--Second-person action levels are a pain to play, but they're fun to watch!
--Caption guy somehow misheard "dear lord" as "oh no".
--Great fight scene.
--...Ok, I was wrong, this is KINDA like the original story. The instigator was at least *a* purple man if not *the* Purple Man.
--Overall consequences: Apparently nil, because it seems sending Steve back undid all the changes (except for stranding Peggy, which is resolvable by either Uatu or Strange).

#2.09 "...Strange Supreme Intervened?"
--Logo: That is freaking sweet.
--The premise of this episode precludes the need for identifying a nexus event or timeline placement.
--...How did he separate Zola & Killmonger without either of them getting the stones?
--Ok, so why did Strange reach out to Kahhori in the first place instead of just capturing her straight-up?
--Caption guy mixed up the colon with the apostrophe.
--Alchemy: the science of understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter. However, it is not an all-powerful art. It is impossible to create something out of nothing. If one wishes to obtain something, something of equal value must be given. This is the law of equivalent exchange; the basis of all alchemy. In accordance with this law, there is a taboo among alchemists. Human transmutation is strictly forbidden. For what could equal the value of a human soul?
--I distinctly recall Zombie Wanda being destroyed by Infinity Ultron.
--Did they just only have Clancy Brown for 30 seconds or something?
--Ah, ok, he DIDN'T separate them without one getting the stones.
--No, Stephen, you DIDN'T defeat that armor once before. You took advantage of a stalemate.
--Is she only using the Power stone?
--Ok, nevermind, that one's definitely Soul.
--"Cheap Trick, Strange!" Yeah, I Want Him to Want to stop. He should just Surrender. If that happens, we're all all right.
--A lot of these people can fly. Why are they falling?
--I don't even know what that green thing is or who threw it. There's too much glare.
--Before anyone complains, this might be a version of Mjolnir without the worthiness enchantment, so the argument will be pointless.
--Oh, it's Morbin' time.
--Strange Supreme's story was already a tragedy, but at least it was a tragedy with a moral & with pathos. This episode undoes both of those.
--On the other hand, it adds new dimensions (heh) to Captain Carter, who now is actually taking on some Captain Britain aspects.
--O hai Loki.
--Overall consequences: Not applicable.

Executive Summary: Episode quality is more consistent than season 1, but the finale was weaker than S1's finale. The faces are less jarring than in S1, also.


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

[CaptHayfever]

The Marvels is coming to streaming & disc in a couple weeks.
Deadpool 3, Ironheart, & Agatha have finished filming.
Daredevil: Born Again has resumed filming, with some familiar faces being spotted on set.
The entire Defenders Saga has finally been added to the Disney+ MCU timeline playlist (but only in the positions of their first seasons; they still don't know how to split a show up on the menu).
And that brings us to the newest entry IN the Defenders Saga, part 64.3...


Echo:

#1 "Chafa":
--Flashback, time immemorial: What in the Kahhori portal is this?
--Guys. It's already MA rated, & we already saw all the naked people. The clothes suddenly appearing is just silly.
--AAAAAKLAHOMA, where the wind goes sweeping--wait, no, that's not it.
--Something's up with the captions.
--Graham Greene has the confidence to ask when he doesn't know something.
--"I like your peaches." Wanna shake her tree?
--We can't really blame *her* for Every Car Crash Commercial happening; the brakes were out.
--IEP compliance is mandatory. Just felt the need to point that out.
--"Different world", "couple of magic isolated villages & also a dead one is under your feet right now", same thing.
--There's a lot of Hawkeye footage in here.
--Timeline cue: We know Ronin only operated during the Blip. This is all then or later, but before December 2024.
--You can tell this isn't the real world, because the cops didn't shoot her before she finished rigging the bike.
--False equivalence fallacy. Maya didn't kill William.
--I'm sorry, no song with "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" in the lyrics will ever be taken seriously.
--Perv gets what's comin' to him.
--Ever danced with Daredevil in the pale moonlight?
--Oh, that delay on the false leg kick was SICK!
--Timeline cue: May 2025.
--No way that's been open for 5 months.
--EEEEEKLAHOMA, where the wind goes--no, that's not it either.
--I have never & will never understand people who leave spare keys unsecured like that.
--"It's me, a guy who wasn't in the flashback!"
--This dude was a weasel as Nathaniel Malick, & he's a weasel now.
--Speaking of recasting, Devery Jacobs sounds familiar.
--"Queenpin" just doesn't roll off the tongue.
--IIIIIKLAHOMA, where the wind--nope, still not right.
--You come at the Kingpin, you best not miss.

#2 "Lowak":
--Flashback, 1200 AD: O hai alai.
--"Their ringer spotted our ringer."
--Let him take the stuff he's holding inside first before you send him to buy more stuff.
--Neftoon Zamora scam, love it.
--Why the hell is there a working saw just sitting open on a shelf!?
--You gotta be careful using "All My Life" in stuff; a whole episode of All That got screwed in reruns because of that song.
--This train heist has some bad greenscreening, but the rest is cool.
--It's a train; just follow the tracks, dude!
--Meanwhile, thousands of miles away.
--More like "zippity-BOOM-baby!"
--You could easily get $200 or more for a good-condition PS4.
--I love that they're keeping all the ASL in frame on this show.

#3 "Tuklo":
--Logo: Hold up, let's get some more fitting music over these slides.
--Newsreel flashback, late 1800s: The Charge of the Lighthorsemen Brigade
--It's amazing how many people in this show are "exactly alike." Maya & Clint & Fisk & Chula &....
--Oh, a VERY inconveniently-timed vision!
--"Are more people coming around here?" Dude, it's business hours.
--The heck is she shaking up?
--Who names their son Vickie?
--Thomas E. Sullivan, king of playing annoying minor antagonists who get double-crossed by the real antagonists.
--This guy Zane is not very good at looking for things.
--I've only gotten to play laser tag once. It was also in a blacklit room at a skating rink.
--Oof, that's a tilt.
--Somebody has altered the deal. Pray he doesn't alter it any further.
--In the land of the deaf, the one-eyed man is Kingpin.

#4 "Taloa":
--Flashback, 2008: And that's for the creepy "Hello" song on your truck!
--Flashback, 2021: You just know that guy is gonna end up in the same freezer a few days later. This also narrows down when Ronin hit the Tracksuits.
--Where is the voice coming from? It's not her eye. Does he have a thingy in his ear?
--Wow, he's not even mad.
--Wilson, she knows you had her father killed. Stop playing dumb.
--He still doesn't have taste of his own; he still relies on others to tell him what's tasteful.
--The cookies wouldn't fit down the drain.
--It's not a question of whether you can do the job, Maya; it's a question of whether Fisk will kill you.
--Young Chula is played by Isabella Madrigal, in a piece of accidentally-perfect Disney synergy.
--O Brother is a great movie & all, but I actually prefer Little Axe's version of this song from the Holes soundtrack.
--Isolated her, lied to her, murdered her parents, groomed her to be a weapon. It's giving Thanos-Gamora vibes.
--So there it is! Marlene taught her boy well.

#5 "Maya":
--Logo: Giacchino wrote the special Spotlight jingle, & it was only used in 2 episodes.
--Flashback: We just got captions over a closeup of the bird. So close to the finish, & they dropped the ball on showing the ASL.
--Brought to you by a subsidiary of a store that was intentionally mismanaged into bankruptcy by corporate ghoul Eddie Lampert.
--Crud.
--Billy Jack is such a good boy.
--Visions of a loved one like this can sometimes feel random, but this one is really well-justified since Maya's been having visions this whole time anyway.
--Thank you for lampshading (heh) how jarring motion sensor lights can be if you don't know they're there.
--Does Zane even know Fisk already has Maya?
--For a limited time only.
--That wink was such a flex.
--It feels like something's missing from this scene. I was really enjoying the emotional journey here, but then sudden jump cut to Fisk getting back into a car.
--Mid-credit scene: From President Loki to Mayor Fisk.

Executive summary: Overall good. The performances are really strong; Alaqua Cox definitely took some acting classes since Hawkeye. There's a familiar brutality to the action scenes. The flashbacks were really interesting. I'm just baffled by how the finale was edited.


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

[CaptHayfever]

Deadpool & Wolverine opens July 26th. It will be both the only MCU film this year & the final Fox X-Men film. Here's the first trailer.
Speaking of X-Men, the non-MCU series X-Men '97, a direct sequel series to the 90s cartoon, premieres March 20th on Disney+. Here's the first trailer for THAT.
And speaking of other Fox properties, the MCU Fantastic Four cast has been announced: Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, & Ebon Moss-Bachrach (formerly Micro) returns to the universe in a new role as Ben Grimm.
Now it's time for part 65.3....


The Marvels:

--Logo: I see what you did there.
--So there's still another Accuser active?
--Aha! I knew the bangle was Kree-related!
--How many songs rhyme "burst your/our bubble" with "you're/we're in trouble"?
--"Shine on" is not a good catchphrase, Johnny Kamala.
--If you think hands are hard to draw, ask Rob Liefeld about feet.
--Timeline cue: This was the credit scene from Ms. Marvel; we're not long after the main story of that show.
--Flashback: Aw, baby Monica! I remember her from the first movie!
--So Carol's been to Earth enough to decide she likes Crocs.
--So *that's* what SABER is about; establishing Earth's relations with other planets now that aliens are a common thing.
--The shot of Carol dismounting her ship is gorgeous.
--Well, this is a sticky situation.
--Caption Guy says the Accuser ("Supremor"?) is named Dar-Benn. Not Darbin. Anyone continuously typing "Darbin" doesn't know what they're talking about.
--Aamir, she's clearly surprised.
--Looks like Fury was wrong when he said there was nowhere else for Skrulls to live.
--"I, new leader & past soldier of the exact military responsible for your people's situation, understand more than anyone what you've been through as a result of my military's & my own personal actions."
--Hey, here's an idea: Instead of continuing to claim the Skrulls as part of the "Kree Empire", how about let them have their own homeworld again & stop being an empire while you get your own crap back in order?
--That's an extra complication: Clearly something to do with this trio's light-based powers is doing this, but Kamala's light-based power can bring things with her.
--This entire fight scene is amazing.
--Jinkies, Aamir. I feel horrible about your house & all, but this clearly isn't Kamala's fault.
--Timeline cue: Fury on Earth means this has to be after Secret Invasion.
--"I can see light energy" is a TERRIBLE way to describe your powers, Monica.
--Ok, here's the relevant info from WandaVision for this movie. Anyone saying you have to watch that to understand this doesn't know what they're talking about.
--Moon Girl Magic, baby!
--Kamala putting 2 & 2 together & hiding her bangle is very smart.
--Um, it can't be a "once again" betrayal when there was never actually a *first* betrayal, but that's colonizer logic for ya.
--This is rough, but it's true. There's only so much room on the ship & only so much time before they won't be able to escape.
--Oh, Carol & Valkyrie totally hooked up.
--Dar-Benn to the Kree (1998, colorized)
--The parallels between Monica & Kamala are nice.
--Stay in school, kids.
--"Professor Marvel" is taken, kiddo.
--Ok, here's the relevant info from Ms. Marvel for this movie. Anyone saying you have to watch that to understand this doesn't know what they're talking about.
--Recovery from amnesia is a slow process, in the cases where it's even possible. That bit of realism is nice.
--Kamala's emotional intelligence is delightful.
--Nice to have acknowledgement of Tyesha's existence.
--"Nobody gets more grief for it." Ain't that the truth.
--"Dr. Bright" is also already taken. I know I heard "Spectrum" in there, though.
--Dude's swearing about Svartalfheim; is he Asgardian?
--"Helped the prince with a legal issue" is 100% code for "political marriage".
--My first thought was a joke about Aquitar from Power Rangers, but (a) I already made a Power Rangers reference, & (b) Aladna has *a* continent, so it's more like Leera from Animorphs.
--A musical planet is such a cool idea, & this song is actually really lovely. I feel like people have talked about musical planets a lot when pitching concepts, but until now I've never actually SEEN one. Glad they took the plunge here; it works.
--Kamala's out here living her best life.
--THE CASTLE IS A PIPE ORGAN I LOVE IT
--"The Marvels" is so fetch.
--Some super-famous Korean actor who I am wholly unfamiliar with is in this movie.
--I do love hearing Brie Larson sing.
--Yan's sword reminds me of Tetrixcalibur.
--Smart decision: Carol waits until both of the others are in a secure position where they don't need their powers before trying to fly through ships, so they won't switch & die.
--Do not go gentle into that good night!
--The entire Flerkitten sequence is genius on its own, but "Memory" ALSO works as a callback to the Kevin Smith easter egg in the first movie, since one of our 3 stars is a Jersey Girl.
--These entanglement fights are so dang cool.
--False surrender is a war crime.
--Dar-Benn's sidekick dude tried to warn her several times about the bands growing increasingly unstable, but she wouldn't listen.
--"From inside the tear"? Wait a sec.
--I love all these split-screen shots. I loved it in Ang Lee's Hulk film too. I think it's a really cool comic-book panel effect.
--I guess it makes sense that these "panels" of reality wouldn't have traditional inertia & would take constant pushing to reclose. Still a gut punch for the others, though.
--Carol had to fly herself to Hala instead of taking her ship so she could soak up more energy on the way.
--Moving all the way to Louisiana while your house in New Jersey gets fixed seems extreme.
--Pizza time!
--Timeline cue: Kate is still 23 like she was in Hawkeye; this has to be less than 12 months since Christmas 2024. Combine that with Ms. Marvel being in early fall 2025, & Secret Invasion being in November 2025 (though there are *zero* references to that show in this film), that means this film has to be in either November or December 2025.
--Mid-credit scene: Tossed Variants & Scrambled Universes

Executive summary: On the one hand, it's choppy & rushed; 10 more minutes wouldn't have hurt. On the other hand, it's gorgeous, creative, witty, has great action sequences, directly addressed the most common (valid) criticisms of the first movie, & does my surrogate comic-book daughter justice. And, specifically to piss off some of the worst people on the internet, I'll throw in "fun & breezy".


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

[Booyakasha]

..."X-Men '97" looks pretty flippin miraculous.

I'm not sure about some the VA work, but, heck, there's definitely been worse (remember Australian accent Wolverine from the really old cartoon? Ahahahaa it burns).

Spoiler.

Lot of cartoons from when I was a kid haven't held up great, but 'X-Men' is one of the exceptions. I'll definitely tune in.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

I have no faith in it'll live up to how good the original series was, but that's definitely interesting.

Lot of cartoons from when I was a kid haven't held up great, but 'X-Men' is one of the exceptions. I'll definitely tune in.

Yeah we were spoiled with good superhero stuff. Batman and Spiderman were standouts.

[CaptHayfever]

To reiterate, X-Men 97 is right on the money. But also, I am currently furious & inconsolable regarding this week's episode.

We're in a bit of an MCU drought right now, but Kevin Feige presented some stuff at CinemaCon, including new footage of Deadpool & Wolverine and Brave New World. Here's some release updates:

* Deadpool & Wolverine - opens July 26th, 2024
* Agatha - premieres in September 2024 & runs till Halloween
* The animated series Eyes of Wakanda and season 3 of What If are both expected later this year, but no concrete dates have been given yet. (Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, previously referred to as "Spider-Man: Freshman Year", will likely be out in 2025, but like X-Men 97, that show is not connected to the main MCU timeline as far as we know yet.)
* Daredevil: Born Again - the first season is expected to premiere in January 2025 & run for 9 weeks; the remaining 9 planned episodes have been branched off into a 2nd season that is expected to premiere in December 2025
* Captain America: Brave New World - opens February 14th, 2025
* Thunderbolts - opens May 2nd, 2025
* Fantastic Four - opens July 25th, 2025
* Ironheart - likely to premiere in September 2025
* Marvel Zombies - likely to release for Halloween 2025
* MCU Spidey 4 is in pre-production with an expected release in November 2025.
* Blade is finally moving forward, with a currently expected release in February 2026.
* Other still-confirmed projects: Wonder Man (series already filmed, release delayed to align with other things), Armor Wars, Shang-Chi 2, Vision Quest (another WandaVision spinoff), Avengers 5, some kind of live-action X-Men project, Avengers: Secret Wars.

And remember, "I'm-a Gambit, mon ami, remember it!"

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

Is '97 actually a direct, canonical continuation of the 90's series or more of a spiritual sequel kinda thing? The animation from a commercial I saw seemed pretty well done.

[CaptHayfever]

Direct canonical continuation. Most of the original voice cast is back. The first episode picks up from the consequences of the old show's finale.

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

[CaptHayfever]

The X-Men '97 season 1 finale dropped today, & it was *amazing*. I didn't liveblog the show, though, since it's not (so far) connected to the MCU continuity.

The Disney Upfront presentation was yesterday, & we have new news about Disney+ shows:

* Agatha All Along premieres September 19th
* Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man premieres in November (it's also not in the main continuity)
* Daredevil: Born Again season 1 premieres in March 2025
* Ironheart premieres September 2025

We're likely to get an Agatha teaser later this week.

In the meantime, here's a recent trailer & a duo of posters for Deadpool & Wolverine:

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

[CaptHayfever]

Two things happen in 2.5 weeks:
1) D-piddy & Scratchy-Bub-Man opens [not the real title, see above trailer & posters]
2) Marvel Studios returns to SDCC for a presentation after skipping last year.

As noted previously, the next project after that will be the Disney+ miniseries Agatha All Along; here's the first trailer:

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

[CaptHayfever]

It doesn't open until February, but the first teaser for Captain America: Brave New World is out! I actually got chills.

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