MARVEL Cinematic Universe

There are rumors that the actor's political statements have prevented Shang-Chi from being played in China. If that's the case, he may not appear in an Avengers film if the film will not be played in China due to him being a part of that team. A market Disney is desperately trying to conquer with films like Mulan and now Shang-Chi...

 

That's such a shame. I really hate how demands made by the Chinese government are affecting global media like this. Same went with Star Wars, if I recall- various elements needed to be changed to make it more marketable as well (which is frustrating, given how Star Wars traditionally hasn't been particularly in China anyway, yet now it's being dictated by them).

 

It started in the 1980's, when a major comic book character was killed off, sales soared, those death issues became collector's items and comic book stores profited extremely, so much so, retailers contacted the publisher wanting to know if there will be more deaths?

With the death of Superman, which was a major event, I knew he would return, unlike those that are not hardcore collectors. ( I remember watching on the news long lines outside comic book shops for the death of Superman. I wondered would this event backfire, when he eventually makes a return? It did somewhat; however, the character is still relevant today)

There is a constant joke amongst collectors that Marvel/DC characters never really die... so it will be interesting to see how Kevin Feige handles these deaths/exiles because if the general movie going audience start to figure this out, it will be a disaster for movie sales going forward. ( a death of a major character can not become frivolous to say the least) and there are so many characters, why not use another character rather than replace them with someone else? ... maybe they aren't as popular?

A good analogy of this, is Palpatine... will Snoke return in the next trilogy...? I hope not... (but that discussion is for another thread)

 

That's an interesting thought.

I know that we're kind of in this weird period of the MCU where Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange, Kang, etc are all messing around with the Multiverse while the Watcher observes before we get to X-Men and the Fantastic Four, and I think there's a lot of awesome stories that could come from those shenanigans. But I really, really hope that we don't get a recast Steve or Tony to fill the shoes of the MCU's founding members.

Marvel has a ton of characters that can take over, and I think the better story here is to use the multiverse to bring in mutants, but to let previous characters lie. Tony can have his legacy carried on by Iron Heart and War Machine, Steve's by Bucky and Sam. Recasting them just cheapens the stakes of these films in a way that might be impossible to come back from.

 

I know the general movie going audience would rather see Bucky take on the mantle of Captain America, similar to how the boy wonder became the Batman, I myself thought so as well, after reading the Winter Soldier's storyline I had doubts, Bucky's tenebrous past altered this choice for me.

Captain America is someone who is exemplary, representing the best of its kind. Steve Rogers wasn't appointed for his brawn but for his virtuous personality, his determination to do good no matter the circumstances. (Steve Rogers took on the moniker of Nomad at one point)

Can Sam Wilson become Captain America? Steve Rogers believed so, he was his close friend and long-time ally, he knew him better than anyone. Bucky Barnes or the White Wolf, is better suited in terms of strength and power; however, he also believed Sam should continue in the legacy.

Sam had a lot of soul searching to do, was America ready for a new Captain America? He finally realized it was time to take up the shield, but some believe his indecisions are the very reasons he should not be the next Captain America, which is fair.

My favorite MCU series is the Falcon and the Winter Soldier and my favorite MCU film is Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I work-out to Captain America the Winter Soldier soundtrack, track #18 Captain America, on repeat, in the gym, or where ever I decide to work-out. it gets me so hyped!

 

"No one stays dead except Uncle Ben and Bruce Wayne's parents," was the phrase my friends and I used, and even that's not true anymore.

I remember being seated next to someone on opening night of Endgame who was very upset that Sam got the shield instead of Bucky. I honestly was happy (but had different reservations), but it wouldn't have mattered too much in the long run who held the shield - both have been Cap in the comics for different reasons, and both reasons were viable options as Cap's successor in the MCU. Just because Bucky was the first to take Cap's mantle of the two didn't mean he was the only one worthy to do so.

...all of that to say is that you're right, and I can personally relate to your comments.

This is interesting to me because Marvel historically has had so few legacy characters, that the most iconic ones have come out within the past 15-20 years. And now it's Marvel who's pulling them out early instead of DC, a company known for their sidekicks.

Shang-Chi, after getting in a quick "let's you and him fight" with Yelena, will awkwardly introduce himself to Dr. Strange and Wanda. Strange will already know who he is, and Wanda will feel slightly betrayed about not knowing (after her adventures with the Sorcerer Supreme in his sequel movie), but will warmly welcome Shang-Chi (and Katy) into the group. Sam will take charge, and ask what Shang-Chi's gimmick is. Katy will explain, and then Sam will try to fit it into the Big Three (he'll decide that Shang-Chi's powers and rings fit the Wizard bill, until someone tells him about the homing beacon, to which he'll then change it to fit the Alien bill). Something will go wrong, and the group will have to find Shang-Chi's sister, which would lead to an interesting revelation that's important to the plot. The new team figures out what's going on, solves the issue, and our Post-Credit Shawarma Scene is everyone passed out in a Karaoke room, all still in costume. Oh, and Katy would be the Quinjet driver, because you know she would.
But jokes aside, I think Shang-Chi would make a welcome addition to the group with fun bonds, depending on how much of a "let's share our backstories/origin movies" mood we're in. I think he and Yelena could get along pretty well, both coming from pretty brutal backgrounds and secret societies. I think Shang-Chi would see Yelena as the Xialing that's there to protect right now...although Yelena would see Shang-Chi as a well-meaning but naïve ally. Meanwhile, Sam and Shang-Chi would bond over being minorities and their experiences in America because of that. They'd probably have a dynamic similar to Thor and Cap...by which I mean they're work buddies, but outside of that, nothing much. Wanda and Shang-Chi's bond could replace Yelena's if needed, but I think Wanda would bond more with Katy than Shang-Chi. (Although I can see Wanda joining in on Karaoke Night and having a blast.)
In terms of his powers...they could mean a lot of things going forward, but I think they more or less mean he's the new Thor. Like Thor, his powers mostly come from a high-tech-to-the-point-of-magic weapon, and while that's where people focus, the character himself can do a lot of damage without the weapon in his possession. He's also got that Big Fun personality when goofy, but can also play the Straight Man to several jokes as well.

 

Is there any way of updating that poll on the top of this thread?

 

No problem, my answer didn’t change much. I’m most hyped for Spidey again!

 

Dang, that's a tough one.

The hype is real for Spidey, and I think Loki/Wandavision set up so much for Multiverse to play with, so those are my picks.

But man, I really think Eternals looks cool. I know almost nothing about them, and I love when the MCU delves into these less explored corners. Paid off with GOTG in spades, and Eternals looks to recontextualize the MCU's earth's history, which is neat.

Thor and Quantummania both seem really promising- particularly with Kang on the loose now. Can't wait to see the more aggressive Kang variants wrecking time and space. And I love Rudd's Scott Lang, and I feel like this third Ant Man will really allow him to be in a wild story, compared to the more grounded first two. But I'm kinda holding out on my hype until we see a trailer or something.

Fantastic Four is also something awesome on the horizon, but I can't really be too hyped for it until we actually start learning... anything about it, really.

 

Spoiler: Venom II

So now is Venom just in the "Spiderman realm" or do we get him all the way into the MCU?

 

Spoiler: “Venom II”

Yep, he got transported to the MCU. The MCU versions of J Jonah Jameson, the Daily Bugle show and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man on the TV are all supposed to signify this.

If rumors are to be believed, it won’t be the only upcoming Sony/Spidey project to be tied to the MCU. *cough cough* Morbius.

 

Spoiler

Then my next question is "Does Venom come to Disney+ as an R-rated movie?

 

Spoiler

Nah, both the Venom movies are PG-13 so they should be fine on Disney+. We’ll likely get them as part of Sony’s deal with Disney+.

 

I think there are two main reasons for this.
The first reason is that all of the above will have or have had Phase Four properties released; and of those released, they came out before the D+ Day. BW still counts as Phase 4, despite it really being a Phase 3 movie.
The second reason is that all of the characters on the updated banner are "confirmed" characters at this moment. Pugh hasn't been openly confirmed as the next Black Widow AFAIK (please correct me if I'm wrong though!), so replacing Scarlet's Natasha with Yelena would be a premature move. That's probably one of the reasons why T'Challa is still on the banner. (With the other, obvious reason being that his place is irreplicable, and his image is reminder of his presence.) The same goes for Kate Bishop Hawkeye - yes, we all know she's going to take the role of Hawkeye, but until that moment comes, she can't be included. Or so my theory goes.

Give it a year or two, and I'm sure they'll update the banner again.

 

A few years ago, I came out with a viewing order for the MCU.

Now, it's time to update that order. Despite the silence of 2020, this year gave us a LOT of MCU goodness back-to-back, and much of it will be payed forward going into the new year. But while we have the downtime due to BoBF, I think it's time to reorganize and revise the watch order.
This viewing order will be organized into Phases, much like the normal MCU, but based on chronological and thematic choices. Certain movies may be watched closer to when they occur rather than their release date, but that's a guideline, not a rule. The second thing to note is that this order will have interludes, much like several Epic Fantasy books. (And not just Stormlight Archive.) These interludes will be composed of films or shows that don't directly connect to larger the MCU but do play a role down the line as well as flesh out some less-explored corners or assist in building background knowledge.
So, without further ado. let's get started!

Phase 1 - Avengers Initiative

1. Iron Man
2. The Incredible Hulk
3. Iron Man 2
4. Thor
5. Captain America: The First Avenger
6. The Avengers
7. Captain Marvel

Interludes:
Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy
Daredevil Seasons 1 & 2 (and any other Disney Netflix show desired)

Phase 2 - Age of Miracles

1. Iron Man 3
2. Thor: The Dark World
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
4. Guardians of the Galaxy
5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
6. Avengers: Age of Ultron
7. Ant-Man

Interludes:
Mark Webb's Amazing Spider-Man Duology
Agent Carter Seasons 1 & 2 (end with the Agent Carter short) - I think this fits better post-Age of Ultron, since learning about the birth of Shield may tie-in nicely with its downfall and Cap's line about what Shield was supposed to be. It also helps bring the Red Room stuff to the forefront.
Daredevil Season 3
(OPTIONAL - Venom 1)

Phase 3 - Infinity

1. Captain America: Civil War
2. Black Panther
3. Black Widow (minus post-credit scene)
4. Spider-Man: Homecoming
5. Doctor Strange
6. Ant-Man & the Wasp
7. Thor Ragnarok
8. Avengers: Infinity War
9. Avengers: Endgame (& Black Widow post-credit scene)



Phase 4 - Broken New World

1. WandaVision
2. Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings
3. Falcon & the Winter Soldier
4. Eternals
5. Spider-Man: Far From Home
(OPTIONAL - Venom 2)
6. Spider-Man: No Way Home
7. Hawkeye
8. Loki
9. What If...?
(OPTIONAL - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - This movie isn't MCU related, but I think it's a nice way to continue building the Spider-Man mythos while bringing something fresh to the table. Pairing it with the cartoons like What If...? May be a fun decision.)

And that's it so far! I think overall things follow the timeline pretty well while still keeping a nice flow. Of course, this is just one person's opinion, and it's one that changes even a lot in my head. For example, since Loki and What If...? happen outside of the timeline, they can be viewed pretty much wherever. I put them after FFH and NWH, since I think they fit best there, particularly with the Hawkeye and Loki wrapping up loose ends from Endgame. What If...? brings its own set of issues, but those issues pair well with Loki. Of course, WandaVision, Loki, and What If...? should be viewed before Doctor Strange 2.

I'll probably revise this late 2022 or mid-to-late 2023, so until then, Merry Christmas!