Marvel Cinematic Genius

Marvel Cinematic Genius

As the Avengers looms on the horizon, it is time to take a step back and look at the interconnecting web the people at Marvel have created with their ambitious entwining films.

WARNING!!!!!!! SPOILERS!!!!!

Editorial Opinion
By Wadey09 - Jul 24, 2011 10:07 PM EST
Filed Under: Marvel Comics




I was at work earlier yesterday when I had an epiphany. And not like that you sick bastards!!! Just kidding. But has anyone stopped to consider the sheer genius behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe? And no I am not spit balling here. I have some theories that may be proven correct come May. Now, I am going to be delving in depth into the films of the MCU. Spoilers are a given. This is your last chance to turn back. Still here? Well, let’s get cracking!

Fellow CBMer Thomas Rochester has posted a three part editorial about the easter eggs and possible plot threads hinted at in the MCU movies. I’m not trying to copy his work seeing as how this article is about looking at how it all ties together and not what happens next. Although I may speculate a bit. With that said, I’m going to take you back in time to the year of 2008.

2008 was a great year for the Comic Book Movie. We had movies like Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Dark Knight, Hellboy II, and more. But what started in 2008 continues to grow to this day. I am speaking of the Marvel Cinematic Universe which was kicked off in the smash hit Iron Man. Iron Man helped to redefine the role of the superhero movie and plant the seed of every fanboys’ (and girls’) dream: a cohesive and comprehensible universe spanning multiple titles. Iron Man was just another origin before that. But an origin with heart and charisma. This film was chock full of Easter eggs that until later had no other point than to be there and look cool. That whole Captain America’s shield? It was just a little joke to see how many people would notice it. And notice it we did. And we got a surprise appearance by Marvel’s favorite super spy Nick Fury talking about an Avenger Initiative. Whenever Iron Man came out on DVD, I bought the Wal-Mart exclusive edition with the bonus comic. It showed that Stark he recreated the alloy for his armor based on a prototype of Cap’s shield! Need I say nerdgasm??? We as a fan base demanded more.

And Marvel delivered in spades when the next phase of their plan with the reboot of the Hulk. Whenever viewing it for the first time, I realized how much ambition had risen and grown inside of Marvel Studios. They had seen how movies could work or fail thanks to the many efforts of New Line, Lionsgate, Fox, and Sony. The Incredible Hulk had twice as many eggs and references compared to the higher grossing Iron Man. When Blonsky is injected with an “imperfect version” of the Super Soldier Serum, we see how Captain America would work on the big screen.
And then I made sense of how Banner came into this line of work: he read about Operation Rebirth! And while his ambitions were not so glamorous Banner believed that some of the bases of that formula would help increase resistance to radiation for American troops. And then there was the Stark tech in the form of sonic cannons that failed to incapacitate an enraged Hulk. I will find it highly ironic if Stark provided the machine that doused Banner with Gamma Rays. But that is entirely speculation at this point.

Marvel lay quiet for over a year. Sure, X-men Origins: Wolverine came out in 2009, but who counts that? Marvel’s next real film would be Iron Man 2. Iron Man 2 was met with slightly less positive reviews many citing that the movie serves more as staging ground for The Avengers (which by then had been announced for more than a year) than a full fledged Iron Man movie. I am not one to disagree with this but now that The Avengers is the only piece of the puzzle left unfilled I now see the quality of their genius. The most important conversation in that film occurred between Tony Stark and Nick Fury at Stark’s then ruined home after he had a falling out with Rhodey. Fury said “Your father was onto something bigger. He said he was going to start an energy race that gonna dwarf the arms race.” That may or may not the right wording but you get the gist of it. Then Fury sent him to work on trying to fix the damage caused by the palladium poisoning Stark’s body. Tony created a makeshift particle accelerator in his basement and created a new element using his father Howard’s blueprints of the 1974 Stark Expo. Because of all the vibrating, I along with everyone assume that this was Vibranium, a nigh indestructible alloy. And maybe that is what it is. But I have a theory as to what this mysterious element is. And this is what connects everything and everyone to The Avengers. But I’ll get to that in a paragraph or two. There are a few nods to Captain America what with his shield showing up in partially disassembled and obviously prototype form. There is a news cast to show you where this sequel fits into the context of the larger Marvel Universe and also hints to other characters in the form of a map. But Iron Man 2 directly advertises for Thor what with Agent Coulson abandoning ship to go check out an issue in New Mexico. And there was the little tag scene that showcased Thor’s mystical hammer, Mjolnir. But it is the year of 2011 that everything begins to come together.

In May, the God of Thunder made his theatrical debut in great form. He was received well critically and financially. And while there are hints galore at Hank Pym and the Hulk, I am more interested in SHIELD and Odin’s treasure room where some of the most dangerous weapons lie waiting to be used again. These items include the Casket of Ancient Winters, the Infinity Gauntlet, and even though it is not there, the Tesseract. More on that in a minute. SHIELD is the MCU’s bridge between the franchises. They are mentioned and shown in almost every movie concerning Marvel’s Mightiest Heroes. And while the MCU has grown, so has SHIELD. They now have real presence in this world where flying armored suits, mystical hammers, and hulking behemoths call home. And by the time that Avengers assemble for the first time, they will have evolved yet again. The tag scene after the credits this time needs a little reference. As in, you need to know what you are looking at. It has Dr. Erik Selvig be confronted by Nick Fury in an unnamed building underground. Nick Fury presents him with a case that when opened reveals a cube bathed in an otherworldly light. When Selvig asked what it was Nick Fury’s reply was simple: “Power doctor. If we can figure out how to tap it, maybe unlimited pwer.” And then the gears in my head begin to whir. An Iron Man 2 reference regarding energy…. In response and in hiding, Loki whispers “Well I guess that’s worth a look.” And Selvig repeats. This is quite a cliff hanger that I am not going to delve too much into. It’s basically another setup scene for Earth’s Mightiest. Although I do believe that Loki is possessing the doctor. This of course gives you two obvious conclusions: one Loki survived and he will do battle with the Avengers. And the cube shows up again a little over two months later…

The last movie to come out before the Avengers is perhaps the most crucial. Captain America holds the key to the origin of many of the characters that have been showcased over the past three years. Of this I am not joking. The main origin is of course that of Steve Rogers. How he transformed from a 90 pound weakling to the peak of human physical perfection. The serum that was administered was created by Dr. Abraham Erskine, German defector who wanted to with Hitler and his ego maniacal schemes. One of those schemes involved Johann Schmidt, a very sinister individual who was Hitler’s top scientist and assassin. As a reward, Hitler granted him his own research division, HYDRA. When Schmidt learned of Erskine’s formula, he coerced the doctor into treating him with an unrefined version. This caused his abilities to multiply. His strength was unmatched, his agility unprecedented and his evil enhanced beyond even Schmidt’s imagining. It had a physical effect on his appearance. His body now resembled that of a blood red corpse with a skull for a face. Erskine would later refine the serum and administer it to a good man, Steve Rogers. Like Schmidt, his bodily abilities were enhanced to the point of super human.
And because of the Vita Rays, which I believe was not given to Johann, kept Rogers from becoming a deformed monster. Then again, I may be wrong in that regard. The director stated a while back that serum enhances your very nature. But I distinctly recall Erskine mentioning that at the time, his serum was unrefined. And this easily connects to The Incredible Hulk. Assuming that General Ross managed to procure some serum from frozen packets of Rogers’ blood, the serum he concocted was not read for treatment. And he had not researched anything about Vita Rays, which are just as important as the serum itself. So in retrospect, Blonsky was going to turn into a monster eventually. But his need for more gave him the urge to mix his blood with Banner’s and then douse himself with Gamma Radiation. Which was the catalyst that caused him to transform in the Abomination. But this is not even the mind blowing part as of yet. I’ve hinted at it but not really spoke of it until now.

The energy race that Howard Stark spoke of, the element that his son Tony created, the mysterious cube that Fury showed Dr. Selvig, all lead me to one inevitable conclusion. The Cosmic Cube is the center of everything for this arc of movies leading to the Avengers!
Think about it. The Cube, or Tesseract, was stolen from Odin’s treasure room and hidden on Earth for no mortal man to wield. But the Red Skull got a hold of it. After months of fanatical searching. He broke free of Hitler and decided to go into business of his own. Using Dr. Arnim Zola’s genius, he designed weaponry that would make both the allied Forces and Axis Powers quiver with fear. It is no coincidence that the rifles and cannons used by HYDRA sound just like Iron Man’s repulsors. And when Red skull is zapped into space when he came into contact with the Cube, you can clearly see the Nine Realms. Which of course leads me to believe that the Skull will be back to torture Captain America once more. But at the end of the film, the cube is picked up by none other than Howard Stark.

Now, what do we know of Howard Stark? He is the father to Anthony Edward “Tony” Stark, the superhero known across the globe as Iron Man. He worked on the Manhattan Project which culminated in the creation of the Atomic Bomb in 1946. He was a very stern father who spent little time with his son. He died in a tragic car accident with his wife Maria sometime in the late seventies or early eighties. Tony was seventeen.

In 1942, he hosted an Expo at the World Fair similar to the 1974 Stark Expo in nature that showcased possible technologies including a malfunctioning flying car and a synthezoid, known to comic fans as Jim Hammond aka the original Human Torch. He also was heavily involved in creating and operating the equipment that created Captain America. He equipped Rogers with a better more battle ready uniform and an indestructible shield made out of Vibranium, one of the rarest metals on Earth. But it is in the late sixties and mid seventies where I believe his significance in the MCU exponentially increases.

In Iron Man 2, it is explained that Howard Stark co created the ARC Reactor with a Soviet defector by the name of Anton Vanko. When Vanko wanted to sell the reactor to the highest bidder Stark had him deported. Not very nice, but I believe that the Manhattan Project turned good natured Howard Stark into a cynical and overall grouchy guy. But where did the initial idea for the ARC Reactor come from? By the time of the first Iron Man the reactor is up and running but doesn’t really do anything. But seeing Howard find the Cube leads me to think that he wanted to replicate the energy that was emitted from it. But he lacked the technology to do it. So he left the blueprints in a place he knew only one person could find: his son Tony. Which explains why Tony got such a power boost from the new element. Why he couldn’t categorize it. It wasn’t from this planet. It was stolen from the All father’s vault. And I am sure that Thor might have some word with Tony about that if I am proven right. Do you understand the implications I am making? Iron Man’s armor is powered by Asgardian technology! But if the writers hold true to the origin of the Cosmic Cube, then he is powered by perhaps Beyonder technology! Imagine the possibilities! The doorway to the cosmic threshold of the Marvel Universe has been thrown wide open! And here is hoping Marvel is up to the task. They have done a great job already!

All of the dots are not connected or even visible as of this moment. But the big picture is becoming clearer. And I take my hat off to everyone at Marvel for finding such a simple and cohesive way of making this work! Much of what I have said is pure speculation, especially in the last three paragraphs, but I have high hopes that even if I am wrong Marvel will come up with a better idea. Whether you believe that my logic is sound, that I am just digging too deep into it, or that I have lost my frigging mind, I would like to know. Please give me your thoughts and opinions on what has transpired. The Comment Section is directly below!

Wadey out!
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ThreeBigTacos
ThreeBigTacos - 7/24/2011, 11:01 PM
holy hell dude that was a good read! Very well made, and I love the information pulled together. continue making articles like these man!
Hmoney45th
Hmoney45th - 7/24/2011, 11:35 PM
wow! so glad you noticed how the rifles and cannons of the HYDRA sounded just like Iron Man's repulsors, because that part was definitely going to bother me. Also the fact that the Hulk was created from the packets of Roger's blood that they took. Definitely makes sense that the missing item in Odin's vault is the energy cube. Want to know if you buy the fact that there were actually six cameos in the Hulk. (spiderman, daredevil, ironman, thor, captain america, and a picture of steve rogers?) I don't know. The banter between iron man and captain america should also be very entertaining in the Avengers. Actually tony starks commentary on everyone. How this will all fit together will be interesting to see. Doubtful that they will have any of the x-men characters though, so they're kind of splitting marvel into two now.
incrediblesuperbatspider
incrediblesuperbatspider - 7/25/2011, 12:44 AM
" I know what I'm doing, I've punched Hitler over 200 times"-Funniest quote of Captain America.
GoldenMan
GoldenMan - 7/25/2011, 1:24 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95SYdjRVCR0&feature=related

LOL DAMN!!!
Orphix
Orphix - 7/25/2011, 2:23 AM
At the risk of looking like a spamster check this out.

http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/5395/A-Marvel-Cinematic-Universe-Timeline/

Some of you guys maybe interested in the chronology of the MCU.

Jefferys
Jefferys - 7/25/2011, 3:18 AM
Now that's creative thinking!
blvdnoise
blvdnoise - 7/25/2011, 5:15 AM
Good read sir. I'm glad someone else is using their head. NOW. Who else thinks S.H.I.E.L.D WILL indeed tap the cube?? I mean, How else can you explain powering the massive super [frick]ing bad-ass HELI-CARRIER!!
RunDTC
RunDTC - 7/25/2011, 5:48 AM
@DROMEO: I actually laughed harder when he kissed Peggy before he jumped on Skull's plane and he looks towards Col. Phillips and Phillips goes "I ain't gonna kiss ya!".
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 7/25/2011, 6:46 AM
@ Hmoney

"Doubtful that they will have any of the x-men characters though, so they're kind of splitting marvel into two now."

dude, the Marvel movies have been split in two since the beginning. Marvel studios doesn't own the movie rights to any X-Men charcters, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, or Ghost Rider. So they can't use them.

And no, those "cameos" people claim to see in Incredible Hulk are totally bogus. The only one that has any truth to it is the Captain America one. There is a deleted scene from IH that shows Cap buried in the snow, but it was a deleted scene, so doesn't count.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 7/25/2011, 6:48 AM
@ wadey

great article man! i noticed the Hydra weapons made the same sound as Iron Man's repulsors, but wasn't really able to put that together as to why. i think you're dead on, though. Makes perfect sense. again, great job man!
CraptainAmerica
CraptainAmerica - 7/25/2011, 7:18 AM
You and Thomas should form a double act! Great read!!!
ROBBEATZZZ
ROBBEATZZZ - 7/25/2011, 8:23 AM
NICE WORK MAN! MAKES TOTAL SENSE!..ALSO A CRATE GIVEN TO TONY WITH EQUIPMENT TO HELP MAKE HIS NEW ELEMENT IN IM2 HAD PROJECT P.E.G.A.S.U.S ON IT.

I WROTE AN ARTICLE A WHILE AGO ON IT...CHECK IT OUT

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/comic_news/news/?a=37512
ciscokid56
ciscokid56 - 7/25/2011, 8:25 AM
Excellent article...I wouldn't be surprised if you're on the right track....

Excuse my possible ignorance....But wasn't that quite possibly the bi-frost that sucked the Skull out of the plane ?...Regardless, we'll see him again...

The other thing that I've kept in mind is that we saw Bucky FALL. We didn't see him die.

And yes, Marvel is kicking DC's ass ...Yet again...With the same superior story telling formula that they used 50 years ago.
ROBBEATZZZ
ROBBEATZZZ - 7/25/2011, 8:32 AM
I MENTIONED PROJECT PEGASUS EARLIER..I THINK THIS MAY BE THE LOCATION WHERE FURY SHOWED SELVAG THE CUBE..ALSO MAYBE WHERE THE KEEP SUPER VILLIANS..(ABOMINATION?..LOKI?)..*SPOILER* LOKI LOOKS TO BE IN SHIELD CUSTODY IN THE AVENGERS TRAILER..AND ESCAPING WITH WHAT LOOKS TO BE THE CUBE?
ROBBEATZZZ
ROBBEATZZZ - 7/25/2011, 8:36 AM
@magic8 ..SORRY DC CANT CONNECT SOME OF THEIR WACK AZZ FILMS TO GREAT BATMAN FILMS...SMH..WHAT A SHAME!
agentofshield
agentofshield - 7/25/2011, 9:00 AM
awesome article dude :)

i never thought of that. as many possibilities as ive came up with in my mind, i never thought that the element tony made was a derivative of the cube. Its possible!!! and it would certainly make things interesting!!

Heres to hoping marvel does it even better than they already have!!
superotherside
superotherside - 7/25/2011, 9:06 AM
@Wadey09 Wow, just wow that was an amazing article! I honestly think you hit it! Tony created a small piece of energy like the cosmic cube aka Tesseract! I don't know if you're right but I think you are! great thoughts! well written and everything! they should put this on the main!
ThomasRochester
ThomasRochester - 7/25/2011, 9:24 AM
that was awesome!!
Mrmoviemaker09
Mrmoviemaker09 - 7/25/2011, 10:04 AM
**scraps brains off the wall** blew my [frick]ing mind I pride myself on watching the movies to make connections like this but you sir have made it all so clear I was never able to but two and two together this makes the who MCU not as confusing anymore
comsicspiderkicks23
comsicspiderkicks23 - 7/25/2011, 10:08 AM
they did say that the cosmic universe will indeed begin to open and the first piece was the gauntlet but how they explain that relm will be a sight to behold, the various eggs laid like the spot in the atlantic meaning bucky, wakanda, the namor egg in the middle of the ocean leads me think that they are getting ready for something much bigger then this, this was such a great read and look forward to another indepth read soon
ArkAngel
ArkAngel - 7/25/2011, 10:14 AM
Someone at Marvel should see this article...cause I think it's so Boss. I've had my doubts about some of the stuff in some movies (i.e. Cap A. wasn't a perfect movie) but this article actually puts me more at ease.
bbarber2323
bbarber2323 - 7/25/2011, 10:28 AM
Great article bro!!!! Can someone please tell me where these so called cameos are in TIH? Thanks!!
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 7/25/2011, 10:49 AM
@ bbarber

there are no cameos in Hulk aside from Stark at the end. There is a deleted scene in the special features on the DVD that shows Hulk in the arctic, and buried in the snow you can see Cap's sheild. But thats in deleted scenes, meaning its not a part of the movie, meaning it doesn't count.

As for what that guy HMoney said about spiderman, daredevil, ironman, thor, captain america, and a picture of steve rogers, those are all bogus. There's a rumor that if you look up on top of the buildings while Hulk is fighting Abomination, that you can see someone on top of a roof. It just looks like a black blur, and really not even like a person, yet fanboys insist its supposed to be Spidey or Daredevil. They think the lightning strike during the cave scene is a Thor reference, which is totally stupid, and in one scene there is a picture of a blonde guy in a hallway general ross is in, and people just automatically assumed it was Steve Rogers.

its really just fanboys trying too hard to to find cameos and easter eggs. its all nonsense.

Ghostt
Ghostt - 7/25/2011, 10:53 AM
SO stoked for this unfolding Marvel Universe. If it were not for this intertwined Universe COmic Book movies may be on the downward slope to exctintion. I think this interconnectedness may just save them (at least Msrvel)

I've always loved comics, but I know people who have never read a comic getting in to this. Dude, my parents are hip to whats going on. Proud moment for fanboys.
marantaz
marantaz - 7/25/2011, 10:58 AM
Yes, a great read, but I'm suprised no one is mentioning Dr. Zola, the brains behind Red Skull's weapons. Am I delusional, or didn't anyone notice the large arch reactor components the HYDRA goons were moving around in CATFA (which I saw yesterday morning and cannot express how frigging fantastic it made me feel!) I believe Zola is the father of the arch reactor design, and it may come to light that Daddy Stark discovered that Vanko was not the great mind that Stark thought he was... Vanko stole the ideas from Zola's original plans, discovered sometime after WWII after being confiscated by the Russians, thus the falling out between the two. And maybe Stark regretted that he was using Nazi technology to further his career.

At least, that's how I'd work it into the storyline you presented.
MoonDoggyX
MoonDoggyX - 7/25/2011, 11:06 AM
Great article! Definitely the best editorial I've read on here in a while. I thing it is amazing how much Marvel is committing to connecting their films. Sad thing is, that is the most memorable thing about their movies so far. Also, I think movies based on the Marvel Cosmicverse, unfortunately fox owns the rights to Galactus and the Silver Surfer...
TheMyth
TheMyth - 7/25/2011, 11:15 AM
Over 30 comments and all in praise of you... I hate to be 'That guy' but... why isn't this on main yet?
spencemoney
spencemoney - 7/25/2011, 11:39 AM
I'm absolutely positive that Thor had a cameo in TIH. When the lightning strikes, you see something fly off of it to the right. I think that they planned for Thor to come down in a lightning bolt and mjolnir flew off to the side. Check it out and tell me you don't see it. Great effin article by the way. I was very entranced by this. You're a smart man and marvel( if this isn't what they're doing) should give you a call. Keep up the good work!
spencemoney
spencemoney - 7/25/2011, 11:39 AM
I'm absolutely positive that Thor had a cameo in TIH. When the lightning strikes, you see something fly off of it to the right. I think that they planned for Thor to come down in a lightning bolt and mjolnir flew off to the side. Check it out and tell me you don't see it. Great effin article by the way. I was very entranced by this. You're a smart man and marvel( if this isn't what they're doing) should give you a call. Keep up the good work!
spencemoney
spencemoney - 7/25/2011, 11:39 AM
I'm absolutely positive that Thor had a cameo in TIH. When the lightning strikes, you see something fly off of it to the right. I think that they planned for Thor to come down in a lightning bolt and mjolnir flew off to the side. Check it out and tell me you don't see it. Great effin article by the way. I was very entranced by this. You're a smart man and marvel( if this isn't what they're doing) should give you a call. Keep up the good work!
chaosman92
chaosman92 - 7/25/2011, 11:40 AM
Great article! And amazing connections!!
thalidomide
thalidomide - 7/25/2011, 11:56 AM
@spencemoney: no thor didn't have a cameo in TIH
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 7/25/2011, 12:17 PM
@ spencemoney

jesus christ, read the comments much? The thing that falls is the rock that Hulk threw. and if they planned for Thor to come down like that, then why didn't her? oh thats right, because it was just a lightning bolt!
Teois42
Teois42 - 7/25/2011, 12:30 PM
THIS OPENS UP POSSIBILITIES OF A NOVA MOVIE!!!! OMG OMG OMG I'M SO EXCITED!!! Great read though! :D
spencemoney
spencemoney - 7/25/2011, 1:25 PM
[frick] you corndogsucker. I have NEVER heard it was a rock until just now. You wonder why Cbm had to do all these buttons and harassment stuff because of [frick]ers like you who have no respect for other people. Just because you are right, doesn't make you a [frick]ing genius or the authority on anything but your own basement at your moms house. Ass hole.
RobinNumbah6
RobinNumbah6 - 7/25/2011, 1:25 PM
@Dromeo Wrong, the best line is when the Col. says "Im not gonna kiss ya."
skidz
skidz - 7/25/2011, 1:33 PM
Damn smart article (You need to do a little more editing, though. I think you're excitement got in the way of punctuation and some grammar). I think the Tesseract is definitely the lynchpin for this shebang. Questions the AVENGERS is hopefully going to answer: Where did Stark put the Tesseract all these years? How did SHIELD get their hands on it? Are the notes Tony got from his father the only thing keeping them from using it efficiently? Would Loki use Selvig to get it from SHIELD since Selvig works for them now? How did Odin lose it? Would the energy from the Tesseract be how Thor gets back to Earth?
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