How many Marvel movies were released before
The Avengers? Well, we had
Iron Man,
The Incredible Hulk,
Iron Man II,
Thor and
Captain America: The First Avenger. Those are four movies for those of you who cannot count and the Avengers who did not get their own movie got introduced in other films.
How many DC movies will have been released before
The Justice League? Let's see, there will be
Man of Steel,
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,
Suicide Squad and
Wonder Woman. Those will introduce the three core members of the Justice League and the other three will get their introductions via cameo roles in the films leading up to that one.
Wait, so, are you telling me, that because Marvel has released one more movie than DC their universe had a better setup than DC's? Shocking, I tell you shocking. The funny part is, by the time The Justice League comes out, they'll pretty much have had the same amount of movies leading up. Why? First of all,
The Incredible Hulk doesn't count. Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner does not play like Edward Norton's and William Hurt's Thunderbolt in
Captain America: Civil War will not play like his character in that film either. How much has that film been referenced? One offhand comment in
The Avengers. Essentially, we were introduced to the Marvel Hulk in
The Avengers. Okay, so by that standard, we have essentially had the same amount of films before the big "teamup film". Then there are those of you telling me that the DC universe is doomed to fail because
Man of Steel was crap? Well I liked that movie, but think
Iron Man II is as bad as Shaquille's
Steel so I can understand where you are coming from so you should also understand that no, it does not mean the DCEU is doomed. However, that segways perfectly into my first point!
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Which Movies Even Matter?
"That's right. I said it. I said it Johannesburg!" - Chris Rock
See, my first point is quite plain and simple? Which Marvel films even matter? Clearly Iron Man matters because it set everything up, Thor matters because it introduced us to Thor, same with The First Avenger. Does The Incredible Hulk matter? Does it really matter when it feels more like a sequel to Ang Lee's Hulk rather than a prequel to The Avengers? Does it matter when Edward Norton was replaced and William Hurt has gone on to say he does not think his second portrayl of Thunderbolt is a reprise?
"I don’t think it’s a reprise, I think it’s a new iteration completely." - William Hurt
No, that movie does not matter in the grand scheme of things at all. Sure it helped set up the MCU, but in retrospect, the MCU did not need it at all.
The problem was not that big in Phase One. One movie that does not matter. What about Phase Two, though? The problem here is huge! Do you want to know why? We got a whole Phase devoted to setting up a Phase! While Phase One's movies were devoted to setting up The Avengers, Phase Two's movies were devoted to setting up Phase Three! That's right, watch six movies so you can watch six more!
I liked Iron Man III. I thought Shane Black did a tremendous job. However, did it matter? Sure Tony Stark retired at the end, but we had him back in Avengers: Age of Ultron doing his thing with no explanation.
I liked Thor: The Dark World. I thought it was a visually stunning movie. Did it matter though? Oh you'll say, we were introduced to an Infinity Stone! No, we were not! We were introduced to a plot device which is going to matter in the NEXT PHASE, which so happened to be revealed by Kevin Feige as an Infinity Stone.
I liked Captain America: The Winter Soldier and out of all the movies in Phase Two, it mattered the most, but even then... Tell me, SHIELD collapsed but was still functioning at some capacity in Avengers: Age of Ultron? Just like Iron Man's retirment. More like Age of Retcon.
I liked Guardians of the Galaxy, but did it matter? I eman, sure, Marvel finally made a movie where the humor didn't rely on cheap audience pops, but why? You'll punch me in the face for this one, but I'm going to ask, how did it affect the next Avengers film? You'll tell me, "It's not supposed to! It's supposed to affect the one after that!" So, Phase Three then? Honestly, in terms of mattering, this film will be like Suicide Squad. I'm sure that film will be great too but hell no will it really matter either beyond being a great movie.
I liked Avengers: Age of Ultron but hell no did this movie matter. You got the same tease at the end of this movie as you did the last one. This movie didn't care at all what happened in Iron Man III or The Winter Soldier. You got that stupid Scarlet Witch sequence. Oh, and then right there "This is the best I can do" - and we know it it isn't good enough. There was no threat, we know that there are two Avengers movies coming after this and you're just building to set up the situation for PHASE THREE. Oh, you got Vision, big whoop, his brain/soul/gem/stone is only to set up Phase Three. Oh, and did anyone really even want this movie? Would you rather not have just gotten the films based off the Infinity Gauntlet comic arc instead?
I thought Ant-Man was the best effort Marvel made in a long time. Better than the other Phase Two movies. Yes, this film mattered. It was the only movie in Phase Two without a guarantee of a sequel. Without any need to connect to the next Avengers movie. They did make it connect, but it did not need to. This movie mattered. Why? For the first time in a long time Marvel made a movie that was standalone. So why does this movie matter and why does Guardians of the Galaxy not matter. It all goes down to what the films are trying to achieve. This movie is trying to make an intimate story about a father trying to do better. Guardians, no matter how great it is, doesn't have that. Star-Lord is an asshole in the beginning, he's an asshole at the end, Groot is a tree in the beginning and he's a tree at the end, Drax is an asshole in the beginning and he's an asshole at the end, Gamorra is obsessed with freedom at the beginning and well actually she had some development, and Rocket is an asshole all throughout. That movie taught us the value of friendship? Hooray. It was a good movie, but it doesn't matter as much as this one does.
"I don't get high, but sometimes I wish I did. That way, when I messed up in life I would have an excuse. But right now there's no rehab for stupidity." - Chris Rock
Now, one of the biggest detractions against the DCEU is that they aren't taking time to set up their heroes so that
The Justice League does not feel rushed, or that it is cramming too much into the movie. Essentially, they are saying that DC is doing the wrong thing by doing the opposite of Marvel (which they really aren't, but I've already told you why). However, tell me this, if Marvel did not make any of the movies they had made before
The Avengers and then in 2012 released that film, would you like it? That's what I'm asking. If THAT film, was released without any of the lead in films, would you like it? Would you feel it was too rushed or crammed in way too much?
So here is the paradox:
Is
The Avengers standalone? If you answer yes, well then none of Phase One really mattered at all. If you answer no, then
The Avengers isn't a very good film unless you consider all those other Phase One movies.
Personally I think Phase One (most of it) matters, but no, without them you would have treated
The Avengers just like you did
Spider-Man 3 or
Man of Steel.
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Marvel Has Boxed Themselves In
"Tupac might be a political leader if he was alive, but then again, Tupac might be in a Tyler Perry movie right now, so you don’t know. He might be – Tupac might be the bad, dark-skinned
boyfriend and the Tyler Perry movie … I would hope he’s a senator, but he might be kicking Jill Scott down a flight of stairs." - Chris Rock
Ah the Fox-Men! Tell me, how many of you want to see the MCU take on the X-Men? I don't. First of all, every single Marvel movie had been more comedic than X-Men should be. Hopefully the next Captain America rectifies that. It probably won't and will be using cheap theatre props. X-Men deals with serious issues and the jokes we get are at the behest of Wolverine, and those jokes are only to make him look like an asshole. Do you think Marvel is going to let Wolverine tell Tony Stark to go [frick] himself? I don't. Then there's continuity. How are X-Men going to even fit? You're telling me after they learn not to persecute Inhumans they're going to make the same mistake? Hell, where are the mutants? Why didn't Xavier just mindwipe all the Chitauri or Loki?
Now who wants to see an MCU take on Fantastic Four? We all do.
However. How will it work? Marvel has seriously messed up continuity problems. Why doesn't Coulson get an arm like the Winter Soldier? Why didn't the world start using Hydra's energy weapons from World War Two? They've boxed themselves in guys.
Next I have the villain problem, however, that's an issue for another article. So, quick, tell me kids, what did you learn?
Let me put it in bullet form for all of you:
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The Incredible Hulk doesn't matter so DC will have released as many movies as Marvel before Marvel made The Avengers.
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None of Phase Two matters at all. You could have literally just skipped to Phase Three.
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The Avengers: Age of Ultron did not even need to happen.
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Ant-Man works without the rest of the MCU.
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The Avengers cannot hold up without Phase One.
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Marvel has already convoluted their continuity.
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Shoutout to my boys Gusto, Nomis and Yossarian.
That's all folks!
No, wait.
I challenge you all to answer the paradox.
Can't wait to read about how you all hate my guts in the comments.