Marvel Thoughts
Oct. 29th, 2014 08:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lydamorehouseThose of you reading on Dreamwidth will see a new icon, Captain America's shield:
This will serve as a warning that I'm about to talk far too much about the Marvel Universe (comic books or movies) with probably very little other bits about my life.
Before I start on my Marvel stuff, though I want you all to know that once again I got a 99% percent on my Japanese quiz. This may sound as if I'm acing this class, but I thought about it a lot last night. One of my fellow classmates, Mint, has this wonderful pronunciation, right? He didn't do nearly as well on the quiz as I did. I think the reason for that is simple: anime. I'm really, really accustomed to LISTENING to Japanese because I listen to it at LEAST once a week (sometimes daily when I'm on a dishwashing/watching spree.) I think this means that I can hear the distinct words better than my classmates, because the quiz is that Tetsuya-sensei says the word (or occasionally phrase) in Japanese and we write down the English version. God forbid it be the other way around, that I would have to SAY the Japanese to his English. Half the time he looks at me like, "WTF are you even trying to say, Lyda-san?" when I do try.
So, you know.
Given that that's why I'm taking the class--a desire to hear and understand Japanese better, I feel I'm doing great. But if I were hoping to talk to someone Japanese, I think I still have a really, really long way to go.
Okay, so Marvel...
I just found out this morning that the new Captain America movie is subtitled "Civil War."
I'm so excited that I could squee my pants. Seriously. As I was telling my friend in Wales this morning, "Civil War" was the arc/storyline that truly brought me back to reading comic books regularly again after about a decade or so hiatus. I know I've written about it here when I was reviewing comic books more regularly and I also know that it's a bone of contention for a lot of Marvel fans.
Regardless about how you might feel about Civil War as it happened in the comic books, I feel like it's a good choice for the movie franchise. It seems as if they're already setting Tony Stark up for certain things, given the reveal that in the movies, Stark will be the creator of Ultron and the voice of Ultron will be played by the actor who voices Jarvis. By the time we get to Captain America 3, he may already be the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I imagine that a good set of writers could dovetail all that nicely into what needs to happen to pull off a minor, two-hour version of Civil War. Especially if they use Age of Ultron to set up some of the tensions building between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. Ideally, they'll do this with a background of of the school attack/New Jersey incident. I think this could be easily and quickly done with news reports, weeping parents/protestors, and a montage of laws being passed by Congress. Of course, the problem is that the movie Marvel 'verse really hasn't dealt with the other powers out there, like mutants, etc., unless they plan to lay some of that groundwork with the introduction of "the Twins" Wanda and Pedro. That would be heaping a lot onto the shoulders of two unfortunate characters and I really hope the moviemakers don't decided to make Wanda and Pedro responsible for the Superhero Registration Act--though I can see the temptation. Wanda, in particular, gets the "unstable" rap a lot. I'm not sure hot that makes me feel, particularly since my understanding is that they can't mention that Magneto is their father since the X-Men franchise is still owned by the other movie company (Paramount?) But, you know, it would be a quick and dirty way to get the ball rolling.
Ultimately, though, that's the problem, isn't it? Taking on these gigantic story lines and trying to distill them into two hours often means that some of the important character moments, etc. get lost in the Hollywood need for explosions. Civil War appeals, I'm sure, because it comes with villains we already know and a lot of opportunity for every fans' wet dream of the versus, i.e. Hulk vs. Thor! Who would win??
And it's going to get complicated as they draw from earlier story lines like the Infinity Gauntlet, which is one I remember from when I was a youngster.
So, I don't know. I guess, fingers crossed? Other Marvel fans, your thoughts?
Also, I have to admit that I'm not super-fond of the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch as Steven Strange. I'm not necessarily against it, but Mr. Cumberbatch is currently overexposed. I don't feel like the Marvel 'verse particularly needed him. It would have been more interesting for my money if they'd gone with someone far less well known, like Oded Fahr. I know there's no particular reason to cast an Israeli actor in the role of the very white Dr. Strange, but then there was no reason to cast Idris Elba as Heimdall EXCEPT THAT HE WAS THE MOST AWESOME HELMDALL EVER. So, you know, it can work. Also, it would make sense to case Strange as a PoC if only because it could have mitigated some of the awkward of the manservant Wong. Some. Honestly, I'm not sure how they're going to deal with Wong or a lot of the overt-Orientalism that permeates the Strange title.
TBF, that may have changed. I think the last time I picked up the Dr. Strange title I was 12. Though someone on FB told me that Wong is still there, acting more like Jarvis (which I'm not sure is different from his past or any better in terms of the racist stereotyping.)
So that whole thing could be interesting. I particularly loved what my nephew John had to say about it which was, "If they shoehorn in an appearance by Loki just to make Tumblr poop itself, I refuse to see this film."
Tumblr may very well poop itself that that mere suggestion. I'll be okay as long as they don't cast Martin Freeman as Wong.
This will serve as a warning that I'm about to talk far too much about the Marvel Universe (comic books or movies) with probably very little other bits about my life.
Before I start on my Marvel stuff, though I want you all to know that once again I got a 99% percent on my Japanese quiz. This may sound as if I'm acing this class, but I thought about it a lot last night. One of my fellow classmates, Mint, has this wonderful pronunciation, right? He didn't do nearly as well on the quiz as I did. I think the reason for that is simple: anime. I'm really, really accustomed to LISTENING to Japanese because I listen to it at LEAST once a week (sometimes daily when I'm on a dishwashing/watching spree.) I think this means that I can hear the distinct words better than my classmates, because the quiz is that Tetsuya-sensei says the word (or occasionally phrase) in Japanese and we write down the English version. God forbid it be the other way around, that I would have to SAY the Japanese to his English. Half the time he looks at me like, "WTF are you even trying to say, Lyda-san?" when I do try.
So, you know.
Given that that's why I'm taking the class--a desire to hear and understand Japanese better, I feel I'm doing great. But if I were hoping to talk to someone Japanese, I think I still have a really, really long way to go.
Okay, so Marvel...
I just found out this morning that the new Captain America movie is subtitled "Civil War."
I'm so excited that I could squee my pants. Seriously. As I was telling my friend in Wales this morning, "Civil War" was the arc/storyline that truly brought me back to reading comic books regularly again after about a decade or so hiatus. I know I've written about it here when I was reviewing comic books more regularly and I also know that it's a bone of contention for a lot of Marvel fans.
Regardless about how you might feel about Civil War as it happened in the comic books, I feel like it's a good choice for the movie franchise. It seems as if they're already setting Tony Stark up for certain things, given the reveal that in the movies, Stark will be the creator of Ultron and the voice of Ultron will be played by the actor who voices Jarvis. By the time we get to Captain America 3, he may already be the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I imagine that a good set of writers could dovetail all that nicely into what needs to happen to pull off a minor, two-hour version of Civil War. Especially if they use Age of Ultron to set up some of the tensions building between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. Ideally, they'll do this with a background of of the school attack/New Jersey incident. I think this could be easily and quickly done with news reports, weeping parents/protestors, and a montage of laws being passed by Congress. Of course, the problem is that the movie Marvel 'verse really hasn't dealt with the other powers out there, like mutants, etc., unless they plan to lay some of that groundwork with the introduction of "the Twins" Wanda and Pedro. That would be heaping a lot onto the shoulders of two unfortunate characters and I really hope the moviemakers don't decided to make Wanda and Pedro responsible for the Superhero Registration Act--though I can see the temptation. Wanda, in particular, gets the "unstable" rap a lot. I'm not sure hot that makes me feel, particularly since my understanding is that they can't mention that Magneto is their father since the X-Men franchise is still owned by the other movie company (Paramount?) But, you know, it would be a quick and dirty way to get the ball rolling.
Ultimately, though, that's the problem, isn't it? Taking on these gigantic story lines and trying to distill them into two hours often means that some of the important character moments, etc. get lost in the Hollywood need for explosions. Civil War appeals, I'm sure, because it comes with villains we already know and a lot of opportunity for every fans' wet dream of the versus, i.e. Hulk vs. Thor! Who would win??
And it's going to get complicated as they draw from earlier story lines like the Infinity Gauntlet, which is one I remember from when I was a youngster.
So, I don't know. I guess, fingers crossed? Other Marvel fans, your thoughts?
Also, I have to admit that I'm not super-fond of the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch as Steven Strange. I'm not necessarily against it, but Mr. Cumberbatch is currently overexposed. I don't feel like the Marvel 'verse particularly needed him. It would have been more interesting for my money if they'd gone with someone far less well known, like Oded Fahr. I know there's no particular reason to cast an Israeli actor in the role of the very white Dr. Strange, but then there was no reason to cast Idris Elba as Heimdall EXCEPT THAT HE WAS THE MOST AWESOME HELMDALL EVER. So, you know, it can work. Also, it would make sense to case Strange as a PoC if only because it could have mitigated some of the awkward of the manservant Wong. Some. Honestly, I'm not sure how they're going to deal with Wong or a lot of the overt-Orientalism that permeates the Strange title.
TBF, that may have changed. I think the last time I picked up the Dr. Strange title I was 12. Though someone on FB told me that Wong is still there, acting more like Jarvis (which I'm not sure is different from his past or any better in terms of the racist stereotyping.)
So that whole thing could be interesting. I particularly loved what my nephew John had to say about it which was, "If they shoehorn in an appearance by Loki just to make Tumblr poop itself, I refuse to see this film."
Tumblr may very well poop itself that that mere suggestion. I'll be okay as long as they don't cast Martin Freeman as Wong.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-29 04:29 pm (UTC)Personally, I have no feelings one way or the other about the original Civil War run (mostly because I haven't read it), so it's interesting to hear from people who know the story well. I have been spoiled for most the major plot points in it though and I am extremely protective of MCU Steve, so I'm rather anxious about what will go down in the film. I'm not ready to be emotionally devastated even with 2 years advance notice. D: D: D:
Although who knows what will happen. This is a very different universe with very different circumstances than the comic, so it could be fine. I'm sure it'll be fine. It'llbefineright?? D: D: D:
Anyway, so far as I know, Ultron is only being played/voiced by James Spader, unless you've heard something I haven't. Paul Bettany (Jarvis) is lined up to play The Vision in Age of Ultron, although I haven't heard any details about what his role in the whole thing is yet. But the fact that Tony is the one who created Ultron does seem like a certainty.
I doubt they'll set Tony up as director of SHIELD because they've got Coulson's heading it up over on Agents of SHIELD and that show has been pretty tight with the MCU canon. Although they have gone through a major premise shakeup before, given Cap 2, so it could happen again. It would be an odd move though to have Coulson take a step back.
I think the MCU's solution to not saying the m-word is going to be the inhumans. It looks like they might already be dipping their toes into those waters over on SHIELD right now and I'm even more convinced by the announcement of the movie way down the road. Plus you've got the Kree setup in Guardians of the Galaxy. Admittedly I know very little about the inhumans apart from what's happening over in Ms. Marvel though.
Ugh, don't get me started on the Doctor Strange casting debacle (Cumberbacle?). My fingers are intensely crossed for it NOT to be Benedict. I like the guy
when he's not making an ass of himself by ignorantly answering reporters's ill-advised questions about slashbut he's the poster boy for whitewashing right now thanks to Into Darkness and even I am sick to death of him appearing in every major movie franchise. Marvel has a golden opportunity to shake up their white-dudes-named-Chris run sooner rather than in 2018 and I hope they take it. I would be actually excited about the movie if they went that direction. There is literally no reason not to do the thing, Marvel. PLEASE DO THE THING, MARVEL.So there you have most my current feelings on the MCU. Obligatory closing comment: CAPTAINMARVELCAPTAINMARVELCAPTAINMARVEL!
no subject
Date: 2014-10-29 05:02 pm (UTC)Hmmm, I suppose.
So, what exactly are you worried about happening? The Death of Captain America? I'm pretty sure with the introduction of Winter Soldier they are, in fact, heading there. To me, that move is signaled EVERY TIME BUCKY CATCHES THE SHIELD. So, you know, get out your Kleenex. (But, you do know that Steve is still around, right? It'll be alright.) I would really actually like them to go there with Steve. It's kind of a powerful thing to have to surrender ideals to practicality in the modern world. Super heartbreaking. Possibly one of Marvel's finer moments, despite detractors' moaning.
And, yes, to both Inhumans and Captain Marvel. I'm not nearly as big a Davers fan as I am Kamala Khan, but I'll take one or both. If they could pull of a female super-hero movie, I would make the biggest raspberry in the direction of DC. Because, really, this should NOT be hard, Wonder Woman.
Inhumans are the world's silliest superhero team in the history of all time. Which may be why, for a long time, they were my favorites. I mean they're living on the Moon. How fucking awesome is that? It's interesting to think that they might be the movie 'verse's answer to the m-word, as you say. I wouldn't think you could be born Inhuman, but maybe I don't actually remember my canon as well as I think I do.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-29 06:38 pm (UTC)Yeah, to put I fine point on it, I don't want Steve to die. Especially due to conflict with people who should be his friends. My heart can't take it. :( I know there's no such thing as a completely final death in comics, but I want nothing but puppies and rainbows and sunshine for Steve in general. And I have had an inkling we'd get to this point eventually from the moment they announced Winter Soldier. I'm sure it will be super dramatic and powerful, but I'm still super not ready for it. Gross embarrassing theater sobbing is in my future, I'm sure. But hey, I can always try to counteract it with intensely fluffy fanfic. All the novel length coffee shop and bakery AUs. ALL OF THEM.
There's this whole business on SHIELD right now about being injected with alien (read: Inhuman) DNA giving you powers but it being unstable (which might be what they're doing with the Maximoffs) or you could also potentially have inherited it and have it triggered later on (see: Kamala). We'll see what happens though I suppose.
I hope they keep the moon base canon. That sounds amazing.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-29 06:58 pm (UTC)You're so awesome with your fluffy novel-length coffee shop AUs. Seriously. ILU, Jo. Big time.
What's amazing to me is that I'm having a parallel conversation with one of the old Guard on my LJ mirror site. He's complaining about the idea of Civil War because it messes with the ideal that good should triumph because it's good, god damn it (which I actually respect, because there is a point to that. There should be a place, like in YA dystopias, where you can fight the Man and actually win. UNLIKE REAL LIFE.)
So, yeah, I kind of agree, yet I get excited when Marvel acts like it's real, in the real world.
Like you say, we'll see. Fingers crossed.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-29 07:14 pm (UTC)I'll be sure to pass on any good fic recs if I run across them. :)
no subject
Date: 2014-10-30 05:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-30 08:43 pm (UTC)tl;dr, I'll read just about anything if it's even halfway decent.