Avengers: Endgame (spoilers thread)

[Dogg Thang]

Welcome to the thread, buddy! Finally!

[prinnysquad]

I was checking my phone repeatedly on the way, praying that things were ok at base camp. Because once I was in, the phone was going off!

I liked the way this was a change of pace from IW. That was very full-on, very action-orientated. This was more reflective. The bulk of the film was a heist. A slow-build with plenty of interaction. These characters needed those moments. They’d earnt them.

I absolutely hope Thor is in Guardians 3. He’s turned from an overpowered, rather stuffy character into one who demonstrates perhaps the most human reactions to loss and pain. He develops a sense of humour and/or hits the bottle/lets himself go/ becomes a recluse. He’s lost his kingdom, his parents, his brother, his friends. Although the fat Thor stuff was played for laughs (and I did find it funny), there’s a tragi-comic undertone to this character. He’s suffered the most out of the Avengers and has nothing left. I hope in Guardians 3 they write in a thread about him finding some happiness or a sense of purpose again.

[prinnysquad]

Continuing to think about it, although it was a great end to an epic arc, I’m rather sad that that’s that.

We’ve had such a good run, and I’m grateful for what we’ve got, but I’m disappointed we’ll never see Iron Man et al again. No more RDJ, Evans etc. No more money shots of the core team in action. Even the Russos and Markus/McFeely are done as far as I know. It’s a sad time. These people are the pillars of the MCU, and no matter how good Spidey, Strange and Black Panther are, they don’t engender that sense of glorious familiarity that the core Avengers do. The franchise just feels weaker without them.

I’m interested in where the MCU goes after this, but without these big characters and big plan, I’m worried. It’s just feels vulnerable, and I’m sad that I’ll not see these people in the roles of these characters anymore. That’s just me all over, though. Fearful of the future and comforted by the warm reassurance of nostalgia.

[Asura]

You're right, @prinnysquad

In a sense, the MCU faces its biggest challenge ever, now. In comics, it's the norm to "reinvent" things over time; new characters take up the mantles of existing heroes, new writers and artists replace older ones, and even whole continuities get thrown out in favour of new ones. Like we've discussed with all the time-travel/alternate universe shenanigans in Endgame and the Far from Home trailer, there's some debate about whether movie audiences will "go" for this.

They've managed to translate many comic-book staples to the big screen; will they manage this?

[Dogg Thang]

For me, it still feels like it’s too early for that sort of thing. Multiverses, for example, seem to serve a purpose when the main universe has run out of stuff to offer. For me, it still feels like the Marvel film universe is young. It has reached a big climax but I see it like a season finale rather than an ending. And I think it would be wrong to keep trying to one-up that. So for me, as to where it can go from here I think my answer would be: go smaller and start that build again, keeping it fresh with new heroes and new elements and new settings. There are already a bunch of characters barely explored that have a lot of potential and some characters such as Strange, Black Panther and Captain Marvel are only at the start of what they can offer.

[prinnysquad]

Thing is, comics do it to freshen things up. The movies have time against them. The actors are getting older. It’s a necessity.

I know Iron Man wasn’t a big hitter in the comics, but in the films he’s one of the top two - both of whom have gone. Those are MASSIVE gaps to fill.

The bigger comic characters - X Men and Fantastic Four - aren’t going to be introduced in phase 4. If Marvel has a three phase grand plan, I can see them unravelling it this way:

Phase 4 - consolidate the new characters with sequels, and introduce one or two new ones.
Phase 5 - bring in X Men and/or F4.
Phase 6 - gear up towards the latest big bad.

I presume the latest big bad could be someone like Galactus, or a multidimensional entity - someone to challenge the overpowered Danvers and the X Men.

edit: I was typing that as you posted Dogg and got hung up on going bigger because of Danvers. In my head I was thinking, could they go smaller? Could they do something same level? I don’t see why not.

[teddymeow]

But, now they can time travel there's no reason we won't see RDJ or Evans again.

[Nu-Eclipse]

But, now they can time travel there's no reason we won't see RDJ or Evans again.

In flashback clips, yeah sure. But IRL both Evans and RDJ have pretty much confirmed that they're done, no?

[Cassius_Smoke]

Since they introduced Time Travel and other planets basically anything is possible. It'd be cool if one of the bad guys was from Xmen. Facing someone crazy like Cassandra Nova would be cool.

[QualityChimp]

I think it's awesome I've been able to experience such brilliant franchises as they've happened like Marvel, Potter, LotR and The Matrix.

[Dogg Thang]

I think it's awesome I've been able to experience such brilliant franchises as they've happened like Marvel, Potter, LotR and The Matrix.

Same. Amazing to see Marvel, LotR and The Matrix. Exactly the same.

[QualityChimp]

So, I've been collecting the Marvel 3D Blu-Rays since getting my projector in 2017.
Picking up a few here and there from CEX and such, but Amazon have that nice offer on and I filled a few gaps.

The first three films aren't 3D though - Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2.
I wanted the 2-disc of Iron Man 1, which still seems to cost about £10.
The Hulk is coming in at a similar price, which I'm surprised about as it's almost non-canon.

Iron Man 2, 2-disc Special edition?

Two quid.

[fishbowlhead]

I’m going to go out on a limb here and others will probably disagree, but I see the marvel films as one of the biggest achievements, well, maybe THEE biggest franchise achievement in film history.

They took a lot of things from comics, which a lot of people said was un film able, kept the entire project and every film cohesive with the many, while keeping each ones individuality, and kept it all to a very high standard.

And their not done yet.

Absolutely incredible.

[Digfox]

I agree that the way they have transferred their comics onto the big screen. The execution particularly on some of the casting has been genius. Although there have been some poor films in the MCU. It's certainly not all been gold.

I compared Endgame to LOTR:ROTK as an event movie and I think that's fair. LOTR redefined Cinema for me in the early millennium and became a seminal Trilogy. The new Star Wars in a way.

That said I do wish they would slow down the MCU. The move from 2 to 3 yearly films may end up harming the quality. And every studio is now going to chase Cinematic Universes in the same way every publisher now wants GaaS games.

[Neon Ignition]

The only franchise I'd say is potentially comparable on achievement scale is probably Bond, a singular core formula reinterpreted and recasted consistently enough and without decades long gaps whilst remaining popular - more popular than ever given box office takings - for more than 50 years