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Marvel Cinematic Universe, Phase Three and BEYOOOOONND


Bazza

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I'm mixed about Dr. Strange. I like the casting, but I worry the "Magic and Science are the same" angle they went with in Thor will end up meaning Dr. Strange will lose some of the Ditko "Wow" factor that I fell in love with . He's probably my favorite Mystic superhero but in the comics they don't always know what to do with him. Hopefully the writers will find a good balance.

 

Like you I have a fondness for Doctor Strange. This may allay your worries...or make them worse. Two quotes from Kevin Feige:

 

With Strange, it is a classic Marvel origin story because he’s got one of the best origins ever. And it’s our opportunity to take that left turn into the supernatural. Now, what is the definition of supernatural? It varies. We like the idea of playing with alternate dimensions. The very sort of crazy – [steve] Ditko crazy acid trip way of traveling through dimensions and traveling through other realms is something that we think is very, very cool … playing with the perceptions of reality.

I just watched the Neil deGrasse Tyson ‘Cosmos’ series, which is amazing, and which may as well be an acid trip. It is mind-bending and it’s all based in physics and based in quantum mechanics. We’re going to play a lot with the notion of that as an explanation for how the sorcerers do what they do.

 

Here is the article if you want to read more.

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Fair enough. I certainly know what it feels like to find one's idealism replaced by cynicism.

 

 I hope some light shines for you and some of your optimism is restored.

 

 

Thank you

 

Me too. Wishing you more idealism in your future. 

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I agree that their desire to avoid magic is definitely a problem with Dr Strange, but hopefully the story and visuals will help get past that.

 

Superhero films are doing well right now for several reasons.  First, a lot of the audience today grew up reading comics and going "this would make an amazing movie!"  And we were right.  Second, they're some of the only original content out there in movies.  Everything else seems like a remake and a sequel, whereas every new superhero film seems like something fresh and new so far.  Third, superhero movies allow spectacle and wonder in just about every genre imaginable.  Spy movies, gritty noir, wide open adventure, fantasy, sci fi, it doesn't really matter.  Superhero comics can embrace any genre and make it work, so the variety is enormous but still gives the opportunity for incredible effects and explosive, epic action.  Fourth, its just flat entertaining.

 

For me, watching people line up to see tales of heroism, self sacrifice, a strong message of good vs evil, and people working to change their place by personal effort is a very positive thing for our culture.  And that's what superhero films are, at their best and at their core.  Just seeing all those kid wearing Captain America shield shirts and lining up by the hundreds and thousands to watch another film of heroic do-goodery warms hm heart.

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I agree whole-heartedly.

 

I also look forward to seeing the MCU evolve to look and feel a bit less like the modern folklore of patriarchical white priviledge. Don't get me wrong, I love the Marvel Universe and I love its history. But I also have this desire to see it reach (and speak to) as many people as possible, and that's hard to do when all your main characters are white males. War Machine, Black Widow, Falcon, and Scarlet Witch are a decent start, though none of them are lined up to star in their own movies. Black Panther, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Captain Marvel will help tremendously, I think, since each could represent an entire sub-franchise that spawns more interesting and varied characters and projects. It's a great time to be a fan of superheroes!

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I'm actually concerned about that.  Our corporate overlords have hit upon a winning formula, and have gone into full afterburner.  Problem is that it risks burning out the non-fanbase audience, and if that happens, superheroes will suddenly become not-cool, and our golden age of superhero-fantasy-scifi will come to an abrupt halt.

 

Seriously there is no way I'll be able to keep up with this pace of movies.  I literally can't afford it.  At AoU I told the girl at the concession that I would have to take out a second mortgage to pay for the refreshments, and she just nodded.

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The idea of "superhero over saturation" was recently mentioned in the Web comic Multiplex:

 

http://multiplexcomic.com/strip/1013

 

Funny cartoon. Good news for the characters (and bad news for us) the Agents of Shield spinoff has been cancelled. However Agent Carter has been renewed for season two. 

 

http://deadline.com/2015/05/marvel-agents-of-shield-spinoff-dead-abc-1201422761/

 

Also  "Marvel teaming with John Ridley for mysterious superhero project -- exclusive". 

 

Oscar-winning writer-producer John Ridley (12 Years a Slave)...Ridley is an executive producer of ABC’s acclaimed midseason drama American Crime

 

American Crime has been renewed so that is a positive for a Marvel & John Ridley partnership.

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Why bother?  Copyright is perpetual and eternal specifically so that corporations can keep milking the existing characters.  They invested a lot of money in lobbyists and politicians, you know.

 

Let's not exaggerate. It's forever minus 1 day. Otherwise it wouldn't meet the limited time requirement in the Constitution. :stupid:

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Why bother?  Copyright is perpetual and eternal specifically so that corporations can keep milking the existing characters.  They invested a lot of money in lobbyists and politicians, you know.

 

Hell man, variety is the spice of my soup.

 

Wait, that didn't come out quite right.

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I was concerned about Johnny Storm being black in the upcoming FF movie, while Susan is white, purely because I was afraid it was destroying the family dynamic that's a core element of the comic. But they're clearly described as the children of Professor Storm, who's also black, so Sue is most likely adopted. That's a very common situation today, so I have no problem with it.

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While I often support the changing of a character's ethnicity if it isn't integral to their, well...character, I still think there needs to be more ORIGINAL non-Caucasian superheroes and supervillains.

 

In principal I agree with you. The trick is coming up with something good that's also original, otherwise it'll be compared to what was done before. After almost eighty years of comics it's really hard to create a character who doesn't resemble anyone existing.

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My only problem with making Johnny Storm black was that it wasn't story or character driven.  It was "this team is too white, and that's awful!!!!!1!1!"  I don't even care what the characters skin color is, I care what the content of their character is like.  Are they heroic, noble, good, and true?  Then their melanin content is meaningless.  In fact, to me, changing them to be x ethnic group or gender is more insulting because its focusing on what they look like more than who they are inside.  Martin Luther King jr weeps.

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But what I hear repeatedly from black people in North America is that they welcome seeing more of their own depicted in media as strong, successful, and positive role models. I may have completely missed the mark, but rather than weep I would suspect Dr. King would be delighted to see a formerly-white character depicted as black and have that be completely socially acceptable.

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