The trailer for What If...? Season 2 is out and it looks pretty darn cool! I really liked the first season, outside of its overreliance on humour so I'm looking forward to it. Also like Echo it has a different episode schedule. One episode a day starting from December 22nd!
In my opinion, there is no better film than the first part of Iron Man. It’s somewhat similar if you compare additions to WoW from the first wrath boost to the latest, so to speak, for an amateur.
It does seem like that lol. It's certainly an interesting premise, though considering the writers of this also wrote Morbius I have doubts that it'll actually be good.
Finale of Loki! My god they truly went wild with this show, and I love it!
Leaves Loki in a pretty interesting place, and I wonder what the TVA might do in the future. Really great sci-fi time series that added a lot to the dread of the Kang Saga!
I really liked how Loki put himself through his own Groundhog Day scenario, complete with finishing people's sentences and acting really crazy for the sake of being as brief as possible.
"Centuries Later..." Bahaha! Never would I have expected Loki to learn nearly everything there is to know about science and theoretical physics. Thank you, infinite rewind button!
Man, the flashback to the finale of Season 1. What a twist. And even twistier that HWR still accounted for and even knew what was up, how he was the be all, end all, of keeping order in the multiverse.
But ooooh boy, what another great twist that Loki himself does indeed get the throne he seeked out at the start, but using it to wrangle and preserve whatever timelines he can.
I wish we got a bit more explanation as to what the heck Loki's role is now, as the "origin of Yggdrassil" if you will, but it seems way more hopeful than a dude who looks exactly like the previous dude, or, a reversion to the previous status quo.
Great series overall! Had some very nice writing, cool sci-fi, great effects, very timely wimey, and pretty self-contained so far?
There was this one specific song used in various Season 2 trailers that I didn't notice appear in the season. Sounded like a new Natalie Holt track, but I guess I was mistaken? I'll check the soundtrack whenever that's out and see if there's any bonus unused tracks, then.
My dad and I just watched The Marvels in a special "ScreenX" format in theatres.
We've never heard of this before, but apparently it's been around for a good 7 years at least.
It's a special gimmick version of the film, yeah, where they project a whole 270° view of the film on the front and side walls of the theater.
It's done through either a 3-camera setup during production or CGI in post.
It's kinda cool? But yeah, mostly a novelty.
The illusion of the surrounding screen doesn't totally work if you look to the side, as it's meant to convey peripheral vision.
Plus, not all of the scenes use the ScreenX format, so it'll cut or fade between the center and side screens, and it's a bit disappointing when you've been treated to a wider shot. (The opening space scene and inciting event had a cool wide effect, but later on there'd be space scenes that don't use the side-screens and it felt strange.)
Some of the action scenes and establishing scenery shots of the film used the added screen space and it was pretty cool, feeling like you're surrounded or deeper immersed into the world, but as mentioned above, there wasn't "consistency" in where its used.
I'd aay a good 60-70% of the film's scenes use it though, and the entire climax had the side-screens turned on which was cool.
As for the film itself, it was fun. I liked it.
Not really the best ever, but it was of acceptable quality for what Marvel has put out lately.
Iman Vellani is definitely the standout energetic performance with a really great animated intro that calls back to her opening episode of Ms. Marvel... Really love that creative/artistic flair they give her "fangirl dreams" and I really wish it appeared more!
Brie Larson does a great job at showing more of Captain Marvel's emotional side, since we were robbed of a lot of that in the last film due to her being a brainwashed stoic soldier. Though she does bring in some cool stoic, focused energy that I did enjoy in her character when in the group.
Teyonah Parris is the newcomer, essentially, to the group, as she learns more about her powers and offers some big scientific knowledge to the group where needed. I liked discovering she is essentially the Danny Phantom of the power-trio.
All their powers combined to give some very neat teleporting fight scenes as they're forced to tap in and out of each others' battles.
The movie gives the characters a kinda one-note villain but with interesting motives that evolve from the lingering conflict at the end of the first CapMarvel film.
I also liked all the exotic alien places the trio visits as
Overall, it's a good entry to the MCU. I'd watch it again one day. There's fun to be had here and I liked the cosmic scope of this film.
Plus, a very neat ending stinger...
Spoiler Time
I felt so bad for the Khan's house at the start of the film. Damnit, why the hell can't superheroes just take the fight outside?? I liked how the whole family tried to step in and help beat the baddies though that was fun.
The weird organic eggs found around the space station were a bit of an "oh god it's a contrived hidden threat for later" but I quickly guessed and got right that it was Goose the cat laying eggs all around the place.
Totally gross but adorable hatching of kittens though!
And man, the whole Goose stuff in this film and the ensuing Cats Escape Pod master plan was soooo weird but in a fun way. It was ridiculous but I loved how creative they got in solving the horrible Titanic problem of "not enough escape pods"
I was giggling so much at that fun ending, with Kamala parodying Fury at the end of Iron Man 1. I guess they're finally giving fans hope that a Kid Avengers team might happen!
Also, oooh, Monica is in the X-Men universe now! I wonder if this might tie into Deadpool 3 in some way, if that's the start of the whole X-universe integration to the MCU...
What If? Season 2 had a two episode live screening event and with it came some announcements about the animated side of the MCU!
Eyes of Wakanda, an animated series set in, you guessed it, Wakanda was announced with the description, "Throughout Wakandan history, brave warriors have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts. This is their story."
Spider-Man: Freshmen Year has been retitled to Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
X-Men '97 will be animated similarly to What If? but with an added filter to simulate the visuals of the original series.
And probably the biggest surprise is that they will all be released in 2024!
As for What If?. The two episodes that were screened, Happy Hogan Saves Christmas and What If Nebula joined the Nova Corps received high praise for the writing and animation, calling them an improvement from the first season.
The Eyes of Wakanda series sounds pretty cool, like an artifact of the week thing. Especially since it seems like it'll be set some time in the past.
Huh. I heard there was some Wakanda-focused series in development, most likely featuring/surrounding the Dora Milaje, but I thought it was gonna be live-action (seeing them kick more butt IRL would be sweet!)
But hey, I'll take animation if it's more of them.
Hopefully the actors have some free schedules and good contracts to reprise their roles if that's the case.
What If? Season 2 had a two episode live screening event and with it came some announcements about the animated side of the MCU!
* Eyes… more of Wakanda, an animated series set in, you guessed it, Wakanda was announced with the description, "Throughout Wakandan history, brave warriors have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts. This is their story."
* Spider-Man: Freshmen Year has been retitled to Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
* X-Men '97 will be animated similarly to What If? but with an added filter to simulate the visuals of the original series.
* And probably the biggest surprise is that they will all be released in 2024!
* As for What If?. The two episodes that were screened, Happy Hogan Saves Christmas and What If Nebula joined the Nova Corps received high praise for the writing and animation, calling them an improvement from the first season.
The Eyes of Wakanda series sounds pretty co… [view original content]
A new teaser trailer for the Echo series and this one leans super hard into the violence and the mature rating, including telling viewers to to swap over their profiles to TV-MA in order to watch it. It looks great and really reminds me of the Netflix stuff.
Jonathan Majors has officially been fired as Kang following his guilty verdict from his abuse and harassment trial.
Yeaaahhhh, you could see this coming a mile away after all the info Majors himself released trying to disprove the claims. I wonder if they'll simply recast the character or if they'll hard pivot to towards a different direction.
Damn, wow.
Fantastic actor, terrible person. Hate to see that.
I hope they recast since it would be quite the pivot to all this Kang buildup only to go for something else, however I have heard of rumours that Marvel has been planning to shift away from the Kang saga as a central hook.
I mean, he's literally the easiest character to recast, and would fit super easily with his motives.
Maybe he changes his appearance to better work in the shadows?
Maybe it's just some far, faaar away version of Kang in the multiverse, like how in Everything Everywhere, the further you go from your reality, the more different it gets (like the Sausage reality off-the-map)
Jonathan Majors has officially been fired as Kang following his guilty verdict from his abuse and harassment trial.
Yeaaahhhh, you could … moresee this coming a mile away after all the info Majors himself released trying to disprove the claims. I wonder if they'll simply recast the character or if they'll hard pivot to towards a different direction.
Fantastic actor, terrible person. Hate to see that.
I remember when the allegations first popped up, a number of filmmakers who'd worked with him in the past outright said, "Yeah I believe it. This guy is a piece of shit." Undoubtedly talent, but yeah terrible person.
Maybe he changes his appearance to better work in the shadows?
I'd love it if in one of the next few movies they introduce a side character that helps the protagonists, only for it be be revealed that they're a Kang variant. Just have a bunch of Kang variants of completely different actors, maybe seeded in the next few movies, to form a new Council of Kang.
https://deadline.com/2023/12/jonathan-majors-marvel-fired-guilty-verdict-1235671790/
Damn, wow.
Fantastic actor, terrible person. Hate … moreto see that.
I hope they recast since it would be quite the pivot to all this Kang buildup only to go for something else, however I have heard of rumours that Marvel has been planning to shift away from the Kang saga as a central hook.
I mean, he's literally the easiest character to recast, and would fit super easily with his motives.
Maybe he changes his appearance to better work in the shadows?
Maybe it's just some far, faaar away version of Kang in the multiverse, like how in Everything Everywhere, the further you go from your reality, the more different it gets (like the Sausage reality off-the-map)
What If? Season 2 started today! Er, yesterday! And they're gonna be dropping one new episode every day until December 30th!
First up, What If Nebula Joined the Nova Corps. And it's a pretty good one!
It is VERY cyberpunk-noir inspired. Heck, even feels like an homage to Blade Runner at times, with the dark sprawling cityscape and Nebula cruising in her hovercraft.
Very cool scenery and moody shots in this. Some of the fighting/action can feel a little too snappy or quick at times, but it was overall good.
I think the episode just needed more time overall. The last 7 or so minutes go by very quickly, going over all the typical Noir tropes you'd expect, (Honestly kinda feels like it's trying to parody it at times) and it's over before you know it.
I think with more time, some of those moments could have more impact.
Good episode, not perfect tho.
I've heard reviews say that the animation and writing is an overall improvement to the first season, so that's cool.
There's also the Gamora/Tony holdover episode from the first season that'll appear - though I've heard they've set it at like episode 6 or 7, deep into the season, strangely enough.
Was gonna wait 'til the end of the season to talk about it, but after the latest episode with Kahhori I've gotta say this season of What If...? has been great so far, and makes really good use of the shows premise. Outside of the Christmas episode, while I still enjoyed was admittedly there for goofy fun times, has been very creative with the alternate universe stuff. The Kahhori episode in particular is especially unique and the standout for me. Providing a completely different world and characters to engage with, as well as having the gamble of being the only episode with barely english in it.
There are still some of the pacing issues the previous season suffered, but I find it much less prevalent here. The first couple episodes have it the worst, but everything after that I've found to be really smooth and make good use of the episode lengths. Though I still wouldn't mind if Marvel Studios didn't force the 30 minute run times and instead just let the storytellers and animators work their magic.
Very much looking forward to seeing how the season ends.
Some quick spoilerish thoughts on each episode.
What If... Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?
* Really fun one. Really liked the noir detective premise set in a dystopian cyberpunk-esque city. Got lots of Howard the Duck which is always good. However, I did find Nebula overly dry here, though she chills out by the second half of the episode.
What If... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?
* Loved seeing an all new team of Avengers set in the 80's with the few superheroes that were active during that period. I thought the relationship between Hope and Quill was very clever here considering they've both tragically lost their mothers. Though I've gotta say their plan of attack left a lot to be desired. Also that slow walk at the end was super goofy, and why is Hank bringing Hope to space lmao.
What If... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?
* A fun Die Hard homage! Super goofy and overall pretty funny episode. There's more Darcy and Hammer who we haven't seen in ages! Weird that Happy's just stuck as a weird purple Hulk though lol. Plot is super straightforward and there really wasn't any major consequences but I ended up having a lot of fun with this one.
What If... Iron Man Crashed into the Grandmaster?
* Really liked this one a lot. They weren't able to finish it for the first season which is a shame, but the wait was worth it. They did a great job with the characterisation of Tony here. Felt like he was ripped straight out of Phase 1. Also gotta give praise to his voice actor Mick Wingert who absolutely nails Tony's voice here. The race was really fun, and it was cool seeing Tony interact with all these weirdos he never got to interact with in the sacred timeline. Also got a goofy ass mid-credits scene here with the Grandmaster doing his own version of "Moisturise me!".
What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper??
* This one's real good as well. It didn't feel like a near complete rehash like the previous Captain Carter episode. They did a good job separating this universe from the MCU and presenting the consequences and effects of this universe. Seeing things like The Wasp being on the Avengers in 2012, and there being no Hulk, as well as the eradication of Hydra soon after WW2. I wouldn't mind seeing her get a spin off miniseries or something.
What If... Kahhori Reshaped the World?
* Personally my favourite episode of the season thus far. Very different from every other episode of the series, following completely new events never before seen in the MCU, featuring an entirely original character, with only a handful of english dialogue. I'm interested to see if she'll pop up in anything else in the future. Maybe another episode in the third season, if they decide to push her as much as Captain Carter.
I didn't even know a Season 3 was in the cards, let alone it's already under production (and looking like they've already finalized some content already!)
Marvel Studios has already released a teaser for an episode in the third and potentially final season of What If...?
Looks like it'll be about Bucky meeting the Red Guardian in the 80's(?), with Bill Foster pursuing them.
Season 2 of What If...? is over and I thought it was a lot of fun! They make really good use of the shows premise, going to wildly different stories and universes. Some of the pacing issues from the first season still remain, though to a much lesser degree. I think my only real issues are that most of the episodes are fairly lighthearted. I wish there was an episode akin to the Doctor Strange episode from the first season.
My season 2 episode ranking:
1. What If... Kahhori Reshaped the World?
2. What If... Iron Man Crashed into the Grandmaster?
3. What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?
4. What If... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?
5. What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?
6. What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?
7. What If... Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?
8. What If... Strange Supreme Intervened?
9. What If... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?
Quick spoilerish thoughts on the remaining episodes.
What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?
* Really liked this one. It was a cool to see Hera get more backstory, and seeing her and the Mandarin becoming a power couple at the end was wild lol. However I feel like Hera talks way too much lmao and like I mentioned, the pacing was way too fast. It felt like the episode needed at least another 5 to 10 minutes.
What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?
* I really loved the character designs in this, especially Captain Carter's outfit. That should really be her main outfit from now on, it looks so sick and fits well with her being English. I do think it was weird that out of every possible hero, Scarlet Witch chose her to help save her universe. Though with how the episode ends it does make a bit more sense as to why she was chosen.
What If... Strange Supreme Intervened?
* Straight up fanfiction with the people behind the show mashing all their action figures together lmao. Fun episode and I like how it ends, but the power scaling here was over the top ridiculous. Kahhori's powers gets super confusing here. So she has super speed, super strength, telekinesis, teleportation, and minor reality bending, AND she can pick up Mjolnir. I wish they didn't make her so overpowered, especially with her easily taking out Infinity Killmonger so easily. If she ever gets introduced into the mainline MCU or the comics, I hope she gets nerfed. It's way too much. Same goes for Peggy, who's been super overpowered this past season. She's way more powerful than Steve Rogers and borders on Superman levels of strength.
Overall, for the most part I find season 2 to be an improvement over season 1 in terms of writing and pacing (for the most part), and while I do wish that they went as dark as the previous season, I had a lot of fun with what ended up releasing.
Marvel Studios is going ham with these Echo trailers.
If anyone had any doubts about the Netflix stuff being canon then this trailer should definitely qualm them since this straight up uses scenes from the original series, including the infamous car door scene.
All five episodes of Echo are out and I binged watched it immediately. I really like it! It feels like a step towards the right direction in terms of violence, maturity, and grittiness in the MCU. There's a couple stumbles along the way, but for the most part I really enjoyed it. Acting is great for the most part, with massive praise to Alaqua Cox, who manages to do so much while saying so little, and of course Vincent D'Onofrio who continues to be incredible as the Kingpin. I also really enjoyed Maya's family, especially her grandparents.
The fight scenes are great (for the most part), lots of practical effects, and the relationship between Maya and Fisk is easily the best part of the show. In terms of violence, it's definitely a step up and has me hopeful for the Born Again series and whatever other shows end up under the Spotlight banner, but it definitely doesn't go as hard as the Netflix shows. It's more Netflix-lite than anything, though there are still some fairly gruesome/disturbing moments in the series. The sound design in the series is excellent as well, especially in the more intense moments with Maya, as things start to deafen and her heartbeat becomes the main focus.
There are a few problems, some being bigger than most. Pacing issues which have plagued pretty much every MCU TV project continue on here, especially in the final episode which really needed an extra 10-15 minutes. The supernatural/mythical and seriousness of the series often feel like they're clashing in tones. Not to say that the supernatural stuff isn't good, I like it and find it interesting, but it does feel jarring when it cuts from a really dramatic grounded moment to something magical. The fights scenes, while actually pretty damn good, are honestly quite bad in the finale. I have no idea what happened during production at the end there, but it looked really goofy and not at all like the standard that was set in the first episode.
Honestly a bulk of my issues with the series are from the finale, which I find myself really mixed on. There's some really great stuff involving Maya and Fisk, but some of the ancestral and family stuff I found to be really rough. Not to mention the incredibly anti-climactic fight. It has the worst pacing of the series while being the shortest episode at 25 minutes long (32 with credits). Also they don't really commit to one of the plot points introduced early on, which I feel takes some of the wind out of the shows sails.
Overall, I really enjoyed the series for what it could be for the more mature and grounded parts of the MCU going forward, and would love to see more of Maya in the future. However, there are some really jarring issues, particularly in the shows climax that I honestly think do take it down a notch. Also keep an eye out for the mid-credits scene in the final episode which sets the stage for the upcoming Born Again series.
Yeah I also watched Echo and I cant say Im impressed in any way. Don't really have the energy to go into detail but I think there are far too many bizarre moments where characters act like morons just so Echo can shine, or to create superficial tension that makes absolutely no sense. They don't go far enough with any storyline, the show is too short to focus on this much so as per usual with marvel, everything is undercooked, damn near raw.
Sure there's some okay action, and it's nice that its a little bloodier than usual, but that doesn't save this mess whatsoever for me. I also think it was a little absurd how this was marketed largerly as a new york show, and we spent 4 out of 5 eps in oklahoma. Furthermore, the way these episodes were written made me absolutely despise Maya. She comes off an absolutely terrible person, even as a child.
The series getting a production reboot really does seem to have been the right move. Not to mention word of Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson returning as Karen and Foggy.
The series getting a production reboot really does seem to have been the right move. Not to mention word of Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson returning as Karen and Foggy.
There's been set pics recently of the area they're shooting at.
A sign saying 'Nelson, Murdock and Page's has been found. OOOH BABY THEY'RE MAKING THE RIGHT MOVE
Wilson Bethel will be returning as Bullseye in Daredevil: Born Again! He'll supposedly appear in three episodes.
The series getting a pro… moreduction reboot really does seem to have been the right move. Not to mention word of Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson returning as Karen and Foggy.
The series getting a production reboot really does seem to have been the right move. Not to mention word of Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson returning as Karen and Foggy.
(Spoiler)
Nice to know his entire cast will be returning! Including the members of X-Force that got wiped out from the last movie lol.
Wade with hair is horrifying. Thank God it's just a wig.
I wonder what the TVA need Deadpool for. I assume it has something to do with him fucking up his own timeline and they're making him do something in exchange for not pruning him and his family, but it seems like something went wrong if he's also killing some of them.
Also got our first F bomb in an MCU trailer!
Maybe Loki will pop up somewhere as well, that'd be cool.
Official Cast for The Fantastic Four have been revealed -- Releasing in July 2025 (swapped release dates with Thunderbolts)
There is also an official logo -- VERY retro 60's vibe to it...
I guess there might be some timey-wimey shenanigans by the end of the film if this is gonna be a period piece.
THIS is the type of style risk that's got me excited for this MCU adaptation!
Saw someone point out that the magazine Ben (Thing) is reading, is an actual magazine with LBJ on the cover published in 1963, so I think the 60's setting is all but confirmed.
THIS is the type of style risk that's got me excited for this MCU adaptation!
And with WandaVision we know that Matt Shakman will at the very least nail the aesthetics!
Official Cast for The Fantastic Four have been revealed -- Releasing in July 2025 (swapped release dates with Thunderbolts)
There is … morealso an official logo -- VERY retro 60's vibe to it...
I guess there might be some timey-wimey shenanigans by the end of the film if this is gonna be a period piece.
THIS is the type of style risk that's got me excited for this MCU adaptation!
Finally a trailer for X-Men '97 and it's releasing in just a month!
Visually it looks great, they did a good job of making it look 2D. Seems like they're trying to imitate the original series with the lower framerate as well, which I'll have to get used to. Looking forward to it!
Yeah, it's surprising how well this looks 2D, especially with the lower frame-rate, since isn't this actually using their 3D tech from What If but heavily stylized and cel-shaded to look 2D?
Interesting that they're using Marvel Animation now. Is that a new branch of Marvel Studios for all their animated content now, or is that just for this show as some 90's homage...
I guess I should check out the original series and see if it can hook me for next month.
Finally a trailer for X-Men '97 and it's releasing in just a month!
Visually it looks great, they did a good job of making it look 2D… more. Seems like they're trying to imitate the original series with the lower framerate as well, which I'll have to get used to. Looking forward to it!
Looks like it's their new banner for animated stuff. I imagine Marvel Zombies, Eyes of Wakanda, the following seasons of What If?, and whatever else they have in store will be placed under it.
Yeah, it's surprising how well this looks 2D, especially with the lower frame-rate, since isn't this actually using their 3D tech from What … moreIf but heavily stylized and cel-shaded to look 2D?
Interesting that they're using Marvel Animation now. Is that a new branch of Marvel Studios for all their animated content now, or is that just for this show as some 90's homage...
I guess I should check out the original series and see if it can hook me for next month.
The first two episodes of X-Men '97 have been released and I really enjoyed them, even as someone who hasn't seen a single episode of the original series. Visually, they're absolutely fantastic looking, like a natural evolution of the original shows art style and the animations super solid too especially when it came to the action sequences. Though I will admit there are a couple dialogue heavy scenes that make the characters look like muppets. The switch to 3D animation is near seamless. I'm very happy they decided to go for a mix of both 2D and 3D. Also nice to hear them getting some leeway with the language as you'll hear a damn, hell, or pissed along the way.
The first episode is very much a re-introduction to the characters and sets up the rest of the series by the end of the episode, but overall it's solid with some great action and fun character interactions. Episode two however is fucking phenomenal. Easily some of the best storytelling in Marvel Studios animation. Incredibly powerful and emotional, with Magneto stealing every scene he's in, and the show being very blatant and not holding back on its messaging which I'm sure some smooth brained individuals with room temperature IQ's will try to say is out of character for the fucking X-Men.
Overall a strong opening to the series and I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the season.
An animated short set between Into and Across the Spider-Verse is set to release today WOOOOOOOOOOOO!
https://twitter.com/SpiderVerse/sta… moretus/1772609451301691804
Can't wait for another accurate portrayal of a panic attack in an animated property!
Man, I can't believe Beyond the Spider-Verse released only a year after Across and it was so good! Especially when that person did the thing at the place
Comments
Okay, reportedly, allegedly, What If Season 2 might start on the 22nd of December, and release one episode per day.
Honestly that's a great release strategy for a more standalone, shorter, anthology series of that nature.
The trailer for Madame Web is out.
It certainly looks like a movie.
Where all the webshooters, why's everyone just jumping?
I feel like this looks worse than Morbius
and yeah, what's with all the jumping lmao.
They're definitely banking on all the quick shots of people in spider-suits to bring people to the theater... but damn that acting looked so flat
The trailer for What If...? Season 2 is out and it looks pretty darn cool! I really liked the first season, outside of its overreliance on humour so I'm looking forward to it. Also like Echo it has a different episode schedule. One episode a day starting from December 22nd!
The Marvel version of Final Destination???
Even the actress looks like the main protagonist of FD3. Just a little bit
In my opinion, there is no better film than the first part of Iron Man. It’s somewhat similar if you compare additions to WoW from the first wrath boost to the latest, so to speak, for an amateur.
It does seem like that lol. It's certainly an interesting premise, though considering the writers of this also wrote Morbius I have doubts that it'll actually be good.
Finale of Loki! My god they truly went wild with this show, and I love it!
Leaves Loki in a pretty interesting place, and I wonder what the TVA might do in the future. Really great sci-fi time series that added a lot to the dread of the Kang Saga!
But ooooh boy, what another great twist that Loki himself does indeed get the throne he seeked out at the start, but using it to wrangle and preserve whatever timelines he can.
I wish we got a bit more explanation as to what the heck Loki's role is now, as the "origin of Yggdrassil" if you will, but it seems way more hopeful than a dude who looks exactly like the previous dude, or, a reversion to the previous status quo.
Great series overall! Had some very nice writing, cool sci-fi, great effects, very timely wimey, and pretty self-contained so far?
There was this one specific song used in various Season 2 trailers that I didn't notice appear in the season. Sounded like a new Natalie Holt track, but I guess I was mistaken? I'll check the soundtrack whenever that's out and see if there's any bonus unused tracks, then.
My dad and I just watched The Marvels in a special "ScreenX" format in theatres.
We've never heard of this before, but apparently it's been around for a good 7 years at least.
It's a special gimmick version of the film, yeah, where they project a whole 270° view of the film on the front and side walls of the theater.
It's done through either a 3-camera setup during production or CGI in post.
It's kinda cool? But yeah, mostly a novelty.
The illusion of the surrounding screen doesn't totally work if you look to the side, as it's meant to convey peripheral vision.
Plus, not all of the scenes use the ScreenX format, so it'll cut or fade between the center and side screens, and it's a bit disappointing when you've been treated to a wider shot. (The opening space scene and inciting event had a cool wide effect, but later on there'd be space scenes that don't use the side-screens and it felt strange.)
Some of the action scenes and establishing scenery shots of the film used the added screen space and it was pretty cool, feeling like you're surrounded or deeper immersed into the world, but as mentioned above, there wasn't "consistency" in where its used.
I'd aay a good 60-70% of the film's scenes use it though, and the entire climax had the side-screens turned on which was cool.
As for the film itself, it was fun. I liked it.
Not really the best ever, but it was of acceptable quality for what Marvel has put out lately.
Iman Vellani is definitely the standout energetic performance with a really great animated intro that calls back to her opening episode of Ms. Marvel... Really love that creative/artistic flair they give her "fangirl dreams" and I really wish it appeared more!
Brie Larson does a great job at showing more of Captain Marvel's emotional side, since we were robbed of a lot of that in the last film due to her being a brainwashed stoic soldier. Though she does bring in some cool stoic, focused energy that I did enjoy in her character when in the group.
Teyonah Parris is the newcomer, essentially, to the group, as she learns more about her powers and offers some big scientific knowledge to the group where needed. I liked discovering she is essentially the Danny Phantom of the power-trio.
All their powers combined to give some very neat teleporting fight scenes as they're forced to tap in and out of each others' battles.
The movie gives the characters a kinda one-note villain but with interesting motives that evolve from the lingering conflict at the end of the first CapMarvel film.
I also liked all the exotic alien places the trio visits as
Overall, it's a good entry to the MCU. I'd watch it again one day. There's fun to be had here and I liked the cosmic scope of this film.
Plus, a very neat ending stinger...
Spoiler Time
The weird organic eggs found around the space station were a bit of an "oh god it's a contrived hidden threat for later" but I quickly guessed and got right that it was Goose the cat laying eggs all around the place.
Totally gross but adorable hatching of kittens though!
And man, the whole Goose stuff in this film and the ensuing Cats Escape Pod master plan was soooo weird but in a fun way. It was ridiculous but I loved how creative they got in solving the horrible Titanic problem of "not enough escape pods"
Natalie Holt breaking out the synths and her theremin, really giving us the best Marvel soundtrack ever, huh?
What If? Season 2 had a two episode live screening event and with it came some announcements about the animated side of the MCU!
The Eyes of Wakanda series sounds pretty cool, like an artifact of the week thing. Especially since it seems like it'll be set some time in the past.
Huh. I heard there was some Wakanda-focused series in development, most likely featuring/surrounding the Dora Milaje, but I thought it was gonna be live-action (seeing them kick more butt IRL would be sweet!)
But hey, I'll take animation if it's more of them.
Hopefully the actors have some free schedules and good contracts to reprise their roles if that's the case.
A new teaser trailer for the Echo series and this one leans super hard into the violence and the mature rating, including telling viewers to to swap over their profiles to TV-MA in order to watch it. It looks great and really reminds me of the Netflix stuff.
Jonathan Majors has officially been fired as Kang following his guilty verdict from his abuse and harassment trial.
Yeaaahhhh, you could see this coming a mile away after all the info Majors himself released trying to disprove the claims. I wonder if they'll simply recast the character or if they'll hard pivot to towards a different direction.
https://deadline.com/2023/12/jonathan-majors-marvel-fired-guilty-verdict-1235671790/
Damn, wow.
Fantastic actor, terrible person. Hate to see that.
I hope they recast since it would be quite the pivot to all this Kang buildup only to go for something else, however I have heard of rumours that Marvel has been planning to shift away from the Kang saga as a central hook.
I mean, he's literally the easiest character to recast, and would fit super easily with his motives.
Maybe he changes his appearance to better work in the shadows?
Maybe it's just some far, faaar away version of Kang in the multiverse, like how in Everything Everywhere, the further you go from your reality, the more different it gets (like the Sausage reality off-the-map)
I remember when the allegations first popped up, a number of filmmakers who'd worked with him in the past outright said, "Yeah I believe it. This guy is a piece of shit." Undoubtedly talent, but yeah terrible person.
I'd love it if in one of the next few movies they introduce a side character that helps the protagonists, only for it be be revealed that they're a Kang variant. Just have a bunch of Kang variants of completely different actors, maybe seeded in the next few movies, to form a new Council of Kang.
How can a Green Lantern also be a Red Devil?
What If? Season 2 started today! Er, yesterday! And they're gonna be dropping one new episode every day until December 30th!
First up, What If Nebula Joined the Nova Corps. And it's a pretty good one!
It is VERY cyberpunk-noir inspired. Heck, even feels like an homage to Blade Runner at times, with the dark sprawling cityscape and Nebula cruising in her hovercraft.
Very cool scenery and moody shots in this. Some of the fighting/action can feel a little too snappy or quick at times, but it was overall good.
I think the episode just needed more time overall. The last 7 or so minutes go by very quickly, going over all the typical Noir tropes you'd expect, (Honestly kinda feels like it's trying to parody it at times) and it's over before you know it.
I think with more time, some of those moments could have more impact.
Good episode, not perfect tho.
I've heard reviews say that the animation and writing is an overall improvement to the first season, so that's cool.
There's also the Gamora/Tony holdover episode from the first season that'll appear - though I've heard they've set it at like episode 6 or 7, deep into the season, strangely enough.
Let's see what we get tomorrow!
Was gonna wait 'til the end of the season to talk about it, but after the latest episode with Kahhori I've gotta say this season of What If...? has been great so far, and makes really good use of the shows premise. Outside of the Christmas episode, while I still enjoyed was admittedly there for goofy fun times, has been very creative with the alternate universe stuff. The Kahhori episode in particular is especially unique and the standout for me. Providing a completely different world and characters to engage with, as well as having the gamble of being the only episode with barely english in it.
There are still some of the pacing issues the previous season suffered, but I find it much less prevalent here. The first couple episodes have it the worst, but everything after that I've found to be really smooth and make good use of the episode lengths. Though I still wouldn't mind if Marvel Studios didn't force the 30 minute run times and instead just let the storytellers and animators work their magic.
Very much looking forward to seeing how the season ends.
Some quick spoilerish thoughts on each episode.
What If... Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?
* Really fun one. Really liked the noir detective premise set in a dystopian cyberpunk-esque city. Got lots of Howard the Duck which is always good. However, I did find Nebula overly dry here, though she chills out by the second half of the episode.
What If... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?
* Loved seeing an all new team of Avengers set in the 80's with the few superheroes that were active during that period. I thought the relationship between Hope and Quill was very clever here considering they've both tragically lost their mothers. Though I've gotta say their plan of attack left a lot to be desired. Also that slow walk at the end was super goofy, and why is Hank bringing Hope to space lmao.
What If... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?
* A fun Die Hard homage! Super goofy and overall pretty funny episode. There's more Darcy and Hammer who we haven't seen in ages! Weird that Happy's just stuck as a weird purple Hulk though lol. Plot is super straightforward and there really wasn't any major consequences but I ended up having a lot of fun with this one.
What If... Iron Man Crashed into the Grandmaster?
* Really liked this one a lot. They weren't able to finish it for the first season which is a shame, but the wait was worth it. They did a great job with the characterisation of Tony here. Felt like he was ripped straight out of Phase 1. Also gotta give praise to his voice actor Mick Wingert who absolutely nails Tony's voice here. The race was really fun, and it was cool seeing Tony interact with all these weirdos he never got to interact with in the sacred timeline. Also got a goofy ass mid-credits scene here with the Grandmaster doing his own version of "Moisturise me!".
What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper??
* This one's real good as well. It didn't feel like a near complete rehash like the previous Captain Carter episode. They did a good job separating this universe from the MCU and presenting the consequences and effects of this universe. Seeing things like The Wasp being on the Avengers in 2012, and there being no Hulk, as well as the eradication of Hydra soon after WW2. I wouldn't mind seeing her get a spin off miniseries or something.
What If... Kahhori Reshaped the World?
* Personally my favourite episode of the season thus far. Very different from every other episode of the series, following completely new events never before seen in the MCU, featuring an entirely original character, with only a handful of english dialogue. I'm interested to see if she'll pop up in anything else in the future. Maybe another episode in the third season, if they decide to push her as much as Captain Carter.
Marvel Studios has already released a teaser for an episode in the third and potentially final season of What If...?
Looks like it'll be about Bucky meeting the Red Guardian in the 80's(?), with Bill Foster pursuing them.
Wow that's... neat!
I didn't even know a Season 3 was in the cards, let alone it's already under production (and looking like they've already finalized some content already!)
Season 2 of What If...? is over and I thought it was a lot of fun! They make really good use of the shows premise, going to wildly different stories and universes. Some of the pacing issues from the first season still remain, though to a much lesser degree. I think my only real issues are that most of the episodes are fairly lighthearted. I wish there was an episode akin to the Doctor Strange episode from the first season.
My season 2 episode ranking:
1. What If... Kahhori Reshaped the World?
2. What If... Iron Man Crashed into the Grandmaster?
3. What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?
4. What If... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?
5. What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?
6. What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?
7. What If... Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?
8. What If... Strange Supreme Intervened?
9. What If... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?
Quick spoilerish thoughts on the remaining episodes.
What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?
* Really liked this one. It was a cool to see Hera get more backstory, and seeing her and the Mandarin becoming a power couple at the end was wild lol. However I feel like Hera talks way too much lmao and like I mentioned, the pacing was way too fast. It felt like the episode needed at least another 5 to 10 minutes.
What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?
* I really loved the character designs in this, especially Captain Carter's outfit. That should really be her main outfit from now on, it looks so sick and fits well with her being English. I do think it was weird that out of every possible hero, Scarlet Witch chose her to help save her universe. Though with how the episode ends it does make a bit more sense as to why she was chosen.
What If... Strange Supreme Intervened?
* Straight up fanfiction with the people behind the show mashing all their action figures together lmao. Fun episode and I like how it ends, but the power scaling here was over the top ridiculous. Kahhori's powers gets super confusing here. So she has super speed, super strength, telekinesis, teleportation, and minor reality bending, AND she can pick up Mjolnir. I wish they didn't make her so overpowered, especially with her easily taking out Infinity Killmonger so easily. If she ever gets introduced into the mainline MCU or the comics, I hope she gets nerfed. It's way too much. Same goes for Peggy, who's been super overpowered this past season. She's way more powerful than Steve Rogers and borders on Superman levels of strength.
Overall, for the most part I find season 2 to be an improvement over season 1 in terms of writing and pacing (for the most part), and while I do wish that they went as dark as the previous season, I had a lot of fun with what ended up releasing.
Marvel Studios is going ham with these Echo trailers.
If anyone had any doubts about the Netflix stuff being canon then this trailer should definitely qualm them since this straight up uses scenes from the original series, including the infamous car door scene.
All five episodes of Echo are out and I binged watched it immediately. I really like it! It feels like a step towards the right direction in terms of violence, maturity, and grittiness in the MCU. There's a couple stumbles along the way, but for the most part I really enjoyed it. Acting is great for the most part, with massive praise to Alaqua Cox, who manages to do so much while saying so little, and of course Vincent D'Onofrio who continues to be incredible as the Kingpin. I also really enjoyed Maya's family, especially her grandparents.
The fight scenes are great (for the most part), lots of practical effects, and the relationship between Maya and Fisk is easily the best part of the show. In terms of violence, it's definitely a step up and has me hopeful for the Born Again series and whatever other shows end up under the Spotlight banner, but it definitely doesn't go as hard as the Netflix shows. It's more Netflix-lite than anything, though there are still some fairly gruesome/disturbing moments in the series. The sound design in the series is excellent as well, especially in the more intense moments with Maya, as things start to deafen and her heartbeat becomes the main focus.
There are a few problems, some being bigger than most. Pacing issues which have plagued pretty much every MCU TV project continue on here, especially in the final episode which really needed an extra 10-15 minutes. The supernatural/mythical and seriousness of the series often feel like they're clashing in tones. Not to say that the supernatural stuff isn't good, I like it and find it interesting, but it does feel jarring when it cuts from a really dramatic grounded moment to something magical. The fights scenes, while actually pretty damn good, are honestly quite bad in the finale. I have no idea what happened during production at the end there, but it looked really goofy and not at all like the standard that was set in the first episode.
Honestly a bulk of my issues with the series are from the finale, which I find myself really mixed on. There's some really great stuff involving Maya and Fisk, but some of the ancestral and family stuff I found to be really rough. Not to mention the incredibly anti-climactic fight. It has the worst pacing of the series while being the shortest episode at 25 minutes long (32 with credits). Also they don't really commit to one of the plot points introduced early on, which I feel takes some of the wind out of the shows sails.
Overall, I really enjoyed the series for what it could be for the more mature and grounded parts of the MCU going forward, and would love to see more of Maya in the future. However, there are some really jarring issues, particularly in the shows climax that I honestly think do take it down a notch. Also keep an eye out for the mid-credits scene in the final episode which sets the stage for the upcoming Born Again series.
Yeah I also watched Echo and I cant say Im impressed in any way. Don't really have the energy to go into detail but I think there are far too many bizarre moments where characters act like morons just so Echo can shine, or to create superficial tension that makes absolutely no sense. They don't go far enough with any storyline, the show is too short to focus on this much so as per usual with marvel, everything is undercooked, damn near raw.
Sure there's some okay action, and it's nice that its a little bloodier than usual, but that doesn't save this mess whatsoever for me. I also think it was a little absurd how this was marketed largerly as a new york show, and we spent 4 out of 5 eps in oklahoma. Furthermore, the way these episodes were written made me absolutely despise Maya. She comes off an absolutely terrible person, even as a child.
Yep, very disappointing for me sadly.
Wilson Bethel will be returning as Bullseye in Daredevil: Born Again! He'll supposedly appear in three episodes.
The series getting a production reboot really does seem to have been the right move. Not to mention word of Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson returning as Karen and Foggy.
There's been set pics recently of the area they're shooting at.
A sign saying 'Nelson, Murdock and Page's has been found. OOOH BABY THEY'RE MAKING THE RIGHT MOVE
Oh shit, just saw some pics of the whole gang together! The avocados at law at back!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Nice to know his entire cast will be returning! Including the members of X-Force that got wiped out from the last movie lol.
Wade with hair is horrifying. Thank God it's just a wig.
I wonder what the TVA need Deadpool for. I assume it has something to do with him fucking up his own timeline and they're making him do something in exchange for not pruning him and his family, but it seems like something went wrong if he's also killing some of them.
Also got our first F bomb in an MCU trailer!
Maybe Loki will pop up somewhere as well, that'd be cool.
Official Cast for The Fantastic Four have been revealed -- Releasing in July 2025 (swapped release dates with Thunderbolts)
There is also an official logo -- VERY retro 60's vibe to it...
I guess there might be some timey-wimey shenanigans by the end of the film if this is gonna be a period piece.
THIS is the type of style risk that's got me excited for this MCU adaptation!
Saw someone point out that the magazine Ben (Thing) is reading, is an actual magazine with LBJ on the cover published in 1963, so I think the 60's setting is all but confirmed.
And with WandaVision we know that Matt Shakman will at the very least nail the aesthetics!
Finally a trailer for X-Men '97 and it's releasing in just a month!
Visually it looks great, they did a good job of making it look 2D. Seems like they're trying to imitate the original series with the lower framerate as well, which I'll have to get used to. Looking forward to it!
Yeah, it's surprising how well this looks 2D, especially with the lower frame-rate, since isn't this actually using their 3D tech from What If but heavily stylized and cel-shaded to look 2D?
Interesting that they're using Marvel Animation now. Is that a new branch of Marvel Studios for all their animated content now, or is that just for this show as some 90's homage...
I guess I should check out the original series and see if it can hook me for next month.
Looks like it's their new banner for animated stuff. I imagine Marvel Zombies, Eyes of Wakanda, the following seasons of What If?, and whatever else they have in store will be placed under it.
I watched Madame Web.
A new clip of X-Men '97 has been released, with the team fighting a group of Sentinels!
Alright so the show is actually a mix of 2D and 3D animation, with the latter being used for more action oriented scenes. It's pretty damn seamless!
The first two episodes of X-Men '97 have been released and I really enjoyed them, even as someone who hasn't seen a single episode of the original series. Visually, they're absolutely fantastic looking, like a natural evolution of the original shows art style and the animations super solid too especially when it came to the action sequences. Though I will admit there are a couple dialogue heavy scenes that make the characters look like muppets. The switch to 3D animation is near seamless. I'm very happy they decided to go for a mix of both 2D and 3D. Also nice to hear them getting some leeway with the language as you'll hear a damn, hell, or pissed along the way.
The first episode is very much a re-introduction to the characters and sets up the rest of the series by the end of the episode, but overall it's solid with some great action and fun character interactions. Episode two however is fucking phenomenal. Easily some of the best storytelling in Marvel Studios animation. Incredibly powerful and emotional, with Magneto stealing every scene he's in, and the show being very blatant and not holding back on its messaging which I'm sure some smooth brained individuals with room temperature IQ's will try to say is out of character for the fucking X-Men.
Overall a strong opening to the series and I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the season.
An animated short set between Into and Across the Spider-Verse is set to release today WOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Can't wait for another accurate portrayal of a panic attack in an animated property!
It is HERE! BEHOLD!
(FYI we were supposed to get Beyond 2 days from now!! Damnit, executives overestimating their time-management!) 😩
Man, I can't believe Beyond the Spider-Verse released only a year after Across and it was so good! Especially when that person did the thing at the place
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