“So,” remarks Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). “We’re literally herding cats.” It’s probably a thought that’s crossed the mind of many Marvel faithful as they tried to cram in all of the Disney+ series, feature films and mixed media spin-offs required to keep up with the MCU. Indeed, to fully step into the world of THE MARVELS, you need to be at least a little au fait with Captain Marvel along with TV’s WandaVision and Ms. Marvel.
It’s the latter that serves as the immediate entry point for this feature, picking up not long after New Jersey’s teen hero Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) – aka Ms. Marvel – unexpectedly swaps places with her hero Captain Marvel. It’s not just the two of them either, with the now adult Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) completing the triptych.
The malady is being caused by Kree warrior Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), whose attempts to restore her homeworld, find Kamala’s magic wrist band and get revenge on Captain Marvel drives the narrative. Together with a spacebound Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), presumably fresh off his adventures in Secret Invasion, they attempt to figure out how to fix all the things.
THE MARVELS was reportedly subject to some judicious cutting while in post-production hell, and it’s evident in the final product. Filled with messy flashbacks that attempt to recap multiple series and films, and at least one odd cameo who disappears moments after they arrive, the film spends the first half of the film chaotically cutting between characters. It’s here we also spot evidence of the strain the FX companies are under as well, especially during some of those daytime flight sequences.
Director Nia DaCosta had previously conquered the unenviable task of reworking horror classic Candyman, but here she has to wrangle characters from three separate entities. Ms. Marvel’s distinctive style, with animated cutaways and overlays, gives the film energy from the start. Indeed, the scenes that work the best in THE MARVELS are with Kamala’s family. Yet all of these competing styles never quite gel, ostensibly imploding in on themselves during a full-blown musical sequence that feels like it has stepped out of Thor: Love and Thunder. This is not a film we ever hoped to invoke again.
In this melange of Marvels, there is one consistent element: the ill-defined villain. While Ashton’s Kree warrior does have a clear motivation, there’s little to no hope of her character ever stepping beyond the surface level. So, we inevitably come down to two (or more) similarly powered characters digitally rag-dolling their way across the cosmos. Yes, it manages to stick the landing by the skin of its teeth, but only just.
By the time we get to the pre- and mid-credits sequences, we have more fuel to the theory that MCU films are now just extended trailers for the film that comes next. (Remember that time they made a movie around a Harry Styles tease?). THE MARVELS certainly opens the door for more adventures, but the cracks aren’t just showing in the MCU but getting wider.
2023 | USA | DIRECTOR: Nia DaCosta | WRITERS: Nia DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, Elissa Karasik | CAST: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Park Seo-joon, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Samuel L. Jackson | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | RUNNING TIME: 105 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 9 November 2023 (AUS), 10 November 2023 (USA)
Let me tell you the story of the space viking, Thor Odinson. When he was first introduced as a Phase One member of the soon-to-be-formed Avengers, he was a character ripe for parody. Kenneth Branagh touched on this briefly, but it wasn’t until Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok that Disney/Marvel owned the inherent silliness in the God of Thunder.
This irreverent approach to the material is still evident from the start of THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, Waititi’s first official follow-up by way of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Following a dark intro in which the grieving Gorr (Christian Bale) vows to slay all gods, we first encounter Thor (Chris Hemsworth) working off his ‘dad bod’ and fighting alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Yet this only gets the film so far, stumbling through a cameo-filled first act and a series of storybook flashbacks that immediately make us question who the audience is supposed to be. Back on Earth, former flame Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is diagnosed with inoperable cancer, but finds hope when the hammer Mjölnir chooses Jane to be the Mighty Thor. So the Thors in stereo team-up to fight Gorr, even as Jane slowly loses her mortal strength in the process.
There’s lot of fun to be had with this concept, but the tone swings faster than Thor’s Hammer, stitched together on innuendo and so many Guns n’ Roses tunes. As a central villain, Gorr is a good choice, overcoming Marvel’s ‘weak villain’ problem that has plagued the series for some time. Bale gives it his all, seemingly transforming physically every time we see him. Still, the film seems less concerned with his antics than the group of children he has abducted. Indeed, there’s an interesting psychological parallel between the death of Gorr’s child and his abduction of Asgardian children, but the film doesn’t even consider this a plot point worth pursuing.
A centrepiece sequence in which Thor meets Zeus (Russel Crowe with a scenery chewing Greek accent) and loses his clothes is the kind of high camp we expected based on Ragnarok. However, it too is a bright light in a loose and chaotic narrative. Case in point, only moments later, all the colour is literally drained from the film for a dark journey into a shadow realm. THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER is not so much a movie but a series of scenes.
By the time we get to the last act, it feels like the script was still being was cobbled together after production had started, throwing elements against the walls and seeing which of the four quadrants they stick to. There are times when literal deus ex machinas are tacked on to give it some of that Endgame climax magic. Characters neglected since the beginning are suddenly remembered, and it feels on balace as though whole swathes of story have been cut out.
The real crime is not knowing what to do with Tessa Thompson, who is left to literally watch romantic events unfold or sidelined entirely because nobody quite knew where to fit her into the story. When she does appear, we’re reminded of the commanding presence she had in the previous films. Here we can’t help but feel like she is being set-up for a spin-off series.
Which is perhaps where THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER stumbles the most, arriving as it does in a sea of Disney/Marvel content on screens of all size. As one of three feature films — and as many Disney+ series — in 2022 alone, it certainly brings the big-budget thrills one would expect from a theatrical outing. As just another piece in the content puzzle, one can’t help but feel that this is the kind of narrative Disney could have peppered out over a mini-series on their streaming service with a few tweaks.
As is the way with serialised storytelling, we are assured that Thor will return. Mid and post-credits sequences hint at the future, and — following Eternals and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — seem to be where Marvel make all their major casting announcements too. Here’s hoping that wherever Thor Odinsson lands next, it lands with the force of a lightning strike. For now, it feels like the distant rumble of a storm that’s passed.
2022 | USA | DIRECTOR: Taika Waititi | WRITERS: Taika Waititi, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson | CAST: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | RUNNING TIME: 119 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 7 July 2022 (AUS)
WARNING: This review is burdened with glorious spoilers.
In LOKI, the third Disney+ series to spin out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the franchise has finally stumbled into all of our wheelhouses. Literally all of them. Taking the irreverent fun of Ant-Man or Guardians of the Galaxy, the genre-bending madness of WandaVision, and the high stakes of any Avengers film, it casts the villain we love in the role of a bureaucratic, time travelling anti-hero.
Picking up after the events of Avengers: Endgame, in which an Avengers-era Loki (Tom Hiddleston) buggered off with the Tesseract, the variant God of Mischief is arrested by the mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA). Seemingly backed by limitless power and resources, TVA agent Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson) is charged with bringing this Loki up to speed and getting him to help with their investigations. It seems another variant Loki has been polluting the sacred timeline and getting a little stabby across time.
Things gets especially interesting when we discover that the anarchistic variant is Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), a female ‘Loki’ from a parallel timeline. Every bit Loki’s equal — and arguably superior — she has been journeying through the timeline intent on destroying all of the TVA’s minutemen. Meeting Loki changes both of their destinies, uncovering hidden truths about the power behind the Authority and the nature of the Marvel multiverse.
One of the joys of comic books for me has always been the re-interpetation of classic characters across the parallel worlds, alternate timelines and multiversal mishaps. Hell, I’ve written about it at length for various places. So, building an entire series around the intersection of Lokis across the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse is so inside my personal headspace that it’s been living there rent-free for decades (with an option to buy). As such, LOKI is a purely joyful tour through some of the weirder and more indulgent aspects of the comics. Sure, this could be viewed as a little too inside baseball, but it also speaks to the Phase 4 willingness to break free of previous formulas and linger longer in the curious corners of the MCU.
This is especially true of the penultimate episode of the series, appropriately titled ‘Journey Into Mystery’ (after the comic in which Thor and Loki were introduced). Richard E. Grant appears as one of several Lokis — alongside a child Loki (Jack Veal) who killed Thor, a boastful Loki (DeObia Oparei), President Loki and even an Alligator Loki — converging on ‘our’ Loki prior to a final confrontation with the mysterious powers that be. Scholars and bloggers alike will be unpicking all the Easter eggs for months to come.
One of the strengths of LOKI is its ability to switch genres at will is one of the series strengths. It’s a bureaucratic time comedy. It’s an episode of Doctor Who the following week (‘Lamentis’). It doesn’t ends with the big CG battle required by all MCU outings, but instead with a confrontation between complex minds. When the series continues (something confirmed by a post-credits stinger in the final episode), there are literally infinite combinations of characters and stories they can try out.
Yet the core power rests in this phenomenal cast. Hiddleston slips effortlessly into a role he’s played half a dozen times before, yet now with added depth and nuance we’ve not seen before. Di Martino, primarily known for her TV work, steps confidently into the MCU as a force to be reckoned with. Meanwhile, Wilson feels like he’s always been here, like some kind of Stan Lee-esque watcher who has just emerged to tell us of his love for jet skis. Gugu Mbatha-Raw and criminally underused indie queen Sasha Lane round out the impressive cast.
Compared with the Netflix Marvel series a few years ago, these Disney+ series are operating on a scale hitherto unseen. It’s partly because these series directly tie into the broader cinematic universe, but also because they are willing to dangle threads out there and yank them away. Take the season finale (‘For All Time. Always.’): following the massive special effects spectacular of the previous episode, the rebirth of the multiverse comes primarily from an intellectual sparring match. Rather than simply wrap it up here, the coming of ‘He Who Remains’ (Jonathan Majors) is teased. For those in the know, it’s Kang the Conqueror: a time-travelling entity who may just serve as the Thanos of Phase 4.
WandaVision led us up to the door of the next Doctor Strange film, and Falcon and the Winter Soldier opened the door for a new Captain America, and LOKI is no exception. Given that one of the next major films is Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, it’s no stretch that this series was a way of introducing audiences to the parallel universes us comic book readers have known and loved for decades. Indeed, we know Major is reprising his role as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. For now, the MCU has revealed it’s short-term purpose, and it is indeed glorious.
2021 | US | DIRECTOR: Kate Herron | WRITERS: Michael Waldron (creator), Elissa Karasik, Bisha K. Ali, Eric Martin, Tom Kauffman | CAST: Tom Hiddleston, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Eugene Cordero, Tara Strong, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Sasha Lane, Jack Veal, DeObia Oparei, Richard E. Grant| DISTRIBUTOR: Disney+ | EPISODES: 6
Natasha Romanoff was dead: to begin with. There was no doubt whatever about that. The register of her departure was signed, sealed and delivered in one of many climactic moments in Avengers: Endgame. Yet with a solo film having been in the works since at least 2012, the Marvel Cinematic Universe would not be complete without one (possibly) final outing for Black Widow.
In the grand tradition of recent MCU flicks, it opens in 1995 — around the time Captain Marvel was crashing into the roof of a Los Angeles Blockbuster. Soviet spies Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) have to suddenly leave their small town American home, and after a dramatic chase land a plane in Cuba. Their ‘daughters’ Natasha and Yelena are carted off to the Red Room for kick-ass Widow training.
Following montage set to Malia J’s cover of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit,’ the film proper picks up 21 years later after the events of Captain America: Civil War, with the adult Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) now on the run. Jetting off to various safe houses in the old country, she runs into her ‘sister’ Yelena (Florence Pugh) — and runs afoul of the highly-skilled masked Taskmaster. With a MacGuffin of a red mist that deprograms mind-controlled Widows, the would-be sisters seek their former ‘parents’ in order to find and kill the mastermind Dreykov (Ray Winstone).
BLACK WIDOW is a film of two halves. In the comparatively gentler paced first half, we see more of Cate Shortland’s signature storytelling. The filmmaker that brought us emotionally packed coming-of-age stories (Joy, Somersault) and the delicate and impressionistic portrait of a young woman impacted by wartime regimes (Lore) is present here. At its best, where the makeshift family gently mocks and challenges each other, there’s a real human drama at play. Part of me wanted to just remain here, pondering whether scriptwriter Eric Pearson’s TV background made this an ideal candidate for a Disney+ series about the heroes running about Europe and hiding from the bad guys. Then again, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier already kind of did that.
Yet its the second part where the previsualised action set-pieces take over that slides the film firmly back into MCU territory. Largely taking place on an aerial base — because it wouldn’t be an MCU film without a big object falling from the sky in the finale — there is some seriously badass action here. Yes, it still comes down to hand-to-hand combat between two foes, and with some staging vaguely reminiscent of the Guardians of the Galaxy finale. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a hell of a ride on the way down, combining midair explosions with Lorne Balfe’s bombastic score to great effect.
Johansson clearly slips comfortably into the titular role, turning up to strap on the spandex and pleather for a seventh time. Harbour, playing a now out-of-shape Russian super soldier, serves up some serious Mr. Incredible realness while trying to fit into his old Red Guardian outfit. It’s unquestionably Pugh who emerges as the new action star though, and one can only hope that Weisz returns in some form in later series outings.
If BLACK WIDOW had landed in its original May 2020 release date, it would have launched Phase 4 of the MCU over a year ago. Yet arriving now in the wake of the endless Disney+ content cycle — which has told more complex stories across WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki — it simply becomes a lower-stakes bit of grist for the mill. Indeed, the obligatory post-credits sequence almost makes the preceding two hours a set-up for a different series due later this year. Or it’s simply a last hurrah with a fan-favourite character, one where we get to see her evolve a little beyond her Avengers teammates and conclusively learn the origin story of her vest.
2021 | USA | DIRECTOR: Cate Shortland | WRITER: Eric Pearson | CAST: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle, Olga Kurylenko, William Hurt, Ray Winstone, Rachel Weisz | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | RUNNING TIME: 138 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 9 July 2021 (US/Disney+)
After being absent from SDCC for a few years, Marvel Studios took to the stage at the world’s biggest pop culture event to announce the next stage of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase 4.
Marvel super producer Kevin Feige took to the stage, to announce BLACK WIDOW (1 May 2020), THE ETERNALS (6 November 2020), SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS (12 February 2021), DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (7 May 2021), and THOR LOVE AND THUNDER (5 November 2021). “This is Phase 4,” declared Feige.
Things got even more surprising when they casually threw out BLACK PANTHER 2, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3, CAPTAIN MARVEL 2, FANTASTIC FOUR…and Mutants?
Oh yeah: Marvel Studios’ BLADE with Mahershala Ali in the titular role. Dear. Lord. Yes.
BLACK WIDOW (1 May 2020) has already been filming for a month. ScarJo will return to play Black Widow in Cate Shortland’s long-awaited solo film. Hellboy’s David Harbour as Alexei, while Florence Pugh is Yelena, a “sister figure” to Widow. O. T. Fagbenle will play a figure from Widow’s past. Rachel Weisz is the powerful character of Melina. There’s no explanation as to how she’s here after the events of Endgame, but we can worry about that later. Taskmaster was also seen in the footage shown at SDCC.
THE ETERNALS (6 November 2020), directed by Chloe Zhao will star Richard Madden as Icarus, Lauren Ridloff as Ikari, and Kuma, Bryan Tyree Henry as Blastos, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, and Kumail Nanjiani.
SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS (12 February 2021), directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, will bring the “real” Mandarin to the screen as Tony Leung! Shang-Chi himself is Simu Liu, and was cast only days before the announcement. Awkwafina will join as an unnamed character. The 10 Rings were introduced in Iron Man 3, of course, and hinted at during Ant-Man.
DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (7 May 2021) will be the “first scary MCU film,” promises director Scott Derickson. Scarlet Witch will co-star, and it will tie in directly to the events of the Disney+ series WandaVision.
THOR LOVE AND THUNDER (5 November 2021) will reunite the Thor Ragnarok team of Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth, and Tessa Thompson. Allegedly pulled from the excellent The Mighty Thor storyline by Jason Aaron, it will see Valkyrie as the new King looking for a Queen. Natalie Portman will also return to the MCU as Jane Foster – and the new Thor?
BLADE was biggest surprise was left until last. No details, but Mahershala Ali will take on the role of the Daywalker. Holy. Hell. That was a surprise to say the least. If you are in the vicinity of Wesley Snipes, be kind.
The panel also elaborated on the plans for Disney+ programming: Falcon & Winter Soldier (Fall 2020), Loki (Spring 2021) WandaVision (Spring 2021, and will take place after Endgame and include Monica Rambeau), and animated What If…? (Summer 2021) series that will tie in directly to the characters created under the MCU. Jeffrey Wright will voice the Watcher, along with many of the film actors reprising their roles. Hawkeye (Fall 2021) will also feature Jeremy Renner and introduce alternate Hawkeye Kate Bishop. We can only hope for Pizza Dog.
The Marvel Studios panel was always going to be the most anticipated of the season. Following the Earth-shattering success of Avengers: Endgame, and the revelations of Spider-Man: Far From Home, it seemed that Marvel Studios were ready to reveal their next batch of films following the end of The Infinity Saga. The crowd was so huge that Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo were in the audience, something that got a huge cheer by itself.
A number of the films we already knew about: THE ETERNALS has been in production for some time but never officially announced, for example, SHANG-CHI was announced in China, and BLACK WIDOW is already filming.
Yet it’s also the first confirmation of sorts that Fantastic Four and the X-Men will join the MCU in some form. Lest we forget that Disney announced an additional three “Untitled Disney Marvel” in 2022 that have not been confirmed yet. With the ink barely dry on the Fox/Disney merger, it’s safe to say that at least a couple of those will involve our favourite mutants and perhaps (As)gardians of the Galaxy. Plus: Disney’s D23 Expo is only a month away, with some speculating there might be even more announcements there.
For now we have a roadmap for the next few years of Marvel – and all we have to do now is strap ourselves in and enjoy the ride.
Where do you go after Avengers: Endgame? It’s a question that any number of listicles has tried to answer in the days, weeks, and months following one of the biggest box office hits of all time. If you’re the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and you have a multi-picture arrangement with Sony, then you just try to have some fun with it.
Picking up shortly after the events of Endgame, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is feeling the pressure to become the next Iron Man. Excited for a European trip with his school group, and the chance to tell M.J. (Zendaya) how he feels about her, his bliss is interrupted when super spies Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) arrive with new hero Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) to ask for Spider-Man’s help to save the world.
If SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOMEfeels like it is burdened by the continuity of the MCU, it’s a totally ordinary response for a 16-year-old hero saddled with great responsibility. So director Jon Watts and writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Ant-Man and the Wasp) try to lighten that load by delivering a throwback European vacation flick with a surface level parody of several sovereign nations.
It’s a loose narrative glue that holds the twenty-third film in the MCU together, relaying partly on audience familiarity with the characters as well as shorthand plots for a handful of throwaway gags. Case in point is the relationship between Ned (Jacob Batalon) and Betty (Angourie Rice), a comedy routine that comes straight out of a John Hughes tradition. Yet this allows the audience to ease into the glorious chaos and slapstick tone that sees the acrobatic Parker struggling with Stark tech, avoiding discovery, or awkwardly crushing on M.J.
The film really breaks loose is during the moments when Mysterio is on the screen. Whether fighting a giant Elemental monster in the canals of Venice or the streets of Prague, or plunging the audience into a topsy turvy world that rivals the Batman villain Scarecrow. The visual effects are on par with anything else in the MCU, an “Avengers level threat” if you will. Mysterio is a character made for the cinema, and these visual moments are something fans have waited decades to see.
In his fifth outing in the costume, Holland’s earnestness continues to be the best version of Peter Parker on screen. (Please don’t send me angry emails or tweets). Now fully established as M.J., Zendaya has a more rounded and relatable character that is distinct from previous portrayals. The return of Jon Favreau and Marisa Tomei is always something to be excited about, especially given that Aunt Man seems to continue having a thing for Stark employees. Less successful is the presence of Martin Starr and J.B. Smoove as the teachers, stuck with some lame dialogue and a lack of real purpose.
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME is the epilogue to the Infinity Saga, and a palate cleanser before the presumed announcement of Phase 4 at Comic-Con in July. Some of that future is teased in a pair of now traditional end-credits sequences that really shift the baseplates for both the character and the franchise. While purists may quibble at the comic book accuracies of some of the characters, this is one of the most tonally faithful sequels since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2.
2019 | US | DIR: Jon Watts | WRITER: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers| CAST: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, J. B. Smoove, Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr, Marisa Tomei, Jake Gyllenhaal | DISTRIBUTOR: Sony Pictures Releasing (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 129 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 1 July 2019 (AUS)
If producer Kevin Feige and his colleagues at Marvel Studios and Disney announced that Avengers: Endgame was the conclusion to theMarvel Cinematic Universe, we’d probably be cool with that.
As mentioned in my review for the film, Endgame is the “cinema-shaking conclusion to one of the greatest pieces of modern storytelling and world-building in the history of the medium.” The 22 films that made up the saga achieved a complete story that took 11 years to roll out, and it’s unlikely we’ll see the likes of it again. Yet the economics of modern moviemaking mean that it isn’t the last we’ll see of Marvel heroes on screen.
Of course, Endgame has left us with a vastly different field to the one that we had this time last year. (I’ve popped some of those changes in a spoiler box in case you’ve not seen the film yet, but be aware: other SPOILERS may still pop up).
OPEN SPOILERS, SWEETIE.
Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff is dead, having sacrificed herself to gain the Soul Stone. Tony Stark also gave his life to the greater good, his work protecting the Earth now done. After returning the Infinity Stones to their rightful place in time, Steve Rogers allowed himself to go back to the 1940s and dance with Peggy and grow old. Thor, still carrying a bit of a beer gut, no longer seems interested in being the God of Thunder and has joined the Guardians of the Galaxy – or should that be the Asgardians of the Galaxy? There was also that intriguing line about the potential for alternate universes that felt very pointed on a second viewing of Endgame.
So what’s next? This time last year we speculated what was coming based on announcements and reports. A lot has happened since then, not least of which is Disney’s acquisition of Fox and properties like the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Keep in mind that beyond Spider-Man: Far From Home, and the already slated Fox properties, Marvel and Disney haven’t announced a single thing. We probably won’t hear anything until at least Comic-Con in July this year.
Disney have already indicated that they are holding places for 7 Marvel films between 2020 and 2023. Those dates were: 31 July 2020, 7 May 2021, 30 July 2021, 5 November 2021, 18 February 2022, 6 May 2022, and 29 July 2022. However, these dates will have changed following the Fox merger, but we can use them as indicators of future releases for now.
Phase 3: Endgame epilogue
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (5 July 2019): This is still the only film we actually have completely confirmed beyond Avengers: Endgame, mostly because it’s Sony distributing it, and it is said to pick up minutes after that event. Since we spoke about it last year, a trailer has been released, and Marvel’s Kevin Feige has confirmed that this film will officially end Phase 3.
Phase 4: Known Unknowns
SHANG-CHI: While Marvel had an ill-fated attempt at martial art with the Netflix series Iron Fist, Destin Daniel Cretton is set to direct Marvel’s first leading Chinese-American superhero to reach the MCU. ComicBook.com reported that Feige answered a fan question in China with a definitive answer: “This is not an Endgame question, this is a question about the future…I’m not supposed to answer questions about the future but in this case, I will because the answer is yes.” So there you go. Given the Chinese box office numbers of later, the Master of Kung Fu could potentially be one of the biggest overseas hits for the studio.
THE ETERNALS: Last year this was just strong speculation. Since then, Chloé Zhao (The Rider) has been hired as a director Apart from being touted as featuring the first openly gay character in the MCU, the casting rumours and announcements have been huge: Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, and Ma Dong-seok have been connected with the film. In the comics, the group are an advanced offshoot of humanity as part of a process begun by the Celestials. If you recall, the Celestials were mentioned in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Created by Jack Kirby as a Marvel analogue for the mythological/sci-fi work he was doing with New Gods, writer Neil Gaiman later wrote a run on the series with artist John Romita Jr.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3: This one has been a saga. Following the very public firing of James Gunn, and his subsequent signing on to the Suicide Squad sequel at the Distinguished Competition, he was eventually reinstated by Marvel after a fan and cast protest. While this was never officially announced, it was a done deal as far as Gunn was concerned, but now most reports are saying this won’t start production until 2021 for a 2023 release. Given the events of Endgame, it’s going to have a…different lineup.
DISNEY+ CONTENT: While we’re waiting, the Disney+ streaming service launching in November will have no shortage of MCU content. Already Falcon & Winter Soldier, Loki, WandaVision (apparently set in the 1950s!), Hawkeye, and animated What If…? series that will tie in directly to the characters created under the MCU. This fills the gap between the weekly Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series, the Netflix shows, and the One-Shot films that used to appear on the DVDs/Blu-rays in the first two phases of the MCU.
BLACK WIDOW: There’s been chatter by Feige back since 2012 on this one. However, it seems to be full steam ahead now, with Cate Shortland announced as the director last year. Ned Benson is doing a rewrite of the script. Whether this is a prequel or sequel is yet to be confirmed, although the notes in the spoiler section will probably indicate which. Shooting is said to begin as soon as June 2019 in the United Kingdom with Scarlett Johansson and last until that September. This would probably put it on track for sometime in 2020/2021, the events of Endgame notwithstanding.
Phase 4: Probable, likely, bankable hits
BLACK PANTHER 2: The biggest original character debut in the MCU to date, with a global total of $1.3 billion and counting, you better believe that this film will be getting a sequel. It was confirmed in October 2018 that Ryan Coogler would return to write/direct the film. We guess that this will be 18 February 2022, mirroring the original’s release window in February 2018.
THOR 4: The joyful and offbeat Thor: Ragnarok, and the God of Thunder’s subsequent team-ups with his “sweet rabbit” friend in Infinity War and Endgame, has ensured that the world needs more Thor. Actress Tessa Thompson seems to think there will be one. In an interview with the LA Times, she said: “I heard that a pitch has happened for [another “Thor” film]. I don’t know how real that intel is, but I hear that the pitch has happened. I think the idea is Taika [Waititi] would come back.” I am a fan of all of that.
DOCTOR STRANGE 2: While not quite as big as some of its contemporaries, Strange played a massive part in Infinity War and its sequel. As Marvel goes deeper into cosmic territory, he will be an essential character. Plus, they teased us with a sequel back in 2016. Surely they won’t make us wait too much longer?
DEADPOOL 3/X-FORCE: Whether it has a hard connection to the MCU or stays doing its own thing. Even Feige,speaking with Variety, sees no reason to mess with a good thing. “When we were purchased, Bob [Iger] said to us, ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. There’s no question that Deadpool is working, so why would we change it?” Indeed, on the day after Disney acquisition of Fox, Deadpool was one of the only Fox Marvel properties they displayed on their corporate site. Plus, Ryan Reynolds seems to be having a ball on social media with the merger.
Hopeless speculation and wishful drinking
FANTASTIC FOUR: If Marvel were to start the Universe again, or branch off into an alternate reality, the FF seems like the logical place to start. Despite having three theatrical bites at the cherry, Disney/Marvel now have the rights to make something on the scale and tone of their current slate. They could even be incredibly clever and set it in the 1960s, where they have already established a continuity of characters from the scientific community of Howard Stark, Obadiah Stane, and Anton Vanko to spies and allies in Peggy Carter, the earlier days of S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYRDA.
X-MEN: My bet is that Disney will sit on the X-Men for a while. Credit where it’s due: before the MCU, Lauren Shuler Donner kicked off a Marvel universe around the mutant characters that expanded into seven main films, three Wolverine spin-offs, two Deadpool movies, and more (including New Mutants, which may get lost in the wilderness). It paved the way for the MCU in more ways than one. Yet they have been a little oversaturated, and Marvel would be wise to slip them back into their world one mutant or two at a time.
NEW AVENGERS: This seems like an obvious move. Keep the Avengers brand and see how that functions without some of the heavier hitters that have led the previous arcs. If Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were the heart and soul of the MCU until now, maybe it’s time for Captain Marvel, Sam Wilson, and Doctor Strange to take the helm. The New Avengers comic of 2010 initially featured Luke Cage, Victoria Hand, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Mockingbird, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, The Thing, and Wolverine – all of which are now available under the Disney banner. The mind boggles.
It’s hard to be neutral about something as huge as AVENGERS: ENDGAME. After 22 films, multiple television series, and countless mixed-media tie-ins, either you’re invested in at least some of these characters or wilfully avoiding them. Either way, producer Kevin Feige and directors Joe and Anthony Russo bring home this saga in a way that fans and casual viewers alike will be unable to forget.
Picking up on a sombre note, several weeks after the dramatic cliffhanger to Avengers: Infinity War, the galaxy ponders how they will move on after the loss of half their people to Thanos. When the remaining Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy are reunited with some old friends and new, they hatch a plan to undo their losses and restore hope.
How does one even begin to write about something like this? Aimed squarely at the people who have been following the story since 2008, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s screenplay leaves no stone unturned in pulling together a unique combination of a sci-fi, heist, thriller, melodrama, and epic battle film.
In doing so, every character is given their due. It’s difficult to discuss many of them without revealing some spoilers. Indeed, anything that’s not in the trailer is probably a spoiler. (#DontSpoiltheEndgame) Yet the original six Avengers all get conclusively suitable arc closures, whether it is through a natural progression of their stories or via some clever narrative looping. Some other odd pairings, like Nebula and Rocket, nod to the success of the unlikely breakout hits on the way to this climax.
Is the back half of the film shameless fan service? You’re damn right it is. Do large chunks of the film feel like a greatest hits package? Of course they are. Yet after almost two dozen films worth of world-building, Feige and the Russo brothers can be forgiven for feeling that the kitchen sink is not nearly enough. As Natasha says earlier in the film, “I get emails from a raccoon. Nothing seems crazy anymore.“
Taking that as a cue, the Russo brothers turn everything up to a scale hitherto unseen. It’s not up to 11. It’s beyond 11. It’s at least one more. While it’s hard to know exactly how much of the reported $316–400 million budget (shared with Infinity War) went into this finale, we can probably guess that a large part of it was on the battle that takes place in the heart of the third act. It’s like Lord of the Rings made love to a Jim Starlin comic and the child of that union grew up to be AVENGERS: ENDGAME.
For all the sturm und drang, it’s a film full of characteristic humour as well. Some of this is quite broad – including anything involving a physically altered Thor – while other moments are sly winks to knowing audiences. Which isn’t to say that tears won’t be shed before bedtime. Filled with emotional departures, reunions, and other huge moments, there are points where I wasn’t sure if I was going to laugh, cry, cheer, or emit a strange combination of all three. AVENGERS: ENDGAME has its cake and devours it whole. It deserves every damn crumb.
Even with the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer playing in front of most screenings here, where the MCU goes next is something we can only guess at. The door is left open for alternate tales from elsewhere in the universe, even if it is the end of the road for some characters. Yet it scarcely seems to matter. AVENGERS: ENDGAME lives up to its title by letting a monumental story come to a close, bringing together a group of of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, and to fight the battles that we never could.
2019 | US | DIRECTOR: Joe Russo and Anthony Russo | WRITERS: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely | CAST: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | RUNNING TIME: 181 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 24 April 2018 (AUS)
AVENGERS: ENDGAME is the culmination of 11 years of cinematic world-building. Starting with Iron Man back in 2008, a simple post-credits sequence starring Samuel L. Jackson has spawned a franchise model that few have attempted before, and many have tried to emulate since. By the time this epic is released, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will account for 10 years, 21 films, several TV series, billions of dollars, and one violent raccoon later, we come to the end of an era.
If we cast our minds back to 2008, the superhero landscape was very different at the time. We’d had a relative handful of X-Men and Spider-Man films, Fantastic Four had two cracks at the bat, and even Blade has passed its third entry. Yet all of these films were isolated in their own little universe. With the release of IRON MAN, a character who had not managed to become a household name yet, there was no reason to think that this would be any different.
PHASE 1
Iron Man (2008) ★★★★½
It all began here. Robert Downey Jr is every bit a star from scene one, completely aware that Stark’s redemption story mirrors his own (minus the weapons of mass destruction). Structurally similar to every other origin story on the horizon, director Jon Favreau wastes no time in blowing up the would-be hero. Cleverly combining elements and designs from one of the earliest comics through to more contemporary fare, the script manages to get us caring about billionaire Tony Stark and understand his motivation in less than the time it takes for a string of pearls to hit the gravel of Crime Alley. The action is all top-notch, and a few obvious CG elements aside, it’s also remarkable how much of this still works flawlessly. This was the very making of a major modern Marvel.
The Incredible Hulk (2008) ★★★½
This is sort of a bastard, green-skinned stepchild in the MCU these days, mostly because of Mark Ruffalo taking on the role since The Avengers. In fact, it’s entirely possible to take this out of the mix when rewatching the saga. Yet despite the lingering memories of Ang Lee’s Hulk only 5 years before, and the massive success of Iron Man only months before, it’s still a fun action flick that manages to tell a compact origin and get on with the business of a man trying to maintain his rage.
Iron Man 2 (2010) ★★★½
With the benefit or hindsight, and an additional 15 films to date, this sometimes messy first MCU sequel wasn’t sure if it wanted to be an Iron Man story or build a universe. In other words, it became the prototype for the next 8 years. Yet there’s still so much to love. Tony sticking it to the man over his right to party hard in a WMD. A (recast) Rhodey turning up in the War Machine armour. The first appearance of ScarJo as Black Widow, merely hinting at the character she would become. Tony in a donut hole. Everything that Sam Rockwell is doing as Justin Hammer. Howard Stark as a blatant Walt Disney figure. It isn’t always faithful to comic book lore, but the kick-ass finale in a beautiful garden is the roller coaster that we came to this theme park for.
THOR will always hold a special place in our hearts. It was the first Marvel film we reviewed on The Reel Bits, and our first major interview (with Tom Hiddleston and Jaimie Alexander). Before Guardians of the Galaxy or Doctor Strange, this was Marvel’s biggest gamble. It would take Marvel another 2 Thor films before they realised that Led Zeppelin was absolutely necessary for heroes that come from the land of the ice and snow. Read full review >>>
What we have here is Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first period film. What could have been a jingoistic, flag-waving bit of saccharine is given the perfect tone by Joe Johnston. Drawing on the same magic he pulled out for The Rocketeer, this is an unabashed tribute to a bygone era. Yet what makes this work the most is Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. We truly believe at all points he is simply a man who doesn’t like bullies. Read full review >>>
The culmination of a four-year plan, this takes the principle of escalation and amps up the action incrementally throughout the film, leading us to a conclusion that is just as massive as the finales that have since tried to one-up it in later chapters. Read full review >>>
This one divides audiences, but we love it. Taking the Extremis storyline of the comic books and infusing it with Shane Black’s unmistakable rhythm, it began Phase 2 with right amount of scale and humour. A legitimate case can be made against Sir Ben Kingsley’s depiction of The Mandarin, but all is forgiven with the All Hail the King Marvel One-Shot anyway. Read full review >>>
Continuing the divisiveness of Phase 2, it’s a film that certainly has its problems, not least of which is the lack of a strong villain and the occasionally inconsistent tone. Yet it’s also one of the first MCU films to fully embrace the full extent of the cosmic universe, and for that it will always remain jaw-dropping. Read full review >>>
It’s The Shield vs S.H.I.E.L.D.! Back in 2014, we rashly declared this “the best Marvel film to date.” Of course, Guardians of the Galaxy came out a few months later making it a short-lived title. A throwback spy thriller with impeccable action, it addresses the idea of what powerful organisations do with their influence during times of great fear, not just in the wider plot but within the interpersonal relationships as well. Read full review >>>
There are some comics that are just made for the big screen, and this group pops straight out of the panels. A crazy concept pays off in spades as the group of misfits join the big leagues to show the rest how it’s done. It is hard to imagine a more perfect comic adaptation, or a straight-up more enjoyable film, than this. Now: where’s that new Howard the Duck movie? Read full review >>>
The capstone sequel takes everything up several notches, and can barely keep it all inside. The first film to actually show a fully-functioning Avengers coming out of the gate, it’s a film that has its problems. Whedon’s biases are on his sleeve, including a second wisecracking Tony Stark in Ultron. It becomes increasingly obvious in the final scenes that Whedon was more interested in bringing Scarlet Witch to the screen that anything else, so it’s best to view this as a hinge in a bigger story. Read full review >>>
There’s a lot to like here. The rapid-fire dialogue (especially from Michael Peña) and the deadpan Paul Rudd makes this instantly distinguishable from its predecessor. The climactic Thomas the Tank Engine train fight is ridiculously inventive and clever, a throwback to high-concept films from the 1980s. Yet the tone is also incredibly inconsistent. Humour slaps up against a familiar plot of corporate rivalry and conflicting ideals for technology – in fact that it was largely the basis for the Obadiah Stane character in 2008’s Iron Man. Read full review >>>
Sure, both Tony and Steve go from rational to jerk far too quickly, and the length is more noticeable in a repeat viewing. This is one of the instances where less would be more. Having said that, the film distills 100+ comics down into a manageable debate. It’s also the film that introduced Black Panther and Spider-Man to the MCU. Read full review >>>
One of most straightforward origin narratives, but also surrounded by the MCU’s most visually inventive and beautiful worlds, opening up a vast Multiverse for the first time. In Mikkelsen’s Kaecilius, the series finally overcomes Marvel’s issue with uninspiring villains. Although single-minded, and to some extent one-dimensional, he provides a solid focal point for Strange’s mono-mythic journey. Also: TILDA. SWINTON. Read full review >>>
An all-out melee happens just off-camera, and our attention remains on the adorable Baby Groot. Drax might mistake this for a metaphor for the entire film. If we’re going to criticise Marvel films for underdeveloped villains, we need to point out GOTGV2’s total absence of one until about 90 minutes in.
Larb. The Infinite Spider-Verse expanded a little more with this outing. Or is it Iron Man 3.5? After 5 Spidey flicks in 15 years, it’s amazing there’s still an original take to be had. Larb. Plus: a Spidey fully integrated into the MCU was worth waiting for. How many times do I have to say larb? Read full review >>>
One of Marvel’s most grand and epic stories is also one of its funniest. It’s disarming, charming, and ridiculously fun: so now you’d better stop and rebuild all your ruins. Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost’s script flies by the seat of its pants through a narrative that is equal parts Norse mythology and pure comic bookery. Strangely this is never a detriment to the film, and it should come as no surprise that the god of thunder works best when placed in the heart of a swirling maelstrom. Read full review >>
The first half of this film is magical, mystical, and magnificent, one in which the Afrofuturism of Wakanda is given ample time to evolve. Most criticisms can be confined to the final act of the film (and arguably the South Korean car chase) in which the digital rag doll fight could have been lifted out of literally any film. Still, in the marketing for Avengers: Infinity War, Wakanda serves as a large part of the narrative. The superb Shuri (Letitia Wright) needs her own movie. Read full review >>>
Some films change the world, while others just make it more awesome to live in for a few hours. The tenth anniversary Marvel Studios film falls somewhere in between and is a joyous celebration of comic bookery and beloved characters. More than that, it’s the culmination of an idea that began as a post-credits sequence a decade ago. It’s an emotional, sometimes downbeat, and always powerful piece of storytelling. The best part? It’s only the first half of an epic. Read full review >>>
The highly ant-icipated next chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a ridiculously fun saga of ant(i)-heroes, inventive action, and enough humour to leave you with a perman-ant smile. (That last one was a small stretch). After the massive event of Avengers, it’s nice to know Marvel can still tell low-stakes stories that have high levels of fun. Filled with sight-gags and emotional moments in equal measure, this shows us that the smallest heroes get to have the biggest amount of fun. Read full review >>>
The twenty-first entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe goes back to its roots, exploring the dream of the 90s action blockbuster while paving a path to the future. The twenty-first film in the MCU returns to the roots of hero-building that began with Iron Man in 2008. Like every fledgling hero, she has a few missteps along the way, but emerges out the other side as a fully-fledged Avenger ready to defend the planet. So, for everyone that tried to review bomb this film prior to its release, Carol answers them unblinkingly: “I have nothing to prove to you.” Read full review >>>
Which brings us all the way to the endgame. The reason for the season. We find ourselves at the climax of one of the greatest pieces of modern storytelling and world-building in the history of the medium. Yeah, I went there. It arrives in cinemas this week.
It’s 2019. While absorbing that staggering fact bomb, it’s even more surprising that we’re still having firsts. After all, CAPTAIN MARVEL is the first solo female hero to headline a chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s also the first time a woman has taken the director’s chair in the MCU, as the Mississippi Grind team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck bring the most powerful woman in the galaxy to contemporary cinemas.
Or at least 1995, where Boden, Fleck, and co-writer Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Tomb Raider) lays our scene. “Vers” (Brie Larson) is a member of Starforce, an elite Kree military team led by Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). She has no memory of anything prior to her discovery 6 years earlier, save for the face of one woman (Annette Bening). After being captured by the shapeshifting Skrull Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), she finds herself in a madcap adventure on Earth alongside Agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to discover who she is.
CAPTAIN MARVEL is an ambitious film, wrapping up a story that has the scope of three Guardians of the Galaxymovies into a single outing. After a tonally ambiguous start, a marine assault set primarily in space, the film has a slightly awkward transition to Earth via a train chase that combines the fish-out-of-water antics of Thor with the Korean sequence in Black Panther. Yet by the time Larson steps off the train, the film has truly arrived.
Here Boden and Fleck really find their feet and, inspired by the Blockbuster Video that the titular hero crashes into, they have a ball mixing up the high-concept highlights of action films from the 1980s and 1990s. It’s a spy caper where the enemy could look like anyone. It’s a buddy comedy. It has aerial dogfights over canyons. There’s even a feline friend named Goose who may just go down as the most purrfect kitty in cinema history.
Larson is flawless in her MCU debut. From her first moments on screen, she brings a light-hearted authority to her character, a tone that sustains much of the story. We might turn up for the Marvel Studios logo (which has been lovingly filled with shots from the late, great Stan Lee), but we stay for the uncovering of Carol Danvers the hero. Meanwhile, Jackson gets to play his typically enigmatic Fury for hapless laughs, a cool break after 9 outings as the character. Mendelsohn is bloody brilliant as an unexpectedly laid-back Skrull.
Yet CAPTAIN MARVEL also takes a few narrative shortcuts along the way. Most backstory is given a perfunctory set of flashbacks. Some sequences feel like they are stock action moments strung together without any accompanying development. Case in point is Captain Marvel’s eventual costume choice, which feels more like a throwaway gag than a hero moment.
In every other way this is a tentpole film that paves the way for Avengers: Endgame while standing on its own two feet. Except for the unnervingly plastic-faced de-ageing on Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), this is a special-effects space epic that makes good use of its Terran and orbital settings. Visually inspired by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan’s “Kree-Skrull War” storyline, and more recent entries like Kelly-Sue Deconnick and Dexter Soy’s amazing run, the last act of the film is a feast for the eyes teeming with Easter eggs from past and future films.
While this is the twenty-first film in the MCU, CAPTAIN MARVEL returns to the roots of hero-building that began with Iron Man in 2008. Like every fledgling hero, she has a few missteps along the way, but emerges out the other side as a fully-fledged Avenger ready to defend the planet. So, for everyone that tried to review bomb this film prior to its release, Carol answers them unblinkingly: “I have nothing to prove to you.”
2019 | US | DIR: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck | WRITERS: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet | CAST: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, Jude Law | RUNNING TIME: 124 minutes | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney (AUS) | RELEASE DATE: 7 March 2019 (AUS)
