Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Follow the Leader: Episode 97: The MCU vs Marvel Comics!

Martinex1: Halloween is coming; are you ready?  No need to plan ahead...just Follow the Leader!  What is the topic today?   Find out and join in with comments and opinions!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

What change to a character/storyline in the MCU did you feel is an improvement over the comics?

Which did you hate?

For me, Thanos's motivation in IW was a vast improvement over the comics.

The general goofiness of MCU is good, but there are times it is overdone and undercuts the occasional serious tone of the moment.

Yoyo

Humanbelly said...

I don't know if I have a specific "this thing is better" example-- although possibly the more specific, this-could-only-happen-once MCU origin of the Vision does work much better for me than the original (which is still one of my favorites, no mistake--).

In a broader sense, the "humanization" of nearly all of the characters in the MCU is its greatest success for me. I never thought I could ever care a whit for, say, Tony Stark or Loki or a supporting guy like Heimdall or even Dr Strange for that matter. Whip-smart casting, writing to the actors, avoiding (to a large degree) pat, easy, cliche'd "super-hero" writing--- I think this is where the MCU excels.

HB



Charlie Horse 47 said...

I feel like a “old f@rt” LOL! MCU just refers to TV and Movies I.e., video?

Anonymous said...

Actually, what I really love is how much stuff they keep but just ‘get right’ for the film rather than change. Here’s my top eleven (i.e. the first ten I could think of plus one).

1)I love how much Downey, Paltrow & Favreau actually look like Stark, Pepper & Happy.

2)I love how they managed to keep the original plot of Doc Strange’s first meeting with Dormammu, but sorted out that ridiculous ‘promise not to invade our dimension’ which made no sense (why would a demon from another dimension have a human code of ethics?)

3)I love that Black Panther was properly African-set (like the Panther’s Rage)

4)I love that the Black Widow was still introduced via Iron Man, albeit in a wildly different way, and as an undercover agent, as she was.

5)I love the wise-cracking Ant Man of the movies, who is basically Roy Thomas’s vision (npi) of the character from Avengers 93.

6)Loved the Howlers rocking up in Cap 1.

7)Also loved Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter. What I love most about the casting of Hayley Atwell is that she is like one of those full-figured, full on bombshells from the 40’s & 50’s ( Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner). If the movie had been made when it was set, she would still have got the part.

8)Love how true they stayed to the Guardians. This one couldn’t believe Mantis could work, but she did.

9)Love Doc Strange. I was so sure they would never be able to capture the….well, magic, of Doc Strange, but the special effects of the spells and hand-work were great, and the dimension hopping was completely differently-executed to Ditko, but worthy of his vision.

10)Love all 3 Cap films, far more the heart of the MCU than Iron Man or Thor IMO. I love that the Winter Soldier, while taking its plot from so much later, managed to capture that paranoid 70’s political conspiracy thriller from Cap’s Englehart zenith.

11) Love the first Avengers movie. My favourite thing was….everything. I really couldn’t imagine how they were going throw everything and everyone onto the screen in a coherent narrative, but Joss Whedon pulled it off.

Richard

Humanbelly said...

Yep, that's correct, CH---- MCU = Marvel Cinematic Universe; MU = the good ol' comic book based Marvel Universe.

As an addendum-- Although Nick Fury's history in the comic books is a nifty bit of long-term continuity, I much, much, MUCH prefer Samuel Jackson in the role, tbh--!

HB

Edo Bosnar said...

I think I can agree with the observation about Thanos and his motivation. I'd also say that the MCU has given me a new appreciation for Loki. In the comics, he was never one of my favorite villains, even in Simonson's run - I just thought of him as an effective foil for Thor and that's about it. The cinematic version, thanks to Hiddleston's brilliant portrayal, is just a deliciously engaging character.

Otherwise, though, I really think of the MCU as a separate thing from the comics, and I'm not bothered if the cinematic versions veer away too much from established character bios and story-lines. To me, the important thing is that they capture the essence of the characters, and the epic scale and, most importantly, fun of the MU.

Anonymous said...


No specific improvements come to mind, but I do love the MCU movies just as a substitute for the current Marvel comics that have become too expensive, decompressed and unfamiliar from the comics I enjoyed as a kid, not to mention the "low stakes" drama of storylines that seem to be rebooted with more and more frequency.

It's nice to have a film continuity that's consistent, compelling and just plain fun. Of course, it's hard not to imagine there will be reboots down the line (as with the FF and Spider-Man franchises) but for now I'm enjoying the ride with these stories.

I know modern Marvel comics have tried to clean up continuity, notably with alternate universes like the Ultimate one (which is clearly a template for the Avengers films) but again, that decompressed element makes it too much of a burden to buy it all in real-time. For the amount of story you get for a $4 purchase, it feels similar to watching a film like Avengers and having to kick in $4 every 15 minutes to get to the final scene.

I'd much rather get the cinematic thrill of watching Infinity War than pay $40 for the comics they'd put out to encompass such an "event".

-david p.


Charlie Horse 47 said...

OK! Now that I understand MCU is not Marvel Comics Universe, lol...

I'll simply say that I appreciate the humor in the movies (e.g., Hulk smashing Loki) that I never really found in the comics (from 1970 - 1975 anyhow). It seemed that we really only had Lee's cornball dialogue in those days?

Martinex1 said...

I really like how the MCU has different tones for its different films. “Winter Soldier” is so different than “Ant-Man” yet they are in the same Universe. I think that captures the spirit of the comics well. I think it gives tonal breadth to the universe - some serious and some more whimsical.

The only thing I have not really liked in the MCU is Hawkeye. I actually like the character but it is definitely not the comic book Hawkeye - just very different characters.

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