Breaking: Blogger Becoming More Interested in Marvel's "Phase 2"

"Phase 2" is Marvel studio's name for the next series of movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which will include Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2, and a Guardians of the Galaxy film (that's some extra-terrestrial superhero team, I believe) film before bringing the gang back together for Avengers 2, which will include the cosmic villain Thantos (or whatever) and probably some of the Guardians of the Galaxy too. Though I imagine they'll be featured players.

Marvel producers talk as if these films will all be linked, somehow, sort of like the last series of movies were. (Actually they were mostly linked by Easter Eggs and post-credit bonus clips, but hey, those still count as links.)

I have to note that Marvel has built a billion dollar franchise with its secondary characters, the ones they didn't sell to other studios. Their real top draws are the X-Men and Spiderman; those properties have been sold. But they're making billions by making solid popcorn movies about second-stringers. Iron Man and Thor are sort of the B+ team, not the real A team, and frankly I wouldn't be able to tell you who the hell the Guardians of the Galaxy are if I hadn't read the Marvel team previewing them. ("They'll be led by Star-Fox!," I'm breathlessly told, as if those words contain any meaning in them.)

Hell, they're even doing Ant-Man for Phase 3. Ant-Man. Whose power is shrinking and communicating with... ants.

Aquaman laughs at Ant-Man. Update: Test footage -- a demonstration clip -- of Ant-Man. In this brief clip, you see him using his power to alternately shrink and then grow back to full size to punch up a couple of extras from The Matrix.

So here's Thor 2, in which Thor teams up with Loki to stop... I don't know, they're called Dark Elves or something. I notice they don't say "Dark Elves" in the trailer. Prudent of them. We have to preserve some sense of dignity. Going to a movie where we're told right up front is about Dark Elves would deny us that figleaf of dignity.

Over at Hot Air, Allah grouses about superhero movies again.

Exit question: Aren't these movies the Star Wars of the twenty-aughts and twenty-teens? It's a fictional universe in which Guardians with Special Powers maintain Peace and Order in the Galaxy. Isn't Captain America just a Jedi with a high-tech shield instead of a high-tech sword?

Isn't Iron Man just Chaotic Good Boba Fett?

Isn't Jarvis just disembodied C3PO?

And isn't the Hulk just Gamma-Wookie?

Discuss.

posted by Ace at 05:51 PM

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