Since I spent the whole of last week criticizing the DC Extended Universe, I decided to take this opportunity to dole out some justice across the border and even the scales a bit. One might think that this is all just a facade I'm putting up and that I just don't want to be labeled as someone that's biased towards Marvel. To said one, yes. Yes, you are correct. So, without further ado, welcome to Thought Bubble Thursdays number two!
Connecting the dots
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The way the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has set themselves apart is how they built their universe by connecting otherwise disconnected movies. They operated under the slogan hashtag ItsAllConnected for a long time, and it had indeed bore fruit. With the rich tapestry of interweaving storylines that they had constructed, they could have a character pop up in one movie and have that same character pop up in a wildly different movie without needing to over explain anything. In terms of marketing, viewers are encouraged to watch all the other movies so that they could be privvy to the interconnectedness of it all.
Since everything was based off an interconnected comic book universe, it makes sense that the stories used in the movies were connected as well. Even before Marvel devised this, I (and a lot of other people) was already looking for intertwined stories between earlier superhero movies, like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, and Batman and Superman. All we ever got then were easter eggs, which was fine. Constructing a whole universe takes a lot of hard work, and it's not something you just come up with on-the-fly. Isn't that right, Mr. Snyder?
Original Image Source. Meme made by yours truly.
So, when Marvel introduced Nick Fury at the end of Iron Man (spoiler alert?), everyone can be forgiven for thinking that the other Avengers would be introduced in an Iron Man sequel. They did us one better though. They introduced Captain America and Thor in their own movies and then put the band together in The Avengers. Oh sorry, Marvel's The Avengers. Gotta keep up with the branding, y'all.
After Marvel's The Avengers (jeez) though, Marvel took their slogan to a whole other level. Instead of just connecting different movies, they decided to connect it all with… (aghast!) TV.
Don't Call it a Spin-off
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There have been tie-in TV shows with movies, TV shows based on movies, movies remade into TV shows or made-for-TV movies, but there hasn't been a TV series that intertwined seamlessly with an ongoing movie franchise, hasn't there? Hasn't there!? No, I'm really asking. Hasn't there? If you know the answer to that, please let me know in the comments section. I would really love to know, y'know?
With the death of Agent Coulson (again, spoilers), not only did the Avengers assemble, but the promise of Marvel seeping over to weekly TV was slowly being fulfilled. It was unheard of, at the time. Imagine, Marvel in your small and big screens 365 days a year. If that doesn't make a fanboy come to completion, then I don't know what does. Hmm… maybe a Black Widow-Carol Danvers-Jessica Drew ménage à trois. Yeah, I think that'll do it, too. I guess it's way easier to satisfy fanboys than initially thought.
Thanos Source, Fanboys Source
However, the death of Agent Coulson (aka the glue that bound the MCU's first phase) was short-lived (ha!), as he was tapped to lead the TV incarnation of a group of completely unknown characters. After all, nobody ever dies in the comics. To no one's surprise, Agents of SHIELD had nothing going for it, except for the hope that one of the real superheroes would show up for a 5-second cameo. Other than Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury and Jaimie Alexander's Lady Sif (who?) from Thor, nobody else bothered to show up. I mean, the least they could do was to walk across the screen and throw in a nod and a wink, what with all of the mentions of things that happened in the movies. But, like I said in the first installment of this series, I root for underdogs.
So, I gave Agents of SHIELD a shot. I slogged through one of the slowest paces I've seen in a TV show for the first half of the season. I often wondered if I instead spent my time on more productive things instead of watching it, I could've made an app that could've rivalled Steemit. But, lo and behold, during the aptly title episode "Turn, Turn, Turn", that little show that could really did turn things around.
If it weren't for Ming-Na Wen, I wouldn't have stuck around and witnessed one of the most flawless executions of brand synergy I've seen in my life. So thank you, Ming-Na!
Oh, you! You can Hyakuretsu Kyaku me any time you want ;)
For those of you who haven't seen the show, again, spoiler alert. That episode was tightly connected to the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where it was found out that half of the spy organization SHIELD was infiltrated by their sworn enemies, Hydra. The episodes that came after really feel like they fit in the grand scheme of things. It was like Cap and Bucky were just punching each other in the other room. From that point on, the next episodes were injected with a renewed energy that made all of them fun. The downside of the revelation was that the title of the series made no sense anymore. You see, after The Winter Soldier, SHIELD as an organization ceased to exist.
Agents of NOTHING
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Little did anyone knew, the renewed vitality signalled the beginning of the end for the synergy. Now that the TV team was operating apart from the movie's shadow, it was free to do what it wanted to do. Sure, it still teased the hope of the movie big guns to show up, but it had grown past it. The show lived on its own merits, and it didn't need the movies to be enjoyable. It went wild and dug from sources that the movies were afraid to touch. And, it all worked. Agents of SHIELD consistently upped its game with every passing season, which led the way for other Marvel TV properties to come to light.
Agent Carter (Captain America's WWII love interest) led a cult-favorite, yet short-lived, series. The Devil from Hell's Kitchen, Daredevil, was redeemed from the disastrous Ben Affleck portrayal. Jessica Jones upped the ante with the help of one of the terrifying villains to date. Luke Cage held the flag for representation, and Iron Fist, well, divided critics and fans alike. And, The Punisher and the Runaways are running away with it as sleeper hits.
They weren't all perfect, cough Inhumans cough, but they explored aspects of the larger universe that would've otherwise gone unnoticed in the movies. But, through all of the small screen mentions, the movies didn't seem to acknowledge the existence of their TV counterparts. The interconnectedness, it seemed, was only one-way, which was sad. What's even sadder, was that it apparently stemmed from arguments behind the scenes.
A Civilized War
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Even though Kevin Feige has been known as the face of Marvel's successful cinematic universe, it seems that the powers-that-be, namely Marvel President Ike Perlmutter had been dragging the potential through the mud. I won't get into too much detail, as it's already been discussed elsewhere on the internet, but it's the same old story about money vs creativity. Feige, thankfully, didn't take it lying down and instead splintered the movie division into a newly-rebranded Marvel Studios, effectively detaching itself from Marvel and its TV properties.
They've been making excuses that it's hard to cross the small screen over to the movies because of the shooting and airing schedules, but the Netflix shows shoot and air like movies, so I don't know how valid their argument is. It's a shame that money, once again, got in the way of an otherwise profitable crossover. If they want to sell more merchandise, they would've done so had they crossed over their TV properties to the big screen. It's a minor gripe, but one that has lasting ramifications throughout the whole cinematic universe.
While the TV division acknowledges everything going on in the movies, every major thing happening in the TV shows are simply put by the wayside by the movies. It would've been the perfect opportunity to mash them up with the upcoming Infinity War, but signs point to it not being the case.
DC TV has been doing a great job with the pieces that they have, but that's for a different post. I mentioned them because at least they didn't preach that everything was connected. With the multiverse aspect that they introduced, they could easily just say that the movies belong to a different universe and they could crossover with them whenever they want. I mean, they won't, but at least it's more plausible.
Disney eating up Marvel, and eventually allowing Feige to let loose, was a huge blessing in hindsight. With tight oversight, I don't know how a successful cinematic universe would be able to function. Oh wait…
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Now, with Disney in talks of gobbling up Fox, it would mean that the X-Men and Fantastic Four, which I mentioned before was not fully owned by Marvel Studios, would be able to join in on the fun. If only Fox caved in like Sony did, it wouldn't have to be consumed whole by the House of Mouse.
THIS JUST IN!! Disney has acquired Fox which would effecivel reunite the X-Men and the Fantastic Four to the larger MCU. How they would go about that remains to be seen, what with all of the X-Men stuff on the way. It surely bodes well for the Fantastic Four franchise though. I could see it now "Marvel's Fantastic Phase Four" (because the MCU Phase 3 is going to wrap up after Avengers 4) haha! That would be something.
Fearless forecast (12/14/2017 9:00 GMT+8), you heard it here first, the former Stark Tower/Avengers Tower that was being emptied in Spider-Man Homecoming because the building was sold, it's going to be turned into...
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The Fantastic Four's Baxter Building!!
With Perlmutter (and his racist and sexist antics) gone and Brian Michael Bendis moving to DC (yay!), I'm holding out hope that the promise of connectiveness would come to fruition. If not for the sake of connetivity itself, then for the sake of truth, justice and… I think I'm getting carried away.
Whew!
Enough about my rant, let's talk about you. How are you? How goes life?
Dumped any of your SBDs during the rally last week?
What do you think of the whole "It's All Connected" thing?
Do you think connecting everything is not worth Marvel's time?
Too many questions? I'm still doing it, aren't I? Sorry, I just want to know how you're doing, y'know? Anyway, if I stop, will you share your thoughts in the comments section?
@lukestokes.mhth as a Top 20 STEEM witness, are you in? Did you do your part and got your votes in?
