MCU: Phase 3 - Infinity and Beyond

Phase 3 seems rather less cohesive than the earlier phases and, like everything else in the MCU, I feel that this was intentional. Part of this lack of cohesion comes in the fact that we spend very little time dealing with Infinity Stones as compared to the previous two Phases. Instead, we focus on more introductions to fill out our roster of heroes: Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and others. More confusing yet, it turns out these movies are all out of order, with some even happening before the end of Phase 2's timeline.

To add a little more depth to this chaos, we get the introduction of new heroes is juxtaposed with the scattering of our established heroes, divided and broken after the events of Ultron and Civil War. This is a time of soul-searching for all involved. The theme of Phase 3 up to Infinity War (and probably beyond) would seem to be "sacrifice", as each of the characters in this lineup has to give up something, whether it be identity, home, a loved one, or their illusions.

This is a good thing, because, as I keep mentioning, Thanos is coming. And they will never make it if they aren't ready to give up everything and everyone they hold dear. As we have come along on this journey of characters, the real question will likely be: Are we, the viewers, going to be able to do the same?

MCU: Phase 2 - Branching Out and Adding On

Here we are, just one week away from the opening of Avengers: Infinity War, and I'm losing my mind every day, you know, in that quiet way where all anyone notices of it is a small twitch or sudden giggle for no reason. Yeah. Like that.

So it's time to do my "short" analysis of Phase 2 MCU movies (if you missed my Phase 1 post, you can read it here). 

Sequels to movies have a sordid history, usually as failed copies of the original movie. Sometimes they are a bridge to something better, typically the third part of a trilogy. While I won't claim that Phase 2 fits into either one of these categories, I will note that it has a connection to one very famous sequel: Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back.

Phase 2 pays homage to one of Empire's most iconic moments: the severing of Luke Skywalker's hand. This moment (and its subsequent line "I am your father"), has been referenced and parodied in almost every way imaginable, but Marvel decided to do something special: 

In every movie of Phase 2, someone loses an arm. 

I'm certain I'm not the only one excited about the upcoming Incredibles 2. The original remains one of my favorites. Here's the official trailer just released. Enjoy!

MCU: Phase 1 - Getting to Know All About You

Avengers: Infinity War is upon us. It's been a decade since the MCU came into being, and it's all been leading up to this moment. That's right. Infinity Wars was always a kind of end game in getting the Marvel Cinematic Universe going. Getting to this point is why Iron Man started back in 2008; it's the reason for the entire series of movies. And, oh, what a ride.

I, for one, am ridiculously excited about this. In fact, to prepare for the upcoming movie, I've been subjecting my family to a re-watch of all movies preceding Infinity War since the beginning of April in preparation. I have seen each of these movies more than three times each (most of them way more than that), so I didn't expect anything out of it walking in. Still, I had my trusty "Movie Notes" Reporter Moleskine at the ready and, as usual, I couldn't help jotting down the many impressions that arise when I see these surprisingly high quality movies. Rather than do an intense study of each one (that's rainy day work, my friends), I decided to do a re-cap of each Phase leading up to A:IW with some of the thoughts that popped into my head this time around weaving with themes I'd already explored on previous viewings. Suffice it to say, if you've never heard of the movies...well, you've been living in the quantum realm...but you should by now. Even Kamar-Taj has internet. But really, you should see the movies before reading this. There's still time to get them all watched before Infinity War if you start now. Go ahead. I'll wait...

Back? Good.

First, I think it's worth noting that this hasn't ever been done before. I don't mean sequels to movies, nor do I mean a series of films planned ahead of time. It's the scale that's been accomplished that is impressive. With few breaks in production (and those only early on), the Marvel Cinematic Universe managed to pull off 18 movies in 10 years, and the upcoming Avengers 3rd installment seeks to contain most of over 75 characters introduced since Iron Man.

Furthermore, this cohesiveness inspired the DCEU to follow suit, a venture that has had quite a few bumps along the way, but may finally be settling into it's own with Wonder Woman and Justice League. But we're not here to talk about DC. So let's get on with the show...