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?

Captain America: Civil War 

It's incredibly difficult for me to have any serious discussion about Civil War without bringing the X-Men into it. While there are differences between the various "Registration" Acts that occur between the Avengers and X-Men sides of things, they are ultimately connected. I will definitely go more in depth into this in another post, but let's just say there is a little something lost in translation when you don't take the global perspective into it that comes with X-Men. As the long-stated symbol of minority people, X-Men brings the registration act home to us as something that could happen, that has happened (Holocaust, anyone?) in our own society. A handful of enhanced individuals labeled WMDs doesn't quite hit the mark for me, though it is a troubling concept nonetheless.

That said, what Civil War does do is fantastic, especially in how it inspired fans:

Considering that it brings so many of our favorite previous heroes in, I actually call this movie Avengers 2.5. This movie continues themes from not only Age of Ultron, but also Winter Soldier, where we have highlighted for us the more insidious parts of government. Add in a little dose of Tony Stark's PTSD-turned-paranoia, and we have a perfect recipe...for a mess. It's not all Tony, though, as you see by the reactions of Rhodey, Vision, and even Natasha (which surprised me, though it probably shouldn't have). The question of individual versus society is at the heart of most great stories, particularly when looking at the safety, well-being, and right-to-thrive of one over another.

Civil War is a well-done movie, overall, and I recommend the hell out of it. The fight scenes are excellent, particularly the mission at the beginning of the movie. The emotional arcs of the main characters are spot on, the dialogue, philosophical discussions in particular, hit all the right notes, and a number of the lines and thought processes of the characters were ripped right from the comics. I actually applaud the work done. I just want my X-Men, and you simply couldn't do that in this universe; it would be too dark, and even when it comes to the big battle at the airport, Civil War stays pretty light. That battle should be a complete bloodbath, but the majority of characters come away pretty much physically unscathed. I could go on, but it's really a discussion for another post. Civil War is just that dense.

One of the things I like about this adaptation is that in lieu of making it global, it commits to going more personal. Seeing Cap and Bucky back in action is amazing, and is reminiscent of the first Captain America movie. Steve's refusal to give up on his best friend, is part of what makes him Captain America; not because he will do anything to save his best friend, but because he knows that justice and freedom are the most important things, that sometimes justice gets it wrong, and you have to stand up to the system when it fails you. In this way, they managed to put the global into the personal.

I have so many more things I could discuss - Zemo is a great villain, Cap's hold on the helicopter, the intros of Black Panther & Spider-Man, Ant-Man going huge - but the main point of Civil War is to set the stage for Infinity War, to scatter our heroes to the wind, to re-group and prepare for the truly big battle that is yet to come.

Stan Lee's Cameo - The delivery man gets it right: "I'm looking for 'Tony Stank'". Table for one, please.

Doctor Strange

I got really excited about the introduction of magic to the MCU. With Thor back in Phase 1, we got our introduction to the outer world - outer space - and that expanded the MCU from the realm of the mundane to something extraordinary. In Ant-Man, it was the Quantum - or inner - realm, and now we have magic to expand it all a little more. How they do this is interesting, but no less exciting; carrying on from Thor's assertion that magic and science are just the same thing looked at in different ways, the Ancient One explains the Mystic Arts as just another way of looking at a whole. Some people were annoyed by this, but I loved it, particularly because I don't feel it had really been done before. It also more neatly links the seemingly disparate worlds of the Marvel Universe (comics) as they are adapted into live action films.

Benedict Cumberbatch is a perfect choice to play the titular hero. He's got this great ego that I can't wait to see played off of our other egotists in the MCU. The cast rounds out nicely with some of my favorite actors, including Tilda Swinton (who is great as the Ancient One), and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo. 

One of the best things about Strange is the mind-bending effects. Between Inception-like wrinkles in reality, fractal journeys through the astral realm, and geometric designs for part of the spells, you are never in want of psychedelic eye candy. There are also some nods to upcoming appearances in the MCU. In particular, when Stephen is mugged on the streets of Kamar-taj, he begs his assailants not to take his watch, stating, "It's all I have left." Interestingly, his taking over guardianship of the Eye of Agamoto, a.k.a. - the Time Stone, at the end of the movie, would prove those words more true than he could have imagined, and I don't doubt it will play out in Infinity War.

It's uncertain when Doctor Strange is set, as he is mentioned in Ultron, but it doesn't say if that's pre- or post- Kamar-taj, and he is far more advanced when we see him in Thor: Ragnarok. Still, it's clear that the good doctor's abilities will have big repercussions for A:IW.

Stan Lee's Cameo - Bus rider reading Aldous Huxley's Doors of Perception.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

I admit it. I prefer the first Guardians over Vol. 2, but don't take that to mean that I don't like this one. I love it. It lived up to my friend's and my requirement: they have to keep fighting amongst themselves. Honestly, it's one of the best things about the GotG. They drive each other as crazy as any family should, and it's so much fun to watch them interact. 

For this one, I particularly enjoyed the heavy (very heavy) emphasis on family dynamics. Sibling rivalries, parent-child abandonment issues...it was pretty much everywhere. The way they all take care of Baby Groot is so very sweet; Gamora and Nebula's fight raises that sibling rivalry thing to epic levels; and especially Yondu, Quill's surrogate father.

I just want to say how badass Michael Rooker is, and how he made a character that could have fallen very flat into one of my favorites in the MCU. Yondu's death and funeral were perfect. I also love the relationship that he forged with Rocket and Groot, and their subsequent taking back of his ship.

I also have to say how much I love Nebula. Karen Gillan is so good at seething rage, I just suck it up with a straw. Best yet, seeing her and Gamora work together through their awkward reconciliation at the end is gold.

If I have one real complaint (aside from the gold people that acted too much like spoiled children for me to even want to look up their species, which I forgot), it's the stylization. What had a perfect balance of juxtaposed eras, locations, personalities, and more, in the first movie was just a tad over the top with the '70s style....still excellent, but just an eensy bit too much.

But it's still the Guardians of the Galaxy...bitch...so what do you expect?

Stan Lee's Cameo - appears twice - both while speaking to aliens on what appears to be an asteroid.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spider-Man is introduced in Civil War, and while it's a memorable few scenes, I can't say that he plays a major part in Civil War. He has no major lines or actions at the beginning or end of the major airport battle, and I do want to point out that moment when he gets a giant Ant-Man in a Hoth-inspired leg-bind and trip move...spider traps the ant in his web? Get it? Never mind. This is why I hate puns.

Therefore, after such a fun intro in Civil War, I wasn't sure what they were going for in the latest introduction to the Webslinger. After all, he's been rebooted and introduced so much that we're all pretty well-informed on his origins. I mean, how many times can we watch Uncle Ben die, am I right? At some point, it's just a snuff film.

This time, we get a new and improved Spidey Suit, Ned the ultimate "guy in the chair", and Michael Keaton. I love Keaton's suit as Vulture, yet another triumph of the MCU's subtle costume design. The bomber jacket with neck fur works perfectly with the wings and foot gear to create a vulture-like visage in this world that wouldn't devolve to something unbelievable and hokey. That's hard to pull off anyway, and to marry it with the teeming mass of weird entities in this universe is beyond impressive.

In truth, my favorite version of the little arachnid is Andrew Garfield's portrayal in The Amazing Spider-Man. I felt he embodied both the angsty teenager and the obnoxious superhero perfectly. Second to that is Spider-Man 2 with Alfred Molina as Doc Ock and the train battle. So, Homecoming actually comes in as third, and that's not in any way a bad thing. Unlike many reboots of beloved characters, movies, etc., the Spidey franchise has given us something new and refreshing each time and, to be fair, Tom Holland really is the most accurate and appropriate portrayal thus far.

Stan Lee's Cameo - neighbor yelling at Peter when he tries to stop a car thief (who isn't one) 

Thor: Ragnarok

Ah, Thor. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite MCU films, and I'm not ashamed to say it has everything to do with Led Zeppelin. When Thor first appeared on the screen, I would have never said that he could deserve the badass reference to "Immigrant Song". No, at the time, he wasn't there yet. But I get it now....

Because they were waiting for Ragnarok.

Weirdly enough - particularly in a movie whose humor is beyond weird - everything that kicks ass about this movie has to do with that epic rock song.

First, Thor has been working up to his destiny for some time...not as the King of Asgard, or as an Avenger. No, he doesn't realize it, but he's been working toward reaching the height of his powers. He's evolving into an elemental. If you know anything about mythology, you will know what all this entails, but in short, an elemental is really neither a god nor spirit; it is the pure embodiment of that element. We're not talking about the Periodic Table here, either, but old school elements, alchemical shit. We're also talking about the embodiment and sometimes personification of aspects of nature. In this case, Thor is evolving into not only the God of Thunder, but also the element of thunder and lightning. He's living up to the Norse mythology's portrayal of him in this movie more than he ever has.

Furthermore, the world built in this film is living up to that concept more than ever before. Ragnarok is actually a part of Norse mythology, the end game of the universe, and that means the destruction of Asgard. With Odin's death - perfectly placed on a windy ocean cliff in Norway - we bring Hela, Goddess of Death (Cate Blanchett is, as always, a treat). It would seem that all the explaining Asgardians away as mere aliens in previous movies is laid aside for the time being. Some might find this a bit inconsistent, but I always felt the Asgardian relationship between god and alien was a complicated one at best. So, for me, the switch-up wasn't much of one.

It's a risky thing to open a Thor movie with that song, though. It could have gone very badly. Worse, playing it twice in the same movie could have been a devastating failure. But they nailed it. Not only was I accepting of the use of it when battling Surtur's minions, but my favorite scene, perhaps in any MCU movie, is the moment when Thor zaps Hela, and then slo-mo "flies" down into the melee to the opening riff of "Immigrant Song." In fact, he doesn't even fly; it's more like he rides the current of the lightning. It was beautiful. In that moment, he truly earned the moniker "God of Thunder."

The Asgardians earned it as well. When you hear these lyrics:

The hammer of the gods
Will drive our ships to new lands
To fight the horde, and sing and cry
Valhalla, I am coming!

How can you not see the Asgardian refugees setting off into space, hopeful for a new future?

In between all of this intense, yet still underplayed mythos, we have hilarious scenes with Hulk/Banner, Jeff Goldblum as the Master, and the compulsively-drinking Valkyrie (played admirably by Tess Thompson), lending some levity to the completely bizarre world of Ragnarok. The humor works because they let the actors play a little more (Thor's story about Loki and he as children was improvisation.). The pathos works because they connected to the mythos more.

Of course, those weren't the only things. Odin guiding Thor to this state in a vision, the Valkyrie riding out of the sky to face Hela, and Loki...always Loki. So many happy things happened in this movie.

Stan Lee's Cameo - the crazy barber

Black Panther

In some ways, Civil War was the first Black Panther movie. The character figures so heavily in the storyline, that it could be called Black Panter .5 ...or would that be Black Panther (-1)? Either way, if the entrance of T'Challa was a welcome one, the arrival of Black Panther's own movie was even more welcome.

Much like Wonder Woman did for women, Black Panther did for black people. It was wonderful to see a movie where black people are front and center, a film directed and designed by black people, and with a storyline that black people could have pride in. On top of that, it is the top-grossing superhero movie of all time, and it surpassed Titanic in box office totals. I would leave it at that, but it's kind of the point. Here is a movie about a strong people, flourishing in their country, a juxtaposition to the way black people live in the U.S., parts of Africa, and other places in the world. The nation of Wakanda is technologically advanced, the people have created a society with a wonderful balance of tradition and modernity...this is a movie to be proud of. And audiences wanted it. It made money. 

Of course, one of my favorite things is how heavily women figure in this movie. This isn't just a movie for black people, or black men. It is also a movie for black women. T'Challa's sister Shuri, his mother N'Yami, and his ex-girlfriend Nakia, are all character's in their own rights. The King's warrior women, led by Okoye (played by my favorite Danai Gurira from The Walking Dead), are awesome! I particularly like Okoye because, like the Spider in Game of Thrones, she serves the realm. Though her heart may want her to go in another direction, it is not until she is confronted with a breach of one of their most important traditions/laws that she goes against her oaths...though the argument could be made that by doing this, she was actually upholding her oaths.

Once again, we have an excellent movie setting us up for what is to come. We end our time in Wakanda seeing Bucky for the first time since Civil War, heralding in the battle to come.

Stan Lee's Cameo - gambler who yoinks T'Challa's abandoned chips at the Korean casino

The MCU has given us so much in these film adaptations of beloved comics; unlike some other versions of comic book sagas, they did it right: they set us up methodically, just like the books themselves, introducing superheroes and diving into character arcs over time.

Though I will get arguments of the "blockbusters aren't proper film" variety, these movies are good cinema. Yes, they are "blockbusters", partially created to get butts in seats and make a metric fuck-ton of money. They are also art, adapted from a medium that does not get the respect it deserves. Better yet, they are well-adapted art, keeping as much of the essence of the originals as possible. There are those, myself included, that feel comic books are the modern mythos, and myth is all about telling a good story. The MCU has come up with movies that are well-designed (production/set, costume, props), well-shot (there are some gorgeous scenes in these movies), well-acted (top actors). They got some of the best people in both businesses (comic book and film) to make these movies, to tell this story. In many ways, they let the story tell itself, like a path winding through the forest, taking us along for the ride...

Infinity and Beyond

Yeah, I totally ripped that off from Toy Story, but it so fits for this phase, don't you think? Anyhoo...

It's important to note that while everything has been leading up to Avengers: Infinity War, the culmination of 10 years of films is not actually going to be the end. Obviously, Infinity War has two parts, and considering all the hush-hush around the Avengers 4 title, the reveals are supposed to be a doozy, and will hopefully give us a clue as to what happens after this point in the timeline. With two other movies between these two parts also set out of order, we can expect more chaos, but that doesn't worry me.

What concerns me is what happens after all this. Since everything leading up to this is about the Infinity Stones and the subsequent wars, how will they top it? With a lack of cohesive focus towards an end goal, will it just peter out into nothing? Or are they going to get crafty again and bring us something we've never seen? We can hope, and, considering what they've brought us so far, chances are in our favor.

Here's the rest of the lineup for Phase 3:

Avengers: Infinity War

Thanos is coming, Thanos is coming, Thanos is coming....

Ant-Man and Wasp

Pym, Lang, Van Dyne, and the return of the wombats. 'Bout damn time. I honestly don't even care what it's about.

Captain Marvel

Set in the 1990s, it is generally assumed that Captain Marvel - likely the merging of Captain Marvel (originally a guy) and Miss Marvel - plays some part in the finishing of the Infinity War, but I hope to know more soon.

Avengers 4

A.K.A - Tell us the title, dammit!

Quote:

"Compromise where you can. And where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right, even if the whole world is telling you to move. It is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say, 'No. You move.'"

~ Sharon Carter quoting Peggy Carter
(taken from Captain America dialogue
written by Christopher Markus
for Amazing Spider-Man #537)