Disney+ MCU

[JKgo]

Finished watching the second episode earlier today, and funnily enough, I enjoyed the second episode a bit more than the first. For one thing, I wasn't tuning out of what's going on, and two, I got a couple of chuckles out of some of the humour in the show. (Clint: Oh, hey, guys? I can see through this, you know?)

Having said that, it feels like the first two episode were... the opening act of a two-hour movie, but stretched into two forty-minute-plus-change episodes. It's too early to be sure, but I got a feeling that the initial draft for this show must've been that of a theatrical release like the Black Widow solo movie but the plan must've changed to make it a six-part 'miniseries'.

 

[05XR8]

Much better. Did not see that one coming from Arrow Guy.

 

[UKMikey]

I like it better than Loki or Sam & Bucky so far. Lots of action and it doesn't take itself too seriously.

I hope Maya's uncle isn't a tease though.

Spoiler

As Marvel fans are well aware, he's the Kingpin in the comics.

 

[05XR8]

There are lots of teases in this series. Especially the spin off.

 

[JKgo]

Finished the third episode and gotta say, my faith in this series has been fully restored.

If I'm being honest, I was sceptical about Echo and Marvel's decision to give her a spin-off series even without doing the legwork first to introduce the character but after this episode, I'm 90% sold. The actor, I think her name was Maya Lopez (edit: Nope, it's actually Alaqua Cox)? She nailed the role. I found her super-convincing and even scary in some moments.

And the chemistry between Kate and Clint was so much better this episode that I almost thought they have been working for years at this point of the series. I chuckled a lot at the humour, moved by Clint's phonecall with his son, thrilled by the car chase and now, can't wait to see what will happen in the next episode.

Good job, Marvel.

The promo for the next episode shows a shadowy figure wearing a vaguely-Sam Fisher-esque green goggles. Apparently that's Yelena from the solo Black Widow movie? Time to pay off that post credit scene, then?

 

[JKgo]

Finished the 4th, and...

While I enjoyed it overall, something about the last setpiece bothered me a lot.

Spoiler

I've thinking about why, and for now, I narrowed it down to two possible reasons. One, the rooftop looks as fake as ****, and the fight itself, while cool in various beats, felt a bit underwhelming. And two, the way Clint told off Kate at the end of the episode also bothered me. I get where he's coming from (his trauma of losing Natasha), but with how things were before the fight, his response felt unnatural and cliched to me.

I'm still looking forward to the next episode, though.

 

[05XR8]

I liked this episode the best. That intro was too cool. Felt more like a movie and the plot thickens.

 

[UKMikey]

I liked this episode the best. That intro was too cool. Felt more like a movie and the plot thickens.

The only thing that felt strange about the beginning was that the first (excellently done) scene took place before the "previously on..." recap. Don't think I've ever seen that on a show before.

The dog playing Lucky the Pizza Dog seems to be very well trained IRL.

BTW, all I can say about the very end of this episode is... YESSSSSSS!!

Spoiler: not really a spoiler

This is why I avoid spoilers and trailers.

 

[UKMikey]

Spoiler: this time for realz

He's walking with his trademark cane from the comics. Perhaps a certain masked assailant beat him badly in a previous fight.

Even the credits aren't safe from the shadow his enormous silhouette casts over the city.

 

[05XR8]

Yup

 

[GTboyz]

Yelena stole every scene she's in. Her chemistry with Kate is great.

Spoiler: this time for realz

He's walking with his trademark cane from the comics. Perhaps a certain masked assailant beat him badly in a previous fight.

View attachment 1099697

Even the credits aren't safe from the shadow his enormous silhouette casts over the city.


View attachment 1099698

 

[Famine]

Regarding those spoilers, Spider-Man: No Way Home has an extremely interesting, probably hugely significant (it was kept out of the trailers), but underplayed, directly related cameo:

Spoiler: Spider-Man: No Way Home spoilers!

Charlie Cox, as Peter Parker's lawyer Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil)

These two characters - and actors - surfacing in different MCU media in the same week? That's not a coincidence...

Spoiler: Hawkeye & No Way Home spoilers!

I think that Cox/Murdock is the first time a Netflix MCU-origin character and actor has crossed back over to the MCU movies - and that D'Onofrio/Fisk is the first Netflix MCU-origin character and actor to cross into Disney+ MCU.

Fisk is my favourite MCUTV bad guy so far, and while I'd rather see more of Kristen Rit... I mean Jessica Jones, Cox was excellent as Daredevil too.

 

[05XR8]

Yep & yep.

 

[MatskiMonk]

She nailed the role. I found her super-convincing and even scary in some moments.

Agreed. Deaf from birth according to wiki, so props to the producers for casting her in the role. Also, according to wiki, she has a prosthetic leg... wouldn't have guessed that from the action sequences.

 

[UKMikey]

Cinemas are not my scene at the moment so I'm waiting for the movie to come to Disney Plus. Hopefully there won't be any more movie spoilers in the TV thread.

 

[Famine]

Cinemas are not my scene at the moment

Quite right too. I was aghast that my wife went to see Venom: Let There Be Carnage, but apparently Tom Hardy > COVID.

Hopefully there won't be any more movie spoilers in the TV thread.

That's the nature of the "U" part, I'm afraid. Aside from deriving characters from the "C" part to start with, several of the events we've seen in the TV series will derive from or set up plot lines in the films - Endgame set up WandaVision to set up Scarlet Witch (and Darkhold) for MOM and Vision 2.0, Endgame set up CA&WS to set up a new Captain America (and White Wolf, and a new Falcon), Endgame set up Loki to set up one version of the multiverse and He Who Remains/Kang, IW/Endgame and Black Widow set up Hawkeye/Ronin to set up Yelena for future MCU projects (and the above spoilers, by the looks).

Edit: And in fact Hawkeye kinda spoilers Black Widow, come to think of it, so I've blurred that bit out.

Discussion of what's in the TV series will result in what's in the films and vice versa, and if it's stuffed into Spoiler tags that are clearly marked as being spoilers for things that are other things, that's fine.

 

[UKMikey]

If there are any movie spoilers, I hope they stay inside the spoiler tags where I can avoid them on the TV threads.

 

[05XR8]

Meh

 

[UKMikey]

?

[EDIT] OK, I get it now.

That really wasn't so bad. We got action, fights, plot closure.

 

[05XR8]

I felt “the talk”/closure bit, was the best part. I like her character. Good actor.
Was cringing during the

Spoiler: Tussle- don’t read if you haven’t seen the episode

Come now, Kate vs Kingpin? First meeting and she can take all that? Come out better than DD?

 

[UKMikey]

Spoiler

Do you think he was going all out to kill her? I don't, any more than Yelena was. She should've been limping a bit more in the final scene though.

Maya should've aimed for the head (to coin a phrase). It's clear Fisk was wearing body armour.

 

[05XR8]

Spoiler

She should've been limping… though.

That’s where I’m coming from.

 

[Dave A]

Spoiler

I was dissapointed with how they portrayed Kingpin in that final episode, he is supposed to be formidable and control situations. Nothing about the situation at the end seemed like he was in control, he was just on his own. Why would he go somewhewre where he knows Hawkeye is around and not be guarded? It'd also be dissapointing if they brought him in just to have him killed of screen as well, so that's either a licensing issue with Netflix or he isn't dead. I'm hoping he's not dead, having Kingpinin the MCU proper would be great.

Overall, I didn't think that highly of the whole series, very uneven tonally, of all the series so far it was the worst one so far IMO.

 

[05XR8]

Spoiler

I was dissapointed with how they portrayed Kingpin in that final episode, he is supposed to be formidable and control situations. Nothing about the situation at the end seemed like he was in control, he was just on his own. Why would he go somewhewre where he knows Hawkeye is around and not be guarded? It'd also be dissapointing if they brought him in just to have him killed of screen as well, so that's either a licensing issue with Netflix or he isn't dead. I'm hoping he's not dead, having Kingpinin the MCU proper would be great.

Overall, I didn't think that highly of the whole series, very uneven tonally, of all the series so far it was the worst one so far IMO.

Spoiler: Spoiler

KP and DD will supposedly appear in the spin-off Echo series

 

[Dave A]

Spoiler: Spoiler

KP and DD will supposedly appear in the spin-off Echo series

Good to know but

Spoiler

Kingpin could just appear in a flashback.

 

[05XR8]

Good to know but

Spoiler

Kingpin could just appear in a flashback.

Spoiler

Since the Netflix deal ended, Marvel Studios are able to use the characters. Now this makes two characters, to have appeared in the MCU within the same week.

Sure. KP could be in a flashback, but he’s been a Spider-Man villain for ages. Other than Netflix, we’ve seen him in Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse. Now, with Echo getting her series and having done what she just did, that’s a reference to the comics where KP has an impairment. I wouldn’t count him out.

 

[Famine]

 

[JKgo]

Just finished watching the first episode of Moon Knight and...

It's good. Better than I thought it might be. Despite the trailers spoiling the best bits of the episode, it was still impactful in the right places. Plus, Oscar Isaac's accent didn't get to me much either!

It also felt like a movie with a $70+ million budget or something. Which is a good thing, but we'll see how the rest of the series will play out. History says some episodes will be far superior than others...

 

[Tuning_Maniac]

That first episode of Moon Knight was amazing!
I've loved all the MCU tv shows so far and it looks like this one is going to be amazing again.

 

[JKgo]

The second episode of Moon Knight done, and..

Spoiler

I liked it, but also slightly bummed that the mystery aspect of what's going on with Stephen Grant has been solved so quickly. I know the series is only six episodes long and they need to get the story moving, but still. I thought CGI was... okay, not as bad as some people online complained about.

Oh, and I'm liking Ethan Hawke's villain more and more. Not because of how he's written, but how the actor brings him to life. I genuinely found him scary, creepy and unpredictable. I hope the show doesn't kill him off - as it stands, I feel he could become a pretty compelling villain in other properties.