#mcu release order

[anotherfuckingmarvelfanaccount]

MCU In Release Order

This has everything released in all Marvel fandoms up until What If..? Season 3, which was released December 22nd, 2024

All MCU including X-Men, Spidermen, and shows by release dates

X-Men (July 2000)

Spider-Man (May 2002)

X-2: X-Men United (May 2003)

Spider-Man 2 (June 2004)

X-Men: The Last United (May 2006)

Spider-Man 3 (May 2007)

Iron Man (May 2008)

The Incredible Hulk (June 2008)

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (May 2009)

Iron Man 2 (May 2010)

Thor (May 2011)

X-Men: First Class (June 2011)

Captain America: The First Avenger (July 2011)

The Avengers (May 2012)

The Amazing Spider-Man (July 2012)

Iron Man 3 (May 2013)

The Wolverine (July 2013)

Agents of SHIELD Season 1

Thor: The Dark World (November 2013)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 2014)

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May 2, 2014)

X-Men: Days of Future Past (May 23, 2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy (August 2014)

Agents of SHIELD Season 2

Agent Carter Season 1

Daredevil Season 1

Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 2015)

Ant-Man (July 2015)

Agents of SHIELD Season 3

Jessica Jones Season 1

Agent Carter Season 2

Deadpool (February 2016)

Daredevil Season 2

Captain America: Civil War (April 2016)

X-Men: Apocalypse (May 2016)

Agents of SHIELD Season 4

Luke Cage Season 1

Doctor Strange (November 2016)

Iron Fist Season 1

Logan (March 2017)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (May 2017)

Spiderman: Homecoming (July 2017)

The Defenders Season 1

Inhumans Season 1

Thor: Ragnarok (November 2017)

Punisher Season 1

Runaways Season 1

Agents of SHIELD Season 5

Black Panther (February 2018)

Jessica Jones Season 2

Avengers: Infinity War (April 2018)

Deadpool 2 (May 2018)

Cloak and Dagger Season 1

Luke Cage Season 2

Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 2018)

Iron Fist Season 2

Daredevil Season 3

Venom (October 2018)

Runaways Season 2

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (December 2018)

Punisher Season 2

Captain Marvel (March 2019)

Cloak and Dagger Season 2

Avengers: Endgame (April 2019)

Agents of SHIELD Season 6

X-Men: Dark Phoenix (June 2019)

Jessica Jones Season 3

Spiderman: Far From Home (July 2019)

Runaways Season 3

Agents of SHIELD Season 7

The New Mutants (August 2020)

Helstrom

WandaVision (January 2021)

Falcon and the Winter Soldier (March 2021)

Loki SEASON 1 (June 2021)

Black Widow (July 2021)

What If..? SEASON 1 (August 2021)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (September 2021)

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (October 2021)

Eternals (November 2021)

Hawkeye (November 2021)

Spiderman: No Way Home (December 2021)

Moon Knight (March 2022)

Morbius (April 2022)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 2022)

Ms. Marvel (June 2022)

Thor: Love and Thunder (July 2022)

I am Groot Season 1

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (August 2022)

Werewolf By Night (October 2022)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 2022)

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 2023)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 2023)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (June 2, 2023)

Secret Invasion (June 21, 2023)

I am Groot Season 2

Loki SEASON 2 (October 2023)

The Marvels (November 2023)

What If..? SEASON 2 (December 2023)

Echo (January 2024)

Madame Web (February 2024)

Deadpool and Wolverine (July 2024)

Agatha All Along (September 2024)

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (October 2024)

Kraven the Hunter (December 13, 2024)

What If..? SEASON 3 (December 22, 2024)

[age-of-moonknight]

“Crusader,” Phases of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2024), #1.

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Rod Reis; Letterer: Cory Petit

[xxsky-shockxx]

We are BACK in the marvel fixation let's go boys (gender neutral)

[negasonic9403]

Update: I'm now through S. 1 Ep. 4 of Agents of Shield. I've never seen it before and it's so fucking good.

Y'all pray for me. I'm doing an MCU release order watch of everything (movies and shows) that's currently considered the canon timeline. I started yesterday and I just finished the first Thor movie

[vanteguccir]

chris w a marvel nerd gf

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤMARVEL NERD GF * CHRIS STURNIOLO * HEADCANON

SUMMARY　::　where you're Chris's girlfriend and obsessed with Marvel

FEATURING　Chris Sturniolo x MCU fan!reader

WARNINGS　::　none

AUTHOR'S NOTE　::　that is my work, I DON'T authorize any form of plagiarism; copy, "inspiration" or translation! | english isn't my first language, so I'm sorry if there's any grammar error

──　Chris first noticed your Marvel obsession when you casually dropped a deep-cut reference during a conversation. You were talking about something unrelated in a friend's hangout, and suddenly, you quoted Tony Stark with a mischievous smile. Chris’s quickly recognized it from one of those Marvel edits that show up on his TikTok from time to time. From that moment, he knew you were special.

──　Chris loves planning dates around your Marvel obsession. He surprises you with movie marathons at home, where he’s bought your favorite snacks and even ordered limited-edition Marvel-themed blankets and pillows to make it feel like a cozy theater experience. Sometimes, he’ll even dress up in a Marvel-themed t-shirt - that you made him buy - just to see your face light up when you notice.

──　Knowing how much you love the MCU, Chris often surprises you with rare or vintage Marvel comics. He’ll visit specialty comic book stores or browse online for hours to find issues that feature your favorite characters. He loves watching your reaction as you open the gift, your eyes sparkling with excitement as you carefully flip through the pages.

──　You’re constantly discussing Marvel theories with Chris, sometimes late into the night. Whether it’s speculating on future MCU plot twists or debating the morality of certain characters, Chris loves listening to your passionate insights. Even if he doesn’t always have the same level of knowledge, he’s deeply engaged and loves hearing your perspective. He often jokes about how you should have your own Marvel theory YouTube channel.

──　When a new Marvel movie is about to be released, Chris makes it an event. He’ll buy tickets for the earliest showing possible and might even suggest wearing matching Marvel-themed outfits. On the day of the release, he’ll clear his schedule and refuse to film any new video, knowing how much it means to you to be among the first to experience the film. Your excitement is contagious, and he finds himself getting just as pumped up as you.

──　Your place is filled with Marvel collectibles; action figures, posters, Funko Pops, and more. Chris always finds a way to add to your collection, whether it’s a rare figure he stumbled upon or a custom-made piece featuring your favorite characters. Sometimes, he even helps you rearrange your display shelves to make room for new additions, joking about how you might need an extra room soon. When it comes to the limit of not having any more free space on your house, he brings the new ones he bought to his own house and puts it on his room.

──　If you’re into cosplay, Chris is your biggest fan and supporter. He’ll help you gather materials, give you feedback on your designs, and even assist with makeup and costume details. When you’re at a convention, he’s right by your side, taking pictures of you in character and proudly posting them on social media with captions like, "Look at my superhero!". He’s also the type to hype you up in front of others, making sure everyone knows how much effort and passion you put into your cosplay.

──　Watching Marvel movies together is a regular activity in your relationship. Even if you’ve both seen them countless times, it never gets old. Chris loves seeing how you react to your favorite scenes, and he always smiles when you recite lines word for word. He’s learned which moments in the movies are your favorites, and sometimes he’ll nudge you playfully just before they happen, sharing a knowing look.

──　When you’re out shopping together and you spot Marvel merch, Chris encourages you to indulge. Whether it’s a new t-shirt, a limited-edition figure, or even Marvel-themed kitchenware, he’s always happy to see you so excited. He’ll often sneak items into the cart when you’re not looking, only to surprise you when you get home.

──　Because of his fame and how media knows Chris has an obsessed Marvel girlfriend, he often receives invites for you both to attend Marvel movie premieres together. In there, Chris loves watching you take it all in; the energy of the crowd, the excitement in the air, and your wide-eyed awe at seeing your favorite characters on the big screen. He’s always by your side, holding your hand, and whispering little comments in your ear during the movie, making the experience even more special.

──　Whenever there’s Marvel news - whether it’s a new movie announcement, a casting update, or a trailer drop - Chris is the first to send it your way. He loves seeing your reaction, especially when you get excited about something new. Sometimes, he’ll wait until you’re together to show you, just so he can see your face light up in person.

──　Chris fully supports your Marvel obsession and never makes you feel like it’s silly or too much. He loves that you’re so passionate about something and appreciates how it brings out your playful and enthusiastic side. Sometimes, when you’re having a tough day, he’ll put on your favorite Marvel movie or bring you a new comic to cheer you up, knowing it’s an instant mood booster.

© vanteguccir

[staying-elive]

How I would've set up Sam and The Avengers in Phase 4 and 5.

An incredibly long, and self-indulgent collection of my headcanons. 😅🤣😂

After reading @likeol 's post here, here's how I would've gone about setting up Sam and the new Avengers. This is just my opinion. Long post ahead.

In my ideal but still trying to be realistic, alternative world, I would've done this:

Falcon and the Winter Soldier needed to be a movie. Having it be a show fractured the general audience, many of whom still don't bother to watch the shows. Hiding the first chapter of Sam's arc as Cap on show damages the potential new Cap trilogy macro arc.

This movie should've released end of 2019 like Spiderman Far From Home (TFATWS is set 6 months post blip, FFH is set 8 months). Release it Sept/Oct. (Unlikely they'd release this the same year as Endgame, but I'm saying this with the full knowledge that COVID shut down theatres in March 2020 soooo... go with it lol)

Easily could've filmed this the same time as Infinty War/Endgame/reshoots, since Anthony and Sebastian were blipped and only in the final battle.

Working title is TFATWS. Then post Endgame comic con, big reveal, boom we tricked you CAP 4 BABYYYY!

Call it something like Captain America: Legacy or False Flag something idk. Something that either ties to the passing mantle theme or government manipulation/covert operations i.e. Walker

Since this is pre covid, we can now keep the original Flagsmasher plot lol! or strip it down a little and make Walker more overtly the villain. (I just hate him)

*Side note: did you know Far From Home is considered Phase 3 and not 4? I guess this hypothetical makes my Cap 4 movie end of Phase 3.

On to Phase 4! References!

After cinemas reopen, Shang Chi releases Sep 2021. Could maybe have included Sam in the post credit? Have him at that hologram meeting. Beaming in or in person, dont care.

Eternals released Nov 2021. Don't let them ignore Sam. Remember that bs 'Who's going to lead them?' and Ikarus going maybe me? Nah!

Hawkeye ended Dec 2021. Include Sam (and Bucky in the post credit at that terrible musical. It's funny! It would've made sitting through it bearable.

Ms Marvel started June 2022. Sam Wilson as Cap should've been represented at that AvengersCon. He wasn't even visible as Falcon. But easily could've just in passing shown the costume competition. Get creative. Maybe one fan is half-Falcon half-Cap suit, split down the middle. (Bonus: Have a SamCap cosplayer dragging a friend along who's just wrapped his arm in foil like those french guys off tiktok 😆)

I wouldn't care so much about What if episodes if we had these other references. But come on! Sam definitely should've been in these at least as Falcon.

Speaking of 2022, looks like we're due for Sam's 2nd Cap film! (It's been 2.5 years. Totally doable.)

This would make 4 MCU films in 2022 but idk it's post COVID. Roll them out.

Move Doctor Strange 2 to earlier in the year Feb/March idk, I didn't like that film 😅

May 6 is now free for Captain America: New World Order (you could still have Brave New World, but i always thought NWO was a better title. And it's from the comics)

Instead of the Hulk sequel plot (I don't really like the Leader I'm sorry BNW 😔), this should be following our Cap4. Still make it political espionage, still begin the 'restart the Avengers' request from the president, follow up on Sharon as Powerbroker. Personally, I'd tie in Rhodey's Armor War ideas too, because I want a bigger supporting cast of familiar faces.

Joaquin still gets injured here, because it's his first big fight and I love their conversation after

Maybe include an Ant Man cameo. Show Scott and Sam are still connected. Maybe even have Scott ask Sam about writing the foreword to his book! Which we'll then see the following year in Quantamania. 🤯

The post credit for this Cap5 is a first baby Avengers assemble moment. (From the above changes, he's met Shang Chi, Wong, knows Bruce, Scott and Hope. Already has Joaquin and Bucky (?) and Rhodey. It's a start!!

On to Phase 5!

Honestly, there's not much to do here. Mention Sam in Ant-man 3. During Scott's book signing

Thunderbolts, which I now decide is set first in 2025. That's the film that's dumped in February. Because it's not a summer worthy movie. 🤷‍♀️

Can stay the same but for adding a Sam cameo and tweaking the end credit scene where we replace it with this idea here (or similar idc) but since we the audience already know the REAL Avengers are operating since Cap5, this makes sense.

Don't know how to fix Bucky's bs choice. You could always just entirely replace him in Thunderbolts with Everett Ross like we just did here 😆 But at the VERY least don't stab Sam in the back by staying quiet when people insult him 🙄

OF COURSE, this whole rewrite is based on respecting Sam and ergo the New Avengers reveal likely wouldn't happen anyway. BUT if it did, at least Sam's Cap and team are coming in to defend.

Now Captain America 6! (It's been 3 years, but Sam is established on the big screen, and i'm being realistic in accounting for the actors and writers strike 🤣😂)

This becomes our May summer release. Essentially, this would be Avengers 4.5 in the same way that Cap3 was Avengers 2.5 given all the supporting characters. BUT that's just cos we need a team up movie before Doomsday and we also need to squash the Thunderbolts nonsense. Resolve that here, or at least develop it somehow.

Still have some big Avengers style action. Show the team dynamic under Sam's leadership. Add in Shuri!

This a new film so I have zero plot ideas 😆 but whatever happens, the post credit scene for THIS is now the Fantastic Four ship coming into orbit.

Annnnnd.... yeah. That's how I would've weaved Sam in through Phases 4 and 5, setting up Phase 6 Avengers.

If you've read to the end of this... thank you ...and im sorry 🤣 😂 💞 🎖🏅

Would you have done anything differently? Have I forgotten anything?

[dg-outlaw]

Different Flavors, But I Still Enjoyed Both Treats...

... and why I think you should watch both, especially if you skipped Captain America: Brave New World.

* Spoiler free post below the cut *

So I just finished watching Captain America: Brave New World... after seeing Thunderbolts*. Why did I see these in the opposite order of their release? Investment, marketing, and reviews.

Investment: I often don't see movies right away in theaters mostly because of health safety given the last few years of dealing with Covid in the world. My wife is my go-to movie partner and without going into details she's at higher risk of health complications if she gets sick so we often wait for the general crowd to die down. We also try to make an evening out of it when we do eventually go out to the movies. We pick a movie we're confident we'll enjoy, we get some food, maybe a drink or two, and we have fun. All that to say, because of time and money we don't see every movie in the theaters even if we do eventually want to see a certain one.

Marketing and Reviews: I think given the recent floundering of MCU movies and Marvel trying to find what works, the marketing of Brave New World was a bit off in hopes of getting people back in the theater. Via some trusted reviewers I follow and the general consensus online, the overall review for BNW was that it was a watered down version of the action/political thriller that has been the tone/genre of the Captain America series. The exception being The First Avenger which is more of an action/war film. That said, I think the better description of the Cap series is that they are dad movies and I think this is where Marvel missed the mark in trying to market this film. Instead, I think they wanted this movie to be the shot in the arm the MCU needed.

Yes, The Winter Soldier took most of us by surprise and injected a different tone into the MCU, but at it's core it's a action/political thriller wrapped in a superhero movie. It's also an excellent film and (IMO) still one of the best MCU films. But again, the Cap films are dad movies and I don't say that as an insult as I enjoy a good or even a mediocre dad movie. In fact, look at the supporting actors in three of the Cap films; The First Avenger - Tommy Lee Jones, The Winter Soldier - Robert Redford, and Brave New World - Harrison Ford. These are your classic dad movie actors and somewhere somebody knew this and knew these actors would get dads (and people who enjoy dad movies) in theaters or at least on couches watching "some goofy superhero movie."

So why didn't BNW wow fans or reviewers? I think the answer to this is two-fold. One, this movie wasn't the popcorn action spectacle that many of the later trailers marketed it to be. Yes, it had action and spectacle, but it was within the more muted tone of the movie's genre, though it still had plenty of action. Two, it wasn't the second coming of The Winter Soldier. While it touched on certain political themes and involved Sam Wilson trying to navigate a political environment as the new Captain America it didn't go super deep, but I think that's fine because... it was a dad film, and I enjoyed it. The Winter Soldier changed the game and gave us something new, but I don't think this film was meant to do that. It was meant to entertain, whereas Thunderbolts* ended up becoming the actual gamechanger the MCU has needed.

Sadly, I trusted reviews a little too much and when it came to deciding between watching BNW and Thunderbolts* in the theater, I chose Thunderbolts*. And despite my enjoyment of BNW, I'm glad I chose Thunderbolts*, but I don't hold that against BNW. Cap 4 fits well within the Cap series, maybe more so than Civil War because it isn't trying to shoehorn in a bunch of other things like a mini Avengers movie and introductions for future films like Spider-Man and Black Panther. Was it as serious in tone as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ series? No, but I think it stuck the landing better than that series did. If anything, I was more disappointed in the Disney+ series because that series set up and opened the door for some interesting political/social commentary, but bailed on those things in favor of action and spectacle in it's finale, along with overall poor pacing. BNW is a solid action movie, a solid dad movie, and didn't bite off more than it could chew, and I hope we get more of Sam Wilson's Captain America in the future.

So while Thunderbolts* is inspiring all new memes, fan art, and fanfics, I hope that if you're a fan of the Cap series in general or fun, Sunday afternoon dad movies, you give Captain America: Brave New World a chance. Thunderbolts* was great and I'm eager to see it again, but I'm glad I gave Brave New World a chance.

[hh-jackie]

Captain America: New World Order (2025) - Review ???

So... I watched a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie in theatre on release day in the year of our lord 2025. Unbelievable.

I grew up watching the MCU. For the longest time, my whole entire being was defined by my love for the MCU and its characters. My dad was the one to show me Iron Man (2008) when I was a kid. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) has a pretty special place in my relationship with my boyfriend. I met my best friend because of our shared love for The Avengers (2012). I remember bringing a teddy bear with its paw wrapped up in tinfoil to watch Captain America: Civil War (2016) in the theatre. I watched Avengers: Endgame (2019) alone, in a strange town, during my first year of university.

And then, I stopped. With all of my heroes dead or retired, I mourned the end of an era in my life. I didn't care enough to watch any of the following movies or most of the shows. I only watched Hawkeye (2021), because I've always been a Hawkeye kinnie, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), because Sam and Bucky were pretty much the only characters whose stories I still wanted to follow. I was somewhat aware of the events that took place in the MCU as a whole, because I still existed in various fandom spaces.

So, because I love Sam Wilson, on Valentine's Day 2025, I went to see Captain America: New World Order.

To put it briefly, I loved it.

The following review(-ish?) is my opinion.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

I did NOT expect to enjoy this movie this much. I'd been disconnected from the MCU and the fandom for years now. I am perfectly aware that I was missing some of the deeper context for this movie. That didn't ruin it for me.

Captain America: New World Order was so fun!

Before I say anything more, I have to say that I loved Bucky's appearance, no matter how brief (Sebastian Stan, you liar <3). I love Sam. I love that he's strong and capable but that he's also aware that he's not a super soldier and has his weaknesses. He's human, and he want's to do right by everyone. And man, do I love Joaquin. I genuinely cried when he got injured. He was such a joyful addition to the movie, and his dynamic with Sam is incredibly enjoyable.

Also, if I had a penny for every time I watched Danny Ramirez fly next to F-18s in a movie, I would have two pennies, which isn't a lot, but it's funny that it happened twice in a relatively quick succession.

The main gripe I have with this movie is Sam's plot armour (and his indestructible magic suit). I'm glad that he wasn't seriously injured, but next to some pretty fantastical concepts, Sam's immunity to being punched and stabbed, and having his skull crushed, is crossing the line of suspended disbelief just a little bit. Same goes for the completely indestructible, magical, wings capable of slicing fighter jet wings without having it affect Sam in any way.

Sam and Joaquin prevent a world war, save the new president of the United States, and come out mostly unscathed from events that should've killed them. Sam learns that he's enough. Joaquin learns that he's enough. They live happily ever after.

Future Congressman James Buchanan Barnes? Sorry, I don't buy it. But eh, I'll take it, especially since it meant seeing Bucky dressed sharp.

The new "ex-widow" is likeable.

The movie draws from plot lines long forgotten by the MCU, but it doesn't feel clunky or forced. It brings back some old characters, but their presence makes sense.

*END OF SPOILERS*

Anyway, I'm writing this whole post just to say that I love Sam. I love Joaquin. I can't wait to see more of them in the future.

And if anyone here role-plays as any of the characters that appear in this movie, hit me up?

[aimmyarrowshigh]

what if feige and the mcu were able to commit to following through on actual story-based storytelling ideas and they'd kept it so that a corrupted wanda were the villain of the next two avengers movies and they ended with a reverse m-day, with her bringing mutants into the mcu

what if they'd let elizabeth olsen and benedict cumberbatch slowly show their characters being driven crazy by the darkhold over the entireties of phases 4-5-6 instead of suddenly doing an about-face from the end of wandavision, the best thing they've made since catws

what if they didn't panic about spoilers so much that they ralph bohner'd us in the first place, instead allowing evan peters!pietro to be the first sign of the multiverse for a wanda searching forever for a way to bring her children back and seeding the idea of mutants

what if they made a fucking second shang-chi movie and tied his ten rings to the goddamn eternals via phastos and then to angelbaby kamala, which would have made eternals actually matter to the mcu and introduced an origin for superpowers besides Science and Infinity Stones and setting up for a dichotomy with Mutations

what if they had actually released their projects in phases 4-5 in the order the story intended, so the marvels came out BEFORE secret invasion, which would have made secret invasion make at least a modicum of sense (but still not really because HOW DO YOU DO SECRET INVASION WITHOUT ANY OF THE SUPERHEROES IN IT THAT'S THE POINT)

what if they didn't fridge maria hill

what if they could decide whether they want casual normies to be the audience of their extremely dense superhero lore or are okay with geeks being the audience for their lore-based extremely dense 90-year-old continuous franchise of facts and figures and soap opera level interconnectivity of relationships

what if steve's ending were good and made any sense at fucking goddamn all

"what if" indeed

[quasi-normalcy]

It's interesting to interact with Trekkies who joined the fandom after the 90s and don't realise things that just go without saying if you're watching it as it comes out, like:

TNG, DS9, and Voyager all overlapped each others' runs; watching them all in true release order would mean cutting from one series to the next

The early seasons of TNG imply that peace with the Klingons was a relatively recent development because Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country hadn't come out yet

Every single season-ending cliffhanger left you waiting for 3 real life months before it was resolved

The "Trials and Tribble-ations" episode of Deep Space Nine was a thirtieth-anniversary special. Same with the "Flashback" episode of Voyager

The TNG movies don't really tie-in with DS9 much because shared multimedia universes weren't integrated that way until the MCU did it in 2010s

Seven of Nine was introduced on Voyager as a way to cash in on the popularity of the movie First Contact, which came out a few months earlier

(back then, seasons aired in "batches" of episodes that were being made even as the previous batch aired; this gave the writers a chance to steer plotlines in response to audience reaction in near-real time)

Voyager and DS9 didn't get movies because they were never nearly as popular as TNG during their actual runs on television

[allforreading-fandomthings]

Ok, favorite MCU film so far (watching them in release order) is Captain America: The First Avenger! By far! Iron Man comes in second but Captain America is definitely number 1 for now!

[benjinoff13]

do marvel fans know what good marketing looks like?

i’ve seen tons of people say that the marketing is so good and that marvel knows how to market again because the posters are cool and they’re on the side of a big building

yeah it’s cool and all but the awful marketing is one of the things i disliked most about the movie (and all marvel movies after end game, but let’s stick to thunderbolts for now)

the endless trailers, bts videos and other promotional posters, videos and interviews absolutely ruined the movie for me

nothing in the movie surprised me because marvel threw promo at my face every goddamn second

i knew what the villain would do and look like

i knew exactly who was going to be in the movie

i knew what the vibe and tone of the movie would be and what the central point of it was

i know what the most emotional conversations were gonna be (for instance the conversation between yelena and alexei on the street and the most emotional line in the conversation that was in the trailer word for word)

i knew what the coolest stunts would be (yelena’s jump off the building, bucky flipping the stucks, yelena running through the lab and jumping over the flying obstacles)

i had already seen EVERYTHING shocking and spectacular about the movie to the point at which the movie was finished and i didn’t feel satisfied at all because i’d already seen everything, and i didn’t even go looking for the content and unfollowed marvel on all social media shortly after they started promoting the movie

this brings me to my absolute biggest issue about this which is that marvel released that the thunderbolts were gonna be called the new avengers A WEEK IN

only a fraction of the fans had seen the movie at this point and marvel released this information waaaay too soon, my friend who ordered the tickets even got an e-mail, this is a HUGE spoiler not only to the movie but for the ENTIRE MCU and marvel itself released it just like that, it’s absolutely unacceptable to me and made me lose a bit of respect for the studio, the writers and the fictional universe

marvel movies used to be shocking and have twist and turns

if end game came out today they would’ve shown us cap catching the hammer and tony dying in the trailer

[dalesramblingsblog]

I know we've been commenting since The Star Beast on the irony of Russell T. Davies taking Disney money and using it to say trans/gay rights as part of one of the biggest British television events of 2023/2024, but I think Dot and Bubble fully opened my eyes to something I've been quietly contemplating since at least the time of The Giggle.

I am genuinely convinced, knowing everything I know about Davies' comments on the state of the BBC and the kinds of art he's been making of late, that Series 14 is a brilliant and purposeful piece of artistic subversion that has taken Disney's money to not just say trans rights, but to actively comment upon the cold, empty yawning abyss that is modern MCU franchisecrafting.

Time and time again, the show has returned to the idea that that sort of "artistry" is completely anathema in a cosmic horror sense to the very fabric of Doctor Who. The Toymaker is an arbiter of rules and continuity, who threatens to turn Doctor Who into a knock-off of The Avengers before everything collapses back into a game of catch with the Doctor in his underwear.

73 Yards is quite explicitly about the loneliness, emptiness and futility that accompanies human beings trying to impose rational, ordered frameworks and narratives on a fundamentally chaotic and strange universe. The very fact that the episode exists in a media ecosystem where hackish YouTubers will be falling over themselves to make "Ending Explained" videos for it *is part of the point*.

And then we have Dot and Bubble, where the modern glut of franchisal/social media (and the two are often close to interchangeable, as proven by this very blog post) is explicitly shown to have an anaesthetising effect that insulates people from real-world suffering. But it's more than that, because that same anaesthesia ties into expressions of actual, direct racism that are so baked into the foundations of that media and who it tends to uplift (white, conventionally attractive and implicitly straight people) that they become indistinguishable from said suffering.

After years of Doctor Who trying its hand at being a generic MCU-esque property and fans creating mockups of Phase-esque release timelines with a million spin-offs focusing on the Wacky Adventures of Miss Evangelista or whatever other bullshit fandom constantly clamours for, here is an era that puts its foot down and says "Actually, the foundational elements of that brand of media consumption are materially connected to the constant racist or sexist backlash you see against the casting of Ncuti Gatwa or Jodie Whittaker or Kelly Marie Tran."

And it is absolutely, positively, 100% correct.

How, then, does Doctor Who resist the creeping power of this monolithic cultural entity? In a world where studios seriously try to argue for the artistic worth of tripe like Morbius or Madame Web or Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, what is the appropriate response?

The same response that it's always had, the thing that it's been doing for sixty years. Getting people to learn how to run down corridors from hokey aliens, hoping against hope that those people don't turn out to be massive fucking racists and telling them exactly where they can shove it if they are, and instilling the children of the world with a healthy dose of fear and light-hearted humour.

Welcome back, Doctor Who. God, I have missed you.

[slimelover165]

I want to take a second to talk about some of the main criticisms people have with the Moon Knight show—the ones that are actually valid, not just comic purists crying about “accuracy.”

The two biggest issues people bring up are:

Marc’s DID stemming from his brother’s death and his abusive mother instead of the serial killer Nazi who infiltrated his inner circle.

The portrayal of Jake as the “evil” alter.

Now, quick side tangents:

First, it’s hilarious how people will complain about Jake falling into the “evil alter” trope in the same breath that they demand comic accuracy—as if that exact portrayal didn’t come straight from the Bemis run. And when you point that out? Suddenly, that run “sucked” and “shouldn’t have been used.” The cherry-picking is unreal. They want comic accuracy, but only from very specific runs—ones that almost no one can agree on. Which is especially tricky for a character like Moon Knight, who has had some truly terrible runs. (I have been in too many Twitter arguments with comic purists, can you tell?)

Second, people refuse to acknowledge that when Moon Knight was released, Disney and the MCU as a whole were still extremely toned down when it came to violence. The Moon Knight team had to fight just to get that TV-14 rating. And honestly, this show is probably the reason we’re now getting Daredevil with actual violence and longer seasons. Moon Knight pushed the envelope and showed Disney what audiences actually wanted. Just had to put that out there.

Back to my initial rambling—I've never seen Jake as an “evil” alter. In the show, he’s clearly the protector. His violent nature isn’t random; it’s a response to the role he was forced into.

Building on that, I’ve always believed Jake formed from the incident with the Nazi. Marc was terrified in that moment—his safety, his identity, everything was under attack. That kind of trauma could absolutely trigger the creation of a protector alter.

This also strengthens the connection to Marc’s Judaism. Imagine the horror of realizing someone he saw as a close family friend delighted in killing Jews—and told him so, to his face. That kind of direct, personal trauma, coupled with witnessing brutal antisemitic violence, could explain both Jake’s aggression and Marc’s complicated relationship with his faith.

And yet, people give Moon Knight so much shit for not cramming 50 years of comics into six episodes. The comics themselves took 20+ years to name Marc’s DID, and 37 issues before acknowledging his Judaism. Even now, these aspects of his identity are often treated as cameos—quick mentions that have little to no impact on the story. When it does have an impact on the story, it is for drama or to move the story along without being treated like an actual disorder or piece of his identity that affects the way he lives or functions as a human being. 

Not to mention the long history of completely ignoring or outright disrespecting these parts of his identity. Calling him “crazy” or “schizophrenic.” Writing him into a Christmas special. The show handled him with more respect than most of the comics ever did, and if you can’t see that, you’re straight-up blind.

Oh, and let’s not forget: this was also the first piece of Moon Knight media to actually respect his Egyptian roots. The comics? They cherry-picked the mythology, kept whatever served their story, and disrespected an entire culture and their history in the process. But sure, let’s pretend the show was the problem.

Comic purists on Twitter act like the show assasinated his character. In reality, they’re using these technically valid criticisms as a front for their real issue—it’s not their version of Moon Knight. And half the time, they exaggerate how “inaccurate” it even was. Like, let’s be real, a lot of the changes were necessary. Take Steven, for example—he was barely a character in the comics, and what little we knew about him was a comic book cliche. In order for his character to move past the copy accusations and become a long-lasting character, he needed to be changed. 

Let’s be honest—virtually every reasonable issue people have with the show could be solved with more screen time. That’s why I, like most fans, am praying for a second season or even a solo movie. Throwing him straight into crossovers would ruin one of the best aspects of the show: the lingering question of what’s real and what’s not. If they rush his development for the sake of team-ups, we lose all the previous set-up.

Of course, that’s assuming that if he did get more screen time, they’d handle it well… and with MCU writing, that’s never a guarantee.

Anyway, I could rant about Moon Knight forever, but I’ll stop here. Shoutout to @NotHenryDumb on Twitter, who made a fantastic thread on this idea. I’ve had this take for a while, and I just wanted to go deeper into it. I know this would rile up the comic purists and Twitter oomfs alike, but honestly? I’m done with that side of the fandom.The Moon Knight show and character have brought so much joy into my life, and I refuse to let some comic-obsessed gooners ruin my hyperfixation.

[hawkzeyes]

How would you portray Barney and Clint's relationship in the MCU if you had any influence on it?

I’d shoot them both and free them.

LMFAOOOO

No on a serious note buckle in this will be long. This is just a quick speed run so forgive any like timeline mistakes or whatever it may be I’m just literally going to stream of consciousness

I’d really like for MCU to properly dig into their history. MCU will have to grow up and put their big kid pants on to discuss child abuse and alcoholism seriously. Like actually seriously and not just make jokes about it and kind of insinuate. They’d have to fix whatever weird thing they were trying to imply about Clint’s mom in the first Hawkeye show (idk I can’t remember if those scenes made it in or not but they were shot and released eventually so now there is a bad taste in ppls mouths in regards to Clint’s mom and I hate that :(

They’d have to deafen Clint as a child I think to really portray the relationship because that’s when things between Clint and Barney really shifted to me at least. It’s when Clint started realizing he can use his fists and he hates his dad. It’s when I think Barney experienced fear in regard to Clint’s safety for the first time, like actual alarm. It was the first time the beatings were permanent.

I’d like the show to really have Barney’s side of this as well instead of just from Clint’s POV so maybe split views in the childhood episodes or switching POV. I think it’s imperative we have the scenes where Barney is trying to teach Clint to fight. Imperative to show Barney’s care for Clint in really the only way he knew how. I want to see Barney using ASL. I think it would be interesting because young Clint was stubborn about it and apparently MCU Clint can’t figure it out. This could be a way for them to fix that stumble and I really want to see stubborn difficult child Clint because he was after he realized no matter what he did, no matter how good of a boy he was, his dad wasn’t going to stop hurting him or his mom or his brother. I don’t think Clint really ever shook that lesson. I think he has always sort of remained stubborn and ‘difficult’ after that. I also need them to show that even through all the difficult silent moody stage Barney wouldn’t give up on his brother.

The carnival is non negotiable. It’s obviously important to show in this how much ‘older’ or ‘adult like’ Barney was treated (to me) and how Clint was sort of desperate for any adult’s approval and how that landed them in their first ‘betrayal’ between each other. I think it’s really important to show how Barney felt when the Swordsman took Clint under his wing. There has always been complicated feelings between the Barton brothers but ultimately the point of them is that their love is stronger even through some REEEEEALLY ROUGH PERIODS OF TIME.

The MCU will def go the FBI route with Barney. Especially with how SHIELDy the made Clint in the MCU. So maybe they could go into Clint’s time before SHIELD here and of course a betrayal scene with Trickshot (the first one not Barney)

Barney ‘dying’ unfortunately I do think has to happen in order for him to come back as trickshot. We could go for the brother dying undercover sort of thing, the MCU probably will because government propaganda for free, but alas Barney will do the whole dead thing (but actually he had a faint pulse and SURVIVED but alas who has had Clint Barton’s brother after all this time? ZEMO or I guess not because they did weird shit with Zemo so good luck with that MCU)

And of course he will have to come back as Trickshot because betrayal but I need this to be done right. It can’t be just action scene. I need to them to be emotional they’re brothers. I think it’s pivotal for Clint to drop that stinger “Dad would be so proud” towards Barney. I don’t want this to be two really cool dudes just shooting at each other with super cool arrows. I need this to be emotionally charged and angry and hurt and confused because Clint thought his brother was dead. Obviously after all of the Baron Zemo Trickshot stuff that would be the end of season one. I WHAT DO YOU THINK EHHHH??? Would you watch season 2????

Lots of betrayal lots of forgiveness xoxo the Barton Brothers

[staying-elive]

You might say "But it's only $45 million behind Brave New World! Wah was wah" and I'd say sure....

But Thunderbolts didn't have nearly two years worth of negative stories planted to diminish its public standing, false stories of being entirely reshot, of costing over 300 million, etc. All to manufacture negative opinion before its release.

Thunderbolts didn't have to contend with an incredibly racist fan base, looking for any excuse to tear down a Black Captain America. Didn't have news outlets jumping on sound bytes to deliberately misrepresent the words of its lead actor.

Thunderbolts had a whole marketing drive promoting itself as "Real Cinema". Using the names of far better projects and creatives to boost its image.

Thunderbolts had a far, far larger promotional drive. More billboards, more posters, more PREMIERES, Marvel screening it for MCU cast preparing for Doomsday, in order to promote it via them on instragram.

Thunderbolts endlessly tried to make the whole 'Florence jumped off a building' a thing when frankly it pales in comparison to even the tamest of Mission Impossible stunts. 🤷‍♀️

Thunderbolts was even given more THEATRES to open to, even despite a heavier market.

Thunderbolts had critics and youtubers glazing the hell out of this thing from the moment the review embargo dropped, having you believe this was the second coming of the MCU, the "best since Endgame" 🤣

Thunderbolts had an entire post-release marketing drive to promote the cast as the "New Avengers", without a shred of irony.

So take all these things together, and this outcome is pretty damn embarrassing for the Thunderbolts I'd said. 🤣😂

And more people who come to view both in the future will look back and agree

Brave New World was incredibly overhated.

Thunderbolts is incredibly overrated.