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[cbkern38]

MCU Reimagined

Phase 1 pt 3

After the X-Men, and The Incredible Hulk, my next MCU project would be Spider-Man. Again, it may seem like a cheap cop out, but I just loved how well Sam Raimi captured Spider-Man and I just can���t NOT integrate this movie into a larger, greater, shared and interconnected Marvel Universe.

With that said, I would definitely follow the same story of Raimi’s first movie, just with a few minor tweaks. For starters, we’re going to select a younger cast. No hate on Tobey or anyone else, but I got 20+ years of movies to work through, and since this rewrite is working off the idea that Marvel was able to keep all their filming rights, it’s safe to assume in this scenario, these roles are gonna be played by the same people for 10+ years. Starting off, I would cast 17 year old Frankie Muniz as Peter Parker. Already having a solid acting career, he would have had the experience, age, and appearance needed to fit the role of Peter Parker in his high school years.

Moving on, I would cast 15 year old Hilary Duff as Gwen Stacy. Now yes, I know I said I was gonna stick to the same story as Raimi’s Spider-Man, but, one of the tweaks I wanted to make was to make Gwen his first love interest, instead of MJ.

For Gwen Stacy, I would drop the modeling bit from Raimi’s universe, but I liked the bit where they met during class, so I would just rework that to fit a high school class instead of a college class. As for MJ, right now, I’m honestly uncertain as to whether I would include her in the first movie, but just as a smaller role, to at least establish that she’s there, or if I should wait for them to meet towards their college years. If I were to set her up as a character right away, I would probably go with 15 year old Evan Rachel Wood.

Otherwise, I would wait and cast her later, which I’ll be sure to note later when I cross that bridge.

Osborne drops Harry off, and there’s still evident tension between the two. Keep Dafoe as Goblin, he’s another irreplaceable role for me. Playing Harry would be a young, 16 year old Shia LaBeof.

Peter and Harry would still have a close friendship, they go to the field trip with the radioactive spider, HOWEVER. Instead of granting Peter organic webbing, I would just leave it at the Spidey Sense/Wall-Crawling. A big part of the reason why I would go with artificial webbing is because that’s a great way to show how brilliant Peter really is, and demonstrates that he’s scientifically capable. Besides that, let’s be real…everybody in that cafeteria scene should have been able to put two and two together. They all watched Peter rush out of the cafeteria with a sticky, web-like substance coming from his wrist and trailing a lunch tray, then, literally a week later, there’s suddenly a new hero who, just so happens, to shoot the same sticky, web-like substance from his wrists. Nobody in that cafeteria was going to forget about Peter, and his identity was basically blown since day one. So yeah. Artificial webbing and specially designed web shooters.

Then, there’s the same love-triangle tension between Peter, Gwen, and Harry, the Great Power comes Great Responsibility speech, the wrestling match, which, here, wouldn’t have been necessarily for a car, but instead, to try and help May and Ben with something around the house (a late bill, a project they can’t afford, whatever, you name it), May and Ben are still played by the same actor/ress that played them in the originals, Ben and Peter have a moment before the match, Ben dies, Peter finds him, hunts for vengeance, kills the guy by mistake, etc etc. Whenever he gets to the final costume design, and I know a lot of comic fans hated this run, I’m NOT drawing any writing inspiration off it, I’m just simply taking a little inspiration from the design of Spider-Man’s costume, from the Ultimate run.

The reason for that, is simply because I really like the shading, the web-pattern, and especially the logo. I would probably make the lenses a little bit smaller/thinner, though, but this is pretty close to what my ideal Spider-Man suit would look like. Also, I think each of the past Spider-Man suits have done a great job at reflecting each of the different actors, like, I can’t see Tobey having Andrew or Tom’s suits, or vice versa, it’s like those suits just fit the personalities to each of the different actors, and I think this Ultimate suit really compliments Frankie Muniz’s personality and style very well. Plus, I feel like this artwork really makes Spiderman seem like a kid underneath his suit, which he is. Don’t forget, comics Peter has been Spider-Man since he was 15 years old.

Meanwhile, Oscorp’s been the same, too. Working with the military, developing a prototype glider, but here’s where it gets interesting. Recent undisclosed circumstances have reignited the military’s search for recreation of the original Super Soldier serum. They’ve recruited Oscorp to recreate it, but, of course, things get rushed, warnings get ignored, bada bang, bada boom, Oscorp’s Super Soldier Serum project has instead created…the G-Serum. And thus, Green Goblin is born. As for the Goblin suit, I like the tactical suit design, it’s fitting and practical for someone who’s gonna be riding on a weaponized glider, but I think, instead of the chameleon green/purple thing they did, I might do solid colors that use both, green and purple, to try and give it a more comic accurate appearance whilst maintaining the practicality of it. I think these examples here are actually quite fitting for the look I would want to try and go for. Maybe if there was a way to blend the two designs together into one, that would be better.

Oscorp Board members let Osborn go, with the help of May, Pete’s able to sign on as a freelance photographer with the Bugle, they’re all at the parade, Goblin attacks board members, Spider-Man fights Goblin, saves Gwen a couple times, share upside down kiss, Goblin fight 2 in the burning building after failing to convince Spidey to join him, and essentially the rest of the movie plays out basically exactly the same, with a few obvious tweaks and changes to help reflect that these are high school kids, not college kids. Also, instead of Spiderman dodging and Osborn being stabbed by his own glider at the end, Spidey’s able to dodge and redirect the glider, causing an explosion that sends rubble towards Norman, knocking him unconscious. Now, much like my ending to Hulk, SHIELD swoops in to clean up the mess. Fury compliments Spider-Man on a job well done, and teases that he’ll be in touch.

Roll credits, enter mid credit scene:

Norman Osborn, having been taken into SHIELD custody, wakes in his cell with a start. Suddenly, there’s a bone chilling cackling laugh echoing in his cell room. Norman looks around frantically, and then he sees the mirror. In it, the Goblin personality smiles unsettlingly back at Norman. Then, the camera zooms in closer to the mirror.

Goblin: Parker…Parker put us here….Parker…RUINED us!! Peter Parker must pay….Peter Parker must SUFFER!!!

Camera zooms out as we see an evidently troubled look on Norman Osborne’s face after hearing the Goblin’s words. Camera then begins to fade to black, as Norman’s fae twists into a crooked smile as the Goblin takes over, leaving the audience with just the echoing sound of the Green Goblin’s laugh.

Roll credits, enter 2nd post credit scene:

The scene opens with Spider-Man, crouched on a ledge outside the Baxter Building. The city skyline glimmers behind him.

Spider-Man: [whispering to himself] Alright, Web-Head, just a quick look around. No one will notice...

He swings a web over to the window, silently prying it open. Inside, the vast interior of the Baxter Building buzzes with futuristic technology. He creeps inside, moving quietly. Suddenly, an automated voice booms overhead.

Automated Voice: Unauthorized access detected. Please identify yourself.

Spider-Man freezes, looking up as a large figure steps out of the shadows. As he steps into the moon-lit room, we see the face of Benjamin Grimm…aka The Thing.

Ben: Whoa there, bud. Slow your roll. Whatcha doin breakin in here, for?

Spider-Man: [gestures with his hands] Relax, I’m just here for a—[hesitating] An INSPECTION! Yeah! Top secret stuff, man. Yknow? For…science…and stuff?

Johnny Storm, The Human Torch, suddenly flies into the hall, ablaze and crackling in flames, lighting up the entire room.

Johnny: [chuckling] Sure, sure. That’s what they all say. You kinda picked a bad night to play spy, pal.

Suddenly, the lights flicker on, and Reed Richards’ voice echoes through from a nearby chamber.

Reed (VO): Who is that? How did they get in?

Spider-Man: Hey, Dr. Richards! Or, uh, Mr. Fantastic? Sorry to crash the party. Just a friendly neighborhood... visitor.

Suddenly, a transparent forcefield materializes behind him, blocking his path to the main lab. Susan Storm, the Invisible Woman appears into frame seemingly from thin air.

Susan: Where do you think you’re going?

Spider-Man quickly spins a web, swinging into the hallway as Reed Richards enters, holding a clipboard, surprised.

Reed: Well, this is unexpected.

Spider-Man: Whoa! Sorry! Just a quick peek. No harm, no foul. I’ll just—

Spider-Man tries to web away, but a floating control panel lights up. An alarm blares, and suddenly, Spider-man is now trapped. Then, the screen cuts to black, but not before recreating the iconic cover of The Amazing Spider-Man number 1:

Cast of the Fantastic 4 would be the same as the originals, however, I have big plans for that rewrite, so stay tuned, and I’ll try to get that one out sooner this time!

[cbkern38]

Before I begin, I’d like to apologize for missing the last couple days. Been pretty busy, and this post is the first of many detailed and [mostly] thorough rewrites, which has honestly taken me much longer than I anticipated.😅But anyway, here we go.

MCU Reimagined

Phase 1, pt 2

The Incredible Hulk. The reason I’ve chosen The Incredible Hulk for my second MCU film, is simply because I want to establish Marvel’s main 3 from the early 2000’s; Spider-Man, Hulk, and Wolverine. These were the three heroes that made up a large majority of Marvel’s marketing, so why not keep that running??

Now, in our main MCU Multiverse, we got 2 theatrical Hulk movies. Eric Bana’s Hulk from 2003, and Edward Norton’s The Incredible Hulk from 2008 (which was also the second installment in Feige’s MCU timeline). After that, Hulk has only ever showed up as a supporting role, from 2012’s The Avengers and beyond, and played by Mark Ruffalo. I plan to change that.

Now, there’s a lot that I liked about Eric Bana’s Hulk, and a lot more that I liked about Edward Norton’s. I really liked how they depicted that version of the Hulk. They did a great job at showing just how much of a beast he really is. He’s fast. He physically gets stronger the angrier he gets. And he’s literally a hulking beast. What I liked about Norton’s version, is the transformations. They really made just the IDEA of pissing Bruce Banner off a terrifying concept. They also did a good job at humanizing the Hulk, and I feel like Norton’s Hulk had more emotion. I also really liked the overall design they used for his Hulk, the emerald green eyes, the shade of green, all of it just looks perfect. But neither film alone, would I consider to be “perfect”.

Our version of The Incredible Hulk will draw inspiration from both of them, as well as set him up for a larger role than just a supporting role for future films. Now, as much as I liked the comic panel effects from the 2003 movie, I gotta admit…in hindsight, it’s a little bit too cringey, especially if we want audiences to take this new MCU seriously, so let’s go ahead and ditch those. We’re gonna keep the 2008 design and casting of Edward Norton here, because nothing against Ruffalo and his portrayal, but honestly, Edward Norton just looks more like how I’d imagine Bruce Banner looking. My only change in his character design would be the pants. I think Norton’s Hulk with purple pants would look great, except maybe not the super bright and vibrant pair that Betty tries offering him in the original movie:

Maybe something more like a washed dark, almost plum kind of purple, something like these:

That way, there’s enough shade to tell that they’re purple without looking completely and totally ridiculous.

Now, as for the story, obviously this will be an origin, but this time, it’s not going to revolve around the Super Soldier serum. I’m all for Easter eggs, references, and interconnectivity, and I’d definitely love to explore the global implications that the serum would have caused, but we don’t need to have our Hulks be a part of that. With that said, we open the movie to a dessert landscape. In the midst of the vast sandy ocean, sits a lone military base, where we find General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross overseeing tests for the military’s latest advanced weapons program…funded by Stark Industries, of course. Due to complications during the tests, however, they recruited Dr Bruce Banner, gamma expert and long time colleague/lover to Betty Ross (the General’s daughter), so they could safely handle the large amounts of gamma radiation that was being used in the production of these weapons.

Having completed his analysis and correcting the errors that were made, Banner’s role with the military is now finished, and they are quick to escort him off the base. As they’re driving him away, Banner notices something, off in the distance. A massive Multiple Rocket Launcher (MLR) that is being lifted seemingly out of the ground. And directly in its line of fire, a civilian dune buggy cruising by. Banner frantically tries to get the soldiers to call off the test sequence, but there’s nothing they can do. The radio signal doesn’t reach that far out from the base and they wouldn’t be able to get to him in time. Banner disagrees, though, as he wrestles the soldiers and pushes the two of them off the jeep.

Taking the wheel, Banner speeds towards the civilian, shouting, honking, doing everything he can to get the man’s attention. Finally, the civilian hears Dr Banner, but still unable to make out what he’s saying. He slows to a stop, staring curiously at Banner. He squints to see Bruce pointing out to the side, and follows his finger to find the missiles preparing to launch. The civilian is now frozen in fear of his seemingly pending doom, watching as the missiles begin their launch sequence. They fire, and time seems to slow down for the man. He stares into the sky, as the missiles rise higher, soaring closer and closer towards him. Suddenly, his gaze is interrupted as Dr Banner tackles him down to the ground.

Banner clambers back up to his feet, and practically drags the civilian behind him as he works to regain his footing.

As they run, Banner shouts at the man.

Banner: THERE’S A DITCH ABOUT 100 FEET AHEAD OF US!!! WE MIGHT JUST BE ABLE TO MAKE IT AND GET US AT LEAST SOME SORT OF COVER AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE ENOUGH FOR US TO SURVIVE THIS BLAST!!!

The two of them race to the ditch, running as fast as they possibly can. Just before they make it, the missiles blast the ground behind them, destroying the jeep and the dune buggy in a massive explosion of debris, dirt, and sand, creating a shockwave strong enough to fling Banner and the civilian over that final stretch and right into the ditch. Bruce then shielded the man as much as he could in an attempt to limit the man’s exposure to the gamma radiation.

Unfortunately for Bruce Banner, however, the blast changed him. As soon as it was over, Bruce Banner was gone, and in his place loomed…The Incredible Hulk. The man just did nothing but stare. Amazed, and grateful, yet terrified at this creature which used to be Bruce Banner, the man who had just saved his life. Then, a hoard of military vehicles approach the blast zone. The Hulk stands up, and pulls himself out of the ditch. Almost immediately, the troops begin attacking Hulk.

Hulk snarls, and leaps into the air, letting out a fierce, bellowing roar, leaving behind a small dent in the desert floor where he once stood. Everyone stops firing, as they all stare up at The Hulk, now a spec against the blistering sky, in disbelief that something so massive could leap so high. Suddenly, that spec starts to grow larger and greener as he comes crashing back down onto the convoy. The impact is so great that now, The Hulk stands in the center of a massive crater in the once flawless desert floor, tanks, jeeps, and soldiers flying seemingly weightlessly around him. The Hulk then charges at full speed towards the military base. Helicopters can be seen retreating as the base begins evacuations. But they are too late. It is only just as the 3rd helicopter begins its ascent that The Hulk grabs the chopper by its tail, and hammer throws it out and into the horizon.

The Hulk then leaps to the side of the base. He turns to face the 4th wall, and reaches out toward the audience. The audience’s screen then glitches out, and camera cuts to reveal that The Hulk had just destroyed one of the base’s security cameras. He turns back towards the base, and stomps over the garage door. The Hulk rips it free from its hinges and then crumples the door like it’s a sheet of paper, tossing it aside. He stoops to fit through the entry, as the camera lingers outside the base. All that is heard is gunshots, soldiers screaming, menacing grunts, and short roars as the inside of the base is torn apart, gunshots and human shouts becoming less and less frequent. Finally, there is a moment of silence as the camera slowly pans towards the front of the base, progressively zooming in closer.

Finally, another loud, bellowing roar escapes from The Hulk as he smashes through the front and leaps off frame. A distant voice over the radio can be heard from inside the base, as it says “Lee!? Lee, this is Ross, what’s your status?? LEE!?” And the camera fades to black, cuing the title reveal.

We cut back to the aftermath in the desert, where Banner had saved that man’s life. Several soldiers are lying dead, many more severely injured. As the medics continued to tend to the wounded and the FBI cleaned the mess, General Ross, who had escaped in the first of the helicopters, was off to the side, interrogating the man.

Ross: What’s your name, son?

Man: Rick. Rick Jones.

Ross: What in the hell were you doing way out here??? You realize this is a restricted area?? No civilians should be anywhere NEAR here!!!

Rick: It…it was a dare…sir.

Ross: A DARE!?!?! Are you out of your damn mind!!! You could have been killed! So you were DARED to trespass onto the testing grounds!?

Rick: Yes…yes sir. Yes sir, I was.

Ross: [Sighing] During the blast, what did you see?

Rick: Not much. Just that doctor that saved me, but…it all happened so fast…when the dust cleared, the doc was gone, but…that…that THING was standing exactly where the doc was…

Ross: What do you mean?

Rick: I think…I don’t know…just…the doc was there, but then he was gone, and the creature was in his place.

Ross: Well, now because of you, we have a rampaging beast on the loose and no idea where Dr Banner is! I hope you’re proud. [At another soldier] Take the kid home, we’ve got enough trouble on our plate.

Camera then cuts to a sky eye overview of an area isolated by civilization somewhere along the Colorado River. As the camera pans the landscape, we see a massive crater, not much different than the one left in the wake of the Hulk’s rampage at the base. The camera then cuts to the edge of the crater, in the far distance a silhouette of a man. The camera pans towards him, as we see massive footprints in the sand gradually getting smaller and smaller until they fit the size of a human. The camera catches up with the man, who turns out to be Dr Banner. His hair a mess, face pale and clammy, and he seems to have lost most of his clothes, save for the ripped and stretched pants he now struggles to keep from falling. He reaches the bank of the river, and collapses, a single thought seemingly evident through his face…What just happened? Finally, Banner passes out.

There’s a static shot of Banner’s face as he’s lying down, then after a beat, the shot immediately cuts to night and Banner wakes with a gasp. Regaining his senses, he realizes he’s no longer alone here. Next to him, a fresh pair of clothes sits folded. A plain white shirt and dark burgundy, almost plum colored pants.

Voice off frame: I hope those fit. But even if they don’t, they might be better than those pants you have on now…if you can even call them that anymore. [Suddenly, Banner realizes exactly who this person is. She sits across the way, glowing from the light of the fire she’s made, dressed in a tank top and jeans, with a red flannel shirt tied around her waist. Her glasses shine in the firelight, as she gazes at the river.] You’re lucky I found you, Bruce.

Bruce: Betty?

Betty: It’s been a while. What are you doing way out here? I thought you were helping my father with something?

Bruce: I…I’m not sure. They were experimenting with weapons using gamma, and needed me to help assess any probability for error and evaluate the gamma safety before they could test…soon as I was done, they went ahead and escorted me out. As we were driving off the base, though, there was this…this KID. Fresh out of high school, it seemed, and…he was driving out in the testing field. I tried telling the soldiers to call it off, but they wouldn’t even try to help. I ended up fighting them, and commandeered their jeep to help the kid. We were running towards a ditch not too far out to take cover, and then…everything was just a blur from there. I remember being…angry. Rage-full, even. I remember soldiers and helicopters, but that’s about it. And then next thing I knew, I was…here. What about you, what are you doing here? And…where exactly is here, anyway?

Betty: Near South Cove in Nevada. Roughly 20 miles east of Boulder City. I was on my way out here to conduct a study on the microbiological environment of the Colorado River. It’s going to be a part of my students’ lesson plan for next week. During my drive, though, I saw…well, I…how do I put this…Bruce, I saw YOU. But you weren’t….you. Get dressed. I need to show you something.

Bruce, clearly intrigued, gets up. Camera cuts to the crater, and Betty and Bruce are seen walking up to it.

Betty: Do you recognize this area at all?

Bruce: Not really, no.

Betty: This is where I found you…except…God, you’re going to think I’m crazy….you…you were huge. And I mean, HUGE. You were nearly 10 feet tall, and…and just this massive hulk of muscle…and…Bruce? Bruce, you were GREEN.

Bruce: Betty, I—

Betty: [interrupting] I KNOW how it sounds, Bruce, and I wouldn’t have believed it, either, but…I watched you turn back, Bruce. I watched your skin return to normal as you shrunk back down. I don’t know how it’s possible, but I SAW YOU, Bruce. I SAW you. And, if you need proof…look at the footprints.

Bruce: Betty. It’s ok. I believe you. I don’t know how it’s possible, either, but I believe you. We need to get to a lab. Run tests. Figure out what’s happened to me.

Betty: We will. But first…[kisses him deeply, then whispers] I’ve missed you, Bruce. It’s good to see you again.

Bruce: I’ve missed you, too.

The two walk back to the camp, and the screen fades to black.

From here, the two catch up, and they head back to Betty’s lab. Meanwhile, General Ross is obsessed with finding Banner, as new found evidence from the base has proven to show that Bruce Banner IS the Hulk. The General has tried several times to contact his daughter, Betty, to warn her about Banner, and to ensure that she stays away from him. Before, it was simply a matter of him not liking Bruce. He never liked him, and always thought that Betty settled for him when he knew she could do better. In fact, he was opposed to calling in Bruce to assist with the weapons test. He would have called in Betty, instead, knowing that she was just as knowledgeable in Gamma radiation as Banner, but they had spoken earlier about this trip she was taking, and knew she would be unavailable. But now, it was a matter of her own protection, and keeping The Hulk away from her. Hunting down and stopping The Hulk at all costs has now become priority number one.

Now, at this point, the 2008 movie showed Ross hunting down the Hulk, and used his military team as a bridge to connect Hulk to a secondary antagonist. Enter Emil Blonsky, aka, The Abomination. I like that they used the military hunting The Hulk to establish the connection between him and Abomination, but I have other plans for Blonsky. So we’re gonna put him on the back burner, and instead, we’re going to fill his original role with the character, Dirk Garthwaite.

For the most part, Garthwaite is going to be characterized similarly to how Blonsky was. Cocky, trigger happy, and “corrupted” essentially by his authoritative power. He will be leading Ross’s elite strike team, tasked with tracking down and eliminating The Hulk. With Garthwaite, comes two of his inseparable, ride or die, packaged deal soldiers, Henry Camp and Brian Calusky. Ross assigns the three of them a massive team with heavy weaponry, stealth gear, and anything else they might need to bring the Hulk down. Ross also assigns Eliot Franklin, a former Stark Industries employee who helped to pioneer the gamma-based weaponry that created the Hulk, to help the team track the Hulk’s gamma signature.

Throughout the remaining first half of the movie, Banner and Betty work to catch up, and discover how the Gamma radiation affected him and his DNA, all the while, being interrupted by Garthwaite and his team, and having to fight them off.

To start off the 3rd and final act, Garthwaite and his men have suffered yet another loss against the Hulk. Garthwaite decides that desperate times call for desperate measures. He leads Calusky, Camp, and Franklin to an undisclosed location in the woods, a shovel in hand as a storm starts brewing overhead. The crew keeps asking Garthwaite several questions about where they’re at, what they’re doing, and just voicing off overall concerns, but he just ignores them. He then stops, and starts digging.

Henry: Garth, cmon, what the hell are we doing out here, man? Ross is gonna have our asses if he finds out we’re not tracking Banner!

Dirk: [still digging, finally at his tolerance level of the men’s questioning] All right! All of you need to shut up, and listen. Years ago, during one of my earlier ops missions, there were…things that I saw. Things that I…can’t explain. And even if I could, y’all wouldn’t believe me. Hell, I wouldn’t have believed me. I swore never to speak of it again. To never go back. This mission, I planned to take to the grave with me. [Thunder claps in the distance, as it begins to rain and lightning] Not even my superiors from then know the details of that mission. I vowed never to return to it. [finally, he strikes something hard, and continues to clear the dirt, revealing an elongated case] The mission was to apprehend a high value target. Seemed as simple as that. But as it turned out, this target…wasn’t from around…Earth. I think she called herself something like an…Ass…Guard? Ass…Guardian???? I don’t know, some weird shit that didn’t sound like anywhere on Earth. But she had this…crowbar. [he pulls the case out the ground, and opens it, revealing the crowbar inside] But it’s not like your average crowbar. I don’t know how to explain it. But I took it from her on that mission, and I felt…different. Stronger. Powerful. I never would have imagined I’d need it. But if ANYTHING’S gonna take out the Hulk…it’s this baby.

Dirk lifts the crowbar in the air, high above his head. His crew just stares at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter at his nonsensical story. But their laughter is short lived, as they notice the crowbar beginning to shimmer in the lighting, runes glowing. Suddenly, the crowbar is struck by lightning and electricity arches out, striking the 4 men all at once. They all shout in agonizing pain and surprise as the camera zooms out, and the scene fades to black.

We cut to Ross, overseeing the repair and reconstruction of the desert base from The Hulk’s creation, who has just learned his four men charged with tracking The Hulk, have disappeared.

Ross: GONE!? What do you mean they’re GONE!? GONE WHERE!?

As though on cue, Dirk and his crew walk up to Ross.

Dirk: We’re right here, Boss.

Ross: [immediately turning on them] And where the hell have you four been!?!? And why aren’t you out there hunting down Banner?!?

Dirk: Needed some reinforcements. [Shows Ross his crowbar]

Ross: [laughing in disbelief] You went…to get a damn CROWBAR??? How the FUCK is that reinforcement?!? Have you lost your goddamn mind, soldier!?!?

Dirk: Maybe it’s best if you see just what we can do. You see that big ol missile launcher out there? [points with his crowbar] Watch this.

Dirk throws his crowbar, sending it flying straight for the MLR that created the Hulk just days before. The crowbar destroys the MLR, and then flies right back into Dirk’s hand. Ross just stares with his mouth open.

Dirk: But that ain’t all. [Calling out] Boys, give the man little demo!

His crew all nod simultaneously. Eliot makes his way to a line wrecking ball truck, gradually picking up speed as he begins running, leaps up, and lands on the wrecking ball. He then snaps the chain in half, and the wrecking ball thuds to the ground in a cloud of dust. Suddenly, it begins to move as Eliot lifts it off the ground. As he walks back to where Ross and Dirk are standing, he begins swinging the ball high over head like a mace.

Dirk: Yo, Brian! Get over here!

Brian trots over.

Dirk: [To Ross] Shoot him.

Ross is surprised Dirk would make such a callous request about his friend. Dirk sees this.

Dirk: It’s ok. You seen what me and Eliot can do. Trust me. Shoot Brian. As a matter of fact, shoot him a few times.

Ross, hesitantly decides to trust him. He pulls out his sidearm, and shoots Brian 5 times. Brian still stands there, unphased, as the bullets fall in the sand, not a scratch on him.

Dirk: And we got one more thing for ya to see, Boss. Brian, see that forklift? Pass it over to Henry for me.

Brian: On it!

Brian goes over to the forklift, and pushes it on its side.

Brian: Yo, Camp!!! Catch!!

Brian kicks the forklift with full force over to Henry, who braces for impact, taking stance, shifting his entire body weight forward, titling his head down, and lifting his shoulders up as the forklift flies toward him. Henry plows straight through it, completely unshaken as the forklift comes to a stop, with a hole ripped clean through the machinery where Henry stood. They all gather back around Ross and Dirk.

Dirk: General Ross. This here’s my Wrecking Crew. And we got us a Hulk to wreck.

The movie’s finale would be an epic city showdown between the Hulk and the Wrecking Crew, with Betty caught in the midst of the havoc. Ross and the military are there to provide air support for the Wrecking Crew as they fire down on the Hulk. Suddenly, debris falls from a building, with Betty directly in its path. Hulk breaks way from the battle, and shields her from the Debris. Ross orders his men to stop firing, in fear of accidentally hitting her. The Hulk then grabs Betty, and takes her away to a safe distance, Ross in close pursuit.

Cut away to a building a distance away from the carnage of the battleground, where Hulk lands, and gets Betty to safety. Ross’s helicopter levels out with the rooftop so Ross can step down. Hulk snarls at the sight of him, and steps forward, as if to protect Betty. But Betty grabs his arm, and looks up at him.

Betty: It’s ok. Thank you for wanting to protect me. But you have to stop them before they bring the whole city down. Watch over Banner for me, ok, Big Guy? [she kisses his hand, and walks away to the chopper]

Ross: [To Betty] I’ll be right there. [Approaches Hulk] I don’t like you. And I don’t like Banner. I never have, and I don’t think I ever will. But I can’t sit there and pretend like you didn’t just save my daughter down there, and for that, I thank you. We’ll leave you to deal with those idiots down there…I don’t need super powered FREAKS in my ranks. But we will be keeping our eye on you, and we will hunt you down if you show back up after this. And Banner. If you can hear me in there. Stay the hell away from my daughter. [walks away, back to the chopper]

Hulk, rolls his eyes as Ross’s chopper flies away, and turns back to face the damage. In the distance, the Wrecking Crew taunts The Hulk. He lets out a deafening roar, and leaps off frame. Camera cuts back to the streets, where the Wrecking Crew continues to wreak havoc. Dirk slams his crowbar into a police cruiser, sending it flying. Suddenly, The Hulk lands and catches the cruiser. He rips it in half, and fits the vehicle halves over his hands like gauntlets (Yes, I stole that right from the 2008 film, that was a badass scene, and I’d be crazy not to keep it.😂😂). The hulk smiles at them, about to enjoy this moment. He charges at the Wrecking Crew, and they all exchange a series of blows. The fight goes on for a few minutes until finally, Hulk unleashes his thunderclap, shouting, “HULK SMASH!!!!” This creates a shockwave so powerful it sends the Wrecking Crew flying, and causing Dirk to lose his crowbar in the wreckage. Without it, the four are powerless, and knocked unconscious from the blast. Then, several government agents swarm the area. Hulk snarls at them, but then a voice from behind calls out to him.

Voice: Stand down! We are not a threat!

Camera pans around to reveal the man speaking is none other than Nick Fury, director of SHIELD.

Fury: We’re merely here on clean up. But when you’ve calmed back down…we will definitely need to speak with Dr Banner. Coulson!

Agent Coulson comes up from behind Fury, standing next to him.

Coulson: Sir?

Fury: Grab that crowbar, and lock it up. We got some questions for Mr Garthwaite and company.

Coulson: Already on it, Sir.

The SHIELD agents arrest the wrecking crew, and contain Dirk’s crowbar. They all start clearing the area. Fury looks back at the Hulk, curiously before finally leaving the scene. The fight over, Hulk leaps away, bounding over buildings, and gains more and more air before leaving us with a final cinematic shot against the night sky. Cue credits.

Open to the mid credits scene:

Inside the SHIELD Helicarrier:

Maria Hill: Sir, a new report just came in, you might want to take a look at this.

Fury opens the file. It’s a single image, depicting a news paper, headlining:

Fury: Set course to New York. Seems like we got ourselves a Spider to catch.

Close scene with Danny Elfman’s Spider-Man theme.

It’s worth noting that along with Edward Norton reprising his role as Bruce Banner, William Hurt will still be General Ross, and Liv Tyler would still be Betty Ross. Now, I know Hurt had recently passed, and was recast by Harrison Ford, who did a great job in the role, but my thinking is that with my reimagining of the MCU, working under the concept that Marvel didn’t have to sell their rights, and how this Hulk movie would have come out earlier than the actual one, that would give us the wiggle room to give Hurt an opportunity to later shine as The Red Hulk before his eventual passing. As for Betty, I considered recasting her, but nobody else seemed to fit how I’d imagine her. I would also keep Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson and Sam Jackson as Nick Fury, as those roles seem irreplaceable to me. As for my Wrecking Crew, I would cast Arnold Vosloo for Dirk Garthwaite/Wrecker, Dominic Purcell as Henry Camp/Bulldozer, Ben Affleck as Brian Calusky/Piledriver, and finally, Terry Crews as Eliot Franklin/Thunderball.

Keep in mind, this concept for The Incredible Hulk is under the impression that it would have been released in 2002, and in this version of the MCU, rights are not a concern, as this is how the MCU could have looked had Marvel Comics not been in the financial crisis that they were in in the 90’s, and never had to sell off any filming rights. This would have left the Marvel Legacy films from before 2008 to one of two fates. They could be erased from history altogether, or, they could have all started the greater MCU, with Blade in 1998, rather than Iron Man in 2008. I’ve decided to start almost entirely from scratch, erasing most of those Marvel Legacy films from existence (as I have other plans for them later) while also keeping some of them and integrating them into my version of the MCU.

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MCU: Reimagined

Phase 1, pt 1

So, working on the idea that Marvel never went bankrupt, 1998’s Blade, 2000’s X-Men, 2002’s Spider-Man, 2003’s Daredevil, and later, Hulk, 2004’s Punisher, and 2005’s Elektra movies/franchises would have either A) been the start of the greater MCU we know today, or B) would not have been made at all. Now, I know that these movies helped pave the way for the MCU to be the powerhouse it is today, but frankly…I want to start completely from scratch.

To help keep the math easy, our MCU’s new premiere movie will have been released in 2000, and what better movie to start the MCU with than The X-Men. Now, I know it may seem like an easy cop-out, but I actually was really happy with how the first X-Men came out, and without it, we might not have gotten some of the most iconic castings in CBM history. Aside from the First Class cast playing the younger versions of the X-Men, I really can’t imagine anyone other than Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart playing their respective roles as Magneto and Professor X, not to mention Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. The only changes I’d really make is that they would all have a more comic-accurate look instead of the black leather, and that this movie would be the one to start the MCU’s traditional post-credits scenes.

My post credit at the end of this movie would tease the following installment of this new MCU, and would look something like this:

INT. DESERT - NIGHT

The scene opens with a wide shot of the endless, windswept desert under a cloudless, starry sky. The silence is almost deafening.

Then, the camera begins to slowly PAN DOWN, revealing a lone MILITARY BASE nestled quietly in the middle of the vast ocean of sand. The base is modest, surrounded by mangled fences, with faint lights flickering inside.

The sound of distant winds and the faint hum of equipment fill the air.

Close-up of a rusted GUARD TOWER as a solitary SPOTLIGHT sweeps across where once stood a solid steel garage door to the base, now ripped free of its hinges and lying in a mangled knot of metal on the desert floor.

Cut to a STATIC SHOT of the base’s entrance, the front of the building now in a pile of rubble and debris, as though something…or perhaps, someone had smashed their way out of the base.

The camera lingers for a moment, then slowly ZOOMS IN on a small, flickering MONITOR SCREEN inside the control room, displaying recent security footage. In the distance, a VOICE can be heard over the COMMS.

VOICE: [gradually increasing concern] LEE! LEE, this is ROSS, what’s your status?? LEE!

The camera continues to ZOOM IN towards the MONITOR, seemingly ignoring the VOICE on the COMMS as the sound fades out. The camera ZOOMS IN to where the MONITOR’S IMAGE dominates the screen, as to make the audience feel as though they are watching directly through the MONITOR.

On the MONITOR DISPLAY, recent security footage shows the vast and desolate landscape outside the base. The static noise is faint, yet persistent.

Suddenly, the footage glitches; the picture sharpens to reveal a LARGE HULKING FIGURE landing just outside the fence.

In the background, faint beeping and the hum of machinery can be heard.

The shadow pauses, and turns to the camera. The creature snarls and lets out a bellowing roar, as he throws his open hand directly towards the camera.

The screen flickers and goes dark— leaving the scene in silence.

FADE OUT.

Insert The Incredible Hulk. Which I will cover next in Phase 1, pt 2.

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Welcome to my MCU: Reimagined blog! Here, we explore how the Marvel Cinematic Universe might look if Marvel had retained full control from the start.

For those who may be uninitiated, back in the ’90s, Marvel Comics was struggling—sales were plummeting, and bankruptcy loomed. To stay afloat, Marvel sold filming rights to their best-selling properties. Properties like X-Men and Fantastic Four went to 20th Century Fox, and Spider-Man went to Sony. They offered their core Avengers characters to Sony, too, however, they declined, claiming no one cared about those characters. At that time, characters like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America were not the household names they are today. In fact, even before their financial crisis, these characters’ solo runs weren’t selling anywhere near as well as X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man were, so they all got thrown together under one title…and thus, The Avengers was born: A team of B-List heroes, often overlooked and fairly unrecognized, except for die-hard Marvel fans.

This financial crisis and inability to sell filming rights for their Avengers led Marvel Studios to be born out of necessity, left only with a risky gamble on these characters. Iron Man's success was far from guaranteed, however, it proved to be a pivotal moment for Marvel Studios, and the rest is history.

Disney bought Marvel Studios in 2009, following the successes of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. In 2016, Disney was able to strike a deal with Sony that allowed Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to appear in Captain America: Civil War and future MCU-based films (which has to be renewed every few years), and finally, in 2019, Disney bought 20th Century Fox, which meant the filming rights to X-Men and Fantastic Four automatically reverted back to Marvel. Meaning a majority of our Marvel heroes and villains can finally play in the same sandbox.

But I’m here to beg the question of…what if…? What if Marvel hadn’t had to sell those rights? What if their sales had held strong? What if they weren’t faced with bankruptcy, and all their characters could have been in the same sandbox all along? How different would the MCU be today? That’s what it is we’re here to discuss!

Stay tuned for Part One! I will be reimagining the MCU phase by phase, and posting day by day!